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Is there a way to get my Android report to my cell phone company that it's not a smart phone?
I have a phone, but it doesn't need internet (I use it as a regular phone + wifi). However, the cell phone company decided that if I have a smartphone, it needs to come with a data plan.
Can I do anything (including modify my rom) to look like a regular flip phone to my carrier?
I have a sim-card phone.

As far as I know, phones don't report to the carrier if they are smartphones or not. They only report their unique IMEI number, from which they can't tell the type of your phone. (Unless they ask the manufacturer.) Also it is illegal to change. The carrier forcing you to pay for a data plan simply because you have a smartphone would be weird and highly unacceptable.
What I think is happening here is that your carrier has a "default data plan" with no subscription fee and a high rate, which is available to all customers by default. Your old "dumbphone" didn't use it, so you didn't get billed for it. Your new smartphone, however, uses it by default when it isn't connected to WiFi, so you get billed for it. (My old carrier did this with the price of $0.05 per 10kB, restarted at every connection to the mobile data. So every time I turned on my phone or moved out and back into coverage I got billed. I didn't even have a smartphone, just a semi-dumb one which could visit simple web pages. I was pissed when I found out.) The solution could be

Disabling mobile data in the settings
Asking your carrier to disable this default data plan
Setting wrong APN names so that your phone isn't able to connect to the mobile data

+1  if the OP signed a contract with the carrier, they can enforce that plan, and they don't care if you use or don't use data. If this type of 'dependent selling' is not allowed in the OP's country they could have grounds to dispute mis-selling of the contract, but there's nothing that can be done to say it's not smart phone, and I'd imagine EVEN IF you could do it they'd just keep billing for the ability to use data and the data plan, regardless of the device on the plan. You could throw the phone in a river and they will keep billing you.

Well yes, but who reads those contracts? :) Seriously, I think this was the case that made OP think that the carrier signed her up for a data plan for for having a smartphone. If she had signed a contract which included a data plan, she would know of it.

Yeah I'd wager that they said at the point of sale "it's a smart device, you get a smart contract" and the quote "the cell phone company decided that if I have a smartphone, it needs to come with a data plan." suggests (it's hard to tell) that they agreed to a contract for a data plan on a smart phone.

Either way your answer stands as correct, there's nothing phone related can be done other than to contact the network and try to get them to change the plan on the device!


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whats app messenger
Hi I have just bought another android phone, but I really want to see the old messages.  When I purchase my new phone, I had to obtain a nano sim, I managed to keep my old number for the new phone (still have the old phone with another sim in it).  On the old phone I can still see old messages, but as soon as I go to look at old messages and pictures, Whats app thinks I have/want two accounts and then blocks the new phone.  I just want to be able to see all my old messages on my new phone, what can I do.  Also, I am not the most technical person going, but help would be fantastic please.  My messages mean a lot to me.  Thank you.

Please see: Transfer Whatsapp chat history to new device / How to transfer WhatsApp conversations to a new phone?

In the new phone do a "clear data"  for the whatsapp,  then copy the whatsapp folder from the old phone to the new one. Now try to open the whatsapp and activate it on your number. It will ask you weather you want to import the existing history or not.

Hi Thank you for the reply, how do you do a 'clear data' for Whatsapp?

Setting >> Application Manager >> Whatsapp >> Clear Data

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


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Phone borked after clearing dalvik cache
On my Huawei G300, I cleared the dalvik cache from CWM and on rebooting, Android recreated it as expected but once the OS finished loading, all the apps started throwing up "Unfortunately x has stopped" and in particular Google Keyboard is doing that every 5s or so. On the first boot, it then dropped back to the Android boot animation, so I pulled the battery, rebooted into CWM and cleared the dalvik cache again and after that, at least it hasn't done that.
From System Settings - Apps I can see that Internal Storage only has 12MB free and 744MB used (it was actually 84KB free at first!). System Settings - Storage shows the Internal Storage has 137MB Free and 2.05GB Total though, so I guess they're referring to different things by "Internal Storage".
I use Link2SD and so most of my apps are linked to the 2GB Internal storage. I also have a 32GB SD card installed.
So if anyone could advise what I can do to fix this screwup, I'd be grateful as it's unusable at the moment. I managed to get Titanium Backup to run and update my backup, so I've got a current backup of my apps and data. ES File Explorer works as well but not much else.

Never mind. I managed to uninstall some apps to free up some space and then after rebooting, I was able to use Link2SD to move the Dalvik Cache, which gave me about 230MB free instead of 12MB!
I still had some problems so cleared the Dalvik cache again but that put it back on the Internal Storage and used up all the free space again, so I had to uninstall a few more apps and move it again but at least it's usable now. I'm getting a new phone this week anyway, so I won't waste much time getting it perfect, as I'll just wipe it and reinstall a clean ROM before giving it to a friend.

Glad to hear it!

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


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How to change contacts name in Whatsapp?
I have a friend and I have added his real name in my Contacts. I want to put his nickname in Whatsapp simultaneously. I am using it in Android. How do I accomplish this?

AFAIK, you need to rename it in contact list of your phone!

You can follow these steps:

Rename the contact in your phone book and save.
Go to Settings > Account > whatsapp > sync now (or any similar option)
Check if this has worked.

TIP you can force close whatsapp and try.

If the above method doesn't work

Backup contacts
Go to edit contact of the one you wanna change.
Copy the number of that contact.
Delete the contact.
Go to whatapp and refresh whatsapp contacts.
Add the contact number you copied with the desired name you want as a "new contact" in your address book.

I couldn't find the "sync now" option there, but I found "Refresh" here: press the floating button that starts a new conversation in the bottom right corner, press the hamburger menu button, and press "Refresh".

Renaming the contact in the phone book does not account for simultaneously having the real name in Contacts, as the OP is asking.

I am afraid to say this, but this looks highly unlikely.
The reason I am saying this is because I read following Lines in WhatsApp FAQ Page:
How do I add contacts to WhatsApp?
The important part is adding the contact into your phone's address book.
And in the same FAQ Section, at point 3. below lines are mentioned.
Note: WhatsApp cannot sync with Facebook friends, so you will need to manually enter their phone numbers in your address book in order for WhatsApp to find them.
The BOLD Line above is perhaps an indication that the "source" for WhatsApp to get contact info is Phone's "Address Book" and hence it won't allow to have "nickname".
Refer FAQ for WhatsApp at : https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/android/21082107 for above mentioned details.

Just go to the contacts list and click on the person whose name you want to change and change it. It will automatically change the person's name on WhatsApp.

OP does not want to change the real name in contacts but change only only in Whatsapp.

There's a simple solution that worked for me:
Delete the phone number -> save contacts -> and add the number again.
Whatsapp will update itself i.e. Whatsapp name would be changed to whatever is stored in contacts.

I don't think that deleting and readding the phone number is a simple solution.  It's a kludge.

On my phone I had a regular contact with correct name and a separate WhatsApp contact with the incorrect name. After deleting the WhatsApp contact my friend was still listed in the WhatsApp contact list, this time with the correct name from the regular contact. This means you can just delete the WhatsApp contact -- no need to re-add.

This was the only solution that worked for me. I had the same scenario as @10basetom.

For Whatsapp Users on Android platforms on  phones like the MOTO G.
Please use these steps:

Access your phone book.
Select the Contact/name you want to change or edit.
When the contact/name shows up on the screen, tap/touch on the Pencil [at the upper right hand corner of the screen] icon to edit.
If you are on Lollipop, tap on the  Triangle sign at the bottom [left] of the screen.
Lollipop does not give any confirmation if the edit is successful[or not]. Check if the edit has gone through.

You need to delete the "linked" WhatsApp contact in your address book.
Here is how to do it on a Samsung phone:

Open the Samsung contacts app.
Find the contact.
Rename the contact name there.
Press the hamburger menu button, and press "Add/remove linked contacts".
Press "Unlink" next to the WhatsApp linked contact entry
Go back to the list of contacts in the contacts app, find the now separate WhatsApp contact entry, and delete it.
Open WhatsApp and find the contact. WhatsApp will automatically recreate the linked contact, but using the new name.

If you don't have a name for that contact at all, and it is just the number, then add that number to a contact in the address book (or contacts) app that came with the phone with the name of your choice. Allow Whatsapp to view your contacts and it will automatically rename that contact with the name you entered in settings.
Hope this helps.

For Android phones.
There is another way. Say, you entered a new contact on whatsapp as An Unknown contact. Then you want to change it to a real name.
First add this contact with his real name, say, John Franklin. Then in the contacts click on a chain icon. It is on middle right and is chain shaped. There you will see a list of contacts to link with. Find the An Unknown contact and click on to link these two contacts. Close the phone contacts and look up in whatsapp. The contact name will be updated.

authors: ΣΟΦΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΟΦΙΑΝΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ

authors: ศรุตา สุมะจิตร์

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Android tether/hotspot - redirecting all requests to a webserver after IP is allocated, how?
I've set my phone (Kitkat 4.4.2 (18.3.C.0.37)) to set up a wifi-hotspot using the stock software. There's a simple http webserver on the phone @ 192.168.43.1:80
I can connect to the webserver from a machine that's logged into the hotspot. What I'd like to do is make -all- requests to the hotspot goto 1 webpage that's hosted on the phone instead of having to type the i.p. address in full.
Is there a replacement or a way to reconfigure the routing of the hotspot?

If the constraint is not to tweak your system's hosts file which is the easiest way, then on the device you can run a DNS server. There is a free DNS server app by Icecoldapps on Play Store which was recommended in an answer on AE. But that doesn't really worked for me since it requires port forwarding. My device is rooted, so I used Servers Ultimate Pro to create two DNS servers: 1) DNS Server, 2) DNS Native Server.
Once you have this app installed, create DNS Native Server and add your rules like "192.168.43.1" maps to "BCat.com". Then create a DNS Server and add the address of DNS Native Server in the place of Google's 8.8.8.8.
Setting up a server in this app is pretty much straightforward. Otherwise, Google is your friend for life.
Now start the DNS Native server followed by DNS Server.
It should now be working. If you have a Linux machine, you can use the command dig BCat.com to check the status of DNS.
All that's left is to type in the URL bar of your system's browser : http://bcat.com. Done!


