The app Facebook has violated its self-enforced StrictMode policy I am using Red Mi Note running on MIUI5. Recently, I am getting this error:

  The app Facebook (process.com.facebook.katana) has violated its self-enforced StrictMode Policy.

What does it mean? How can I resolve the issue? It becomes frustrating when the error comes as it continues to pop-up and doesn't hide on pressing OK.

(Click the image to see its larger variant)

The Error message doesn't have any specific time to occur even the error is not app specific. It occurs randomly on different situations.

In the dex provided by Facebook app, on com.facebook.katana/app_secondary_program_dex folder, we find a lot of references to the StrictMode.

So, for short, if a programmer use StrictMode, he has a reason. Basically while forking a busy process (read: animation, reading data, dictionary values for data, open a new fragment or activity on main thread), instead of crashing app there must be put (show) a message to user to inform about waiting or terminating app.

In the particular case of Facebook app, there's /facebook/strictmode/setter/Policy$All and also errorreporting/StrictModeException. So the message comes after raising an exception. We can just assume an activity take too long or force running in main thread.

The key word is in MessengerApp. We may think about Facebook and Messenger app as separate apps, but the truth is Facebook has embeded FbandroidMessengerAppModule functions calls in it's core and also performs some logical checking as for example:

IsMessageBroadcastEnabled
IsMessageBroadcastGkEnabled
IsMessengerAppIconBadgingEnabled
IsMessengerAppIconBadgingGkEnabled
IsMessengerBlockingEnabled
IsMessengerFlatBufferEnabled
IsMessengerLoggedOutAppIconBadgingEnabled
IsMessengerPhotoEditDefaultModeDrawing
IsMessengerPhotoEditDefaultModeDrawingGk
IsMessengerSonyAppIconBadgingEnabled
IsMessengerSyncEnabled
IsMessengerThreadShortcutsEnabled

Without access to debug console, I can't predict what cause that kind of message (is it about reading values from stored DB, or are some DB files corrupted, user switched from a WiFi connection to internet connection while parsing some data ?), but my advice is to make sure Facebook app and Messenger for FB are clean installed and updated to the latest version.

Sometime a game app can embed Facebook SDK to share data and try to access data without user FB permissions set on that game (app), or is written badly so it can raise some exception (I think this indeed your problem).


How to stop one app from ever updating? Recently BBC updated their app with the new Material theme, and it completely ruined the app, I reverted back to the previous version using Titanium backup, and I want to ignore BBC app updates indefinitely for now. Much like Windows ignore update etc. Is there a way to do so in the Play Store?

There is no such functionality in Play Store.  However, some backup/restore applications, such as Titanium Backup (that you mentioned) as well as MyBackup support the ability to completely remove or break the Play Store link.


Apps in background are crashing So, this happens to mostly every app, when they're in the background. Chrome tabs reload after reopening the app. Apps like Ingress look like they've just been started. Spotify even crashes, when it's in the background and I open Chrome.

So, before I reinstall the phone, what could be the issue? I've never installed any memory cleaning apps. I'm running stock 4.4.2 on a Moto G.

Chrome's crash log from ADB:

I/ActivityManager(  969): Start proc net.nurik.roman.dashclock for service net.nurik.roman.dashclock/com.google.android.apps.dashclock.DashClockService: pid=18611 uid=10126 gids={50126, 3003}
W/InputDispatcher(  969): channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)' ~ Consumer closed input channel or an error occurred.  events=0x9
E/InputDispatcher(  969): channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)' ~ Channel is unrecoverably broken and will be disposed!
I/ActivityManager(  969): Process com.android.chrome (pid 17867) has died.
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: Window{4303f310 u0 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main}
W/InputDispatcher(  969): Attempted to unregister already unregistered input channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)'
W/WindowManager(  969): Force-removing child win Window{42ea6618 u0 SurfaceView} from container Window{4303f310 u0 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main}
E/JavaBinder(  969): !!! FAILED BINDER TRANSACTION !!!
W/WindowManager(  969): Failed looking up window
W/WindowManager(  969): java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Requested window android.os.BinderProxy@42ea6440 does not exist
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7968)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7959)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowState$DeathRecipient.binderDied(WindowState.java:1047)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at android.os.BinderProxy.sendDeathNotice(Binder.java:493)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: null

Ingress' crash log

I/ActivityManager(  969): Process com.nianticproject.ingress (pid 17260) has died.
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: Window{430e7c68 u0 com.nianticproject.ingress/com.nianticproject.ingress.NemesisActivity}
W/WindowManager(  969): Force-removing child win Window{431d43f0 u0 SurfaceView} from container Window{430e7c68 u0 com.nianticproject.ingress/com.nianticproject.ingress.NemesisActivity}
W/WindowManager(  969): Failed looking up window
W/WindowManager(  969): java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Requested window android.os.BinderProxy@423cb8b0 does not exist
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7968)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7959)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowState$DeathRecipient.binderDied(WindowState.java:1047)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at android.os.BinderProxy.sendDeathNotice(Binder.java:493)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: null

I get this on MotoG 4.4.2 as well. It appears the MotoG has a very aggressive application culling in general. This link explains what the XDA group does about the problem.

In short, there is a 'minFree' system configuration file (sys/module/lowmemorykiller/minfree) which the OS uses to try and keep some minimum amount of memory free. Unfortunately, in stock MotoG 4.4.2 the setting is very aggressive and basically means only one application will be kept around (depending on memory footprint). In 4.4.4, this minimum amount is relaxed.

With rooting you can adjust the setting; or upgrade to 4.4.4. There's a helper app, MinFreeManager (requires root access), which can help adjust this settings file as well.


File size in different devices I'm working on an Android app which downloads new-updated resources from a remote server whose platform isn't specified yet.

The app compares the size of the pre-downloaded local file and the remote file from the server which is a terrible idea.

I just heard that the size of a file can be different depending on the platform the file lies on, to my surprise.

https://askubuntu.com/q/341143

So, question:

Is an identical file expected to be the same in size in all across the Android devices?

Yes. If the files are identical, by definition, they should also be identical in size, regardless of platform (Unless the file is a sparse file, and/or the mechanism by which the FS driver of the platform reports file sizes is buggy).

But for identical apps, however:

Not necessarily. The file size mostly differs for native-compiled executable code (ARM vs. x86 chipsets,etc.), graphics resources supplied as per the device's graphics capability (OpenGL ES 2.0 vs 3.0), and so on.

In your case, it would be better to compute and compare checksums for the files, instead of size, as they depend on the contents of the file which should not vary from platform to platform, except as stated above.


Textexpander for android I'm on a Mac and iPhone. Going to switch to Android and Windows.

Textexpander is an app that is "expanding custom keyboard shortcuts into frequently-used text". In other words: a text expansion tool.

For example, when I type gm1 my email shows up. When I hit d2 I see todays date, 130830.

I currently have textexpander on the mac, have the library in dropbox, and sync it to iPhone so that I have all my snippets on both Mac and iPhone (well, at least in the iPhone apps I write in like PlainText).

I know that

AHK kan do snippets via :*:gm::my email adress
Breevy is a textexpander for windows

But can I make text expansion play as nice on android-windows as on iPhone-mac?

You may want to check Textspansion that works for android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.designatum_1393.textspansion

I'm not affiliated with the author although we make a text expansion software for Windows.


Samsung duos remove and re-insert battery makes battery life sudden drop I have a samsung duos i9082 without root.
the battery life drop 10% - 50% when remove and reinsert the battery.

So my question is.
is this a battery problem or devices or software?

Does replace a new battery fix this issue?

update question

The first drop is remove and re-insert battery.
The second drop is from 15% - 0% (less than 5mins)
48% usage by screen.

In my experience as a phone technician, that kind of issue is most often the battery. There will usually be a 0-2% drop after a bat pull because of the required power for boot up. Does the battery have any sort of swelling to it? If so then it's undoubtedly the battery.


Can I change (or add more apps to) the unlock screen in Ice Cream Sandwich? On the previous version I could swipe left or right to start with my camera, or just unlock the phone. I just got the Ice Cream Sandwich update and now I can swipe up or down to access the dialer or my text messages. Can I customize this at all? I'd love to have more apps accessible from the lock screen, and I'd also like to change from the default text message program.

Install WidgetLocker Locksscreen. Using it, you can put high no. of apps on lockscreen.


Help Needed. Cam/PC link Hello fellow enthusiasts,
I am in need of help and would be very thankful to anyone who can take a few minutes and help me solve this issue.

Here is my problem.
I would like to open a Youtube channel and I want to have a facecam in an upper corner(you know, like gaming channels usually do while gaming) but have no camera. What I do have is my Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. Please tell me(with a decent explanation) if there is a possible way to record videos with my phone but save it directly on the PC hard drive so I can later use it when editing. Saving it on my phone and then moving it on the PC later is not an option. Already tried IP CAM and other similar apps but I am not satisfied with the results.

Thank you in advance...

Spent the last hour looking for an answer to your question,  think I got a solution for you. The app "PlayTo Universal" $4.99/US and "Cast2TV-PRO" $2.99/US, both available from play store will stream directly to the PC from your android. They should work for your "game face cam".

Good luck!!


Customizing charging animation in Asus Zenfone 5 I recently rooted my Asus Zenfone 5. When I looked at the system files using ES, I found that the animation used while charging the phone, when it is charging. I was wondering if I would ruin the device if I replace this. If yes, then would placing a similar folder in data/local help?

No, provided you had the valid file, or else it wouldn't display during your charging (phone off, of course). And be sure to fix permissions (both on folder and the images). make a backup always of your stock images. It's just the same with with changing bootanimation and shutdownanimation. Be sure to rename your files (the images you're going to replace to your stock) with the exact filename with those stock images.


Is it possible to set up a Google account for Gmail only? As the title says, is it possible to setup a Google account on an Android device in a way that it will only be used to access Gmail?

