text:
Can KingRoot Brick my Nexus 9 and HTC One
Hello Android Enthusiasts,
I was wondering if KingRoot can potentially brick my HTC One and Nexus 9. I have not rooted either yet for my warranty is still active. If either is bricked, is there a way that it could possibly be recovered? If possible, could you please provide me with some statistics or percentages regarding the likeliness of one of these devices becoming bricked? Here are a few more specifications about my devices:
HTC One M8 Harman Kardon Edition from Sprint
HTC Google Nexus 9 (No carrier, WiFi)
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Ani

As usual, the answer is:  any attempt to modify O.S. files can brick your phone. But you can try to root your phones.  Just make sure you made a full backup of your phone software (not only /data), including boot.img and other sensitive parts of O.S.(system.img and so), and keep those files safe saved on your computer (so you can reflash your phone in case something goes wrong). Before attempt to root your device, the oem boot loader must be unlocked. The apk of KingRoot in itself does not produce to much harm on O.S. It just install a necessary su  binary to allow getting root access to system, and also some other files. The primary scope of any rooting tool is indeed, placing su somewhere in /system/bin and symlink it (maybe) in /sbin. If you don't know about flashing your device, don't ever try to do things you actually don't master.

Just make sure you made a full backup of your phone software -- but how? I mean without custom recovery, how do you make a full backup.

Firelord, I ussualy use SP Flash Tool for my MTK devices. I am sure there are tools to full backup your system images without root.

Firelord did you checked this http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/28296/full-backup-of-non-rooted-devices

Yes, I did check. Most of the answers revolves around using ADB for backup and adb cannot be used unless Android OS itself is working fine. Also, there is an exception for ADB but that requires custom recovery since stock recoveries doesn't provide such feature. Ultimately, it all comes back to how do you take full backup without custom recovery installed at all. ADB AFAIK  doesn't covers everything, just (system+user) apps+app-data+system-settings. This is what I saw by extracting backup.

SP Flash tool is way ahead in this since it doesn't require Android or recovery to be running while taking the backup. I used it to flash my devices but didn't know that it can take backup as well.

Firelord, I don't know if the tool works on other platforms, I used only for MTK. But this is the kind of software to be used. I remember using Odin for Samsung:) but those days are far away now.

Thanks user3344236! I don't plan to flash a custom ROM. Would my device still be bricked in this case?


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What is the difference between application cache and data?
Every app has data and cache.
In Android, what is the difference between the two?

App developers decide what information to be kept in "data" and what to be kept in "cache".
Usually, "data" is used for account info, settings, saved activity data, game scores, and whatever is need to be kept permanently. Clearing data will make your app "forget" everything like you have reinstalled it.
"Cache" holds all information and files that can be retrieved somehow (from the internet, or other way). For example social apps can cache all your feed data (photos, comments, and so on). Clearing cache may lead your app to reload all the lost (and necessary) data from it's original source. It shouldn't make your app behave bad.

In general:

Cache is temporary files.  One example might be thumbnails for contacts in a social media app.  These can be cleared without any major effect — the app can just download them again when it needs to — and if space is low the Android OS may remove cache files itself.
Data is the "important" information.  This might include credentials and settings that you generally want the app to remember.

Thanks! So it's arbitrary how an app chooses to divide it up?

@RockPaperLizard Yes, theoretically the developer could "misuse" the different storage areas.  Check out http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/data/data-storage.html

Cache are temporary (unnecessary) files, whereas data are files required by the application. It saves users activity and progress
Consider clearing the cache more often, otherwise it may affect the device performance. When cache memory increases, phone becomes slow and laggy. It happens with phones having low internal memory.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


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CyanogenMod installer completed, but still have stock ROM?！
I unlocked the bootloader of my Nexus 7 (1st gen/2012) using the Nexus Root Toolkit (on Windows 8.1u1), and then wanted to install CyanogenMod. The CyanogenMod installer (http://get.cm) completed, and I saw the CM robot on my tablet. Then ClockworkModRecovery (CMR) came up and warned "ROM may flash stock recovery on boot. Fix?". I chose fix, and the device rebooted. Then however I saw the standard Nexus boot animation, and it booted into the stock ROM.
I tried repeating the installation, and it seemed to succeed again, but I still only have the stock ROM. I do however now have CMR on my tablet.
What went wrong, and how do I get CM on my tablet? I think I could just copy the ROM to it and install it from CWR, but I like to understand what failed in case someting is wrong.

exact same thing happening to me on a galaxy nexus

did you find a solution ?

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


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Motor disability – In Android Home or “All Apps”, tapping on right edge = swipe to the left – Tap bottom in Chrome = swipe up/page down?
Microsoft has the Sticky Keys accessibility option so that you don’t have to hold down a modifier. Too much holding down, like in mouse dragging, and swiping on a touchscreen can be bothersome for people who suffer from a repetitive strain injury, or other people with motor disabilities.
On the Android Home screen or “All Apps”, tapping on the right edge = swipe to the left, which moves you to the next screen on the right.
When browsing Chrome, or YouTube, is there a way that you can similarly touch somewhere near the bottom edge of the screen to execute a swipe up (page down)? Perhaps an accessibility option can be turned on to add a page down button in the Navigation Bar?
It would be like browsing a webpage on the desktop, and instead of just tapping the space bar, or page down buttons, you have to keep swiping upwards on the screen.
Thanks.
(Posted on Accessibility Google Group https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/accessible/YM1pNjRcD1Y)


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How to make an Android update for your own device?
I have this devices which the android version is 4.2. After read some articles about Kitkat, I'm really excited and want to try to experience it on my phone. However, it seems the manufacturer won't update it to Kitkat in the future. So I think I'll do it my own. I understand and accept the risks.
So, what should I do now? I read some articles about this but can't make a check list of things to do. Will it be a build from the scratch or I can re-use the old kernel? How can I extract the old driver?
If someone can provide me a guide or a check list, it will help me so much! Any idea will be appreciated!

@bmdixon: Thank for the link, I'm interested in the unoffical part, but I like to know how to make the updates myself, not wait for developers...

You're probably best looking at this question then. Personally i'd say that XDA is probably best but there are plenty of others sites mentioned in that question that would help.

Thank @bmdixon. If I found something interesting I would post it here. Hope you guys do it too!


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Remove Bloat from Google Play Update list?
Is there a way to remove uninstallable apps from showing up on the google play updates list?  I don't mean uninstall them, that is not possible without root as I understand.  Just hiding them from the update all list would be nice.

Bloatware can be disabled safely. Also disabling them saves some space and memory if they are running in the background. You won't see them in update list after that.

The only way I know of to remove an app from the update process is to disable it - but then of course, you can't USE it at all.
I tend to disable a lot of built-in stuff (usually after the first time it decides to 'notify' me about something I don't care about). But as I said, that also means I can't use the apps in question.


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Is it possible to disable 2g connections completely, while allowing 3/4g connections to continue?
I would like to completely disable all 2g connections, but allow 3g and 4g connections. Is this possible? how would one go about doing such a thing?
I see options to disable 3g/4g to "save battery life", but I am looking for the opposite of this option.
command-line/root hacks are OK.

Two questions you might wish to take a look at (of course on their answers, too): Simple way to toggle between 2G and 3G connection / How can I force 3G only on the Nexus S after the ICS update?

@Izzy - looking at them, but the first one seems to be a preference, rather than a full disable, and the second one only blocks data, not voice/text that may go through 2g connections as well.

The second one mentions an "USSD code" which opens a kind of service menu. What's in there depends on device and Android version, but usually it lets you fix it to 2g/3g and possibly also 4g (on devices supporting that). Have you checked that?

@Izzy yup, that would be from the second answer - I get an option of "Set preferred network type", but that doesn't seem to guarantee that it won't connect to other networks, and it gives a lot of options that I am unfamiliar with (GSM only, WCDMA only, GSM auto(PRL), EvDo only, LTE only, LTE/WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, GSM, and LTE, Unknown). - that does seem to be getting close to what I am looking for though.

I might need to leave the "affirmative answer" to someone else, but to me "LTE/WCDMA" sounds to be what you're after: LTE is 4G, WCMDA 3G. So "prefered" here means to take one of the two, as far as I understand this. Give it a try: Remember what it's set to currently, switch to "LTE/WCDMA", and watch your status bar. In the worst case, it shows "no connection" (if your carrier/SIM doesn't support the one or other), and you've got to "switch back".

Yes it's possible but you need a rooted phone.
You can then install the Xposed framework, and the Intelli3G module (available on the Play Store or on xda). Inside the app, you can set any combination you want, like LTE/WCDMA which means 4G/3G but not 2G.

Izzy's comment to the original question is actually correct.
On your phone's dialler, dial *#*#4636#*#* and open the Phone information menu.
In the Set preferred network type setting, you can now select the combination of network types that suits you most.
Unfortunately the list of network types uses fairly confusing abbreviations, I'll try to shed at least some light on it:

2G: GSM
3G: CDMA, EvDo, TD-SCDMA, UMTS, WCDMA (competing standards used in different countries)
4G: LTE

I don't have the first idea what 'Global' and 'unknown' do.
Some entries have additional remarks:

only: use only this particular standard (d'uh )
auto (PRL): when your provider's network is unavailable, use the 'Preferred Roaming List' to determine roaming networks preferred by your provider (e.g. that your provider has partnered with)
preferred: probably means that other network types are not used unless the preferred are unavailable. This may differ from default behaviour because by default, a 2G network may be used even if a (weaker) 3G or 4G network is available.

Remember the original value, in case you pick one that doesn't work for you.
To downprioritize 2G, you might want to try LTE/CDMA/UMTS auto (PRL): It covers 4G and most 3G standards, falls back to 2G if nothing else is available, and uses a PRL for roaming.
If you're still frequently stuck in 2G mode because you're moving around in an area where 3G/4G is available, but sketchy (for example if you frequently pass through staircases that block all but 2G), you can completely disable 2G by selecting something like LTE/TD-SCDMA/UMTS and see if that works for you (depending on which network types are used in your country).

