My phone has automatically called  *44* twice now, does anybody know what this means? I heard my phone calling *44* while it was in my pocket.

Does anybody know what this code means, or do you know what process is calling this number?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S running Froyo 2.2.1 and I use a prepaid card.

It could be VAD. It stands for Voice Activated Dialing and is triggered by the service code *44*.

I'm not sure why it would do that all by its own without your interaction. An explanation could be that you are using a VAD supporting Bluetooth headset.


How to download and emulate the official android x86 image from Android Studio? Android studio downloads x86 images from google and emulate them so I can test my apps. I tried downloading and unzipping the thing it downloads but it doesn't look like an image that can be run with virt-manager.

Which images are downloaded by Android Studio and how can I emulate them in Ubuntu?

If I understand correctly what you want achieve, this has been documented pretty well on SE sister sites:

Firstly assuming you have successfully installed Android studio, it needs the following files to successfully run an AVD:

sdk tools
build tools
platform tools
system-images
sources etc

(You may download these separately as zipped files, but make sure to extract in the correct directory)

In case you haven't got Android studio (or standalone sdk manager) up and running, you may need to get started by following these posts on sister sites:

Stackoverflow: How to install Android SDK on Ubuntu?
AskUbuntu: Complete Installation Guide for Android SDK / ADT Bundle on Ubuntu

Unlike on Windows, you can simply access avd manager using command-line i.e open terminal ( CTRL + ALT + T) and type android avd to open the Android Virtual Device Manager.
Configure your virtual device to suit your needs, click start and from here you can launch your AVD


Add apps to default Guest account on Lollipop I like the guest account feature on lollipop, but I would like to add apps to the account, so that a guest can use more than just native google apps, that I have available on my device. I know this was working in KitKat with a "new user". Is this not possible with just the "guest" user? Do I have to create a new user for that? Are there any drawbacks for having such a "hard guest" account for this purposes on a device? Like a considerable CPU/battery/memory impact?

(Nexus 7 2013) Android 5.0.1

Adding a restricted user seems to be, what you are looking for.

This should work in Lollipop tablets.

After creating such an account you can select which of your installed apps are usable by that account.

Sadly that feature does not seem to exist on Lollipop smartphones though.

There is a workaround though that may also suit your needs.


WhatsApp: incremental backup possible? I share my phone at home and I know sometimes some of my WhatsApp messages are deleted from my chat history. Sometimes I end up dieting some videos from WhatsApp myself due to lack of space on the device. I would like to know whether it is possible to perform an incremental backup to Google Drive, so that I can restore a video or part of a chat from any date in case I decide to delete it locally and the standard WhatsApp backup to Google Drive deletes this part. Thanks.

WhatsApp backup on Google Drive is incremental as you can read in WhatsApp FAQ

But you can't restore a video or part of a chat from any date in case I decide to delete it locally.....,that's not possible and you would need to restore in full not selectively by date or content


Is it possible to determine whether a purchased phone has a new battery? I recently purchased a Samsung phone that was listed as "factory refurbished".  Something I found on Samsung's website says that factory refurbished phones will have a new battery installed.  However, this particular phone was being sold by a 3rd party, so I would like to verify whether the battery is actually new when the phone arrives so I can take advantage of the return window if necessary.

Is it possible to determine whether the battery is new, or to gain any information that would provide evidence one way or another, using either built-in features or a third party program?

If the battery is user replaceable, you can check the production number on that and try to decode battery date. I don't know if the manufacturer numbering scheme is standardised or if the app can be trusted to decipher, so I would suggest the alternative below.
Edit  Accubattery Pro gives you an indication of estimated Vs actual capacity . I have no idea how accurate it is but surely can be indicative
A reliable indicator is the battery capacity, since capacity reduces with age. A battery, even if not used loses it's capacity to hold charge, significantly, over a period of time. You can refer to question for details
How to determine maximum capacity of a battery in mAh? - received fake battery
If device is rooted, you can check if information here helps  /sys/class/power_supply/battery/


"anazon.ca" download pending My phone frequently shows a Chrome notification for "anazon.ca" with "Download pending ...". This appears frequently with a current time-stamp, even when WiFi and data is turned off.

I tried rebooting my phone, to no avail; pressing and holding on the notification just takes me to generic Chrome settings; clicking on it takes me to the download list, which doesn't show anything from anazon.ca.

I spent some time querying for "anazon.ca" and didn't find anything.

I have never browsed to Amazon on that phone.

What exactly is this (virus? trojan? harmless?) and how can I get rid of it?

Welcome to community

I would suggest to clear data of download manager or chrome or both

I have faced such situation few times in past

But make sure you first backup Chrome settings and also try clearing first download managers data and if it doesn't work then clear chrome so that if only after clearing download manager's data your problem is solved you will have chrome settings as it is


All-Encompassing Dark Theme for Colourblind people? I'm totally new to android so I'm not sure if it works like this - but is there an add-on or something like that that I can get to make all app's "dark theme"?

I have a Oneplus 5 and I used the default dark theme but obviously things like Google Chrome and facebook are white backgrounds, which are very difficult for my colourblind-ness. Will I have to download add ons for every app I want in a dark theme? Or is there a sort of "all-encompassing" add-on I can get?

I believe you can go to Settings->Accessibility->Color Space Correction. Try that, and see if it solves the issue for you. I'm not colorblind, so it is kind of hard for me to see if it works as expected for you...

I got it from here

It is available since Android L, according to this site


How can I view my phone's screen on a computer in real time? Possible Duplicate:
  How do I project the screen of my android phone for a presentation?
  How to capture video stream from Android phone screen and show it on laptop?

I have made a demo app and it's installed on my phone. I want to be able to show the app in action from my phone using a projector.

The way I see this happening is if I can share my phone's screen with my laptop. Is there an app to help me do that?

Note: The main reason for me not to use the Android device emulator is that it runs extremely slow and at 100% of CPU usage which I don't think is good for my laptop. I have a moderately spec-ed machine, and I need to find a why to do.

do check

http://www.mightypocket.com/2010/08/android-screenshots-screen-capture-screen-cast/

http://code.google.com/p/androidscreencast/


How to transfer ClockworkMod backup to PC? I'm trying to transfer files on my Moto G x1032 (recognized by ADB) from /data/media/0/clockworkmod/backup(confirmed location) to my PC, but adb pull gives me remote object /'location' does not exist.

I can't copy the backup to storage with any file manager I've tried, and hence can't see the files on my computer.

This seems relevant but /PB doesn't help.

Try:

adb pull /sdcard/0/clockworkmod/backup C:\Users\ArtyNinja\Documents\Backup\1970-01-01.10.07.09_LXB22.46-28.1\

or

adb pull /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup C:\Users\ArtyNinja\Documents\Backup\1970-01-01.10.07.09_LXB22.46-28.1\


Download maps offline with Google Maps v8 With the latest version of Google Maps (v8.1.0) I am trying to download offline maps from Spain, but I am having no success.

This was doable in previous version in a simple way, but I can not find a solution with the latest version.

Can someone lead me to the way to achieving this?

Open the google-maps application.

Select an area you want to save the map for. Once the red pin appears you will have the street name at the bottom of the screen and the 'route' icon.

Swipe this white box upwards.

One of the options is Save map to use offline


How can I get deep sleep -> coma for max battery life as comms platform? I'm not an Androidite, just very curious.
Arduinos have a timer-driven deep sleep mode that reduces their power requirements by 1000 or so.  But it's a specialized and limited device, and a building block rather than a system/platform.  You can add wifi or bluetooth to an arduino project - a good solution if you're near wifi or BT.
Is there any deep sleep thing like this for Android phones?  Something that will get weeks out of the phone battery, because it's NOT being used for "any time" communications?  I know I'm talking opposite for what the phone is designed for:  Always ON, always active, always waiting for in-bound calls, or responding to system events or user input.  Services STAY ON, "just in case".
I'm thinking that a way around the communication distance limitation for arduino would be to:  Use the arduino for sensing/deep sleep cycles, and tie it to a dedicated pre-paid phone for access to the data plan.
By use case / design, the phone isn't going to have any (many) in-bound calls - it will be used periodically as a hot-spot to allow the other device (arduino) to upload data to the web.  When the cheap, pre-paid device isn't actively sending data, I would expect it to go into a medically-induced coma until it's needed next.
A regular Android, in "standby" mode will last what... a couple of days?  I would want a way to make that battery to last weeks or more.
Without moding the phone to bypass the ON switch, is there a way change settings or whatever to totally hybernate/freeze/halt/drop/suspend most regular applications/etc to stretch out the available power as long as possible?  Either have the phone go comotose but with a schedule "wake-up and check"s to signal the arduino that it can transmit data; or have the arduino kick the phone into activity long enough to upload any data to the network.

An example use case for this would be:  I want to monitor nest activity, and water, air, soil temperature on an island in the middle of a lake.  I don't want to have to row out to the island to see the data. I don't have "real" telemetry gear / transceivers, etc.  I want my nifty little arduino to log the inputs and periodically, send a batch of data out to the cloud.  I want to use the existing telcom infrastructure via a cheap pre-paid cell phone, if I can, but I need it to be in service for weeks, so I want the phone do be so low power and so optimized that it only turns on to send a batch of data and then immediately goes dark again, until the next cycle.

I think you're looking for a feature called "Doze mode" in android. Its been around since Android Marshmallow (6.0.1) . If the phone is idle the device enters in a sleep mode, pretty much what you described in your first paragraph. It suspends all the background activity and saves battery for a long time. Doze mode is enabled by default in devices running Marshmallow or higher

 Also you can use an app called  Greenify to hibernate other third party apps that you're not using. This also saves a lot of battery for me.hope this helps

A brief description about Doze mode in android


How to find what model of Galaxy Nexus I have? I cannot determine what version of the Google Nexus I have. I purchased the phone from the Google Play store in 2012. In the phone "settings" menu, the model says "Galaxy Nexus" and the Android Version is 4.3. It lists the serial number but appears to be useless when trying to look up on Samsung support site.