I have several apps from the big G installed on my phone (obviously, I dare say), namely Gmail, Play store, Maps, Keep, and so on.

I also have three different Google accounts, the main purpose of this is the need of having distinct email addresses. Let's call "A" the main account (the one that I also use for other Google services like Play Store,  Contacts, Calendar and so on) and "B" & "C" the remaining two, only used for email.

I'd like to setup "B" & "C" so that they are only used with Gmail app, and won't pop up in every other Google app, where they are not needed nor wanted. Is it possible to do so?

I have already set them to just sync with Gmail and not other things like contacts and calendars, but that's not what I'd like to accomplish. I want them out of the way where they are not needed.

I found a workaround for my problem that works splendidly.

After having installed the latest version of the Gmail App, I have discovered that when I go to Settings > Account > Add account, I can configure a generic email address (i.e. not necessarily a Gmail one) to be used with the said App. It supports both IMAP and POP3 protocols.

(sorry for the Italian, but it should be understandable nonetheless).

I suppose that this feature was meant to use email addresses from other providers inside the Gmail App, but it will accept any email configuration, even a Gmail one.

So I selected IMAP for my second and third email addresses, and now I can access those accounts just for Gmail; this way they won't be able to get in they way on other Apps.

On Google Help Center I have found the settings required to configure an IMAP account on an external client, which I have used. I'm reporting them here for completeness.

  To configure the 'Email' app on an Android device for access to Gmail,
  just follow the steps below:

1. Enable IMAP in your Gmail settings.
2. Open the Email application.
3. Tap Menu and the Settings
4. In the top corner, tap  select Next to get started with setup.
5. Enter your full Gmail address and password, then select Next.
6. On the next screen, you can give the account a nickname and choose the name to display on your outgoing messages. Tap Done.

  And you're done. You can verify your settings from the Inbox view by
  tapping Menu, select Account and then scroll to Server settings.

Incoming settings
IMAP server: imap.gmail.com
Port: 993
Security type: SSL (always)

Outgoing settings
SMTP server: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 465
Security type: SSL (always)

  Now that your account is set up, learn how actions in your client sync
  with Gmail.


Revoking Bluetooth permission from all apps? I noticed that my phone silently enables bluetooth when screen turns off. When phones remains inactive for few minutes and I click unlock button I can see bluetooth indicator showing up for around 1-2 seconds, then it disappears and Bluetooth is disabled. I have suspicions that some app enables bluetooth programatically when screen is off.

Can I revoke bluetooth permissions from all apps? (eg. using adb) Or at least check recent bluetooth activity events?

Run the following commands:

adb shell
for package in $(pm list packages -3 | cut -f2 -d":"); do pm revoke $package android.permission.BLUETOOTH; pm revoke $package android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN; done

That will list every installed third party application then revoke both permissions android.permission.BLUETOOTH and android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN.
If you need to apply this to all installed and enabled applications, use -e instead of -3.


How can I type Indian Rupee symbol? I want Indian Rupee Symbol (₹) font in my android, so I can type it in message or anywhere I would like to. But, I can't find it in my keyboard.

Can anybody please suggest me where can I get it?

I am using Samsung Galaxy Grand and Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2

Google recently released Google Hindi IME (Input Method Editor, a techy name for keyboard) which I now saw with my friend's Nexus 4. It has the requested Rupee symbol:


Setting Default applications through ADB I have an android device (Android 4.4) with two launchers. One comes with the device and the other one is home made. I have the following questions regarding this scenario:

How can I set the default launcher via ADB? (same as selecting one and pressing Always)
How can I clear the default launcher selection via ADB? (same as entering to Default Applications and clearing Defaults)

Please do not submit answers or comments that do not consider the use of ADB. I'm not interested in any of those.

Also, I already know about disabling one of the launchers via ADB (pm disable app_package_name) and then re-enabling it, but this is not the same as setting the default launcher or setting the preferred activity. You can see the difference in the next image:

It is not necessary to uninstall the default launcher, you must know it's package name before of doing so, which if you don't know you must get with adb shell cmd shortcut get-default-launcher.

In order to set your launcher as default you just have to call the following

adb shell cmd package set-home-activity "your.package/.YourLauncherActivity"


Stock Android for Samsung Note 2 Where can I find stock Android for Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

A great place to start would be on the ROM list for your device on XDA.

There are many options available, so which one you want to install comes down to user preference.

Please note that it will be required that you root your device, so proceed with caution as your warranty will be void.

Your other alternative is building it yourself from source.


How do I delete photos I sent to someone in Hangouts? I would like to have photos removed from hangouts between myself and another person. They are showing up in their albums, not mine. THey are harrasing and sexully explicit.

Unfortunately, there is no way to delete a message that you sent to someone from their phone. You can delete it from your phone but not theirs.


How do you eject the samsung device when the device is currently being used for testing using the Android-ADT I connected my Samsung Device(Android 4.1.2 ) for testing my app through the Android-ADT(Eclipse).

After closing the workspace when I tried to eject the device through
Eject I get a dialog box saying the phone is currently being used
please close any running software using the phone.

Thereby forcing me to unplug the device manually.
Any help appreciated.

From command prompt you can enter the following command

adb kill-server

and then try ejecting.


Deactivate Talk Messages on Samsung On my Samsung Galaxy S2, I am using Google Talk. I also use the preinstalled messaging app for SMS. This messaging app seams to read my Google account and shows Google Talk messages. Therefore I get Google Talk messages twice. Once in each app.

How can I deactivate receiving Google Talk messages in the preinstalled messaging app without deactivating the whole Google account on my phone?

After the latest update, the Samsung messaging app provides an option to disable Google Talk messages. Exactly what I was looking for.


How do I use an external microphone with my Galaxy Nexus? How do I use an external microphone on my Galaxy Nexus, and what kind do I need?

I know if it should use a jack plug (3.5 mm), but not all jack connectors are the same, and I don't know if the lower or middle or upper part is for the microphone.

I want to use my phone for a video conference, but there is going to be a lot of noise around me, so I need an external microphone without all the background noise which the microphone in the phone gives.

I don't think the Gnex can handle a USB mic through the micro USB port, correct me if I'm wrong.

Today i have made some progress in this question.
On iPhone you can buy a iRig Mic which can do the job (and it should work on android too).
But since i want to use another external microphone i have decided to make the adapter myself from some different adapters (which does the same thing as iRig Mic, but with a female 3.5 mm jack output, so i can use my wireless microphone with it)

I have ordered the parts from an online store in denmark, but you can get it all over the internet, you just need to know what you need :)

The first thing you need is a 3.5 mm male 4 pole conductor jack (TRRS) to RCA adapter.
Like this one
Then you need a RCA to either female jack or XLR adapter (either if your mic has a jack or XLR output)
Like this one
And thats all.

Then you can plug everything together and use the mic of your choice on your Android phone.

(BTW some stock camcorder apps can't use external microphones, then just use this camcorder app: https://market.android.com/details?id=rubberbigpepper.lgCamera&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInJ1YmJlcmJpZ3BlcHBlci5sZ0NhbWVyYSJd )

I'm using this app ^^ with this set of wireless microphones

And i'm just waiting for the last adapter in the mail tomorrow..

So from tomorrow i can record with my galaxy nexus and record the sound via the wireless microphone on a distance up too 30 meters :D

And if i need to go around with the phone and the microphone, i will just plug in a wired microphone to the female jack and go around with the phone and microphone in my hand :)

I hope someone in the future can use this information which was very hard to find on the internet :)
When i have some time later today or tomorrow, i will upload a couple pictures to illustrate my setup :)


How can I filter out Foursquare status updates in 'Facebook for Android'? I have installed Facebook for Android on my android phone.

A friend of mine is disappointed to see all the random stuff going on in the news feed.
He's particularly not interested in the Foursquare status updates.

Is there an ability to filter the news feed?
I know that Facebook, when viewed in a webbrowser, has the ability to select 'Hide all by foursquare'.

I'm using version 1.5.1 of 'Facebook for Android' (version released in Januari 2011).

For all that they've improved the Facebook app for Android lately, it's still woefully underpowered. I don't see any way to filter anything within the app.


I want to remotely control my Android device from my PC without rooting it. Is this possible? Looking for something to remote control my Droid without having to root.  To be clear, I am looking for full control over the computer (view on monitor, use mouse and keyboard for input).

As replied in another related question, Team viewer had recently provided app for Samsung phones. After installing this app in, the phone can be remotely accessed from PC. The following is the screen shot from its site:


Samsung Galaxy S3 camera light keeps flashing Ever since I updated the software on my Galaxy S3 the camera light flashes randomly all day, it also flashes when my alarm goes off.

I cannot find anywhere in my settings how to disable this annoying light. My flash notification is not checked off. Please help!

S3 users have reported similar issue while receiving calls and alarm going off at AndroidCentral forums here.

The solution posted there is to go to Settings > My Device > Accessibility > Hearing > Flash Notification

Un-check Flash Notification.

Even if the flash notification box is not checked, check it once and un-check it again. It should solve your problem.


Google agenda question (Still need help) my question is more related to the Google contacts system than to Android itself, but hope you can help me.. I have a Nexus 5, and my agenda looks organized with everything that I added perfectly. The problem is when I go to the people section is shows me clones of my contacts for example: my girlfriend contact with phone number and another with the Skype name, but it's the same person. The problem is that when I try to merge both contacts to be perfect, it doesn't stay with my contact name but instead with the Skype name! For example, her name is Ana and her Skype name is Anaaa.. And when I merge them it appears now as Ana.. Not only in people but also in my contact list.. I tried to see in the settings to fix this, but can't find the solution.

You can hide all Skype contacts in Contacts to display settings.


Rooting Samsung Galaxy S4 I'm trying to root my Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 and I'm wondering that is there any way to root it without using PC and without losing any of my data. Currently I am running on Android 4.4.2 and have no custom ROM.

Thanks in advance!

