What is CP and AP and what are these options used for? There is this service menu where I can select different USB modes for my phone. One option is called CP and the other is AP.

What do the acronyms CP and AP stand for? I recognize MTP, PTP and ADB. But what are the options CP and AP used for?

TL;DR
Application processor (AP) =  CPU + GPU
Cellular processor (CP) = Cellular modem

The long version:
CP stands for Cellular Processor. It's also referred to as Baseband Modem. Another reference is Baseband Processor, or BP for short. AP stands for Application Processor. These are 2 of the 3 fundamental building blocks in mobile devices. The third being the Graphical Processor, or GP for short. The CP includes all the digital components required to communicate with a cellular network. The CP usually consists of an ARM-based processor and a DSP. It has its own operating system and communicates via a HS (High-Speed) serial connection with AP unit on which operating systems such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone are running.

Previously, CP, AP and (GP) were found in separate, dedicated chips. However, there is a trend to combine all three components on a single System on a Chip (SoC) to save cost, reduce power consumption, and shrink the overall size of the circuit board.

The table below is showing SoC chips with two AP — CPU & GPU and one CP — the cellular or baseband processor. The table is copied from 3G, 4G and Beyond by Martin Sauter.

Bonus:
The USB settings in the image above is used to determine what drivers are enumerated when connecting your phone to the PC via USB cable. It is a multiplexer switch which determines whether the USB port is directly connected to the CP or the AP.

There are also options to select device features that will be enabled once connected to the PC. These options include:

MTP (Media Transfer Protocol)
ADB (Android Debugging Bridge)
PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol)
RNDIS (Remote Network Driver Interface Specification) for USB Ethernet
DM (Diagnostic Mode)
MIDI (Used to connect MIDI device such as MIDI keyboard)
Modem

Click on image to enlarge

More info can be found on XDA forums and in 3G, 4G and Beyond by Martin Sauter.

Reality:
AP mode of UART serial connection is favored upon.
Many blogs seem to have found that AP mode saves battery capacity,
charges phone faster when connected via USB, increases battery life.


Is it possible to see whether you are within a ~10m radius of another phone without broadcasting location data? I was looking at Bump_(application), and I found it interesting that they use location data along with other metrics to figure out whether two phones are next to each other.

Is it not possible to do a similar thing using bluetooth or a similar technology that doesn't send your location data to a remote server?
I'm assuming the two phones in question have the same app.

they use location data along with other metrics

The key point is that you have to touch the two phones together. This contact will be visible in the accelerometer and microphone readings from either phone. Something needs to look at the readings from all the phones in the vicinity and find two that recorded a bump at the same time. The easiest way to do that - especially ten years ago, when smartphones didn't have much computing power - was to send the bump times and phone locations to a server and let it compare them all.

The alternative way to achieve this would be each phone broadcasting bump events to all nearby phones directly. There's not a great way to achieve this. Bluetooth can't support many phones connecting to each other this way, and access to it is limited in iOS. Wi-Fi Direct (aka Wi-Fi P2P) can do this, but not at the same time you're using normal Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. However you do it, you'd have to be very careful to prevent someone spoofing the bump events to pretend to be the phone you wanted to send your file to.

So although it is possible to use Bluetooth to find out if two phones are in the same room, without sending anything to a remote server, it's not feasible to use that to make the "bump phones together to connect them" feature that was Bump's unique selling point.


How do I switch profiles in Chrome for Android? Is there any way to switch Chrome profiles while using the Chrome mobile phone app?

There is no way to change Chrome profiles on Android/iOS as per Google Chrome Help here.

But, you can use apps like Parallel Space to have multiple chrome profiles.


How can I get Kies to detect my Galaxy S GT-i9000 on Windows 7? When I connect my phone to my Windows 7 PC the Kies application opens and displays "Connecting", but it does not connect. Why? How can I fix it?

This answer doesn't seem to apply if you have a Galaxy S running the official Froyo, and the latest Kies as they seem to have fixed many of these issues now, this is mainly for if you're running an older phone OS or Kies version.

For prior versions of Kies and the Galaxy S (I don't know which upgrade is the one that fixes it) there were quite a few problems Kies had seeing phones.

Some of these problems were driver problems, you can generally fix these by using the reinstall drivers option in the Kies menu at the top-left of the Kies screen.

Kies had problems connecting properly to phones that had files on them with long file extensions (I think the problem was  if they were 16 characters or longer, but I couldn't be sure).

To get round this problem, firstly if you have an SD card in your phone, unmount, eject and remove it for the moment, this saves a lot of messing around with the contents of that card, you can plug it back in after you've done everything you need to in Kies.

Next attach your phone to your PC in Mass Storage mode, and have a hunt round on the internal SD card and internal memory for groups of files with long names and long file extensions (one particular culprit is often the pictures' thumbnails cache which sits under Android\Data\com.cooliris.media on the internal memory; you can safely delete everything in that folder, it'll get automatically regenerated next time its needed). Once you've done this, disconnect from the PC, run the My Files app, and go in and re-delete that folder if it has regenerated (if you haven't got My Files you should be able to find it in the Samsung Apps listing, if not you can use something like Astro File Manager).

Finally make sure you are actually connecting to the PC in Kies mode. depending how your phone's set you may get a list appear on the phone's screen when you plug it into your PC asking what mode to connect in, make sure you select Kies mode. If you're not seeing that menu and its automatically connecting in one mode or another, then you can go into your settings and re-enable that menu. On a Froyo Galaxy S (it was somewhere slightly different on Eclair but I can't remember where) go into Settings -> Wireless and Network -> USB Settings, and select "Ask on connection".

Of course this all depends what you want to use Kies for, if you want to backup files from the phone, look up contacts, send/manage text messages, etc then it might be worth trying out the Kies Air app that Samsung released into the Samsung store recently, this runs a website on your phone that you can connect to from a PC using your web browser over the wifi connection, this smooths out almost all of the connection problems and is actually quite a nice, handy piece of software.


Cannot set up a yahoo email account with @yahoo.com.au address (.au not accepted) The mail app on my Samsung note does not allow me to set up my email account with the full Yahoo address: it does not permit adding the .au at the end of the address. If set up the account like this, then I receive all my emails, but any I send out from my samsung misses the .au domain suffix -- resulting in anyone replying, not being able to respod without it bouncing back to them. They obviously do not notice the .au is missing.

I've contacted Yahoo, who say my address is with .au and anything without that will not get through.

I've tried resetting my samsung by removing my yahoo adress, and replacing it, but it will still not accept setting up the account with the .au and only simply as @yahoo.com.

Is there any solution known?

Tim

I would guess that Samsung failed to provide proper support for Yahoo Mail. Therefore I recommend that you install the offical Yahoo Mail app. It should work out of the box.

Antoher approach is to forward your yahoo mail to your google mail. They advantage is that you don't have to use an additional e-mail app.


How do I keep my contacts separate? How do I keep my Gmail contacts off my phone (Samsung Galaxy S if it matters) and at the same time keep my phone's contacts off Gmail?  I don't normally do email from my phone, and when I have had to log into my account, it automatically downloaded all the contacts.  I don't want to search through a bunch of email-only contacts to find the person I need to call.

In the Settings -> Accounts & Sync, select your gmail account, in there you will see "Sync Contacts". You can uncheck that and the device will not sync your contacts to gmail, nor will your gmail contacts sync to your device.

As onik said too, you can have it show only people with phone numbers too.


Google play store is missing after installing Cyanogenmod 12.1 I installed CyanogenMod 12.1 to my galaxy S2(GT-I9100) along with gapps. (Later I tried the same with different gapps too) and everything went good, I successfully installed both zip from CWM 6.0.4.x.

But after I switch on my phone, after all initial steps, I noticed Google Play app is missing, all other gapps are present.

I have used same gapps file for installing in Galaxy note (GT-N7000) along with CyanogenMod 12.1 and Google play store is present

This is first time I'm facing these kind of issue with CyanogenMod installation.

Anybody can help on this issue?

I forgot to wipe system partition. I just performed factory reset and wiped dalvik cache.
After wiping these and installing gapps again worked for me.


Is there an offline maps application for Android? Google Maps is great, but unless you have an unlimited data plan, it's going to cost a lot downloading all that data all the time.

Do you know of any (preferably free) good offline map application for Android? Ideally one that can do navigation (preferably with voice) and in my location (Sydney, Australia).

Yah, there is a terrific one, called Maverick Lite.

Off-road GPS navigator with OSM, Google and Bing maps. Support for offline maps & multi-touch. Build-in compass, timer and trip computer. Share your current or planned location. Record and upload tracks to GPSies.com. FourSquare support.

And it's free. the paid version costs about $4


How do I view/mount nandroid file on device? From Android's terminal, I tried to mount a nandroid img:

losetup -f

gives "/dev/loop0".

However, when I try losetup /dev/loop0 /sdcard/nandroid/... data.img it says no such directory. Same thing when I try to mount the file.

According to this it should be doable, but it seems there must be some trick to mounting it in Android? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_device

I don't think you should need to use losetup, however, if you are using Android 4.2, the path to your sdcard may be the issue. In Android 4.2, that has been changed due to support for multiusers on tablets. You would likely need the full path rather than the "shortcut" that has been set up for simplicity by Android. That path would be /storage/emulated/0/nandroid/...data.img.

But, I believe Android will support mounting it directly with the mount command (it is what I have used a few times in Linux, although, I've never tried in Android).

mount -o loop /storage/emulated/0/nandroid/...data.img /mnt/wherever

Keep in mind, you will need to be root and the directory you want to mount it to needs to exist before you run the command. And when you do mount it, if you mount it over a directory that has content in it, it will prevent access to that content (it isn't gone, but unaccessible until it is unmounted).


