Lock Screen Pattern Too Small After Android 4.3 Update on Samsung Galaxy S3 A few days ago, my Samsung Galaxy S3 finally got the OTA update to Android 4.3 from Verizon.
Before the update, when I was running Android 4.1.2, the pattern on my lock screen looked like the 1st image below. Not only was the pattern larger, but it also had a visible "shadow", providing an easy way to see how big each circle is before you begin highlighting.
After the update to Android 4.3, the pattern on my lock screen now looks like the 2nd image below. The pattern has decreased in size by about 30%, and it is now harder to see where each circle is before you begin highlighting (as I have started to do in the image below).
So my question is two-fold:
1) Does there exist a way to make the lock screen pattern larger on Android 4.3 so that it looks more like it previously in Android 4.1.2 without the use of a third-party app? I don't intend on using the space provided for widgets above the pattern, so a solution that causes this functionality to be removed in the process is acceptable.
2) If no native solution exists, is there a third-party app that I can download that will allow me to substitute the default home lock screen pattern for one that is larger? I am aware that there are app-specific lock screens with large patterns, but I am referring to the home lock screen only.
Before Update (Android 4.1.2)

After Update (Android 4.3):

1) Does there exist a way to make the lock screen pattern larger on
  Android 4.3 so that it looks more like it previously in Android 4.1.2
  without the use of a third-party app?
  I don't intend on using the
  space provided for widgets above the pattern, so a solution that
  causes this functionality to be removed in the process is acceptable.

As from above images it seems that the upper widget screen is comparatively similar in both images, I think the width of lock pattern is reduced.

So, I think you can't change the size of lock pattern without the use of a third-party app

  2) If no native solution exists, is there a third-party app that I can
  download that will allow me to substitute the default home lock screen
  pattern for one that is larger? I am aware that there are app-specific
  lock screens with large patterns, but I am referring to the home lock
  screen only.

AFAIK, You can't replace the home lock screen.
You can disable the home lock screen and enable the third party app lock screen, which will work as lock screen.

Example: Go Locker!


Enable direct share in Samsung S7 I had OPT and the direct share option is a great feature.
However it looks like it's missing on my Galaxy S7.
Is there any way of enabling it?

Got it.
Settings > Advanced Features > Direct share


Moto X 1st gen. microphone does not work in calls but does elsewhere Bought a Moto X 1st gen. and had to send it back within 28 days. I then got a different one back from Motorola Customer Support 4 days ago through an advance exchange. The very first time I was on a call the other side said they could not hear me / I was cutting in and out / they could barely hear me. This was confirmed with several other people.

I tried calling my Google Voice number and it is really bad. Definitely not usable.
I called my voice mail from Google Hangouts and it sounds exactly the same.
The speaker phone makes it noticeably louder on the other end but it still sounds really bad. Almost like it is overdriving the microphone.

However, Google Now understands me perfectly and when recording a video it sounds just fine. I tried covering both the front and back microphones.

My only thought is that maybe the noise cancelling software is messing things up somehow.

Things I've tried:

Poked at the two microphones with a pin to try and clean them out.
Cleared the cache partition.
Performed a factory reset.
Switched from Dalvik to ART and back.
Ensured all software was up to date.
Turned off the Voice privacy setting in the dialer.

Any ideas? Think re-flashing the stock software would help at all?
I already called Motorola support back but supposedly they do not have anymore Moto X 1st gen. available to exchange. And I really want a 1st gen!

Try turning off noise cancellation in dialer settings


Transform Amazon Fire TV into Nintendo Gaming Console I'm wondering if I could install N64 and Gamecube Emulators on an Amazon Fire TV. Will I have to root the device? Is it possible without?

Will PS3 Controllers work wireless and is there something I have to have in mind for buying No-Name Bluetooth Controllers?

Thank you

Just google for bluetooth controllers that FTV supports. I have a Nyko and Ouya controller that I use on mine. You don't need to root in order to play emulators. You just need to side load the apk files. Not all emulators will work and some will work better than others. You will however be limited to the space on your unrooted FTV though. Having a rooted FTV will let you play games from a flash thumb drive or HDD.


How can I Know about SD card logs (eject or mount details) in Android logs? I want to maintain a log of when the SD card is ejected or mounted in my Android device. How can I do this?

That could e.g. be done using tasker:

Condition: Event → Hardware → Card Mounted
(resp. "Card Removed" / "Card Unmounted")
Task: File → Write File
(specify file name, text, check "append")

You will need a separate profile for each action (mount/eject) with the respective condition, but of course you can write to the same file (or use a separate one if you prefer).

For details on Tasker, please check with our tasker tag-wiki.


Pushing wpa_supplicant.conf through adb breaks wifi even with no changes to the file So I have an issue with very high packet loss on M and above so I know it's something to do with android and not the physical phone. I'm trying to modify wpa_supplicantl.conf but even if I pull it from my phone then push the unmodified file, wifi won't work after the next reboot until I delete the file and it's regenerated, anyone know why this is happening?

Note: I forgot to say, I've checked permissions and it's not an issue with them, it's 0660 before and 0660 after.

Make sure you've checked ownership as well (see Restoring wpa_supplicant.conf)? Check the original ownership of the system created file before; the answer linked uses chown wifi:wifi, other places mention system:wifi.


How do I enter recovery mode on my Motorola Milestone 2 to unbrick it? I own a Motorola Milestone 2, also called A953 (apparently this is different from the Droid 2 Global). It used to have Android 2.3 with Motoblur middleware. It was bought independently from any phone carrier (so it was not bought from Verizon for instance). I rooted it, installed ROM Manager, Droid 2 Global Recovery Bootstrap and ClockworkMod Recovery. From ROM Manager, I could successfully reboot my phone into Recovery mode, allowing me to back-up my data for instance. Until this stage everything went fine.

What lead to my problem : I also wiped the cache and installed CyanogenMod 7.2 and the Google apps from ZIP files and from the Recovery Mode interface. But now my phone is broken. When it now boots, it shows the stylised M logo, but then switches to an entire black screen. The phone is still on so I have to pull the battery to shut it down.

I would like to reboot into Recovery Mode but this doesn't work : I am never able to see the Recovery Mode logo (a warning sign with a little android). How should I do it ?

What I have tried : I tried to boot while holding the Power and the 'X' button, as adviced on different forums. This still leads to the black screen. At this state, pressing the Search hardware button does nothing. Holding the Power and the Volume Up button has no more effect.
I am able to enter Bootloader Mode by holding Power and Up Arrow.

I also tried to use a live CD from here with ezSBF, but I get errors in the process and then my phone reboots in Bootloader mode and shows the following error:

Critical Error:
FEBE 0047

After that I still cannot get to Recovery Mode.

Is it unplugged when trying to do this?  I could hold X while booting, then I would see the Android and exclamation.  Then hold Up/Down Volume and get the recovery. You have to press both Up & Down at the same time. It is not a rocker key and you can press them both. Use Enter key on keypad with the arrow above OK to make a selection.


"Restore Default Settings" on Huawei P9 Lite After I started my Huawei P9 Lite for the first time, after I completed the first boot setup, it asked me the following question:

What does it mean? It is the first time I run Android M ever and never encountered such a question before.

I think it is related to Google backup. If you setup your Google account then this option asks you to restore your backup : phone numbers, apps as well as settings, such as APN, WiFi passwords, and so.

UPDATE :
I've found that the step for restoring defaults is a part of the setup process and it is optional. You will be asked about restoring all default settings. Just tap Do not allow.

Source, 22th step.


Finding Downloaded APK files in nexus 5 I have a unrooted nexus 5 and i want to analyze google play downloaded app source code but i cannot find any of my apps when i connect my phone to the computer...
any one know how can i:

Save google play app without extracting the apk file...
finding the app when connecting in to computer.
check the app source code in the computer

the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ignite.lottosheli

Achieving your request ("check the app source code") is simply not possible since an APK doesn't contains any source code, only Java bytecode and/or native compiled code for different processors architectures.

More details here: Android application package


mounting nfs, cifs, etc on android 4.3 On my new Nexus 7 running android 4.3, /proc/filesystems claims to have support for cifs, nfs, and nfs4 built into the kernel.

Unfortunately, also on android 4.3, google has arrange things so that everyone has their own mountpoint namespace, so while I can, in fact, mount an nfs4 directory from my fedora 19 server in a rooted shell, I can't see that mountpoint anywhere outside that shell (which puts a crimp in the usefulness of the mount).

Is there any way to make a newly created mountpoint visible to all apps? (Other than modifying the kernel or something like that).

This android doc page has some cryptic info at the bottom about the namespace issue:

http://source.android.com/devices/tech/storage/index.html

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107224

Android >= 4.2 breaks Dalvik-apps that mount file systems to be shared with other apps. The linked page has an explanation of the issue, and patches that can be applied to the kernel source (or the Dalvik source, if you prefer) to make a custom ROM that lets you do this.


Intrusive ads on Google Chrome for Android I've been using an Android phone for 4 years (Nexus 5, LG G3, LG G4) and I recently swap to an iPhone.

Yesterday, a friend tweeted 2 photos of an ad when he was trying to read an article about a keyboard:

"you've been selected by Amazon (...) in order win a Carte Cadeau Amazon of 1500€" (mistakes and missing words are intentional in order to translate in the best way)

 "you have 2 minutes to answer blablabla"

Then, I remembered that I had that kind of ad when I was using Android with Google Chrome on mutiple websites. I've never get this on Google Chrome Desktop neither on Safari iOS.

I didn't find anything on internet about that and I think this is an Android problem, does someone have it too? Do you know what is the problem (is it an adware)? Do you have a solution?

My suspicion is adware. You should delete all settings in chrome, and including cache, cookies, history, etc. These kinds of spam happen when you think you are clicking something, but an invisible link is clicked instead, leading you to popup sites. Be careful about what sites you visit and what you click.


Galaxy Mini bricked: black screen I have a Galaxy Mini GT-5570 phone.

Last night I installed "ROM Manager" and tried to partition my SD card. It requires to reboot my phone and I confirmed that, so it shut down my phone. Then it can't boot anymore -- all I get is just a black screen!