How do I know if I have Nexus 4, Nexus 7, etc? I want to look up the exact hardware specifications for this exact phone. I tried searching the Samsung website by the IMEI but nothing could be found. The phone was manufactured by Samsung (SAMSUNG logo on the back of the phone). The Google Play store purchase receipt just says "Galaxy Nexus HSPA+".

Is there some other way I can find the exact information for this phone?

"Galaxy Nexus" is the full name of your model. The Nexus 4, Nexus 7, etc are all different models entirely. The only portion of the naming convention that is shared is Nexus; the "Galaxy" moniker is one that Samsung likes to use for its phones, and thus they applied it to one of the Nexus phones that they produced. If you were to refer to the line of devices as a group, you would therefore call them Nexus devices, not Galaxy Nexus devices, as the Galaxy Nexus is simply one model in the Nexus line.

This Wikipedia article has a list of all Nexus devices released to date, along with links to pages specific to those devices. As you can see, "Galaxy Nexus" is listed between its predecessor (the Nexus S) and its successor (the Nexus 4). The HSPA+ variant sold on Google Play was given the codename "maguro". There are also other variants of the Galaxy Nexus for other carriers, so you can generally know which variant you have based on which carrier you use it with (or purchased it from).


Is it possible to download an apk from an email onto an Android 2.2 phone, and then run it The micro usb on my phone broke and I need to continue development of an application while I wait for the replacement. Can I send my program's apk package to myself then download it onto the phone and run it. If so, how might I accomplish this? Thanks for reading.

Absolutely.

The GMail app won't allow downloading of attachments (images and the like are only "previewed") but you could use a third-party email app or the GMail the website to get around that.  Be aware that unless you have something like Download Crutch installed, Android may not let you download APKs through the default browser.  You can just use Firefox or another browser instead.


How to stop android using roaming data when it's disabled? There is a well documented phenomena of Android users getting charged for data roaming abroad when data roaming is explicitly disabled on their phone. `So-called ghost-roaming (Geister-Roaming).

In our case, Android 6.0.1 (Samsung S5) we got billed 4 bucks on multiple days each for 60KB (yes, kilobytes) even though data roaming was off. Apparently 4 bucks is the minimum charge per day. The fact that it's always exactly 60 KB shows it's some sort of system/systematic data download ignoring the setting.

The network companies refuse to budge because they say it's a bug with the phone. IMO it's a scandal.

What can we do to utterly shut down any data roaming?

Our solution was to contact our provider, explain what happened and they... twiddled something and it stopped.


Can we install Amazon video app on external SD card? I am an Amazon Prime user. The Amazon Video App allows us to download the video to the phone so that we can watch them without wifi connection. I have a Samsung S5 phone 16G version. When I download a movie, the amazon app size increases. I think that the app somehow hold the movie data within itself. Normally, I can only download 2 movies into my phone because I have many apps and the system itself talks space. May I know whether there is anyway to put the app on SD card?

In July 2016 Amazon upgraded their Amazon Video app... now when downloading a video it prompts you if you want it saved to your SD card (if you have one installed).  -Settings- in this app also has an Internal/SD Card toggle switch where to save. The negative is any videos already saved to Internal memory have to be deleted and re-downloaded to the SD Card if that is where you want them.

This whole subject freaked me out a bit as I just bought 6 seasons of Game of Thrones only to think I could not put on my (newly purchased) SD Card...  My lucky day that this app upgrade just happened within about the past 30 days.  The Hi-Res download to a 80/20 mbps SD card is painfully slow.


Why does Android differ so much from Linux? I have read all related questions here, but they don't answer my questions or are not up-to-date since Android is particularly included in Linux kernel ( > 3.x.x).

Why didn't Google just take a Linux distribution (for example Debian) and add drivers for touchscreen, mobile service, etc and create a desktop environment for touchscreens.

If kernel modules won't be included in the Linux kernel, it would be possible to use the streamlined Linux kernel and add these modules (and remove some, like unnecessary drivers).

Today it will fail to run standard Linux on every smartphone and tablet, because of missing drivers, but they could have been written for Linux, not Android.

It would have been saved double development of new features

Why didn't Google just take a Linux distribution ... and create a desktop environment for touchscreens?

Because they didn't want to create a desktop environment for touchscreens: they wanted to create a new OS for smartphones. Smartphones (and earlier, PDAs) based on not only the Linux kernel but the GNU userspace, with the same programming environment as desktop Linux, existed for years before Android did, but they were a huge commercial failure.

The chief advantage of using a GNU/Linux distribution is the idea that you can simply recompile all the same applications for your new hardware, rather than having to write a new application. But this has never worked out in practice. A user interface designed to work with a keyboard and mouse on a big PC display simply doesn't work on a phone touchscreen. The ways that programs interact with each other on a PC with almost unlimited storage and no need to conserve power simply doesn't work with the limited energy and storage requirements of a phone. The pixel-layout, fixed-dpi ways of designing graphics and user interfaces for PC displays have already been outgrown for PCs, and phones need something better. In addition, smartphones introduce new features - ubiquitous location availability, cell modems and telephony, and Bluetooth - which PCs have never offered applications a standard way to access.

The Android team set out to offer a programming interface (the Android framework) to let app authors access all the needed functionality, in a way which wasn't previously available. They set out to isolate apps from each other to protect the integrity and the battery of the device in a way that wasn't possible in any existing Linux distribution. They set out to create a new graphics subsystem to avoid falling into the Linux community's dependence on X Windows. They set out to create a commercial success, which had never previously been achieved with Linux-based handhelds.

They achieved all those goals, by doing exactly the thing you complain about. Android is much bigger than just some Linux drivers, and many kernel drivers for Android devices do eventually make it back to mainstream Linux.


Getting "OK Google" to play music from non-downloaded songs in Google Play Music Library? I have many songs uploaded to my Music library on Google Play Music, but don't download more than a few of them to my Google Pixel.

When I say "Ok Google, play _____", my phone will instead try to play a related station from the app, before stopping and saying that option is for subscribers only, of which I am not. Is there a way to get the Pixel to directly stream it from my Music Library where I've uploaded my owned music via voice command, and not the music station in the app?

I don't Subscribe either and I'm having the same issue. It started about a month ago. Before that OK Google would do exactly as NFG requests:
Me: OK Google, Play Foo Fighters Run
Pixel: Playing Foo Fighters Run
Play Music app opens and Foo Fighters Run plays


How to upgrade Android 2.2 to Android 2.3 on Samsung Galaxy S? Possible Duplicate:
  How do I update the OS on my device?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S (LCD version) with stock Android 2.2. How can i upgrade it to Android 2.3?

Install KIES from the Samsung website and connect your phone to the PC via the USB cable. If a system update is available, KIES will inform you and walk you through the upgrade process.

If you'd like to install an alternative ROM like CyanogenMod, you'll need to follow relevant installation details on the site or alternatively use an app like ROM Manager that can help do the needful.

As with all upgrades, back up your data to another location.


How do I stop my Moto G from pestering me about Motorola ID related things? I have a Moto G 4G (2nd gen?) running Android 5.1 Lollipop. I would like to disable or suppress the endless alerts I get from it about "Sign in problem"'s and "Motorola  ID unlinked" related to Motorola services, none of which I wish to use.

I thought unlinking my "Motorola ID" might do this but it just complains even more i.e. the "Motorola  ID unlinked" alert.

How do I do this?

Seems we have to apply as back to 4.4 and do this: settings->security & screen lock->Device administrators and turn off "Motorola Device Policy". Next, settings->Motorola Device ID, tap the three dot menu control on the top right, and choose "unlink account". Restart (reboot) as a supplementary measure.


Rotate Nexus 5 upside down? I have a Nexus that I'd like to set up on a stand while I have it plugged in.  To do this, I have to rotate the phone 180 degrees.  Unfortunately, Android on the phone does not seem to support this.  This works fine on my Nexus 7, but not on the Nexus 5.

Is there some setting that I can change to enable this?  The phone will do normal portrait, and landscape to either side, but it will not change the display to work when it is upside down.

This is not possible without a third-party application.

A quick search on Google Play shows several apps which should allow you to do what you want.


Nexus 6 NFC & Phone Stop working on setup. Cant flash! Basically when i start up the device right after a factory reset, it boots up just like it should, but it then says that Phone stopped working. Then it says the nfc process stopped working. The second you press ok, they pop up again. BUT there is a split milisecond before they pop up again. SO, for the past hour, i have been pressing the ok button twice, then dialing in one key on the keyboard before they pop up again.

However i have ran into an issue. The bottom buttons "next" dont work. I have tried many times but it seems like i cant continue :(

The OEM is LOCKED
Since it is reset, i cant unlock it without going into the settings

How am i supposed to get the messages away? Fix? Anything?

since I couldn't reflash it or do anything instead of getting a new phone I ended up spending 45 minutes clicking the OK button and using the split second time to navigate to set up then I navigated to the settings and turn on the developer options which allowed me to install the factory image. I could not flash anything because I didn't have a custom recovery boot.

apparently the 5.1 update that I installed was the OTA update but you didn't contain the entire wrong of the system. The reason the phone and NFC were not working is because Google created an update which allows the SIM cards to be in multiples so you can have multiple carriers. This change some of the code which means of 5.0. 1 in the 5.1 updates were conflicting because the 5.0.s and which caused the phone and NFC which use may have changed my currents and which caused the phone and NFC which use my networking radio failed. the OTA update I install was about 400 megabytes the actual image was about 800 so I installed be full recovery and it worked and I'm currently using the same phone to write this message.


Cannot use WhatsApp in Gingerbread anymore I have Samsung Galaxy S+ (i9001) and the other day had a prompt from WhatsApp to update the app.

The update download but the installation fails and the app cannot be opened.

I tried downloading the APK of the latest version and even many of older versions but the issue is still there.

I know WhatsApp said they are ceasing support for Android 2.1 and 2.2, but my phone has 2.3.6, so it shouldn't be affected.

How to fix?

Yes, officially they said they won't support android 2.1 and 2.2, but since the last update only devices with Android 4.0 and above are supported.