I'll just note that this apparently doesn't work with Samsung or Huawei dialers. (At least, it doesn't work on this old S6, & based on search results that's a known issue with Samsung's non-vanilla dialer.)

You don't need to root the phone. Just install some third-party app from the Play Store to generate an app shortcut (I used "Create Shortcut"). Then, under the application menu, search for 'Mobile Network'. Then, you can either execute it for one time or create a home screen shortcut. Inside this, you can force disable the 2G.


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My sdcard is showing up in storage, but I can't place apps on it. 0
My sdcard is mounted, but I can't store apps to it. My HP tablet run Android 4.2.2.
This is a new Sdcard.

Did your old SD card work? Have you tried a different new SD card? What does "can't store apps to it mean"? How have you determined that you can't store apps to it and what errors, if any, are you receiving?

Should I assume that "Move to SD card" is either not available or greyed out under Settings ->Apps of any app?

Unless you have a rooted phone with a proper Android ROM, you will not be able to place all apps in the SD card. Specific apps allow you to do so, but others, like Whatsapp, don't even allow to place media on the external storage. That's a shame.
Starting with (non-rooted) standard Android 4.2.2 ROMs, apps no longer can have full access to SD card.


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Disable phone calls while in certain apps
I have lots of games on my phones, and they tend to have to restart when an incoming call comes in, even while hitting the Ignore button. Is there a way, on a rooted stock Android phone to set certain apps to block incoming calls, so the foreground app does not get interrupted? I am aware of Airplane mode, but that would require me to wait for it to activate, then turn my WiFi/Mobile Data back on, then go into the game, then remember to turn it back off.
Optionally, if I could set one or two phone numbers that could interrupt (i.e. Work or the spouse), that would be awesome too. My goal is that my phone knows not to disturb me if I'm in the middle of a game, without hitting 3 or 4 buttons before launching into the game, and remembering to disable something after leaving the game.

With the latest build of Cyanogen Mod based off of Android 5 Lollipop, incoming notifications will not end the games. A drop down bubble that is easily dismissed is all that appears.

Nope I dont thing there is an app to do that. The game developer has to build a game such away that when game starts airplane mode has to start or even a setting for to change airplane mode on/off. As far as I know apps cannot block incoming calls.
Workaound is you can try Callcontrol and schedule the time to block calls


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Android 5.1 & Group SMS in Messenger defaults to MMS
Am I right in thinking that as of Lollipop 5.1 all group messages sent via Messenger are sent via MMS?
In prior versions I had the choice to send them as multiple SMS messages, which is what I want as my contract gives me unlimited SMS messages but charges me per MMS.

I noticed it as well and it really frustrates me, because MMS is barely affordable. I doubt however, that it is related to 5.1. I believe the OS update coincided with an update to the Messenger app - apparently a favor to the carriers, who can now charge us for something that is actually free.

I was recommended the Textra app to send group SMS as an actual SMS rather than MMS and I would recommend it to everyone else too. Cost me something like 60p after the trial period ran out, or about the same as 2 MMS messages!

-Open the stock sms app
-Open the menu
-Click on settings
-Scroll down to "MMS"
-Uncheck "SMS/MMS send to groups" (My language is german, so there is possibly a different test)
Working with CyanogenMod 5.1.1
regards
Lukas


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Unable to Bypass Activation Screen S5
I've tried every combo I've seen for bypassing the S5 Galaxy (SMG900VZKV) Samsung's activation screen.  Phone is Verizon branded.  Anyway around this screen with 4 corners or volume button presses?  Or any other combo?  I've tried them all

Remove sim, boot and select run on wifi.  :)


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Updating ROM is stuck as TWRP does not see zip files
In the process of trying to install 4.4.4 on my galaxyTab 10.1, I've installed TWRP 2.7.1.0.
At this point when in recovery mode I need to select the Zip to install, but none of the previously downloaded zip files are visible to TWRP.  Neither under the install command nor in the file manager.
I had backed up, removed caches et al. When rebooting in normal operation mode, those files are browsable.  Permissions are set to 777.
So I don't understand where the hang-up is?

This may not be the case but I should mention it. TWRP doesn't see a zip file under Install if the file doesn't have the extension .zip. (Tested on TWRP 2.8.6.0)

As an alternative, you can use adb sideload to push the zip file for installation.

Found the Delta.  And the confusion.
A directory called '0' (zero), which had clockworkmod and TWRP directories where I had copied the files, while the clockworkmod had its own at the same level as '0' with the files downloaded earlier on.
TWRP apparently only sees the '0' directory.

Do mark your answer as accepted otherwise it will lurk in the unanswered questions, until an answer is upvoted here.

Will do in a couple of days (its my own and cannot do so until then)!

Somewhere in TWRP there is an option to show IMG or ZIP. You should change it back to ZIP.


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how to monitor mobile data usage but exclude wi-fi
I'm aware there are a large number of data monitoring apps for android but as far as I can see, they all include wi-fi usage in the total.
Since my wi-fi usage is unmetered, I only want to monitor 3g mobile data usage. is there an app that can do this?

Try My Data Manager.  It monitors network and Wi-Fi data.  If you have at least Android 4.0 it should also allow you to view the data use directly without having to install any additional apps.

Hmm, after further inspection, it seems that onavo doesn't include wi-fi data, even though it claims to. Maybe I have got completely the wrong end of the stick, and in fact none of these apps monitor wi-fi data (though I'm not sure why they would claim to because 99% of people wouldn't want that). I'm confused but at least I have a solution :-)

@Andy check out my solution if that helps your problem..the mobile and wifi network usage is displayed by date separtely..

In your Android: Check under Settings › Data usage › Mobile, as shown in the screenshot below:

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

Where do you see the option for "Mobile"?  A screenshot might be useful.

Like this one, @MatthewRead? :) AFAIK you need to enable that explicitly via the (3-dot-) overflow-menu. By default, WiFi is excluded – so OP would already get what asked for.

@Izzy Interesting, I do not see these tabs on my devices nor does the overflow menu offer an option!

@MatthewRead I didn't check that lately. I remember I've played with that on 4.0. Just checked: It's still there on 4.1 (no overflow-menu, but hitting the menu button reveals the option: stock ROM on my LG O4X), and also on 4.3 (same as described for 4.1; CM on my Moto Milestone²). Cannot say for 4.4 and up, as I have no device running that. So I'd say: try the menu button – if there is one :)

You have to check out Internet Speed meter Lite. You can measure the downloaded data either on a mobile and wifi network and get stats for each day and for each month measured by the app separately(Check screenshot). And its available as a free and ad-free Lite version. For advanced features use the Pro version.
Features mentioned on Playstore,

Lite Features:

Real time speed update in status bar and notification.
Daily traffic usage in notification.
Separate stats for Mobile network and WiFi network.
Monitors your traffic data for the last 30 days.
Battery efficient

Screenshot (Click for larger image)

@Andy - Please try Phone Usage Monitor .
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rachittechnology.PhoneUsageMonitor
App to monitor your Internet ( 4G/3G/Edge/GPRS/Wifi ), Phone calls ( Incoming/outgoing ) & Call History reports.
Key features of ' Phone Usage Monitor ' -
- Track your phone usage real time to avoid extra charges on your bill

View your Wifi and Internet Usage
Track historical data to understand your calling patterns
Detail reports as per your billing cycle
Intuitive reports available at single click
Generate Customized Reports
Share and print your report
No Internet connection required
Progress bar on top ( marked in green/ yellow/ red color ) displays current data/phone usage

PS - I'm creator of this app
Any feedback is highly appreciated

There is a cool app to monitor 3g mobile data usage as well as wifi.
Download this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.rgruet.android.g3watchdogpro&hl=en
It also has a Lite version for free, check out that. I am sure you will like this app more because it generates graphs too for each hour, day, etc along with setting the limit of 3g Data.


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How to get the camera's auto white balance to work on a Nexus 4
I've been taking pictures with a Nexus 4 for a few days now, and noticed that the colors are off on many pictures. Finally today, I decided to do a Nexus 4 vs. iPhone comparison, with the same scenes, and it seems to me that:

The auto white balance on the Nexus 4 / Android 4.2 isn't always working; in particular, with incandescent lights, in Auto mode, at times whites are greenish. Forcing the incandescent light mode fixes this.
In all cases (incandescent or fluorescent, Auto mode or correct mode specified), the image lacks contrasts: whites are grayish and dark areas lack details.

Just walking around with a Nexus 4 and an iPhone while pointing are things around makes this very clear. Is there a way to improve this, or should I just resign myself to the iPhone camera (lens, sensor, DSP, software?) being overall better than the of the Nexus 4? (And my apologies if this sounds a bit provocative, as I seriously hope this is not the case!)

I've read on here recently that the app used affects the image, perhaps try using a different camera app and comparing the results?

Are you comparing the images on the phone's screen or on a proper monitor? The black levels are not as deep on the Nexus 4 as on the iPhone and the contrast ratio is lower as well, so the display might affect the results at least partially.

@onik Great suggestion. That might be part of the story indeed. I only compared the pictured as displayed on the iPhone and Nexus. I will try to the same picture with both phones and upload the pictures somewhere so we can compare.

@onik I added side-by-side comparisons to my initial question. I have the feeling that, unfortunately, the Nexus 4 doesn't compare favorably to the iPhone 5. On the Nexus 4, pictures tend to lack details (particularly visible in the second shot), colors are washed out, and images lack contrast with both white and black leaning towards the grey.

@avernet: did you change the camera's default settings? IIRC, for some reason, the default camera setting on my Galaxy Nexus was set to moderate size and quality when I just got it, which had to be changed to get the best image the camera could take.

@LieRyan I just checked, and the default is the highest resolution on Nexus 4 (8 MP). And I don't see other "quality-related" settings, other than the "picture size".