Unfortunately, I read that ROM Manager can cause hard brick for Galaxy Mini lately...

I tried all possible solutions found in the Internet but nothing works. So I decided to try the USB JIG method as it can force my phone to boot to download mode. The point is that I can't find 300k resistor then can I try 330k or it's dengerous?

Is there another method to revive my phone back ??

You dont need to rig your usb to enter download mode.

You  just need to hold Vol UP + Home then plug your USB cable to your PC.

If you haven't started ODIN in flash mode or did not install bootloader drivers for the Mini, download mode will not show up, and you'll see only a black screen.


Restore app data from a copied 'com.company.appname' folder Before wiping my 2012 Nexus 7 I created an app backup using the Backup function of the Nexus Root Toolkit (v1.8.2). This produced a large .ab file.

I want to restore a single app to the newly back-to-stock tablet.

I extracted the .ab file to a TAR using Droid Explorer and from that extracted the particular 'com.company.appname' folder. I tried simply copying that into the sdcard/Android/data/ folder but the app doesn't see the data.

Any ideas?

[I'm on KitKat and trying to restore Series Guide (com.battlelancer.seriesguide)]

Very likely, you need to adb push them to the appropriate folder in your /data/ partition which is different than your /sdcard/ partition.


How to get Google+ application even outside US? I have an account on Google+ but Android Market does not allow me to download Google+ application.

Well I couldn't download it from the market app on my phone in Germany, but I was able to install it from Play Store.

Otherwise you might try installing market enabler and fake that you are in the US.


How can I mute the microphone in a phone call? Simple question, but there seems to be no option to mute the microphone in the call app.. or am I missing something?

(I have tried 3rd party apps, but without success - will fire up the Android Studio if there are no answers to this question!)

What version of Android are you using?

Usually the option to mute the microphone is available directly from the call screen.

It would be useful a screenshot of your call app.


Use Laptop keyboard for Android device I am running Ubuntu on my notebook and Lineage OS without PlayServices on my phone.

Now I would like to use my Laptop keyboard as a remote keyboard for my phone, how could I achieve that? I guess, the phone is already ready for external bluetooth keyboards, how can I turn my Ubuntu notebook into a external keyboard?

You are looking for Bluetooth HID (Human Interface Device).

So instructions for Ubuntu can be found here:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/229287/how-do-i-make-ubuntu-appear-as-a-bluetooth-keyboard

Although its is unclear if anyone has made it work on more recent versions of Ubuntu.


how to mount storage and data partitions in recovery mode in adb shell? iam a newbie.but i have learnt adb commands.
i need to enable usb debugging through adb shell commands.
i am confused with terminologies itself so please answer simply.

steps i want to perform:
1.boot into recovery mode
2.run adb shell
3.mount system & data partitions
4.some adb commands...

If you're using a custom recovery:
CWM (Clockworkmod-based):
1. Use volume buttons to navigate and power button to select
2. Find "Mounts and storage" menu
3. Select "Mount /system" and "Mount /data"

TWRP (TeamWin's):
1. Tap "Mount" in main menu
2. Tap "data" and "system"

Manual way (using adb command):
Run adb shell and run these in the given sub-shell:

mount -o rw /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system
mount -o rw /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/data /data

In case /dev/block/bootdevice doesn't exist, run:

fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0
# If it shows a lot of entries, find the partition number of system and data manually then
mount -o rw /dev/block/mmcblk0pX /system
mount -o rw /dev/block/mmcblk0pY /data
# X and Y are the numbers you found from fdisk's output


Pixel USB C Earbuds choppy sound skipping music On a HUAWEI P20 lite (Nova E3)
I have tried the basics in sound and use audio though USB
I was told on Reddit that they would work in the devices sub/

Also, when I try to answer a call, it hangs up.

I have searched but it comes up with completely irrelevant topics.
Thankyou

After everything and reading articles from Google I reached the conclusion that the earbuds are faulty, so I sent them back for claiming refund.


how to enter bootloader with moboot in HP Touchpad I have a HP Touchpad that successfully installed webos and CM9 with moboot to select which to boot. Today, I want to update CM9 to CM10.1 or CM11, and here come the problems: it couldn't install the zip I downloaded and I thought it's because the recovery is too old, which is CWM v5.x(I can't remember precisely). so I install a CWM v6.x, but it can't work either.

Now, I want to flash the CWM v5.x back, and it seems using fastboot is the only way. But with moboot, I just can't enter bootloader mode, the only selections available are WebOS, CM and CWM.

Can someone tell me how to enter bootloader, so that I can flash the older CWM back, and restore my data? For now, I can only enter WebOS, and the Android system won't work: it just turns black after the splash screen.

It seems that moboot in touchpad is corresponding to the bootloader in android native device, so I think it may be impossible to enter such a 'bootloader' in hp touchpad.


Can't put downloaded apps in my SD card I have a LG Tribute 5 with 8 Gigabytes of total memory. I had been getting the annoying box that says "Storage space running out". I bought an SD card and put all my pictures and music in it.

For some reason I am unable to move certain apps to my SD card. When I attempt to download apps from Google Play Store, it says "Not enough space" and gives me a list of apps to delete. Most of the apps on the list are in my SD card already. When I go to my settings and try to move all my downloaded apps to my SD card, a couple of them won't. For those couple apps, the option to "Move to SD card" is greyed out, signaling that moving to my SD card is not an option.

This is getting pretty annoying. Does anybody know what I can do to relieve this problem?

It's not always possible to move an app to an external SD Card via the
  Application Manager.

There is a feature, called Flex Storage, that allows you to use an external SD Card as Internal storage. This can be done from Settings > Storage > SD Card, depending to your phone model. Remember that usually this operation formats your SD, so make sure to make a backup first.
By the way, this option is not supported from all devices.

Another way to achieve the result is using a third-party software like Link2SD that allows you to move the apllications to a special partition on your SD Card and use them as usual. Keep in mind that this operation requires Root Privileges on your phone.

There are plenty of guides on the internet about this procedure, by the way I suggest you to perform it only if you are sure, because an error while executing the procedure (especially when partitioning the SD) can lead to data loss.


Can virus carry over from one Android device to another via Google account? Long story short, I ended up getting spyware from an MMS message sent to me on my old Samsung Galaxy S6, and a few days later, it started acting weird (pictures and videos taken that weren't me, echoes and clicks in my calls, etc.) with all the signs of somebody having remote access of my phone.
I backed everything up to Google Drive and went and got the new Samsung Galaxy S7. However, the person who sent me the initial MMS tried to send me another one (which I did not download). However, most Androids have auto-retrieval of MMS, so I guess it didn't matter that I didn't download it because it probably self-extracted onto my phone.
All of the symptoms started again. So the next day, I went in and replaced the S7. I have changed all the passwords to each of my other accounts and have not gotten any MMS messages. However, after syncing with my Gmail account, the problems started happening again.
Also, this month's bill is saying I've sent over 1500 text messages, which is way more than what I would normally send out (I average roughly 400-600 depending on how busy the month is).
I've done a factory reset. I also have changed my SIM cards each time, but my phone number has stayed the same.
Is it possible that my Google account is now compromised and I would have to ditch my Google account (including Gmail and Drive which contains years of invaluable files)?

I think there is only one way to carry over malware/spyware app(s) from one phone to another with Google account:

You downloaded some infected app from the Play Store what you backed
up to Google and when you sign in to your account on the new device
its automatically restore your backups (include the malware/spyware
app(s)) to your phone.

I suggest make a clean apps install (don't restore Google's backup) and try to avoid questionable apps (Do not use/download apps with low download counts and/or bad user reviews).

If this solution won't help it's possible that not your Google Backup or Account is the source of your problem.


How can I protect my photos from Apps? Camera saves them on SD, so everything can just upload them wherever it wants.

I heard of apps that claim to protect photos within them but the only thing they did is making them hidden from the user with hidden folders, but thats not what I call protection.
It also doesnt protect them from apps which dont care about dotted .files or .nomedia.

Is this lack of protection intended?
What can I do?

PS: If the protector you recommend is an app, please let it be one that is available on the developers site because I have no access to playstore.

I'm afraid there is no real protection possible, for multiple reasons:

as you stated, all apps can read everywhere on the SDCard. This does not require any special permission
apps with the INTERNET permission are not restricted in using the network in any way -- they even can create their own sockets and implement their own ways of communication
while using an encrypted container would look promising on a first look, the camera app could not access this container either when it's not opened -- and if the container is opened, other apps could access it as well. So even using such a container and have it replacing /sdcard/DCIM does not work for your purpose

Summed up: if you want that level of protection, you either...

cannot use any app requiring the INTERNET permission (no way for that, as several of them already come pre-installed with your device)
need to root your device and set up a firewall forbidding all apps to access the internet (which, outside the EU, would void your warranty)
need to have mobile-data as well as WiFi disabled all the time, and never connect your device to any network

As none of the above is really practicable, you need to compromise: When selecting the apps you want to install/use, check beforehand how trustworthy they are -- and keep your fingers away from "suspicious apps" as well as "suspicious sources".

As long as you're only concerned about the photos you take: If you find a camera app which can use an encrypted container solely by itself, this might be a way to go (I never heard of such, but it would be possible to create it, so it might exist). Another possible thing would be a "container app" that lets you specify which apps are permitted to access it. But keep in mind that your gallery app (which you use to view the photos) most likely will have the INTERNET permission as well...

EDIT: As Compro01 pointed out in his comment below, with Android 4.1 and up you can add some protection by enabling the "protect SD Card" item in the developer options. If that is activated, apps (including your camera app) need to have the READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE respective WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission to access the SDCard.

Moreover, PerennialPinömpel found an app named
InformaCam:

  InformaCam, part of the SecureSmartCam suite of mobile apps, is a tool that allows users to embed expansive metadata into video or still images; encrypt media to trusted destinations using PGP; and securely upload media to trusted destinations who are capable of accepting InformaCam media.

