Read phone state and identity I've looked at many (not all) of the dozens of links here.

Is there a list that explains the risks involved with each granted application permission type?

Most of these are not worth the time to read and just regurgitate using the same vague, indeterminate descriptions already used by the phone.

I've googled for specifics, but can find no detailed information on this privacy warning.

Please don't reply with generic blog articles and endless lists of links.

I'm looking for one hard core detailed reference on this warning:

Read phone state and identity

Here's what mine says:

Allows the application to access the phone features of the device...

What specifically is a "phone feature" and what is not? Is wifi a phone feature, text message stack, etc
An application with this permission can determine the phone number and serial number of this phone...

Right. This is clear.
Whether a call is active...

Understood.
The number that the call is connected to...

Is this giving the company permission to spy on my friends?
and the like...

Yep, it really says this. Please define "the like".

Obviously #1, #4 and #5 are the things that concern me - the language of this warning says that the game developer gets access to all the identity information of anyone who calls you...  And the like.

Therefore, to me, it clearly says you are exposing yourself and your contacts to spammers and worse. And it looks like the app can scoop up your contacts whether you are playing the game or not.

In other words, unless you are willing to give the developer the identities/contact info of anyone who calls you (or you call), subjecting them to spam or worse, you should not d/l the app.

Correct?

With this permission an app can...

read your IMEI/IMSI (to identify your device/SIM), #2 in your list
read your phone number (from the SIM)
which provider is used (again, the SIM)
see whether a call is active (#3) and if so, phone number of the remote party (#4)

Your #1 is simply an introductionary phrasing. With Android 1.6 and before, this permission was required to detect whether there was a call being processed (so a game or media player could pause). This is no longr the case since 2.0 (basically even not with 1.6, but due to a bug this permission was still automatically "injected" by the SDK).

In newer versions, it is mostly used to...

identify your device for target-ads (so the ad provider could tell whether a certain ad was already shown to you)
rightfully by call-blockers and similar apps which need to determine the remote phone number
for several statistics and other technical apps (again, rightfully)

And well, in a way it gives someone the possibility to spy. Some malware uses it (in connection with other permissions) to create a profile of you.

I'd say in most cases the dev is not interested in this, but it's rather the ad module requiring this permission. Concerning this, please also see: What information does stock Android send to Google by default, and how do I opt-out? -- which also covers the ad-modules stuff.


Is it possible to retrieve app's local data after uninstalling it? Background

I was playing a multiplayer version of a game, in which character progress is "automatically saved on the cloud" (as the app states).

However, I never had a Play Games profile, so when the game prompted me to use my Play Games account the first time I tried to enter the Multiplayer, I clicked "Cancel". However the game proceeded normally to the multiplayer. And so I played for weeks without any problems, despite not using any Play Games profile.

Last week though, I uninstalled and re-installed the app, using the same Google account (in Google Play) as I always used for this app. Then when I opened the game, it started all over again.

It's as if the "linkage" to my online progress was saved on a local file in my device, that was deleted when I uninstalled the app. However, I think that the progress is indeed uploaded to some servers somewhere, since I tried to use the same username when I started a new multiplayer testing character and I got a message saying that the username is already being used.

I contacted the support but they told me that there is no way to get my progress back for some unknown reason. I'm still waiting for an answer though.

Questions

Question #1: What's the usual practice for games that back the players' progress online? Don't they store the data to some private servers that they have complete access to (meaning having read/write access to the database)?
Question #2: Assuming the progress is already in servers that the company has access to, what could be a technical reason that getting my progress back is not possible? I suggested that they could replicate the data to a new character I make, or even changing a foreign key somewhere in a table that relates the saved progress with a Play Games account. Doesn't that sound reasonable? After all, the data is still there, they are not lost.
(Answered) Question #3: I thought that an app's data stayed on the device even after the app is uninstalled. Judging from the above experience, this isn't true. Or is it? If it is, is there any way I can get the lost files back? Could they be somehow.

Generally, what do you people think about the support's response to my issue? Doesn't what I'm asking sound feasible?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The usual practice for games backing up users' progress online is storing almost everything on the company's own private server, while storing a small "identity" file on device (much like Cookies in a browser), or use device's identifier / your Play Games identity directly. The company's employees (not all of them, but at least the development and support teams) have access to their storage.

Answer 2

Continuing Answer 1, there's no way for you to prove that you're the owner of the deleted profile, and the company don't want to get into trouble if you claim another player's profile. This is a bad practice because (probably) the game does not use device identifier.

Answer 3

As GiantTree has already pointed out in comments, you should check out this post.


Chrome Crash/Close immediatly on open. Android 4.0.4 Chrome version 42.0.2311 running on Android 4.0.4 on eeepc 701 x86.

Browser crashes and closes immediatly

Is there any way to troubleshoot?

I have already uninstalled / reinstalled.

Cleared the data, force stop, reboot.

Everything I can think of.

I've also done the obligatory google search. Can't see anything, leads me to believe I'm just stuck with the stock browser.

The chrome crashing you are facing is the bug in app itself. You can wait for updates, eventually it will be fixed. But unfortunately, we cant do much when it comes to a single app having problems in android. The number of android devices and their types is vast, it is entirely normal that an app wont be compatible with some version due to whatever reason.

Meantime, you can try the following alternatives so you aren't stuck with stock (referenced from xda).

Chrome Beta: As the name suggests, this is another version of chrome with additional features. This was released by google as a testing for new features before they implement them to final chrome. The UI and speed is very much in par with original chrome. So along with a high chance of having to test additional features that have not yet been implemented in chrome, it is entirely possible that this will work. Head over to play store to install it.
Dolphin: Dolphin has a very traditional interface, including a desktop format with tabs at the top by default. Having them at the top of the screen is great for navigation, as you can quickly access an extra tab – and not just quick switch, as in non-tabulated browsers – without the need for a full tab overview. The side effect of this is the its a memory hogger, both RAM and space. So if you are not that conscious about ram, head over to play store to install it. Since otherwise its a great browser with built-in flash support as well. Play Store link.
Next: Unlike other apps from GO which are ver ram intensive, next is quite minimal, and it resembles older Chrome versions in a way. Its got clean aesthetics and the animations of the UI are rather good, among the nicest in this list. The best part of the UI is that its got a very small search bar, and that you can hide the notification bar. The UI and performance are quite good too. Play Store link.
Firefox: Firefox has an interesting UI. It is very rounded and adds a gradient to your now-grey notification bar, which makes it rather aesthetically pleasing. It’s got a similar menu to chrome, that slides out displaying options in rows. Then you’ve got a tab switcher at the top which lowers the interface to reveal your tabs. This is one of best browsers in java performance as well as quite decent with speeds as well. Play Store link.
Javelin: It is one of the few browsers that have adopted Material Design, and it did a good job at that. The default color palette is a little wild at first, but it is aesthetic enough to grow on you, especially given that it changes your status bar accordingly… something Chrome is still missing. It is great in performance, both in hardware as well as speeds. Play Store link.
Opera: It features gradients that look a little dated on our more flat interfaces of today, but it is still to-the-point and simple to have charm. The top sees a tab switcher, which is conveniently spawned at the bottom for easy thumb reach. So without saying, it has quite a convenient UI. Besides UI, its very performance friendly compared to chrome and similar. Play Store link.

Any of these browsers is fairly good in speeds and performance and with UIs not too awkward to someone adjusted to chrome. So in meantime you can try one of these. Personally, I prefer chrome beta. On side note, you can also search the internet for some older version of chrome as well. Hope this helps.


How can I configure WhatsApp so that an email is sent to me when someone sends me a message on WhatsApp? How can I configure WhatsApp so that an email is sent to me when someone sends me a message on WhatsApp?

Whatsapp natively does not support this, besides, it does not expose an API for other apps to use, so it's not possible. But using the notifications generated on receipt of messages, one can workaround these limitations.
automation is the way to go because, you need an action to be taken  in case WhatsApp is received from one / any senders.
Many automation apps are available. I prefer using MacroDroid , since it is free (upto 5 macros) and easy to learn. To understand how MacroDroid works, see answer here (Not affiliated to any app).
MacroDroid Setup

Give MacroDroid all the permissions it needs.

From Settings → Email account → Gmail account. Enter your account details and authenticate (MacroDroid needs to have access to be able to send you mails).

Create a macro as explained, name it whatever you like and save it.

Trigger: Notification → Notification Received → Select Application → Whatsapp → Text Content → Any (this will mail you for all messages received)

Make sure to uncheck prevent
multiple triggers
A variant below for one contact
Notification → Notification Received → Select Application → Whatsapp → Text Content → Matches (or contains) → contact name (you can use wild cards or Regular expressions(Regex)
matching too)

Actions: Send Email → account → Email address (where you want the mail to be sent to) → Subject, copy paste

Whatsapp message from [not_title] at  [hour12].[minute][am_pm]
Message Text, copy paste [notification]
You will get mails with sender name, time stamp and textsee note as in screenshot below (Aa is a contact and I configured for a single sender)

Note:

Email  shows the text in notification, which may not be complete text, because Notifications are restricted to 500 characters . Long texts are truncated (in my tests text till see more was mailed).

Notifications need to be enabled for Whatsapp


A miracle for finding a stolen phone Background
Recently my phone got stolen from my pocket and then I was almost thrown in street and run over by a car. The police won't move a finger because of a new law, which means I'll have to wait for over a year to get it back, but of course I did file a complaint with all the documents regarding the ownership of the phone.
Question
Is there any possibility of tracking your phone considering the fact that you have no pre-installed or rooted app and even if you do have it they can do factory reset/boot or do a full wipe? Can you track your IMEI or is there a service that could track it for you?

Yea there is one miracle app which should be already installed in your device. Android Device Manager is built into all Android phones and allows you to do almost anything you want and you can operate it with your google account that you used on your mobile but it only works when GPS is activated.


"Upgrading apps" message during boot I bought a new MOTO GEN2 2015, showing notification with Android upgrading start Apps.. while switching on the mobile, is any one facing this?

