Equivalent for Windows + R for Android It's often difficult to locate the app I am looking for on my Android phone. Is there a way/app which behaves like Windows + R on a PC, with autocomplete, so that I can quickly launch the app I want to use, rather than endless swiping?

Most custom and stock launchers for Android support an "app search" feature. I know that ADW.Launcher, Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher, Google Now Launcher and Google Now itself has this feature. I'll tell you how to access this feature with Google Now (Launcher) and Nova Launcher, because I have those on hand to confirm this procedure.

For Google Now (or the stock Search app):

Enter the app's name into the home screen search box/widget. It should an option for the app, tapping on which should launch it.

If your Google Now has "OK Google" voice commands active and properly configured, saying OK Google, launch <app's name as shown in the launcher> or OK Google, open <app's name as shown in the launcher> to the device should also work from the home screen.

For Nova Launcher:

On the App Drawer page, swipe down from the top, to get a magnifying glass icon on small white circle in the top-center of the page. Pull it down further to get the search bar. Entering the app's name in the search bar should show its icon below the bar, and tapping on that icon will launch the app.

This applies to Nova Launcher version 4 and up. Apex Launcher is very similar to Nova, but I'm not sure this works there too. The latest version of Nova, 4.2.0, also has the "Recently used apps" feature like Google Now Launcher below.

For Google Now Launcher:

Same as Google Now above, but it also has a separate search bar on its app drawer page. It also shows your most recently used apps at the top of the app drawer's first page.

This should get you started. Welcome to the mini-universe of Android's custom launchers!


Incoming call record not visible I received a call from a company and somehow my phone got discharged. When it restarted, the call record was not visible. I really need that number. Any help

While your situation appears strange, you could perhaps try Android Data Recovery:

"Android Data Recovery, an incredible tool for recovering, allows you to retrieve Android data such as contacts, text messages, call history, photos, WhatsApp history, videos, audios, documents and restore them back to Android phones of any brand"

http://www.recovery-android.com/android-data-recovery.html

I've never tried that application and can't guarantee if it'll work or not.

From reading this, steps involved on recovering lost data may involve:

stop copying data onto phone or updating to prevent overwriting data you wish to recover.
Enable USB debugging on your Android.
Run the Android Data Recovery and follow on screen instructions.

See link above for more details.


How to share as image from the Wikipedia App? The Wikipedia app supposedly allows sharing selected text as an image, as seen on diff.wikipedia.org.
At the moment, at least on my phone (Nokia 7.2 TA-1196, Android 10), only “standard sharing” is available, which shares plain text.
Does the feature still exist? How can one share as image?

Just tried it on Wikipedia app (2.7.5033+2020-08-04) on a Samsung S9 running Android 10. And I was not able to have text over image via the share button as described. That feature was from 2015 and based on the comments in your linked post, they was some concern about image rights issues.
Regardless, I was able tap on an article image for normal sharing.


How does Android detect new mail, tweet, etc? I am curious about how Android is able to send notifications. I have installed apps such as Gmail, Google+, Whatsapp, Twitter, etc., how does Android know when there is new mail, whatsapp message, or Tweet? Is this something that is handled by Android or the application that is running?
What kind of things happen underneath?

It's a very clever system called "Push Notifications".
How it works
An Android device will keep an active connection to Google's servers. This is a small connection, using very little amount of data and power. Notifications are sent from app developer servers, say Twitter, or Facebook, emails, etc. to the Google servers. The Android device will then see that notification and download it.
I just found a better explanation on Stackoverflow. The good explanation of how it works can be found here. (Here's a quote of the first answer, although answer two is easier to understand):

There is simply a TCP socket waiting in accept mode on a cloud Google server. The TCP connection had been initiated by the Goggle Play application. That's why Google Play must be installed on the device for making Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) (formerly Android Cloud to Device Messaging Service - C2DM) work.
When this TCP client socket receives some message, the message contains information such as the package name of the application it should be addressed to, and of course - the data itself. This data is parsed and packed into an intent that is broadcast and eventually received by the application.
The TCP socket stays open even when the device's radio state turns into "idle" mode. Applications don't have to be running to receive the intents.

Why using push notifications are useful
The effect of having a single open connection means two important things:
Firstly, your device uses less data/bandwidth connecting to all the third party servers.
Secondly, it uses less power, as applications don't have to be open in the background to check for notifications, as it's all handled by a single background application.


How can I add more system apps to a custom ROM? I have an android ROM that I can flash onto the phone using a tool like smart phone flash tools, but what I want to be able to do is to modify the system image to add APKs in the system/app directory and then repack and flash the ROM. I want these newly added APKs to behave as part of the system.

I have looked at a couple of tutorials for unpacking and repacking it, but once I repack it, it becomes unusable. Is this the correct approach or am I missing something? I'm not sure what I could be doing wrong.

Most of the time when a unpacked and modified ROM gets repacked, it will become unusable/unstable because it failed to get resigned with the proper key.

You need to have the zip package resigned from the original firmware key. That is why you are experiencing those hiccups. Also if any of the apps depend on libs and/or resouces, you would need to make sure they are in place as well - prior to repacking and resigning

For a decent write up take a look at this: http://androiddomain.weebly.com/build-your-own-rom.html. This will show one of the proper ways of repackaging a ROM.


How do I connect Zoom H1 Recorder to an Android smartphone? In particular, I want to connect the recorder to a Samsung S6 device I can borrow. The idea is to shoot videos from the phone by taking the audio from the Zoom H1.

I have done this for DSLRs. Is there a way for phones?

Regards.

You need to mod a 4pin Jack cable to make your phone detect a headset+ microphone combo when external Mic is plugged.
The ground is the first ring (nearest to cable), microphone is second ring.
Last two are stereo audio.


Whatsapp restore data 2014? I've tried finding an answer to this one but haven't had luck so far.

My phone was playing up, so I went into recovery mode and cleared the cache partition. I've since worked out what the problem was and I didn't need to clear the cache.

The problem is that when I loaded whatsapp, it was going through the install procedure again. It found a backup, but the restore is from December 2014.

I've had a look at whatsapp/databases/ and all the files are the same date of 2014, so It appears it wasn't storing them there.

My question is this: If it wasn't storing the chats in whatsapp/databases, then where does it store the current chat data? Is there a way it can be recovered?

AFAIK, WhatsApp does an automated backup every day around 2AM as seen in "How do I backup, restore or transfer my WhatsApp data?". However, it is sometimes confusing for users as some are opted to use WhatsApp's new Google drive backup feature while others have not. Even then, a local copy is stored on the device regardless.

Looking at your statement I can only assume;

  Your device is either connected to a computer source, or low on storage space or even set to sleep with no background data (maybe switched off on a regular basis) at the said time. If so, WhatsApp will not be able to backup your chat history.

Again this statement is debatable as there can be other reasons (such as version, OS... etc). But I can only think of this as a cause.

I'd suggest you check for the recent date/timestamp of the msgstore.db.crypt12 file or maybe msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12 file and rename back to msgstore.db.crypt12 as WhatsApp only identifies the one without the date on it as the main file.

Hope this helps!


What's the difference between the LG G6 model numbers h870, h870s, h870k and h870v? I am considering to buy a LG G6.
I am living in Germany and when I did some research, I found that the model number of the G6 version sold in Europe is 'h870'.
But I also found that there are the model numbers 'h870s', 'h870k' and 'h870v' out there.
As I wasn't able to find any difference between those four on the web, I wanted to ask if anyone could please help me with this and point out the differences (if there are any).

EDIT
Apparently there was a typo in one of my sources and there isn't a V model but a L model.
https://www.techwalls.com/lg-g6-model-numbers-differences/

Suffix variants are meant for different regions and carriers around the world, mostly for support of different regional LTE bands.

From PDAdb: H870 supports 14 bands; H870S supports 8; H870K only supports 5. I don't see a "V" variant listed (it's against the naming norm of LG, actually).

AFAIK, Europe uses LTE Band 20 primarily, so both H870 and H870S should do the job locally just fine, but considering international roaming capabilities, H870 is the one you want to get if you do have the money to shell out (EU variants are almost always the most expensive).

One more thing: if you want to tinker with the phone at all (even just rooting, even not immediately), buy the EU variant without hesitation. Only EU (H870) and US Open (US997) variants will ever get official bootloader unlock from LG - not even the Australian variant (which also bears H870 with no suffix).


How can I type special symbols on my Android device like ☺ or ♥ as a regular character? How can I make special symbols on my Samsung Galaxy SII, like ☺ or ♥?

These are actually Unicode characters you can easily reproduce on your computer:
How can I get “WHITE SMILING FACE (U+263A)” with the keyboard?

The Android platform supports unicode and all its characters, however the soft keyboard that comes with your Android ROM probably won't carry all your desired symbols.

When long clicking on some symbols/characters on your soft keyboard you will see the key pop-up expanding to give you an additional choice of symbols, then drag and release your finger to print them.

Installing some 3rd party keyboards (such as GO-Keyboard) will give you access to more symbols.


Do messages, contacts, files get deleted when you upgrade your Android version? Possible Duplicate:
  Will I lose any apps / data if I upgrade my phone’s OS?

For example if you upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread, do messages, contacts, files get reset/deleted?

No, they won't get deleted as long as you don't tell you to factory reset. If you're upgrading from stock to stock (or custom to custom for that matter), you're pretty safe with your data, and unlikely to lose anything.

However, if you're going from stock to custom, then there are some cases where you will lose your data.

I'd recommend downloading free applications on the play market that backup your messages. As for your contacts, you will never lose them, as they are synced with your Google account.


Samsung Galaxy S5 quick message responses limited to 160 characters My Samsung Galaxy S5's messaging app has a quick-response feature that will cause a new message to pop up on the screen, regardless of lock status, a lot like the app 'Glowfly' used to before 4.4 removed the ability outside apps used to have to mark messages as read.
I'm currently running Lollipop but this was an issue as far back as Kitkat; before that, I used Glowfly.

(On a side note, if anyone knows a cheeky hack to replace this functionality, please do let me know; my device is rooted and I'm not aversed to modifying system files if it guarantees a result.)