Unfortunately, neither that app nor the full suite is available on Google Play currently. I also could not find an .apk on the mentioned site, so one would have to clone its Git repository, and compile the app.


How to turn off screen without affecting anything else? When I press power button, it not just turns off the screen, but also locks the screen. I use WidgetLocker Lockscreen which is somewhat heavy. So, many apps stop working. For example, an in-app download is stopped after screen lock. The heavy foreground apps are unloaded from memory after screen lock.

When I need to run such apps for long, I make screen timeout period infinite. But, it consumes a lot of battery juice. So, I want to turn off screen and only screen. How to do this?

Please, don't suggest me to ditch WidgetLocker Lockscreen.

My device is Galaxy S which is rooted (ICS).

Depending on your kernel it might be possible to turn the brightness off your screen to 0 via t he appropriate sysfs file.

On a Sony Xperia Acro S currently running a custom AOSP-Based 4.2.2 ROM (SlimBean 6.2) i found the following:

130|shell@android:/ # find /sys/ -name brightness
...
/sys/devices/i2c-3/3-0040/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness
...

the following command turns my screen off but keeps the apps running:

echo 0 > /sys/devices/i2c-3/3-0040/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness

if you combine this with an app which keeps the wakelock for your device, you should be fine.


Power management : Configuring Battery cutoff voltage I've been looking so far without any result yet.

What and where are the configuration files editable to change anything about the power management, specifically, the cutoff voltage ?

Any hints will help. (Something in the ROM? in the kernel ? in some drivers ?)

Working on a rooted Android 4.3

Yes. Using Xposed Framework. You can actually turnoff auto-shutoff of any android device on 0% battery. by using Disable critical battery shutdown and run your battery upto a voltage you want.
Notice : This will require root permission


Cannot add owner info to Lock screen - HTC One M9 In my other Android devices, I've always been able to set an "If found" message on the Owner Information shown on the lock screen.

Settings -> Security -> Owner info

But for the HTC One M9, this configuration item does not exist. I have not been able to find an alternate setting.

Apart from writing the owner info on the lock screen image, is there any other way to display a message on the lock screen?

The Android 7.0 Nougat release has added the lock screen message functionality.


Micro SD card physically damaged? it seems to me that my sd card is damaged so I wiped/erased it from android few times but it did not help.

Right now what happens is that if the card is present the phone freezes (not always) at the same time. SO it seems to me that the card is physically damaged.

Can I somehow find out if the card is damaged? The best from my phone.

Is there any low lever format of micro SD cards that might help in such case? Mark bad blocks so something similar?

HTC Desire + CM 7 RC2 + Kingston 16GB Type 4

Probably the best way to test it is to write data to all of it and see if one of the following occurs:

The write fails
The data/files don't show when you look for them
The data cannot be read
The data is corrupt

You can't flag sectors as bad as far as I'm aware, though, due to the FAT filesystem of SD cards.


does every menu item in an app have an intent? In order to filter through my music better and get rid of 'stuff I know I don't want to hear again', I'm considering 'how to best go about writing a Tasker plugin' to 'delete the currently playing song'.

Detecting what's currently playing, searching for, and deleting it would be more complicated than being able to emulate the code that runs via menu item->delete->Yes dialog.

the AndroidManifest.xml inside the APK [the APK is just a compressed folder that you can open with WinRAR] contains a list of the available intents.


Google Play Store: Error No. 905 I have Motorola Moto G XT1033, rooted. I installed CM12 Nightly. I am not able to download apps sized more than 200 MB from Play Store. No option to uninstall updates of Play Store.

How to fix it?

Get the latest play store apk from androidpolice and install it over the system apk. Check if it works.
Alternatively, you can also try uninstalling updates of google play services and check.


Music files become unplayable after transferring to SD card I am currently using Sony Xperia L. After I transfer MP3 files from internal storage to a SD card using the option from settings, the files become corrupted and can not be played. What will be the problem and how can I solve it?

Sounds like your card may be defective. I had a similar problem a few weeks ago. Try testing it with h2test2 ( http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/H2testw.shtml). Note that you will have to format the card first (quick format is fine), and it may take an hour or two.


Google Play Store only shows games Every time I load up the play store it only shows me games. Is there anyway to customize it so I see other apps besides games?

Like Andrew said, there is no way to customise the homepage because Google sets the themes.

If you want personalised recommendations, it does that automatically if you scroll down the page (should see a 'recommended for you' tab.). This is dictated by what apps you have installed, previously installed and what's on your wishlist.

Another way of seeing only apps you like is by going onto the categories tab, and picking your favoured app category to browse.

^_^


Anki - Next card review in <-36.2 years? Was playing around with AnkiDroid, learning US of A state names as a test run. I just started today and AnkiDroid gives me the following options for cards I've seen already:

Again >1 minute, Hard 20 years, Good 50 years, Easy <-32.6 years

THat suppose to be normal?

Solution: Date & time were incorrect on the phone when I was studying decks in AnkiDroid. After syncing to the correct time - AnkiDroid thought I've been studying a set of decks for years, not minutes.

Therefore, make sure your time is correctly set and preferably doesn't change to an incorrect value, otherwise don't use AnkiDroid when your date and time are wrong. Set correct date and time first.


How to Retrieve History from ALL browsers on Android Phone I am using Samsung Galaxy Note 1. I have access to my google account which I used to sign into my android phone. However, I am only able to see history of websites visited using google chrome, but not other browsers. I am basically using two browsers only that are google chrome and CM Browser. I am able to see history of websites visited on chrome browser, but not CM Browser. One more interesting and important thing! CM browser only stores the history of websites that user visted 2 days ago or the same day the browser was used to visit website. Is there any way I could see history of visited websites on all browsers of my phone?

No, there's no one place that all browsers store history. Each browser stores history in its own way. Chrome stores it in the cloud, associated with your Google account. Firefox can store it in the cloud with a Firefox account, but doesn't share it with Google. I don't know about CM Browser but maybe they don't store it in the cloud at all, only on your phone.

Most people who use other browsers than Chrome would be very annoyed if their browser told Google about every website they visited.


How to Transfer Files on to a Phone When PC No Longer Recognizes it? I just finished setting up a 128gb MicroSD card as internal storage for my Samsung device. However, I tried to copy files from the back up I made for the SD card on to my phone but now my PC shows neither the internal or external storages when I plug in the phone. I'm assuming that the reason is that I made an SD card as internal storage and the PC can no longer recognize the file format or device type or something like that. Is there a way to make it so I can still transfer files to either the internal or external without making the SD card portable. Or are there any services or apps that I can install besides a cloud service (like Drive or Dropbox) to wirelessly transfer the files on?

Firstly, this shouldn't happen. Android's MTP is designed in such a way that it will handle any and every kind of internal memory structure your device has. Maybe your drivers are having an issue, it should show internal memory in your PC regardless of being portable mode or not.

Nonetheless, you can use apps like Airdroid or ShareIt to transfer files over your local wireless network. Just connect both devices on same WiFi and follow the instructions in the app. Airdroid is easier to use with less hassle and doesn't require you to install anything on your PC.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid


Firefox on Android, "Save to PDF" -- where does the PDF go? I am using the steps here.

But... nothing happens, and when I troll around the file system, I do not spot any new pdf.

What am I doing wrong?

The page is downloaded as a PDF in your preferred download location, which by-default is the directory named Download under Internal Storage. When successful, a notification is shown that the page has been downloaded and it can also be seen through Tools > Downloads section within Firefox.

If you do not give Storage permission to Firefox, Firefox confuses the user when trying to save a page. When my Firefox didn't have Storage permission and I tried to save a page, it just did nothing, as in no UI response.


Light sensor not working after Lollipop update After upgrading my Nexus 5 to Android OS version 5.0 Lollipop, an issue has occurred: light sensor doesn't work properly when I am trying to call someone. Screen always stays on and I am not able to have a proper conversion, because I accidentally touch the screen with my cheek and, for example, mute my microphone...

Would factory reset help me solve this issue? Or maybe you have any other tips on how to solve this issue.

This is an issue with lollipop and it has been reported to google. Until google fix the issue you need to lock screen using power button manually.


How do I enter the Safe Mode on a HTC Desire? This is for those of you who need to enter what is known as "safe mode" on HTC Desire. There may be several reasons why one needs to enter this mode. It is usually because the phone is not working properly.

One such reason can be that you have flashed your phone with a custom ROM and you are stuck in what is known as a "boot loop". If you manage to boot into safe mode you may be able to backup your data to a safe place before you attempt to rescue the phone by data destructive methods such a re-flash.

This applies to the original HTC Desire, codename Bravo. The instructions have been tested to work on the GSM version of the phone with Android 2.3.3.

How to enter Safe Mode

Power off the phone.
Press and hold down the menu button, and then press and let go of the power button, but continue holding the menu button. The phone will power on and start booting.
The phone will vibrate when it enters safe mode. Let go of the menu button when you get past the HTC logo with "quietly brilliant" animation, or when you feel the phone vibrate. You will see the text "Safe mode" in the lower left corner of the display if the phone has entered safe mode properly.

How to leave Safe Mode

To leave safe mode, follow these instructions.

While in safe mode, press and hold the power button until you see the power options menu.
Tap the option "Power off". The phone will now leave the safe mode and quickly reboot into normal mode. Note that it will not actually do a power off. If you want to power off repeat these steps once more (while in normal mode).

Important notes about Android 2.3 and Fast boot

If you have upgraded to Android 2.3.3 then you should have "Fast boot" disabled. If Fast boot is enabled the phone will not do a complete power off. This has the advantage that the phone boots more quickly. But to enter safe mode the phone needs to be completely off. You can achieve this by either disabling Fast boot first, and then powering off the phone. Or you can power off, with Fast boot enabled, and then take out the battery to disconnect the power source, and then put it back in. Then you can enter safe mode as described above.

You will find the Fast boot option by pressing menu button, then going to Settings, Applications, and then check or un-check the option "Fast boot".

If you have Android 2.2 or below, then you don't need to worry about Fast boot. You can check which version you have by pressing menu button, then going to Settings, About phone, and then Software information.


