Internet is working over Wi-Fi but Google Play Store says "reconnect" after few minutes I have a problem connecting to Google Play Store with some Wi-Fi.
My Wi-Fi at home works fine and I don't see any problem with other sites. But whenever I go to Google Play Store, it just keeps me waiting for a couple of minutes and says "reconnect".

I tried connecting to another Wi-Fi and it works. Then I tried using other phone on my Wi-Fi and it works fine.

It seems only my Zenfone 2 doesn't work on my Wi-Fi. I tried some simple steps I've read on forums like changing time, sync, toggle Wi-Fi and Airplane mode but nothing worked.

How do I fix the issue?

If you are using a Wi-Fi router with your existing network modem:

Turn DHCP mode to none in your Wi-Fi router

Login to your router configuration panel from computer
Turn DHCP mode to none in Local Network settings

Connect your incoming network cable (from modem) to LAN port instead of WAN port of the Wi-Fi router (we are going to bridge the network; reboot router if necessary)

You should know the DHCP IP address range in your modem (usually 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254)
Use one IP address from that range (say 192.168.1.2) for your Wi-Fi LAN interface IP address (Wi-Fi router configuration IP address will be changed to the new one you have opted for)
Save changes and reboot your modem

This fixed my connection problem.


How to close the on-screen list of process My kids played with my Nexus 7 and since then, I have a list of what I think is process on the upper right corner of the screen.

The first line is three numbers, like 4.38 / 4.7 / 4.77 and a colored bar.

And then, a list of process(?)
com.android.systemui
system_server
mpdecision
...
How can I close all that ?

It sounds like your hunch is correct - it's basically a small process monitor. Go to Settings -> Developer Options and uncheck the setting labelled "Show CPU Usage" to disable it.


Galaxy Gio doesn't find GPS satellites after minutes of searching I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Gio (GT-S5660). When I try to connect to the GPS satellites, 75% of the time the built-in GPS is unable to locate me within a few minutes. I keep seeing the blinking GPS icon. The other 25% of the time I get a GPS signal within 15 seconds.

Is this unusual behavior? If yes, what can I do to find the cause of the problem? Are there any known "death grip" issues related to GPS chips?

I should note that I don't have a data subscription for my phone and I've disabled mobile internet on my device, but I have offline maps (certain areas in Google Maps and my entire country in MapDroid) so the GPS chip should be able to operate without data or WiFi.

Apparently Samsung has a lot of problems handling the GPS feature.

It is no news that the Galaxy S is really flawed regarding location (see this). Personally, using one, I have felt the pain, as I had the same problems. I don't know if the problem is the same with the Gio, but some of the things I've tried were:

Turn GPS off and then back on;
Reboot the phone;
Bang my head on the wall.

It also appears that the problem tends to be resolved by upgrading the OS. What is yours?

More: there are several ways to reduce the GPS problem on the SGS, check that thread out, I hope you get some ideas for your problem.

Personally, I don't think the "death grip" is a problem, nevertheless you can make some tests to check out if it really makes a difference (I actually don't know where the GPS receiver is located within the phone).

The fact that you have no Internet connection is also not a factor.

Also make note that you can obtain a course location via network triangulation and/or wifi networks.


Why can't I see a folder in "/storage/emulated/0" on PC through MTP? I use a banking app in my Android 8.1.0. All receipts are saved in /storage/emulated/0/APPNAME.

I can see the APPNAME folder and the receipts on Android if I use an explorer app like Google Files. But if I connect my Android on PC, the folder doesn't show up. I can see the other folders with no problem. Only that specific folder is missing.

What's going on?

(I suspect the devs marked the folder as not accessible through PC)

It seems to be a problem related to Media Providers. Due to some bugs in implementation of MTP, database of Media Storage app (/data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases/external.db) built from contents of /storage/emulated/0 isn't updated or is delayed or isn't properly communicated with the client as the files change, so MTP shows outdated / incomplete contents.

In order to force database updation, delete the file and run some media scanner app. Non-root users can delete this file by clearing data of Media Storage app.
But be aware, it'll also clear internal.db which will make ringtones unavailable and a new database will be built from /system/media on next reboot.

See this answer for more details.


What app is this? Looks to be related to Google Navigation? My wife and I got ourselves a couple of Pixel XL phones last week.
I noticed an icon on her phone that wasn't in mine named 'Driving' and it looks like this. Opening the app takes me straight to Google Navigation - screenshot here.

icon and screenshot (click image for larger variant)

So what app is this? It looks to be a legit Google app but poking around in the Play Store didn't help much.

It's a Google Maps widget to go straight into the driving activity. You can see it when adding widgets to the home screen.


Why I am unable to check balance on BSNL Mobile in Android Phone? I have just ported my Tata Docomo number into BSNL Mobile and it is working good. But I am not able to check my balance and recharge top up coupons because USSD code that we run, like *123#, are not working. It says "Connection problem or invalid MMI code".

Unfortunately, it is happening only in my Samsung Galaxy Y Duos GT-S6102 which is based Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. I tried on another cell phone and there was no error. Talktime balance showed up and even I recharged with the top up coupon.

My phone has dual SIM support and there is no corruption on both SIM ports. Message centre number for BSNL mobile is also correct and I am able to send SMS too. There was no problem with Tata Docomo either.

Don't know what's the problem with MMI codes.

Exchange the SIM cards with two different handsets and replace it as earlier. This worked for me.


How to upgrade Avatar ROM's old kernel? I've got an S3 LTE version (GT I9305), with CyanogenMod (Avatar) installed.

I've tried nightlies too, however, I'm still running Linux 3.0 (shown in about in settings). And I've seen CM screenshots where they're running 3.4.

Why is my phone stuck even when I update? How can I get a recent kernel?

I couldn't find any details on this XDA thread regarding Avatar ROM for the S3. However, the Sony Xperia Z thread thread mentions that it has a Linux kernel of 3.0.x. So, I assume it's the same for the S3.

While Avatar is based on CM10.1, it's possible that the developer used a different kernel (lower than 3.4). So, don't compare it with pure CM ROMs that are using the 3.4 kernel. I would suggest going through the first link I gave and ask for help there about upgrading your kernel.


Google Drive to Instagram File Location? I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 with Android 7.0 that had about 29GB of 32GB memory full. I then tried to post a large video file (3+GB) from Google Drive over to my Instagram, but it got stuck on Instagram's "loading" screen for quite a while. I thought maybe the system was hanging, so I backed out and closed all my phone apps. Since then, my phone's file storage went to 100% full, and I can't find that video file anywhere on my system to delete it.

Is there a way to find where that file is to delete it? It's not showing in My Files, it's not showing as a hidden file, and it's not showing under any file management apps that I've tried on Google Play. I know that this is the file that's causing the error, but I can't find it to delete it. If you have any recommendations, let me know.

Thanks!

This is an outright guess, but the first thing to check is to clear the cache of both apps. Go to the Settings app, then Apps. Select the Instagram app from the list, then Storage and Clear cache. Do the same for the Google Drive app.


FB Messenger Security Does anyone know how secure Facebook Messenger communication is? If you are having 1x1 chat (writing messages) or making a voice call, is it encrypted (end to end)?

I know if you are using facebook.com for chat, it is on HTTPS and that is secure.  My question is related to the Messenger app on Android.

Yes, it is secure.  The connection is made using TLS 1.2.  This is from a tcpdump capture on my device:

192.168.0.11  31.13.69.195 (edge-mqtt-shv-01-iad3.facebook.com)  TLSv1.2  Application Data
31.13.69.195  192.168.0.11                                       TLSv1.2  Application Data


How to remove persistent suggested URLs in Chrome on Android? Whenever I click the address bar of an existing tab in Chrome, in shows a list of suggested sites, before I even start typing. That would be helpful if these suggestions were accurate, but there are entries I didn't actually visit that often compared to others. There is even one entry I removed completely from my History.
How to fix that?

Press the arrow on the right of the suggested site that you want to delete and the adrress will be filled. You will now have the filled address and bellow some other suggestions from that site, but now, if you kepp you finger one of two seconds over the suggested site a pop up message will appear asking you if you want to delete the sugeste site. That it.


EzCast | How to cast to a projector by connecting to it's Wi-Fi Hotspot and still keep internet Wi-Fi connection? Two days ago, my dad brought a projector that has a weird miracast system that works when something connects to it's wifi network and mirrors the screen using an app called EzCast.

The thing is, I want to use it to stream videos on my phone while mirroring my screen. The projector does not connect to normal wifi networks, but instead, it hosts its own network where the device to be mirrored/ cast from is to be connected to.
So If I have to watch something on the projector, I lost my internet connection.

Is it possible to connect to two wifi networks at the same time? Or
Is there any other way to get the desired result?. (stream videos
online to the projector).

Thanks. Please pardon the messy wording. I'm typing this on my phone and am an ESL speaker.

I think this works only if the projector is Wi-Fi Direct™
certified, and also if your android device support such capabilities.

Wi-Fi Direct is a Wi-Fi standard enabling devices to easily connect with each other without requiring a wireless access point. Simultaneous Wi-Fi direct and network Wi-Fi is an optional feature for devices. Some devices allow this and some do not.

References

Can a device simultaneously connect to a regular Wi-Fi network and a group of Wi-Fi Direct-certified devices at the same time?
Android running Wifi Lan and Wifi Direct simultaneously
Wi-Fi Direct


Scheduled silent mode on S3 Got a Galaxy S3 with Android 4.1.2  Some time ago it started changing my phone to silent mode
automatically, every evening at 19:30. I did not install any scheduler app, nor did I change any settings. How can I find this setting and remove it?

Select System Settings, then turn off Blocking Mode (under the Device heading). You (or someone!) might have accidentally pressed that button when scrolling down the list.   You could go into it first and confirm that the 'set time' is 19:30; if not then the problem is something else.


How to choose the correct email address in gmail app? If I have two different email address from the same contact like:

firstname.lastname@private.com
firstname.lastname@job.com

When I need to send a new e-mail I am not able to choose the right one because it displays only the first part of the email address.

So I can only view "firstname" and the first part of the lastname...
It happened very often with my contacts with the original Gmail app.

How can I solve it?