Try installing 2.16.259 over 2.16.225:

Download APKs for WhatsApp version 2.16.225 and 2.16.259.
Install 225 first, don't open it
Reboot the phone
Install 259

But soon or later these versions will be dropped as well.


How can I add iptables rules that persist across reboots? I want to add an iptables rule on my Android phone. I used:

iptables -t nat -A PREROUTING -p 6 -d 192.168.66.1 --dport 80 -j DNAT --to 192.168.66.1:808

...as root. This rule can be checked in adb shell, and I can see that it was added:

# iptables -t nat -nL
chain PREROUTING (policy ACCEPT)
prot   opt    source       destination    idletimer_nat_PREROUTING
all    --     0.0.0.0/0    0.0.0.0/0      DNAT
tcp    --     0.0.0.0/0    192.168.66.1   tcp dpt:80 to:192.168.66.1:8080

I want this rule to persist after a reboot, so I added an iptabless file in /etc/sysconfig with these contents:

-t nat -A PREROUTING -p 6 -d 192.168.66.1 --dport 80 -j DNAT --to 192.168.66.1:8080

However, when I reboot my phone, no rule is added.

Does Android support the /etc/sysconfig/iptables path? I got this path from a PC Linux installation ( I tested /etc/iptables/rules.v4 as well, it also did not work).

At the same time, I also don't know whether its content is right.

Additionally, I cannot root my testing phone in the future. Is it possible to add persistent iptables rules on an unrooted phone?

Running scripts at boot (init) as you are trying to do is only supported if the kernel supports it.

If you are using a stock kernel, you may need to install a custom kernel that includes init support.

There are also apps that start with Android and automatically apply firewall/iptables rules, however keep in mind these require root access.

It is not possible to modify iptables rules without root access. However, you can use a VPN connection to route network traffic which works on any Android 4.0+ device without root access.


(Why) is it required to flash in order to install Google Play on CyanogenMod? Is it required to flash in order to install Google Play on CyanogenMod? If so, why? Or is there a method to install Google Play on CyanogenMod without flashing?

In comparison, other app stores such as F-Droid or aptoide can just be installed as APK, so I am wondering.

I am not wondering about why one needs to install CyanogenMod and the google apps separately, I know it is due to licensing issues.

As can be seen here, an answer has already been found. It appears that the only thing that justifies an installation as system app, for the Google Apps, is to make them unable to be uninstalled via the package manager (since you need root privileges to alter the System partition). As Firelord pointed out in the above answer, there appears to be no further difference in terms of functionality.

If you're wondering about why you're asked to flash CyanogenMod and the GApps separately, instead, I can respond that, due to license issues, the developers aren't allowed to include the GApps directly in a CM package.


Rooting the Karbonn smart tab 7 First of all, I understand that similar questions have been asked trillions of times before. But, as I've come to learn, not this specific one. So, here I go...

I recently bought a Karbonn smart tab 7 and upgraded it to android 4.0.3. I've been using it a lot, and it has'nt given me any problems so far[Except the annoying settings reset, which is a question for another day]. I want to root my device and have tried various tutorials and NOTHING worked. Whenever I try to use an application to this, it tells me that the device cannot be found. I have connected it to the computer via the USB cable and Enabled usb debugging and even tried enabling mass storage mode[Only the SD card's file structure showed up in My computer]. I read somewhere that I would need to download some drivers for this to work, but am not able to find any drivers. I have also tried talking to customer care about the drivers, and they just farted on me.

P.s. I have posted this question on a few forums before here[I did'nt know Stackexchange hav a site for Android!!!] and they eiter closed the question and voted me down or no one replied. Please help me as soon as possible.

I have succeeded in rooting the Karbonn Smart Tab 7 and am apparently the first person on the net to do so. In your face, Karbonn Technical Department. I have been using it only for a few hours now, and it is working fine (EDIT: I've been using it for 4 months now and it still works fine :) - August '13).

Here are the steps for any other wanderer in the same plight as I was:

The first step is a warning to all users. Please be aware of the consequences of rooting before doing so. It should work perfectly, but just to be on the safe side, back up all your data.
Connect the tab to the computer and enable mass storage mode. Also keep in mind that the Karbonn Smart Tab 7 has internal memory and an internal storage card. The internal one cannot be used for the purpose of rooting. You need to put in an external microSD card. When you connect the device in mass storage mode, the internal SD card's name will probably be NOVO7.
Download this file and put it in the root of the external microSD.
Put the tab in recovery mode. For those of you who don't know how to do this, switch off the device and hold the volume down and power buttons till it says "android is upgrading...", and then release the power button but keep holding the volume down button.
Click on "Apply update from SD card" and select "crystal_root.zip". It should install.
Now reboot it and it's done!!!
You can check if the rooting process has been successful by downloading the Root Checker app from the Play Store. The app is (obviously) used to check if the root is accessible. You will also find that the SuperSU app has been installed automatically.

Enjoy!!!

P.s. Please vote me up (I would love that) and also thanks to @Izzy for giving me a heads up on how this stuff works.


What's the difference between a factory image and a ROM? Why are ROMs flashable through recovery while factory images require fastboot?

The factory image is just the ROM that's on the phone when it leaves the factory. It sounds like you might be thinking about different kinds of ROMs.

When you download a stock ROM from the phone's manufacturer (or elsewhere), it usually includes the image for the system partition and one for the stock recovery. In contrast, when you download a custom ROM, it usually just includes the image for the system partition, and it's expected that you already have CWM, TWRP, or some other third-party recovery installed.

Obviously you need fastboot to flash the recovery - you can't overwrite the recovery when it's running - so you need fastboot to flash a factory image (when it includes the recovery and the system image), but not necessarily if you're just flashing the system image (from a custom ROM).

A ROM can be a custom ROM or a stock ROM (aka factory image). The difference only comes because of the different ways that first- and third-party ROMs are distributed.


Install .apk on android phone Possible Duplicate:
  How can I install an app given only its APK file?

First, as I understand, if I do not have the SD card slot on Android phone (e.g. Samsung Nexus S), the only way that I can install the .apk file is to either download from Android Market or use the SDK (description is e.g. here http://www.talkandroid.com/guides/install-apk-files-on-android/) and the USB cable (With SD card I'm copying the .apk to SD card and then I'm using the ASTRO file manager).

Installation by sending .apk file over Bluetooth (like it is done on Symbian) is not possible, I guess - at least I was not able to send an .apk on any Android phone (the Bluetooth transfer was always rejected by the phone).

How can I install an .apk file on an Android Phone which does not have a SD card slot?

You can also place an .apk file on a web server and then using the built-in web browser on your android phone, navigate to that URL which will cause the browser to download the apk file. You will then have the ability in the downloads window to click on the downloaded apk file which Android will then try to install.

I forgot to mention to make sure the content-type is:

Content-Type: application/vnd.android.package-archive


Free (libre) SSHD for Android? How can I install a sshd server (with scp support) on Android without relying on Google Play Store for my safety?

Rooting the device or compiling the application is not a problem, but so far I'm unable to find proper instructions. I don't need a GUI either, some kind of on/off switch would be nice tho, but that's not required.

As you already figured out, there's SSHelper hosting its own .apk. But you might also wish to check with F-Droid, and find out there are even more SSHd's to download without using Google Play Store.

Edit: As it turns out, I wasn't aware F-Droid also features forums, and the above are only forum links. To compensate: You can also find some SSH Server apps on 1mobile, e.g. SSH Server. The website allows you to simply download the .apk from your browser, no login required. Other than with F-Droid, I'm not sure concerning their reputation, though.

Apart from that: In my experience, it's always worth checking the resp. dev's website, where they sometimes host their own .apk files for download. If not, asking them helped me as well :)


How can I minimize Applications in Android? In Android, is it possible to Minimize applications and continue using them again from the same point?

When I press the middle button, the application closes, I see the application as "Running" in the Task Manager but when I open the application again, it does not resumes from the same point. I have tried this for various applications.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Y.

Pressing the Middle (or Home) Button does "minimize" the App. This is a design idea of Android.

If the App does not get resumed at the same point, then that is the failure of the App's developer and source code not using the relevant API calls or a general flaw in the App's code.


Email has stopped message once per day on Android Lollipop version 5 I have an issue on Samsung Galaxy S5 where I get a Email has stopped message at least once per day.

I have updated to the latest OS - I'm on Android Lollipop version 5 and I have tried deleting the mailbox and recreating it.

I've also tried rebooting the phone and starting and stopping the mail application (and clearing the cache).

I'm using the default mail app. Any ideas what is causing this?

There are another one or two topics on this over at XDA-developers, and I haven't been able to find a solution or cause for the problem. I suggest you use the Gmail app, because it has great support for Emails that are "non-google". The most obvious (however I could be wrong) answer to this is a bug in the Samsung Email app (But if you're on Lollipop you should really consider using the Gmail app instead!).

If you really insist on using the Samsung app for Email, try clearing your system cache (from recovery), it seems to do a lot of fixing in the Android world. Note that your next boot might be a little (and by that I mean 10-20 minutes) longer then normal, as it is recreating the dalvik cache


Nexus 7 Android 6.0 Audio Output through USB OTG I have a 2nd Generation Nexus 7 connected to my car. The 3.5mm headphone jack is not accessible the way i've mounted it and I have a power USB hub connected via an OTG cable with some devices connected. I need to get a Audio cable output so that I can plug in to the 3.5 aux input of my car. Can anyone tell me if the Nexus 7 supports USB audio output and what kind of cable will work? Thanks

It doesn't.  The only audio output is the 3.5mm jack.  Just get a TRRS (4-wire - a 3-wire won't work) extension as long as you need, male on one end to go into the Nexus 7, female on the other end to plug in whatever you want to plug in.


managing marshmallow synchronisation My wife and I bought some Android phones at about the same time. She bought a Motorola Moto G2, I bought a Moto E2. They run Android 6 (Marshmallow), System versions 24.41.34 and 24.51.39 respectively

If we go to apps, settings, accounts, Google we see different screens

My E2 has toggle switches that allow me to choose what data gets automatically synchronised from my phone to my online google account. Her G2 doesn't.