I have 2 androids saving doc is my problem I want to write a doc or text in my program that came installed on my devices and save it to my 32 gig micro sd that my tablet now recognizes. HOw do I do that?

Depending on the application, there should be an option in the settings that allows you to choose your storage medium. If that option is not there, then I suggest saving it on the cloud. Moving manually may not work the way you want. If you do want to move it manually, then download Astro File Manager. From there, navigate to the default folder (each application may be different and because you haven't told us the application name, I can't help you there). Find the file you desire to move and from there it should be obvious.


How to take notes with keyboard input and drawings? I have a tablet I'm expecting to take a lot of notes with. Is there a way I can type with the keyboard and draw with the touch screen?

I've tried Evernote, which can type with the keyboard, and Freenote, which can draw with the screen but can one app toggle between both?

Use Xperia Notes App. This allows you to add texts, draw pictures and record audios as well. It also has a widget.

But the app may not be compatible with your device.


Setting/app to route audio input to phone's mic while a wired headset is connected to it I'm a new Android phone user. I'm looking for a setting or an application that can route audio input to phone's microphone while a wired headset is connected to it, but keep the audio output to the headset. I have been searching for this in Setting but I think it is not available there. I have been also searching for the app that can do this, the search results recommend me an app named SoundAbout, but it doesn't do what I want, it's just routing audio output to phone's speaker while a wired headset is connected to it.

So is there any?

There is no system-wide setting for this, unfortunately. And apps that try to control audio routing are usually hacks that cause problems on their own.

But I have a hardware solution for you -- buy one of those splitter adaptors that convert 4-pin TRRS into 2 3-pin TRS, separating for headphones and microphone, and only plug the headphones jack into your phone. Look for something like this: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-MUYHSFMM-Headset-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B0058DOWH6 (I'm not recommending this particular adapter, just showing how it should look like).


USB connection broken, tried debugging I have a Galaxy S2 that refuses to be picked up by any computer. I tried different operating systems, I tried a different USB cable, I tried debugging mode. The phone still charges fine through the port but maybe the data section of it is broken. Before I take it in for repair I just want to hear if there's anything else that can be tried? I'm thinking of doing a hard reset but don't want to lose any data. Any advice would be appreciated.

As my old electronics teacher told me, check the power then the physical connections before doing anything else....I have spent 3 hours trying various fixes on my phone, all to no avail. was working fine, then around the time of the most recent update it failed to connect (Hence software fixes searched for first). I finally thought I would try to clean the usb port on the phone...(compressed air had not worked) I had some copper soldering wick and a very small screwdriver, turned the phone off (Removing battery would probably be a safer bet in hindsight as well) and rubbed the copper mesh around every surface inside the port...works perfectly. Possibly many of the issues with using a different cable could be fixed the same way.


Path of music player playlist file? Can any one explain me where save android's music player playlist files?

actually, I got problem when i format my SD Card after that no playlist in music player.

I am using samsung galaxy 551 with Android 2.2 froyo.

You can place .m3u files anywhere on sdcard which is under reach of media scanner. Playlist will be displayed in music player once media scanner will complete scanning sdcard.

Path of system-created playlists (playlists are common to all music players): /data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/external-xxxxxxx.db where xxxxxxxx are random numbers. Path can be slightly different based on Android versions & devices.

If you want to backup your playlists, i'd recommend you to use Titanium Backup.


How to Have Google Keep Button in Chrome of Android? I would like to add content to my Keep as easily as in Desktop in Android.

Phone: Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9506
System: CyanogenMod 13

Press Settings icon (three dots at the top-right corner) > Share > Google Keep. After once done it, you will get Google Keep icon directly in Settings > next to Share such that you do not need not go deep again and again


Swipe required before pattern unlock on Marshmallow 6 I have pattern screen lock set on Samsung S6, and with the marshmallow 6 upgrade I must swipe before I get the pattern. Can I disable the required swipe, and just open to the pattern unlock screen?

I cannot confirm whether this feature would work on your particular ROM but it definitely works for stock Android 5.x and 6.x. You would need a rooted Android, compatible Xposed Framework installed and GravityBox [MM] installed and activated.

In GravityBox, under Lockscreen tweaks go to Direct unlock and choose Standard or See through. Select Default under Direct unlock policy.

(Click image to enlarge)

This would make sure to show the unlock phase of lock screen whenever the device is securely locked and screen is turned on.

1 Xposed Framework for stock Android [based] ROMs: Android 4.x, Android 5.x and 6.x


How to restore apps after factory reset finished? I just did a factory reset on my Android phone (LG G4). I skipped the "Restore apps" menu during the initial setup. I can't find this menu item anywhere on my phone. Is it still possible to restore apps after I left initial setup screen?

Have you tried this solution?

From any home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
If using Tab view, tap Menu > List view.
Scroll to DEVICE and then tap Backup & reset.
Under LG BACKUP, tap Restore from backup.
Locate and tap the backup.
Tap Start to begin the restore. This may take several minutes.
After the restore completes, tap Done.
The phone reboots to complete the restore.

(Source)


How do you root a device with Magisk when it doesn't have a custom recovery This is a self answered question to address the subject of title.
With a recovery in place, rooting with Magisk is straightforward,it gets a tad difficult when you don't have a recovery.This was vaguely addressed in Stock image dump for running Magisk necessary?.
So, I thought of making a self answered question to

Help those who don't know and
Add to  canonical questions. It's important for our site to have such questions as easy reference (not-so-subtle request to others to post more self answered questions!).

Notes:

I have tried both Linux and Android versions of the answer and they work fine (tested on Pixel 4a, Android 11). The process may look daunting but it isn't (I know nothing about Linux, yet managed to root without issues).

Moderators are free to make this a community wiki, if more answers are posted depending on the device variants :)

This answer is not applicable to Samsung / Huawei devices

First, unlock your bootloader. This again ranges from very easy to complicated procedures getting unlock codes, waiting period etc, so read that up first and you have adb installed (this would help , if you don't have it Is there a minimal installation of ADB?).

Second, and very important read these installation instructions from Magisk Developer before proceeding. There are many variants of device architectures and OEM specific issues.

Third, read above  step thoroughly and accept outcome of your actions. Especially, Samsung /Huawei users, see respective linked sections.

Fourth, this answer is applicable to devices having

boot ramdisk in which case you need a copy of the boot.img (in which case custom recovery if available can also be used, but then we are assuming it isn't available)
If your device does NOT have boot ramdisk, you need a copy of the recovery.img
( To verify, install Magisk Manager and check SAR, as explained in official Magisk instructions, linked in second bullet point or read up the forums in XDA to figure out).

Substitute recovery.img for boot.img, if your device doesn't have ramdisk. Answer talks of boot.img as an example but they are interchangeable as far as process is concerned.

This process works on all  Android versions, including 11. I did it on my Pixel 4a running Android 11 (on earlier versions, my devices had custom recovery, so I didn't need this).

Extracting boot image (or recovery)

Get the official firmware package or OTA files from official firmware packages, your custom ROM zip (if using one), or go to XDA-Developers and seek for resources, guides, discussions, or ask for help in your device’s forum.

Pick up the firmware or full OTA (not incremental OTA) file that corresponds to the Android security update of your device , not necessarily the latest (you never know if the boot.img has been changed).

Prior to A/B partition system implementation ,these update firmware/ OTA packages came with partition images, which could easily be extracted and used for manual flashing. But now, these update packages come with a single Payload.bin file that contains the individual partition images (boot.img or recovery.img).

There are many blogs that tell you how to this. I found How to Extract Android OTA Payload.bin File using Payload Dumper Tool on a PC or Android Device to be very comprehensive and clear.

This shows how you can extract the boot image using a Linux machine, Android or Windows.I don't intend copy pasting the article with photos in it's entirety, but all essential steps are listed.
Using Payload Dumper Tool to Extract Payload.bin

Payload Dumper tool is basically a Python script/program created by developer ius that allows users to easily extract  Payload.bin

Installing Payload Dumper tool
On laptop (Windows/ Linux)

The tool requires Python 3 or above, which can be downloaded from the official page.

When installing Python, make sure that it’s added to the PATH on your PC. For Windows PC, this could be easily done by checking the Add Python to PATH option within the installer. For Linux/macOS, you can use the instructions provided on this page.

Download the latest version of the Payload Dumper Tool on your PC from this link and extract its contents to a suitable location. Upon extracting you should have a new folder named payload_dumper.

Open the command-line window on your PC in the payload_dumper folder, where the tool and the payload.bin files are present. To do this:

On a Windows PC: Hold the SHIFT key and right-click on an empty space inside the folder, then select the Open PowerShell window here option.

On a macOS/Linux PC: Launch the Terminal and change its directory to the payload_dumper folder using the cd command. For example: If the payload_dumper folder is located in the Documents directory, then the command should look like: cd Documents/payload_dumper

In order to use the tool on your PC, you must first install ‘Protobuf‘ (Google’s data interchange format) which is basically a dependency. To install it, enter the following command.

On Windows (in PowerShell): python -m pip install protobuf
On Linux/macOS (in Terminal): python3 -m pip install protobuf

Now to finally extract the Android OTA payload.bin file, first,extract the downloaded ZIP file to your PC . The extracted contents will include the “Payload.bin” file, which is what you’d need to extract. Copy the Payload.bin file inside the “payload_dumper” folder. Next,enter the following command.

On Windows (in PowerShell): python payload_dumper.py payload.bin
On Linux/macOS (in Terminal):python3 payload_dumper.py payload.bin

The tool will now start extracting the individual partition images from the Payload.bin file. Once finished, you will find the extracted files inside the same payload_dumper folder and you can pick up the boot.img or recovery.img

On Android. This is a little slower but also saves one step as you would see later.

Download the Payload Dumper Tool from here. Once downloaded, extract the contents of the payload_dumper_tool_by_ius.zip file to the root of your phone’s internal storage. You could extract it anywhere, however, the root directory is more convenient. The extracted ‘payload_dumper’ folder will contain the tool’s Python scripts

Now, download the  full OTA / firmware package from which you want to extract the firmware images. Once downloaded, extract the  package on your device to get the payload.bin file. Then copy the extracted payload.bin file inside the ‘payload_dumper’ folder that you extracted during step 1 above.