It looks like you can type a few letters of domain name that you want after a space to get other addresses filtered out. In general, you can type several parts of a email address separating them by spaces to find only contacts that contain all specified parts.

For example, if you have the following email addresses in your contacts:

john.doe@home.com
john.doe@work.com
john.smith@home.com
john.smith@work.com

Than you can type something like john.d w or j doe w or even j d w to get only the first one in the auto completion popup.


Connecting Galaxy S2 ICS to Kies I tried connecting my Samsung Galaxy SII(ICS) to Samsung Kies 2.0.2 through USB.

But whenever i connect the cable, Kies asks me to switch the phone to Kies Studio mode. But I could not find this mode in USB connection.

How do I connect my phone to Kies?

Under Settings → Applications → Development disable USB Debugging. (In vanilla ICS this option is under Settings → Developer options)

Plug your phone into your PC via USB with Kies already running.

(Found via GalaxyForums.net)


Trouble connecting phone over usb-c I just got a new samsung phone. It came with usb-c to usb-c cable and no adapters. I tried connecting it to my laptop, which thankfully has an usb-c port. The phone connects at first, starts charging. Then, whether I choose the option to "send files" or "send pictures", the phone disconnects after a few seconds or so.
It's really troubling.
My specs (just some of them, I will list more I missed anything important)
Laptop is a 2017 gaming Asus. It has Windows 10 and usb-c port.
Phone is the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Some facts:

The phone is brand new, from a store, all sealed up.
It charges perfectly fine using the cable and a charger.
Connection over usb-c does NOT work - it keeps disconnecting, usually after a few seconds.
However, I can easily connect a pendrive using an adapter I had before. (I can send data both ways)
Using an old usb-c to usb-b cable to connect to my laptop through a different port ALSO works.
I get no messages or anything when it disconnects.

What could that mean? Is the usb-c port on my laptop possibly busted, or is there some driver / permission / program I need to use it?

I feel stupid now, but I will leave the topic here in case someone has the same problem.
I decided to disconnect my USB hub which was using one of the usb-b ports. After I did that, the usb-c connection worked fine.
EDIT:
Turns out things are even weirder. Apparently it doesn't matter if the hub is plugged in or not.
What seems to be the real issue is that after the phone connects and by default, it's set to "move files / auto android"... it's not really default. You have to change to any other mode like "move pictures" and then back to "move files / auto android". Seems to be working so far.


Does Wiping Data/Internal SD in TWRP Remove files Permanently? I am selling my Moto X Play and want to make sure all my personal files were permanently removed from the device.

I did a Factory Reset from within the OS twice and noticed that my photos would still appear after the reset was completed.

So then I booted into TWRP recovery mode and went to wipe and wiped the internal SD and Data on the device, booted back into the system and the pictures were all gone. I then flashed a completely different rom and pictures are still gone now.

I just want to confirm that at this point that my files are completely erased and could never be recovered.

Of course. If you see the process of working twrp, you'll see that it erase sdcard without wiping data/media that is sdcard0, in some cases. It contains all of your saved files like music etc


Samsung pen sold separately It seems that starting with the Galaxy Tab S3 (February/March 2017), Samsung has shifted to Apple's model: Sell tablets without a pen. Sell the pen as an optional attachment.

But something in the Note series (phones and tablets) used to be from Wacom. What is it, and is it still in the S3? And how does one navigate the future line-up? Does determining whether the words "capacitative display" appear in the tech specs settle it?

The Tab S3 has no dedicated slot for storing the S-Pen (unlike previous tabs equipped with the same tech) and the S line is not aimed squarely at content creators, which could be why Samsung opted to not include one in the sales package.

All S-Pens are backed by Wacom tech - the battery-free pens and their precise tips are a signature of Wacom's EMR (Electromagnetic Resonance) technology. Meanwhile, most if not all modern phones have a capacitive touch screen. You have to explicitly look for "S-Pen" when you need a device with it.

As of now (Sep. 2017), most S-Pen-equipped Samsung tablets still start their model numbers with a common letter "P":

Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is P60x (discontinued)
Note 12.2 is P90x (discontinued)
Tab A 2015 with S-Pen is P35x (8.0-inch) and P55x (9.7-inch)
Tab A 2016 with S-Pen is P58x (10.1-inch) — (discontinued)

(x for variant, e.g. 0 for WiFi, 5 for international LTE)

Tab S3 is a rare exception but it's marketed heavily around its S-Pen so you'd still know it easily.

Samsung once had a "C-Pen" denotation for a pen used on pure capacitive screens, although that's long obsolete.


Can I set the alarm to stop after some time? I’m Sabbath-observant, and in my tradition that includes not manipulating electronic devices.

I set the alarm clock on my new phone for a convenient wake-up time, and expected the alarm to eventually turn off on its own as other alarm clocks do. It didn’t; it was beeping—ten minutes on, ten minutes off—until nightfall when I could turn it off.

Is there a setting, or an alternate alarm clock app, that will turn the noise off after some specified time of being ignored?

The feature I was looking for is called (on the apps I’ve found that have it) “auto-dismiss”. I’m trying Alarm Clock Xtreme Free, which offers this feature; if I’m happy with it I’ll upgrade to the paid version.


synch the contacts on my Android with the current contacts on Google Contacts I have recently changed number, but kept the same device (Sony Xperia XA1). With the previous number, I saved my contacts in Google Contacts.

Before I changed the sim on my device, I erased some contacts from Google Contacts. I formatted the phone and reinstalled applications, logged in with the same google account.

Those "unwanted" contacts are still there. Even though I erased them from Google Contacts website (and I checked the website, they are no longer there).

I tried to log off that google account and in again, because I thought it was a matter of synch. But nothing changed.

So my question is, how to synch the contacts on my Android with just the current contacts on Google Contacts?

Log out from your google account.
Delete all contacts - make sure all contacts are deleted from all sources.
Log in to your google account

There is a auto - backup and restore option (Find more here). There is possibility that your device may restore the contacts that were deleted just before the formatting.


Is there a fix for intermittent "[app name] succesfully updated" notifications? It's not a big deal, but I'd like to know if someone has figured out the logic behind the disappearing update notifications?

For example, recently I set 10 apps to be updated and kept the Play Store app active (no screen timeout or anything). After the apps had been updated I saw only 3 notifications, even though all the apps appear to have been updated. The same has happened almost every time I update multiple applications.

I'd understand it if there was only one notification, or as many as updates, but the number is seemingly random.

I've seen this on my Galaxy Nexus on both 4.0.1 and 4.0.2.

I see what you're saying... one way around it, is to look in the logcat and keep an eye out for something like the following, in this case, I downloaded an app called Rendezvous, this is what appears in the logcat

D/PackageManager(  242): Scanning package com.jgms.rendezvous
I/PackageManager(  242): Package com.jgms.rendezvous codePath changed from /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-1.apk to /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk; Retaining data and using new
I/PackageManager(  242): Unpacking native libraries for /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk
D/installd(  120): DexInv: --- BEGIN '/data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk' ---
D/dalvikvm(23670): creating instr width table
D/dalvikvm(23670): DexOpt: load 22ms, verify+opt 203ms
D/installd(  120): DexInv: --- END '/data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk' (success) ---
D/PackageManager(  242):   Activities: com.jgms.rendezvous.login com.jgms.rendezvous.MakeWaypoint com.jgms.rendezvous.FindExisting com.jgms.rendezvous.ShareLocation com.jgms.rendezvous.FindFriend com.jgms.rendezvous.ShowMap com.jgms.rendezvous.About
I/ActivityManager(  242): Force stopping package com.jgms.rendezvous uid=10202
W/PackageManager(  242): Code path for pkg : com.jgms.rendezvous changing from /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-1.apk to /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk
W/PackageManager(  242): Resource path for pkg : com.jgms.rendezvous changing from /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-1.apk to /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk
I/installd(  120): move /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk@classes.dex -> /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk@classes.dex
D/PackageManager(  242): New package installed in /data/app/com.jgms.rendezvous-2.apk

Notice the last line, "New package installed...."

If there's any other way, I'd gladly amend this :)


Google Play Services: Wrong Architecture. Can't change So I've got a problem with Google Play services where it's stuck in an arm64-v8a architecture while my phone's is armeabi-v7a. It happened when I tried installing a beta version of Google Play Services 10.5.35 for arm/arm64 (XYZ=448). I quickly received the error about an incorrect architecture for my phone (Alcatel Pixi 4, android 6.0. I have a 16GB SD card formatted as internal storage. Google Play Services is built into the phone).

I've tried installing other apks which should work (438/430, beta and non-beta) but they simply gave the error "App not installed" when I did.
I've tried uninstalling Google Play Services' updates but couldn't find the option to do so (or at least, it's not where it should be according to some websites).
I've performed a factory reset (without restoring a backup).
I've tried using Apk Installer.

Still, nothing has worked and the error remains. I need some way to get Google Play Services to the latest version, preferably beta. Also, I'd really like to avoid rooting my phone. I'd be so grateful for any help!

Amazing! The whole thing just fixed itself after an update via the Play Store! I'm so glad it actually got fixed! I guess to anyone with a similar issue, this should be good to know. Altough it's a shame I could only wait for this to happen, maybe there's some way to speed up this process.


Installing Samsung Firmware on Different Region Device I'd like to install Samsung Edge S7 firmware for Rogers (SM-G935W8) onto an ATT (SM-G935A) device.

I've read conflicting posts on whether or not this is, in fact, possible. My attempts at this so far haven't been successful, so I'm lead to believe not, but before throwing in the towel thought I'd confirm.

The Canadian variant, SM-G935W8, uses an Exynos SoC, and has a lightly locked-down (?) bootloader; the AT&T one, SM-G935A, uses a Snapdragon SoC, and is heavily locked down, to the point 3rd-party development on it is near nonexistent.

Unless someone manages to work around the lockdown and port the Exynos firmware to fit the Snapdragon hardware, I'd say it's straight up impossible.


Any tips for phone stability? My Moto Droid has seen great performance improvements with each new Android version, and has been much more stable and reliable with each version release.

