which termux package provides the "mount" command? i try to install "mount" with apt, but i can't locate it, or a package that contains "mount".

i've tried:

just to run mount:

  no command 'mount' found

apt update && apt upgrade
apt install mount busybox toybox

  busybox is already the latest versuib; mount and toybox do not exist.

apt -s mount

  option not understood

apt search mount

  proot ...

apt install proot
mount

  not found...

google, locate mount, ls -lR. GOT YOU

Either type

/system/bin/mount

manually or create a shortcut by

ln -s /system/bin/mount $PREFIX/bin/mount

so that you can access it more easily later.

Don't bother with toolbox or toybox. Whichever contains the mount command will be symlinked to by /system/bin/mount.


Samsung Galaxy S2 Settings Notifications crash I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. In my notifications, the "Configuration Message List" is always highlighted, but pressing it causes the phone to exit to the home screen. All other notifications work.

Any thoughts on how to solve this?

I rebooted the device and the message was gone.


PDF Reader with MP3 player? I'm learning a new language using a PDF book and audio dialogues on an Android tablet. My problem is to have a MP3 player near my PDF viewer so I can start/stop audio reading text.

Is there an application for this? Or, is there a method that simplify respect quitting PDF reader to pass to MP3 then reopen PDF reader?

As long as your tablet is running Android 4.1 or newer then there are a number of music players that can put player controls in the Notification area on your device. This is so that you can just access the notification bar while you're running another app, without exiting the original app.

I haven't got a screenshot handy of how it looks on a tablet, but here's an example of one on a phone:

Try searching the Play Store for something like MP3 Notification Bar Controls


Reading images of QR codes displayed in the browser I constantly come across websites that reference an Android application, and provide a QR code of the URL to download the application from the marketplace.  Those same sites very rarely provide the actual link to the application in any other form.

I am looking for way to read QR codes that are on the phone itself.  Ideally, I would like a method that utilizes the "share" functionality of the built in browser in such a way that I merely hold my finger down on an image of a QR code, select "share" from the resulting menu that comes up and select an app to send the image of the QR code to.

Are there any ways to do this or come close to the above functionality?

You can do this from the Browser itself using "QR Droid". Search for it and install it. After that:

In the Browser, long-click the image and select "Save image"
After downloaded, open image from notification bar
Select Menu > Share > "Decode with QR Droid"


How to change icons on EMUI I want to change a few particular icons without giving up the look of the EMUI.

I tried IconChanger, but it leaves a water mark on the new icon. I also tried NovaLauncher; however, it doesn't support font customization and I'm not a fan of the elongated font it uses.

Is there a way to change the icon files manually? Is there a launcher that will enable icon changes without changing other aspects of the GUI? Just to be clear I'm not looking for an icon pack. I want to make use of a few specific icons that I've created.

a lancher won't change things like the notification panel and other UI elements you can get icon packs for android however i am not sure if EMUI default launcher supports them
try and go to settings  search for font i know lawncher launcher support's icon packs and can change the font colour on the home screen

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.deletescape.lawnchair.plah&hl=en_US&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dlawnchair&pcampaignid=APPU_1_WqyLXJP9KdqG1fAP2cKgyAE

what version of Android are you running?


Mobile data is turned off but provider shows data trickle I have turned off cellular data on my phone (Nexus 5, Android 6.0.1) but the data usage summary on my provider's portal is still (slowly) increasing.

Does Android still use a small amount of data even when told not to, or is it provider shenanigans?

Provider is Public Mobile.

If you're using LTE, the reason could be, that LTE is causing traffic even if mobile data is turned off.
See here: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/132642/185648


How can I uninstall Google Chrome on my Android and recommend a suitable replacement? I'd like to choose something other than chrome for my android. But, don't know what specifically I can do to uninstall it. Also, is my Google account automatically linked to my chrome? I'm not satisfied with either one but am apprehensive about removing both since I don't quite understand what the implications will be. I'm new to this platform and to being online so any feedback is of course welcomed!

You can uninstall an android system app without root using a USB cable and a computer.

Install ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) package on the computer from Google (https://dl.google.com/android/repository/platform-tools-latest-windows.zip)

Enable USB Debugging mode on the Andriod. and plug in the device (connect to transfer files)

CD to the ADB package directory and use the abd command in console (CLI/CMD/PS): adb devices to ensure your android device is connected and recognized

Once confirmed, then use adb shell to enter ADB.

Get the android app full system name you want to remove (eg com.google.android.chrome) from your android app list (use an app info program or something to find the system app name)

On your computer, use the ADB Shell command pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.chrome to remove the app.

Do this at your own risk, since android OS relies on certain system apps to operate (eg Contacts, Phone etc.). Use adb --help for more info and other options.
Alternatives to Chrome? I use DuckDuckGo (privacy) and Samsung Internet (for PDF printing pages) as my browers.


I can't send a picture attachment together with a text message any more ( Samsung Galaxy S). Any idea why? I tried to send a text message - attaching a photo already on my phone ( the first time ) and attaching a picture taken at time of send ( the second time ).

However, when I try to send this text message - the status remains sending ( an my correspondent does not receive the message ).

Is this a problem with my phone company, you think, or can I have changed some setting somehow. Is there a setting that can be set, anyhow ?

I did send picture attachments with text message before , some weeks ago , but not after upgrading to Froyo 2.2.1 ( just to be complete - can't think this has anything to do with it ).

------------- [ UPDATE ]-------------------------

Something I noticed but did not mention before : if I view a text message with a picture attached, and press the image to 'view' it,*a sort of movie view is started*e.g. with the picture at the top of the screen, and a Start, Rewind and Forward button at the bottom. Pressing the Start will 'play' the picture as move of about 5 seconds - since it is a picture, of course the image does not change. I am pretty sure this was not the case when I sent some image messages a couple of weeks ago. To be complete: even the image messages I did send before now show this 'movie' type of action.

In case this helps someone with the same problem, I have the solution :

I had to check the Settings - Wireless and network - Mobile network - Use packet data check box. When this was done, I could send picture MMS messages.

Maybe obvious for some .. but it sure was one setting I thought I should not need just to send an MMS message.


Multiple Camera Folders in the Gallery Ever since I changed the settings in my camera to store the images on my external SD, there have been two folders in my gallery called "camera." One of these is where all of my photos that I take normally with the camera go, and then the other appears to be the one that Android associates with the default camera gallery and only has a few photos in it. The photos that go to the default camera gallery are normally only ones that I take directly from apps such as when I capture a picture and send it all from my text messaging app.

I have tried deleting the default folder to see if it would then associate the other folder as the default camera folder, but that doesn't solve anything. As soon as I take another picture straight from my text messaging app, there are two folders again. Is there a way that I can merge the folders, or change the settings in my camera app to store the pictures on the external SD and still view them as if they were taken by the default camera?

I had the exact same issue.  It also caused a related problem.  When I tried to browse the Camera folder on my external sd card, it hangs for about 60 seconds.  So I went to Terminal (if your phone doesn't have this app then download the Terminal Emulator) and did the following (case-sensitive):

cd //storage/extSdCard/DCIM
  mv Camera Recent

I took me a lot of experimentation to discover the problem and to find a simple fix, but this works just fine for me.  I hope it helps you.


How do I make the apps/widgets view the default view? I just got my first Android device (a tablet). I noticed there's two views. One with a wallpaper and some apps, and another view similar to Launchpad on the Mac (shown below):

I want to get rid of the view with the wallpaper in it and just have the "launchpad" view as my default. Is that possible?

You would need to install a custom Launcher.

A launcher is the application that you use to launch other applications. It is both the home screen (view with wallpaper) and launcher draw ("launchpad").

With Android you can install different launchers via the Play Store to suit your own needs.

For example AppDrawer (MIUI App Drawer) might be what you're looking for.


Import multiple vCard files to Galaxy S3 contacts How can I import contacts from hundreds of vCard files to my Galaxy S3 which is shipped with Ice Cream Sandwich ? I don't want to import it one by one.

I am using Windows 7 Ultimate.

You need to combine all you vcard files into one. Exact process depends on operating system of your computer.

You can find some examples in http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/y2670pyopew


ODIN vs. Nandroid backups? I've been told that ODIN backups are preferred to Nandroid ones, but I've only ever used the latter. What are the features that differ between them, and how is one better than another?

Also, if it is true that ODIN is better, and I want to use it, can I without a Samsung device? It seems to me that I won't be able to use it if I have an HTC, which is a bummer if it's really that good! In that case, is there another utility that is available for sans-Samsung Android users?

IIRC, one difference is that ODIN can change the filesystem to a different "format". for example, there are ROM for the Galaxy S devices that would change the filesystem from RFS to ext4. if you did a nandroid of the device, before you flashed the ROM, then decided to go back to the "Stock ROM", your filesystem would still be ext4. This could cause issues if it is not a filesystem that the Stock ROM can deal with, or expect.

As for, "Is it better", it does make it easy for Samsung owners to go back to complete stock, but Nandroid is still a full backup of your device at that time and could, essentially, work just as well.


What are the risks to overclocking my CPU? What are the risks to overclocking the CPU on one's phone?

Bonus Question: What's the max profile I should set on my Motorola Droid 1 to get the most performance (with no regard to battery life) but without making it explode (if that's even possible)?

You can ruin the processor, your data, and possibly your skin (ouch!).