Download and install the Termux app (a Terminal Emulator) on your Android device. Once installed, launch the app from your phone’s app drawer.

Install and set up Python on your Android device. To do this, enter the following commands in Termux one after the other:
pkg install python -y
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install protobuf
apt update && apt upgrade -y

Now, use the following command to grant storage permissions to ‘Termux’: termux-setup-storage. As soon as you enter the command, you’ll see a prompt to “Allow Termux to access photos, media and files on your device”.  Simply press “Allow” to grant the permissions.

Change Termux’s directory to the “payload_dumper” folder using the following command, provided that you have the folder placed on the root of your phone’s internal storage.
cd storage/shared/payload_dumper

Finally, enter the following command in Termux to extract the Android OTA Payload.bin bile on your Android device: python payload_dumper.py payload.bin

Once finished, the extracted firmware images will be placed inside the same ‘payload_dumper’ tool.
You are nearly done!
Last step of patching images
(from the official Magisk instructions)

Copy the boot/recovery image to your device (this step not needed if you used Android method)
Download the latest stable Magisk apk from the official source and install on your device (grant permission for installing from other sources)
Press the Install button in the Magisk card
If you are patching a recovery image, make sure “Recovery Mode” is checked in options. In most cases it should already be automatically checked.
Choose “Select and Patch a File” in method, and select the stock boot/recovery image
Magisk Manager will patch the image to [Internal Storage]/Download/magisk_patched.img.
Copy the patched image to your PC with ADB:
adb pull /sdcard/Download/magisk_patched.img
Flash the patched boot/recovery image to your device.
For most devices, reboot into fastboot mode and flash with command:
fastboot flash boot /path/to/magisk_patched.img or
fastboot flash recovery /path/to/magisk_patched.img if flashing a recovery image
Reboot and voila!

(Text in Italics added)
For any issue with Magisk, you will find this guide by Didgeridoohan very handy.


Sony Xperia E1 D2005 Custom Recovery&CustomROM Flashing? I want to flash a custom ROM and install custom recovery; but when I enter ROMmanager (my device is rooted) and try to install CRW or TWRP it says "custom recovery does not support D2005 (sony xperia e1).

I want to flash a custom rom safely (well if I brick it I can drop it in water and say I dropped it accidentally in water; I know it's dirty trick but I don't want to be with no phone either, so let's say I have 2 lifes). My bootloader is locked, I don't know how to unlock it so I'll need help for that.

So what if my phone can flash a custom ROM, which ROM? I want the ROM to be performant and good at 3D gaming (I want to play Despicable Me but now with the "stock" ROM I'm getting 15 fps and 20 in clear areas).

I don't know that exact model, but I found a pretty much complete guide to rooting, flashing and so on at XDA for your model here.

IMPORTANT: Remember to read the entire guide closely a couple of times before commencing the rooting and flashing procedure, so that you know exactly what you're doing and don't brick the device.


Apps recently changed, without an update from the store I've recently noticed that once in every few days, several apps on my phone suddenly show as "recently updated", even though they didn't get any update from the Play Store.
The way I can see that they were updated, is not through the Play Store, but rather through Nova launcher's "new/updated" apps category, and also through Total Commander's "Installed Apps" sorted by date.
Since it's a Pixel phone, I wonder if that could be due to some Google-related infra/library being updated in the background (just like the Play Store app sometimes auto-updates itself without any notice), or should I start worrying about malicious code slowly crawling through my phone and injecting itself into other apps?
A few points worth mentioning:

Phone isn't rooted, and doesn't allow to install third-party apps.
Developer options are accessible, but USB debugging is disabled, and I didn't change almost any setting there.
The Play Store app settings doesn't allow any kind of auto-update unless I initiate and approve each update.
The apps that change/update in each batch seem totally random: they could be of any type, and doesn't seem related to how frequently I use them (some of them I haven't launched in months, maybe a year or more).
Usually, no more than a few apps in each batch - and no more than one batch every 1-3 days or so.
These apps continue to get regular updates through the official Play Store and everything seem fine.
There are still many apps on my phone which weren't updated/changed at all, for some of them the last change/update was more than a year ago.

Any ideas on what or how to check this? Anyone else may have noticed similar behavior?

You can check that using ADB

List the first install time:

for package in $(dumpsys package | grep -Po "Package \[\K[^\]]+"); do
    echo $package $(dumpsys package $package | grep firstInstallTime)
done;

last update time:
replace firstInstallTime with lastUpdateTime

If theses Apps changed they will not receive the updates from the Play Store as the signing certificate will also change. To ensure that it's the same app from the store:

dump the APK from your device
Download the same App from the Play Store in another phone or from APKPure
use aapt2 to compare these Apps:

$ aapt2 diff apk1 apk2

or you can also compare certificate of both Apps.


A different boot loop after flashing BLU phone This is the same BLU Life One X as in Cannot get into recovery mode from boot-loop on BLU phone:

I followed the instructions and flashed the phone with BLU_L0070UU_V12_GENERIC.

I am still in a boot loop, but less predictable:

It shows 0%
BLU/Bold Like Us
Android is starting/optimizing app AAA of BBB
Android is starting/starting apps
Select language
Checking connection
(Sometimes) updating software
(Sometimes) starting the cellular service
Enter email/password of the account to which the android was synced

At any point in the above, the phone may go dark and restart.
I never managed to finish typing the Google account password.
At some point, it also asked for a WiFi password, it no longer does and, apparently, can connect to my hotspot.

Recovery still does not work:

Pressed Power + Volume Up + Volume Down.
Got two teeny lines: Recovery Mode: Volume Up and Factory Mode: Volume Down.
No matter what I press, the screen goes dark and nothing happens (boot cycles).

It turned out that repeating the steps, i.e.,

re-flash the phone with BLU_L0070UU_V12_GENERIC
press Power + Volume Up + Volume Down
get two teeny lines: Recovery Mode: Volume Up and Factory Mode: Volume Down
press Volume Up

solved the problem


Will I lose Netflix on my Nexus One if I use a custom ROM? I'm running stock 2.3.4 on my N1. And use Netflix all the time. If I were to load a different ROM like Cyanogen there isn't any reason I would lose the ability to use Netflix would I?

I use netflix on my Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant with CyanogenMod 7 and it works just fine. Now, that doesn't mean in the future, nextflix couldn't update their app to not support these devices/ROM but it does work now.


How do I disable the Swype button I see in the virtual keyboard? On my Samsung Galaxy Next, I enabled the Swype mode, but I don't find anymore where I enabled it, and where I can disable it.
I tried with the "Language and keyboard" settings, but I find only the Swype settings, under "Text settings."

How do I disable the Swype mode, and avoid the Swype button appear in the virtual keyboard?

You should be able to change the input method by long pressing on a text box > Input Method.  The menu should give you a list of input methods, select the one that is not Swype.


Accidentally cancelled update to 2.3 this morning; how do I get it back? I woke up 2 hours ago and there was the message on my phone (HTC DROID Incredible) that a new update was available and that my phone would restart to download and install the update and of course I click the "Install" button, but the way I was holding my phone was odd and my palm accidentally hit the "Cancel" button as it was counting down to restart the phone and it only got down to 5. Now the update seems to have disappeared. When I go into Settings > About phone > System updates my phone says that my system is already up to date. I also tried doing that *#*#CHECKIN#*#* thing which did not do anything (it said I was checked in but the update didn't come back). I thought the update would have automatically popped back up after 30 minutes but it's been two hours and my phone seems to have no trace that the update was even sent to my phone.

Others are reporting similar issues.  Is your build number 4.06, 4.08 or other?  I would suspect that if you missed the initial rollout you'll have to wait a bit, since they would want to do it gradually and not overload the network.  You might get prompted again later or they might enable manual upgrades at some point.

Verizon says you can update over Wi-Fi, though again it looks to be an automatic thing rather than manual, but maybe you'll get a second notification if you connect to Wi-Fi.


Fastboot doesn't recognize Nexus 5 on L I recently flashed the dev preview of android L on my Nexus 5, however, I did what is called a "dirty flash" - I just used TWRP and flashed the image as if it was a normal ROM. The result is that it's pretty bugged right now - many apps just crash or don't work correctly.

I'd like to do a proper install now, but the problem is that fastboot doesn't see my device, though adb does. Typing any fastboot commands just result in a "waiting for device" message. On 4.4.4 I didn't have any issues with fastboot. What might be the reason?

adb reboot bootloader

then

fastboot flash <whatever-it-is-you-want-to-flash>

If you see  at any point when executing fastboot command, the PC is not configured to use fastboot properly. Most typically, this is because you are not running fastboot with elevated privileges. It may also be that you do not have the drivers correctly installed, which may happen under Windows 8 because of its insistence on signed drivers. - Source


Set different volume for multiple apps running at the same time I want to use Spotify and a running speed tracker app at the same time, but Spotify is much louder than the other app and so I cannot hear it when both running simultaneously. Is there a way I can turn the volume down on one app but not the other, similar to volume mixer in Windows?

Probably you were looking for something like Sound Assistant version, for generic Android devices, but as it stands now the former is available and its only functional on Samsung devices (Galaxy editions running latest versions of Android)

From description:

SoundAssistant

  The sound utility available on the galaxy series Provides various
  convenience functions related to audio
  - Allow you to control the media volume instead of ringtone when pressing the volume keys
  - Support individual application volume (You can control the volume of music and games differently)

Unfortunately as it stands it is not possible or at least feasable for other android devices, perhaps this feature will need some hardware upgrade on target devices to stream audio output on more than 1 channel, just as Izzy commented in his answer.

You may have to wait a little while until such a feature can be impelemented in other android devices, meanwhile you could get a supported Samsung device to enjoy this feature or perhaps automation with tasker or macrodroid.


