How to mount Internal Storage as USB Mass Storage for recovering data? I accidentally formatted my Android phone's storage partition while updating to Android Oreo today. When I tried to restore the backup I realized that the backup of the data partition had failed and basically is an empty file with 0 Bytes.

I would like to run PhotoRec over it but I'm somehow unable to get my phone into mass storage mode. It seams like Google has ditched it for MTP. I tried some apps from XDA but none of them really worked with my device. I was able to get the external SD mounted but not the internal storage. The custom recoveries that are available for my device only support MTP as well.

Does anyone have an idea how it could be possible to recover my files? I'm rooted and bootloader is unlocked.

You can't do that. Google has made MTP the default since version 3.0 and remove mass storage mode completely years ago in Android 4.0

No USB MASS STORAGE Support!!? Only MTP PTP?
Enabling USB Mass Storage in Android Kitkat 4.4.2
Any way to get USB Mass Storage instead of MTP?
Why Do New Versions Of Android Not Support USB Mass Storage Mode?

If you want to do things directly on the data partition you have 2 ways

Run command in adb shell
Start in recovery mode (if you're using a custom ROM)

Since you're running a restore from backup, I assume you're on a custom ROM and still have the backup file with you, why don't just do the restoration again?


Linux Deploy - Fail to make disk image I am trying to use Linux Deploy on my rooted Galaxy S4 with stock Android 4.4 rom. But when I press install:

Updating configuration file ... done
>>> begin install
Checking mount points ... done
Checking installation path ... done
Making new disk image (1023 MB) ... fail
<<< end: install

I have already checked root permissions, tried to install in internal with /storage/emulated/0 and /storage/emulated/legacy, I have also tried to modify the image size but same results, how can I solve that?

It's related with the touchwiz kernel, beacuse when I flashed adam kernel it started working. I think it has to do with selinux set on enforcing


Remove "Recent files" from My Files app in Samsung Galaxy Core Prime As you can see the "Recent files" in the picture, it's really annoying - it remembers every image which I just opened, thus violating my privacy.

Note that "Recent files" even remembers and shows my hidden images (which Images or Gallery won't scan and show).

I can make the "Recent files" forget about my recent images by going to Settings -> Application manager -> All -> My Files -> Clear data (check the second image), but that's just exhausted.

Is there anyway to completely remove this annoying "Recent files"?

In the past, I used Samsung Galaxy V and it doesn't have this  "Recent files", then why my Samsung Galaxy Core Prime has?

(Click image to enlarge)

Disable "Recent File"
1 Long route:
Settings -> Application manager (or Apps) -> All -> My Files -> App Info -> "the Gear" (immediately below the three dots bar) -> Customize My files home -> Disable "Recent files"
=> in this route, the three dots bar leads to "Uninstall updates".
2 Shorter route  (You don't see the "Gear", because you clicked directly on "My Files"):
My Files -> The three dots bar -> Settings -> My files settings  -> Customize My files home -> Disable "Recent files"
3 You have better eyes than I do:
Settings -> Application manager (or Apps) -> All -> My Files ->  "the Gear" (located on the right of the name) -> Customize My files home -> Disable "Recent files"
4 The final stage (this is where you should arrive)


Any OpenSource SOCKS proxy server for Android? I am looking for a SOCKS proxy server I can run on my Android phone. I could only find some commercial apps, but would prefer a FOSS alternative.

It does not need to be an app: a binary I can run from adb shell would work as well, but I'd prefer it if it does not require root.

Use SSH!
You can use the FOSS application SimpleSSHD for this! You can get it directly from that link or using the F-droid app store on your phone.
Once setup you can connect to your device using either your LAN or WAN IP from your PC like this:
ssh -D 8899 <PHONE-IP>

The -D option sets up a local "dynamic" application-level port forwarding, which essentially makes ssh act like a SOCKS5 (SOCKS4 is supported aswell) proxy server.
After this, you can set your proxy to 127.0.0.1:8899 on your PC. I've tested it with curl:
curl --socks5 127.0.0.1:8899 https://myip.is

And it worked! Note that I did not even need root for this, it worked as the normal android user.
Note that if you want to use your mobile network for this your cell provider might not let you connect to SSHD using the WAN IP. A VPN can cirucmvent this if neccessary.


How to Retrieve SD Card Files via fastboot or recovery? I have a Nexus 4 (LG E960) running rooted stock 4.2.2/JDQ39. The phone fell from a foot high and the screen cracked. The touchscreen no longer works.

I have a full Nandroid (TWRP type) backup under /storage/emulated/0/TWRP which I want to retrieve to install in the replacement phone.

I can connect via fastboot but I cannot connect via ADB (neither via Command-line OR Wug's Nexus Root Toolkit). ClockWorkMod v6.0.2.3 does not give the option to mount USB storage.

I need to retrieve those files. I need to either connect via ADB (in recovery or use fastboot to enable ADB in booted up mode) OR mount USB storage. What are my options?

PS: This thread on XDA Dev does not help in my case as I do not want to erase my phone.

Often fastboot drivers are different from the ones used by Recovery mode and/or fully-booted Android system.  I would recommend re-installing the USB drivers on your PC.  You may need to delete existing drivers that Windows picked up. Full instructions with driver download for Nexus 4 here:

Quote:

  Plug your phone into your computer.
  Go to Device Manager on your computer and locate your device. It will either be under "Android Devices" or "Other Devices" depending
  whether drivers have been installed or not.
  Right click on your phone and select "Uninstall."
  In the box that appears, check the option to "Delete the driver software for this device."
  Go back to Device Manager and refresh.
  Locate your phone and right click to select "Update Driver Software."
  Manually install the drivers by picking the folder of the files you downloaded.
  Unplug your phone and restart your computer.
  Plug it back in and everything should work.

  Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?8xb50uktar8096i


Power control widget auto rotate toggle issue I have Samsung Galaxy nexus running official Android version 4.2.1. Problem is that the auto rotate toggle on the power control widget is not working properly. The toggle will change state, but the auto rotate feature state is not changed. I have to go to Settings -> Display -> Auto-rotate screen checkbox to change the auto rotate feature. The toggle button on the power control widget is unable to change this checkbox status.

I was wrong about the setting, it wasn't the auto rotate button. Power control widget doesn't have auto rotate, just Wifi - BT - GPS - Sync - Brightness.

From http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=42405 :

What you consider to be the auto-rotate toggle, is the button to switch the sync!
It will switch whether your device will sync in background or not.


Turn screen off without Android sleeping Is there any way to quickly toggle the screen off without making Android sleep?

For example, I sometimes like to use the Calm app when I sleep.  But it keeps the screen on all the time.  When I just use that app for 10 minutes, it's great that it keeps the screen on; but if I'm sleeping for hours, I would like the app to keep on running (playing sounds) and turn the screen off.

How can this be done?

Credit goes to Firelord for the basic method. Here is a time-delay shell script that turns off the backlight for my device, and apparently others' as well.

Create a file named "lcdoff" and copy the following into it:

#!/system/bin/sh
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
    echo "usage: `basename $0` delay"
    exit
fi
su -c 'echo getsu > /dev/null'
echo "Tap power button 2x quickly to restore"
sleep $1
su -c 'echo 0 > /sys/class/leds/lcd-backlight/brightness'

Make sure:

The device is rooted.
The script permissions are set to executable, e.g. by chmod 755 lcdoff.
The script is located in /system/bin (scripts cannot be executed from /storage).

Then open a terminal app and enter lcdoff 10, to turn off the screen after a 10-second delay, lcdoff 30 for a 30-second delay, etc. To ensure that the processor stays on, simply enable the Android developer option "Stay Awake". Edit: Stay Awake only works while plugged into a power source -- see this answer for an alternative.

If you don't want to type the command in a terminal, you can launch the script as a custom action in:

Total Commander
Tasker
Xposed Additions
your app of choice


Upgrade from Android L to Android 5 I rooted my nexus 5 and upgrade the developer images of Android L (build number LPV79) back in June or July. Now. I'm waiting for Android 5 OTA. Will I be getting it? How can I check when it will come? All my apps updated to Android 5 so they are not working and crushing because they are not compatible. And I'm not getting any support from Google / Android. Who can help me?

There is no OTA update from the developer preview to the official release. You have to download the release version and flash it using fastboot.


What is a "native web app"? I've come across the term "native web app" also known as "hybrid app".
I know what "web apps" and "native apps" are, the difference being that
the former are downloaded and run within a web browser and the latter
are code (not html) and run a little faster without requiring a web
browser to interpret them. So what is a "native web app", how can
a web app be native?

Unlike native apps, web apps can't access low level API of system (to access hardware etc) unless it is supported by web standards (most aren't supported to maintain web app portability). Here, native web apps comes to rescue.

In Native Web Apps, web codes (HTML, CSS & JS) run in a native wrapper code. The wrapper code is native (can use low level API) which contains webview to render the web app. So, it taps the benefits from both worlds (that's why its called Hybrid App).

For example, Facebook app (in Play Store) is a native web app. When you see your timeline, friends' profiles etc in this app, you actually see webpages. But, at the same time, this app can access your camera, Android's system-wide share menu etc.
Another great example is Google Currents.


What does used com.Samsung.android.incallui mean in recent activity? In my child’s recent activity it says
used com.Samsung.android.incallui. What does that mean?
Thanks so much!

It is the phone/call app. It simply means that the child opened it.


Viber already on PC and want to install on android without SIM I already have a viber installed on my PC and want to install on my android now.
Want to use the same old mobile number with viber but I cannot receive SMS on that old number.

How to activate viber on android now?

I don't know how to receive viber activation code on my PC viber for example..

As mentioned on the Viber Support Docs

You will receive an SMS message with your Viber access code

You will require to receive an SMS(or use the automatic callback feature) to be able to activate.You will have to necessarily use either of the above options to activate Viber on your phone.


Broken Samsung Galaxy S4 screen.. (not working) need little help I have Samsung galaxy s4. I have broken screen which is not working and it's completely dark. Am I right that I need to change digitalizer and LCD screen ?