Errr.. For this rooting problem, I have checked so many informations before. "Rooting" seems a little complicated and technical. However, it's really simple. The most important thing is to find a secure and easy tool for free rooting. Then, find a way to backup the file and data on Samsung Galaxy S4. Actually rooting won't cause data loss, but processes like unlocking bootloader will. So it's still important to backup the data before rooting.

Luckily, Samsung Galaxy S4 doesn't need to unlock bootloader like HTC or Nexus phones. You need focus on one thing: not bricking your device.

You can follow the steps on how to root Samsung Galaxy S4 here. Ensure you have working ADB before continuing. Preferably, install Samsung Kies and the drivers that come with it, and some ADB/fastboot package or the Android SDK from Google.

Download iRoot on your Windows PC.
Connect your phone to your PC.
Detect the device and click on "Root Now".
Done!

Hope you have succeeded now.


Help me reinstall Gapps in my Rooted Xperia SP Recently, I rooted my Xperia SP (running on Stock Jellybean 4.3). Out of excitement, I uninstalled a few Google Apps (gapps) from my phone. But I think I require the Play Store. How can I reinstall Gapps on my phone?

Let me clearly explain you my current status → for uninstalling those apps, I used ES File Manager (Root Explorer-->Uninstall System App). Though some apps like the play store, gmail, facebook etc. were uninstalled, I found that apps like google account manager, google backup transport cannot be completely uninstalled. So, now I have an incomplete set of Gapps. I compared this list of essential gapps with my file manager's system apps' list and found only SetupWizard.apk missing. So, I downloaded SetupWizard.apk from here and tried to install using ADB but I got this error: [INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_NO_CERTIFICATES]. Another interesting thing is that when I try to install SetupWizard.apk using my file manager, I get these screens, out of which the first screen suggests that Setup Wizard is already installed in my phone. What the heck is all these, man???

Now, I am a total newbie to flashing and other super-geek things, so I am pretty scared to flash the gapps' zip using CWM. Please give me an alternative way, if possible.

First of all you don't tell us what exactly apps you uninstalled there is a chance that you uninstalled some app that cannot be replaced by just adding gapps. Varius gapps for all the versions can be found here https://goo.im/gapps/ please be carefull to choose the right version according to the version of Android installed on your smartphone.

You should not be afraid to flash .zips from the CWM, one of the reasons of root and installing a custom recovery it this one. Also it will save you a lot of time.

If the first line of this answer is true then you will have to reinstall the ROM that is currently being used at your smartphone.


Rooting HTC Evo on Froyo 2.2 and installing a custom rom I just received the latest update from HTC. They have installed more bloatware on my phone and I've finally had enough.  I want to root.  I found this rom and this guide on how to root.  But the root guide says outdated so I'm worried.

Firstly, however, is my concern about ruining my phone.  I consider myself tech savvy, and I plan on following directions exactly, but in my experience sometimes following the directions doesn't yield expected results.  Is there a way to back out once I've started rooting/flashing?

Phone Information (HTC Evo)

Android Version: 2.2
Kernel version: 2.6.32.17
Software number: 3.70.651.1
HBoot: 2.10.0001

Is that guide going to work?  is there a better way to root?  I'm assuming the version of the HTC software doesn't matter for rooting.  How do I root and then flash in the custom rom?  Do I even need to root to flash in the custom rom (does the rom it come rooted?)  How do I flash in the custom rom?

You've got a bunch of questions going on here, but I'll see if I can break this down in a reasonable manner.

For starters, there's another key part of your phone that can be useful for determining which rooting methods will/won't work - your HBoot version. This is effectively a first-stage bootloader for your phone, and you can access it by powering on your EVO while holding the volume down button. You'll know you're at the HBoot screen if you get a mostly white screen with some skateboarding androids on the bottom. It will look something like this, and will have text that says "HBOOT-<some numbers>" near the top. This is your HBoot version, and it's good to remember what it is.

Second, that rooting method is, as noted, outdated. I believe people currently use this method or this method on the 3.70 software. You could also try Unrevoked if you want, but I don't know how nicely it plays with 3.70 (especially if you have an HBoot version of 2.02 or later). I have not had to root in a while, though, so I'd just look through some threads a bit to see what is working on your software versions.

You do need root in order to flash a custom ROM image on your phone. Pretty much every rooting process now will unlock the permissions of your NAND, which is the portion of flash memory where system files live. You need to be able to write to NAND in order to flash a custom ROM, and you need root to perform the unlock.

The easiest way to flash a ROM is through a custom recovery image. You can put a flashable .zip file on your SD card, then boot into recovery and flash the .zip to install the ROM. The ROM itself will pretty much always be rooted, unless it's just an unmodified OTA that's been packed into a .zip format. You can also flash ROMs directly from the ROM Manager program, but it can be a little finicky, so I recommend doing it manually. The two main custom recoveries are Amon RA's recovery and ClockworkMod recovery (brief discussion on the differences here on XDA).

Custom recoveries can do other things, too, such as partition your SD card and perform NAND backups. If you're going to start rooting, I recommend making a NAND (also called "nandroid") backup any time you are getting ready to make a modification to your system. The backup is a literal 1-to-1 image copy of your NAND when the backup is made, so you can completely restore your phone's current condition (settings, system, apps, everything) by restoring from a backup.

Lastly, it is possible to unroot your phone. If something gets really messed up, you can use one of HTC's ROM Upgrade Utilities (RUU) to effectively re-flash the phone back to stock HTC software. When mucking around with dual-booting ROMs on my EVO I managed to wreck my boot partition at one point. I couldn't get into my ROM, I couldn't get into recovery, but I could still get to HBoot. From HBoot I could still run an RUU, so I just restored to the 3.30 software, re-rooted, restored my NAND backup and went on my merry way. Although there is always potential to brick your phone completely, I've never actually seen a scenario where a phone couldn't be recovered via HBoot somehow (either RUU or another method). There are guides available for this as well.

Also, just as a note, if you only want to root so that you can get rid of Sprint's bloatware, you don't need a custom ROM. Once you unlock your NAND you can just delete apps from the /system/apps directory via an adb shell or a terminal emulator. I personally think it's worth it to dive into a custom ROM (I'm a CyanogenMod guy myself), but that's up to you.

And of course, if Sprint finds out that you rooted your phone your warranty is void. I think it's worth the risk, but it's something to always keep in mind.


Do widgets slow down Android phone? I use a lot of widgets (like Gmail, calender, weather app, Facebook, music, news, etc.) and since I have been using them I feel my mobile has become slower than before.

I don't use a task manager. Watchdog alerts me on Gmail only. My RAM is 512MB.

Are there any studies that reflect Android performance with the use of widgets?

I share my experience and knowledge as an android developer:

Most widgets don't consume (or use just a bit) processor power when they are not visible, but some would consume even if your screen is off and phone is locked. It is based on what task the widget is considered to do, and how developer has written and optimized the code.

As a general rule: more widgets would slow down your launcher (desktop) because your phone has to render UI of the widget every time it is shown to you.
As I see, your phone is a low-end one and surely, it shows some lag when you add more widgets, but keep in mind that smartphones are made to do TASKS, not to just scroll fast and be lag-free. So, if you really use those widgets, keep using them!

And one more thing, if your phone is running on Android ICS 4.0 or newer, you wouldn't need any task manager or task killer. Android itself best manages tasks and you shouldn't worry about background tasks, as long as you haven't installed any malicious app.
killing background apps NEVER improves speed on your phone or battery life.


Is there a way to log network traffic on an Android device without rooting it? I would like to know if its possible to log network traffic on an android device and to see what app is causing each bit of traffic without rooting the phone.

A surely working, but hard to achieve solution would be to set up an access-point where you log all the traffic and connect your phone to it.


remove the script in init.d I want to flash TweakDrypT to my rooted android 4.4.2 device. But before, I must delete all the scripts in init.d. I've tried using universal init.d to remove them, but they won't. Anyone can help?

Just use any root file manager like root browser and browse to system/etc/init.d and delete all scripts manually

Alternatively, download and install terminal emulator. Open it and enter these commands One by One->

su
mount -o rw,remount /system
mkdir /sdcard/init/
cp /system/etc/init.d /sdcard/init/
rm -r /system/etc/init.d/*

In first command, we gain the superuser rights. It should request you for root permission, grant it if it does. The second command is to mount the /system (partition where init.d scripts reside). And third command creates a new folder "init" in root of internal sdcard (this is where we will backup your scripts in case you will ever need them). The fourth command copies all scripts to folder we created in third step (backup). Fifth command finally removes all files inside init.d folder.

Hope this helps.


Recover contacts from Galaxy S2 when saved to an email If I saved my contacts to an email on my Samsung Galaxy S2, and my email account was deleted on my phone, is it possible to recover my contacts?

Only if your email was sync'ed before you deleted the account from your phone. Check from a PC in the email account you used has the message in "Sent" folder (or inbox if you sent to yourself).


With the Google Voice app, is it possible to send an SMS to multiple people? I know from the web interface, you can send messages to up to 10 people. However, I haven't figured out how to send an SMS message to multiple people using the Google Voice Android app. Is it possible? If it is, how?

In the current version you can do this easily — just type in another name/number after the first as you would in the web interface.  A comma appears automatically when you click on a suggestion, and all that good stuff.


Can you charge a Galaxy Tab 2 7" with a charger from Galaxy Tab 10.1? I've already got a charger for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and I'd like to be able to use it charge both that and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7".  It seems to work, but I was wondering if there is any sort of disadvantage to doing that.

You only need to make sure that the chargers produce the same about of voltage and current. There shouldn't be any issues with that.


Mount script cannot be created. mount: No such file or directory I have micromax bolt a58, I have rooted it with farmaroot and install link2sd but it didnt work
when i formatted it with ext2 it says try with fat32, and when i do so it gives error - Mount script cannot be created.
 mount: No such file or directory
Please help me...

Wat are you using to create and format your partitions? I ran into a similar error when I used Paragon Partition Manager (https://www.paragon-software.com/) in Windows. The phone wouldn't correctly recognise the partition.