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Messages remain unread
I have three messages which show up as unread, even after I open them. The messages icon does not show any unread messages, and the message status persists even after I restart the phone.
Apparently related: this started just after I got a group message which was to (among others) the three people whose messages are now permanently unread. The group MMS itself is marked as read, though.

What  app are you using? Is it SMS, MMS, IM, email?

@RossC: SMS (as tagged). In my interface it's just labeled "Messaging".

Sorry I didn't see the tag due to blindness/stupidity! First thing I'd try is a different SMS app (hangous, go sms or whatever) and see if the issue persists, if so then contact your carrier. I've had this issue and it's usually the network, but some apps just go nuts sometimes!

I see this same issue. I cannot find a place to file bug reports for Google Messaging.

Was this solved meanwhile (e.g. due to some updates)? If so, please remember you always can answer your own question :)

@Izzy: No, not even after all this time! I'd love to know the answer.

Sure you'd love to! Not that I have it. Is your device rooted?

@Izzy: No, it's not rooted.

Oh. That kills the only idea I've had then. I assume you've tried with several alternative SMS apps since, haven't you?

@Izzy: No, I've just stuck with the buggy standard app. I guess I could try that.

You definitely should. Maybe you'll like the new one even better (I've read 8sms should be a pretty good choice, and can even be made the "default messaging app" if you want that); if not, just use it to mark those messages read and return to what you like more :)


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How to re lock bootloader on samsung galaxy s5?
I have Unlocked Rooted Samsung Galaxy S5 recently it has been giving me a lot of issues and I want to send it to Samsung for repair meant. I understand that once you root your device you loose the warranty, but recently I was doing research and I found out if you re lock your bootloader and unroot your device you can get your warranty back, so can some one tell me how to do it ? and if you can tell me if there is a way to find out even if your bootloader is locked or unlocked ?
Thank you

First off, you don't get your warranty back, you hide that you unlocked and rooted in the first place (so you never "actually" lost warranty) . I don't know Samsung devices all that well, have you tried booting into fastboot and doing "fastboot oem lock"? If your device doesn't have fastboot obviously this won't work. Usually carriers and the phone companies can find out bootloader status by booting into bootloader with" adb reboot bootloader" or some key combination.
Tip: if you are using SuperSU as your superuser app, there will be an unroot option in it. Good luck!

To add to this: Not all devices support re-locking. Some (e.g. LG) using fuses which you simply "burn" when unlocking, so no way back from there (once "burnt", the state of a fuse cannot be reverted). Not sure which applies to the S5.

@Izzy I've heard some Motorola phones use this too. For example, a moto g (which I just so happens to have) would show bootloader status "relocked", instead of "locked"

That's a third variant it seems. I don't know if that possibility even exists at all with LG devices...

Samsung use a multi faceted approach: they have a counter for how many times custom firmware has been flashed, triangle away used to be able to change this, and there is a 'custom/original' indicator for the firmware. Thirdly is Samsung Knox, if that is tripped from 0x0 to 0x1 there is no way to set it back on the device that I am aware of. It's down to the service centre, the could say the warranty is void, but generally they seem to be servicing them from anecdotal evidence.

You don't have an unlocked bootloader on your s5. I know this, because to date, there is no known unlock method for the bootloader. To restore to stock, uninstall safestrap (if applicable) then use Odin or Heimdal to flash a factory image.

He does not say what carrier he has, the T-mobile variant has an unlocked bootloader, out of the box. You can't flash a custom recovery on a locked bootloader.

@RyanConrad SAMSUNG HAS NO BOOTLOADERS

Samsung has a different fastboot mode called the Odin mode. It's easy to access. Power off your device and press the volume down+home button+power button to go to the Odin mode. You can use the Odin app to flash the stock ROM and hence you can easily hide the fact that you have rooted the phone. This is one way to get the warranty back if you have rooted you phone. It's a pretty simple technique and you can use it to being your phone back to life if you softbrick your phone. Google up to find tutorials for your phone as to how to use the Odin mode to get back to stock ROM.

Basically for rooting a device you need to unlock the boot loader so that you can format the stock O.S which is supposed to boot on switching ON the device and replace with a custom OS.You can check whether the device boot loader is locked or unlocked by connecting your device via the ADB debug drivers to the Android develop tools(ADT).
(OR)
Simply *#*#7378423#*#* >Service Info> Configuration.
Bootloader unlock allowed - Yes:- this means that your Bootloader is Locked
Bootloader Unlocked - Yes << this means that your bootloader is unlocked
Note:-It all depends on the manufacturer of the phone as well as the Telecom Operator.Some provide detailed steps to unlock the boot loader and some don't.Whereas in some cases the Operator itself may lock the boot loader (not the phone lock but the boot loader lock) for reasons known to them

do i dial  ##7378423## ? or whats up ?

try the dial number.i don't know from where what's up came into picture


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Restrict data for google play services
Google play services consumes some data. Can I restrict data access to it. Does user experience compromised if I do. If yes what are they?

You might wish to see: Google Play updates on mobile connection despite setting. My answer there should cover it completely.

You can restrict  apps from using data in several ways.
Android itself provides a built-in feature to restrict data for individual apps. It can be found at Settings → Data Usage → scroll down and select the app to restrict. You will find restrict background data option there. Select Google Play Services from there then restrict data.
As you mentioned that you need Google Play Services to be restricted, before going with this you should be aware about these.

You cannot use Play Store with background data disabled, but you can still disable the automatic update feature in Google Play settings: go to Settings → Accounts → Disable sync.
Turn off Google Maps offline caching in Maps settings.
Use third-party apps like Onavo Count.

"You cannot use Play Store with background data disabled." → then I'm a magician. I do use it that way. Works normal when connected to a WiFi network. However, you're correct when talking about mobile data: here it won't work anymore – but that's exactly what the OP wants, right?

On Android 8, Google Play Services ignores the setting; it racks up background data transfers even when disabled.

Same goes for android 7. Is there no way to stop the damn thing?

You can forcibly restrict Google Play Services data consumption however it will impact the 'seamlessness' of your android experience. Google Play Services are responsible for keeping your android in sync with numerous Google services that you and your device uses.  Google Play Service is a background service that helps to integrate several APIs like Location API, Maps API, Play Protect, etc. and limiting/disabling data access will impact these services.
If you still want to proceed, you may use firewalls that work on non-rooted devices as well.


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qemu props -where are they? what are they and where do I find them?
I want to disable task windows button so I used:
qemu.hw.mainkeys=1

And used Button Saviour.
However, I wonder whats more in qemu props, so I can tweak some more. In short:
Where are qemu props? what are they and where do I find them?

I've only ever seen qemu for the keys (as you have done) and for the emulator, not actually on device. The description on the emulator is this program is used to read a set of system properties and their values from the emulator program and set them in the currently-running emulatedsystem. It does so by connecting to the 'boot-properties' qemud service.  I'll have to get digging to see if there's more. http://wiki.qemu.org/Main_Page

OK thx. Still mystical...


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Samsung S4 and Kies error
I am trying to connect my Samsung galaxy S4 to Samsung Kies, yet it says it is not compatible and to download Kies 3 - which I did and then it says the device isn't supported - so both versions of Kies won't work - any ideas its driving me mad :( I have uninstalled and re-installed several times.
thank you

Is the phone in Odin download mode? If you connect the phone when it's in Odin mode, Kies detects it, but gives you exactly those messages. You can't use Kies with Odin, it only works when the device is booted. To use Odin, you need the Odin desktop app for Windows.


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How can I restore all my backed up data?
I wiped my old phone and got a new one today, and on my old phone I had all of Google's back-up options turned on, but it didn't sync any of my app data when I installed the apps on my new phone.
Just in case something like this happened, I also copied and pasted the files of my old phone into a folder on my PC. However, nothing changed when I copied all those files onto my new phone. What am I doing wrong?

Copying and pasting folders from the old phone to the new one doesn't link it to the app installed in the new phone. Instead, try backup apps such as Titanium Backup, and make a complete backup of all the apps which you require from the old phone. Now, a folder named TitaniumBackup would be created in your SDcard. Copy that folder and paste it in the new phone. Install Titanium Backup in the new phone and try to recover the apps with data. Your issue will be resolved.

I wiped my old phone though and gave it to someone else. I thought that Google backed up your app data to their servers if you had the "App Data" sync turned on which I did

Well, in that case, you have lost all the app data permanently, as far as I know.

Is none of the app data stored in the folders that I copied?

If the app supports backup and restore feature and if the data present in folders are some kind of backups, then there is a possibility that you may recover the data back using the backup and restore functionality of the app.


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Downloading videos from dnatube.com
How can i download videos on my android mobile from dnatube.com ? After signing in when Ic click on dowload video button it shows "We are sorry, currently we are not allowed to give any permission for download due to copyright issues."
Is there any apps or online site which can capture videos from this site, youtube downloading ideas are not working.
Thanks !

Two popular apps are TubeMate (as zamin suggested) and VidMate. They can download videos from all popular video hosting websites. You won't find them in Play Store due to some copyright issues. Sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, Youku etc are provided as speed dials so you have to manually enter dnatube.com  in address bar. Comment if not working.

You can use Tubemate. it is the great app for youtube download. you can download tubemate from here.


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How to hide my Google Play downloads from my friends?
I am new to android and just by going into Google Play I can see every app my friends downloaded. I am really feeling uncomfortable about this since I don't like to feel exposed.
Does anyone knows how to block this "feature"?

Is that really the case? I thought you'd only see the apps your friends actually rated, not downloaded. In any case, I agree with you, I don't like that feature either.