I am looking to buy from ebay co uk, which one would be the best the genuine or other brand ?

There is many videos on youtube, is it that hard to replace on my own, as I have to take out camera etc. Is there any safety tips what should I follow ?

Thank you.

If you are doing the replacement yourself, you're best to replace the entire front assembly. See the warnings as to why on this page.

I would personally recommend the genuine item as I would have no idea where some other brand came from. I'd guess they would be refurbished items as these panels are made specifically for the devices. Using one might be a gamble, but I honestly don't know.

There are many safety tips, including having the right tools and ensuring you have grounded yourself. Prepare by watching the videos carefully, reading other documentation, and ensuring you know exactly what you will be doing. Don't force anything or the little bits will break. Ensure you have a lot of light in your work area, and that you have containers to put the little tiny screws and parts into.

My most important tip is to warn you that there's a reasonable chance you will damage the phone if this is your first try at fixing one. You need to balance that fact, as well as your own abilities, against the cost of having the fix done for you. I don't want to discourage you from trying it, but you need to be realistic about the possible outcomes.

Best of luck!


Signal problem with Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5630 mobile I am using Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5630 phone with IDEA network provider. I am having signal loss problems many times a times. When I try to make a call, it says "Network unavailable". I though this might be the problem IDEA network, but it was not. I tried checking the same sim card in another mobile and it's working fine, this issue is  being observed mostly for every 4-5 minutes. How can I resolve this?

Different network providers may use different masts.

The company of the second sim will have a stronger presence in your area than the company from the first sim.

Therefore, the ideal move would be to get yourself a sim from the same provider of the second sim.

I hope this helps,
Nicholas


How can I move application user data (user specific settings, savegames, ...) to a different user? I have a tablet with Android 4.2 and would like to copy/move the application user data (savegames, ...) from one user to another. I have root. Which directory do I need to move/copy. And do I have to care about the permissions?

I would use the app Titanium Backup.
1. Install Titanium Backup on the first user profile
2. Make a backup of the app or apps from the first user.
3. Install Titanium Backup on the second user profile
4. Restore data only to the second user profile

That should do the trick.

For instructions on how to use Titanium Backup look here: http://www.titaniumtrack.com/kb/titanium-backup-kb/titanium-backup-user-guide.html#backup


Is there a way to capture a full resolution picture automatically and send it by email at certain hour each day? If not a specific app, is there any way to achieve that by using existing applications (combination)?

Tasker or Llama should both be able to accomplish this, from what I understand, though I have never tested them with taking pictures.


How do I disable the google voice typing/voice search 'ding' sound? Whenever I open google voice typing, it plays a rising ding sound, then a falling ding sound when it stops.

This is very annoying to me. I have a rooted stock S5 on Lollipop. I searched for the sound file but couldn't locate it, it may be wrapped up in the apk file.

Is there a way to stop this irritating sound? If I install the Xposed Framework, will that help?

Edit: Someone has suggested turning the media volume down to zero. This will work, but is not appropriate for me, as I am using the language learning app duolingo while I am using voice typing. So I need the app to send out audio via the media channel, simultaneously with using voice typing. Coming at it from another angle, I have asked if there is an alternative application which meets my requirements.

edit

Using app settings 1.15, you can mute voice typing by muting the Google app in Marshmallow (and maybe above). However, voice typing now mutes other audio ( regardless of its configuration on app settings) so I asked a question about it here

How do I stop voice typing from muting/pausing other playing media?

Automation is my solution.
There are plenty of automation apps, but I use MacroDroid, since it is easy to learn (that's why I use it) and the behaviour can be easily customized to get the result you want. Besides,free version allows you to create up to 5 macros and so for the task at hand, free version suffices. I prefer automation as a first choice when I need to get something running the way I want rather than depend on an app.
MacroDroid uses macros to perform desired actions.
Macro for your requirement would look like this:
(I am thankful to OP for testing o on his Lollipop based device and confirming behaviour as expected, since my device runs on KitKat and Google has implemented API level changes differently in Lollipop)
Main Macro (working as tested by OP)
Trigger
Application Launched → Google
Action
Volume Change → Configure
Here you get 7 options which can be chosen singly or in combination on a sliding scale from 0 to 100. Options are-
 1. Alarm
 2. Music
 3. Notifications
 4. Ringer
 5. System Sounds
 6. Voice Call
 7. Bluetooth Voice
Choose ((2) Music and (5) System Sounds) and set them to 0 for Lollipop
Choose ((3) Notifications and (5) System Sounds) and set them to 0 for KitKat
( Reason for different selection is explained in Note below)
You can set the (6) Voice call level as desired ( select by testing  voice
typing comfort level)
Constraints
None
(Macro runs only when constraint is true, so here it runs always)
Save the macro and ensure it is enabled   before testing
Optional Macro (Awaiting OP to test)
(In case you need to change volume manually for voice typing, the "ding sound reappears, as reported by OP. This macro is to kill the "ding sound". This macro is not required if you are fine with the voice control level in the main macro and do not need to manually change voice typing volume)
Trigger
Volume Button Pressed → Volume Up  →  Update Volume
(Followed by)
Volume Button Pressed → Volume Down  →  Update Volume
Action and Constraints
Same as in the main macro
( Triggers work as logical OR and the action for muting the "ding sound" is triggered whenever the volume is manually increased or decreased for voice typing )
Why this should work for everybody

My search hasn't shown an app or Xposed module that can do this ( not denying the possibility, though)

This macro doesn't require root unlike Xposed approach.

Granular control on different Volume settings. MacroDroid permits you to alter sounds, with a flexibility that is beyond what normally is available in ringer / volume sound control as this example illustrates. My Huawei Honor 6 has only 6 types of volume settings (which is more than some devices offer) but not Bluetooth, which can be controlled through a macro

Customization. You can set "modes", which are like global variables akin to setting profiles. As an example, you can set this macro to run while at home (by mapping cell towers of your home location) and have the "ding" sound active elsewhere. Possibilities for customization are pretty much as you wish

Last but not least, it is free :-)

System Settings

Do not Greenify MacroDroid and exclude it from task killers, if you use them.

Enable MacroDroid in "Auto Protect"(Huawei phones) or "Stamina Mode" (Sony phones or "Power Nap" (Stamina Mode Xposed module for non Sony devices). Also, if you update to Marshmallow in the future, exclude MacroDroid from Doze. Refer this: Is there a way to exclude an app from Doze?

These features prevent app(s) to be active when the device is not awake, conserving battery. May not be pertinent to your phone but adding this as a general precaution.

Enable MacroDroid in accessibility settings and also allow it as device administrator in security settings.

For Lollipop, enable notification access from notification settings

Note
Google Voice Recognition functionality that creates the "ding" sound  was streamed as notification stream  in KitKat. In Lollipop this is switched to music  stream. Hence, in the macro, settings differ.
Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21701432/continues-speech-recognition-beep-sound-after-google-search-update


What is "antivirus" on Android? Today my mobile operator sent me another advertising SMS. They tell that lots of swindlers are trying to crack my mobile phone and steal my money. And I need to buy antivirus, it protects me from swindlers.

Is there real possibility to crack my android? I'm developer, and in our community we heard about holes in android only once during last five years. But we are not crackers, of course.

Is there real possibility to check something about another application? Or to check behaviour of another application? I did not hear before about such API. But hear a lot about dalvik and application isolation.

So what "antivirus" really can do?

As GiantTree pointed out in his comment on the question itself: there are no viruses for Android. There's malware, though – but according to stats it's affecting less than 1% of the users (and even less than 0.15% of those using Google Play Store as their only source for apps).

I'd never trust an app calling itself "anti-virus" if just for the fact of its name (trying to sound scary and fighting what's not there). I'm using Android for 5 years now, never used any AV app – never got infected. Often the opposite is true: I've read more reports of some "AV app" misbehaving than about one being helpful. Very few are capable of heuristic scans – so all they mostly do is comparing package names with a database of known malware.

A side-effect in many cases is a "wrong security feeling": People having some "AV app" installed think it will protect them anyway, so they're getting more careless. As pointed out, those apps are not really a protection on their own (they might be useful as a component – but not as the only one in use; they are completely useless without activating the brain.apk in your head ;) – so with those people, they rather increase the risk.

Added the number of "false alerts" outnumber those of "gotcha, bad app" – I feel no need to use one (YMMV). And those SMS you're reporting are just to "make money": someone suggesting me an Anti VIRUS app for Android makes himself suspect immediately.

The situation they describe is rarely prevented by such an app – but by using your brains when installing other apps:

Are they real (or a fake just sounding real – e.g. playing on name similarity)?
Aren't their requested permissions "excessive" (they should match the app's purpose – e.g. no need for a plain wallpaper to do phone calls, or a calculator to read your contacts)?
Is the source respectable and safe (I wouldn't install any *.apk file downloaded "from the wild", e.g. RapidShare or some Donkey exchange)?

That, plus not clicking on everything that "pops up" (ads and the like) is protecting your device much better than some strange "Anti-Placebo" app.

See also: Is an antivirus really needed for Android?


Are there any Email apps that render HTML emails? Are there any email apps on the Market that can render HTML emails instead of just displaying the text of the email?  I know the GMail app can, but I want one that I can use to view HTML emails from my non-GMail accounts.

Mail app that comes on all Android phones can accept HTML emails, I just tested it. Go to Settings > Accounts & Sync > Add account and then add your other email accounts. Once added and sync'd you should be able to view them by going to your apps screen and scrolling to mail.


How do I get these toggles in my notification bar? I was reading an article talking about the Galaxy Nexus vs. the Galaxy SIII, and ended up buying a Nexus (was a steal, and I knew it was getting JB).

Anyway, I've recently updated it to Jellybean, but I realised that I didn't have something that was showing in the article - the toggles they showed in the Notification bar (in the right hand image).

Are these provided in the standard ROM, by an app, or in a custom ROM? I can't seem to find them.

These toggles aren't part of Android. Third party ROMs like CyanogenMod and MIUI, and certain skins that Hardware manufacturers put on Android include that.