You can respond to messages that appear in the quick-view window, but the responses are always sent as text (160 character limit) which is fewer characters than a Twttr feed. Is there a way to configure the Messaging app to send quick responses as MMS or to place splits in automatically, like using the full client does? It seems like a ridiculous oversight, but it's present in 5.0 and has been since at least 4.4, so it's either something nobody's looked at or a deliberate decision.

I quite like the stock Samsung messaging app (read: I hate all alternatives because they're gawdy, spammy or otherwise full of bloatware and nonsense) but I'm open to alternatives provided they can solve this issue. Bear in mind before suggesting a replacement that AFAIK apps outside of the stock Messaging program can't mark SMS messages as read (hence why I'm not just using Glowfly). Naturally any suggestions will need to be able to circumvent this issue.

Finally, please don't explain to me the nature of the Short Messaging Service or just suggest I make my texts more concise. I'm looking for help, not advice.

A "solution" is to use a different app. It's not ideal but the changeover is smooth enough.

The app I've switched to is called Textra. Use it with the program NiLS to configure notifications on your lock-screen that you can reply to. This program also works with programs like WhatsApp, Snapchat, etc.


Play Store won't download or update apps I am using Samsung Galaxy Duos GT-I8262. Yesterday I encounter this strange problem. Whenever I download or update an app from Play Store, it only shows downloading bar and the app won't download in a century. Things which I have already done:

Clearing cache/data Play Store and Play Services
Deleting Google account
Enabled download manager
Rooted phone and edited hosts file by inserting # in the start of 2nd line
Reset the phone twice
Checked phone date and time

In short, I employed every possible solution but still no luck. Any other solutions?

You can try clearing Proxy Settings on your device

you can get more help on this topic at inforaid


import about 300 thousand numbers in android i have generated a list of about 300 thousands of numbers with REGEX to a txt file, i know all of them are VALID (pattern i mean) and most of them (like 80%) are REAL numbers (from somebody)
and now i want to import them to a phone contacts in NOX (the android emulator) but the problem is IF i use Google Contacts, it has a limit of 25000 numbers,
so if anyone have an idea, It would be great.
thanks in advance.

I think i Solved it myself
1-I used MS Excel to change the format from TXT to CSV
2-And then I used Contacts from Windows to import the CSV
AND then exported them to a folder that contains 300,000 contacts of VCARD or VCF files
you can find it in here (C:\Users\USERNAME\Contacts)
3-AND using CMD to export them all to ONE VCF.
The Code:

copy *.vcf combined.vcf

4-And then used ADB to connect to nox.
The Commands:

$ adb connect 127.0.0.1:62001
connected to 127.0.0.1:62001
$ adb devices
List of devices attached
127.0.0.1:62001 device

5-Copying the combined file into Nox Sdcard

$ adb push contacts.vcf /sdcard/contacts.vcf
$ adb sync

6-And then using contacts app from NOX to import the file from sdcard.


Can I freeze/remove com.android.keyguard if I don't use the lockscreen? What is exactly com.android.keyguard?
Is it just handling the lockscreen?
If I set my device not to lock when screen is turned off, can I safely freeze/remove com.android.keyguard?

I'm using a galaxy nexus with cyanogenmod 11 (kitkat), trying to lower RAM usage.

com.android.keyguard runs your lockscreen, home button, and a few other things I can't remember.

It's an integral part of Android.  Don't remove it.


How can I stop Android from automatically searching a term when I choose it from my search history? Currently if I search for something like "Why am I so awesome," then at a later time I want to elaborate on that search and start typing in "Why am..." my search history will show the previously searched term.  When I click on the term it automatically searches for it.  I don't want it to automatically search for it, I just want the term I click on to populate the search field so I can edit as I please before actually searching, for example, I'd like to be able to click on the aforementioned search term "Why am I so awesome" and add "everyday" without having to retype the whole things.  It's not that big of a deal in a google search because I can just wait for the results and edit the search field, however on a market search, the search field disappears when it searches and I have to start all over again.

Edit: To me this seems to be an Android issue, not a hardware issue but to preempt any more hardware specific solutions that don't apply to me, I have a Moto Droid 1 on 2.2.

The anonym with the vague answer is correct, just not nearly complete.  For keyboard-less phones (like my N1), the trackball or trackpad can be used to scroll down the list of suggestions, and that will enter them into the text field for editing.  For most phones with a hardware keyboard like your Droid, use the d-pad next to the keyboard to select the suggestion for editing (some of them still retain a trackball or trackpad).  Once you have the correct entry in the search box, tap it to continue editing.

BTW, I just discovered this, and it's going to make my life a lot easier.


Invasive advertising in Android notification center On my Samsung Note 3 running stock Android 4.4.2 I got the following message in the pull-down notification center:

  You watched FooBar. Here's another video you might like.

I didn't click the notification, but it has a black-and-white Youtube icon in the lower right corner. How do I disable this intrusive advertising in the notification center? Is this part of the stock Youtube application? I've never seen this before, but it may be part of a recent update.

I've never been bothered by an advertisement  since ages because of my ruthless choice of using a full-fledged ad blocker like AdAway. You may try it if the device is rooted, or try adblock-plus for non-rooted devices.

Let's come to the issue. If that advertisement is indeed a notification, then you can tap and hold that notification → App info, and you would be shown the app's info which generated that notification. If the app's notifications or toasts are not important to you, uncheck Show notifications and you won't be bothered again by the app through notification or toasts. This also implies that you would receive no notification at all from that app. It's take it or leave it approach. Check Show notification by going into Settings → Apps →  and things would come back to where they previously were.

For Android 4.2.1 and 4.4.2:

(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)

For Android 5.0.2:

An alternate way to find out which app owns the current notification is to issue the command (after setting up adb of course) :-

adb shell dumpsys notification

(Android 4.2.1 needs root access for dumpsys.)

It will give detailed output for each of the current notification. Under each record, look for entries like pkg= or contentIntent=. You can see the package name of the app. See the corresponding app name using App Browser (Lollipop already shows package name below an app name in Settings → Apps).

Cheers!


What's the best way to move files from SD card without the risk of losing any files? So I'm running out of space and I'd like to use link2sd to move my apps to sd card. But before that I need to create a partition on my SD card, and to do that I would have to move my files from it and keep them somewhere else temporarily, format/create a partion on the SD card, and then move the files back. I'm using a lot of apps with a lot of data that would obviously no longer be there if something happens to the files during the move.
I'm also using XinternalSD (though xposed) to automatically store some of the apps data directly on the SD card.
So basically alot of the files on the SD card aren't put there directly by me but rather through apps. I'm not sure what their write protection is and I don't want to risk losing some in the move.
I want to be able to move everything as is and move them back in a way that it would be exactly how it was before the move and nothing changes or apps not being able to detect some of the files or anything like that.
What's the best way to achieve this?
Android 7 | Rooted | Moto C Plus
Note: OS available: Ubuntu | Windows | Android

For regular fuse/FAT file system type, there is no need to preserve file permissions, just copy all files as usual. You can check file system type by typing in mount  in the terminal emulator. You will see somthing like this example:
/mnt/media_rw/149B-8301 type vfat
/storage/149B-8301 type fuse

149B-8301 is the UUID of the SD card and it shows that the file system is vfat.
To copy files regularly, run the following:
adb pull -a /storage/149B-8301 ~

advanced copy (tarball archive)
adb exec-out "tar -c storage/149B-8301 | gzip" > ~/sdcard_backup.tar.gz

copy from PC MicroSD Card Reader
cd /media/xubuntu
tar -czf ~/sdcard_backup.tar.gz 149B-8301

Note: replace ~ with path to target disk drive providing enough free disk space on PC


Navfree required space I was wondering how much space Navfree needs for its maps. I know it depends on what parts of the world you download, so is there any place I can check it, other than the app itself? (Alternatively how much does it take to download the entire world, Europe and France for instance.)

(Note: I think this is a good place to ask this? Couldn't find where it would be asked better, please tell if I'm wrong and I'll move it.)

As you had said yourself, the maps size can be known only when you start to download.  The app itself takes approx 20Mb (Total size = App size + data) and it includes no map (actually app will say installing World map, but unless you download a country's map you wouldn't be see anything on screen that resembles a map).

Map for France:

You might also be interested to download other stuffs other than map. For instance for UK, you can download postcode database which can be very useful for locating a destination without Internet connection. Also, it would be worth while to download speed cameras database so that you would get a warning when you approach one and warn if your current speed is high to cause you trouble.


How can I efficiently move 40+GByte of mp3 data to my phone? My entire music library is sitting on a server that I access through SSH (could be setup for HTTP) and I would like to copy it to my Xioami Mi A1 (running Nougat).

What would be the best way to accomplish this without using an SD card?  I installed Termux, and an rsync client, but:

I don't know the location of where I should download too, and
there seems to be a permission issue anywhere outside Termux's home directory ('whoami' reports my user credentials as "u0_a###")

I would like to transfer the music to the "proper" directory (not just the downloads directory).

With 50+G of unused storage space, I'd really like to make use of it.

The default path for music is typically /sdcard/Music. Don't be fooled by the sdcard in the path, that's a relic of the past from a time where devices didn't feature their own external storage.

For Termux to work correctly in this regard, you have to manually grant read/write permissions to your "SD card" to Termux. Do that in the Settings app under the point of app permissions (exact naming may differ by manufacturer).

The user identifier is the one of the app, because on Android every app gets its own separate user to protect the data of each app.

I have no experience with rsync but I can imagine it will work, if you just switch into the /sdcard/Music directory and use rsync from there.

Termux should have all the tools for doing what you are trying to achieve.


Why doesn't the voicemail indicator show up when I have voicemail in CyanogenMod 7? I'm not sure if this is a question I should be asking my carrier or not, but hopefully someone might be able to point me in the right direction. I recently switched to CyanogenMod version 7, and the experience has been great, for the most part. I have voicemail service from my mobile provider, and under Settings > Call Settings > Voicemail settings I have my voicemail number set. However, if I let a call go to voicemail, my phone will indicate that I have missed a call, but not that the message has gone to voicemail.