I then used (I think it's the 'official') the SD Formatter program in windows to format my partition but it only seems to make use of the entire sd card and not really give you an opportunity to have multiple partitions.

You should really try GParted. It's pretty fool proof. Just make a bootable USB, pop on GParted and create and format you partitions in that. Good guide here for a GS4 but should work for your phone too: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2285221


How to transfer files between BlueStacks and Windows PC? I'm using BlueStacks App Player. Sometimes I need to transfer files between BlueStacks (SD card) from/to my Windows.

I seem to find the file that stores the data in the SD card on <BLUESTACKS_DATA>/Android/SDCard.sparsefs/Store, but I cannot see the content & modify it easily from my PC.

Are there any ways to transfer files between them?

For BlueStacks App Player for Windows v 0.9.0.4049 and higher
There is a shared folder between BlueStacks and Windows:

BlueStacks: /sdcard/windows/BstSharedFolder (you may need to install a file explorer app such as "ES File Explorer" to access this folder)

Windows: <BLUESTACKS_DATA>/UserData/SharedFolder (by default, <BLUESTACKS_DATA> is C:/ProgramData/BlueStacks. This is set on BlueStacks installation).
On a Windows 10 device, it was found at the location C:/BlueStacks/Engine/UserData/SharedFolder or C:/ProgramData/BlueStacks/Engine/UserData/SharedFolderor
C:/BlueStacksData/Bluestacks/UserData/SharedFolder.

Manual method (BlueStacks ↔ PC)
Copy/put any files you want to transfer to one folder (using "ES File Explorer" on BlueStacks, or "Windows Explorer" on PC), and those files will be shown on another folder.
Simple method (PC → BlueStacks only)
From BlueStacks, open "BlueStacks Settings", click "Import Windows Files" and click Proceed. A file chooser dialog will appear where you can select the file you want to import (tips: you can select multiple files by holding Ctrl and clicking other files). Finally, click Open. BlueStacks will copy the files to the same shared folders mentioned above.
Reference: How to Access Files on your PC from BlueStacks?


Where can I find a comparsion of non-offical cooked rom/firmware of Galaxy S i9000? I've been searching around for the topic these few days. However, I am getting into a problem of information overflow - there are too many different version and custom kernal around. Most of them are still in active development with a chain of discussion on forum that is difficult to check what they actually are.

Do you know are there any feature matrix of these kernel?
If it is yet exists, I am going to build one from here. Please share the kernel/rom you found that

CyanogenMod is a famous community-build Android ROM for multiple Android devices. Give you a very different user experience.

  CyanogenMod is a free, community built
  distribution of Android 2.2 which
  greatly extends the capabilities of
  your phone.

Require flash : Yes
Custom ROM: Yes (that's mean no Samsung stuffs, changed app launcher, etc)
Custom Kernel: Yes
Lagfix: hot development
Latest development: Work in progress


Turn off vibration notification for ALL apps at once In my stock, unrooted Android 4.3 on a Nexus 4, if I uncheck the feature Vibrate when ringing under Sound Settings, it only turns off vibration for Calls. This does not turn off vibration notification for individual apps (Whatsapp,FB etc). Therefore what I am looking for is an option to turn off vibration system wide, which means the phone should not vibrate for anything, be it calls, text messages or app notifications.
It's like this feature on iOS...when Vibrate on Silent is Off, switching the phone to silent mode turns vibration off system wide.

Is there any app that enables me to toggle this setting?
If Tasker is a suggestion, please provide a detailed description as I am still on the learning curve.

Update 1
Currently (until Oreo) there's no way to do this without having root and installing the application marked as answer below. For Xposed users, there's a free alternative: VibrationTuner

Update 2
It should not come as a surprise, but MIUI has this. Tested on MIUI 9.5.

Update: Android Pie (9.0) finally allows you to disable all the vibrations. Go to Settings app > Accessibility > Vibration. Some ROMs still don't have this option, in which case you may want to check out my old solution.

Old solution - applies to Android Oreo or older (<9.0):
Stock Android does not have an option to disable all vibrations. This frustrated me as well, so I made an app that can turn them off system-wide - https://blade.sk/projects/global-vibration-toggle/
A rooted phone is required, as there is no API for disabling vibrations.
The app is basically a user-friendly wrapper for this shell command: chmod 444 /sys/devices/virtual/timed_output/vibrator/enable.


How can I track my location and phone logs? As an experiment, I would like to track the following things:

Location
Phone logs
Text messages

I have a Nexus 4 running KitKat (CyanogenMod, rooted), and I would prefer to export to CSV or something.

Thoughts?

Android itself has no such features built-in (at least none I know that are accessible to the customer). But there are monitoring apps available targeted at "child protection", which can do most of the things you asked for. One example would be Parental Control Board:

Parental Control: Position tracking (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)
From the app's description:

Parents can track all movements of their children in real time from web or from their own devices. At any point of time it is possible to get precise kid’s location.
Parents can controls all calls made and received by their children, as well as all SMS messages, and set up Black Lists or White Lists of phone numbers for incoming and outgoing calls and messages.

Additional to your requested items, the app can also be used to lock apps not-to-be-used, and more. Not having used it, I cannot tell whether data can be exported to CSV, though.


su does not change prompt to # I am trying to root a device.
I have pushed su , busybox to device,
but on doing "su", it seems that I have no root privilege:

shell@nemo:/ $ su
1|shell@nemo:/ $

1|shell@nemo:/ $ whoami
shell
shell@nemo:/ $

How can I understand what's wrong with su and how to fix it ?

EDIT:

I am actually trying to root LG W200 device, having real trouble with it.

EDIT2:

I've set 7777 permission (suid), but it still fails.

chmod 7777 su-arm

 shell@nemo:/ $ ls -al /system/xbin/su-arm
-rwsrwsrwt root     shell      467952 2016-11-20 12:01 su-arm
shell@nemo:/ $ su-arm
255|shell@nemo:/ $ id
uid=2000(shell) gid=2000(shell) groups=2000(shell),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats) context=u:r:shell:s0
shell@nemo:/ $whoami
shell

EDIT3: I've updated su binary and busybox binary, but each now fails differently:

shell@nemo:/ $ busybox su
su: unknown user root
1|shell@nemo:/ $ su
error: only position independent executables (PIE) are supported.
1|shell@nemo:/ $

Thanks,
Ranchu

You have to unlock the bootloader first. Here is a page to help you do it:

https://developer.android.com/wear/preview/downloads.html

Here are step by step instructions:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/watch-urbane/development/everything-urbane-root-how-tos-files-t3243975

That page also contains the files you need to flash.

IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS PLEASE READ THE POST ENTIRELY BEFORE TRYING TO FLASH OR INSTALL ANYTHING. I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING YOU DO TO YOUR DEVICE.


How do I upgrade the OS on my Galaxy S2 I9100MUGKG2 I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do this.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  Maybe I"m losing it.  I'm a Software Engineer with an honors degree in Computer Science and I CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT!

I am absolutely at my wits end.  lol  Help me before I do the unspeakable.

If there is an update available for your android phone in android you go to
Settings -> About Phone -> System Updates

Good Luck!


Moto G5 will not boot, what are my options to recover user data? I have a Moto G5 (XT1676), which is stuck in a boot loop. It will ask for my pattern to unlock the partition, and then the motorola / lenovo logo spins forever and the phone will not boot.
What are my options to recover the user data ?
I am able to access the recovery, and I have tried already tried to clear the cache partition, with no luck. There is no option to backup the user partition in the stock recovery.
I could flash TWRP recovery and backup the phone from here, but my booloader is OEM locked, and unlocking it requires wiping the phone.
Is there a way to unlock the bootloader without wiping the phone ?
Or is there a way to backup the user partition from the stock recovery ?

I was able to make my phone boot again by flashing a stock (official) firmware, without erasing the userdata partition. As it uses an official firmware, this approach does not require unlocking the bootloader. Here is a summary of the steps I followed.
Install fastboot
Fastboot is an utility that is used to upload and flash ROMs on Android Smartphones.
On Linux, fastboot can be downloaded as follows:
wget https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools-latest-linux.zip
unzip platform-tools_r31.0.0-linux.zip
# Using fastboot requires root permissions, so from now on
# we execute commands as root
sudo -s
export $PATH=$PATH:/path/to/platfrom-tools

For other OSes, you may find installation instructions here:

Using ADB and fastboot - LineageOS Wiki
Minimal ADB and fastboot - XDA Developers

Start the Moto G5 bootloader
To do so, shutdown you phone. Then press Volume down and Power
Plug the USB cable in, your phone should now appear when you type:
 # fastboot devices
 ZY3222HM8L Motorola Fastboot Interface

Find an official ROM for your phone
This is definitely the most risky and tricky part, as there is no foolproof way to determine which is the good ROM for your phone.
The least risky way is to use the Lenovo Rescue and Smart Assistant (LMSA) to download the ROM for your phone. However, DO NOT USE LMSA TO FLASH YOUR PHONE, IT WILL ERASE YOUR DATA.
Use LMSA to download the ROM, locate the zip archive it downloaded, and close it. LMSA requires Microsoft Windows, so this is not a viable solution for Linux users or MacOS users.
The other solution is to guess which ROM is appropriate for your phone, and download it from a public mirror. I used: https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/cedric/official/. Identify your model variant by looking at the information displayed by the bootloader. The important line is:
 Product/Variant: cedric XT1676 16GB P5

Try to explore the "RETAIL", "RETEU" (Retail EU), "RETUS" (Retail US) etc. depending on your country and try to find a an archive that matches your phone variant. Mine was in RETEU:
 XT1676_CEDRIC_RETEU_DS_8.1.0_OPP28.85-19-4-2_cid50_subsidy-DEFAULT_regulatory-DEFAULT_CFC.xml.zip