If you want to have this functionality on a Nexus running stock Android you might want to try these two applications, I have used them both, and they are quite stable and useful.

Power Toggles :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc

More Quickly Panel:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mabware.android.MoreQuicklyPanel


How to minimize the app window (freeform mode/pop-up view)? I sometimes accidentally minimize the window for the app Quick Edit Pro, whilst working with it. I get the smaller variable size and position window that I can intentionally create for some apps by long press of the return button (Android 5, Samsung GN3).

But Quick Edit Pro does not appear in the list I get when long pressing the return button.

What kind of swiping movement do I sometimes perform unintentionally in the upper part of the screen, that minimizes the app to this useful window. (Going back to the full window is done by a simple button press.)

I have tried many times but can not repeat it intentionally.

I now find that it is called "freeform mode". I have not installed any special apps to enable it.

The phone in the question uses Android 5. I was now also using another phone with Android 6. In this version I stumbled over the answer by accident. This also works in my Android 5 phone.

You swipe diagonally from one upper corner. (If you don't hit a clean diagonal swipe, you will naturally risk getting a "settings"-screen or what the app in question does for horizontal swipe.

Click image for larger variant

Here it is called the gesture for "pop-up view".

(If I make the diagonal swipe for this app (SE), I get a red frame. It probably indicates that minimization of this app has been disabled.)


Does Android L Developer Preview fix the mm-qcamera-daemon problem? I have a Nexus 5 running on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, and the mm-qcamera-daemon problem appeared today for the first time (I don't have the usual culprits like Snapchat or Skype).

Does Android L Developer Preview fix this issue?

Unfortunately I was still getting this issue (seems to come and go) under android L, so to answer your question, no, it's not fixed.

See https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=70755 for others who are reporting the issue still exists.


How to copy wireless networks list from one android device to another? I got a very long list of free hotspots and friends/family networks on my phone.

Recently I bought a tablet and I'm trying to find a way to copy the wireless manager list to this new device. Any idea how to do that? Both devices are rooted and running ICS.

As you are rooted: Wireless network data are stored in data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf -- so you could basically copy all its network entries from one device and insert them on the other. The entries look like

network={
    ssid="Telekom"
    key_mgmt=NONE
    priority=42
}

An easier way would be using the App Wlan Backup & Recovery (root): Backup all entries on one device, and restore them on the other. As you can see in below screenshot, the tool can even send the backup by mail -- so transfer to the other device should be easy:

But reading the comments on this app suggests it does not always work as expected: Users even recommend to use the manual way I described above.

Another option is using Titanium Backup, and restore the Wifi data on the other device. I did that successfully a couple of times, also cross-device and cross-ROM.

Third option is offered by the app Wifi Passwords (about USD 1), which allows you to share networks.


Reason for process stopped unexpectedly? What is the reason for the process stopped unexpectedly error?

Is it based on that particular android app or the android os or a particular android device?

Example:

I installed smash hit on my Xperia U and I transferred the apk to a
moto g. It was working fine in moto g. But after sometimes it
started to showing process stopped unexpectedly. After sometime it
will start working fine.
Whenever I flash a mod example for camera initially it will show process stopped unexpectedly but clearing the data helps.
I also read somewhere that if you uninstall and install the app again it will start to work.

So what is the cause for this problem

There's no simple answer to the question, "Why do programs crash sometimes?" The error message you see tells you that an app has crashed, just like when a program crashes on a desktop computer.

Usually this indicates a bug (programming error) in the app or in one of the libraries included in the app (e.g. an ad network, or a library for accessing a particular web service). The bug might always happen when you try to do a particular action, or it might be caused by being in a particular state. For example, a calendar app might have a bug that only happens when you create an event on the first of the month, in a month that already contains an event. If the bug is triggered by particular circumstances, clearing the data or cache for that app might make the bug go away until the same circumstance arise again.

Sometimes, the app itself might be correct but the crash caused by a programming error in Android itself. The app might be relying on Android to behave in a particular way, and if Android does the wrong thing, that could later cause the app to crash. Similarly, the crash might be caused by hardware problems: if the phone overheats, the hardware might compute the wrong answers sometimes.

In the first instance, you should report a crash to the developer of the app that crashes. Android's crash-report process will automatically include relevant information with the report, to help the developer see what's wrong. Even if the problem turns out not to be their fault, they will know the right place to report it, and might be able to suggest a workaround you can use to avoid the problem. If you don't report a crash, it probably won't get fixed.


Where is the trash that the stock camera/photos app moves to? In Android 10, if you take a photo with the stock camera/photos app (which identifies itself as either "Camera" or "Photos" in the app switcher¹) and then view it afterwards, one of the "buttons" is a trash can. If you tap it, the phone prompts you with,

Move to trash? It will be removed from all folders.
[Trashcan] Move to trash

Where is the "trash" that this is being moved to, and how do I access it?

(The device is a Pixel 3a purchased directly from Google, so it should be free of the sort of junk many carriers load onto phones.)
¹The app whose icon is:

According to How can i find my recycle bin on Android? - Google Photos Community

... trash bin and the files inside it are not actually present on your Android device, which is why you can't find the files.

(Emphasis added)
By implication, they are stored on cloud  and that is where you restore them from if needed. You can locate them at https://photos.google.com/trash as mentioned in How to recovery the google photos deleted from trash - Google Photos Community.
I guess if you turn off sync for photos, deleted photos should be directly deleted without moving to Trash and obviously you won't find them at the location linked above.


Does "Data Saver" also apply to metered Wi-Fi? The section Use Android Nougat’s "Data Saver" (Android 7.0+) under this site How to Restrict Background Data for Metered Wi-Fi Networks on Android mentions:

  Android 7.0 Nougat introduced a much more granular way to take the reins on your mobile data with a new feature called Data Saver.

  Basically, this allows you to limit background data used by apps, but whitelist anything that want to have unrestricted access. This means background data is disabled for every app by default, then you can pick and choose where to grant unlimited access

  And that’s all there is to it. It’s worth keeping in mind that this only applies to mobile data-all apps will remain unrestricted while on Wi-Fi.

My question is whether this Data Saver option applies to Wi-Fi that you set to metered, meaning metered WLAN?

Yes, Data Saver option applies to metered Wi-Fi. As quoted here:

  From Android 7.0 (API level 24), users can enable Data Saver on a device-wide basis in order to optimize their device's data usage, and use less data.
  ...
  When a user enables Data Saver in Settings and the device is on a metered network, the system blocks background data usage and signals apps to use less data in the foreground wherever possible.

Android achieves this through iptables and I can confirm (tested on Pie) that REJECT rules are added for wlan0 interface when both conditions meet i.e. Data Saver and Metered WiFi.


What is the minimum battery level required to start Android encryption? The encryption screen reads "Charge your battery and try again".

What is the minimum battery level required to start the encryption process?

80%

// Minimum battery charge level (in percent) to launch encryption.  If the battery charge is
// lower than this, encryption should not be activated.
private static final int MIN_BATTERY_LEVEL = 80;

Source: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Settings/+/master/src/com/android/settings/security/CryptKeeperSettings.java#56 (as of android10-release branch)


Allow fingerprint unlock but require password after a certain time limit Currently with a Samsung Galaxy S8, but I believe this is common to other devices, I can setup fingerprint unlock which requires a password when the device starts up or if I fail to scan my finger correctly a few times.
I would like to add another limitation: allow fingerprint unlock but require a password unlock every x minutes/hours or some other configurable time limit.
A somewhat silly scenario to illustrate the need: suppose I fall asleep on the train, I don't want anyone to be able to scan my finger and unlock my phone. I still want the comfort of unlocking the phone with my finger while knowing that after a while it will lock itself and require a password.
Is there a setting I'm missing or an app that can do that?
Following @beeshyams's answer, here are my current settings.

Samsung has its own ways of implementation so this may differ but stock implementation :

Fingerprint can unlock the phone after it goes to sleep ( Settings &radar; Display →  after xx minutes of inactivity) only if Power button is not used to lock and default lock screen is used

If you enable power button locking or any third party screen lock / launcher that can lock screen, you can't unlock with fingerprint. You require to enter PIN

That is a far more easier way of achieving what you want (though you can't configure the delay) going by the need in your example

If you really need a configurable interval, that may be possible but would surely need root


Update Galaxy Tab's Android by internet Can I update my Galaxy Tab's Android version by internet?
EDIT:
When googling, I found some solutions for updating Android on Galaxy Tab, using connection to PC and special programs. But I know, that HTC devices ("Desire", for example) can update its Android by internet connection (Wi-Fi or 3G). The matter is, I can't find such option on my Tab.
Current Android version is 2.2

I think that Samsung started using OTA updates on Gingerbread, i.e. since 2.3, so you'd have to update to this either via Kies or Odin before you can update the firmware without a PC. After that, the availability depends on your carrier if the firmware is branded or Samsung if it's a nonbranded version.


Transfering an Incoming call to loudspeaker My Question is Can I transfer a call to loudspeaker or external speaker directly through app which the phone has when i get an incoming call

Thanks In Advance !!!

I haven't tested this, but Tasker should be able to do this. Create an Event "Phone Ringing" profile to perform the "Speakerphone" task (which you configure to turn the speakerphone on). This can be configured to only activate for certain callers if necessary.


Is there a way to get the font on my phone onto my tablet? I have a Galaxy S5, and it has a built in font called "UDRGothic". I think it's near perfect for mobile use, and so I want to also have it on my Galaxy Tab A 10.1 tablet.

It doesn't seem to be available by default on my tablet, so of course, I Googled it, but all that came up with was a link to some page that describes an associated APK file, but doesn't seem to have a download option. If I try a more nuanced Google search, I get tons of options for various Gothic fonts, but none are the font I'm looking for.

Is this font only for use with my phone, or can I maybe copy it from my phone to my tablet, or get it some other way?

A pre-answer note, I'm typing in the mobile Stack Exchange app, so please excuse any spelling errors.

Yes, there is a way, but it requires your tablet to be rooted.

