Spoofing IMEI numbers How does someone spoof a IMEI number on a android device? I have read about rooting the phone and stuff like that but can i do it without rooting? Any advice would be appreciated.
Right now i am leaning towards rooting the phone and then corrupting the EFS folder and making a backup of the EFS folder on another Android and restoring the target EFS folder from that backup if i am correct this should copy over the IMEI

Yes, you need root and without root, it's not possible

Xposed module XPrivacyLua is what I use. I have the pro version which IIRC is needed for spoofing. Non pro blocks access. There are many more such Xposed modules, you find in the repo. Play Store has also some apps that claims to do this but I have not tried them because they cannot be as effective as Xposed modules.

What you propose is a cumbersome, may (if you have identical devices) /may not work approach and not worth the effort


How to access/disable the Google account sync settings in Android 8.1? So I've just got a Nexus phone running Android 8.1 and wonder where I can turn off all of the Google account synchronization settings?
Under Settings->Users & accounts->[name of google acct] there's an option Account sync to Sync on for all Items - pushing it syncs all data. However, that's exactly the opposite of what I'm looking for. I'd like to disable all account synchronization. Do you have any ideas where the sync settings are hidden in 8.1?

You went a little too far! Go into settings -> users and accounts -> Google. Without pressing on your email address, you'll see an option "auto sync account data" turn that off. This will stop sync for all Google apps.

If you just want to turn off sync for some apps, then leave that setting on, and you'll have an option to choose individual settings.


How does "Restrict background data" work? In "Settings"->"Data Usage" there is a "Restrict background data" checkbox.

How does it work, exactly? What does "background" mean here? And is this setting enforced by the OS, or is it a hint that the apps are free to disregard if coded improperly?

First, that setting is enforced by the OS (so it's not for the app to decide whether to observe that setting). Put in easy words: Android won't let an app access the network unless it's running in foreground (i.e. the user is interacting with it) with the restriction enabled for it.

Explained with a plastic example: Restrict background data on the Google Play Store app (as I did), it won't anymore check for updates in background while you are on mobile data. But it will do so when you're using WiFi. Also, when you call up the app to install something, it will work as long as you keep it in foreground (i.e. not switch to another app while it's still downloading).


Oneplus 3 - Oneplus3 randomly shutdown with glitches in screen My oneplus 3 got this problem from last 2 days, i have unbrick my phone with Magic Unbrick tool for oneplus3. Even after that problem still persists
.

Step 1: Unbrick Phone with mega unbrick tool for oneplus 3.

Step 2: After unbrick, start phone normal, if problem still persist, download lastest rom from oneplus store.

Step 3: Flash latest rom to oneplus device with side load.

Hope this works for you too!


Can't get into Google Play Store after changing Gmail password After resetting my Gmail password, my Android phone (Galaxy S4) can't get into the Google Play Store. It keeps telling me "A change in your account requires that you sign in again."

I sign in with correct password (if it's the wrong password, I get an error). It then brings me to a screen where I can choose either my Gmail account or add a new account. I select the Gmail account, but it brings me right back to the screen that tells me a change in my account requires that I sign in again. Over and over!

This had been accompanied by a Google Play Services notification they would not go away telling me to update my password. I disabled notifications for that.

Just waiting may fix it if there is some sort of slow sync between Google services. A simple reboot might fix it. I would try deleting your cache and data for the play store app as well. If that doesn't work try deleting and re-adding your Google account under settings > Accounts > Google.


How to backup contacts to Google from Samsung devices which don't export vcf file? The Contact apps that ships with Samsung devices does not seem to have a function to reliably backup all contacts on the phone and SIM storage to Google accounts.

Is there any third-party app that'd let me reliably do so? Bonus points if it'd let me sort which contact goes to which Google accounts registered on the device.

As a last resort, if there's no such app, I don't mind if I can get to backup to storage with which I can transfer the contacts to a different device.

PS I intentionally point to a specific model because I need to do so from two different Samsung devices and both their contact apps did not let me move all contacts to Google account. One of them does have .vcf export, but the other doesn't. I want a more universal solution if at all possible.

PPS The device that can do .vcf export has Google accounts correctly setup on both the new and old devices but all contacts has not been synced, hence the question.

Most of the contacts backup apps lack one feature or the other e.g. they don't backup high resolution photo when creating .vcf file. So I prefer CLI method to extract contacts data directly from database file using some scripting, but it requires root. That's how I do scheduled back up of my contacts without Google account.

The following script doesn't save Google sync account information to .vcf file but you can extend the script to include/exclude any data if the concept is perceived.

Original credits to dump-contacts2db.sh.

#!/system/bin/bash -e

# dumps following fields of contacts from Android's sqlite database to vcf:
# Name, Phone Number, Email, Address, Photo, Title, Organization, Notes, Website
# required binaries: sqlite3, base64, xxd (all included with Android)

# contacts directory, database file and photos directory
CONT_PROVIDER='/data/user/0/com.android.providers.contacts'
DB="$CONT_PROVIDER/databases/contacts2.db"
PHOTO_DIR="$CONT_PROVIDER/files/photos"

# vcf file
VCF="/data/media/0/contacts_$(date '+%d-%b-%y_%H-%M-%S').vcf"

# delete backup file if error occurs
trap '[ $? -eq 0 ] || rm -f $VCF' EXIT

GEN_VCARD()
{
    # skip blank contact for first time
    [ -n "$name" ] || return 0

    # count number of contacts
    n=$((n+1))

    vcard="${name}${tel}${adr}${email}${url}${note}${org}${title}${photo}"
    vcard="BEGIN:VCARD"$'\n'"VERSION:3.0"$'\n'"${vcard}""END:VCARD"
    echo "$vcard" >>$VCF
    echo >>$VCF
}

# fetch contacts data from different columns of 'view_entities' table of contacts sqlite database
ROWS="$(
sqlite3 $DB "
SELECT
    view_entities._id, view_entities.mimetype_id, view_entities.data1, view_entities.data2, view_entities.data3,
    view_entities.data4, view_entities.data5, view_entities.data6, quote(view_entities.data15), view_entities.photo_uri
FROM view_entities
WHERE view_entities.deleted = 0
ORDER BY view_entities._id, view_entities.mimetype_id
")"

# to parse rows
IFS=$'\n'

# iterate through contacts data rows
for ROW in $ROWS
do
    # to parse columns from a row
    IFS="|"
    i=0

    # iterate through columns
    for COL in $ROW
    do
        i=$((i+1))

        # data included in each column
        case $i in
            1)  # Contact ID
                id=$COL;;

            2)  # Mime Type ID
                mime_id=$COL;;

            3)  # Phone Number, Website, Email, Notes, Address, Organization
                data=$COL;;

            4)  # Type ID of Phone No. / Email / Address, First Name
                first_name=$COL; type_id=$COL;;

            5)  # Name of Custom Phone No. Type / Email Type / Address Type, Last Name
                last_name=$COL; type=$COL;;

            6)  # Name Prefix, Title
                name_prefix=$COL; tytle=$COL;;

            7)  # Middle Name
                middle_name=$COL;;

            8)  # Name Suffix
                name_suffix=$COL;;

            9)  # Photo thumbnail hex data
                photo_hex=$COL;;

            10) # Full resolution Photo URI
                photo_uri=$COL;;
        esac
    done

    # start new contact when all rows of same contact ID are parsed
    if [ "$prev_id" != "$id" ]
    then
        # echo current vcard prior to resetting variables
        GEN_VCARD

        # init new vcard
        for i in name tel adr email url note photo org title; do eval "$i=''"; done
    fi

    # add current row to current vcard, 'mimetype' determines data type on every row
    case $mime_id in
        1)
            # Email
            case $type_id in
                0)  email_type=X-$type;;
                1)  email_type=HOME;;
                2)  email_type=WORK;;
                3)  email_type="";;
                4)  email_type=CELL;;
                *)  echo "Unknown email type of '$data'" >&2; exit 1;;
            esac

            email=$email'EMAIL;TYPE='$email_type':'$data$'\n';;

        4)
            # Organization, Title
            org='ORG:'$data$'\n'
            title='TITLE:'$tytle$'\n';;
        5)
            # Phone No.
            case $type_id in
                0)  tel_type=X-$type;;
                1)  tel_type=HOME;;
                2)  tel_type=CELL;;
                3)  tel_type=WORK;;
                7)  tel_type=VOICE;;
                12) tel_type=PREF;;
                *)  echo "Unknown phone no. type of '$data'" >&2; exit 1;;
            esac

            tel=$tel'TEL;TYPE='$tel_type':'$data$'\n';;

        7)
            # Name
            name="$name_prefix $first_name $middle_name $last_name $name_suffix"

            # remove leading/trailing spaces
            IFS=' ' read name <<<"$name"

            # always add complete name as First Name
            name="N:;"$name";;;"$'\n'"FN:"$name$'\n';;
        8)
            # Postal Address
            case $type_id in
                0)  adr_type=X-$type;;
                1)  adr_type=HOME;;
                2)  adr_type=WORK;;
                *)  echo "Unknown address type of '$data'" >&2; exit 1;;
            esac

            adr=$adr'ADR;TYPE='$adr_type':;;'$data';;;;'$'\n';;

        10)
            # Photo
            if [ $photo_hex != "NULL" ]
            then
                # look for high-resolution photo instead of thumbnail
                uri=$(echo $photo_uri | sed 's|content://com.android.contacts/display_photo|'"$PHOTO_DIR"'|')
                if [ -f $uri ]
                then
                    # convert binary to base64
                    foto="$(base64 -w 0 $uri)"
                else
                    # remove prefix/suffix from hex output, convert hex to binary to base64
                    foto=$(echo $photo_hex | sed "s/^X'//; s/'$//" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]' | xxd -pr | base64 -w 0)
                fi

                photo="PHOTO;ENCODING=BASE64;JPEG:"$foto$'\n'
            fi;;

        12)
            # Note
            note="NOTE:"$data$'\n';;

        14)
            # Website
            url=$url"URL:"$data$'\n';;

        *)  echo "Unknown mime type: '$(sqlite3 $DB "SELECT view_entities.mimetype FROM view_entities WHERE view_entities.mimetype_id = $mime_id" | head -n1)'" >&2; exit 1;;

    esac

    # preserve current ID to compare with next row
    prev_id=$id

    # reset IFS for parent loop to parse rows
    IFS=$'\n'
done

# echo last vcard, loop is done
GEN_VCARD

echo "Backed up $n contacts."