I have a Galaxy s4, I changed my pin passcode and used ADMbut it stil won't work I recently changed my pin passcode on my phone, locked it, then tried the code and it unlocked it, so I relocked it. Ten minutes later I tried to unlock it ms it said the passcode was incorrect. I tried numerous times. I looked online, and I tried the android device manager. I locked it once, tried the passcode and it didn't work. I tried it on another android device ms still no success. I really need to find a wayp to get my phone unlocked, it has extremely important information on it. Is there any way to fix this without having to reset it to the factory settings?

If you have your phone rooted you can remove 3 files with the name 'lock settings' in it in /data/system/ . For more help look here: http://youtu.be/TlxixmkjDyE


galaxy grand duos gt-i9082l don't start Well, I have a Galaxy Grand Duos GT-I9082L brasilian version and i try restore my phone with kies, but i still get this error

I try restore with odin, but result are the same

I think you should have to do a hard reset and flash it with a new or Custom ROM and optionally with Gapps. If you have a backup of your stock ROM, then try flashing it. Follow the steps from Xda deveopers. Be sure to search by your phone model and variant.


How can I share my current GPS location from google maps? I'm at a screen such as this and I'd like to share the exact GPS location of the blue marker (not just the approximate address). The only way I've found is to get directions to somewhere, share the link to clipboard, paste it somewhere, copy out the starting coordinates, paste them back into maps and then share that. Is there a better way?

Here's what I can do on the current Play Store version of Google maps. (9.22.1)

From your screenshot, it appears that your GPS position is not accurate. In "location settings", choose "high accuracy". Get out where there's no concrete roof above your phone.

Let GPS get a good fix on your position.

Zoom in on the screen. Press and hold on the "blue dot" for a menu to appear with details of the location.

Then click the "share" button.

Choose "copy to clipboard", if that's what you want. Else choose an app to share your location info.


How to get to Torch on Moto G / Marshmallow 6.0.1 I have two copies of Motorola Moto G with (now) Marshmallow 6.0.1. One of them has recently "removed" Torch icon from notification area:

Now, I don't have access to it at all. Neither in Settings menu, nor among installed apps.

How can I start it on the other phone or how can I "reset" notification area on the other phone to the same state like previously / like on the first phone?

EDIT: I have enabled and made use of System UI Tuner > Quick Settings, but it brought no help. I can see Torch icon enabled there, but I still don't see it in quick access area, where I saw it just a week ago and for the past year or so.

The same story goes for Broadcast Title and Invert colours icons, which I can add to my layout in System UI Tuner > Quick Settings, but which actually never appear in quick access area.

I have just made a test photo with flash light enabled to double check that there are no hardware issues that could be causing Torch icon to disappear.

My current system:

Android version: 6.0.1.
Android security patch level: 1 September 2017.
Baseband version: M8916_20250106.08.05.14.02R HARPIA_APAC_DSDS_CUST.
Kernel version: 3.10.49-g5531188 hudsoncm@ilclbld71 #1 Mon Sep 25 05:50:06 CDT 2017.
Build number: MPIS24.241-15.3-26.

Exactly the same on both devices that I own.

This appears to be an old problem cited two years ago wherein torch light and cast icons as in case of OP go missing. Reason attributed is some icons disappear if not used for long and reboot brings them back as it happened in OP's case.

Probably this is a bug that is continuing and not found in latter models - I don't see that on Moto X Play (also maybe because I use  Gravity box Xposed module interface for quick settings)

It sounds stupid, but it looks like you have to remember to use those icons to be able to find them when you need them :(


Managing Contacts without linking any accounts A friend gave me her Samsung Galaxy S7 when she upgraded her phone.  We ported my number onto her account, and now I (a long-time flip-phone user) am trying to figure out this new device.

Important context: I do not intend to sync up my gmail account to the phone.  I am combating an internet addiction by refusing to have the internet in my pocket constantly.  Plus, I find it creepy when devices "talk" to each other; it makes me feel powerless and confused if what I do in one setting has effects in another, unrelated setting.  In other words, I want the improved reception and the threaded text messaging of the new phone, but otherwise want it to be as "dumb" as possible for my peace of mind.

I spent all last night manually adding contacts to the device.  The whole time, my friend's gmail was still synced up, and her emails kept popping into my view.  So this morning, she removed her linked accounts.  As soon as she did, all the contacts I had manually entered the night before disappeared, the contacts I had edited the night before reverted back, and a bunch of them became "Read Only" contacts!

This presents several problems/questions:

Did the contacts I manually entered go into HER gmail account?  She doesn't need all my personal contacts!
Do I have to manually re-enter them, and if so, how can I be sure that they are being saved to my SIM card?  (In case I ever get a new device, it would be nice to simply move the SIM card and keep the contacts.)
The "read only" contacts are a good mix of ones I want to delete and ones I need to edit (fix misspelled names, add new numbers).  How do I manage them?  If she un-linked her accounts, why are these "read-only things" still there?

Again, I am looking for solutions that involve only my phone and do not involve linking external accounts!  It would be super weird if all my gmail contacts appeared in my phone.  Phones are for phone stuff and email is for email stuff, and having them bleed into each other seems like poor management.

Incidentally, there is now a message on my phone telling me that my data is not backed up.  This confuses me, because while I thought "data" meant "bits of information", all my friends corrected me that nowadays "data" means internet usage, and I should just be able to "turn data off" so my phone isn't constantly online.  But obviously it means "bits of information" if it is something that can be backed up.

The locations mentioned below where you can find settings may vary across Android versions.

  Did the contacts I manually entered go into HER gmail account? She doesn't need all my personal contacts!

Where do contacts go can be selected with Contacts -> Three dots menu -> Manage contacts -> Default storage location.

Among other options, you have Samsung account (if set), Phone, SIM card, Google (if set), Outlook (if set).
This is exactly what I see in my phone (I have actually three Google accounts).

I guess (did not try it) that if the default storage location is a Google account, and it is removed, the default changes automatically.
So your current setting would be probably not indicative of what it was before.
The best way to check that is entering her gmail account in a web browser, and see if the contacts you added are there.

  Do I have to manually re-enter them,

If they went to her Google account, you have several options to avoid manually re-entering them. Depending on the number of such contacts, the economics equation on what is most convenient may vary.

You can take advantage of Contacts -> Three dots menu -> Manage contacts -> Import/Export contacts.
I have used that to transfer csv-formatted contacts list from an iPhone to Samsung, avoiding any additional app.

  and if so, how can I be sure that they are being saved to my SIM card? (In case I ever get a new device, it would be nice to simply move the SIM card and keep the contacts.)

See above.

Plus #1:
You can use Contacts -> Three dots menu -> Settings -> Contacts to show.
You can select any contacts source to be used when showing contacts. You can even select a Custom combined list.
This is what have.
Then, whenever you change the source, you would be showing/hiding contacts, and that can tell you the location of each one.

Plus #2:
Whenever I Edit a contact, at the top of the screen I see the source of that Contact (Phone, Google, Skype, WhatsApp, etc.)
You should have to tell first the appropriate contact display list as in Plus #1.

  The "read only" contacts are a good mix of ones I want to delete and ones I need to edit (fix misspelled names, add new numbers). How do I manage them? If she un-linked her accounts, why are these "read-only things" still there?

Not sure. Never faced this, but I found a variety of culprit sources of Read-only contacts out there, and correspondingly different solutions.
E.g.
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-delete-read-only-contacts-from-my-Moto-G2


How to root cyanogen OS? (On Wileyfox swift) I would like to know how to root Cyanogen OS on WileyFox Swift

Simply by flashing SuperSU.1 There's a thread at XDA explaining the steps:

download SuperSu
save it to your external sdcard
enable developer options (settings - about - click mutliple times on the build number)
enable OEM unlock in the developer options settings on the device
reboot Wileyfox Swift into fastboot mode: with the device powered down, hold the Volume Up and connect USB
to unlock the boot loader (WARNING!!! This wipes your user data!!!), type from your computer:

fastboot oem unlock
fastboot -i 0x2970 oem unlock-go
fastboot oem unlock-go

download latest recovery image from Cyanogen
to boot the custom recovery, on your computer type

fastboot boot <name_of_recovery>.img

install supersu update zip from recovery menu (choose zip from extenal SD)
reboot and enjoy root access

Note that steps 6 and 8 require the matching drivers being installed on your computer if you run Windows.

Updating a rooted Swift

Also note that "incremental updates" are no longer working with the device rooted. Please see how to update rooted fox at XDA for alternatives. Each of those updates will probably break root, so you'll have to repeat the above procedure after each update to regain root access.

Alternatively, you can also switch from CyanogenOS to CyanogenMod, which includes root access.

1: Note that's not the latest version – but the one reported working at the time of that post. The always latest version is available here.


I need to sign in to my Google Account but can't as no link available so can't use tablet I haven't used my tablet for a while & in that time I've changed my google account  password.
I can only think that this is why it won't let me access anything but when it tells me that I need to sign in to my Google account I don't know how to do it. Feel a bit of an idiot!!

It's very simple (its fine, everyone is a bit of an idiot). All you have to do is go to the gmail app. Then reload your mail. It will tell you that your sign in details are out of date. Click on change (or a similar option) and you're done!


iOS Passbook equivalent for Android When I would board planes on airlines like Delta and United during my time with an iPhone, I would load the boarding pass into the Passbook app (which became the Wallet app with iOS 9) and would not have to print out my boarding pass. Now I have an Android phone and a United flight tomorrow. How can I use a United boarding pass digitally on my Nexus 6P? Is there a Passbook-like app for Android or do most airlines support in-app digital boarding passes, so I can board the flight with just the United app and no printed pass maybe?

US domestic flight, if that matters. Android 6.0.1.

In the end, it was not necessary to use any other app; the United app itself allowed me to store the boarding pass digitally. And I assume it's the same for other airlines' Android apps (you just need to download them). Easy enough.


Does "clear data" of a running app also "force stop"? In settings, if you go to an app and click "clear data" does that also cause the "force stop" function to be activated?