As with most things, go ahead and take a backup of both devices, you never know what could go wrong.

OK, lets begin!
In a file manager of your choice, head into /system/fonts, on the device that has the font you like. This does not require root, because your are only reading from that file, not writing.

Find out a way to copy the font file to your tablet. I would recommend just emailing the font file to yourself, and downloading it from the email onto the tablet.

Now on the tablet, rename that font file to something memorable, like goodfont.ttf. You are going to have to sacrifice the current font, or you can take a backup of the default font file. (If I'm correct I believe it's Roboto-Regular.ttf, but it might be different on yours.)

Now copy goodfont.ttf into /system/fonts (remember, this is on the tablet), and rename it goodfont.ttf to [default font name here].ttf.

Hope I was helpful!


Can I use LINE without giving out my phone number? LINE is an app like Skype+Facebook.

Is there a way to prevent LINE from reading my phone number and using it for any purpose? (search/identification/...)

I'm afraid not. If you're not happy with the permissions it uses, don't install it.


Prevent apps from pausing Google Play Music Some applications tend to pause my music. I know it is paused because the Google Play Music widget shows the play button and pressing it resumes the song. Is it possible to remove that function or privilege?

Music : Google Play Music

App : Learn SQL

Phone is LG G3.
Android 5.0

Phone is not rooted. Problem is not intermittent and can be reproduced by clicking on a course inside the Learn SQL app while music is playing.

I am also using Avast Battery Saver.

The behavior is determined by Play Music, which gets notified when another app requests audio focus (as per the documentation).  Unless there is an option in Play Music's settings to disable this behavior, or perhaps a mute function in the "problem" app, there's nothing you can do about it.

It's also possible for other apps to pause by sending an ACTION_MEDIA_BUTTON intent, which is not protected — which again means there's nothing you can do about it unless those apps have an option to not send it.


Cancel All Market Updates/Downloads at Once I just re-flashed CM 6.1 and when I opened up the market to download Titanium Backup, 27 apps started to automatically download, simultaneously. I'm not sure why they'd do that, and they never have done this before after flashing a fresh ROM.  Needless to say, is there any way to stop all downloads all at once, or prevent this from happening in the future?

Android 2.2.1, Moto Droid 1.

I think it is the result of a new synchronization option in 2.1 or 2.2. On the first boot it asks whether you want to store some information about your apps online. I found it quite confusingly worded and was surprised by this effect. IIRC you can prevent this from happening by refusing all the synchronization on the first boot. And I learned to only update when on wifi..


Can I restore backups taken from Titanium Backup on a non-rooted phone? I have both rooted and a non-rooted phones, there are some apps in my rooted phone which I took a backup using 'Titanium Backup' can I restore it on my non-rooted phone using any method?

It depends on what kind of backup you want to restore. If it's an XML backup (bookmarks, messages, call log or Wi-Fi access points) then you can restore it. In the case of app+data pairs, only the app can be restored (without its data), and that is only if it's a non-system app.

XML backups can be restored by pressing the Menu button, then scrolling down and selecting the option 'Restore data from XML'.
Non-system apps can be restored by choosing their respective entries in the 'Backup/Restore' tab, selecting the desired backup, then picking the 'App only' button from the popup.


How to turn off media search? I have a Samsung GT i5800 and every time I turn it on, or just put a new SD card in it it says "Media search  is running" (@the notifications) - How can I turn this feature OFF? Is it needed? What does it do? Android 2.1update1

The media scanner "indexes" the music, videos, images, etc on the sdcard so other apps don't have to scan the entire sdcard to know about them. another feature that uses this is the ringtones/notifications, if it does not scan, you will only be able to select the ringtones/notifications that are located on the device, not ones that are on the sdcard.

you can prevent media scanner from indexing a specific folder by creating a file called ".nomedia" in the folder you want ignored. I do not believe that this file is recursive though, so if there are sub-folders, and you dont want them scanned, you would have to create it there too.


Does turning off the "Show notifications" settings for apps improve battery life? I recently found that there is a "Show notifications" settings for individual app in my HTC One X. I have turned it off for some applications like Subway Surfers (which tries to sell me coins in notifications).

Will disabling notifications improve my battery life? How does Android handle if notifications are turned off for a particular app - does it only hide notifications from notification bar or it really does not allow the app to create any notifications in first place (so in this case I presume that it would save battery life)?

Disabling a notification for particular app wont' save battery. Yes it would a little by not ringing and vibrating and also by not making you look at the phone.

Actually notification is handled by OS itself. An app just says that I want this notification to be displayed and OS handles it. In your case those apps are running in background using service and periodically asks the OS to display the notification. Event though you've disabled the notification the service is still running and still requesting the OS to display notification.


How to Upgrade Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D5803) to Android 8.1? How do you upgrade the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D5803) to Android 8.1?

There are a number of web pages that attempt to answer this question, but none of them provide every step along the way. These include:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/general/z3-compact-marshmallow-to-oreo-step-step-t3720857
https://www.getdroidtips.com/omnirom-xperia-z3-compact-8-1-oreo/
https://rootmygalaxy.net/install-android-8-1-oreo-on-sony-xperia-z3-with-carbonrom-cr-6-1/
https://arnowelzel.de/en/carbonrom-on-the-sony-xperia-z3-compact
https://www.kbloghub.com/2018/02/root-install-twrp-recovery-on-sony-xperia-z3-compact.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/5vt6cs/flashing_marshmallow_concept_rom_on_a_sony_xperia/

They all skip steps or are missing key pieces of information that someone who is unfamiliar with the process would prevent from completing. A comprehensive, step-by-step guide for a complete novice would be helpful.

Upgrade Sony Xperia Z3 Compact to Android 8.1

These instructions describe how to upgrade the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact (D5803) smart phone. These instructions do not include backup instructions, so be sure to save any important information and then proceed at your own risk.

Requirements

Laptop or Desktop - Windows 7
Xperia - Stock Build Number 23.5.A.1.291 (revert if necessary)
Xperia - Fully charged (100% recommended)
Xperia Companion
TWRP

Disclaimer

These instructions could brick your phone, rendering it a paperweight. Read all the instructions thoroughly at least once before you begin.

Unlocking the bootloader erases Sony's DRM-protected functionality, such as X-Reality Engine and Miracast. Unless you make a backup of a specific partition, the functionality will be permanently lost.

Enable Developer Mode

Enable developer mode on the phone as follows:

Power on the phone
Open Settings
Tap About phone
Scroll down to Build number
Tap Build number at least 7 times in succession
Enable developer mode

Developer mode is enabled.

Install Device Drivers

On the laptop or desktop computer, perform the following steps:

Disconnect Phone from USB, if not already disconnected
Download Flashtool v0.9.24.4 for Windows

Hint: Use BitPort.io and a throw away email service to download torrent (fast download)

Install into C:\Flashtool
Plug phone into laptop or desktop USB port
Run C:\Flashtool\drivers\Flashtool-drivers.exe
Check Flashboot Drivers
Scroll down
Check Xperia Z3 Compact Device Driver
Click Install
Accept any warnings that appear

The device drivers are installed.

Install Platform Tools

Download and install the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) as follows:

Download ADB platform tools
Unzip into C:\Program Files\platform-tools
Open a command prompt
Type: cd C:\Program Files\platform-tools
Type: adb devices
Authorize the connection on the phone.

The phone is listed and the ADB platform tools are installed.

Unblock the Bootloader

Advanced users can use Flashtool to unlock the bootloader, which is not described herein.

Unblock the phone's bootloader as follows:

Follow along with Sony's Guide
Complete Step 1: Check if the bootloader can be unlocked on your device
Skip Step 2: installing devices drivers and platform tools
Unplug the USB cable
Complete Step 3: Connect to Fastboot
Complete Step 4: Enter unlock key
Type: fastboot -i 0x0fce oem unlock 0x{UNLOCK CODE}

Replace {UNLOCK CODE} with the unlock code from Sony

The console shows:

...
OKAY [  1.544s]
finished. total time: 1.560s

The bootloader is unlocked.

Reboot

After the bootloader is unlocked, reboot the phone as follows:

Type: fastboot reboot
Wait for the reboot cycle to complete

The phone is rebooted with an unlocked bootloader.

TWRP

TWRP is a tool for writing custom software on mobile phones. Install TWRP as follows:

On the phone, visit https://twrp.me/sony/sonyxperiaz3compact.html
Install the Official TWRP App from the Play Store.
Download image into C:\Program Files\platform-tools:

twrp_z3c_O_2018-10-27.img

Power off phone
Unplug USB cable
Press and hold volume down
Plug in USB cable
Wait for blue indicator light in top left (may have to re-plug in)

Or run: adb reboot bootloader

Type: fastboot flash FOTAKernel twrp_z3c_O_2018-05-09.img

The output resembles:

target didn't report max-download-size
sending 'FOTAKernel' (10730 KB)...
OKAY [  0.345s]
writing 'FOTAKernel'...
OKAY [  0.722s]
finished. total time: 1.075s

TWRP recovery mode application is installed, to assist flashing ROM.

ROM

A handful of ROMs exist. When choosing a ROM, also find the version of GApps that is suitable for the selected ROM. The Sony Xperia Z3 Compact uses a Snapdragon 801 Processor, which has a 32-bit architecture.

Note: These instructions have only been successfully accomplished using CarbonROM and MindTheGapps.

CarbonROM 6.1

Download CarbonROM from:

https://mirrorbits.carbonrom.org/z3c/CARBON-CR-6.1-NOCT-RELEASE-z3c-20200323-0711.zip

Download the ARM architecture version of MindTheGapps from:

http://downloads.codefi.re/jdcteam/javelinanddart/gapps

Alternatively, download the 32-bit ARM architecture version of Open GApps for Android version 8.1 from:

https://opengapps.org/?api=8.1&variant=nano

The version of Open GApps must match the Android version of CarbonROM.

Skip to the General ROM Installation section.

LineageOS 15.1

Download LineageOS from (forum post):

https://rapidgator.net/file/1f8a3bdde3cd7ef6a19e9d87c314007b/lineage-15.1-20171103-UNOFFICIAL.zip.html

Skip to the General ROM Installation section.