How can I get the voicemail indicator to appear in CyanogenMod 7?

Thanks!

This looks like it could be a known, or at least reported, issue, depending on the device you are using.

A few users report that on some carriers (looks like mostly in Canada) they have the exact issue with the Desire Z, running CyanogenMod.


Unable to access the "mmcblk0p6" file, on Samsung S5300 Mini Pocket I have rooted my Samsung S5300 Mini Pocket Galaxy, and I have entrie SDK installed on my Windows 7 laptop.

Now via Command Prompt I am able to:

adb shell
$ su
#  <--- and get root access

However, if I do something like this:

cat /dev/block/mmcblk0p6

The output in my CMD prompt is BLANK, and it's like the file is empty.

I've been instaling the busybox with all other commands to help me complete this, but I have not accomplished nothing.

Any advices, tips how can I stream into the contents of this particular file?

BTW - I've been trying with Android Commander, but no success either. It says that the file is "empty" => 0 KB.

Thanks all.

/dev/block/mmcblk0p6 is not a real file, it is a virtual file representing a block device (that is why it's in /dev/block). 'mmcblk0p6' denotes that it's the sixth partition of the first MMC card. I am not really sure why you want to cat that file.


How to return to the home screen with a terminal command? Is there a terminal command to go to the home screen?

I need to do this via ssh, so I cannot just push the "home" button, I need to send a command-line action..

am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -c android.intent.category.HOME

More info about shell commands: an archived version of the AndroidWiki page


Where is the mic located on Samsung Galaxy S2 I have downloaded an app for calculating distance of the phone to the wall It is known as sonar. I want to test this app. So, I covered the speakers

of the phone which could be could found on the back side at the bottom of the phone.On doing so the app showed noticeable change in the distance calculated. However, I could not find the mic's exact location. I want to cover up the mic, and would like to observe any noticeable distance change. Then are couple of holes on the periphery of the phone, however, on closing each of them I could not find any noticeable. Can anybody show me in picture when can I exactly find the location of the mic. Thanks.

This is the mic on the Samsung Galaxy S2

And this is another mic on the top. In the user guide it says that it is a "mouthpiece" I presume by that they mean a microphone that is only active when you use the speakerphone feature or record videos or when the user is on a video call.


Is there a way to put upcoming Google Calendar events on the lockscreen? I'm wondering if there's a way to put upcoming events from Google Calendar on the lockscreen.

I'm very forgetful and do not check my calendar regularly, so it would be nice if there were some way to remind myself when I open my phone. I tried Googling about this, but I couldn't find anything.

It seems the feature to display calendar events on lockscreen has at least become obsolete since lollipop:

  With Android Kitkat and earlier, you could install apps that would display your calendar or other info on the lockscreen. With Lollipop or later, Android removed that feature.

However with a plethora of 3rd party lockscreen apps it is possible to get this working.

For such functionality please refer to this list of potential lockscreen candidates that allow one to view upcoming calendar events.

From that list and ones suggested in comments, I personally find these useful:

Hi locker

  Hi Locker's offers a CyanogenMod-style quick launcher that works by
  holding and swiping over to one of your favorite apps to quickly open
  it from the lock screen. It has 3 styles of lock screen: classic,
  Lollipop and iOS, and a separate screen dedicated to your calendar,
  where you can quickly view upcoming events.

Next Lock Screen

  Next Lock Screen looks elegant and simple, but beneath the surface
  it's cleverly calculating which apps you're most likely to use based
  on your location (home, work and so on), then presenting you said
  apps. You don't need to use this feature of course, but Next is still
  worth using for its neat presentation of notifications, calendars and
  other key phone functions.


Is there music player that supports both AAC and MIDI files on Android 2.3? Update from 2.1 to 2.3 broken playing from aac files in most players.

The only music player that is more or less usable is PowerAMP (and also video players like MoboPlayer and MX Player). But it won't play midi files.

The only player that can play both aac and mid files I tried is MoboPlayer. But it is video player (so no useful widget/play queue).

Player:   Support AAC on 2.3   Support mid    have widget
PowerAMP          +                  -            +
Most players      -                  +            -
MoboPlayer        +                  +            -

I want            +                  +            +

How to fix aac in android 2.3 in SE Xperia X10? Alternatively, is there a player that can play both aac and mid files and have widget?

Workaround found: wrap all aac files into matroska containers and usual music players start recognising them.

mkvmerge some_music.aac -o some_music.mka


How can Android be made to stop showing Google Contacts information? How can Android be made to stop showing Google Contacts information? The title is sufficient to describe the problem.

One way is to prevent turn off the "Contact Sync" off
Goto Settings -> Goto Sync -> Select Google -> Select the Google Account email id if you have multiple accounts logged in.

Uncheck the Contacts so that it would not sync.

Now open Contacts App and open Settings of Contact app. Select Hide Incomplete Numbers (As most google synced contact would have only email id not numbers so they will be hidden)

That's how I guess it can be achieved


Android N update: strange icon I've got a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and yesterday I updated it to Android 7.0.
It's really easy to use and I really like it.
But I have a question: In the notification bar there is an icon that I never seen before.

Here is the screen:

I know it's a stupid question but please, I've got to understand what it is.

That symbol represents that the data saver is on.

Data saver prevents apps from using data in the background (when you are on a mobile network, not WiFi), saving you mobile data and battery. Go to quick settings and toggle the data saver switch if you want to turn it off.


Not receiving notifications on dual WhatsApp on Samsung Note8 I have two instances of WhatsApp on my Note8. When I receive a message on my primary WhatsApp, I get notifications instantly as normal. However, on my dual WhatsApp, I don't get notifications unless I open the app.

Sometimes, I get notifications come in all of a sudden as if the app has come alive and checked, but this is not consistent with the primary app.

I've gone to Settings->Notifications and there is only one 'WhatsApp' app listed and notifications are enabled. However, this cannot be where the issue is as the notifications are fine for the primary app, just not the dual app.

If I go to Settings->Apps, then here I do see both instances listed. And notifications are enabled for both. I've also checked the Mobile data settings for both, and they both have Allow background data usage enabled. I am not using Data saver.

The only thing I've not tried is disabling Optimise battery usage for WhatsApp as this seems to be for both instances of the app, not either. But other than that possibility, I'm stumped. Any ideas welcomed.

I had problems with getting notifications for my dual Viber app and it seems that by default they are turned off.

So, you need to go to Notifications > Advanced and there you could find and manage your dual messenger's notifications.

I'm not sure that the path will be the same for your device but for the record I'm using Samsung Galaxy S7 with Android 8.0.0 on it.

Maybe that could help you with the issue.


Trouble with SD card in Prestigio Multipad PMP3370B I've recently been given a Prestigio Multipad PMP3370B (Android 4.0) which I thought would be nice for my daughter to watch videos on. I took an 8GB micro SDHC card from my Windows 7 laptop (NTFS format) and put it into the SD card slot but it wasn't detected.

After a bit of a read I tried formatting it as FAT32/exFat and inserting it but for both formats when going to the system settings screen > storage screen there is no card listed and no option to do anything.

So I have two questions:

How can I be sure the SD card is inserted correctly? It seems like it wants to slip out
How can I get an SD card working with this device

I don't want to go out and get a new SD card until I'm sure it works correctly as otherwise it would be a waste of money.

I think the problem is the fact that it is a SDHC card. SDHC cards are rather new, and are not supported yet in most devices. So maybe you could try to find a normal SDSC card (from digital camera, friends, family..) to test if it works with that type.

The reason why SDHC cards are not yet supported in some devices is because it uses another type of Card-Specific Data (CSD) register. This results in some compatibility issues with some (older) devices. But if you want to know more about this, I recommond to use Google.

I would think though that a new device like yours (because it has Android 4.0) would support this already.. I haven't heard of the brand before, so I don't really know the quality of their devices.

EDIT: The device should support SDHC cards up to 32GB according to the specs, so that can't be the problem. I suggest contacting the support then, maybe they can tell you what is wrong and what you can try..


Open bookmarks to local files in Chrome On my Nexus 7 running Android 4.2.2, I can open Chrome and type file:///sdcard/whatever.html and it opens just fine.

The problem comes when I want to bookmark this file. The bookmark gets created, but after tapping it, nothing happens. (Therefore, also adding it to home screen and tapping it does not work - it says that Application is not installed.)

However, after long-pressing the bookmark and opening it in new tab, the file loads and I can view it.

Does anybody know why it behaves like this and possibly how to make local bookmarks to open directly, without the need to open them in new tab?

Thanks

This was originally going to be a comment, as I'm not 100% sure of its accuracy, but here goes:

At least with the stock Gingerbread browser, every link that you click makes the browser broadcast an intent to see which apps respond saying that they can handle the link's target themselves (like when you follow a Play Store link and it asks you if you want to open it in the browser (play.google.com) or in the Play Store app).  Since no apps respond the browser essentially ignores it.  When you ask to open it in a new tab, the browser already knows exactly what you wantit to do with the link, so instead of querying your apps, it simply opens the link in the new tab (like opening a new tab and typing in the URL).  So that's why it works when you open in a new tab, but not when you simply click the link.

As for a solution, you could try HTTP Server, AirDroid or similar apps.  Once you setup the server, your target addresses should look something like http://127.0.0.1/whatever.  Since this has an http:// protocol the browser recognizes this.

EDIT: To my understanding, you can also use other (potentially free) server apps, like AirDroid.  When it tells you your IP address is http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:abcd, you use that when you are connecting from another device, like your computer.  But when you are using the same phone that you are running the server on, just go to http://127.0.0.1:abcd in your android's browser.


Low level Android kernel hacking Where can I find information regarding low level kernel hacking on Android? For example, I'd like to know how the device boots and follow the execution path from that point. Where exactly is the code that runs after I press the power button?

