Internal partitions messed up So, I got a "little" problem, it started a few days ago, I woke up and my device was overheated and stuck in the bootlogo, I went to the Philz Recovery but it started with an startup error about the Cache and that it couldn't load the files there, I try to flash another ROM to solve the problem but it say it couldn't mount Data, Cache, System and neither internal storage (emmc), I tried to mount them manually but it was worthless, then I flashed the stock ROM to the device with SP Flash Tools and didn't help, piranha didn't work either, I can start the recovery and fastboot but nothing else, I flashed TWRP recovery but it can't mount any of the internal storage partitions and here is some log I get from it:

mounting /dev/blck/mmcblk0p4 on /system failed: invalid argument
mounting /emmc on vfat failed: no such file or directory
mounting /data on ext4 failed: no such file or directory
mounting /cache on ext4 failed: no such file or directory
can't find /storage in /etc/fstab

This is the log when I try to do anything

E:No valid storage partitions found for mtp

E:Unable to mount "/system"
E:Unable to mount "/cache"
E:Unable to mount "/data"
E:Unable to mount "/emmc"
E:Unable to mount storage
E:Unable to recreate and-sec folder

I don't know what to do now, and I don't know about ADB, I don't have internet connection so I can't research too much, the only thing I found is dead forums of old android versions or samsung devices with ODIN solutions

Also, in TWRP it say this about cache and data:

Mount Point: /data (/cache)
Currently file system: ext4
Present:No
Removable: No
Size: 0MB
Used: 0MB
Free: 0MB
Backup Size: 0MB

The phone storage only changes on: Current file system: vfat
And the System it's ext4 and it's supossed to be present but is the same as the other partitions

I have tried a few things as repairing partitions from TWRP recovery but it doesn't work, even formating mmcblk0 give me an error of permission denied and it don't get fixed with fix permissions option in the recovery

That's all the log I can give to you, I know it can comeback to life and that it's not too late, anything I can do I'll do it to save my device as is the first I had and the one who teach me "all I know" about android

You can try to format your data and system partitions using twrp.First boot to twrp and enter wipe menu.

-Then go to Advanced Wipe.

-Select the partitions you want to repair say data.

-Select the Repair or change file system tab.

-Select change file system.

Note your file system.Mine is ext4

-Select F2FS and swipe to change.

-Again select ext4 (original) and swipe to change.

Repeat this process for other partitions.


How can I take a screenshot on a Kindle Fire HD? I thought that ICS, which is the underlying OS version for a Kindle Fire HD, supported a standard way of taking screenshots by holding down power button + volume down key. This does not work for me. Can someone confirm whether this is indeed the case or whether I'm just being slow in not holding down the buttons at the same time?

It was hard to take screenshots on 1st generation Kindle Fire tablet. You had to Android SDK etc and connect to your computer etc just to take a screenshot. We are used to Print Screen function on computers.

How to take screenshot of Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire 2
1. Press and hold Volume Down & Power buttons simultaneously. Your Kindle Fire screen flickers and takes a snapshot of tablet screen.

You can find the saved screenshot images in Photos > Screenshots. Make sure to select Device tab at the top as shown below.

You can send saved screenshot via email, skype etc. I did not any option to send them via Bluetooth. It seems Kindle Fire has limited sharing options.


Is my phone using both WiFi and 4G? My Samsung Galaxy S4 (Verizon) running 4.2.2 (with the VRUAME7 Build, so root is not an option currently) has both the WiFi and 4G/mobile data symbols in the notification bar, occasionally the mobile data symbol will go away, but it is there more often then not.

So I have read through this forum and it says that by turning off the Caller Name ID app that this should remove the mobile data from the notifications. I have done this and it has not removed the symbol.

Questions

My phone does not seem to be using the mobile data, but I would like to know if it is in fact using the mobile data while connected to WiFi?

Shouldn't/Does the mobile data turn off when connected to WiFi?

If it does not turn off the mobile data, why not and can I fix this with Tasker? That is a HUGE waste of battery!

Your phone is not using both WiFi and 4G, but the 4G radio stays on and stays in sync with the tower (if you move from a 4G to 3G area while still on WiFi, you'll see the icon change when it recognizes the tower swtich).

On my Droid Bionic (Verizon), I have a Tasker script that turns off Mobile Data when I'm connected to Work or home WiFi networks; my battery life is greatly extended with this setup, and the phone works as I expect (I'm told that MMS messages require the Mobile Data connection, but I rarely receive them, so I can't say if that's true; if so, it may be one reason the radio stays on by default).


Won't update system - HTC Vivid My htc vivid won't update the system from the settings or check for updates on the phone. I keep getting "Error" server unavailable. I reset my phone to factory settings and it still has same error message. Why can't It update? How do I update it? It's original 4.0.3 won't let me download certain apps because it's not updated. Help!

According to the official site, version 4.0.3 is the most up-to-date version of Android released for the HTC Vivid (AT&T) phone, and no newer OS versions will be released for it by either HTC or AT&T.

There are 3rd-party ROMs available for this phone with more recent Android versions, including 4.3 Jelly Bean and 4.4 KitKat.  Installing these requires unlocking the bootloader on your phone, rooting it, and installing a custom recovery image.  This usually voids the manufacturer warranty.  There are tools such as WinDroid Toolkit that make this process easier, but those are not without risk.  Head over to XDA-Developers HTC Vivid sub-forums and read up on the details.


benefits of disabling built-in apps on zte z777 On a ZTE Z777 phone, would I gain USABLE app space and storage by disabling built-in
 apps that I don't use ?

Also, I have read on this site that some built-in apps may or may not cause misbehaving of other things.   How to know which apps are ok to disable ?

On a ZTE Z777 phone, would I gain [usable] app space and storage by disabling built-in apps that I don't use ?

Yes and No. Yes, because if the system app1 has been updated then it would be storing the update (apk) under userdata2 partition (/data), which does consume good amount of space. Disabling such an app would get rid of the update (apk) as well as the user specific data stored under userdata partition. No, because not all the system apps get an update or stores considerable amount of data under userdata. However, if you disable such an app that miniscule amount of data would still be deleted, hence freeing up some space.

  [Some] built-in apps may or may not cause misbehaving of other things. How to know which apps are [okay] to disable?

You don't, although many Google apps (shipped with device) have proven to be safe to be disabled. Consider this rule: if you've a custom recovery installed or ready to sacrifice your data then you can risk going berserk by disabling whatsoever you want (provided that you can, as an ordinary user). Otherwise, play safe i.e. do a web search to reach what system apps have folks found safe to be disabled.

1 System apps are primarily saved inside system partition. You cannot remove them from system partition without root access.
2 All user installed apps, updates to system apps and all apps' data is stored in userdata partition. It is the space here which counts as usable.


Viewing File System through a Windows Laptop I have a HTC Desire X running Android 4.0.4 (not rooted).
When I connect my phone to my Win7 Laptop, from my laptop, this is the filesystem I see

LOST.DIR (Empty)
Android\data\com.htc.album.thumbnails\

00,01,02,03,04,05,06,07,08,09,11,12,12_720,carmode

\DCIM\100MEDIA (Empty)
.data\mail\attachthumb (Empty)

Where is the rest of my file system? The OS, the programs etc?
Is there a way to view it from my laptop?

As Shywim wrote, direct access from your Windows PC is limited to certain directories – by default. But there are some helpers available to give you more details. Some examples include:

DavDrive Lite – make the local file system available via WebDAV. This would require another 3rd party tool on your Windows PC (some WebDAV client)
FTPServer – a small and lightweight FTP server. I'm not sure how much of your internal storage can be exposed with this without root.
AirDroid – access your files (and much more) via your web browser on the PC. AirDroid is a feature-loaded remote maintenance tool for your Android device, and does much more than just let you copy/paste files.
As you're using Windows: MyPhoneExplorer Client might be worth a look as well. It requires a PC companion (available for free on their website), and offers you a lot of additional features to maintain your Android device remotely.

Of course, there would be other means. Also already mentioned was ADB. For this, you might want to take a look at QtADB as graphical frontend – and at Is there a minimal installation of ADB? for how to get ADB set up without too much overhead.


Faster alternative to `input`? I'm trying to automate a task on my (non-rooted) Android phone.
While I have it "working" using input, it is quite slow due to taking ~0.7s per event. (Basically, I just need to send a bunch of tap events, so what I have now is a sequence of adb shell input tap $x $y.)
I tried sendevent, but it gives me "permission denied". (I'm not sure why; the device is allegedly writable by the input group, of which the shell user is a member... and obviously, the input command can send events.)
Is there some trick to getting sendevent to work? Or some way to send multiple commands in a single invocation of input?
I'd prefer solutions that don't require installing third-party software...

So... really crappy method: fork adb... as in, run it on the local shell in the background, using &. This is super-ugly and somewhat dependent on each instance executing with consistent timing (and probably not too polite to the android device, asking it to spin up all those Java processes), but it works.
Example:
tap() { adb shell input tap "$@" & sleep 0.02 }
tap 500 500
tap 600 600
tap 700 700

...will send tap events to (500, 500), (600, 600) and (700, 700) in fairly quick succession.


How can I get the Car Home app to work? I'm running KitKat and can't locate the Car Home app on it. It's listed in the Play Store as "Installed" and also "incompatible with all your devices", also "not eligible".

There's a seeming incongruency in the app install versus availability, and an inability to access the the app on my devices: no icon, no ability to add a shortcut to the launcher?

I've not seen another app in the Play store reporting itself in this odd manner.  My immediate assumption is it has been discontinued and/or is installed in the Android OS but only makes itself available under certain conditions (e.g. a docking station is present).

There does seem to be discussion around the Internet about the Car Home app and docking station integration.

Back in Gingerbread days I used to open the Car Home app manually to use it.  I haven't checked for it in a while.

Currently I'm running a Nexus4 with KitKat but I think this doesn't seem to matter. The app also won't work with my Note 10.1 and is not available for the old Nexus S either (lost that phone though so I'm only going by what the Play store is reporting for it).

I've settled for using a third-party app for now, however if Car Home is part of Android and the Play store I would prefer to use it.

I use Car Mode Ultra. It's highly customizable and more useful than the old car mode from Google


Google voice for voicemail When a phone is configured to use Google Voice for voicemail, his does that work?  is the call routed to VM by the phone, or is the setting changed at the carrier too?