No, this isn't an issue.  Some devices running Lollipop seem to show this message very briefly for no real reason.  I would assume that it is checking that AOT compilation has been done for apps you've installed, but I don't really know.  In any case, it's normal.


Can't find uploaded photos on Google+ I uploaded my photos on to Google+ via Auto upload. My phone died.

A few weeks later I was able to get a new phone. But now My Google+ account shows no photos. Where did they go?

First phone was a Motorola Droid Razor, now I have a Samsung Galaxy S3.

There should be a photos app which comes with google+ app. This app contains your uploaded photos.


Files stealing from device or onedrive I have word files on onedrive and i use word for android to edit theme.
I want to know if the are secure. Can other applications acces themes ?
Can appliaction that have storage permession steall my files from the device ? Send theme to the web ?
Thank you

Yes you can hypothetically copy or clone files using some simple command like cp or dd

It's almost ridiculous... I use my Android for distribution of my personal copyrighted applications, I am honestly worried about the lack of care taken to protect data .. The Google Play Protect feature seems to illegally sample my applications and copy the copyright protected package names...

I believe the only thing you can do is to include a copyright statement in each file, this will mean that any copying will result in a breach of the copyright act...

The law is the only thing stopping people from doing this, however it is touch and go ( You accept the permission, therefore you give them the right )

It's all a bit strange with Android, because they aren't the owners of Java & Linux, they use Open Source software to build android, so therefore Android "Has" to be an open sourced project...

When it comes to advanced data miners ... They've got everything... Facebook, EBay, Google, etc... All send your data to the Axiom network ( Data Mining Center )   and therefore your Purchases, Online search history, SD card data, contacts, social behaviors etc... are all available to anyone willing to pay for it....

These days, nobody has privacy... It's all part of the Data mining and protection.

You are more likely to have protection by including your copyright statement, it's as simple as ...

  Copyright © "Your identity" 2019. All Rights Reserved.


Can I sync folders in two devices over Bluetooth? Can I sync folders and files in two Android devices? These devices are physically nearby, but not connected to the same Wi-Fi network. They are connected to the internet using their respective mobile data connection.
Maybe there's a possibility using e.g. Bluetooth and maybe use Wi-Fi Direct when large data transfer is needed?
I dont want  AirDrop or NearbyShare like functionality. It is rather like Resillo or Syncthing over bluetooth.

Well I can't really say "sync" but the closest tool you can use is : Bluetooth File Transfer.
Its free (with ads) with option of non ad version at a price, but still good enough for the former option.

It allows you to use your smartphone to browse, explore and manage
files of any Bluetooth ready device, using File Transfer Profile (FTP)
and Object Push Profile (OPP): you can also receive files and send
contacts!

It provides its own OBEX layer, additionally you can cut, copy, move, paste, delete multiple items using the integrated explorer of this application.


Is there an autorun or scheduler? I have an s3 mini.  It has an app called "My Galaxy" - a marketing adware kind of thing.  It runs without me launching it.  How is that done?  Is there a scheduler somewhere that launches this app?  Can I make changes to that scheduler?

I don't just want to stop "My Galaxy" (I could uninstall it), I want to know how it gets run automatically.

There are many ways in Android of scheduling things to happen later on certain conditions. One of them is the AlarmManager, which lets an app run at a predetermined time, or at a given interval between 15 minutes and daily. This is how most recurring tasks work on Android, such as checking email. There's no user-modifiable control for the AlarmManager: it's up to the app to expose appropriate settings.

Android apps can also register broadcast receivers to be notified when certain conditions are met or when events happen. For example, the email app might also register a broadcast receiver to be triggered when an internet connection becomes available. That way, if it misses its times for checking email because you were offline, it can check email once you go back online.


Root Access After Custom ROM Flash I have flashed Custom ROM on my S3 Neo using CWM recovery.
Now after flashing the rom,I want to get the root access,so I tapped on the build number several times and activated the developer options,where I get an option of enabling root access.I enabled it for Apps and ADB.Naturally I expected root access after this,but unfortunately while checking by root checker(several best root checkers in play store) whether I got root access or not,it says no su found,and no root access.
What should I do now?Am I to Root the device again? Is it safe??

You don't need to flash the whole ROM again.You can just flash the superuser.zip from the recovery.(It's completely safe,just make sure that it's for your device). Good luck!

Here is the direct download link for updated supersu.zip from XDA Developers. Hope this helps!


Are non indian sims work in this mobile? I recently my Indian fb friend bought a Samsung F41 mobile online. On the package seal, it's written "Indian SIM Cards only".
Are non indian sims work in this mobile?

The restriction only affect users the first time they activate the phone. In short, just for the first time you'll have to use an Indian sim and afterwards you can use any sim card from any part of the world.
Source - Samsung: We don’t region-lock our phones (apart from when you first activate them)


How to extract audio from a web page on Android? I'm trying to extract the source audio from a podcast so I don't constantly have to go to the website and find the exact point I was at. It is directly from a web player which is embedded on a webpage that I visit.
As far as I'm aware it's not possible with any extensions because they are not compatible with the chrome browser on android (which I am using on my Nexus 5X).
Has anyone been successful in downloading an MP3 file from a webpage using their Android phone?
If any clarification is needed please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Try Mp3fy.

Long hold the link to the podcast and copy the URL. Insert the compied URL to Mp3fy and let it work its magic.

If you could provide a link to the particular podcast so that we can check, that would be great too.


Can I use a different power adapter with my TV with different Ampere output I am not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but here it goes.
I have a sony W80C android TV which is not powering on.
I tried following steps to find out the problem:
1. Tried another remote (mobile phone IR blaster)
2. Currently trying a different power adapter.
Here's the problem,
The original power adapter outputs 19.5V 5.2A and the new one I ordered is 19.5V 4.35A. So the TV is not powering on.
I thought it's because of the difference between ampere that's why it's not working.
But the person who sold me this is saying that this power adapter works with all Sony TV and he even tested it on 43" Android TV and it works and said there was an issue with my TV.

I just want to know if it's possible to power up the TV with lower Ampere output or not. If that's the case then I will send my TV to repair.

I assume that both of the chargers are DC, I hope the new charger isn't AC.
The original charger was 19.5V 5.2A = 101.4 Watts
The new charger is 19.5V 4.35A = 84.825 Watts
My guess is that the power isn't enough to power up your TV, and if by chance your TV works with 84.825 Watts then the new charger will be very hot and will burn soon because the TV needs more power and the source isn't able to provide it.
In general consider this when buying any replacement charger:

Don't buy unknown/cheap chargers

Type of current flow should be the same as the original charger: DC = DC or AC = AC

Voltage should be exactly the same : 19.5 = 19.5

Amperage provided by the source (New Charger) should be More or Equal to the Amperage needed by the destination (Ex: TV)

So; in your case; the new charger should be :
19.5V DC Exactly  and 4.35A or more


SSH login disconnect with Operation not permitted [preauth] I have SSH server running on an Android phone under GNURoot app with image file for wheezy. The sshd -d on the phone says:

Server listening on port 2233

and after I try to login the connection established and then I get:

chroot(/var/run/sshd)" Operation not permitted [preauth]
do_cleanup [preauth]
do_cleanup
Killing privsep child 18597

The ssh client on my computer says:

Read from socket failed: Connection reset by peer

Anybody has any idea what went wrong?

Use dropbear instead.

apt-get install dropbear

I cannot find any way to avoid chroot error, so I suggest you another ssh server. It works well. :-)


Nexus 7 tablet won't show files when connected to pc Having read several threads, let me endeavour to outline the problem.

My computer: laptop running Win 7-64 bit
Tablet: Nexus 7 with latest update (which seems to have caused the problem)

Attempted solutions:
Uninstall the driver
* done this twice
* there are five driver files
  * WpdMtpDr.dll (c:\windows\system32\drivers\umdf)
  * winsub.sys (c:\windows\system32\drivers)
  * wudfrd.sys (c:\windows\system32\drivers)
  * WpdMtp.dll (c:\windows\system32)
  * WpdMtpUS.dll (c:\windows\system32)
* attempting to delete the file winsub.sys results in a message saying permission is required from TrustedInstaller. I don't know what that is, nor how to get permission. So, while I have been able to uninstall the driver, I have not been able to delete it.

NOTE: wpdusb.sys is designated as obsolete by Microsoft

Restart the devices
* first thing tried - to no avail

Use different cables
* done - no effect

Connect through different USB ports
* done - no effect

Change the Storage and USB settings on the tablet
* accessing the menu in the upper right corner only gives "Help and Feedback" as an option. There's nothing about MTP (whatever that is)

Yell, scream and swear
* done - gave me a headache

The device worked properly before the last system update for the Nexus tablet. The device now connects to the PC, and is recognised as being connected. It simply does not display any files.

I am an author and use my tablet extensively for writing. It is important for me to be able to connect the tablet to the computer and move files between the two. Please do not suggest work-around solutions such as Drive or Dropbox. I prefer to have devices that work properly.

Thank you for taking time to read this through and consider the problem. Please let me know if there is additional information that would be useful. Also, please be aware that I am not a developer and do not understand the jargon or shortcuts used by developers. Please be explicit when suggesting a resolution.

Connect your Nexus 7 to the PC, then on the android screen swipe down the icons from the top left side of the screen. One of the boxes shown will say "USB for Charging". Tap that box and select "Transfer files (MTP)". Now your Nexus files will show up on the PC as they used to do before the upgrade.

BTW, you have to do this every time you connect to the PC.


How to use, learn, and practice Dvorak layout with hardware external keyboards? I have an hardware USB keyboard I want to practice Dvorak using my Android device. I've tried several games and such that purport to be typing games or tutors and they are all horrible, or at least clearly designed for other purposes. (Some of them even disable external keyboards because they have leaderboards for speed).

I'm looking for a gimmick-free typing tutor for Android that teaches Dvorak layouts.

Also, how do I convert qwerty input to dvorak?