This link contains the parts where you can intervene / add your own functionality

The rough flow is Power On > Bootloader > Kernel > Init Process > System Server > Boot Complete

At the bootloader stage, the following is run:

A. The first boot loader stage will detect and set up external RAM.

B. Once external RAM is available and the system is ready the to run
   something more significant the first stage will load the main boot
   loader and place it in external RAM.

C. The second stage of the boot loader is the first major program
   that will run. This may contain code to set up file systems,
   additional memory, network support and other things. On a mobile
   phone it may also be responsible for loading code for the modem CPU
   and setting up low level memory protections and security options.

D. Once the boot loader is done with any special tasks it will look
   for a Linux kernel to boot. It will load this from the boot media (or
   some other source depending on system configuration) and place it in
   the RAM. It will also place some boot parameters in memory for the
   kernel to read when it starts up.

E. Once the boot loader is done it will perform a jump to the Linux
   kernel, usually some decompression routine, and the kernel assumes
   system responsibility.

Here's another link (more on the Linux side) on the topic with references: eLinux website answer

This comment stood out to me:

  In general it is quite tricky to create a boot loader for an existing
  phone since they often come with tailor made boot loaders from the
  manufacturer. To add to the difficulty they also have security
  features that aim to prevent you from downloading your own bootloader.
  However, if you have an open platform you need an initial bootloader
  stage and a main bootloader able to start and/or flash software to the
  device. For the main bootloader you probably want to check out u-boot,
  http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot. The initial bootloader stage needed to
  start u-boot need to be aware of the boot-protocol in the hardware
  requiring some documentation or reverse engineering in order to create
  or download a suitable one. To sum things up reprogramming of existing
  phones is often more work than its worth unless you are really
  interested in which case there are a lot of forums dedicated to that
  sort of thing.


Why does "adb reboot" shut down my phone so much faster than usual before it reboots? Is it skipping important steps? I own a Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G running Android 4.1.2. Also, I have adb installed on a PC.

When I long-press the Power button then tap "Restart", my phone takes about ten seconds to shut down. Then it reboots itself.

When I enter adb reboot instead, the phone shuts down much faster:  the shutdown takes only a second or so. Then it reboots.

My questions:

Why is adb reboot so much faster?
Is it simply skipping the mobile network operator's shutdown animation, or is it skipping some more important procedures as well?
Can I use adb reboot every single time I want to reboot the phone, or is there some disadvantage to doing so?
(Optional) How do you know?

More information (you can skip this)

I did some research before posting this question. But I am still unenlightened. Let me show you what I did discover.

Tetsuyuki Kobayashi of Kyoto Microcomputer Co. explains in slide 8 of this PDF slideshow that adb consists of three parts:  a client, a server, and a daemon.  The client and the server run on a PC.  The daemon runs on a phone.  In slide 11, he explains that all three parts are built from one source directory. (It's this directory.)

I tried searching in that source directory for the word reboot and reading parts of services.cpp, but I still haven't been able to figure out what adb reboot actually does, or what bytes it sends over the wire, or what code the phone runs when it receives those bytes. I also haven't figured out the answer to any of my questions.

Related:  "What's the best way to restart Android via command line (remotely)?"

Based on the platform/system/core repository you linked above, I think the key is in libcutils/android_reboot.c. And important definitions are in include/cutils/android_reboot.h; namely:

    /* Commands */
    #define ANDROID_RB_RESTART  0xDEAD0001
    #define ANDROID_RB_POWEROFF 0xDEAD0002
    #define ANDROID_RB_RESTART2 0xDEAD0003

Usually in normal reboot mode (using device button, etc.), the process is longer because (I assume) it umount partition, kill all applications, close all fopen nodes, as in shutdown process. The adb reboot can be compared with Linux reboot command (from where it comes): it just flushes the disk and enter reboot without first killing processes or unmounting filesystems. I see also a fast remount command issued to put disk (in our case device's storage part of system) in ro mode before reboot.

I also believe the command issued is kernel_restart() which is embedded in kernel. See for example http://www.phonesdevelopers.com/1730094/. Also check machine_restart calls.


Prestigio PSP5457DUO Android 4.2.2 does not connect to my academic network In my university, I have a free internet WiFi access with eduroam system. However (double-checked the login and password already) I can not connect to the network with my phone :(

All the security parameters are fine (my Asus laptop connects with no problem).

When I had a Samsung phone, I was able to connect. I had to sell it, and now ended up with Prestigio. However, I can connect with other WiFi networks around using my phone. What might be the problem here?

This is something you should ask the IT support people at your university about. Most mysterious problems like this are caused by security settings on the Wi-Fi network itself. Probably it is MAC-filtered, so only devices that have been registered with the network administrators are able to connect. You might have forgotten registering your previous phone if you've had it for a long time.


Update Rooted Samsung Galaxy S4 Is there any way to update a rooted Samsung Galaxy S4? Currently I have Lollipop 5.0.1.  I have tried Samsung Kies, but it shows a message that the device is not compatible.

This doesn't resolve your "device is not compatible" issue, but your Galaxy S4 is already running the highest version (5.0.1) of Android available for it. This appears to be true regardless of what model you have1. The last updates for the various models/regions were rolled out in early- to mid-2015, and there likely won't be any further "official" updates.


What apps are prevented from Amazon Fire tablet I am thinking of getting an Amazon Fire tablet HD 8 however I have heard that Amazon restrict the apps that can be installed on it. Is this the case? Or is it just the Google Play store is not available? Because I've also read that because it's android based, it is possible to install google play store.
Can apks be downloaded / installed from other sources? Specifically I need to know if particular apps are available on it (FlipAClip, Soundtrap) as not having these would be a deal breaker.

Its Android, so most apps should work by sideloading. The only way to know if the app is incompatible is physically testing the apps on the device. If they turn out not to work you can simply flash a custom rom and problem solved.


How to get back accidentally deleted `wpa_supplicant` file? I was trying to get Ad-Hoc working on my Konka i127 Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 phone, and I accidentally deleted my wpa_supplicant file. Now, I cannot turn on my Wi-Fi connection anymore.

How do I get my wpa_supplicant file back?

The wpa_supplicant.conf resides at the location /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf. Since it is inside /data/, rest assured that it is not lost for eternity. It would take factory reset to bring it back from scratch.

Also, that file contains device specific and your once connected Wi-Fi's specific information. So, there is no point for us to upload it for you.


Sending an automated SMS before switching off the phone Can I send an automated SMS to any specific number by an application/service (which I set ON), if phone gets switched off before closing that service or application?
Also can I do the same if phone breaks down in an accident or if I do specific action on phone, such as "Tap the screen 3 times while phone's screen is locked", or "shake the phone 3 times while it is locked"?

Thanks.

Tasker should do the first things you asked about, but I doubt you'll find anything that can recognize "Tap the screen 3 times while phone's screen is locked" or "shake the phone 3 times while it is locked", short of writing a custom app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&hl=en

Tasker is a great app in general that you really should check out since it sounds like you want to do a lot of automation type stuff.


Messaging input language is supported by Android or by handset makers? I am interested in buying SE Xperia Ray running on Gingerbread.  An export set is selling $100 less but was told that it does not support messaging in Chinese. My question is whether messaging input language is supported by Android or by the handset maker, Sony Erisson?  If by Android, do I need to root handset and update firmware directly from Android?  If by maker, then I need to go to the maker for the language pack.  Is it worth the trouble to save on $100?

Do you ask wheather  your keyboard will have Chinese input?
Best part about Android is, that you can easily change the stock keyboard with whatever you like. You just install it like a normal app, and select is as input method. Bulgarian is supported, not only keyboard layout, but even text prediction.  I am pretty damn sure there are some good keyboards that will provide Chinese for you. Smart Keyboard Pro (I think) has one, you might check its features in Android Market. You can probably find text prediction in Chinese, do a search in Android market, too :)

If you want the whole ROM(menus,etc) to be in Chinese, though, this is ROM dependent, so it is not easy to change this, you will have to root.
In short: A good keyboard will cost you 5-6$, so you are saving 95 :) I hope I understood you question correctly.


Trying to download foreign aps I've been trying to customize my android. Found a cool set of buttons but one problem. The app store says it is "not available in (my) country" I have tried spoofing the GPS but that did not work. Does anyone have an idea about how to spoof cell towers or IP addresses to get around the lock out?

I  have surfed through the "duplicate" questions and tried all of those suggestions to no avail.  Best I can tell the problem is the cell towers. But there should still be a way to hack this.

Download an app from the play store called Psiphon:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.psiphon3&hl=en_GB

It allows you to create a vpn, connect to the US one.

If it still doesn't work, you can try several other steps:

Changing the locale of your device
Turn off location all together (easier than GPS spoofing)
Change your home address on google


Can cellulardata & WiFi be on while charging? Sporadic case of meager increase in charging while both were on Last night cellular data & wifi were on. Previously IN THIS STATUS, my mobile charged 100%. Last night my mobile was in charging. To my surprise, I found charging had improved from 7% to 17% only. After this I turned off wifi & cellular data. NOW charging is improving slowly. Is this right solution? Any alternatives?

The WiFi + Mobile data should not eat up so much energy that the charging is slow, except if you have an ancient phone/charging device that has no quick charge technologies.

I would suggest:

make sure you are charging from a wall charger (i.e. not from PC USB port) and try to use a quick charger (QC 3.0 or similar)
make sure your cable is of good quality (official, or some other, try different cables if charging is still slow)
make sure your phones CPU is not on and running all the time because of some background app/process. That is the only thing that could drain it faster than it charges.


APK file keeps getting deleted after receiving via SHAREit My APK files are getting deleted automatically from QieZi folder after receiving them via SHAREit app and this is happening when I don't install them instantly.

Why this is happening? Is it Clean Master that deletes all the apps while cleaning the junks or something else?

I faced similar issue with Clean Master when using Share Apps. CleanMaster was removing regularly the received APK's.

To fix that you can:

Uncheck the option to clean APK's in CleanMaster.
Or uninstall it completely if you don't really need it.