How can she turn off all the synchronisation for data she wants only on the phone and not online?

It turns out that on the previous screen, where it lists accounts, on the menu at top right (three vertical dots) you can turn auto-sync on or off globally. This affects whether the screens shown above have individual on/off switches or not.


How to root MicromaxA116 running on CM11 My phone is Micromax A116, have installed CM11 ROM, but this phone is now showing your phone is not rooted, I am not able to root phone by previous softwares which are for Jelly Bean

Since you already have a custom ROM, you can do either of 2 things:

1. Enable native root:

Enable "Developer Options" (tap on "Build Number" 7 times under "About Phone").
In Developer Options, find the "Root Access" item and tap on it, and choose an option other than "Disabled", such as "Apps" or "Apps and ADB".

2. Use SuperSU:

Download the latest SuperSU flashable zip from the developer's website.
Go into whatever custom recovery you are using, and flash it like you did the custom ROM you use.

Both will work, but I prefer SuperSU as that gives more granular control over apps and logging, not to mention a better UI.

WARNING:

DO NOT enable both at the same time to avoid conflicts. Use only one or the other.


Is It Possible to Know the Location of the Caller? If I'm using an Android, is it possible to know the physical  location of the person who call me/ I call to?

Yes. I have not tried the WorldCallPlaceAndTime App but it looks like what you want. Below you can see the summary and screenshot from appbrain.

EDIT: Based on the comments on appbrain, this app just determines the caller's location based on the phone number's area code. If you want to know the phone's physical location, you'll need to use something like Google Latitude, which does not give you the caller's location during the call (yet).

  This program shows a small
  CUSTOMIZABLE info window during
  incoming/outgoing call: country,
  region, city (or mobile operator) and
  LOCAL TIME in that place (worldwide)!

  2.0: colors option for donators, bugfixes

  tag: call location,calllocation,who's
  calling,wer ruft an,caller id,who
  called


Cannot get Android drivers to install on LG Thrill I've Googled everything I could think of and I can't get this to work.

I'm trying to help someone set up his Android phone - an LG Thrill 4G - to connect to his PC so he can text from his computer, back up his contacts, etc.  I downloaded and installed the SDK.  I used the SDK manager to install more stuff, including the Google USB driver.  I can see the usb_driver folder in the Android SDK extras folder, and I can see .dll files inside (if I remember correctly).  I've set the phone to have whatever USB box checked.  And, of course, I went to the Device Manager (he's got Windows 7), right-clicked the phone, and tried finding drivers online and finding them on the computer.  No dice.

Something online said I should run the dpinst.exe file and that it should be in the usb_driver folder.  It isn't.  Should this exist?  Is there another way to get the driver to install?  Should I take another route altogether?  What am I missing?

LG's site is terrible so it took me a while to find, but you can get the drivers for the Thrill from here: http://www.lg.com/us/support-mobile/lg-P925


Need a car-friendly way to listen to music? Here is specifically what I'm looking for.

1)  I would like the ability to use gesture/swipe controls to skip tracks.  This is much easier than finding a button on a touchscreen to change tracks.

2)  Ability to either prevent a lockscreen or control the player from the lockscreen.  I don't mind if I have to push the power button to get the screen to wakeup, but once I do, I would like the ability to control the music player without going through the Android screen lock.  I see this accomplished through either a certain type of music app, or some application that allows me to control what applications prevent a screen from locking.

I have a rooted Samsung Captivate (Galaxy-S) running a custom ROM variant of 2.2.1.

Go download PowerAmp.  Best $5 I ever spent on an app.

It includes lockscreen controls and I'm pretty sure you can set up lockscreen gestures to do whatever you want.  I'll confirm this real quick on my installation.

Edit: Confirmed on the lockscreen gestures.  Swiping left and right over the album art will skip the track forward and backward by default, from anywhere in the app or on the lockscreen.


Is it safe to delete all empty folders in Android? Almost every Android "cleaning" app (such as SD Maid) includes the ability to delete all empty folders.

In operating systems such as Windows, this is generally not a good idea.  Windows applications sometimes expect certain folders to be present; although they should handle a deleted folder gracefully, sometimes a deleted empty folder will result in a crash.

Given the number of Android cleaning apps that delete all empty folders, is the story different on Android?  Is it safe for the user to delete all empty folders in Android?

Update:

By "all empty folders", I refer to all empty folders inside /storage/emulated/0.  Note that this does include /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/*.
The folder /storage/emulated/0, and its subfolders, can be located on the internal memory of an Android device or on an external  memory Card.
If you can also provide an answer for all folders beginning at the root, that would be very useful, but is not required.

(Please, do not diverge answers into a "why would someone want to do that" discussion.)

From what I read here: http://androidforums.com/threads/can-empty-subdirectories-subfolders-be-deleted.324275/

You can delete empty folders if they are really empty.
Sometimes Android creates folder with invisible files. The way to check if the folder is really empty is using explorer apps like Cabinet or Explorer.


How can I root Lg K317 (Phoenix 2 I see that One Click Root say that it can root Lg K371 but I don't really know if it really .

You can use kingroot. It doesn't work the first time you try, it need several tries.


Launcher crashes when unlocking my x touch tablet When I unlock my tablet a "calendar has stopped working" message appears. After clicking "ok" I see another message "unfortunately launcher has stopped".

How can I stop this happening?

Well, I guess you launcher is experiencing problems with the your Android device. I would say if the problem persist first try clearing the cache and the data store by the launcher app, you can do that by heading over to the settings>application manager>Tap over the launcher and clear the cache and the data stored. Now try opening the launcher again and see if it shows you the same error again. If it pops up again then I would say better to uninstall the application. Rest I'll leave it upto you!


Shared contacts list I want to have a shared contact list between two (or more) handsets. So that whenever someone is adding a contact to the list, it'll be automatically added to all handsets who share this.

It's very useful for people who work in the same place, and have many shared work-related contacts. Instead of making each employee add them to the contact list - any one who add work-related contact will add it to everyone.

How can I do that with Android?

Actually, this is pretty easy.  There are two workable answers I can offer:

If you have Google Apps for your organization, you can simply turn
on contact sharing and make sure everyone adds their Google Apps
account to their phone.
If you don't have Google Apps or don't want to use contact sharing,
simply set up a single dummy gmail/Google Apps account for every
person to add to their phone.  Any contacts added to this account,
be it via a phones or via the gmail contacts book, will appear
on every phone whenever a sync happens.

To add another account to your phone:

Settings->Accounts and sync->Add account

After adding the account on the phone, make sure you click on it again and set syncing to just contacts and not gmail, calendar, etc (unless you want these)


How do I upload Cyanagenmod when the only things I have access to are Download mode and ClockworkMod recovery? I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, the UK version. I managed to mess up in the beginning when trying to install CM and now have it in a state where I can either boot into Download mode or ClockworkMod Recovery.

The instructions say to use ADB to connect and upload the zip file, but this doesn't seem to work in either of the two modes I can boot into. I can no longer boot into stock Android to copy the file across there either.

How do I upload the CM zip file? Is there another step I'm missing?

In recovery mode, use this:

adb shell mount /sdcard
adb push {filename} /sdcard/{filename}

UPDATE #1: An alternative suggested by ce4:

  Pull out the SD card, copy all needed files externally, and put it
  back in

UPDATE #2: It seems the user did not install CWM correctly. After fixing this, adb push now works as expected.


Is possible to read the memory from my phone (S6) in recovery mode? I have a problem with my Samsung S6, it restart continuously in a loop, I can see the home screen and interact with it but only for 5 or 10 seconds before it boot again.

I think the only solution is to reset the phone, but I want to backup my data first.
I can enter to recovery mode, and also download mode, is possible to make some backup from there?

I have tried connecting my phone in recovery mode and "adb devices" returns empty, I can see the device connected only in sideload mode (Apply Update from ADB)

My phone is not root

You cannot get access to your data through stock recovery. Stock recoveries are designed to format the data and cache, and flash OTA updates. Offering shell access through recovery is a risk to user's privacy so it is naturally avoided.

That said, I had noticed in the past some low-end MTK chipset devices' stock recovery offering (could be in encryption unsupported devices only) an option to backup user data. But even that backup is stored inside phone's storage which presumes that the user can boot into Android normally and get hold of it.

In short, you need to look elsewhere to get hold of your data. Stock recovery is no good here.


Bulk uninstall applications I like to try out lots of apps. Often a site like Lifehacker or Droidlife will feature several that are similar in functionality and I will install them all in order to compare features.

That leaves me with lots and lots of applications that I end up not wanting to keep. Unfortunately, I can only uninstall one at a time.

Is there an app or method that would allow me to uninstall a bunch at a time?

There are tons of apps that do batch uninstalling but here's a simple free one that I know works: Uninstaller Pro

A lot of the more full featured app managers also have a batch uninstall option.  I like to consolidate functions into as few apps as I can.  Now I use SmartBar which has a good app manager with batch uninstall.


How to recover photos from facotry reset S6? So, somehow my S6 factory reset while it was in my pocket while I was climbing. Still not sure how. But I need to recover the photo files off of it, whatever might still be left in the slack space. I figured I'd just mount it up and run foremost over it, but apparently there's no way to mount it as a USB Mass Storage Device? sigh What are my alternatives? Is there any way to get it to show up in linux as a /dev/sdx device so that I can run some forensic tools over it?

Sad to say but if it factory reset your stuff is gone. only way if possible would be to use some recovery tools in kali linux but then again a phone is not same as a PC hdd. i'd just count your loses and start backing up. stupid samsung :(


Certificate Install without mandatory PIN lockscreen Google Support says:

  The type of lock that's acceptable may be predetermined by your system
  administrator.

Where I can define what's acceptable? I can regenerate the certificate if needed.

So I can use slide lockscreen again.