This isn't a miracle solution, but:

When taking pictures indoor, keep in mind that Android's auto white-balance might make the wrong choice. Look at the image on the screen, and if it feels unnatural, try manually selecting the incandescent or fluorescent settings.
Be aware that, at least currently, the Nexus 4 camera doesn't compare favorably to the iPhone 5 camera: on the Nexus 4, pictures tend to lack details, colors are washed out, and images lack contrast with both white and black leaning towards the grey.
If you own a Nexus 4 and find this disappointing, let me try to reassure you: first, it isn't as bad as it sounds; second, there is still a chance this can be improved with software; third, don't forget your unlocked Nexus 4 costs almost half the price of an unlocked iPhone 5.

Below are some pictures of the same scene I took with an iPhone 5 and Nexus 4, so we can compare them side-by-side. This first shot was done indoor, in a low light, without a flash. Left: iPhone 5 (original), right: Nexus 4 (original).

This second shot was done outdoor. Top: iPhone 5 (original), bottom: Nexus 4 (original).

I see a lot more noise on the Nexus images. What is the ISO set to? There is a possibility that it is set too high or that the cameras are making different decisions if it is set to auto.

@ChinmayKanchi True: the indoor shot was done as ISO 800 on the iPhone and 1700 on the Nexus; the outdoor shot was done at ISO 320 on the iPhone, ISO 600 on the Nexus (you can see this for yourself by looking at the EXIF data on the linked originals). Now however, I don't see a way to manually set what the ISO is set to with the Camera app on the Nexus.

@avernet there are 3rd party camera apps that provide more control including ISO and other settings

@KenLiu Good point. Doing a quick search, I see there are. It would be worth testing some of those, and see if one can get better results than with the standard camera app.


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how to view custom google map on my android device?
I have created a new map (layer) using the website google-map-engine.
how can I view this custom map on my android device?
It used to use google-map web site and then view on mobile via official app
but now i don't find the way to view. Is it not accessible anymore?
Does someone know how to show saved maps in the official google maps app?

I think we're going to need some more information in order to help you.

like what? I'll be happy to provide

Is the official app not working for you? What have you attempted, specifically, and what problem did you encounter?

It used to use google-map web site and then view on mobile via official app
but now i don't find the way to view. Is it not accessible anymore?
Does someone know how to show saved maps in the official google maps app?

Did you save it to "My Maps"? If so, see: How can I view Google My Maps on my phone (Nexus One)?

but that's the thing there used to be a "show layers" but I don't see it under the menu anymore


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unknown error code -24
I have Android 4.1.2 on Samsung galaxy S2
I install an app and get this error:
unknown error during appliaction install -24
googling this line should clearing Google play cache might help
but it didn't work for me. Any other solution?

Why do you need another solution? Doesn't clearing the cache solve the issue? That's the least dangerous thing to do. Of course, a factory-reset might help as well, but that's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

I've just checked that again: "Error -24" in most cases is caused by a failed install/update. To solve it, uninstall the app from your device. After that, you should be able to install it again.

authors: Александр Дорохов


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Connecting Galaxy S2 ICS to Kies
I tried connecting my Samsung Galaxy SII(ICS) to Samsung Kies 2.0.2 through USB.
But whenever i connect the cable, Kies asks me to switch the phone to Kies Studio mode. But I could not find this mode in USB connection.
How do I connect my phone to Kies?

Setting USB Debugging didn't resolve my issue. I upgraded Kies to the latest version. And it worked well.

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

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

(Found via GalaxyForums.net)


text:
"Avoided poor Internet connection" even though signal strength, speed is great
My phone keeps disconnecting from the WiFi network, saying "avoided poor Internet connection"... but I'm less than 20 feet from the router. It shows full bars while connected and the speed is fine. How can I make it stay connected?

Which manufacturer made your phone? I don't believe "Avoid poor connections" is a part of stock Android, but rather a manufacturer customization.

It's an LG Escape. It only stared doing this after a recent update. The exixtence of this question makes me think it is an official Android thing.

This forum post claims that the “Avoid poor connections” feature was removed in Android 4.0.2.

However, actual implementation is definitely present even in JB — maybe it was just disabled in ICS due to being incomplete, and then fixed and reenabled later.

Figured it out...go to the WiFi settings, hit the menu key and choose "Advanced", and uncheck "Avoid poor connections".

Since you answered yourself, could you put your answer as approved ?

II can't find the checkmark box that said "Avoid poor connections." My Android OS version is 4.0.4.

that option is also not present in android 4.2.2. what to do?

Well, it is present on 4.4.2, but I guess it could well be manufacturer specific. I just activated it on my phone to test it out, as I hate it when I am outside my house in the car finding an address for the navi and the phone just struggles between Wifi and 3G... I was really looking for the opposite config this question/answer addresses, but I still got what I wanted... :D

I don't see this on my HTC One M8s (Android 5.0.2 with HTC Sense 6). There is a check-box called "Auto-switch to mobile network", but it is unchecked and my phone still sometimes avoids my home Wi-Fi.


text:
Is it possible to have the Auto rotate feature turned on or off by app?
I'm sick of having to turn on auto rotate every time I use Google Maps for navigation. I don't know why it's not just automatically landscape like apps such as Youtube.
Is there a way I can have it turn on auto rotate JUST for google maps and not for any other app.
Is there an app that would do this or somehow program it in Tasker?

@Firelord : yes, normally i'm in portrait mode, but when I want to use Google Maps Navigation, i want it in autorotate. Having google maps in auto rotate would be acceptable if you can't isolate the navigation part of it.

This solution requires Tasker installed and enabled. Tested on Android 4.2.1, 4.4.2, 5.0.2 and 5.1.1.

Create a profile with Application → Maps
Create an action under Task of the above profile as + → Display → Display AutoRotate and Set it to On.
Enable Profile and Tasker.

Open Maps and orient your device in landscape mode, Maps will follow you. Close the Maps and device will fall back to Portrait.
Enjoy!

OR
Edit start: 06/06/2015
There is a way you can force the system to go into Landscape mode by changing a value in settings.db. (Tested on Android 4.2.1, root required only under this edit.)

Create a profile with Application → Maps.
Create an action under Task of the above profile as + → Code → Run Shell, and enter the following details:

Command: settings put system user_rotation 1
Check Use Root.

Create another profile with inverse of Application → Maps.
Create an action under Task of the above profile as + → Code → Run Shell, and enter the following details:

Command: settings put system user_rotation 0
Check Use Root.

Enable both Profiles and Tasker.

The Maps will now automatically go into Landscape mode irrespective of  manual orientation of your device. Once you close it the device will come back to Portrait mode. (Note that OP has Auto-rotation feature off so it should work.)
This edit is meant for users like me who on slow devices have to wait for the app  to follow their orientation. :)
Enjoy!
OR
The shortcoming in the last method is that on some devices the app will first open in Portrait mode and then will force shift into Landscape mode.
However, the app can be directly launched into Landscape mode by using an app shortcut. Tasker allows it and we'll use it.

Go to your default launcher → Widgets and choose Task Shortcut.
Select New task → name it.
Create an action as + → Code → Run Shell, and enter the following details:

Command: settings put system user_rotation 1
Check Use Root.

Create another action as + → App → Launch App → select Maps.
To change th icon of the shortcut, tap 3x3 square icon (at the bottom of Task Shortcut window) and choose the icon.
You'll now see a shortcut with icon you selected in step 4 and name chosen in step 2.
Create a profile in Tasker with inverse of Application → Maps.
Create an action under Task of the above profile as + → Code → Run Shell, and enter the following details:

Command: settings put system user_rotation 0
Check Use Root.

Enable both Profiles and Tasker.

Now enjoy the forced auto-mode!
Edit closed: 06/06/2015

For folks who're new to Tasker

Launch Tasker. (Note that once you're done changing something in Tasker, tap Back key once. Tasker will change/close the active window and  would save the settings.)
Under PROFILES tab tap + → Application → choose Maps → New Task→ name it something and tap right icon.
Some Android versions might ask you to enable Tasker's accessibility service. Do it by following the instructions there and come back to Tasker.
This step would create a profile that will be triggered whenever Maps is launched by the user.
We're now under the named task (inside TASKS tab). Tap + → Display → Display AutoRotate → choose On below Set.
We're creating an action here which will be executed once the profile is triggered.
Come back to main screen of the Tasker and you'll see a profile with Maps app name and marked as On.
Minimize the Tasker and you'll see its icon in the Notification bar. It will say No active profile. The message will change once you launch Maps.
Well, launch Maps and see the magic. You orient your device and Maps will do the same. You close the Maps and device will come back to Portrait Mode.
You can always stop this behavior by disabling or deleting the profile in Tasker. You can also hide Tasker's notification icon through its settings.

Enjoy Maps now!

mate, this is exactly what i was after. cheers for that!

I'm ashamed, Firelord! Usually it's me bringing Tasker in to play. This time I had a different app in mind, and Tasker users (like me) wouldn't even need that. So you definitely earned a +1 from me :) And I will see to bring my alternative answer nevertheless, as Tasker is a) not free and b) often too overwhelming for newbies ;)

@Izzy Thanks! And I'm looking forward for (as always) elegant solution for everyone from you. The reason I didn't extend the Tasker steps into more details is because OP is aware of Tasker. However, this is a mistake at my part since a future reader might not be aware of Tasker's know-how. Guess, I should wrote it like this for easy following. :)

No critics to you (though I agree more detailed steps might be helpful to other users, I see why they weren't required here). I was slapping my head not having thought of that :)

If you are rooted (and probably not using lollipop), then you can also use xposed module App Settings.
Open the module, search and open Maps and go to Orientation section and select "auto-rotate". This will force it to auto-rotate.

The features looks promising, but is there a way I could come to know how this module forces an app to remain in one mode? If only I can emulate this into Tasker, one can be saved from rooting, or may be the settings requires root. IDK!

Sorry that would need studying its source code (which I haven't), so I cannot tell how exactly it works yet :/ Btw, here's the source code for it-> http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.mods.appsettings :)

+1 Compared to my answer "Forced auto-rotate" is quite a deal but it kinda crashed CPU Temperature. ;)

You can use an app called Set Orientation by "Eyes-Free Project". It dose not require root and can force any app to rotate to any orientation and also only landscape and landscape reverse based on sensor. Its lightweight and also free. It is available in Google Play Store.
Edit: Use Rotation - Orientation Manager instead by "Pranav Pandey". It is fully compatable with Lollipop, is free and does not require root. This app also has per app settings which the previous app did not have.