Trying to understand the options in TWRP backup This is a screenshot of the twrp screen after you choose "Backup":

I have the following questions:

What is the difference between the options "Boot, System and Data" on one hand, and "System Image" on the other?
Is the "Data" option for data of system apps and user apps, or only system apps?
I want to take a backup so that I can get a file that I can flash with Odin (that is, without requiring twrp). Which option should I use?
What is "Vendor Image", and how does it differ from "System Image"?
What is the difference between "Vendor" and "Vendor Image"?

as Irfan pointed out in his comment, "Image" means creating a partition image (using dd). Normally, TWRP creates tar archives with all the files located on a given partition, which then is much smaller.
"Data" contains all data – i.e. data & configuration from system apps as well as user apps. As the /system partition is mounted read-only during normal operation, that's where all "variable data" go (apart from files you store to the SD card).
Probably none of those. It's unlikely Odin understands any of the TWRP backups (you can try, and I stand corrected if you find out it can – but no guarantees from my side, including that it doesn't "brick" your device – I'm not a Samsung user)
Vendor is stuff very specific to your device provided by the "vendor", i.e. usually the manufacturer (including customizations) – while System is the "Android base" (though this separation is rarely absolute)
Same as between "System" and "System Image" (see 1.)


Bootloop in Xperia L when the bootloader is unlocked using sony's flashtool I was trying to install AOSP rom for Xperia L provided by Sony. So i tried to unlock my device using Flash tool. I tried unlocking the device, it replied "failed" first and second time I tried, it ran some commands, said ok and requested for a Restart. And when i restart it displays SONY, XPERIA and gets caught in a loop displaying a image.

Is there something I missed before I unlock my device or there is a problem with the device?

thanks.

It always happens, you will have to reflash your stock firmware using pc companion.


Where can I find the 4.3 Camera app with Photosphere? I just updated Cyanogenmod 10.1 to 10.2 (nightly) and noticed that the Camera app (not Focal) no longer has the ability to take Photospheres. I'm guessing it's related to this. How can I get the "regular" Camera app for Android 4.3 on my Nexus 4?

The upgrading to 10.2 from 10.1 page links to a flashable zip with the Photosphere enabled Camera app. That link appears to currently be broken. Here is a working link. After flashing, the Camera app has the ability to take Photospheres.


No Items on Play Store Whenever I enter Google Play Store on my phone, there are almost no apps available for me to download except for a very few (like 1 or 2) that are featured as the 'most popular.' On most categories, though, the screen is empty and an error message appears with a "Retry" button.
...Of course, the "Retry" button doesn't work and my Play Store remains empty.
I have a working Internet connection so I don't understand what's going on here. Apps installed prior to this issue works just fine, though.
My phone is not rooted, and I'm using Samsung Galaxy U running on Android Froyo 2.2.1.

Your device is very very old. I am not sure if Google Play Store is still supported on Android 2.2 - if it would be still supported it would be the oldest
The current Android development tools can't create apps for Android 2.2 anymore, hence it is impossible to support such old apps. Also there are no emulators or devices available for testing apps on such an old platform. I assume for these reasons most developers have removed their apps with Froyo support from Play Store.
Additionally Froyo totally lacks support for TLS 1.2, hence it is now next to useless for Internet services as most web servers require TLS 1.2 or higher. There is a special Google Crypto Provider included in Google Services, however I am not sure if this provider is really available on Android 2.2 and additionally it is only used by apps which explicitly make use of it.


Huawei Ascend G300 (U6615) not using Three network I bought an ex-Vodaphone Huawei G300, and was happy to find that it was unlocked - I put in my Giffgaff SIM, and immediately had phone and internet access.

However, I really want to use the phone on Three, but although calls and texts can be made and received, I can get no internet.

I tapped 'New APN', and set it up in accordance with 3, but even though I saved it after inputting their settings, the APN screen remained blank, and no connection could be obtained.

The settings entered were:

Name – 3 Internet

APN - three.co.uk

Proxy, Port, Username, Password & Server - blank

MMSC -  http://mms.um.three.co.uk:10021/mmsc

MMS PROXY -  mms.three.co.uk

MMS Port - 8799

MCC - 234

MNC - 15

Authentication type - None

APN type left blank

Is there something I don't know??

According to the MCC/MNC table for UK, your MNC code should be 20, not 15. Also this page suggests that you need to enter default,supl,mms (without spaces after commas) in the “APN Type” field.

If this still won't work, try omitting all MMS-related settings (MMSC, MMS Proxy, MMS Port) and entering default,supl in the “APN Type” field, then, if you get your 3G Internet connection working this way, add another APN just for MMS with all settings and mms in the “APN Type” field.


PTP for photo transfer not working on my S6 edge I have a Mac (iMac, newest model with newest software) and it is impossible to access photos from camera roll of my S6 edge (128 GB) in USB PTP mode.
In Apple Photo app it shows the device but it always says "no photos". I talked with Samsung support and they said that the only way to transfer photos is to make a full backup with Smart Switch (MTP mode). This transfers 30-40 GB of my photo data only for few new photos in a new backup folder on my Mac. So at the moment I transfer photos via Email or Dropbox - both are extremely slow and unpractical because of internet.
I also tried another Mac and other cables. I tried a S4 as well which worked fine (just plug in cable and it automatically shows all photos). There is also an integrated file browser in Smart Switch which works but this is also not useful for photos. I also asked this question in a German Android forum and was not getting good solutions (e.g. "Airdroid" software) so far.
Since MTP works for me I guess this is a software and not a hardware problem? Any idea how to solve this?

Thanks!

You can use Android File Transfer to browse your device in MTP mode. All pictures are normally saved in Phone/Camera/DCIM/ or SDCARD/Camera/DCIM/, by date. You can drag and drop the files to your mac. It essentially works like a Finder window. This way only the files you choose are transferred and at MTP speeds instead of PTP.

As for PTP not working, I'm assuming you have PTP selected, and screen unlocked when you try to open iPhoto?


How to enter second phone for contact? Just got Oreo and I can only enter 1 phone number in contacts,
how can I get it to record mobile and office?

The Contacts app usually contains at least two types of contacts: Contacts stored locally on the phone and those stored on your SIM card.

Local contacts have a large variety of fields and attributes you can set. However if you select a contact from your SIM card you are limited to one phone number and one name per contact entry. This is limited by the SIM card.

Therefore you should make sure you are not creating/editing contacts stored on your SIM card.


Why does my phone's Bluetooth keep switching on automatically after every 5 minutes precisely? (Mi A2, Stock Android 10) My Mi A2 recently started switching on its bluetooth automatically, and I set a stopwatch to count the minutes and it switches on after every 5 minutes dot on the clock. Please could ya help me out ASAP?

Check if it stops in safe mode. If yes, some installed app is causing this. I uninstalled an app that I suspected was causing this and Bluetooth activation stopped


Boot Loop CyanogenMod I am installing Cyanogen Mod 10.2.1 on my Sony Xperia Z (yuga).
I followed all instructions exactly given on Installing CM Mod.
But after following the steps and clicking on Reboot system now in CWM-based Recovery, my device got stuck into a boot loop.
I tried all possible solution that I found but none worked -

Tried command adb reboot recovery and reflashing rom
Tried wiping cache partitions and dalvik cache
Tried reading this general help article

Please help in figuring out how to exit this loop and boot into Cyanogen Mod or Android. Please remember that I have Xperia Z and I cannot take out the batteries.

This seems to be a problem created by a failed installation of CyanogenMod.

Please make sure you have read the notes on the CM-Wiki:

  Note:

  On 2011 models, the kernel will not update when flashed in recovery, so the kernel must be >updated via fastboot every time you flash a new build of CyanogenMod.

As far as I know you should be able to exit the loop by long pressing the power button until the screen goes black.
Also I suggest you install CM11 as Android 4.4 has far more support by the community than 4.1-4.3.

Before installing any new rom I would consider installing a stock rom to flash all possibly missing files and then begin to flash everything again (recovery, rom, kernel etc. in that order)


What's the use of .tmfs folder on SD card? What is the use of .tmfs folder on SD card?

ps. there is only a file in it with Chinese filename ...

There is a Chinese file inside the folder and is app-specific, as suggested by @Izzy.


USB tethering to connect Linux to Android I believe I can access the files on my Android mobile from my Linux Desktop if I turn on 'usb tethering' on my mobile. However, when I do it, nothing appears on my file manager. I am using Debian9 Linux and I have tried it with KDE desktop and Dolphin file manager (where I also checked 'Network' in places) and also on LXDE desktop with PCManFm and Thunar file managers.

On checking dmesg, I see following at messages:

...
[ 1400.700600] usb 1-1.4.3: new high-speed USB device number 13 using ehci-pci
[ 1400.810883] usb 1-1.4.3: New USB device found, idVendor=1ebf, idProduct=6880
[ 1400.810886] usb 1-1.4.3: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[ 1400.810888] usb 1-1.4.3: Product: Android
[ 1400.810890] usb 1-1.4.3: Manufacturer: Android
[ 1400.810891] usb 1-1.4.3: SerialNumber: 3a2e77f
[ 1400.819857] rndis_host 1-1.4.3:1.0 usb0: register 'rndis_host' at usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.4.3, RNDIS device, 32:04:36:81:21:ff
[ 1400.842696] rndis_host 1-1.4.3:1.0 enp0s26u1u4u3: renamed from usb0
[ 1400.878144] IPv6: ADDRCONF(NETDEV_UP): enp0s26u1u4u3: link is not ready

How can I access files on my mobile with usb tethering? Thanks for your help.

Tethering doesn't provide access to device's storage. It simply establishes a network between the host (mobile) and client (PC) where PC can access internet, if available. If you need storage access, try MTP or ADB or network based file access (WebDAV, FTP, SSH, etc.). I do not know much about setting-up MTP on Debian but the rest alternatives are covered in my answer here.


Notifications not staying on screen Im trying to setup notifications for a colleague whos got an Android phone (sorry dont know the OS off the top of my head).

The notifications im trying to set up are for the Trello.com app (but i presume the process would be the same for all notifications)

At the moment if they get a message on the app a notification pops up on the Android home screen, but soon disappears. It does not add a little icon next to the main App icon to indicate that there has been a notification / message. The notification also doesn't sit on their lock screen.