Where do you see this list(?) of apps your friends have downloaded?

When I search an app I can see some friends there in the app page. At first I thought it only showed the apps my friends rated but then I found an app with just an indication of a friend who downloaded it

Odd. Mine seems to only show ones I've +1'd or rated.... The +1's might be the setting at https://plus.google.com/u/0/apps/google (no idea).

Yep, I mistaken it, indeed just the ones people +1'd....my bad!

I don't think that there is any trick available which you can use to hide the apps downloaded from your friends until or unless you unfriend your friends over your G+ account.
But I have got another trick for you which is going to work for you like whenever you download app, try getting the .apk file downloaded from third party sites say I want to download whatsapp and don't want my friends to see. I will download whatsapp.apk file directly from the Whatsapp website and then I can install the apk file independently and my friends will never know that I have downloaded whatsapp, just make sure you don't get the apps from PlayStore and it will not be shown!

But you need to be aware that apps from third party websites may not be as safe as apps from the app store

Hmmmm so this isn't related to the system itself it is just related to the play store...any way to test it?

@mFeinstein You can test by downloading free apps from Amazon's app store

And how can I see if my friends see that I have the app or not?

@mfeinstein by asking them? That is the only way you will will know for sure even with the Google app store

Well, @joeW yes you are correct, we need to be aware of the apps from third party site but I guess that can be done directly from PlayStore there are some sites like Apps Evozi here what you need to do is put the Google Play Link of the app you need to get apk of, and after pasting the link tap over the generate link ! Done .apk file of any app directly from Google Play.

I deleted everyone from my google plus account and I still can see my friends who liked stuff and commented. Actually I can see people that I didn't even had at google plus, so I guess it's reading my contacts.

On the other hand I think I misunderstood the system and I can only see the ones who likes the apps. I saw their names with the +1 and thought it was like a download sign. Sorry for being dumb haha I really don't use google plus for anything

@mFeinstein that might be because of your contacts stored we just couldn't guess where Google is reading things from !

I also think it's from my contacts...still, kinda scary hahaha

AFAIK apps that are installed from apk files can only be  updated manually.

You can hide your game activity. Go to your profile and click on edit. There will be checkboxes for "People to see your gamer ID through your Google+ name" and and another to "Hide your gaming activity". Uncheck them, and you're good to go!


text:
Can't download any app why?
Okay i can't download any app to my phone without it alway sayrERROR DOWNLOAD APP THERE IS INSUFFICIENT SPACE ON THE DEVICE. I'VE ONLY GOT 1 APP MYSELF DOWNLOAD TO MY PHONE IT CALKED VAULT FOR MY PICTURE SO HOW DO I FREE UP SPACE I'VE CLEAR A THE CACHE I HAVEN'T CLEAR THE DATA BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IIF I'M SUPPOSED TO PLEASE HELP ME

Please don't use ALL-CAPS. It's considered as shouting and nobody wants to hear that. Also, please noted the full, original error message. And please fix typo/grammar if there's any.

Additionally: This question has already been asked multiple times (hint: we've got a "search box" on the page ;) Please find the answer to your problem here: Google Play: Error downloading app - insufficient space

It means you device doesn't have sufficient memory to help you in getting more apps. What you can do is:

Get and SD card from your nearest store and move apps to SD card.
You can also try various cleaner apps available to free up your temporary memory.
You can also try un-installing apps that you don't use.

Note: If you are rooted user then only you can get rid of the bloatware loaded over your device.


text:
Account, paid for Apps and new account
My children have nexus tablets. They have their own google accounts with email adresses.
My ex-wife has changed the google passwords so i cannot set up a new android phone for the children. If i set up new account/email addresses on the phone or for their tablets, how can I install the paid for apps which are connected with their previous accounts whilst at the same time giving them credit to purchase apps etc on the new accounts?
Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Seamas

Could you ask your ex-wife for the password? That would be the easiest way.
If that doesn't work, you could start a password recovery procedure on a PC, in some cases it uses a registered Android device to verify ownership, which you have access to. Just click on the "I forgot my password" link at gmail.com.
Sadly there is no way to transfer paid apps and in-app purchases between Google accounts.

You'll have to either get back access to the Google account that was used to buy the apps or buy new copies. It's no different to if you bought software that came on a physical disk and your ex-wife took the disk.

authors: فخرالدین چشم میشی


text:
Sync read mails in systray & pulldown menu
On a normal day, my phone is laying next to my laptop. Both are syncing emails and most of the time I read my emails on my laptop. The connection protocol is set to imap on both devices so when I open the email APP on my phone, the emails that are already read are marked as such. One problem is that this sync of read mails only happens when I start the email app. For each new mail , the systray is updated with the new mail icon and when I pull down the top overlay it keeps telling me there are X new email while they are all read(and also marked as such when i start the android email app).
This is really annoying as the blue LED is also flashing telling me there is something new while there isn't
Not sure if this matters but it's a samsung S4
Thx in advance!

Same thing happens with all Android phones (I've seen many phones). Just stop email notifications on your phone (for that particular account) if you don't want light flashing.
Every app checks for new messages as soon as you wake up the phone. This feature called as Push Notifications only checks for new messages but won't check if they are already read or not.

So push notifications don't allow unpushing a previous notification? Seems rather common sense to have this feature? As we all live in a linear timeline where previous events might be outdated the moment you see the notification


text:
Can I root a phone thats already rooted?
I bought a chinese phone thats seems to be be already rooted.
How can I be sure?
When I download apps that require root they don't work.
Can I change privledges on an already rooted phone?
Or can I re-root?

Simply speaking, Android devices are either rooted or not. If they are not rooted, then you should ask the question "How can I root my <insert your device name/model>?"

You can try installing the app Root Checker to know if your device is rooted or not. And yes you can root your device again even if its rooted. But yes first its better to check if it has the rooted privileges or not. As far as running of apps is concerned sometimes some app stop responding even if one has the rooted privileges better would be to first check things out.

There is a chance Root checker will request Super User permission, however, if nothing is there to handle it (e.g. SuperSU) it will be denied root, and show a partial root or no root on the device. OP may need to find a Super User tool that will work on their device, if one exists.

In the literal sense, no—you can't root a phone that's already rooted, because that's like killing a bug that's already dead.
If the real question is, as I understand it, whether it's okay to go through the rooting process on a device that's already rooted, generally yes, there's no reason why that would cause any harm. So if you don't know whether the device is rooted, and you want to go through rooting process just to make sure, there's no reason to be concerned that you'll be causing harm if it happens to have been previously rooted. To extend the analogy, it's like not knowing whether the bug is dead and spraying it with RAID just to be sure.
However, it's a waste of time to root a device that's already rooted, because the rooting process is always more complicated than checking whether you have root access. You can use Root Checker as suggested in Peter Carlos's answer. Rather than installing an extra app just to check for root, though, the way I do it is by launching Terminal Emulator (an app you'll probably want anyway on a rooted phone) and issuing the su command. If you don't have root, you'll get an error message like
/system/bin/sh: su: not found

If you don't get any errors, you have root. Also, the prompt should change to begin with root@.


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Rooted my phone Now on to SD problems
I rooted my phone and was able to delete several apps I don't need,(Touchpal, Browser (electing to use google for these) Problem though. Now I want to move the programs I do use , but are not integral to the phone, onto an external sd card.
I got a nice 32 Gig card,mounted it in the phone and still can't get the phone to transfer any files there.
Any suggestions as to how to fix this?
Thanks.

Are you talking about moving system apps (apps that came with the phone) to the external sdcard?

Any apps at all. I can access the card through my computer but the phone won't let me put anything on the SD.

What phone are you using? What Android version?

Android 4.0 Model ZTE N9500 Carrier:　Sprint

I formatted the card to NFTS and put it back in the phone. Came up as blank/incompatible sd. Here's the kicker. The phone allowed me to format the card while mounted. Hopefully that worked.

Apart from the fact that almost no Android device supports NTFS natively (I've never heard of a single one): Did re-formatting the card solve your issue? If so, it would be absolutely cool if you could answer your own question, so others can profit from your solution :) Thanks in advance!


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Way to access Samsung Galaxy S4 as USB device without Rooting the phone
How I can connect my Samsung Galaxy S4 to my PC as a USB device.
I tried the Build Number shortcut and it did not work. Enabling USB debugging does not fix the problem. The reason behind this is to recover some deleted videos and all the apps require the phone to be connect as a USB device.

Do you mean specifically a USB mass storage device, not just a USB device?

As Dan suggests: the context of "recover some deleted X" makes it very likely you're specifically looking for UMS, as that would give the recovery software "full access to the drive". Can you confirm that?

You need to install Samsung Kies on the computer. That will install the appropriate driver; at that point your phone when connected should appear in My Computer (assuming we're talking about Windows 7/8/8.1). If you're running OS X you'll need to install the Android Transfer utility from Samsung. Most Android phones use a generic Google-provided MTP driver, but Samsung rolled their own and the generic one doesn't work.
It's a hassle to install Kies, but Samsung does not provide a stand-alone installer for their MTP driver. Once installed, you can ignore it. The phone will appear in My Computer and be browsable from Windows Explorer.


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i can't retrieve a wallpaper setting i looked in my gallery but it is not there
I selected a picture from the gallery as my wallpaper but replaced it with another picture from my gallery, and i can't find my original picture.  How can i retrieve it?

Android doesn't save a history of old wallpapers. If the old wallpaper is still in your Gallery, just select it the same way you did before. If you've deleted it from wherever it originally came from (e.g. your camera photos or downloads folder), through Gallery or another app, then it's gone.

Once you pick a wallpaper, Android actually caches it elsewhere. In Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean and Kitkat at least, try these two directories:
/data/data/com.android.settings/files/

/data/system/users/0/

Inside one of those directories you should find a file called "wallpaper". This is a png formatted image, you may need to manually add the extension once you copy it elsewhere.