According to "Risks of overclocking your CPU" [aimed at desktop PCs], the risks include:

Success: The processor may overclock perfectly, and run stably for many years to come. There are thousands of people who have done this, and I am certainly not going to deny it. This is the best case outcome.
Immediate Destruction: It is possible to totally destroy a processor by attempting to overclock it. By destruction, I mean that the processor will not boot at the higher speed, and when returned to its normal speed, will continue to not function. This is basically the worst case outcome. This sort of permanent failure is very rare, but it does happen. It is made more likely by using inadequate cooling, and also by being ridiculously aggressive in how far you try to overclock (i.e., trying to run a Pentium 75 at 166 MHz.)
Non-Functionality: The processor may not work at the new speed, but may work fine when returned to its original speed. This is a fairly common outcome when overclocking, and in most cases the processor will not be any the worse for wear.
System Instability: The processor may boot at the new speed, but you may see the system behave strangely. Random hard lockups, parity errors, resource conflicts, strange hard disk problems, beeping, application crashes and [your OS] refusing to boot are just the tip of the iceberg. Particularly insidious are the overclocks that work almost perfectly, because that occasional crash may be due to your operating system, but it may be due to that overclocked chip also.
Electromigration: When the processor is run at a speed that is higher than it is supposed to be run at, there is a chance that the internal components in the processor may break down over time. The internal features of a CPU are sized in the range of microns. It is possible that when the processor is stressed by running at too high a frequency, along with the extra heat that overclocking incurs, that the actual metal lines inside the processor may form shorts or opens and damage the processor over a period of time. How likely this is to happen, and how long it takes is really not known. The system may work fine for a while and then suddenly stop working.

And don't forget that higher speeds means higher heat -- your tiny pocket-sized squeeze-asmuch-as-possible-into-this-small-area has very little in the way of cooling fins. Speed it up, and you might overheat. Probably won't burn a hole in your pants, though.

However, accordin to "Big Lou" @

  Modern processors are not harmed by
  overclocking. You aren't altering the
  voltage, just the multiplier. If
  anything, the Droid will not boot or
  may act funny, but once you revert
  back to a slower clock speed, it will
  be fine (and that's for higher speeds,
  mind you).

  Anything up to 1.3 is tested to work
  fine on the Droid. Heat may rise but
  the OMAP3 is rated to around 200
  degrees Fahrenheit. You won't be
  getting anywhere near that, and in
  case you do, you can always set SetCPU
  to roll back the clock speed
  automatically.

YMMV. Note how the original text refers to 75 Mhz Pentiums. ha-hah-ha.

this post @ Overclockers.com covers the SetCPU app, which can adjust speed vs battery performance, start times for clock boosting, etc.


How can I manage contacts on my SIM card with an Android phone? How can I add and manage contacts on a SIM card with an Android phone (HTC Magic)? I'm aware of 1 application which is capable of doing this but it cost 4€ for SIMPLY managing SIM contacts o_O

The default (well, default on my Samsung Galaxy S - I guess default in Android doesn't mean much) contact manager can do a part of this. When creating a new contact, it gives the option of storing it on the SIM, Phone memory, or a linked account (like Google).

There's the option of copying contacts from SIM to Phone or Phone to SIM (Contacts->Menu->more -> Copy contacts). Import/Export is in the same spot.

I know these suggestions aren't quite what you're looking for. I don't know if contacts can be stored on a SIM card in different ways depending on the Phone. From what I've seen the software that comes with Android phones might (depending on manufacturer) let you move contacts around.


No option to switch dalvik to art on galaxy s5 android 5 I was looking for an option to switch from dalvik to art on my galaxy s5 g900f with Android 5,but it was not in the place it should be. Is it because of the Android version? Or maybe only one of them is available?

Yes, you're right, Android 5.0 (and 5.1 for that matter) uses only ART.


Samsung Galaxy Nexus Reboots I own a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and it just reboots every time after showing lots of crash messages.i tried to do a factory reset (volume button Combinations) using the boot mode, i was getting NO COMMAND. After lots of debugging i planned to re-flash the entire phone with the Factory image.Below mentioned are the details :

Product Name : TUNA

Variant :Maguro 16GB

HW version : 9

Boot-loader version : PRIMELA03

Base-band Version : I9250XXLH1

I tried searching for the binary and landed at yakju-jop40d-factory-279cdc5d where the build number matches but the problem is Boot loader is not matching.I am using the NEXUS ROOT TOOL kit for flashing the same .I tried to to see what version of the build is currently installed in the phone ,finally i got

Build Number : JOP40D.i9250XWMA2

Android 4.2.1

Please help me to fix this .

Hy Try these links
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/help/galaxy-nexus-rebooting-t1591304
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/development/gnex-toolkit-v11-1-0-drivers-backup-t1392310
regards
Stalin
www.memorylines.tk
www.facebook.com/memorylinesblog


How to remap device's sensors to touch screen? I want to play Moto Racer on Fpse (psx emulator) with device's sensors.

I installed Tincore but I have no clue on how to remap the sensors to touch the screen.

In my head you had to remap the coordinates to the area of the analog stick on the screen.

Is it even possible to do that with Tincore or any other way?

I think it is impossible to remap sensors to touchscreen with tincore, but if anyone is interested, I found a way to remap sensors to analog stick on PC with MotionInJoy and PSXfin to play moto racer.

EPSXE runs fine some games like Gran Turismo 2 and Need for speed III but for Moto Racer the right analog doesn't work.

So PSXfin comes to save the day. Moto Racer works with it, so connect everything and GAME ON!


Changing default view mode in Firefox to Desktop Using Firefox Mobile for Android. I want to lock the option for Desktop mode on by default. The menu option only applies per-tab and is forgotten if I open a new tab.

I have looked around at extensions and in about:config without finding anything.

Can anyone help?

Have you looked at this extension?

Description:

  About this Add-on

  This add-on enables desktop mode by default; that is, "Request Desktop
  Site" is always checked whenever opening a new tab. This is designed
  for users with larger screens (primarily tablet users).

  NOTE: Make sure "Request Desktop Site" and/or Phony are disabled when
  viewing this page; otherwise, you may not be able to see the install
  button.

EDIT: Take this tutorial you can:

In the Firefox address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter.
Tap the "Add a New Setting" button, then select "String" as the type.
For name, enter "general.useragent.override."
For value, enter the browser user agent string you want to use. You can do a Google search for the user agent strings of your preferred browser and OS. In this example, we're using the user agent string for the desktop version of Firefox 17 on Windows 7.

  Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:17.0) Gecko/20100101
  Firefox/17.0

Restart Firefox and confirm that Web sites are loading the desktop versions.
That's it. If you want to change the user agent later, go back to about:config and search for "general.useragent.override." Hit the Modify button to change the user agent or the Reset button to remove it.


Can I resize my screen? I have cracked my phone on the top-right corner, which makes me unable to see my notifications. It is such a big issue, I would really like to make my screen smaller, just so I can see them again.

Is there a way (preferable non-root, but if it has to be rooted it's ok) to resize my screen? If you grant WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS to an app you can do things like enable fullscreen in all apps, so is there maybe a way I can make an app that resizes my screen all the time?

If your device have One-Handed Mode option, then you can use that. One handed mode reduces current display to specific size(say 4inch etc). If your device screen is of 5.5 in then using this mode you can easily pull down notifications (you said that your top-right corner is cracked).

In Mi devices, One hand mode is activated using navigation key combinations(swipe from home key to left or right). You need to activate it from settings before this.

In Moto devices, swipe from screen's center to left or right bottom corner.

In case if you don't have this option, try this rootless application from  XDA


Moto G (1st Gen) xt1033 lollipop Recently the 2014 edition of the Moto G got the Lollipop update. I wanted to know the exact date on which the 1st Gen Moto G will be getting the update?
Also, can flashing the update of the 2nd Gen on the 1st gen prove to be dangerous? Can anyone provide me with a link containing android lollipop for moto G to download?

Flashing 2nd gen file into 1st gen phone can completely brick your phone!


Locus Tweak allows Google Maps download, not OSM! I am going to develop an app for Android, and I'm trying to understand whether it is possible to store maps for offline usage (anyway I am not sure this is a question for developers).

Google Maps TOS is enough explicit about the fact that maps can't be stored (if not with some strict limitation), see https://developers.google.com/maps/terms?csw=1 (10.1.3):

(b) No Pre-Fetching, Caching, or Storage of Content. You must not pre-fetch, cache, or
 store any Content, except that you may store: (i) limited amounts of Content for the
 purpose of improving the performance of your Maps API Implementation if you do so
 temporarily (and in no event for more than 30 calendar days), securely, and in a manner
 that does not permit use of the Content outside of the Service;

while OSM provide public free API and resources for the exploiting of its knowledge base.

Now, I am really confused about the Locus Tweak behaviour. It allows me to easily store tiled maps by Google maps even for wide areas with good definition, when it would be supposed not to be allowed, on the other hand when I try to store OSM maps, the answer is:

Searching on Internet and the page http://support.locusmap.eu/hc/en-us/articles/200090132 is not of help, what am I missing here?

In conclusion: I would like to understand how an app downloaded by 100.000+ users can use this way Google Maps, and OSM which would have been my second choice, seems not to allow it.

There is a clause in the OpenStreetMap Tile usage policy which does not allow offline storage:

  Bulk downloading is strongly discouraged. Do not download tiles
  unnecessarily.

  In particular, downloading significant areas of tiles at zoom levels
  17 and higher for offline or later usage is forbidden without prior
  consultation with a System Administrator. These tiles are generally
  not available (cached) on the server in advance, and have to be
  rendered specifically for those requests, putting an unjustified
  burden on the available resources.
  ...

From Locus itself, you can also see that OSM is not downloadable, versus Google's (assumed to have limits, as mentioned in their TOS).


Changing email smtp settings for existing account When setting up a new email account it is easy to enter the various smtp settings.  But I can't seem to find how to change existing settings on my existing email account.  There seems to be no "change" ability on email.

I'm using a Galaxy S3 running android 4.3
Thanks,
Gary

From the Email app, press the menu key, then choose Settings. Pick Account settings, then click the account you want to change on the next screen.

After that, you have to scroll to the bottom to get More settings, and to the bottom again to change the Incoming settings and Outgoing settings.

Samsung appears to have taken lessons from Microsoft on hiding important settings behind "advanced" buttons!


Prevent WhatsApp from automatically backing up messages I noticed recently that WhatsApp automatically backups messages. I get a popup every now and then when I am using WhatsApp which says "Backing up messages". I don't want WhatsApp to backup my messages. I went into the WhatsApp settings and clicked 'Chats and calls -> Chat backup' and it says:

Local: 3:00am
Google Drive: Never

Google Drive settings shows that my settings are set to 'Never back up to Google Drive'.

With that said, how do I prevent it from backing up locally?