I solved this by installing Termux, which is a "terminal emulator".  This particular terminal emulator can install gtypist for you, which is a superb, well thought out free and open source typing tutor, well-known in the linux world.  gtypist is very easy to use, and you only need to know two Termux commands.  Just install Termux from the Play store, open a new session (if not automatically done) and type:

apt install gtypist

and press enter/go/return.  It should download and install, and might ask you to confirm.  After that, use the command:

gtypist

(and enter/go/return) to use the tutor.  Instructions for tutor will be on screen.  Happy typing!

If you have a dvorak keyboard, then great, this should work out of the box provided you android device language settings are correct.  Otherwise I found an app called External Keyboard Helper (Demo/Pro) to be extremely powerful in solving individual key map issues, as well as supporting every layout I've heard of.  I tried the demo on one of my devices and once in a while it inserts text "... DEMO VERSION ..." into what I'm doing, but pro version is only $1.99 as of this writing.

These apps also support other layouts, including Colemak, and gtypist is extensible, so you can install other lessons (not tested on Termux version, but I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work).


Viewing distance in Google Fit I can't figure out how to view distances in Google Fit. When I walk, it only shows steps and duration. Is it possible to see the distance? How?

Good news! As of May 13, 2015, Google Fit was updated to show more kind of data: calories burned and distance. Note that the distance is approximated.

On the main screen, select the right drop-down list to change from active time/steps to distance, or tap/slide the big circle diagram to the second point.

You can also set the units to kilometers/miles in the settings.

(Image courtesy of Google)


Microsoft Exchange contacts duplicating Why are my Microsoft Exchange contacts joined/connected with "phone" contacts with the exact same information? I have tried removing the duplicate but when I call a person the "phone" contact is created again.

You can always hide the Exchange contacts if you don't want to see them. In the Contacts app:


Market App crashes on Samsung Galaxy Ace i have samsung galaxy ace, yesterday i rooted my phone and installed the link2sd application, everything was fine, today when i tried to install an application using market, the market just crashes while opening, i uninstall the app, and got the new apk from internet and install that, same happening with that, after i read a review on internet, that if the market app crashes, just clear the data from settings, i did the same, it was working fine, but when i clicked on Accept and Download button to install the app, the market again start crashing, do anyone have any idea why is this happening, is it because i rooted the phone and partitioned the SDCard and installed the Link2SD application yesterday, did anyone have faced this issue.

go into Settings>Applications select ALL applications. Scroll the the very bottom of the list as you should see an app named "Downloads" select it, and then change it from "Disabled" to "Enabled".


Getting root access on meizu x8 (Andriod 8.1.0) I tried various methods that I can found on the web to get root access, but none of them worked. I do not trust the vendor-provided method of getting root access. Does anyone know a way to get root access on meizu x8?

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility on the steps below. Root at your own risk.
As per Aayush's comment, I would advice you to read up more on rooting. Make sure you understand the ins and outs and the consequences of rooting, nd the possibility of bricking your device, before you attempt to root.

Install Magisk Manager on your device.
Copy the boot.img to your device.
Run Magisk Manager.

On the right near Magisk click on Install.
Untick Recovery Mode.
Click on NEXT.
Tick the "Select and Patch a File"
Now select the boot.img file you copied to your device. This will patch the file and save it to you Download folder.
Copy the patched file to your PC.

Enable USB debugging and OEM Unlocking in your developer settings.
Unlock the bootloader (usually this can be done in fastboot by running fastboot flashing unlock. If this doesn't work google "unlock bootloader" with your device name). This will factory reset your device, you will loose all data.
Flash the patched boot image file in fastboot fastboot flash boot <path-to-the-patched=image-file>.
Reboot your device fastboot reboot.
After setting up your device again, install again Magisk Manager on your device. And follow the directions. It will install the Magisk (Note: it will install Magisk not Magisk Manager which you just installed yourself) to your device and you should have root).

GOOD LUCK


Whatsapp says "Your phone date is inaccurate", but this isn't true I can't log on to Whatsapp on my new phone because as soon as I open the app, I get this message:

  Your phone date is inaccurate! Adjust your clock and try again.

  Your phone date and time is: 16:08, 6/22/2016 (Greenwich Mean Time)

  [Adjust date]

The only option is to go to the Date and Time settings (or cancel with the back button).

Trouble is, my date and time are correct. They're set to...

  Automatic. Use network-provided values

...and those values match my timezone and the time Google and other sources give to my timezone.

What can I do about this erroneous error?

I've got a stable connection, this is a low-spec duel sim phone running 4.1.1, with Whatsapp pre-installed.

Whatsapp recently (10 minutes ago) updated itself. Settings > Manage Applications tells me it's on version 2.11.448.

Forcing Whatsapp to update through Google Play (uninstalling previous updates if necessary) seems to have fixed this.

It sounds like this is a common problem and is most often caused by a version issue, despite the misleading message (example source).


How do I lock my bootloader with adb I tried to unlock my bootloader with fastboot but that didn't work

>fastboot oem relock XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
FAILED (remote: 'root type is risk')
Finished. Total time: 0.014s

So I thought that adb would work (if it's possible)

If your android device is modified in anyway such as a custom recovery, binary, or any other way. Trying to re-lock the bootloader should (should instead of would not all OEM follow protocol) usually cause the bootloader to issue a fatal exception like:FAILED (remote: 'root type is risk'). This happens due to device custom modifications. It is a safety thing if you lock your bootloader with a modified device you will most likey Brick your device.
Technical snippets about verification from Android Developers:

AOSP Secure Features Verifying Boot Verified boot requires cryptographically verifying all executable code and data that is part of the Android version being booted before it is used. This includes the kernel (loaded from the boot partition), the device tree (loaded from the dtbo partition), system partition, vendor partition, and so on.
Small partitions, such as boot and dtbo, that are read only once are typically verified by loading the entire contents into memory and then calculating its hash. This calculated hash value is then compared to the expected hash value. If the value doesn't match, Android won't load. For more details,
Larger partitions that won't fit into memory (such as, file systems) may use a hash tree where verification is a continuous process happening as data is loaded into memory. In this case, the root hash of the hash tree is calculated during run time and is checked against the expected root hash value. Android includes the dm-verity driver to verify larger partitions. If at some point the calculated root hash doesn't match the expected root hash value, the data is not used and Android enters an error state.
The expected hashes are typically stored at either the end or beginning of each verified partition, in a dedicated partition, or both. Crucially, these hashes are signed (either directly or indirectly) by the root of trust. As an example, the AVB implementation supports both approaches.
Verification can fail either at boot time (such as, if the calculated hash on boot partition doesn't match the expected hash) or at run time (such as, if dm-verity encounters a verification error on the system partition). If verification fails at boot time, the device cannot boot and the end user needs to go through steps to recover the device.
If verification fails at run-time the flow is a bit more complicated. If the device uses dm-verity, it should be configured in restart mode. In restart mode, if a verification error is encountered, the device is immediately restarted with a specific flag set to indicate the reason. The boot loader should notice this flag and switch dm-verity over to use I/O Error (eio) mode and stay in this mode until a new update has been installed.
When booting in eio mode, the device shows an error screen informing the user that corruption has been detected and the device may not function correctly. The screen shows until the user dismisses it. In eio mode the dm-verity driver will not restart the device if a verification error is encountered, instead an EIO error is returned and the application needs to deal with the error.
The intent is that either the system updater will run (so a new OS without corruption errors can be installed) or the user can get as much of their data off the device as possible. Once the new OS has been installed, the boot loader notices the newly installed OS and switches back to restart mode."

Without knowing which device you have or what Android version your running. I will not be able to give a detailed conclusion tailored to your device but instead a simple generic one. Also be wary of anti-roll back if applicable.
That being the case obtain and download signed factory firmware. Use fastboot, download mode, or whatever your mode your device uses to erase and flash partitions. Depending on protocol erase and then flash the factory signed firmware thus returning completely to stock. Reboot the bootloader and re-issue the fastboot oem relock XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and you should be good to go.

To prevent unauthorized access to your personal data, locking the bootloader will also delete all personal data on your phone.

Keep's it simple no need to jump through a checklist of hoops to avoid flashing firmware to preserve User Data unless you cannot find signed factory firmware but that would be another question.


How can I change the data usage cycle for Mobile data? The mobile data cycle (Settings -> Data usage) looks quite arbitrary. Since I have changed my data plan, now the new cycle should start at the first day of the month instead of the 6th.

How can I change the begin of a data cycle? I cannot seem to find some edit button, though I vaguely remember seeing it at the Data usage cycle menu.

Affected versions: Android 4.0, 4.2.2, 4.3.1.

Changing the starting day for Mobile data is indeed non-obvious. You need to enable the mobile data connection (2G/3G) before the options are available:

TURN OFF WIFI First.

Enable Mobile data.
Exit the Data usage settings app.
Tap the spinner below the Set mobile data limit checkbox.
Tap Change cycle....
Change Date of each month (I prefer the first day of the month, 1)
Hit Set.
Undo Mobile data if necessary (e.g. if on Wi-Fi).


How do I change the Wi-Fi hotspot channel? Is it possibe to change the channel my phone broadcasts its Wi-Fi hotspot on?

Right now it's using the same channel as my neighbour (6). My router is reporting several unused slots.

If you're referring to the one built into Froyo (and I assume Gingerbread), when you're creating your hostspot hit the Menu button and you'll see Advanced options. In there you can select the channel.


Restore Google Authenticator accounts from ADB backup About a month ago I accidently dropped my Nexus 4. Altough it dropped from only about half a meter- the screen broke and the multitouch stopped working too. I was lucky (and smart :P) enough to take a backup before it happend, so I can switch to a new device instead of fixing the N4 screen to recover the data on it. However, I enabled 2-factor auth on my GitHub account, and it was connected to the Google Authenticator app. When I enabled it, I was dumb and didn't download the recover keys- the only way to recover the account. It means that resotring the Google Auth app from the ADB backup is the only way to recover my account, but there's a little problem: I have no android device right now, and it may take some time until i'd buy a new one. So, the question is- is there any way to recover my account from ADB backup of the Google Auth app without an Android phone?