Browser desktop mode not really the same as PC desktop Is there anyway to make android browser browse in true desktop mode, i.e. viewing the same layout as a desktop computer?

I know in Firefox, I can click on "request desktop site" in the menu, and some similar function in Chrome.   However, neither of these modes brings me the same experience as I have on a desktop computer.  For example, Gmail has a menu item "filter messages like this", which is missing in "request desktop site" mode, and Similarly for many other web sites.

Some web site provides "full site" button to do this.  But why can't I pretend myself as a desktop computer in the first place? How on earth does the server identify the browser an android browser, even in the "desktop mode"?

Note that this question may seem a duplicate as this question. But I do express the problem in a more general/broader perspective.

== Update ==

I understand the UI differences such as mouse Vs. touch screen.  What I mean is to emulate a desktop screen mode.  For example, a virtual screen size to mimic a desktop monitor (I can swipe the touch screen to move the view port, and can even enlarge/shrink the view port by two-finger gestures).  A touch emulates mouse left button click.  No mouse right button is acceptable, since most functions should be able to work by just left click.  (Remember Apple Mac desktop might even go with one-button mouse).

The problem is, what they think as "optimize for mobile" might not be what the user think/want, such as removal of some functions.

I don't need "mobile optimize".  Just the browser to mimic desktop one to the maximal extend, and I want to visit the web site in Desktop Mode, as if I connect it by a desktop computer.

There are various ways of creating responsive webpages.

the developer can ask the browser to tell whether it is windows os or android or iPhone or which browser it is etc.

Secondly, most often responsive design is implemented based on the width available to the browser window. To learn more you can search the web or try for yourself as I explain below

In fireFox browser on PC go to menu -> Web Developer -> Toggle tools or press Ctrl + Shift + I

Now click on the button on left of three dots. You can change the size of page to see how it looks on browsers of different sizes.

Hope this helps.


Creating a .dd image of a Galaxy S3 without rooting the phone I'm working for my university's CS Department, and we've got a Digital Forensics project which requires us to create a one-to-one .dd image of a T-Mobile Galaxy S3 (Jellybean 4.1), so that we can recover some deleted data. I've done some Googling, and called Samsung, but I haven't been able to find any way to create an uncompressed image without rooting, and we can't root the phone without dealing with some legal ramifications.

Does anyone know of a program that can get the image without rooting?

It's impossible to obtain block level access to a block device without root, since all of those files grant the write permission only to root. At least I have never seen it any other way and I doubt that the S3 is an exception here.

It's not because it's technically impossible, the default permissions simply forbid it. A this is done for a pretty good reason: It would be a major security issue if this was possible: The normal user could get a dump of all the filesystem data.


Clearing the notification about battery issues My android doesn't understand why I carry my phone. It thinks that if Outlook and Skype are running all the time (so I can get push notifications) that it's a waste of my battery, and the thing to do is shut those down so that I can get more than 24 hour battery life. Thing is, with those shut down, carrying the phone is pointless.

Today it sprouted a notification on the Settings icon:

When I go in there, it wants to "fix" my "issues" by shutting down Outlook whenever I am not looking at it:

I don't consider this to be a drain. (It claims elsewhere Outlook is using 1% of my battery and that at this rate it will only last another 24 hours. That's fine by me.) I don't want this "fixed". I want Outlook and Skype to run all the time so I can get notified immediately if someone is trying to contact me. I want to clear that orange notification from my Settings tile. Yet none of this seems to be possible. Apparently the only option I have is to agree to have my phone turn off all the things I use it for, for my own good.

How can I get what I want?

This is a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android 7.0.

Based on the comment by Izzy above, I looked further under the Battery settings. There is nothing about Doze, but there is a section called Unmonitored Apps which apparently means "unrestricted" apps. I was able to add Outlook (but not Skype) to this list. The phone now says it will let them use all the power they want. Good.

Doing so has cleared the orange dot, which is great, and should also mean that I will get my push notifications. I guess. I don't really understand how Android works and seem to be constantly trying to stop it helping me.


In which Programming Language Android had Developed I don't know this question has asked before or not.
The programming language had used to develop android open source project.

I try to find out the answer of this question many times but still unable to find out the answer.

I know we are developing android apps in java and also know that the base of android is linux.

Any Idea

Thank You

As mentioned on it's Wikipedia page, Android's core is developed in C and C++, and Java is used for the UI. You can see this for yourself if you browse the Android source code. For example, omapzoom.org provides the source for browsing without the need to downloads gigabytes of data.


Why update the same time? What I want to ask is usually android app not update but in someday those will have a tons of update and I can ensure that it is not my phone problem. So why apps usually update the same time ? Any reasonal explain for this ?

If I am interpreting your question properly, you are basically asking why sometimes you see many apps update all at once.

The answer is simple: it is more efficient to update many apps at once.

In Android, especially in Android N+, emphasis is placed on network and CPU performance and optimization when running tasks.

When a developer wants to run a background task, they can create a job and register it with the Android system to run under certain conditions.  This creates a convenient way to run tasks in a batch, thus being more device resource friendly.  Jobs that are enqueued by the system can kick off and run based on device conditions/properties, like: "when the device is charging" or "when the device is on an unmetered network".

Google Play, for example, queues up app updates when the device is on Wi-Fi networks or while plugged in.  You can change the behavior of app updates in Settings.

This is why you will often see many apps update after plugging in your device or hopping onto you home Wi-Fi network.


Device got stolen. How to see its activities using my computer? I have 2 mobile devices using the same Gmail account. One of them got stolen. The thief has used my Gmail account and also search.

How can I see the browsing history of the stolen mobile? I already searched in Google activity, and it shows activity for the device I still have. How to find the activity of the stolen device in my Google account? And how to trace the stolen mobile's IMEI and find out which person has it?

Assuming that your goal is finding out where is your phone, there are multiple scenarios. I will cover two of them:

If you can find the mobile phone on "Your Devices" section (find it here), access it and press "More details" so that you can find the IP address. With the IP address one can find the location, bu using, for example, WHOIS IP Lookup Tool.
If you were using "Find My Device" (with all the musts), access the Find your phone section.

If you can't find your phone, report the situation to the police and hopefully they will be able to help you.

Then, consider changing your Google Account password.


How to have my stock GS3 dialer initial screen be Recent instead of Keypad Is it possible to have the stock dialer on my GS3 start on the Recent tab instead of the Keypad tab?

You can use an app called xshortcut (in Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ex.chinyang.android.xshortcut )

Follow the following steps:

Install xshortcut 2.0.x
Open xshortcut's Editor.
Switch to Component page
Use the following data to create the shortcut you want.

Component Package: com.android.contacts

Component Class: com.android.contacts.activities.DialtactsActivity

MIME Type: vnd.android.cursor.dir/calls


Verifying device integrity. Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" I wanted to root my Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" LTE (SM-T815Y) and I have spent the better part of my night doing the following. (I have never rooted anything before)

Got a img of autoroot from some site and flashed it via ODIN.
ODIN application showed success, but the tablet refused to boot after that with red text at the top of the screen at boot logo RECOVERY NOT SEANDROID ENFORCING
Download mode shows KNOX flag has been set to 1 and the warranty is void.
After a few hours of trying things, I managed to install TWRP 3.0
While the error stayed, I could now boot to TWRP
Scoured the internet for stock or samsung images that can work.
Found the cyanogenmod for my device (Nighty 2016-08-31 05:00:43 version as there nothing on the release channel)
Attempted flashing it using TWRP.
It noted that the image fully supports SE ANDROID (or SELinux, or device supports one of those.. Can't remember, the text scrolled so fast)
Then it failed to install.
I rebooted the device and it looks fine and the SE ANDROID error is gone.
Seems like everything is where I left them. Data was not gone, even my homescreen shortcuts are there.
(Took a full backup using TWRP. Coz... lessons learned.)
Ran a few apps to check root status, and they all show the device isn't rooted.

So, since I barely understand what I did, my question is,

Can I go back to the factory recovery? (remove TWRP and put back samsung one. Also, where to look to find the factory recovery? Samsung doesn't seem to publish it)
Is the device still using the Samsung OS image? Or is it a combination of the factory image + whatever my CM flash attempt did?
I Assume SEANDROID issue is part of KNOX? If so, should I disable KNOX (how?) before attempting to root again?

Custom recoveries and ROMs don't enforce SEAndroid, so the error pops out. Ignore it.
Get stock Samsung images from SamMobile. This is also the surefire way to return to factory recovery (along with everything else).
Please get a screenshot (camera capture) of the failed CM installation, so that we can diagnose what's the issue.
Assuming the flashing process failed at its start, it doesn't even wipe anything, so it's stock Samsung system + TWRP, nothing more.


Installation aborted when trying to adb sideload to Nexus 7 for upgrading to Lollipop I have a Nexus 7 2012 device and I am attempting to upgrade to lollipop.  I can get the right image from:

https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images

However, when I try to upgrade from 4.4.2, I run the command:

adb sideload lollipop.zip

The file gets uploaded, but the device then says:

Verifing the update package:
E: Footer is wrong
E. Signature Verification Failed
Installation aborted.

I tried both images for the 2012 Wifi and Mobile versions, same result. I also tried to do a factory reset.

Are the images wrong, or am I just doing something wrong?

The factory images provided on that page are not packaged for installation via Android's recovery system. You'll need to use the flashing instructions to install the images using fastboot. If your device's bootloader is not unlocked already, this would require wiping all of your data. If it is unlocked, then you can skip the wipe by flashing just the bootloader upgrade, the the system image, and the boot image:

fastboot flash bootloader
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash boot /path/to/boot.img
fastboot flash system /path/to/system.img

The alternative would be to incrementally apply the OTA updates for your device up to the latest version. These are designed to work in recovery mode, but need to be applied in order from earliest to latest since they are patch updates, not full system images. The Nexus 7 Wi-Fi OTA updates can be obtained from Google's servers using the following links:

KOT49H (4.4.2) to KTU84L (4.4.3)
KTU84L to KTU84P (4.4.4)
KTU84P to LRX21P (5.0)
LRX21P to LRX22G (5.0.2)
LRX22G to LMY47D (5.1)

For the GSM-enabled version, you can use these links:

KOT49H to KTU84L
KTU84L to KTU84P
KTU84P to LRX22G
The 2012 Nexus 7 GSM has not received a 5.1 OTA yet. You must currently use the factory images if you want to update to 5.1.