There's no way to do that. WhatsApp updates its backup at 4 am(for me, can vary) everyday locally for easy recovery of chats.


Completeness of wiping lost android phone through ADM I lost my Android phone. It was stolen by someone.

I erased all data and already got a notification from Android Device Manager when my phone was off. I worried, then I change all my google account passwords.

Does Android erase my data including photos in internal storage when I change my Google account password? I am very worried about my photos.

Google can only relay commands to your stolen phone if it's powered on and connected (either via cellular data or wifi).  If the thief knows this, they may be able to power up the phone in a location with no signal and no wifi and connect it to a computer with a USB cord to extract the stored photos (and likely other personal information).

The first/best protection against this is a secure locking method on the phone itself.  If you have a PIN to unlock, it's unlikely the thief will be able to access the stored data (can't say if this applies to all phones or Android versions, but my old Samsung with Lollipop warned that ten wrong PIN entries would result in the phone resetting to factory original condition).  If you have a good, strong password, it's even less likely the thief can access the contents.  Even a gesture unlock is better than no lock.

If your phone has no lock set up, you need to assume that all your photos may appear on the internet.  There's really nothing of consequence preventing it, in this situation.


Spoof user-agent in Firefox 4 for android Question: Is there a way to spoof your user-agent header in Firefox for Android?

Explanation: The thing that's kept me using Dolphin for Android for the longest time is the fact that it can spoof your user-agent header to quickly and easily avoid the mobile atrocities some people develop for their sites, still giving me the option to navigate there manually if I prefer it. I don't see this option for the latest release of Firefox for Android.

It seems to load much faster and I prefer the interface to all other browsers I've tried on Android, but that feature is the only thing making me keep dolphin on my phone. Am I missing it, is there an extension that allows it, maybe an option in the phone system, or is this just not in the cards for FF on Android? If not, I'll redirect this to the Mozilla devs as a feature request, but I figured I'd come here first to see if I'm just missing an option to do it.

There is indeed an extension which does this. It's called Phony and you should be able to find it if you use the addons search from within Firefox Mobile. After it's installed, you'll get a new drop-down entry in your preferences menu where you can choose your user agent (the most recent version actually has more choices than the picture below):


Nova Launcher Google search bar I just upgraded phone and reinstalled Nova Launcher. I inadvertently deleted the single page, customizable search bar on my home page. I don't want a persistent search bar. I can't get a single, customizable bar on my home page. I can add a single bar as a widget but it doesn't customize when I try and change the settings in Nova. Or I can add a customized but PERSISTENT search bar thru Nova. What am I missing? Thanks.

Add a search bar widget, but don't use the one supplied by Google Search (which is fixed-style) - instead, Nova itself offers the customizable one you're looking for, under Nova Launcher - Quick Search Bar.

This search bar shares its customization options with the persistent one, under Nova Settings - Desktop - Search bar.


Use this tool to pull from a PC
MTK Droid Tools Latest.zip

And for Android.. Use a backup tool like Flashify on PlayStore

Flashify PlayStore Link

and go to backups, Backup Kernel And Recovery..
Then navigate to internal storage > android > com.cgollner.flashify > files > backups And copy the files...

These files may be called boot.emmc.win and recovery.emmc.win,
 These files need to be renamed to .img and they flash.. On my mtk this works...


Android system update over lte I need some help regarding updating my Nexus 6p to Android nougat over lte connection. My lte connection is excellent with unlimited data plan, but Google seems to be tying my hands by forcing me to go for a WiFi network, which obviously I don't have an access to at present. Is there any way to force the update over my lte connection. Thanks

You could download the OTA zip file from Google, then flash it using ADB commands which are in the Android SDK, so you'd need a computer as well:  Official Google OTA link

Taken from the above link:

To apply an OTA update image:

Download the appropriate update image for your device.
Verify the checksum of the image: the OTA mechanism has a built-in validation feature, however verifying would save you some time in case the file was incomplete. The last portion of the filename is the first 8 digits of its SHA-256 checksum; the full SHA-256 checksum is also shown next to the download link.
With the device powered on and USB debugging enabled, execute:

  adb reboot recovery

The device is now in recovery mode and an Android logo with red exclamation mark should appear on screen.

Hold Power button and press Volume Up once, and a menu will be shown. Select the option of

  Apply update from ADB

Run the following command:

  adb sideload (ota file.zip)

where (ota file.zip) is replaced with the file you have downloaded and verified.
Once the update finishes, you should reboot the phone by choosing:

  Reboot the system now


Recovery of google contacts my phone was stolen month ago and despite all my contacts were google contacts, I cannot find them in my account. I thought that if I save my contacts as google contacts, they will automatically appear in my new phone.
But there is no backup. When I go to contacts.google.com I cannot see them. Nowhere. There are only mail contacts but not my phone contacts. No backup folder found in google disk also. How is this possible?

This means your contacts were not synced properly in stolen phone. While saving contacts you must have saved in google contacts but you might have turned off auto sync of contacts from setting>Accounts>Google>Your_email>Contacts.


problem: cmd fastboot adb does not show device Debug active, in Mass storage, Sony ADb shows up in drivers with no errors. But fastboot adb keeps waiting for device in cmd but it never shows up no matter how many times I do volume up or down and USB plugged in. I am trying to get to the point where I can put in Bootloader code that I have. Any help would be appreciated.

First make sure you are in fastboot mode the easy way would be connecting your phone to PC via USB cable word USB debugging enabled.

Then simply open CMD from directory where you installed ADB (or just open CMD if it's installed globally).

Then make sure ADB detected phone via adb devices if your device shows up just type adb reboot bootloader and phone will reboot to fastboot mode.

After that open CMD and use fastboot devices  if you get your device you can proceed with unlock process , but if it doesn't return anything or sits on "waiting for device" than first thing you should do is to try to plug USB to another USB port (for some reason fastboot is massive pain in the ass when you try to use it on USB 3.0 port, so if you have USB 2.0 port try to plug USB into it, this is trouble only on windows) if you don't have USB 2.0 port then you should consider using linux live USB to unlock bootloader. However, if you plug phone into USB 2.0 port and still is not detected then you should try some other USB drivers, from manufacturer site or universal ADB drivers. Here is links for various phones so check it out.

Once I managed to solve this by manually changing drivers (it's possible on win 7 and probably later, I can't tell exact process since I don't have PC currently) I choosed something like "LG USB fastboot" because my phone is LG.


Will I keep the credits that I redeemed from a Google Play voucher if I get a new phone? I bought a new phone, and I have redeemed a £25 Google Play voucher on my Play Store account.

I need to take back my phone. If I get a new phone, will I still have the £25 on my Google Play account?

Yes, the credits / load is tied to your account. So, it will still be there, as long as you use the same Google account.


What does this notification bar icon mean in the HexoLibre theme by Cyanogenmod? The icon in the middle it looks like dancing wobbling phone or something. Totally confused. Not using OnePlus. I'm using Cyanogenmod 13's HexoLibre theme.

It's the vibrate icon. Interesting, Android has two vibrate icons. Turning ringer volume down all the way, you can see the other icon one.

Even more confusing, when it's not down all the way it shows a ringer icon


How can I speed up GPS fixes? I'm looking for a way to speed up GPS fixes on my Motorola Defy with Cyanogenmod 7. For example today, I started up GPS Status while biking, and it got its initial fix after six minutes. What could cause my GPS to take that long for fixes and how can I speed it up?

By the way, GPS Status is configured to refresh the AGPS data every day.

Download Faster Fix.

Simple enough, right!? =D This helped me a lot on my HTC Sensation after flashing a different European ROM. I think it also helps if you set the Language to your region, even if English is English. It seems to me like I don't even need this app when I set the Language to US English instead of UK English; that could just be superstition, though.


Does Samsung Galaxy Ace store location metadata? Can the Galaxy Ace (the first model) camera store the location data of where photos are taken? I have been told that it isn't sophisticated enough. Is that true?

Also, does Kik Messenger remove location data on the pics?

Based on this blog post, the Galaxy Ace has geo-tagging support. So YES, it should be able to store location metadata, if you enable it.

And according to another blog post, Kik Messenger removes metadata.


CWM - Can I make CWM mount a different External SD Card Partition - LG e400f As stated in the title I want to be able to mount my SD cards 3rd Partition, this is because that is were all my files are and I would like to be able to backup to this partition.

Phone: LG e400f

Rooted: Yes

Recovery: CWM

ROM: Stock

I am using Link2SD becuse my phone doesn't have much memory for apps and as such I had to partion my sd card, and for some reason my phone would only mount the last partion Not the First Partion so to combat this problem I partition my SD card the way shown below

SD Card Partion Layout:

1st: 7mb fat

2nd: 1.45GB Ext2

3rd: 13.45GB(around that) Fat (My main area were i want to backup my phone and were my music and photos go)

The Problem arises when I try to do a NANDroid Backup as CWM mounts the first partition and since it is so small it can not backup the phone.
I would like to be able to backup on the 3rd partition so

a) Is there a recovery that could do this

OR

b) If  Not how can I modifiy my recovery so I can

The answer is yes,no,maybe. You might hit a snag with the fat/ext/fat scheme on your card but here goes,

I have a debian chroot <ext4> set up in

/dev/block/mmcblk1p2 --> my extSdCard 2nd partition.

So i edit the following in my recovery ramdisk --> Philz Adv CWM

init.rc --> add a directory export

under the on init section

export DEBIAN_ROOT /debian

in etc/recovery.fstab of recovery ramdisk

/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.2/by-num/p2              /debian      ext4    rw,errors=panic    wait

Remember this is cwm fstab format, adjust for twrp if needed! Your own device in regular operation will show you the right layout. Remember to set correct <type>for partition.

After you have all that done and have repacked and reflashed your recovery,

root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb reboot recovery
root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell mount /debian && adb shell mount | grep debian
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.2/by-num/p2 on /debian type ext4 (rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered)

    root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell
    ~ # uname -a
    Linux localhost 3.4.0-Carmilla-mb74- #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Dec 27 22:41:40 EST 2014 armv7l GNU/Linux
    ~ # ls /debian
    AIK         etc         lost+found  policy-k    sbin        t-src
    bin         home        media       proc        selinux     tmp
    boot        images      mnt         root        srv         usr
    dev         lib         opt         run         sys         var
    ~ #

I won't be going into the unpacking/repacking part of the procedure as i am sure that is covered elsewhere.