Thanks! :)

You cannot get the recovery keys (which are used to create backup codes) from adb backup of Google Authenticator because they do not exist in that backup. Adb backup of Google Authenticator only backup the user preferences of that app.

Furthermore, if you took a single adb backup, hoping all apps would have been backed up that way, than I'm afraid even the user preferences were not backed up. A specific flag is used for Authenticator when backing up through adb. Without that, the app cannot be backed up. You can read more on that in my answer here.


Emulate Menu button Nougat Galaxy S8 I miss using the menu key that I used to have on older phones.

I'm able to remap the Bixby key to a Tasker program or any app activity or shortcut, I'm wondering what I would need to do to emulate the menu button if I need something other than Tasker or what I need to do with Tasker to get this to work.

I've tried holding the back button and the recents button which used to work on older Samsung phones

Any help would be appriciated

You can do it with the xposed module : Xposed Additions (link). It allow us to remap any buttons to any effect. Requirement : rooted device + xposed framework installed


Are there any good firewalls available? Does the android platform have any firewall application?

DroidWall is pretty good, but it requires root, of course.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.googlecode.droidwall

It allows you to control on an app-by-app basis which applications can access the network, and has separate permissions for Wifi and 3g.


Samsung Galxy S2 cracked touchscreen, need to access contacts +I accidentally cracked my Samsung Galaxy S2 screen. I can't read the screen anymore. It would seem that the phone would work in every other way, if only was able to read and operate the screen. I looked up on the net for a replacement screen, but it is over $107.00. Not only don't I have that sort of money at the moment. But even if I did I would have to do all the taking apart and replacing of the damaged screen with the new screen. I found an awesome youtube instructional video that I can use once I get the money to buy the new touch screen. But I desperately need my contact details ASAP. I mean desperately. I have read where there is software that can do that sort of thing. But it also says that the phone needs to have been "rooted" I am not tech savy AT ALL. So any simple step by step instructions from anyone in the know would be so, so appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The S2 supports usb on the go i believe use a usb keyboard and mouse and you'll be able to use the device as normal without touchscreen functionality however dont hold me to this as wikipedia states the following

The micro USB port on this device also supports USB On-The-Go (USB OTG) standard which means the Galaxy S II can act as a 'host' device in the same way as a desktop computer in allowing external USB devices to be plugged in and used.[12] These external USB devices typically include USB flash drives and separately powered external hard drives. A video demonstration on YouTube[56] has shown the OTG function to be readily available with an ordinary micro USB (B-type) OTG adaptor. The same YouTube video goes on to mention a successful test completed on a 2 TB USB external hard drive (requiring own power source) but however reports of failure when trying to connect USB keyboards, tested USB mice and tested USB game pads. Currently the only file-system supported for USB drives within OTG is FAT32.


Would it be possible to use a image/video file as an emulated camera? Hi I was wondering if it would be possible at all to 'trick' a real or emulated android device into thinking that an image or video file is the camera feed. So that you could open an app like Snapchat that takes content from the camera feed and press record and it would record whatever file you selected. I imagine this might be easier on an emulated android device however I am not sure.

I think Snapchat has the use of the camera integrated into the app, so to do this you would need to replace or hook into the camera driver or firmware.  (Or alter the Snapchat app.)  Most ways of doing this would require root, I'm not sure about a method to do this offhand.

However, some apps will use an activity from an external camera app.  For those, it's totally possible to use another app that registers as a camera app and then does whatever it wants.  Here's one app for this: Fake Camera


Unable to access Google Play store and Google Maps I'm not able to access play store and maps with my google account, but it remains accessible with another google account.
I'm at a loss how to resolve this. Would anyone have any solution?

To try to resolve this, open a web browser and log into the Google Play store for your Google account by going to this URL:
https://play.google.com/store/account
When you do this, Google will request authentication information.  Once you provide this information, Google may allow you back into your own account again.  Or they may not; it's entirely up to their problematic systems which are documented incorrectly in their help database.
Google is infamous for locking people out of their own accounts, even when they provide their passwords.


build.prop got wiped (how to restore?) I have a stock+root 6.0.1 Nexus 6 device and the editor I was using bugged out and wiped my build.props file. I haven't rebooted yet, so the phone is still fine able to do things. There is no backup of the file.

What are my options here? Is there an easy way to fix this?

Go find and download the stock ROM for your phone and try to extract build.prop from it. Then place it in the correct directory and change its owner and permission.

Factory images for Nexus (and Pixel) phones are always available from Google.

Also there's a similar issue from another website. You can download the ROm but only flash system so that the system partition will be restored. You may have to root again if you're not using a systemless root.


"Android OS" uses a lot of data in background, how to turn off it? I have already read this and
this but can't stop the automatic blackground update.

I currently use Samsung grand 2 dual (SM-G7102) android 4.3 and cellular mode.

I'm setting-->usage “Restrict Background data” but the android OS is still running the updates in the background.(see picture)
help me please.

Click image(s) for larger version

I'm setting “Restrict Background data” in 24/08/2557 but On 25/08/2557, "Android OS" was still sending out to cellular.

Click image(s) for larger version

I'm allow Facebook, Line and Messager can use cellular but don't want the "Android OS" Update. The mobile is rooted

The "android os" was “Restrict Background data”.
Help me please.

This is due to Google Backup.Switch Google Backup off and your problem will be solved. Follow these steps:

Open Photos app.
From options goto Settings.
Touch Auto Backup and switch the toggle On or Off.


Closing an active app using ADB I need help closing an active connection in Android ADB on a rooted device. I tried everything that stackoverflow and Google can suggest for the past week. I even tried to uninstall the package. It worked for other active apps but not for this one. Any help will be appreciated.

1 active connections Connection Number: 0 Operating Mode: NORMAL com.android.server.display.DisplayPowerController | WakeLockRefCount 0 | uid 1000 | cache size 0 | max cache size 0

It's not changed in a while, you know.

In fact, since Honeycomb (Android 3.x) You can just run the following in adb:

adb shell am force-stop [PACKAGE]

Of course, replace [PACKAGE] with the package you want to chop up.


HTC Tilt 2 -- possible to get Android on it? Possible Duplicate:
  Can I install Android on my non-Android device?

One of my friends recently got an HTC Touch Pro 2(US Cellular) and I really like it. It has Windows Mobile on it, but somehow he downloaded a special program to his SD card so that he runs some Windows program and it will boot Android. To get back to factory settings, he just has to turn the phone off and on.

I looked for a similar phone for my carrier(AT&T) and the closest thing to it is the HTC Tilt 2. I'm aware of some of the changes including different keyboard and no 3.5mm jack. Is it crippled in anyway which would prevent me from doing the same thing my friend did though? Also would it void the warranty or anything like that? Also, one last question. When running Android like that do you have "root" capabilities? Like can I install unofficial applications and/or get to a root terminal?

It is possible, however as you mentioned it is not completely compatible yet. Some hardware pieces like the camera (and I think speakerphone) will not work for the ATT T2.

Check out the XDA-Developers forum, specifically rhodium (what our phones are) for more info on the Android developement & cooked winmo ROMs.I don't recall of the top of my head if you need to run Hard-SPL or not to boot into Android off the card of or not, but if you do need to, that'll void the warranty.

Although, in my opinion it's worth it to at least go with a cooked Winmo ROM or Android... even if it voids the warranty.


Is Android game bundler ikoid.com a scam site? I recently purchased an Android game bundle from https://ikoid.com/.

The purchase was successful (at least they took my money), and I was told I'd receive a link to log in with and collect my purchase.  No such email arrived, and I've had no response from service@ikoid.com.

Has anyone had experience of successful purchases from this site, or similar failures?
Do you know if the site is genuine or a scam?

Update: new purchase successful; the site seems legitimate.

We did respond to every e-mail, so it is likely that our e-mails went to your spam folder.

If you still have problems with any purchase please contact us at service@ikoid.com.


What do options on this error mean? I have Acer E39 phone (Android 4.4.2) that has 3 SIM. Today, when turned on, it didn't start normally but instead, I got the following options.

What does each of the options mean?

How do I debug further what the issue is?

What you see is the "Factory diagnosis menu". It is not designed to be used by end-users therefore it is mostly in Chinese.

If you have second phone you can use Google Translator app to translate the Chinese entries to your language (use translation via photo/picture).

I am not exactly sure how to enter it (my mother managed to enter it one time accidentally on a tablet). I assume that there is a certain combination of hardware keys that have to be pressed at boot time to enter it.

Usually the last Chinese menu entry means "reboot" or "shutdown". This allows you to exit this diagnose system. You should be able to select the entry using the volume up/down keys and the press the power key to select.

Once the device has rebooted the regular Android operating system should boot. If not your device may be affected by a hardware defect.


Addon.d bash script for removing apks after nightly reflash on Android 5.1 CM12.1 not working I'm trying to have a bash script in /system/addon.d/ that removes unwanted apks from a nightly Android 5.1 (CM12.1) install for my Galaxy Nexus phone. Each new nightly reflash will reinstall some system apps so that is why I want a script to reverse this action so I do not have to do it manually.

There are some backup scripts that run fine (SU, GApps) but my own script does not work. It can be found below.

I placed the script in /system/addon.d/ with permissions -rwxr-xr-x (same permissions set as other scripts in addon.d). When flashing I do not see the echo and the apps are not removed.

I have tried google and researched other scripts but I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong here. Help is appreciated!