Make sure you download the last version for your phone (look at the dates, and version number 19-4-2) because the bootloader will not allow you to downgrade your OS.
Flash the ROM on your phone
Unzip the archive you just downloaded, then locate the flashfile.xml file. Open it with a text editor, and locate the <steps> block
<step operation="oem" var="fb_mode_set"/>
<step MD5="9f3a13b8222b08e2171d2519e5276c31" filename="gpt.bin" operation="flash" partition="partition"/>
<step MD5="9ea732d853c838d9ed8486ca6df10321" filename="bootloader.img" operation="flash" partition="bootloader"/>
<step MD5="3605a87a6e4ba36c2f995204a7ec2aa6" filename="NON-HLOS.bin" operation="flash" partition="modem"/>
<step MD5="77aec885e43c1441ae775a36add08125" filename="fsg.mbn" operation="flash" partition="fsg"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst1"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst2"/>
<step MD5="bded198b6f1d31e9ce664376503b223b" filename="adspso.bin" operation="flash" partition="dsp"/>
<step MD5="0f114b5a2ab83e18444fa0d8e79a8e0e" filename="logo.bin" operation="flash" partition="logo"/>
<step MD5="4559fd8bad5404d1ec16a98614b3765a" filename="boot.img" operation="flash" partition="boot"/>
<step MD5="864a8060abe29e56fe2e8e93cac2c4a3" filename="recovery.img" operation="flash" partition="recovery"/>
<step MD5="39b15d4e645ba9576e819edfaf5b668e" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.0" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="ed64b41d92f7cf5f4079442fc446e0af" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.1" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="aef832b70ded5b7b5788bf87b61a8ad6" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.2" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="31c52fe5f412ac621e325f879a08e6e8" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.3" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="982e8d23a01a1017c72c23c56aed3ca2" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.4" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="1ef6cd540e95e3fe2c80d934376b6f3a" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.5" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="66a2a34e2bacd1ab0f5065524e2ce141" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.6" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="052ca5a46c322450dacad5678c31ac0e" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.7" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="0a20486510c1c5f45d1d8dbfcf0b9975" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.8" operation="flash" partition="system"/>
<step MD5="1e60bbc27184845acdc99d789f503c0c" filename="oem.img" operation="flash" partition="oem"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="cache"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="userdata"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="DDR"/>
<step operation="oem" var="fb_mode_clear"/>

Then translate each step into a flashboot command, and write a script. However DO NOT TRANSLATE THE ERASE USERDATA AND ERASE DDR commands. In my case the script I wrote was as follows:
cat fastboot.sh
set -x
fastboot oem fb_mode_set
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash dsp adspso.bin
fastboot flash oem oem.img
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.6
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.7
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.8
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase clogo

Again, make sure THERE IS NO erase userdata line.
Make sure your phone is plugged securely, then you may then execute this script as root. It will flash your phone with the official ROM.
Once this is done, use the volume up and down keys on your phone to navigate to the "Start" entry and press power. Your phone should reboot, and hopefully your userdata partition will still be there.


Android SDK 2.1: Unable to install app from Android Market on the Emulator I am testing the Emulator that comes with Android SDK 2.1, but I am Unable to install app from Android Market.

I made the Login on www.google.com but still no success: This is the error message:

  Não há telefones Android associados a esta conta. Faça login com uma conta diferente.

  There are no Android telephones associated to this account. Do Login with a different account.

Check your system configuration if it is 32-bit or 64-bit processor. Download Android SDK (32-bit or 64-bit) and install it. Also download Eclipse (32-bit or 64-bit) and install it.


Autoboot android device when plugged in I am trying to auto-boot my Samsung s4 mini (model SPH-L520) I have searched already the web with instruction to change the lpm file to

#!/system/bin/sh
/system/bin/reboot

but it does not work on that model, look like the charge animation is placed in different place. can anyone help me with that please.

Samsung devices with KNOX Customization SDK 2.6 and above have the ability to configure to auto boot when getting power.


Why can't i see any files from SD card in Android System Recovery so I'm a bit confused. I'm going to try to organize my question here and not create a wall of text so please bear with me.

Problem - I have a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 2 that I'd like to save the data from. no sim card, pattern locked. I don't know the pattern to unlock, nor do I remember the google account information to unlock it. USB debugging is NOT turned on so I cannot reach it via ADB, and it's not setup as a disk drive so simply attaching to a PC isn't a solution either.

Possible Solution - After lots of research, I've found a possible solution where I A - install CWM via the "Update from SD Card" feature in Android System Recovery, then B - Flash a Pattern Unlock to the device. This "should" in theory work, or at the very least if I get CWM installed, open a host of other possibilities to try.

Reason the above is not working - I've downloaded each file, placed them on a micro SD card via an adapter, and put them into the phone. After booting into the recovery console and going to the Update via SD Card option, I do not see any of the files on the SD card. I've gone as far as to boot the phone into recovery without the SD card installed and I literally see the same data. in short - I cannot get the SD card files to show up in the recovery console (this is a stupid problem to have and I'm hoping I'm just missing something).

What I'd like - some advice on how to get the files from the SD card to show in the recovery console. I'm assuming it must be easy. If not - perhaps an alternative method to get around the pattern lock that does not involve a factory reset. thanks.

I have had issues flashing from an external SD card due to the format of the card.

I was unable to detect a card when it was was NTFS.

After reformatting as FAT32 there was no issue. So try that, if possible.


What files need to stay on the device for a clockworkmod? I installed a clockworkmod months ago to an Alcatel OneTouch 995. On the SDCard there is still a clockworkmod folder. The directory structure looks like follows:

└── clockworkmod
    └── backup
        └── OT995_4.0.4-FR
            ├── boot.img
            ├── custpack.ext4.tar
            ├── nandroid.md5
            └── system.ext4.tar

I wonder if the folder needs to stay on the card. Can you please explain why or why not?

The clockworkmod folder contains data that CWM created, and more specifically the backup folder is where your device's backup files are stored. All of those files are what constitute a Nandroid backup of your device.

If you're looking to free up some space on your device you can delete the folder, but CWM will recreate only the folder every time you reboot; the backup files will not be recreated, and will only be generated when you use the Backup feature so be sure to copy these files to a computer (for backup purposes should you ever need to restore it).

I often create Nandroid backups, copy them to a computer or external storage, and then delete them from my device to save the memory for more useful things.


Micromax A57 is not displayed in Eclipse Device List I have purchased a new Micromax A57 (Ninja-3) smart cell phone. I want to install my application from Eclipse directly, because i need to see the Logcat output for testing my Application.

I just installed the software which came with device and also downloaded the Drivers from this link Micromax A57 Drivers

But the problem is that the device is not listed in Eclipse.
I just read few articles which are telling me to root the device. But my phone is under warranty, so I don't want to root it at all, to not void its warranty.

Is there anything else I could do?

After a long search, finally I made my Micromax A57 to connect with eclipse and made it to suit for development.

Installed Moborobo (All in one Android smart phone management tool).
Perform stop -server / start -server using ADB.
Reboot the device.
Restart the eclipse.

Device got detected.(Eclipse - list of adb devices)

List of attached devices:

Hope, this would be surely helpful.

Thanks


How do you add widgets to the lockscreen in KitKat? Just got a Nexus 5 running KitKat (what else?), but I cannot figure out how to add widgets to the lockscreen! On JB, swiping right from the left edge while showing lockscreen would display a "+" widget option. This is no longer the case. Are lockscreen widgets gone?!

You have to check "Enable widgets" in Settings > Security. Then you can swipe right on the lockscreen as usual.


Volume settings for notifications and ringtone keeps turning on after spam call Currently running android 7 on an HTC 10, and constantly having spam callers reach my number all day.

Normally when I'm working I have my ringtone and notification volume set to vibrate only.  However, whenever a spam or scam caller reaches my number (I don't pick up), the volume for my notifications and ringtone goes back up after the call is declined, so the next scam call blasts my phone at a high volume while I'm working.  I've tried blocking the numbers, but these scammers keep calling from different numbers and my phone keeps blasting sounds loudly in the workplace everytime it happens after the first!  What can I do about this, or is there a setting that I have not checked?

Never mind, turned out to be the CallBlocker app causing the volume to go back up.  Uninstalled that and installed Truecaller instead.


Android-x86, can't install any app So, I've been wanting to play PUBG for a while now, but my PC is pretty awful, then Mobile came out, and TGB didn't work properly, and I've been trying out several different Android OS, but all of them need a processor that supports SSE4.2+, so I checked out this Android x86 OS, the 32 bit version (the first one that booted, I'm pretty sure that the game wouldn't really work anyways since the version is 32 bits, but I wanted to give it a shot anyways), and well, I can't download anything from the Play Store or install any apk, I figured out a way to install apk from the terminal, and there I discovered this error.
If anyone has any clues on this, I'd appreciate it a lot, thanks in advance!

It would seem that the cause is the ext3 partition.

https://github.com/anbox/anbox/issues/108

The problem with this OS is that if you install it on a FAT32/ext4 partition, the grub doesn't work to dual boot with Windows, and if you install in NTFS, it dual boots but you boot without any free space on the OS

So yeah, rip lol


How to fix my multiple account sign-in issues? I have multiple accounts active on my phone. I started by using my custom domain Google account, because it had my contacts. When I got on Google+, I couldn't use that account, so I had to link my normal Gmail account with my phone. And when I added my YouTube account, it threw that account on there too.

Now, in intervals that range from every few days to every few minutes, i get a notification
that says "Sign In error with account (account name here)", then asks me to enter a capcha-like entry (enter letters of distorted words).

It usually happens to the standard Google account (@gmail.com), but has happened with all three at one time or another. Anyone know why this would be happening?

According to this forum deleting the YouTube account resolves it.