OmniROM Oreo 8.1

Download OmniROM Oreo from either of the following sites (forum post):

https://releases.nailyk.fr/omni/z3c/omni-8.1.0-20180320-z3c-nailyk.zip
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15COhmKqMBMiVeSLONSs38DaKymH2TWsv

Continue to the General ROM Installation section.

General ROM Installation

The ROM filename will differ, depending on the ROM that was downloaded, such as:

CarbonROM: CARBON-CR-6.1-NOCT-WEEKLY-z3c-20180605-0603.zip
OmniROM: omni-8.1.0-20180320-z3c-nailyk.zip
LineageOS: lineage-15.1-20171103-UNOFFICIAL.zip

The steps to flash a given ROM are as follows:

Reboot the phone using: fastboot reboot
Start Xperia Companion
Click Browse Xperia
Copy both the ROM and the Gapps files into the phones download directory (e.g., Computer\Xperia Z3 Compact\Internal storage\Download\)

Power off phone
Unplug phone
Press and hold the volume down button
Press and hold the power button
Wait for a slight vibration before releasing both buttons
Wait for recovery application to load
Swipe to allow modifications
Select WIPE
Select Advanced
Check the following:

Dalvik / ART cache
System
Cache
Data

Swipe to confirm wipe
Tap Home icon
Tap Install
Browse to and select the OS ROM file
Tap Add more Zips
Browse to and select the GApps file
Swipe to confirm Flash
Tap Reboot System
Wait for the boot to complete

Android and the GApps are installed using the specified ROM.


'applypatch' process using too much CPU I have here a brand-new Samsung Galaxy Duos 2 and there's something that bothers me about the "applypatch" process. It uses too much CPU (up to 50%) and runs continuous like a service. Now, what does it do there?

I think this happened after I updated my firmware through Settings > About device > Software Update or maybe after I restored some apps from my other phone. Is this just normal like it would patch something and will stop as soon as it finishes its job or is there something else I should be alarmed? Do I need to stop it?

 (Click on the image for larger version)

I have already found out the problem, it's because of the Upgrading of the firmware. I brought my phone to Samsung and they found out that the firmware installed in the device is somehow not genuine (don't know about this, I got my device from Globe Telecom as brand-new.)

Disclaimer: this solution is for Samsung device under warranty period. Samsung said the problem occurs when you update through OTA when you have an inconsistent internet connection making the 'applypatch' running as if it cannot find all necessary files for upgrade and continuously searching and patching it. Solution to this is to backup first your device, bring it to Samsung Service Center then have them format it and install a genuine OS. After that, my device is back to normal with updated genuine Android 4.2.2 Jellybean and just have to restore my data.

If your warranty is over and if you're already rooted you can just reformat your Android device with a legit ROM and everything will be back to normal.


Can I see whatsapp messeges on my computer? Is there any app that I can install both on my computer and phone (Galaxy s2 plus) that will give me notifications about messages on my computer?
It would be really nice if I could also see the messages, and even better if I could send replys directly from my computer.

Try PushBullet, it can show you the messages but doesn't have reply features.
Update
You can reply from PushBullet directly.
Also, WhatsApp Web is available now!


Previously Rooted Nexus 5 is not recognized via USB after stock 5.0 OTA update I have a previously rooted Nexus 5 on 4.4 and updated it recently with the Lollipop OTA. I am trying to re-root it again but it is not recognized using my Windows 7, Windows 8 or Ubuntu 14.04 machines. I have tried the WUG toolkit on windows by installing and reinstalling the drivers and adb on linux, turning on/off the Developer-usb-debugging mode, turning on-off the MTP mode. I was previously using TWRP. Now when I go to recovery mode, the phone shows "No command" with the green droid.

Perhaps it is issue of USB connector. Most of the times due to dust it does not get proper contacts on USB pins and its not recognized over USB. Try to check that.


How to disable high contrast text when that option isn't available? I bought a new phone and the settings from my old phone were transferred during the initial setup.

One setting was "High contrast text" within Accessibility settings. I would like to deactivate this option. The reason I don't like it is that astronomy programs with a "night mode" (red on black) settings display black text with a white outline, and the white outline destroys my night -adapted vision.

My new phone, a Realme 5 - running Android 9 with the custom layer "Color OS 6" - doesn't have the high contrast text option available in its settings. Apparently the next version of Color OS does have this setting, but it's not yet available for my device in my country.

Things I have tried:

I have tried using restore factory settings to only restore system settings, but that didn't affect the high contrast text setting.
I have tried running getprop | grep text and looking to see if there's anything relevant, but there isn't.
I have tried deactivating the option on my previous phone, manually triggering a cloud backup, then using Activity Launcher to launch CloudRestoreFlowActivity, but it doesn't open.

The only related question I can find is this one but it applies to Android 5, and it's protected and I'm unable to add an answer.
(I'm asking this question to self-answer, because I've just solved the problem myself and couldn't find any valid solutions elsewhere: everything assumes that this option is available in settings but it isn't on my device)

I finally found the solution. A computer with ADB is required. Attempting to do this from a local terminal will fail with a permissions error: "Failed calling service settings: Failed transaction (2147483646)"

Prerequisites:

ADB enabled in developer tools.
The last option in developer tools, "Disable permission monitoring" I believe it's
called (on my Spanish phone it's "Desactivar supervisión de
permisos"), enabled. If not then the command will fail with the message

  Security exception: Permission denial: writing to settings requires:android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Then, with the phone connected to the computer, simply execute:

adb shell settings put secure high_text_contrast_enabled 0

Thanks to:

ADB+Accessibility
I can't enable WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS for an app over ADB


How to remove dummy account from android? When I go to factory reset my android device I found a "dummyaccount" on my device.

Does anyone know what this "dummyaccount" is and how can i permanently remove it from my device?

The answer is within this article:

  Add the Account Required by the Framework

  The sync adapter framework requires each sync adapter to have an
  account type. You declared the account type value in the section Add
  the Authenticator Metadata File. Now you have to set up this account
  type in the Android system. To set up the account type, add a dummy
  account that uses the account type by calling addAccountExplicitly().

So the reason for this account was probably some app, that needed its local database to be synchronized with server using a sync adapter. This app has created account called dummyaccount. Some tricks exist to hide this account from the account list in Settings.


How do I install a sticker app directly into gboard? With the recent announcement of stickers for Google's keyboard I decided to try it and installed the NBAmoji, which states in the information:

  You can share emojis across social media, messaging apps (where the copying and pasting of images and GIFS is supported) or install them as a keyboard on your device (see settings for instructions).

After opening the app I don't see anything of use in the settings (top right three dots) menu, which only lists:

Using BNAmoji (useless dialog without information)
NBA app (url to google play store)
Privacy Policy
Push Notifications

When I try Gboard's settings I don't see either any option to select NBAmoji as the keyboard, and it doesn't show up in the emoji keyboard or language choice.

Is the app just not working? Does it require a special app supporting some Gboard feature that others like Telegram or Whatsapp don't?

You must implement Firebase appIndexing for your application

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/09/create-stickers-for-gboard-on-google.html


How WhatsApp send audio files or video clips instantly? When I try to forward any video clips that I downloaded to my phone from any other contact it sends immediately (ie without any uploading) . Also attaching some mp3 files are also sent instantly without showing any delay in uploading? How is this possible? I think they are storing all media files on their server.

I guess that's because whatsapp stores attachments on their database with its own checksum (every file can be represented by an alphanumeric sequence of characters called like this).
When you try to upload a file whose checksum is already on their database, they just use the uploaded copy of the file.
This leads to several advantages. Indeed, preventing double uploads:

Avoids server overloads
Makes you save mobile data
Make whatsapp save space on their database


Recording microsoft teams meeting with a smartphone I'm wondering if there is a way to record microsoft teams meeting with a smartphone; I'm using a motorola moto g6 play and the record button doesn't appear.

I tried with a screen recorder, but android doesn't allow to record internal audio unless you root your smartphone (in this case the warranty goes away).

EDIT: screenshot after clicking on three dots

Thank you in advance.

To view the recording button after joining a meeting, click the 3-dot then on the list that appears, you should be able "Start recording". Clicking it will start recording the meeting just like on the desktop app.


I can FastBoot my device. How can I reinstall an Android image to it? I accidentally deleted a file from my phone (Sky iVega IM-A800s, Gingerbread) and phone cannot boot now. I'm seeing an "System operating error" and device restarts repeatedly.

I could get into FastBoot mode and I installed Android USB driver and ADB drivers, although I don't know what they are exactly.

I couldn't find OEM Android images for the device (it's a Korean web site and they have an ActiveX based installer that doesn't work).

I know StackExchange is a Q&A site and I really love this site. I would like to know if you know any software that let's me install a custom ROM (I could download a custom ROM for a similar model) using the PC.
Device does not have USB debug mode enabled and the current installation is no longer functional. Can I install a ROM (or Flash ?) using a PC (Windows/Linux) to a FastBoot enabled device?

I would be so grateful if you could shed a light for me.

Thanks in advance.

If you can find a ROM on a forum or website, you can easily flash it using fastboot - as long as it supports fastboot flashing.

Most ROM makers provide both types of ROM flashing mode.

To flash, you should have a .img file (most likely called system.img). You can flash this  by connecting your device in fastboot mode to your pc and using this command:

fastboot flash system C:\path\to\system.img

This will then flash the image to your phone. Once that is done, erase your user data using the fastboot -w command.

You should then be able to use your phone with the new ROM, and it should boot correctly.


How do I retrieve timestamps from my Firefox download history? I'm looking for a way to retrieve timestamps of my download history at the full precision that they are stored at, preferably to at least second precision.

Unfortunately though, without obtaining root permission over my phone, I don't have access to my own user data at /data/, so I'm trying to figure out a way to do this through Firefox using JavaScript.