If you prefer GUI or don't have root, you can use some app like Contacts VCF.


How can I add extra memory in my ram android? I want to boost the ram's memory, but as I clean my phone,it's memory was almost full.

You can create swap file on your SD card by using ROEHSOFT RAM Expander or Swapper (Free) without creating swap partition. Both app require root access. Apps need kernel swap support to work so check if your phone is compatible or not with MemoryInfo & Swapfile Check first.


Exotic key combos (e.g. for emacs) with bluetooth keyboard I recently bought a bluetooth keyboard (logitech, not sure of the exact model) for my Nexus 10 (on Android 4.3). It works nicely for everything except for some unusual key combos used in Emacs, such as control-Enter and control-/ (these don't work, just emit Enter and "/", repectively).

I'm using JuiceSSH to connect to a Linux host.

Has anyone found either ways to fix this or systematic ways to debug keyboard issues with Android & ssh?

I was was using ConnectBot as my ssh client, and was having similar troubles with emacs and a Bluetooth keyboard.  I couldn't execute several of the most important key mappings.

An ssh client called "serverauditor" was the fix for me.  I just connected with that instead, turned on my bluetooth keyboard, and everything worked!  No configuration headaches, and no external programs to remap my keyboard.

The only issue I had was Ctrl-Space for set-mark-command, but Ctrl-@ works fine as a substitute for the same command.


Is there any way to give phone rating according to its ram and processor data ? except benchmarks I am trying to cluster phones of similar specifications together ie phones that have near about same performance i have only data of processors and ram associated with each phone , is there any way i can calculate which phones will have near about same performance ?

If the amount of RAM and the CPU's specs (no. of cores, clock rate) is about the same (+/-200MHz for clock rate) then you can assume they perform about the same.
Some manufacturers have inbuilt "Benchmark detection" that boosts up the CPU for instance to gain higher listings but practically you are unable to notice and use that.

  Conclusion: As long as the amount of RAM and the CPU power is about the same, they all perform the same. Currently there is no major performance boost by other architectures, CPU models etc.
  Look out for different storage rates. A faster internal storage makes a phone perform way better in normal use.


How do I change my photo in my message threads? I have an LG Optimus Elite and I am running the stock ROM.

In my text message threads, under "Me" where my messages are, it shows one of my contacts, rather than my Facebook or Google photo. How do I change this?

As you haven't given your Android version, I shall give the steps I used for my device:

Open the messaging app.
Press your picture, or the standard picture.
An overlay should appear at the top. Click it, and select take picture or choose picture.
Crop picutre.
Restart the SMS app.

This video also shows it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hxULkTKe9E


Android low on space I know this question is quite common, but nothing I've read so far really helped me. I have a Samsung Galaxy Mini, and had a similar problem with the stock ROM. For some other reasons, I've rooted it and put Cyanogenmod 7 on it. Everything works quite well, but the free space is just eating itself. All my applications are sent to SD card (except facebook, which runs exceptionally slow when on card). And still, I'm only left with 6MB of free internal space. I've cleaned up my SMS messages and browser caches, nothing really helps. I'm showing my storage analysis. The thing that bugs me are the /system and /data partitions. How come that /system has so much empty space, while /data has so little. Isn't it supposed to be a compact partition?

As for applications, I really don't have a lot, except regular GMail, Google Maps and such. Just Opera browser, iGo, Adobe Reader, Outlook and a few apps with less then 1MB.

P.S While taking the screenshot, the Storage Analyser is showing 18MB free, But the system is showing 9MB. Nevertheless, both are not enough for normal work.

First a little explanation on the storage (you might also check the tag wiki of the storage tag for a short introduction):
Why can't I use the free space available at /system?
The /system partition holds the often so-called "ROM", i.e. the Android core system (including the pre-installed apps, see bloatware). By default, it is mounted read-only for several reasons (including "security", so no app can tamper with anything here -- and the user cannot accidentally render the system unusable). This is also why a factory reset will present you with a "virgin system": it will not touch this read-only partition.
Being mounted read-only makes it clear you cannot write things onto this partition -- which answers the question why you cannot make use of the "free space" it has. You might wonder why a read-only partition then is not "sized appropriately" -- but it is: it just takes into consideration that additional space might be needed for a system update. Future Android versions might (and most likely will) need more space, also providers might want to add more bloatware...
Why is there so little space at /data?
To put it in simple words: 180MB is all that was left after taking away the ~200MB for /system. The Galaxy Mini S5570 isn't a high-end device. And before you ask: No there's nothing you can do to increase the amount of overall storage available to /data (at least nothing easy -- though some geeks might think of creating a bigger partition on the SDCard and mount it as /data, this is nothing simple and also not without side-effects).
What can be done?
Nothing much. If your device is rooted, you could think of using a bigger SDCard (your device supports up to 32GB), and moving stuff over there with things like link2sd or even Data2SD. You can regularly clear your apps' caches and do some other cleanup. Or you can simply go for a new device which offers more storage (and more RAM, and a faster CPU).
I know it's not very satisfying that a device, just being 2 years old (the S5570 was released to the market in February 2011) already is unable to keep up with daily needs. But unfortunately, 180MB storage (and 384MB RAM) really is not much to play around... So all that currently remains is to refer you to the most faqs of the "insufficient storage" tag to find a solution until you can get yourself a new device. See especially:

How can I get rid of the low disk space notification?
What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?
How can I deal with “Low on Space” messages on my HTC Incredible?
How can I free up more space on my Android (2.2 Froyo) phone?
“Insufficient storage” when trying to install new app


MIUI ROM English Version for Samsung Galaxy S MIUI ROM is available in Chinese for Samsung Galaxy S. (There is an english site as well, but it doesn't list Galaxy S) After the install, according to the docs, I get this on the screen:

(source: miui.com)
Will I be able to change the language to English and continue to use the phone without any chinese interaction or should I use a custom mod?

The base MIUI is quite closed source and opaque (there was some brouhaha on XDA about it) I'm sure. There are several spin-offs and/or AOSP merges in different languages on XDA.

These are specific links to current MIUI ROMs (current as at 29 Aug 2011)

I9000: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1118682
SGS2: http://www.galnetmiui.co.uk

However, I'd suggest you monitor the relevant device forum at XDA and see what's out there. Versions change, ROMs come and go, threads are closed/new ones opened etc so the two links above may not be reliable over time

I have a HTC Desire: there were half a dozen MIUI ROMs for this a few months ago. YMMV of course

Edit:

Note also that ROM developers are leaving XDA because of the noise and stupid users. Hence the galtnet MIUI link (which I got from XDA). So you may find less info than you expect on XDA

You said MIUI but I can recommend Oxygen for the SGS2 (I use this on my Desire)


Droid X: What are the pros/cons of upgrading to Gingerbread 2.3? I have a Droid X running Android 2.2.1 (system version 2.3.340.MB810.Verizon.en.US).  I want to upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3 but so far I've read one positive thread where people were happy with gingerbread and the rest is doom and gloom.

I'm not really interested in doing any kind of rooting or custom ROM stuff I just want to know about the plain vanilla OTA update from Verizon (which my phone is currently asking me about).

So should I upgrade?  Or, to put it another way, what are the pros and cons of upgrading?

EDIT
A good answer would be like a bullet list of 5 or so negatives about Gingerbread and 5 or so positives.  A great answer would be an extensive list of the negatives and positives.  An amazing answer would add to that extensive list some anecdotal experience about the upgrade and whether they wish didn't upgrade or are glad they did and why.

I originally title this question "Droid X: Should I upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3?" but in an effort to be less subjective I've reframed the question.

I can only speak from personal experience.  I have updated my Droid X and since then I have had many issues with it.

It seems to be unable to send texts or make calls that require a battery pull to fix.  I have to pull the battery at least once a day.
It will not find the GPS, it is constantly searches for GPS.
Any videos I had played previously through the gallery will freeze if I try to skip.  I got the Mobo player and must use Softdecoding in order to play movies where I can ski .

Some positives

I like the darker look of the OS.
The quick text when you are ignoring a call is very nice
It seemed a little faster

Personally I wish I never upgraded.  I am really close to going back to 2.2, but I do not want to go through all the work involved with downgrading.


How to quickly change the language in the latest Swype beta? According to Swype's advanced tips page:

  Switching languages: To switch between the two most recent languages, Swype from the Swype-key to the key with the language initials on it.

Since I updated Swype, the language initials are on the space bar and this tip doesn't work any more. I can still switch languages by long-pressing the space bar but that's a hassle. What's the new quick way to change the language?

Here's a screenshot of the keyboard as it looks like for me:

May I ask which version of Swype beta are you using?

For my version 1.0.3.5809, the official documents said:

  To Switch languages from the keyboard: Press and hold the space bar
  Select your desired language from the pop-up menu


Fruit Ninja Wi-Fi permissions I see Fruit Ninja recently added "Wi-Fi connection information" to its ever-growing list of required permissions. I read the little description, but what does it actually mean? Does that mean the name and password to my router are being sent back to their Mothership?

The password is unlikely to be touched by this. For a few additional details, see e.g. ACCESS_WIFI_STATE:

  This could be requested by any application that uses internet access. The application may check the state of your connection before trying to access the internet. It's comparable to ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, just for WiFi.

Following up the reference:

  Allows applications to access information about networks, including if a network is available (or just connecting), what type of network the device is connected to, if any (WiFi, 3G, LTE), if it's in Roaming, and also reasons for a failed connection attempt (if any).Good use: The application may check the state of your connection before trying to access the internet, and e.g. restrict itself to WiFi for some actions.Bad use: Only in combination with other permissions (e.g. data collection for profiling).

So summed up, this would see things like

whether WiFi is active (if inactive, nothing else)
which network is connected (SSID, MAC)
which networks are available (SSID, MAC)

This permission alone cannot send anything anywhere. But the mentioned data collected may be "sent to the mothership" if the app also requested the INTERNET permission, or can make use of another app that has access to the network (e.g. send a mail, SMS, or use the browser).