Huawei Ascend P1 U9200: upgrading (International to Chinese) I own a Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone (U9200, unlocked, international version, still original Android 4.0.3 factory build B003). During about a year that I have the phone, it started being much slower and I decided that it's time to upgrade the software. I have the following question:

Is it safe to try to upgrade an international P1 to more modern P1 firmware, but focused on Chinese market? The only official release available for my phone is Jelly Bean with EMUI 1.5, which is pretty old (B315, URL is available). I was hoping to upgrade, at least, to this Chinese release (B709): http://en.club.vmall.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=15972&extra=page%3D2. Also, it would be nice to read about any experiences, especially regarding feature set and stability, on the above, as well as (just in case) recommendations on restoring back official manufacturer's firmware for international models from Chinese firmware releases.

Your advice will be very much appreciated!

i just installed the official firmware.(B315, Jellybean) If you don't use the radio and MHL capabilities it is worth it, as those are not on there. Makes the phone faster, improves the camera. Battery icon shows exact percentage battery remaining making it at least feel if it last longer, still won't last the entire day if gaming on it. The volume up takes a photo and feels more responsive.


What is the difference between "Screen On" and "Awake"? I can possibly understand why the phone can be Awake without having the screen on (background stuff), but how can the screen be on without it being awake?

If relevant my device is the Nexus 4 running Android Jelly Bean 4.3.

This part of your screenshot you can find explained (partly) in my answer to What is Cell standby and how can I keep it from eating my battery?. But more specifically to your question, here's what it is about:

Network signal: Quality of the signal (colors are explained in this answer)
GPS on: Whether GPS was actively used
Awake: some app requested a Wakelock (see: How to deal with (orphaned) WakeLocks?). At least that's the best logical explanation to your question, though I cannot name a reference for that.
Screen on: the screen was turned on (either manually by the user, or automatically by an app). If the user turns the screen on, that doesn't necessarily mean a wake lock being aquired.
Charging: a charger was connected and supplied the device with energy


YouTube "Connection to server lost" on WiFi and 3G, stock 4.3 I see the issue talked about online but none of the fixes work. I haven't been able to view for over a week. Does anyone have any other ideas? It also appears that some otherer html5 based videos aren't working but I can't think how to fix that.

Attempts:

Phone off and on
Clear YouTube cache
Uninstall YouTube
Check that my WiFi settings are suitable (no proxy)

Details:

Stock Nexus 4, android 4.3
Latest YouTube app
No adblocker
No root

I think I found a solution to the problem "Connection to server lost, touch to retry" on Wifi. In fact I used to encounter this problem on my Samsung Galaxy S2  device. The solution is as follows:

First make sure you have a Google account which you use to download applications from Google Play Store.
Open the YouTube application on your device.
At the top left hand corner of your screen, you would find the YouTube icon with 3 short lines to its left.
click on it (touch it) and there is a pop up menu which appears
If you have not yet signed into YouTube with the gmail account, the


Tablet says "SD Card Mounted" For some reason, my tablet has a notification that says there is a sd card mounted, although it doesn't even have and sd card.

Is there a reason for this, if so how do I rid myself of the notification?

Though I've never seen this kind of notification sticking (or even appearing): It's obviously informing you that your SD card was mounted. Note that almost all recent Android devices come with an internal-sd card – so even if you have no external card, there's still one that should be mounted.

The other part of your question is a general one on notifications. First, there are two kind of notifications: the best known are those just giving you a one-time information, and you can simply "swipe them out". The other kind are so-called "ongoing notifications", and they "stick" (i.e. they cannot be "swiped out"). The only way to get rid of them is "silencing" the app giving them. Long-pressing a notification gives you a menu to do exactly that: telling the system you don't want this app giving you notifications.


Is it possibile to extract individual files from a .ab backup file? If I run:

adb backup -apk -shared -all -f \Path\to\backup.ab

Can I then later extract the .ab file on OSX to view and edit individual files?

It looks like this tool might be able to do this. A search for 'android backup extractor' also returns a couple of alternatives


Why does Chrome drain more battery compared to Edge beta? I'm currently using Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge together on the same smartphone. They share the same data, book marks etc. But even with data saver chrome kills the battery.

Not related: Even on the PC it's the same, chrome eats more resources.

On going investigation points out to the sync feature, and play services hurting the battery pack and using up RAM.

Chrome is draining the battery at 5% per 20 minutes.
Edge is at 2% per 20 minute drain interval.

Same forums, same accounts.


Is it possible to flash a boot.img kernel with twrp? I'm looking to flash a cm based rom's boot.img on another cm based rom for my device both based on android L 5.1 with twrp 3.0 is that possible?

Boot into TWRP, select Install and follow the screenshots for the rest.

(Click image to enlarge)

It's not a problem for TWRP to which ROM your particular kernel belongs. The size should not be greater than the partition. That's all.

If the kernel is not good for the ROM, your device would not boot into the ROM or would cause some other instability, so proceed with caution.


whatsapp is not initializing and not connecting I restore my mobile. and try reinstall whatsapp, it is not initializing but i am getting notifications. In a pop up, it shows unable to connect.
Please help me.
Whatsapp is most important to me.

I have Clear my data
My internet connection is very fast

Ensure that you have a fast and reliable internet connection.

If that doesn't solve the problem, try clearing App Data
Settings->Apps->WhatsApp Messenger->Clear Data

Hope it helps


What pros would upgrading to Superuser Elite bring? I somewhat understand what Superuser does, but I'm curious if upgrading to the Elite version is a good idea... What pros are there? Does upgrading provide any additional features?

You can see the advantages from the developer's home page.

Superuser Elite is the Premium version of Superuser. It unlocks several premium features within Superuser, including:

PIN Protection – Secure your Superuser prompt with a PIN number so that nobody but you can grant Superuser rights to apps
Access timeout – Allow an app to maintain Superuser rights for a set amount of time, so that you can allow certain apps access without having to remember them or press allow multiple times
Ghost mode – Hide Superuser from your app tray and home screen. With ghost mode activated, the only way to launch it is by dialing a secret code into the dialer. The default secret code is *#*#787378737#*#*, but it can be set to whatever you want. Note that this feature will probably be disabled if your device does not have a dialer (tablets specifically).
Advanced log management – Set the log to only store a certain number of entries before deleting the oldest entry. You also gain the ability to set certain apps to not log at all.
Advanced notification management – Set which apps send notifications and which apps don’t
Toast notification placement – If you choose to use Toast notifications instead of Status bar notifications, you gain the ability to set where the notification will appear; top, bottom, or center of the screen, or the default location


timestamp for when an app last used a permission? I'm interested in is seeing the time-stamp for when an app last used a permission. After looking around it seems that App Ops had this feature, but it is no longer available. Are there any apps out there with this feature? Would it be possible to create an app with this feature?

XPrivacy shows timestamp for various permissions accessed by app -  requires root

Picture below:

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

Call it via the 3-dots-menu (upper right corner), chosing "activity log or usage data" – when having the record of an app open.


Can I charge my battery in another phone? My phone made a weird noise yesterday when I had it on a connector to my schools computer to charge it. I plugged it in last night but it wouldn't charge. My sister has a phone of the same model. Would I be able to charge my battery in her phone? I think that the cord that I was charging with melted or something and I believe that there is not damage to the battery itself. Would it harm her phone at all if I put mine in to hers and charged it?

As long as its the same phone and the same charger or charger port (micro usb), i don's see why anything could go wrong in charge. Try to charge it in your sister's charger and tell if it works or not.


Chrome homepage on Android 4.1.1 Is it possible to change Chrome's homepage? I am currently experiencing the problem that whenever I open Chrome, the last opened tabs will still be there. When I close Chrome, I want to close all tabs. When I restart Chrome I want a fresh homepage.

Can't seem to find this in the menu or options.

Because Android apps don't have an "exit" button like PC and Mac programs do, when you leave Chrome (or any other app), it's designed to preserve all the state so that it'll be there for you next time. If it closed all the tabs every time, then whenever you try to "share" a link, or paste some information into email, or even if you take a phone call while you're browsing, you'd get back to the browser to find all your tabs gone. That's why there's no setting to do this automatically.

On a phone, if you want to "exit" Chrome, closing all tabs, then go to the tabs view, press the menu key or the three-dots icon to bring up the menu, and choose Close all tabs. Then hit the back key.

On a tablet, I'm afraid the only way is to close each tab with the little ⊗ button.


Can I remove the .nomedia file from Google Music downloaded music folder? I'm running version 4.1.511 of the Google Music app.
When it downloads songs for offline use they are stored in

  /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.music/cache/music

This folder has a .nomedia file in it which prevents the media scanner from scanning the files. This means other music apps that I run don't see the songs?

Is there any problem with removing the .nomedia file from this directory so that the files can be scanned and picked up by other media players?

The .nomedia file is for the reason you stated. You can safely remove the file and other apps will be able to pick up the medias in that folder.

In any case, if there is any problem you can easily create that file again. It can be a empty file with the name .nomedia. You can use programs like ES File explorer to explore to that directory and create the file.

EDIT:
As per the comments below which contains very useful information:

Your Music apps may recreate the .nomedia file when you launch it.
Other players will only be able to play the music if only the musics are DRM free.


Empty texts are being sent periodically to specific contact? When I check my text messages, I am always a bit confused this week. A specific contact in my phone is being sent blank messages over and over again, and I cannot figure out why. What is even more interesting is that the contact that this is happening to does not receive these messages at all. I switched texting apps from Google Messenger to Hangouts hoping the app was just glitching, but still the blank messages continue to appear. They come in groups, one being sent every 2 hours or so (but not in a predicable manner) in packs of 5 to 8 or 9.

I've narrowed down every cause I can think of. All I am down to is my Pebble Time Steel smartwatch or the Android operating system itself that could be causing this.

Anyone have any suggestions to figuring out why this is happening? I don't believe it's the Pebble or the contact in question would be receiving a lot of blank messages and none of these messages appear to go through.

I figured it out. I also have Avast Anti-theft set up, and for some reason all of the messages I send or receive are being forwarded to this contact via binary which is why the messages are empty and why the contact's iPhone is ignoring them.

