text:
Can't lock onto GPS. Flash/Root possibly related
I'm really hoping somebody can help me out here because this is frustrating me. First off, I have a Samsung Infuse 4G with AT&T. I was able to lock onto satellites indoors pretty quickly before. So I rooted my phone with SuperOneClick last night, and everything was good. No problems. However, I was having trouble replacing my recovery file with a modified recovery file. So after some research, I came across Odin on XDA Developers(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1092021&page=8), that was supposed to do exactly what I wanted: Flash me to a stock ROM with root and modified recovery. It was a successful flash, except for one little problem. Any application that used the GPS hardware would fail to initialize. So "luckily" for me, the thread I flashed to root+modified recovery also had a 100% stock ROM to flash my hardware with, so I did that. However, I had the same issue still of not being able to run GPS dependent programs. So I did a manufacturer's reset, and now every application will initialize and run, however I can't LOCK into satellites now! I've tried using GPS status to clear and download AGPS data with no luck. I've tried several different supl servers, including google and nokia, no luck.
I know this is my fault, but can somebody help me out of this mess? The only sort of location that works on my phone is mobile/wifi location.
Thanks in advance for any help I get.
Edit: It appears that even though I flashed a 100% stock rom to my device, there are GPS locking issues with the rom. Damn..

Go to the dialer and dial *#*#1472365#*#*.  Does it bring you to a menu called LbsTestMode? If so, I might be able to help.

No, but *#*#3214789650#*#* brings me to LbsTestMode

OK, I'll post an answer.

I fixed it!!! I appreciate ANY time you spent researching this for me. I will tell you exactly how I fixed it, so this can help other people with the same problem. I flashed back to the stock+root+modified recovery rom, and then I did a manufacturer's reset of my phone and now everything works flawlessly!

Great, glad to hear @Apple. I would have suggested something along those lines as well if I were more familiar with your device. You should post that as the answer.

It sounds to me like the flashing wiped out all the info your phone had about local satellites -- the good stuff it retrieves itself, not the aGPS crap :P. If that's the case then hopefully this will help; this a process I've used on my Samsung Vibrant.

Ensure GPS is disabled
Go to LbsTestMode
Hit Delete GPS Data
Go into Application Settings
Change Start Mode to Cold start
Back out to the home screen, then reboot your phone
Enable GPS
Go to LbsTestMode
Hit Get Position Test.  Let this run to completion (normally a good 15 minutes or so) — the lat/long info will get filled in and you'll see [*] next to several of the satellites it finds, the more the better.  This will work best if you go outside and walk around.
Back out and go into Application Settings again.
Change Start Mode back to Hot start.
Reboot and, hopefully, enjoy your functional GPS.


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Android 10 phone screen only unlocks if the light sensor detects enough light
This is a very strange issue I'm having. I have an LG K40S with Android 10 and a couple of days ago I started having problems unlocking its screen. Neither the power button nor the biometrics sensor will unlock it. I can only manage to do it by pushing the power button several times, which opens the camera, then I can unlock it. Today, I realized this only happens when I'm in my room at night with the lights off (or anywhere dark, for that matter). When there's enough light I can unlock it just fine. If I cover the sensor with my finger the screen can't get unlocked again.
This started heppening after I dropped my phone, could it be that the light sensor is broken somehow? The screen auto brightness seems to be working, so maybe there's nothing wrong with sensor. I tried going into developer mode and disbale the sensor but that option is not available on my phone.
Please, any help or insight into this issue is much appreciated. Thank you very much!

Thank you, that was exactly what was going on! I dind't even think about the proximity sensor, but after running a test app, sure enough, it showed the sensor was detecting proximity whenever there was low light. I realized the screen protector was also responsible for this malfunction (maybe after I dropped the phone the sensor couldn't properly "see" through the protector anymore). I just removed the screen protector and now everything is working fine. Thank you again the help!

I converted my comment into an answer so you can accept it.

Phones have a second light based sensor: the sensor that detects if you hold your phone near the face while a phone call (often called proximity sensor).
If it detects you are close the screen the screen stays off, therefore a defect or some other problem that prevents this sensor from working properly could explain your problems.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Does Android support Wi-Fi Management Frame Protection?
I am trying to find out whether Android supports Wi-Fi Management Frame Protection.
From my understanding, this is standardized in IEEE 802.11w, so if Android supports that, it also supports MFP.
However, I can't find any source on whether Android supports this or not. I found some articles about it but they only mentioned specific phones, and not the entire Android specification. The Android Source Docs don't say anything on this, and the Android Enterprise Security Whitepaper only states that Android supports WPA3, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open, and 802.11i.
Do you know whether Android supports MFP or not?

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11w-2009#Usage it is implemented in "recent Linux kernels" (the sentence seems to be added some years ago so most likely it has been already taken over by Android). So should check if the compile flag(s) that enables this implementation is active in the standard Android kernel.

Following @Robert s suggestion, I dug deeper to find out if Android uses a linux kernel with MFP enabled.
I found this commit to the Android source code, which enabled PMF (= Protected Management Frames = Management Frame Protection) in January 2014:

Android: Enable 802.11w (PMF) support in wpa_supplicant

I also found out on wikipedia that WPA3 (which Android supports) requires MFP:

Protection of management frames as specified in the IEEE 802.11w amendment is also enforced by the WPA3 specifications.

So yes, Android supports Management Frame Protection.

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


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How to find exact file path to an external microSD card?
Is there a way to find out the path of files from a microSD card that is inserted into any Android phone?

Related investigation:
From here, How to specify the directory path on external memory card? , it seems like the problem was solved, using an unspecified app that pointed to the right direction. (implying a tool can exist for that purpose)
From here, How to save files to external SD card on a non-rooted Android? , it implies /storage/[UUID]/, but it wasn't clear how exactly to figure out that UUID.

I figured out a workaround.
Using the SD Card Manager app, I looked at the Info of a folder in my microSD card while its connected to my phone, and was able to see my own particular UUID in /storage/[UUID], for example, /storage/1234-5678.
I then confirmed the UUID in a separate app that asked for it, i.e.:
/storage/1234-5678/my_own_folder, which was ended up being successful found and used.


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opera search bar: enter doesn't search
I write my question in a search box (on stack exchange or wikipedia or Google.) when I press enter, it doesn't search.
This isn't a keyboard thing since I've tried swiftkey, android keyboard, Samsung keyboard, and swype.
It is an opera thing, since using default browser, the keyboard "enter" is replaced by a spyglass for search or a tick in a circle for "go" as expected.
I've not tried any other browsers.
I only noticed this problem after upgrading my galaxy tab to 3.2...

There is no opera tag and I can't create one...

There is no opera tag because we have an opera-mini tag and an opera-mobile tag. There are some distinct differences between Mini and Mobile. Which are you using?

Aha. I can't see the autocomplete options when typing on my galaxy tab... Opera mobile, and I'm using.

You should see autocomplete options in the mobile view, with Opera mobile -- but there's a delay.

A software update fixed this problem. Must've been a bug in opera mobile.

My solution for SO uses an undocumented feature (an easy trick when there's no documentation whatsoever): longtouch the search bar, add it as a search engine, and then use Opera's own search bar for such sites.  A trick you may like with SO is to do this multiple times, then manage search engines, click on one of the SO 'engines', and modify it so that you can readily add e.g. [android] to your searches.  It may feel like a workaround, but the result is more comfortable than what I was used to on desktop systems.

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


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Export contacts/text messages in a readable format
I would like to export both my contacts and my text messages. But I would like be able to easily read the file formats that it exports to. I can export the contacts as a VCF yet when I view it there is a lot of other data that I do not need. Is there a way to export the contacts as a file formate that excel can open and read without the other excess data.
Then I would like to export my text messages. I use GO SMS PRO as my text message APP and I can backup the messages yet they backup in a format that I cannot read. Is there a way to export text messages into a format that can be easily readable?
Thanks for the assistance.
(I am running Android 2.3 and using a T-Mobile/HTC G2)

What excess data is in the VCF?

It looks like random numbers/letters. I assume that it is data that an email program uses to classify what is what.

Contacts are stored in an sqlite db.  so you can export them in a csv, by finding the db file and querying it. See this blog post data/data/com.google.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db is the database file you want.

If you don't need to do this on the phone, and you're syncing the contacts to your Google account, you can easily export contacts to a .CSV file from the Gmail website.

At least if using the stock Messaging app SMS Backup + can backup your messages in a readable format to your Gmail. And for contacts I'd recommend syncing them to Google Contacts and exporting them from there (as Chahk mentioned in the comments).

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


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Remove Password on Galaxy S4
I somehow set a password for my Galaxy S4 (Android v4.3). I cannot figure out how to remove the password. Where is the setting to do so? I have to enter the password anytime I want to unlock the phone from the lock screen.
Note: I know the password, I just need to turn off the password.

Is this a password you have to enter on the lock screen, to unlock the phone; or a password you have to enter when the phone boots; or something else?

@DanHulme - It is the password I enter on the lock screen to unlock the phone. I edited question to reflect this.

Enter the main device Settings, and from the My device page, choose Lock screen. Click on the Screen lock item to see the list of screen lock methods, and change it to whichever type you like (perhaps Swipe or None). You'll have to enter the existing password (or PIN) to make the change.
If you're using your phone to connect to a corporate Exchange server, or similar, then a security policy on the device might force you to have a password (or possibly a PIN, depending on the policy). In that case, you'll have to speak to your network administrator to get the policy removed before you can remove the password.


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automatically choose voip service when dialing?
Is there a way to setup my phone so that when I dial someone who has an account with a voip service (skype, viber etc.) it will use that instead of the regular call? (I need to be registered with the service and the contact is known in the service app's contacts)

This is a feature of gingerbread, if you're using the built in sip client.  In Settings -> Call settings there is a setting called "Use Internet Calling" which you can set to "Only for Internet Calls".  Then if the contact has a sip number, it will call that directly sip->sip instead of going out over the phone connection.

but viber is not sip. i only know one person that has a sip account


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App with tail Command?
Is there an app that will let me run the UNIX tail command?
I want to be able to monitor a text file on a remote web server as it gets written to.