It's routed by the carrier so even if your phone is off it will get appropriately routed to Google Voice.  With non-android phones you have to type the carrier specific activation code into the keypad and hit send to make the change at the carrier level.  The Google Voice Android App takes care of this for you with a simple toggle in the settings menu.


How to remove MTK Logger? I've got a Sony Xperia E4g which runs on Android 4.4.4. MTK Logger doesn't appear in the apps screen, but it's in the list of apps in the settings app.
I can't figure out how to get rid of it. I can't find it when I plug my phone into my laptop and look at the files.
How to remove MTK Logger?

Don't remove it. It is a logger by MediaTek and it is safe. You can access related settings by typing *#*#3646633#*#* in the dialer.
You can find a log option to enable logging. By the way, it is not very useful for the end-user. It is there for debugging purposes for developers.


Android on PC: Correct ISO I've tried doing this before, and I successfully installed Android on my Dell Inspiron 15 [64bit.]  There was one problem though. No video worked. Not on YouTube, not on the Web. Not when downloaded with any video player. Can anyone please verify an Android ISO that works well with videos and everything? I know people do it, but with which version, and what iso?

Since I cannot comment on a reply to my own post, I will answer it saying that user AI E. nailed it. I have already done that, and would love to help other users do the same. I have succesfully installed it on an AMD processor on a Dell Computer -- if anyone needs help like I did, just let me know.


Unable to set tablet display mode to HDMI I'm new to android and trying to connect my tablet to LCD TV using a HDMI connector. The instructions in the manual are as below:

Set the TV mode to HDMI.
Connected the HDMI cable between tablet and TV's respective ports.
Set the tablet display mode under Display Settings to HDMI.

Steps 1 and 2 went good, but in Step 3 I'm unable to find any option in Settings and Display Settings as HDMI. However my default video player named Vortex player has an option to "Play on TV" where the display can be set to HDMI and the video plays fine on the TV.

This leaves me to think that both the TV and HDMI cable are working fine but I suspect that the tablet's firmware might be that of a different model perhaps which does not support HDMI (wild guess).

The tech support suggested to download and install the latest "software" (not sure if it's a firmware or not, even they were not..) to help fix the issue with steps by connecting it to PC through USB with a bunch of steps. But this software which shows prompts in chinese doesn't seem to help the cause either. Tech support also says I should be prompted to select display mode on tablet when connected to HDMI but it didn't happen either.

Details of my tab as below:

Name: Penta T-Pad IS703C (T-Pad IS703C With BSNL)
Manufacturer: Pantel
Android: 4.0.3
Kernel: 3.0.8
Build Number: fj_vortex-userdebug 4.0.3 IML74K
eng.zjd1.20120413.113558 test-keys

Request thoughts and suggestions on the same that could help me fix the situation.

P.S the above information remained unchanged even after the "software update", so I suspect that it might've done nothing at all.

After hours of searching on the net and string of emails with the customer care I received a call from a member claiming to be from the technical team. The end result of the call was that there is no HDMI setting in the settings panel and the only way to display content on to the TV using HDMI is through the stock "Vortex" player, which basically has no options than to change volume, display mode and the tracker. I couldn't find any info on this player's version or if there's any update for it that could help. Also my search for some effective alternative like RealHDMI for DroidX almost has hit a dead end. Marking this as answered to serve as information source for people who buy this product and hope I might receive some effective alternatives in the future.


My phone was just stolen an hour or so ago. Are there any options for tracking? I realize this is a long shot, but my phone was lost or stolen a few hours ago.

At the time it was stolen, I didn't have any specific applications installed to track it or wipe the data. So... my bad. I'm hoping the fact that I have a pattern lock will at least prevent anyone from accessing my data.

My question is, do I have any options for tracking or data wipe after the fact? (I'm more interested in tracking.)

Note: I have read similar questions, but unless I'm mistaken, they all address the question in terms of preparation before losing the phone. I'm asking about fallback options after losing the phone.

You can install Plan B remotely to your phone via the Market's web interface. Plan B was made exactly for this, to get the location of your phone AFTER it has been stolen.


Motorola Atrix 4g force close error I am using Motorola Atrix 4g and it's Android 2.3.6 . It worked like a boss for almost 6/7 months. Recently it started showing Force close com.motorola.service.main and restart the phone, then again force close and restart. After restarting almost 10 times it showed the screen. Then I factory reset the set, thought it will solve the problem.

But after resetting the phone it still gives error "com.motorola.service.main has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again" and then force close, but it doesn't restart now. So I can still use the phone. And I live in Bangladesh, so there is no servicing center available for this.

Anyone faced this before? or does anyone have any clue how to fix it?

I had the Force Close problem the error was "The process com.motorola.service.main has stopped unexpectedly please try again". Motorola support couldn't solve it so they had me send it for repair. Sent it to them 2X. When i got it back the 3rd time still had the problem so Motorola provided a replacement phone. When i received the replacement the problem occurred again. This only left 2 possibilities, sim card (unlikely) and MotoBlur. I created a new MotoBlur account instead of using my existing one. PROBLEM SOLVED.


ODIN configuration file - elements' meanings I started this question in order to have more light shed on a tool that's used by almost all the Samsung device owners that perform operations such as flashing: ODIN.

Since there's already a good answer that covers the meaning behind the most commonly used checkboxes, I would like to make everyone think about the ODIN configuration file, namely Odin3.ini. This file resides in the same position as the ODIN main executable, and it's mandatory in order to run the program itself. Its content (v.3.10.7) can be observed below:

[Option]
Title=odin
FactoryResetTime=1
OptionEnable=1
SLP=0
AuthorityKey=pw
RtnForSprint=1

[APOption]
RePartition=0
AutoReboot=1
FResetTime=1
FlashLock=0
TFlash=0
NandErase=0

[CPOption]
PhoneEFSClear=0
PhoneBootUpdate=0k

[UIOption]
LED=0

[ButtonOption]
Bootloader=1
PDA=1
Phone=1
CSC=1
UMS/PATCH=0
USERDATA=0

[D300Jig]
;[0] not use / COM [1~2] usable
D300COM=0
;[0] not use / [1] use
MicroCable=0

[PortArrange]
;SAMSUNG Mobile Modem port (for Download mode)
DPort0=
DPort1=
DPort2=
DPort3=
DPort4=
DPort5=
DPort6=
DPort7=
;SAMSUNG Android USB Modem port (for Samsung Kies)
SPort0=
SPort1=
SPort2=
SPort3=
SPort4=
SPort5=
SPort6=
SPort7=

As of recently, I performed some tests on the abovementioned values. You can see my findings in the answer below, which is freely editable by anyone.

Now comes the question part: was anyone able to ascertain the usage of those settings I was unable to/didn't test? For instance:

Usefulness of FactoryResetTime - it doesn't reset the flash counter, before you say that;
FTP connection output after editing SLP;
Eventual output of DeviceInfo;
Usage of AuthorityKey;
Usage of RtnForSprint (only v3.10.7);
Usage of the T Flash checkbox;
What's supposed to be chosen as UMS/PATCH file - I've never seen one.

And yes, I'm aware that this is a bit of work, it's broad, and that it's not strictly related to Android. However, I found nothing on the XDA community, and I feel that we've yet to discover the real power of this ODIN tool. Any answer about this topic has the potential to help Samsung users out there to better understand this piece of software.

As suggested by @MatthewRead, this answer will reflect the same fashion of the question - it will be editable by anyone who has something useful to say.

In regards to the original question, here are my latest findings:

For label [Options]:

Title: string. Used for changing the string displayed near "Odin"; freely customizable;
FactoryResetTime: unknown. I was able to change this value, but nothing happened;
OptionEnable: flag. When set to 0, it makes any setting greyed out;
PhoneEnable: flag. Usually not present in a fresh Odin3.ini, can be manually added. When set to 1, it makes Phone EFS Clear and Phone Bootloader Update selectable;
DeviceInfo: flag. Usually not present in a fresh Odin3.ini, can be manually added. When set to 1, it makes the DeviceInfo checkbox available. Ticking the checkbox doesn't produce any result;
SLP: flag. When set to 1, makes the program try a connection to 165.213.149.206 via FTP, in order to search for updates of the main executable. NOTE: I backtracked the IP, and it indeedly is a Korean server;
AuthorityKey: unknown. This seems like a string of some kind, and I think it's connected to the previous parameter, but I've no clues;
RtnForSprint: flag. Untested.

For label [APOption]:

From RePartition to NandErase: flags. Editing them modifies the default behaviour of the corresponding option (0 = unticked / 1 = ticked).

For label [CPOption]:

PhoneEFSClear: flag. Usually, the corresponding checkbox is greyed out. By changing the value to 1, it's possible to make it be checked, but still greyed out. Doing so will make the application prompt you to choose a firmware file, preventing you to start the flashing process only for, say, rebooting;
PhoneBootUpdate: apparently flag. The default value of 0k may seem odd, but this flag does the same thing as the previous one, on the Phone Bootloader Update checkbox.

For label [UIOption]:

LED: unknown. It may be anything: I changed this value, but nothing happened.

For label [ButtonOption]:

From Bootloader to UMS/PATCH: flags. Editing them enables or "greyes" out the corresponding checkbox (0 = disabled / 1 = enabled);
USERDATA: unknown, possibly flag. Since I didn't find any reference for this value in the program's code, I guess that this is a feature that will be developed in the future. For now, it does nothing.

For label [D300Jig]:

D300COM: integer. I changed this value, but nothing happened;
MicroCable: flag. I changed this value, but nothing happened.

For label [PortArrange]:

From DPort0 to SPort7: unknown. Untested.

Notes:

SLP: as previously mentioned, this flag triggers a FTP connection to a hard-coded IP address. I think that it may be useful in order to update Odin from a trusted source, but I've no proof. It would be useful if someone with an outdated Odin tests this;
D300Jig: I found a reference to this section in Odin's code, along with a string that's supposed to be displayed at output. Still, I wasn't able to make it work. Two Russian forums claim it to be a way to flash firmwares on old devices wo/ neither Loke nor the Recovery partition. More research is needed.