Situation: I made the big mistake of moving pictures and videos from the internal storage of my phone to a microSD card using Android's stock tool to do so (‘Settings’ → ‘Storage’ → ‘Transfer data to SD card’). Unfortunately, this bumped the timestamps of all of the files, and also messed around with directories other than DCIM/ (images and videos were also moved from the Download/, image/, Pictures/, and video/ directories). In hindsight it seems silly that I used such a tool (I'd normally use Ghost Commander), but it appeared as a notification when running low on internal storage space and it just looked so easy. I've since been trying to piece back together the timestamps of the various images and videos.

I have restored the timestamps of photos and recorded videos in DCIM/100ANDRO/ based on timestamps in their embedded metadata (see this Unix & Linux Q/A), and I've figured out how to restore the timestamps of all of the images and videos in the image/, Pictures/, and video/ directories, but I'm still stuck with how to restore the images in Download/.

The embedded metadata of these files isn't going to help me to restore their timestamps, because I want to restore them back to when I obtained the file (i.e. downloaded it), so I need to get access to my Firefox data and obtain the download timestamps. Once I have the timestamps, I'll then be able to touch the files to approximately the correct timestamp that they had before Android lost them.

I'm using mobile Firefox 27.0 on Android 4.3.

This is probably too late for OP, but I found a possible way to do this.

You can open the Firefox Profile folder (no root required since Firefox owns the folder) by entering the following URL in Firefox Mobile's address bar:

file:///data/data/org.mozilla.firefox/files/mozilla/

This opens the folder that stores your Firefox profiles. The actual profile folder is the folder with the random looking folder name there. In my phone for example, the profile folder is y7hj32bc.default (this name will change for every installation).

Inside the profile folder, there should be a file named:

downloads.json

You can tap on the file and Firefox would open the file as text file. Copy the content of this file to somewhere and open it with a text editor.

The downloads.json file contains a JSON file that looks like the following:

{
  "list": [
    {
      "source": "http:\/\/example.com\/path\/file.txt",
      "target": {
        "path": "\/storage\/emulated\/0\/Download\/file.txt",
        "partFilePath": "\/storage\/emulated\/0\/Download\/file.txt.part"
      },
      "saver": {
        "type": "copy",
        "entityID": "%2239907-3fe8c75e5c140%22\/235783\/Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:42:37 GMT"
      },
      "startTime": "2015-04-04T17:25:59.468Z",
      "succeeded": true,
      "totalBytes": 235783,
      "tryToKeepPartialData": true,
      "contentType": "text\/plain"
    },
    ...

Your file download start date is in the startTime field, and the file path is in target/path. The date is formatted as ISO8601 format.


Cannot download through a link I have google play and app gallery (from Huawei). but whenever i need to download an app through a link it brings me directly to the Huawei Gallery and of course it is telling me the app is not available in my region. how can I solve the problem, I have a google account on my phone and the Huawei cloud account.

Try the following:

Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Apps -> App Gallery -> Open by default, select "Ask every time" (or "Don't open in this app").
Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Apps -> Google Play Store -> Open by default, select "Always allow".

You find "play.google.com" in Other defaults or Supported links of App Gallery, remove it also (just in case).


How to make WhatsApp store media on external SD card (instead of device storage)? I have a lot of media files circulating between all my contacts and groups in WhatsApp. And all the media (images, audio, video) takes a lot of space on the device storage (internal). I have not found a way to change default storage path from internal memory to external SD card. Is it somehow possible for a user of no great expertise in Android to adjust it so that all the media will be automatically sent to SD card (smth like: sdcard/WhatsApp/Media/ ).

I have tried to manually create the following folder on SD card:

sdcard/WhatsApp/Media/

But anyway the messenger does not see it and it creates new folders on the device storage (inspite of my removing the folder on device storage).

Unfortunately, there is no way you can do this without root access. If you know what is rooting or if you have already rooted your mobile, then follow this answer. But if you don't know, please don't consider this answer. Rooting may cause potential problem to your device if you don't know what you are doing.

FolderMount: FolderMount is an app which creates a symlink to your sdcard or anyother directory when you specify.
XInternal2SD (Xposed Module): it is an xposed module in which you can specify internal storage path. For me, I have 32gb class 10 card, so I set my card my internal using this module. So whenever I newly install an app, it will be automatically installed to my SD card. So the media files downloaded are directly download to my SD card. There are several xposed module which does the same, but I'm using this module, cause I'm comfortable with it.
Link2SD: Using Link2SD you can partition your SD card and use it as internal. If you do this, it will work as same as XInternal2SD xposed module. There are plenty of tutorials available on internet on how to use link2sd.

Again I'm warning you. If you don't know what is rooting, don't follow this answer.


Flash boot.img without using fastboot USB So I've recently rooted my phone and tried a ROM or two. I find it really handy that you can use TWRP recovery to install another ROM from the SD card, you don't need to have it connected to a PC.

However, on my device (HTC One S) I need to flash a different boot.img file for every ROM as well, so I still need to hook my phone up to my PC to switch ROMs. If I don't do this, it just gets stuck on the loading screen. Then I must use the command

fastboot flash boot boot.img

from the folder where boot.img is located.

Is it possible to flash this boot image with TWRP or any other way without using fastboot over USB?

What needs to be done is to bundle the boot.img and construct a new zip file suitable for flashing via ClockworkMod or TWRP.

Pre-requisites:

a Linux environment that has the usual development packages, such as Java installed. (It can also apply to other platforms, just be careful that the instructions here indicating the path used below, uses a forward slash /, so flip that around to be a back slash \ for Windows environment especially!)
adb command line tool installed.
`testsign.jar' tool, for signing the zip file so that the recovery can authenticate and verify it is a valid archive otherwise recovery will report corrupt archive or similar.
update-binary command line application, that is internal for usage with the flashable script. (This can be found with any flashable zip, the important thing is to extract that binary and deposited in the structure of the directory as shown)
zip command line tool.

Assuming your directory is called workdir, for discussion, lets call this the working directory, copy the boot.img into that directory, and create the following directory structure - META-INF/com/google/android, this is important! And within the META-INF/com/google/android, copy the binary application called update-binary into that directory. So the directory structure should be like this:

+ workdir/
     +
     |
     +--+ boot.img
     |
     |
     +--+ META-INF/
              +
              |
              +--+ com/
                    +
                    |
                    +--+ google/
                           +
                           |
                           +--+ android/
                                   +
                                   |
                                   +--> update-binary
                                   |
                                   +--> updater-script

As for the updater-script, copy the contents of the following below:

ui_print("Please wait, boot.img being flashed...");
show_progress(0.1, 0);
assert(package_extract_file("boot.img", "/tmp/boot.img"),
       write_raw_image("/tmp/boot.img", "boot"),
       delete("/tmp/boot.img"));
show_progress(0.1, 10);
ui_print("It is now safe to reboot! :)");

Remember: Do not get confused here, the updater-script as shown, should be left alone and as-is, so do not try flip the forward-slash to a back slash if doing this under Windows environment.

Go back to the parent of the directory structure, i.e. outside of workdir and do the following, we're going to create a zip file from this:

zip -r my_custom_flashable_boot_unsigned.zip workdir/ which is a recursive function, this will zip up everything into the file called my_custom_flashable_boot_unsigned.zip.

Finally, to sign the zip file, issue this:

java -classpath testsign.jar testsign my_custom_flashable_boot_unsigned.zip my_custom_flashable_boot_signed.zip

Then its a matter of pushing that across the SDCard as in adb push my_custom_flashable_boot_signed.zip /sdcard/ and manually go into recovery and specify that zip archive (i.e. my_custom_flashable_boot_signed.zip)  in which it will perform the flashing for you.


How can I root my Xolo Q1010i? I have tried kingoroot, Towel Root, Framaroot as well as WMShua to root Xolo Q1010i but at last stage the message "Sorry Root Failed" appears.

Kernel version : 3.4.67

Please provide me with other ways.

It appears that the mentioned Root apps are unable to find a working exploit for your device.
Did you try Towel Root yet?


how to make complete os backup to create update.zip? how exactly can i create a update.zip file from  an android device that runs on android kitkat? i tried to backup using titanium backup but it needs root access. is there any way to backup the complete rom without rooting?

adb has a built-in backup command. See, eg, this question for details.


Phone listed in Device Manager isn't mine I have found two phones in my Device Manager that I don't recognise, in fact if I'm not mistaken they appear to be phones that are on American networks but I live in South Africa. They were last online a few months ago (May 2016) but nonetheless I'm concerned about the security of my account. I would also like to remove those devices from my manager. What should I do?

Follow the instructions below. I suggest you should change your password just in case.

Use your phone's browser to go to myaccount.google.com.
In the "Sign-in & security" section, touch Device activity & notification.
In the "Recently used devices" section, touch Review devices.
Touch the device you want to remove > Remove.

Source: https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6264236?hl=en


advanced hotspot settings in android 5.1 After upgrading to Android 5.1.1 I have some issues with the hotspot. It works, most of the time, however at what seem to be random times it just switches off. I once half saw a message as this happened, but I only saw "Switching of hotspot because...". So I think it's a feature, not a bug. It might be related to my phone losing internet connection, as I use the hotspot on the train with poor connection quality.

In previous Android versions, I knew how to find advanced Hotspot settings. In this version, I only find very basic settings, like network name and password.

I have CyanogenOS 12.1 / Android 5.1.1 on a 1+1.
Sorry if this question has been asked before, I did not find anything recent anywhere.

Update: I saw the message on switching off now. My cell phone loses network connection, and the hotspot remains on. When it is back within cover the message reads "Switching off hotspot because SIM service change". So I'm guessing it's some kind of protection against getting overcharged for data use.
(Andyes, the laptop remains connected to the hotspot until it gets turned off)

Aparently this is a known bug in the latest Cyanogen (12.1) which should be fixed in the next release.

http://forum.cyanogenmod.org/topic/116964-hotspot-disabled-due-to-sim-subscription-change/


Making an applications stay on the phone "permanently" I would like to be able to make an Android application remain on the phone even after a factory reset and/or a system upgrade.