I don't know the syntax, but Terminal Emulator on my Samsung Galaxy S lets me run tail.  I would assume any console app would allow it.
As noted in the comments below, tail is part of BusyBox so you can get it from there.  There is a root app on the Play Store  that includes BusyBox if you don't want to search for a package to sideload.

When I run tail in Terminal Emulator on my Galaxy S it says 'tail: not found' :-/

@Techboy Hmm. Are you rooted? It's possible that tail could be part of Busybox.  Or maybe it's my custom ROM or my specific variant of the SGS (T-Mo Vibrant). I'm not sure.

I checked, it is part of Busybox, so you need to be rooted...

I'm not rooted - but I might do that... Thanks.

You don't need to be rooted. Busybox should work without root, but you'll need to call the busybox tail explicitly, e.g. by /sdcard/busybox tail.

The BusyBox description explicitly says it needs root - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox&feature=related_apps#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwOSwic3Rlcmljc29uLmJ1c3lib3giXQ

@studgeek That app needs root, and some BusyBox utilities might need root (situationally), but tail does not require root to access apart from if you want to use it on protected files.  As liori mentions you can just stick the version of tail compiled for Android somewhere accessible and run it.


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"Unfortunately, Clock has stopped" when trying to create or edit alarm
Recently I started to face a very weird bug.
Whenever I try to tap on Create alarm button, or on existing alarm
I am getting this "Unfortunately, Clock has stopped"
This is a system app I don't know what to do now.
What it could be?
What I tried:

Delete Data from App Manager
Clear cache
Restart the smartphone

Some info:

default (but upgraded) firmware  - Android 4.1.2
Device Galaxy Note II GT-N7100

Can you use adb logcat to get more information about the crash?

So finally I was able to fix this weirdo.
Since this answer doesnt really tell what was causing this. I will remark any further answers if they can tell what was the problem
I will just describe what I did.

Root your device
Install Clean Master
Give it the root access (it will ask itself)
Remove all bloatware
Run cleaning routines
Hope that it helped you

I had a similar problem but on another device, though try if it can fix your problem this is the what I did:
I opened the Terminal Emulator and typed:
$ su
# logcat

Then I held 'Volume down' (a.k.a. Ctrl) and 'c' to stop the output. I scrolled a bit up in the output and found a line that said:
E/SQLiteOpenHelper( 5231): Couldn't open alarms.db for writing (will try read-only):
E/SQLiteOpenHelper( 5231): android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: Can't downgrade database from version 7 to 5

OK, so this is where it's breaking. I wasn't really interested in finding out what should the proper combination of ownership/permissions for the file as I didn't really trust it would end just here, downgrading database version offers a range of situations that can go wrong. And since I don't really care for my past alarm clock times, I got rid of the old database:
# cd /data/data/com.android.deskclock/databases
# mv alarms.db alarms.db.bak

otherwise at the time I looked out for this problem the only other solution I saw was to wipe and restore my phone.
If you do so, don't forget to backup all your data first!
Good luck, I hope it helped you or someone.

just a note: device has to be rooted

I finally rooted my device and tried this solution. I couldn't see the problem: "E/SQLiteOpenHelper" but still wanted to try. though the package called "com.android.app.clockpackage" instead of "com.android.deskclock" and alarms.db is called alarm.db in my case this didn't help

Clock has stopped when editting or creating alarm after updating to Lollipop.
I notice the solution for me is this issue only occur when my phone is in silent.
You can edit the alarm or create another alarm when your phone is not in silent mode.
other solution is do not put your phone in silent mode instead put the volume down

Make sure your phone isn't on silent! I had the same problem until i realized that i was using the profile Silent and for some reason this didn't allow me to set the alarm. After changing to Default profile the problem was fixed.

I tried it with no success. There's probably another reason. Anyway, recently my device has started to be slower than usual, probably there's some hardware error I suspect it's a system flash memory problem.

This weird phenomenon came into my phone too..(Huawei honor6)
This might be helpful to those who are panic struck!
There is no need to worry..just follow the given below instructions and that might allow you to access the clocks again .
Clear cache data...either by using app or system app
Turn up the phone volumes
And if the above two doesn't work just reboot your phone....
Hope this helps you recover your accessibility to clocks

this didn't help me

I just called Verizon Wireless tech support back. The guy had seen this problem once before and found a fix for it. I haven't seen this fix posted on any website, but it worked immediately. Please let me know if this works for you
Go to Settings--Date and Time--Select Date Format, and then choose a date format. Once I picked 'regional' the clock worked without the error "unfortunately, clock has stopped"
Before I tried clearing cache and doing a factory reset You don't have to do this if this "choose date format" works. Please comment and let me know if this helped you. I'm curious if this will work across the board. Maybe even for phones other than Samsung Galaxy S4. I'm stoked!

It didn't work for me. I have an LG Magna.

I had a similar problem on my fresh S5 (after manually adding an adb backup, so the data might not have been so fresh after all). However, I managed to get rid of the problem without rooting the device:
This is what helped me solve the issue:
$ logcat
...
D/MediaProvider(29294): Upgrading media database from version 601 to 713
...
E/DatabaseUtils(29294): android.database.sqlite.SQLiteException: ...

Apparently, a database upgrade failed (so yes, android or some app does attempt to solve these kind of problem but do not interact with the user in any meaningful way, i.e. offer a fresh reset). However, the culprit here, the media database could be reset via the app manager (media storage app).
I hope this helps others that get into this issue.

After DB deletions, cache and Dalvic cache clearing, Silent mode was the culprit.


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Tablets being able to make calls
I wonder can any of the Android tablets make calls (it's about Cellular calls, not Skype or other)?
Yeah, I am okay to have 7' or even 10' tablet near my ear and have a talk (well, or use headsets).
Having those tablets being able to make calls would make me throw the smartphone away and have the single gadget.
I know that Galaxy Tab 7' is capable doing this.
But how about Galaxy Tab 10' or Nexus 7?
Are they capable? Or is there any possibility to make them having this feature?

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 can make 2G/3G calls and calls over Wifi with Voip apps like Skype or Tango.
The Nexus 7 can only make calls over Wifi with Voip apps as I already mentioned. There would be no easy way of getting the Nexus 7 to make 2G/3G calls as it would require adding a radio to the tablet.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 can make cellular calls is that correct? HOw bout  the Galaxy Tab 2 10'?

Yes, it has a cellular radio.


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Upgrading rooted Galaxy Note II
So after about 3 years I have finally received and Android 4.3 to my Galaxy Note II. It downloaded it but refused to upgrade (probably because my device is rooted).
What do I do now?
Can I upgrade it anyhow? (also would like have it rooted)

You will have to return your device to complete stock.  Since you have rooted it, in Settings - About Phone it will list your device as Modified, so if that's the case, you won't be able to update.  Going back to 100% stock in Settings it'll say Official, at that point, you'll be able to update.

Thank you, does that mean that I have to then root it again?

Yes you would have to.


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Display wouldn't turn on without a restart (Galaxy Note 10.1 2014)
The device is working great until it gets locked (by single power button click). So when I lock it, it just wouldn't turn on, the buttons are working though and it seems it's still running it just showing a black screen.
Interestingly if I try to change brightness it wouldn't respond. Looks like these two related issues.
So to turn on I am having to restart the device and make sure it is awake
P.S: Device is not rooted
UPDATE
So factory reset didn't help (erase all data).

Related: Micromax A110Q shows blank screen after waking up

So in my case the device isn't rooted. Perhaps I have to hard reset it then

And I wouldn't mark this Question as duplicate as devices are different and one of them rooted while mine is not

That's why I wrote related and not possible duplicate.

Could you repair your device, the exact thing is happen to my tablet and i know waht to do, i've just made a hard reset, and the same thing. Thanks you in advance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zrNNczfLZ0 try this note; the connetor have 2 sides


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USB Ethernet adapter - device mixing up with charging
I have USB-C to Ethernet adapter for my Android (Samsung S21 Ultra)
when I plug cable in it detects it and the connection is fine, but after some time (few minutes). Connection drops.
Then it shows that "charging cable is connected" my impression is that it is confusing with charging and switching the modes (between charging and that Ethernet one).
Is there any way to stabilize this? I tried a few things

shorter cables
use 100% charged phone
turn wifi/mobile connections off

the result is the same, unstable connection
P.S: I also cannot assign static IP, The form is there and I am filling it up but the Save button is grayed  out so my only option is DHCP
Edit: this is happening with 2 different USB devices (one is simple USBC-C to Ethernet, another one is Belkin dongle) behavior is exactly the same. This is also happening with 2 different routers. This should exclude those factors

check logcat for hints what's going on


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Removed profile photo still appears on my contacts WhatsApp
I am using WhatsApp and have a profile photo set. I updated this picture several times. Now I noticed that on the phone of my first contact there is an old profile photo displayed. On the phone of my second contact there is an even older photo displayed. I removed the picture on my phone successfully though.
Solution attempt:

I restarted WhatsApp on my phone and the phone of my first contact.
I cleared the cache of WhatsApp on my phone.

Result: The old picture is still shown.
What am I doing wrong?
Profile picture is set to "My contacts" in
Settings -> Account -> Privacy -> Profile photo -> My contacts.

This is not a duplicate of this question as I want my picture to be removed from my contacts WhatsApp.

What do you mean by "on the phone of my first contact"? Do you mean that when checking your profile on your fronds phone, they still see your old picture? Does the other phone have a working internet connection?

Exactly. Of course it has a working internet connection.

Strange. I find that sometimes only after i press on a friend's profile picture then it changes. If i don't press, it won't change. But it seems like you've tried everything. Did you try setting it that all contacts should see the profile? Maybe that will change it

I pressed it to maximize it. The old one is displayed in a very poor resolution. I had the settings that no contact shall see the picture (as this is my current intention to remove the picture), did not change anything.

