Error message on Maps "route not found" I have a Samsung S6 with Nougat 7.0.
Today, I can't navigate because I got the message "route not found".
This happened when I entered the destination with voice or by using my home address.

Then, I closed Maps and with "OK Google" I had my route.

Can someone please help me understand what happened and what can be done?

Do you have Location Services switched on?

Settings
Location
Tap the Location switch
Make sure Mode is High Accuracy

https://www.bestusefultips.com/use-location-services-on-android-nougat-7-0-7-1/


Galaxy Avant - "Lock automatically" turns Keyguard back on I have a new Samsung Galaxy Avant and I want to setup tasker like my old phone, specifically to turn off the Keyguard when I'm home.

It works, until the "Settings > Lock screen > Lock automatically" kicks in and turns it back on. Ive tried making another tasker action that turns Keyguard off again say, 10 seconds after the screen turns off, but that doesn't work and the Keyguard stays on. I'm not against rooting the phone, but I don't think it's needed since the Keyguard does stay off in the short time period between the display turning off and lock automatically triggering.

I'm guessing Lock automatically is a Samsung thing. Is there a way around this, or to turn off Lock automatically?

I was wrong when I said Lock Automatically was turning the Keyguard back on. If you reopen the phone before that timer ends, the Keyguard has never been set to begin with and has nothing to do with the Tasker profile.

Anyway, to get around this I did need to root. I also needed to install secure settings. With that out of the way, the setting that needs to be set on/off is Plugin > Secure Settings > Edit Configuration > Root Actions > Pattern Lock (this might be different if you are using a different type of Keyguard).

There is one last thing to note. When the Pattern Lock turns off, it reverts to whatever type of lock was being used before it turned on, so if you want it set to None, you need to have it set to that beforehand.


What caches can be cleared, when wanting to keep settings? I do not know enough about the original purpose of the different caches. If I do a cleanup in a few months and clear many app cache items, is it safe for me to assume that most programs will not lose settings, if I clear the "cache" cache and leave the data cache alone?

Most programs means if a few lose settings, it is not a problem. There are many settings in many programs that took me quite some time to setup (and test).

By settings, I am referring to the applications own settings, not web settings, or settings that the application has access to. Take a game, for example. I do not care if the game is reset, levels are lost, or log-in is gone. But the settings for that game app must stay.  In a program, I do not care if it loses its thumbnails, and add-in parts, just that the settings for the program stay the same.

If this is all wrong, and programs are not normally supposed to use the data cache for settings, then tell me about it. I just assumed after losing some carefully selected settings that it is there in the data cache.

Any cache can be cleared. Clearing the cache will not remove app settings.

Read more from this closed question in StackOverflow (should be migrated here):
What's the difference between clear cache & clear data in android settings


How does WiFi in android detect if the device has to sign in or not? When the device tries to connect to an access point or router, it has to sign in on the captive portal page with the message saying

  "Sign in to Wi-Fi network".

How does the access point/router identify that a sign in is required for the device and what is the process behind it?

The detection url differs between different Android versions.

For Marshmallow, it uses connectivitycheck.gstatic.com/generate_204, check the code here AndroidXRef - Marshmallow 6.0.0_r1

For Kitkat, it uses clients3.google.com/generate_204
check the code AndroidXRef - KitKat 4.4.4_r1


I want to carry on using hangouts for sms I assume i can install an older apk before the sms integration timer was added, freeze updates and use hangouts for SMS forever.

I have two questions

1) how can i find the most recent version that won't have the warning message
2) where are my SMS stored, will i lose the history?

You can check previous versions at this link. You SMS are stored on your device locally. You can always change to another SMS application like Textra
or Default Android Messages


How does android wifi hotspot work when other wifi is available? Say I have my phone (nexus 4) setup as a wireless hotspot for my tablet to use while outside... Obviously this will make use of my mobile data plan. But when I get near a wifi signal that I regularly use, such as at home, will my phone continue to use my mobile data, or will it use wifi instead, and repeat the wifi signal? That is, do I have to remember to disable the hotspot every time I don't need it? And on that note, how can I make my nexus 7 prefer wifi other than my phone hotspot when available?

When your phone is in hotspot mode, it will only use your mobile data.  You'll need to remember to switch the hotspot off when you have wifi available.

You might be able to script the shutting down of the hotspot with Tasker or Locale, but I'm not sure if the "WiFi near" function would work when in hotspot mode (a good topic for its own question).

Your Nexus 7 will tend to connect to the strongest signal available, and then stay connected to that network until it loses the connection.    When you turn off the hotspot on your Nexus 4, the tablet should auto-connect to an available Wifi network.


How can I pause and resume video recording if the stock app does not support this feature? I have an Xperia Mini Pro with Android 2.3 (and upgradeable to Android 4). Its recording program does not have ability to pause and resume recording.

How can I pause and resume video recording if the stock app does not support this feature?

Answering the Question
I've been searching for a solution to this issue since I've seen your question, probably when you've set a bounty. Till now I've found tons of unhappy users complaining about the same issue, no pause/resume during a video record.
I've read just about every first fifty results presented for every search that I came up with on Google, been into Google Market, reference forums, etc... sigh!
The only answer that I've found relevant to be mentioned was provided by Ryan Conrad concerning this topic, for the same phone. (no need for transcription to this answer)
Since this is being requested a few years (at least since 2011 that users are complaining at Google Forums), and since the functionality to pause while recording needs system support due to the API and hardware being used that must provide such capabilities, software developers cannot go around this.
Some devices may be capable of dealing with  the pause/resume feature, but that's unclear. I believe that you'll just have to wait until manufacturers and developers can't stand the voice of the unhappy user anymore, and improve this issue.

The Android API currently does not provide the pause method
This is a bit technical, but was solicited on the comments.
The public class MediaRecorder, being used since API level 1, doesn't has the capability to pause, as one can observe from the MediaRecorder State Diagram:

When recording, the API allows us to either use the reset() or stop() Public Methods:

reset() -> Restarts the MediaRecorder to its idle state.
stop() -> Stops recording.


Stroke Patient - Android Ice Cream Sandwich TTS I have a friend who has had a stroke and can't speak any longer.  I have a Xoom with Ice Cream Sandwich (I can upgrade it anyway), and I'm just wondering if there are any built in, or inexpensive Text To Speech apps that someone can recommend.

I was thinking about using Google Translate, but unfortunately the hospital he's in doesn't have Wifi. Any help would be appreciated.

Well, it seems from the API that Android includes a TTS engine, so I'd imagine there would be quite a few apps. I've done a quick search, although I don't have a smartphone so I cannot vouch for the suitability, but here is one app that seems simple enough. Text To Speech Toy.


Twrp recovery for mtk6763 (a/b) infinix note 5 Please i need help so much.
My device dont have developers, and we don't have any custom recovery for this device, i don't have any idea to port twrp since recovery included in boot.img, also i don't know anything about compiling from source, i finind smaller guide to port but didnt find tool working well.
So please if someone may help to build or port.
There kernel source available for our device but no device tree.
Thanks so much

I recommend following this tutorial to create a ROM dump of your device. Take the recovery.img from that dump and create a TWRP using this.

If you already have the recovery.img you can proceed right to the second link.


"Blocked by your IT admin" Samsung Galaxy 8 I'm trying to install Android Auto from apk but I get the message "Blocked by your IT admin. Unknown apps can't be installed on this device." In the last 18 months I have downloaded that app already 2x without any problems.

I have already given permission to install unknown apps from Chrome and My files. Deactivated Play Secure and any device admin apps (the only one I saw was Find my location).

I do have work e-mail app but according to my employer "Our Mobile Device Management platform (MobileIron) doesn't block any installation on your private device, as a completely separate Workspace is created and managed by us, which doesn't interfere with your private configuration".

What else can I try doing before I ask them to remove MobileIron?

Had the same issue. For me it was only fixed by disabling Google Play Store in personal profile. It wasn't easy process as it depends on Google Play services which can be disabled only after stopping Work profile. So the flow was: 1) Stop Work profile from top menu, 2) Force Stop and disable Google Play Services in Personal Profile, 3) Disable and stop Google Play Store in personal profile. After this I started Work profile again.
Hope this will help.


Emoticon on keyboard support and Android version I am wondering since what version Android emoticon have been added?

The answer depends on a variety of things, most importantly whether the vendor or manufacturer uses the Google keyboard or one of their own. Some apps, including Facebook and most manufacturer/vendor Messaging apps, have their own built-in emoticon support.

The default keyboard for Lollipop (5.0) on the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 has built-in emoticon support. If memory serves, Kitkat (4.4.2) did not.


phone doesn't boot after installing launcher I just installed Turbo Launcher on my android device. When i activated it, my screen was black. I couldn't do anything. I thought rebooting could fix it, so i rebooted my phone.
But... my phone doesn't even start anymore! It's just staying on my loading screen. Nothing happens, it's just starting up forever.
This happened about an hour ago, and my phone is still starting up! I think it will never start again! I also can't turn my phone off anymore (because it's starting up)
So my question: what can i do about it? Is there a way to reset my phone or something?
Thanks a lot!

Reboot in safe mode. Once in you should be able to delete the launcher.


32-bit and 64-bit Android: how to tell before buying a phone I have been looking into 32-bit or 64-bit Android versions for phones. It seems to me that the information on the number of bits of the installed Android version is always missing from phones' specs, unlike what happens for the CPU. Googling around, the ways I have found to understand whether a phone is running a 32-bit or a 64-bit OS all include actually doing something with the phone, like looking up the kernel version or downloading some app, like AIDA64.

How do I know if a phone I want to buy will come with a 32-bit or a 64-bit Android before I buy it? It would be interesting to find a layman-friendly criterion or resource that allows me to know this in advance, especially to be able to look into the cheapest phones running a 64-bit Android.

One way to know that the OS is 64-bit is to check the RAM. 32-bit OSes have (see/utilise) a maximum of 4GB of RAM while 64-bit devices see more.
Devices with more than 4GB of RAM will be using 64-bit Android.