Recently I was in a situation where the phone just didn't think it had a cell signal, and then wouldn't disconnect the call that it couldn't place because of the non-existent cell signal.  Ultimately I had to reboot the phone to get it to be usable again.  This happened when I really needed to make a call and was a huge hassle.  Having a smart phone with tons of data network features is great, but I still pay more for minutes than I do for data (thank you US carriers...) so not having it function as a phone when I need it is very frustrating.

I'm running Android 2.2 and don't use many widgets nor do I keep many programs running that use background services (don't usually keep GTalk connected, etc)

Does anyone have any general tips or apps to avoid to help keep my phone stable and reliable?

Well, it sounds like you don't want to monkey much. (Otherwise I'd recommend rooting and then installing vanilla 2.2, which is going to be the most stable of any release). It sounds like the problem you experienced is just a flat out bug and might not have anything to do with any apps you are running.

On the other hand, are you using any task-killing apps, or battery saving apps or anything that might be screwing around with system processes? If you are, I would recommend getting rid of them -- they are generally cause more problems in the long-run than they solve. If not, then I'm not sure what to tell you other than file a bug report or call Verizon and complain, but neither of these options will fix your problem.

If the problem was at root a signal issue, there is a way to update cell tower information, which Verizon can help you with. It involves dialing a number and allowing an automatic update.

BUT, if you did want to monkey a bit, then I do suggest flashing the vanilla froyo. It is just a little intensive, but wouldn't take you longer than an hour. If you want information in this regard, I can provide you with a website that includes step by step instructions.


Used note 4 clean spyware I purchased a used Note 4 off ebay and want to make completely sure there are no spy apps or malware on it. I know some spy apps can be installed into the system partition and survive a factory reset. I discovered an app called cerberus that could do this and could be used to spy on me and blackmail me. How do I completely clean my phone of all spy apps or malware and completely wipe everything including the system partition erasing everything.

Cerberus is an anti theft app. It can be used to maliciously spy on you making it spyware. I don't know who has used this phone or where it has been anything could be on it.


Samsung galaxy s3 app removal Can I uninstall a preloaded app I want to remove flip board but it pops up with a warning that it may cause problems with other apps?

I simply have Flipboard "Turned Off" in the Application Manager on my S3. I have no problems with other apps from turning this off.


Rooted (Verizon) Samsung Galaxy S4 -- run FM Radio app? I'm considering rooting my (Verizon) Galaxy S4, currently running Lollipop as pushed by Verizon in August 2015 (plus any updates that have pushed out since then).  There appears to be no likelihood that Verizon will release an update that lets me use an FM radio app such as NextRadio on this (three year old model) phone, despite the needed hardware being present (and Verizon now allowing FM radio on newer Samsung models, S6 and S7).

If I were to root this phone, either with Lollipop or Marshmallow (providing I can find a ROM for the newer Android version), would I be able to continue using it on Verizon's network, as well as use FM radio?  If so, what do I need to watch out for?  I can't (at this time) afford to replace the phone with a newer one, so it's critical that it continue to work as a phone with the existing SIM card, regardless what I do to it.

As far as I knew, the Galaxy S4 doesn't have an FM radio transmitter in the phone, as Samsung opted to leave it out due to "lack of consumer interest".  It is present on the newer models now, yes.

If you root the device, you can flash a custom ROM for you device, yes, and it'll work on Verizon's network (assuming you are flashing a Verizon compatible custom ROM).


Does Chrome for Android sync passwords? Does Chrome for Android currently sync passwords to Desktop Chrome through your Google Account? I found the issue at https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=113164, but last they say you need Chrome Beta for it.

I'm asking because I added a few new passwords from Desktop Chrome, and they still are not synced to Android Chrome, so I started to doubt if sync works. Both are signed into my Google Account.

Mine works...I have loads of passwords saved on my work computer and they are available on my tablet.


How can you find which carrier a LG D803 is locked to? I bought a LG D803 and it came locked to an unknown carrier. All the unlock services require the information of which carrier the phone is locked to give me an unlock code. So, how can I find that out?

The System Version of the device is usually unique to a carrier, due to the changes carriers make to the stock software in most countries. You can find that value in Settings > About Device > System Version and plug it into Google.


Booting problem due to internet I had downloaded Android 6.0 Marshmallow's ISO from the net and tried to run it on VMware Workstation Player 12. It all went well. I was running it without installation so it asked me language which was default English. Sim Card was skipped. When WiFi connection was asked I skipped. It gave me a warning ... And I pressed skip anyway. Now the problem came. It gave me an error "Google Play Services unfortunately stopped" and redirected me back to language page and looped. I think it is because of internet connection which I am unable to configure.

Kindly suggest me how to solve this problem.

Thanks

Harsh

Default network settings on VMware is NAT  as i remember. Try to bridge network from VMware network settings. However i never had such problem for installed android on VMware. I had several times same issue on my android 6.0 device and i simply just cleared cache for applications and reset network. Try to remove completely Android from VM and reinstall. Also did you set other graphics and etc.. In settings. Or maybe ISO's fault and android security due network.


My galaxy s3 keeps re-booting after install a recent AT&T update So it happened with a push notification from AT&T indicating an update that needs to install. After finishing installation, my mobile phone re-start and prompts me with "encryption password" since I have my phone password encrypted. But the flash light just flashes and re-start my machine over and over until I took off my battery. Does anyone run into this issue before and hopefully have a solution to this kind of issue?

So I tried @Sjharrison's way to press home,power and volume button at the same time to put phone in recovery mode. And it gives me the option to safeboot my cell phone and I chose to delete the cache files. It automatically reboot and show progress on automatically installation. Then my cell phone works as before. Kudos on @Sjharrison!


How do I disable camera autofocus on the Galaxy S5? I'm trying to take video with my camera on my Galaxy S5, but the shots are almost always out of focus, or the autofocus will kick in randomly and leave the shot blurred.

I have tried the stock camera app and Open Camera, both have this issue.

The phone is useless to me unless I can resolve this issue, every video has a problem with blurring.

Thanks

Sorry for telling you the truth , but you cant really disable autofocus from the stock camera app...


Galaxy Note 10.1, does not recognize finger touch I have a Galaxy Note 10.1, It suddenly stopped (when switched on) finger touch detection, but works with normally with S Pen. I tried Factory resetting but still it does not detect finger touch... I tried to find any setting regarding finger touch but I couldn't. Is there a way to fix this?

Go to settings, then language and input, then Samsung keyboard settings, then handwriting, then recognition time. Try changing it and then try touching. Sometimes this could solve. Also try touching the 4 corners.


How do I auto arrange icons in the app menu? My device is a Samsung Galaxy Ace / Cooper. It's running on Froyo. I want to auto arrange icons in the app menu. Is there a way to do this? Like auto arrange alphabetically? Is there a built-in function for doing this? Or an app on the market for the same purpose?

Some versions of the Touchwiz launcher already have the ability to sort alphabetically.  Open the app drawer, press Menu,  View type, and choose Alphabetical grid or Alphabetical list.


open and accept calendar invitations How do I open and accept calendar invitations?  Phone is a Samsung Galaxy S  SCH-I500  2.3.4 firmware.  US Cellular carrier, I'm using gmail app and email app; neither recognize format.  phone's native calendar and google cal online.  All else synced and working beautifully.  3rd party software for ical attachments (buy me a beer guy) didn't parse correctly...

Use the free app ics Databridge. It works perfectly. The size is just 25kB.


How can I calibrate the compass on my phone? Google Maps sometimes asks me to calibrate my compass.  Last time it did so, I was in a rush and didn't bother to, and now the compass does seem a bit off.  I tried to find a "calibrate compass" setting in Maps, but I couldn't find it.

How can I calibrate the compass on my phone?

It depends on your model of phone.
If there is no built-in compass calibration application from the manufacturer, then likely you can calibrate your compass by opening up any application that uses the compass, and moving the device in a certain manner. Here are two types of movements to try:

The "figure 8 pattern" easier said than understood. Here's what it looks like YouTube Video of Figure 8 compass calibration.
Three axis rotations: Rotate 360° around each of the three axes, so one full rotation with screen facing up, one full rotation "rolling" sideways, one full rotation "pitching" forward.


How does GS3 dual SIM adapter work? I have seen that some online shops sell a Samsung Galaxy S3 dual SIM adapter. I haven't found much information about how does it work, but I have doubts about it.
Some links:

https://www.amazon.it/NC2-Premium-Addatatore-Dualsim-Samsung/dp/B008E6M802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354533958&sr=8-1
http://www.ebay.it/itm/ADATTATORE-DUAL-SIM-PER-SAMSUNG-GALAXY-S3-I9300-SIII-ACE-E-HTC-ONE-2-HSDPA-/200855685432?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_101&hash=item2ec3ee8938
http://www.ebay.it/itm/NC2-3G-Dualsim-Adapter-No-Cut-fur-2-Sims-im-Samsung-Galaxy-S3-/300826215660?pt=Handy_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item460aa3c4ec
http://www.ebay.it/itm/Adaptateur-Double-Carte-SIM-Dual-SIM-Adapter-pour-SAMSUNG-GALAXY-S3-/281033313462?pt=FR_Mobiles_PDAs_Autres&hash=item416ee40cb6

In fact, I have a phone SIM card that I use for calling and receiving with my own number, and sometimes I can get a data SIM card with some free internet traffic.
The idea behind my interest for the dual SIM adapter for th GS3 is to tell the phone to call from SIM 1 and connect to UMTS from SIM 2. My simple doubt is that Android isn't simply supporting 2 cards on phones designed for 1.
I mean, if my phone had natively 2 SIM slots I could expect a menu option "default call with SIM 1/2", or "which SIM do you want to connect with?", but the official specs of GS3 offer 1 SIM only as standard cell phones.
The question is, then
How does a dual SIM adapter integrate with existing phone software?

Unless your phone have two SIM card slots, support as you require is not possible. The market has adapters which goes into the existing SIM card slot of phone and will help you to switch between SIMs after shutdown.  The ONLY advantage of using this instead of swapping SIMs by conventional way is to keep both SIMs together with phone and reduce wear and tear on the SIM slot.

Samsung and other manufactures have dual SIM phones which have two SIM slots and the phone can be configured accordingly for usage. Having said that, watch out for terminologies like Dual Active, Dual Standby. Unfortunately confusion prevails even in manufacturer's web sites. So, to be sure try the behaviour before you buy.