#!/sbin/sh
#
# /system/addon.d/80-autoclean.sh
#

. /tmp/backuptool.functions

list_files() {
cat <<EOF
AudioFX
BackupRestoreConfirmation
BasicDreams
Browser
CMAccount
CMBugReport
Calendar
CyanogenSetupWizard
DeskClock
Eleven
Email
Exchange2
Galaxy4
HTMLViewer
HoloSpiralWallpaper
LatinIME
LiveWallpapers
LiveWallpapersPicker
LockClock
NoiseField
PhaseBeam
PhotoPhase
PhotoTable
Tag
Terminal
ThemeChooser
ThemesProvider
UserDictionaryProvider
VisualizationWallpapers
VpnDialogs
EOF
}

case "$1" in
  backup)
    # Stub
  ;;
  restore)
    # Stub
  ;;
  pre-backup)
    # Stub
  ;;
  post-backup)
    # Stub
  ;;
  pre-restore)
    # Stub
  ;;
  post-restore)
    list_files | while read FILE; do
        rm -rf /system/app/$FILE.apk
        rm -rf /system/priv-app/$FILE.apk
        rm -rf /system/app/$FILE
        rm -rf /system/priv-app/$FILE
        echo "Removed $FILE"
    done
  ;;
esac

This is all made with trial and error and some script copying, I have only vague knowledge of bash and absolutely no idea what I'm risking. All is done with backups and careful reflashes.
#!/sbin/sh
#
# /system/addon.d/77-MyApps.sh
#
# During a dirty flash, this script will backup files and apps at /system/*
# /system is formatted and reinstalled, then the files are restored.
#

. /tmp/backuptool.functions

list_files() {
cat <<EOF
app/ActionLauncher/base.apk
app/Dropbox/lib/arm/libblasV8.so
app/Dropbox/lib/arm/libDummyArchIndicator.so
app/Dropbox/lib/arm/librsjni.so
app/Dropbox/lib/arm/libRSSupport.so
app/Dropbox/base.apk
app/Eventbrite/base.apk
app/Flud/lib/arm/libclient.so
app/Flud/base.apk
app/GCalendar/base.apk
app/GMail/base.apk
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libgcam.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libgcam_swig_jni.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libjni_pegutil.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libjni_tinyplanet.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libjpeg.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/liblightcycle.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libnativehelper_compat_libc++.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/librefocus.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/librs.layered_filter_fast_f32.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/librsjni.so
app/GoogleCamera/lib/arm/libRSSupport.so
app/GoogleCamera/base.apk
app/GPlus/lib/arm/libcrashreporter.so
app/GPlus/lib/arm/libcronet.so
app/GPlus/lib/arm/libframesequence.so
app/GPlus/lib/arm/libphotoeditor_native.so
app/GPlus/lib/arm/libwebp_android.so
app/GPlus/base.apk
app/GPSStatus/base.apk
app/Greenify/base.apk
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libCertResourcesPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libcrypto_here.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libdatabase_sqlcipher.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/gnustl_shared.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libLohitIndicFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libMapsEngineResourcePkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libMAPSJNI.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libNanumGothicFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libNuanceVocalizer.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libposclient.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libPureArabicFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libPureChineseFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libPureIndicSouthFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libPureThaiFontPkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libSdkResourcePkg.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libsqlcipher_android.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libssl_here.so
app/HereMaps/lib/arm/libstlport_shared.so
app/HereMaps/base.apk
app/Keep/lib/arm/libsketchology_native.so
app/Keep/base.apk
app/KernelAdiutor/base.apk
app/Orbot/lib/arm/libtun2socks.so
app/Orbot/base.apk
app/Photos/lib/arm/libcrashreporterer.so
app/Photos/lib/arm/libfilterframework_jni.so
app/Photos/lib/arm/libcronet.so
app/Photos/lib/arm/libnative.so
app/Photos/lib/arm/framesequence.so
app/Photos/lib/arm/moviemaker-jni.so
app/Photos/base.apk
app/PlayGames/lib/arm/libgames_rtmp_jni.so
app/PlayGames/base.apk
app/PlayMusic/base.apk
app/Shuttle/base.apk
app/Polycon/base.apk
app/SEftp/base.apk
app/SolidExplorer/lib/arm/lib7z.so
app/SolidExplorer/lib/arm/libgif.so
app/SolidExplorer/base.apk
app/Webview/lib/arm/libwebviewchromium.so
app/Webview/base.apk
app/XDALabs/lib/arm/librealm-jni.so
app/XDALabs/base.apk
app/Xposed/base.apk
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libambisonic_audio_renderer.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libcronet.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libfilterframework_jni.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libluajit.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libm2ts_player.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libmoxie.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libmoxieclient.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/librsjni.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libRSSupport.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libvpx.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libvpxJNI.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libvrtoolkit.so
app/Youtube/lib/arm/libwebp_android.so
app/Youtube/base.apk
EOF
}

case "$1" in
  backup)
    list_files | while read FILE DUMMY; do
      backup_file $S/$FILE
    done
  ;;
  restore)
    list_files | while read FILE REPLACEMENT; do
      R=""
      [ -n "$REPLACEMENT" ] && R="$S/$REPLACEMENT"
      [ -f "$C/$S/$FILE" ] && restore_file $S/$FILE $R
    done
rm -rf /system/app/Chromium
rm -rf /system/app/Email
rm -rf /system/app/Calendar
rm -rf /system/app/webview
  ;;
  pre-backup)
    # Stub
  ;;
  post-backup)
    # Stub
  ;;
  pre-restore)
    # Stub
  ;;
  post-restore)
    # Stub
  ;;
esac

I have cobbled up this script to back up mine (after plenty of reflashing and restoring) and remove some AOSP alternatives. It seems you must write the code that is to be run after flashing over there (webview is from older AOSP, while Webview is a more streamlined mess). The template is taken from XDA with respect to grinder777. If this works, give yourself a bar of chocolate and send him (her?) a thank. If it doesn't, I have no idea what will, besides what @Android Dev said, but that's not permanent.
EDIT: As YouKnowNothingJohn said, you need at least one backup command. That command could be anything, even a dummy file (at least in >4.4). Thanks Mr. Snow.


Nexus 5 charging problem My Nexus 5 recently has a charging problem.. If I wiggle the charger a little it sometimes give the notification that the charger is not connected and if I release the charger it says its charging, I guess that problem is because my nexus 5 charger input is broken ??

And if I charge it while the screen is on ( and using the phone ) the phone takes a long time to charge and if I leave it with sometimes the screen of ( and not using the phone ) it charges 0 to 100 real quick.

If somebody know what I can do, I would be very thankfull

Phone information:
-Rooted Nexus 5
-Version 4.4.2

It just sounds like the plug is a little loose in the socket. This can often happen with cheaper USB cables. Just try a different USB cable and you'll probably get a snugger fit.

It's entirely normal that the phone charges more quickly when you're not using it. When you're using it, you're draining the battery at the same time as trying to charge it. It's like trying to fill a bath while the plug's out.

  If somebody know what I can do, I would be very thankful

You don't need to do anything. Your phone is working correctly.


How to keep my old number in whatsapp old sim deactivated I have a new phone number and a new phone but I want to keep my old number to use in whatsapp but I don´t have that sim card anymore.

If u had a deactivated SIM card in the phone my guess is that you should still be able to use ur whatsapp through wifi. But if u have taken out the sim it is not more possible as the new sim will require a sms based validation. Better to port ur  number and then u can use it on whatsapp


Can I navigate to a specific URL in Samsung Internet Browser instead of doing a Google search? Using Samsung Internet 11.1.2.2 on Android 8.1.0.
Whenever I type an URL in the top bar, it performs a Google search with that parameter. The worst thing is that in some cases, the target URL is not in the list of the search results. Thus, I cannot go to the intended URL.
Is there any solution for this, so I can visit the target URL in Samsung Internet Browser?

You can simply disable the automatic searching for entered values in the address bar:
Open Settings -> Search engine and disable "Suggest websites and search terms"

Afterwards if you enter a valid DNS name like exampleabc.com you will get directly to the page (in this case a generated error page as the domain does not exist).
If you just enter some search terms like holiday a Google search will be performed.


How to bypass system /signature level for a modified system apk? I made a modification on a system app but it should be signed with the same certificate as the Firmware to work properly, is there any workaround to bypass this ?

As far I know you need a custom firmware to do it (I guess you don't have access to the firmware keys to resign your apk) so:

a) You can modify,  compile and install your custom Android that skips the signing verification in apps that request to use the android.uid.system user or
b) You can install a custom ROM signed with AOSP keys (most of the custom ROMs are signed using the testkeys from AOSP) and sign you app using the same key in order to get the system level (you can use  keytool-importkeypair tool to create a keystore and used it on Android Studio or gradle


HTC One M7 stuck on boot I have a HTC One M7 since 2 years. I got a software update in December and i tried to update it and somehow after the update the phone showed me errors. So back then i did a recovery and the phone went back to the previous configuration. After this I avoided this update totally. But recently i totally ran out of battery and when i charged it, and started it, it upgraded automatically and now it is stuck in the HTC One white screen. Now if i want to recover it, it gives me the following errors -

  E:missing bitmap oem_unlock_bg (code-1)
  E:missing bitmap oem_unlock_bg_yes (code-1)
  E:missing bitmap oem_unlock_bg_no (code-1)
  E:missing bitmap icon_ruu (code-1)

  Write host_mode success

  handle_cota_install: Can't mount /sdcard, 1 times
  handle_cota_install: Can't mount /sdcard, 2 times
  handle_cota_install: Can't mount /sdcard, 3 times
  handle_cota_install: Can't mount /sdcard, 4 times
  handle_cota_install: Can't mount /sdcard, 5 times

I tried most of the solutions i could find. Did a cache wipe, even did a factory reset by pressing the power button and the Vol down button for some time. After the factory reset it gets stuck in -

  htc one m7 stuck in android is upgrading Starting Apps

How can i fix this? It has been 2 days and I am trying to get it up and running with no success. Any help is deeply appreciated.

You need to run/flash the official RUU file from HTC that either matches your device's current firmware level or is newer. This will rewrite the partition table, and all data on the device back to factory condition. If that does not work to bring the device back into service, you will likely need to send it in to HTC or replace it.


IPV6 address on wifi I noticed the other day that my Android phone (Moto X first gen running lollipop) was reporting having an IPv6 address.