+1. "Set Orientation" doesn't meet the requirement of the question because it enforces orientation system-wide . On the other hand, "Rotation - Orientation manager" does the job well for per-app basis. However, it wasn't smooth on my device (old device) but gets the job done.

In addition to Firelord's Tasker solution (which I favor over all the others mentioned in this post – but Tasker is a) not free and b) often a bit overwhelming for newbies especially) and Jaskaranbir's App Settings (like Tasker, Xposed is often a bit too much for some), there's a third option available, called PerApp. Admitted, it has not been updated for a while, but it might be easier to use. Before JellyBean (<4.1), it doesn't even require root to adjust screen rotation. Has several other settings covered as well, so you might wish to give it a look.

It is precisely because many such apps aren't updated since 2013, I asked OP for his device and Android version so that fine recommendation could come into answers.  Guess, OP is happy with Tasker by now. :)//  That said, can I force an app in landscape mode through Tasker? I looked at AndroidManifest.xml of Maps but IDT I saw anything useful.

I'm aware that the OP favorizes the Tasker-solution (as do I). My answer was just an addition for future visitors looking for "something easy" :) And no, I didn't play with orientation stuff in Tasker, so I cannot say. Be welcome to check my Tasker resource collection, there might be some how-to or addon available :)

PerApp didn't work for me (Android Marshmallow)

Most automation apps can probably do this. Here's a "Flow" for Automate (free):
http://llamalab.com/automate/community/flows/408

MacroDroid's  free version can also do the job, though I still prefer the solution using Tasker.

Install and launch MacroDroid.
Tap Add Macro → Application Launcher/Closed → Application Launched → OK → select your app(s) for auto-rotate → OK.
Under Add Actions, tap Auto Rotate On/Off → Auto Rotate On → OK → proceed.
Ignore Add Constraints → proceed and  name the macro as Auto Rotate On.
Create another macro using Add Macro → Application Launcher/Closed → Application Closed → OK → select your app(s) which you chose in step 2 → OK.
Under Add Actions, tap Auto Rotate On/Off → Auto Rotate Off → OK → proceed.
Ignore Add Constraints → proceed and  name the macro as Auto Rotate Off.

That's it. The funtionality is achieved and you can test it by launching and closing the app(s) you selected in aforesaid steps.

AutomateIt's free version also does the job.

Install and launch AutomateIt.
Under My Rules block, tap Add Rule → Applications Status Trigger → under Application tap the lens icons and choose your app(s) → Next.
Under Action tab, tap Enable/Disable Screen Rotation → Enable Screen Rotation → Next → No → save the rule.
Create another rule from My Rules block by tapping Add Rule → Applications Status Trigger → under Application tap the lens icons and choose your app(s) → uncheck Application Activated → Next.
Under Action tab, tap Enable/Disable Screen Rotation → Disable Screen Rotation → No → save the rule.

That's it. The funtionality is achieved and you can test it by launching and closing the app(s) you selected in aforesaid steps.

And Tasker even allows you to add conditional's such as if my display is such do this else do whatever. So based on that I came up with my own solution which may seem a bit convoluted but it works for me. Since my device is not rooted the shell code commands that require root would not work anyway.
However with a if else loop (it could be reduced further since I had added some additional debugging code initially) you can simply set AutoRotate based on the value of Orientation. So you store those two values in two variables called ROTATE and DISPLAY and at the start of the if loop you check DISPLAY using a regular expression (I had to do that because for whatever reason the orientation value kept jumping between landscape and landscape-reverse so this regex takes care of both):
%DISPLAY ~R landscape(.*)?
If that is your desired setting then in that if or else loop you can set AutoRotate to Off. In addition I also installed a Tasker plugin called AutoInput which allows me to lock down the home and back buttons, to exit I can press the other button which brings up all my open windows and simply close the Adobe Acrobat app which is the trigger for this task.
So a big Yay!! for Tasker. And yes I know I am a bit late to the party but oh well :)

For those who are looking for a solution in newest phones, e.g Samsung Galaxy that has Bixby Routines, you can set up a Bixby routine to auto rotate certain apps.
If

Youtube
Gallery
etc

Then

Auto-rotate ON


text:
Erronous Low Data Space Error on Droid Incredible
I've see this question asked a lot, but I haven't seen any real answers.
I'm getting the low application data space error, but I have 440MB/750MB free on my internal storage.
With more than 50% free how can I be low on space?
Is there any solution to this other than deleting things?  It seems that the error goes away at around 460MB free, but it's ridiculous that I would have to maintain that much free space to now be "low".
Any thoughts on what I can do about this?

Have you tried any of the suggestions listed here?

This error is not just for the total storage, it is also for specific "mount points" like /data/data, for example, where the applications on the device store their data. If this mount point becomes low on space, because it is not given access to "all the storage", then you will receive that low space message. You can uninstall apps that you no longer need/use or go in to the Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications and clear the data for apps that are using a lot, or you don't use often.

Thanks for this. Also, Cachemate for Root can clear the cache for some apps with the tap of a button. http://www.appbrain.com/app/cachemate-for-root-users/com.aac.cachemate

yes, but I didn't mention that because it requires root. 99% of users are unrooted. but if you have root, its a great app.

99% are sadly missing out...

Thanks Ryan.  Is there a way I can tell which one it's complaining about?
When I run the mount command there are around 20 or so mount points.  Many of them seem to be for the data of specific apps.

If you have root you can run the command line program "df" to get a list of mount locations, blocks used, blocks available, and used percent.  You may also be able to do this with the SDK tools without root, I am not sure.

Occurred only after Android 2.3.4 update for me. I Tried clearing cache for Facebook, Gmail, Internet - worked, but only temporarily.
The only thing that worked was factory reset. I didn't want to do it, but now phone is running well, even with increased battery life.
All paid apps will be saved. Use Verizon backup to back up your contacts before you reset.


text:
What extra features has the Android Youtube application over the HTML one?
It seems the HTML Youtube application has all the features the Android Youtube application has. I want to remove the Android Youtube application. But I want to make sure that I will not lose any feature.
Do you know if the installed Android Youtube application has any extra features that the web Youtube does not have?

You shouldn't lose any viewing features. The YouTube application is simply a way to make it easier to view and search, without having to load the entire html pages. Probably the only feature you wouldn't be able to take advantage of (and i don't know this for sure) is uploading. You can use the YouTube app to upload videos you've taken to your own YouTube account. And like i said, you might be able to do this through the browser, but the app is just a way to make it easier. Simplification is key.

I also saw that the browser crashes when uploading big videos: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=15571


text:
backing up apps for firmware upgrade
I really don't want to have to re-install all apps and sign into them after I upgrade firmware. Is there a way to back them up? Any tips that may ease the process are appreciated (I have my photos/videos backed up through google and a lot of apps do sync after I sign into them). The main problem is typing in all the passwords for the various apps is going to be a pain.
Is there a way I can export a list of all the installed apps and automatically download them again?

Did you try these questions: Full Backup of non-rooted devices, How do I back up (and restore) my phone before installing a custom ROM?, How to backup an Android device?.

Titanium Backup PRO Key ★ root(available in the Google Play Store, by developer "Titanium Track") is the easiest way to back up your apps exactly as they are. The pay version ($5.99) should be pretty close to what you're looking for, Titanium Backup PRO Key ★ root.

Thanks, I gave it a look but could you say more as to how you actually use it?


text:
Moto G 2nd Gen Touch Screen Stopped working
I have a Moto G 2nd Gen (2014) and the screen is working but will not respond to being touched. I dropped it today, only so that it fell about an inch, and it does have a silicon case, and nothing broke, but the touch screen has stopped responding. After this, the touch screen has worked for two brief instances, and then stopped working.
EDIT: This seems to be when I squeeze the area around the connector to the screen, (the position according to this guide).
I have already tried rebooting it by holding down the power button for 10 seconds, and factory resetted it by using the volume keys in the Android Boot Loader. Can I fix this myself or do I need to send it back to Motorola?

I think your best bet would be to send it back to Motorola or a service center, because while you might try and fix your phone and get some results , there is also a significant chance of damaging your phone further.
Since the problem seems to be the screen the tech professionals might need to replace it or fix the problem in a similar manner.
You can also try to purchase the screen yourself and try to replace it , but thats really not advisable unless you're sure of what you're doing and you have diagnosed the problem correctly.
I strongly suggest you send it to a Motorola service center.
The screen can be purchased at:
(DO NOT PURCHASE THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO REPLACE IT YOURSELF)
http://www.dhgate.com/product/1-pcs-free-hk-post-shipping-lcd-display-for/209710530.html#s1-1-1


text:
How do I reformat a fixed-state/pseudo-readonly SD card?
Alright, so this is an ongoing saga of trying to fix my broken SD card. Let me struggle to explain what's wrong with it.
When copying files to the SD card
The files are completely corrupted. For instance, have a listen to Body Talk by Robyn:
https://soundcloud.com/nobleuplift/sets/corrupted-body-talk
Some songs are mashups of other songs on my phone, or speed up to 4x speed. We Dance to the Beat takes 17 seconds to play.
When deleting files from the SD card
The files/folders will appear deleted up to the point either when the SD card is mounted/unmounted, reformatted, or the phone is restarted.
Yes, you heard me right, reformatting does not delete any data from my SD card. It is restored to the state it was in two weeks ago when I first noticed signs of corruption.
On the bright side, I can still listen to anything I copied to the SD card beforehand with no corruption.
When trying to reformat the SD card by other means
First, I tried to reformat the SD card using Windows XP. I tried both exFAT and NTFS. exFAT failed immediately, whereas NTFS took about 15 minutes before it said it couldn't do it.
I tried the exact same thing on my MacBook Pro and here are the logs from trying that:
===== Monday, 2015 June 8 at 11:43:24 PM Central Daylight Time =====
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Preparing to erase : “SD64GB”
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:  Partition Scheme: Master Boot Record
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:  1 volume will be created
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:      Name        : “SD64GB”
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:      Size        : 63.86 GB
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:      File system : ExFAT

2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Unmounting disk
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Creating the partition map
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Waiting for the disks to reappear
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Formatting disk2s1 as ExFAT with name SD64GB
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Reformatting existing ExFAT volume
Volume name      : SD64GB
Partition offset : 0 sectors (0 bytes)
Volume size      : 124733440 sectors (63863521280 bytes)
Bytes per sector : 512
Bytes per cluster: 131072
FAT offset       : 2048 sectors (1048576 bytes)
# FAT sectors    : 4096
Number of FATs   : 1
Cluster offset   : 6144 sectors (3145728 bytes)
# Clusters       : 487216
Volume Serial #  : 5bc0a34d
Bitmap start     : 2
Bitmap file size : 60902
Upcase start     : 3
Upcase file size : 5836
Root start       : 4

2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Mounting disk
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Could not mount disk2s1 with name (null) after erase
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500: Erase complete.
2015-06-08 23:43:34 -0500:

So... yeah... Anyone have any idea on how to fix this?