I want to remove my photo from all my contacts phones, I reformulated the question.

This almost always happens with me. Your contact's WhatsApp hasn't refreshed the changed profile photo from the Server and hence it is displaying the low resolution cache version of the old photo.
There's nothing you need to do on your phone. Try to refresh the contacts list on your friend's phone. That's best you can try as the problem is not on your side.


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How to remove ads from all apps via a single payment
I've heard it is possible to pay a subscription service to remove all ads from all apps on your Android phone.
Can someone please tell me how to do this?
Thanks.

Related: How to block ads in Android applications?

Hi Joselin. Could you ask the person (from whom you heard about this service) for more information regarding the said service? Ideally, a web link to the service would be best. For all we know, a person can post an on-topic looking spam post to this question and can easily justify the spam post as a genuine answer. // Also, could you also tell us why the existing solutions on the duplicate post linked in your question are not working out for you? Thanks. :)

Not necessarily all apps, but Google Play Pass is a monthly subscription service that promises to remove ads on participating apps and games.

Your pass to hundreds of awesome games and apps, completely free of ads and in-app purchases. All for one low monthly price.

More information on Google Play Help - Subscribe to Google Play Pass.

When you subscribe to Google Play Pass, you’ll get over 1,000 games and apps, without ads or in-app purchases. [...]. Play Pass won’t give you access to all of Google Play, just a selection of apps and games. Availability of games, apps, and offers on Play may vary by country.

Main requirements:

To buy a subscription to Google Play Pass, you’ll need to:

Use a device with Android version 4.4 and above.
Have Google Play Store app version 16.6.25 and above.
Be located in a country where Play Pass is available.
Have a valid payment method.
Have the same billing country and Google Play country.
Use a Google account. You can't subscribe to Play Pass with an account set up through your work or school.
[...]


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termux: running termux via adb without *any* direct interaction with the device?
I know how to open the termux app, run (for example) sv up sshd, and then interact with the Android device via ssh, rsync, etc. This is just an example, and the same is also true for any other termux initiated procedures.
However, to do this, it's necessary to perform that manual open and manual sv up sshd command in termux on the device itself.
I want to be able to perform that initial termux interaction from my desktop computer via adb without any direct interaction with the device itself, aside from plugging in the USB cable.
I have looked for solutions, but it seems like no one has come up with any way to interact with termux except by first actually manually opening that app on the device, which I do not want to do.
However, could I have overlooked something? I'm hoping that I indeed missed something, and that somehow I can start termux-initiated procedures via adb.
Does anyone know how that might be done?
Thank you in advance.

ADB shell is just an app (with UID 2000). And apps cannot access other apps' directories without root access. Related: How to run a program in an app context with Magisk?. // You can add sshd to .bashrc or .profile (so that it's started whenever Termux is launched) and then launch the app using adb shell am start -n com.termux/.HomeActivity.

I have root, but even so, I see from the related article that I would have to run a complicated procedure to get the described functionality. However, using .profile and the am start command are doing what I want, so that's good enough for me, for now. Some day I will try to encapsulate that other multi-step procedure into some sort of utility, however, because programmatically running termux-based commands would be quite useful. Thank you!

You can use run-as to access your Termux environment from adb without root or ssh.
Run adb shell and then:
run-as com.termux files/usr/bin/bash -lic 'export PATH=/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin:$PATH; export LD_PRELOAD=/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib/libtermux-exec.so; bash -i'

This will give you a Termux shell.

Aha! This is what I've been looking for and hoping for during all this time. I want an interactive termux shell that I can use from my desktop computer, and which provides this exact functionality. Thank you!

... and I can even do the following: (1) put that command into a file called /sdcard/termux-shell.sh; (2) run the following from my desktop computer: adb shell exec /system/bin/sh /sdcard/termux-shell.sh

This fails for me with the error: run-as: package not debuggable: com.termux  My understanding from this message that Termux is not set as debuggable and would require recompiling with a flag set to true which isn't possible for me.

@Michael: You may need the latest APK release, v0.118.0.  The version on the Play store has long been deprecated and should not be used.  Unclear whether the version distributed on F-Droid is debuggable, check by running echo $TERMUX_IS_DEBUGGABLE_BUILD, which will be 1 if your version of Termux is a debuggable build.

In my case I have to add export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/lib; for it to work. Also if you want ur .bashrc to execute add export HOME=/data/data/com.termux/files/home;

That works nice! But is for some reason I have no internet connection from that shell ping google.com fails, while it's working in the applications without problems. Any clues?

this would need debuggable build like from their github. fdroid release is not debuggable, more info: https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/924

It is working. But when you setup storage, it is not available in adb shell. Any clues how to bypass this problem?

Per the comment by Irfan Latif above, the following works:

Launch termux

Do the following:
echo 'sv up sshd
sshd started' > .profile

Run this whenever I want to start sshd via adb:
adb shell am start -n com.termux/.HomeActivity

Thank you! This suggestion works, but it configures termux to always start up sshd, even if I am running it interactively via the Android device. I want to be able to run termux interactively both via the Android device and via an external adb connection.

adb shell am start -n com.termux/.HomeActivity
adb shell input text "your command here"
adb shell input keyevent ENTER

Yes, that works, but it only runs one command at a time. I've been looing for a way to remotely run an interactive termux shell, where I type in commands and they each get executed one by one, just like what happens after I invoke "adb shell". The answer by @josh3736 accomplishes this.

this doesn't seem to work if the screen is off on the device

2024 proper solution
Termux allows you to start the run command service through am allowing you to pass extras as well
adb shell /system/bin/am startservice --user 0 -n com.termux/com.termux.app.RunCommandService \
-a com.termux.RUN_COMMAND \
--es com.termux.RUN_COMMAND_PATH '/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/sleep' \
--esa com.termux.RUN_COMMAND_ARGUMENTS '10' \
--es com.termux.RUN_COMMAND_WORKDIR '/data/data/com.termux/files/home' \
--ez com.termux.RUN_COMMAND_BACKGROUND 'true' \
--es com.termux.RUN_COMMAND_SESSION_ACTION '0'

In this command notice how I set the background option to true which is important so that it automatically runs in the background(the notification will show you that a task is being run in the background)
In the example above, we are executing the sleep command and passing in 10 as an argument which will make termux basically execute sleep 10
Once the execution is completed, termux will automatically exit
More information can be found here
https://github.com/termux/termux-app/wiki/RUN_COMMAND-Intent#basic-examples
[Message to mod who deleted my previous post(how do I contact you?)]

This didn't work for me. I got:
Starting service: Intent { act=com.termux.RUN_COMMAND cmp=com.termux/.app.RunCommandService (has extras) }.
Error: Requires permission com.termux.permission.RUN_COMMAND I guess this works only on a rooted phone (mine isn't)

this won't work, see https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/924

Even in a root sdb shell, I get Starting service: Intent { act=com.termux.RUN_COMMAND cmp=com.termux/.app.RunCommandService (has extras) } Error: app is in background uid null»


text:
Clearing an app's *cache* and not the app's *data* via pm (or other CLI utility)?
I'm running Android 13 in a rooted environment, and I want to use pm or some other Android command-line utility to clear an app's cache.  If I do pm clear package.name, it clears the app's data, and that's not what I want ... I only want cache clearing with the app's data remaining intact.
This needs to be a command-line utility, because I want to run it within a Tasker task. It could also be a shell script that runs multiple CLI commands.
I know that I can do pm trim-caches [... args ...] to clear all caches of all apps, but that's not what I want, either. I want to clear the cache of one and only one app at a time.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

OOPS! I originally overlooked the answer when checking the pm help text.
All I have to do is pm clear --cache-only package.name.

this command is not work, it will still clear UserData.

This command only clears the cache on my Android 13 device, and UserData is left intact.


text:
Does upgrading a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone from Android 13 to Android 14 decrease the phone's performances?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra running Android 13. Does upgrading a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone from Android 13 to Android 14 decrease the phone's performances?

What "performance" are you interested in (for what purpose you are using the phone that is so "performance" critical)? You own a S23, which has a high-end CPU, so most users will not be able to even push this CPU to it's limit. Therefore it is not clear what performance you are talking about.

@Robert Thanks, e.g., increased lag when navigating through apps (= sluggish UI).

Based on the feedback I received on Reddit, it seems that upgrading a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone from Android 13 to Android 14 does not result in a decrease in the phone's performances.


text:
Screen capture on Android using Android SDK
I am trying to take a screen capture of my android phone when it plays a video, with native resolution and minimum overhead. But when I use Android Studio's record option as seen below, the recorded video shows frame drops compared to the actual video seen on the device. I guess it's because device is already at high-performance and can't keep up with this request especially that Android Studio is also showing the video here.
Is there a way to do any better? Can we do it directly with Android SDK through CLI maybe that way there will be less overhead and we'll get a better video recording? Or alternatively, any apps could do it?

As always what you trying to record does depend on what hardware you using and what app(s) you are running on the device at the same time (i.e. play a video). So trying to capture a 1:1 video of the screen in 30/60+ fps may not be possible.
A. Using only adb you can follow How to do screen record on android without apps? which while an older answer the Android Developer adb page link is still valid.
B. Similar to Android Studio's screen recording but with more features is scrcpy which is more general screen projection/control tool
C. If you have a device with Android 11 and up you may be able to record directly on the device via a Quick Settings Tile as documented: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9075928

Record your phone screen

Swipe down from the top of your screen.

Tap Screen record .

You might need to swipe right to find it.
If it's not there, tap Edit and drag Screen record to your Quick Settings.

Choose what you want to record and tap Start. The recording begins after the countdown.

You can choose whether to record audio and show touches on the screen before you start.