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Changed my LG L70 (MS323) runtime from Dalvik to ART and my phone's not working properly. Help?
I switched my LG L70 (MS323)'s runtime from Dalvik to ART, after it restarted and said "Android is upgrading..." and it optimized my 64 apps. After it finishes, I get an error message saying something like Unfortunately the system ui has stopped and then my phone restarts and the whole process starts over again. Please help.

ART is experimental at this stage, unless you're on android L (Lollipop) I wouldn't recommend using it.
If you are stuck in ART you can get back to Dalvik by following this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2707841
Your device should boot then.

Just do a hard reset on your phone.

Do you mean a factory reset? I'm not sure how simply restarting manually would be sufficient to fix the OP's issue.


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What is the com.android.email/cache folder?
I am looking at where data is stored on an Android device.  The ending of the path is com.androidemail/cache/then a jpg.  What is the email cache?

Cache is a kind of temporary storage for faster access to e.g. files loaded via network. In case of an email app, this most likely holds contents that where attached to a mail (like images: you even named a .jpg, that's it), so it doesn't need to be re-loaded via the network each time the user looks up a message (see: Web cache).
Also see our cache tag-wiki.


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Asus memo pad 8 led notification
Hi there I have an ASUS MeMO Pad 8 ME181C I want to know is there a proximity sensor or a notification led on right hand side of the tablet.
If it's a notification led how does it work?
Thanks...


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Using a Bluetooth Headset to send voice to a bluetooth Speaker (Android)
this is quite a strange question, but hoping someone can help me out. Basically I was hoping to have a bluetooth headset send audio to bluetooth speakers - basically as a sort of "remote mic and speaker" setup.
I have bluetooth speakers and a bluetooth headset, but they will not sync to each other (as they are both accessories I assume). So I was hoping to get a cheap android phone to be the middle man.
Problem is I can't seem to get the Mic and "Speaker" to seperate, nor an app that supports audio straight through. My ideal setup is as follows:
Speech in (Bluetooth headset) --> Sent to Speaker (Phone) --> Output from Speaker (Bluetooth Speaker).
Can anyone suggest a way to do this in Android? Are there apps that support this?
Thanks for your help, anyone that can help! :-)


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Single Authentication for Wifi, Bluetooth and NFC
I would like to use a single authentication for Bluetooth(BLE and classic), wifi and NFC between an android phone and a wearable device.Which means , say i connect a phone and another wearable through BLE , then later the phone should authenticate the device in other two communication platforms as well without asking authentication again. Please point me in the right direction.Help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
 !

This question is a bit of a nonsense. There is no standard pre-authentication step for NFC. The devices just exchange data when they touch. If the software you're using to control what data are transferred requires some kind of authentication step, that's only within that software, so you'd need to use some feature of the software itself to turn that off (e.g. in the settings for the app). It's not possible to give a more specific answer because you haven't described the software you're using.
Similarly, the question doesn't make much sense for Wi-Fi. Usually, the phone will be connected to some Wi-Fi network, and to communicate with the wearable device, it would need to connect to the same network. But the phone doesn't authenticate the device in this step: the device needs the Wi-Fi key to authenticate itself to the Wi-Fi hotspot. The phone already has this key, but for security reasons it can't be extracted by a normal app. Only a root app, running on a rooted phone, would be able to send the key to the wearable via the existing Bluetooth connection, and the device would need to be expecting this data. That is, the designer of the device must have included this feature. It's not something you can add as an end user.


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How do I access PC's internet on Android Phone?
I'm using Android Jelly bean 4.2 (Micromax Canvas 2 Colours). I've a PC at home which has internet connection. I don't have any wireless router or any access point. I just want to use PC's internet connection on my android phone. Kindly help me.

May be you should head out over the discussion over the stack exchange PC internet on Android Phone through USB. I guess its already discussed over there. Maybe you should have a look over their, I can't bet over those tricks but some of the tricks shared by users can be of your use.

Peter is right. In case you need to do closer research: the process is called "reverse tether" (I've added the corresponding tag to your question).


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LG Won't Charge
My LG was at 1% battery yesterday so I let it charge for an hour or so but when I came back I noticed that it wouldn't even turn on without turning right back off. It would only turn on to show a "0% battery" screen.
I tried another charger and the LG had the same issue; it just wouldn't stay on. However, this time, I did notice that once or twice it would flash the "charging" screen for a split second.
I let the phone sit overnight while connected to the charger and when I woke up it appears that at least some charge trickled into the device; it is able to turn on and reach the lock screen but not without immediately shutting off because of a low battery.
What could be wrong? What can I do?

The two most likely causes:

The battery could be dead. Lithium-ion batteries (as well as other types of rechargeable batteries) wear down over time. Even sitting on a shelf they eventually decay, but they decay faster the more you use them, and the more they're exposed to extreme heat, cold, and humidity.
The socket on the phone has a loose connection. Jiggle the plug, or try applying light pressure in various directions.

If the battery is old (>2 years) or battery life has been getting shorter recently, it's probably the first one. The second one is more likely if the battery is fairly new or battery life hasn't noticeably decreased from when it was new and it just suddenly stopped charging, or if you notice the charge indicator flashing on the screen and disappearing while you're jiggling the plug.
You didn't specify what model you have, but most LG phones have replaceable batteries. Cell phone batteries are dirt cheap, so if you buy a replacement and it turns out to be a problem with the circuitry, you won't have wasted much money. You should be able to get a new one at Amazon or eBay for just a few bucks.

My phone is less than two months old, and the charger port looks clean. I tried blowing it out to no effect.


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I keep getting error 911 when downloading large apps
When I download anything over 70 mb onto my phone, the download gets about ~95% then it stops and a pop up saying something along the lines of, this app cannot be downloaded due to error (911) appears.
Does anyone know how I can fix this?

I have never encountered this specific error before, but you can find it among a list of common Play Store errors compiled by enthusiasts* on XDA.
They have 4 recommendations for the 911 error:

Method 1: Clear the google play store data
Method 2: If you are using a wifi connection that requires a webpage login, then your authentication has probably expired. Log in to the apn again via your android browser. Open google play store and run the app update again . If that didn’t work the problem is with the wifi network itself.
Method 3: Simply switch to another wifi network and run the update. The error 911 should disappear for the new wifi network.
Method 4: Use your mobile network data services instead of wifi. Turn wifi off and then turn your data on and now open your google play store and download/update your apps or games. However, this method is only suited for apps and games that are small sized. For larger updates you should use your wifi network to save data charge.

*Keep in mind that this list of errors and recommendations is not endorsed by Google, and may or may not be valid in your situation.
*This list is taken verbatim from the linked site, all credit goes to the list of users quoted on top of the linked page for compiling the list

I have had this same issue before with the Sim City Buildit game/app. I run android 4.1.2 on a rooted LG Optimus f3 (vm720). In my case, none of the standard solutions (as was posted by Raghd Hamzeh) have ever fixed any problems with my phone, but they do work for some.
I'm still not sure exactly why it errors at the 95%, but it appears as if it downloaded the entire OBB file without finishing the task completely. I only noticed this because the "disk space is limited" notification popped up. I check the data folder, and there are about 7 different OBB files all named temp.appname.whatever (with a corresponding number following it as they're all duplicated files). So in my case, I just deleted the excess temp obbs, renamed "temp." away from the downloaded obb, and it worked immediately after - allowing me to download the new APK without a problem.

It worked for my Asus Zenfone V live (A009) I don't know if it works for other phones but I clear up as much space as possible on the internal storage and it works everytime. Don't use a junk cleaner though, they don't help.


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Android compresses all the photos I see online
My HTC One M7 (ARHD 81.0) is compressing all the photos/videos I see online. Instagram? Compressed (even more than normal). Imgur on Chrome? Compressed. Photos from bacon reader? Compressed. Google Drive? Compressed. You name it and my phone will compress it.
I was using opera max to cut down on my data usage but I removed it because I thought that it is the cause of my problem.
Any ideas on how to get this fixed?

Is this over 3G or Wi-Fi?

Over 3g. I can't verify right now if it will be the same on Wi-Fi.

The compression is actually performed by your carrier. Almost all mobile network carriers compress images to reduce bandwidth use on slow mobile connections.
You can avoid the compression by switching to a Wi-Fi network, or using an HTTPS connection to the website you want: since HTTPS is secured from interception, the carrier can't replace the pictures with its compressed versions.

Here's a good article on this topic: http://calendar.perfplanet.com/2013/mobile-isp-image-recompression/


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Already S-Off, need root on HTC One M8 Verizon
I'm relatively new to Android and I'm just trying to get root on my HTC One M8 Verizon device. I've successfully used the SunShine utility to S-Off, but I'm just really confused about what to do next to get permanent root. I don't care about custom ROMs and I'd really prefer not to have to install TWRP if I don't have to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
FWIW, I've got the Android SDK and associated tools (adb, etc.) installed, and I am successfully able to connect to my device. Just don't know what to do from here.

Found the answer. There's a support channel, #sunshine-support on irc.freenode.org. Just go in there and type !info ring, and one of the devs pretty much instantly responds. Or, you can just type !info getroot directly and let them get some shut-eye. Anyways, that will provide you with a link to an apk called SUInstaller. At the time of writing it's at: http://theroot.ninja/apks/SUInstaller.apk. But, if it moves, follow the instructions I just gave to get the current one.
Anyways, you install this app and it will reboot your phone (installing su in the process). Then, just download SuperSU from the Play Store and follow the prompts. Reboot when it tells you to and then give it about five minutes after the phone boots up for everything to finish loading. Then, you can use something like Root Checker (also available on the Play Store) to verify that you have root access.


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How can i make samsung S5 to be shown as a drive when i connect it to my PC?
when i connect the phone via USB it shows as Portable device; but i want it to be as a drive so i can review my files on the labtop.
note: i have S3 and S5 with the same issue.