For a treat, i am still in recovery but exit back out to linux term because it's easier to mount system,

root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell mount /system
root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell
~ # go-deb
root@localhost:/# ls
AIK   dev   images      media  policy-k  run      srv    tmp
bin   etc   lib         mnt    proc      sbin     sys    usr
boot  home  lost+found  opt    root      selinux  t-src  var
root@localhost:/#

And after running my go-deb script after mounting /system i am now in my chroot while in recovery. No wifi though, i forgot to square away the modules.


Can I get Fire OS 6 running on a Fire HD 10(7th gen)? Android Studio claims Fire OS 5.3.6.4 is Android 5.1.1 API 22.

I would really like to be using Nougat (which apparently Fire OS 6 is).
Shouldn't I have the latest Fire OS on my tablet?

Is there a way to do that?
If not, I'll have to try rooting it. I hate these OEM blonked Android OS flavours!

Fire OS 6 for 7th generation tablets are not released yet, so it's not possible to install it yet. It is not sure whether Amazon will release it ever, or just keep maintaining the Lollipop Fire OS 5 version either. It might be best to just root it, you can install it later if they release it. (There is a way to go back to stock which will re-enable OTA updates. That will not leave any traces of rooting)

Even with root you won't be able to install a clean Android ROM, because the bootloader is locked. (No custom recovery either) But, you'll still be able to remove bloat apps, change launcher, install Google apps, speed it up considerably by adding a swap partition, install Xposed, etc.


how to stop Lollipop Cell Standby Drain I updated to lollipop on my Moto X phone and I am now seeing a large percentage of my battery being used by Cell Standby. How do I stop this?

I have dealt with this bug a lot. (Moto x gen 1) The good news is that Google has assigned someone to fix it, however right now the best way to fix this is to force close apps when you are done using them.

What is happening is when an app requests cellular data, your phone's data radio turns on. In most cases the radio immedietly turns off when it is done, but there is a lollipop bug that keeps the radio on until the app that requested it is force stopped.

The force stop can be done manually through the running apps list in settings, but there is another app called Greenify that will do this for you automatically. No, you won't need the paid version. Just let the app have accessibility access and it will force close apps for you on request.

If you want proof, here is what my cellular battery usage is when I forget to use Greenify all day.

(Click image to enlarge)

And when I use it vigorously

(I am in no way affiliated with Greenify or its development team)


How do I uninstall a system app with root? Have root. Tried "autorun manager" app which gives option to  display system apps & uninstall, but still said "uninstall not successful"

I quickly read the description of Autorun Manager, and it doesn't mention the ability to uninstall system apps, but there are several apps that can do this, for example Root Uninstaller. Do a search on the Play Store for "root uninstall" for more.


Samsung Galaxy S 2 Kies update problem: "does not support initialising" I've been fruitlessly trying to get the new Android OS update for my s2 for quite some time now and I finally thought my troubles were over when I saw an update for Samsung Kies pop up earlier today but now I'm just even more confused. Before there just wasn't an option to update (the update button was greyed out) but now the firmware update and initialisation button is no longer grey but comes up with the error notice:

  GT-I9100 does not support initialising

What does this mean? I've spent quite a long time trawling through internet forums trying to find my answer to no avail; it seems no one out there has my problem. What does this error mean? Am I unable to update at all?

Yesterday I had the "firmware upgrade" button available and working (begins to download upgrade components etc) but my internet was playing up, so I tried again today and all of a sudden Kies was telling me "'GT-I9100T' does not support initialisation" (and upgrade component downloading window did not appear).

As suggested by Sparx, I checked my debugging setting. It was already unchecked, BUT I found that when I checked it, then unchecked it (the phone will prompt you to remove USB cable before you can toggle this option) it restored the "firmware upgrade" button.

Frustrations which remain:

The process began again but stopped half way through, telling me that "phone battery is low, charge phone battery" (phone was plugged in via USB and charging already from computer). When I clicked OK, the process aborted and I am back at the Kies screen without a "firmware upgrade" button again (so will have to toggle the debugging option again - annoying, but faster than rebooting computer and/or phone).
Kies doesn't tell you the download size - I have dialup
broadband with a small bandwidth allowance and cannot afford to be
downloading excessive amounts. It would be really helpful if we
could discover the sizes of these upgrade downloads.
Kies re-downloads firmware update process files (the ones before it
starts downloading the actual upgrade files) each time I attempt to
upgrade firmware - even if this was done 1 minute ago. I would think
Samsung would have the programming prowess by now to cache these
files rather than re-download them (for me, this also relates to
issue #2).

I hope this helps others.


Looking for LineageOS 17.1 download link for vivalto3gvn (Samsung Galaxy V/Ace NXT/Trend Neo) According to stats.lineageos.org, the Samsung model codename vivalto3gn has OS versions of 13.0, 15.1 and 17.1. I did a little more searching, but I couldn't find download links for 15.1 and 17.1. The latest version I can find is 14.1 from this website. Do these versions really exist or are they caused by reporting errors?

Your device was never supported by LineageOS officially. The old 14.1 version seems to be an unofficial version which means that typically one developer who owns the phone implemented the necessary changes for making LineageOS work on your device, but if those changes were ever published is unknown.
Why there are no newer versions is unclear, may be the device hardware was too restricted (it has only 512MB RAM which is way too small for modern Android versions) or the developer who created the 14.1 version got a new device and lost interest in developing new versions for the old device.
In the end you have to take it as it is, there is one 14.1 version for your device but nothing newer.


Trouble putting a ROM on Nexus 6p I just bought a Nexus 6p a few days ago. I put TWRP and Cyanogenmod 14.1 on it. It was fine, until I wanted to try another ROM. So I booted to TWRP, and wiped it. I wasn't thinking when I wiped and now I don't have a ROM to flash. I want Resurrection Remix ROM. How can I fix this? I am really worried. Any help is greatly appreciated. If you need any more information just ask, I will gladly provide more if I can. I am open to installing any (safe) custom recovery, and any ROM at this point. Also, where is a place on the phone that does not get deleted when I perform a factory reset, so that I can always have a backup in case this happens again.

Thanks for any help!

I forgot to add:
When I try to use fastboot update rom.zip I get this:

Boot into TWRP again, choose "Advanced-ADBSideload", connect to PC, then adb sideload path/to/your-rom.zip (just open a command prompt window for this, and drag the zip file into the window to have its file name and path entered automatically).


Android social apps: ability to post on behalf of the user? Ever since I purchased my Samsung Galaxy SIII, it has been displaying a notification which when clicked causes an app to be displayed asking me to log in to Facebook and then displaying the following screen, which asks me whether I want to allow my Samsung Galaxy SIII to post to Facebook for me (the app is different from the Facebook app which can be downloaded from facebook, as there is a separate button to install the Facebook app, and the app asking me this question appears in the Android Task Manager under the name SNS (Social Networking Service) with a Facebook icon next to it):

If I say yes in the last screenshot above, will my device be posting posts to Facebook without my approval with content I have not even seen?

Thank you for clarifying my suspicion.

Yes you will have giving consent to post "things" to Facebook without seeing or approving them.
I suggest getting a 3rd party app to help. SystemPanel App, a full feature task manager, or App Detective, find every detail about an app. The first is a paid app, but there is a free version available.
Between these 2 apps you will be able find the culprit, get all the details about it, what app installed it, who made it, plus all sorts of other info, shut down the app, and to know the package name to uninstall.
Be careful when installing anything from other apps or questionable social websites. Read the fine print and examine permissions. And always make backups.

SNS Definition
A social network service or social networking service, most often called SNS, is a medium for establishing social networks of people who share interests and/or activities.
Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact in various ways, such as e-mail and instant messaging.
Modern internet-connected always-online phones stake a lot on SNS connectivity and integration with the various services getting more popular than ever.

SNS is used for your social site widgets. It allows to post to multiple social sharing apps at once. Anything that you post on one site will be posted to your other sharing site. It can be safely disabled or uninstalled (root) without hindering Facebook or other apps.
The Play Store has several apps that can manage the SNS. I'll leave the choice for you.


(Galaxy Note 1) Can I use custom ROMs and Recoverys made for the GT-N7000 on a GT-N7000B? The GT-N7000B is the Samsung Galaxy Note 1 sold in Thailand and Australia.

Wikipedia: Note 1 Variants

I am wondering, if I can use custom Recoverys and ROMs like Cyanogenmod made for the International GT-N7000 on the GT-N7000B.
Specfically I am interested in this one.

It worked for the Nightowl ROM.
Now the device just identifies as a GT-N7000.
I reporter this to the developer and he added the info to the OP.


Recovering data from oneplus1 after deleting /storage folder and factory reset oneplus-one

tl;dr:

Is there a theoretic way to recover data from the phone after:
1. deleting /storage folder
2. and then rooting (which means factory reset?)

If there is a theoretic way to recover it from the bits, is there a way to take a snapshot of the current state of the bit, so I can (in theory) recover the media in the future?

Long version:

First of all I know I'm very stupid..

Yesterday I've deleted my /storage folder since in first glance it looked empty.

Then I figured out what did I do, so I tried to recover the information.
I've searched the web for an application that does that and I found one that required rooting the phone, so I rooted the phone which means I made factory reset.

Then I tried to recover but it didn't manage to recover the photos and videos.. (it did recover whatsapp photos and some other things but not from the dcim folder).

I tried then several different applications that may not ask for rooting the phone so maybe I made a mistake by doing that (not sure that they wouldn't request for rooting either) but no success with that...

I'm willing to pay money to save that data but do you think it's not recoverable anymore?
I also called the 3 biggest recovery companies in my country, 2 of them told me that they don't think it's possible and one agreed to take it to their labs for a small price and then give me an offer.
If there is a theoretic way to recover it from the bits, is there a way to take a snapshot of the current state of the bit, so I can (in theory) recover the media in the future?