Limits are as followed:

32-bit:  2^32 = 2^2 * 2^30 = 4GB. A 32-bit OS will go 1 bits up to 4GB.

64-bit:  2^64 = 2^4 * 2^60 = 16EB. A 64-bit OS will go 1 bits up to 16EB.

Up to 4GB, the RAM won't help differentiating whether it is 32 or 64-bit. More than 4GB, then it is more than likely to be 64-bit.

Large Physical Address Extension(LPAE) was implemented to allow physical address up to 40-bit. But as @Irfan as inferred, it is not known (at least publicly) if there are devices in the market which have taken advantage of it.

Conversion table
-----------------
2^10 = 1 KB
2^20 = 1 MB
2^30 = 1 GB
2^40 = 1 TB
2^50 = 1 PB
2^60 = 1 EB


How do I change the desktop icon created from a website bookmark? I created a desktop icon from a bookmark for Wikipedia.com.  Here is a screenshot of the result:

The blue background doesn't look great, I'm wondering if this should be transparent.
Here is the image that I think it's using for the wikipedia icon:

Which is being pulled from by this code in wikipedia's page:

<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="//en.wikipedia.org/apple-touch-icon.png" />

The Netflix icon that looks like a banner is a link to Netflix.com, and it has the look I would prefer in the wikipedia icon.

Is there any way I can change the icon?

Bit of a kludge, but you could create a web page which sends you to Wikipedia and has an icon according to your taste, and bookmark that.


Prevent update prompt Is there a way without rooting to prevent galaxy nexus devices from prompting that there is an update available. We have several devices at work that we would like to keep on a particular android version for development reasons and it is somewhat of an annoyance being informed  repeatedly of the same update.

You are looking for FOTAKill.apk, it kills the Firmware Over The Air (FOTA).
"Prevents GoogleServicesFramework from downloading OTA updates"

It's a fairly standard apk used and provided with some gapps packages (google apps package, when you install a custom ROM you don't get the google apps, need to install a gapps package)..
It works for both stock and rooted ROMS

The XDA forums have more information about it and download links of the apk, it originated from the CM ROM (cyanogenmod) but works on stock as well as custom ROMs.

Source code:
https://github.com/zinx/FOTAKill

Download etc for example from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832496


Identify if a user is online in Google Hangout How can I know if a user is online or offline in Google Hangout? In the Hangout on Gmail web it shows a green line under the user's profile pic. But there no such thing in Android app.

Hangouts doesn’t use the green or grey dots that Google Talk used to identify if someone is online or offline. Instead, you can tell if a contact is online or not  if their profile picture is clear or faded. A faded profile picture means your contact is unavailable, and a clear picture means they’re online. One downside is that Hangouts doesn’t support the “invisible” status like Google Talk did


Listing all android processes from PC Is there a way to list all the running processes in an Android phone from a PC? Maybe using adb?

I remember a mode in the old Eclipse version of Android Studio, was called LogCat. Is it possible to have something similar from console ?

Logcat records info, warning and other stuff thrown by apps when necessary - it doesn't explicitly tell you what processes are running.

If the list is what you want, use the classic Linux command top. Android also have it (although not as friendly to use). Here's an example output from my own Nexus 6P:

shell@angler:/ $ top

User 0%, System 0%, IOW 0%, IRQ 0%
User 15 + Nice 1 + Sys 22 + Idle 2451 + IOW 2 + IRQ 1 + SIRQ 1 = 2493

  PID PR CPU% S  #THR     VSS     RSS PCY UID      Name
 4060  1   0% S    15 1987132K  52032K  fg system   com.quicinc.cne.CNEService
 4913  4   0% R     1   6260K   1432K  fg shell    top
 1423  1   0% S   123 3282976K 134448K  fg system   system_server
 3487  0   0% S    37 2133616K 144432K  fg u0_a19   com.android.systemui
  379  1   0% S    12 197504K  12460K  fg system   /system/bin/surfaceflinger
24196  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/u17:4
10311  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/3:4
 4139  0   0% S    34 2230348K  62884K  bg u0_a156  com.taobao.idlefish:channel
   41  4   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ksoftirqd/4
  258  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     mmcqd/0
    8  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     rcu_preempt
 4848  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/0:2
32569  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/u17:9
  447  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/215-fc38800
  383  1   0% S     1   6356K   1176K  fg root     /system/bin/msm_irqbalance
  297  3   0% D     1      0K      0K  fg root     msm-core:sampli
  245  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     cfinteractive
 4011  0   0% D     1      0K      0K  fg root     mdss_fb0
21510  2   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/2:2
   25  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     perf
   30  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/1:1H
   31  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     smd_channel_clo
   32  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     smsm_cb_wq
   34  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     deferwq
   35  0   0% D     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/u17:0
   36  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     rpm-smd
   38  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/48-cpr
   39  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/51-cpr
   40  4   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     migration/4
   43  4   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/4:0H
   44  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     mpm
   46  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     writeback
   47  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     bioset
   48  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     crypto
   49  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kblockd
   50  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     khubd
   51  4   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     system
   52  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipa_power_mgmt
   53  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     sps_ipa_power_m
   54  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipawq14
   55  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     iparepwq14
   56  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipawq43
   57  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     iparepwq43
   58  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipawq13
   59  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     iparepwq13
   60  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipa_power_mgmt
   61  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipa_rm_wq
   62  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ipa_interrupt_w
   64  4   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kworker/4:1H
   66  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   67  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   68  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   69  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   70  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   71  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   72  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   73  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   74  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   75  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   76  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   77  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   78  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/261-msm_iom
   79  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/263-msm_iom
   80  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/102-msm_iom
   81  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/102-msm_iom
   82  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/102-msm_iom
   83  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/102-msm_iom
   84  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/74-msm_iomm
   85  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/75-msm_iomm
   86  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/75-msm_iomm
   87  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/75-msm_iomm
   88  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/75-msm_iomm
   89  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/273-msm_iom
   90  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/273-msm_iom
   91  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/272-msm_iom
   92  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/97-msm_iomm
   93  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/97-msm_iomm
   94  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/97-msm_iomm
   95  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/350-msm_iom
   96  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/350-msm_iom
   97  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/350-msm_iom
   98  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/298-msm_iom
   99  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/298-msm_iom
  100  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/298-msm_iom
  101  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/79-msm_iomm
  102  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/78-msm_iomm
  103  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/78-msm_iomm
  104  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     devfreq_wq
  105  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     cfg80211
  106  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/15-bcl_vbat
  107  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/460-bcl_iba
  108  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     rpciod
  131  7   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kswapd0
  132  2   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ksmd
  133  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     fsnotify_mark
  134  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     nfsiod
  154  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     ad_calc_wq
  155  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     rot_commit_work
  156  0   0% D     1      0K      0K  fg root     mdss_dsi_event
  157  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     apr_driver
  158  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     pil_vote_wq
  159  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     shm_svc
  160  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     qmi_hndl0000000
  161  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     msm_ipc_router
  162  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     k_hsuart
  163  2   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     msm_serial_hs_0
  164  2   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     msm_serial_hs_0
  165  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     hwrng
  166  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_real_time_
  167  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_modem_data
  168  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_lpass_data
  169  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_wcnss_data
  170  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_sensors_da
  171  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_wq
  172  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     DIAG_USB_diag
  173  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_cntl_wq
  174  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     diag_dci_wq
  175  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kgsl-3d0
  176  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kgsl-events
  177  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     governor_msm_ad
  178  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     kgsl_devfreq_wq
  199  3   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     spi5
  200  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     usbnet
  201  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     sharedmem_qmi_w
  202  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     qmi_hndl0000000
  204  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/212-msm_dwc
  205  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     k_gserial
  206  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     uether
  208  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     dsx_rebuild_wor
  209  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     dsx_exp_workque
  210  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     s2wiwq
  211  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     dt2wiwq
  212  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/502-fpc1020
  215  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     fwu_workqueue
  216  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     msm_cpp_workque
  218  2   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/495-batt-mi
  219  0   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     irq/504-synapti
  220  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     therm_core:noti
  221  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     therm_core:noti
  222  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     therm_core:noti
  223  1   0% S     1      0K      0K  fg root     therm_core:noti
......

It clearly lists everything possible (the list scrolls for more than 3 pages).


Is there a way to cache YouTube videos after playing them? I have an HTC Desire, and the default YouTube app does not cache the video after it plays the first time. The second time you play, it downloads the same video a second time, but I would like to cache the video on the memory card.

Is there any way to do this with the default YouTube app? If not, is there a third-party app that can do something like this?

Google's YouTube app has an option to preload videos that are either in a channel you are subscribed to or that are in your "watch later" list. I haven't tested this but I think it will keep a video that you have preloaded cached for a while after you watched it for the first time.


Getting OTA update once phone is rooted My nexus 4 is rooted with a team win recovery.

In the past week I've been asked three times to update to lollipop, downloaded the update but all three times the phone rebooted and the custom teammwin recovery failed to install the update...

I'm afraid having rooted my nexus makes it ineligible to official updates. Could you confirm it?

Do I need to come back to stock rom & recovery, then install OTA update and root it again (seems like a long process and possible memory wipe?)

Thanks for your answers!

You can also just reinstall the official recovery image by downloading the same factory image as currently running and extracting the recovery.img that's contained within.

Then you could reinstall the official recovery image by booting into fastboot mode and doing an:

    fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

This should give you back a working OTA mechanism. However note that you need to re-root after the update because this will undo the rooting procedure.


How to edit custom spelling dictionaries? Is it possible to extract the custom user spelling dictionaries from a rooted Android 4.0 phone? The built-in dictionary really sucks for languages other than English and I'd like to complement it with a few thousand more words.

User Dictionary Manager might be what you are looking for.

From the description:

  UDM is an application that allows you to
  edit/export/import/delete/clean the user dictionary words found on
  your Android phone.