Click on the USB sign on the notification bar.
Then in the new page, check the "Media Device(MTP)" and wait for few seconds to see the drive show up in your computer/mac.

Thanks Sam Ramezanli's. I did what you adviced me so many times and it still the same; shows as portaple device!

are you a windows or Mac User?


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Titanium Backup: How to schedule backup verification?
How do I schedule a "Verify backups" action in Titanium backup?
The list of available actions in the "Add new schedule" dialog seem to include all standard backup actions (for example various backup and restore actions) except "Verify backups". Is there a way to achieve this?
The Titanium backup FAQ recommends performing a verification on all backups, but if it cannot be scheduled it has to be done manually, which defeats the purpose (and convenience) of scheduling in the first place.


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How to prevent apps from using my SD for its data?
So, as you all know, even though they are they're installed in internal app memory, some apps tend to store some of its data in internal SD and some in external SD card. (To be more precise, in "/sdcard/Android/data/" and "/extSdCard/Android/data/" folder, respectively.)
Now, I was wondering if there was any way to prevent this, so that they store their data only in the app's private folder (in "/data/data/app-package/")? Or at least prevent writing data into the external SD card and just use internal SD for the purpose?
Info:
- Model: Samsung s3
- OS: Android 4.4 stock ROM (rooted)

You could revoke their write access to the SD card using pm, but that will most likely make them crash every time they tried to write the card.

You also could mount --bind their SD card folders to internal memory folders. This has to be done on every boot, though, and Android's mount system is messy enough as it is.

Since the device is rooted you can install XPrivacy from Play Store. For this app to work you need to install Xposed Framework. Once this framework is installed, you'll have to enable XPrivacy's  module in Xposed framework which will require a reboot.

Once XPrivacy is installed and device rebooted, launch the app and tap any app icon amongst the list of apps icons(say Facebook app icon).
Scroll down to Storage and tap it to list permissions inside it.
Two entries there requires our attention:

getExternalStorageState -- Returns the current state of the primary "external" storage device.
sdcard (aka [(READ/WRITE/ACCESS_ALL)_EXTERNAL_STORAGE]) -- Allows an application to read/write from and into external storage.

Now that it is obvious from the context I mentioned around these two entries, you can go ahead restricting them for the apps you desire.
Note that there could be repercussions for restricting them, and the obvious would be the app failing to launch or crashing intermittently. It is advised to take a nandroid backup as well as an app backup.
XPrivacy allows et al.:

Creating a template of permissions which can be applied on apps individually rather than selecting the permissions by going into every app individually. The pro version allows applying this template on multiple apps simultaneously.
Restrict on Demand feature which will seek user's discretion every time a selected app is launched.
Automatic default template implementation on any new user installed app.

About XPrivacy

Privacy can prevent applications from leaking privacy sensitive data by restricting the categories of data an application can access. XPrivacy feeds applications fake data or no data at all. It can restrict several data categories, such as contacts or location. For example, if you restrict an application's access to contacts, that application will receive an empty contacts list. Similarly, restricting an application's access to your location will send a fake location to that application.
XPrivacy doesn't revoke or block permissions from an application, so most applications will continue to work as before and won't force close (crash).

About Xposed Framework

Xposed is a framework for modules that can change the behavior of the system and apps without touching any APKs. That's great because it means that modules can work for different versions and even ROMs without any changes (as long as the original code was not changed too much). It's also easy to undo. As all changes are done in the memory, you just need to deactivate the module and reboot to get your original system back. There are many other advantages, but here is just one more: Multiple modules can do changes to the same part of the system or app. With modified APKs, you to decide for one. No way to combine them, unless the author builds multiple APKs with different combinations.


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How to Disable brand logo and boot animation
Hii Everyone I am using Samsung Galaxy Grand i9082 device and when i turn it on it is showing two screens one with model number and other with Samsung logo and boot animation is there any possibility to disable both the animations and display a blank screen until home screen appears

You can't change the model number one (in theory you can but I've never seen it done), the boot animation can be flashed in recovery on a rooted device. http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/change-android-boot-animation/

You can delete /system/media/bootanimation.zip and the second boot animation would be gone. You need to root your phone to do that though. Also, this would make your home screen appear faster, but not fully functional until it competes boot.
Changing or removing the first boot splash is trickier, it requires recompiling the kernel with a blank boot splash and flashing that to the device - which is dangerous, hard and , as it requires you to unlock the bootloader, possibly void the warranty and it also runs a risk of bricking the phone.

I removed the bootanimation ("colored flying circles) , but now I see "android" text logo. How can I get rid of it ?

You can try setting/adding debug.sf.nobootanimation = 1 to your build.prop


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My Nexus 7 isn't being detected by Windows. No OS on Nexus 7
I wiped my OS from my Nexus earlier as I had a ROM that I wanted to flash. When I proceeded to try and flash the ROM to my Nexus 7 using flash-all.bat (I installed ADB and Fastboot and Drivers using 15 second installer by Snoop05) it hung on: < Waiting for device >. I've been able to track it down to the drivers since there is an error on my device manager. I have tried numerous tutorials and methods to get the drivers but they all seem to need you to have your device already running android. I have TWRP recovery and unlocked bootloader. Any help?

Have you tried using one of the driver install tutorials with the device attached in fastboot mode?

Could you link me to some I cannot find any googling around

You've implied that you've got a tutorial.
"I have tried numerous tutorials and methods to get the drivers but they all seem to need you to have your device already running android."
Try one of those with the device attached in fastboot mode.

The answer is something quite strange although seemed to work for me. I used a different computer and used Wugs Nexus Root Toolkit to flash stock (after driver install on other computer) and it worked without any failure .

authors: ณัฐวุฒิ วิราพร


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Power and volume down menu... What kind of trouble am I getting into?
Model ZTE N9500
Carrier:　Sprint
Messing around with various button combinations I found this one and up popped a very interesting menu my question is. What are the respective purposes / consequences of each choice .
1 ) reboot( self explanitory)

apply update from external storage.

3 wipe data/factory reset.
4 wipe cache partition
5 apply update from cache
6 md5 check
7 wipe carrier/data/factory reset.
Thanks in advance,
Chris

That's the so-called recovery-menu. You can find out a little more via our recovery-mode tag-wiki (especially it also lists some custom-recoveries and their tags here). Via that page you can also check out other related questions.

What you have found is the recovery mode (or recovery in short) which is useful for manipulating the OS of your phone.

Options 2 and 5 take a .zip file of a specific format and update the OS of your phone with it. This is called "flashing". Stock recoveries (most likely you have a stock recovery if you don't know what this is) usually verify if the .zip was signed by the vendor of your phone - so you can't flash homemade .zips using this and so this option is pretty useless for you.
Options 3, 4 and 7 erase various pieces of storage in your phone. 3 erases all of your data but preserves the OS, which is useful if you want to sell your phone or it has become unusable and unfixable from inside Android. It essentially resets your phone to the state it came from the factory in. 4 does no harm, it erases temporary files which help speed up Android. These will be regenerated at the next boot, and the phone will be a little slower for a while. It can help in some cases when apps crash. I do not know what 7 does, but the "wipe carrier" part seems dangerous enough for me to not try it ever. Best case, it does a factory reset, like 3. Worst case, it makes your phone unable to connect to the carrier and make or receive phone calls.
6 seems harmless enough, it seems to do an integrity check of some sort, maybe on update packages, maybe on the phone. You may as well try it, I don't think it does anything harmful or interesting whatsoever.

If you're interested, you can search for and install a custom recovery which will replace this menu with a much better one. This will allow you to install custom OSes to your phone, make and restore backups and much more.

Any suggestions on a custom recovery? Esp one that will let me get rid of the damned google apps I don't use.

Clockworkmod and TWRP recoveries are great; although I'm not sure if they are available for your phone, you will have to search for it. However, if you only want to remove Google apps, you can do it by rooting the phone and removing the corresponding .apk files from /system/app. This is dangerous! You can brick your phone if you remove wrong files! Do NOT do this if you aren't totally absolutely sure about what you're doing or you have an original ROM you can restore! also, I think you can click 'disable' in Settings/Apps if your Android version is recent enough, that is much safer.

No custom recovery rids you of the Google-Apps. But you can flash a custom ROM (which usually comes without them). See my article series on Android without Google, especially Part 5: Free your Droid! on this topic (though the other parts fill other gaps on that road as well).

authors: ლაშა შუბითიძე


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How much does the build number of an Android OS matter?
I have seen several builds on OS 4.3 and 4.4-- what are the key differences? I tried finding documentation on the exact changes, but couldn't find any.
I set up two new Nexus 7 tablets (2013) and even brand new ones come with different build versions.

Do you mean several builds of 4.3 and several builds of 4.4 or do you mean the difference between 4.3 and 4.4? Both are answered below, but it's not clear what you mean from the question. There is a ton of info between the versions, but the builds are often done by the OEMs etc. It really depends.

Sorry, I mean the former, that is-- the differences between the builds within a certain OS version.

How much does the build number of an Android OS matter?

As a developer, I have never used it for anything significant (other than maybe analytics).
Between the Vendor and Google, it does correlate to a branch/release of the AOSP platform.
Your other question on OS 4.3 vs 4.4 and what are they key differences?
Search "Android 4.4 vs Android 4.3 feature list". It is quite significant. But as a general rule, each release typically comes with new API's for developers, improved security, and improved efficiency.

Also with the builds they are often done for different carriers, and for bug fixes. If it was ONE version of an OS i.e. iOS 8 (for example) then in theory the higher number would be a newer and better version. In Android it's fragmented wildly across carriers on the same device. So build 100 could be for Vodafone in Ireland and 101 could be for Sprint in the US or whatever. In terms of 4.3 vs 4.4 that's the VERSION number, and the differences are very well documented on Google. Roll out is by IMEI or similar and different devices will get it at different times even identical devices as per OP


text:
Folder inaccessible, labeled as "file", tried rescanning sd card
I downloaded MAME4droid and I wanted to put a Galaga ROM on it, but when I tried to find the MAME4all folder it didn't show up in windows. As prescribed, I rescanned the sd card, but all that did was this:
If it matters, my device is a Droid MAXX (not the Razr).