Is there a way i can change this so that they will get a notification alert sitting over the app icon and the notification will sit on their lock screen.

Sounds like toast message notification
A toast provides simple feedback about an operation in a small popup.

Toasts automatically disappear after a timeout set by the app developers. So you can not control the behavior of toast messages.


Apps don't work with IPv6 enabled in router So I've been having this issue for a while now where apps work fine over mobile data won't work when mobile is connected to otherwise perfectly working WiFi.
Some such apps are-

Discord (keeps on connecting and asks to check server)
Spotify  (keeps on loading)
twitter  (continuously loads)
google keyboard gif search tool while using WhatsApp (No gif preview and unable to send them.)

I'd like to mention that the same apps work great on other devices over the same wifi. I made a thread about it last week -

Here's my post on XDA which temporarily solved this issue

The temporary solution that doesn't work anymore was clearing phones cache and putting it on airplane mode.
Now I found a way with which I was able to replicate this 'bug'. Turning IPv6 off in my wifi settings. It worked, for now at least.

Using this guide's 11th given solution fixed my problem for now.

~So do I keep the IPv6 off without any consequences or is there a workaround cause from what I know IPv6 is important and it should be on.
Is there a better, more concrete solution?

Device-Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3-Kenzo
Root- No
OEM- Unlocked

Solution- Keep IPv6 turned off.
Reason- ISP not providing IPv6 connection so while it's on in the router settings it somehow stops my access to certain apps only on my redmi note 3.
Yeah IDK but it's good enough for me.


How to restore files from a WhatsApp group deleted by administrator A WhatsApp group was deleted by the administrator (first remove all participants, then remove the group). Can I restore files in the WhatsApp group that was removed by the administrator?

If you were a group participant, then the group should still be in your phone. Although it would show that you are not a member, you should start still be able to access the old chats and media.

If you cannot find the group, then:

If you have downloaded the files, then you should be in your WhatsApp folder:

Internal storage/WhatsApp/Media

WhatsApp organizes media in different folders based on the type i.e. Audio, Video, Images, Documents.

You should be able to find the group media in one of these folders. However, this is a combined collection of all the media and you'll have to dig your way through it to find what you're looking for. There's no way to filter this media by group name.


How to make full backup? My phone is a Nokia 6.1. I'd like to do a factory reset, but preserving:

my personal files
the settings of all apps
the data saved by all apps (e.g. the alarms saved by the stock Clock app)
the collection of apps (I want them to be reinstalled after the reset)

Does the "Settings -> Advanced -> Backup" Android feature do all that? If no, then what part does it do?

Found the answer here:

If you back up to Google Drive, here's what's backed up:

Google Contacts data
Google Calendar events and settings
Wi-Fi networks and passwords
Wallpapers
Gmail settings
Apps
Display settings (brightness and sleep)
Language and input settings
Date and time
Settings and data for apps not made by Google (varies by app)
Note: Not all apps can back up or restore all settings and data. To find out about an app, learn how to contact its developer.


Link2sd made apps unable to re install after sdcard currupted I was using Link2sd and linked some of my apps to sd card including internal data. Recently the second partition somehow got currepted. I deleted the partition and re formated it. Now I cant install any of the apps previosly linked. It shows insufficient space error, but there is plenty of space in internal memory, sd card as well as sd card 2nd partition, and I can install any other apps. I tried clean up option in link2sd. It cleaned up dalvic cache of old linked apps, but it didn't work. What to do now?

I know this is a very long ago post but i've been trying to search in the internet for the solution with no avail. I've also met this problem before. Try this
1) Go to application manager
2) There are some file names starting with '.com' and with a grey sdcard icon
3) Uninstall them
That should do the work


What uses most power: GPS or WiFi? When playing Ingress I find that both GPS and WiFi (each by themselves) provide an acceptable location accuracy. My question is what draws the most power?

I'm interested in technical information about what goes on in my phone when I use either service to find my location: how much power does the WiFi radio take compared to the GPS?

My thinking is that

Enabling WiFi requires powering on a chip and using an antenna that both sends and receives data. Is that correct when I'm not actually connected to any network, i.e., just using the SSIDs along with cell tower IDs to determine my location?
Enabling GPS requires powering on an otherwise dead chip that does expensive computations to compute the location. Is the constant GPS computations really expensive in terms of power drained?

My phone is a LG Nexus 4, if that matters.

If you look at my previous answer to a similar question you can see that by Google's testing utilising WiFi will use more battery than using GPS. This seems broadly in line with the figures given in an answer mentioned in the comments.

However as Izzy mentions these are ballpark figures and actual consumption is dependant upon what exactly the phone is doing.


Upgrading my phone - what happens to the apps? I've got an HTC Incredible 1, going to be upgrading to a Rezound.  How do I get the apps (both free & purchased, some on the SD some on the phone) from my Incredible to the Rezound?  Free isn't that big a deal, I can re-download them, but I don't want to re-purchase anything.

Thanks!

As long as you log in to the new device with the same google account that you use on the Incredible you will have access to all the apps that you purchased / downloaded. You will not have to purchase them again. The android market is tied to your google account, not the device.


Scanning a QR code into a browser text input? I have a bit of an edge use-case of QR codes. I would like to be able to scan a QR code via a phones camera and have that value pasted into a browser text input.

Is this possible given any current apps or API's?

Try Barcodescanner Keyboard.

  Soft-keyboard with integrated camera bar-code scanner lets you scan wherever you can type (free demo).
  This soft-keyboard scans and enters barcodes directly into input fields of arbitrary apps, batch scanning mode is supported. It reduces manual typing and eliminates copy and paste. A special key invokes the built-in or an external camera barcode scanner. The setup wizard makes it easy to install the app.


Is there a way to pay for apps with paypal? Is there a market where I can buy apps with PayPal?
Will the original Market going to support payment with PayPal?

Thanx.

With the recent legal bickering between eBay and Google, I'd say that the Android Market starting to accept PayPal (owned by eBay) is highly unlikely any time soon:
 http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2011/0528/EBay-sues-Google-over-stolen-secrets-poached-employees

There are other alternative markets like SlideMe that I believe do offer PayPal.


Is there a way to remove the switch users Icon without root? I have a Verzon Moto E2 (so no hope of rooting) on android 5.1.

I think you cannot completely disable it without root.

I'd like to at least remove the little icon in the pull down menu. is that possible using ADB without root?

Thanks in advance!

Unfortunately is impossible without root.

You can however Root and if you have any problem that need go to fix it, you can Unroot the phone.


Android Beta Program: verification failed I'm trying to install the Android N preview on my Nexus 9 (volantis). I enrolled for the beta program, and immediately got a notification on the device. After the 1GB download, however, the Android Beta Program updater informs me that validation failed.

I tried several times, also on a different WiFi at work. What gives?

It turns out that my Nexus 9 was still running the latest Android M preview.

After snagging the latest Android Marshmallow (6.0.1) build for volantis and flashing it manually (see the instructions here), the OTA update came in again and the Android N preview downloaded, validated and installed correctly.

If you don't get offered the OTA update, make sure that you've enrolled your device for the Android Beta Program here.


Moto G in to USB Debugging mode issues on Windows 7 I've installed Motorola USB Driver and enabled USB Debugging mode as well with MTP enabled.

The Issue is - The device hardly shows as available in Eclipse for << 1min time and after that it gets back to offline mode. I tried to do ADB command like Kill-server and start-server but there is NO effect.

And it comes back to online after so many ON/OFFs and disable/enable the USB debugging again and after all these efforts, the device again stays in debug mode for the same <<1 min.

I also tried it with PTP mode as well but no use.

Is this a known issue with Moto G or Am I doing something wrong?

My settings are like this under USB Debugging:
stay awake - On
USB debugging - On
Allow mock locations - On

Appreciate if somebody can guide me which will enable me to work with my Moto G and Android Programming.

I tried with a different USB Cable and it is working stable now.

Unfortunately Moto G doesn't come with USB cable as part of the accessories and hence we have to rely on the USB cables available in the outside market.

Currently I'm using Sony Xperia's USB cable which is working like a charm on my Moto G for USB Debugging. It's been couple of hours and the USB debugging is still on and going great :)

Let me observe the same for another day before I conclude the issue.

And another suggestion I received is - Do not work on Windows for Android Development but stick with Linux as windows drivers are buggy in most of the times.

I appreciate the suggestion as of now and may look at this option as well in the near future to switch to Linux for Android Development.


Google Play Services My phone keeps telling me... "Google Play Services has stopped working"... I don't know what it means but it pops up SO MUCH and it's VERY annoying. I have tried doing a soft reset, but that did not work. I have also shut it down multiple times.

Open app manager. Go to Google Play Services>Uninstall updates(Clear data/cache)>Disable it. Then re-enable again and update. See if it worked.


Does blocking notifications at the system level stop data usage? If I go to

Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Instagram (or some other app)

and turn notifications off for that app, does that stop data usage on my data plan?  I ask because the message, when you turn notifications off for an app, is

  At your request, Android is blocking this app's notifications from
  appearing on this device

which would seem to imply that the Android OS will receive the notification, and swallow it up at the OS level.  Which would imply that the phone does receive the notification from the network, thus some data usage would occur against your data plan.

So does blocking notifications stop data usage, or not?

So does blocking notifications stop data usage, or not?

It does not. A notification as stated in Notifications Overview is simply:

  a message that Android displays outside your app's UI to provide the user with reminders, communication from other people, or other timely information from your app

When you are connected, your apps will connect to servers to receive messages and communicate them to you. Blocking the notifications does not block the apps from receiving the messages, but from showing them to you.


HTC Desire: Recovery Mode just shows 'Broken Phone' symbol I'm trying to install the CyanogenMod on my HTC desire. I've temporarily routed it an downloaded the ClockworkMod Recovery and the CyanogenMod with the RomManager app. Everything seems fine.

However when I reboot the phone and go into the Revovery-Mode it just shows me a 'Broken-Phone' icon instead of the recovery options. The symbol it shows is a Phone with a red triangle on top of it. Anyone an idea what could be wrong?