I'm thinking that when you clear the data of an app, the app is basically returned to the state it was in when you just installed it, so it necessitates a "force stop". Is this correct?

Yes, you are correct.  Any running app will be stopped if you clear its data, which you can verify pretty easily by selecting an app from the Running list in Settings → Apps and clearing its data; it will disappear from the list.  I verified this myself quite a while ago out of curiosity.  It is, of course, expected for the reason you mention — getting rid of the data that the app was working with will almost certainly make its state invalid or could cause partial (i.e., corrupt) data to be saved later.


Using multiple Google accounts in device but don't want some of them to show up anywhere in Hangouts app's menu I have five different Google accounts (my personal Gmail account used as the primary account and others for different Google Apps for Business email addresses), Gmail, Hangouts, and more, all work fine for each account. However, I don't use Hangouts on three of the accounts, and I'd prefer that I not even see these accounts in the Hangouts app.

While I can sign out of the unused accounts they still show up in the menu in the Hangouts app. Is there anyway to disable the Hangouts app entirely for specific Google accounts?

Yes you can. Just open Hangouts> tap the three horizontal bars on the top left> tap the Settings option> select the account you'd like to remove> scroll down and select Sign out.
This will sign the account of Hangouts only. You will continue to receive emails and everything else for that account as usual.


How does android dm-verity protection validate blocks with hash tree I am learning about android dm-verity protection and I try to understand how does the android dm-verity uses the hash tree for validation of "single block".

https://source.android.com/security/verifiedboot/dm-verity says:

  Instead, dm-verity verifies blocks individually and only when each one is accessed. When read into memory, the block is hashed in parallel. The hash is then verified up the tree. And since reading the block is such an expensive operation, the latency introduced by this block-level verification is comparatively nominal.

After the block is read and hashed, it is verified up the tree. But how can I verify root hash, when I have not read all the blocks?? I can verify just that part of the tree I have read, and that means I do not have to go up to root hash.

I do not understand why we use a hash tree. StackOverflow thread says that main reason for using hash trees is when the hash is computed for every block and than for the whole file again, i don't get why it is used here.

So how it is actually implemented?? My assumption is that when the block is loaded to memory android just checks the particular branch and rest of values are taken from the pre-computed hash tree. But than I don't see the reason for using the tree. I would just store block hash values and after reading the block and hashing compare just the hash.

Edit: Let's assume this implementation:

split the whole block device to the blocks of 4K size.
hash each particular block and concatenate hashes(create layer 0 of dm-verity)
store the hashes (layer 0) at the end of block device
Now, when I want to verify 4K block loaded to the memory, I find the block position and compare the hash of loaded block with the stored hash.

In the situation as this using a tree makes sense, because you only have Merkle root available, but in Android, we have the whole tree, so why just not use the layer 0 (implementation above) and throw away the rest.

And while writing, I think I came up with an answer. Android stores the whole hash tree at the end. But the tree is not signed, only the dm-verity table(metadata) that contains the root hash. So, In my implementation, I would have to sign the whole layer 0. And that is probably wasting resources, so it's better to use the tree.

"But how can I verify root hash, when I have not read all the blocks??"

  "In essence, the leaves of the tree are pages containing hash values; each higher level in the tree contains hashes of the blocks below it."
  Reference

Example:

  "A merkle path is used to prove inclusion of a data element. A node can prove that a transaction K is included in the block by producing a merkle path that is only four 32-byte hashes long (128 bytes total). The path consists of the four hashes (shown with a shaded background in A merkle path used to prove inclusion of a data element) HL, HIJ, HMNOP, and HABCDEFGH. With those four hashes provided as an authentication path, any node can prove that HK (with a black background at the bottom of the diagram) is included in the merkle root by computing four additional pair-wise hashes HKL, HIJKL, HIJKLMNOP, and the merkle tree root ."
  Reference

"I would just store block hash values and after reading the block and hashing compare just the hash."

You have to remember that cell phones have a limited amount of resources. Your way of doing it you have to read the whole block and compare to verify the validity before. With the tree you only need to read a part of it to verify validity.

  "However, attempting to verify an entire block device can take an extended period and consume much of a device's power. Devices would take long periods to boot and then be significantly drained prior to use." Reference

To help with your research I think it would be important to know the hash tree theory. It is called the Merkle tree first patented by Ralph Merkle


What is the difference between chromebox and "android tv"? What is the difference between Chromebox and "Android TV"?   I was thinking of buying either a Dell Chromebox or a Lenovo Touchscreen Chromebook to go with my Chromcast on my living room TV but I don't know if Chromebox is designed to work like the Chromebook.   Also, would a Chromebox be a good replacement for my Chromecast?

A chromebook (or chromebox) runs Chrome OS. This is basically a very lightweight version of Linux that runs a Chrome Browser. You do not have the ability to install "native apps", with the exception of recently, it was announced, you can now install some Android apps.

The difference between Chromebook and Chromebox is a Chromebook is a laptop, which has a screen, keyboard, mouse/trackpad. While a Chromebox is the desktop version. It does not include a monitor, nor a mouse or keyboard.

Android TV runs Android. It is designed to be connected to a large display, like a TV. Its UX is designed for the 10 foot experience. It runs Android applications, but may not run all the same apps that you can run on a tablet or phone, because of the different user experience. Apps need to be tailored to use a remote or a gamepad.

Android TV would be a better "replacement" for a chromecast. As they usually offer the functionality that a chromecast does, and more.

A chromebox is not necessarily designed for that 10 foot experience, and may not offer you the apps for streaming content like Android TV would.  While you could probably log in to the service websites and stream from there. But you would need to have a mouse and keyboard connected.


what is 10147 in Android, it drain battery power 54% in 6 hours I have Motog5 plus,and since 2 days battery drain too fast,
when I see battery information I could not find which app is this so that I can uninstall it.

You just need to click on 10147 to find the next screen i.e. Use details screen. Under this screen you'll find an information button on the right hand side beside the title (in your case it will be 10147). And if it is a third party application you'll get the option to Uninstall it else if it is a system app you may find the option to disable it.

Hope this helps.

Thank you!


How do I access google play music from the Philippines? I am not able to access the google play music because my country isn't supported. I used VPN with a US account and it asked me to login. When I used my email, I receive the error again that my country is unsupported. Is there any other option? You help is highly appreciated.

You have to create a gmail account using an US-based IP address. For that install any VPN app, run it, selecting the country as US, or any other country that supports Google Play Music. Then create a gmail account from the phone itself. Log into it, and you're done.


How to stop power intake when completely charged? Is it possible a process should run in the background of Android OS,
 and the only task of that process is to stop the power intake to the device when the battery is completely charged?

Have you tried Battery Charge Limit 0.1? I haven't really tried it myself due to incompatibility with my android version.

It requires root and android versions 4.4+

you can find it here: Battery Charge Limit 0.1 4.4+


Why does reinstalling an app sometimes work to fix problems? It's not uncommon for people to recommend reinstalling an Android app if it isn't working properly.  For example, see this post on this site.

Why does this sometimes work?  What is goes wrong with the Android app installation that allows them to load and partially work, but not fully work as expected?

It's not necessarily the installation process which goes wrong.

A file which is non-essential (a sound file for example) may have been corrupted for any number of reasons, and a simple re-install re-writes the corrupted file.

It's the same principle as with a computer application. An error pops up at a random time, yet the rest of the program still works.


Error launching ddms.bat: "Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified" I've been following these very detailed instructions to take a screenshot on my Motorola Flipside. When I get to the step #10 where I launch ddms.bat I get this error and my phone doesn't show up:

  C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools>ddms.bat
     12:09:01 E/adb: Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified

(and here I thought the difficulties of taking screenshots on Android were exaggerated)

Try adding adb's folder (platform-tools) to your PATH. The adb executable used to be in the tools folder on versions of the SDK up to v8 IIRC, but it was moved in v9, so ddms.bat is probably looking for it in the wrong spot.

See also this thread on StackOverflow (accepted answer there courtesy one of our mods here) to see if this is in fact the issue.

Edit: If you need it, here's a decent guide for changing your PATH environment variable. It's written for XP but I don't think the process is much different (if at all) for Vista/7. The basic premise is at least the same.

Another edit: It looks like it's the same process according to this guide for Win7.


Can't find eSIM option on Google Pixel 3 According to specs, Google Pixel 3 supports eSIM, but under Settings > Mobile networks, there are no relevant options.
Is this depending on whether I'm currently in the service area of a mobile network operator supporting eSIM or should this option appear regardless? If so - why doesn't it appear?

Enabling developer mode made the option miraculously appear.


Simulate menu button in older app (Android 2.x) on Android 4.x tablet I've got a new Android 4.1 tablet. I am trying to run an old app which was created for Android 2.1 and relies on the menu button.

Can somebody points me to a ready-made application which returns the new menu button? Any idea?

When a newer device loads an app that targets an old Android version, it displays a menu button on the system bar, near the home, recents, and back buttons. It has the same "three dots" icon that you see on newer Android apps. Pressing this has the same effect as pressing the menu key on a device that has one.


How to download apk file of telegram app on android? Telegram allow to install app only on Google Play Store but I  want to download apk file and send to my friend because his Android device which does not have access to Google Play Store. Is it possible to download apk file of Telegram app on android without any apk website downloader only from right apps or right ways?

Thank in advance for all of you Stackexchange Community!

You can use the app APK Extractor to get the APK of the application you want on your device to send, or you can find a version of the app on a mirror site, like APKMirror.

I have used both in the past and have not had problems with them.

There are other apps similar to APK Extractor that allows you to obtain the APK, like Backup & Restore. I have not used this one personally, but people have recommended it before.


DeX mode not starting after Android security update After recent two Android security updates, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 plugged into a DeX station is unable to detect it and therefore it is not offering the notification which allows to turn on the external monitor or going to DeX options.