I've found that the best way to fix the problem was to use a file manager app (because there isn't one on the device by default) to move the ROM into the right folder.

Your question ( apples ) said you couldn't see it on windows. Then your answer( oranges ) states to use a file manager on your device to move it to the correct location...... Your problem then is unclear. Re-edit your question for clarification please, otherwise it might get flagged for being unclear. Also you can comment on your own question.


text:
When and how is /data mounted?
I am exploring a bit on my Android device and I can't seem to figure out when /data is mounted.
My first guess what it'd be in /init.rc, and while that file creates the /data directory, it doesn't seem to actually mount it. I've also taken a look in /system/etc/init.d, but going from the files there, /data is already mounted at that point.
When is /data mounted, and where can I find the related script?


text:
My SD Card is write protected..I can't write data to it..Any way to make data writeable?
I just bought a new Samsung Galaxy Core II and guess what it has Android 4.4 Kit Kat which has External SD Card Write Protected Feature..it's very annoying..I can'r write data to External SD Card..nor can delete anything from memory card...!
So please..Any way I can fix it please?
Regards,
Umair Shah


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Missing "Google Play"app
My phone (Nokia XL) did not come with Google Play application. How do i install it (i've already tried with some weird .apk files)? If my phone cant use Google Play can you at least tell me if there is some way i can download the apps on my computer and then send them to my phone through USB.
Thanks

I don't know much about Nokia XL but I don't think they came with Google PlayStore app. I guess, You can use AndroidPolice to get the .apk file of GooglePlayStore or if you want can also user Google Play Store apk file if you want.

You could try installing the Google Play apk as Peter mentioned (although you mentioned this, did it fail, give an error or what?) or you could use the Amazon app store or an alternative app store on the device if Google Play will not work.

Don't pirate Google Play.

@DanHulme what do you mean by "Pirate Google Play"?

The question is asking about installing Google Play on a phone that's not licensed to run it. That's software piracy.

Look, i dont want to pirate anything, i just want applications from Google Play. So... I tried with 2 .apk files. Both of them installed normaly, but when i click them nothing happens... not even error. I've tried the .apk from Peter Carlos post... same thing happened. If i cant make Google Play happen for me i think ill use the Amazon store, thanks for the info :)

@DanHulme that's a very good point, I had forgotten that Google apps/services are closed source. The difference between Android and "Google Licensed Android" are a bit fuzzy sometimes, but any Gapp / service shouldn't be installed on a non licensed device.

See also: How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

Although Nokia XL is based on the Android Open Source Project with Nokia's interface layered on top, it does not come with Google services due to Nokia's contract with Microsoft. However, there is a solution though it involves rooting your phone. You will void your warranty or even ruin your phone;try at your own risk. If you want to want to risk it, Google is your friend.
Here is one example http://androidrootcentral.com/root-and-install-playstore-nokia-xseries/

Whilst this answers the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference (please [edit] your question and do so). Otherwise your question ceases to be helpful in case the link dies.

You can't use Google Play unless your phone has installed the Google Play Services to the /system partition, which is only possible through flashing it. (If you don't have root access).
The .apk of Google Play is only for use with phones installed Google Play Services.
The Play Store is the frontend of the Store, which only shows you information and let you interact with the services.
The Play Services are installed at the /system partition (because they need higher privileges to install and uninstall applications). This is the backend of the Play Store (and other Google apps).
Means:
If you don't have the Play Services installed, the Play Store can't do anything.


text:
Hide Lenovo Yoga 10 Tablet (Android) system bar
I purchased yoga 10 tablet few days ago for a special purpose/apps. For that apps i need to run that in full screen. But i can't hide the system bar. By system bar i means bottom bar on the screen where it shows back/menu etc button.
On my other tabs (not lenovo) it works fine.
steps:

i root the device/tablets
then install and use below apps.

FullScreen! Android Apps
but on my lenovo after i root when i try that apps it crash/hung the tablet. Only a restart can again run the tablets
On lenovo i use farma root app to root the device....
so, can any one help me to solve my issue. ?
i really need to hide that system bar

That is usually called the "navigation bar". If you are running KitKat you can enable your app in "Immersive Mode" which will hide the nav bar for you. Alternatively you can force fullscreen in applications you write, using the appropriate code. The final option would be to find an Xposed module that hides them, or forces immersive mode on the device I guess.

@RossC, thanks for your reply sir. my android OS is 4.4.2. but i don't know how to enable/run app in "Immersive Mode". for your kind information the app i need to run is not my own developed. It is developed by someone else. can you help please?
thanks again..

As I said, look into Xposed installer, and any Xposed modules that will force Immersive mode, it's the only way I can think of. You'll need rooted devices, but there are modules that allow you to use Immersive mode on specific apps. Gravity Box has this feature afaik. BUT in immersive mode, clicking the bottom of the screen will display the nav bar again, and then it fades away. Try Google Books if you want to see it in action!

@RossC, thanks again for your support. however sir, xPosed need root access... thought i root with farma root but i heard farmaroot can't root properly 4.4.2. So, can you give me resource to root my lenovo tablet properly? please?


text:
can't make or receive calls or send text messages
I have an LG tracphone,not long after using was unable to get or make any calls or any text messaging,after looking at apps it looks like some have been force stopped or disabled please help.

If the apps are missing from your phone:
Settings>Apps>All Apps, then scroll down to whichever apps are missing from your app drawer (eg. Phone/Dialer, Messaging). Click on the missing app(s), then in the app info screen, you should be able to enable it.
If the apps are there but you can't use the carrier service: Power off your phone, remove the SIM card (if possible) and then reinsert it in the correct position. Then power on the phone.


text:
if my phone shuts down, does my google incognito tabs stay up?
My phone received water damage and I had some stuff up that i don't want my parents to see if they manage to make it working again? Do my tabs stay open or do they close?

Well, @Izzy I guess instead of putting comments over here I guess I would remove this one out move forward and write my answer over the answer box! :D

@Izzy Comment CleanUp Completed ! :P

No,they will not remain open because in order to fix your device it needs to be opened up and that means battery of the device will be removed...etc ! So, no worries about it at all if it gets fixed your parents wouldn't be able to see the opened incognito tabs. because after a reboot they are usually not re-opened automatically !


text:
Getting confused by rooting and enabling wifi tethering
I'm trying to activate wifi tethering on my (verizon) Samsung Galaxy S4 mini through rooting. I'm getting a bit confused by the myriad ways to do this that I'm reading about on the web.
Could somebody help clarify the choices for me?
Here are some of my specific questions:
1) To the best of my understanding the process of enabling the wifi tethering begins with rooting your phone then enabling the "Mobile Hotspot" setting (under "Settings>Connections>More networks>Wireless and networks"). Then just installing a tethering app e.g. FoxFi, PdaNet, 1-Click-Tether etc, etc. Is this correct?
2) Is that all there is to it or is there more. For example, I've encountered a lot of posts talking about needing to flash a custom ROM for this. I understood that the purpose is so that you don't mess with your stock ROM so that you don't void the phone's warranty. But to flash a new ROM don't you also need to root your phone thus mess with your stock ROM?
Thanks much for any help.

If you have the Settings > Wireless and networks > More > Tethering and portable hotspot menu item (which is present from Android 2.2  onwards, so I assume you do, since your phone ships with 4.2), you do not have to root your device to turn on tethering. Just use that menu and WiFi tethering will work. Those apps are for phones with earlier versions of Android which did not have this menu item.
Your phone only has one ROM on it at a time. If you modify or replace it, your warranty is gone. It makes no sense to "flash a custom ROM to avoid messing with the stock ROM and thus preserve the warranty", because by flashing a custom ROM you erase the factory one. (There MAY be highly dangerous procedures which restore the device to a state that the former modification is undetectable, but you could assume that if you do anything that involves flashing or rooting, you void your warranty.)


text:
Problems with starting the emulator in Windows
I started a project of developing a rather simple app, and it was working with the emulator, although it was taking time to start the first time. But now, for some reason, I cannot have the emulator starting properly anymore. The window opens up, with the title 5554:AVD_for_Nexus_5..... but the display remains blank forever. Nothing ever happens. The only change I was trying to do was to enable navigation keys such a back, home, etc.

Try recreating the AVD.

I tried and had the same problem. However, when I re-created the same vm (Nexus 7 2012) as I used when first developing my app (as opposed as a different model (Nexus 5) ). I am going to retry ona different system for the Nexus 5. Maybe the problem is with the binary image of the Nexus 5 itself.


text:
Not able to acces other hard disk and partitions on android 4.4.2 X86
I have installed android 4.4.2 X86 android on my PC that has 2 hard disk with 2-2 partitions each. I have installed android 4.4.2 X86 on one of them and i have data on other 3. The problem is that i am not able to access any of my other three partitions. Please hoew can i access my other partitions

You probably need to mount them, which will usually require root privileges. However, as android is installed on a hard drive, you could probably edit the required files on another computer by plugging the hard drive in.


text:
Why do I need to use "Android File Transfer" to transfer files from my mac?
I'm curious as to why I need to download and use 'Android File Transfer' so that I can transfer files from my mac to my nexus 5. I assumed because they had a similar file structure that viewing files on one from the other wouldn't have been an issue.

There's a good answer to the same question here: http://android.stackexchange.com/a/56094/137844

I think it's because Mac does not have all the required drivers. It's like you can't connect your iPhone to a Windows computer properly without iTunes.


text:
Where is the start button in Alcatel Idol 2 (6037)
I've just bought Android Smartphone Alcatel Idol 2 ( 6037 ) but I don't have the button that display all the apps.
I've tried and tried, and I've seen some screenshots in the web with this button, but I can't get it working! Any idea?