Next to above two links to my site (other permissions are explained there as well), you might also wish to see What do the permissions that applications require mean? on this site here.


Are there any distributed-computing Apps for Android? I've just found out about Boincoid: a port of the BOINC platform to the Android operating system as a platform for computing using volunteered resources (like SETI@home, Climateprediction.net, Rosetta@home, World Community Grid, etc). There isn't an actual app for Boincoid but just a zip package with a list of instructions dated from 2008.

Are there any other applications being developed for distributed-computing on Android?

I don't think so.  While you're ( they're ) on to something with the high amount of untapped CPU cycles accessible via Android ( and other mobile ) phones - the limiting factor tends to be that users don't want their batteries drained to compute fractals ( or something of the sort ).

If you were to create a service, however, that worked ONLY while the phones were charging, that would be a completely different matter.  However, doing so greatly reduces the time that would be available to tap those CPU cycles.

[Edit] - And further notes...

At one point I had investigated ( fairly heavily ) creating a distributed database system that would reside on mobile phones to support basic Apps that didn't want to rely on a REST service.  Ultimately, it came down to the lack of unlimited power that made it not worthwhile.  The goal still seems a bit of a holy grail in mobile application programming - create a distributed system that can take a service and database schema, and then add in a discovery and hash system to keep track of live nodes that had data.  Moving all of that information around could bog down a 3G connection - but a few years from now that won't be much of an issue I think.


Android keyboard and play store not working Android Keyboard and Google Play Store app are not working on my Jelly Bean device. There is a message popping up repeatedly telling me that android keyboard has stopped.

What can I do to get out of that loop, and have a usable device again?

You can fix Android Force Close Error by going through the solutions given in the presentation tutorial. Find it here http://www.slideshare.net/StenaGlass/android-force-close-error-fix

I am hopeful that you will resolve your problem as I have already fixed it!

Wish you best of luck.


Block internet access before firewall starts at boot I have an old Android phone with Ice Cream Sandwich and DroidWall as a firewall, which makes sure that apps can't use the 3G unless I enable it for that app. DroidWall starts on boot but there is a very brief time before it starts when any app can use the internet.

What I would like to do is stop all incoming and outgoing internet access until DroidWall automatically runs on boot to put the firewall rules in place. DroidWall allows running a script when it starts so conceivably I could undo the block-everything rules when it starts. The phone is rooted but doesn't have a /etc/init.d/.

Basically I want to make sure there is not even a second that traffic can get out before the firewall. 3G is expensive but I need it so I can't turn it off.

Things have changed, DroidWall is no more maintained, rooting techniques have to be changed with Android 5 and 6 releases; particularly SELinux has to be taken care of, and there is always init.d support available with Magisk. But the question still stands valid.

Android depends on Linux kernel's builtin firewall which can be controlled with iptables. Default policy is ACCEPT which can be set to DROP on boot, unless all rules are loaded. This can be done with a simple init.d script or directly from Android's init services:

# /system/etc/init/firewall_policy.rc

on post-fs-data
    exec u:r:magisk:s0 -- /system/bin/iptables -P OUTPUT DROP

After boot, set policy back to ACCEPT. AFWall+ does this automatically.


Vi-style text editing method for Android UI I have been using ConnectBot to connect to shell sessions on Linux machines from my Android phone. What amazes me is how easy it is to use the Vim editor using the virtual keyboard, because the Vi/Vim command mode puts so many useful actions at your fingertips. It is so much easier to edit text that I would like to be able to do it in the same way everywhere in the Android UI.

That is to say, I don't want a Vi editor on the phone, but in the UI itself.

Is something like this available somewhere? What would it take to develop it? What places in Android must be modified? Is there some easy plugin framework where you just fill in some functions and you provide a new text editing method?

Is something like this available somewhere?

Not at the moment, although there are a couple vim-style text editor:

Vim Touch
aVim Editor

however these are currently implemented as an application, not as an IME.

  What would it take to develop it? What places in Android must be modified? Is there some easy plugin framework where you just fill in some functions and you provide a new text editing method?

Android provides the framework for creating custom keyboard (officially known as IME). Anyone that is interested in creating a vim-style IME for Android should check out Creating Input Method.


When taking pictures with GPS enabled, is the 'has the "GPS searching/locked notification icon" been disabled? Background:

In stock (i.e. pure Google with no manufacturer customizations) Android 4.3 using the built-in camera app, I am using the geotagging feature of the camera app.

Description of the problem:

When the geotagging is turned on I don't see any GPS status in the notification bar. Previously when in the camera app on older version when geotagging is turned on I would see an icon appear in the notifcation bar. The icon that appears would indicate your GPS model is in use and a circle would indicate 'searching for GPS' and then the filled in circle would indicate 'GPS acquired and locked'.

Question:

When you enable geotagging in Android 4.3 built-in camera app, has the 'GPS searching/locked notification icon' been hidden even though GPS is being used?

Motivation:

The reason I ask is because the previous method is akin to a video camera's red blinking light . Where the red blinking light tells you that you are recording and then you can take appropriate action. Without the red blinking light on the video camera you would have all sorts of recordings when you didn't want and other problematic scenarios.

Returning back to the Android camera app scenario, if the GPS icon doesn't ever appear to the user... even if GPS is actively being used --> that would lead to situations where I would record the GPS location for a photo when I didn't want to record the GPS location.

I've just tried on my Nexus 4 and it does show up, although very very briefly.

I had GPS turned on, took a photo and quickly opened the app switching 'menu'. I saw the GPS notification show up for about 1 second and then it disappeared. I guess this is because it quickly grabs your location and stores that with the image, and then "doesn't care" where you are so doesn't access your GPS location again until you take another picture.


How do I change my gmail password from Lollipop? I am running Lollipop and want to change my gmail password. How do I do that?

Go to this page in your webbrowser: https://myaccount.google.com/security/signinoptions/password


Mount USB OTG to specific destination folder I've got a Moto G with 4.4.2 and, as stock OTG functionality is broken in the latest android version, I need a way to mount my mini USB card reader (meenova) to /sdcard folder.

From what I've found on the internet I have to use this shell (I'm trying to use it with tasker):

"mount -o rw /dev/block/sdb /storage/emulated/0" or "mount -o rw -t vfat /dev/block/sdb /storage/emulated/0" Neither of them worked for me

/deb/block/sdb is the location of my sd when plugged in and /storage/emulated/0 is the phone internal memory (or at least I think so, I've also tried using just /sdcard but no luck either)

I was able to mount the sd card using Stickmount app from Chainfire but it mounts it to /sdcard/usbStorage/sda and I need it to be just /sdcard (plus if I manage to do that with tasker I don't need another app installed).

What can I do? Thanks.

It's actually real simple but you need work from recovery.
All things mounted go through some script called fstab.
And don't go change anything until you know sure that's right to do.
Some info can be found in a map called MNT and PROC.
However never try to alter those because it could lead to bricking your
device.

Some textfile examples are MOUNTS and PARTITIONS where you can find detailed info. Mounting however uses the fstab folder as device parameter info point.  So think adding or changing it might work.
Here an fstab textline as example.

/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 /system ext4 rw

You might find more info when googling for android fstab properties.
Still altering them in any way is up to you.


Is it possible to override automatic screen orientation? Very often I use my phone lying in bed (with phone camera facing the ceiling) and the orientation changes drive me crazy. Literally if I turn the phone a few degrees it will go from portait to landscape and vice versa.

I can disable auto-rotation, but it's not desirable in some scenarios, like when i turn on my shoulder and I want the orientation to change.

Basically, is it possible to write your own logic for screen rotation and make it run on system wide scope?

UPD: I do not want to toggle auto-rotation. I want to rewrite that logic that based on current sensor setting changes the screen orientation on system level.

This widget works well... No customer rom or root required. :0)


Where can I find the media downloaded from whatsapp installed on a virtual device? I installed whatsapp on virtual device  :

Where can I find the media downloaded from whatsapp ?

I searched the android directories but couldn't find the media I downloaded.

It will not be on the Windows filesystem.

The emulator makes a .img file that it then mounts as the virtual SD Card.

So, to answer your question, the file is stored in the sdcard .img file in the avd folder.

(You may be able to extract it using winRAR or another unzip utility. Check the C:\Users\<your username>\.android\avd\<avd name>\sdcard.img)

EDIT: This program claims to mount .img files. I am using Ubuntu though, so cannot test sorry.


Automatically adjust ringtone volume Marshmallow Some time ago (Android 4.1) I used to use Llama app to automatically adjust the ringer volume and dim the screen when my phone connected my work WiFi.
That was a fantastic functionality.

I've just got a Bluboo Picasso 4G (Android 6.0) and want the same.

Llama is not able to change the volume nor brightness anymore. I tried Automate app (newer solution from Llama's author), and it has the ability to choose one of the predefined profiles: silent, vibrate, normal, but it cannot switch to an user-defined profile (only the standard three are available; trying to use variables do not take any effect).

Now I'm testing PhoneProfilesPlus (3.5.0.6) and this seems not to work as well.

Does anyone know a working solution? All I need is: set some not-very-loud ringtone and dim the screen when connected to my office WiFi, and revert once disconnected.

It still possible with Automate to dim the screen and change the volume.

In the Connectivity section, select "Wi-Fi connected". Click on it, enter the Network Name (or click on Pick network to select a Network (the WiFi must be on, if not the list will be empty)). Click Done.
In the Settings section, select "Screen brightness set". Click on it, enter the Brightness level (expressed in percentage). Click Done.
In the Camera & Sound section, select "Audio volume set". Click on it, enter the Volume level (expressed in percentage), then in Audio Stream, select Ring (System is for system-wide sounds). Click Done.
Steps 2 and 3 parameters are for when the phone is connected to a selected Wifi network. Repeat steps 2 and 3, but change the parameter to reflect brightness and volume values when the phone is disconnected from the selected Wifi network.
Link the blocks as seen on the picture below. Save the flow and give it a name. Give the appropriate permissions (some maybe installed). Click Start.
Optional - If you want, the flow to run at boot, in the settings, select Run on system startup


How to restore WhatsApp data from SD card or internal memory and not from Google Drive? I changed phones and installed WhatsApp on the new one. I have a backup database file on an SD card and the same file copied to the internal WhatsApp folder and Google Drive.
However, during install, the restore process only checks in G Drive and says that no backup is available.