I'm very desperate and would be very thankful for your help :)

After few weeks of working on that, I didn't make it to recover any of my photos/videos/whatsapp chat history (the things that were most important to me)
I tried several stuff, apperently all of the recovery programs that using the adb to directly connect to the phone through the PC doesn't work well enough, as well as the programs that works from the device...

I tried this article:
http://www.dflund.se/~jokke/androidfilerecovery/
but it didn't work for some reason...

Then I tried that one :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-internal-memory-data-recovery-yes-t1994705
I used a centos VM to get a image of the device partiotns the way they suggested (I couldn't make the busybox work).
I mapped that file as hard disk
I tried to use 'Recuva' it seems like it managed to restore files but something apperantly went wrong and the files wasn't helpful...

I tried to use 'easeus data recovery' it worked better, it found around 20k files.. There were alot of directories and I didn't look up at it so much but it recoverd alot of photos which I think were from the whatsapp media.

Incase someone who made the same mistake by deleting the 'storage' folder, get to this post, I recommend to turn off the phone immidietly and find a way to do that without rooting the device.. (although it might be impossible since as far as I know all of the methods I used were depends on a rooted device, but I didn't look up on this since the first thing I done is to root my device - which might be the mistake)...


How to block a number in Sony Xperia J I intend to block a number that is in my contact list.
Unfortunately I can't find any option to block it. I was told that I should add it to some Reject list.

When I open the contact and press Menu, I see only 4 options:

Modify
Send contact
Delete contact
Set as default

Where should I add it to the reject list?

Shockingly, you can't block calls with Xperia phones.

  Unfortunately it's not possible to do this without installing any 3rd party software. I know that Truecaller has this function if you want to use a 3rd party app.

Source: official Sony forum

You need to download 3rd party softwares that are mentioned earlier:

TrueCaller

Calls Blacklist


Why is zygote asking for superuser permissions? I have a OnePlus One running the latest version of OxygenOS which is rooted for the sole purpose of running CF lumen. I have not installed any other root apps, and only use the Play Store for downloading apps.

Recently, I got two superuser requests in quick succession from an app called Zygote.

As another answer had suggested, I checked for any rogue apps with adb shell ps | grep zygote but only one process was listed. So there doesn't seem to be any malware masquerading as zygote.

Scans from Malwarebytes and Kaspersky didn't turn up anything either.

I haven't got any other superuser requests from zygote since this first happened about a day ago.

What's going on?

Do you have Xposed Installer and various modules installed? As I understand it, several xposed modules will use the zygote root process and most likely benign.


How to root my Oppo N1 (with Custom Recovery)? I just bought a Oppo N1, so how to root it?

ColorOS V1.0.0
CyanogenMod CM10.2

1) Download:

First download the following files:

oppown.apk
TWRP

2) Installation:

Install oppown.apk and download SuperSU
Connect your N1 via USB to your computer and get access over ADB

3) Clean-up:

adb uninstall uninstall com.qualcomm.privinit

4) TWRP install:

fastboot flash recovery twrp-X.X.X.X-N1.img

5) Successfully rooted!


Colour of the letters in contacts? What is the meaning ot the different colours of the letters in android contacts?

I use Nexus4 with standard 4.4

Nothing Special. Multiple color for single Letter is to differentiate multiple contacts starting with similar letter.


Gmail personal email shows as “work” account On the settings/accounts & backup/accounts page, myphone lists my gmail.com account as a “work account”.
I do not have a separate work profile.
The gmail work account is listed in addition the google account & email. It is alongside my actual corporate work account with the same swing badge icon.
I accepted mdm for the corporate account (an office 365 based account), which confers admin rights over the phone.
A separate exchange active sync is also present for the corporate account.
I should be able to remove the corporate account & this will remove the content (contacts, calendars, emails) but I am very nervous about any effort to remove the work gmail account.

Could anyone confirm what effect this might have if I try to remove the “work” gmail?
How can I tell which organisation actually owns this “work” gmail account?
(All references I find are for workspace corporate gmail accounts & work profiles but this is a personal gmail.com so I haven’t found assistance there)

Eg, has a malicious app gained control of the account? (No current evidence of that, but who knows….)
I will discuss with the sysadmin responsible for my corporate account - could it just be a side effect of enabling o365 corporate stuff?
My section of company is being demerged/transferred very soon so I like to resolve before someone accidentally wipes my entire phone….
Thanks the reading

Not sure if this helps. Possibly only to expand on your question as opposed to answer it directly.
I have 4 email addresses
I have a work profile with 1 gmail email and it is a parallel gmail app. In my personal gmail app (below) i see my 2 personal gmail emails (blacked out) and the only hint of the work one is the link in red.

Of interest to you is my fourth, Microsoft outlook email account with msn.com. For no logical reason under accounts one entry has it labeled as a work account.

If this is what you see then i believe you have nothing to fear, it is out of reach of my employer. This might not be what you see. I am very unsure why mine has a work label.
When you say

my gmail.com account as a “work account"

Do you mean it is a personal one?


Nexus 5 touch response is slow while charging My problem is simple. Touch response of my Nexus 5 is very slow while charging. I can't even unlock the pattern while charging. I need to draw it very slowly. My OS is Android 4.4.2.

I have been charging from Laptop USB port. I am seeing this issue for the first time on my mobile. I have used it while charging before.

I am charging with original USB cable that comes with phone. I also tried USB cable of my old nokia C5. Both responds similarly. (Earlier both worked fine).

I checked it in safe mode and problem still exists.

UPDATE 12-Feb-2014:

The above-mentioned problem occured when I connected my phone to laptop USB via stock USB cable in my college lab. After reaching home, the phone works fine, both in USB charging and AC charging.
I tried charging with both USB and AC power in my lab. And the problem exists. I even tried them with Debugging mode turned off and problem is still there.

So I strongly suspect some problem with AC power supply in my lab. Anyway to check it?

Does anyone face this issue? Any fixes?

[Moving from comments to answer]

This could be an issue with either debugging mode switched on or the power source itself!

Please try on AC Power, this is a known issue with quite a few phones! In fact I had this issue with my N7000 running CM10, the phone is just lying around now. Just to be sure, is USB debugging off ? Just to see if that is the issue for me, I tried different sockets at home with my old phone! It varies based on the power supply. All I can say is stop charging through these faulty places


How to change "Preferred Network Mode" using adb without reboot? I'm trying to change my phone's (CM 12, Stock 4.2, both rooted) preferred network mode from "GSM/WCDMA" (0) to "WCDMA only" (2) and vice versa (there can be other modes too), using command-line only. Based on this answer I can make relevant changes into Settings.db using the commands:

adb shell
su
settings put global preferred_network_mode 2

However, I can't figure out from the logcat which or how many broadcasts do I have to send and with what extra key values. It is because of it I have to reboot my device to have the changes take effect.

Ultimately, how do I change the network mode without the reboot using command-line only?

Edit: Using aforesaid command in combination with airplane mode isn't working either.

There are some couple of ifs and buts. I have not tried this, but this is just an idea that comes to my mind which is an extension of my previous answer.

Through this post, I learn that intents can be invoked through adb command prompt.

So, if the device is rooted and has Xposed framework, the above can be done.


How can I execute command in the terminal as root? How can I get root permissions in a terminal?

Type su and your terminal prompt should change from $ to #. This is assuming that your device is already rooted.


How configure more than 5 multi-users I have a Lenovo Tab3 10 running Android M. It allows to configure multiple users but no more than 5 (including guest user).

Is there a way how to enhance the limit to configure more users?

5 multiple users could be enough for me but the 5th one is reserved to guest user. I've tried to disable guest user feature with no effect. There is still guest user that allocates 1 of 5 multi-user slots.

The maximum number of users is defined in a resource overlay defined by device manufacturer. The resource is named config_multiuserMaximumUsers. Check in Device Administration doc: Multi User. This is manageable via APIs.


Old Venue 8 tablet. Missing keypad My daughter thought it would be cool to put a Russian keyboard on the Venue tablet. She didn't uninstall it correctly and now no keypad shows up. We cannot unlock it. I have tried going to the Play Store and uninstalling the keyboard, but I can't see how to. I have tried a hard reset but can't get the "dead android" to show up for the reboot menu. Can anyone advise?

Three options.

Use a USB-OTG adapter with a USB keyboard to unlock the device via password. Or a keyboard with a built-in OTG adapter.
Since you obviously have a Google Account, log into Android Device Manager, and wipe the device through there.
A Hard Reset via Recovery. Unlike some other Android devices, the Dell Venue 8 requires you press and hold Volume Down, press and hold power, then release power when you get the first logo. Do not release Volume Down until you see the Droidboot menu. Choose Recovery, and from there wipe data/cache and reboot. That's a Hard Reset, ALL your data will be erased.


How to turn-off WiFi when there's no Internet available on the connection? I have a wifi hotspot that is always on but sometimes internet isn't available within the connection; in such a situations, the phone is connected as expected to the wifi hotspot but because there's no internet, apps can't check for updates(messages) so I wont be notified of incoming messages from IM apps unless I manually turn off wifi and use mobile data for internet connectivity(2g or 3g for example)

Is there any way to automatically check for internet availability (by pinging a website maybe) and if there's no internet available within the connected wifi network, turn the wifi off? (so that the phone can use mobile data for internet connectivity)

tasker should be capable of that. It can execute HTTP_GET commands, and it can also deal with data connections; but for the latter, depending on the Android version you're running on your device, you might need root access to toggle data connection.

Tasker uses (combinations of) "conditions" (also called "context") to trigger "tasks" – which both together is called a "profile". So you would need a profile for that. Let's go step-by-step:

Your condition will be a time-based one, as you want to check connectivity periodically. Chose wisely here: checking too often might become a battery-drain – checking to rarely makes the whole thing useless. Play starting with 1 minute, and maybe go down to 30s if that's not enough.