The card may very well be broken. If you have a linux or a mac handy, try dd or badblocks command to do an image of the card or scan it to see if any errors are detected. There are lots of how-to's on this topic.

Does the card have to be mounted to run those? When I tried to mount disk2s1, OS X told me it could not mount it.

No, you don't. This is block-level operation while mounting is filesystem-level.

Alright, I'll try again using my MacBook when I get home.

The solution was to send a support request to SanDisk, who told me to break the chip in half and then send it back to them since it is still under warranty.
http://kb.sandisk.com/app/ask/p/557,785,786,2158


text:
How can I make my USB headset work correctly?
My phone is an HTC One running Android 4.4.2, and the headset is a Logitech G35. I've tried connecting the headset to the phone with a USB OTG cable several times with mixed results:

The buttons on the headset (play/pause, skip, volume) always work.
Sound sometimes comes out of the phone, sometimes comes out of the headset, and sometimes doesn't come out at all.
When sound DOES come out of the headset, it's either at "full volume" (not as loud as I would expect it to be) or muted. The phone won't let me set it to anything in between.
Someone called once while I had sound coming out of it: the phone used the built-in speakers & mic for the call.

It works just fine with my laptop (running Linux Mint) so it shouldn't need any special drivers. I'd like to make it work properly because it sounds much better than my earbuds and is pretty good at blocking out noise. I haven't really tried the mic and I'm not too worried about it. What do I need to do to make it work? Am I just overlooking a setting or something?
Update: I found this question and ran the diagnostic. It looks like it should have full support for USB devices, so I don't know why it's not working.

I haven't been able to get any audio output with my G35 headset and Samsung S8. Perhaps there's something about the G35 that Android doesn't like because certainly Android USB OTG works with some other USB headsets.

Check for the otg to USB connector, some of the wire may be loose.
Your mobile software drives for USB headphone may get crashed, so you may get mixed result. Check for your system updates in your mobile. It may fix the issue.
Your headphone may have chipset that some time block the incoming otg signals.

I am using Lenovo K4 mobile and Zebronics iron head USB headset. Hearing audio and video through otg to USB female. I have few creeping sound for 2o Sec for every track for songs, but work great after that..


text:
How to get Recovery without the Hardware key
Apprently I am stuck in a known problem the Cyanogen Bootloop.
The solution involves going into recovery, which is not possible since my "volume down key" is physically damaged.
Do I have any options of escaping the vicious Bootloop? Or did I officially brick it?
The model is: HTC Desire HD (HTC Ace)

Which is your phone model?

If you have fastboot, boot into that. You can then procede to wipe data while in fastboot mode by issues the fastboot -w command. You can then reboot the device using the fastboot reboot command.
Be aware that not all devices come with fastboot. If you can access ADB while the device is booting, then you can issue an adb reboot recovery command to reboot into the recovery menu that way.

Try booting while pressing the back key. That will get you into fastboot, and you can access hboot (and hence recovery) from there.
If it worked try any solution among this..
It depends on the cause of the boot loop
Wipe cache and dalvik (depending on what recovery you look in different places for these. I think ClockworkMod may have wipe dalvik in advanced). TBH I think this is unlikely to do it, but is harmless.
If something has been corrupted in the ROM then reflashing the ROM (without wiping) will fix it.
If it's data corruption then a factory reset will do it.

the rom is CyanogenMod 7 so i don't think fastboot is even possible.

@AndreasPetersson Fast boot isn't dependant on the ROM.


text:
Nexus 4 does not seem to boot. What options are there?
I had not used my nexus 4 for a long time. Took it out recently charged it up and when attempting to boot, it just does not start. Some times it turns off at "Optimizing apps" screen and sometimes it won't even go past Google logo.
Tried to boot into recovery mode with power and volume button but no luck. It just shuts down after Google Logo.
Could you please let me know if I could wipe it clean and flash it ?

Try getting into fastboot mode via the other volume/power combo. If that works, flash a factory image.

Nexus 4's are the biggest troll phones ever. I had one, used to think it's a good phone until it decided that it won't work anymore for no reason. It's like it has a built in expiration date after 2  years, my friends reported similar issues where one's screen acted erratically like the phone was possessed. Ever since, I've had an samsung s4 that I'm still using today for 4 years with custom roms and still fast. Do yourself a favour and just throw it in the trash and never look back and don't ever buy a nexus or google phone.


text:
What is the difference between USB Mass Storage and USB Debug mode?
I am familiar with USB Mass Storage mode .
How exactly is USB Debug mode different from it  ?

An Android device in "Mass Storage" mode behaves just like a USB flash drive: It presents itself as a block device that can be mounted (i.e. "used") by the host PC. Just like a USB stick does.
Additionally "USB Debug Mode" can be enabled, which creates a new USB endpoint for the Android Debug Bridge (adb). This allows a user to get in-deep access to the connected Android device and furthermore it allows the debugging of apps. This is the reason why you should never attach an Android device with Debug Mode enabled to an untrustworthy PC. As USB is able to provide more than one endpoint per USB device, these "services", Mass Storage and adb, can be used simultaneously.

Thanks :) Can you elaborate a little on "endpoints" ? I do not know what they mean (in a technical context) . Does the concept of "USB Debug mode" exist for any USB device (like my ipod nano) ?

Debugging over USB is just a convenient way to do debug embedded devices of all types. But it's up to the device manufacturer how it's done (or if it all). A USB device can provide different "services" by announcing them on different endpoints.

Ohh .. In the Android world , does every device manufacturer provide a "USB Debug Mode" such that it can be accessed with "ADB" ?

USB Debug Mode is used by developers to test their apps. If they connect using USB Debug Mode, they will get debug information about how their app is working on the device.


text:
Where is the code for the Bootloader stored in an Android phone?
Where is the bootloader program on an Android phone stored ?

The boot-loader code is stored within the /boot partition. Majority of Android handsets uses the Qualcomm's Boot Loader, called LK (Little Kernel), barring Samsung, which uses their own form of boot-code.
LK has the following:

Variety of nand devices for bootup
USB driver to enable upgrading images over usb during development
Keypad driver to enable developers enter ‘fastboot’ mode for image upgrades
Display driver for debugging and splash screen
Enable Android recovery image and image upgrades

This applies to only, Qualcomm chipsets hence the exemption of Samsung based handsets
There is a website blog that cites this from source
The actual source code, if anyone is curious enough, can be found on CodeAurora site. This is known as CAF, in which a lot of Qualcomm specific code for kernels can be found in.
As a side-note: Google releases source to AOSP, CAF, pulls from them, modifies it to make it fit within Qualcomm chipsets, then the Manufacturers pull those down and add their own bits, it is that for the reason there's, AOSP, CAF and CyanogenMod that are the main three flavours of Android.
The actual source code to the boot-loader can be found on CAF's git repository, and has not changed much, it can also be found in CyanogenMod's source, specifically in, /bootable/bootloader also.

Do you know if CAF/LK would have been used for the nVidia chipset Nexus 7 (2012)?

@Greg have no idea as I have never owned a Nexus 7, nVidia - But having said that - there is AOSP sources available to download - might be worthwhile to do a repo sync and build the sources for the nakasi device, you will learn so much out of that.

What's the difference between aboot and booloader (LK) ? Why is there a separate partition called /aboot in my device, instead of being in /boot itself?

Is the AOSP stock bootloader available open source? I pulled AOSP and bootable/ contains only recovery/, not bootloader/.


text:
portable Wi-Fi hotspot configuraiton
How it is possible to enable portable Wi-Fi hotspot from ADB shell or by editing some configuration files on Android Jelly Bean?
I need to do it interactive for automatic test server

What's wrong with Settings > More... (underneath Wi-fi) > Tethering and Portable hotspot > Portable Wifi hotspot?

I need to do it interactive (using ADB) - need it for automatic test server

@Dima See: How to turn on the wi-fi hotspot using ADB?

If you have root on your phone, you can use Wifi Tether for Root Users.  I have a Droid4 with Jellybean and got it working after installing the latest version.
For my Droid4, the following settings worked:
Device-Profile: Generic ICS/JB (wlan1)
Setup-Method: Netd-Ndc (master)

I need to enable Wi-Fi hotspot from ADB shell, not from GUI

There is an app called FoxFi that lets you tether your phone's internet over bluetooth or wifi. There is no need for adb etc.
It is compatible with Jellybean because I use it too
Here is the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxfi

I need to do it interactive (using ADB) - need it for automatic test server

You could trigger that using Tasker:

WiFi Tether: Turn on sharing of the device's Internet connection via wifi.