Android 7, Firefox OS and Tizen in MultiROM Manager on Nexus 5 Here is my question about problem with Plasma Mobile. As you can see I have updated Nexus 5 and prepared MultiROM setup without problem.
Until now I found and do:

Android 6.01 (Internal - updated in Android settings)
Firefox OS v0.4 (20140603) installed from this thread
Salfish OS installed from this wiki
[IN PROGRESS] Plasma Mobile install (problem in separate question)

I see in Salfish settings that there are no updates.
I know that Google will not reloase Android 7 for Nexus 5.
I know that Firefox OS had last update in last year (2.6.0)

With all this in mind I have the following questions:

Is it possible to install Andorid 7 as an external ROM in MultiROM OS (from zip file)?
Is there any updates for Firefox OS image for Nexus 5 (zip file)?Note: I have a problem with Firefox OS. I can't load any web page and Firefox Marketplace, but I think it's because of not updated certificates list.
Is there any Tizen image (zip file) for Nexus 5?Note: Of course I searched before asking, but found only install tutorial for Nexus 7.

Can you link to (newer) images (zip files for MultiROM) and/or tutorials with them?

Update:
I do some search (XDA-Developers forums):

I think Tizen work only Samsung devices, but I'm not sure if build it is possible on other phones.
I found FirefoxOS from June 2016 and have too old certyficates problem. I can access sites with http protocol without problem (unless them allows to https). In new wersion (pre-release 2.6.0) I don't have Firefox Marketplace (no icon in launcher - maybe it's hidden somewhere ...) and can't change language in settings (empty list).
I found Android 7, but it's problematic with MultiROM setup.

Android 7 won't get a official rom from google u need to get a ported version or instal Cyanogenmod. FireOS is discontinued by mozilla. and tizel is samsung only. You can try Pac-Man rom.


Can I use LOS on Samsung S4 Mini GT-I9195I? I have successfully installed Lineage OS on Samsung S4 Mini GT-I9195, but now I got a GT-I9195I which should be a more advanced model with better CPU. I can't find any reliable informations, if this model is also suitable for Lineage.

serranoveltexx (GT-i9195i, 4G single-SIM, SD410; the "ve" stands for "value edition") is not a part of the official LOS build roster, and likely won't be due to the lower popularity.

There are unofficial builds available at XDA-Developers: 14.1, 15.0. Note that you need the packages for your specific variant (marks "ve").


Android Device Manager Ringing Wrong Device I have both a Samsung S5 phone and a Samsung Galaxy tablet. When I log into Android Device Manager both these devices are listed however when I try to ring my phone it rings the tablet. If I ring the tablet, it also rings the tablet. The phone is about a month old and this is the first time I have played around with the Android Device Manager so I don't know if it ever worked properly or not. I also don't know if the location is tracking my phone or the tablet because they are both in my house. Any idea how to fix this?

I solved this problem by removing the device from Device Manager, restarting, then adding it back. Now each device rings appropriately. Hope this helps someone in the future.


Play sound from two apps simultaneously Is there a way to play sound from any two apps (or more) simultaneously on Android? For example I have Audible reading a book. I'd like to play sound from a relaxation app at the same time. Or from my music collection.

i have the similar situation on my note9 running android 10 kernel version 4.9.118*
and using OneUI 2.5.  I noticed that my phone was doing this when I was listening to spotify and then i launched another music app expecting the spotify to stop but both keep playing music.  It seems any music or audio app can multiplay with other music/audio app simultaneously.


How can you remove homescreens on the Nexus 7 (2013) I have a Nexus 7 (2013) which comes with five homescreens, however I want to remove most of these but I'm unable to find an option to do so.

Most of the sites I've looked on so far suggest simply tapping and holding on the homescreen, but this prompts me to change my wallpaper.

How can you remove homescreens on the Nexus 7 (2013)?

Are you sure you have the google-experience launcher? The one that comeswith the Nexus 5 and has integrated Google Now on the leftmost screen? It does not come with the Nexus 7 update, it is Nexus 5 exclusive. You CAN sideload it, but since you mention "Five Homescreens" you don't have it. You have the stock launcher.

If you are using the Nexus 7 'stock' launcher you cannot remove or add homescreens. You could install Nova Launcher or another third party launcher. You can easily add and remove screens on these, through pinch out and drag screen to the 'trash can' or 'X' icon.

Specific to G.E.L:

You simply remove all the shortcuts from the rightmost screen and it will automatically remove the screen itself. The reverse is true also, drag an icon out of the app drawer over the edge of the rightmost screen and a new one will be created.

Side Loading GEL:

Phandroid 'How to' With links to the apk files

You can easily sideload GEL and you will only have one homescreen by default, and integrated Google Now. This should work on any Android 4.0+ Device. I have tested on 4.2.2 and 4.3 and 4.4 on Galaxy S4, Nexus 4 and HTC One.


What smartphone and/or app support voice dialing on speakerphone like Moto X 2nd Gen? My last phone was the Moto X 2nd Gen.  The entire reason I bought the phone was to use its voice command features so I can call for help with my voice.  I'm in a wheelchair, and I refuse to pay for a life line if a smartphone has this capability.

The way the Moto X 2 worked was that you trained a voice command code phrase (with your voice) into the smartphone to unlock the phone.  When utilizing the phone's voice dialing feature, you'd say that code phrase (with your voice) to unlock the phone (or bring it out of sleep mode), and then say "Call {contact}" where {contact} would be the name of an Google Android contact.  The voice command result(s) get verbally read back to you.  If there are multiple, you have to repeat the correct contact.  It would then dial the primary phone number of that contact while also enabling speaker phone.

I tried the Google Assistant and Google Now and I'm unable to find a way to set things up with all of those features.  Google Now can call someone if you say "Google Now.  Call {contact} on speakerphone.", but you need to wake up your phone from sleep mode before "Google Now" will activate.  I've even tried Open Mic for Google Now, but it doesn't solve anything.

If anyone knows how I can get the features of the Moto X 2 on any other smartphone that has Android installed, or knows of an app with these features, with the use of speakerphone, please let me know.  I also would like to buy a phone with high quality microphone and audio hardware.

Looks like the Moto Z has the Moto Voice feature, and the Nexus 5, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P can be taken out of sleep mode using Google Now.  Other phones using Google Now cannot be taken out of sleep mode.  You must first touch the screen.  So Google Now is useless as a life line if you cannot physically reach your phone in an emergency and must rely on your voice.

Sleep mode and lock mode are different modes/statuses.  Sleep mode is what happens when your screen goes black while the phone is not being used.  Lock mode is when the phone is ready for authentication (keypad, face, voice, code, etc..), but have taken the phone out of sleep mode by pressing a button.  Some forums say you must first unlock the phone.  This is untrue.  I was able to get Google Now to work with the Samsung Galaxy S7 when the phone was NOT sleeping, but was still locked.  But since Google owns the rights to the Nexus brand, they obviously allow their Google Now to work ALL THE TIME, including when in sleep mode.  That's how they keep the edge.  And that's why I'm buying a Nexus 6P now.

Google Pixel phone (new Google phone) might do the same thing, but I haven't looked into it yet.  That phone is a bit more expensive.

It's possible that Google signed some contract with Motorola that allows them to share the patent.  Or maybe Google pays them to use it with their phones.  Because Motorola makes the Nexus 6.


Parallel Space game progress file location I've been using parallel space on my Android device for a while now but it's been having an issue with logging in to the Google Play services and thus backing up my game progress becomes hectic. I'd like to know where the progress files are stored in my file manager so that I can cut and paste it manually. Thanks in advance.

If you don't have rooted phone, you can not do it. Problem is in PS, in most cases you need to change settings of PS. So tap on three dots in right upper corner, go to Speed Mode and turn it off.
Speed Mode can reduce battery consumption and speed the PS, but it also disaable Google Play services to achive that.


lost all photo in mobile in samsung galaxy core 2 I have a phone name Samsung galaxy core2, my problem is my all photo is save in SD card but it is not showing in the gallery I have even try to remove the SD
card n restart it but then also it is not showing any photo n then I again insert SD card n restart it this process I have done near by 5 time but then also photo is not showing in gallery, please try to help in collecting my all important photos.

Thank you
angle.

First of all check your pictures in file manager. If they are deleted from there too than there is a app which can recover deleted pics or you can recover your pics through computer. Here are both methods.

Through App

Root your Device
Download these app  "Undelete recover files and data"
Allow root access and recover your photos.

Through PC

Download Recuva
Use a memory card reader or connect your Smartphone to PC
Open Recuva and choose your SD card
It will show you all things which can be recoverd.


Bypassing VPN restriction in another app I want to know if its possible to trick this app "Diitalk" into either thinking I am in US or blocking it from knowing that my VPN is working cuz if I dont have a US based IP, it wont let me use the US based number.

(Click on image to enlarge)
Can this be done on the android device itself without having to use a VPN router or any other device?

(Click on image to enlarge)

VPN detection is usually done on server side.

Diitalk simply has to check your IP and compare it to a list of IP ranges by common VPN providers. If the IP is in the IP range of a known VPN provider it blocks you. This is known as blacklisting.

Therefore the highest change to bypass such a VPN check is to use a custom server and install your own VPN on it. If the server's IP is not in a range used frequently for VPN your VPN may stay undetected.

However the service you are trying to use may use a different VPN detection technique, like whitelisting. The IP ranges from US telecomunication providers are known and one can simply check if the IP is within a range or not. In such a case any VPN provider or self-installed VPN will fail.


Can I use MIUI's auto SMS + MMS backup + restore thing on another custom ICS rom? MIUI's built in SMS + MMS backup works quite well. However, I want to try out new custom ROMs. Is it possible to add integration of that MIUI service onto another ICS rom?

Answer: No you can't.

Reason: You can't install the MIUI Backup App on another rom, because it's a signed system APK.