The task then is a conditional one, which could be described as "switch off WiFi if I cannot reach the internet". So let's put that together:

Condition:

Time.
In the fields, define the time frame this should be active in, and the "repeat" interval.
WiFi connected.
I recommend adding that to safe some juice: If you're already on mobile data with WiFi turned off, there's no need to turn WiFi off – right? Alternatively, you could also use %WIFI ~ on – but that could give you a headache when you just switch it on and, failing to retrieve the URL, Tasker switches it off before it connects ;)

Task:

HTTP Get
WiFi (off) IF %HTTPR ~ -1

%HTTPR is a Tasker variable where the response code is stored into. According to the Tasker UserGuide, A response code of -1 indicates a problem making the request. This problem should be a timeout or "network unreachable" error (as a "not found" should be a "404" code), but you might need to play with this.

The above doesn't cover an "automatic return", so you had to enable WiFi manually (though that could be automated by a second "profile", periodically checking if things changed).


Nexus 5 Lollipop goes into Recovery while trying to update to 5.0.1 I'm using LG Nexus 5 Lollipop (manually installed 5.0) and rooted with TWRP.

I just go notification to update to 5.0.1. But when download and install, the phone automatically goes into TWRP Recovery mode, and if I restart from there nothing happens. I have to download the update again and so on...

Manual adb sideload doesn't work because of TWRP recovery.
Also I have tried sideload from inside TWRP, doesn't work.

Basically if I try adb sideload, on fastboot screen it get error: no device found. (Please note: if I use adb command while connected to PC in normal phone state adb commands work fine. even the adb reboot bootloader.)

Updated: after following below answer, if you too get stuck like me while on adb sideload, please update your drivers like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXtbAMarHQw

If you face error: closed while adb sideload
then type this command: adb usb
and then type adb sideload UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.40.zip

Try using this method:

https://gist.github.com/eyecatchup/ec0a852428c19705380e

Give thanks to this guy of course.

EDIT:

The steps outlined in this document assume the Android SDK to be installed on your PC and the adb, fastboot and android.[bat|sh] to be in your PATH variable!

Download OTA zip from Google's servers to your PC.

http://goo.gl/dx2JoM - signed-hammerhead-LRX22C-from-LRX21O.785a2f7a.zip

Rename the downloaded zip to 'update.zip' (without the quotes (and if you're on windows and known file extension are hidden, make sure you not end up with update.zip.zip)).

To the same folder, download the latest SuperSU flashable zip.

http://goo.gl/XRK49m - UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.40.zip

To the same folder, download the latest TWRP recovery image for hammerhead.

http://goo.gl/XhAOt7 - openrecovery-twrp-2.8.2.0-hammerhead.img

To the same folder,
download the 5.0 factory image tgz archive from Google's servers.
http://goo.gl/Z8ITiM - hammerhead-lrx21o-factory-01315e08.tgz

From the 5.0 tgz archive extract the

recovery.img

boot.img and

system.img files to the same directory where your downloads are located.
(Tip: With 7zip, for example, you can 'internally' open the archives within the archive and extract just the files you need. The same is possible with command line tools, of course.)

Update platform-tools and tools of the sdk manager.

Connect your device (USB debugging enabled, of course) to your PC.

Back at your terminal, go on by running the commands as follows (type only those lines prefixed with '> ', but without actually typing the '> '!).

# Make sure the device is recognized
> adb devices

# Boot into bootloader mode
> adb reboot bootloader

# In bootloader mode, make again sure the device is recognized
> fastboot devices

# Flash stock LRX21O recovery image
> fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

# Flash stock LRX21O system image
> fastboot flash system system.img

# Flash stock LRX21O boot image
> fastboot flash boot boot.img

When the last flash is confirmed, use the volume rockers to choose 'Recovery mode' and confirm with the power button.

When you see the little Android lying with the red triangle warning sign on it, push power then volume up to get to the recovery options.

When you got to the recovery options, select 'apply update from ADB' using the volume rockers again and press the power button to choose it. When the device says it's awaiting commands, type from the PC's command line:

adb sideload update.zip

When OTA update successfully installed, select 'reboot bootloader' from the recovery options again using the volume rockers and press the power button.

Back in bootloader mode, type from the PC's command line:

fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.8.2.0-hammerhead.img

When the flash is confirmed, use the volume rockers to choose 'Recovery mode' and confirm with the power button.

Now in the TWRP recovery menu, choose 'Advanced' > 'adb sideload'. Check both option, clear 'Dalvik-Cache' and 'Clear Cache' and swipe the bar to start sideload mode. When the device says it's awaiting commands, type from the PC's command line:

adb sideload UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.40.zip

When done, confirm to reboot system. Finished. Mission completed.

You're now on 5.0.1 with your custom recovery, rooted and can pick up from where you left.

PS: First boot, as always, will take some minutes.


Applications moved to SD card cannot be loaded I have an Android phone running Android 2.2.1 with very limited phone memory. So I have to move the applications to SD card all the time.

BUT:

If I move applications to the SD card, then after I reboot the phone, some of the (most likely the bigger in size ones) will disappear on the application panel. And the icons in the settings → application management will turn into a gray icon with a SD mark on it. Also the name becomes the package name like 'com.foo.bar'. If I tap the icon, only the remove button is available. This is different from the issue of icons on application panel loads slow after reboot. This issue is about the application just won't load.

Another thing on I noticed is that, on reboot, loading SD card seems done in a very short time. Maybe the system is not loading the SD card with enough time.

Is there anything I can do about it?

Use a different Launcher like Apex and you'll be fine


Unable to install an APK file downloaded from a webserver Im trying to download an apk file for a game that I cant access on Play store, but whenever I try it keeps saying APP NOT INSTALLED or there was a problem with the package, I read about a thing where sometimes it tries to install it into the SD card which I don't have a.

There are two main reasons why you don't see an app in Google PlayStore:

The app is not available in your country. In such a case you may be able to install the app manually via APK.
The app is not compatible with your device. If that is the case you can do what you want but the app installation will always fail. Unfortunately the on-device APK installer doe snot display the error message to you so it is not easy to understand why the installation fails. If you have Android Debug Bridge enabled (adb)  you can try to install the APK from your PC via USB and adb (adb install <apkfilename>). Then you will see an more detailed error message why the installation fails (e.g. Android version too old or other hardware features required by the app are not available).


After android system update (Oxygen OS 9.0.3) Google can't reached via hotspot After the system update for Oxygen OS 9.0.3, my OnePlus 3 hotspot has weird problem.

If enable hotspot on my phone and use laptop to browse google.com,
the url is not loading.

If I use a VPN in my laptop and use the same hotspot, everything is fine (so it's not problem in browser/browser plugins).
If I directly use phone to reach google.com, no problem there too (so it's not ISP blocking).

So url filter is happening only in my phone when I use hotspot.

Could someone help me to narrow down the problem?

After another update today (OS 9.0.4) the problem got fixed!
But still it would be good to know what screw up has happened in the last update.


Easy Flashlight/Torch Toggle easily using tasker I want to turn on the torch on the device by pressing the power button 3 times(or something convenient) and display a notification saying "Flashlight ON" and turn it off by simply swiping out(clearing) the notification.

I have achieved this by creating 2 macros in Macrodroid.

But I wanted to do the same exact thing with Tasker because obviously tasker can do a lot of things whereas macrodroid is limited to only a set of things and its not worth using both of them at the same time.

Here is a workaround you could use.

Create a Task to toggle torch ( alternatively get a TeslaLED plugin -it supports a lot of devices).

I am not sure if this is my device limitation but the Hardware state is only limited to media button and not power button but nevertheless I believe the outcome will be the same.

Profile
State >> Hardware >> Media button (Check both held down and stop event)

Tasks

Task 1 (entrance) You can name it TorchlightCtrl or anything.

A1 Alert >> Torch
A2 Alert >> Flash (text: "Flashlight ON" Enabled Long: On)
A3 Alert >> Notify (e.g Torchlight Enabled)

Save and exit this Task

Create another task

Task 2 (exit)

A1: Alert >> Notify Cancel (title: Torchlight Enabled)
Press back to exit
A2 Task >> Stop (Put the task created earlier -in this case TorchlightCtrl)

Explanation: Pressing the media button will trigger Task 1 (TorchlightCtrl) to flash the torch, and a persistent notification is displayed in the notification bar.
Dismissing the notification will trigger Task 2 which stops Task 1, additionally turning off the trigger.

Unfortunately my device Camera light is not working so could not expiclitly test it, please give me feedback if it works or not, so I can further improve it. Cheers


Is factory resetting from recovery or settings better? (LG Q6) Device: LG Q6 M700DSK
OS: Android Oreo (8.1)
Root status: Unrooted
Q: Is factory resetting from recovery or settings better? (LG Q6)

On my device you can factory reset the device from the settings and from the recovery mode (power+vol-down and when on lg logo quickly let go of power and hold it again, it will give you an option to reset), is there a difference between the two? Is resetting from recovery better?

There is no difference - one depends on another.

When you select "Factory Reset" from Settings, it reboots your phone into recovery and wipes there. So there's really no difference as the actual process only takes part in recovery mode. You may choose whichever way for you: Navigate through Settings or use physical buttons - the latter is useful when your phone doesn't boot or the touchscreen malfunctions.


Run android application from remote computer I have asked this question in StackOverflow, but I figured it should be asked here...

I need to run my android application from remote computer (in the same network) via SSH (not using ADB). How do I do that?

Thanks,
Binyamin

You need to run an SSH server on your phone, such as SSHDroid.

You can launch adb shell from SSHDroid, and then run am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n <qualified-app-name>.  For example, <qualified-app-name> is something like com.android.settings/.Settings.


Accept Android SDK Build-Tools on Windows 10 I'm trying to understand why there is no GUI way or Post-Installation process to accept the android SDK Build Tools license:

Failed to install the following Android SDK packages as some licences have not been accepted.
   build-tools;28.0.3 Android SDK Build-Tools 28.0.3
To build this project, accept the SDK license agreements and install the missing components using the Android Studio SDK Manager.
Alternatively, to transfer the license agreements from one workstation to another, see http://d.android.com/r/studio-ui/export-licenses.html

After searching a lot I found the command for sdkmanager.exe but the directory tools/bin/ does not exist in C:\Users\MyUsername\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk.