Some people suggested that the way to accomplish this is to root the phone put the desired application in the system/app and unroot the phone.

What I was wondering is - is there a less aggressive way (avoiding rooting the phone) to accomplish this? What would be the standard way to accomplish this?

I would say no.

If you want to completely copy app from phone to another storage you need usually root. And for making app as a system app, you need unfortunately root as well.


Insufficient Space on Mobile Device I have searched for an answer to my question because many others have asked this before me - but i guess i have to find more creative answers because all the given answers don't really work for me.

I am trying to install a new app of 18.1 MB but it's impossible. What can I do?

I un-installed 2 apps (together should be more than 18.1 MB)
I only have a few downloaded apps (mostly linked to google like google play music, google play newsstand etc) but still its says with Application Manager > Downloaded > 1.7 GB used ( Id say thats too much), 315 MB free
(and with those apps I uninstalled all updates)
I have an SD card , which has space, but I cannot move any of my apps there

Maybe its time for a new phone

This problem may occur when your memory cache is insufficient.

When you download an app, the data goes in the cache so that the phone can install it when the download is completed.

In order to be sure that this is the problem, try to download smaller apps. There must be a point where the size is small enough for your android to install it.

I had this problem on my Acer Stream years ago and this is what the support told me, which was right. What is your smartphone model ?


no wifi (Samsung galaxy tab 4) I have a brand-new Samsung Galaxy tab for just pulled it out the box it Wi-Fi will not turn on.. the router is "Belkin" have been reading all these answers they keep saying to root and two download different software to buy new hardware it's brand-new why should I have to do that.

Go to Settings > WiFi and check if any network shows 'Connected'.
If not, select the appropriate network and login.


Why does my Android device create a CD-ROM device on my computer? When connecting my Android phone (HTC One V) to my PC via USB (in HDD mode), it creates two removable devices for the internal memory and the sd card - as it should.

However, it also creates a CD-ROM device which is always in the "no media inserted" status. Why does it create one and does it have some purpose?

Some network-branded devices use a virtual cd-rom device to supply their own tethering software. If your phone's tethering isn't restricted and the device created is empty, I'd say it's safe to ignore it.


See Windows shared folder in Android I have shared a folder named myfolder in Windows, the computer name is MYPC.

I installed FolderSync on Android and I would like to connect to this shared folder via SMB.

What's the relevant share address with smb:... ?

smb://MYPC/myfolder

or

smb:///MYPC/myfolder

or

smb:\\\MYPC\myfolder

I tried all these options, but it did not work.

STEPS to create a SMB account in FolderSync:

Open the app, go to options and select 'Account'
Select 'Add Account' ('+' symbol), click 'SMB/CIFS'.
Enter a name.
Server Address: enter the local IP address of the Windows Computer where sharing is enabled.

Format: smb://local_ip

For example, smb://192.168.0.3

(You can easily find your computer's local IP by ipconfig command in Command Prompt)

Then enter the login credentials of computer if Windows Sharing is password-protected, or use Anonymous login if password-protection is switched off..

Now you're ready to create the syncs you need.

Alternatively, you can also use ES File Explorer.

Goto Options(3lines at top left)-> Network-> LAN.

Search for devices there, or add it if you know the correct address..


Is there a workaround to use of bash via adb on LineageOS17? I try to login in my device directly vith
adb shell bash -i

It kind of partially works, because I'm logged with bash, but the terminal loose completion.
The error I get:
$ adb shell bash -i
bash: cannot set terminal process group (-1): Not a typewriter
bash: no job control in this shell
mydevice / #

Is there something possible to do it properly without errors ? I don't have su installed.

The error is expected. adb shell by default doesn't allocate a TTY (terminal) which is required for interactive session. Instead use:
adb shell -t bash -i


I cant move apps like twitter over to SD card? Why cant I move twitter over to my SD card? I have a 16gb SD and all installed apps are there,exept for some, like twitter. Is it possible to move those apps over to SD card?

There are 2 possible situations here, or both:

System apps cannot be moved to SD due to being 'protected' system apps.
Apps that have widgets cannot be moved to SD as it breaks the widget and many devs will take out the option to move to SD.


Memory full without any heavy apps I dont have any heavy apps on my phone, but still a major part of memory of my k3note is occupied with 'others'.

Others contains all files that will not come under the app/pic/doc/zip/audio and video.

It occupies 7.* gb.

So, either click on other or go to file manager and check your custom folders for such heavy data files.


adb restore across different devices, android versions Once upon a time, I ran this on an Android 4.3.0 Nexus 7 2012 running ParanoidAndroid:

adb backup -all -nosystem -apk -shared \
  -f backup-all-nosystem-apk-shared-201309132331

Now I would love to restore at least one of those apps on my Android 4.3.1 Nexus 7 2013 running vanilla. (I haven't installed it.) I've preemptively ran:

adb backup -f backup-all-system-apk-noshared-20131027111818 -apk -noshared -all -system

and now I wonder: what could possibly go wrong if I restored the original backup? Would re-applying the backup I've just made on top of it get me to a... working system? Do I want to take additional safety measures?

Don't know if you figured this out or not, but Titanium Backup has a feature where you can import an ADB backup and then from there restore individual apps or all apps. Only down side, Titanium Backup does need root. That being said, I think it's worth it.

For details:
http://www.titaniumtrack.com/kb/titanium-backup-kb/titanium-backup-howtos.html#backup-without-root

In case that link goes away:

Connect your device and make sure its listed with the following
command:

adb devices
Run a FULL backup with the following command:

adb backup -f FullBackup.ab -apk -all
This will create a “package” called “FullBackup.ab” on the current location in your command prompt. This is your backup package.
Now you can root your phone.
Once finished rooting, insert the “FullBackup.ab” package on your sdcard
Hit the menu button and look for “Extract from ADB backup” option. This will prompt you to search for the file. Use the file manager that you installed earlier and navigate to the directory and select the FullBackup.ab file.
Now restore like as if the backup was made with Titanium Backup. Don’t forget to make a fresh copy of the backup using Titanium Backup. You’re Done!


How do I undo "always show pictures from this sender" on Android gmail? I accidentally clicked 'Always Display Images from This Sender' ('Always show pictures from this sender' in 2020) and was wondering if there's a way to undo this setting in Android gmail.

It's straightforward to undo on web Gmail, but not the same with Android (that I know of). Any help is appreciated!

In the Android Gmail app,

From the main inbox or inside any email: Bring up the Menu > Settings > General Settings. Now click the Menu button again to bring up sub-menu of options > Clear picture approvals.

WARNING: This clears ALL your approved sender settings, I believe there is no option to revoke by individual email senders.


How do I use ok Google with SoundHound? If I ask "ok Google, what song is this?"  it will tell me.
However, I prefer to use SoundHound (because I have the paid version, and it stores my searches for later retrieval, and it links to spotify automatically).

Is there a voice command that asks "ok Google, ask SoundHound what song this is"?

I can't even seem to open the app." open SoundHound" yields a Google now result screen (where the first result is the app itself), but it does not open it -  probably because the paid app name is "SoundHound infinity " (the symbol for infinity).

Unfortunately, you don't have such command right now. But you can expect it to be added in the future. Google is already working on it. More information here.


How to boot into the Recovery mode without volume buttons and reset hole? I'm having a Chinese tablet Allwinner Quad Core A33. The tablet has only Power and Home buttons. No Volume buttons, no reset hole.
When it boots, it freezes on the Company logo.
The ADB devices command sees no devices.
I am trying to boot into the Recovery mode by holding down the Power and Home button, then releasing the Power button, but nothing happens (like pressing the Power and Volume Up buttons on other devices).
Is there any way to boot into the Recovery mode?

I found that I can go to the Download mode by pressing and holding down the Home button. Then I connect the USB and press the Power button. I also used Phoenix Suite.


Phone won't connect to mobile network As of yesterday my phone was okay as I know I had a missed call and checked it on voicemail, but today I noticed that it is showing no signal when there should be one.

The last thing I know I did was to try *#61# to check the voicemail numbers as I was thinking of setting a longer timeout, but I didn't actually change it.

If I go into Additional call settings I get 'Network or SIM card error', but I expect that is linked to the lack of network. However, I wonder if something on the SIM is messed up.

I've turned it off/on a couple of times. Also tried a different SIM from a different service and that worked. It there anything I can try resetting?

It's an htc Tattoo on Android 1.6.

I would bring the phone to your carrier's local store.  If a different SIM card from the same carrier works, then it's possible that your SIM card is damaged or corrupted.  The carrier may need to replace it for you.  Keep in mind that some carriers (or authorized reseller outlets) will charge you for this.


Is there a way to give someone else permission to locate my phone for safety reasons? My father wants to be able to locate my Android phone (a Galaxy S4, fully updated with Lollipop) in a similar way as how he can locate the iPhones he and my mother use, for safety reasons in case something happens and he needs to know where I am.

I do agree with this, but I would rather not share any of my passwords with him. This means that the apps that I currently use, like Lookout, my Google account or my Samsung account are not really options, unless these apps have some kind of family sharing function. I would also very much prefer a free option. I found some options, but they're either paying or would require account sharing.

I would prefer a method where I can load an app on my android phone that I connect to using my Apple ID, after which my father can use the built-in Apple ID family options to track my phone, but if that's not an option, I'm very much open to any other suggestions.

I stumbled upon this nice link where some possibilities are listed.

From your question I derive that your father is an iOS user or at least familiar with apple services, so the cross platform apps might be of special interest for you. For some approaches, you can even define some kind of a geo-fence where people get informed when you arrive within these coordinates. For example, your father can be notified as soon as you arrive home after school.

But please keep in mind that if you share your location with other users, your GPS location is uploaded to a server where the other users get their data from. Depending on the service's provider, the connection and storage can be secure or not and the data might be used for eg advertisements or not. So please have a close look before deciding. GPS coordinates are by design privacy-critical information, so while it might be ok for you sharing your location with your family, it might not be ok for you to share it with companies that might monetarize the data.