Additional OTA links can be found in this XDA thread, if needed.


How can I do a factory reset on a MyTouch 3G Slide? I have a MyTouch 3G Slide w/ Android 2.2 and am having issues with the text messaging freezing up. I am trying to do a factory reset and looked under settings, sd card memory and security for the factory reset option and didn't see it. How do you reset the phone?

I tried these instructions but couldn't get that screen to come up... is there another way?

Turn the power off. If your HTC myTouch 3G Slide is frozen, pull the battery out and reinsert it
Hold the Volume Down button
Press and release the Power button
You are now presented with a menu that allows for Fastbook, Recovery, Clear Storage, and Simlock
Select Clear Storage by pressing the Volume Down button
Press and release the Power button
Now simply confirm your decision: Volume Up for YES and Volume Down for NO

To do a factory reset, you should be able to go to Settings -> Privacy and hit Factory data reset.

Alternatively though, to just clear the SMS data you should go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications and find the SMS app ("Messaging" or similar) and clear the data for it.  There may also be something like "Messaging Storage" that you need to clear.

If you really need to boot into recovery, I would try the following:

Hold power and volume down until the phone reboots or turns on
Hold the power button for two more seconds, then release it (if the phone reboots again, you held it too long)
Keep holding volume down until recovery mode appears


Settings Keep Changing back The settings keep going back to factory settings either when the battery is low OR I turn off the phone.  For example, calendar sync turns off and I have to turn it back on each time I want the calendar to sync.  The display goes to the least brightest settings and 15 seconds for screen time out and I have to go in and readjust the brightness and screen time out time.  It is really annoying.  When I took it to the Sprint store and asked them about it, of course, it wouldn't do it.

When the battery is low, the phone will turnoff services/processes, like sync, to save energy. It may help if the phone is kept charged.


How to disable app notifications of a certain app? How can I disable the app notifications of a certain app I installed from Google Play?

You can disable a notification off an app by following the steps below:

Note: This guide is made on Android Lollipop and it can vary per device/Android version.

Open Settings:

Scroll down till you see Apps and click it:

Search for the app that you want to disable the notifications of:

Now uncheck Show notifications and tap OK:

Now your notifications of the app should be disabled.

Hope my answer helps somebody!


Todo app that syncs with Google Tasks and has notification badges? Coming from an iPhone, one of the things I miss the most is the little red notification badges on my app icons. I don't understand why more Android apps don't have them (not even the phone!?). I digress.
Is there an app available that both syncs with Google Tasks and uses a notification badge to keep track of the number of uncompleted tasks?

Try a different home screen manager.  Launcher Pro does this on my phone for email and texts in the app shortcuts in the launcher bar.  I don't use Google Tasks, so I can't speak to that one particularly.


How do you install TWRP after rooting? I have a 2012 Nexus 7 running 5.1.1 and I was wondering how you install TWRP after rooting? I rooted my device using v2.1.0 of the Nexus Root Toolkit with the "custom recovery" box checked and it said it would flash TWRP. My bootloader is unlocked.

I am new at rooting and maybe I don't know how to get to TWRP. You shut down the device, you hold Power+Volume Down for 5 seconds or so and you enter a screen that says start next to an Android guy.  I used the volume keys to scroll to Recovery and pressed Power for Enter. Everything after that was just how it was before the root. I want install CM 12.1 and I want to be sure I have TWRP flashed already so I don't to flash again.

To easily flash TWRP while already rooted, you can install TWRP Manager.  After installation: Open it and select your device, select the version of the recovery that you want to use, hit Install Recovery and let the app download and install it.  The app will automatically prompt you to reboot into the recovery.

If you want to ensure that's it's writing to the correct recovery partition, run this command in a root shell/terminal before you do the above:

ls -a -l /dev/block/platform/*/by-name

It should output a line that looks like this:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Dec 16 16:18 recovery -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p25

Ensure that TWRP Manager asks to write to that latter part (/dev/block/mmcblk0p25 or whatever the output is on your device.)

Another option for rebooting into recovery is to connect your device to a PC and run adb reboot recovery.  ADB is part of the Android SDK Tools, which you can get as part of the Android Studio install or stand-alone here.


Connecting Android to Fedora to browse the web I have bought an Android phone Spice MI-270. I wanted to connect the phone to Linux Fedora so that I can browse the web using the services provided on my SIM card. How can I connect the Android phone to Linux Fedora to use the Internet ?

If you want to use the internet connection your Android device provides to access the internet when working on your laptop, this is called Tethering (this Wikipedia article gives you closer information). The followint Q&A gives you some closer information on this topic:

Use 3G connection on my Android in Ubuntu

Though the title mentions Ubuntu, the solution provided there explicitly states to also support Fedora -- and it should work via USB cable.

Starting with Froyo (Android 2.2), your device can also directly act as a Wifi Hotspot (just check in the setup under Wireless & Networks) -- which of course requires your laptop to support Wifi (but which laptop does not?). When running into trouble with this, you might want to check this Q&A:

Tethering an Android 2.2.1 (Froyo) using Wifi

If your question is rather the other way around: Your laptop having internet, and you want to use that connection from your Android, this is called Reverse tethering. In this case check:

Connect Android device as wifi adapter to a PC to create an ad-hoc network

More on reverse tethering you can find checking the questions tagged reverse-tether.


please help me; my galaxy s duos2 keeps restarting I used wiping data by booting menu but that doesn't made any thing
I can't do anything because the phone always restarting within 15 seconds
I have installed firmware via "install ADB from sd card" but also nothing happened
another thing i can't ticking  usb debugging mode because its rebooting too fast
"com.google.gapps has stopped" this statement appear sometimes
i really want a help please!

If you have a stock ROM backup, then flash it with odin. Doing this will wipe all your data. But it is worth a try.
You will get installation procedures from xda forum


How to remove downloaded videos of TED app from device? I like official TED app which allows me to download videos for later offline viewing. I've downloaded many videos & watched all of them. Now, I want to remove them from my device to regain my storage space. But, I am unable to find option in app for this. I've looked in file system, but unable to find downloaded videos. Please, help.

I have found the solution.
While on My Talks tab, press/tap options button to bring menu. From this menu, tap Remove Items which would allow you to selectively remove downloaded videos.


Trigger re-read(or update) of (System)App database System apps or apps in general are capable of storing information within a database. My problem is now: for example the Launcher app does store settings like the amount of apps and their position on the homescreen, widgets etc. into a database on the data partition.

These settings are usually just read from the database again even if there is a new Launcher app replacement with different settings for the homescreen.

My question is now: Is there any method(via shell) to trigger an update or re-read of this apps database, so that the new values from the new Launcher replacement are taken into account without just deleting the whole database or messing around with the current database?

Just to archive the right answer from Andrew's comment:

  Then, as long as the database file is there, the app will read it when
  it needs to read it. There is no need to force read/update from
  outside (well, I'm not even sure if it's possible). It should be
  controlled within the app itself. Apologize if I still couldn't grasp
  the idea, maybe other readers might have solution for this.

I was confused about how these databases are handled. It is exactly as Andrew wrote: It depends on the actual implementation when and how the database is re-read.


Sharing photos between two accounts My wife and I use Google Photos to share pictures between our devices. We like it because it has Auto Backup and automatically syncs pictures between our two phones.

To make this work, though, she has had to add my Google account to her phone, which comes with a host of annoyances. Even when we turn off sync for everything but Photos, many Google apps automatically switch her over to my account. The worst is Hangouts -- because I use Google Voice, she gets all of my text messages and voicemail, and I can't find a way to stop that.

Does anybody have some advice for either:

A way to sync photos using Google Photos, but without my wife getting all of my messages in Hangouts?
A non-Google app that will give us similar functionality for photos (automatic backup and syncing)?

Me and my wife use Picspro android app for Google photos.  It allows browser authentification to sign into any amount of Google Photo accounts without having to add the full Google account to the phone itself.  Personally,  We keep all our photos on her account,  using this app I can be logged in and view them and also upload to it so our photo collection is unified.  We also use this to upload to our Mum's accounts too and it works a treat. Settings>accounts>add account.  Untick the box next to "Use phones account"

To fully back up all your Google photos to your PC, just go to Google Takeout and you can download any or all of your photos whenever you like.

Hope this helps :)


Rooting an asus tablet I have tried rooting my asus anpad but failed to unlock it's dastoor drivers. is there any process to unlock it or any other method to root asus zenpad. How can any asus zenpad z370cg tablet be rooted?

Have you tried KingRoot.  I don't own that particular tablet, but I know that many devices can be rooted with the KingRoot program. You could also try looking at XDA-Dev's site as they tend to have a list of tools for each particular devices.  Hope this helps!


Deleted some apk files - but the apps are still there after reboot This seems really weird to me.

I followed the instructions given here

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=835861

and deleted the apk files of some stock applications like Layar. I also removed the odex files if I could find them.

Strangely, even after wiping the cache and a reboot, I can still run the apps from my launcher.

Samsung Galaxy S with CWM 3.2

Some vendors set up their phones to reinstall system applications at boot in case they go missing.  Try finding a directory that contains a copy of the APK that's used to reinstall it, and delete it from there.

A simple alternative solution is to freeze the unwanted apps rather than uninstalling them.  Titanium Backup and Link2SD can help you with that (both require root).  In ICS+, there's also a user-accessible mechanism to deactivate apps from the settings menu.


"adb devices" gives "no permission" when on charge-only I've just updated my LG Optimus 4X HD from the latest stock ROM (4.1) to CM11 (Android 4.4). Access via ADB is only possible when either MTP or PTP are enabled; if I disable both, I only get:

$ adb devices
List of devices attached
????????????    no permissions

I wouldn't really bother – but with PTP enabled, I always get a popup asking me to mount the "new device"; with MTP, additionally an error message for not being able to access the camera. This is pretty annoying: I never had it with this device before the upgrade, and I never experienced this with any other of my devices.