(I'm using CM9 RC1, Android 4.0.4)

I've described how to do exacly this on my page, "Installing CAcert certificates on Android as 'system' credentials without lockscreen - instructions" at http://wiki.pcprobleemloos.nl/android/cacert

I've also posted it on the cyanogenmod forum:
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/82875-installing-cacert-certificates-on-android-as-system-credentials-without-lockscreen/

Basically, the commands are:

openssl x509 -inform PEM -subject_hash_old -in root.crt | head -1

To get the correct filename, then convert the certificate:

cat root.crt > 5ed36f99.0
openssl x509 -inform PEM -text -in root.crt -out /dev/null >> 5ed36f99.0

Copy them to /system/etc/security/cacerts/ and chmod the new .0 files to '644'.
Reboot and verify. On your android device select 'Clear cerficates' and you are able to remove the pin (by entering the pin and changing your lockscreen to 'none' or 'wipe'

Here I used the CAcert root certificate, but you probably want the class3.crt certificate as well, or use your own certificates.


insufficient space on device I am getting "Insufficinet Space" errors when I try to update whatsapp on my HTC desire. I am running CyanogenMod 7.

My filesystem usage looks like this:

df -h
Filesystem                Size      Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                   202.8M     32.0K    202.7M   0% /dev
tmpfs                   202.8M         0    202.8M   0% /mnt/asec
tmpfs                   202.8M         0    202.8M   0% /mnt/obb
/dev/block/mtdblock3    250.0M    118.3M    131.7M  47% /system
/dev/block/mtdblock5    147.6M    122.6M     25.0M  83% /data
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2    961.1M     16.0M    896.3M   2% /sd-ext
/dev/block/vold/179:1
                      2.6G    952.7M      1.7G  36% /mnt/sdcard
/dev/block/vold/179:1
                      2.6G    952.7M      1.7G  36% /mnt/secure/asec
/dev/block/dm-0           3.1M      1.6M      1.5M  52% /mnt/asec/com.opera.mini.android-2
/dev/block/dm-1           9.1M      7.2M      2.0M  78% /mnt/asec/com.google.android.apps.maps-1
/dev/block/dm-2          16.2M     14.1M      2.1M  87% /mnt/asec/com.google.android.apps.plus-1
/dev/block/dm-3          20.3M     18.9M      1.4M  93% /mnt/asec/com.google.android.gms-1
/dev/block/dm-4           6.1M      4.9M      1.2M  81% /mnt/asec/org.xbmc.android.remote-1
/dev/block/dm-5           4.1M      2.3M      1.8M  56% /mnt/asec/com.google.android.gm-1
/dev/block/dm-6          17.2M     15.6M      1.7M  90% /mnt/asec/com.whatsapp-2

What I would like to know is exactly what partition I need to free up this missing space on. /system and /data all seem to have 25M +, and I am trying to update Whatsapp. The current Whatsapp app is just a little over 10M so should fit as far as I can see from this.

I appreciate that similar questions have been asked on this site before but I have tried various solutions mentioned there already such as removing unused apps and re-mounting the cache partition to the sd card.

I solved a similar problem.
insufficient space while updating WhatsApp on CyanogenMod
If nothing helps, you should show us a log from DDMS.


Whatsapp images lost So my Samsung S3 mini kept reminding me that my storage is running out and i probably tempered around with the storage but do not remember deleting my entire whatsapp images folder and videos folder. Any clue on how i can get this back or what may have happened? I definitely did not delete any folders but only whatsapp images and videos folder have disappeared!

Based on the "do not remember deleting my entire whatsapp images folder and videos folder." i believe you have only cleared the cache memmory of your whats-app application from the application manager.

If yes/no you can still view the images/videos in the Phone Memmory/SD-Card>
WhatsApp>Media>WhatsApp images/WhatsApp Video


Password to ssh connec to termux I tried to test ssh on termux  which prompt of the password

At temp my screen lock number but failed.

What's the password?

You need to use the passwd command to manually set one.

When invoked dirently, it doesn't ask you for your previous password and just sets a new one:

~ $ passwd
New password:
Retype new password:
New password was successfully set.
~ $

The you can SSH into Termux using this password.

However, I recommend using an SSH key after you're all set.


Probably blowed up batery or smartphone with multimeter First, I turned off my LG-D280N and removed battery. Set the multimeter into 20VDC (next is 2VDC) and correctly checked battery pins and checked the voltage.
Next, I checked  pins on case, set "diode test mode" and touched two case diode pins (NOT touched battery!).
Then on phone I did the same, but I was  scared and after second or less stopped touching this with multimeter cables. When I turned on, I saw on notification bar a symbol like this ( this is not the exact symbol but looks similar with this difference - yellow was transparent, red was white and black was also white)

Did I damaged my battery or the phone?

Diode test mode is used to:

  .... display the voltage drop measured across the diode under test, as a small current is passed through it.

Diodes in battery circuits are used to prevent accidental reverse polarity of battery
I suspect in your case, you had reversed the polarity while measuring it causing the Diode to blow up ( and saved the internal circuitry).
This has caused the system alert  ( see lg-icons, symbol looks very similar to what you have described in words ) to be flashed as the circuitry is damaged and battery / mains cannot be used to power the device

I am not an expert in these matters but have tinkered with circuits way back

In any case, since you see the system alert and probably can't use the phone, only option is to service center for repair and if possible oversee the repair to see the actual damage. Remember, mobile battery circuits have tons of safety features built in so it shouldn't be a major damage. If it is only a Diode, normally it isn't a challenge to replace it

All the best


How to transfer music (purchased from Google Play Music) from Android to Windows? How do I transfer music from my Android phone to MS Windows? It only shows me the songs from the music app and not the Play Music app with the songs I've purchased.

You should be able to access all of your Google Play music on a computer: Google Play Music. You can download any purchased music though the browser. For instance: I purchased an album from Google Play and it is available for download using the website on the computer (see image).

Hope this helps]2


What is the Virtualizer sound effect in music players and how does it work? I use PlayerPro to play music on my smartphone.

In PlayerPro there are "Sound Effects", which are similar to the DSP manager. One of the sound effects is the Virtualizer.

When I enable the Virtualizer, even at 1%, it really changes the way the music feels. The audio becomes more echoey, and it sounds to me like I'm closer to the music. It gives me a live concert feeling.

When I played with the Virtualizer level I noticed there's a major difference between 0% and 1%. The difference from 1% to 100% is also noticeable, but it's not even close to the drastic difference when the Virtualizer is disabled compared to when it's enabled.

What does the Virtualizer do? What is it for, really?
How does the Virtualizer work?
How does this sound effect simulate a live concert sound (at least that's what it feels like to me)?

In the description of PlayerPro in Google Play this was mentioned:

  STEREO WIDENING effect (virtualizer)

and a quick search on Wikipedia about what Stereo Widening is:

  Stereo widening

  Widening of the stereo image can be achieved by manipulating the
  relationship of the center signal M and the side signal S: M = (L +
  R)/2; S = (L - R)/2. A positive part of the side signal S is now fed
  into the left channel and a part with its phase inverted to the right
  channel. Some boomboxes feature such a process.

  Another way of looking at this same effect, without extrapolating a
  center and side signal from the left and right signals, is to simply
  add the left signal, slightly attenuated and phase inverted, into the
  right channel and vice-versa. Taking this a step further, a small
  delay (20-100ms) can be added to the inverted signal before mixing it
  back in to the original for output, adding a slight reverberation to
  the effect.


Remote erase of Android phone that's been turned off I am trying to do a remote lock and factory reset of my Android phone (Samsung S7 Edge) which has been stolen. I've gone to Android Device Manager and Google's "Find your phone" page and both say the phone last synced an hour ago and can't locate the device, which means the thieves probably turned the phone off.

Anyway, I've set up both the "Lock" option (where a password is required to open the phone) and the "Erase" option (where the phone is reset to the factory default), and both try and fail to find the phone. If I then refresh the respective pages, the options are available once again, without any demonstration that my previous requests were stored.

Does this mean that I can only request these operations when the phone is on? Or does the request remain registered in the system and, as soon as the phone powers on and connects to the network, it performs the requested operations?

The request is queued... If the erase is successful you will receive an email with the time, date, and location (if available) of the device when the command was successful.


Cannot download an app on my Android tablet I thought if I deleted the internal SD card info it would help and I have downloaded apps since but the Facebook messenger app says application cannot be installed in the default installation location error 20 troubleshoot and I have plenty of storage space.

I had deleted everything from the SD card, and it popped out asking me to mount the card and put a new one in. I just put in the old empty card and then I disabled play store and enabled it. After that I moved so many apps to the card I have a lot of space and the play store works perfect again – but this took me 4 hours to figure out! Hope this can help someone else oneday!


Function of back button after opening URL from (Twitter) application When opening a URL in the official Android Twitter app it opens the native browser, showing the page for that URL. If I tap the back button in the browser (Galaxy S, 2.3.3, should it matter), one of two things happens:

The browser goes back in its history opening the previous page/url it had opened.
Android switches back to the Twitter app, back to the tweet with the URL I opened.

It eludes me what triggers either situation, it's seemingly random. I prefer option 2 when I'm reading my Twitter feed, can someone explain the logic behind this and perhaps even tell me how to make sure I trigger option 2 while reading my Twitter feed?

Your problem touches a feature of Android that sets it apart from other mobile OSes and is a very powerful one (see below):

That's all about intents,  activities and the back stack that contains your path of visited activities in order for each app. Basically an activity is a single GUI fullscreen window you see, for example the main activity when you launch an app. If you navigate away from that, lets say to the settings view, the now inactive main view is put on the back stack and so forth.

However: This whole behaviour has many switches that are solely customizable by the app developers.

See this link for the basic information on those things:

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals/tasks-and-back-stack.html

Regarding your specific problem:

It might be a difference if the browser was (1) already open, (2) had an active Twitter tab running (that got reactivated) and so forth. Try some of these combinations (use 'force stop' in the app settings to end browser instances and have an/no open Twitter tab in the browser active beforehand), and you will find:

If you have opened the max of four windows in your browser, then opening an URL from the Twitter app will "re-use" one of them. If you hit back in that browser window it will first go all the way back up the history, one history item at a time. Once the history is empty, hitting the back button once more will send you back to the Twitter app.
If you had not opened the max of four windows in your browser, then opening an URL from the Twitter app will create a new browser window. If you hit back in that browser window the history for that window will already be empty, and you will directly go back to the Twitter app.