Edit: I used the Vision+ to root. But it was only a temporary rooting-tool. The permanent root didn't work. The Unrevoke-method doesn't seem to work. It never recognizes the phone. HBoot-driver are installed (on Windows). It tells that HTC Sync should be installed. It's not installed in the PC. Do I need it to remove it on the Phone? And how I do that?

Thanks for any leads / tips.

From what I know (and by no means am I an expert on rooting) the phone with the red triangle is the standard HTC recovery mode, not the Clockworkmod recovery. So my guess is that your rooting method is not working correctly.

So, what method are you using and is your desire branded / locked to a network?

When I rooted my desire a few weeks back, I struggled to get Clockworkmod installed - I was using the Unrevoked method. I ended up having to factory reset the device to be able to install it, which is always an option, but you will lose all your saved date (I'm having to replay all the Angry Birds levels).


Mute button greyed out - Any app replacement All,

I have a redmi 1s which I have flashed with cyanogen mod 12.1. All is well except, when I am in a call, mute button is greyed out.

This is a pain for me as I am a part of various conference calls for hours during any weekday and I cant stay without muting always.

Any solution to this in terms of replacement or tweaking my cyanogenmod?

It would be really helpful

Have you tried clearing the cache and data of the Dialler app. If not find the Dialler app under Setting > All apps > Dialler > Clear Cache and Clear Data. Restart you phone and check.

If the problem persists, then you can try a third party app like Muted Conference Calls


Does LTE require a special modem from WiMAX or just a firmware upgrade? Sprint has talks of starting LTE data, but for now all their 4g phones support WiMAX.

I am considering starting a sprint unlimited contract with the EVO 3D phone.

The phone supports WiMAX 4g, on a snapdragon msm8660 processor. I'm wondering if this phone will be able to support LTE if sprint does release it, or does LTE require a special modem?

The HTC Evo does not contain any LTE hardware, so it wont work


Why will my Pixel 3a XL no longer take screenshots? I have a Pixel 3a XL phone running Android 11.
Until recently I was able to take screenshots by holding down the power button and then selecting screenshot from the menu.
However, over the past week or two, something -- I don't know what -- has changed and when I hold down the power button, I get a different menu as shown below.
I don't remember exactly when this started, nor do I know how to see a list of apps on my phone sorted in order of most recently installed.
So how can I get my screen-shot functionality back??

Basically, it's gone and you can't just "get it back"...
A quick Google search would have answered this from multiple sources including Google itself, but I will to answer it. They (Google) removed that screenshot method from Android 11 and replaced it with a screenshot tool in the task switching screen using "swipe up and hold" gesture. This does require you to use Gesture Navigation though. However the long time Android standard for screenshots of POWER+VOL DN still works and has since about Android 2.1.
Google asked about this: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/72969834?hl=en
How the new gesture system works: https://www.androidcentral.com/how-take-screenshots-and-select-text-multitasking-pane-android-11
Again, you must be using Gesture Navigation for the later method to work, otherwise you have to use the old POWER+VOL DN method. This may change in the future or not, it is a very polarizing subject among Android users, it's about a 50/50 split of people who want the old way and people who prefer the new way.


Risk of Installing a Custom ROM, with no more future updates What is the risk of installing a custom ROM whose build has been terminated by the developer(which may be a stable). I think no more future build updates will be available. I know there will be having higher chances of security risk. What are the other risks should I bother?

As there is no security updates further, how to can I use it securely?
ROM is the one which I have previously used, possibly having least bugs. Is it safe for continuing or switch to other ROM?

Device : rooted Redmi 1S, nougat 7.1.1

Well using a custom ROM which won't get updates means you will have to live with it's bugs (if there is any) or fix it yourself if you know how.
In my opinion biggest 'risk' when you use custom ROM is voiding warranty because you need to unlock bootloader. I don't worry about security updates because I'm carefull what .apk I install and on what link I click, also I don't think I'm interesting to attackers, and I'm sure you aren't too. If you have super sensitive information than you should use phone which get updates regularly, and do not root it or use unlock bootloader. But however even than if you not look on what you click you can let someone in. So don't worry about securty updates if you use your brain.


TWRP not detecting external storage, shown as 0MB I have managed to install TWRP using Odin on my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100). Installed TWRP version twrp-2.8.7.0-t03g.img.tar. It is showing External Sdcard (0MB).

Why is that so? Can anyone help me out?

Use a smaller SD card.  TWRP does not work with exfat formatted partitions at least on a T210R


Prevent using YouTube app for watching YouTube video What are the ways to get FireFox (or another browser) to play YouTube videos, rather than open the app? Of those, are there any that work on a relatively low-end phone ?

You need to clear the default setting to open YouTube videos in the app.

Go to settings -> Apps -> YouTube -> Defaults -> Clear defaults


How can I get heads-up notifications for WhatsApp? I really love the new heads-up notifications in Lollipop because they look much cleaner now, but it's really weird some apps use them or not.

I would really want them to work with WhatsApp, but I just don't find out how, or if it is possible.

Any suggestion?

Update: WhatsApp has implemented heads-up notification natively. However, users can still use the apps listed here to display heads-up notification for other apps. If the user is already using it, don't forget to disable WhatsApp's entry to prevent double heads-up notification.

At that time, it's impossible to do this directly from WhatsApp official app.

The heads-up notification is only shown when the notification is set to high-priority, max-priority, or full-screen notification by the developer. So, the "official" answer was to wait for them integrate the function.

However, there are 3rd-party apps that implement this feature for all apps:

Heads-up notifications
Heads Up! - notifications

You can control which apps are permitted to show the heads-up notification (I recommend you to do that before they flood the screen), and the customization is also pretty extensive.


Is it possible to make tasker events conditional on whether I'm roaming? Using 'Tasker', I have a task set up to dial my mobile phone balance enquiry number at 7pm each night, put in the right options, then hang up.  That results in a text being sent to me each evening with my remaining minutes - great!

However - I'm about to go abroad for three weeks and, left in its present state, it will rack up quite a bill if it does manage to dial.  How can I make this action conditional on roaming?  I considered using the location context but it crashes above certain ranges and isn't that reliable.

If you are usually home at 7pm, you could make it conditional on the presence of your home Wifi network (using "Wifi Near") or a cell tower near you (using "Cell near"); if you use a dock at home, you could make it only fire when docked instead.

You could also make it dependent on a calendar and just set the dates for your trip now.


How to Fix Nexus-4 sensor problem while on calls I am having nexus 4 from my friends and I had a small issue with that.When i lift the call and place it my ear the screen was turning off when i remove from my ear then again it wont turn on please tellme which sensor will able to do that and I want to disable that sensor can any one tell me how to disable sensor

Open up your Phone app, then tap the Menu/Overflow button and select the 'Settings' action. There should be an option to disable the sensor in those settings.

If there isn't, download the Xposed Framework Installer, open it up then select 'Framework' and 'Update/Install'. Reboot, then install the Disable Proximity module. Open up the Xposed Installer again, select Modules, check the box beside 'Disable Proximity' and reboot again.


Sound in smartphone from headset bluetooth Is it possible that headset a bluetooth microphone to send audio to phones all the time? I would like to make live YouTube and facebook not using the built-in microphone only from bluetooth headset

My Galaxy s4 will record the audio track of a video using a Bluetooth headset.


My phone denies certain file types when sending from PC via bluetooth My Samsung Galaxy Ace has the latest official CyanogenMod nightly. I have Windows XP, a bluetooth dongle, and bluesoleil drivers.

I am able to send images and apk files from my pc to my phone. But when I try to send an epub file, or a 7z file, my pc says:

"Access is denied. Please make sure you have the proper right to access the files or folders."

So I tried to create a compressed file and instead of using 7z, I used .zip. And it was able to send it. So I'm positive that my phone has a list of allowed file types to be received. Is there any way to edit it? Thanks.

PS: I tried declining a file (that successfully went through), and it gave the same access denied error on my pc. So I believe that my phone is automatically denying certain file types. Thanks.

The reason it does not work is because there's certain data types that are allowed through such as JPG, PNG, zip, pdf, text, anything else is filtered out and denied for the simple reason of security and to prevent malicious exploitation of transferring a binary executable across it for example.

You cannot edit them as they are baked into the ROM and built at compile time.

Look in packages/app/Bluetooth/src/com/android/bluetooth/Constants.java:

public static final String[] ACCEPTABLE_SHARE_INBOUND_TYPES = new String[] {
        "*",
        "image/*",
        "video/*",
        "audio/*",
        "text/x-vcard",
        "text/plain",
        "text/html",
        "application/zip",
        "application/vnd.ms-excel",
        "application/msword",
        "application/vnd.ms-powerpoint",
        "application/pdf",
    };

It is similar in principle to the MIME types found in among Web servers, such as uploading a PNG or JPG to a site. The filters would be in place to prevent Window binaries to be uploaded.


Can Android and/or Apps handle switching an SD card temporarily? I have a lot of apps and app data on my SD card. I know Android handles unmounting and remounting that card very well.

However, what if I temporarily insert another SD card onto my Android device - will the system handle this OK and be back in the same state when I reinsert my original card? What about apps, should they in most cases handle this well too?

What I'm worried about is that Android seeing the empty SD card decides that I've removed all the apps that I had on my SD card, and any apps I have left will also think I've removed their data and rewrite some internal indexes accordingly...

AFAIK it is very difficult for an App to identify the inserted SD-Card. A regular App should be able to handle the case if the SD-card is not available (ejected or connected as drive to the PC via USB) but I assume that most Apps can not handle the case when you regularly switch between two SD-Cards.

In general you should not start any Apps that use the SD-Card while you have inserted the "wrong SD-Card".

Regarding the Apps moved onto SD-Card - this is a different topic. As my device does not allow to switch the SD-Card while running I have no clue what happens e.g. to the app data in your device if you switch the SD-Card.