You can read about these in the Wikipedia.


How to switch screen unlock from Pattern to Slide On my Nexus 7 2013 Wi-Fi with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop I used the Slide setting for the lock screen. To experiment with a VPN, I switched to pattern lock.

After deleting the VPN entry I had created, I tried to switch back to Slide. However, the Slide and None options are grayed out and unusable under Settings -> Security -> Screen lock. Only the Pattern, PIN, and Password options are available.

How can I switch from Pattern to Slide?

Try this:

Open your Settings.
Scroll down and select Security.
Clear Credentials.
Check the Screen Lock setting to see if the low-security options are now enabled.

If that doesn't work, you can revert your lockscreen security to Slide.

Set your lockscreen security to Pattern from Settings>Security>Screen Lock.
Click the power button on your phone to lock it.
Click the power button again, but don't unlock your phone. There should be a button labelled Forgot Password. Note: On some devices, you may need to incorrectly enter the password/pattern several times until that option appears.
Enter your Google account credentials.
Your lock settings should now be Slide. Note: With this method, the option for Slide security will still by disabled, but you should still have it as the lockscreen security on your phone.


HTC one m7 serious problem Hi all I want you to help me with my htc one m7 international sense 6 android 4.4.3 version of the image 6.15.599.101
  S-ON HR
Tampered UNLOCKED
 I actually rooter phone and I have TWRP Version 2.6.3.0 I wanted to install HTC One HD 50.0.0.zip Maximus and firmware unsigned_7.15.401.1, my problem lies in the installation unsigned firmware file here are the errors that appear:
Skipping check MD5: MD5 no file found
Error flashing zip '/ sdcard / firmware_unsigned ...
Then when I install the ROM htc one Maximus everything goes well in the end we wonder REBOOT SYSTEM NOW when I say YES turns off the phone and comes back in the recovery menu
I download HTC One Maximus 53.0.0.zip when I try to copy by ADB sideload the control file says CAN NOT READ sideload, I also download Sprint_HTC_One_m7wls_1.29.651.10_RUU when I try to install it at the is terminated me wrong signature
I REALLY AM TROUBLE HELP ME PLEASE THANKS IN ADVANCE

Don't use adb sideload...instead, I use the following method ;

Open recovery (latest version of twrp recommended) but do not enter fastboot mode, stay  in main recovery screen
run cmd and enter the following codes under fastboot folder > adb push rom.zip /data/media/0   with this code we copy rom.zip into main folder in phone storage.

!!! You can rename your ROM.zip whatever you want, but in this case you should use its new name in command.

Flash your rom.zip by using your recovery


What are the alternative Android app markets? How many competing Android markets (other than the Play Store itself) are there and are they any good?  Which ones do you use and why?

There are actually several alternatives to the 'official' Google Android market (aka Play Store).

I personally like to search for new apps from my PC browser, and a bit less from my phone. Most (all?) of the markets nowadays offer both, via a dedicated phone-app that you'll have to install, except from the official one which is already there.

Until, well, yesterday, the 'official' market would not have been available from your PC (meaning: on a PC web browser). Now it is, with a neat push-to-your-phone one click installation that is taking away one of the advantages of the competition (see AppBrain). The alternative markets, though, have still their peculiarities. I'll make a short summary but don't expect it to highlight all of the differences. Some markets (e.g. AndSpot) do not offer very specific features to users, but try to gather developers by offering advanced features such as easy stats.

Amazon AppStore: latest big entry. countries limitations; catalog looking very promising with some (exclusive?) good pay-for apps; also features special offers and daily freebies. Def worth checking out
AppBrain: born to let you install Android Market applications directly from your PC web browser, also allows you to discover new apps based on the ones you have. It's a meta-store (my favourite before the official market update)
APKPure: don't need any registration to use it
SlideME: they provide applications to niche markets, based on geographic location, payment method or even types of applications that users can't find in traditional channels
Samsung Apps (must be installed on Samsung Galaxy devices, or else you can't use this): Samsung app store, which of course requires you to own a Samsung Android device
F-Droid they distribute FOSS open source packages that pass audit and verification to ensure that code have no malicious parts.
GetJar: my latest discovery. Quite a lot of apps, and they have specials ("GOLD") commercial apps for free. Extremely interesting platform for developers, since they seem to offer above-the-average marketing and PS activities!
TorrApk: it's free and it distributes only free Android apps through their apk files. If you are a developer you can get your account and publish your apps. (NB. Not sure how legit the apps there are, though)
appsfire: used to be yet another app for discovering official market applications (iOS/Android), now an app advertising agency

I'll add that there's a market for Adult Apps too now; and a lot of review/forum sites will link to one or more of these markets, e.g., AndroidTapp or AndroidPit AndroLib.

I suggest you click on some of these links and see for yourself if the look/applications suit your style!

Thanks to various sources, in particular this thenextweb.com article, and a lot of other stackexchange editing!

For neverending memory, the following are no longer available:

AndSpot: focused around an app for sharing and discovering apps
Handango by appia.com: a huge, cross-platform (Symbian/Android/Java/Winmobile...) market
aproov: a quite different web look. Register to download via a specific phone app.
MobiHand OnlyAndroid: more focused on (expensive) pay apps, but offers discounts and free deals


Will a Bluetooth controller work with an android app running on BlueStacks? My son wants to play the mobile version of Skylanders Trap Team on his microtablet aka LG Optimus Exceed 2 with no service. Apparently it is not compatible with his phone, even though it runs KitKat 4.4.2.

I tried some of the free Skylanders Android games on bluestacks, and they seem to run well. Before I buy the game and controller pack, I'd like to hear opinions of whether the bluetooth controller is likely to work.

I am not certain you can install it in bluestacks, I purchased the Skylanders Trap Team android kit myself and have been unable to install the app on any of my noncompatible devices, including bluestacks. the controller and portal while recognized by my "smart" devices and my bluetooth 4.0 pc fail to pair. It requires the app to be running for the portal and controller to pair. Since googleplay won't let you download incompatible apps you have to find the apk file elsewhere. Every time I try to install the apk file in bluestacks I get the error message, "download failed because you may not have purchased the app" despite it being a free app.I can tell you that the trap team portal/remote is the same as the superchargers one, and so work on the skylanders superchargers app which is free if you own the "hot streak" car however that is only availiable to apple devices. my recomendation is that kit is about $10, and hot streak is > $15 that is half price for superchargers. otherwise if you can manage to get the app to runn in bluestacks and your pc has bluetooth 4.0 (maybe earlier versions) is should work.


Displaying profile photo on others' phone when called I am using Android 6.0.1. How and where to set my profile image, so that the image is seen by the opposite person when he is called on the phone?

You can not do that. It is not possible to set a profile photo for yourself on other phones. Phone calls transmit nothing but your voice and phone number. You can not transmit a profile picture through a phone call. Third-party apps like Google Hangouts do not use phone lines, instead, they use data, so they use a custom protocol that allows them to send the profile pic of the caller.
The receiver of the call must set a profile photo for you. This must be done for everyone that you want to see the profile photo of:

For iPhone users: http://osxdaily.com/2015/11/07/assign-photo-to-iphone-contact/
For Android users: http://www.howtogeek.com/259513/how-to-change-contact-pictures-in-android/.

They will want to follow the instructions to add a photo to your contact, not theirs.


Using an audio dock on CM10.1 i9100 I'm running the CM10.1 nightlies on my Galaxy S2 (i9100). I've purchased the KitSound GALS2Dock, which has audio out over USB, but it doesn't work.
I've asked KitSound via Twitter, and they told me to switch on the Audio Output Mode. I think this is a Samsung specific setting, but I found this in the samsung specific CM10.1 settings menu.

(It says USB-audio dock - use passive audio out from the dock)
I've checked it, and now the phone audio stops (so that's one thing) but my box nor my TV recognises the sound. It does work when I plug it in the regular audio jack.
So I'm thinking this is a software issue. My question: where could this issue be? Is it CM10.1? Is it CM in general (EG: downgrading to CM10 wouldn't help? Or do I need to switch back to a stock samsung ROM in it's entirety to have this functionality work (I'd prefer not to).
Any ideas?
Thanks

I know that this has been fixed in some of the latest CM10 nightly releases. As a matter of fact, I'm running JellyBam 4.1 (based on CM10) and the USB audio does work without issues. When I've updated to JellyBam 5.2 (based on CM10.1), USB audio stopped working. So I had to revert back to 4.1, which is, in my opinion, an excellent release anyway.

I've read in forums that the problem is not proprietary drivers or anything like that (it is working on CM10 nightlys afterall), but rather than CM team has not finished implementing all audio features on 10.1 yet. The need to migrate this patch to CM10.1, that's all.

So my advice is to install CM10 nightly or JellyBam 4.1. You will enjoy Android 4.1.2, and of course, your USB audio.


HTC Rapid Charge 2.0 overheating battery Since a few days ago I am charging my HTC One M8 using the HTC Rapid Charge 2.0  charger. It does indeed charge fast, but I have noticed that the battery gets really hot. After installing the DU Battery Saver, I can see that during charging the battery temperature gets up to 45C and even the app is notifying me that the battery is overheating.

Is this normal?
Will I have long term problems with the battery by using this fast charger?

Excessive Heating of battery is a typical, inescapable effect of using " fast or rapid " chargers. Reason behind this is the charging rate. Normal charging uses 0.5 to 0.8 C (C is the charge rate) whereas fast charging uses anything between 1 to 3C. In simple words, this is pushing more current to charge faster. Heat produced is related to Power and governed by the equation

Power = I² * R where I is current.

So increase in current has a significant effect on increase in power (being proportional to square of current) , therefore heating, and the same is being reported by your app

Yes, it does have adverse effects:

In Short term: meaning when you charge and use, the Battery delivers less performance (another way of putting it is what charges faster Will also drain faster)
Long Term the battery life is reduced

Refer to my answer here for detailed technical explanation and a graph showing adverse effects How does fast charger work?

Edit: A helpful note on heat increase while charging from All about Battery Chargers

  Li-ion should not rise more than 10ºC (18ºF) above ambient when reaching full charge.


How to Hide WhatsApp contact invites So, WhatsApp contacts also displays contacts that don't have WhatsApp account as Invite contact.