Attached keyboard and mouse via USB ports on Dex Station still work fine with the phone as it is. Only the DeX mode recognition seems to be gone.

What I did try:

An advice to plug the phone into DeX Station unplugged from the power and the re-attached the power cable but it did not help the DeX recognition.
A troubleshooter from Samsung. Update was completed, no change.
Trying the device elsewhere with a Galaxy S9 phone. It worked normally.

It was an HDMI connectivity issue.
If there is a connectivity issue to an external monitor, for example HDMI cable is detached or damaged, the DeX Station behaves exactly as described above. Everything in DeX Station seems to be working except of the external monitor which remains blank and also there is no DeX item among notifications.
My assumption that the external monitor will start working after the DeX notification is clicked was wrong. The monitor should always produce the image from the phone when the phone is on. Only then the DEX notification follows on the phone.


Transfer Whatsapp Chat from iOS to Android I want to transfer my Whatsapp chats from my iPhone 6 with iOS 8.4 to my new S6e, is there an easy way to do that?

As far as I am aware, as the iOS system has a built-in restriction that stops one accessing its filesystem, you cannot get access to the conversation history backup files.

Even if you managed to obtain read/write access through a jailbreak of some sort, the iOS messages dump might not even be of a compatible format to be displayed on Android.

In short, there is no easy/safe way to transfer your WhatsApp conversation history between iOS and Android. Android to Android, however, is a different matter.


How can I use (parts of) a managed account without submitting my device to the Device Policy? My kid's school uses Chromebooks with Google Apps. All the kids in school have an account which they can use both in and out of school (Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Hangouts, and so on).

I wanted to let my kid log in to that account with his own Android phone (a Wiko Rainbow Jam), but I do not want to allow my kid's school to monitor his phone or erase all his data.
It's not that I'm really afraid they will erase his phone on purpose, but rather more as part of a general action, for instance as part of what they do when a kid leaves school or perhaps even wiping all of their devices at the start of a new school year.

I know it's possible to log in to Gmail through IMAP, but that's just for Gmail. I also found Removing a device from Android Device Manager for a specific account but that seems like a complicated solution, that again just works for Gmail.

I would like him to be able to use all aspects of his school account, without having to subject his phone to the school's device policy.

Is there a way to use his school's Google account on the phone, without allowing the school's device policy to administer his phone?

Alternatively, if I can get the school to do so,

Can the school set an exception to the policy for his device? Or rather, set the device policy so that it only applies to their devices?

This is, of course, not the primary account for his phone, that's something akin to his.name@gmail.com.

He would have to use the web interface via a browser in order to access this account. Adding the account would make it subject to the administrative policy, and this they would be able to monitor and erase his device.

Now, the real question is why would they bother? I can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that no one is sitting there monitoring accounts with their fingers posed over the WIPE button, they don't have time or care and these features are generally never used unless the circumstances are fairly significant, bad enough for a school administrator to be willing to take the heat from a pi$$ed off parent and be able to justify their actions.

These feature are usually employed at the enterprise level, where a person leaves a position, to make sure the company's data is wiped from the device and they do not take it else where, or to be able to locate or clean the device should be it be misplaced/stolen. The ability to "monitor" the phone is somewhat over-rated, as they can't go in and read your text messages or see what calls your making to who, it simply means they can monitor data related to the account that has device administrator access. The problem is these are kind of all in one permissions, for your child to be able to access this account the ENTIRE permission applies.

The answer is although this is a possibility, the concern is likely unfounded. You should be able to allow your child to add his school account to his device with no issue, and when that account is no longer needed the administration rights can be removed and the account with it.


Does assisted GPS fix Samsung Galaxy S's GPS problems? Possible Duplicate:
  Does Froyo fix Samsung Galaxy S I9000's GPS problem?

the GPS on Samsung Galaxy S is said to be somewhat broken.  Is this true even when using assisted GPS?

Disclaimer: I don't have any problems with GPS on my Galaxy, but I do get a lock a few seconds quicker if I have the aGPS functions switched on. It also means that I get a "rough" lock while I'm waiting (this rough lock is the one with the big blue circle, which is about half a mile wide when I'm in my home town, or about 30m wide in London.

(On Froyo at least) the settings to turn this on and off are in Settings, Location and Security, then you can use both "Use wireless networks Location determined by Wi-Fi and/or mobile networks" and "Use sensor aiding Enhance positioning and save power using sensors" to switch the aGPS on or off


How to VPN only a single application? Say you only want to route the traffic of a single application through a VPN.

(Because the application lacks proper encryption support or the remote service is only available on a cooperate network.)

Other stuff like web-browsing should go through the normal data connection.

How to configure this on a recent Android device (>= Android 4.0)?

Concrete motivation: Unfortunately, quite a few VoIP gateway providers do not provide encryption of data (voice and signaling) - thus using a VPN is necessary (at least when connected via WLAN). One provider (sipgate.de) even provides its own VPN (and no other SIP/RTP encryption methods).

The free and open-source OpenVPN for Android app supports this.

In the profile configuration dialog, there is an 'allowed apps' tab that allows you to select a list of apps that is either excluded or excluded from using the established VPN:

'VPN is used for all apps but exclude selected'
'VPN is used for only for selected apps' (sic)

The list then contains all available apps that can be selected/deselected.

This doesn't require a rooted device. For example, it works fine on a Nexus 5x device with stock Android 8.1.

A simple test is to install another broswer like Firefox, include just one of Chrome and Firefox in the list and then switch around browsers and visit https://wtfismyip.com in both.

One pitfall is when you are on a dual-stack IPv4+IPv6 network but the VPN is IPv4 only. In that case, the 'Bypass VPN for local networks' in the 'Routing' tab needs to be disabled. Otherwise, IPv6 traffic travels unencrypted besides the VPN.


How to change the Play Store language? I live in Hong Kong, and the Play Store displays everything in the local Cantonese language.
I have set everything I can (Android language, Account language, even the app locale via Xposed Module "App Settings") to English, but I still see all the categories in the store in Chinese. Can someone help me change those to English?

(Click image to enlarge)

Short answer: You can't!
From How can I switch language in google play?, you used to be able to work around this via a proxy:

Basically the market is determined automatically based on your IP. You can change some local country settings from your Gmail account settings but still IP of the country you're browsing from is more important. To go around it you'd have to Proxy-cheat. Check out some ways/sites: http://www.affilorama.com/forum/market-research/how-to-change-country-search-settings-in-google-t4160.html

For the current versions of Google Play, it will always go for your IP address and geo-ify it. Therefore, if you're really determined you can use VPN to route through some servers with Geo-IPs.
If VPNs are not a solution for you (They weren't mine: Too expensive, too risky and depends on trust of the host, ...) you can mess with a GeoIP database (and have Hong Kong become US), alike as this XKCD comic:

Now what?
If you're a fan of Google products and want to keep using it, you will have to deal with it, or use the web based market as pointed out in another answer. What I did instead was that I rooted my phone to remove Google Play store after installing Amazon app store, and used it instead.


Privacy of WhatsApp messages My husband has taken over my Android since he's the account holder. I'm wondering can he get any call or text information from my WhatsApp off of the T-Mobile printout of my phone activity?

No, he shouldn't be able to, as far as I know WhatsApp encrypts the calls and messages that are sent through your carrier's data service.

Anyways usually if you ask a phone carrier to produce a call and message log for a line they'll show you the calls and messages you've made and received through actual SMS messaging and cellular calls. Since WhatsApp passes the encrypted data from your device as data calls there would be no way for T-Mobile to show the contents or recipients of the calls or messages.


Storage and Deleting Apps. How. What is Syncing and is it necessary? I have a Sony Xperia and i can't delete apps or move then to my sd card cz I keep getting warnings about my internal storage. Some apps on my phone are not even using memory but they are still listed in apps. Driving me crazy. How do i delete empty and unwanted apps and how do i store apps and other daya to my sd card. Iv lost all my photos and videos from factory resetting and not backing up my data. Also id it necessary to sync everything. What does syncing do. PLEASE HELP. Gill in Dublin Ireland

I have a Sony Xperia and i can't delete apps or move then to my sd
  card cz I keep getting warnings about my internal storage.

Can you show me the message? About moving app to SD card, if the device is running 4.4 then there are chances the OS won't allow you to install apps on external SD card. I'm not using any Xperia model so I'm skeptical. A device model could help.

  How do i delete empty and unwanted apps and how do i store apps and
  other daya to my sd card.

Did you mean apps or folders? I suggest uninstall apps from Settings -> Apps and select from the Downloaded list there. If you meant the folders then you can delete them using the Files application.

  Iv lost all my photos and videos from factory resetting and not backing up my data.

Always pull out things first before factory resetting. And be warned that synchronizing may not back up all your data. Video, images and apps maybe left out unless you use some other specific apps for that.

  Also id it necessary to sync everything. What does syncing do.

Normally the sync will be managed through accounts. You can go to Settings -> Accounts section and select one of the accounts here. Tap on it and see the checked options. Checked means synced, unchecked means not synced. Simple as that.


How to switch Input Method / keyboard? I recently upgraded my Galaxy S2 from Android 2.x to 4.0.3.

I had, and still have, two keyboards installed & enabled - MultiLing Keyboard, and Swype.

In my previous ROM, long-pressing an input field let me switch keyboards. This method now stopped working, and the only way I found to switch them is via the setup menu.

Has the method to switch inputs changed in ICS?

Once you've activated an input field, you should see a keyboard icon in your notification area. Drag the notification bar down and tap on the notification saying Select input method and you should get the menu.

If this doesn't work, it's due to Samsung's modifications. At least the vanilla ICS has this option.


Different wallpaper for portrait and landscape I used an iPad some years ago and it had an option to choose different images in portrait and landscape mode. I am on a Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 with Cyanognmod and I also use a OnePlus 2. I am using Nova lauchner.