Some more information:

The unique system are Android's intents. New views are launched by an intent that, for example says 'open this file in a file view' or 'select a picture in a gallery viewer' or 'authenticate a my app with Facebook' and so forth. Without saying which other app should handle it. You see this when you get a choice menu asking you to select a specific browser (native/Chrome/Dolphin/Opera) or one of many file explorers you might have installed.

This one of the very powerful Android features. Apple's iOS is very different to that, apps can't interact with others so closely and Facebook integration had to be done in iOS6 the hard way for that reason (directly integrated into iOS).


Must a USB OTG adapter be used to connect a DAC/amp to an Android or can I use a Micro USB to Micro USB cable? I'm trying to connect a DAC/amp with a micro USB connection to my Android smartphone. Is it possible to get the DAC/amp to work without the larger "adapter" type OTG cable, and use something like this instead? (A USB micro male to USB micro male cable)

The red cable pictured is a USB-OTG cable too. It's no different to having the adaptor-style cable with a normal USB-A to micro-USB cable attached. So if your amp will work with one, it will work with the other too.

Just be extra careful when using a symmetric-looking USB-OTG cable. USB-OTG works by having the pins wired differently in the "host" and "peripheral" ends of the cable, so you need to be careful to plug the "host" end into the phone. Different cables have different ways of identifying which is which, so be careful to check the instructions that come with the cable.

Of course, your amp might not work for other reasons. If it lacks an external power supply, then it needs the host device to supply enough power for it. Most smartphones can't supply a lot of power via USB-OTG, so in that case you'd need to use it with a powered USB hub.

The other reason it might not work is if it uses the USB audio profile. Most Android devices lack driver support for USB audio; there are other questions about that on the site.


How to disable usage of background data of all apps? Some networks charges high in cellular data...so disability of background data is great money saver.

Step 1 Open Settings and tap Data usage.

  Step 2
  Scroll down to view a list of your Android apps sorted by data usage (or tap Cellular Data usage to view them). Tap an app to check out detailed usage statistics. This is where you can restrict background data for individual apps.

  Step 3
  Tap the app(s) you don’t want to connect to mobile data and select Restrict app background data.

Reference Link


Battery Life and First Time Charging on Li-ion Batteries. Myth? "Ok you bought a brand new mobile phone with brand new battery, after checking its working ok kindly switch it off and charge it fully (100%) then start using it. IT WILL INCREASE YOUR BATTERY LIFE.", said by the Seller.

Is this a myth or absolutely true when talking about Li-ion batteries?

That recommendation from the seller was true for old batteries, and it seems they still keep saying that to customers!

Nowadays, batteries are often Lithium-Ion or Lithium-Polymer and such batteries (as I have read many times and based on my own experience) would be stronger if you charge them often. The first time charging and "wait-until-full-discharge-before-recharge" and "don't-use-when-charging" are not applicable to these modern batteries.

Li-Ion and Li-Polymer batteries, if charged often, after about 1 month, would reach to their maximum performance, and you are recommended to charge them every time you find an outlet!

In stock Help application of my Sony Android device, In a section about Battery Life, it reads:

Charge your phone often, This will not affect the lifespan of the battery.


Assign physical camera button to another app Is there a way to assign the physical camera button to a camera-app other than the default camera app?

So, if the camera button is pressed, a specific app should start up.

If possible, it should also work in lock screen, and without rooting the device.

Yes there is a way, but your device has to be rooted.

First you have to install Xposed Framework, than download and install an Xposed module called Xposed Additions or Physical Button Music Control.

After this you can able to rebind your physical buttons.


What does a single tap on the lock screen do? The Swipe lock screen on my S4 running Jellybean and Kitkat has a number of actions.

Swipe left for camera
Swipe right for other widgets
Swipe down on the widget allows you to them click on the widget
Swipe anywhere in the middle unlocks
A single tap on a widget does...  I have no idea.

What does this mode do? It shrinks the widget and Iightens the bottom half of the screen with no apparent purpose.

It's telling you that you will have to unlock the device before you can access a widget tap's action.

Eg: If I tap on the clock widget on my lock screen, I will have to unlock the phone before it opens the clock screen. If I tap on a Google Now widget on my lock screen, I will have to unlock the phone before it opens Google Search/Now.

The dimming is trying to have you focus on the lock mechanism (where you swipe).


WhatsApp name hidden in group for only one person The following image shows that a WhatsApp group admin (first in the list) has three smiles but his name is not shown.

This name is not visible only to me while other members of the group are able to see three smilies as well as his name.

Firstly, I thought that he blocked me, but this isn't the case, because if it were so then I wasn't able to see whether he is online or offline and his about which is three smiles. The name was visible to me but it disappeared.

Why are other people seeing his name as well as three smiles while I am seeing only smilies but not his name? How did he make only his name disappeared only for me?

It is because your contact may not be added in his phone from which he is using whatsapp and he has set privacy option for about as show only to my contacts.


Unable to Connect My HTC Desire SV to My laptop: Unknown Device When I'm connecting my HTC DESIRE SV I'm getting a message

USB Device Not Recognized
One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned and Windows does not recognize it.

I'm following all the steps mentioned on HTC's main site. I have tried many times (Re-installed the HTC Sync, restarted my PC and Phone) but still same problem.
What can I do to connect?

Install the HTC drivers for your phone. You can usually find them on your phone providers website, for example Galaxy S3 from Verizon can be found here


Getting call options such as skype/viber again My question is similar to this :

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-international/473947-calling-dialer-viber-skype.html

But not quite the same. I've chosen phone as my default calling options, and I'm ok with that. Now my question is that, what do I press when I want to call a contact via Viber/Skype/Other app again? What do I press to get asked again?

Without resetting the default calling option, is there a such option ?

The option to choose what application to use when making a call (or anything else, such as open a webpage) happens when you don't have a default set. So if you want to get asked whether to use Dialler/Skype/Viber when you try to call a contact, then you need to clear the default settings for Dialler. You won't get the prompt otherwise.

There is no way to set this up on a per-number or per-contact basis in the Dialler.


How risky is it to return a rooted android device under 'warranty' A couple days ago I rooted my phone and I hard bricked it. I am debating whether or not to just send it in to get JTagged (for 50$) or to just try to get a new one under warranty. I have heard everything from:

  You can send a rooted phone back. Doesn't really matter.

Returning Rooted Phones

and

  I've returned a stock, rooted phone and even forgot to put the modded battery icon back to stock. No issues.

ATT Detecting rooted phones?

to:

  they can and do check. because they refurbish many of the returns for reuse. they can easily remove the rooted setup in favor of stock. but that isn't the point. its best to remove root with a restore if at all possible with the stock zv9 update. then the device is sent back in factory state. if you cant accomplish this due to issues with the device that prevent it,then you have to send it back as is. but the latter should always be the case to return it not restored.

Returning Rooted Phones

and

  not sure if they check that but if they did they can do anything from sue for fraud, since you lied. they can cancel your plan and ruin your esn. thats really about it. im not sure if they think its worth the hassle though.

So what is the truth behind this? Is it risky to return a bricked/rooted phone to your carrier? Is it different for each carrier? (AT&T, Verison, T-Mobile, ...) Are there any precautionary measurements out there people should take before they return a rooted device?

Update:

I received my new phone and then I shipped my bricked phone back to Verizon and I never heard back. Either they didn't check that it was rooted or they didn't care, either way I've got a functional phone again. Thank you for everyone's answers!

I'm not sure it would be legal for them to discriminate on warranty just because a phone is rooted. However, there are some "void your warranty" things you could do when rooted (such as overclock way high, etc). You might find a tool on XDA to restore an original ROM, I did once for a bricked phone. They may have such a tool in-store too.


How to manage browser favorites with Chrome? How can I manage the position of my favorite links in the grid of chrome?

I have several favorite in the default grid, but the position is determined by the order of saving. I would like to order my favourites by needed (by use for e.g.).

I use chrome with no extensions on Nexus 4 with Kitkat 4.4.3

I couldn't test this approach because my Chrome for Android didn't sync with Chromium on PC. However, the approach theoretically should work.

Make sure Chrome browser both on Android and on PC is synced to same same account. See Why sign in to Chrome.
When the bookmarks get synced, launch Chrome on PC and type chrome://bookmarks in the URL bar. It will open Bookmarks Manager.
In the left pane, choose Mobile Bookmarks.
Hold a bookmark entry and drag it to your desired position.
Wait for the sync to take place and see whether the changes are reflected in the Chrome for Android.

If yes, do tell me!

This approach requires a rooted device. Bookmarks are saved in the file /data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/Bookmarks and the backup in Bookmarks.bak.

Simply pull that file into PC or edit it in Android. Before attempting to edit make sure that Chrome is not running. Force-stop it using Settings  → Applications → All apps → Chrome → Force Stop.

This is a typical look of a Bookmarks file having two bookmarks.

"children": [ {
   "date_added": "13086476457495966",
   "id": "9",
   "name": "Stack Overflow",
   "type": "url",
   "url": "http://stackoverflow.com/"
}, {
   "date_added": "13086471687779090",
   "id": "6",
   "name": "Index of /sdcard/Movies/",
   "type": "url",
   "url": "file:///sdcard/Movies/"
} ],
"date_added": "13086470816073516",
"date_modified": "13086477795302443",
"id": "3",
"name": "Mobile bookmarks",
"type": "folder"

In order to change the position of a bookmark with the other, interchange the following lines of the bookmarks:

"date_added": "13086471687779090",
"id": "6",
"name": "Index of /sdcard/Movies/",
"type": "url",
"url": "file:///sdcard/Movies/"

Save the file and remove the Bookmarks.bak.
Launch Chrome, go to Bookmarks and the changes would be reflected.