To stop recording, swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Screen recorder notification

Oh I didn't notice the phone's screen recorder, option 3. It was good! Tnx.


text:
Why can't I delete pictures I've sent in Google Hangouts in my gallery?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note III(3) and when I open my gallery there is a folder for each hangout conversation that contains images I have sent.
Is there a way to delete the pictures or folders from the gallery or at least have the gallery not synced with the Hangouts application?

Its March 2018 - The solutions below are out of date (except the last one). Goto this hidden site-> https://get.google.com/albumarchive to actually delete the photos from the account. I think it will delete them from everywhere, so watch out... if you still want to keep it, back it up first.  --OR-- keep it all and remove it from just the device with this method -> https://android.appstorm.net/how-to/internet/how-to-remove-picasa-albums-from-your-gallery/

You can delete the photos via the Google+ app or web interface. From the left-hand menu, click Photos. If you haven't turned on auto-upload and don't want to, click Not now to get rid of the prompts. Then, if you're in the app, open the menu that slides in from the left again, and choose Albums from the menu; or in the web interface, click More on the top, then Albums on that menu.
From there you can see the Hangout photos, listed separately from the 'real' photo albums. You can select and delete them to your heart's content. Note that "deleting" a photo from this view doesn't delete it right away: it moves it to the "Trash" or "Bin". To finish them off, you can find that on the same menu you were just on, or just wait for 60 days.

BUMP! There is no "photos" in Google+ anymore. Google photos is separated. And in Google Photos there are no albums for hangouts. But they still sync to the Gallery on connected devices. Quite embarrassing when I logged my account into a new tablet to be commonly used in the house... in order to download apps in the Play Store. Well, at the same time, very personal pictures sent in hangouts showed up on the gallery and no delete button.

Hangout photos that you have shared can be edited or deleted. Hangout photos shared by other people with you cannot be edited or removed. I find this process to be much faster on the website as opposed to the cell phone/tablet interface because you can search the page.
Finding your hangout photos (direct link):

Go to Google+
Using the dropdown menu on the upper left side of the page, select Photos.
In the search box in the top of the screen, select the down arrow. - Animated gif on the Google help page shows where this is located as it is not intuitive (expand Desktop computer).
Select Hangouts.

To find hangout photos shared with you, view all your albums in Google+ and search for an album with the prefix "Hangout:". They can also be found by clicking a photo in a Google Hangout message.
Note: you will not be able to edit photos shared to you by others. This can be very annoying as there is a questionable photo my wife sent me which I cannot remove from the shared album. In this case, I had to ask her to remove the photo from the shared album so it would no longer pop up in my photo gallery.

BUMP! its 2018 and there is no "Photos" button in Google+.  And in Google photos (which is where your direct link above takes you), when you click on the search bar it brings up a list of stuff and hangouts is not one of them, nor is Desktop Computer.  In fact, if you search for hangouts in google photos, it returns empty. Im still trying to figure this one out.... Also, there are no albums in Google Photos that are from hangouts. But these albums exist in my Gallery on the phone, quite annoying.

Just remove your account from your device and the re-login but this time make sure you stop syncing all the data from your google account. Select the options in the settings where you untick sync google+ photos option.


text:
Where are "Auto backup" photos stored?
I have a S4 (4.3, verizon) and want to download the photos I have in "Auto backup" in my gallery. It has a picassa web albums logo (this thing) on it, but I can't find it on:

My phone, when connected via MTP (I tried searching for a specific image as well)
Google+ images
Picasa web albums

I want to somehow download it, how can I do this?

For Auto Backup access there are several options open to you.

Phone: Select the Gallery app which should bring up a listing of your Albums. One of your albums will be titled Auto Backup (assuming you have photos/videos in the album - otherwise the album will not appear).
Website: Google+ Auto Backup
Website: Picasa Web

There are 1000+ images on my phone in auto backup but only a few hundred on those links. Also I'm trying to export them, what do I do for #1?

You can go to the Google+ app > settings > Auto Backup > Backup all. The photos should then appear on both websites. If they are only on your phone, then plug your phone into a computer and open up windows explorer Computer > [name of device] > Internal storage > DCIM > Camera.

Auto Backup photos on your phone and websites should be identical. There is no reason for them not to be. Perhaps there is an album with a similar name? In Picasa sometimes this album is named "instant upload"

You can access them from the Google+ website.  There is an auto backup album under photos.


text:
Android 4 recovery: /udisk/ vs. /sdcard/ directory
I've got an Android 4.1-based device (PlayJam GameStick) whose official firmware updates had two files:

Update.img
factory_update_param.aml

The factory_update_param.aml contains instructions to automatically install the img file:
--update_package=/udisk/GameStick-Software-v2071.img

Copying those two files to SD card and booting into recovery leads to a "aborting finding installation package" (from my mind, probably worded a bit different).
In recovery, the .img file was available in the /sdcard/ folder and not /udisk/.
What is the /udisk/ folder? How can I get files to appear in there?

By trial an error I found out that the recovery's internal system has different folders for USB and SD:

/sdcard/ for updates on the SD card
/udisk/ for updates on USB flash drive


text:
What is this CJK app and why is it on my phone?
I was going through my apps and discovered this:

Um, what? Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in the language that the app is titled with (Chinese, I'm guessing?), so I have no idea what it is or where it came from. Any ideas? I tend to be careful with what I download (no third-party markets) so I would be surprised if it was malware, but that being said it still looks mighty suspicious to me.
It's a Galaxy Nexus running Android 4.3 if that's relevant.

That there's a "Disable" button rather than "Uninstall" indicates it's a system app. As far as I know, there is no official 4.3 for the Galaxy Nexus, so what custom ROM are you using?

Maybe I'm mistaken, I'm just running stock Android. Under "Settings -> About phone -> Android Version" it says 4.3.

Who's your carrier then?

Sprint. (15 chars)

@AlE. Yes there is an official 4.3 for the GN. There is no 4.4. See, e.g., https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#takjujwr66y

It looks like it's Google's Pinyin IME. The icon has since changed to use squares instead of circles, but you can still see that it is generally the same, and you can find examples of the old round icon on the Internet still. It's still on the page for Google's Windows variant, in fact:

Google must evidently ship this in their vanilla Android builds for Nexus devices, which would explain why it cannot be uninstalled. This seems to be verified by various sites around the web (one, two, three).

Guess that's it. Any idea why it's showing up in Chinese on my device instead of "Google Pinyin IME"?

@mikeTheLiar: I can't say for sure, but if I were to hazard a guess I would say it's in Chinese so that a user who needs it (i.e. someone who only speaks Chinese) will be able to read the label.

Which is a fair enough point, but when I see an app that I didn't install, which can't be uninstalled, with a title in Chinese, my first thought isn't "Oh, clearly this is intended for a Chinese speaker. Nothing to see here." My first thought it "OH NOEZ HAXORS! Do I have to change all my passwords and my bank account information now?"


text:
Does the Google Authenticator app negatively impact a fully charged device
I have the Google Authenticator installed on my phone. I notice the codes are generated constantly. It appears the app is running constantly in the background.
Does this app has a major impact on a fully charged android device?

The app is not running in the background.  When you start it, it generates codes based on an algorithm tied to your original configuration.
It for sure will not impact your battery, and is not running in the background (the time based codes it creates, are constantly changing though - every 60 seconds - or however long).
But the app is only using resources when it is running, and servicing out the codes to you.

Check the 'battery' section in the settings and see if it shows up there. Also, does it run at startup automatically? Because I'm NOT seeing that on my DROID 4 - it only seems to startup when I use it, and then (like every android app), it hangs around until it gets killed off. Is that what you are seeing?

I don't see the Google Authenticator app in the battery section. And, I don't know how to tell if the app runs at startup.


text:
How to root Xperia P device
How do I get root access for my Xperia P device runing Jelly Bean(4.1)?
Is it required to unlock bootloader before trying to root the phone?

Can you tell your build number from settings

It's 6.2.A.1.100

Okay here is how to root  without unlocking bootloader for XP Jellybean. This is confirmed working and do it in your own risk.
Note:
Charge your phone to 100% before doing this and back up contact,message and any other installed app.

Download and install Flashtool (If you dont know how to flash using flashtool follow this tutorial
Download Sony Xperia P_6.1.1.B.1.75_Generic World from here
Put the ftf file inside the firmware folder of flashtool
Turn Usb Debugging on in your phone
Shut down your Xperia P
Press the lightning icon inside flashtool
Select FLASHMODE (NOT FASTBOOT)
Choose the Sony Xperia P_6.1.1.B.1.75_Generic World ftf file for XP
When flashtool ask you to connect your device, insert USB cable first in your phone then hold Volume Down Button and insert the other end of USB in your PC
Wait till it finish
Disconnect your phone and power on. You are back in ICS
Flash 0.559 kernel via flashtool
Remove the phone from PC, reboot the phone
Connect the phone to PC
Open flashtool hit the root button
When you see "waiting for restore to finish" open your phone and run Backup&Restore app and restore RootMe.tar file.
Wait until Flashtool do the rest of work
When u r done flash .75 kernel via flashtool reboot the phone
Download CWM
Extract the folder
Connect your phone to the pc with USB debugging
Click on install.bat
Download JB KERNEL and PRE ROOTED JB
Put it on your SD card
Well Now shut down you Xperia P
Turn it on
Enter CWM Recovery by pressing volume down (dont hold the volume button put press repeatedly move up and down using volume button select using power button)
Mount System
Mount Data
Mount Cache
Flash the JB Kernel Zip
Again Mount System
Mount Data
Mount Cache
Flash the JB_prerooted_6.2.A.0.400.zip
Do Not Reboot !!
Wipe Data/Factory Reset
Reboot !!

It take some minutes, But just wait with patience
For the 1st time you may get FC from Thememanager and Timescape
Enjoy Rooted JB !!!
Source: XDA

Rooting will involve several steps. You may or may not want to unlock your bootloader first (I did unlock it first before trying the following steps).
In order to use these instructions, you'll need a Windows computer and your device must be running Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean. You'll also want to ensure your device is charged before trying to root it.
These instructions are paraphrased from Xperia HTC Rooting.