Errors during factory reset on a device using encryption Whenever factory reset is tried on device using encryption, the following error shows up:

wiping data...
formatting /data...
E:failed to mount /data (Invalid argument)
E:format_volume failed to mount "/data"
E:format_volume: wipe_data_without_wipe_media failed
Formatting /cache...
Data wipe failed.

What is the solution?

Solution is to format /data + /data/media.

If you ever wanted to do factory reset after using encryption, you need to format the entire /data partition.

What you have tried is formatting /data without deleting the contents of /data/media. This wouldn't work because this step tries to mount /data partition in recovery and then delete the contents of it without touching /data/media.

The primary reason for this error is the recovery cannot mount the encrypted /data partition.

So, its required to backup the contents of /data/media aka Internal Storage before every factory reset (formatting /data + /data/media) on device using encryption.


Get original xperia play content back on device after removing it I've rooted my phone a while ago, deleted random apps I didn't really need that were pre installed. But now there's a potential buyer so I'd like to restore to the way it was the second I've brought it from the shop. Default factory reset didn't help as I've deleted games and stuff. So, is there a way to get everything back?

You can use their official update software, it has been called "PC Companion" the last time I used it:

Boot your phone to flashmode (See also  How do I turn on flashmode in Sony Ericsson Ray?)
Update/restore it with PC Companion

This is mostly for modding, so it won't be that useful to you:
You can also flash a .ftf file of your choice (official or a custom mod) with FlashTool, note however that you need to unlock the bootloader before your phone will boot a mod with an unoriginal kernel. I have however no idea where to find an original firmware image for your Xperia Play/R800i, you might need to google for that yourself.


PC Suite For Android Galaxy S3 I9300 Why hasn't Google developed such a suite as good as the Nokia suite that would almost 100% allow us to use most of our phones' basic functions on our PC?

Google unlike Samsung and Nokia and such is a service company that wants to bind you to its cloud (sorry for the buzz word).

You can see it with Gmail, Google Docs, Google+, Google Voice and of course Google search which all are (more or less) agnostic of used operating systems, hardware and so on. They all operate in the cloud, the only dependancy is a decent browser.

And so does Android. You aren't bound to even own a PC if you have an Android device at all. It's meant to be a replacement for some of the stuff that you currently do on a PC. For a comparison: Only with iOS 5 has Apple removed the hard dependancy to have iTunes installed for backups and updates of ones iOS device.
Courtesy of Google :-)


What's the difference between Android 2.2 Froyo and Android v1.6 Donut? I am really new to Android and I barely know about it.

I now want to buy an Archos device that should be an alternative to iPod and its size should be like the iPod.

I saw there are different Archos devices.
I am doubting between the Internet tablet (Android 2.2 Froyo) 43 and the 48/5 (Android v1.6 Donut).

What is a better OS? What is more advanced?

My desires:

Mandatory:

Audio/Video playback (flash)
Wifi (Gmail, GCal sync)
eBook reader
Pocket size (iPod size or so)

Desired but not mandatory:

Voice mic (for potential web conversation, and recording)
Video/photo camera
FM receiver

BTW, I just saw Android 3.1 is out, is it possible to update these devices with the new OS?

There are HUGE differences between 1.6 and 2.2. 1.6 is also a pretty old version of android. Flash is only available for 2.2 and later, so if you have to have flash then you need to go with 2.2. But the archos 43 does not have an FM receiver, the 48 has a receiver, and transmitter.

The UI had big improvements in 2.2 compared to 1.6. The ability to install apps on an external sdcard is also available on 2.2, but I don't think you will really need that as the 48 says it has 500GB (that seems like a lot for a device like that...). I have also read that it is possible to install froyo on the 48.

3.x is currently only available on select devices as they have to "partner" with google in order to have access to Honeycomb (3.x). So I wouldn't expect to see an update on these devcies anytime soon for 3.x.


Blank Circle name in Google+ On my Google+ Android app (version 2.1.1.219805) there is a Circle with no name. There's no one in the Circle.

When I check Google+ on the web, this mystery Circle is not there. All of my Circles are as they should be.

I've already Force Stopped and cleared the data for the app.

What's going on or, at least, how do I get rid of it?

A new version of the app came out today (2.2.0.233662) with "numerous bug fixes" mentioned in the "What's New" text.

This apparently is one of the fixes. Everything is back to normal now.


Blank Screen When Accessing Kali Linux I'm trying to access Linux Deploy, Kali Linux via a VNC Client on my Android phone. I could access it but I get a blank screen.

Here is what to do:

Use Mobile SSH or Termux to get to a virtual terminal.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobileSSH.feng.gao&hl=en

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=en

While in terminal, install xrdp

sudo apt-get install xrdp

Use Juice on your Android to get graphical screen access.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonelli.juicessh&hl=en


How to root phone without losing WhatsApp account? I'm planning to root my Sony Xperia P, but there's a complication. Due to issues with my telco, I currently don't have a plan - my phone is practically just a Wi-Fi device right now, and in addition I lost my phone number. I'm afraid that when I root my phone and reinstall WhatsApp, WhatsApp will not be able to verify my device, leaving me no other option than to create a new account. This is not an ideal situation because I will lose the access to my chat groups and I won't be able to use WhatsApp until I sign a new contract with a telco.

Is there a way to prevent this scenario from happening?

My phone:

Sony Xperia P (LT22i)
Android version 4.1.2
Build number 6.2.A.1.100

If you are planning on using the same phone again, you can simply uninstall whatsapp and reinstall it after you add the new number. Whatsapp FAQ says that you will be given an option to restore all the data at the reinstall process. They specifically ask to install the app from their website rather than downloading from Google Play. (I couldn't find any reason for this).

If you can use the previous number, you will not lose your account or the data. Simply login to the app again.

On a side note, it is highly advisable to backup your chat history to your SD card as explained in this answer before you attempt anything (rooting, uninstall, etc.)


How to restore my old deleted WhatsApp messages Is it possible to restore my old WhatsApp messages which I have deleted earlier from my whatsapp if yes how can I restore them?

There are usually two ways of restoring your messages. Local backup or Google drive backup.

Local backups are stored on your phone for up to 7 days only. After that, they are automatically deleted. Therefore, if more then 7 days have passed since you deleted the messages and you haven't manually saved those files, you will not be able to restore the deleted messaged that way.

Google drive backups on the other hand, are made periodically in the time specified by you. Check your WhatsApp settings to see when the last backup was made. To do that, open WhatsApp, go to settings -> chats -> backups. If the date of the last Google drive backup is before the time that you have deleted the messages, then you can still restore them.

To restore your Google drive backup, follow the steps provided by WhatsApp's FAQ page here

Have in mind that you will lose all the messages that were written after the time of backup.

Otherwise, if the conditions above don't match, you won't be able to restore those messages.


Closing/killing "Android Terminal Emulator" app I have a Sprint LG G3 running Android 4.4.2. I'm using Android Terminal Emulator by Jackpal. It respawns after I close the app. I see the terminal process and the child shell but killing that way seems too manual.

When I closed the only window from the dropdown list at the top, it closes temporarily, then reappears in the "Recent apps" list. There is an un-swipeable notification that says "Terminal session is running". When I tap on either the thumbnail or notification, the "Window 1" comes back.

The only workaround I've found is rebooting.

Any better ideas to really close this app?

There should be an "X" at the top of your screen. Just tap it.


Don't charge the battery but use connected power to run the phone Answers to this question Is power consumed from battery to run the phone when charging? explain how charging while phone is in use does both - charging the battery and powering the on going activities.

My question is different — Can I stop charging the battery but use the connected power for ongoing activities?

Why do I want to do this?

I want to charge the battery within ideal limits (see Ideal charging / discharging percentage for maximum battery life?)

and

at the same time use the charging power to keep running the phone without any heat stress on battery, thus extending battery life.
Also the battery is not drained, enabling me to use the phone for longer time without charging

Edit : I am not looking for dedicated cables or hardware that can possibly do this

Yes, it's possible if your device is rooted running Advanced Charging Controller-Acc Magisk module
and device kernel supports (see currently known list at the end of answer)

Battery Idle Mode: To activate this feature at a user defined battery level.

And/Or

Custom Charging Voltage Limits: Activates this feature at a user defined voltage level. This method is superior to first method since granular voltage control is possible  Keep in mind that battery charge level is not an accurate indication of voltage. Kernels that support this, include support for first mode too.

First step is to configure charging to be stopped at a safe level, in my case, 75%, using the Acc module

Next step is to use the charging power to run the phone only

How does it work?

In either methods (battery idle mode or Voltage based) , the charger is fooled into "believing" temperature conditions aren't good for charging (either the reported battery temperature is too high or too low, so battery charging is discontinued as a safety precaution).

That means the device is drawing power from the external power supply alone - which is exactly what we wanted! And the battery doesn't get drained because it is not being used (of course over a long period of time it would drop a percentage point. As an example I used the device to surf for 4 hours, mostly YouTube videos and lost  just 1% of battery)

On my OnePlus 7, battery idle mode is supported by Kirisakura kernel. Interestingly, beta versions of stock ROM have this feature in stock kernel but one doesn't know if it makes it to next stable version (Edit : Stock kernel on 10.3.2 supports idle battery mode as verified by me)

When this feature is running, a low USB  equivalent power is fed to the phone and conventional charging indicators show charging with zero power. Note that the second screenshot (Ampere app) shows "not charging" and no word about discharging, so the battery is at status quo. Normally, such apps show a binary status, either charging or discharging. Here, you see the difference

This screenshot below is from ACCA (Acc App, optional companion app of Acc magisk module ) which offers all the command line options (believe me, a ton of them) in a user friendly GUI. It shows battery charging idle mode at 75%

Support Battery Idle Mode

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1
Essential Phone
Lenovo K5 Pro L38041 (kunlun)
Motorola Moto G4 Play
OnePlus 7/Pro
Xiaomi Redmi 3 (ido)
Xiami Redmi Note 8

Support Custom Max Charging Voltage

Essential Phone
Lenovo K5 Pro L38041 (kunlun)
Xiami Redmi Note 8
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