How do I restore the data from this backup file from the internal memory or SD card? There is no corresponding option during backup restore.

Adding a few points based on other QnA I went through. Hope they help.

The phone number has not changed. I am using the same number on the new phone as earlier.
I have copied the backup database file from the SD card to the internal memory and also to the G Drive
The backup file is named "msgstore.db.crypt12" It does not have the date in the name.

I had problems with this too, and today finally it worked.  Unfortunately I'm not sure which of the following additional steps did the trick, but maybe it helps others:

I copied the entire WhatsApp folder over from the old phone to the new one (zipped it using Total Commander, copied it to a PC via USB, copied it to the new phone also via USB, unzipped it also using Total Commander).
After installing WhatsApp, I gave the app all possible permissions before running it: under Settings/Apps, select WhatsApp, tap Permissions, and then select all permissions listed under "denied" and tap "allow" (you can revoke the permissions again after the backup is succesfully restored).

After doing this, running WhatsApp and confirming my phone number, I was finally prompted to restore the local backup. Before that, WhatsApp asked me for some permissions and then asked me to select a Google Drive backup (which I hadn't done), when I selected "skip" at this step it apparently also skipped the local backup.


Nandroid Backup restore fails with error 255 I recently destroyed the screen of my OnePlus One and had to send it in for repair. I used TWRP to make a Nandroid Backup before packing the device.
Yesterday, I received a new device, obviously not having my apps and data. So I moved my backup onto the device, but when I try to restore it, I get errors.

When restoring the data partition, it will get to 79% and then say E:extractTarFork() process ended with ERROR=255. I tried it multiple times with the same result. Unfortunately, I obviously cannot try creating a new backup. All other partitions restore without trouble.

According to the log files, the file causing the issue is //data/dalvik-cache/arm/data@app@com.instabridge.android-2@base.apk@classes.dex.

What can I do? I thought it might help deleting the file as the Dalvik Cache is just a cache that will be recreated, but how do I delete files or folders from a Nandroid Backup?

I had a similar issue, turns out I did not have enough space on the phone.

So backup_file_size * 2 < memory_availaible

The data partition is mostly big so it might be exceeding the capacity.

A good alternative might be restoring from a USB device or an SD card.


Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 in bootloop (standard recovery not working!) Hi enthusiastic community! I would need your help and advice!

The device:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T819)
bought with Android 6 second hand --> last week updated to Android 7
NOT rooted, original firmware, official update (did not mess around with it at all ...)
I am using it without SD-card or SIM

The problem:

Stucks in boot loop first shows Galaxy Tab S2 logo and then S-A-M-S-U-N-G appears in big letters blinking) stays there forever and heat up a little on the back.

Steps already tried and did not work out:

press powerOn button 10s, 1 min, 2 min ... --> no reaction
press volUp + volDown + powerOn --> reboots put stuck later at the logo
press volUp + powerOn + home --> does not enter recovery mode
press volDown + powerOn + home, in this very order --> enters downloading mode and asks to downloading a custom OS (volUp) or cancel (volDown)
if I press cancel reboots and stuck at the logo again
if volUp then gets into Odin downloading mode and shows the following information:

ODIN MODE (HIGH SPEED)
PROCUCT NAME: SM-T819
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Official
FAP LOCKS: ON
WARRANTY VOID: 0x0
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
RP SWREV: S1, T1, H1, R1, A2, P1
SECURE DOWNLOAD : ENABLE
download mode !!

[Arrow down]
Downloading ...
Do not turn off target

I guess it is waiting to download from USB.

tried this steps with and without charging cable connected to my
laptop --> does not make a difference!
Eventually it ran out of battery and shut down! Tried the same
steps after it's shutdown (power cable connected) but situation did not change!
I cannot mount the tablet on my Ubuntu Lenovo Thinkpad --> if I do
lsusb the tablet is not listed ...
after the battery ran out I tried this: when Samsung Galaxy S2 logo appears, release the Power key and immediately hold the volume down key --> it is rebooting and showing the battery symbol (0% charged) over and over again.

Questions:

What should I do else?
Should I flash firmware? --> I run the laptop with Ubuntu 17
Should I dismantle it and disconnect the battery (worked
on my Lenovo ...)?
Do I have to root it?

What do I want:

I want the tablet to work again, would prefer not to root it, do not care about data loss ...

Other observations:

I could not start it this morning after installing a new app (via
Google Play) yesterday evening.
Two days ago I could not charge the tablet with the adapter on a
power plug, I needed to charge it via the laptop.
It is alive and charges normally on the laptop (if I press shortly the powerOn button then the battery symbol appears)
Does NOT charge with the charger plugged into a power plug, only on the laptop.

Thanks a lot for your help and patience to read all that!

EDIT:

07/13/2017

I followed esQmo_'s solution in detail but I could not establish a connection between the computer and the tablet. In the end Samsung support fixed it and the tablet is running perfectly again. However, I think that the solution given by esQmo_ is still the right thing to do in this case, but please note that for some reason (maybe my lack of experience or knowledge) it did not work out for me. Thanks!

Seems like a softbrick state. You should try flashing a new firmware.
The steps below are for Windows:

Download the firmware from here (Registration required)
Download Odin flasher from here
Download Samsung Kies and install it. Needed for drivers.

[Update]

Uninstall Kies right after it has installed and drivers set up, this is to avoid conflicts with Odin while flashing devices (See below answer (@Babaks D's answer) for more)
Unzip the firmware, unzip Odin then run the executable file.
Power off the device then boot in download mode (Volume down + power button) then connect it via USB cable. Windows should install drivers.
Now on Odin, you should see ID COM turns blue meaning that the device is detected.
Click on AP button, then browse where the firmware folder is. Select the file. Wait a moment.
Now click on Start and wait till the end. You should see PASS on the screen.


Is it appropriate to heat the device using CPU when it's cold? If I want the device to heat up for some reason (to warm my hands, to keep the display responsive below 0 centigrades, to avoid battery frost damage), is it appropriate to load all cores of CPU and let it heat up?

Can it damage the phone (or damage it more than the frost can)?

As long as you don't go full ham with your device's CPU load, everything should be fine in terms of damage/wear.

  Remember that keeping your CPU active will grind your battery very quickly, but it might be worth, if you need your device's temperature to be above 0°C.


will samsung galaxy 5 get android 2.2 update Possible Duplicate:
  When will my phone get Android 2.2 (FroYo)?

will samsung galaxy 5 get android 2.2 update ??

You can upgrade to Froyo for the Galaxy 5 already - it was just released by a few guys recently. See this post on Samfirmware - samfirmware.com/WEBPROTECT-i5500.htm, for more information. Otherwise by mid-December almost all regions should have it appearing on your official Samsung Kies tool.

PS. I don't have a Galaxy 5 but a college does.


Is there way to view two applications split screen on Android tablets? Is there way to use two applications simultaneously on split screen on Android tablets? It would be great to put tablet to vertical position open navigation software to upper part of screen and music player to lower and use it at car. Just like the Kyocera Echo can.

There is a company that is working on doing this but they said they will not be releasing it to consumers, they want to go directly to OEMs: Onskreen.


Moto X won't default to SD card for internal storage Insufficient Storage

I've been getting this error message constantly and it's extremely aggravating. I've got a 16 GB Moto X Pure running Android 6.0 with a 32 GB memory card.

My internal storage is getting filled but there's barely anything on my SD card and the phone won't default over to it. I can only move certain apps over manually but my biggest chunk, Google Music, apparently got rid of that feature.

Is there anyway to make the phone default to the SD card as a preferred storage location?

Finally got it.

There's a Migrate option under the SD card storage summary which freed up 2 GB of internal storage.

After I did that a bunch of updates came through and I was able to port my music over to the SD card.


How to remove "Contents hiddens" from lock screen I'm currently hiding sensitive notification content from the lock screen. I did that by going in Settings>Notifications>Configure notifications>On the lock screen>Hide sensitive notification content.

Now it shows Contents hidden on my lock screen. I'd like to be able to see the notification but remove that text "Contents hiddens".

Is that possible?

Screenshot.

Thank you

It should be possible using automation. I prefer Macrodroid, being easy to learn and free (upto 5 macros)
Note: Not tested on Nougat ( I don't have it)
The macro would look like this ( on the left is the macro) and on right is detailed configuration for second action Display Notification

Explanation:

Your messaging app (Textra in my case) generates a notification which has hidden in it - This is the trigger ( you can choose multiple apps as I see from your screenshot, you have two apps)

First action is to clear such notifications

Second action is to substitute that notification with your customised message - you have a message in the example

This is the bare bones macro , you can play around with it and confirm whether it suits your needs - you can customise a lot in the second action by choosing options from ...
Clicking this on lock screen will NOT launch your messaging app. If you want that to be done create another macro, where
Trigger: Empty Trigger
Action: Launch Application → select your messaging app
Constraints : None
Name this macro whatever you like (say, launch messaging app ) and on the second action of first macro tick Invoke macro when pressed and choose launch messaging app
For a rooted device  ( and when Nougat gets xposed ) , SMS Xposed has hide sender , hide message options


How do I see my sent SMS messages? How do I see my sent SMS messages? I can search my text messages, but it's not obvious how to simply see a list of my sent messages ordered by time.

One way to do this would be to use something like SMS Backup+ which syncs your SMS and MMS messages to a particular tag in Gmail. You could then use normal gmail filtering to see your outgoing messages.


What can be removed from Android Tablet? I was recently given a roverpad tesla 10.1 tablet :

(https://www.imei.info/phonedatabase/16842-roverpad-tesla-101/)

It is total garbage as a tablet but I would like to use as a controller for a mini robot via an android app (via bluetooth). So in order to get a better experience I would like to remove all the unused features (multi apps ? multi screens ? logging screens).

Right now even after doing a 'one click root' = KingRoot (but it is not a total root, so I can delete apps but cannot change the OS) and deleting all the non system apps from the tablet it is still quite laggy (but battery life is way better).

Would you have some advice on how I can optimize it for one single usage (running an app to control a robot via bluetooth) without routing it (well if someone knows a way to root this poor soul, that would be quite awesome).