How can I hide that Invite Contact list of contacts that don't have WhatsApp account??

I checked the settings and haven't found any option..

There's a workaround.
I changed the details from 'Mobile' to 'Home/Work' in my Android Contacts for all those non-Whatsapp numbers.
Now they don't show up in Whatsapp invite contact.


What kind of hardware can be used to speed up the writing on android phones? This might be a border line question for this forum, but I will see and learn whether it is relevant. At least I do not believe that anyone here would feel that it is not interesting as it is very close to the interests of Android Enthusiasts.

Imagine the following scenario. You want to type 300 characters (something like three SMS) and you want to do this as fast as possible. Given my typing speed on the touch screen (even utilizing various speed up input software), I am still typing at something like the fourth of the speed as on a normal keyboard.

This scenario could arise in the following places:

As a passenger in a car/train/airplane
While walking (actually while biking in my case, but this is not recommended)
While sitting in a sofa/chair
While lying in bed

I have come across various wireless keyboards, which could be utilized. The problem is that if I need one hand to hold the phone (in order to read what I type) and one to hold the keyboard in most of the scenarios above, I am left with at best a few fingers to type on the keyboard, which would hardly be better than using the touch screen.

Therefore, I am thinking about a keyboard with a holder, which would need to be really tall in order to be close enough for me to actually read what I type. I imagine that the time it takes to set up something like this, would mean that it would not pay off for just typing the 300 characters.

My conclusion so far, is therefore, that there is no current solution to this problem, which would make me faster, apart from buying an android phone with a built in keyboard. Are there any alternatives I have missed?

I realise that this isn't an answer to your hardware requirement, but are you sure you need new hardware?

I believe that the current Guinness World Record speed texting record holder used the Swype keyboard on an Android phone, so it's not exactly slow.

Swype is pre-installed on a number of Android phones (primarily Samsung models) but unfortunately is otherwise in a limited beta that you'll need to register for. There are some similar soft keyboards like SlideIt that are available in the Market


How to disable cellular when WiFi is present? I perform all my communication via the internet (Jabber, SIP), so I only need cellular as a backup.

Additionally, coverage at my home is near to nonexistent and as a result, battery drains in a few hours (as opposed to few days when GSM is disabled).

Is there an app for disabling cellular communication entirely (airplane mode) if a WiFi network is present, and enabling it otherwise?

I'm not interested in solutions which disable just the data connection: Android handles that already.
I'm OK with solutions which require rooting, rebuilding Android, etc.

You can give a try to an app developed by a XDA Developers Forum user gyagapen that essentialy the app intelligently manages switching between both your WiFi and 3G data connections as you move about:
CleverConnectivity

CleverConnectivity is an application that helps you to manage your data and wifi connection in order to save battery.
How does CleverConnectivity work?
This application will automatically turn on and off connectivity (data/wifi/sync) while screen is OFF.
For example if the user chooses below configuration:
Time On: 2min
Time On Next Check: 1min
Time Off: 10m
Usage check Interval: 3s
Once the screen is OFF, CleverConnectivity will keep connectivity alive for 2min. Then it will check if data is used during a period of 3s.
If data is used, connectivity will be kept for 1 minute (Time On Next Check).
If data is NOT used, connectivity will be desactivated for 10min. After this, the connectivity will be re-activated and Time On will kick in.
Once screen is ON, connectivity will be automatically re-enabled.

Links:

Google Play Store - 1,00€ No Ads
Google Play Store - Free Version (with ads)

You can give a try to an app available from Google Play Store that automatically controls your WiFi status:
Smart WiFi Toggler

Description
Smart WiFi Toggler is an application designed to control your phone's WiFi using location based rules. Its aim is to conserve battery and minimize data charges by turning WiFi off when not connected to a network, and turning it on when a known hotspot is present. It constantly learns where your hotspots are located to make its decisions.
It's a very useful application if you frequently forget to turn WiFi off when leaving a hotspot, or if you want to automatically switch from mobile data to WiFi to conserve battery whenever you're back into a hotspot.
Here are some of cool features Smart WiFi Toggler has to offer:

Automatically learns your WiFi hotspot locations.
Turns WiFi off when disconnected from WiFi network.
Automatically turns WiFi on when near a known hotspot.
Uses your network location. No GPS battery drain.
Provides the ability to control "auto-connect" behavior for each hotspot.
Ability to lock WiFi to a disabled state.
Warning notification and auto-locking WiFi when a hotspot is down.
History, logging, and a troubleshooting screen in case you face any problems.


How do I install apps to Internal/External SD instead of Phone Storage I have a dual SIM mt6589 based Android 4.2.1 phone, and I have no idea where the apps are getting installed.

My phone has an Internal SD card(built in), An External SD card and something called Phone Storage(/data ??)

Anyway the apps are supposed to be saved to my External SD but they get saved to Phone Storage.

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

Also the option move to External SD card is greyed out(It was available before!!).
My vold.fstab file

dev_mount sdcard /storage/sdcard0 emmc@fat /devices/platform/goldfish_mmc.0 /devices/platform/mtk-msdc.0/mmc_host
dev_mount sdcard2 /storage/sdcard1 auto /devices/platform/goldfish_mmc.1 /devices/platform/mtk-msdc.1/mmc_host

The answer to your re-phrased question can be found in the app2sd tag-wiki. In short:

App2SD cannot move the entire app to SDCard, there are always things remaining in phone storage (e.g. data, Dalvik cache, and some more)
There are alternative methods moving more stuff, such as e.g. link2sd or Data2SD

For details, please see the linked tag-wiki.


I am unable to run Google assistant on my phone I am a citizen of India and want to run Google assistant on my phone. My phone is LS 4505 and Android marshmallow. Google app version is 8.0. And screen resolution 720p and 312 MB free space. So can I run Google assistant on my phone. And are there any other apps like this which I can run?

According to DeviceSpecifications.com, your Lyf Flame 8 (LS-4505) device has only 1GB of RAM and a 480p (480x854) display. It shipped with Lollipop, but further research indicates it was upgraded to Marshmallow.

According to 9to5Google, Google Assistant requires the device have Marshmallow or newer Android, 1.5GB of RAM, and a 720p display. Your device does not meet the minimum requirements to use this feature.

As far as alternatives, a simple Google search will yield a variety of options, I did not investigate them to see if your device meets the requirement for any one specifically (this is not the Software Recommendations site), but you can start here doing your own research.


Data recovery from encrypted phone based on glitches in the encryption? To make a long story short I needed to root my phone and didn't notice the warning that unlocking the bootloader erased all contents of the memory.

I contacted a data recovery company and told them that the memory was encrypted and the phone used Android 6. In response I was told that there was a chance, albeit small, that they could recover some data. However, they were unsuccessful and in their report they blamed the encryption.

This made me pretty upset since the encryption was the first thing I mentioned in my contact with them. When I called and complained about this I got the very "interesting" answer: sometimes there is a glitch when enabling encryption leaving some of the storage unencrypted and we might be able to recover that.

Is this really true??? It sounds completely absurd that something like that could happen frequent enough so they could base their business model on it. In my ears it sounds like a bad excuse for charging me money for something that could "never" work.

I'm not an expert in the filed, it's just an analyses of the case according to my limited knowledge.

ANDROID'S ENCRYPTION

Android supports two modes of encryption; FDE and FBE. FDE encrypts whole block device i.e. userdata partition using Linux kernel's dm-crypt framework, while FBE is based on fscrypt available since Android 7. From data recovery's aspect, approach is similar for both. Both offer strong encryption and what's been attacked by hackers is not the encryption itself, but Android's mechanism to create and store keys required for decryption.

  sometimes there is a glitch when enabling encryption leaving some of the storage unencrypted

You are right, it's interesting. FDE, AFAIK, encrypts the whole block device, just excluding the crypto footer at the end of partition which includes keys for decryption. Initially all sectors might not be encrypted as is the case with inplace encryption:

  vold checks to see if a sector is in use before reading and writing it, which makes encryption much faster on a new device that has little to no data.

But the skipped sectors are the ones which contain no data in filesystem. However as data is written to the sectors (or if the encryption was initialized with random data which doesn't seem to be the case with Android), they get encrypted and very soon whole block device becomes one giant high entropy block of data with no visible structure. It's impossible to distinguish encrypted data from random noise. TRIM, however, if supported by hardware, kernel, filesystem and the OS, may reveal the empty space in filesystem. But reading from that space only returns zeros.

POSSIBLE METHODS OF DATA RECOVERY

Data recovery works in two ways generally:

Read just the file contents by carving method / signature search
Or read the complete files along with metadata (file names, timestamps, permissions) from filesystem

Possible methods are:

Reading flash memory through firmware controller (Flash Translation Layer) of eMMC using commonly available APIs e.g. of Liux kernel. It's the FTL which stores LBAs to PBAs mapping, and information related to partitions, bad sectors, deleted data etc. This can be done by exposing partitions to a PC in some bootloader mode if available, or by using some lower level communication protocol e.g. JTAG or by chip-off method.
Or accessing silicon cells directly which is possible only with sophisticated equipment found in forensic labs, and not without manufacturer’s data sheet. In this case only carving method is possible. Data read from cells is random bytes from un-partitioned space and all 50+ partitions, including the ones which don't have filesystems at all. So the probability of recovering useful data is almost negligible, particularly of reasonably larger files. If the data saved is encrypted (using FDE, FBE or any other method), chances with this method are nil for sure.

The choice of method depends on multiple factors like if the purpose is:

To recover deleted data
To recover data off a dead phone
To break the encryption mechanism, e.g. in case of forensics, phone theft etc.

Data recovery can be done either:

On the device e.g. in recovery mode if the device is unlocked and some custom recovery environment is available.
Or off the device. It's the only option in most cases as the devices have bootloaders locked. But if your device was shipped with Android 5+, the chances are it must have hardware-backed encryption enabled which makes it almost impossible to recover - even undeleted - data off-the-device, except trying some hacks, because you can't brute force RSA keys.

BOOTLOADER UNLOCKING

Keeping all above facts and you situation in view, only an on-the-device or semi-offline approach can be tried to recover data. But then comes the bootloader unlocking part.