After a bit of investigation I discovered two things

It only shows when connected to WiFi, not cellular data.
The address it is showing is a loop back address starting fe80:

I am a bit bemused as to why this is. Why would it be enabling IPv6 and why would it be reporting it's address is a loop back address?

fe80: isn't a loopback address, it's a link-local address.  Every IPv6-enabled network interface has one, and it's in addition to any global ("real") IPv6 addresses that the interface may (or may not) have.  What you're seeing is entirely normal and expected; it just means that your phone supports IPv6 on WiFi.  (Presumably, IPv6 is enabled so that the phone can take advantage of it on networks that actually provide IPv6 Internet connectivity.)

The IPv6 loopback address is ::1.  You'll probably see that address on the lo interface, along with the IPv4 127.0.0.1 loopback address.


is it possible to use a CA-Cert for serverauthentification in WPA enterprise networks with android 2.2+? I just wanted to know if it is possible with android 2.2+ to use a ca-cert for server auth in WPA-Enterprise networks?
A fried told me it is not possible, but this would mean there would be a mayor security hole in every android device, so I would like to know it for sure now: did they removed this important security feature or not?
I would check it by myself, but unfortunately I don't have a android 2.2 or 2.3 device.

At least on 2.2.1 I can see the options to use certificates. First you have to install the certificates by placing them on your sdcard and using Settings -> Location and security -> Install encrypted certificates. Then you can add the network from Settings -> Wireless and network -> Wi-Fi settings -> Add Wi-Fi network. Select 802.1x EAP as the security mode and then just configure the settings to work for your network. Can't test myself since we don't use WPA-Enterprise class security, but it should be this straightforward.


Android shows missed calls even after open My phone shows the missed calls on the app icon even after I check and delete them from log. I did restart / battery off several times but it still hanging there!! Phone Samsung Galaxy S Duos Android Version 4.0.4

Screenshot (click image to enlarge)

go to settings > application> all > badge provider> clear data & clear cache.


High-density RSS reader widget I've been trying to find a good RSS widget that maximizes the number of entries that will fit in 4x2 or 4x4, especially for titles or sites with short entries like headlines.

Any good ones out there?

TalkAndroid.com has this list of the top 5 RSS readers for andoid here.

gReader (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
FeedR (costs 1.99)
FastReader (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
FeedSquares (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
NewsRob (3rd party app requires your google credentials)


Is it possible to do a complete image backup of an Android device via USB connected to a Windows PC without the Android device being rooted? I recently purchased a Nexus 7 tablet from Google and I also have a Samsung Skyrocket from AT&T. Neither of the devices is rooted. I'm not too enthusiastic yet about rooting either of them, especially since it voids warranties and severely limits support options. Is there a way to obtain a complete image backup of either (or both) of these devices via the USB port on my Windows computer? If so, how? Thank you!

Most articles I have encountered where people wish to undertake a complete image backup of their device requires root. However I have come across an article written in How-To Geek entitled "How To Create a Full Android Phone or Tablet Backup Without Rooting or Unlocking Your Device".

The Article will take you throught the steps of :

Installing the Android SDK
Device Setup
Testing ADB
Backing up your device
Restoring a Backup

http://www.howtogeek.com/125375/how-to-create-a-full-android-phone-or-tablet-backup-without-rooting-or-unlocking-your-device/

The article concludes by saying the complexity of using the Android SDK to create and restore backups is a bit much for the average user.


Cannot access local storage on HTC Desire HD with Linux If I set my new HTC Desire HD to connect to PC in disk drive mode, a Windows computer can see the internal storage as a Removable Disk. If I attempt the same with my Linux system, "HTC Android Phone" briefly shows up, but is not possible to interact with and disappears a few moments later.

How do I use my HTC Desire HD from my Linux system?

(It does not currently have a microSD card - that is in the mail atm)

Have you switched Mass Storage mode on? Not sure about Desire HD, but it should be either in USB Settings under Settings -> About Phone -> USB Settings, Settings -> Wireless and network -> USB Settings, or it may show up directly in the notification bar when USB is connected.

If this doesn't help, do a lsusb after connecting the phone and check it's detected.


What are the hurdles that prevent upgradability? Terrible title, so I'll elaborate, and if you have a better title go ahead.

Currently many people I know are stuck on older and vulnerable versions of Android for one of many reasons.  Let's assume for a certain population of less savvy users, the steps necessary to move to an open source Android version to overcome these hurdles is outside of their comfort zone.

I'm lost on what canonical advice I should give them for making intelligent decisions about phone choice in the future, such that they avoid such a situation.

For one, the focus of this question:

What factors lead to situations where a user will at some point no longer be able to upgrade Android on there phone?

I understand superficially some factors.  For example, the device manufacturer(or sometimes phone carrier) may have forked stock Android, and therefore they must integrate new versions of Android into their code base, test, and then push to their users.  This often leads to older phones, even those as new as a year, to be essentially abandoned where the manufacturer(or phone carrier) stops doing the work to release updates.

So factor 1: Manufacturer customized android.

Are there other factors?

I speculate that even if your phone comes with stock Android, there could be hardware incompatibilities with future versions?  Is it possible the manufacturer's hardware may have an issue with a future stock Android version.  Perhaps this is why manufacturer often have customized versions of Android, so they can control the pushing of updates only after they've been validated against there hardware.

I would hope however, that there are reference standards for the hardware such that the core stock Android is able to make assumptions that ensure upgradability.

I think I may be using the term "stock" incorrectly though.  I think if you are not pedantic, it is clear what I mean from the context.  Any suggested edits are welcome.

http://m.androidcentral.com/why-you-ll-never-have-latest-version-android
-Manufacturer don't want to update "older" phone's because they want to sell new ones
-provider's/network-operators
They have to check everything again
Civil safety against bad mobile phone radiation


How to vibrate/ring on click of link How can I make my samsung galaxy tab vibrate or ring when I click a link on a browser? thanks a lot for any help. :)

That feature does not exist, the only thing I could suggest is to submit a feature request on the Android Issues Tracker.


What is the Difference Between an Android Phone and Android Tablet? This is probably a dumb question, but I have never had a phone or tablet before.

So what is the difference between a tablet and phone?

From what I can see the tablets do not come with the monthly data plans (so are cheaper).

But is there a sim card slot in a tablet if you want one?
Do all tablets have WiFi so I can link to my home broadband router. (I found out today that phones do - that shows you how green I am.)
Do they all come with a usb slot?
Can tablets and phones both do Google Play?

From what I can tell the APK files will work on phones and tablets (provided the apk can cope with the different screen resolutions).

Is there any difference?

Questions that ask several other questions aren't the best format for Stack Exchange, but I'll answer these anyway.

  But is there a sim card slot in a tablet if you want one?

Depends on the model. Some do, but these are obviously used for just data and this can be used for internet access when outside of a Wi-Fi zone. Many mobile networks provide data-only SIM cards that are just used for internet which are perfect for tablets, but if you get a full SIM, with texting and calling, you'll be able to text but have a difficult time with making calls (I don't think most tablets even come with a dialer app?)

  Do all tablets have WiFi so I can link to my home broadband router. (I found out today that phones do - that shows you how green I am.)

I think it's safe to say that all tablets aimed towards the average consumer have Wi-Fi built into them. ;^)

Just read the specs of the tablet before you buy it and you'll be fine.

  Do they all come with a usb slot?

Again, it depends on the model, but all have some way to connect them to a charger. Micro-USB and USB Type-C ports are commonplace nowadays.

  Can tablets and phones both do Google Play?

Yes assuming that the manufacturer installs it in the first place. The only time you'll not find it is on Amazon Fire devices, specialist devices, and in countries which prohibit Google Play due to laws or whatever. There are ways to install Google Play yourself though.


Whatsapp Backup and Restore with number change and phone change I needed to change my phone and mobile number both so this is how I proceeded:

I did an initial backup, which got saved both locally and on the G-Drive.
I used the Change Number feature to change my mobile number. Happened fine. Sent a couple of messages to check, and it was all okay.
I did another backup. This time, it only backed up locally, for some reason. My G-Drive was still connected though. Every time I clicked "Back Up", it would create a local backup and then just get back to the backup and restore screen as if nothing was amiss. Anyhow, I thought the local backup would be enough so I just continued.
I changed smartphones and loaded my sim into the new one(BTW, same google account used as the old phone). I downloaded whatsapp and opened it up till the phone number verification page. Then I connected my phone to a PC and replaced the Whatsapp folder in the internal storage with the Whatsapp folder from my previous phone.
I verified my number and it searched for my backup. It found the backup and asked to restore. I tapped Restore.
It started restoring messages and at some %(I did not note it at the time), it stopped and gave the following error message:

  Sorry, we were unable to restore any of your message history backups.

On clicking OK, it got to the Restore Backup page with no option but to click Next. (Under the Next button, "0 messages restored" was written)
My whatsapp did get activated and all(with my new number getting added to all groups and stuff), but with none of the previous messages.

Information:

Old Smartphone- ASUS Zenfone 5 (Android 5.0)

New Smartphone- Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo (Android 5.1.1)

Old Number and New Number are from different countries, and currently because of my geographic location, old number cant be used

What all have I tried:

In the Database subfolder in the Whatsapp folder of my old phone, there are several msgstore-201X-XX-XX.1.db.crypt12 files, and in the Backups folder, one 'wallpaper.bkup' file.

I tried to rename the latest one (based on date written on file name) to msgstore.db.crypt, didn't work.
I created copies of the latest one and gave them different crypt extensions (msgstore.db.cryptZ, where Z is 8,9,10,11,12 and 13) to give the app all the options it may want. Didn't work. [This is the method I tried last, and I took a screenshot of the error message: http://pasteboard.co/iTeMJc92e.png ; I also noted that the restore process stops at 32%, after a pause at this percentage for a while]

Other info:

My whatsapp account has been through five smartphones and four mobile
numbers successfully, and contains a lot of messages precious to me.
Also, another issue that has come up as a consequence of this is that
my verifications are getting limited (because after every failed
attempt, they make me wait till I can verify again, right now I need
to wait 24 hours for my next "attempt")
The Old phone has been formatted, so the Internal Memory is changed now. However, I did copy the Whatsapp folder from it to my PC, and still have it.
I also e-mailed support@whatsapp.com, but they gave me a generic FAQ
filled reply (to which I replied again, to which they have not yet responded). Their first reply did mention, however, that the verification process cannot be hurried up.