Will un-rooting return stock apps I've recently rooted my phone - mainly to remove a bunch of the stock apps that I never use, e.g:

Google+
Google NewStand
FM Radio
Google Books

I'm wondering, can I now un-root my phone, and if so will this leave these off my device? Or will un-rooting return them back to my phone?

Yes.

You can unroot your phone. Use the method that GUI app (SuperSU, Superuser etc.) you use offer you to do it.

No.

It won't bring those apps back. Rooting is just a process of adding a binary in the /system partition that will let the apps approved by the GUI app execute commands as the root user, a user that is not an object to the standard rules other users are. This process is completely unrelated to the presence of the stock apps (assuming what you mean by it are the apps sit in /system/app directory of the phone) If these apps are deleted then the only way to get them back is to install them again. If you want them to be stock apps again you need to move them (or install them in the first place) to /system/app directory.


nfc tag compatibility with google nexus 5 does anyone know if samsungs tec tile 2 (note the 2!) are compatible with the google nexus 5? in fact, does anyone have a list of compatible nfc tags?

(i thought the whole idea of nfc tags is that they are compatible, but it appears that the tectile 1's are compatible with even the newest samsung phones)

According to this article Tectiles 2 tags are based on the NFC Forum Type 4 tag standard (though the article does not mention an exact chip). Also Samsung explicitly released Tectiles 2 for use with devices that have non-NXP NFC chipsets (like Galaxy S4). This means that these tags are compatible to all current Android NFC devices including the Nexus 5.


Disable `S Finder / Quick Connect` in notification panel My notification panel has S Finder / Quick Connect buttons, I would like to disable them, but I cannot find any option in system settings for that.

There is an option Recommended apps in Notification panel menu, but it does nothing and occasionally crashes settings.

Galaxy Note 3 with Android 5.0, international variant.

AFAIK they cannot be removed without voiding your device's warranty, as they are integrated into TouchWiz and are therefore part of the system.

If you really need to get those buttons out of your notification panel, then you would either have to

recompile SystemUI.apk to remove the section where the buttons are located, or
use a custom ROM that's not TouchWiz-based.

Either way, you'll have to void your warranty by obtaining root access in your device. (And let me tell you, warranty is such a pain on recent Samsung devices, what with the introduction of Samsung KNOX.)


Setting a Hardware ID on an Android Tablet I wonder if I could get some guidance.

We purchased 6 android tablets for our kids over Christmas and shortly after we also purchased McAfee Live Safe so that we cold protect all these devices.  Now, McAfee's installation depends on a unique Hardware ID and it appears that from the manufacturer, the hardware ID on all devices are the same and have been rooted (Android 4.2).

Now, McAfee have no solution apart from refunding us our subscription as they are not able to resolve which means their application is not doing what it says on the tin.  this is all good but I have only found McAfee to provide an antivirus solution that will protect multiply devices.

I want to know if there is an easy way to set a Unique Hardware ID (like using the serial number of the device or the MAC address) so that I can install McAfee with no issues.

Anyone's help and guidance would be very much appreciated and I apologise in advance if this is the wrong place to ask but I have found many solutions from here in the past and thought I'd give it a go.

Given that McAfee himself (who has had nothing to do with the software for years after selling it to Intel) describes the product as "the worst software on the planet", I'd take the refund and be grateful at dodging that bullet.

I won't recommend a particular one, but you could buy six copies of a competing Android security product for what a year's subscription to McAfee Live Safe costs.


Now On Tap is missing from Marshmallow I recently flashed the stable version of Cataclysm onto my Nexus 5 (Cataclysm Oct 27, 2015 Stable release). Cataclysm adds several features including AppOps over a mostly stock system.

However, Now On Tap is missing from my system. Holding down on the home button just brings me to the Google Now cards screen. This happens on the Google Experience Launcher, the 3rd party Nova Launcher, and various apps including Facebook, Inbox, Telegram and WhatsApp.

In case I accidentally disabled it during setup, I've looked through the settings to try to re-enable it but haven't been able to find the option.

As far as I know, Cataclysm doesn't disable Now on Tap or affect it in any way. I previously flashed the stock system image for 6.0 where Now On Tap was present.

Just in case, I checked: the Google apk version is 5.4.28.19.arm, which was updated on 22 Oct 2015 so that's probably not the issue.

Apparently (as of current writing), Google Now on Tap only available if the System language is set to English.

From Official Google Support for Search,

  What languages is this feature available in?

  Now on tap is currently only available in English.

Perhaps an understatement, since setting the language to English in Google Search app doesn't show the option for Now on Tap.

According to Reddit,

  Now On Tap only works with English system language.

  Just a heads up.

  I tested it, and it checks out - with system language set to English, you'll find a Now On Tap toggle under Settings - Google - Search and Now. In another language, that toggle isn't there.

As for the follow-up, it seems any English language is accepted, not only English (US) or English (UK)

  Any English (UK, AUS, India)? Or just US English?
  I guess I could try it and find out but goggle wont gib oats!

  US and UK worked for me.
  Working fine on English (India)
  English AU works fine


Restore ALL information after factory reset I've done a factory reset on my Samsung galaxy A5 (2016) with android 6.0.1.

I've done a factory reset today,  then restored my account from Google drive.  Many things have been restored correctly,  although some are not restored,  like:

themes and background picture
organisation of apps on home screen
memos
alarms in clock app
cookies in chrome
...

Is there a way to get them back?
If not, then is there a way (app) to backup them?

Update

I'd to restore my phone as its gps wasn't working (I've tried various apps to fix / reset it without success)

Notes: I mean built-in notes app of my phone.

Theme & backound: no those haven't been restored

Restore using the Samsung Cloud. I've done this recently and I got back my sms messages, alarms,  background,  and everything. Hopefully your backup was setup automatically on your phone...This quick youtube video might help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly8HyxbXQGU


How to revert back to stock rom for Galaxy S 2? Possible Duplicate:
  Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

I did the whole exercise and rooted my Swiss Sunrise 2.3.4 Galaxy S II ending up installing CM9 and the ICS 4.0.3 preview without TouchWiz shown and described here:

http://devsrom4android.blogspot.com/2012/02/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-android-ice-cream.html

I do not have a backup of the original stock rom from Sunrise for Switzerland and with this new version I cannot install home banking application (it's restricted for swiss devices and for OS version) neither can I install the new Chrome Beta for ICS because it tells me country is wrong.

where can I find a step-by-step guide on where/how to find the original rom and put it back possibly also unrooting so to bring the phone to its original state/configuration? Thanks!!

You can find the stock ROM for the SGS2 on XDA here, and there is also a list of branded carrier ROMs here.

You will then need to use a tool like ODIN (maybe even Kies) to flash the ROM to the device. The first link also is a good tutorial on how to flash via ODIN.

I recommend you read everything before you attempt to restore, then when you understand it all, read it again. If there is any reference to specific versions of things, or radios versions or anything like that, make sure you do the research and look in to that stuff and make sure everything is "correct" before you continue. Then follow it step-by-step when you are ready to restore.


'Set Warranty Bit: Recovery' Samsung doesn't boot I have a Samsung Galaxy J5 and it isn't booting since I patched an app with Lucky Patcher (first time I tried it). I have had the root for some time, with no problems, but now I boot it and it goes black after showing the logo and 'Set Warranty Bit: recovery' for a second.

I have a backup with Titanium Backup in my PC, and would like to know if I should flash a custom ROM I found for my device or flash a stock version (custom ROM works for everyone and comes with instructions, but I don't trust so much the stock version). Also, the custom ROM has a lot of steps, but there is no cyanogenmod version for the J5.

Thanks in advance! (also, is there any other solution?)

Take a look at this guide. It is designed specifically for the Galaxy J5 and all flashing software and the ROM are obtained from official Samsung sources. Outline:

Backup your data
Install samsung USB drivers (No link because it will probably die soon, Google is your friend)
Install ADB & Fastboot drivers if you haven't already. (HowToGeek)
Enable USB debugging (if you can)

Make sure your phone is charged. If you can't see any indicators of battery life leave it on the charger for 2 hours.

Download and install Odin (download here)
5.5 Download the stock rom for your phone (here)
Turn off your Galaxy J5 and Boot in download mode.(Hold down Volume Down + Home + Power button at the same time)
Connect it to the PC with USB cable and run Odin.
If everything is right and drivers are working properly. You will see the blue box on the ODIN screen, if not reinstall the drivers again and reboot your PC.
Now select the AP option from the ODIN screen and select the firmware file that you extracted.
Hit the Start button from the ODIN screen to start the flashing process.
Once completed you will see the PASS messages on the ODIN and Phone will reboot automatically. Now you can disconnect your phone.

IMPORTANT:. If you phone stuck on the boot loop or in the Samsung Android Loog. Then turn off the phone and reboot in recovery mode. TO do this Hold down Volume Up + Home + Power button at the same time. Now from recovery select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and after that Wipe cache partition. Now reboot you phone.


How to control user installed apps? Device Pre-installed Apps(Camera, Calendar, file manager etc. ) have options for 'Force Stop' and 'Enable/Disable' app. And, for User installed apps(from PlayStore etc.) have only options 'Force Stop' and 'Uninstall'.

I have set some applications to start from boot. Mostly, user apps are set to start, while  I touch them only. But, some user apps start automatically, and consumes RAM. I will Force Stop/remove those apps from RAM. But, it starts again after few hours.

Is there any method to disable such apps rather than uninstalling those apps.

Device : Xiaomi Redmi 1S - Lineage OS 14.1(rooted)

On a rooted device, it is possible to disable/enable user apps using a terminal emulator.

To do so, open a terminal of your choice, enter

su

to acquire root privileges and then enter

pm disable <packagename>

Take care to replace <packagename> with the package name of the app you wish to disable (for example, if you wish to disable WhatsApp, your command will be pm disable com.whatsapp).

To revert the process and thus enable a disabled app, acquire root privileges and issue

pm enable <packagename>

Again, remember to replace <packagename> with the package name of the disabled app you wish to enable.


Unable to recover SD card used as internal memory after factory reset I have Motorolla G3 Android 6.0 phone. I am using 32 gb SD card as internal storage.
After removing my 32gb card I did factory reset, now after factory reset my device doesn't recognize my SD card its saying to format it, however I have lots of stuff which I don't want to delete.
Is there any tool / program which I can use to recover the data or access my photos. Is it necessary to format my SD card ?