Can anyone help me to accept the license to move on? :)

You can view and accept all licenses of the Android SDK and related components using the following command:

android-sdk\cmdline-tools\latest\bin\sdkmanager.bat --licenses


HTC One M8 overheating, random reboots and unable to power it off Last night I forgot to charge my HTC One M8 phone, and when I woke up in the morning, the battery was dead, Unsurprisingly. I plugged it in to charge for about 20 minutes (only to about 30% or so charge) and then left my house (with my phone in my pocket). The device was off during charging, and I only turned it on about an hour ago, putting it back in my pocket after seeing that it booted fine (and that I had about 30% charge left). About 15 minutes ago, I noticed the device against my leg getting very hot, and pulled it out to see the "HTC One" startup screen. I found this strange because I had already turned on the device, so I don't know why it would be rebooting.

After it started up again, I went looking for what may have caused my phone to seemingly reboot as it did, and in the process of using the device to do this, my screen went black and showed the HTC startup screen again, and afterward, back to my lock-screen. I'm pretty sure It's been doing this cycle of starting up and then randomly rebooting since I turned the unit on some hour ago.

I use an OtterBox Defender case on my phone, and noticing that it was extremely hot on its own, I removed the phone from its case. The rear of the phone was even hotter, to say that I wouldn't be able to hold the device that long because of how warm it is. From this, I was able to determine that overheating could be the cause of this cycle, so I tried to shut off the device by holding the power button and selecting "Power off" from the menu, but after it would shut down, the unit would turn back on. I have no explanation for how or why this would happen.

It seems now the device has run itself out of battery, so I'm letting it cool for the next couple hours until I can charge it again at home. Is there any solution to this should it be happening again?

Stock Android 5 Lollipop, Sense 6.0, No S-Off or Root

For a quick fix for it rebooting after you power off, try holding the volume-up button while holding the power button. For the phone, it simulates a battery pull.

Maybe try to wait overnight and wait until the morning to see if the problem still persists. If it does, hold the volume-down button and the power button at the same time, from the shutdown state to enter the Hboot HTC bootloader.

If you have a custom recovery installed, enter it and try to clear the cache and dalvik-cache partitions. If you don't have a custom recovery, use the fastboot command: fastboot erase cache with a simple tool like Minimal ADB and Fastboot while in fastboot in the bootloader.

If this still doesn't work, you're probably going to have to factory reset/format the whole system.

I have an HTC One M8 (writing on it right now), and the only time this happens is when I flash a corrupt ROM, however.

If you're going to have to format it, I suggest flashing the stock Android ROM, it has really nice animations.


Nexus - no command - after OTA update I have an Nexus 10 device that recently offered the 5.0.1 OTA update. After the update the device would boot loop to a screen with a dead robot with an exclamation point and the message 'no command' underneath. How to recover?

Flying dots

After trying factory reset and wiping the cache which didn't work. I finally did an update using the factory images where I would get stuck at the boot animation of flying dots. However, at this point I noticed I never performed the unlock step because the bootloader was already unlocked.

How to determine lock status of the boot loader?

The buttons on the device are a bit counter-intuitive in terms of Up and Down volume,  but by turning off the device and then holding down the power + volume up + volume down the device will boot into a menu that allows you to toggle using volume up and down Start, Recovery mode, and provides a list of information about the device including bootloader status. It said the bootloader was unlocked. I assume the previous owner unlocked the bootloader because I don't remember unlocking it.

To finally get the system to boot I had to re-lock the bootloader using the platform-tools provided in the Android SDK.

fastboot oem lock

Then it immediately started. I guess they are taking security more seriously and requiring the bootloader to be locked, but it would be nice if they would tell you.


How to store data on internal memory on LG Optimus 4X HD After first use of LG optimus 4x HD I set storing of photo and video files on a SD card. Now I want this files to be saved back on internal memory.But I can't find where I did this setting. Please help me.

Easy to do:

open the camera app
in the upper left you see a "gear" icon. Tapping it opens a drop-down. Do so.
scroll a little down. The third-to-last item reads "Storage" (has a SDCard icon). Tap it.
in the new overlay, select your wanted storage from "SDcard" or "Internal storage"

Done :)


How to disable touch during a call When I call with the smartphone (HTC one M7) I often click the screen with the cheek.

I have notice that on Samsung Galaxy tab 8.0 when I call is there an option that disable the touch. Is it possible to import/install this feature also on HTC One?

You're looking for "proximity sensor" settings.  If your proximity sensor is enabled and your screen doesn't go black when the phone is to your ear, the sensor (looks like a tiny camera lens, usually in the upper screen frame) may be covered by a screen protector or case, or may have failed.  If you can't find proximity sensor settings, your provider's tech support should be able to help.


What exact time do Android devices execute the Daylight Saving Changes? I believe the Windows OS in general makes the Fall DST change at 3.00am on the last Sunday of October, and the Spring change at 2.00am on the last Sunday of March. Could someone enlighten me on the exact times that the Android OS, in general, (or 4.3 specifically) makes the DST changes?

As far as I know, every OS makes the change at the officially scheduled time for your timezone. This is different in different timezones, but if you've previously observed your Windows clock changing at a particular time, you'll see any other OS changing at the same time. The exact time is set by the government: programmers don't just pick a time they think would be nice.


SIM card detection and Battery Drain - MI Redmi Note 3 My MI Redmi Note 3 is not detecting the SIM card and the battery is getting drained in 15 mins simultaneously. Cannot connect to Wi-Fi too. Any solution?

The only likely solution is to take it in for repair or replacement. This sounds very much like a short somewhere in the hardware.


Get list of filenames via Tasker I'm using Tasker and have a step of List Files. I grab that result and stuff it into %files. I then go into a For loop reading %files and under items %files(). However, this is giving me the full path to the files such as /storage/emulated/0/Tasker. All I'd really like is the file name. Is there a step I can do before I enter this loop to truncate the variable results?

Goal would be to just get a list of file names and not the full path.

You can use a Variable Split action with a splitter of / to get the pieces, then use %VAR(<) to get the filename. If the fact that the full filename is in an array already gives you problems, copy the array element into a non-array variable first.

From your comments, it sounds like you have this code:

List files Dir /storage/Tasker/project/test/ Variable %files match *.wav
For Variable %files Items %files()
  Variable Split Name %files Splitter /
  Popup Text %files(<)
End For

It's probably not a good idea to use %files as both the "Variable" and the "Items" portion of the For loop. Try using %file for the Variable, then replace all references to %files inside the loop with %file.

Please correct me if I've not captured your code correctly.


Can I make a Google Doc shared with me more accessible on my Android device? A friend of mine shared a Google document with me. If I use my Gmail app on my Android device to open the email that includes the link, I can see the document in the Google Drive app.

However, I can't seem to find any way to mark that document using the Google Drive app so that I can get back to it easily. Every time I want to view the document, I have to find the email in which my friend shared the link, and then click that link.

Is there no way I can bookmark or add that document so that it is available without me having to search for it? Ideally, I could leave it open in the Google Drive app so that when I reopened the app it would show me the document without me having to select it again.

If it was shared to your Google account, you should be able to find it in Shared with me:


Fastboot oem get_identifier_token - FAILED (remote: unknown command) Hello Everyone!

I am trying yo unlock the bootloader with no success. Basically, the following command
Code:

Fastboot oem get_identifier_token

is hitting the error of:

FAILED (remote: unknown command)

Please, your help will be greately appreciated. Thanks in advance for reading my question.

Device State:

OEM unlocking: is enabled from the developers options.
USB Debugging: is enabled from the developers options.

Software Status: Official
Software State: LOCKED
Software Security: S-ON

Device Information:
Model Number: HTC One M9
Android Version: 5.1
HTC Sense Version: 7.0
Software Number: 2.10.401.1
Baseband Version: 01.04_U11440601_71.02.50709G_F
Build Number: 2.10.401.1 CL576582 release-keys
Kernel Version:
3.10.49-perf-g901e7f1
and@AABM #1
SMP PREEMPT

I found the answer to my question at last after hours of researching.

We should execute the command from the fastboot mode (FASTBOOT USB) and not from the bootloader mode (HBOOT). This is a non-default option selectable using the volume buttons in bootloader (HBOOT) mode.That's why it was not working for me.


simple photo frame widget Is there a widget that will show an image you select and quite literally nothing else? No buttons, no switching photos, no sycning or grabbing from remote locations. Just show an image.

EDIT: I'm using Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)

Android 4.1 ("Jelly Bean") has this.  I just went to the "Widgets" section, chose "Photo Gallery", and from the popup, chose "Choose an image", which gave me the chance to (you guessed it) choose an image; after cropping, that image is now just sitting there on my home screen.

Amusingly (or infuriatingly, depending on your mood), tapping the image on my home screen does not, as you might expect, bring up the larger version of it in the Gallery; instead it brings up the larger version of some other image (in my case, one that's in the same album) in the Gallery.


Apps constantly disconnecting from the internet I've got a new phone running Android 4.4.2 and whenever I close an app, it disconnects, i.e whenever I close Messenger, it stops being connected to my WiFi so I get no notifications until I open the app, when it reconnects and everything comes through. All apps are doing this, on WiFi and on data.

I can't find anywhere to manage background internet usage and was just wondering if there's a (probably very simple) way to sort it out?

I think your apps are being killed by the System or a  task Killer. I solve the same problem yesterday by Downloading this App:
Watchdog Task Manager Lite
It will prevent the apps you add into its "whitelist" from being killed.


How can I view a TLS 1.2 only website on an outdated tablet? I have a tablet from 2011 (Prestigio MultiPad PMP3384B) with Android 2.3 which I use occasionally. I’ve experienced recently that I cannot view some webpages (https://www.nytimes.com/, for example) as they force using HTTPS (even if they provide public information mostly…). Presumably, it’s caused by a TLS version the device does not know.

On the contrary, https://www.google.com loads and http://www.google.com also works well (no redirection).