Google demands from SoC/OEM vendors to completely erase data on bootloader unlocking:

  As a best practice, unlockable Android devices must securely erase all user data prior to being unlocked.
  ...
  Failure to implement these protections is considered a moderate level security vulnerability.

Quoted from here:

  When the fastboot flashing unlock command is sent...
  ...
  a factory data reset should be done to prevent unauthorized data access

Depending on the device a BLKSECDISCARD, BLKDISCARD or a complete overwrite with zeros is recommended. It's then followed by filesystem creation which may again issue TRIM. Same happens during a factory reset i.e. userdata and cache partitions are completely erased (though conformance in past has been bad). See this answer for more details.

BLKDISCARD and FITRIM are Linux kernel's IOCTLs which issue special commands to underlying eMMC devices depending on their capabilities. TRIM is issued by the filesystem to the FTL, requesting the actual physical erasure of data blocks (LBAs) which have been deleted from the filesystem. DISCARD is kind of TRIM for whole block device. TRIM obviously doesn't touch undeleted files, filesystem structure and drive's partition table. BLKDISCARD saves nothing at all on block device, including the crypto footer. Both of these commands belong to Logical Sanitization level of secure data deletion. So is ERASE command issued by BLKSECDISCARD IOCTL, while others issued by the same - including SECURE TRIM, SECURE ERASE and SANITIZE - are considered of Digital Sanitization level i.e. they cause even more secure deletion. Even a complete overwrite with zeros will render data irrecoverable - at least without melting eMMC - because of Overprovisioning and Garbage Collection.

POSSIBILITY OF DATA RECOVERY

So in short these commands (if supported by underlying hardware and if required drivers provided by vendors) don't leave much space for deleted data recovery. Encryption adds to the trouble. As explained above, encryption type with FDE is, a kind of, all or nothing. If even a small part of crypto footer is erased during bootloader unlocking, forget about decryption. Quoted from a lead engineer for Android security (ref):

  If you plan to resell or discard your device and you haven’t already, encrypt it and then perform a factory reset

And so does the removal of LUKS header on Linux. Quoted from warnings section on official page:

  By far the most questions on the cryptsetup mailing list are from people that managed to damage the start of their LUKS partitions, i.e. the LUKS header. In most cases, there is nothing that can be done to help these poor souls recover their data.

So without the crypto footer which contains encrypted master key, RSA key (hardware-bound) and other information related to encryption, everything is random data. But even if we assume that crypto footer wasn't erased in your case and hardware-backed encryption wasn't a hurdle either, the problems aren't over. With dm-crypt FDE a master key is used to encrypt / decrypt sectors (512B each) individually when they are written / read respectively (every sector has it's own IV). After decrypting userdata partiton a new virtual block device is created at /dev/block/dm-0 which contains a filesystem, mostly ext4.

In order to mount the filesystem, the sectors containing basic structure of filesystem must be intact e.g. superblock(s), directory entries, inode tables, inode/block bitmaps, journal etc. It's next to impossible that all of this wasn't overwritten when unlocking bootloader and creating new filesystem. So the old filesystem is gone and what you would be left with is carving method which has a very small success rate particularly because of file fragmentation of large files. Mostly what you get is small nameless thumbnails or text files, that too after so many assumptions.

CONCLUSION

Bootloader unlocked on an encrypted device, the probability of data recovery seems very near to zero.

RELATED

What makes data recovery difficult?
How to get data off a completely dead Android phone?
Reliably Erasing Data From Flash-Based Solid State Drives


I enabled Google Cloud-Print but what can I do with it now on my phone? According to the page http://www.google.com/support/cloudprint/, I should now be able to print gmail mails :

Answer taken from this page:

How do I print to my Google Cloud Printer?

+ The steps you take to print will vary from application to application.

- On Chrome notebooks, ...

- On Gmail and Google Docs for mobile, click the menu in the top right corner and select Print.

Notice the click the menu in the top right corner and select Print.

I don't see such a button or looking at the wrong place.

UPDATE - ADDITION

Because I don't think this should qualify as a new question: I want to add this to my original: what native Android applications support Google Cloud-Print ?

You will not find this setting in Android's Gmail app, but on the Gmail mobile site (accessed via Browser) it's here:


Huawei P7 Ascend Lollipop Compass pointing only North or South, even after calibrating. How to fix? As it says in the title, my Huawei P7 Ascend running the latest firmware for it (Android 5.1.1) has something strange going on with the compass for the last year or so. I have already attempted calibration, but that did not fix it. The compass only exclusively points directly north or directly south, both on calibration apps and in apps like Google Maps. How can I get it to work properly again?

I too have this problem after upgrading my phone to lollipop. However, if I tilt my phone vertically or upside down (so I'm looking up to face the screen), the compass works fine. Try calibrating your accelerometer with your phone upside down.


How can I manually download the Play Store APK from Google? I have a Xiaomi Mi Note that doesn't come installed with Play Store. I'd like to install an APK for it manually, but all resources I've found on the web require me to install a binary from untrusted sources (e.g., a Mediafile upload).

How can I download the Play Store APK directly from Google?

Google does not allow downloading the Play Store directly from the Play Store itself, unless its an update to an existing installation. What you can do however is:

1) Root your phone (Xiaomi warranty isn't voided by rooting)

2) Use an app like Flashify or fastboot to flash a custom recovery (CWM or TWRP) (Refer this guide).

3) Flash a compatible GAPPs package, which includes the Play Store APK. You can get it that way.


How do I find out why my phone is locking up? My Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S series) locks up about once per day, where the screen is frozen and it doesn't respond to any type of input. There's no pattern concerning what app I'm running at the time.  How do I find out what is causing it?

I'm running a 2.3.4-based custom ROM (Apex specifically).

Try removing (uninstalling) custom apps you installed in batches, and using the phone for a day or two.

Also try removing SD card if you have one. Sometimes SD card causes this, either because of faulty connection with the card or because it makes the connection to battery lose.

It is a slow method and requires patience, but is bound to work.


How can WhatsApp show me an image\video if I didn't download it to phone? [Solved]

If I send an image\video via WhatsApp and the other person didn't download it, how can he still see the image as a blurry image?

From looking through the app's database I found out that the local path of the image that was downloaded is located in thumb_image column in messages table. However if the image is not downloaded I don't have any information about the local path.

Does WhatsApp stores that image as temporary image data on the device?

Thumbnails are stored in WhatsApp's database as BLOB in the message_thumbnails table, under thumbnail column.


Can I use the stock SMS/MMS app on an Android tablet without UMTS module? I just got my Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet. It does not have a GSM/UMTS/3G module but there is an SMS/MMS icon. What is the purpose of this app? Does Android allow me to send and receive SMS/MMS over my Wifi Internet connection, or is it just a leftover?

I am not interested in any alternatives to the stock app. I am more curious if it serves any purpose on a device without a UMTS module and if so, how to configure and use it.

So the questions could also be phrased like: What purpose serves the stock Android SMS app on an tablet without GSM/UMTS module?

You can download an app such as TextPlus from the market for free and then send MMS & SMS from that app. I am not sure what app you are talking about since I don't have a ThinkPad tablet but I know that you can use TextPlus.


What is the difference between "Auto focus" and "Macro" modes of focus? In Samsung Android phones, I've seen two options for selecting the focus mode which are Auto focus and Macro modes in the Camera settings. So, just want to know what is the difference between them? How it affects the output/result of image captured?

In general , macro photography from wiki says

  ....is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size...The ratio of the subject size on the film plane (or sensor plane) to the actual subject size is known as the reproduction ratio. Likewise, a macro lens is classically a lens capable of reproduction ratios of at least 1:1....

From sister stack exchange {photography site](https://photo.stackexchange.com/a/24079)

  Life-size is the typical aim of "full macro" shots, which is to say you are working at a 1:1 reproduction ratio, shooting very small objects at close range. Insects, flower stamens, etc.

Auto Focus by contrast is letting the camera decide the best settings eliminating user intervention - see
How Does Autofocus Actually Work?

While these definitions should be applicable to Android as such, the quality would obviously depend on bunch of things like lens, zoom,megapixel and pre /post photo processing built in


What is the exact functionality of Google Play Services & Google Services Framework (gapps)? Is there an official or unofficial description of what is the exact functionality of Google Play Services and Google Services Framework (gapps) apart from things related to the Play Store account-related functions?

From my understanding it includes at least:

GPS location
ads, tracking and stats
GCM (Google cloud messaging for push notifications)
everything related to managing Google accounts, services and Google user profile data.
apparently some machine learning pre-trained models for voice recognition, TTS, keyboard gesture typing.

What else?

The question came up after I noticed that for example the Google Podcasts app size is only about 300Kb and it won't work without gapps, so that indicates that some core functionality is already in gapps.

The combined size of Google Services Framework + Google Play services is over 700MB — this is enough for an entire operating system. So what exactly does this code do?

 Update: correction about the Google Podcasts app — I have identified that the tiny size of the app is explained by its dependency on the Google app and not just the GSF.

Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms) is an app which works in collaboration with a number of other closed-source apps to provide Google Mobile Services (GMS) to Android users. To quote a few of them are Google Ads, Firebase Analytics, authentication (of Google account login, saving credentials from other apps, through SMS), Google Cast devices, Game Manager, Drive, Cloud Messaging (push notifications), Google Fit, Location Provider, Maps, Instant Apps, nearby devices, search predictions, Google+, SafetyNet, Tasks, Wallet etc. Further details can be found here and here. Play Store (com.android.vending) provides additional APIs/services like In-App Purchases, App Licensing and Play Protect.

From your comment:

  So is it only APIs for app integration, or is there also Google's internal proprietary code for analytics, usage tracking, metrics etc?

Developers can tell better, but AFAIU everything is proprietary except the API interferes. Google's own proprietary apps like YouTube, Chrome, Gmail, Maps, Gboard, Messages etc. rely on these APIs/services, and mostly refuse to work without GMS on device. In addition to those, OEMs are bound in contracts to ship their devices with Play Services pre-installed as system apps. App developers find it more convenient to build their apps with Google APIs. In fact many AOSP features are becoming dependent on Google's proprietary products unnoticeably. Quoted from here:

  The Doze restriction on network access is also likely to affect your app, especially if the app relies on real-time messages such as tickles or notifications. If your app requires a persistent connection to the network to receive messages, you should use Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) if possible.
  ...
  FCM is optimized to work with Doze and App Standby idle modes by means of high-priority FCM messages.