My question is:

Is it possible to set different images for portrait and landscape orientation? (It is okay to use different apps than Nova Launcher)

I hope this is the right StackExchange sub"forum" for this question.

Thanks for answering,

Florian Reisinger

You can use an automation app here.
Automate
Setup a flow like this:
(Click image to enlarge)

Location of relevant blocks:

Interface → Screen Orientation?
Settings  → Wallpaper image set

After setting it up, make sure to install the permission it asks for - set wallpaper.
This worked in my COS12 and PA build of Android 5.1 but somehow failed in Android 5.1 nightly build of Vanir ROM.

Tasker
Try the trial version, before buying from Play Store.

Profile: State → Display → Display Orientation →Portrait

Task: (Actions): Display → Set Wallpaper → fill the details

For landscape orientation, you can either add an exit task by long pressing the task entry next to linked profile under Profiles tab and choosing "Add exit task", or setup a new profile for landscape orientation and create a new task for it.
For latter approach, make sure to disable Restore Settings  for both the profiles. A profile's properties can be accessed by long-pressing the profile and tapping the settings icon.

Tasker worked in both Android 5.0 and 5.1 ROMs installed in my device.


How do I create a ClockworkMod installation package? I'm a seasoned Linux veteran and recently bought a Samsung Galaxy S2 from T-Mobile.  I've been feeling the tinkering bug, so I opted to download the source code from Samsung's site and start fiddling.

My problem is that I've already got ClockworkMod installed on my phone, so I don't want to odin flash a new kernel and thereby corrupt ClockworkMod, so I'm looking for details on how to create a proper ClockworkMod install package (generally/always a zip file?) so that I can test the newly compiled kernels.

My searching on google thus far has brought up naught.  The ClockworkMod page seems to be pretty barren of documentation.  Can anyone point me to some documentation on the install package creation process?

The required part of a kernel .zip file looks like this:

META-INF
    com
        google
            android
                update-binary
                updater-script

You'll also want to have the kernel zImage file somewhere else, easiest if you just have it in the root of the archive.

updater-script contains the following at minimum (assumes zImage in the root):

assert(package_extract_file("zImage", "/tmp/zImage");
       write_raw_image("/tmp/zImage", "/dev/block/mmcblk0p8");
       delete("/tmp/zImage")
);

You can also do things like show a progress bar, print messages, wipe /cache, and so on.

You'll want to grab update-binary from another kernel package for the SGS2.  One at random is attached to this XDA post.

I tested this method on my SGS Vibrant without issue, using a kernel from an Odin package and an update-binary from another Vibrant kernel .zip.  Note that this is perfectly safe as long as you're writing to the correct partition -- for the Vibrant it was bml17, for the SGS2 it appears to be mmcblk0p5 (based on the kernel from XDA I linked above) or mmcblk0p8 if you're flashing an entire boot image (see comments below).  You'll want to verify it for sure.  Worst case your kernel doesn't work and you flash a known good one.


Recover Draft Emails from Deleted Account I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone and use the native, built-in email app for two corporate/ActiveSync accounts.  Recently something went wrong with the settings of one of the accounts, which caused my contacts to disappear.  Removing the account and adding it back fixed that issue.  Since the account syncs to the server (Outlook 365), I didn't think there would be any loss taking this approach.  I was wrong.  Evidently draft emails are not synced, and I lost several very important ones.  I am desperately trying to find a way to recover the contents of these draft emails that disappeared.
On the recommendation of a friend, I tried using a full-text search program (Astrogrep) to search the phone while connected to my computer, but the program wouldn't allow me to search the phone folders.  I also tried using the Wondershare Dr. Fone DataRecovery program to recover messages, but this just keeps getting stuck at 99% during the scanning process (stayed there at least 30 minutes before I backed out) and doesn't bring any results.
I've read in a few places that these emails might be stored in an SQLite database, but I'm not sure how to browse, search, or access this.
I'm grasping at straws at this point, hoping there is some way to find the old draft emails in a file or database of the phone.  I'm probably "moderate" when it comes to being tech savvy...so by now I'm looking for some good advice and step-by-step instructions from anyone who might know 1) if these drafts could still be in the phone and 2) how I can locate them to access the content.
Thanks to anyone who can help!

The default Samsung mail app is com.samsung.android.email.provider.
Unfortunately backup is disabled for this app (the app's AndroidManifest.xml contains the entry android:allowBackup="false"). Because of this you can't access the app's private data directory /data/data/com.samsung.android.email.provider on a non-rooted device.
As the mail storage database is placed inside this app-private data directory you can't extract the files for manually searching the data base e.g. using a hex editor or a different data recovery software.
As your device is pretty old (it is from 2014 and should be running Android 6?) any thus have not received Android security updates for years there may be the possibility to temporary root the device using an exploit. Unfortunately I don't know a reliable and trustworthy rooting app that would work on your device. Note that using such rooting apps may be dangerous as you never know what the app is actually doing in background.


Phone only charges when plugged into AC adapter or computer I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 x. It only charges when plugged in to the AC adapter and my laptop, and doesn't charge using battery packs or in the car. I use the same cord for everything. Why is this?

Open your car charger and at the back of the USB socket solder together the two middle contacts. These are the D- and D+ signals. Most Galaxy phones don't like an open circuit there, so now you have made a nice loop. Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus


How to save data while installing updates from the Play Store? Every time there's an update in the Play Store the whole application gets downloaded again instead of some particular size.

For example, there are 45 apps installed from Play Store. The average size is almost 800Mb to 1Gb. So supposing that there are updates for all the applications then I will end up downloading 800MB or more depending on the update.

So why are updates full size? Why can't the updates be of some particular size so that we can save some data while updating?

I also tried Opera max data saver but it doesn't save data for downloads. It saves only when browsing or watching anything from  the browser.

(Click image to enlarge)

Referring to @GiantTree 's comment, and adding on some of my own experience:

Google Play Store does its utmost to help you save data while updating apps.

App updates are usually about 20-30% of full size.

If the app does not contain .obb (expansion) files, it will use file patching techniques to update the .apk in your data partition. For the first update of a system app, the updated app is downloaded in its entirety once to /data/app, as the /system partition is read-only on unrooted devices and file patching cannot be done there. Also, once this first update has finished, file patching techniques are applied to reduce the amount of data needed to download.

This is not applicable as a whole to applications with .obb files, as these are stored on external storage and have a different, independent patching mechanism.

Updating an app through the Play Store saves you data already, in fact Google considers it a violation of its Terms of Service if developers who distribute apps through the Play Store employ means to update it other than Google Play's own mechanism.

For the moderators, I found a source (Although this is for APK expansion files):

Updating Your Applications-For Developers

And this, from Google Play's ToS:

An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism.

From: Google Play Developer Content Policy

And this picture:


adobe acrobat pdf reader now wants unnecessary permissions: workarounds? alternatives? I recently went to reinstall adobe acrobat pdf reader, I found it now requires permissions for identity and ability to create accounts - I'm sure they weren't there last time I installed it.

I just want to read pdfs. They don't need accounts for that.

Is there a way to block it (I'm on lollipop, 5.1); or is there a less intrusive alternative?

I'm not keen on sideloading an older version from a random website.

You can try PDF Viewer from pspdfkit. Google Play Link.
The company makes the reader which is used in a couple of popular apps like Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Scribd, etc...
It works with Android 5.1, and requires minimal permissions.

  This app has access to:

Photos/Media/Files

read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

Storage

read the contents of your USB storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

Other

receive data from Internet
view network connections
full network access
run at startup
prevent device from sleeping

You can block the network permissions if you like. It is only used in their instant feature which allows more than one people to comment at the same time.

It supports Annotations and bookmarks, Has a Manager for the annotations which looks like a Open Book icon on the header.

Page scrolling can be set as per the settings in the Gear Icon.
Additionally you can delete pages or export some pages as a separate document.


Install Russian input method on android I don't have Russian input method in the list of methods available. Tried third party apps like 'change locale' bu they are changing interface of the OS and not giving me to type in Russian.

Android version: 4.1.2, Device: Samsung Galaxy S2 LTE

You need to look at 3rd-party keyboard replacement apps, not locale changing apps.

Many well known keyboards like Swype and SwiftKey offer Russian layouts as either an in-app downloads, or separate add-on packages (like AnySoftKeyboard's language packs for example.)

Keep in mind that after the initial installation new Keyboard apps are not enabled. Go to Settings -> Language & input, scroll down to "Keyboards & input methods" section, tap on the checkbox of the newly installed app, and tap OK to accept the scary warning. You should now be able to switch to your new keyboard. This is for Android 4.x; on other OS versions the menus might be slightly different.


Why Google play services not included in Doze mode I'm using Nexus 5 and 6P, Android 6 having a feature called "Battery optimization mode" or Doze mode (in short). It is allowing apps not to run, if they aren't used to avoid battery consumption.

Google play services consumes more battery, RAM and CPU. But it is not included in Doze mode.

I've sent multiple feedback from my devices about this issue, but Google is not hearing at all.

Anyone please help me clarify, Why Google play services not included in Doze mode?

Google Play services is excluded because Google wants it so. It has to remained excluded from Doze or any power saving mode because apps depending upon Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) may fail to serve the user appropriately, hence, ruining the user's experience with Android big time. A GCM Android Client requires Play Store and Play services installed in Android device.

Anyhow, here's the brief reason: in the file /system/etc/sysconfig/google.xml, other than the usage policy of the file it is noted:

<!-- These are configurations that must exist on all GMS devices. -->
<config>
    <!-- These are the standard packages that are white-listed to always have internet
         access while in power save mode, even if they aren't in the foreground. -->

    <!-- GmsCore must always have network access for GCM and other things. -->
    <allow-in-power-save package="com.google.android.gms" />

    <!-- Play Store likewise must have network access to support other applications. -->
    <allow-in-power-save-except-idle package="com.android.vending" />

where,

com.google.android.gms : package name of Google Play services
com.android.vending: package name of Google Play Store

I cannot precisely speak of what counts as other things. My educated guess is the APIs made available through Play Services. Refer to Table 1. here to see the list of those APIs.