Thank you in advance,

Artiom

You can gain root access depending on your Android version using various methods on that device.

Try these first,

FramaRoot Application
TowelRoot Application

Then, only if they failed !
KingRoot 4.9.6 Application

  Kingroot will root %99 of Android device's running below Android 5.0, however it is annoying to remove it, that's why i suggest FramaRoot first.


Wifi Connection Problem I am staying in hostel where i get WiFi facility.Using netcut application some are blocking the net connection.I can use internet in laptop using netcut defender but i am unable access  in my phone.I am using asus zenfone 5.
Is there any way to protect from blocking.

I found this in Play Store. See if it works - NetCut Root.
Comment if worked.


How can I make Google Maps cache the map for my entire city? The Google Maps app for android caches the map tiles of areas you visit. Also, the GM Brut mod allows you to cache map tiles to the SD card. I'm on a very limited data plan, so I'd like to have my entire city cached to my phone memory/SDcard. So far, the only way I can think of is to manually scroll all over the city using different zoom levels.

My question is: is there a better way to do that? Again, I want to be able to use GM anywhere in the city without having to download the maps on-the-fly over my data plan. Is there a practical way to achieve this, so I won't have to scroll several times (once for each zoom level) over the entire city?

Since you asked this question, Google has added a "pre-cache map area" feature to Google Maps's experimental Labs features. You first have to go into Settings > Labs and enable "Pre-cache Map Area", then visit a place page (either by clicking on a POI or long-pressing somewhere on the map), look at the list of "More Options", and click "Pre-cache Map Area". It will cache the area within 10 miles of the point and keep it cached for 30 days. Depending on the size of your city, you might have to cache a few different points to get the coverage you want.

Here's more from the Google blog:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-map-area-added-to-labs-in.html


Root commands on terminal emulator not working system-wide I want to run the following command as root in the Android Terminal Emulator.

mount -o bind /storage/extSdCard /data/media

I have tested this on a Samsung Galaxy S3 running CyanogenMod 11 and it works as expected. When I enter /data/media using another app like ES File Explorer file manager, I get to the contents of the external SD-card instead of the internal memory.

The problem is that this doesn't work on another S3 I have, this one running stock TouchWiz ROM version 4.3 and rooted with CF-Auto-Root. I have also tried using Adam's Custom kernel and it doesn't work either.

When I run the command on the terminal and then type ls /data/media as root, it shows the external SD-card's content, but if I launch another terminal as a normal user (non root) and type the same command, I get the contents of the internal memory. Same thing happens if I try to access /data/media using ES File Explorer file manager

So it seems that root commands only have effect for the root user, not for other users system-wide. What could be the cause of this behavior?

UPDATE:
OK, my bad, I didn't express myself correctly. It is true that a normal user can't access /data/media. But /data/media is the true location of the files in the internal memory. There are lots of paths where android makes this memory available for normal users, like /sdcard or /storage/sdcard0, both of which point to /data/media/0 through a FUSE filesystem.

My though here is that if I create a folder named 0 on the external sd and then bind /storage/extSdCard to /data/media, when the system tries to access /sdcard or /storage/sdcard0 it will get the contents of /storage/extSdCard/0 as /data/media no longer points to internal memory, but to external sd instead.

This works as expected on CM11 when I run as root

mount -o bind /storage/extSdCard /data/media

Then if I access /sdcard on the terminal, either as root and as normal user, I get to the contents of /storage/extSdCard/0. Same thing happens if I use ES File Explorer on normal or root modes

But when I do the same on rooted stock 4.3 firmware it doesn't work. Only root on the terminal can see the changes, normal user on the terminal and normal and root user on ES File Explorer will see no change

My case, I suppose it's the same reason for you.

Go to your Superuser manager app, I suppose it's SuperSU.

Go to settings, and look for 'Mount Namespace Separation' and check if it's ticked. Uncheck the option and reboot.

SuperSU provided this option to make your system safer by hiding one app's mount namespace from others', thus if you mount or unmount something, it's only visible to the app (UID) you're using and nothing else.

Alternatively, when running su, you can add an option -m to make your shell have the control of master mount namespace. Then your mounts will work globally.


stuck trying to fix bad Android 6.0 update When manually updating my Nexus 9 (Wifi) to Android 6.0, I forgot to flash the cache.img and vendor.img images. Now my Nexus 9 is stuck at the Google boot screen (just says Google, no animation). How do I get the Nexus 9 back to the state where I can re-flash images manually again (i.e., "flashboot flash...")?

The solution was simply booting in fastboot mode (I already was there). Apparently, booting in fastboot → plugging in the USB cable → waiting a couple of minutes for the device to be detected by ADB (adb devices) works best (otherwise it won't list the device). I was then able to install Android 6.0 successfully via fastboot commands (USB debugging and OEM unlocking were previously enabled and the bootloader unlocked).

fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-flounder-3.48.0.0135.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
mfastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash vendor vendor.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
fastboot reboot

mfastboot was used instead of fastboot to flash the system.img file because the latter gave an "could not allocate -1995847632" error message (it can't handle big image files).

I will re-lock the bootloader later.


Google Play: Error downloading app - insufficient space After one of the latest updates (not sure if it was the last one or a previous one) of the Google Play app, I am having an error trying to update a large app (42MB). It says:

  Error Downloading . There is insufficient space on the device.

My device is a Samsung P1000 running Froyo. It's rooted, but the error was there before rooting it.

A quick Google search showed several Samsung users having the same problem (the app in question that was giving me the headache is Smurf's village). Some said that removing the updates to the Android Market (Google Play) app would fix it, but to me it was of no avail.

I also tried the procedure in this Google help FAQ to no avail.

Now I am stuck with a prehistoric version of the Market (that works on small apps) and still cannot update Smurf's Village or install big apps. How can I fix this?

EDIT: device has over 2GB of internal SD storage, 27GB of external SD card, so space is not an issue.

For me, it was all about killing and rebuilding a bigger cache. I want it registered on SE so other people having the same problem can find an answer googling for it.

The problem seems to be with the size of the partition the cache is in. It is mounted on a 20-30MB partition in the phone internal SD card.

The fix that worked to me was described in this blog post.

THE BLOCK BELOW IS TAKEN FROM Jimmy Halim's blog post, and used with his permission.

  After browsing around, I found out that the cache folder (that I assume used by the market) is using small partition (around 20mb in my case).
  So to solve this we need to change it to bigger partition.

  You gonna need Android Terminal Simulator or equivalent terminal app. This will also require your Android rooted.

  Type su (root permission request will be shown: you need to approve it).

  Type cd /

  Type umount /cache

  Type mount -o rw,remount -t rootfs rootfs / (to set the folder access to rw – read write)

  Type rmdir /cache (delete cache folder).
  I personally using root explorer to do point 5-6.

  Type mkdir /sdcard/cache

  Type ln -s /sdcard/cache /cache (to link cache folder to /sdcard/cache – which should have bigger partition size)

My p1000 was rooted and had terminal emulator and busybox installed. I just typed the commands in the order described by Jimmy Halim (kudos to him).

Searching for the background to this question, I also found this forum post (in portuguese) that seems to (untested by me) solve the problem using an app.

[begin portuguese posting]

Para solucionar o problema, eu  precisei modificar o tamanho do cache do telefone

[end portuguese posting]


Where can find older versions of Apps? Is is possible to download older versions of Android applications?

Is there some kind of online archive for all versions of Android apps? Like how you can find older versions of some Windows app.

Some alternative repositories, such as F-Droid, allow you to choose which version you want to download; all versions ever offered are in the repository.

For most other sites, including the Android Market, the latest version is all that is available.


How do I provide internet access only to a single Android app? I am currently using Android Smartphone.
I am currently having internet access for my Android Smartphone.
I would like to provide internet access to only a single android application, for example: WhatsApp.
I do understand that I need to provide internet access to some essential default system apps for the functioning of the phone.
Is it possible to selectively provide internet access to few apps and not for other apps?

Try Opera Max to restrict per app data access to mobile and Wi-Fi networks. The PlayStore description says it,

  Block apps & prevent data leakage:
  Control your apps’ internet usage by blocking apps from running in the background that are using mobile data or Wi-Fi without
  permission.Blocking apps running in the background conserves battery and minimises your battery usage.

If you want to restrict only a particular app follow the steps,

Open Settings menu > Data Usage
Select the app you want to restrict the data.
And select "Restrict background data"

If you are on a Wi-Fi network and you want to restrict the app accessing data in the background using your wi-fi connection, do the above steps in the Wi-Fi Tab to restrict the app access to Wi-Fi network too.


How to login to Android with Security Key? I would like to login to my android by my security key.
The phone has NFC support which is the easiest way to authenticate the login if supported.
I am thinking how to accomplish the task by 3rd party app.
The login is well maintained by the OS so not sure if possible at all to change the login way.

Security key: YubiKey Neo (NFC support)
Android: 7.x, 8.x

Not supported by default in Android 7 nor Android Oreo 8.x.


What LauncherPro Shortcuts Have You Used? If you have LauncherPro you may be familiar with one of it's powerful features: LauncherPro Shortcuts.
By using the LauncherPro Shortcut Generator, you can create powerful custom "shortcuts" that can access almost any function in your device that has an Intent (see also Open Intents).
The shortcuts are almost mini apps in their ability to perform complex function like activating settings on your device, adding events in your calendar, sending to a particular email...  I believe that LauncherPro Shortcuts may be able to solve Dmitriy's problem here.
It basically opens the door to accomplishing things and accessing functions that you normally would need to be a developer to do.  Unfortunately due to the lack of documentation, it's still pretty difficult to use.  The author has a thread on his forum for people to post their Custom Shortcuts, as forums go, out of the 210 posts, 99.99% of them are people asking how to use it.  It is very frustrating finding the actual shortcuts.
I think the SE format will serve as a better mechanism for listing the Custom Shortcuts, and cutting out all the noise.
In order to keep this orderly please follow the following guidelines:

One Shortcut per Answer
Only post working LauncherPro Shortcuts (anything else will be deleted)
If you have questions or comments about a shortcut, post it in the comments.