Solution: Use a backup solution which is available for all roms. If you just want to backup and restore SMS, then use the free https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.riteshsahu.SMSBackupRestore

Source: I'm a MIUI Beta tester and former moderator on the original forum en.miui.com


Android Samsung TAB e auto turn on Hotspot? Is there a way to automatically turn on the hotspot when my samsung tab e starts up?

You can use Tasker (7 day trial available) to accomplish this or Macrodroid (free up to 5 macros)

Objective: Auto switch-on  mobile hotspot after boot

Profile (or Trigger)

Create a Profile which allows triggering of the Task after boot:

Go to Profiles Tab and click  "+"
Event  → System  → Device Boot
Tap back to exit from this window

Task

You will notice as soon as you exit, you will be prompted to link this Profile to a Task;

Scroll all the way up the Task list select "New Task + "
You can name this Task AutoTethering or anything.
Click "+" to add new Action
Net  → WiFi Tether (Set On)
Press back the way all back until you exit Tasker (your profile is now saved and is ready for execution)

Extras: Give Tasker more priority (allow auto-start for Tasker, exclude from battery optimisations, task killers etc)

Explanation: Soon after boot, the first action  turns on Wi-Fi tethering (note:  Tasker already has a built in WiFi Tether variable which is capable of handling tethering state)

This should work. (tested)


Whatsapp: traveling with a pay-as-you-go SIM card If I replace the SIM card in my Verizon Galaxy s4 with a pre-paid pay-as-you-go UK SIM card, then my phone will have a new UK number.

If I now want to use Whatsapp, do I have to migrate Whatsapp to the UK phone number and back again upon return?

Do I then have to tell my contacts what my UK phone number is?  (by email or voice phone call, I suppose).    Can I simply send them a Whatsapp text from the new number, and their Whatsapp will accept it?

What's commonly done when traveling?  Use Verizon's Global plan, and pay their rates?

Switch the SIM, answer no when whatsapp asks you to switch numbers.

REF: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/122021

If you switch SIM AFTER installing WhatsApp, you are good to go with the old number. The servers "save" your activation phone number during that initial SMS.

I tested it on my own phone (it's a Gingerbread p1000n - All hail the venerable P1000) with a borrowed SIM card, the app just kept sending messages with my old phone number. WhatsApp did not ask to switch numbers. There is a "change number" setting.

If you reinstall the app while switching SIM, then you have to restart and get a new number.

About what is usually done when travelling, I can say from the World Cup visitors we received, several just bought a new temporary SIM card after arriving here in Brazil. The local phone companies even set up special and attractive prepaid plans for the football fans.

YMMV anyway, and you should check your home carrier overseas fees and the local fares. Usually you can get a better deal buying a trowaway SIM. Here in Brazil we even do it when traveling to another state.

If you want to keep your number and still enjoy the reduced local mobile internet fees, you can try and get any old android device that can do tethering (or buy a unlocked mobile hotspot), and then insert the other SIM into that device, then tether the internet to your main phone using the old phone as a mobile hotspot. Just turn off data and use wi-fi.

On Verizon's Global (not really global) plan, I urge you to read what Peter Shankman wrote of his personal experiences with that. My advice, is: DON'T. Or if you do, monitor closely your fees.


Samsung Andriod Mobile does not detect 5GHz Wifi from Verizon Router I have Verizon Fios Router that has following network

Fios-95QSI-5G
Fios-95QSI

My laptop detects and connect to 5GHz Wifi, but not my Android Samsung. How do I fix this?
Below are the specifics

Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime (SM-J327T1)
Android Version 7

I am sorry to tell you..
Your phone is not 5g.
Your phone was created in 2017 before there were any 5g carriers or even 5g phones.
Network technology for this phone is limited to 2G, 3G, and 4G but don't fret! this is still a really nice phone and supports wifi!
Why don't you just use Wifi?  It's fast.. faster on most ways.. slower in a few others.


How can I block a service without uninstalling the app? There was a similar question (How can I prevent services from running in the background? ) but it has been marked answered without an answer to the OP. And so, I'm asking a narrower question because I really want to block quite a few services I don't want to run. So, I have an app and need it, but to my surprise it keeps a service running, and no option to control it. I use the app say twice a month and don't want cpu and memory locked all the time. E.g. Rocket Player or 3D Live Weather or Maps.

There is an app called Greenify in Play Store. What it does is stopping the selected apps when the screen is locked. Will be very helpful in your case.
Note:  Rooting is not required.


Refresh POP Accounts In my Gmail account, I use "Refresh POP accounts" by Emmanuel P to add a simple button at the top of my email list to quickly refresh all the POP email accounts I have attached to my Gmail account.
I cannot, for the life of me, find a method to do this on my LG Optimus. Is something like this available for Android?
Update
I use the official Google Gmail app. Gmail automatically checks pop accounts, but does not check the accounts on a regular schedule. The POP accounts can be checked manually via "Refresh POP accounts" Labs plugin in desktop browswers. However, this is not available in the Gmail app or in mobile browsers.

You could give POP3 Refresh for Gmail app a try. It sounds like it does what you are looking for.


K9-Mail does not detect PGP encrypted mail automatically I have a bit of a problem with PGP and K9-Mail on my Galaxy S3.
I'm using the GPG Mail plugin on my computer (Mac OS X 10.8) and can read and write mails just perfectly.

Today I decided to setup PGP on my phone. It's rooted and runs the ParandoidAndroid 3.55 custom mod. I did the setup as shown in this guide: http://cariadus.com/blog/2010/07/how-to-set-up-your-android-phone-to-enable-sending-pgp-signed-emails-to-nominets-automaton/
and everything went fine.

I can encrypt and decrypt mails sent from my phone (to myself). BUT, here is the problem. As soon as I send myself (or got a mail from a friend) that wasn't sent via K9-Mail and Android it doesn't recognize the signature. FOllowing screenshot will explain:

It shows me the attachments but the usual "Decrypt" button that I get from mails sent from my phone itself doesn't show up. I update my public key + the public key from the friend that sent me a mail from the keyserver and have both of them stored in APG.

Well, I hope you understand my problem now and have advice on what I can do to fix this :P Thanks!

I have the same problem when sending encrypted mails from my Apple Mail client with GPGMail2 plug-in.

Apparently K9-Mail supports only PGP/Inline and not PGP/MIME which seems to be the standard formatting PGP-Emails today.

If you like to test it on your own, configure GPGMail to use inline mode through your Terminal:

defaults write org.gpgtools.gpgmail UseOpenPGPInlineToSend -bool YES

Reference.

There is an open feature request to address this issue. Hopefully, the K9 developers will fix this soon. So, consider starring this issue.


Is there a way to listen to the last call made on a Nexus? Is there a way to listen to the last, or one of the last phone calls made on an Android Nexus without the help of an App?

Situation: My dead man made his final call to his contact who lived next door, but that guy doesn't remember much of the conversation.

I'm afraid there isn't as calls aren't recorded by default or even stored temporarily.

Sorry this didn't add any more information than Izzy offered in the comment just thought it should be put as the answer. If you're in a similar situation in the future or need to record a call there are plenty of apps available that will let you do that.


how to exit developer mode on android 4.0 ice cream sandwich I have a Sony-Ericsson Xperia Arc S with android 4.0,
the dev mode was activated by mistake by a non tech person.
( so now every touch/drag draws a line, and on the top it shows x,y coordinates )

I can't find how to disable it

To Disable Developer mode goto settings-> developer{ } then there is a slider on  top of Developer options which you can on/off.


Samsung GS3 (SPH-i710) exchange server repeated security update notification I just connected my Samsung Galaxy S 3 (SPH-i710) to my exchange email server at work. It synced up and my email and calendars show on my device, however every few minutes I get a notification that says "Update Security Settings" when I click on it, it shows an alert dialog that says "Security Update Required" "Update Security Settings to use ". Clicking OK will allow my email box to refresh. However if I ignore the notification it won't receive push updates.

Does anybody know what the cause of this may be?

Exchange is trying to apply your organization's default ActiveSync policy to your device.  More than likely, the refresh interval setting on the ActiveSync policy has a number set in hours.  Unchecking this box may resolve the issue.

We're having this issue with a couple of our Android devices after publishing a new ActiveSync policy.

Here is Microsoft's official response on the issue.


ADB authorization prompt missing in Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D5803) I just bought a Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D5803) and I'm trying to root it. I'm following this link for instructions, but I got stuck at the "Rooting with exploit" step as I can't authorize the connection.

I've already tried:

Restarting the ADB server
Rebooting the device
Rebooting my PC
Changing from MTP to MSC and back
Disabling and then enabling USB debugging
Disabling and then enabling 'Developer options'
Using various ADB drivers
Using different ADB binaries
Deleting my .Android folder
Deleting ADB copies in other tools' folders
Plugging the device in another port
Any combination of the above that I can think of

I can't find any other possible solution to this issue on Google. I'm hoping you guys will be able to enlighten me and finally be able to solve this.

PS: Something tells me that my PC is the problem here, as I was never able to do this with my old SGS3 either, but I ran out of ideas about what could be causing it anyway.

This helped me, before step 13 "Enable USB debugging on the phone (Settings => About phone => Click 7 times on Android Build to unlock developer options)" make sure you have enabled MTP over USB on the phone. Sometimes it helps to revoke the approved debug devices as well.


Why my device is giving the error "Kernel Panic Upload Mode"? I have a Samsung Galaxy P5100 Tab 2 10.1 running Android 4.2.2. I have been using it for around
two years and I have been getting the error "Kernel Panic Upload Mode" twice, almost every year, and when I update the software using ODIN it disappears completely. But now it keeps appearing once a day.

I tried everything here to no avail:

update the software
hard format
delete cache
unplug the battery jack for 10 seconds

Strange but easy please belive.  FIrst way remove battery press button off 1 minute then put battery and try. 2 way remove battery and all screws!!!! then put battery and try if it work fine maybe something broke inside my phone have the same problem now is working fine but no screws!!!!! strange but please try i bet it work .