Download the Bin4ry rooting software, and extract it to your desktop
Enable USB debugging on your Xperia P. You can do this by going into Settings > Application > Developer options > USB debugging and checking the box to enable it.
Connect your Xperia P to your computer via a USB cable. If your device is not recognized, you may need to install the Sony Xperia P USB driver first, then reconnect it again.
Double click on RunMe.bat file in the Bin4ry folder that you extracted
A black command window popup should appear with green text. Type 1 to select New_standard_root and press Enter.
Follow the on screen instructions to root your device.

Note: If the New_Stand_Root method does not work, try repeating steps 4 and 5 with the second root method (New Xperia Root by Goroh_kun).

I think it wont work for locked bootloader

The tutorial says that it will work even with locked bootloader, although I've unlocked the bootloader first.

i think it will work on .100 build LB and not on .400 build LB


text:
GPS stopped working after root
After rooting my Sony Xperia P, the GPS stopped working. Even Google Maps can't find my current location now. I found this problem when started working on Location API.
Is it a common issue and is it resolvable? I tried searching on XDA too, but couldn't find anything about this.

What root apps have you installed, or what other root changes have you made?

I have used this guide to root my phone - http://xperiahtcrootingrom.com/root-sony-xperia-p-ics-jellybean/

Right, and after you rooted it, what did you use root for?

ohk, it happened just after rooting it. I've although installed just ES file Explorer with root permission. I do not use this device often so didn't even install any other app after root.

Ok the GPS started working again. I let the phone drain out of battery, then put a charger and let the sony logo show till the charge gets around 80% (Just left it for 20-30 minutes on charge). Then I removed the charger and hard reset the device(hold power and volume up key for few seconds). The device will shutdown and then restart it normally. Google will ask if you'd want to permit google to collect anonymous location data. Press allow and check GPS by opening Google maps app, it's working :-)
PS: Dunno what worked here(probably the hard reset step), but I put all the steps just in case.


text:
Phone dropped in water - Now screen won't turn off (Samsung Galaxy S2 (SII))?
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy SII (S2)(I9100) that got dropped in water. I took the phone apart (removed the screws on the back and properly took the back off) and left it to dry in a warm place overnight.
The phone works absolutely fine as you'd expect it to, but it now has this weird issue where the screen won't turn off at all, whenever I press the power button to turn the screen off, it comes straight back on again. If I let it go to sleep with it's own "timout" it just comes back on straight away also.
It has been factory reset and still does it. It has stock Android that came with the device, never rooted or had custom ROMS installed.
Here's a video of the problem actually happening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4UViRT64Ss
I assume it has to be a hardware issue from the water damage, but has anyone experienced this? Is it likely I'd be able to change any of the parts inside to try and fix it?

The water evaporating has left now undissolved mineral ions on your phone (ions conduct electricity).Now electricity doesn't go as designed.Also heat cycles will possibly change chemical and physical structure of your hardware.The more you use it the more likely something will get worse
Instead of drying to get rid of water and leave the ions on your phone you should have hoovered the water being cautious not to discharge static electricity to the phone (even though theoretically almost everyone should have damaged their hardware with static many times in their lives it somehow never happens)
Now maybe you should clean it properly (isopropyl alcohol should work the purer the better at least 99%)
The better way to clean it is with bathing it in the alcohol and use ultrasound at the same time which some more professional phonerepairers do with special machines.(You can find some good replacements of the machines for about 50usd)
It most often works without ultrasounding but the ultrasound method is much better and fixes the performance of water damaged phone more.

Switching it off and completely submerging it (including the battery) in isopropyl alcohol for 15 minutes, then taking it out and letting it dry for 24 hours fixed it! Thank you so much for answering!

@BT643 I'm interested if you submerged it completely disassembled and did you wipe it with something?

I didn't completely disassemble it, I just removed the back battery cover, and removed the battery (but also put it in the alcohol with the phone). I didn't wipe it, just took it out and left it on the side for 24 hours to dry. Shocked that it fixed it! It was just a "first attempt" :)

change the charging connector in the phone.

and how would that help ? can you explain further ?

In my case the Screen Off app solved the problem. It allows the user to turn off the screen without pressing the power button.

FIXED: I am a Phone/PC Technician, I just fixed a customer's phone, the issue was the screen wont turn off via power button nor when the phone goes to standby it would come back on... The Samsung Galaxy J5 fell in his toilet which he quickly grabbed it out..
The FIX was to remove the board and use clear rubbing alcohol and a small flat head screwdriver to scrape and to clean all contact points which had some white corrosion, even the internal metal edge that grounds against the chassis and board. Screw phone back together ensuring all contact points are touching then test to see if all is working.  All the best to you!


text:
Getting app data off a huawei u8815/ascend g300 and wileyfox swift
I'm looking to get a copy of my personal data from some old phones and thought you may be able to help. Just some necessary info before starting. I have already tried to do this by turning the huawei device (see below) on, so standard forensic quality has been broken regardless so please don't worry about that in your suggestions, at least for that device.
I also would like to avoid doing anything, like rooting, which could erase data. Mainly because I'm not confident enough in my abilities to believe that I could do this properly, so it doesn't seem worth the risk. Obviously if it's essential, and there are ways to limit this risk, please feel free to suggest this! However, I would be happier to install something onto the device i.e: a new/modified APK to try and get data from some apps. Obviously there are degrees to this, even turning a phone on could erase data, but something like rooting would run the risk of losing every bit of data I'm after. I'd appreciate it if suggestions could highlight what the risk of data loss is for whatever's suggested.
I've previously tried to extract data using an adb backup and then exploring data from that backup, but a lot of the data I wanted (see below) was excluded from this backup. I also found the adb file incredibly frustrating to navigate, so any advice which has simple steps or utilises programmes with a nice clear GUI would be appreciated!
I have a Huawei Ascend G300 (aka Huawei U8815) and a Wileyfox Swift (1st version) running android. I think that they're running the latest versions of android available for these devices. According to wikipedia, for the Huawei device this is android 4.0.0 and for the wileyfox swift, Cyanogen OS 12.1. For the latter, I can't be sure if this was the final official OS update provided for the phone or not. Both these devices were purchased in the UK. I have spares for both.
I want to extract as much data as possible from these devices from, at least, the following apps in order of priority:

Hangouts- with a particular focus on messages, chat members and GAIA IDs or emails associated with accounts which as far as I know was viewable in hangouts
Gmail- Email messages and any hangouts data linked to gmail
Text messages- Numbers and text messages
Facebook- Chat messages, post and reaction history and notifications and profiles of those I interacted with with a primary focus on those in chats.
Browser data- History, passwords etc.
Google plus- History, likes and reactions, google plus connections and friends

Some information from apps may have been transferred to a now missing sd card using an app2sd service but I have been able to view old hangouts messages etc. and access old emails when turning my huawei phone on so maybe I could do something with the volatile memory?
Thank you in advance!

Data backup files created via adb backup only contains the data of those apps which allow backup.
For existing backup files files created by adb backup can be easily converted to a tar file using Android Backup Extractor and then you can view them using any archive tool with tar support (e.g. 7-Zip, WinRAR, ...).
For a full backup you need root access. If the installed ROM does not allow root access you might be able to get root permissions on-th-fly:
The phones are so old they even might be vulnerable to the Dirty Cow kernel exploit. This means some of the old one-click-root tools should work.
Once you have root access you can get extract all data from /data/data.
Unfortunately this only means you have the app data files. As most of the apps you want to extract data from are closed-source apps this will get complicated as the file-format apps use is not documented anywhere. Also the app version matters, the app file format can change at any time so the older versions may store data in a different way than recent apps.
If you are lucky the files are SQLite database which you can open using common database viewer applications. But in the end this will still be raw data tables.


text:
Does orientation of a USB Type-C cable matter when quick charging?
Is it normal that quick charging only works when plugging the (original) USB Typ-C cable in orientation 1 into the phone and not in orientation 2? I mean it is symmetrical, I would have expected that both ways work. Is there a problem with my phone or is this the intended behaviour? I read that article about USB PD but it could not answer my question.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#USB_Power_Delivery

USB Power Delivery uses one of CC1, CC2 pins for power negotiation up to 20 V at 5 A (or whatever less the source can provide). It is transparent to any data transmission mode, and can therefore be used together with any of them.

Representation of USB-C Pinout:
GND     TX1+    TX1−    VBUS    CC1  D+ D−  SBU1    VBUS    RX2−    RX2+    GND
GND     RX1+    RX1−    VBUS    SBU2 D− D+  CC2     VBUS    TX2−    TX2+    GND

So I'm thinking that both the phone and the power brick that is providing power will only use one of the CC1/CC2 lines and if you twist the cable the negotiation line won't be able to connect.


text:
How do I install Google Pixel Launcher on HTC U Ultra?
I used to be able to use the Google Now Launcher on my old HTC U Ultra device. Now I got a new device with Android 8.0.0 and here I cannot install the program anymore. How can I fix that?
Edit: I learned, that Google Now Launcher was replaced by Google Pixel Launcher which is not available on Play Store on this phone but can be downloaded from apkmirror.com.

Google stopped google now launcher and current default launcher by google is pixel launcher. You can download google now launcher from apkmirror, and try to install it. I don't think it may work well, but you can have a try (https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-now-launcher/ dec 6,2017 build).

I see, then I would like to try Pixel Launcher. Can you post the link to it in the Play Store?

you can search for pixel launcher from the same site(apkmirror.com). Download apk that suits your android version, architecture, screen DPI. https://www.apkmirror.com/faq/ this link may help you to find right apk for your device from apkmirror website.

Worked for me, if you copy the link to it from my edited post, I will accept the answer.

Google Now Launcher was Google's first public launcher, and it was shipped on Nexus phones as well as millions of other devices, which was a simpler launcher for Android Ecosystem.
The Google Now Launcher is now listed as incompatible with almost every Android device in Play store.
Google announced retirement of Google Now launcher in Feb 2017.
The current default launcher by Google is Pixel Launcher, which released for Pixel devices.