Post it in the following format that will allow others to recreate the shortcut:
Shortcut Name (make it descriptive)
Notes:  Any notes about what it does and how it works.  Also, anything else that needs to be explained.
Form Fields:

Action:
Package Name:
Class Name:
MIME Type:
Data:
Categories:
Extras (Type / Name / Value):

(not all fields are required so you can delete the ones you don't use)

In order to make it easy you can cut and paste the following template code into your answer:
##Shortcut Name

**Notes:**  Type notes here...

**Form Fields:**

 - Action:
 - Package Name:
 - Class Name:
 - MIME Type:
 - Data:
 - Categories:
 - Extras (Type / Name / Value):

I thought about making this a Community Wiki, but decided to keep it a normal question so people can get rep for the useful shortcuts they post (and encourage people to create useful shortcuts that don't already exist).

LauncherPro Preferences
Notes:  Here's one to get us started that I took from Fede's forum post.  It opens up the LauncherPro preferences screen.
Form Fields:

Action:  android.intent.action.MAIN
Package Name:  com.fede.launcher
Class Name:  com.fede.launcher.LauncherPreferencesActivity


android 8.1 plays random music sporadically and stops after 10 seconds or so I have an android phone that runs 8.1 and sporadically it will run some random music that I don't know of. It then stops on its own after a few seconds. My browser is turned off, and the phone is on vibrate. Checking the running processes in developer mode does not reveal anything suspicious. I also did not install any shady apps. What can I do to pinpoint the problem?

If you have installed apps such as UC Browser and similar apps runs on background and plays audio on background. Just check your running apps and kill 3rd party app one by one to know which app is causing this issue. Another way is go to play store -> My apps -> Library and uninstall recently installed app to solve this issue.


Phone doesn't start. USB Debug is off, can't connect pc for recovery I have a Huawei Ideos X5 phone. It is rooted. When I took the battery out and restarted it the other day, it didn't open: the device starts, shows the "Ice Cream Sandwich" logo – and there it stays (even when waiting for 7 hours).

I was going to try the recovery mode but, because USB debugging is switched off, my PC doesn't see the phone.

Is there any chance that I can change the debug mode without opening the phone? The phone is old but really want to save it.

Boot into recovery mode by holding the Power & Volume Up buttons on your phone. (if Volume Up doesn't work, try Volume Down).

I've used this method to get an unresponsive device to respond.


How to Create Additional Google Play Account Under 1 Google Account? I have just set up new Google Account on my tablet that uses new Google Play account. I want to add another Google Account that I use as main that already has history of apps I bought in the past and payment method associated with it.

So instead of using new Google Play account with no track record and bought apps, I want to remove it from existing Google Account and link to it established Google Play account.

How to do that without adding another Google Account to device only to have everything synced and mixed up? After all this is short term purpose because after adding apps I already bought, will mean removing that Google Account and switching back to previous. What if I want to download paid application again? Here we go again..

You have a very strange use case, and Dan Hulme's duplicate suggestion is actually correct.

If you want to use the apps from an OLD account, you need to add the OLD account, switch to the OLD account, and install the apps through the OLD account. Then, you switch back to the NEW account, and remove the OLD account. If you want to install a new app from the OLD account, you need to repeat the same procedure.

As I said, you have a very strange use case, and this is the only workaround. If what you wanted were possible, it would be open to abuse. You could share the account to several people, and let them install apps using that account.

EDIT #1: As per Izzy, removing the OLD account can break the installed apps, as the license checks will fail. So, best to keep both OLD and NEW accounts, but disable the sync on the OLD account (as you suggested).


What is this notification icon that looks like a raindrop? My friend bought a Sony Xperia Z3, and started to install all the apps she liked. After installing dozens of apps, she realized that there is a notification icon looks like a raindrop. I was asked to get rid of it, but I couldn’t. I tried to stop all the running apps, but it remained on top. If she pulls down the notification bar, it shows nothing.

Any idea what this could be?status

I would start by looking at the list of currently running apps in Settings -> Apps  -> Running (could be different on Sony's devices.)

Narrow the list down by ignoring Google's and Sony's own services (e.g. Google Play serviced, Google Search, Google Keyboard, etc.)  Now examine each app that you don't recognize by taping on it, and tapping the "Stop" button.  If the icon on top disappears - that's the app which was spawning it.  You should now be able to open the app, go into its settings and look for a way to disable the notification icon.

If you are still unable to find the app after going through all 3rd-party apps, it's probably one of the system apps belonging to Sony.


SleepBot includes a "smart alarm" feature which has been failing on Android 6.x "Marshmallow" due to "Doze" mode. What's the workaround? Background

SleepBot is a freeware sleep-tracking app. It includes a "smart alarm" feature which claims to help prevent early-morning grogginess and sleep inertia.

There are other competing free apps, but they aren't great. There's also Sleep as Android, which is a very good app; but it's trialware, and it costs US$4 to remove the restrictions after the trial ends.

The problem

Various individuals, such as this one and this one, complain of problems with SleepBot's alarm functionality when using Android 6.x "Marshmallow". They tend to complain about problems regarding SleepBot's smart alarms never ringing at all, or about problems with the alarms' snooze function.

My questions

I don't own any Android 6.x device. But I wonder:

Does Android 6.x "Marshmallow" truly cause problems with SleepBot?
Are any of these problems due to "Doze" mode?
Is there any workaround for any of these problems?

Possibly related: "Alarm clocks aren't working on Android 6".

You should be able to turn off App Optimization. Go to settings -> apps -> click the gear at the top right -> then click Battery Optimization. Add the app to "Not Optimized."


Using Android to PC over Wifi apps while device is hotspot Is there a way for me to configure my wifi hotspot so that I can use apps such as IP webcam while the hotspot is the PC's only internet connection?

You need an intermediate wifi AP to which both android and your laptop connect. The integrated wifi hotspot functionality won't work as it does only forward the internet connection and hides the rest (it adds a new 192.168.42/24 subnet and does NAT internally).

Technically speaking, of course, there's a way to do it. But it requires root and you would need to setup the network by hand (iptables, ip tools required) and make sure that the app does bind to the wifi hotspot standard gateway IP 192.168.42.129 and that there are no firewall rules to block it.


How to check support for ext2 filesystem on android device I have a android mobile with gingerbread 2.3.4 installed.

I want to know if my device(kernel) supports ext2 filesystem. Is there any terminal command to check the support for ext2 filesystem ?

cat /proc/filesystems is the typical Linux/Unix way of determining this. It works fine on CyanogenMod, but I'm not sure about other ROMs. If you want to filter out all of the other supported filesystems you could grep the output, too (assuming you've got grep, of course):

# cat /proc/filesystems | grep 'ext*'
    ext2
    ext3
    ext4
#


Why isn't Tasker activating Profile? I have created a profile with Tasker to accomplish a simple function, activate WiFi every 10 minutes and if the phone connects to a network leave WiFi on, otherwise turn it off and scan again in 10 minutes. This is my setup:

Profile Big / Task Big

WiFi Scan profile never activates (it doesn't get green and the Tasker notification says "no Active Profile"). When I activate Tasker it turns off my WiFi but never turns it on again. It is very strange; is it a Tasker bug? I am running Android 4.1.2 on a Galaxy S2.

While trying to explain where to find that "4th tab", I just see where your problem is:

You use the %WIFI variable to check for a) On/Off and b) the connection mode. Either it is On/Off, or it holds connection info. The first is %WIFI, the other %WIFII:

  WiFi Info
  %WIFII
  When connected to an Access Point (AP), shows human-readable data about the AP. When not connected, show details of the most recent Wifi scan results for nearby APs.

  WiFi Status (dynamic)
  %WIFI
  Whether WiFi is on or off. Note: if WiFi is enabling or disabled, in fact anything but enabled, it's classed as off.

Source: Tasker UserGuide

Now back to the original explanation about that "4th tab":

You see some tabs in both pictures. In the first, "Profiles" is selected, in the second "Tasks". In both pictures you see another tab "Scenes". Right to that is one more, "Variables":

But regardless of that: For debugging, you can always to add another item to your task, "Notify", and have it either popup the %WIFI (or whatever variables) content or add it to your notification bar. This is good for debugging.


Turn off cellphone (SIM) radio How do I turn the cellphone (SIM) radio on an Android phone?

The radio consumes a lot of power (30-70%), especially when the phone is idle. Sometimes I only need to use other functions (e.g., clock, web browser), and make the battery last as long as possible.

"Airplane mode" does this but also turns off the WiFi (close to, but not exactly what I need).

Once you've put the phone in Airplane/Flight mode, you can manually re-enable WiFi. (On my phone at least) this leaves WiFi on and the phone radio disabled. It does involve a couple more clicks but I think it achieves what you're after.

A quick look round the market showed a few apps that manage this setting for you, for example the "Airplane Mode Wi-Fi Tool" and "Airplane Autoswitch". Either of these may streamline the process slightly.

Airplane Mode Wi-Fi Tool QRCode:

Airplane Autoswitch QRCode:


SyncMe Failed to connect to computer, isConnected failed: ECONNREFUSED (Connection refused) I have a new router (RT-N18U), and a new HDD, set it up to work with SyncMe Wireless. It all worked pretty well, I synced my phone ok. Then I synced my wife's phone as well. It started ok, 50% of her stuff went up to the HDD, but then it stopped. I cannot make it work since then on her phone OR my phone either. Both fail.

My system:

The router (see above)
A Computer with XP
HDD is connected to the router, not to the computer
2 phones, both SGS3, with Android

My errors:

When it first crashed, the error was this:

  Error: Failed to delete file \E\124609.jpg_(!).(!)_tmp.
  Computer error: Sharing violation

(I am not sure what E is)

Later on, the error changed, this is what I see now pretty much all the time:

  Error: Failed to connect to computer , failed to connect to
  RT-N18U/192.168.1.1 (port 139) after 4000ms: isConnected failed:
  ECONNREFUSED (Connection refused)

If I try to search for computers, I cannot find any, I did get something like this at one point:

  Error: Computer was not found on the network

I am not really good with network and such, so I am not sure what might have gone wrong, after it initially worked fine.

The Computer Name in the SyncMe Wireless setup is the name of the router, not sure that is good.
The User, that I registered the Computer under SyncMe Wireless's settings, I was not sure what user to add there, so I initially added the username and password for my router.