If you have GMS installed on your device, dumpsys activity services will usually show more than a dozen Google services running in background like MeasurementBrokerService, PersistentBoundBrokerService, ContextManagerService and GcmService etc.

  Also, how is the functionality split between Google Play Services and the Google Services Framework?

There are a number of apps which work in background with Play Services like Services Library, Shared Library, Carrier Setup, Market Feedback Agent, Backup Transport, Config Updater, Contacts Sync, Partner Setup and so on. A more exhaustive list can be found here. Google Services Framework (com.google.android.gsf) is also one of these apps (sharing UID with com.google.android.gms) which is mainly about Cloud Messaging (FCM) but there isn't a clear line (at least officially spoken) between functionality of different components of GMS suite.

FURTHER READING:

Install Google Play Services without Google Play Store
What Is Google Play Services? Why Do You Need It?
GMS Certification for Android 9 Pie Based Devices
The facts about Google Mobile Services (GMS) in the Enterprise


Hardware/Software layer of an android device I need knowing the differences between a PC hardware and a android device (smartphone), because i have some issues understanding somethings about some subjects.

Generally when I have a computer if I have any restriction , like password in bios or special software into EPROM I need to modify it manually for accessing the PC or make it "totally" under my power.

I want to understand how operators blocks the bootloader of a phone, or "lock" it (not other operators SIMCARDS can work into the device), is this in hardware? Or inside EPROM software? Same way with rooting. If I install a Linux OS in any PC I will be root directly, what happens with the hardware inside smartphones?

Can I have a PC with a network card "locked"? The only way of this is having the eprom of the periphery network card specially programmed.

I think that I need a lot of more knowledge about this subject and I am searching for some books or MOOC that can explain me these specs for deeply understanding the hardware/software interface of an android device phone or any phone in general. I think, for perfectly understand the hardware configuration of any phone device (IOS,Android,windows phone or the nokia stone).

Examples of my problem:

I can have a custom rom in a device, but still is locked, sometimes by software we aim to unlock it, maybe it is inside the software of the GPS antenna?
Sony xperia j st26i "bootloader locked", thats mean, I need to manually flash the eprom for installing a bootloader and custom roms?
Android OS Firmware vs Phone firmware?

Thanks for your help.

Normally, A blocked bootloader means that the bootloader will verify the signature of the installed OS / recovery to be booted. And recovery does not allow you to install a unsigned OS. If you unlock the bootloader, you can "flash" any firmware and the bootloader wont verify the signature. Also, you can now flash a custom recovery that will be able to install from unverified/unsigned sources. Your SIM can be locked at the modem level, bootloader level or at the OS level. It is typically done at modem or bootloader level though.

To unlock a bootloader, you either flash a modified bootloader or switch a flag (as done in nexus devices). root on phone is more or less like sudo.

Android OS firmware may refer to the Android OS (i.e. system, bin, etc. partitions) while Phone firmware is the OS + bootloader + modem and other require bits that are not the part of OS. Things like baseband processor OS, radio drivers,etc are also updated but are not part of android OS.


How can I set a directory permission so that all files, existing, and newly added are indelible? I am tinkering with an app that I do not control. It creates files and then sometime later deletes them, I want to prevent it from being able to delete those files.  Or if I could create a file system watcher app that would auto copy the file to a new location, that too would suffice, but I do not know if that is possible on Android.  Also, I would like to be able to set this recursively on a small folder tree but if not, I can just do each folder manually.

(Note: you may need to be rooted to do this, depending on where the app is writing these files - if you do, run su before running these commands)

Install a terminal emulator on your phone. Once it's finished installing, open it up and type cd /the/folder.

If you have enough time to type in commands while the file exists simply type chmod -R 444 ., which will make the current directory and all subdirectories read-only.

If you don't have enough time, type something like this: while true; do if ls | grep <filename>; then chmod -R 444 .; fi; done. Leave it running in the terminal session and when the app creates <filename> it'll make the directory and its subdirectories read-only.

(All of the above can be run in adb shell if you prefer, but IMO installing a terminal emulator is less of a hassle)


Google play store opens when leaving contacts On my S5, when I am leaving my contacts (e.g.after having called some one) the Play store opens always ever, showing me the App 'Next launcher 3d shell lite'. This is quite a while now and I can not remember when it starts. Since about a month now it even starts when doing other things like checking which apps are still opened through the button left of my home button. Anyone got an idea how I could get hold of this problem ?

I think it is caused by some third party app ,to confirm this call someone in safe mode and see if playstore is started.

If the problem is not in safe mode ,It is confirmed that it is caused by a third party app.

Now you have to guess which app is causing this issue but rather than guessing you could see running apps in process status which is located in developer options.

Or you could check application manager  and in running tab see any unknown/strange/untrusted app.

After un-installing that app I hope your problem will be solved.

Hope it Helps.


Getting signature error while installing a different version of the app Recently I install a custom ROM named eelo https://e.foundation/. It comes with pre-installed Telegram app. After much research I was able to uninstall if from the system with the command adb shell pm uninstall --user 0 org.telegram.messenger. But when I tried to install the new apk with adb install telegram.apk I got the following error

adb: failed to install telegram.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE: Package org.telegram.messenger signatures do not match the previously installed version; ignoring!]

I also tried uninstalling with this adb uninstall org.telegram.messenger but it gave out Failure [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR].
With further research I found out that I can install the new .apk with different if I comment the section in /data/system/packages.xml referring to telegram. But after making the change when I reboot it get back to the unedited version.

Currently using Android Nougat 7.1.

Can anyone tell me the reason as to why this happens and how I can stop it from happening? And how would I be able to install a different version of the app?

Ultimately found an answer to the query and how to solve it.

The first is how to delete a system application completely?
These are the following steps

$ adb root  - To start adbd with root privileges.

$ adb shell - To interact with the phone system directly.

$ pm uninstall --user 0 <package>.apk - To uninstall the package from the root    user  is any package you want to remove from the system.

These few steps may remove the whole package but in my case it was different as it  left behind few files from the previous built app. So these were the steps that I followed :

$ adb shell mount -o rw,remount /system - This would remount the system as read-write. Originally /system is a read-only folder so you can't edit directly.

$ adb shell rm -r /system/<package>.apk - This would remove the apk and there won't be anything left from the previous built.
Why I couldn't edit the /data/system/packages.xml file?

The answer to this is that though I can edit it with vim but it kept reverting back to the previous unedited form. This was happening because it was updating the information from /system/app files. Thus, editing it went in vain.

Refer to the following links that actually helped me out

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6066030/read-only-file-system-on-android

https://www.besttechie.com/remove-preloaded-software-from-android/


Turn off Snapchat camera sound in Android The problem is that whenever I take a picture with the front camera on Snapchat on my Xiaomi Mi Max 2, it makes a horribly load fake camera shutter sound. I have tried putting the phone on mute/do not disturb and having the ringer volume, alarm volume and media volume on off and it still makes the sound. I have gone into the camera app settings and turned off the camera sounds, which works for my default camera app (I can take pictures on it with no sound) but it still makes the sound on Snapchat. Does anyone know how to disable this uncouth sound?
I'd be surprised if Snapchat made its own camera shutter sound which isn't mutable, surely it just uses the device's settings and sounds right?

First of all snapchat will access your mobile camera application because it has the permission given by the developers,one thing you can stop this by those following statements...
 Go to setting
         Then apps
                   Then Snapchat
                           Then click on launch button
                                    Then go to running apps
                                             Then just choose Snapchat and select stop, by this u can stop service of this appp.


How to call GTalk to GTalk from Android? I need it badly. I know Google voice is there, but it's not available in India.

Clarifications
Need any good client application (Google Talk / Jabber client) that supports voice calls to and from GTalk users.

Thanks @Matthew

Google Talk Video/Voice support will be rolled out shortly on all Android 2.3 Gingerbread devices or on the Nexus S now (but as an OS update, not an app update, so you would find it in Settings, not in Market)


Where is a downloaded .apk placed in Android phones? Possible Duplicate:
  Where in the file system are applications installed?

Where is a downloaded .apk placed in Android phones? I want to backup the .apk files to my PC so that if something happens I will just restore the applications instead of re-downloading them from market.

I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S II.

If you don't have root access, it doesn't matter because you won't be able to back them up.

If you do have root access, use an app like Titanium Backup to back up the apks.

Note:

This doesn't really answer the question of where to find the downloaded APKs, but it does address the need of the OP.


How to install android from my Computer terminal? I have a HTC M7 without any OS on it (it goes to black screen when I boot it).

It doesn't have any memory card.

I am however able to have a root shell with "adb shell" when connecting it with USB.

How can I reinstall android from my computer?

You can boot into the bootloader and flash the phone with a RUU file from here or from here. Download the one suitable for your CID (Carrier ID).

adb reboot-bootloader


Wifi password lost every time I reboot my phone VS985 - Verizon LG G3 - CM12 Nightly - 5.0.2

This has been going on for a few months now, and is just driving me bonkers. Every time I reboot my phone, and am home, my phone forgets the password for the wifi. All other devices in the house (iphone, ipad, laptops, kindles, chromecasts, etc.) do not have this issue.

This only happens for my home router – passwords for other networks are surviving reboots.

As I have my phone how I like it, I don't want to start from scratch. I tried wiping system, but it's like the password is a part of my personal data and that for some reason it is forgotten so often? Does anyone have ideas on how I could go about fixing this?

Not a solution, but a work-around:

The WiFi password is not stored on /system – it's in /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf. As you're using CyanogenMod, it should be safe to assume you're having root access. So you could use an automation tool (yes, I've got tasker in mind here) to copy that file to a "safe place" whenever shutting down the device, and have it restored from there on each boot.


Trouble importing photos to windows Hi I am trying to import photos from samsung galaxy s2 using windows photo gallery. When I do this it imports all of my music album art and mixes it all together with my photos.
When I simply try to copy with explorer however, it doesn't auto rotate my pictures.
Does anyone have a solution for this?