Android news app that fetches by topic I had a great news and weather app on my HTC Incredible that gave me top news articles and also let me fetch news by specific topic, for example "ebola" or "nanotechnology." Is there a way to accomplish this the Motorola Droid Razr M?

Keyword News seems to do exactly what you want, although it looks like a fairly basic model of this design. You could also use Google Reader which has a keyword entry on the left side of their page, that also has their very own app.


How can I not use the Facebook for HTC Sense on my HTC Incredible? I'm trying to add my Facebook account instead of using Facebook for HTC Sense. However, when I go to Accounts & sync > Add account > Facebook, nothing happens. If I tap any other account, I get prompted for login information (or, if I'm already logged in, the ability to change settings or add a second account). I really dislike the Facebook for HTC Sense, so there's got to be a way to add my Facebook account without using Facebook for HTC Sense.

You could download the actual Facebook for Android app from the Marketplace. This would mean that you use the actual Facebook app rather than Facebook for HTC Sense. Not sure if there is any difference between the two, but I know I have both installed on my Desire and use the actual Facebook for Android app.


Android external keyboard layout switch I have and Android tablet and using external keyboard with it.

Is there any shortcut or another quick way to change keyboard layout on the fly (like on desktop, e.g. Alt+Shift)?

Try Shift + Space Bar
It works with Samsung TabS on Logitech Keyboard


How to change screen orientation of my samsung froyo device Any one knows how to change device orientation, from portrait to landscape. I'm new here, thanks in advanced for any help! :)

Normally you just tilt the device.  On my Samsung Galaxy S, you should also have rotation enabled (pull down the notification bar, it's the far right icon).


How to exclude a program from being presented as program to update I have an Archos 101 tablet which has Google maps installed.

I cannot uninstall Google maps but since I don't need it on my tablet I don't update it.

However, it is constantly being presented in the list of apps with 'new update available.

Can I somehow exclude this app ?

I have not rooted my device and are running Android 2.2

The only way I see around this is to uninstall Google Maps and the only way to remove built in apps is to be rooted and either use a 3rd part app or use ADB and uninstall the app yourself. There's no way of "excluding" an app from updates unless you simply uninstall it.


alt tab taken over and trying to get it back I am running a Galaxy Tab A with Android 6.0.1, but it differs from my cell phone in one regard.

On my cell phone I can press-and-hold the "Home" button center bottom, and get a list of open applications, and can then select one.

On my Tab A, I get Google.

I want to get Google out of the Alt-tab feature WITHOUT removing Google itself from my tablet (as I have Gmail etc.).  How do I do this?

The feature you describe is the "recently used apps". Most recent devices have a separate key assigned to that, looking like two intertwined rectangles:

Seeing some screenshots of the Galaxy Tab A (and finally approved by you), this button is located to the left of the "Home button" on your device.


How clean master measure device temperature Clean master app latest version added the feature device cooler when CPU is overheating.

I want to know that how this app measure the temperature of device if there is no hardware support (sensor) is present in device? They are giving real time device temperature...

I want to know that how they measure this real time temperature of the device?

if there is no hardware support (sensor) is present in device

That's your mistaken assumption. Even dumbphones contain digital thermometers, to allow them to protect themselves against overheating when charging. Most smartphones will contain more than one temperature sensor: one in the battery, to detect if the battery is overheating, and one attached to the SoC, too see how warm it is getting under load. The SoC temperature is needed for the phone to be able to power-manage correctly, and to underclock the CPU and GPU if they're getting too hot.


How to reset Nexus One to Android 2.2.1 or 2.3? Possible Duplicate:
  Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

I have a Nexus One (with the radios for the AT&T network) which has an old beta version of 2.2 on it. It doesn't receive over the air updates, and I'd like to get it running something more recent.

Where can I find a download for Android 2.2.1 or 2.3? There's a link to an updater on Google's site that's given by numerous blogs but it's always broken. It's kind of bizarre to me that this phone is stuck in an OS limbo since it won't receive updates and there's no place to download the latest.

You might have more luck installing a third party ROM as it's not always easy to get the original AOSP (Android Open Source Project) running on your device. Having the Nexus One is good for you since it'll be one of the first phones to actually get ROMs.

If you want 2.3, google for the "Oxygen ROM".

Otherwise, I think there's an original Nexus One ROM right on XDA Developers.

I also found another board topic that has several Nexus One Stock ROMs and you can even customize and "bake" them yourself.


Is there a media center extender app for Android? Is there an app that will work as a Windows or Linux media center extender?

HomePipe is one such service.

Subsonic is an open source server / web based solution.

A free alternative solution is ampcache / amdroid


ADB pull error: remote object '/dev/block/mmcblk0p24' not a file or directory I'm trying to pull the partition /dev/block/mmcblk0 directly to my Windows PC, following the instructions from: How to pull mmcblk0 to a windows pc? while the phone is in TWRP, using the command:

adb pull /dev/block/mmcblk0 mmcblk0.img

But it keeps returning the error:

remote object '/dev/block/mmcblk0' not a file or directory

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Additional information:
The reason that I want to do this is because I want to restore deleted files from a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini (GT-I9195), so I need the entire partition.

adb pull is for files.  /dev/block/mmcblk0 is a block device.  user1133275's answer to that question doesn't work; try the other one, i.e. run adb shell and then:

$ su
# dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/something.bin

Then you can run adb pull /sdcard/something.bin.


What ROM will turn my Verizon HTC One M8 into the same thing as the unlocked dev version? I have an HTC One (M8) from Verizon, but I don't live in the US.  I'd like to find a ROM that will make my phone have the same settings as the unlocked Dev Version that you can buy directly from HTC.

I tried searching the XDA forums, but I do not understand most of the features described by the various roms, and they all seem to use code names and jargon.  Which ROM will just give me a simple clean install as if I had bought the unlocked dev version?

This looks like what you want. Basically, any ROM that says it's a "GPe" rom or a "Google Play edition" rom will be what you're after. To get the Google Apps you'll need to flash a GApps package such as the ParanoidAndroid ones - you can just choose the "stock" package. Flash those after flashing the ROM and you'll have a pre-rooted, dev version ROM.


How to find out if my mobile data is working or defective? I installed CyanogenMod 7.2 stable on my Samsung Galaxy Ace before, but it seems mobile data wasn't working. I decided to download the latest nightly build (2013-03-01) but still the mobile data doesn't work.

What are some ways to troubleshoot/test if my mobile data is working? Note: it was working before on stock ROM.

I found the problem: Roaming was active. That's why mobile data wasn't working.

Simply disabling roaming fixed the issue.


The video file cannot be played I have new android tablet (Archos 7) and lot of video files are not playable. The program ends with message "The video file cannot be played". The file type is avi, which is normally playble (I played many other videos). The videos which are not playble in tablet, are playble on my laptop (with Ubuntu). Is it possible to make the videos playble on tablet?

E.g. to convert them with ffmpeg to another form which will be playble, or is there some repair mechanism in Android?

I tried another player Act 1 Video Player, but that didn't help.

thank you for help

You can find a video player that uses ffmpeg itself to play on Android. Examples were given in answers to this question: State of VLC for Android / Media Player that plays AVI files


"Internet not available" error while trying to connect to wifi I have a samsung galaxy chat B5330 device.

Whenever I try to connect it to wifi, I get various errors as follows,

Using DHCP :- Here it shows a "obtaining IP address" message but never connects.
Using Static IP :- It connects to wifi but then shows a "internet not available" error. I'm sure that internet is available as many others use it successfully using other android devices/laptops etc.

EDIT:
I found out that not all are able to use the wifi. Some do not get connected(stuck in "obtaining ip address"), some get the "internet not available" error, some connect and get internet but at very slow speeds(10 KBps download speed) while some lucky dudes get blazing speed(10MBps download speed)

Could this occur due to to many signals at same place? At any given place in campus, we get at least 2 strong and 1/2 weak wifi signals, not to mention some secured portable wifi hotspots from androids.

How do I solve this error.

Note that I don't own the router/wifi, it's open(No security, accessible by any student.)

Seems DHCP is not enabled on WIFI router, you may need to ask others to obtain DNS
address, to connect to internet, DNS info is required as well


Samsung Galaxy S4 S Planner events have different timezones Device: Samsung Galaxy S4

In the S Planner, the events have two time zones in their Detail view; e.g. GMT+3 and UTC.

I would only like to see only my local time zone. Is there a setting for that? Couldn't find anything on the web. The time zones are set to manual both in the phone and in the app.

The Lock time zone setting in the S Planner says:

  Lock event times and dates to your selected time zone below. Times and
  dates will not change even if you move to another time zone.

This means that the event retains the same timezone it was originally created with. However, the display will be adjusted according to the locked timezone.

e.g. If you were originally in GMT+3, and you created an event using GMT+3 at 10:00, and then locked the timezone at GMT+4, then you will see that the time has changed to GMT+4 11:00 to reflect the selected timezone. Internally, this is still GMT+3 10:00.

New events that you create will be based on the locked timezone.


Get N on screen when trying to access developer options Cannot access Developer Options on Asus Zenphone 3 (Android 7.1.1):

Settings
About
Tap 6 times on Android Version

All I get is an 'N' on the screen:

You are hitting the wrong area to get developers options. Within setting/about phone/software/build number you need to hit Build number 7 times to enable the developers options. Hitting Android Version multiple times enables a google cookie for the android version.


About disabling application in ics 4.0.4 I don't know about this feature but does disabling application can help to reduce my devices RAM usage?

While basically agreeing with Dan, it depends on the app you disable. Some of the pre-installed bloatware runs services in the background, which are quite unlikely to be killed by the OOM (Out Of Memory) "manager". So disabling such an app, other apps can benefit from it: Memory no longer consumed by the disabled app is available to other processes, and their likelyness to be killed due to "memory shortness" is reduced.

Whether you really feel a difference is depending on how much RAM your device is equipped with: on devices with a small amount of memory it "counts more", with 2 GB and more RAM to command you might not notice (except for the battery effect Dan already described).