You can download google now launcher from apkmirror website, and try to install it. The last build available is of Dec 6, 2017 [link].

Pixel launcher is available on Play Store, but not available for every devices(mostly for pixel devices). But, you can download Pixel Launcher from this link.

Download apk from apkmirror website which suits with your device's  android version, architecture, screen DPI. This FAQ link may help you to find right apk for your device from apkmirror website

If I'm getting correct, here is the direct download link of it through apkmirror, you only need to confirm it when pop up comes from your download manager.
Above one is latest version of Google Now Launcher and it was lastly updated in Nov,2017. Since then no official updates from Google.
There could be another solution to your problem. If you have any problem downloading by searching here and there, you can avoid it and simply download it from playstore on any operable/compatible device then share it to your phone through any 'Sharing App'.


text:
A quicker way to share Android folder over non-internet WiFi on Windows 10/11 systems?
Windows 10 / 11 allows for a network share of folders over WiFi, even if there's no internet, where I can easily access and/or transfer files to/from folders from one computer to another. (i.e.: by following standard procedures shown here).
Can something similarly seamless be done with an Android device?
Ideally, I'd like to be able to access and/or transfer files to/from shared folder on an Android device to/from Windows over WiFi and without any internet connectivity requirements and without having to manually type IP addresses into a browser.

See: How can I access Internal Storage + SD Card as a drive on Windows?

Confirmed working! I believe the steps involving the least amount of effort are: (1) Make PC discoverable on network -> make a folder to be shared on the network, (2) Install LAN Drive app on Android, (3) run app, (4) go to SMB client, (5) select the discovered PC and then to the shared folder. // By doing that I was able to have my android device access/send/receive anything to and from a folder that's on the PC. // But having it work in reverse where the PC accesses/sends/receives anything to and from a folder that's on the Android device seemed to involve more work.

That's great in my actual setup I use LAN Drive on PC, but still access PC's shared folders

I confirmed a method that works, based on slight modifications of existing instructions that involve forwarding some TCP and UDP ports to be numbers that are 1000 higher.
(FOR ACCESSING ANDROID FILES FROM THE WINDOWS PC)

On the android device, find and install the LanDrive app through its APK file; even if the "app store" on newer devices claim it cannot be installed due to it being a newer version of Android, the APK installation file worked for me.

On the LanDrive, start the SMB server; on the Windows PC, the android device should appear in the Network folder, but remains unaccessible.

Then on the Window device, install the Multi Port Forwarder from Verigio; a basic free license worked and is enough.

On the Multi Port Forwarder, add three rules as per the picture below.
Basically, on the "Outgoing" direction,
(1) make a UDP that goes from Port 137 to be forwarded as Port 1137 // (2) make a UDP that goes from Port 138 to be forwarded as Port 1138 // (3) make a TCP that goes from Port 445 to be forwarded as Port 1445

On the Windows PC, the android device should appear in the Network folder, but is now completely accessible. I was able to access/move/create all the folders of the Android device over the network from the PC;

This is confirmed to work as long as the LANdrive app on the android device has its SMB Server started.

(FOR ACCESSING WINDOWS FILES FROM THE ANDROID DEVICE)

Make PC discoverable on network -> make a folder to be shared on the network,
Install LAN Drive app on Android, run app,
go to SMB client,
select the discovered PC and then to the shared folder.

(PICTURE)


text:
Factory reset when enabling and disabling OEM Unlock in one session?
I accidentally enabled "OEM Unlock" on my old Pixel 3a. I instantly disabled "OEM Unlock" again. Will the phone forcefully factory reset when I reboot?

OEM Unlock is not the same as bootloader unlocking procedure - it is prerequisite

No your phone will not perform a factory reset. Enabling that option is just the first step for bootloader unlocking it simply say "I allow bootloader unlocking" but the actual unlocking procedure has to be performed on a different point in system.

@Robert that's good news. You should write an answer so I can mark it once I verified your statement.

I've finally decided to restart my phone. Robert was right, no factory reset has happened.


text:
From where on the network is time information received?
From where is the time information updated when the option Date & time settings -> Automatic - Use network-provided values is selected?
Is it from GSM, WiFi, GPS or anything else?
I believe it is from GSM, but I'd like to get a confirmation.

How do you know their provider is correct and not your's?  Compare it against a known accurate source, like NIST's time service and see if either is actually correct.

The time is set by your carrier. Have you tried unchecking the box, changing the time and then checking the box again?

The keyword is NITZ - that is where it comes from, certain ROM fail to handle it, others do. If it fails, can always fallback on a NTP app (this requires root BTW) :)

Good point, @t0mm13b -- if NITZ is the only source this would explain why my device is so much off per day (my provider is on the "unsupported" list). But not how it setup the date correctly and the time also rawly, initially. Is there a fall-back if NITZ is unavailable? With GPS off (I always have it off), it could only be network-based.

Can always use NTP, it happens to mine too, sometimes the clock is out a fair bit, I use ClockSync over wifi to "correct" the clock, then again my handset is rooted :)

Thanks to t0mm13m's comments:
The keyword is NITZ - that is where it comes from.
Certain ROMs fail to handle it, others do. If it fails, can always fallback on a NTP app like ClockSync (this requires root BTW) :)


text:
How can I enlarge the fonts on Wikipedia in Chrome?
On most web sites, when I look at them with Chrome on my phone (a Nexus 4 running stock Android 4.2.2), I can adjust the font size by double-tapping a column of text to make it widen to fill the screen.  However, this doesn't work on Wikipedia.org; I don't know why -- the text is quite small.
I've already got the browser set up to display (very) large fonts: I'd gone to "settings", "Accessibility", and have cranked the "Text scaling" slider over to 155%, which is ginormous.  (There's also a check in the box that says "Force Enable Zoom", which I don't recall setting; I guess that's the default).
Anyway: this feature works fine on most sites, just not Wikipedia (and perhaps a few others).  Any advice for making Wikipedia readable?

I'm not seeing a problem on my Galaxy Nexus. Are you using the mobile version of the site (en.m.wikipedia.org)? Have you considered using the Wikipedia app? (There, at least, you can increase the font size to 300%.)

Hi Al, thanks for checking!  Yes, it's the mobile version of the site (oddly, asking for the desktop version doesn't change that).  I have indeed tried the Wikipedia app; I can't at the moment remember why I no longer use it; I'll give it another look.

Turns out the Wikipedia app works well enough.I still don't know why Chrome works the way it does, but the standalone app is good enough.

I'm having same problem with Nexus 7/Android 4.3/Chrome 30.0.1599.92. Seems like text scaling works as it should with, say, text-boxes like their one I'm typing this message in, but not on regular paragraphs: it just fits the paragraph on the screen.

Websites can ask the browser not to allow the user to scale it, that's why you can't zoom in.

@AlexDumitru I'd heard that, but I assume that the "Force Enable Zoom" checkbox is meant to override that.

I have force enable zoom, but it does not help on some forums. I can zoom but the text is not reflowed, forcing me to scroll back and forth. e. g. http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-831956-start-0.html

I've given up on the Wikipedia app (I can't remember why); and I've noticed that (contrary to one of my previous comments), asking for the "Desktop version" of the app does help (this is on Android 4.4.2, now; perhaps the browser behaves differently).  I still know of no way to always make Wikipedia pages expand when I double-tap; but at least I can request the desktop version for any individual page, and then double-tap.

Wow seeing this thread from 9 years ago and realizing that since I still have the EXACT problem as OP doesn't give me much hope! The font size on Wikipedia does NOT respond to ANY of the settings on my phone. I cranked the fonts up so big I hardly get 2 words per line everywhere else, but once I go back to a wiki page, it is so small I literally had to get reading glasses to use it. If I pinch-zoom the text does not reflow to fit the page forcing me to scroll back and forth to read an article and that ain't happening, lol!

I've been using the Wikipedia app for ages, and despite my comment from 2013(!) it seems fine.


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Is there any way to check the backup that android does?
Today I have been researching a bit about the Android backup options (since I have seen some people having to lose all their data due to ICS serious bugs).
From now, I prefer to use native options, such as the "default" option or the adb backup -all command.
But my question is about the regular way.
I enabled the Settings->Backup->Backup my data option (on ICS). Now I would like to check on my Google Account Preferences when was the last backup was made, and which data is safely backed up - and which isn't.
I'm not sure if that's possible. Does anybody know?

I believe one's best recourse would be to undertake a nandroid backup as well as use an app like Titanium Backup. Even if one isn't rooted, I believe that's a far more efficient and overall better way of backing up one's device.

I agree with sparkx. I had to restore my phone, so I restored it using a nandroid backup, but it wasn't working right, half my apps wouldn't open, half my settings were missing, and the apps that did open didn't work correctly. So I flashed the Stock ROM back on and restored my apps from a Titanium Backup that I did and that worked pretty well. (Although not perfectly, some of my apps still won't work right. Like Swype and TextPlus)

I should probably follow @Sparx advice, but well, having two backups is safer than one, besides, AFAIK, for a proper Titanium backup you need your phone rooted.

I went to https://www.google.com/dashboard/b/0/ and found the section labeled "Android device"; that had a link labeled "More data stored about this device".  Clicking that opened a popup window that showed a disappointingly short list of apps that had backed up some of their data: just some of the built-in apps from Google.

The above paragraph was written in 2012; five years later the situation seems better: the relevant link is now https://myaccount.google.com/dashboard, and my list of apps is nice and long: 85, and they're not all from Google :-)

Mine doesn't even have anything under Android Devices :/

That was exactly what I was looking for, but I agree, the list is not complete at all.

@mdelolmo: The list shall be complete, but this is a feature that is be provided ('requested') by app's developers. Unfortunately few apps use (provide us) this feature integrated with google backup (look how it works: http://goo.gl/ABvsS)

Now Google seem to have moved the backup info to https://drive.google.com/drive/backups. However they only display the total number of apps that are backed up for each Android device. They no longer provide backup stats - date and size - for each app:(. Does anyone know where to find this now?