I checked the TLS version supported by www.nytimes.com (by following the article How to check what SSL/TLS versions are available for a website?):

$ nmap --script ssl-enum-ciphers -p 443 www.nytimes.com | grep TLSv
|   TLSv1.2:

The output for Google is:

$ nmap --script ssl-enum-ciphers -p 443 www.google.com | grep TLSv
|   TLSv1.0:
|   TLSv1.1:
|   TLSv1.2:

What I’ve also tried:

I’ve found the article Working with TLS 1.2 on Android 4.4 and Lower but the solution only supports Android 4.1 and newer.
I’ve checked Connect to an https service using an http-only client but the solutions don’t seem to be applicable on a tablet It could be achieved with a PC in LAN but I’d prefer solutions not requiring other LAN devices.

Is there any way to view TLS 1.2 only websites on such a device?

You can use Opera Mini, which still supports Android 2.3 and uses its servers to compress data.


system ( com.Android google.com.gms ) share from gallery app suddenly stops working and crashes there is a prominent gallery app that I am using  -f-stop .
been using it for very long time and never had this issue .
gallery app itself seems to be working but when I select more than one picture and invoke system share so I can   share  those with other apps like WhatsApp... everything crashes.
it gives me an option to view the  app log  crash in an email attachment, that it prepared to send to Google for feedback unfortunately selfish as it may sound, I cannot send that attachment to my email   It just directly sends it without even keeping a sent copy in my Gmail. using some kind of a hack I pulled up all that log info and I am putting it in  pastebin_with_crash_log_info

The relevant error is:

Caused by: android.content.res.Resources$NotFoundException: Resource ID #0x7f08007a
at android.content.res.ResourcesImpl.getValueForDensity(ResourcesImpl.java:246)
at android.content.res.Resources.getDrawableForDensity(Resources.java:905)
at android.content.res.Resources.getDrawableForDensity(Resources.java:880)
at com.android.internal.app.ResolverActivity$TargetPresentationGetter.loadIconFromResource(ResolverActivity.java:669)

here are the more relevant details

crashing system share app concerned is

com.Android google.com.gms

Source file
ResourcesImpl.java
Source class
android.content.res.ResourcesImpl
Source method
getValueForDensity
Line number
246

os details

magisk rooted Android q project treble ROM

Considering that the error seems to be that an icon can't be loaded I would assume the following:

The sharing menu shows a list of apps to share the selected content with. This list shows for each app it's app icon plus the app name.

It looks like one of the installed apps, that is shown in the sharing apps list, has a problem loading the app icon. Unfortunately the error log has no indicator which app icon fails to load.

Unless you recently installed a system update the problem is caused by one specific app that has been installed or updated recently recently.

Note: The sharing list is AFAIK automatically generated by the content type to be shared. Each app contains in it's manifest rules and content types it can accept. Upon installation these information is AFAIR copied into a central system-wide XML file (don't remember the exact file name). Hence by modifying this file it would be possible to remove certain apps from the sharing menu, however this XML file is updated/modified if you install or update an app. Hence the manual changes may be overwritten frequently (I never tried this therefore I don't have any experience how long a modification can last in this XML file).


Old fashioned menu button I'm fairly new to android development, but am I long time android user. Phones used to have a "hardware" menu button, which I have since seen is emulated in software, but only when I'm running an 'old' app on my phone ("three dots stacked on top of each other that appears to the right of all the other buttons)

Why is writing apps that make use of the button discouraged?

Is it not supported by most phones?

Is it a bad user experience? ('swipe down from top to access soft buttons', etc..)

Back in 2012 google basically told developers that the Menu button was going away. Although it's not an official Android "rule" (not that I could find, at least), it's a strong Android guideline that phones no longer have menu buttons. It's a very recent development, and we should be seeing the majority of menu-button phones leaving the wild this year (my personal Galaxy Note 3 has a physical menu button but I'm due to upgrade in November).

As for why, I honestly don't know. It's the subject of some debate, but nobody seems to be able to site an official Google source as to why they did it. Maybe it's so the bottom OS navigation bar on touch-screen only phones (like the Nexus 5 and 6, and the Moto X) could disappear without hiding app-relevant actions. Maybe Google wanted fewer buttons on phones with physical/soft button. Maybe Google just felt like it. I couldn't find any source that gave a specific reason as to why it was done.


How do I drag apps from one home page to another? I upgraded from Galaxy Mega to Galaxy S6 Edge +.

In Mega, I can drag one app from one home page to another without going through the ones in between.

In S6E+, it seems that I have to go through each page. I use folders, but it's still a hassle.

Must I really go through each page? If no, how can I go drag to another page?

What you can do is remove the icon, open application manager and drag the icon to the screen you want it at.

You can also leave the icon on the first screen and then remove it after creating a shortcut on the other screen since apps usually don't care how many shortcuts you have.


Auto-reconnect BT or USB tethering When on vacation I use my smartphone (Android 7.1.1 Nougat) as a modem for my laptop (Windows 10 Home) and tablet (Android 6.0 Marshmallow), tethering to the laptop with USB and the tablet with Bluetooth. This works fine and the speed is acceptable, but every time I disconnect/go out of BT range I have to re-establish the connection. With WiFi tethering this problem does not occur, but WiFi uses a lot more battery power.

Is there any way to make USB and/or BT re-connection automatic?

@Ce4's answer to this question (jun 2013) mentions an app for permanent BT tethering but the link is broken.

This topic shows an answer using Automate app. Note that, according to that topic, it requires root access.


Non-desired contoured font Almost all apps in my tablet with Android 7.1 use beside "normal" fonts an hardly readable contoured font:

Is there some way to substitute it with non-contoured font?

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display and then turn off High Contrast Text


Where can I report vulnerabilities to Google? Where can I report glitches/bugs/vulnerabilities to google? I would look it up, but I don't know how to word it. Besides, I am working on more devices I can count (don't ask) and I have found some... Weaknessess in youtube.

Settings → Developer options → Bug report.  If that doesn't exist, try holding both volume buttons plus Power (USB Debugging might need to be enabled).


Is it possible to wipe the phone without uninstalling the apps? I'm having problems with my Google account in my phone and because of that I want to remove it and add it again. When I try to do it, it tells me that I can't remove it unless I restore to factory defaults. But I don't want to reinstall every app. Is there a solution?

If you are rooted, you can use an app like Titanium Backup to back up your apps (and their data).


unfortunately setup wizard has stopped Getting error message "unfortunately setup wizard has stopped" repeatedly once after i factory reset my Yu Yuphoria mobile. Tried it many times and sometimes i could able to setup and proceed but could not find the settings icon in my menu.

can someone help me out of this pls.


Tethered VPN Connection I have an OPPO find 7. At my school we have a pretty mean wifi restriction on the wifi (Blocked websites). Basically I tried to tether through an usb cable from my Phone (while connected to the school wifi) to the computer. I then had a VPN connected that is specific for tethering, but some reason my websites are still blocked. Is there anyway around this or solutions?

I forgot mention that this phone doesn't have cellular connection; strictly wifi only. Also this phone is Rooted.

Thanks for any help! :)

You can try changing the DNS servers of the wifi connection.

To change the DNS settings:

Open the Settings on the device.
Select “Wi-Fi”.
Long press your current network, then select “Modify network”.
Mark “Show advanced options” check box.
Change “IP settings” to “Static”
Add the DNS servers IPs to the “DNS 1”, and “DNS 2” fields

Example Google DNS 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Disconnect wifi then connect again and check if it works)

Alternatively you can change to another better VPN, if it is not configured to work via tethering then activate it but performing the following commands in terminal as root:

Iptables -t filter -F FORWARD
iptables -t nat -F POSTROUTING
iptables -t filter -I FORWARD -j ACCEPT
iptables -t nat -I POSTROUTING -j MASQUERADE


Why does Play Store update twice in a row the same app to the same version? Why does Play Store (formerly Android Market) mark for update twice in a row the same app to the same version?

Here is a typical example of what happens. Yesterday I checked the My Apps section from Play Store, saw that version 3.5.1.1 of the Kindle app was available for update, and updated it. Today I checked the My Apps section again. Play Store showed as available for update the same 3.5.1.1 version of Kindle with the same release notes. I updated the app again.

The same often happens with other apps, both on Android Market in the past and Play Store now. The second update is available the day after the first (I check daily for updates). In all cases the apps are correctly donwloaded and updated, and run fine. All my apps are set to manual update.

I have an unrooted Nexus S running Android 2.3.6 and my phone carrier is Vodafone Italy. I have Play Store 3.4.7. The issue happens with both 3G and Wi-Fi.

Update: It is probably a "hot fix" of application developers, which they've spotted few moments after the update release. As solution it is easier to release an immediate second update with the same version number (ver. numbering is solely on app developer). So it ends up twice (or even several times) after the first update. Also, IMHO, the same version number ensures that users, who did not updated with the first "buggy" wave, will receive the last "hot fixed" update of that number. This was confirmed in some case here.

Original post:

Maybe this issue is connected with multiple google accounts? It could be intersting to check next time this happens if both update proposals are for the same account.

Second thought: did the update go well in the first attempt?


How to see the boot progress messages (akin to dmesg) when booting LineageOS? After the last OTA update my phone (OnePlus 3) seems to be stuck for about half an hour on the boot animation.

Since updates usually take ages to install, how do I know that the update process is stuck?

On my desktop I can always see dmesg message during the boot, and it is relatively easy to troubleshoot problems. Is there a tool that allows me to see the diagnostic messages while the phone is booting?

Finally I've managed to do that without any 3rd party addons. The key is to get boot.img, and modify the file default.prop that is living in the root folder inside the img-ramdisk.gz:

You have to do three modifications:

persist.sys.usb.config=none -> persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb
ro.secure=1 -> ro.secure=0
ro.adb.secure=1 -> ro.adb.secure=0

You can get the boot.img if you extract the flash image with the OS you are currently using, or by extracting it from the device directly.

After that, the adb logcat will collect the live boot messages when you connect your laptop to the phone when it boots.

With adb secure on '1', it will give you 'unauthorized' message when you attempt to adb.

ro.secure=0 allows adb to have root privileges (see more here https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/master/adb/daemon/main.cpp)

All credits go to the IRC users LuK1337 and razorloves from the LineageOS Discord/IRC channel.