What I think might be wrong (was right but it "broke") and I might need help with:

the sharing of the HDD folder (I am not sure how to share it)
the user that I connect to the router with from the phones (where to create that user?) instead of the router admin user
hope that the (XP) computer doesn't have to be online for sync

Looks like the settings were fine.

I even had that Samba thing set up right.
I turned that Samba on-off from the router, then I removed the "Computer" from SyncMe, re-added, and it worked.

The error actually happened again, later on, with the "could not delete + sharing violation". Then I did the above steps again, and it worked.

I didn't have long filenames or anything weird like that, but I had a lot of files to back up (first time sync)
I am curious if this error will persist later on, when I will have a lot less files to sync.

It currently works fine.


LG P880 - No keyboard after factory reset yesterday I tried to reset my rooted phone (LG Optimus 4X HD) because I thought it would run faster after a factory reset.

Unfortunately I didn't remember that I uninstalled the stock keyboard and now, there is no keyboard installed on the device.
This makes it impossible to get past the setup wizard.

I tried sideloading a keyboard apk via adb but it failed (error message: verifying package ... installation aborted). I also failed to connect the device to the PC suite (I presume this is the case because USB debugging is turned off).

Is there anything else I could try?

Thank you in advance

You do this:
Simply skip setup wizard (turn off cellular data to be able to do this), then when get to launcher turn on bluetooth and transfer keyboard .apk file and install it (check unknown sources to do this). Than go to play store and login to google account. To prevent this from happening again use titanium backup and convert keyboard to be system app.


Receive calls on Wi-Fi via Google Voice I don't have good cell reception in my house and I'd to have my Google Voice number forward to my phone on Wi-Fi when I'm home.  Can I just use Google Voice or do I need a third-party app to do the connection?

You need a third-party app to recieve Wi-Fi calls.

Two popular apps are GrooVeIP (paid & free) and Talkatone (paid). You could also set up Sipdroid (free), which will set up the SIP forwarding using pbxes.com. Or you could use a number of other SIP apps and set up forwarding yourself, but that gets a bit convoluted.


Unable to enter recovery mode for Marshmallow manual OTA update on Nexus 6 I am sharing this piece of knowledge for the folks who might face the same problem.
Scenario
I am manually upgrading a rooted Motorola Nexus 6 device, for which OTA update is not available due to system ROM modification. A populare guide can be found here or by following Nexus Root Toolkit's wizard.
Problem
Android reboots in recovery mode with a "No command" message. NRT and guides say that this is the pre-screen to recovery. I need to enter recovery and enable download from ADB. The problem is that when I do the PWR+Volume+ sequence I only get the device rebooted into Android

Solution
First press the PWR button, then quickly press once the Volume+ button and release the keys.
Explanation
It could be tricky for some people to enter the combination right.
Nexus 6 does not allow direct Recovery boot using PWR+Volume+ combo on powered off phone. Instead, you have to go through the bootloader.
Once you are in the recovery pre-screen (in my case, of ROM MOB30O), holding the PWR button will force the device's power cycle. If you press Volume+ before PWR, recovery will ignore the sequence, and then if you hold PWR a power cycle will start.
The power cycle then will simply ignore that you are holding Volume+ button, bringing you to Android OS with a normal boot


How do I disable the drop-down spell check box? I just updated my Galaxy S4 to Android 5.0.1/Lollipop. I don't like to use the drop-down spell check/autocorrect box; I prefer the one built into the Google Keyboard that displays as a line of suggestions above the keyboard. The drop-down displays over that line so I have to back out of it to tap a suggestion.

I had it disabled on Android 4.4.2/Kitkat and cannot figure out how to turn it off in 5. I've toggled all settings under Google Keyboard and Samsung keyboard to no avail. The only way I could find to disable it was to force close the Samsung keyboard, but unfortunately I can't permanently disable it.

Thanks!

Screenshot:

I managed how to disable the Lollipop's spell checker, (not one from keyboards as in other answers).

Just go to, Settings → Language & input → Spell checker then switch it off.

Already done ;)


Telnet from Linux to Android devices I am attempting to telnet from my Ubuntu commandline to my Android phone and pad using the following syntax:

> telnet 192.168.0.4

Trying 192.168.0.4...

telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused

But, I get that error message above when I try both devices.

Can anyone help with this?

Android does not include a telnet daemon. Use the included android debug bridge (meant for development or power users). It comes with the official SDK ( http://developer.android.com/sdk/ ).

Install both "tools" packages
Enable USB debugging in your phone settings
run ./platform-tools/adb shell in yor sdk folder (needs approprate USB rights for your phone)

You then have a local shell on your phone.

If you definitely need access over network install an ssh server app (search play store for SSHDroid or QuickSSHd). You might want a secure shell server on a mobile device that connects to multiple maybe unsafe networks like public hotspots.


How to see my Picasa albums offline? In other words how to download a picture from my Picasa album to my sdcard? I can see in the gallery but not have it in my phone :( so I cannot see when I don't have wifi. I don't want full sync but I want to save a pic which I see in gallery easily.

Update:

I have a good picture in my picasa web album.
When I am at my home with wifi, I can see the picture, show it to others. When I go out of wifi connection, If I try to see the picture I wont be able to because the image which was cached will be deleted and no longer available. I will just be able to see the thumbnail. Alternatively If there is an option to save the image to sd card in the gallery image viewer, I will save that particular picture to my sd card when I have wifi and view it anytime anywhere. So now, If I want to download a particular image of mine from picasa, I need to go to internet->picasawebalbums, browse for the same photo I can see in gallery and then download it. Is there a simple way of doing this? May be with anyother app?

Else, If I can access the cache folder where gallery caches picasa photos, I can copy from there. But I'm not able to find that too.

My phone model: Samsung Galaxy S LCD I9003

Update:
I found this app useful and allow me to save my photos but I cant browse friend's albums yet.

You can sync Picasa albums to the web via a setting in the software on your computer. Google gives you a little storage for free.

Then on your phone you under Settings->Accounts and Sync, select the Google account and tick Sync Picasa Web Albumns.

Next time you open the Gallery app, it will show all the photos that have been uploaded to the web.


How third party cookies are handled in Android browsers? Is the default browser able to write third party cookies (on Safari/iPhone, only able to read, but not to write)?
What about other Android browsers (Firefox...)?

Found the answer via this site: http://www.grc.com/cookies/forensics.htm

Third-party cookies are accepted by the standard browser and also by Firefox.


How can I automatically disable the onscreen keyboard when a Bluetooth keyboard is connected? Possible Duplicate:
  How do I disable the on screen keyboard? I have a USB keyboard attached

I'm using a 9.7" Bauhn Android tablet from Aldi running Ice CreamSandwich. I have a Kensington universal keyboard (and case) made for 10“ tablets including Android that I use with my tablet. Is there a way to automatically disable the onscreen keyboard when my Bluetooth one is connected?

Not automatic (per se), but you can use something like Null Keyboard which is a null input method you can enable when you have your Bluetooth keyboard connected so the soft keyboard quits from popping up.

Also, in my experience, Cyanogenmod9 ICS ROMs prevents the keyboard from appearing when an external one is connected. It might be worth seeing if they have a distribution for your device.


Package file is invalid when trying to load Facebook When I try to load the Facebook app on my new Samsung Galaxy S3, I get an error of Package File is Invalid. I have been able to load other apps via Google Play store. Facebook seems to be the only one I'm having trouble with.

This error has been noticed recently. The other day, I was trying to update the Samsung Push app, but it kept on failing. So, I just kept trying to update it, despite the frustrations. Eventually, it updated successfully.

Maybe it's just a Google Play issue.

Update 2013-08-13: From Al's comments, Google has officially recognized this issue, as is in fact listed in Google Support.

  We’ve received reports that some users are getting "Package File
  Invalid" while trying to download or update apps.

  We’re currently investigating a permanent solution, and there are no
  workarounds at this time.

  We’ll continue to update this page with developments, so check back
  soon.

EDIT #1: Oops, looks like my UPDATE has been mentioned in bmdixon's answer already.

UPDATE 2013-08-15: As of this time, Google has already fixed the issue. Source.


Google pay wont work unless phone is unlocked even for small payments I have a Samsung Note 9 (Android version 9) and Google Pay installed and configured. It works on stores like Costa for payments under £35 only when phone is unlocked

As per https://support.google.com/pay/answer/7644132?hl=en "No unlock needed for smaller payments"

Does anyone know why this is the case? I'd like that no unlocking is required for small payments.

It turns out this may be a problem with the official Samsung phone clear view folding cover explained in https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartphones/galaxy-note9/accessories/

When the fold is closed I cannot use it. If I open the fold then even if the phone is locked I can use Google Pay. Removing the foldable cover altogether also works!


How can I get a list of all my paid (only) apps in the Play Store? I'm interested to know all of my apps that I paid for in the Google Play Store. Is there an easy way to retrieve this list filtering only paid applications?

(1) Check out Legacy Play Store. You can get the list on UNINSTALLED PAID apps. INSTALLED list includes both PAID and UNPAID.

If you decide to install it, you may need to:

use Root Explorer (I had troubles with Astro and File Expert)
copy the apk to /system/app
chmod the apk to 644

NOTE: It works on my Samsung Galaxy S2, running CyanogenMod9.

EDIT: Hmm. Website is currently unavailable. Post a comment if you can't access it. I could probably upload the apk somewhere. [Or you could search for the app elsewhere]

(2) AndroidPolice just featured a GreaseMonkey script that allows you to separate your paid apps in Google Play. You might also want to check it out.


Cannot create list in evernote Android 2.3.4 and official Evernote app.

While writing a note I want to add a multiple list (simple, numbered, checked) so I click the corresponding button.

The indicator of the list is displayed (dot, number or checkbox) and I enter the text I want.

At this point, there is no clear way of how to add another item in the same list. If I hit enter it goes to the next line, in the same item of the list. There is no way to add a second item but to fool it by changing list type back and forth (type1->type2). By only doing this trick I am able to see the second list indicator and continue my note.

Example of what I see after enter:

Text here...

and next here...

Example of what I want:

Text here..
And here...

I am not sure whether I am doing something wrong, if it is a bug (?) or if I have something mis-configured in my keyboard (default international keyboard).

I'm using Evernote v4.2.1 and the multiple list functionality works correctly, whether i'm using numbers or boxes or hyphens.