Five years later in 2021, looks like Google Dashboard is not showing non-Google apps/services anymore. While there's "Android Backups" entry showing the number of the apps, the last backup time is not there. And for unknown reasons, clicking the header goes to "Find My Device" (while "Delete backup data" goes to the right link, Google Drive's Backups).

If you have Google Drive on your Android device then open it and go to Backups. Tap on the device's name you're interested in to see what's been backed up and when - App data, Call history, Device settings and SMS. Tap on App data to see the when each of your apps was last backed up.

authors: الحاج ربيع محمد أل عمر


text:
Phone call: Audio works only with speakerphone or wired headset
The following issue with my Sony Xperia ZR (running CM 11-20141112-SNAPSHOT) started a few days ago:

When I initiate or receive an ordinary phone call, I can't hear the other side through my earpiece and the other side can't hear me either.
When I plug in the wired headset, I can use that without problems.
When I activate the speakerphone button during the call (without the headset plugged in), I can communicate with the other side.
I also have a "click" sound effect for locking and unlocking the phone and this sound effect is now also only audible through the headset.

Here is what I tried:

First of course, I checked my profile and volume settings to make sure they are on Default and the in-call volume turned up.
I re-started my phone multiple times, sometimes with, sometimes without the headset being plugged in.
I thought that the headphone jack might be broken, i.e. that it thinks the headset is always plugged in - especially since I use the headset a lot for listening to audio while walking. But as soon as I plug in the headset, the Apollo audio player app starts, suggesting that the headphone detection works fine. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to see if the software thinks that the headset is connected or not - is there a headset icon or similar I could enable?
So I thought it might be a software issue.

I installed the Sound Manager app which allows to adjust all volume settings and
found that it behaved a bit strange when I touched the In-Call Volume slider, causing a sound blip coming out of my earpiece. Also the volume "overlay" (or whatever you call that window that pops up when pressing the volume rocker) became visible, but sometimes only its icon, not the slider itself.
After adjusting the volumes through that app, I could make a test call without headset and without the speakerphone enabled which worked fine. Also the phone (un-)locking sounds were working again.
However a couple of hours later, when I unlocked my phone again, I didn't hear the click and doing a test call I realised that the problem had re-appeared.
So I went back to the Sound Manager and adjusted the sliders once more, this time no strange effects as in 4.2 before. And no click when locking/unlocking and no audio through the earpiece & mic during my next test call.

Short of completely re-setting my phone (which I'd like to avoid), is there another way of debugging this issue? Does CM have a way to tell the headset detection status?
Any other things I could try?

Hey, I know it's very late but were you able to find a fix for this issue?

@TusharShukla It turned out to be a hardware defect - the plug detected the headset as being connected, even when it wasn't. To work around the issue, I created a tiny app that allows forcing the audio through the earpiece/mic even when the phone thinks the headset is plugged in: https://github.com/FriendFX/android-audioswitch ...not sure this would still work on a recent Android version, but it may be a start :-)

Thanks for the info @FriendFx. I fixed it by disabling hearing aids under accessibility in Phone App settings.

Hi, looks like you've found the solution by yourself. Consider posting it as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed but even encouraged. Thanks.

Andrew T recommended to answer my own question properly, so here it goes:
The problem turned out to be a hardware defect - the plug detected the headset as being connected, even when it wasn't.
To work around the issue, I created a tiny app that allows forcing the audio through the earpiece/mic even when the phone thinks the headset is plugged in.
Find the Github repository here: https://github.com/FriendFX/android-audioswitch
As I have since replaced my phone and it has been years since I've had the need for it, I am not sure this would still work on a recent Android version, but it may be a start if someone likes to create something similar for their phone... it'd be a shame to cause phones going to landfill just because of a tiny broken earpiece detector switch!

Here are a few things you should try:

Delete or Deactivate all apps that could use audio, especially the app that turns on automatically(Apollo).Then check for the problem again. If the problem is gone, install the deleted apps one by one to see which app is the defaulter. If the problem persists try the next step
Use both a earphone and a earphone + microphone auxiliary connector. This could be if your phone is too old (though it is from May 2013) or if the aux connector in the phone is broken.
Try using the inbuilt or 3rd party Hardware test app.
RESET

Similar issue in OnePlus One (running CM 12.1). Check TTY Mode. If its off turn it back on and restart phone. Go back to TTY mode again and turn off and restart. It worked for me on OnePlus.

Thanks for the pointer, but could you a bit more specific? What is TTY mode and how do I turn it on/off in Cyanogenmod?

Found it myself: Start the phone app, go to its menu -> Settings and find TTY mode. I turned it from TTY Off to TTY Full (other options are TTY HCO and TTY VCO) and restarted, then turned it to TTY Off again and restarted once more. Unfortunately, the problem I described in my question is still there.

I had the very same problem with my Xperia SP. I also tried everything, but in the end it was the broken headphone jack.
My explanation why your audio player app starts automatically as you described in point 3 is the following:
You are sliding the phone connector with its 3 or more contacts separated by some non-conducting material over the contacts inside the jack. This closes and opens some circuits several times while plugging in, which is actually the same as plugging the connector in and out several times. So the phone recognizes that something was connected. What is broken, so that it doesn't recognize a proper disconnect any more, I don't know.
I sent it to the service and they confirmed a broken jack. I got a new phone for free! (Maybe because of the German laws) Afterwards my problems were gone.


text:
Is rooting a surefire and safe process, or is it risky?

Is rooting my tablet safe or something can go wrong with it?
Is rooting legal?
Does my device become slower if I root it?
What is the best rooting tool?
Is it possible to lose my data or something if I root it?

Sorry I didn't know these things you told me I'm new to this site I'll try to improve my questions in the future

You can also improve this question of yours too. Here, click the the [edit].

Luck doesn't exist.

"is rooting safe"
The answer is difficult. Every tool you use to root your device says do with your own risk and we are not responsible for any damages caused to your device.
is root legal
Nothing to do with legal but it voids your devices warranty.
does my device becomes slower
No , many tools and tweaks are available to speed up rooted devices .
what is the best rooting tool
That depends on what device you use.
about data loss
No data will be lost. However a backup is taken to avoid data loss.
Try googling to find the best rooting tool for your particular device. Alternatively,
you can download some rooted stock roms (specific for your device) and flash them using recovery.
Try e.g. Kingo root, this is the best for me.


text:
How can I use a custom rom.zip from within an emulator?
I have custom rom.zip and I want to try it in emulator


text:
How can I mount my google nexus4 on linuxmint(nadia) computer via usb?
Also is it any different than ubuntu?
UPDATE:
Using gmtp, I still get the error from the terminal and gmtp crashes when i click on "connect".
The gmtp says the following in the shell:
Device 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is UNKNOWN.
Please report this VID/PID and the device model to the libmtp development team
PTP_ERROR_IO: failed to open session, trying again after resetting USB interface
LIBMTP libusb: Attempt to reset device
Android device detected, assigning default bug flags
Error 1: Get Storage information failed.
Error 2: PTP Layer error 02fe: get_handles_recursively(): could not get object handles.
Error 2: Error 02fe: PTP: Protocol error, data expected

I'm sure that libtmp teams added nexus4 to their libraries because my nexus4 was being seen by ubuntu-11.04 easily. But my problem is still alive in linuxmint

If not the same, it's probably very similar, I would imagine. Better way to connect Galaxy Nexus (ICS) to Linux might be relevant the underlying issue (MTP) is the same.

See also this answer where I've explained it for the Kindle Fire and Ubuntu. Don't get confused on the Kindle part, the Linux part is what you need to connect your device via MTP.

Hey man use this libmtp (link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/libmtp/)
They say its good and works fine

This question gets asked a lot about Linux in general.  MTP from the default repos will work in Mint, no problem.  I've written a tutorial on how to get MTP devices recognized under Ubuntu, but it's the same for Mint:
Install MTP:

sudo apt-get install mtpfs

Create a directory to mount your device:

sudo mkdir /media/MTPdevice (call the directory whatever you like)
sudo chmod 775 /media/MTPdevice
sudo mtpfs -o allow_other /media/MTPdevice

Plug in you phone and use MTP tools to determine the VID and PID (or, if those don't appear in the output, idVendor and idProduct):

mtp-detect

Add a rule to udev to handle your phone:

gksu gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules

Text to add:  (substitue VID and PID for "" and "")
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="<vendorId>", ATTR{idProduct}=="<productId>", MODE="0666"

Restart udev:

sudo service udev restart

You may also need to reboot, depending.
This works on my Linux Mint 15 + MATE box.
NOTE:  If you have your device locked (eg, which a swipe code or PIN), you’ll need to unlock it before your SD card(s) can be recognized by MTP and have it mount them for you to access locally.


text:
How can I reinstall android 4.2 after having updated to 4.4?
I just updated my nexus4 to kitkat 4.4. Play services seems to drain the
battery. Thus I would like to move back to 4.2. Is it possible? And how can
I do it?
Thank you.

Kitkat 4.4 or Jelly Bean 4.3? Even if the procedure is most likely the same, you must choose...

Which version is your Nexus 4 running on?
4.4 (KRT16S) or 4.4.2 (KOT49H)
Check by going into Settings > About > Build Number
4.4.2 (KOT49H) is newer and fixes a lot of the bugs from 4.4 (KRT16S). You might try updating if you are running a lower version.

You can revert back to 4.2.2 (JDQ39) via:

factory reset
manual flash (stock image here)
a system backup image

As for the Google Play Services battery drain: AFAIK it is caused by Google Now always accessing your location reporter and also waking up the phone from time to time.
Known solutions:

disable the location reporter or prevent Google Now from accessing your location
turn off High Accuracy when location reporting (GPS) is not in use
simply turn Google Now off

One more thing to take into concern are the updates. Have you updated all the stock Google apps. If not, just leave your Nexus on wifi for a while to update all the Google goodies and then try using it for a while on KitKat. If you notice the battery drain again revert back to Jelly Bean or simply try applying a solution from above to see if it fixes the drain.