In short, a bug with avast is the cause. Going to have to give their support a piece of my mind for driving me crazy for two weeks.


Why do I have Termux and Termux(failsafe)? Why do I have two Termux applications, and what's the difference? This happened recently, after updating Termux I believe. I've installed Termux from F-Droid, and it mentions (failsafe) in the application name there. Cannnot see that in the Play Store.

Termux (failsafe) is shown on the app drawer since the last update. When you update Termux to the latest version, it is also shown.
From this comment from what is Termux (failsafe)?:

We have made sessions auto-closeable, see #988 for more information.
Auto-closeable sessions may put application into "denial-of-service" condition if user will mess with files like .bashrc - in such case access to files on internal storage will be completely lost. Thus we had to create a separate icon.
It's very unlikely that we will remove it. Easy access to failsafe shell is mandatory but unfortunately there no other reliable variants that will work on all Android versions.

Also based in this comment in Termux github:

This creates a limited shell using only the Android system tools.

If for whatever reason Termux is unable to start, then use Termux failsafe.


How to get Assistant to look for music only on my phone I have about 60 gigs of music on my Samsung Galaxy S8.  I normally uses Pi Music Player, and am very happy with it.  But that's not so convenient while driving, so I'd like to control my music through Google Assistant.

However, when I ask Google assistant to say, "Play John Prine from my library", it's hit or miss whether it starts playing my John Prine collection or whether it offers up some random John Prine video from YouTube.  I can't seem to find any way to tell it reliably that I only want music from my phone.

I was about to buy a new car and enjoy the pleasures of Bluetooth voice commands so I don't have to fiddle with my phone while driving (my existing ten-year-old car does not offer me this option).  But it now appears that there's no way to do that; unless I pick up my phone and use the touch screen, the system is going to play whatever it feels like playing rather than the music that's right there on the phone.  I've put the car purchase on hold until I figure out whether there's a solution to this.  (I've also just spent an entire very frustrating day trying and failing to find settings I can adjust...)  Is there in fact a solution?

Okay---Having wasted three full days of my life on this, and having finally found the answer, I will  post it in case anyone else encounters the same problem.

I installed a different music player, namely Pulsar, which I believe is designed to play only local music.  I also did a bunch of other stuff, like disabling YouTube and uninstalling Google Play Music, which might or might not have contributed to the solution.   But Pi Music Player is still installed and the voice commands still fail to control it properly.

I (once only) told Google Assistant to "play Steve Goodman on Pulsar", it did what I asked, and ever since, it's been defaulting to Pulsar for all of my music requests, just as I wanted it to.  Following the exact same strategy with Pi Music Player does not work.


How can I rate an app in Honeycomb? Seems like I can't find out how to do the basics on my Honeycomb tablet.  How do you rate an app in the Market?

As your comment suggested on the other answer (now deleted), you can't.

The Android Marketplace app on Honeycomb seems to be very close to the web version which (at the time of posting) didn't allow ratings/comments.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!


Access desktop files from ADB connected device Is it possible to access the desktop files from Android device ?
 The device is connected to the desktop through USB.

Yes, its possible. But, not with ADB. ADB server runs only in Android (Device or Emulator). On PC, you get ADB client only.

With USB, you've got a network. Install a FTP, Samba or SSH server (like FileZilla Server) on PC & use a FTP, Samba or SSH client app (like AndFTP) on Android device to pull files from PC.

You can do the same over air, too. Just connect PC & Android device in same Wi-Fi network & do the same. If you don't have Wi-Fi router, use Connectify or mHotspot (assuming its Windows PC) to make a virtual hotspot.


Play notification alert sound when a message is still open I recently switched to an Evo from an old flip phone.  My only problem so far has been this:

When I finish sending a message, I'm used to just sending a message and putting my phone down.  I don't lock the phone or exit the messaging application.  As a result, if I receive a reply from that person before the phone automatically locks itself, it will not play the text received notification.  This has caused me to miss a few texts completely and is rather irritating.  Is there any way that I can set the messaging app to play the notification sound even when it's for a conversation that's currently on the screen?

Have you tried using an alternative SMS app?  Handcent is very popular.  It has always notified me of a new SMS even with the message still open.

Edit: If you don't want to switch SMS apps, you can also use SMS Popup.


bricked verizon lg g2 vs980 i have a rooted lg g2 vs980 and it accidentally installed a software update and now i get some kind of security boot error, it flashes to fast for me to read exactly what it says, but after the lg logo it only goes to black screen. I think it is bricked. I have tried hard reset but this does not work i also cannot enter recovery or download mode.

It isn't bricked totally.

Security Error occurs when you have stock, locked bootloader and modified core Android system files and/or recovery/x-boot/u-boot partitions.

Locked bootloader checks for signatures of some files and these partitions. The best approach would be to take LG Flash Tool, get original KDZ for your LG, extract recovery.img, u-boot.img, x-boot.img and boot.img partitions and flash them with fastboot.

Try experimenting with VOL-UP/DOWN keys to get to fastboot.

You will probably want to use this command:
fastboot flash <partition> <file>

You need:

LG Flash Tool and KDZ extractor
KDZ file for your model (search XDA-dev for it)

Good luck!


Listening to music in the background In my Samsung with Android, when I open an MP3 file from the Dropbox folder, I hear the music, but when I go to another application, the music stops.

Is there a way to listen to the music in the background, while I do other things?

Go to the pop up menu for the file and select export, Then save it to the device. Now it's on your phone and can be played via your native media player


Samsung Galaxy S3 Wi-Fi problems My Samsung Galaxy S3 has major Wi-Fi problems.  It will connect to Wi-Fi for a few seconds, then it quits and won't connect to anything.  It happens at home, work, or anywhere else with Wi-Fi.  It's not the router. My laptop and other phone works fine with it.

If I turn off the Wi-Fi and then turn it back on again, it will work for a little while, but then, nothing, no connection to anything. I've researched the problem for days and seems like a lot of people are dealing with the same thing.

There are some supposed 'quick fixes' but none work for me. (dialing *#0011# on the phone to turn off power save mode, downloading a Wi-Fi Fixer app, doing a factory reset, trying to set a static IP - phone won't let me, and everything else, NOTHING WORKS!).

Is this a problem with the phone or the software?  Do I need to exchange the phone for a different one?

I even called Samsung and they claimed that no one else has ever reported a problem with this, even though there are hundred and hundreds of posts online about the issue.

Is Samsung doing anything about this or should I just give up and get a different phone all together?  By the way, it always says that I am connected to Wi-Fi. It just doesn't actually work.

I've read about having to set the router to G or N but I have no idea what the means or how to do it?  And besides, why should I have to do that?  Shouldn't the phone's wi-fi just work?  And how would I do this G or N setting at work?  Not gonna happen, so I'd be outta luck there.

So frustrating!!

If you're using the Sprint version of the S3, see if Sprint Connections Optimizer is turned on under Settings > More Settings > Mobile Networks. Make sure it's turned off, as it can cause Wi-Fi to be a little funky sometimes.


Confused by the many locations of the virtual /sdcard/ Some devices (like my Nexus 4) don't have an external slot for an SD Card. Instead, there's a root folder called /sdcard/ that is treated the same way. But I also find other paths that all point to the same files -- there must be some kind redirects going on (I think this is called symlinks in Linux).

All these paths contain the same files:

/sdcard/
/storage/sdcard0/
/storage/emulated/0/
/storage/emulated/legacy/

Which path is the "actual" one? What about the other paths? What are they used for, why do they exist?

Recommended lecture: Why did /sdcard/ turn into /sdcard/0/ with 4.2?.

In short: It has to do with the multi-user functionality introduced with Jelly Bean:

/storage/emulated/0/: to my knowledge, this refers to the "emulated MMC" ("owner part"). Usually this is the internal one. The "0" stands for the user here, "0" is the first user aka device-owner. If you create additional users, this number will increment for each.
/storage/emulated/legacy/ as before, but pointing to the part of the currently working user (for the owner, this would be a symlink to /storage/emulated/0/). So this path should bring every user to his "part".
/sdcard/: According to a comment by Shywim, this is a symlink to...

/mnt/sdcard (Android < 4.0)
/storage/sdcard0 (Android 4.0+)

/storage/sdcard0/: As there's no legacy pendant here (see comments below), the "0" in this case rather identifies the device (card) itself. One could, eventually, connect a card reader with another SDCard via OTG, which then would become /storage/sdcard1 (no proof for that, just a guess -- but I'd say a good one)

Though one might get to the conclusion there should be a /storage/sdcard/legacy as well, there isn't (see comments) -- which completely makes sense with my assumption of the numbers here are not related to the user, but rather to possible multiple cards: "0" would always be the one in the card-slot of the device, so no need for a "legacy symlink" here.


Is there an app to use PNG for the FFC? This is semi-related to a previous question and I have a new theory I want to test. I am looking for a camera app that will store it's images in PNG format (what screenshots are stored in) instead of the lossy jpeg.

Camera FV-5 is the only app I could find that mentions PNG support, but it does not support the FFC.

JPEG with 100% compression quality is not lossless but maybe the picture quality will be good enough for you, here are two apps I know which has the ability to set the compression quality to 100%:

Snap Camera HDR (JPEG Quality: Best = 100% according to the developers website), trial here
Camera MX


How can I restore /system/bin/toolbox? I accidentally removed /system/bin/toolbox on my Android 5.1.1 tablet. Right now I have temporarily replaced it by a busybox binary I had at hand, so the system is somewhat usable but not completely functional (e.g. no network connection).

I have tried to pull the toolbox binary from other devices I have, but those are either Android 4 or Android 6, so it didn't work due to unresolved linker symbols. Is there a place where I can get a binary for a specific Android version? Or is there a place on my device where a backup is kept?

You can download the stock ROM (or any ROM, but not preferred) for your device. For most brands you'll see a system/ folder in the ZIP. Now you can take the toolbox file and send it to your device. Files taken from ROMs for other devices may work, but there's no guarantee.