Note: it is beyond the scope of this answer or the question itself why Google decided to keep Play Services and Store always excluded from power saving features of Android instead of finding and implementing a hybrid path.


Is stereoscopic vision via OTG and 2 USB cameras possible? I'm thinking of making a stereoscopic night vision device by using 2 USB cameras connected via OTG (type C) to my Android phone. I've already tested 1 USB camera and some VR App from the Play Store and it was a success.

Will 2 cameras work if connected to the same OTG cable via a USB splitter/hub of some sort? Is there a way (or app) to display one camera over half of the screen and the other camera in the other half? Is it even possible to have 2 cameras powered and displayed at the same time?

Is it even possible to have 2 cameras powered and displayed at the same time?

It's possible and supported on Android by a number of APK, but never worked for me.

I just purchased USB camera endoscope and plan to install 2 or 4 of them via USB OTG hub (active or passive).

The problem is, APK searchable via Google Play don't support extra features in trial or free mode. On the other hand, it makes no sense to buy one another APK, over and over again just for a test to learn it failed to work for me.

The only APK which worked for me with my new USB camera endoscope is the one named in the manual, "AN98", but I don't get HD image resolution as claimed by a manufacturer. I get a very, very, very, low resolution to work in video mode 30 FPS.

Other endoscope APK failed to show any video or claim connection problems.

So to answer the question: Yes, you can. Try every APK which is relevant and claiming to support 2 USB OTG cameras via a passive or active hub.


Google play is asking for Google account My phone (Samsung s3 mini) isn't accepting any Google account: every time I try to enter anything like Googleplay for example it would ask for the Google account. It sais either EXISTING or NEW, and I've tried both of them – none of them worked.

It then says checking account or something, then...couldn't sign in to account.

The same works fine on my other devices.

How can I get that fixed?

Try clearing app data and also verify you have either wifi or data connection as Chahk mentioned. Try logging into the proposed Google account in a browser on a computer to verify you have an account & the correct credentials.


Moving apps to SD card? How do I exactly move apps to the SD Card? I have already rooted my phone, but I still don't know what to do next. I did some research, but I ended up getting stuff like "Settings > Apps > [App] > Move to SD Card" but that button is nowhere to be found...

Good job rooting! Makes the process easier to explain.
First of all, take your SD card and backup all the data.
Then, partition it into two partitions - 1 half for regular usage. Format this as FAT. 2nd Half for the apps. Format this EXT2 format. I'm not too sure how to format on windows. I use the mac disk utility.
Then, insert the SD card back in and download Link2SD or Apps2SD. Load up the SD card. Link2SD will ask you to choose the partition for the apps. Here choose the EXT2 option. Once you've selected it (and rebooted your phone, which is required to load up the partition), you can link apps to SD card. Linking is just like moving and saves a lot of internal space.

Feel free to comment if you have any Qs.

Good Luck!


Nexus 7 as a remote home controller I have a Nexus 7 and I find it really useful for everyday use. I would like to improve it as a remote controller for my apartment, like:

play music (the mp3 files are stored on the computer, N7 is only a remote controller that shows the playlist and has the controls)
play videos (I have seen that this seems to be possible using vlc),
check the door (It would be great to have a webcam pointing out on my front door that I can check with my N7 and push a button on the app to open the door)
dim/control lights or other devices like tv, dvd player and so on

Do any knows any projects that covers even one of my wishlist, or has tips to help me build those things by myself? I know that some of those will require the use of a microcontroller, like arduino.

There are several different VLC remote apps available which will let you control audio/video playback on your PC when you are connected to the same network. It's probably not for the un-technical, but it does feel very cool controlling your "stereo" from the other end of your apartment. You will generally need to:

Install VLC on your PC
turn on the web interface by going to (Tools>Preferences...>Show all (bottom left)>Interface>Main Interfaces>Web)
determine the IP address of your computer (Run command, Run
ipconfig)
Install a VLC remote app on your N7 (there are a multitude, try a
free one first)
Your VLC app will have somewhere to enter the IP address of the PC
    to be controlled

Note, if you can configure your router to assign a static IP to your PC you will save much re-entering of settings.

I suspect a camera streaming to a static IP you could browse to from any device on your network should be possible, but I'm afraid I'm even less sure about the other stuff. That said; I suspect you might want to look into Arduino.


AdMob ads in screenshots for Google Play I am developing an application that has some ads using AdMob. What is the recommendation for screenshots when preparing for the Google Play publishment? Should all the ads be removed before taking the screenshots?

And, maybe this is a programming question for regular stackoverflow, is there an easy way to just remove all of them before running the app in the emulator and taking the screenshots?

I recommend adding placeholders for the ads (a rectangular box with the text 'AdMob ad goes here').  I've seen quite a few other developers do this.  It lets the user know there will be ads, and where the ads will be placed in the user interface.

If you remove the ads, and then the user gets your app and it shows ads, expect negative reviews.  By disclosing ahead of time that your app has ads, you stand a better chance of not having as many negative reviews for having ads.


Does Android Have a BIOS? Do Android devices contain a BIOS? If not, how does it boot up? What is the software that actually boots it up and can you replace it?

Android is an Operating System, similar to Windows. Windows does not have a BIOS either, the computer has a BIOS.

Phones don't have a BIOS though, they have firmware.


Temporarily rooting an old 2nd generation Moto G - how can it be done? I have an old Android phone (Moto G 2nd generation, running 5.0.2), from which I need to access files in the data\system folder.  As I still do use this phone, I'd rather not permanently root it.  However, I've been doing some reading, and it looks like it's possible to temporarily root it in a way that lasts until the phone is next rebooted.

I've never rooted anything before, and my Googling of this only finds seemingly permanent rooting solutions.  I can only assume that the terminology I'm using to search for how to do this is wrong.

I'm a reasonably technical person, but I confess I am rather lost as to the correct way to proceed.  Is what I'm trying to do even possible (WITHOUT wiping the phone)?

TLDR: How can I temporarily root my Moto G 2nd Gen phone running Android 5.0.2?

If there is a way to "temporary root" your device it can be usually used by any app - unless you are able to fix the used vulnerability on-the-fly (but I think there are only a few people world-wide who could do so).

IMHO the best way to unlock the bootloader, install LineageOS. Even the nightly releases of Lineage are usually very stable. Lineage is by default not rooted. After installing Lineage you can activate encryption using a long password (have to be entered only at boot).

A unlocked bootloader is not nice but way more secure than a vulnerable system which can be exploited by any app. An unlocked bootloader at least requires physical access to your device. If your user data is encrypted only the system could be modified. Hence it would be only a problem in the "evil maid" scenario, but not in case of a device loss.


Android crashes after update unless I put another memory card I have HTC Desire HD and installed an official update of the system: Android 2.3.5, HTC Sense 3.0, system 3.12.405.1.

After the update my phone runs very slowly and reboots every 2 minutes. If I remove the memory card it runs well. If I change the memory card to another empty one then everything is also good.

But I have a lot of apps and other data on that card and I don't want to format it.

I looked at a log, there are a lot of mistakes like this:

W/ResourceType(13907): Failure getting entry for 0x7f0200df (t=1 e=223) in package 0 (error -2147483647)

Link to the beginning of the log (250kb):

http://pastebin.com/P3zq0k5x

Full log (3.3Mb, phone rebooted several times while writting this log) is here:

http://file.karelia.ru/9kjwqz/

I don't understand anything in programming or Android. Can you help me? Maybe I should just remove one of the apps and problem would be solved?

I had a similar issue and resolved it easily enough by carefully reading the short messages that were regularly popping up on my screen informing me just what apps were causing my phone to "force close." In my case the culprit was the Volume+ app. As soon as I uninstalled Volume+ the phone was right as rain.


(App) has stopped working I know there are already several posts about it (this one for example), but all the solution I found on this one, or one the Internet in general, didn't fix my problem.

My phone is a Wiko Fever, with the Android OS 5.1 (Lollipop) :

While launching, or performing a specific action in several apps, I have the error log :

  Unfortunately, (process) has stopped working.

I guess it's something like that, since my OS is not in english

As I said, I have this problem only on several applications :

The default SMS/MMS application (when opening a conversation)
I can still receive messages, but can't open them in a conversation.
Gmail (when opening an e-mail)
Steam (at launch)
Stack Exchange (when redirecting to a post, not in the menus)

I have tried almost everything said on the Internet :

Clearing App Cache
I rebooted my phone afterwards
Removing App Data
I rebooted my phone afterwards
Uninstalling and Reinstalling the app
Rebooting the phone in Recovery Mode then cleared phone cache

I fear the last resort which is the factory reset.

Do you have any idea what could be the cause, but mostly, the solution of this problem ? Thank you in advance !

I just found the cause of the problem :
It was due to the Android System Webview which was bugging and then couldn't display web UI on several applications.

I just had an update of it and now everything works fine !

One of the update's patch notes (translated from French, it may not be perfect) :

  Resolved crashes in applications using WebView in an application context


Hacker's Keyboard is ignored now, it tells me I have to unlock the phone? Somehow my phone is not showing me my Hacker's Keyboard anymore. It's saying that it could send all the info I type to a 3rd party (which is technically correct, I would imagine...)

It used to work, I installed a new app. and after about a month it managed to prevent the keyboard from showing up. I went to the settings and turned the keyboard back on (ah! it looks like it was turned off on me...) That step told me that it would work only if I were to unlock my phone and reboot.

So how do I do that and is that specific to just this app or would it allow (unlock) any app. from doing what it wants? Is Android that lame?

Well! I'm not sure why, but somehow my Default Keyboard setup was back to the Samsung keyboard (the default). So I guess there was a new version which was updated and after updating, the Default keyboard switch was back to the default.