So, how do I fix this and restore my message backup? Please help!

Its a little complex solution but what you can do is start of the new phone and install the backup there while keeping the previously used number the same. Once you are done, insert the new sim and keep using it.

Number does matter, so before changing it, change the device.


Strange T-Mobile Behavior My LTE smartphone supports frequencies shown at the bottom of this message. I have been using this phone without issues on T-mobile for about 3 years but last month or so I noticed that LTE switches to Edge when I receive an incoming call. Ditto when making an outgoing call. As a result, I lose internet when a call is active. If I drive 10 miles away to the next city then phone's behavior changes. In that city, LTE switches to 3G/HSPA+ whenever there is a call active so I can keep the internet while making the call.

Did anyone else see similar symptoms on their phone? Any ideas if T-mobile might have "out-frequencied" my phone in my city?

My phone supports following: -

GSM: 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz; Bands: 1/2/4/5/8

3G: 850, 900, 1700, 1900 and 2100 MHz

LTE: 700, 1700, 1800, 2100, 2300 and 2600 MHz; Bands: 1/3/4/7/17/38/40

VoLTE: Not supported by my phone

Update 1: Just to clarify my question - I expect my phone to switch from LTE to 3G/HSPA+ when a call is active. But unfortunately, it is going from LTE to Edge in my city. Why?

I do believe that is called csfb (circuit switched fallback) here is my source http://www.telecomabc.com/c/csfb.html


google services has stopped wont stop long enough for me to fix the problem cant even get into my settings google services keeps looping gives me no time to fix due to it just keeps forcing me back to same looping message cant even get into my settings for long enough to repair because it just throws me back to the same looping error screen

This happened to me also and here is how I got past it. I also used this to recover my friends phone.
The high frequency of the app failures makes it very hard to access the settings menu and make your selections. Even so, tap the failure messages to get them to close. In between tap or try pulling the settings menu down from the top of the screen. After several tries it seemed there was very slight pause in the failure cascade. I used that slight pause to make my settings menu selections. Either way, after pulling down the settings menu I selected Back up / Reset. You have to keep closing the failure messages and try flicking the menu down to the option you want but it is possible if you are quick and persistent. I just factory reset mine, but I've read suggestions to clear the caches of several apps central to the phone's operation. Tomorrow I have another to do and I'll try clearing caches then return to update on how that worked.  Best of luck.


What is the Practical difference between the Home screen and the Launcher screen? It seems that on my Nexus One, the home screen and launcher screen essentially serve the same purpose: Host application icons, allowing you to launch them.

Are there any other differences, other than the names and the way to reach these screens?

For example, can the launcher screen include widgets?

The main difference is that the launcher screen contains all installed apps on your system. You cannot order it nor do anything but using the icons to access any application.

In the main screen you can:

Add shortcuts to applications (icons
like the ones in the launcher
screen), you can place each icon in
the place you want.
Add widgets that provide rich
functionalities like clocks,
calendars or weather access.

If you want to compare your phone with a computer, launcher screen is the equivalent of “start menu” in windows, while the main screen(s) are the equivalent to the desktop.


Adding an extra tab in the ICS Launcher I'm on Android 4.0.4. When I open my launcher, I see two tabs — Apps and Widgets. I'd like to add a third tab for Games. Is this possible?

Since I have quite a few games, I'd like to keep them separate and a new tab would be great. If there's an app that'd be awesome.

Any other suggestions are welcome

It looks like the only way to do this would be to use a custom launcher. I've found three options that have this capability.

Nova Launcher Prime ($4.00)

Apex Launcher Pro ($3.99)

Holo Launcher Plus ($3.99)

There is also a free Holo Launcher, but I don't think it has the customizable tabs.


Android Custom ROM Missing “Add Google Account” Option In the customized Android system, all pre-installed google apps are missing and it's not allowed to add google account. I downloaded the Gapps from http://goo.im/gapps, but I cannot install the apps due to signature issue

Is there other possible way to retrieve the "add google account" option back?

Thanks

Update:

I wasn't aware that I need to push the Gapps into /system/app to avoid signature problem. When I did, it works!

That's pretty normal for (almost) all Custom ROMs: They are not permitted to include Google Apps. GApps are proprietary, and to ship them bundled with anything requires an explicit license from Google.

However, Custom ROMs come rooted usually. and also usually, you (at least in most cases) have a custom recovery when installing them. So if you feel you need a way, you've got two choices primarily:

pick the GApps package corresponding to your Android version from Goo.im, and flash them via your custom recovery, or
head over to XDA and check for the NOGAPPS packages if you prefer an open-source replacement


Nexus 4 And Vodafone india Possible Duplicate:
  Can I use my device on a different carrier?

I am buying the Nexus 4 from US google play store and my colleague is sending it over via his relative. My question is even though google has mentioned that the unlocked version being sold on play store is supported by 200 carriers worldwide - will there be any issues with Vodafone India or is there any carrier that i need to purchase Sim from. Please reply immediately as i am kind of worried here.

Thanks in advance
Sameer

Rather than answering your question directly, I will point some things to you on which you should read and research yourself, and find out the answer.

OK, First of all, head over to gsmarena.com and check out the 2G and 3G network specs for your phone.It will have several frequencies listed. Now check which frequenc(y/ies) Vodafone India uses for its 2G and 3G network.(You might have to do quite a bit of googling for this) If any one (or maybe more) frequencies are same in both cases then your phone will definitely work over Vodafone India's network.


How to stop touchpal providing a daily summary? I like this keyboard app as it has a lot of flexibility with accessing symbols for markdown that I use on stackexchange as well as its edit screen.

Click image(s) for larger version

But it also 'helpfully'(!) provides a daily summary of what apps you use (creepy?) along with a half-screen advertisement. I really don't want that.

Here's an example:

Click image for larger version

It's not even useful or accurate!

Is there anyway to stop it from doing that? I've not found a setting for this,  nor a way to roll back the installed version to before this feature got added.

I'm in lollipop if it matters, with an Xperia Z5 compact. It might be able to upgrade to marshmallow.

How can I disable this feature, preferably without rooting my device?

It seems they recently added an option to disable it:

TouchPal -> Settings -> General Settings -> uncheck Daily Summary

The new interface to disable daily summary (22 Nov 2016):

TouchPal--> Settings--> Look & Feel --> uncheck Daily Summary


How to Make Android phone Slave Display Raspberry Pi 3b? I would like to have an extra display always with me. The only thing which I have most often with me is my Phone with CM13.
Phone

Oneplus 3 and its USB Type C connection may be suitable for the task.
Software: make CM13 software understand that I want to use it as a slave for other microprocessor.

Client RP3b

There is HDMI signal from RP3b. I can use usbC-to-HDMI adapter but not sure if it is needed because the data rate is sufficient in USB-C itself.

Phone: Oneplus 3
System: Cyanogenmod 13 Stable
Phones failed: Samsung Galaxy S4 gt-i9506

Phone: Oneplus 3T
OS: Oreo 8.0

This feature needs to be supported by the phone manufacturer.
The software is not a challenge after that.
I know no phone which has such a feature at the moment.


Default Phone Dialer I use Samsung Galaxy S2, Currently running on 4.1.2 JellyBean. I have downloaded an App called, 'Espier Dialer iOS 7' and I want that to be my default Dialer. I tried to goto Application Manager > Clear Defaults for Phone and tried to make this app my Default Dialer application, but the selection only shows 'Phone' and 'Skype' Any help guys?

You shouldn't need to clear the defaults of any application.

If you install a new application that handles an intent for which you've already set a default, Android will "clear" that default so that the next time you fire the intent (e.g., dialing the phone) you will be prompted with the "choose an app to perform this action" menu.

It sounds to me like the app you've installed doesn't handle that intent, and that for you to use it you will need to explicitly launch the app.


Is my Exchange email encrypted on my device? If I setup an email synchronization with our Exchange server, is the mail I store on my phone encrypted or readible if someone finds/steals my phone?

I have enabled the unlock password (although it's not easy to unlock), but it is very easy to remove the sd-card from the phone. Is the information on that SD-card readible for a "finder", or is it not stored on the sd-card anyway.

By default email will be stored in the phone's internal memory, not on the SD card.  (Though you can 'move' the app to SD storage, so it is possible that the SD card gets used).  As others have said, once your mail is on the SD card, there is no protection as the SD card is removable (since the data is unencrypted).

For mail that is stored in the phone's built-in memory, an attacker would have to unlock the phone to get the data.  Either directly through the mail app once unlocked, or to put the phone into "USB disk mode" to read the phone's state from a USB-attached computer.  (A really sophisticated attacker could probably disassemble your phone and wire the flash to a custom reader, by passing the phone lock and read your unencrypted emails off of the flash.)

Note that the Exchange connection allows the Exchange server to send a command to wipe your device.  (I believe this is contingent on some setup by the Exchange admin.)  In the web UI for my Exchange email server, there is an option to list authorized devices and to wipe them remotely.  Of course, the phone needs to be on a network to receive this command, so an attacker could delay this command by preventing the phone from using its networks.


Missing icons after memory move I formated my SD card as internal use, then moved various programs from internal to the SD card. All went well except the icons for the moved programs are gone from the phone screens. How do I get them back?

You should reboot your device to resolve this matter. After the the icon cache rebuilds (after reboot), then recreate shortcuts and widgets on your home screen.


rooting Sony Xperia z3+ I have this device.  I couln't find any solution of rooting this device and installing xposed framework onto it. Can someone please a link to some working guide(xda maybe) on how to root this device?