If unfortunately you've found a system.img file in the ZIP, you should convert it first before attempting to extract any files from it. Tools involved are simg2img and gzip, which either comes with a Linux system or available from the Linux's default package repo (apt-get install simg2img or yum install simg2img).


How to detect locked screen in Tasker? If like to be able to detect a locked screen in Tasker without polling.

https://www.reddit.com/r/tasker/comments/3y3kpx/how_to_query_tasker_if_the_screen_is_locked_or_not/ has a solution that polls.

Create a profile Screen Locked triggered on the event Display Off and calling a task that sets a variable %SCREEN_LOCKED to true iff %SCREEN is off.

Create another profile Screen Unlocked triggered on the event Display Unlocked and calling a task that sets that variable to false.

If you'd like for a profile to be triggered (or not) if the screen is locked:
Create a third profile Display Locked triggered on the variable being true  and calling some NoOp task (which does pretty much nothing) then use the Profile Active trigger on the profile conditional on screen lock state.


Why won't Jawbone headset invoke Voice Search/Dialing? I have an Aliph Jawbone (original) which worked fine with Sony Ericsson dumb-phones (K750, K810) but on my HTC Desire S (Gingerbread, 2.3.3) I can't figure out how to use it for voice dialing.

The phone can find the headset, pair with it and connect to it.
If I double tap on the Jawbone's call button, it triggers the phone's last number redial and calls a contact; but a single press (which should invoke voice dialing on the phone somehow), has no effect.

With dumb-phones, I would just press the headset button, hear a low-pitched beep, then a higher pitched beep a second later when the phone responds, prompting me to speak. Then the phone would receive the noise I make, and go and do its thing.

With this Android phone, I don't hear that 2nd beep, so apparently the phone isn't responding to the Jawbone.

Am I going about this in the wrong way? Should I be using the Car Panel's Voice Dialer instead?
* Update *
I've tried the Voice Dialer, and it almost does what I need, but to use it I need the phone out and visible, with the screen on, and I have to tap on the screen to trigger the dialer.
I didn't have to do this with phones from five years ago.

Note
I am looking for a hands-free solution, so any advice that involves unlocking the phone, staring at it, and stabbing at the screen simply isn't an answer. It would also be illegal under English driving law.

I am considering buying Cyberon's Voice Speed Dial, because that seems to work the way I'd like it to (without needing a data connection to an online speech-to-text service); but I want to check that I'm not missing some daft configuration setting.

This link is a discussion of this issue on the Android Open Handset Alliance Project site.  Users on this page talk about the problem in detail and discuss some possible solutions. I would recommend you star this issue.  If the enhancement is implemented or there is a status change you will be notified and can try again on your phone.


How can I manage/track the data use on a HTC Inspire? I thought this would be a popular question but couldn't find it here so if you do please let me know.

My mother just got a new HTC Inspire and is brand new to using a data plan.  Since she is worried that she might go over her cap I want to know how can she track how much data she has used in a certain time (preferably within a billing period). I am on Sprint so I've never had to worry about how much data I use. My question is: Can you recommend a method to manage/track data?

Also, I figure that apps like weather and news should be changed to check less frequently... any other default apps that should be changed to check less frequently?

Thanks for the help

NetCounter will keep track of data usage. It may not be 100% accurate, but it would be a decent estimate.


How do i keep an app open whilst also browsing on chrome? Dumb question but...

So i'm using the app but want to research something related on the web , and switch back and forth between the two.

Thanks

Hold down the button that brings up all your applications. It's usually the one on the right hand side. Then once you see the app you're using on half of the screen you can either select the browser from the running apps selection that is listed on the other half of the screen if it is running, or press the home button in the center and select your browser that way. If done correctly you should bring up your browser and whatever app using simultaneously.


SD Card Suddenly Stopped Working -- Cannot Remove Read-Only Attributes My SD card suddenly stopped working in my Motorola Moto E2, running Android 6.0. When I insert it, it just says "checking..." for ages, then says that it's not inserted. I then removed the card and told Android to forget the SD card. When I insert it now, it tells me that it's in an unsupported format. I try to format it, and I get an error as shown in the picture below (apologies for the size!)

I previously had it formatted as internal storage, and had various apps installed on it. I've tried for format it in my computer, but it is read-protected. I've gone through all the methods online to remove read-protection (specifically using regedit and diskpart), but neither have been successful. I've got AOMEI Partition Assist, but that doesn't even see the SD card. When I plug the SD card in, my computer can see the drive (and data on it), but is in read-only so won't format.

I've also tried MiniTool Partition Wizard, but, while it sees the SD card, since it is read-only the wizard can't do anything with it.

Any assistance would be most appreciated! (and if anyone knows how to make the screenshot below smaller, feel free to edit this question to do so!).

Full-sized SD cards have a physical write-protect tab. The adapter for your microSD might have one. Make sure it's in the correct position.


restart Android phone when power button stopped working The power button on my Nextbit Robin has stopped working.  After some investigation, it would appear that the volume down button doesn't work, either, so, I'm 99% certain that it's a software issue (related to taking a screenshot?); however, in the unlikely 1% chance, I don't want to just shut it down (through battery drain?), as it might not turn back on again if the issue is hardware related instead (whereas if I leave it as-is, it might as well last for a while as long as it never gets into a shutdown state).

It's possible to wakeup the phone by connecting or disconnecting it to a charger, and by installing a number of apps for the task, but it would appear that there is no way to actually reboot the phone, nor bring the Power-Off/Reboot menu that the power button normally brings.

How do I reboot the device?

It would appear that the only way to reboot the device in the case where the phone is not rooted and when the power button is unavailable is through adb.

As per StackOverflow, it would appear that Google provides an adb binary for OS X that doesn't depend on any other developer tools nor Java, so, the following set of steps would make it possible to reboot the phone:

Have Developer options menu enabled within the Android phone
Enable USB debugging within Developer options menu of Android
Connect Android device via a USB cable to an OS X machine
Execute the following commands within OS X in Terminal.app:

cd /tmp
curl https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools_r28.0.1-darwin.zip -o apt.zip
unzip apt.zip
./platform-tools/adb devices
./platform-tools/adb reboot

Before executing the final adb reboot command above make sure to allow pairing between Android and OS X by allowing it at the Allow USB debugging? dialogue popup that would appear on the phone after running the adb devices command on the OS X machine.


"Mediaserver" under Power management / Battery usage (xperia ZL) I have a Sony Xperia ZL running Android 4.2.2 . There's a background process named "Mediaserver" which uses most of my battery, while the phone is on standby. If I charge it to 100% and leave it alone, the "Mediaserver" process by itself will account for some 30% of all battery usage after 8 hours or so... Mediaserver manages to have "Keep awake" CONSTANTLY!

I've spent quite a lot of time searching about this, and went around many ideas, including that this excessive battery usage could be caused by some corrupt media (audio/picture/video) file stored on the device. But, despite having flashed several stock ROMs from around the world, without even having any kind of media (or even any app but the stock ones), the problem persists!

I have also tried the apps "Rescan Media Root" and "Mediaserver Killer" from the Play store (of course, I do have root access). For my misfortune, they were not useful.

As a fairly advanced user, who likes to be in control of things, I've tried to find "Mediaserver" under Settings / Apps hoping to stop it but it's not there. I'm believing to have found it under /system/bin/Mediaserver (no extension), but how can I stop it from running all the time? It seems to me that deleting/renaming this file isn't really a good idea.

Ps: I also tried a few Task Managers, but still couldn't find/stop the running process.

Any ideas on this will be appreciated, including possible some more information on how to manage built-in background processes on Android. Anything, really, I don't care if it envolves turning to ADB or running commands from Terminal Emulator.

Thank you everyone!

It could be that it's not a particular file that's corrupt, but the filesystem itself. I've had a similar problem on a Galaxy S3, and the culprit was a filesystem error on the SD card. Removing the SD card and scanning the filesystem for errors from a computer fixed the problem.


Mysterious icon in Notification Area It is on a Sony Xperia T. The first icon from the left that looks like a battery in hands. I checked the manual and asked around. No one knows... There is no information when I drag down the Notification Area.

According to the Xperia Z manual, that icon indicates that "Stamina Mode" is active.

I don't see it in the Xperia T manual, so I'm guessing that there was a recent update to your device that added that feature.


IMEI Invalid - Lenovo S860, rooted android 4.4.2, nothing works I saw and tried more than 10 ways to repair the IMEI, including rooting the phone, connection to PC, mobile terminal emulator, but nothing works.

The phone is 2GB RAM Lenovo S860. It has 2 sim card slots (I'm using both) 3G and 2G respectively. (I cannot post link because of low reputation, gsmarena has specifications for my phone)

I accidentally deleted the system folder, after which the phone bricked, but I managed to repair it using the following android verion (http://www.needrom.com/download/rom-stock-4-4/) as an upgrade to (http://www.needrom.com/download/lenovo-s860/), both installed using PC.

Now I have the IMEI problem and I really need quick fix because I need the phone for work.

I am using MTK Engineering Mode app from Play Store to restore my lost IMEI after flashing ROM. You should know your previous IMEI number. It is usually mentioned in the area underneath battery. When you will open your phone you will see it.

Steps:

Open MTK Engineering Mode.
Click MTK setting.
From connectivity tab choose CDS information, radio information, phone1 or phone2, send AT command AT+EGMR=1,7,”your15digitsIMEI”.
Click send AT command button.
Restart your phone and it should work now.

If still unclear see my article here.


Samsung Galaxy 3 incoming call problem Most of the time I receive incoming calls for few seconds, then it shows as missed call while my caller listens full ring, leading them to thinking that I didn't pickup the call. I checked all the settings but couldn't find anything. This happens especially when I connect 'vodafone' sim card. I didn't have this problem with other sim cards. My handset is Samsung Galaxy 3 (GT-I5801).

remove true caller or similar app from ur cell, restart the phone it will be ok...tried my self.