Restrict apps from accessing the internet at the background without the end-user knowledge Is it possible to restrict app from accessing the internet at the background without the end-user knowledge. (Assume the phone is not rooted)

In other word, are there apps that can inform the end-user that some apps is trying to access the internet at the background?

I think you'd require root for this sort of functionality. If you have ICS and later on your device, you can check the data usage and identify apps. Go to SETTINGS > DATA USAGE.

A list of apps and the data that they've consumed should be displayed there. That will allow you to see which apps have accessed the mobile data connection.

Screenshots here - http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/22583/android-ics-control-limit-data-usage/


One of my account can't login to google play Now if I login to that account I got this screenshot

Obviously I press try again. It doesn't work.

A few hours ago I used that account to get some US apps.  However, I think I can logged in just fine afterward. Then suddenly I couldn't sign in to google play on that account.

I have no idea why.

It happens very recently. It's at roughly the same time google is asking me to create new ID.

Only happens on my xiaomi phone. I can play clash of clans with that account just fine at bluestack.

The other 2 accounts work fine on my xiaomi phone.

I tried deleting google play games app data. Removing and readding the account. Nothing works. The account works well on other phone or devices.

Other google apps works fine. drive, maps, youtube. All fine. Just google play game that somehow can't login to that account and only to that one specific game.

Google is in the process of switching to Gamer ID's. They've been rolling this out for around 6 days now since they announced it (they're further moving away from Google+).

Until you get the notification to choose your Gamer ID (or go into Play Games and receive a popup notification to choose yours), you could temporary downgrade your version of Play Games.

First, look version of your Google Play Games on Setting > App > Google Play Games.
Memorize the last 3 number (mine 038)

Second, download older Google Play Games from here (the last 3 number)
http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-play-games/google-play-games-3-5-17-release/

Third, uninstall your current Google Play Games, and install the downloaded Play Games.

Good Luck.


Hide "User is typing..." in WhatsApp In WhatsApp Group chat, when other person is typing when I am actively looking at the group conversation chat, I could see who is typing at the other end.

That conversely also means, when I am typing in a group chat, other people too can see me typing.

I checked the FAQ Section of WhatsApp. Could not found any settings mentioned for this.

Is there a way to disable showing "Me typing..." to other people in a group chat when I am typing? Wanted to surprise them by my post directly :)

You could try a modded version of WhatsApp, there are many of them nowadays and are constantly being updated too.
I have tried a few for research purposes only and Gb WhatsApp seems to have a bunch of extra options with the ability to block features like:

typing status,

online status,

and blue ticks to mention a few...
Take a look here: WhatsApp modded versions for more information.


Change Settings' color scheme in Lollipop Someone was fiddling with my Android (version 5.1.1) phone and somehow managed to change the Settings' color scheme.

I've tried to reset the theme to no avail. I've also noticed some notifications come through with white text (assuming related issue).

(Click image to enlarge)

From the screenshot, looks like you are using a phone with CM based rom.
Make sure you don't have any theme applied.
A dark/light theme mode option might be available in Display, personalization or Developer settings


Android 4.1 with Bluetooth keyboard Do I need to install an application to use a Bluetooth keyboard with an Android 4.1.2 phone?

I am using a Droid Bionic and with an Anker K1280C keyboard ( an Apple keyboard clone). I can pair the phone with the keyboard, but the Bluetooth keyboard does not show up in the input method selection list.

I have tried a few applications which do expose a keyboard in the input methods list and connect to the Bluetooth keyboard (BlueKeyboard JP and Blue Input). They allow most of the keys to work, but the key map is not completely correct.

I am under the impression that Android 4.0 should not need an special applications to use a keyboard. Is this correct?

Found a possible solution from Android Central questions give it a shot.

Specifically, this post says to do the following:

  When pairing the keyboard with your device, it will prompt you to
  enter a pin and say "try 0000 or 1234." You need to:

  Step 1) enter "0000" on your android device (tablet or phone
  keyboard) Step 2) hit "okay" Step 3) type "0000" and hit enter
  on your BLUETOOTH keyboard


Remove password from Galaxy Tab4 My wife set password to her tablet and asks me to remove it. I opened settings -> security -> device encryption entering password but option none (i.e. no password) is disabled (with message turned off by administrator, policy...). As I understand if I am able to set password to none then password should disappears. But I cannot do it, so I suspecting that she is encrypted device somehow.

Is there way to ensure that device encrypted or not? If it is encrypted there is only one way, as I know, hard reset it to remove encryption. But if it is not encrypted, how to remove password?

1.From any home screen, tap Apps.

2.Tap Settings

3.Tap the Device tab.

4.Under 'PERSONALIZATION,' tap Lock screen.

5.Tap Screen lock.

6.Confirm your PIN / password, then tap Continue.

7.Tap None.


Opening WhatsApp Web on phones doesn't show QR code and redirects to the homepage instead When I open https://web.whatsapp.com on Android phones, there's no QR code to be scanned nor it shows any messages, but instead, it automatically redirects to https://www.whatsapp.com.

How to make WhatsApp Web shows the QR code on Android phones?

https://web.whatsapp.com/ website is only for laptop or desktop users so that they can use WhatsApp on their laptop or desktop. If you visit this website from your smartphone, it will redirect you to their official website of WhatsApp.


Android L Preview upgrade I was about to flash the phome with the command prompt, but an error came up saying that the device was locked. Does this mean is has to be rooted? If I root it and upgrade it will it be unrooted again because I don't want to loose my warranty.

It sounds like your bootloader is locked, which is different from rooting.  With a locked bootloader, you can only flash official signed factory images; with it unlocked, you can flash anything to any partition.

If you're following Google's directions for installing factory images, you'll see that one of the steps is to run a fastboot oem unlock command.  This unlocks the phone's bootloader.  It also erases all your data.  (But installing the L Preview system image will do that anyway.)


Multitasking : How do I maintain the opera browser tabs keep active when switching applications Case:

When I was opening multiple pages/tabs on opera browser, then I press the home button to switch apps to see SMS, then i return to the opera app by holding the home button, suddenly my tabs open is missing, such as the open new. Anyone know how to maintain the opera browser tabs keep active as they move another application?

My Phone Info

Model number: Device-01,
Android Version: 2.3.6, baseband version: VENUS_BP_00.03.63.b501, Kernel Version: 2.6.38.6-perf zly @ HL120 # 1.

Thank you.

just do the following:

go to settings.
then go inside developer options
then go to the app section. There you find option saying "don't keep activities". Put it OFF...thats it.
now browse opera mini on phone...it will sort out your problem.

Now you can tab between multiple tasks – and no need to worry about anything. It works for me too. I have a KitKat version.


Exporting contacts via adb I have a phone whose screen broke, but I'd like to export its contacts to .vcf so I can import them to another phone. I usually do this with the built-in import/export function in the Contacts app overflow menu, but without a screen it is inaccessible. Is it possible to do this via adb?

Yes and no, if your screen is working, you can use an org cable or a microusb to USB adapter and plug a mouse into your phone.  Works like a dream. If you have no visual display that is another matter.

You must have already enabled usb debugging
You must have already connected the phone to your computer and verified it.

It's extremely difficult

If you have done the above then you send the adb pull request to the correct location, and with that recieved file you will have to do a couple things.

Find out the correct format for your phone's contacts db.
Figure out the correct conversation script to convert to new phones db format

Send converted file to new phone

Edit
Forgot to mention you missy have already rooted your phone to access the contacts file

Easiest Solution
Just make sure your contacts are backed up to and linked to your gmail email.


Installing SuperSU -- I found a binary problem Hi I am following Android Central's guide to root my HTC One Mini.
I got to this part:

  After installing the Custom Recovery, Your phone is now ready to get root access!

  Step 1: Connect your Phone to PC and Copy the SuperSU zip package to your phone SD Card.

  Step 2: Next, Reboot your HTC One Mini into Recovery Mode, Here is how to boot it:

  Power off your phone
  Now Press and Hold the Volume Down+Power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  Using the Volume Up/Down and Power button, Select the Recovery option from the menu.

  Step 3: Once booted into the Recovery Mode, Select the Install option and browse and select SuperSU zip file from the location where you’ve placed it.

  Step 4: Swipe the button which says, "Swipe to Confirm Flash".

  Step 5: Once it is done, Using the Reboot option, Reboot your phone.

The SuperSU zip file is in my internal memory but when I use "install" in TWRP and click on the zip file, it shows as empty in the folder (I know it's not empty).

Can I just unzip it on my PC and place the files in the right location on my phone?

I have downloaded the app SuperSU from the play store, tried running it only to get the message "there is no SU binary installed, and SuperSU cannot install it, this is a problem. If you just upgraded to android 4.3 , you need to manually re-root — consult the relevant forums for your device."

Could there be a problem with the way I unlocked the bootloader or would I not been able to have installed TWRP if I had screwed that up too?

Only my third root and I am no pro keyboard jockey so please, an idiots guide, if you would be so kind!

There are many questions here, so the actual problem is somewhat unclear. Getting root app from Playstore (on an unrooted device) will not work. Therefore, I suspect it all relates to problematic/corrupt SuperSU zip - without it, you can't get root functionality. It is not recommended to tamper with SuperSU zip file!

I suggest re-download SuperSU here and install it from recovery. If you can't install it, there could be other problems related to unsuccessful previous steps. Follow the rest of the steps from your guide and also seek help where the guide was originally posted. Good luck.


How can I see what people are searching for on the Android Market? (i.e. Google Insights for Android Market?) I'm interested in launching my application to the Android market, however I'm not sure if there is a market for my idea. Is there anyway to see what people are searching for on the android market, and to see how popular various searches are? I'd like to be able to put in a query and see how many searches there are for that query. Google do this for the normal web searches, Google Insights for Search. Is there anything like that for the android market?

Example: I'd like to know which is a more popular search on the android market: "Motorbike" or "Motorcycle". You can do this for Google search engine using Google Insights

AppBrain will show you who is searching for what. They even show broken down by country, age group and many other areas. You can see what is "Hot Today" or even this week or year. If you load the app on your phone it can make recommendations on what you may like based on what you currently have installed.