Download progress notification and Google Play Store showing different progress percentage As the title says, I've noticed that the download progress in the notification bar and the progress in the Play Store shows different progresses. Screenshot:

My question is why does this happen? Is this a bug?

Also, when the download progress in the notification bar reaches 100%, the progress in the Play Store jumps to 100% and the app I'm updating gets updated.

I'm quite sure that this is based on the fact that updates aren't loaded fully but in parts. The notification bar then shows the progress only for what is really being downloaded, the Play Store itself shows the progress for the entire app.


Console logs disappear quickly When I debug any app (native or hybrid), the console device logs they appear in the logcat but after 2+ min they automatically cleared out by Eclipse - though my device does not go in sleep mode.

It becomes difficult for me to check the logs and every time I have to first copy the logs to a text editor and then checking the logs.

Is there any settings required in eclipse or device?

The reason it's cleared because the log has exceeded the maximum limit of displayed messages on LogCat. You can change the limit by following the answer on Stack Overflow:

The LogCat messages were simple getting cleared because the buffer had run out of space (receiving too many new messages), which is a simple setting change in Eclipse.
To fix, go to Window > Preferences > Android > LogCat
and increase the limit for "Maximum number of LogCat messages to buffer". Set it to 0 for unlimited size, or a really big number. But keep in mind, anything below 10000 fills up real fast.


I mistakingly cancelled my android software system update I can get it back again and what are the procedures I mistakingly cancelledy android system update
Please can any one teach me the procedure of updat my android system software ?

There is no select option from the main men

  about
  phone
  network
  batery etc.

Yes you can get it back by going to . Settings >> About phone >> System Update. There you will see updates of your phone that are available. You can start the updates of your system from there and it work back again.


Reconfiguring volume up and down buttons? A few days ago, I came to know about apps such as Tasker and Locale. Today, I have purchased the Tasker app from Google Play. I have spent around more than an hour, going around and exploring the app.

I didn't find any option that would reconfigure/reprogram the volume up and down buttons (whereas camera button can be). Instead of having various different gestures and shakes to trigger/change/alter/start something, it would be lot more easier to just press the volume up and down buttons (or may be even different binary combinations of these two buttons).

Is it possible to reconfigure these buttons on automation app such as Tasker and Locale?

For Android 4.3 and above, I would recommend using Auto-Input by joaomgcd.

  It allows you to
  create a series of input actions, including physical button presses
  and various taps and swipes, to emulate some sort of macro sequence
  that can be executed inside any app of your choosing. And if you
  happen to be rooted, AutoInput has a Root feature that can literally
  simulate any input on your phone. "Android Police"

So in essence you can use the Volume up and Down buttons to do anything you want and to also make them do different things within different apps.

Here are some links to help you get going:

AutoInput

Autoinput App Projects

Examples of Use of Volume Buttons:

Double Click Volume Up in Chrome To Share Page -
Learn how to react to the volume keys so that you can share your currently opened web page in Chrome

Volumecomboskip - Tasker Profile that Incorporates The Volume up and Down Button To skip songs


Change screen lock from password to pin I have a Samsung Note 4 and I set the screen lock to use a password.  Now I want to change it from password to another option, but it is not possible.  Please advise me on how to remove the screen lock password.

You enter settings>security>screen security> and select how you want to unlock. You then will have to provide the password, maybe twice. Once the password is entered, choose another lock method.

If you forgot your password, then that is another question.


How to sync facebook contacts after Ubersync deprecated As of May 2015, Ubersync no longer works due to a change Facebook made. How can I keep my Android contacts book synced with my Facebook contacts now? I imagine other apps have suffered a similar fate.

If you add Facebook IDs to the note field of your contacts (or you have been using a HTC Sense device which had probably done it for you), you can try
ContactSyncDuck for Facebook.

Disclaimer: I am affiliated with this application.


What differences are there now adays from Chrome OS and the Android OS? At some point, Chrome OS had no relationship with the Android OS.

Then several years later, there was some minimal integration.

After that years later once more the Chrome OS is capable of accessing the full Android Play Store and installing Android apps.

But the Chrome OS is not the Android OS.  I can't seem to get an understanding of what the relationship is with several articles that I was trying to read up on.  Does the Chrome OS just have the Android OS installed along-side it and it calls into the Android OS for handling all Android app interactions?

That is my assumption.  It likely doesn't even use the majority of the features on the Android OS (or shouldn't need to) in order to get tasks done. Does anyone have any input that could provide me with some clarity?

Android on Chrome OS (ARC++) is just one supported container flavor sitting on top of the Chromium/Chrome OS kernel. Not all features of Android are supported, the version of Android (Nougat) that Chrome OS is running depends upon the version of Chrome OS.
See: Running Custom Containers Under Chrome OS for more details regarding containers on Chrome OS.
So while Chrome OS has a high security reputation, getting Android to run on a Chromebook means some compromises:

Don't Android apps (ARC++) run in a container and not a VM?
Unfortunately, yes, Android apps currently run only in a container. We try to isolate them quite a bit (using namespaces, seccomp, alt syscall, SELinux, etc...), but at the end of the day, they have direct access to many syscalls and kernel interfaces, so a bug in there is reachable via code compiled with Android's NDK.

Additionally while Google is trying to promote Android on Chrome OS to developers: https://developer.android.com/chrome-os/ there are still outstanding issues like getting Android on Chrome OS to see the SD card in your Chromebook which might be considered showstoppers by certain apps.


Xperia Arc S typing problem while connected to PC? I am having a problem with my Xperia Arc S, running Android v4.0.3. When I connect my phone to PC with USB cable, and trying to type anything while it's connected, my phone detects a single touch as a multiple random touches (e.g., I press "w", and it writes "wgjr4"), and when I'm trying to delete errors, it deletes one letter and again types several. It's annoying, and there's gotta to be some solution.

Can anybody tell me where is the problem, and how to fix it?

Yup even I have a Xperia NEO had I have also faced the same issue. I tried reporting it on the Sony Mobile forum but it seems it is a unresolved bug. Seems the issue is with the current supply, which makes the screen too sensitive resulting in multi-touch. Try disconnecting and try typing after sometime, seems to help in my case.


Do android apps work on a smart tv? I just got an lg smart tv and I'm wondering if I load apps that i have on my phone would it work on a smart tv?

ex. I have the game cut the rope on my phone can i just move that to the smart tv and start playing it?

First off, currently only Hisense TVs have the rights to be powered by Android.  Other TV manufacturers will start using Android in the coming years.  At least thats what the sales assistant at JB Hi-Fi told me.

Secondly, I just searched the google play store on my TV and it doesn't have Cut the Rope.

Alternatives may be screen mirroring.  Eg, some Android phones can cast the screen to the Chromecast.

It all depends on the capabilities of the devices you have.


Flashing LG G4 H815(International Version) rom onto LG G4 H812 (Bell Canada) hardware I am going on a long trip to the UK and Middle East, and want to take my LG G4 with me and use foreign service providers. I am planning on flashing the H815T (Similar to H815 International Version but supports more bands) KDZ file onto my existing LG H812 (Bell Canada) hardware, so I can have support for those frequency bands in the UK and Middle East.

According to my understanding, the H815T rom is compatible with the H812 hardware, as both the Bell Canada and International Versions have the same underlying hardware, but I would gladly appreciate if someone can confirm this. I have attached the phone details below.

Thanks and all the best!

one thought and I don't know for sure but it's ok if the ROMs say they support those freqs but does the internal antenna support those freqs as well  being that it's a T-Mobile phone


Google Glass LED won't turn on when power button pushed My Google Glass won't turn on when I press the power button. The LED doesn't even light up when pressed. I charge it and the light stays on, solid, and not pulsating, so it is charged, but it just won't turn on. The LED nor the screen do anything when I press any buttons. Any ideas as to what the problem is?

There are a few possibilities about what the problem might be, ranging from the hardware locking up to a more fundamental failure.

You might want to start by doing a hard boot. Hold the power button down for at least 15 seconds, then release it. Then press the button again to try and turn it on.

If this doesn't work, you best bet is to contact a Glass Guide to have them troubleshoot further and possibly do an exchange. See https://support.google.com/glass/answer/3079854 for contact options.


Enter fastboot commands from an Android phone I want to do the following without a PC, just directly from an Android phone using a script / Android Terminal:

  Reboot into bootloader, and then enter a few fastboot commands

Is this possible?

No, thats not possible -- as there is no UI (including terminal) available in fastboot mode.


Why does "tar -czh" produce a corrupt archive but "tar -ch | gzip" work fine? I am trying to backup a directory from a phone over adb.
When using the following command I get an archive which is corrupt:
adb exec-out "tar -czh /sdcard/DCIM" > backup.tar.gz

But with the following command the archive is correct:
adb exec-out "tar -ch /sdcard/DCIM | gzip" > backup.tar.gz

The two tar files are 48.8mB with a difference of about 200kB. The corrupt archive is smaller.
I am using adb at the Windows command line. It is necessary to receive the output as compressed data to avoid newline conversions. Both commands should provide compressed data.
My question is specifically asking why these two commands which should be identical are producing a different result.
The phone is running LineageOS 14.1 and is connected to a computer running Windows 10.

exec-out mixed up stdout and stderr
in 1st example the tar stderr message "removing leading '/' from member names" is redirected into target file
in 2nd example only tar stdout is piped to gzip
to avoid broken archive silent stderr see linked duplicate


Does full device encryption protect my data from Google and the government? Apple recently made waves within the tech community by refusing to comply with law enforcement in regards to accessing encrypted user data.  Their statement was that they do not have the technical ability to decrypt this data.

As an Android user, is there any similar possibility (preferably built in to the OS instead of third party) that I can use to achieve similar protection from even Google and my device manufacturer? I know there is the "Full Device Encryption" in my settings, but does this prevent Google etc. from accessing it?