How to install Google Play Store in Coby MID1060 without rooting? It seems every tutorial that I see needs to root the tablet.

Short answer:
You can't.
Explanation
The tutorials are correct about that: It's impossible without root -- as the Playstore app needs to be made a System App (i.e. must be installed in /system initially), or it won't work. The reason behind it is the permission system: certain permissions are only granted to system apps, and the Playstore app needs at least one of them.


What does the ambient light sensor look like? Naive question, but when I check the specs of a phone, one website says phone has feature X, the other says it does not have this feature. Here I am interested in the ambient light sensor.

What does it look like, and where it is usually placed?

For example, GSM Arena review says the HTC One V has an ambient light sensor: "Above the display is the earpiece alongside some hidden proximity and ambient light sensors." The photo:

For comparison the text says I should see the proximity sensor too. On my Galaxy Ace 2 it looks like 2 mini cameras, it is hard to miss, and on that picture I don't see anything like that. Of course maybe HTC hid that all so well.

Anyway, I would like to know what I am looking for, thus the question -- What does the ambient light sensor look like?

The sensor is like a small dot, usually located on the left of the HTC logo, above your device's screen. Also the location of the proximity sensor is.
FYI: HTC ONE models S, X, V, EVO 4G LTE are very much alike in physical conception.
This is covered at XDA Developers forum thread: Where is the One X's ambient light sensor?

By Tiersten:
Left of the HTC logo above the screen. It is also where the proximity sensor is.
By jaaystott:
If you call someone, take a look at the front of your phone. You will see a steady red glow from the top left of your screen, this is where the proximity and ambient light sensor are housed.

Additionally, there's this White Paper: Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) Applications
in Portable Electronics that shows their physical aspect:


Phone shuts down at about 30% battery. When booted back up, it's at 1% I'm having weird problems with my phone. I'll be using it normally, but at some point during my day, my phone is gonna shut down by itself. When I open it back up, the battery is at 1%, when not even 5 minutes before I had at least 30%. It even happenend when the battery was at 50%.

What could be my problem? Why does my battery seem to crash so quickly?

Charge your device to a certain limit, say 60% or 50%. Then, switch off the device, and again switch it on. If you find the battery has drained, switch off your phone and remove the battery, and put it into another phone. Switch that phone on. Now:

If the new phone shows that the battery has near about the same charge, then the following can happen:

Your previous phone pin that connects the battery and the phone, is defective.
Your previous phone microchip is sensing wrong charge.
Your previous phone software has a problem.

In any of the above cases, take your phone to an authorised service centre and explain the problem.
The other phone shows that the battery has drained charge.

Recharge the battery in that new phone itself. Switch it off, and switch it on.

If new the phone still shows that the battery has degraded similarly, then your battery is faulty. Replace the battery.
If new the phone shows that the battery holds charge this time, it can  be undoubtedly said that your previous phone is faulty due to the reasons previously stated. Take your phone to a service centre.

Hope this helps you. Please let us know if the problem has been sorted out.


How usable is the Android browser on "average" web sites? I'm thinking about buying an Android phone to use for light web browsing while traveling. How well does the Android browser work on average web pages? Besides the smaller screen and lack of flash are there other limitations? I'm particularly interested in using it access my bank accounts which has a kind of complicated log in system. Anyone had any experience here?

I'd say it's highly usable, I have for the most part stopped using a PC outside of work, my phone is now my primary browsing device.

On the rare occasion a site doesn't render properly, or a particular video is not available on mobile (this happens a lot on YouTube) you can email a link to the website to yourself to check when you are on computer in 3-4 clicks.


How can I explore my Android from my computer? I'd like to explore the content of the internal memory. I have a rooted phone with a terminal emulator which allows me to navigate through it.
The problem is that it's quite hard to use (small screen, no physical keyboard) and I cannot transfer files from internal memory to my computer to examine it (maybe memory -> SD and then SD -> computer but not the easiest).
Is there a way to have an SSH daemon (I've ConnectBot but it's only a client) on the phone, control it with a USB cable (with USB debugging maybe), install a backdoor (maybe no), or something like this?

The Android Debug Bridge (adb) can do pretty much everything you want. It is part of the Android SDK, just download the SDK and enable USB debugging on your phone.

You can get a shell with the command

adb shell

and you can get files from the phone with

adb pull

All the commands are documented in the first link I gave.

Another way to get any file from the phone would be to use any of the backup utilities available and back up your whole phone to your computer where you can examine it. As you already rooted your phone you might already have a backup utility installed, or you can easily install one, e.g. Titanium Backup Root or Nandroid. I have no experience with those two though, I can't tell you anything more about them.

The kernel I used to root my phone included ClockworkMod Recovery with a backup program already integrated, so you might already have that available too.


Why am I getting a "Low on Space" warning and having other weird problems? Yesterday I got a warning that the "phone storage space is low." Because of that I can't receive SMS messages. I tried to uninstall applications - the system shows me that the application is being uninstalled but after restart I see the application again (i.e. I tried to remove Adobe AIR - 16 MB). Also when I try to delete threads of messages, it doesn't delete theme. The weirdest thing is that after I "free" space and I check the internal storage in the system phone storage setting, I see that the available space in the internal phone storage is lower than before...

Moreover I can't install any application that can help me: cache cleaner or something else.

Does someone know how to overcome this problem?

first thing you should check is if you can move large applications to SD.
Go to

  Settings, Applications, Manage applications, All

There you can select applications and check if they can be moved to your SD card.
After you've moved some applications to your SD card you will be able to install other applications and get back the functionality you've been missing.

A similar question to have a look at is question 5519


OpenVPN browser tunneling I hope I do not say silly things, or discounted, but I'm a newbie, at least for vpn.

I want use my browser to connect on my corporate intranet via VPN connection, but I'm not able to do it.

Someone can help me?

Some information:
I tried 2 way to confgure OpenVPN:

I've configured OpenVPN via openvpn-settings apps (using pre-created cert files located on /openvpn ). The .ovpn config files sound like

 port yyyy
dev tun
\#dev-node ovpn
proto tcp-client
remote xxx1.xxxx.it yyyy
remote xxx2.xxxx.it yyyy
remote xxx3.xxxx.it jjj
remote xxx4.xxxx.it jjj
ping 30

persist-tun persist-key

tls-client
ca xxx.ca.crt
cert xxx.aaaa.bbbb.crt
key xxx.aaaa.bbbb.key

ns-cert-type server
comp-lzo
pull
verb 5

I connect to VPN with no problems, and I can use for example ssh to connect on my corporate Linux server.

I've created a VPN from Menu->Settings-> Wireless & network-> VPN settings -> add VPN-> add VPN OpenVPN and set parameters according with the previous .ovpn config file
I connect also to VPN with no problems, and I can use for example ssh to connect on my corporate linux server.

On both cases I'm not able to browse intranet. So I checked the IP address I go out with, pointing to http://m.showip.net/, and it displayed my provider IP, not the assigned VPN IP!
Is it possible that VPN don't tunnel all traffic? Maybe I need to change the default gateway somehow?

My O.S. is

Android 2.3.7
kernel 2.6.35.14-nFinity
ROM Cyanogenmod 7.1.0.1 stable
Phone HTC Wildfire (Buzz)

Make sure you have this --redirect-gateway in your configuration file.

That option is documented on the OpenVPN man page

 --redirect-gateway

Automatically execute routing commands to cause all outgoing IP traffic to be redirected over the VPN.

This option performs three steps:

    Create a static route for the --remote address which forwards to the pre-existing default gateway. This is done so that (3) will not create a routing loop.

    Delete the default gateway route.

    Set the new default gateway to be the VPN endpoint address (derived either from --route-gateway or the second parameter to --ifconfig when --dev tun is specified).

When the tunnel is torn down, all of the above steps are reversed so that the original default route is restored.


How can I share my files from mobile device to PC through wireless router? I have a wireless router and my pc has ip : 192.168.1.101 and my htc desire mobile has ip: 192.168.1.102. But I am not able to ping my mobile from PC. I just want to access my files on mobile through pc. I have also downloaded some app from PlayStore but I am not able to ping my mobile though my pc and mobile are both on same network. Please ! help.

Your version of Android may not have a ping service as one of it's utilities, so trying to ping your device might not work.  Regardless, you should be able to navigate directly to your device's storage from your PC's file manager by running an Android app like Samba.


Nexus 7's MTP does not connect in mass storage mode anymore I've had a Nexus 7 for a year now and since the day I've got it, I could easily connect it to my PC and transfer file to/from it in MTP mode. But some weeks ago I tried installing Ubuntu on it and since I failed, I downloaded and reinstalled Android on it. But ever since, it is not recognized as a mass storage on my PC!

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

I've occasionally seen a new (or factory reset) N7 refuse to appear on a PC until you change the storage mode to camera then back to MTP. From memory (I don't have my N7 to hand) go to Settings, Storage, tap the three dot menu and there is an option to change the storage mode there.


No network after installing CM7 on Xperia Arc After successfully installing CM7 on Xperia arc by following the steps here, my phone doesn't pick up any network. I looked through the forums and see that some people have reported the same problem. I downloaded the stable image from CM home page for Xperia arc.

After scouring through xda-developer forums I came across this new ROM for arc, does it solve the problem? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1310313

Also found these in the forums, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102523&page=127#1263 which essentially says,

Use flashtool to flash baseband_36 (.tft)
Use fastboot to flash cm7 custom kernel (boot.img)
Use recovery to flash the rom (wipe cache & factory reset then flash the rom)
Start your phone and go to apps menu
chose "Dev tools" -> Bad Behavior -> Crash the system server -> reboot

I am using linux and couldn't make sense of the first step to flash the file.

Any help on solving this problem would be very helpful.

A "baseband" would generally refer to modem firmware.

It seems like the first step is to modify the modem firmware so CM7 can use it.

Does this flashtool have a linux binary? (This tool seems to be unique to SE phones, I didn't have to use flashtool to modify HTC phones, only fastboot.)