Editing that one setting and the Hacker's Keyboard was back in business.

The selection of the Default Keyboard on my phone is available from "Settings" > "General Management" > "Language and Input"


Wifi Not Connecting - Cyanogenmod 10 TF101 I just installed Cyanogenmod 10 on my Transformer TF101 and every time I try to connect to my home network, it says 'Connecting...' then it goes to 'Saved, secured with WPA' without the internet connection.

I had the same problem after flashing it with CM 10 Nightly, but after debugging on settings, I found a fix. I don't know if it's a bug or what, but what I did was:

'forget' my network
Connect to it again (make sure your security key is entered correctly)
If still says, "saved, secured with WPA", don't hesitate, you're still not done
On your Wi-Fi window, press your menu button
Choose "Advanced"
There should be a "Wi-Fi frequency band" choice, make sure it's on "auto"
Still not working? Underneath the "Wi-Fi frequency band", there should be "Wi-Fi region code".
I don't know if yours has a choice selected, but mine didn't. I chose "United States" and voila, when I went back, it showed "connected" and my Wi-Fi sign finally showed on my status bar


Create Playlist Folders I have a huge library of music (nearly 3,000 songs) as it is like that I have lots of folders and playlists inside btw I'm using iTunes. Anyway I want to sync my playlist folders with my S3 and I want to see those foldes in my S3.

Thanks in advance…

Are you talking about a folder on your PC with a bunch of playlist files in them? If so, you could use an app like DropBox to copy your playlist folder to your phone when you change your playlists on your PC. Then you can browse to them using the File Explorer on your phone.


Wiping dalvik cache - Dalvik cache of uninstalled apps I just came across the folder dalvik-cache having size of about 750MB.

I searched for dalvik cache on google, and came to know that it is builded during boot up, and wiping this will make the next boot slower.

So whether wiping dalvik cache is not at all useful?

My doubt is that whether Dalvik cache has some files related to only the uninstalled apps?

If so, how we can find that files?

Or Dalvik cache components get deleted when we uninstall an app?

EDIT: My phone is rooted.

Thanks @RossC and @filoxo for your comments.

Adding these as answer:

  If you are rooted there is an option in Titanium Backup Pro to remove
  anything from the Dalvik Cache not linked to an app. This orphan data
  suggests that data may remain in the cache after the app is no longer
  using it or even uninstalled.

  There's also nothing wrong with periodically wiping your device's
  Dalvik cache using a custom recover like TWRP. It might take a little
  bit longer to start up some apps, but that would be almost
  unnoticeable on most modern devices.


High definition video and native video calling in Nexus S I try to compare Samsung Galaxy S with Nexus S.

May I know why video calling is not supported in Nexus S? Is it due to limitation in software or hardware?
May I know why high definition video is not supported in Nexus S? Is it due to limitation in software or hardware?

Where are you hearing this?  The Nexus S can absolutely support video chat, it has a front-facing camera.  Whether a video chat app supports the Nexus S is a different question.  Google Talk is supposed to support video chat in Honeycomb, hopefully it will be released for Gingerbread and support the Nexus S as well.

The Nexus S can't take HD video due to software restrictions, from everything I've read (example).  I think it just wasn't prioritized since the Nexus S is a "developer phone".  (If you meant to ask if it can play HD video the answer is yes, depending on the format and such).


How to enable USB "Audio Source" option on Android 9+? A lot of screenshots in the Internet mention a 'audio source' USB configuration for Android. For example, this one from Google:

However, I cannot see this option with my SM-A510F with Android 9 (LineageOS 16).

Is there something I can do to enable it? Is it definitively gone from Android?

Android devices can work in USB host or device mode. Host is the one which controls USB communication. PCs mostly operate in host mode. Device is the one which is being powered and controlled by the host. Flash drive is a common example of USB device. Linux/Android kernel supports device mode through different gadget drivers. UMS, MTP, ADB are different gadget modes on Android devices.
Audio over USB in Device Mode
On Android devices, technically it's possible to stream Audio over USB both in host and device mode. Since Android 4.1 the latter mode is “provided by Android Open Accessory (AOA) 2.0 and provides limited audio capability”. It uses the USB Audio Gadget Driver in kernel (built with CONFIG_USB_AUDIO option) and the accessories supporting AOAv2 protocol are built using Accessory Development Kit (ADK).  Custom Accessories page states:

AOA protocol specifies how an accessory can establish communication with an Android device via USB. Due to the low power output of Android devices, AOA requires the accessory to act as a USB host, meaning the connecting accessory must power the bus.

But as per official documentation:

Accessory mode audio has not been widely adopted, and is not currently recommended for new designs.

And the AOA protocol documentation warns:

Caution: AOAv2 audio support has been deprecated in Android 8.0.

It means Android 9+ devices won't be able to function in device mode while streaming audio over USB. So the Audio Source USB configuration option is no more there.
Audio over USB in Host Mode
However Android devices support audio peripherals in host mode (kernel must be built with CONFIG_SND_USB_AUDIO). Since AOA is specific to Android, such accessories aren't usable with other hosts like PCs. So there was a demand from audio peripheral manufacturers, device OEMs and ROM developers community to support standard USB audio out capability in host mode (e.g. see this, this and this). Support for a subset of USB audio class 1 (UAC1) features was added in Android 5.0.
USB Device classes specify the standard protocols for USB peripheral functions so that the host can inter-operate with them without requiring any hardware-specifc driver (i.e. in driverless mode). USB Mass Storage (UMS) is a common example. All Mass Storage Class (MSC) compliant thumb drives work on all OSes including Linux, Android and Windows, irrespective of the device vendor. In the same way the USB audio peripherals which are USB Audio Class 1 compliant work with Android devices like on any other USB hosts e.g. PCs.
So host mode USB audio covers wide range of USB-based peripherals including the headsets that follow the USB headset specification.
When a UAC1 compatible peripheral device (like a DAC) is connected to USB port on Android device, digital audio is automatically routed to that peripheral. However if an app wants to use advanced USB host APIs to interact with the peripheral (and not simply the audio routing) , it's possible to Disable USB audio routing in Developer Options.


Is there an app for scrambling GPS? I'm looking for an app or at least a method that would run on background and keep scrambling GPS to appear weaker (not fake gps!). Needed for debugging of my other app. My only current option is periodical manual turning off-and-back-on location, which is not very handy as I need to leave tested app to enter location settings.

I don't know about apps, but you could buy a gps jammer. But remember to check the law. In Britain it's legal to own one, but it's a crime to actually turn it on (don't ask).

Also there's a very broad price range, so you'll have to do a bit of research to find out whether what you'd need is affordable.


Increasing vibration intensity in pixel XL I can barely feel the vibration in my pixel XL. Is there any way to increase it? Some posts suggest there should be a "Sound and Vibration" setting but my O does not have one.

Unfortunately, Android does not provide a stock setting that will control global vibration intensity because not all phone hardware supports the ability to control vibration amplitude.

Instead, Android has released updates to the Vibrator control as of Android API level 26 (aka: Android Oreo).

Developers can check if the hardware supports adjusting haptic feedback intensity by calling Vibrator#hasAmplitudeControl.

If so, they can create their own haptic feedback by calling Vibrator#vibrate and passing in a desired VibrationEffect, which is the object definition of a vibration pattern, including amplitude.

In summary, vibration control is up to the phone hardware capabilities and developers now as of Android Oreo.

Note: there may be third party apps on the Play Store that allow for more fine grained or global vibration control, but I am unsure which is viable and whether or not root permissions are required - so YMMV.


Why is my storage not using all of its storage? My phone says it has 8GB of memory but its only allowing me to use 4GB, why is this? I have already searched this in google but nothing has come up.

A part of storage is used for the operating system (Android). In your case it's about 4 Gb.


Is it possible to modify the firmware used when the device is turned off? On (at least) some Samsung devices there is some piece of software that runs when the device is turned off. It is the one that displays the battery state when charging, along with the red/green indicator light.

It is obviously tiny, native and device-specific. It is also probably (again, at least) somehow related to the initial bootloader that e.g. puts the system in recovery mode if needed.

But would it be possible to modify that piece of software to, for example, change the light colors or other functionality? I'm really asking just in theory; even if extremely hard and non-practical, I'm curious if it would be possible.

EDIT: Just clarifying here, but I mean the software that runs when the entire device is turned off, not just the screen. I have a Galaxy S3 LTE (GT-I9305, CyanogenMod 10.1, CWM recovery 6.0), and CyanogenMod actually allows me to change the light colors when just the screen is off.

Also, I don't necessarily want to change it by any means, I am just curious if it could be changed.

Here's what the software I mean looks like on my phone (sorry for the poor quality, obviously not taken with my phone :P):

Have your tried using Custom Roms... I believe AOPK and some others support light changes... Check it out :)

http://aokp.co/


why does my whatsapp sometimes show me as having been online when I didnt log on at any stage My whatsapp often shows me as having been online as seen by the "last seen" status, when I have not been on line. Could it possibly be related to my phone Samsung A3, showing me my whatsapp messages as a preview when i receive messages, with the option to close or open message?

No. It is not related to phone problem.

When your WhatsApp in foreground then it will shows as online to others.
When it is in background (After removing from recent tabs), it will shows last seen to others.

Sometimes if your WhatsApp in recent tabs then it will shows online to others.


Listening to NBA.com audio on HTC Evo I have a stock evo with froyo.  I'd like to listen to the audio streams from nba.com.  Even using wifi, the stream is slowed down and unintelligible when using the default browser.  I can listen to the same stream, same network, on an ancient Pentium 2 with better quality, so I don't believe it's a hardware problem.

I'm really not sure where to start investigating - would Dolphin handle this better?  Is there an app I can use to buffer the stream?  Is the site detecting the android browser and degrading the stream? (I changed the user agent string - no effect)

I'm aware there are NBA apps on Android Market but they are getting slammed on the reviews.  I bought the GameTime app last year on my Blackberry Curve and was fine with it, but I don't want to pay and find out it doesn't work.