TL;DR: Yes.

Details: By adopting your SD card as internal storage, it was encrypted. The encryption key was stored on the device itself – and thus deleted when you performed the factory-reset. For that reason, the device can no longer decrypt it and read the data stored there.

So unfortunately, there is no way to recover the data you had stored on the card, as the key is lost. The only ones able to perform that miracle would be forensics – and they would ask a sum you'll unlikely be willing to pay (if you're very lucky, it would only be 4 digits befoe the dot, with the unit being US$ or €).

For more details on adoptable-storage and how it works, please take a look at our adoptable-storage tag-wiki.


How to configure Google Now's notification time? Currently Google Now notifies me 10 minutes before I need to leave the house for an appointment (taking traffic into consideration). How do I change the notification time to some other value?

The default reminder time is actually based on your calendar. If you open your calendar, open Settings, and select General settings, "Default reminder time" is near the bottom (I'm working from Cyanogenmod 10, but AOSP/Nexus devices should be similar).  This controls the general notification time. The Now functionality is separate, and (from what I understand) is based entirely on travel time. If your appointment has a destination that Google recognizes, it will calculate travel time and pop up a card far enough ahead to allow you to meet that travel time and arrive on time. I'm not positive if it factors in your reminder time into this or not, but it's possible that it is. If that's the case, it will notify you 10 minutes + travel time currently, and if you modify the calendar notification time, it should modify the Now notification time. Again, this is speculation based on how I understand Now to function, but I believe it's fairly accurate based on my experience.


Where on my S3 can I find the punctuation button to type a "guillemets"? I want to type the French and German style "guillemets" marks (« or ») on my mobile.  Where on my keyboard is it?

OS: 4.1.1

Galaxy S3

Apparently the stock keyboard does support it, as wbogacz's answer shows. I was not aware of this, as I never used the stock keyboard.

Evidently those aren't guillemets on the stock keyboard.

I do not believe the stock keyboard supports this.  You'll need to use an alternative keyboard to get this functionality.

Using an alternative keyboard is another way to get this functionality which is a bit easier to access.

One keyboard I know of that supports it is Hacker's Keyboard, which is the keyboard I use myself.

To type « and » on that keyboard, you do a long press on the circle button (at the bottom-right.  It acts as the compose key in this context), release it, and then type << or >> respectively

To get ‹ and ›, you do the same and type .< or .>

An exhaustive list of all the supported compose key combinations can be found here.


How to customise the menu on a LG G Watch I recently received an LG G Watch. I've been playing around with it and find it a very difficult to understand device. E.g. I want to customize the menu that you bring up by tapping the screen and then sliding up. A lot of the options in there simply don't apply to me and I want them removed.

How to I customize the LG G Watch menu?

From my  reading of the LG G Watch User manual pdf  there are 2 sets of data that can be brought up from a 'Swipe Up' action.

1) Google Now. This can be customised through the 'Wand' Icon in Google now, and swiping away cards will often give the prompt "Do you wish to continue to receive updates about < whatever >? I doubt this is what you are referring to.

2) The actual settings/options. There is no mention here or anywhere else as to customising these options. I can't imagine you'd be allowed (or want to) remove something like "Pairing" or "Display" options for obvious reasons, they seem to apply the same rationale to all options, as is standard on all Android devices.

If, on the off chance, you are referring to the app drawer, then you would have to uninstall the app from your phone first as the Android Wear app synchs all compatible apps.

Finally the only other thing I can think of is Notifications you don't want. In this case:

  On your phone open the Android Wear app.
  Touch the Settings Icon
  Touch Mute Notifications
  Click the + Icon
  Choose what app(s) you want to mute.


Accelerometer on Moto G is bad from factory? I got a Motorola Moto G a few weeks ago and unfortunately it came with what I suspect is a failing accelerometer. I say that because when I open any level (bubble) application it reads random numbers in a wide range, even after the app calibration and on a flat surface (no sensor calibration on the phone settings).
Let me show you the video to make it easier to understand: http://youtu.be/FD35Uk4HmXo
I tried four different applications and all of them show the same symptoms- the bubble moving randomly in almost one full degree. When I talked to Motorola technicians they blamed the application(s), so they recommended me to return the phone and get a new one. To my surprise the new device (the one shown in the video) does the same exact thing!
Now I wonder, do I have bad luck and got two defective Moto G? Or they messed up and put a bad sensor in the devices? Or I am doing something wrong!?
Does anyone have this issue with their own Moto G? Thanks :-)

From what I can see in the video, the fluctuations are within about 1° in the first app, and 0.5° in the second. That's not exactly "random numbers in a wide range".

Accuracy within 1° is acceptable for most intended use cases: Mobile games, screen orientation, gestures, etc. It's quite possible that Motorola decided to use a cheaper sensor since the phone itself is intended to be a very low-cost device.

I wouldn't say that it's defective. Possibly subpar, but not defective.


Unlock different Apps from lock screen I just got the Galaxy S6 and am new to Android.  Is there any way to have the phone open a different app/program, depending on how I swipe open the lock screen?

I.e. if I go up, right, up - open Music.  If I go left, down, left, open Chrome, etc.

I've mentioned below some use-cases tested on Android 5.0.2. Choose the one which suits your need.

GMD GestureControl

It needs root access. It can launch an action (say music app) using gesture from any app opened on the screen including lock-screen.

Usage instructions

Install and launch the app.
Tap Menu key and select Settings. Choose Device Setup at the very end of instructions if the gesture doesn't work.
Enable Start on boot to get rid of the need of launching this app manually to activate gestures on lock-screen or system-wide.
Create a gesture by tapping Select Gesture.
Choose which type of gesture you want, be it curvy (select Record Gestures) or the simple straight directional ones.
Unless you chose Record Gestures, the step would be to tap the direction icons to record gesture.

Touch Point: Mention the  number of touch or fingers you would be using to make the gesture
Anywhere: Location on screen where the gesture would work
Action: Choose the action to be performed like launch of an app, once you're done making the gesture
Per App Action: Mention where do you want your gesture to be activated. Default is everywhere

Go to Action.
Choose Application if you want an app to be launched.
Choose your app.
Go to Advanced options.
Enable Activate on Lock Screen.
Save and apply the changes.

(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)

I tried this app with CM12's default screen lock and third-party SlideLock Locker. The result is that the gesture would execute the action if you perform the gesture on lock-screen but you can't see anything unless you unlock the screen if Password/PIN/Pattern or any security measure is set.

Nevertheless, it is a very powerful, intuitive and useful app.

GestureLocker

It doesn't need root access. Last updated in 2013, yet surprisingly, it worked on my device without hitches. Also, it seems that unlike traditional lock-screens it simply creates an overlay on the screen (with a lock icon) and your opened app  would continue to be visible but non-interactive unless you perform the unlock or other user defined gesture.

Usage Instructions

Install and launch the app, and uncheck Show LockScreen Gesture (it hints your gesture on lock-screen).
Uncheck default gestures and tap Add Gesture.
Name and record your gesture, then tap the newly created entry.
Select the app which you want to be launched using the gesture.

(Click image to enlarge; hover to know details)

Notable mentions

Gestos - Gestures -- last update an year ago, so it didn't work satisfactorily on Lollipop. But it may work nicely on Kitkat or prior Android versions.
Pi Locker -- it is a regularly updated lock-screen app and has some inbuilt gestures with no support to add user gestures as of now. I noticed some glitches during usage but that may be device specific.
Locker Master- Fun, DIY Themes -- you can create your own custom lock-screen without any programming I believe. It required internet connection to work satisfactorily and I dropped this idea considering its hunger for app permissions.

I've compiled two videos (ripped) to show the two main apps in action, both of size ~6MB:

GMD GestureControl
GestureLocker

Cheers!


why there is exclamation mark on wi fi. I am facing problem after upgrading to lollipop 5.0 I have a Micromax AQ4501 mobile phone. I am getting an exclamation mark over the Wi-Fi icon. And I am unable to connect to Wi-Fi thereafter.

I have been facing this problem since a few days after I upgraded my phone to Lollipop 5.0. I tried many things like:

switching off and then on,
replacing SIM from slot 1 to slot 2,
switching mobile data and Wi-Fi connection on and then off

but all in vain.

I called the Google call center but they were also unable to help me.

I am able to use internet through mobile internet, but unable to use Wi-Fi with this phone. My Wi-Fi is working fine on other gadgets like my laptop.

How can I resolve this problem?

in lollipop , '!' is shown usually when wifi is connected but unable to access internet for reasons like Sign-in into ISP webpage,etc .

i suggest u to turn off wifi router power supply and turn it on after 10 seconds,
this solved same problem for me


CM10 on Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 n8010 missing things I installed CyanogenMod 10 on my WiFi Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. However, some things are missing.

First of all, I want the S-Pen handwrite keyboard, as well as the S-Note app.
Also, if possible make peel work (very unlikely, but just in case anyone had make that work)

I tried to install these from an unzipped stock ROM but (as expected) it didn't work. Do I have to install any library? If yes, which?

BTW: Please do not recommend other ROMs. I want CM. Maybe alternative apps.
If I find the libraries and APKs, I may create a flashable zip.

These apps won't work with custom ROM's, as they are designed to be run with the Samsung software, and require libraries etc from the Samsung software.


I can't delete bad piggies off Galaxy S4 I installed the game thinking I'd play it, but I changed my mind. Anyway, that's not too important. I clicked uninstall, and it does say it uninstalled it, but in the application manager, it is still taking up 108 MB, though listed as "Not installed."

If I go to the play store, and try to get the game again, it installs instantly, proving to me that the app is still somewhere on the phone (I don't have 100 MBps internet) How do I get rid of the app completely?

If it's important, I use Android Lollipop 5.0.1.

Do you have root? I don't know, so I will just say both ways, with and without root.

--With root

Get a Root File Explorer (I recommend ES File Explorer), open the menu, scroll down to the root option and turn in on. Then navigate to /data/app and delete the app file. The file name should be the apps package name. That would be com.rovio.BadPiggies.apk. Delete that. I can't remember how Lollipop installs apps, so if /data/app is full of directories, then just delete the directory named com.rovio.BadPiggies.