You just need to pick a fitting trigger -- I picked File Events for this example:

Condition: File Events
Task: WiFi Tether

So with that set up (specifying the parameters of course), you should be able to trigger your WiFi hotspot (aka "WiFi Tether", as the Tasker manual names it) by placing a file -- and trigger it off again by removing the file. Did not try that myself -- but that's how I understand it :)


text:
How to control battery usage by display in Xiaomi
I am using a Xiaomi redmi 1s phone which is of battery capacity 2050mAh. Most of the time when I checked the battery status, the screen uses about 55% to 70% of battery. Its display is of 720p. How can this consumption reduced?

Please note that Display is the most crucial use of battery, doesnt matter what you do, Display gonna take some battery juice.
Tips to reduce battery usage by Display

Use low brightness. This will affect your battery life most. In most case 30% is more than sufficient. For me, i put it at minimum at home and max outdoors.
Reduce the screen time out - set it to 30 sec or 1 min. I use 1 min.
Enable the Battery save mode in the settings.
Dont turn it on as much?

At the end, display still gonna majority of battery, the best way to deal it is to either buy new battery or Powerbank.
Kudos


text:
How to avoid the Hotspot getting disabled during an incoming/outgoing call?
I have turned on Hotspot and the data is being used on other Android device but when there is an incoming call the Hotspot gets disabled automatically and gets enabled after the call ,During which I am unable to share the data.
Why is this happening and how to avoid the Hotspot getting disabled automatically on an incoming/outgoing call.

My Samsung Galaxy S3 was able to do hotspot and voice call at the same time. Upgraded to an S6 and now I have to choose one or the other. So I am not so sure this is a hard limitation.

Unfortunately a limitation in 3g is that data cannot be used whilst a voice call is happening. Android turns off the hotspot because data isn't available during the call, so unfortunately there is no fix available until networks start to implement voice over LTE.

It's not 3G it's 2G

Same limitation unfortunately

What does it mean and how can I check whether any other service provider supports this or an advanced version of this,

You cant do it anywhere. Basically your phone has a radio in that is used to communicate with the network. That radio can only be used for voice calls OR data. Not  both. Your phone will switch between the two uses depending on what you're doing, but when you're on a call the phone can't use mobile data. It's not a provider limitation, its just how phones are. There is a new technology coming in that does support this, but its in very early stages of deployment and you won't find anywhere offering it. It's called Voice over LTE, using the 4G network for voice rather than the old 3G network.

So if I have 3G device does it mean that the Calls , mobile data by default are made using this 3G where I have option for data to choose either 2G or 3G

Both 2G and 3G use the same radio so you can still only use either data or voice call at once.

For readers: I want to mention that in stock Android Marshmallow, hotspot is not turned off when a call is in place, be it incoming or outgoing.

That answer is not accurate. I was able to make a phone call and stay on the hotspot with an iphone on AT&T's network. Same carrier, but it doesn't work with Android. You can't blame that entirely on the network.

I think AT&T are now using VoLTE, which would allow this in certain places with certain handsets. Looks like they are marketing it as HD Voice and only allow it to work on iPhones. Android has VoLTE support but it's up to handset manufacturers to make it work, not Android.

The solution described at https://qr.ae/pNBW4z works.

You can use whats'up or some  voip application like skype or   CS-IP  app with voip provider credential. In the last case You can have a fixed phone number, , Just ask people to call You ate the virtual number.

"Just ask people to call You ate the virtual number". Can you explain what you meant?


text:
Nexus 5 not detected in Ubuntu 14.04
I want to build an android image in my Nexus 5, but the adb devices cannot detect the device. I think I have a USB access problem in my laptop. When I plug the device, it is not connected.
Here are some outputs of the various commands that were suggested when I googled it:

lsusb -t:
/:  Bus 03.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/4p, 5000M
/:  Bus 02.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/9p, 480M

/:  Bus 01.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=ehci-pci/2p, 480M

|__ Port 1: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Hub, Driver=hub/8p, 480M

sudo fdisk -l
Attention : identifiant de table de partitions GPT (GUID) détecté sur « /dev/sda » ! L'utilitaire fdisk ne prend pas GPT en charge. Utilisez GNU Parted.

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 têtes, 63 secteurs/piste, 121601 cylindres, total 1953525168 secteurs
Unités = secteurs de 1 * 512 = 512 octets
Taille de secteur (logique / physique) : 512 octets / 4096 octets
taille d'E/S (minimale / optimale) : 4096 octets / 4096 octets
Identifiant de disque : 0x8c377765

Périphérique Amorçage  Début         Fin      Blocs    Id.        Système
/dev/sda1               1  1953525167   976762583+  ee  GPT
La partition 1 ne commence pas sur une frontière de cylindre physique.

dmesg | tail ⇒ plug the usb ⇒ dmesg | tail -n 20: here is the difference between the 2 previous commands:
[ 2919.365968] [UFW BLOCK] IN=wlan0 OUT= MAC=01:00:5e:00:00:01:c4:2c:03:2f:2d:54:08:00 SRC=141.223.83.156 DST=224.0.0.1 LEN=44 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=63097 PROTO=UDP SPT=64283 DPT=8612 LEN=24
[ 2939.662014] [UFW BLOCK] IN=wlan0 OUT= MAC=01:00:5e:00:00:01:c4:2c:03:2f:2d:54:08:00 SRC=141.223.83.156 DST=224.0.0.1 LEN=44 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=9057 PROTO=UDP SPT=54364 DPT=8612 LEN=24
[ 2954.005896] [UFW BLOCK] IN=wlan0 OUT= MAC=01:00:5e:00:00:01:c4:2c:03:2f:2d:54:08:00 SRC=141.223.83.156 DST=224.0.0.1 LEN=44 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=65052 PROTO=UDP SPT=61778 DPT=8612 LEN=24
[ 2975.324471] [UFW BLOCK] IN=wlan0 OUT= MAC=01:00:5e:00:00:01:c4:2c:03:2f:2d:54:08:00 SRC=141.223.83.156 DST=224.0.0.1 LEN=44 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=21456 PROTO=UDP SPT=59758 DPT=8612 LEN=24
[ 2996.844609] [UFW BLOCK] IN=wlan0 OUT= MAC=01:00:5e:00:00:01:c4:2c:03:2f:2d:54:08:00 SRC=141.223.83.156 DST=224.0.0.1 LEN=44 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=1 ID=58470 PROTO=UDP SPT=55238 DPT=8612 LEN=24

4.usb-devices
    T:  Bus=01 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#=  1 Spd=480 MxCh= 2
    D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
    P:  Vendor=1d6b ProdID=0002 Rev=03.13
    S:  Manufacturer=Linux 3.13.0-55-generic ehci_hcd
    S:  Product=EHCI Host Controller
    S:  SerialNumber=0000:00:1d.0
    C:  #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
    I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub

    T:  Bus=01 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#=  2 Spd=480 MxCh= 8
    D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=01 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
    P:  Vendor=8087 ProdID=8000 Rev=00.04
    C:  #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
    I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub

    T:  Bus=02 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#=  1 Spd=480 MxCh= 9
    D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=01 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
    P:  Vendor=1d6b ProdID=0002 Rev=03.13
    S:  Manufacturer=Linux 3.13.0-55-generic xhci_hcd
    S:  Product=xHCI Host Controller
    S:  SerialNumber=0000:00:14.0
    C:  #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
    I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub

    T:  Bus=03 Lev=00 Prnt=00 Port=00 Cnt=00 Dev#=  1 Spd=5000 MxCh= 4
    D:  Ver= 3.00 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=03 MxPS= 9 #Cfgs=  1
    P:  Vendor=1d6b ProdID=0003 Rev=03.13
    S:  Manufacturer=Linux 3.13.0-55-generic xhci_hcd
    S:  Product=xHCI Host Controller
    S:  SerialNumber=0000:00:14.0
    C:  #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=e0 MxPwr=0mA
    I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=09(hub  ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=hub

Thank your for your help :)

Do you have adb installed? Added the android rules and etc? I was in the same boat last night kind of, was trying to run a logcat. Google adb for whateverdistro you are using. Once I set up adb/android rules, my phone would show up via lsusb
Also, not sure if it matters, but do you have USB debugging turned on?
I assume since you are trying to build an image, that you know the basics, but have you tried searching/posting on xda as well?

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.


text:
Current profile as condition in llama
Llama is a great tool, but I cannot figure out one (maybe) simple thing. I have a rule that sets the volume low at night (10pm - 6 am) and it works fine. Last night (9pm) I was at the cinema and selected the profile "silent". But at 10pm of course, llama set the profile to "low volume".
Is there a workaround a profile changes only when a certain profile is set (or not set)?
When the profile "silent" is set by another rule I set a llama-variable silence=1, and in the night-rule this variable is checked first. But when I set the profile manually, the variable-workaround doesn't work. I know I can lock profiles, but is there a more elegant way?

I'm not familiar with Llama – but given it's similarity to Tasker obviously also for variables, you could try adding a profile setting silence=1 whenever the profile is set to "silence", and reset that when the profile is left (with Tasker, there are "entry-tasks" and "exit-tasks", so this could be done definitely – not sure how Llama does that, hence just a comment for now). Please let us know whether that works, so I might make this an answer.

In Llama there are no "entry-tasks", that would be helpful. I'll try Tasker, thanks for the suggestion.

To ease your start (and the search for tutorials etc), you might wish to take a look into my Collection of Tasker Resources (tutorials and documentation at the end of that page). Good luck!

Shortcuts to activate specific Llama Events can be placed on the home screen. Therefore create an Event (or use an existing one):
Name: Go Silent (or whatever you want)
Enabled: yes
Conditions: None
Actions:
     1. llama variable: silence=1
     2. Profile: Silent (can also use Advanced option to lock the profile for a fixed time e.g. 2 hours, so other events won't change it regardless of whether those other events check the silence variable. Note that that after this time elapses, it'll automatically switch back to the prvious profile)
Now that the event is defined, go to your Android home screen and put a Llama shortcut on it which will open a window listing the various Llama Profiles and Events, and select your Go Silent event. Now pressing the shortcut will activate the Silent profile and set silence=1 for testing by your other events.
Alternatively, rather than creating the Event first, just create the shortcut and select "Custom event actions" and this will drop you to limited a Llama Event creation screen that only allows a name and Actions to be defined (without conditions etc).