Just wanted to update this in case anyone else cares.

This and many other streaming audio issues seem fixed in the latest OTA:  3.70.651.1


Can I add a fingerprint without allowing it to unlock the phone? Some of my more secure applications offer fingerprint unlocking. This would be convenient to use, and I don't foresee any security issues with someone using my fingerprint because I would have had to have unlocked the phone with a pattern for someone to gain access to the application.

On the other hand, if the phone can be unlocked with my fingerprint as well, someone could unlock it while I am incapacitated (e.g. sleeping) without my knowledge, and then unlock the high-security applications as well. Having a pattern is a great form of two-factor authentication IMO.

I added a fingerprint to my rooted phone which runs LineageOS 14.1, Android version 7.1.1 -- this automatically allowed unlocking the phone via fingerprint. I cannot find a setting to disable this without removing the fingerprint and being unable to use it in any of my apps. Is there any way I can forcefully disable fingerprint authentication on the lock screen, but retain access to fingerprint unlocking for various apps without using a custom lock screen?

Here are the options I have for the lock screen and fingerprints -- I do not see any way to disable fingerprint authentication without removing the fingerprint, from the settings at least:

The exact thing as you want is not possible on Android.

You can try using a third Party AppLocker App to secure your Applications while unlocking your phone with your Fingerprint, but I would not recommend any uncertified 3rd Party software protecting my apps.


Stop weather forecast calendar events on smart watch I have a Garmin Fenix 5 connected to a Pixel XL.
On the Fenix 5, the calendar widget shows a weather forecast as an all day event. This is redundant (there is already a weather widget on the Garmin), and unwelcome (it clutters the calendar view and makes it less useful).  These Forecast "events" do not show up in the calendar app on my phone.  Where are they coming from and how can I remove them?

Context and what I have tried:

I have two cloud accounts in android account manager with calendars: google account (personal) and office365/exchange account (work).  I have tried hiding all calendars from the calendar app settings (including the "Holidays" and "Birthdays" under "Other" and "Events from Gmail"), the result was that no events are shown on the phone, and only the mysterious forecast events are seen on the watch.  I have gone to each calendar on both google and office 365 via the web, there is no forecast events shown.  I have explored for relevant settings for both via the web sites, and outlook for mac (for o365).  In office365, there is an option to show a weather forecast event, but I have turned it off for all calendars, with no result.  I also uninstalled the google "news and weather" app and do not have any other weather app installed except google assistant.

One last data point: the forcast is for a location I lived previously, before I even got my Garmin.

How can a calendar event to show on the smart watch but not the calendar app?

If you stumble upon the same issue - here's a solution, that worked perfectly 4me:
https://support.google.com/calendar/thread/6260804?msgid=22824877


Is there a way to write a full vCard via NFC? Is there a way to write a full vCard to a NFC tag?  All of the apps I've tried off Google Play seem to only write the email address or other subset.  I've tried apps such as NFC Task Launcher, NFC TagWriter by NXP and NFC Classic Tag Reader/Writer.

I'd like to write a vCard with one or two urls, a note field, phone number, email, name, and title. And yes, it's under the storage limit for the tag.

I've found NFC Tools to be a good app for this.  You can write several default tag types, but they also offer a "raw" format, where you specify the mime type/header and content directly.  I was able to make a Version 3 vcard with a small PNG image included which worked well on several android devices.  Just be sure your vcard format is in spec when you do that, and be careful of space issues.  Most NFC tags can't hold more than a few hundred bytes, most on the market are under 1K.


My android tablet is not working My RCA tablet screen says UID'S are inconsistent need to wipe data partition that is all it will do i've let battery run down that is the only way to turn off it is an RCA 7 Mercury. help please

Try to enter the recovery and perform a factory reset.

Have the tablet powered off first and make sure you have more than 50% charge on the battery. Boot into recovery mode by pressing and holding the volume up and power buttons. At the RCA logo screen, let go of the volume up button and you should next see an android image. Press and hold the power button and tap the volume up button once more and you will be brought to the recovery mode menu. From here, you will need to use your volume up and down buttons to scroll and navigate to the wipe data/factory reset option and use the power button to confirm. When the process is done, go ahead and reboot and your tablet will be set to factory original settings.


weird beeping when using the screen (galaxy s3) Whenever I use the screen it makes a beeping noise (two tones)
So if I am swiping or texting it will continually make the noise. Then sometime it won’t make the noise, and then it starts back up again when I’m using the devise.
Please help I still have 2 years left of contract
Turning off and on won’t help

If you go to Settings >> Sound then make sure 'Touch Sounds' (it might be called something similar) is not ticked, that should solve the problem


How to force apps to use different language instead of system language? I am a Czech, however i like english language much more so i like to have most of apps in english(besides very crappy translations). Is here any way how to set language pre-app instead of globally ? I'm sure there is no built-in way, how to do this. I'm not asking for tutorial for something what does not exist, but what i want (and I'm sure it exists because of creativity of humans) is any kind of hack or workaround how to set language pre-app.

Phone Details :

model : Lenovo A7000android : 5.0.0 - ROOT

It took some time but I found solution. As I mentioned in original question, I was asking for hacky workaround and , well, what I found is very hacky.

step 1 : Have a root, the root is power. You need to have something to "flash" files to system from .zip. Clockwork recovery mod is more than sufficient. Alternatively, you can use computer with ADB and flashing tools.

step 2 : Xposed. Now we getting to core of it, literally. Xposed is framework, core for so called "Modules" With its help you can modify your android down to last variable. Great tool by itself.

step 3 : Module "App Settings". Hell yeah, now we are getting to it. Besides many ways how you can screw up your application there is field called "Locale" where you can set pre-app based language.

.... and when you are on it, you can install GravityBox too. Don't ask for what is used but you can thanks me later.


Prevent word from being added to the dictionary I have a Samsung Galaxy S. My understanding is that pressing space after manually entering a word will add that word to the dictionary. How do I prevent this from happening?

That is not supported, but there are some workarounds:

You could change language to something unused, before pressing space, and switching back afterwards.
Or you may enter two spaces and place the cursor in between, and then type the word.

I really like Swype, but that's one of its drawbacks...


"Red frame" around the screen when starting some apps Just recently I noticed on my Nexus 7 that when I start some apps - and it's not just those allows to have superuser rights - I can briefly see a "red frame" all around the screen area of the app that goes away in a second or maybe a little less.

Does anyone know where this comes from and in particular what it means?

Note: as you probably guessed from the contents, my device is rooted. Also note that it's well possible that one of the installed apps is responsible for this, yet I don;t know which. But I'd like to know.

This is caused by the strict mode setting under the developer options. It flashes a red border around the screen when anything does a long operation on the main thread.


How can I access a Mantis Bug Tracker from Android? We track our bugs on Mantis, and I was hoping to find an Android App for it, since it exposes a PHP-SOAP API (see this question) which Eclipse uses.

Does anyone know of existing apps (or projects) for accessing a Mantis Bug Tracker from Android devices? I would be happy to contribute patches too, if needed.

I have a Android app for Mantis Bug Tracker ready. I'll be releasing it soon. In case you want to have a preview, do send me a message. Soon I'll be posting an URL for android market.

UPDATE: The android app for mantis has been released and can be downloaded from - https://market.android.com/details?id=greatdevelopers.mantis

DISCLAIMER: I am not advertising my app. I am just informing you that something like that is available. For more details contact me. In case the community feels this is not correct, I'll


How to not share Goals in a shared Calendar? My Google calendar is shared with my wife; she can see all event details in my calendar. As a New Year's resolution, I started to use Goals (Android suggested this). Now my wife is totally freaking out because on her phone, the Calendar app is completely filled with her events, my events, and my goals. She does not want to see my goals.

My question is: how can I keep using Goals in a shared Calendar, without the Goals being shared? All other normal events still need to be shared.

I tried setting the events as private, but because of the sharing level, she can still see the Goals.

To answer my own question, because I found a working solution through trial and error.

First, you need to know that Goals are always added to your first calendar. You can add many calendars to your Google Calendar account, but when you add a goal, you cannot choose to which calendar the goal should be added. I tried adding a separate "Goals" calendar, but I could not add any goals to it.

So I did it the other way around.

On PC, go to the Google Calendar website (it's easier to do it on PC than on Android. Trust me. I tried.)
In My Calendars on the left, click on the little arrow next to your primary calendar and choose Calendar settings.
Rename your primary calendar to "Goals"
Unshare your primary calendar
Again in My Calendars, create a new Calendar
Name the new calendar "Shared Calendar"
Share the new calendar with whoever you had originally shared your primary calendar

This is just the setup. Now comes the fun/boring part:

For every current event in your calendar, edit the event and change the calendar from "Goals" to "Shared".
Don't bother doing this with past events, you'll get bored soon enough.
From now on, every time you add a new event, you'll have to remember to add it to your "Shared" calendar.

End result:

Android Goals are in the "Goals" calendar and aren't shared.
Events are in the "Shared" calendar and are shared.


How can I use PSP headphones with my Android phone? My Phone is Oukitel k-4000 Pro. I bought a headphone. But, then the problem came out. My phone does not support headphone output, just like in the picture. My phone's headphone jack is like everyone else, just a flat ledge.In my headset, There is an additional usb input.That's why I can not put my headphone on the phone. Would I break the usb output? Or is there another way to do that?

Thank you!

The extra part you've noticed is not USB at all: it's actually some extra contacts for the microphone and media/volume controls on these headphones. This a proprietary connector that's just for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which these earphones were designed for.

If you break or cut off this part, you can use them like normal headphones, with a phone or anything else, but the mic and media controls won't work any more. They're not very good earphones, so you'd be better just using them with a PSP like they were intended, and getting some proper earphones to work with your phone.