--Without root

You need a computer for this. Download ADB (I'll give you a link) to your computer. cd to where ADB was downloaded to. Plug your phone into the computer. Open up a terminal (or CMD if your on Windows). Run adb devices. It should list your devices serial number, and it's status. Allow the computer to use ADB. The prompt will be on your phone.
Run adb shell, then run the following commands in order:

cd /data/app
ls

If ls's output was a bunch of files ending in .apk then run rm com.rovio.BadPiggies.apk, and if it wasn't, then run rm com.rovio.BadPiggies.

Hope this helps


How to install cyanogenmod on a Samsung Galaxy Europa (GT-I5500B) I currently own a Samsung Galaxy Europa (GT-I5500B) phone. I'd like to install cyanogenmod on it.

Is this possible? There's a how to available for people without experience rooting phones?
If it I don't like cyanogenmod, is it possible to revert the phone to the default Samsung install?

From the devices page, it doesn't seem like your phone is officially supported - http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices . As an alternative, see http://www.madteam.co/forum/development/%28development%29-cyanogenmod-7-1-%27galaxy5%27-port/
If you do manage to flash a custom ROM, you can change back provided you use the ROMs supplied by http://samfirmware.com - not official, just a repository of original factory ROMs.


Clear user session on profile change My wife's company want to loan android tablets (Nexus 7's with 5.0 in the pilot) to clients for the duration of a consultation.  Restricted profiles in lollypop make this more achievable.  Question : is there a way when the client has finished to wipe his/her data automatically?  Obviously an app would be ideal but writing something might work.  The use cases are basically privacy (obviously) but also ensuring that users don't leave anything inappropriate for the next user.

I currently write java apps on unix but am a novice with android.  Is it possible for instance to write something that listens for a profile change event?  A restricted user "template" with allowed apps prepopulated so the user profile could be quickly deleted and recreated?

I think Guest Mode is made exactly for this purpose:
http://www.androidbeat.com/2015/01/activate-guest-mode-android-5-lollipop/

As far as I can tell, when you exit guest mode, it deletes any data/settings they have entered.  The only downside is that you would need to reinstall any special apps you want clients to be able to use.


How to connect Sony Xperia L with Ubuntu? How do I connect my Sony Xperia L in MTP mode with Ubuntu? If I connect in MTP mode, Ubuntu fails to read my files from internal storage.
What can I do?

That might depend on which Android version your device it running. Some devices additional support USB mass storage. Also: there are some packages you might install/update on your Ubuntu side, to support mtpfs (see e.g. answers here and here).

Alternatively, you might wish to go the "ADB way" (this is how I do it on my Ubuntu box). Here you would need a basic ADB installation (see: Is there a minimal installation of ADB?) and adbfs (see my answer here). In both cases, you can use graphical file managers as well as the command line to deal with your files.


WiFi doesn't automatically connect I have a Nexus 5 running Android 6.0.1, not rooted.

When I travel from one known WiFi network to another (possibly even am inactive at home), the phone does not automatically connect to WiFi. When I check the settings, WiFi is turned off. When I turn WiFi on, it connects happily. The WiFi signals are strong.

In the settings menu for this phone, I have gone to Settings -> WiFi -> (top right menu) -> Advanced -> "Keep WiFi on during sleep", and turned this on. It has been on for weeks, and still the phone turns WiFi off.

Question: How can I prevent Android turning WiFi off?

Due diligence: I have checked the forums, and nothing seems to solve this exact problem. (The setting above is mentioned as a solution. I wish it worked.) Also, few posts are recent.

Is there any battery saver/hibernator or such applications installed?

There is a possibility of these apps turning wifi off, while you are not accessing any data(ie, if there are no active foreground apps using the wifi).

The next case i'm not sure about is Android Marshmallow's Doze feature.
I have seen people complaining about wifi being turned off, while doze kicks in.

As a solution, you can install any device automation tools like Macrodroid as mentioned in the comments above to tweak/bypass your problem.


Power saver turns display brighter. Shouldn't it be darker? When my battery is running low, the power saver turns on. When that happens, my display gets brighter. Shouldn't it be turning darker to reduce the power consumption? Is it normal to get brighter or not?

Go to your Power Settings and check for the Brightness level. Someone must have changed the default settings


Root, but "file cannot be deleted" I've rooted my worlds-lowest-end-tablet the Azpen A727 successfully a while back.  In my quest to recover as much of its tiny memory as possible, I came across a folder called /system/preinstall which has several .apks in it, for software that came with the tablet, that I don't want, and have uninstalled.

When I try to delete them using ES File Explorer, the app successfully gains root, but I get a message "[filename].apk cannot be deleted".

Is there a power greater than root?

Indeed there is: "root that knows what it's doing" ;)

you gain no usable free space from deleting stuff below /system, as that's the OS's domain and not used to place user content / user apps
As the user is not supposed to change stuff here (and neither is the OS while running in "normal mode"), /system is mounted read-only – which means you cannot write (nor delete) in this mode. If for some reason (which you should be sure of, know about possible side-effects, and have taken appropriate pre-cautions) you need to write there, you'll first have to re-mount it in read-write mode.


Writing Scripts For Android So I recently downloaded ScriptRunner for android and was wanting to learn how write a basic script to open an app click at a certain x y coordinate and perhaps take a screen capture at a given time. So if anybody could get me started in the right direction id very much appreciate it.

Have a look at UI Automator https://developer.android.com/training/testing/ui-automator
If you want just something very simple, you could create a shell script with adb commands instead. E.g.:
Click on coordinate 500, 500:
adb shell input tap 500 500

Launch an app:
adb shell am start com.package.name

Take screenshot:
adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png


Android Assistant on Lollipop Is it possible to get Google Assistant on Android Lollipop smartphone?
I wouldn't prefer to root my phone.

Edit(2 March 2017): Today, as I woke up Assistant suddenly appeared in my app drawer.

Apparently, according to the Google's blog, the assistant should definitely work on Android 5.0, for those running their phones in English:

  The Google Assistant on Android 5.0 Lollipop has started to roll out
  to users with the language set to English in the U.S., UK, India,
  Australia, Canada and Singapore, as well as in Spanish in the U.S.,
  Mexico and Spain. It’s also rolling out to users in Italy, Japan,
  Germany, Brazil and Korea. Once you get the update and opt-in, you’ll
  see an Assistant app icon in your “All apps” list. (Source)


Jelly Bean on the Galaxy Nexus - forcing an update? I bought my Galaxy Nexus in New Zealand - via parallel importing. I believe it came from Russia, given my manual was in Russian(!).  But it works perfectly and is genuine.

A colleague there bought one from the same source the next day, and his arrived a day after mine.

I then moved to Canada, and got a Rogers sim card.  All good.

However, my ex-colleague got a 4.0.4 upgrade about 8 weeks before myself.  I tried forcing an update, but no luck.

Then last week, I finally got 4.0.4, and about the same day, my old colleague emailed to say he got an OTA update to 4.1.

What gives? Is it a geo-fenced roll-out? How can I force an update? (I've  gone to system updates to check for an update, but no luck).  Or would I have to root and do it manually? I'd prefer not to if there's a simple way to force an update...

Baseband I9250XXLA2, Build IMM76K.I9250XWLD2

There are many variations of the Galaxy Nexus. Most likely, your phone is yakjuxw, which gets the updates from Samsung. The other phone is either yakju or takju, which use Google's own updates, which are released quicker.

The versions are interchangeable, if you don't account for international customizations or possible carrier modifications. For example, see my answer here on how to change the yakjuxw firmware to takju Jelly Bean, which can be then officially upgraded to 4.1.1 via OTA.


Turn on android debugging My phone screen is completely broken and good thing is that its debugging mode is on and I can access my phone screen using Vysor on a PC
but I have another PC and when I trying to access my phone with that system I have to grant access with OK button but I cant do that so how can I access my phone screen on different PC or grant debugging?

Phone's screen is broken
USB debugging is on
I Need to grant access to debugging prompt dialog

This guide assumes that USB debugging was enabled on your device before you broke it. You can enable USB debugging via a custom recovery, such as twrp, using:

adb shell
echo "persist.service.adb.enable=1" >>/system/build.prop
echo "persist.service.debuggable=1" >>/system/build.prop
echo "persist.sys.usb.config=mass_storage,adb" >>/system/build.prop"
reboot

This method was used to bypass the secure USB prompt on a Galaxy SII with a shattered screen. I think it may work on another device too...

For this to work, you need another device running Android 4.4.2 or above with USB debugging enabled and the same computer authorised from that device. i.e. connect that device to your computer and press "OK" on the authorisation prompt that appears on screen for secure USB debugging. Let us call this device the authorised device.

adb_keys is the file we need from the authorised device which is located in /data/misc/adb/
Normally you must be rooted to take the adb_keys file from the device using Root explorer or ES File Explorer,  but let's assume that the authorised device is unrooted. You don't need to root it. However, if your authorised device is rooted then simply copy the adb_keys file on your computer and jump directly to Step 3.

Steps:

Connect the authorised device to your computer using USB (debugging enabled) and open a command prompt with administrator privileges (Minimal ADB & Fastboot is perfect here).
To get the adb_keys file, use this command:

adb pull /data/misc/adb/adb_keys /adb_keys

For example:

adb pull /data/misc/adb/adb_keys c:/adb_keys

The above command will save the adb_keys file to the root of your C: drive. You can change the destination folder to your liking.

Now the job of the authorised device is done. You can disconnect it and disable USB debugging.

Once you get a copy of adb_keys, reboot the phone with the broken screen into recovery.
Now connect the broken phone to the computer using USB.
We need to copy the adb_keys file to the broken device. Use the command below:

adb push  /data/misc/adb

For example:

adb push c:/adb_keys /data/misc/adb

After the file is copied, reboot your device using adb reboot et voila! You can now use adb shell on that computer.

Furthermore, if you want to have full control over your device even with a broken screen, the tool from this thread lets you use your device through your Windows PC even if your touchscreen doesn't work or you can't see anything. (It requires Java Runtime Environment and Visual C++ redistributable). Or keep using Vysor.

Disclaimer:

The above guide was not made by me and I did not test it myself, I just made minor changes. Just try it and let us know. Good luck.