Or you can use the profile lock. As that is what is intended for.
Go to the profile press the lock icon next to the profile you want to set,  then just select the length of time.
Also if you go to the same theater,  make a profile for that area for silent. Obviously if it uses the same tower as another area, you will have to add condition such as"and" or "or" to prevent conflicts.


text:
Accidentally triggering the sound player or the torch
I often accidentally trigger the sound player or the torch while I pick up or put down my phone from/to my pocket.
The phone is asleep when this happens, and likely I'm somewhat touching either the screen or some of the buttons, but I've no clue what I did exactly (and trying random stuff has been fruitless).
It's a OnePlus One running CM 12.1-20150418-NIGHTLY-bacon.
What could ever be?

By "sound player" do you mean music player? What is the name of this player?

This is happening because of the Gesture Recognition Feature
For CM11
Disable it by going to Settings > Interface > Gesture shortcuts > uncheck Flashlight
For CM12
By going through many forums it is clear that this is happening because of gestures and many people are facing this.
If you are unable to disable the gestures try following solutions.

Install Tasker and create a profile. Set it to enable on lock screen. Add task of closing music and flashlight if they are started while sceen is off.
Since problem is caused by Gestures go for flip cover.It will cover screen while your phone is in pocket. Probably because of flip cover gesture function will not work. (I know it sounds little bit weird solution :p)

Can't find such a menu, please keep in mind I installed CM 12… "Prevent accidental wake up" is already on.

Ok, the search function of the Settings is broken, it failed to find the "Gestures" menu even if it actually was there. I stumbled upon it while I was doing something else. Now I've disabled, we'll see if that works, though I guess so!

Hasn't happened since. I can't be sure it's really fixed, but meanwhile I'll award the bounty and accept the answer…

Thanks..and let me know if it will not work..will try to update answer..


text:
How do I stop my Moto G from pestering me about Motorola ID related things?
I have a Moto G 4G (2nd gen?) running Android 5.1 Lollipop. I would like to disable or suppress the endless alerts I get from it about "Sign in problem"'s and "Motorola  ID unlinked" related to Motorola services, none of which I wish to use.
I thought unlinking my "Motorola ID" might do this but it just complains even more i.e. the "Motorola  ID unlinked" alert.
How do I do this?

Not sure, but someone back to 4.4  was done this: settings->security & screen lock->Device administrators and turned off "Motorola Device Policy". Next, settings->Motorola Device ID, tap the three dot menu control on the top right, and choose "unlink account".

@user3344236 - ok, have done that...how long until it starts repeatedly  complaining about the "Motorola Device Policy" being turned off, which it instantly did. :)

Can you anyway login in you google account while you receive this annoying prompt?

Just thinking aloud: if you can figure which app is throwing those alerts, you might simply "freeze" that (see: disable-app tag-wiki, bloatware tag-wiki). Which might require root, or might not – some system apps can be disabled without root, others can't.

@Izzy - I'll see how I get on with the Motorola Device Policy turned off over the next couple of days.

Uncheck the allow notifications checkbox in the Application Settings?

@user3344236 - your top comment seems to have done the trick. Make it an answer and I'll mark as accepted.

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

Long click the notification and you should be able to see what app is causing it; disable "device notification" from there or app settings.

I'm running Android 7 on a Moto G5, and a Moto 360 watch.
To disconnect the Motorola ID:

Open the Moto Connect app
Click "Change account"
Click the 3 vertical dots (top, right corner)
Click "Sign out".
You will be prompted with a checkbox to agree to the privacy policy. Uncheck this checkbox. You will get a message saying all data will be deleted. Accept.
Uninstall the app.

authors: ເສືອມືດ ໃນຕຳຫນານ


text:
Flash CM on encrypted phone running stock Android
My Nexus 4 is currently running an encrypted Android 5.1.
Now I want to flash CM12. Can CM access my Data after flashing or do I need to remove the encryption before flashing?

In short, you will most likely lose all your data, because:

You have to unlock your bootloader when you install a third party ROM. Unlocking the bootloader will erase all your data.
The new installation might not be able to decrypt your data.
Even if it would work, it is still not recommended to keep all the data when installing a different version or make of a ROM.

You should make a backup of all your data, then format your phone.

Ah true.. I forgot that I need to unlock the bootloader.. But what if I'm already running a custom rom? What if I wanted to change from CM to Paranoid?

full-disk encryption has the same implementation across all Android flavors, AFAIK. there's really no reason that distributors would change that.

It's usually best to reduce the number of variables as much as possible before flashing, including un-encrypting. And you can't have too many backups!


text:
Region Lock Workaround
I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S5, Note 3 Neo and Galaxy Grand 2 here in Saudi Arabia. I intend to give the latter two as gifts (the Galaxy S5 is mine) to family in the Philippines. I read online that some Samsung devices are region-locked to prevent gray market transactions. Is there any way that I can unlock these devices so that my family and I can use them?

Where did you buy these phones? Phones can be network locked, like they are in the US if you buy it on contract from a carrier but I don't think they do that in the middle east.

It seems you can get around the region lock by using the phone to make calls for at least 5 minutes using a SIM card obtained in the region where the phone was purchased.
GSM Arena has a post on this.
The article also notes that the region lock is for countries in the Europe region.


text:
How to run virtual machine on my nexus device?
Are there any virtual machine players such as virtualbox, I can use to run .iso images on Android? If I need the device to be rooted that is fine, but I prefer a portable solution

A .iso file is just a way of storing a filesystem in a single file. Does your filesystem contain a kernel and binaries for the processor inside your phone (usually a version of the ARM architecture), or for some different processor (such as i386)?

I want to run a linux image

But is the Linux image for Intel PCs or for ARM processors? It makes a big difference.

It is of course for X86 but I will compile it for ARM, is it possible at all to run X86 compiled kernel on ARM using VM ?

Duplicate How do I run Windows or Linux as a virtual machine on Android?

It really depends on which OS you want to run. Regardless, whenever you want to run a OS meant for computers (x86 architecture) on a mobile device (ARM architecture) a fair amount of time and processing power is needed to convert instructions from one format to other.
I'm not sure if there is a one stop solution like VMware on Android like that can run both *Nix and Windows OS's.
You can try the app Windows, Linux, Unix Emulator but I'm not sure how far it will be successful.

I want to run a linux image


text:
Internal Storage doesn't get mounted
I'm using PA3+ JB 4.1.2 on my HTC Vivid. Everything was working fine until Gmail app gets an update. After update, phone went into a bootloop. To recover, I went into TWRP and restored factory default, cleared cache and dalvik cache et cetra. Bootloop issue resolved but now when I'm trying to open Gallery/Camera app, it's giving me No external Storage Available error. In setting, when I try to mount internal SD card; nothing happens. I tried to mount card from TWRP but still, nothing is happening.
Should I flash ROM completely? Or is there any workaround to resolve this issue?
EDIT
I'm getting Unable to mount /emmc (Invalid Argument) error quite often in TWRP.

Sounds like it might be your ROM. You could start by clearing the cache and dalvik. If it were me, I'd back up my sms and mms and do a full flash. I doubt a factory reset alone will help. I had an issue with permissions when my phone was connected to USB with certain ROMS, sometimes accessing with my PC, sometimes through recovery. I have to believe it's ROM related since the current version of PAC-man I'm using has been much more cooperative. I doubt it's driver related, but that'd be the safest starting point if you have sensitive data on your phone.


text:
Is there a way to speak "Send" in order to send an SMS?
I know I can pull up my SMS app and press the microphone to activate speech. I speak my message, but then I need to press the "send" button to actually send my message.
Is there a way to activate the send function by saying a keyword instead of pressing the button?
Coming from an iPhone where Siri does most of this for me, basically I can say

Tell my wife, I'm running a bit late.

Siri responds

Here's your message to wife's name, would you like me to send your message?

I say

Yes

and off it goes.
I'm looking for something similar in Android.

With Google Now/Voice Actions I don't think there's any way to do this. Some actions will happen automatically after a short delay ("note to self..." is one I know offhand; there may be others), but text messaging requires you to actually press the "Send" button on the card that pops up.
However, you could try a third-party app for these specific functions that you'd like to be completely hands-free. Dragon works a bit more closely to Siri, acting in a conversational manner, and will prompt you for a "Yes/No" to send a message in a very similar fashion. Skyvi is another option you could try, which will send text messages automatically after a 5 second delay (during which time you can press a "Cancel" button to stop the sending).

Thanks for the info. Dragon looks awesome, but is blocked in Canada. I tried Skyvi (briefly) yesterday, and didn't really like it... I'll give it another go.

Running Dragon seems to be the best. There are a lot of drawbacks, but It'll do for now.


text:
Activate Voice Actions from Lock Screen
Is there a way to activate Voice Actions from the lock screen?
I've abandoned the iPhone world, and only miss this one feature. On my iPhone I could press and hold my home button to activate Siri. From there, I could run all kinds of voice commands... The way I see it on my lg-nexus-4 is that I have to unlock the phone and swipe up. Then say "google" to activate Voice.

possible duplicate of Is there a way to speak "Send" in order to send an SMS?

while both of my questions are in regards to voice action, the other question is whether or not I can say "send" to send a message. This one is whether or not I can activate voice actions from the lock screen. The way I see it... they're very different questions.

mea culpa... :)

Highly doubt it, as lock screen would have to have the functionality for voice actions, maybe customise the lockscreen, or there's a widget out there to do just that...?

As with your other question, I think you'll have to use an app other than Google's Voice Actions to get this functionality (at least at the current time). This is another feature that Dragon supports, though.
If you enable the "Background wake-up" setting then you can use the phrase "Hi Dragon" to launch the app from anywhere, including when the screen is locked. For that matter, you can say "Hi Dragon" while the screen is off and it will wake up the device and launch Dragon for you without requiring any manual input at all.

This sounds awesome. I hope they release Dragon for Canadian users.