Found Flashtool. XDA link | Source Code Repository


Root Android Tablet without USB Cable I have a tablet and its USB port is not working, I think it is broken or there is some hardware problem. I can not plug USB cable in it.

Now my problem is, I want to root my tablet can I do that without using USB cable. And can I use bluetooth, wifi or HDMI for this purpose.

There is a similar post (see link below) and it has answers put they are not applicable because they are suggesting some apps from market but these app will work only on rooted devices.

Get root or re-install the OS without a USB cable?

What is your android version?

If it is below 3.x, then you could use the browser to download one of these apps:

Univeral Androot (desinged for android 2.2)
z4root (desinged for android 2.2)
Gingerbreak (designed for Android 2.3.x)

If it is above 3.x, then you cannot use this method, as Google patched the method used in these cracks.


WiFi dies if phone tries to connect to it The basic situation is this:

Phone tries to connect to my parents' WiFi, fails

The WiFi then drops shortly, no other devices can connect to it
A laptop connected via ethernet to the router can still access the internet

Only way to resolve WiFi issue is to restart the router.
Connecting to another WiFi (i.e. my dad's phone's hotspot) also fails, no connection can be made

I have tried the following things:

On my phone:

Factory reset (running the latest pre-Oreo OxygenOS, OnePlus 5)
Restore an old backup from a month ago, full NANDROID via TWRP.
Wipe everything, again.
The above, with various combinations of...

Locked or unlocked bootloader
Stock recovery or TWRP

Flashing the latest LineageOS nightly.

None of the above attempts changed anything. Even during the initial setup process, trying to connect to the WiFi fails (and kills the WiFi for everyone else)

On the router

Factory reset
Changing from DHCP to static IP (some forum posts suggest duplicate IP in this scenario)
Changing the address range of DHCP from .100 - .199 to .10 - .99 to ensure all devices get new IPs

Conclusion

I have googled all the things. I have tried everything I can think of. I have no idea what else to try.
On top of this, the mobile network at my parents' place is so bad my phone basically has no internet connectivity.
This has been going on for 3 days now.
I am sad.

Sigh...

I wiped everything and installed the OxygenOS Oreo beta through adb sideload and now it works.

Hell do I know why this works now, but not even a complete OS switch to LineageOS worked.


Galaxy Nexus does not charge when turned on Galaxy Nexus does not charge when powered on, but it charges properly when powered off. Phone doesn't detect USB connection also. This happened without any reason. Phone is not rooted.

Tried different cable, charger, everything.

Do you happen to be using a 3rd party charger?

500mAh chargers cannot charge the Nexus while on, 1Ah chargers can but might struggle. I recommend chargers with 1.5Ah for charging high-end devices

Alternatively, the problem might lie with the power management of your ROM. Have you also installed an app recently before this happened?


Update LG G2 to Lollipop I read about the update for LGD802 (G2) to Android 5, but if I run the software update by phone by LG Mobile Support Tool I did not find any available update. Now my phone is update at version 4.4.2.
Am I wrong or it should update to 5?

As written in this article the update to android 5.0.2 for LG G2 introduced some bugs and issues. Probably they stopped the roll-out and will release android 5.1 directly to the phones that didn't receive 5.0.2. Keep in mind that you may have to wait a little once the roll-out officially begins, because the servers have a limited capability. Your phone should automatically notify it once the update is ready. If it takes too much time or you read on the net that G2 won't eventually get an update, consider updating it by yourself.


How to reinstall android to the fresh stock? I have recently bought a used HTC Evo 3D from the internet. The phone itself is in perfectly working condition and the software is in its original state; that means it's not rooted, it's not running any custom rom and it's not branded.

However, the previous owner seems to have installed many apps from the market, the launchers are kinda different and generally the phone is very 'customized and seems sloppy.'

My question is: How do I get the device to its original, fresh, stock state? I don't want to install a custom ROM, I want to have the original android provided by the device manufacturer.

I know the device has the "factory reset" option in the menus, however I don't know what it really does and how thorough it is.

Wiping the phone and installing the system from scratch would be the best option for me, however, I don't know whether it's possible.

What are my options here?

Notes:

I know what rooting is
I know what custom ROMS are
I can root the device if necessary, but I don't plan on doing so if not necessary
Android 4.0 gets an official release for HTC Evo 3D soon - does this change anything related to what I need/want to do?

If it's not rooted and not running a custom ROM, a factory reset will reset everything back to stock and wipe the internal SD card.  If you also wipe the external SD card, you will have a clean slate.

Checkout Chapter Update and Reset, Section Resetting HTC EVO 3D, (Page 209) of the manual: http://www.htc.com/managed-assets/support/user-guide/user-manual/htc-evo-3d/110803_ShooterU_HTC_WWE_UM.pdf

Quoting the manual:

  Resetting HTC EVO 3D

  Do a factory reset to return HTC EVO 3D to its
  original state before the first time you turned it on.

  If you’re passing HTC EVO 3D on to someone else or HTC EVO 3D has a persistent
  problem that cannot be solved, you can perform a factory reset (also
  called a hard reset). Factory reset is not a step to be taken lightly.
  It’ll permanently delete all your data and customized settings, and
  will remove any applications you’ve downloaded and installed. Be sure
  to back up any data and files you want to keep before you do a factory
  reset.


Anyone knows of way to compare your mobile with a 'standard' installation set? I have a Samsung Galaxy S mobile phone, running Android 2.1, and am very pleased with it (can't compare though, since it's my first device with Android).

When I had some problem with the installed Facebook application, and got some answers here fro the site, it seemed that I was using a 'Facebook S!' application and not the 'standard' Facebook for Android.

I was just wondering just now: is there a way to compare an Android on your device with a standard installation ? I , for one , would like know that applications have been written by my mobile manufacturor and my mobile operator, and which are standard.

It's not an absolute answer, but if you go into Settings, Applications, Manage Applications. Then press Menu, select Filter, and make sure that Third-party is selected. Anything in that list didn't get onto your phone as part of the standard Android install. They've either been added by your phone manufacturer, your phone network, or yourself.

Unfortunately some standard Android apps show up in that list, if you've updated them from the market (like Google Maps) and a lot of manufacturer added apps don't show up.

I've got a Galaxy S too, but had a HTC Magic running stock Android before. Apps that I've spotted as obviously being modified/added by Samsung are the Music Player app, Camera app, Contacts App, Clock app, Daily Briefing, FM Radio, Video PlayerMemo, Mini Diary, My Files, Samsung Apps (and everything listed in there), Social hub, Voice Recorder, Task Manager. Also a lot of the "Look and feel" of the phone, including the way the 7 home screens, and the Applications screens work has been added as part of Samsung's Touch Wiz interface.

TL;DR Galaxy S has a lot of custom apps, easiest way to compare is probably actually to find someone with a stock phone (like a Nexus One) and directly compare.


Not all media files discovered by media apps I have folder on my sd card called podcasts. It contains  subfolders of podcasts. My problem is the media players I have tried only display some of the podcast files as being available to play.

There doesn't seem to be any reason why the displayed files should be playable and the others not. I have tried clearing the data of the "media storage" app as well as running a "rescan sd card" app, to no avail.

So, any ideas as to how I can get all of my podcasts to be playable in a media player?

UPDATE: The problem seemed be caused by Winamp not playing wma format files, even though it's meant to support them. Have converted them to mp3 and they now appear in Winamp and can be played

The problem seemed be caused by Winamp not playing wma format files, even though it's meant to support them. Have converted them to mp3 and they now appear in Winamp and can be played.


How Can I Access My Desktop's File System Over 3G? I'm looking for a good solution to be able to browse my home computer and download files remotely. I've tried Gmote, and it works pretty well, but for some reason the desktop client seems to randomly shut down and I'm unable to access it until I go home and restart the client. I'd rather have a way to connect just by my IP address (I'm aware that my IP can change; I can always set up a dyndns account) and a port number, with a username and password.

I'm on a Motorola Droid running CyanogenMod 6.1 (Froyo).

EDIT: My desktop is running Windows 7 64-bit.

Any suggestions on ways to do this? Thanks!

You could setup a FTP server on your computer and use AndFTP to connect to it.


Eclipse AVD emulator stops at black screen with time I've downloaded the latest Eclipse ADT bundle for linux and now I'm trying to run the "Hello world" project.
Whenever I run the application the emulator shows android splash screen and then stops at black screen showing time and a notice in the right top corner saying "Voice actions disabled in this preview. Swipe to dismiss". I've discovered that I can do following things:

Turn off the phone
Switch into airplane mode
Change the volume

I'm enclosing a screenshot of the situation.

The CPU had to be changed to x86. Then it worked.

See question comment thread for further details.


Where does "Save media" store pictures in Hangouts? In Hangouts (in KitKat) if you long click a picture in an MMS you can "Save media". Where is the picture saved to?

They go to your Download folder by default, typically at /sdcard/Download. Note that this may not necessarily be a physical SD card (e.g. on devices that don't have an SD slot it's emulated).

From a practical standpoint, if you need to access them on your device, just open the Gallery or Photos app. The picture will appear in either of those as long as you haven't added a .nomedia file to the Download folder or something.

Also, opening the picture in either Photos or the AOSP Gallery app (possibly others as well) will allow you to discern its physical location by opening the menu and selecting "Details".


Possible to use laptop's keyboard to type in Android? Is it possible to use a laptop's keyboard to type in Android? If so, how?

Note my current setup:

Freshly unpacked Samsung S4 mini
Prefer solution which does not require rooting
Laptop running Ubuntu (Linux), with Bluetooth etc

Further: Any security concerns?

I haven't used it in awhile, but something like AirDroid or the like could be helpful. I've heard of a handful of apps that work in the same fashion, exposing your Android device to a browser on the local network.

With AirDroid running you can connect to it on your laptop using the IP address of the phone and a port number. Something like this: http://XXX.27.21.11:3456

The browser window will let you control the phone. I used it a few times to write long texts/emails. It does a lot, you should be able to initiate calls, browse phone data like contacts, look at media, etc.

I just scanned a review of the new version, it sounds much better and doesn't require your phone and laptop be on the same network.