Could you post a screenshot of your home screen? Alcatel phones usually have a grid-like icon in the bottom right to display the all apps screen, next to the messaging app.

Resolved installing a custom launcher

If you solved your issue, you might wish to answer your own question (that's perfectly fine) and accept that answer thereafter – so other affected users can see there's a solution. If you do so, please add a few more words – one-liners without explanation might be hard to some readers ;) Thanks!


text:
(ROOT apps, tweaks, roms, scripts, hacks) cydia like app for android?
i was wondering if there was an app for android that is like cydia. i want an app that has a huge collection of tweaks, hacks, roms, scrips, apps, themes; just like how cydia (for ios) has. im not looking for apps like app-toid or 1-market.

Xposed Framework is an alternative to Cydia on Android. but that doesn't work on Android 5.0 just yet. An Alpha-Version was just made available. The installation process is different though and it is still buggy. Only works on Arm7 chips so far.
http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer

I have xposed but its pretty limited tge only good themeing apps it had were xblast, wanam, gravity box... it doesnt have alot, unless im using it wrong :|

I can't really comment on Cydia bcs I never tried it, but I know that Xpoaed has 508 modules. And you were asking not just for themes but for tweaks and hacks as well. I could find out how many apps are there for cydia, but Android doesn't really need a hacked "play store" since anyone can sideload apps. Another alternative for the Play Store is F-Droid.

i just need an easy way to find the mods, themes, tweaks, ect. btw cydia is pretty much an intaller that has a whole bunch of  repository(u add the repos)and the repos have the hacks, mods, ect

I guess Cyndia App is already available over the PlayStore for Android.
PS: Correct me if, you are talking about something else.

Lol the tweaks and apps for that is for ios. I clicked on a couple of the featured tweaks and it says compatible with ios (version). Isnt it just for ios devices?

I think for cydia you should look at this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.saurik.substrate

and another link to Cydia Substrate: http://www.cydiasubstrate.com

There are many app repositories available for android besides the play store. A Google search will reveal them. There are apps on the play store that only work with rooted devices, too. The iPhone is more closed than an android device. For the iPhone, Cydia is the source for alternative apps. That problem does not exist with android.

authors: Андрей Яндуганов

authors: Саня Сариков


text:
Can I configure voice dialer to be usable in hands-free mode?
I use Cyanogenmod 11. It comes with an app called Voice Dialer.
The only problem with it is that you have to click on it to use it, kind of defeating the whole point of it.
Is there a way to have it start when I press the "control" (I don't know how to call that button, it's used to pause music or hang up a call) on my earpiece?

Yeah bro there is an app on Google Play Store that can control your headset button actions, The app will help you customize the options when a button is pressed on your device, so with that app you can go to "all apps" and select the name of the voice dialer program, so next time you click on the heaset button, the mobile does work for u
link for app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tvk.headvol
if u find it helpful u can accept my answer


text:
How do I share apps between users in Android 5 Lollipop?
I got a Nexus 9 tablet that I'm sharing with my wife.
I set myself as owner and set my wife as another user.
How do I give the other user access to some of the apps I have installed, without re-installing the apps in the other user space?

possible duplicate of How do I share apps between users in Android 4.4 KitKat?. Although the Android versions are different I think the answers are still valid for Android 5.0

Not the same OS at all. One of the answers uses an app which is in beta and requires root access.

I don't have an answer since I don't have Android 5.0, but I've read that uninstalling an app uninstalls it for all accounts.  Which would seem to indicate that the app itself is shared, even if the data is separate.  Are you seeing something that indicates otherwise?  I.e., device free space decreasing by the size of the app when it's added to the second account?

You reinstall the app, but they use the same install with different data, so the apk isn't downloaded twice (when you click install on a app that is already installed for the other user you will notice it is quite quick). So they already use the same app.
However if you want to share data, you could use one local account, or log in  both yours and your wife's local account into the same account for whichever service you wish to share.

I've done this, but I thought there would be some way to indicate whether apps are to be for user only or shared by all users.

All apps are sand boxed to each user, whether or not they use the same account is irrelevant, the app doesn't know that account is registered twice on the device. So any indicator would say all apps are user only

ChuckO, If you want a list. As a primary user, I think you can use the "Restricted Profile" feature. That should list all the apps you have on the device with a toggle on the side that shows if you want your secondary user to have access to each app, or not. The disadvantage then becomes that your secondary user will be restricted by the profile you set up (which is a side-effect of the procedure).

I haven't read Android 5 manuals, everything said is just a ~2 hour experimentation since I've opened nexus 7 box and upgraded it to Android 5.
There are several types of users: Owner, Normal, Restricted and Guest.

Owner can share an installed application to Restricted users (even if it is purchased application). Data in this case is separated (each user has his own app data).
Normal users can install apps on their own (haven't tried yet to share from normal user account to restricted). Normal users do not see applications installed by owner.
Guest user can use a base set of applications from vanilla installation (may be more) and all his cached data can be removed upon next login or data can be reused.

These observations are incomplete.
If you desire to grant access to applications you installed in your account to your wife, probably best way is to create a restricted account for her, otherwise you may need to pay for some of these apps again.

I was able to share apps on our Nexus tablet, running Android 5.0.2.
We have two accounts, mine (as owner) and my wife's.  I had installed
some apps as owner. Then, when logged in my wife's account, I opened
Settings, then Accounts, and added my Google account (so my wife's account
has both her Google account and mine registered). I disabled notification/sync for
email etc. for my account. Then, I was able to visit the App store and
install apps that I had purchased with my account, such as Beautiful Widgets

That's not ideal. All you have to do is turn on sync and you can then read all your emails.
A solution I've just tested and seems to work is to install your purchased apps on your user. Switch to the other user and add your Google account. Then install again all the apps you wish to share. Once installed for them, remove your Google account. The apps stay and are usable for them.

Google Play's Family Library with app and game sharing goes live July 2, 2016.
From the relevant post on the website Android Police:

Family Library and sharing have been a long, really long, time coming on Google Play. In his different app teardowns, Cody has repeatedly discovered strings pointing out to the feature coming to Play Books, Play Movies, Play Services, the Play Store, but up until recently, the only Google entity that had benefited from any kind of family sharing was Play Music and its Family Plans.
But at this year's Google I/O, Google announced that Family Library was coming to Google Play app and games purchases with the new changes taking effect on July 2nd.
[...]
What has already changed though are the terms of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement. A new section 5.4 explains how a family group, with one manager and different members, can purchase the product once and share it with other members of the family. So starting July 2, any purchases you make on the Play Store will be available for sharing with your other family members.

authors: وقت العباقرة


text:
Sync via USB on AnkiDroid 2.3.1?
The old AnkiDroid for Kindle Fire had an option to sync via AnkiDroid which imported decks from AnkiDesktop (super fast and used less data).  The thing is, I can only download about 2 gigs of data per month before my internet speed drops to 14.4kbps (which is like no Internet, honestly).  So, is this still possible in AnkiDriod 2.3.1?  If so, where is it?  And can't I interrupt the sync that's happening now without corrupting anything?  Because it's already 120 mb deep.

I actually can't tell if the sync is coming from the web or from the USB connection, but I felt the 2.0.1 version was much faster.

Now, exporting my decks with media and importing them to my device takes over an hour.  So, why was the old version of AnkiDroid so much faster at syncing?


text:
How do I update the avatar that does for each of my accounts in the Gmail app?
A few days ago, I added an image to each of my gmail and Google apps accounts. The new images display fine in the account dropdown menus on the web. But only one of my accounts displays the new image in the gmail app. I cannot think of anything I did differently with that one account. I've closed and restarted the app, rebooted my phone. What am I missing?


text:
How do I disable the triple vibrate of Viber?
When I get a notification in Viber it vibrates three times, as well as playing the sound. How do I stop it from vibrating three times!?
I saw the question about receiving multiple notifications but that doesn't apply as I don't use Viber for SMS.

In version 5.3.0 for Android, on my HTC one m8 I couldn't find ANY option to disable vibrations, exept for the "incoming Call" one.
So my phone sounds one time and vibrates 3 times when I receive a message...
Later edit: Just wrote Viber, they answered that a fix will be available shortly !

Go to :Settings =>
Notifications =>
At the bottom you will see  Options for Notification sound and Vibrate when ringing option  (just un check them and done.)

Use System Sounds instead of Viber Default Sound, Vibration for Messages Depends on it!


text:
Does rooting phone affect online banking security?
I'm thinking of rooting my android phone (HTC Desire 300) and was wondering if doing so would affect the internet security with stuff like online banking. Is it still secure to do my banking on a phone that has been rooted? Does it make any of my other online passwords or details vulnerable or unsecured?

dup http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/164/are-there-any-risks-to-rooting-a-device

I agree with n00b – after taking a look at this answer. Perfectly fits your question IMHO.

Aww thanks so much guys, sorry I'm new to this site and didn't see that thread :) thanks everyone!

When your phone is "rooted", applications can be installed (intentionally or otherwise) that can do almost anything on your phone, including breaching the Android application sandbox.  Thus, by rooting your phone, you are removing a critical layer of the multi-layered security system.  This can be mitigated, to a degree, by restricting root privileges to only applications that you trust.
Typically, to obtain root privileges, you have to run code for which you don't have the source code.  This also lowers your overall security.
In the end, some people will choose to not root their phones because the risks outweigh the benefits, while others come to the opposite value-based decision.

"the opposite value-based decision" that's a good way of putting it! +1

Thanks for answering. Hmm that's definitely making me re-evaluate my desicion to root. This may seem like an oxymoron but is there anyway to root without the security breach?

You can try dual-boot and have one rooted and one "normal" ROM installed.

Okay cool, thanks TimoS. I will look into that :)


text:
Huawei G6 no longer enable USB debugging
My Huawei G6 can no longer detected by my computer. My phone charges but doesn't show any USB debugging in the notification bar. I tried many USB cables but it just charges. Any options how to debug my phone? Help!!!