If you have not created a system backup (sometimes called nandroid) before updating, you have only one option: Install an Android 4.2 through recovery or flash and then do a factory reset.


text:
Galaxy S won't boot, stuck in recovery mode
My galaxy S was working good until about a month ago when it froze and needed to reboot.  Now when it boots, a screen showing a mobile phone and a computer and an exclamation mark in the middle is appearing.  How can I resolve this?

If your phone is stuck in recovery mode, you can try these steps to force it to boot to Android:

Remove the battery, wait a couple of minutes, then put the battery back in.
Turn on phone and see if it still boots into recovery mode.
If it does still boot into recovery mode, hold down "Volume Up" button and then press the Power button.
The recovery menu should appear; using the Volume buttons to move the cursor, select "Reboot system" and press the power button to select it.
If it still boots to Recovery, go into the Recovery menu again and select "Factory Reset/Wipe Data".  Your phone should be reset back to factory defaults and boot properly.

If none of this works, most likely it is a hardware issue and you'll need to get the phone itself looked at by a technician.


text:
Root my android tablet
I have a 3Q lc1016c tablet, and i would like to root it, i have been trying to install the su through the update.zip but the installation aborted. There is an official release to update the ROM (update.zip) and it worked fine, i tried to take that zip and added the su but when i zipped then signed it and try to install it, i got the same Error, so i do not know if there is some special keys to sign with or. I want to understand why the official one is working and when i zip and sign the same folder it doesn't work.

It sounds like you're not using the correct update.zip file for your model; if the software/hardware architecture is not a match, installation will fail.

Thanks for your participation, But i'm using exactly the same official release, when i install it directly it installs successfully but when i take that same update.zip file and i unzip it then i zip it and sign it without i make any changes it doesn't work, here is why i bug

A stock ROM is still a ROM.  Also, signing it shouldn't be necessary if it's installing an SU binary...

Yes right, but i want to use the stock ROM which is installing without any problem, i add necessary binaries like su and zip and sign it and flash my ROM with new one, but the problem is that this stock ROM when i unzip it and add what i want when i try to flash with it doesn't work,
so i tested without adding anything to the rom, i just unzipped it and zipped it another time, when i flash the ROM it doesn't work. so here is where i blocked.


text:
Can an android app cause my phone to reboot?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S (i500) running Android 2.3.5
Lately it has been rebooting randomly.
Sitting on my desk and it just reboots, sometimes when I'm on the phone, etc.
Does Android protect itself from installed apps?
I thought the security sandbox apps run in was supposed to prevent an app from causing the entire phone to reboot.
My phone provider wants to blame apps for the phone reboots. I just want to know if this is legitimate, or if the reboots should ultimately be attributed to an android or handset manufacturer problem.

Well, as a dev, I know I've caused my OG Droid to reboot before by accident, typically infinite loops and such that lock the device down until the OS chokes. Doesn't happen very often, but it has happened to me.

Can in some way (like logcat etc) the culprit app/service that makes the phone to reboot be found?

Oh yes. Not sure about 2011 but I've been using Nandroid Manager for at least a year and it has the option to reboot your phone.

An app can certainly deliberately reboot the phone, depending on the permissions for the app in question and whether it has root privileges.
An app can also force you phone to reboot if it bombs out and takes Android down with it, particularly apps that interact with phone functionality (volume adjustors, automatic task killers - which are a bad idea in general, location aware apps, etc)  If an app has the right permissions this can happen quite easily.
So to sum up, yes, it's quite possible that an app could be causing the system to die and your phone to reboot.  If you want to troubleshoot, you can use Titanium Backup to freeze one app at a time to see if that alleviates the issue, or you can just uninstall and then reinstall later on.

I don't think an app can deliberately reboot the phone, at least not unless you've rooted your device. If it is possible can you provide a link to some documentation showing this is possible?

To deliberately reboot (like QuickBoot) does need root, along with various permissions - which I stated:
"depending on the permissions for the app in question and whether it has root privileges."

Yes, an application can lead to a phone reboot, usually by combining a badly designed application and a bug in the framework. Exemple: an application that registers an Account but no ContentHandler issue 5009

Yes apps can reboot if giver permission, search for "public void reboot" on http://developer.android.com/reference/android/os/PowerManager.html

The reboot permission is only granted to apps which are signed by the system key. A "normal" app will not get this permission.

@Flow: yup agree any normal app will not get that permission


text:
Transferring contacts, calendars and applications from one device to another
I am completing my contract on my EVO 4G and replacing it (with a Galaxy SII Epic 4G).
Both are Android - I am wondering what is the best way to transfer my contacts (a few thousand) and calendar (a few dozen) from the old to the new?
Also, I assume I have to install all apps one by one on the new device, any better ideas.

If you're using Google to sync your contacts and calendar you won't need to do anything. If you're not you should. I just moved from a Droid to a Galaxy Nexus and everything was seamless (including all of my apps) because of my Google account.

Assuming you're using Google calendar and that the contacts aren't being stored on your SIM card, all you need to do is set up your new device with the same Google account that you used to set up the previous phone(s).  If you are storing the contacts on the SIM, there is an option in the contacts to move them to Google contacts.
As for installing your apps, any apps you've paid for will automatically download and reinstall from the Android Market (again, provided you use the same Google account on both devices).  You can also use services like AppBrain to create lists that you can then use to mass install apps on another device.
I would recommend using Titanium Backup to back apps up on one device to your SD card, then either transfer the SD card to the backup files to the new device, install Titanium Backup on the new device, and then restore from that.  That way you get too keep you settings for the apps, too.  Don't backup the system settings though, as going from one device model to another may be problematic.

Also, if you're moving between Android versions, I'd suggest restoring the apps from Titanium with "App only" instead of "App+data" to minimize application data incompatibility.


text:
How to connect Galaxy Spica 2.1 to tv using RCA/ Phono cable
I bought an RCA phono cable 3.5mm. Connected it to my phone and to my tv but I only hear the audio that I play.
I wanna watch the movies of my phone on the tv.
Any help?

According to the specs I was looking at, the Galaxy Spica only supports audio out, not video.

If you're rooted, it may be possible to VNC to it or use the phone as USB disk to play a video file in the SD card; but there is no video out capability in Spica.

Ryan: the OP is looking to hook up to a TV and I doubt it can read from a USB disc.  Also, the frame rate for VNC is pretty low - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't support video playback very well.

there are TVs that can play video files directly from a plugged USB storage, the OP might have one; but he would have to check the manual or try it out. I agree regarding VNC.


text:
Android Honeycomb Stock Email Font
I'm using the stock email on Android 3.1 (ASUS Transformer) and I've configured my corporate email.
I need to know if it's possible to change the font used when creating or replying to emails. The font used, whilst nice enough, is a little too large.
Whats worse is when I view those sent emails in Windows 7/Outlook 2010, it gets rendered as Times New Roman.

My understanding is that the stock e-mail app sends mail in plain text only -- not HTML. Thus whatever client receives the message will render it in a default font for plain-text messages. For Outlook, that's apparently Times New Roman. (Courier New is another possibility.)
So your question might actually be "Can I send HTML e-mail from the stock Android app?"

Yes.. This is the answer.


text:
Default group on Samsung Galxy S II does not sync with Gmail
The default groups on the Samsung Galaxy S II: Friends, Family and Co-Workers do not get sync with Google Contacts. Any thing I can do in order to solve it?

Have you tried going to your contacts - menu - more - display options? You should see your various accounts where there is an arrow to expand and check boxes for those particular groups (well, there is on mine! :-)


text:
selectively make contact groups silent
At work , i would prefer to set my phone in such a way that only the calls from my family group will ring , while all other contact calls should be silent. And later i should be able to switch it back to normal.
In general , there are sound profiles for phones, but the profiles are not specific to a contact or a group, i need a work profile which will set Family - Normal Others - Silent . etc
Is there any app in the market that would help me with this??

If you use Tasker, you may be able to create a profile that will silent certain contacts during work hours.  Just a "heads up" - Tasker will require a little work to get it to work the way you would like for more complex tasks, but they have a very good community that will support you if you run into issues.


text:
How can I save notes taken in the Galaxy Ace's Notes 2.0 application to restore after a system reset?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 running 2.3.3 and I took a lot of notes in the default Notes 2.0 application. I want to reset the system and I need to back them up somehow before I perform the reset.

There is no "default" notes app in vanilla Android that I am aware of. What device are you using?

@eldarerathis Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830

Install Titanium backup - (this requires root access) from Play store and you can backup thinks like sms/call logs/apps and app data. In your case, you might want to backup the app and the app data for that particular app, save your backups. Once you restore the phone, you can use Titanium to restore that app and data.


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Transfer emails from Thunderbird on PC to  Asus Transformer email app
is there any way how can I get my e-mail from Thunderbird on my W7 pc to Transformer? My laptop just died so I am considering Transformer, but without my mails...
Syncing via GMail isnt a solution for me, because I have multiple e-mail accounts on many servers with both POP3 and IMAP.

If your goal is solely to transfer your email, your best bet would be to create a dummy gmail account with IMAP and add it to tbird as a separate account (so that it doesn't go to the general inbox).  Once you had that done, in tbird copy all the folders you want transferred to the dummy account and wait for it to sync with gmail's IMAP server.  Finally, add the dummy gmail account to your choice of email client on your phone and wait for the IMAP sync to complete.
If you want to continue to receive email on your phone from all these accounts, you can add them in as you like to the email client of your choice.  Personally I'd recommend K9 for multiple email account management myself; it has an unified inbox similar to tbird's general inbox and is all around mucho handy.

thanks for solution, i wonder how long will it take to transfer my 20k mails :)