For reference, my device runs Android Lollipop and is a OnePlus Two. If other versions like Marshmallow would allow me to do this that's fine.

Google has no idea what the encryption key for your device is. The entire process takes place on your device and the key is never transmitted anywhere. The key itself is also not stored in plaintext on your device:

Storing the encrypted key
The encrypted key is stored in the crypto
metadata. Hardware backing is implemented by using Trusted Execution
Environment’s (TEE) signing capability. Previously, we encrypted the
master key with a key generated by applying scrypt to the user's
password and the stored salt. In order to make the key resilient
against off-box attacks, we extend this algorithm by signing the
resultant key with a stored TEE key. The resultant signature is then
turned into an appropriate length key by one more application of
scrypt. This key is then used to encrypt and decrypt the master key.

So even if someone had a copy of your encrypted master key, they could not decrypt it without the TEE key from your device's SoC.
Therefore, outside of a flaw in the implementation, full device encryption will prevent anyone from accessing your data unless they know/obtain your password OR can guess your password (e.g via brute-forcing it or some kind of social engineering techniques). On devices that lack the necessary hardware-backing, FDE will attempt to encrypt the key using a software-only method.


Prevent Accidental Reboots when holding down the power button I often end up accidentally rebooting my Nexus 6 while having it in my pocket, because the power buttons gets pushed for more than 10 seconds.

Considering the long boot times, this can be very annoying.

I can see why it is important to have a way to force-reboot your when it gets stuck, even though I haven't had this type of issue  yet.

Is there are way I can change the force-reboot behaviour?

Perhaps increase the time in which power button must be pushed or change it to a combination of buttons (i.e. volume up + power button for 10 seconds) ...anythign that makes it less likely to be triggered by my pocket.

I was hoping some flexibility in long-press timeout using AutoInput but the apps slows down my OS considerably to do anything with it.

Anyhow, all I suggest is to use Xposed Additions (free/paid; requires Xposed Framework; if you've Android 5.x, you would need to flash some files from custom recovery. See this XDA thread by rovo89 for such case).

We need Tasker (paid, 7 day free trial) too.

Instructions

(Tested on Android 5.0.2 and 5.1.1)

Install both the apps → activate Xposed Additions's module → launch Xposed Additions
Tap Buttons →  set Long press delay slider to maximum (500ms) → Add new Key → press Power key to select it → Power
Tap Add new Condition → Screen Off → Screen Off → enable Long Press → Shortcut → Task Shortcut → New Task → name the task.

Note: You can try MacroDroid's MacroDroid Shortcut in place of Task Shortcut. The free version is restricted to one action per macro, so you wouldn't get any flexibility, but it is acceptable here.
For your task, action would be:

Alert → Vibrate → Time: select the vibration time (in milliseconds)

It is possible that vibration for 1000ms would not be enough for you. In that case, add combination of actions. For example, in addition to last Vibrate action, you can also do:

Task → Wait → select MS or/and Seconds slightly greater than milliseconds selected in last Vibrate action

Wait is important because if you add continuous Vibrate actions then you would end up skipping almost  of them except the first one. Tasker doesn't queue vibrate requests, as it seems to me.
Now, add another Vibrate action and copy-paste the whole cycle as much as you want.

Select an icon for your task and there you go.

You can now test your solution.

Experimental

For users having AutoInput satisfactorily running, you can emulate long-press of a key. I tested my solution on Volume Up key and it worked perfectly. Well almost!

For Tasker:

Profile 1: Event → Plugin → AutoInput → Key → Configuration:

select your key under Keys
select Key Action to Key Down

Task 1: Actions:

Variable → Variable Set → Variable: %Set → To: 0
Task → Wait → select MS or Seconds for your desired long-press timeout. Choose 1 Second for experimental purposes
Task → If → %Set eq 0
Alert → Vibrate → Time: 1000ms

Profile 2: Event → Plugin → AutoInput → Key → Configuration:

select your key under Keys
select Key Action to Key Up

Task 2: Actions:

Variable → Variable Set → Variable: %Set → To: 1

Use the action Key Suppress from Plugin → AutoInput → Modes, wherever feels necessary. Also, I didn't yet experiment with screen off state.

Now, the theory: The flow is in this manner:

When your selected key (say Key-X) would be pressed, profile 1 would activate.
When the key would be released, profile 2 would activate.
We know that for long-press the key needs to be continuously pressed for some time.
Now, if I long-press Key-X then for that time being profile 2 would not activate and so I can set %Set to 0 in profile 1 → wait for long-press timeout (slightly less) → check if %Set is still 0 (%Set would become 1 if key gets released) and then execute the Vibrate action.

Simple! Let me know if it works for Power key.


Python with matplotlib Is there a way to set up python 2.7.x + matplotlib on a tablet so that you can run simple standard python code? I would like to be able to run the same scripts I run on my Linux desktop,

You can run python with SL4A but matplotlib is a graphical package so you are going to run into trouble there.


Sunspider : performance of 3rd party apps relative to stock browser Hi my aim is to get an idea of the slowdown 3rd party apps face on android, relative to the stock browser, on the SunSpider JavaScript benchmarks. In this post I would like to focus on Twitter since it is available on both iPhone and android.

As everyone is aware there are restrictions on iOS which means that 3rd party apps perform significantly slower on JavaScript functionality relative to Safari (the stock browser on iPhone).

I have an iPhone 4S with iOS 6.1.3. When I run the benchmark SunSpider 1.0 JavaScript Benchmark (see lower down for how I run SunSpider inside Twitter) then I get the following :

  Safari : 1833ms +/- 1.3%
  Twitter  : 6900.1ms +/- 0.3% (Chrome browser etc also perform around this time).

Therefore I see a slowdown of 6900.1/1833 = 3.7 times.

What sort of slowdown do people get on Android (when comparing Twitter to the stock android browser)?

Note I run sunspider inside twitter by doing a search for "sunspider
h". Then the 5th result from the top is :

  "The H - News
  JavaScript benchmark Sunspider reaches version 1.0..."

I click the hyperlink and then in the resulting webpage scroll down to
the hyperlink in the line : "The new version of Sunspider is available
to use...". In this way I run sunspider from within Twitter.

As I mentioned in the comments the Twitter app doesn't seen to have an in-app browser so I'm using the Reddit Is Fun app instead since I know it does. I think that all in-app browsing uses a WebView so it should be the same across all apps. The WebView and Chrome both use the WebKit engine but Chrome seems to use a more up-to-date one. I tried out SunSpider on a few different devices and on the S2 with the Browser.

Nexus 7

Running Android 4.2.2, Chrome 26.0.1410.58
Chrome: 1747ms (WebKit 537.31)
In-app: 1720ms (WebKit 534.30)

Nexus S

Running Android 4.1.2, Chrome 18.0.1025.166,
Chrome: 3443.7ms (WebKit 535.19)
In-app: 4307.1ms (WebKit 534.30)

Samgsung Galaxy S2

Running Android 4.1.1 Resurrection Remix v3.8 ROM.
Browser: 1488.8ms (WebKit 534.30)
In-app: 1614.2ms (WebKit 534.30)

I ran the tests twice as I was suprised at the speed of the Galaxy S2 compared to the Nexus 7 but got roughly the same figures.


Why doesn't my Samsung Galaxy S communicate via USB? I discovered today that I cannot connect my PC with Samsung GT-I9000 any more: when I plug in the microUSB cable, nothing happens other than that the phone starts to charge. Earlier I got to see Connect to Kies or something like that.

Things I've tried so far:

-Switcing USB debugging on and off
-Removing battery
-Trying different cable
-Trying reimaging PC to a known good state (where I previously would have found new hardware)
-Trying different computer
-Factory data reset
-Formatting internal SD card
-Entering download mode with mUSB jig (my phone has download and recovery modes disabled otherwise) and reconnecting mUSB cable. Then I saw the "USB Device Not Recognized. One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned..." error on Windows (XP).

Is there anything else I could try before sending it to the long journey of Warrantyland?

UPDATE:
I tried an app z4root which rooted the phone without the need of usb cable, then I could use Rom Manager to force the phone into Recovery Mode (remember my phone had the 3-button combo disabled). There I deleted-erased-formated everything I could and when I got back to normal mode and tried connecting again, Windows found new hardware and Kies recognized the phone. Just to be sure, I pulled the cable from computer, waited for 2 secs and then reconnected but, alas, nothing happenend again. I reimaged the PC and redid the z4root+Rom Manager+Recovery Mode wipe thing but nothing. Then I tried to reinsert microusb plug into phone under an angle and witnessed a successful connection. Kies offered updating firmare. I did not breathe on the phone and carefully clicked mouse to accept in hope that if this was a software error, new update would fix it. The update went fine but after the phone rebooted and I could confirm the firmware version from About, I still could not connect.

Then I used USB jig which I purchased from eBay to force the phone into download mode and tried to connect it with a PC once again. The PC froze at once (even the mouse cursor did not move). I tried pressing every conceiveable keyboard combination from Enter to Ctrl+Alt+Del and then disconnected the USB cable. As soon as I did that, everything started moving again on the screen. I could reproduce this behaviour for 5 times. On the sixth time, however, Windows found new hardware and started installing drivers but soon after that a balloon popped up saying "USB Device Not Recognized. One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned [...]". Then I rebooted the phone and came back to the issue later.

I forced the download mode once again and plugged the USB cable in. Nothing happened. No frozing, no error.

Even though I have tried to wiggle the microusb plug in from every possible angle, it does not seem to have any effect. It just works when it wants to work. Charging works always, though.

I had a similar problem. It was caused by moisture getting into the terminals while using phone in the rain. One solution is to get terminals cleaned or replaced.


Audio resumes whenever bluetooth connects or disconnects - how do I stop this? This seems to be independent of which bluetooth device I connect/disconnect to (car audio, ear buds, etc), and is also independent of whatever the last app I was listening to (VLC, Pandora, etc).