The "USB Connection" settings page only offers two checkboxes: MTP and PTP, the "Charge only" item is missing (and should obviously be reflected by unticking both MTP and PTP). Computer runs on Linux, in case it's relevant (and has no MTP software installed as I don't need it).

Is there any way to get rid of those annoying popups and still have ADB working? I'm fine with something to be executed via ADB, like adb shell setprop <whatever> and, if proven stable, to integrate with built.prop.

Thanks to the pointer provided by Firelord, I was able to solve the issue. The solution might look weird, but works perfectly:

As root, edit /data/property/persist.sys.usb.config. The only line in that file should read:

mass_storage,adb

We all know there is no usb-mass-storage anymore with Kitkat (except maybe rare exceptions). Well, maybe that's the reason nothing "pops up" anymore, offering to mount some resource :)

To revert from this, either:

open the notification area while connected via USB, find the "connected as …" notification, and tap it
or: go to Settings › Storage, tap the "overflow menu button" (the "3 stapled dots"), and tap the (only) entry which reads like "USB connection"

Then select either MTP or PTP, and there you are.

References:

This is the content of /data/property/persist.sys.usb.config on one of my tablets running Android 4.1 (stock)
This setting is mentioned in this answer, saying if you want to eanble ADB, you can setprop persist.sys.usb.config=mass_storage,adb

Postscriptum

Thanks to the context, one could set up some "toggle" using tasker, executing either setprop persist.sys.usb.config=mass_storage,adb (to "get rid of the popups"), setprop persist.sys.usb.config=ptp,adb (to have it back in PTP mode), or setprop persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb to re-enable MTP for data transfer. I don't need any of this, as I use adbfs to access my files ;)


System Memory on Android This is my first time here. I wanted to ask if 4.96gb of system memory is normal. My phone is Samsung Galaxy s3 that is 16gb and system memory is the top consumer of my memory. It wasn't like this before. It takes alot of space in my phone.

Yes, it is. As you may know, qll device with storage do not give yoy wccess to all 100% of it. For example, a Samsung galaxy tab 2 uses 3.41gb as system. So, as devices get newer, more stuff (apps and features) are added, meaning more used. So, long story short, yes it is normal. Enjoy your device :)


Android-Studio in VM. Emulator: audio: Failed to create voice `goldfish_audio_in' Hello, I am trying to setup Android Studio 3.1.3 in a windows 10 x64 pro VM. I have installed Android 6.0 in AVD for ARM EABI architecture on a Pixel.

However, when I try to launch the emulator I get

Emulator: audio: Failed to create voice `goldfish_audio_in'

Emulator: qemu-system-armel.exe: warning: opening audio input failed

and the emulator is just a black screen that does not respond to anything.

I have everything enabled in Virtual Box regarding hardware acceleration.

I checked these posts:

Is it possible to run Android Device Emulator (via Android Studio 2) on VMWare?

“emulator: warning: opening audio input failed” displayed in the console while AVD is launching

Android Emulator: Audio Input Failed

but doesnt seem to get me anywhere...

I have also tried to disable sound in config.ini or disable the microphone in windows 10 VM but didnt change anything.

Am I missing something here?

Is it impossible to run android emulator for ARM architecture on a VM?

Uninstall Intel x86 Emulator Accelerator  from windows control panel. Then install it again in android studio.

Tools => Android => SDK manager => SDK tools => Intel x86 Emulator Accelerator (HAXM installer).

Then make sure that you plug a microphone or a line - in cable to the input socket of your pc.

This is how I got my own issue disappeared.


How to get Adoptable SD card encryption key with root access? When I use adoptable storage on my device, then my SD card will be encrypted. Is there a way to get the  "encryption key" with root access? So if my phone dies, I can still retrieve my data from the SD card by using the key?

Related: How does Marshmallow encryption work technically?

I am running Cyanogenmod 13, rooted.

There's some interesting pointer found in Decrypting Android M adopted storage (emphasis mine):

  Android M allows for adoptable storage, which is implemented similarly to internal storage FDE -- using dm-crypt with a per-volume, static 128-bit AES key, stored in /data/misc/vold/. Once the key is extracted from the device, adopted storage can be mounted and read/written on any Linux machine. Adoptable storage encryption is done purely in software (at least in the current preview build), so its performance is likely comparable to encrypted internal storage on devices that don't support hardware-accelerated FDE.

Also take a look at Corrupt SD card formatted as internal storage, which gives a quite detailed tutorial on how to do it :)


What kind of data is stored in /data/user directory? It seems to store some kind of application data, but how is it different from /data/data directory?

/data/user was added in Jelly Bean as part of multi-user support. Each user on the device gets a directory in there named after their user ID, and that directory contains each app's data directory for that user. /data/user/0 is a symlink to /data/data.


Restoring backups from SD Using Titanium Backup I backed up apps + data to the SD card and see they are still there. I flashed a new ROM. I installed TB again but am having trouble restoring the apps. It can’t find the backups, how do I change it? I went to menu > preferences > backup folder location > Storage provider > DocumentProvider storage > naviagated to correct location > pressed “select”
Then the list populates with backups but the “use the current folder” is greyed out. I can only click cancel. However if I make a new folder and navigate there, the “use the current folder” is clickable.
After clicking select the message quickly flashes “Access granted. Please create/choose subdirectory for your backups”

How do I resotre backups located on SD card? I named the folder myself so it’s not like the default. I'm on ROM that is based on Android Nougat 7.1

In order to successfully select a backup directory via the DocumentProvider storage, you should not navigate to the chosen folder immediately after choosing the abovementioned storage.

What you should do, is to navigate only to the root directory of the external SD card and then tap on Select. Next, after the Access granted popup appears, use Titanium Backup's built-in file explorer to navigate to the chosen backup directory, and then tap on Use the current folder.


Will using my phone whilst charging make it charge slower? Just the question in the title.  If I have my phone plugged in and charging, will it take any longer to get up to 100% charge if I'm using it or will this make no difference?   (I'm using a galaxy nexus)

Yes.  The Galaxy Nexus will accept no more than 4.5W of power (0.9A @ 5V) from a charger, regardless of what the charger is capable of supplying.

This isn't a whole lot, so doing stuff will cut down on the amount of power available to charge the battery and it's actually possible to run down the battery while you're plugged in.  Testing by a guy on reddit showed peak power draws from the battery of over 5W when using google maps, so you'd end up using the entire charger supply to power the hardware, and another 0.5W drawn from the battery.


Drivers for TrekStor Surftab Xiron 7.0 3G I just bought a TrekStor Surftab Xiron 7.0, and I was trying to use it to test apps. It's the first time I do this, so maybe I'm just doing something wrong.
I turned on the developer settings and the USB debug, connected the tablet to the computer and tried to install the Google drivers (The ones in the SDK), it didn't work. Then I tried to search for drivers on the TrekStor website, but they don't seem to have download links. I tried another couple of drivers I found online, but none of them worked.

Does anybody know where I can find working drivers? The Android version is 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean).

I had the same problem!
You have to add the vendor-id to adb_usb.ini !

  echo 0x1e68 >> $HOME/.android/adb_usb.ini

source:
https://urbanjack.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/howto-use-surftab-xiron-on-mac-for-development-adb/


Uninstall app without deleting data I am building an app that receives updates from a server. So at the beginning of the app, a download occurs. However, this thing is getting a bit annoying since whenever I want to test a new build, I would use:

adb -d uninstall com.mycompany.myapp

This command removes the app as well as its data/cache stored. Now, whenever I do this, I would have to go through the process of downloading the updates again and it takes time (a lot of it).

Is there an adb command that would uninstall the app without removing its data/cache? Eclipse ADT can do this but I don't want to fire up Eclipse everytime I build.

EDIT: I've tried using adb uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp but it always responds with this:

The -k option uninstalls the application while retaining the data/cache.
At the moment, there is no way to remove the remaining data.
You will have to reinstall the application with the same signature, and fully uninstall it.
If you truly wish to continue, execute 'adb shell pm uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp'

If I try adb shell pm uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp it just says Failed.

If you run adb with no arguments, the help text will tell you the answer to this question.

adb uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp

removes the app but leaves the data and cache directories. Similarly,

adb install -r myapp.apk

reinstalls an existing app with a new APK file, keeping its data intact.

As a side-note, I don't know if this affects you, but don't forget that Google Play's developer terms forbids apps from updating themselves (updating the APK file) through a non-Google-Play channel. This is to stop developers side-stepping the Google Play terms by building a 'stub' app that, once installed, replaces itself with an app that doesn't meet the Google Play terms. Updating data files and the like is perfectly fine.


How to reinstall Calendar Storage? I wanted to uninstall the default Calendar app to replace with Google Calendar. However, I accidentally uninstalled Calendar Storage before uninstalled the default Calendar app. The Google Calendar app won't work every time I try to create an event/plan. I assume this is because I uninstalled the Calendar Storage (app?).

How do I retrieve it? Is there a repo wherein I can just download it? I tried Googling, found nothing. My phone is a Huwawei Y320, Android OS version is 4.2.2

You will have to download this app and install it as a system app, using Link2SD or any similar app. This is just another apk file from another Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 phone.

Note : Please backup all your data before trying to do so. This way of installing apps is actually not recommended, but works out most of the times.


What Android distro can boot from USB stick in PC/Laptop? I have an old HP Pavilion dv2000 laptop with a busted hard drive. I want to put a compatible Android distro onto a USB thumb, plug this in to the laptop and boot into it and use it for casual www browsing.

Firstly, is this possible and if so, is LiveAndroid my only option?

http://www.android-x86.org/

This is the only android distribution for Intel/AMD processors that I am aware of. It has little support, but is actively maintained. The latest version is a release candidate for Android 2.3. Obviously hardware support is hit and miss. For what it's worth it runs very well on my EEE PC.

You can install the ISO to a USB drive with Unetbootin, or use a drive imaging tool with the .img file.