Original source : XDA Developers


ST21i Removed boot flag I was trying to boot from the sdcard, as I thought it was a boot order issue, I disabled the boot flag on the boot partition. Now my phone will not turn on, or enter bootloader. I have found various guides to booting from an sdcard, however they require flipping a switch on the board, which does not appear to be there. Any ideas on how to fix this situation. I would like to be able to get the phone to a working state again, without having to wipe it.

Edit: Having looked a bit more, the phone is detected by the kernel, as it displays in dmesg and is also listed by lsusb. This is on ArchLinux 5.2.13 I have tried qmicli but that appears to only work if the driver is cdc-mdm whereas it is using qcserial. when connected, it generates /dev/ttyUSB0 and /dev/bus/usb/002/* which is a character unbuffered device file.

For booting from MicroSD card you need to heavily modify your ROM. The android boot partition is not like a PC BIOS. You need the bootloader to look at mmcblk1 instead of mmcblk0 which is hard-coded in various system files.
(for more information refer to Irfan Latif's documentation for QMobile Z8 on forum.xda-developers.com)

If your phone does not boot into fastboot mode it is hard bricked. Most devices have a emergency download mode from where you can repair your bootloader and flash ROM. For Qualcomm devices it is the EDL mode which can be reached via EDL mode cable/dongle or with a testpoint on the PCB circuit board.

For your old Xperia device you can use Androxyde Flashtool

For other Qualcomm devices use QPST

For MediaTek devices use SP Flash Tool


Problem with my Phone charger When I connect my phone to the charger it indicates its charging but the charge is actually dropping. I disconnected the cable from the ‘head' of the charger and tried using my friend's ' head' and it worked fine. What could be the problem with mine???

I have had this experience too. There are a couple of possible reasons that I have found:

your phone is using more power than the charger is supplying
your phone has detected the charger is connected but is not being charged

The first, and possibly most obvious answer is that your friend's charger supplies more power than yours. Check the current rating on the charger, is it 1A, 2A, etc. But usually the charger, if it is the one supplied with the phone, should be charging the device whatever the current rating.

When the phone has been using more power than it's getting from the charger (with a 2A charger) I have had the screen on and usually some apps running. Closing open apps and locking/turning off the screen has usually fixed this.

The second, and usually more common problem that I had (with my previous phone) was that the connection wasn't always "good" on the phone's micro-USB. I use the quotes because I had no problems with transferring data over the USB connection yet the phone wasn't charging. Simply unplugging and re-plugging the micro-USB connection usually fixed the charging issue. Weird.


Insufficient storage when attempting to download app I got my new lg g3 and when i try to download something it says that there is insufficient space on the device. I looked up some solutions and google play services doesn't let me uninstall updates. are there other solutions? Btw i have about 8 gb of storage left

Depending on where your phone is saving your downloads to, it may have insufficient space there (most likely the internal storage). Then your system may have already notified you that the system may misbehave and you should clear some storage. If not, then your storage may be messed up and the system is not allowed to write to a specific folder (I don't know what you try to download and what you use to download that).


Lg v35 SLO mo videos playback on PC So i captured a couple of SLO mo videos with my LG V35 Camera and they play fine on the phone (showing the SLO motion), but when I copied them to my Windows PC and used Adobe Premiere and VLC to play them back they played at reguly speed, how do I see them in SLO motion.
I suspect the 240fps is encoded but how can I just get the SLO mo video without having to re-render it?

You have to export the video. This reddit answer is for the V20, but should be similar to the V35.

  After shooting the slow mo video, open that video up, hit the edit button(pen) then use the sliders to choose what you want saved in 1/8 or 1/4 or 1/2 or 1x speed then hit save.


How can I set the language in Opera Mini 6? Opera recently upgraded itself, and for some reason the update installed the Hebrew version with Hebrew menus (that's not completely surprising, since my phone is in Hebrew, but it's partly surprising, because the previous version was in English).  The problem is that Opera did a bad job of translating their browser to Hebrew, because Hebrew is written right-to-left, but the menus are all left-to-right.

How can I change the language of the menus and settings in Opera to be in English?

For the record, if it's relevant, I have a Samsung Galaxy S with Froyo.

This is a poor workaround, but I assume you could get the English version by uninstalling the app, switching the phone to English temporarily, and reinstalling the app.


Are lock screen pattern and system start pattern the same? I have recently bought a Nokia 5 and I am quite new to Android.

I have entered screen lock/and or start lock and entered a pattern. Acutally, I don't know if I did that one or two times but then I was very new to Android.

After some time, I have changed the lock screen pattern. Now I enter that pattern daily many times, but I didn't turn it off for, say, two weeks.

Now, after the installation of an update, the phone restarted and asked for a pattern to start Android. The lock screen pattern did not work.

Since I entered the pattern too many times wrongly, the phone erased all data and I was forced to reinstall everything. Now I have entered a pattern (for lock screen) once again, and upon restarting the phone, the same pattern unlocked the phone.

So the question: Are lock screen pattern and system start pattern always the same or can the be different?

There is only lockscreen pattern that locks the phone for authentication. You don't have a system lockscreen separately. Same applies whether you are using numeric PIN as password based lockscreen.

If your device is encrypted, the pattern or PIN is the basis for encryption of key generated by system


Why does my wifi not automatically reconnect to prefered networks? I've got a San Francisco handset running 2.1.

I've configured it to connect to my wifi network at home. If I go out of range, or reboot the phone, it fails to re-connect automatically and I have to manually go thru the settings, disable wireless, then enable it for it to re-attach itself to my network

Is there an easier way?

Add the Power Control widget (available by default in Android 2.1+ for most phones) or a similar wi-fi toggle app to your home screen. (Long press on the home screen, Widget, Power Control.) That usually fixes it for me.


Copying apk's from phone to tablet I have a Marketless tablet (Coby Kyros), and I bought a Samsung Captivate (AT&T).

Will I be able to copy the apk's I download from the phone into the tablet?

Another option is to use Dropbox to transfer the apks.  That was how I got them on my Archos tab before I got the market on there.  Dropbox lets you download the dropbox app directly from their website, so there's no market needed.  After that all you have to do is send every apk from your phone that you want onto your tablet to Dropbox, then you can install them directly from there.


How do I downgrade from Lollipop back to KitKat on Micromax Yureka I am having the problem of many application not responding on my Micromax Yureka after upgrading Lollipop Android 5.0. My phone hangs a lot I want to revert back to KitKat.

It was working flawlessley in KitKat. Also, the screen diplay disappers when a call is going on, because of which I am unable to decline the call

When I searched Google with "micromax yureka kitkat ROM", the very first link was a YouTube video explaining all nicely.

It explains by getting the ROM from XDA and further instructions are available at that page.


How to upgrade from one version of Cyanogenmod to another? I am fairly new to rooting / putting custom ROMs on devices; I finally have my phone in a state that I like, after putting Cyanogenmod 7 on my HTC Desire Z. Since I've done this, there have been a few point releases, and a minor release is not far away. However, I don't really know how to upgrade from one version to another (and I couldn't find any instructions on how to do so).

How do I upgrade from one version of Cyanogenmod to another? Is it the same process as installing it in the first place? Will I have to wipe all the data on my phone, as I did the first time?

You can basically upgrade the same way as the original installation (flash the new ROM from recovery).

The general rule is: Do a complete wipe for major releases, but just clear the caches for minor releases.  See this CM forum topic.


Make the photos taken by Android Camera app and Google Camera app smaller when created? The photos taken by either Android Camera app or Google Camera app are too large when created. Is it possible to change some settings in the two apps to make the photos  smaller when created? Thanks.

For the Google Camera app:

Drag from the left screen edge to show the menu
Select the settings "gear" icon in the lower right
Select "resolution & quality"
Select which camera you want to change the resolution and select a smaller size


why any android office software can not play ppt properly I am having hard time to play ppt in android device, although many applications boasts for it, but on playing either they show blank slides or skip some parts ex:- title etc for some slide so any one know why this happen and how can I get rid of it ? Although I know easiest way is to make video from ppt and show on android device but for that we need acccess to pc.

Try Microsoft PowerPoint for Android. It pretty much can do what its PC counterpart can.


Why I Can't Use Wifi for anything except whatsapp? I can't use WiFi for anything except WhatsApp on my Samsung Galaxy S3 mini.

I already turned on WiFi on my phone. But I can't do anything except WhatsApp. I can't browsing via WiFi, and can't open Play Store either. But when I use mobile data (via my Internet provider) I can do anything, except that I can't browse Play Store either.

When I use WiFi via my computer it can work, but can't work again via my phone.

The password is correct. I already check it, but nothing's work.

What should I do? Please help me!

Had exactly the same issue. Fixed it:

Set the router to automatically assign DNS.
Turn off PC, Router, Android.
Turn on PC, Router, Android after 15 sec.

Everything works like before now! :)


php with mysql support from the command line on Android Is there a terminal emulator for Android which allows to use vi and php with mysql support?
PS. Termux unfortunately doesn’t allow to connect php to the mysql.

Late to the party, however, if I install the php package:

pkg install php

then navigate to my directory containing my php files,

cd storage/<php directory>/

I can then prefix commands with ‘php’. So, to run a file in my php directory:

php -f php_file.php

There is more information in the ‘man’ doc - “man php”.
I use DroidEdit, which works well; I have not tried using vim, but I see no reason why it would not work, so long as your current directory is the one containing the php files.

As to whether you can configure the application to use Lavarel, I’m sorry, but I do not know.


Why does my data plan need to be on to send pictures with text? I don't understand why data is needed to send a picture with a text or to send a text to multiple recipients. These things did not need data on a dumb phone. They just used texting.

Assuming you're speaking about the Short Message Service: For sending pictures without text, that's done via a special "signal channel", where exactly 160 bytes fit into a single package (hence the limit of 160 chars). But when you want to include more (more text, multi-media elements like pictures or video, or some other attachments), those "additional data" don't fit into this "package" – so your message is switched to MMS.