When I tell an app to stop playing, I'd like it to STAY stopped... not automatically pick up where it left off simply because I stopped or started my car, or got in/out of range of one of my bluetooth audio devices.

You can try Bluetooth Connect & Play app. It basically meant to start a specific music app playing when a specific Bluetooth device connects. But you can also select "Stop music from playing" option to keep any app from starting when the car connects to a Bluetooth device. I faced the similar issue on my Toyota and it did help.


Android Nexus 6 Bricked? TeamWin splash screen turns on and off I think I've bricked my Nexus 6. Every time I turn it on, the teamwin (TWRP) splash screen keeps literally flashing on and off. I would be able to flash a stock system on but I can't due to the fact that the bootloader oem is locked. I have no clue what to do as my knowledge in this is limited. Does anyone have any suggestions as how I could possibly unlock the bootloader? I have found no way to get into android and get into developer options to allow it.

If you installed/flashed from your SD card, try to use a new one with your stock ROM in zip form(including stock recovery). Or try a riskier method and try to use Odin3 but you need to prep all files before the screen turns on again, but make sure you have the right files(NOTE: you will have between 15-25 seconds to do this).


Force display cursor/pointer on Android I bought a graphics tablet (Huion HS64) that works wonderfully with my S10. Only problem is that I can't see where I'm about to tap due to no cursor display. Is there any way I could force the mouse pointer to always be on or have my phone recognize the tablet as a mouse?

I could try and connect both a mouse and the tablet with a USB hub, but I'd rather a coding solution. My phone isn't rooted, but I'm not opposed to rooting to solve the problem. Thank you in advance!

I discover this method to show the cursor on Samsung A6+ (2018) using the Huion Pen Tablet HS64. It is not an "arrow-type cursor" but a "small-circle cursor" similar to the Samsung Note series with S pen.

Go to Settings
Open About phone
Under Looking for something else?, tap Reset. (If you do not see the reset, go to General Management and then tap Reset)
Tap Reset setting (just go through to make your settings can be reset)
Reboot the phone
Just do the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd steps, and then tap the Reset Accessibility Settings (just go through to make your accessibility settings can be reset)
Reboot the phone
Plug an OTG with a USB cord to the phone
Plug the USB cord to the Huion Tablet
The cursor will appear on the screen as a small circle

This is the method I used to my Samsung A6 plus 2018 and it worked perfectly. Now I can use my Huion Pen Tablet for my Digital Arts.
Note: I can't tell you guys if your Samsung phone can be work. I just want you to share this method. But I really hope can be work on your phone too. Please tell me if it works for you.


Upload contacts from Nokia to LG Optimus L5: phone numbers in notes field I have exported contacts from Nokia to CSV and TXT files and upload to gmail contacts then I set LG to sync gmail contacts.

It worked but all contacts are in comments.

I can't call when I select contact and when someone calls me I do not see contact name.

How do I fix it?

I had manually exported contacts to Google CSV, uploaded to Google Spreadsheets.
Edited manually table by copying comments column to phone number column, deleted extra text, upload CSV to contacts again


OPO stuck in "Erasing..." while unlocking bootloader I've been following this guide about rooting my OnePlus One. All seemed fine - adb was good, fastboot as well - and I reached point 6.1. Typed in fastboot oem unlock and got this output:

...
OKAY [  0.023s]
finished. total time: 0.025s

Then my phone went into the "Erasing..." screen (where the android dangles his antennas) and has been stuck there for the past 50 minutes. I'm honestly unsure about what to do? Has anyone experienced something similar?

Just reboot the device; at this point there's no harm that can be done since the data was being wiped anyways.


Gboard Personal Dictonary not working I've scoured the web for answers to this and have yet to find a solution. I have added a few words to the personal dictionary in Gboard settings and they aren't working. Trying to create shortcuts for things like my email address, but when I type the shortcut into Gboard, nothing happens.

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling Gboard. I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy S5 and it's on Android 6.0.1, all software is up-to-date. I emptied the Gboard cache. Nothing helps.

Has anyone else had this problem? If so, what did you do to fix it? Thanks. It's been driving me nuts. I am upgrading my phone this week to a Galaxy S8 and maybe that will do the trick.

It would seem that gboard has a hard time with shortcuts containing punctuation. Ampersands and colons did not work for me, but shortcuts without these characters work fine. A little digging on the web would imply that punctuation in shortcuts used to work in previous versions. I'm not sure if this applies to your situation or not, though.

Gboard 6.2.34 .....
Version = 20170404


How does the Android interface work Unix permission wise? I'd like to know how the backend/permissions work for Android(I'm using v4.1.2 on a s3 mini).

On android, I'm capable of running GUI applications which have different UID/GID-s on the system as seen in ps/top output.

On a linux desktop, all applications you run as your user, unless you use sudo/su to run software as someone else.

So how does android run GUI apps without throwing up permission denied errors and asking for password from the start?

I've looked around on search results and haven't found anyone discussing this.

Android uses (or abuses, depending on your point of view) the Unix user and permissions system for something other than separating different people on the same computer. Instead, it uses them to isolate apps from each other. Each installed package (app) has its own Unix user ID created. The files belonging to that app are owned by that Unix user, and can't be accessed by other Unix users. When an app is started, the zygote process (which is like GNU's init) ensures that it switches to the correct Unix user before running any of the app's code. That way, apps can't read or write files owned by other apps. If they try to do so, they'll get the kind of "permission denied" errors you're asking about.

The GUI really has nothing to do with filesystem permissions, because it's not a file on the filesystem. Only the Android system itself can write to the framebuffer directly: all apps go through Surface Flinger, the GUI compositor, to present their GUIs to be drawn on the screen. This doesn't go through the Unix permission system at all.


How can I know which app is giving me notification sounds? I've removed the permission for almost every app to show me notifications on the status bar but now that led me to a situation in that a lot of times during the day there will be a notification sound (which in my case is an annoyingly loud "boom", which I use because that's the only way I can hear the Redy Gym Log notification that my rest time is up with the loud sound in the gym) but I don't know from which app it came from. Is there any way for me to turn off sound notification? I can't find that on App Opps. Maybe an app that would show a behind the scenes system log would be great, if that kind of thing exists. I'm on a Galaxy Note 3.

For system logs you have the "logcat" command.

you culd try killing apps one by one untill you find the naughty one. But unchecking notifications should work, so are you sure you disabled almost all? It's probably an app that is still notification enabled


S3 battery not work after water damage I dropped my S3 in water and the stock battery stopped working. I didn't know how to fix it (I tried drying it with a hair dryer but it did not work) so after comparing prices and discounts I bought a new replacement battery from MPJ and have used it for a month already.

It appears to work just as well as my stock battery. I don't know it's actual longevity but it works OK so far. Since I ordered from an official website, hopefully it's not a fake one...

I still want to fix the stock battery though, can anyone help me?

Basically, you can't. The charge/protection circuitry in the battery probably got damaged by the water, and you're done now.

Count yourself lucky that it was only a new battery that you needed and be happy.


Lollipop: alarm isn't firing in time After updating my Nexus 5 to Android 5.0 I noticed that alarm is not fired at set time (actually that spoiled my today's morning).

When I set time for alarm it writes correct delta (e.g."Alarm set for 3 minutes from now"), but it doesn't make any sound or any on-screen changes in 3 minutes: the alarm just hangs in notification tray as an "Upcoming alarm".

I've checked the notification settings and didn't find any problem. but the notifications from Google Keep don't work as well...

What can be wrong with built-in alarm in Android L?

Well, I couldn't find the solution so I followed Ian Clark's advice and performed factory reset. That helped.


Screen resolution vs. image resolution I have a question about pixels and screen resolution of an Android device.

The app I developed was at the time when Samsung Galaxy S III was new. The images for my app had a resolution 2310x1300 (ratio 1.777 to fit screen). Samsung Galaxy S III has a resolution of 1280x720. I chose a higher resolution to have some margin for future devices with larger screens and higher DPI.

But that's not enough these days - Galaxy S6 has a resolution of 2560x1440, that is far higher than the resolution of my images. So I thought that the quality of the images for such a device would be deteriorated since the resolution of the images is lower than the resolution of the display. But when testing the app for the Galaxy S6 I cannot see any differences right now - the images scaled for the new device (image resolution of 2310x1300 used in a device with 2560x1440) is at least as good as for an older device with lower resolution.

Have I completely misunderstood how dpi and resolution works?

The images resources are under the /res/drawable/hdpi folder.

As mentioned in @w3dk 's answer, you can't see any difference because you can't see any difference. As in, your eyes literally can not differentiate between the detail of the picture on either the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy S6, because in either case, the picture resolution comes close to the eye's limit of resolution (the minimum angular separation of 2 distinct points/objects from a particular distance of observation for which they can be discerned to be distinct from each other). What I will address here are some of your concerns as a developer.

The S3 was a xhdpi device, so any apps on it will use image resources in the /res/drawable/xhdpi/ folder. The S6 is a xxxhdpi device, and so any apps on it will use the resources in the /res/drawable/xxxhdpi/ folder by default, but fall back to the next lower resolution if the requisite folder is not available, utilizing fast image scaling to show the images at the required abstract resolution (dip (device independent pixels), not pixels) (dip are hardware-independent, pixels are hardware-dependent).

You are correct in assuming that image quality should have deteriorated under normal conditions, but your images are in fact pretty high-resolution, and combining that with some downscaling on-device for the S6, you actually get a similar quality image as on an S3.

Why do I say downscaling even for the high-resolution S6? Simple. You're probably not using the whole screen to display the image, and probably what dip resolution you specified maps out to less than 2310x1300 real hardware pixels, so the image is downscaled.

Contrary to what one may think, downscaling from a high resolution source actually increases image quality, and upscaling from a low resolution source decreases it on final display, given the same final display resolution and similar (except in resolution) source images. Here is my source about scaling as regards image quality.

As @DanHulme succinctly put it:

  "An image which has been downscaled from a high-resolution source will look better than one which has been upscaled from a low-resolution source."