If you download KingoRoot from the Google Play Store or App Store it should automatically root your device. For more help see here:
https://www.kingoapp.com
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-easily-root-an-android-device/


profile picture appears in gchat but nowhere else Has anyone else had problems with their gmail profile pictures only appearing in the gchat message threads, but NOT when sending text messages through the Google Nexus S to other cell phones??

I thought that I had my phone synced up with my gmail account, so I don't know if I've missed a step.

When I send SMS to another phone, it's not sent as my Google profile, eg. example@gmail.com, but as my number, eg. +123456789.

If you add your own number to your contacts, and then add profile picture, you will see it in SMS chat.


What is "Lost RAM" in dumpsys meminfo? Below is a sample dumpsys with Lost RAM. What is its significance in KitKat? How it can be reclaimed and used?

Total PSS by OOM adjustment:
    31841 kB: Native
               13173 kB: zygote (pid 23001)
                4372 kB: surfaceflinger (pid 23000)
                3721 kB: mediaserver (pid 126)
                3317 kB: glgps (pid 22993)
                1656 kB: drmserver (pid 125)
                 995 kB: wpa_supplicant (pid 23148)
                 786 kB: netd (pid 121)
                 518 kB: sdcard (pid 132)
                 475 kB: vold (pid 119)
                 458 kB: keystore (pid 128)
                 448 kB: /init (pid 1)
                 412 kB: adbd (pid 134)
                 254 kB: ueventd (pid 108)
                 238 kB: dhcpcd (pid 10617)
                 229 kB: tf_daemon (pid 130)
                 200 kB: installd (pid 127)
                 185 kB: dumpsys (pid 14207)
                 144 kB: healthd (pid 117)
                 139 kB: debuggerd (pid 122)
                 121 kB: servicemanager (pid 118)
    48217 kB: System
               48217 kB: system (pid 23064)
    49095 kB: Persistent
               34012 kB: com.android.systemui (pid 23163 / activities)
                7719 kB: com.android.phone (pid 23357)
                4676 kB: com.android.nfc (pid 23371)
                2688 kB: com.nuance.xt9.input (pid 23344)
    24945 kB: Foreground
               24945 kB: com.android.settings (pid 24811 / activities)
    17136 kB: Visible
               14026 kB: com.google.process.location (pid 23472)
                3110 kB: com.android.defcontainer (pid 13976)
     6911 kB: Perceptible
                6911 kB: com.google.android.inputmethod.latin (pid 23298)
    14277 kB: A Services
               14277 kB: com.google.process.gapps (pid 23513)
    26422 kB: Home
               26422 kB: com.android.launcher (pid 23395 / activities)
    21798 kB: B Services
               16242 kB: com.google.android.apps.currents (pid 23767)
                5556 kB: android.process.media (pid 7738)
   145869 kB: Cached
               41588 kB: com.google.android.apps.plus (pid 24689)
               21417 kB: com.google.android.deskclock (pid 23966 / activities)
               14463 kB: com.google.android.apps.docs (pid 8644)
               14303 kB: com.google.android.gm (pid 9115)
               11014 kB: com.google.android.music:main (pid 7716)
               10688 kB: com.google.android.apps.magazines (pid 13892)
               10240 kB: com.google.android.gms (pid 23338)
                9882 kB: com.google.android.youtube (pid 5131)
                8807 kB: com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel (pid 8937)
                3467 kB: com.google.android.setupwizard (pid 8922)

Total RAM: 998096 kB
 Free RAM: 574945 kB (145869 cached pss + 393200 cached + 35876 free)
 Used RAM: 392334 kB (240642 used pss + 107196 buffers + 3856 shmem + 40640 slab)
 Lost RAM: 30817 kB
   Tuning: 64 (large 384), oom 122880 kB, restore limit 40960 kB (high-end-gfx)

Lost RAM is TotalRAM - FreeRAM - UsedRAM. That means, it is the difference between the RAM usage that Android is able to compute and the actual available RAM.

Sometimes it can even be negative, due to issues where RAM being shared across processes is counted more than once. Drivers are mostly blamed for that. There is a memtrack HAL for them to report their memory accounting to Android, but some of drivers just doesn't do it correctly.

If you see a large "Lost RAM" value (which isn't the case in the original question, but is what Wang is talking about), this is probably due to a bug, it can't be reclaimed, unfortunately. You can look into /d/ion virtual directory on your device (probably a rooted device is needed), and examine reports in it, looking for "orphaned" allocations.


I have an HTC desire C and want to turn off Google voice typing The keyboard is so small that I keep hitting the voice typing microphone icon but I don't want to use that feature ever. It's too slow and lags.

So, I want to turn it off completely. Under settings>language & keyboard> keyboard & input methods, there is no option to turn it off.

This thread: How to turn on/off voice typing is similar but addresses another model that does appear to have an on/off feature or box to check to enable or disable. HTC Desire C does not seem to.

So how can I turn it off or disable it?

Disable both Google Voice Typing (in the keyboard menu) as well as Voice Input key (under Languages).


Where can I find open source Android apps? I'm not an open source zealot, but I generally prefer to use open source applications over proprietary ones if they stack up. Are there any directory sites with reviews, ect that specialize on open source Android apps? The closest thing I've been able to find is Wikipedia's list.

You can install F-droid to get a market-style repository of Free and Open Source android apps:

http://f-droid.org/


Why does stock email app only keep 25 latest emails? Why does the stock Galaxy / Android app only keep the latest 25 emails?

Its pretty annoying and lame for me who receive well over 50 emails per day in my work email. That means I cant even see a whole day's email without "loading more" and I don't always have Internet connection where I am.

Is there any way to work around this issue?

Edit: I am on ICS

The stock email application and many other I've tested present a list of 25 emails per page.

The user can however load older emails on demand. This is done due to two main reasons:

to prevent large transfers of data that end up using the device communication thus leading to a faster battery drain;
to preserve memory consumption that in turn would leave your device slow and inefficient.

I haven't found any option on all the applications I've tested that allows the user to define how much emails should be presented each time.

I did find that the Gmail app auto-loads a new emails list when we reach the scroll limit, thus kinda facilitating the users trouble, but even with this scenario, the user needs to scroll all the way down to get the new list, and yet again, the Gmail app like the others, doesn't have a setting to define the number of emails to be loaded each time.

Essentially, this is a status-by-design conception used by Android and app developers. You may come across with an app that allows you to go around this issue, unlikely it may be, but for the stock app, the reason as to why it loads only 25 emails at a time are the ones explained that sum up as performance issues.


How to get rid of these marks? I'm 100 percent sure that it's possible because I managed to do it a few months ago, but now I do not know (don't remember) how to do it again. It looks like someone can help here.

Thanks in advance.

You can do by hiding the auto correction in android Keyboard Settings under Settings,

 (Click image to enlarge)

Else, Try as mentioned here.


Baby locked phone through android device manager can't unlock I think somehow my baby locked my phone and i can't unlock it I even tried changing the password and that doesn't work. I have an HTC One M8. Any clues how I can get back into my phone? If my baby locked it there's no way of guessing a password that would unlock it

Send a lock command via ADM with a new passcode, if the phone is online it should update in a few minutes and you will get a confirmation it has been locked and updated. If that fails, repeated enter incorrect passcodes, it should eventually give you an option to unlock it with your Google account credentials. Worst case scenario, factory default and set it up new, the worst that would happen is lose everything on your phone and you have to unlock FRP (Factory Reset Protection) with your Google account credentials.


SD Card formatting problem Hi I have a SD card 8 Gb and when I format it into 2 partitions (1 Fat32 and 1 ext2) My phone shows

  Unfortunatelycom.erricson.usbux is stopped

My phone

Sony Xperia Tipo St2l1
Strontium *class 4 * 8Gb Sd

link2sd is largely an abandoned app, it hasn't been updated to deal with changes in MM and looks like it never will be. I still use it all the time though and will continue to, for the purpose of merging duplicate system apps.

I have also used a second partition with the app on my older devices in the past, I have had a lot of stability issues with the apps using the sdcard partition so I'll recommend not using it -- instead, do as I do and merge duplicate apps, and convert other apps that'll fit in your system partition to a system app. there's a couple things to watch out for:
1. never ever merge Google Play "Services" it causes major problems.
2. link2sd doesn't check if there's enough free space, so keep an eye on that yourself.
3. some roms (I think odexed) will clear the app's data when merging/converting, so if there's essential data on an app you're going to work with, back it up with titanium backup, then covert, then restore "data only"

if you still intend to create a second partition, it'd be best to use Aparted
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sylkat.AParted

and the "second partition" must be created as the first partition, the actual second partition created to be your general storage use, otherwise link2sd won't detect them properly

edit:
wowowow I call the app abandoned after like a year of no updates, then only a few hours later it gets updated, and promises another update with "comprehensive support for MM and N" just my luck lol


Gingerbread Claims Support for Arabic, but I Don't See the Language in Settings Gingerbread claims to have support for Arabic, but I have 2.3.4 installed on my Google Nexus One, and Arabic is not an option when I go to my language settings.

http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.3.4.html#locs

Anyone know how to enable the Arabic language or is Google not giving us the straight truth?

Thanks!

Where do you live, what's your carrier, and how did you upgrade to 2.3.4?  Normally US firmware won't have Arabic, for example, since it would be wasting space on 99% of people's phones in the US.

That doesn't mean you can't add it.  I think this page provides a method for doing it, but I can't read Arabic :P


Screen lock notification I have a Gionee P4 device, updated to Kitkat.

I try to all apps notification comes out at my device is screen off ya locked.
I have tried all software for solve this problem.

First I've tried NiLS Lock Screen Notification. In this app it says NiLS notification started in your device setting, but I try in device setting as NiLS Notification are enable always.

This type enable not for this app but as app I have installed in my device so notifications are enabled. But the problem is that as I use any software for screen lock notification as app notification are disabled all time.

How can I solve this?

In settings there are settings for Notifications Bar Icon settings there you can turn off notifications for targeted apps. But the only problem with this approach is that you won't see the notifications even after Unlocking the phone. But hey if you want some privacy then it's worth it and it doesn't even require an app.