Other than SMS, MMS are sent and received via mobile data (often via a special Access Point configured in your device). So this is the reason why it requires your data plan to send "pictures with text": you basically switch to a different service. Details can be found behind the links, if needed.


some of my apps din't work including google play store after i rooted my galaxy s4 I rooted my samsung galaxy s4 and since then most off my apps din't start up including google playstore , but system apps like camera, music etc works fine
 I Clear chache, data and other stuffs taking advice from youtube but it din't work still, i can't start some of my apps mostsly google related apps
 some of them inform me to restore the factoty setting. but before that can anyone help with my issue for which i will be very thankfull to u all.

Reflash the ROM and the gapps (Reboot to custom recovery (install one if you haven't already) and select ROM flashable zip and then Gapps for your version of android.). (try rebooting and letting first-boot setup take place before flashing gapps. This is not required but may help). Also clear data, dalivik and cache again if required.

ROM: You need one for your phone model. Roms for different versions of same model i.e. International vs US Carrier vs Korean model, etc. wont work on each other.

GAPPS: gapps or google apps deffer based on your android version. i.e 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, etc. You can use same gapps on different phones as long as they have same android version as required by gapps downloaded.


Is it possible to type accented letters using the Galaxy S English keyboard? I have a Galaxy S, and my locale is English (UK). Is it possible to type accented letters, such as é to a textfield using the keyboard? If yes, how?

edit: I know I can use swype but please don't recommend it because my native language is not supported by Swype and it's really not comfortable to use swype in my case

I'm not sure if it is the same on all devices, but if you long press on the letter e then you should see a pop-up that allows you to selected accented variations of the letter e.
Example: ā ñ ī ē õ ū ķ even ś and it won't give you an option that doesn't go with the letter.


Connect Samsung s3 as installer? I went into developer options and checked "USB debugging" however anytime I connect my phone to the computer it shows up as either a media device or a camera, I can switch between those two options just fine, but I can never get it to show up as installer. This is the Straight Talk edition of the phone and its running on the Verizon network.

I have the Galaxy S3 and when I plug mine in it automatically connects as an installer, so if I want it to connect as a media device I manually have to change it to that. For your situation you might have to do the reverse. If you are keeping the "connect as a media device" and "connect as a camera device" box check all the time in Developer Options then what you can try is plugging it in without those boxes being checked, then see if it will default back to connecting as an installer when you next connect it. It also depends on what phone you have and since I don't know if you have the same phone as me or not I can't really give a super detailed answer specific to your phone.


Google Nexus 4 suddely stop even battery is not empty My Google Nexus 4 suddenly began to stop unexpectedly at random times. After few times I could not even boot up the OS. I could recover by factory reset wipe from the recovery mode. Unfortunately sudden stop issue persisted even after factory wipe. Then I flash factory image according to this androidcentral post. Now OS is up and running, but sudden stopping is still there when disconnected from charging cable. Phone works fine when connected to main power line. Though phone stopped suddenly, battery is not empty, I can boot up again and live for few seconds still.

Is this a hardware failure or some battery cache?

If the your phone crashes even after flashing a fresh rom, It's probably a hardware issue. Does your phone heat up?


ES file explorer has been denied permission for an interactive shell I have a rooted Nexus 7. I've been using ES File Explorer along with it. I have been able to navigate through files, after having set Tools/Root Explorer and turning it on. But now, I can no longer do this. When I go to turn on the Root Explorer, I get this message:
ES file explorer has been denied permission for an interactive shell
I must have change some other setting for this to happen, but I don't know what it is.
Can you suggest what I might do get this back?

I can suggest a solution for this....

As I was facing the same issue regarding the Permission Denied For ES Explorer

Go To KingUser Application in your Device (App available after root), you will find the list of applications which are in Allow / Deny state

Here, you will find the ES Explorer (must be in a Deny State..)

Change it to "Allow" and Go To ES Explorer and change the Option "On" for Root Explorer...


phone turned off and not turning back on My phone Huawei P8 Lite was working totally fine but suddenly turned off and now it's not turning back on. the phone was not out of charge when it died and now, as I plug in the charger, after a while it gets warmer meaning (i think) battery is still charged but its neither turning on nor showing any screen.

Any help would highly be appreciated.

If it's a software problem, you can try holding the power button and volume down button down at the same time and keep holding for at least 10 seconds.

The phone should now boot up and give you a list of options. Use the volume up/down arrows to navigate and power button to select. Find the 'Reboot' option and select it to reboot your phone.

If that doesn't work, could be a hardware problem, which would mean you will need to take it in for repair


Does Swype Beta collects typed passwords? Their FAQ doesn't mention this, but when I enable Swype on my Galaxy S2, I get a notification warning me that it can collect all info, including credit card numbers and passwords.

Does it collect such data?

That's a standard Android warning. You get that warning when you try to install any keyboard.

Nope, it won't collect any such data.


How can I improve the reponsiveness of the virtual keyboard on my HTC Droid Eris? I've noticed that sometimes the virtual keyboard on my HTC Droid Eris can be very laggy.  While composing a text message, it will take a second or more to respond to some button presses.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the lag and make the virtual keyboard more responsive?

I suggest checking out 3rd party keyboards. There are some free and paid alternatives that may show a nice improvement for you.

There are even stock keyboards for other phones that have been ripped out and placed online as APKs to download and install. Check out your favorite Eris/Android message board to get some suggestions, and also check the Market and try them there, too.


Note9: Can you sync DIFFERENT calendars on google calendar and samsung calendar at the same time? I have personal and business calendars from completely different accounts and I don't want them to show on both apps.

When I select specific calendars for Google calendar for Android, I can't prevent Samsung Calendar from showing the exact same changes and vice versa.

Can you select only Calendar A from Account A on one calendar app and only Calendar B from Account B on another on Android?

Candl Apps makes two calendar widgets - one called Calendar Widget: Month and another called Calendar Widget: Agenda.

You can add calendars to these widgets which will not automatically change the visible calendars on other calendar apps.

Here are the links to the play store:

Month
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.candl.chronos

Agenda
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.candl.auge


whatsapp group ...what does the message so and so was removed mean? In a whatsapp group, what does the message Username was removed mean?

Did the admin remove that person ?
Did that person delete the account?
"Username left" is different from "Username was removed", right?

When you see a message <User> was removed then it means two things:

The group admin removed the user from group.
The person deleted/deactivated his account. I can vouch for this one because my friend lost his mobile and on deactivation the message appeared in my group that he was removed without me taking action.

Yes, <User> was removed and <User> has left mean two different things, <User> has left comes up when user voluntarily leaves a group but keeps his WhatsApp active.


How can I disable Chrome's incognito mode without rooting Android? Is there a way to disable Incognito Mode in Chrome without rooting? My phone is running Android Lollipop.

Disclaimer

This answer is pointless.  Once you've read the end of my answer, you will see why.

My answer

I personally have tried Qustodio's "Block Incognito Browsing" feature.  (I was using a phone running Android 4.1.2 and a recent version of Google Chrome.)

It didn't work at all.

Incognito browsing still worked perfectly, and was not blocked or even hindered whatsoever.  Even after an hour or more, Qustodio had no idea that I was using Chrome's incognito mode.

In a help center article, Qustodio LLC does admit:

  Please note that our incognito blocking feature is still experimental.

If you want to prevent incognito browsing, I see a few options:

You could lock down the device completely (though this is almost impossible to do correctly) and then to make sure that the only browser which the user can access is a browser which is incapable of incognito browsing.
Or you could use Norton Family's incognito detection.  If Norton Family alerts you that incognito has been used, perhaps you could confiscate the device from its user for a day or two.  (Norton Family claims to be able to email you after someone uses incognito mode on the device.  But I've never tested it, and I don't know whether or not it would work reliably.  You should test the feature on a few separate occasions before relying upon it.)
You could try Qustodio.  Even though their (experimental) incognito-blocking feature didn't work for me, maybe it will work for you.
If you are willing to root your phone, this may provide you with a new, additional option for disabling incognito mode.  Remember that you can unroot your phone afterwards.

Why this answer is pointless

Yet all this is pointless.  The user can use the browser's "Clear History" tool, or Android's application manager, to clear the browsing history — anytime he wants to.

Why would anyone want to disable incognito mode?


Mute Emergency alert in Google Now (without removing it) Google Now has a neat feature (at least I think it's from Google Now) where it warns you for emergency events. The problem is it's just warned me twice in half an hour with an extremely loud tone about a snowstorm I've known about for days.

Is there some way I can make the phone vibrate or change the ringtone? I only see an option to disable these alerts entirely. It's not my default notification/alarm ringtone; it's a special LOUD warning tone. Good at attracting attention but major overkill. I would like to still get them, but I would like them to be much quieter (yes, even though they're "emergencies") as my phone blaring loud warning tones at work is quite distracting.

If you go to google now, and then go to settings (the three dot menu button if its a soft key) theres a section that says notifications. That section has a part titled Urgent Updates and has the option to set a ringtone or turn on vibrate. As far as I know this should change the sound for the alert since it says urgent updates include public alerts. Just note, I am using KitKat so if you don't have the latest version of google now it could be different.
EDIT: I just realized this question was asked a year ago so the answer details a newer version


How to boot from download mode into recovery mode Two days ago when I was going to use my Galaxy Note 8.0 GT-N5100 tablet I noticed it was off, but minutes before it was on and working, so I tried pressing the power button and nothing happened, plugged the charger in, nothing, no signs, it seemed bricked, so I tried to power through download mode and it worked, after that I pressed volume down to cancel it to start normally, the first samsung logo showed up (that one that says the model and stuff), but it was there for really long, i left it running and after 5 mins or so it changed to the pulsing blue samsung logo, left it there and about 30 mins later it was back to the 1st samsung logo again. I also tried a soft reset and booting to safe mode, didn't work either.

This tablet has no custom rom installed (I think it is on stock 4.4.2), the only thing different I installed is TWRP and root, years ago, but I cant boot to TWRP through the vol up+home+power, it doesnt work, tbh it never worked since back then, just like this, the only way I found to boot to twrp was thru "adb reboot recovery" using adb, which didnt work in download mode, I want to be able to backup some data before flashing it with Odin, so here are my questions:

1- Is there any other command I could try to force it to boot to recovery?
2- Is there any way to backup data via download mode on this device?