You can download Picassa, for example, which only imports photos. I find it very convenient for importing, browsing and minor adjustments to photos.


"Play Music" app keeps changing the volume of the sound by itself I bought a new Galaxy S4 a few days ago and since then I have been facing problems with the "Play Music" app. It keeps changing the sound volume while a song is playing. I tried applying different settings in the player but the problem still persists. Any Suggestions?

Try to use the original earphone. The original earphone has volume control on it, if you use different earphone you can get this problem.


Samsung S4 logo shows for 1 sec then phone boots and repeat. Pressed the power button for Samsung S4 and the logo comes out for 1 sec then phone boots again or shuts down. I cannot go into recovery mode or download/restart mode using the volume, home, and power button as it just shows the samsung logo for 1 sec then shuts down. However after charging it, it can go into recovery mode in which I tried wiping the cache and doing a factory reset. After rebooting the system in recovery mode, it enters recovery mode again if the s4 is charging. When taking out the usb, the logo shows for 1 sec then shuts down. Please help as I've tried everything. I have stock 4.4.2 ROM.

Take out your device's battery and wait for 10 seconds. Press the power button for 45 seconds and then install the battery.
If the first method didn't work, try to enter "Download mode" like this:

Turn off your phone;
Connect your phone to your computer and then hold Volume Down and Home button.


Periodic sync of data using Llama Is it possible to set an Event using Llama, to repeat each hour that switches on the 3G connection, syncs data and then turns off the 3G connection again.

I would like to use this during work hours to check email etc without having to complete the task manually throughout the day.

I programmed Llama to do exactly that.

You'll need two events:

3G auto on
3G auto off

and one Llama variable:

auto3G

Event 1 (3G auto on)

when airplane mode is disabled [prevents the system to work if airplane mode is enabled]
when mobile data is not connected [this ensures there will always be a break of 60 minutes after each (manual) data or wifi connection]
when your phone disconnects from any wifi network [same as above]
when variable 'auto3G' does not have a value of 1 [new variables don't have values; this also ensures that data connections are not interrupted when activated manually]
delay for 60 minutes [change this to your needs, e.g. 15 minutes]
enable mobile data
set Llama variable 'auto3G' to 1 [so the system knows data connection was activated automatically]

Event 2 (3G auto off)

when mobile data has connected [lets te system wait until data connection is established]
when 'auto3G' has a value of 1 [only if data connection was activated automatically]
delay for 45 seconds [change this to your needs and speed of synchronization]
disable mobile data
set Llama variable 'auto3G' to 0 [system reset]

this should cover your needs ;)


Can an app register itself to consume certain URLs? This is not a programming question but a usability one.

News site example.com has an annoying habit: when I follow a link to an article, the site first displays a pop-up saying “come use our app instead!” So I did, but article links still open the web browser, and still bring up that pop-up.

I’d like to file a bug with the app developer. Could the app have been designed to consume all URLs beginning with http://example.com/? (Otherwise I’ll complain to the web site designers.)

What you're describing is generally referred to in Android parlance as an "intent filter", and yes - Android supports this via the <data> element in the application's manifest file. You could point them to that documentation link in your bug report. You can also find examples on Stack Overflow with some relevant code samples:

Android Respond To URL in Intent
Intercepting links from the browser to open my Android app


WhatsApp MessageService is always killed shortly after exiting the app A couple of days ago I noticed that I no longer receive WhatsApp messages until I manually start the app, which is when the pending messages get delivered all at once.

I started my investigation by monitoring the com.whatsapp.messaging.MessageService in the Application Manager.

Here's what it looks like at first, after I exit WhatsApp:

And here's what it looks like a few minutes later:

It looks like the MessageService either quit, or it was terminated. To verify this, I checked with adb. I can see the service at first:

$ adb shell dumpsys activity services | grep wh
  * ServiceRecord{43deec28 u0 com.whatsapp/.messaging.MessageService}
    intent={act=com.whatsapp.messaging.MessageService.START cmp=com.whatsapp/.messaging.MessageService}
    packageName=com.whatsapp
    processName=com.whatsapp
    baseDir=/data/app/com.whatsapp-1.apk
    dataDir=/data/data/com.whatsapp
    app=ProcessRecord{42d19f90 10037:com.whatsapp/u0a10187}

But then this service disappears, even though the main process is still running:

$ adb shell ps | grep wh
u0_a187   10037 215   988084 78996 ffffffff 00000000 S com.whatsapp

The service does not get terminated at the same time. I have seen it killed as early as 6 minutes after exiting WhatsApp, and as late at 11 minutes. But in the vast majority of cases, it is terminated some time on the 8th minute.

I have carefully examined the logcat during the moment of service termination with the following logcat query, which I believe silences only the stuff I don't care about:

adb logcat -v time LightSensor:s LightsService:s  SensorService:s SensorManager:s STATUSBAR-BatteryController:s BatteryService:s HeadsetStateMachine:s android.widget.GridLayout:s MP-Decision:s SignalStrength:s McClient:s McDaemon:s QcrilMsgTunnelSocket:s | grep -v ss_tz_mobicore | grep -v ss_daemon

I was not able to see anything in the logs that would hint at what happened to the service. Did it quit? Did something kill it? How can I find out?

I thought that maybe the service was terminated b/c the OS was low on RAM, but this does not appear to be so. Here's the RAM at the moment of termination:

$ adb shell free -m
             total         used         free       shared      buffers
Mem:          1821         1587          234            0           75
-/+ buffers:               1511          310
Swap:          399          134          265

While working on this issue, I have used Titanium Backup to freeze all apps that might interfere with normal operation of WhatsApp, so these are the apps I froze:

Greenify
Amplify
XPrivacy

I also turned off "Per App Hacking", which is an Xposed Module.

Any ideas on how I can learn more about why MessageService is being terminated?

EDIT 1: Is it possible that MessageService is supposed to get terminated, and that WhatsApp relies on GCM to be notified when there are new messages?

I've been having exactly the same issue as yours. I can also see that the MessageService service is being killed after around 10 minutes. After the service is killed, messages are only received when opening the app. While googling today for this problem, coincidentally found this thread which you had posted just 3 hours ago.

I'm using a new phone on which I installed Cyanogenmod 13. I've already tried to change several settings related to battery usage, memory optimization etc., but to no avail.

I've started using this phone 2 days ago and the whatsapp issue has been happening since then. Tomorrow I'll try to uninstall and reinstall whatsapp from the Play Store, since this one was restored from a Titanium Backup backup. I saw in a forum someone who resolved a similar issue by doing that... he also had restored from a TiBu backup and was having such problem.

By the way, your theory about GCM seems to point to the right direction - in my wife's phone the MessageService service is also killed after around 10 minutes, however, she doesn't have any delays in receiving whatsapp messages - so maybe it indeed relies on GCM for that.

Let me know if you make any progress on the investigation or come to a solution. Let me also know if I can help you with anything else.


Emulator with Google Play Certification I am looking for an Android emulator that has been authorized by Google to include Play and other apps. One I am looking into is called Andy.

Is Andy authorized to use GApps? If not, are there any emulators authorized to do so?

Thanks

I'm using the images provided by the Android-X86 project. They run fine in Virtualbox, and ship with Google Apps pre-installed. For details, please see:

Android emulator for Windows (on our sister-site for Software Recommendations)
How to install Android in Virtualbox at HowtoGeek
Android Emulators at IzzyOnDroid (my site; scroll to the end of the page for emulations OF Android, as the list starts with emulators running on Android ;))
find Android-x86 ISO images on their Google Code site


App held for ransom by Android. Can not uninstall: Privilege denied I have downloaded "Root Swapper Extended Memory" from the Google Play Store, and now I am denied the privilege to uninstall this app. More detail about denied privilege:

• Cannot Uninstall
• Cannot move to card
• Cannot Force Stop
• Cannot Clear Cache

If you go to Settings > Security > Device Administrators do you see the app listed there?

If so uncheck the checkbox and you should be able to un-install the app (using the play store app or from the application manager)


Lockscreen on capacitive touchscreen? My phone (SE Xperia X8) has a capacitive touchscreen, which, I'm told that only reacts to fingers.
So does it have a point to have lockscreen enabled?
I use Cyanogenmod so I can easily disable it.

You're almost right.

  Capacitive screens can detect anything that's conductive or has a dielectric difference to air.

Here's a good Wikipedia article about this.

If you carry your phone in a pocket, you can easily activate the screen without noticing it. Try this:
Put some cloth (eg. Jeans) between your hand and the screen, now if you press it hard enough the touch will register.

If a button is accidentally pressed while you slip it into your pocket and you have lockscreen disabled, it's that much easier for your butt to dial someone. And you don't want that do you?


Turning off true black pixels (#000000) for LCD? Is there a way to turn off black pixels on LCD screens, similar to how AMOLED devices turn off these pixels?

I've tried those pixel-turn-off apps, but they turn off all pixels within a certain grid, while I wanted just the black pixels to be off.

Thanks in advance!

AMOLEDs power the pixels individually; LCDs use a single backlight source to illuminate all pixels from behind. Only until recently that some manufacturers are beginning to implement more granular LCD backlight sources (multiple blocks of light source that illuminates a chunk of pixels each).

What you want to achieve is simply not what LCD is designed for.


Hangouts: Cannot Connect to Server After Update Recently, Google released a fairly major update to Hangouts, an instant messaging app as well as an alternate SMS client. I have a phone (model is irrelevant) and a Nexus 10. I updated to the latest hangouts on both devices.

On the phone, it works great. On my Nexus 10 however I get a 'Cannot Connect to Server' Error when starting the app:

(Click image to enlarge)

It is odd because if I click on a notification of a message it will go straight to the conversation and not cause any issues. The main issue seems to happen when signing in to the main page:

(Click image to enlarge)

To be clear, I still get notifications about messages, but I cannot open them in the app:

My Nexus 10 is running android 5.0.2 on the RemixOS ROM. I have tried going to stock android 5.1.1, wiping cache, user data and dalvik cache all to no avail.
Does anyone have a fix to this problem? If not, are there any good Google Voice clients?

I have had an issue like this with a past update on Hangouts and fixed it by updating my "Google Play Services".
Other things I tried that may have inadvertently helped was restarting and connected to WiFi.