Try other USB-Ports on your computer

I already tried it too. :(

Have you tried reinstalling the driver?

That phone runs android 4.3 so developer options hidden. (starting android 4.2_) to unhide read www.droidviews.com/how-to-hide-developer-options-on-android-devices/

Possible duplicate of Where are the developer options in Android 4.2?

ever found a solution to this? having the same issue and nothing seems to work

Clicking 7 times on the Build Number (found under About Phone) will give you Developer privileges.
This must be a feature to prevent kids or people who don't know what they are doing from enabling the Developer Mode.
I can confirm this works for the Huawei 560 as well.
Watch this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7swUjZm7y6c

Please explain how this answers the question, or include the details within your answer.

Ensure that USB debugging is enabled under Settings>Developer options>USB debugging.

click the build number 4 times in the "about phone" menu to unhide the "Developer options"
then "Ensure that USB debugging is enabled under Settings>Developer options>USB debugging."


text:
How can I remove the "+" button on the new Material Design Google Calendar (or revert to an old version)?
How can I remove the "+" button on the new Material Design Google Calendar (or revert to an old version)?  The add appointment button is large and annoying; I prefer to double tap the calendar to add appointments.

Reverting back is easy. Just open Settings>Apps>All Apps>Google Calendar>Uninstall updates.


text:
Seek Thermal Temperature Range
Can I manually set the range the Seek Thermal camera displays?  Currently the color mapping changes dynamically; I'd like this to be static.

Also, there should be a Seek-Thermal tag.

No, there shouldn't. Yours is the only question about it.

Good point.  If there start to be a lot of questions (it's a new product) then I guess we can revisit the issue of a tag.


text:
Connection proplem "Couldn't establish a secure connection"
I get this message while surfing established websites.  I press "OK" and website comes back and I can continue but message keeps reapearing. Very annoying.  Any clue to fix ?

Without more details: probably not. Can you name some example sites? A good guess is they either have no valid certificate, or using a self-signed one.

Major sites i.e. Philadelphia Inquirer,  ESPN, CNN etc. ?.... happens with most sites.


text:
Which format does Android calendar uses?
I have a calendar entry on the format of (iCalendar with extension: ics) I have downloaded this file but android does not understands this kind of file.
Is there alternative to iCalendar files that Android uses?

Due to how file extensions handling works in Android, it depends on the calendar apps themselves.
For example, AOSP Calendar does not handle any file extensions. The manifest file only mentions filters to the content provider and Google Calendar websites.
<intent-filter>
  <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
  <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
  <data android:mimeType="time/epoch" />
  <data android:host="com.android.calendar" />
  <data android:scheme="content"/>
</intent-filter>

...

<intent-filter android:priority="50">
  <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
  <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
  <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
  <data android:scheme="http"  android:host="www.google.com" android:pathPrefix="/calendar/event" />
  <data android:scheme="https" android:host="www.google.com" android:pathPrefix="/calendar/event" />
  <data android:scheme="http"  android:host="www.google.com" android:pathPattern="/calendar/hosted/.*/event" />
  <data android:scheme="https" android:host="www.google.com" android:pathPattern="/calendar/hosted/.*/event" />
</intent-filter>

Some vendor and 3rd-party apps may handle some file formats, but without knowing their manifest file, one has to manually test with each file format.
The calendar data itself is usually stored in the Calendar Storage (or similar name) app, in the format of SQLite database that can be accessed with the Calendar Provider. Thus, 3rd-party apps can also import the data from files to the calendar storage, which then can be read by the calendar apps.

As always, you can do this just fine with an app. Search for ics calendar import on Google Play and there are many apps that can add .ics files to your calendar. There's even a couple of open-source apps on F-Droid if you prefer that.

Yes I knew that, but I want to know which format or files Android is using.

@MIH1406 SQL (an SQLite database, with tables and all that). So how does that help you? ;)


text:
How can I resize my window in bluestacks?
I just downloaded bluestacks, but it's unusable because it refuses to size itself to something that will fit on my screen, and I can't resize it.
I've tried the regedit method (all references to seem to be out of date, since I have GuestHeight/Width and WindowHeight/Width instead of just "Height" and "Width"). I can get the loading screen to come up with my specified dimensions, but after initialization it reverts the size back to something else. I did make sure to kill all the bluestacks processes via the task manager. I'm in windows 7, and I should mention i have 3 screens, one of which is a different resolution.
So how can I reliably change the size of the current version of bluestacks?


text:
Windows 7 fails to see my Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
I use Windows 7 SP1 x64 Ultimate and a Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III (rooted Android 4.1.2). When I plug the phone to the computer's USB port, I can't access the phone through Windows Explorer.
I installed the latest Samsung USB drivers. I used to be able to access the phone through Windows Explorer before somebody SIM unlocked the phone. I'm not entirely whether the process to SIM unlock created the issue but it occurred pretty much at the same time.
Samsung drivers seem to be correctly installed:

I have this issue with two different computers. What can I try to fix it?

I haven't found any solution so far.

So I am still interested if someone has any idea.


text:
How an app can detect my device's uniqueness?
If I install an app, uninstall it, finally install it again at a later time, how the app can detect if it was installed on this device earlier? What are the device unique id's that it can detect?

Android device ID: I changed it with device ID changer (now removed from play store, can't give link).
google advertising ID: changed that too
didn't login into the app with any accounts earlier used.

What other ways the app an app can use to detect if it was installed earlier on the device. I do give internet access to the app.
No IMEI, I'm using a tablet.

I'm not sure where it is stored (probably in the packages.xml), but also wondered when discovering you can pm list packages -u, with the -u parameter explained as Also include uninstalled packages. So it seems Android itself keeps track of apps you uninstall even, which IMHO can only be "cleaned up" by a factory-reset (at least for a "normal user").

@Izzy An 'uninstalled' package can always be purged with pm uninstall. A package will be completely removed if all users (guest incl.) have uninstalled on their perspectives. Furthermore, if there's only one user (again, guest incl.) exists on the system, then his removing a package will also fully remove it. By 'fully remove' I mean the system keeps no record of the package, despite the fact that some 3rd party apps may keep their own 'operation history'.

@iBug I never found any traces with the -u, so all I can do is "wonder" – as my previous comment puts it. But thanks for those details!

@Izzy So do I. I even wondered if option -u was broken because I, too, found no trace from it. But everything that should have been there did exist in packages.xml.

@iBug of course, as that's what pm uses as "backend" :)

As RossC said, yes it depends upon the developers how they keep the logic to detect the uniqueness. As I am too a dev (Windows App) and my preferred way is to keep the device id's over the cloud. So whenever the device gets internet on, it syncs with our servers for prior installations and it becomes easy for users to use it on multiple devices. Other easy ways are to put some file inside the android system folders like data , usr or wherever.

The app may well leave a folder behind with some data in it. You would have to go and manually remove the folder(s) to ensure all data is removed. If you reinstall the app it will check that folder and know it was installed.
An easy example is The Bard's Tale, the game. You install about 20 Mb of a file from the Play Store and open the game. The game downloads about 3Gb of additional data (HD textures version) onto your internal/external SD. Then you play the game and save it a few times, creating save files on the device. Then you uninstall the game. The 3Gb of Textures AND your save games stay on the int/ext SD. If you reinstall it takes up just where it left off.
It's not so much it recognises your device, it is that it still has the data.
Something like ES File Manager, will advise you that you have uninstalled an application that has left data behind, and ask you to choose if you want to delete it. You will need root access to delete System Apps or anything within /system

I don't have root access on my Nexus 4, but ES File Manager still asks me if I want to delete data left behind by an app that I uninstall.

@Adinia thanks! I don't have any devices that aren't rooted so I took a guess. I've edited my answer now, good spot! Hopefully it's right now!


text:
while setting Google + account ... getting error: "couldn't find the server"
While setting Google + account ... getting  error: "couldn't find the server". Please assist, non of the app is working in my mobile (App like: you tube; play store etc.).
Have already tried to delete my Google account and re- create it.

You can try a hard reset on your mobile by removing the SDcard and SIM card  but make sure you are  taking a backup of the data that you have on the mobile . You can even try a factory reset option under settings . After doing this try to create an account .


text:
Moto E changes to wrong time or wrong time zone
My dad is using a Motorola Moto E, running Android 4.4.4 (not rooted).
He has noticed that it frequently displays the wrong time or date. Sometimes this is just the wrong time zone, other times it is completely the wrong time or date. I have set the time, date and time zones correctly, but they still seem to end up wrong again.
This seems to happen whether the options to use network provided time and network provided timezone is enabled or not.
Maybe it is due to him accidentally pressing the buttons to change this. But I have asked him about this, and he says he isn't doing this as far as he is aware. Or is the phone changing the time for some other reason?
Anyway, how to prevent this, and keep the time correct?

You could ask your dad to set the correct time, and don't touch it for the next 24 hours (or less if he MUST). This filters user error vs. the phone being buggy. You could also disable automatic time

Yes, could try that sometime. Though it seems a bit random - it may keep the correct time for a few weeks, or it may change after a day or so.


text:
What happens when an APK is installed on SD card?
Say we want to install an APK named x.apk to an Android phone.
By default, at least two things will happen:
1. Copy x.apk to /data/app;

2. Create a package folder under /data/data as the private storage space;

However, if x.apk is to be installed on SD card,
What are the folders corresponding to /data/app and /data/data on SD card?

In addition when an app is installed a folder is created under /data/app-lib/ containing libraries extracted from apk and dalvik cache is created under /data/dalvik-cache. When you install or move an app to sdcard an encrypted filesystem image is created containing apk and something else I can't check right now. That image then is mounted under /mnt/(asec?) sorry i can't check right now because my phone doesn't support moving apps this way.

I can confim /mnt/asec and encrypted image file is under sdcard/.android_secure/