Thank you for your attention

If you have a device with an unlocked bootloader you can boot a recovery image without actually flashing it by running fastboot boot <recovery.img>, this won't persist across a reboot, AFAIK there's no fastboot pull or the like so you can't just backup via fastboot just like you would with adb, I've seen some phones even respond to adb reboot recovery and reboot itself to recovery but those are all stock android phones.


Xperia L (C2104) unusual behavior when GPS is active Anyone with a Xperia L could help me confirm if this behavior is unusual? I just bought the phone (3 days) and noticed that, whenever the GPS is active, the wifi gets very unstable.

It goes like this: I connect to my Wifi, then open an application such as Google Maps. A few seconds later, the Wifi disconnects and the 3G data kicks in. Moments later, the phone identifies the wifi and reconnects.

Does anyone experience the same behavior? Is there a solution? I'm about to send it back to the store, but I want to make certain that this isn't a common issue or something I could solve myself.

UPDATE 1:

As requested, the Android version is 4.1.2.

Upgrade to Android 4.2. That fixed the problem to me and the original poster. I was getting an average of approximately 100 disconnections per day, in about three weeks. Since upgrade a few days ago, there were only 7 disconnections, even with Google's location service enabled. I think the firmware update 15.0.A.1.31 (based on Android 4.1.2) introduced the problem, but anyway we confirm that it is fixed in 15.3.A.0.26 (the upgrade to Android 4.2.2).


HDMI mirroring on non-root EVO Is there any way to enable full HDMI mirroring on the HTC Evo 4g that doesn't require root?

I currently don't have the capability to root my phone as my charging port is broken so any suggestion along those lines is not an option.

The newest versions of FullHDMI work without root, but my understanding is that the performance is degraded on unrooted devices (haven't compared myself, so I don't know if that's accurate or how bad it is).


Restore deleted photos I accidentally deleted the entire "downloaded" album full of pictures from my Samsung Galaxy S2 (SPH-D710) and am trying to use a recovery program I downloaded.

My phone will not show up as a remove-able storage device on my computer, or on the program. I have tried to change the USB settings on my phone but there is no USB settings when I go to Settings > Wireless and networks as most information instructs.

I found the setting for USB debugging by going to Settings > Developer options and can turn that on and off, but that is the only setting I can find relating to USB storage.

When I connect it to the USB cord it gives me MTP or PTP options but again no USB options.

Any advice??? Thank you!

If your device is rooted, you can try Undelete for root users which claim to restore even from internal storage, which is boon as other PC based apps does not work well unless they have physical access.

The app Dumpster claims to work even for unrooted device. But I suspect this has to be installed before the event of deleting - not sure just give a try.

If either of the apps seems promising, I would advice you not to directly or indirectly use the internal storage as if the data blocks are overwritten (by you or by an app or by the system) your chances of recovery goes slim.


Boot into specific Hangout with one person I would like my tablet to boot up into the Google Hangouts app, and open the conversation with a specific person.

I'm able to open the Hangouts app easily with this app (or one of the many like it), but I need to open the conversation and this leaves me at the list of people page.

Resources that haven't quite gotten me there:

Similar question on Reddit

Similar discussion for the Tasker app

YouTube tutorial

When I try to use AutoContacts and log the %achangouturi variable it doesn't work. Many people say they needed to enable contacts syncing in G+, but the menus have changed and it does not work. That's the most common issue. But it's not mine.

Using the Automate app I was able to finally log the URI for the contact, and therefore have a unique ID with which I can one day hopefully open a conversation.

The way I got it was by using "Pick Contact", setting the output variable to contactURI, and then using log to log {contactUri}.

However, I am not able to open the hangout chat yet.

Using Automate, I choose launch app and choose hangouts.

I've tried using:

ACTION: android.intent.action.VIEW
DATA: content://com.android.contacts/data/xxxx

as well as DATA: content://com.android.contacts/contacts.lookup/xxxx

MIME TYPE: vnd.android.cursor.item/vnd.googleplus.profile.comm

In the Reddit answer, I don't understand and can't find the options to set the flags he did in either Tasker or Automate:

FLAGS: FLAG_ACTIVITY_FORWARD_RESULT FLAG_ACTIVITY_CLEAR_WHEN_TASK_RESET FLAG_ACTIVITY_PREVIOUS_IS_TOP

I've also tried using and not using com.google.android.talk - com.google.android.apps.babel.phone.BabelProfileActionActivity in the activity field.

I have done this using tasker. You are completely on the right track, instructions below.

SQL to find contact ID

Find the unique contact ID from the contacts database (which it seems you have already done). In case you have the wrong ID you can check with the SQL instructions. I had a few issues with this given I was only entering the first name when looking for the contact, and for some reason it wasn't being found. Anyway, this SQL query should work on the file: /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db

You can use a SQL app/program, browse to that file, and enter the SQL query:

SELECT _id FROM data WHERE raw_contact_id LIKE (SELECT _id from raw_contacts WHERE display_name LIKE "Contact Name" ORDER BY _id DESC LIMIT 1) AND DATA4 LIKE "10" ORDER BY _id DESC LIMIT 1

Or you can enter this command into the terminal provided you have sqlite3 on your specific device (often not included in production release devices):

sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db 'SELECT _id FROM data WHERE raw_contact_id LIKE (SELECT _id from raw_contacts WHERE display_name LIKE "Contact Name" ORDER BY _id DESC LIMIT 1) AND DATA4 LIKE "10" ORDER BY _id DESC LIMIT 1' | sed s/\"//g

Just replace "Contact Name" and put the contact you want to open inside the quotes. The full contact name preferably.

Unrooted phone

I was working on a solution for this, but app backup is explicitly disabled in the contacts app manifest. Try the solution below and let me know if it works. I wasn't able to test it without root.

Install Tasker and AutoContacts. AutoContacts is paid, but you can get a in the next 15 minutes after buying the full version if you just want to test it.

Setup a task in tasker, name it, then add a new action Plugin > AutoContacts > AutoContacts. Then in the configuration type in "Contact Name or Nickname" the name of the desired contact. Press the tick. Press the back button in Tasker to get back to the list of actions for that task (you will have 1 now). Add a new action Alert > Flash. Press the button on the right of "text" that looks like a label and select "Autocontacts: 01. Hangout Uri ... %achangouturi". Press back to go to the action list. Press back again to save the task. Go back into the task and run it. The ID that you need for the contact you want will be at the end of the string that flashes up and will usually be 5 digits long. Run the task again if you didn't catch it in time.

Creating Tasker task

Once you have the ID copied down, you need to go into Tasker to create the task that will open hangouts to the conversation. You have the right idea to use an intent, it is just a little different from what you already have. In the new task create a new action "+" select System > Send Intent. Create the intent in the following format:

Action: android.intent.action.VIEW
Cat: None
Mime Type: Leave blank
Data: content://com.android.contacts/data/#####
Extras/package/class: Leave blank
Target: Activity

Where ##### is the contact ID you found earlier. Mine were all 5 digits long.

Now you should be able to use this task for whatever your heart desires. Give it a test by pressing the play button in the task in Tasker.

A quick note, I mainly use mine in conjunction with AutoVoice in order to open a message I just got sent. I found it very useful to be able to launch hangouts back to the main screen and actually found this quite difficult as the Tasker "kill app" wasn't completely restarting hangouts. I found the way to do this is create an action "Launch App" and select the "Always launch a new copy" checkbox. This will always open hangouts to the main threads list.

Most of this is from this Google Groups discussion. Good luck, let me know if you run into any troubles.


Is there a way to see which apps are using GCM? I'm interested to know how many of the apps I have installed are using GCM.  Is there a way to find out?

In Settings -> Applications, in the permissions section, tap on Show All and under Network Communication there should be Receive data from internet if the application has requested push (GCM) permission.

Tested on 4.1.2, labels and positions may differ.


Unable to connect Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Windows 7 for transferring files I am unable to connect a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to a computer via included cable. Here is what I tried:

Tried to mount on Windows XP (32), Windows 7 (32), Windows 7(64), and OSX (Snow Leopard).
Tried installing official drivers from US and CANADA Samsung website.
Tried installing several versions of Kies.
Tried installing driver through each version of Kies.
Tried to see/push to device in DDMS using Eclipse with latest Android SDK.
Tried to connect using Odin, but I do not get any device information.
Tried installing drivers from other websites.
Tried Android File Transer for OS X.

None of these seem to work and after two weeks, I really have no other ideas of what to try. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Called Customer Support and it sounded like a defective unit. They covered it under the 1 yr included warranty. They pay for the shipping label as well, all you need to supply is the box.


How to trace/track my stolen Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 Today was a bad day for me as I'm having a lot of problems. The latest and important event was I lost my phone. It was registered with my name and email and has information on it about me etc. The sim card is inside (if the robber didn't thrash it). The phone has gps but it's turned off. I hope I can find it.

If you have any question just ask me, maybe about the story how it began?
Is there any software/tools to track it, or find it manually maybe?

I strongly recommend you take a look at the lost-phone tag-wiki, which contains a lot of first-aid hints. As you write your SIM is still in the device, there's hope it's also still connected to your Google account and has a network connection -- so hurry up trying solutions like Plan B or Android Lost, which you can then push to your device via Google Play's website. Find more details in the linked tag-wiki, plus on the apps' page at Google Play.


What controller is the one included in this picture? I can't make out the writing on the controller because of the picture's quality. Can anyone identify what brand and model this is?

Android TV controller... There are many similar ones on Amazon but I believe this one is discontinued already.

http://www.businessinsider.com/android-tv-game-controller-2014-6


Kindle Fire Freetime Wifi Password I bought my kiddo a Kindle Fire HD 7 Kids Edition for a present. I've set it up with a child profile and an adult profile. My problem is that no matter what settings I change, it always asks for the adult password when we tap the Wifi button when using the kids profile. Since the device is fairly non-functional without wifi, this is going to be a big problem when kiddo visits the other parent.

Settings I've tried:

Parental Controls -> Off and On makes no difference
Parental Controls -> Password Protect Wifi -> (Off) makes no difference, always asks anyway

I'm at a loss for what other settings to try changing, or if there is a way to make it ask for the parental controls password instead. It seems like it should ask for it by default, but it only accepts the lockscreen password for the adult profile. Which is really not in any way ok when she visits the other parent.

Add another Adult Profile for another parent. This way another parent can assist your kid with her own password.