The result is:

Test
Test

You should try to update your app in Google Play and try again.


Disable auto correct in smart typing apk - without settings I have a samsung - android 6- with no settings in it (yes I deleted it) .is there any apk where I can control the smart typing or auto correction (ON/OFF)?

Though I deleted the settings - for some reason :)- I installed Gboard & I think may be Swiftkey will work too & it worked after several trials.
Thank you all.


start app on startup and click coordinate I want the tethering app to start whenever I start my phone, when the tethering app starts there is a big button on the center of the screen which has to be pressed so the phone would start to tether.

I can achieve the above steps using ADB commands, but is there a way to create a script and place it on the phone so when ever the phone it boots the script also runs? if so, how? My phone is rooted.

Use an automation app, most of them has built-in support for starting various types of tethering, so it may not be necessary to automate the actual button press. But if that's the only option, it can probably also be automated with any of the following apps:

Automate
(free)
Automagic (paid)
Tasker
(paid) +
AutoInput
(7-day trial)


Installing GalnetMIUI Rom on HTC Desire I Have an HTC DESIRE which I upgraded to Gingerbread recently. My friend told me about Galnet MIUI for Desire, and now I want to root my device. Is this possible? These are my phone's specs:

HTC DESIRE
Android Version  2.3.3
Base band version - 32.56.00.32U_5.17.05.23
Kernel Version 2.6.35.10-g3f43272
Build No 3.14.405.1 CL 96875

Notes:

Rooting allows you to install a custom recovery (Clockwork Mod or AmonRa) to install ROMs
S-OFF allows you to change the HBOOT to rearrange your internal partitions

I rooted with Unrevoked before I used Alpharev's S-OFF some months later

Nowadays it's easier apparently. You can get S-OFF with Unrevoked Forever too but I'm not sure your phone is supported. And Unrevoked/Alpharev teamed up for revolutionary

Finally, there are many ROMS out there, some are better then others. I use Oxygen personally with the Oxygen HBOOT for 330MB internal data space. I'd use Devnull (same developers) but it doesn't have long press to kill


Why does the play store show "deactivate" instead of uninstall I was reviewing the recent update changes for the Outlook app when I noticed that instead of the normal uninstall button, it says dectivate instead:

Screenshot showing the button (click to enlarge)

I don't believe that this is a core app as its a Samsung phone (specifically the Core LTE).

Why is the play store showing deactivate instead of uninstall?

This is probably because you have configured Outlook as a Device Administrator. This prevents you from uninstalling the app. If you wish to uninstall Outlook you will need to go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators and uncheck Outlook. This will then allow you to uninstall the app.

Steps taken from Nexus 5 so may differ slightly on other devices


Where does memu android simulator save applications files? I know that most Android phones save apk files and applications in the android/data folder but when I enter there is none of my already installed applications. Is there anywhere can I find them?


Enabling Wi-Fi disables 3G service  (ZTE Warp running Shinjitsu 1.5b) I just started using this ZTE Warp (on Boost Mobile) yesterday. I rooted and ROM'd it with Clockwork Mod and Shinjitsu 1.5b (1.5.1c and 1.5.1c-beta2 did not work, for some reason).

Everything is pretty awesome so far, but whenever I enable Wi-Fi, I lose all 3G service - not just data, I can't send or receive calls or texts - the phone says 'No Service'.

Any ideas? I'm pretty new to Android.

Just disable wifi. I have 1.5.1c Beta 2. Look for ccrusher1 on the forum, and message me if you need more help.


Android phone extension numbers ANdroid 5.0.2 - Several contacts with same company phone # but different extensions. But it only keeps one extension. All the rest ignore my edit in which I add the extension #, even though it says it's saving it.
Also only shows that ONE contact every time I get a call from that company.

Open the dialer app and enter the number that you want to call.
Add a "pause" if you'll be entering the extension as soon as the line picks up. If the number you are calling allows you to enter the extension immediately after picking up, the "pause" function will automatically enter the extension after waiting a moment:
Press and hold the * button to add a space, a comma (,) and a space then add the extension # to the end of the number. This symbol indicates a two-second pause before the extension will be dialed. If pressing and holding the * button does not work, tap the (⋮) button next to the number and select "Add pause." If that doesn't work either, tap the number field to open your on-screen keyboard, then type a comma.
You can add multiple commas to wait longer. This may be useful for phone systems that have a delay before you can enter the extension.
On Windows phones, you'll need to type the comma in another app, copy it, then paste it to the end of the number.

OR

Add a "wait" if the extension can only be dialed after the whole menu plays. Some extensions cannot be entered until the entire automated menu service plays, or until a certain option is selected. The "wait" function will display the extension on your screen and you'll indicate when it should be entered.
Press and hold the # button to add a semicolon (;) to the end of the number. This symbol indicates a "wait," and the subsequent extension will not be dialed until you say so.
If you're using a Windows phone, you'll need to add a "w" instead of a ";". This will need to be copied and pasted from another app that allows you to type.[1]


Is it possible to send a text as my un-rooted device is shutting down using Tasker or any other method? I've set up a Device Shutdown event on Tasker, and I'm trying to use it to send an SMS text before the device dies due to the battery dying. I've got:

Event: Device Shutdown -> Task: Phone: Send SMS

Send SMS is set up currently to just send to myself for testing, but it's not working. I was hoping to have it send a text to the last sender if the last text received was less than 10 minutes ago, and the battery is below 3%, but I can't even get it to just send a simple text without conditions.

According to the tasker help file:

  The phone is about to shutdown (completely turned off, not standby).

  Note: this is right before shutdown. You might backup a file or
  similar, but UI interactions such as dialogs and anything that takes a
  significant amount of time will not work.

From this note, my guess is that Send SMS takes too long to execute, however I thought I'd throw this question out anyway.

You should use State > Battery Level as a profile context with minimum and maximum battery as 3%.

In the task, You can use %SMSRN to get phone number of last received SMS.

Then to check the condition of whether Last SMS text is received less than 10 minutes.

%TIMES has the current time in seconds. You need to use Variable Convert
to get %SMSRT time in seconds and then do maths on the two values,

You can also use the / and % maths operator to get things like 'remaining minutes'.


Can I get the email app to only download email headers -- and get bodies on demand? This is for an MS Exchange based email service Can I get the email app to only download email headers -- and get bodies on demand?  This is for an MS Exchange based email service.  I have a Nexus One.  The email app works fine, but the volume of email I get for work is huge and although I need to see all the subject lines, I rarely need to read the full email when I'm not at work.  How can I get the email app to just download headers?  Alternatively, is there another email app in the Market I could use for this?

I have Android version 2.2.1

If I look at my settings for an Exchange server I have a 'Incoming size' under 'General settings' where I can specify 'Headers only'.

I am running Froyo 2.2.1 on Samsung Galaxy S.


Connection Oriented Channel for L2CAP Does Android support Connection oriented Channel for L2CAP in BLE?
What about in Android M ?

Thanks !

answer from Texas Instruments can be found here

  neither of the major smart device OS's support L2CAP CO channels

meaning iOS and Android. posted Oct 7, 2015, after the launch of Marshmallow.


Writing an ISO file to flash memory I have an Ubuntu DVD ISO file downloaded in my android phone. Is there any way or any app I can use to write the ISO file to a USB flash memory connected to the phone so that the flash memory can be used just like a DVD to boot into Ubuntu in a desktop computer?

There is an app on the Play Store called 'DriveDroid' which will allow you to do exactly what it is you are looking for.

I am not sure however, if it is free or not but unfortunately you need a rooted phone to use it.


outlook email on phone gets stuck in outbox and never sends I have a user that their phone outlook email gets stuck in outbox and never sends.  Not all the time, but once it gets stuck in will not send out.

Any Ideas on what might be causing this to happen to the user.

I've had this happen twice, a year apart, and I forget in between times!
Look at your oldest email in Outbox limbo. It may have a huge attachment (photo, etc) or some other issue with it. delete it. the rest should all get sent immediately.

You will then get a bunch of WTF emails from friends about your "see you in 5" emails from a month ago, so you may want to delete those before the oldest email.

Hope this helps!


How to install google play store on AOSPA 5.1 Falcon? My moto G is rooted. I am just about to instal Paranoid Android from a zip file, but then I'll need google applications. I dont want to install a package with stuff that I dont need. I just simply want the google play store and do the installation of apps from there one by one. How do I do that?

You should be able to flash gapps which provides little except Google Play Services and the Play Store (Gmail, Chrome, Google+, etc. are not included).
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google_Apps


Why Android x86 9.0 boots in command line and not in GUI? i just installed android x86 9.0c and i don't know why it doesn't boot on GUI mode and it boots only in commandline then after some seconds i can only see just a dash appearing and disappearing. I have tried to put my graphics settings to vboxvga and disabled 3D acceleration but it still doesn't work. What else i can do to fix this problem?

here you can see that its booted in commandline , after some seconds it becomes black and all i can see is just a dash appearing and disappearing

According to the answer here from Stack Overflow:

Temporary fix: append nomodeset xforcevesa at the end of the line containing kernel during boot time at the GRUB menu. During boot press E to edit. While on the line containing kernel press E again, append nomodeset xforcevesa at the end, press enter, then press B to boot.
Permanent fix: read the answer here.


How to keep screen OFF while charging (S3 and Note 2) Don't know if all the Galaxy phones have this behaviour, but it sure is annoying.
I like to keep my phone plugged in until I need it, as there is no harm done. The battery won't get "overcharged" or anything, and I'll have 100% juice with me when I leave.

But both phones keep lighting up that they are done.
And it lights up the phone every few seconds, it's really, really annoying.

Is there a way to disable this behaviour?

I too have not figured out the intermittent screen turn on problem but will address one other issued mentioned.

Lithium ion  batteries have internal circuitry which shuts the charging down when the battery is at 100%. Unless the electronics are bad, you cannot overcharge them. Leaving them discharged for long periods CAN harm them. You can get roughly 300 to 500 recharges, its best to not run it all the way down, recharge often, when not using it, the charges are cumulative, so a 30% discharged battery is best charged then, not when it runs down.

This can easily be verified at manufacturers web sites. Ive learned this from years of being involved in electronics and seeing the evolution of rechargables