@ChaseFlorell: Hm, that's unfortunate. You could possibly try sideloading it if you wanted (it's free on Play anyway). There's evidently an XDA thread with .apk links: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953099

And that's the sound of you flying WAY over my head. What is "sideloading"? XDA? and ".apk"?

Oh dope. Ok, so I found the apk here and then used AirDroid to install the app through my laptop's web browser... time to see if it does what I need... thanks.

I wanted to do the same thing but the long press feature seems to be locked down by Google. My work around was to install Headset Button Controller and bind three button presses in a row to voice search which works great. There is a trial version but I was happy to pay a few Euro for the feature.
Incidentally, the app also fixed the headset button not responding sometimes when the screen was locked by enabling Prevent sleep mode while the headset is plugged in. Its in the advanced settings area.
I am using a Galaxy Nexus on 4.2.2

I got back iOS-like headset control on the Google Nexus 4 (N4) such as solving the voice command problem from a locked phone with the headset button using "Headset Button Controller" from the Play Store.
I solved this one eventually, but there are many pitfalls. So, this is how I got it to work:
First, you can't seem to use the long button press for anything; so, don't use it. Second, set one of the other button press combos (I used triple press) to "Voice Search" and say yes to wake up dialogue box. Then, go the advanced settings and select "Run in foreground" and "Prevent Sleep Mode".
This actually get you to Google Voice Search from locked, screen off phone and allows voice commmands.
The other Voice control actions don't seem to work.

authors: lave새벽종이 잘살아보세


text:
Does custom ROMs like Cyanogen need to interact with TouchWiz?
I am running a nightly build of CyanogenMod on my Samsung Galaxy P1000. I have seen that it runs pretty slow and there are some very critical bugs. So does custom ROMs like Cyanogen need to interact with custom application frameworks like Samsung TouchWiz or any other proprietary closed source software ?
Or does it remove TouchWiz during installation ?
If it did it would make sense for the bugs and the stutters.

Touchwiz is Samsung's proprietary UI/framework. So except Samsung stock and Samsung based ROMs, its not present anywhere else (unless manually ported).
Cyanogenmod doesn't use anything related to touchwiz. Nor does it need any of its components to run. So the problems you are facing are merely just bugs inside ROM/system.
And yes, by default cyanogenmod removes everything related to touchwiz including touchwiz framework.
Additional Info: Since you are using nightly, its supposed to have bugs. Nightly ROMs are basically those when a developer updates the ROM features regularly regardless of whether the feature is completely stable or not. These ROMs are basically for people who like to test features early.

During the installation all Samsung pre-installed software is uninstalled and the new launcher is installed (specifically, CyanogenMod uses Trebuchet);
This means any lag is caused by the custom ROM used


text:
How to send a text message to someone who called me using Android 5.1
It seems to me like there should be a way to send a text message to someone who called without having to save that number in the contacts list, but I can't figure out how.
I'm using pure android 5.1.1 with default apps.

Updated Answer, for Android 6:

On the Phone app, go to the tab with the clock icon (the middle tab).
Tap the number that called you.
On the drop down menu that opened below, tap Send a message.

Original answer, for Android 5.1:

On the Phone app, go the RECENTS tab.
Tap the number that called you.
On the drop down menu that opened below, tap DETAILS.
Tap the three-dots-icon on the upper right of the action bar, and choose Edit number before call.
Tap the three-dots-icon to the right of the number, and choose Send SMS.

This indeed solves the problem. If anyone finds any shorter way to do it, I would be interested to know.


text:
Can't flash Unofficial CM 12.1 on GS3
After figuring out how to flash the official Cyanogenmod 11 to my GS3 I thought it was time to pick up a new project, the unofficial 12.
So for some reason I can't flash the unofficial Cyanogenmod 12.1 on my Galaxy S3.
I'm following these install instructions, along with the ones from the CM website because I'm still a bit new.
I flashed the TWRP recovery just fine, I've never used it before, and then pushed the zip to the phone and tried to install. But I get this error:
Updating partition details...
...done
Full SELinux support is present.
Running boot script...

Finished running boot script.
MTP Enabled
Installing '/sdcard/cm-12.1-20150516-UNOFFICIAL-temasek-i9300-V11.5.zip'...
Checking for MD5 file...
Skipping MD5 check: no MD5 file found
This package is for device: m0, i9300, GT-I9300; this device is d2tmo.
E: Error executing updater binary in zip '/sdcard/cm-12.1-20150516-UNOFFICIAL-temasek-i9300-V11.5.zip'
Error flashing zip '/sdcard/cm-12.1-20150516-UNOFFICIAL-temasek-i9300-V11.5.zip'
Updating partition details...
...done

Now I realize that it tells me the issue is that the build is made for i9300 and not d2tmo.
I have the T-Mobile one. Is there a version for this phone?
Or have a just made a huge mistake and misunderstood what the issue is?

You should never try and flash software from a different device, or a different model of the same device. You could end up bricking your phone.
Regardless, d2mo has official CyanogenMod support. You can use the CyanogenMod installer or download a flashable zip from here.

Thank you. I didn't realize that I was using the wrong one. I also didn't realize that Cyanogenmod had an official version.


text:
What is this icon on status bar?
I just realized there is new icon in my status bar on left of sound icon

I don't have clue what is that icon, thus I also can't search information about it.
Anyone has advise?

It's the Battery Stamina Mode (Two hands holding the battery).

Battery STAMINA Mode builds on the same technology as Extended
  Standby Mode. You can turn it off if your dont want it in the
  Power management Settings page.
Starting one minute after the screen has been turned off, data traffic
  is automatically blocked and background activities are prevented from
  waking up the system.
When Battery STAMINA Mode is running, you will also get power
  management tips to help you save even more energy, and keep your
  device going even longer. For example, if Battery STAMINA Mode is
  turned off and you leave your device with the screen turned off for
  six hours or more, you will get a recommendation in the notification
  bar to turn on Battery STAMINA Mode. You will also be notified about
  apps that consume a lot of power. [Ref.]

You can also White list some imporatant apps, thus allowing them to run in the background.
Read More on How battery Stamina Mode works?


text:
After rooting- apps on SD card seemingly non-existant
I have rooted my phone 2 days ago using iRoot (well, actually, a couple of rooting softwares that failed on me before using iRoot). To be safe, I removed my sim card AND sd card before performing the process of rooting. It was a pretty straight forward process (as with many of the "one-click" rooting mechanisms readily available).
I was slightly concerned afterwards as to where all my apps had gone missing to. You see, most of my apps were installed to SD card anyway, and those that were not were copied there (e.g Du battery saver). I suffered pretty much the same problem as this guy- (can't find apps on sd card after root)
Rebooting and even factory resetting the phone on multiple times did nothing to "revive" the apps. The SD card size is the same as it was before the root, so the apps are definitely still there. The app data is still there also...so I am really confused as to why the apps are not showing up.
Because I needed to get on whatsapp for days, I decided to just re-install the app again and upon doing so it let me know that it was detecting some chat backups and restored the app almost fully to its original state before the root.
After searching around online I couldnt really find many other people in a similar predicament. It seems rather odd.
Could anyone provide some insight into this?
(My phone specs- spreadtrum with froyo...I suspect)
Edit- Forgot to say thanks in advanced.

the installed apps to SD Card are not technically installed on SD card ,the android system move a part of the apk file to the SD card but not the full apk there for after a factory reset your apps installed on sd card will not be available for use since they are not real apks.
the android system move the apks to .android_secure directory on the sd card you can see it via a file manager app like es explorer after activating the show hidden folders under (es explorer > settings > view settings > show hidden files and folders) and that's why the size of you sd card didn't change because the data is still there but not usable.
so to answer your question your apps moved to the sd card are lost you can't "revive them" but you can reinstall them from the play store.

Haha, I see how it is, I put a bounty of 50 points up and immediately get 2 responses. So your suggestion would be to download the apps again, but the data will all still be there? I had flappy bird man...=( Anyway, seeing as you gave me the longest answer (and following the common principle of "quantity is quality" Im going to award you the points. 50 points to gryffindor!

Removing the sd card and SIM, then rooting can do this. It's better to leave them in
This is probably down to the fact that a root upgrade (I.e. Rooting) can change the apps links, meaning a reinstall. I done the same as you, and had to redownload terraria when it was not there but was, and I kept my data. It's kinda like you delete the app, but not the data.

Thanks for the answer, I thought in removing the cards I would be totally safe from anything happening to them, seeing as they would be physically not connected to the phone during the root process. I guess my paranoia failed me that day. Most of my apps were un-certified non-google play apps and I forgot where I downloaded some of them (which sucks).


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Voice App with custom proxy ability
I used to run Siri Proxy on my Mac mini, and it allowed me to build custom commands that Siri would respond to while I was on the same network.

"Turn on the living room lights"
  "Run the sprinklers"
  "Dim the lights for a movie"

Now that I've moved to Android, I'd like to be able to achieve this same goal. Can anyone direct me to a solution whereby I can use some Voice App in combination with a local proxy to achieve this desired result?

Please note that app recommendation questions (Is there an app for X?) are off topic here. For details, please consult our [FAQ].

@Izzy: This looks like "here is a problem I am trying to solve" question to me.

@user267 On a second read, I guess it might be re-phrased such -- you might be right with that, Al. Even not that much to change (replacing "app/proxy combination" by "solution" might do), so I might have been a bit too fast with my conclusion. Chase: In case your question gets closed due to my comment, just ping me, so I can make up for it.

@Izzy I've edited the question to appear less shoppingesque

@ChaseFlorell Thanks. As I wrote in my last comment: In case it gets closed, simply ping me. You'll almost always find me in chat here. Again, my apologies!


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How are Googles OTA (over the air) updates delivered/notified?
I've got a Nexus 4 (but this question relates to all eligible devices) currently running Android 4.2. However Android 4.3 was announced a few days ago.

I've run Check for Updates
I've followed the tips to checkin †
I've done the trick to "Force Stop" the Google Service Framework app and then pressed "Clear Cache".

But none of this seems to be doing anything, and I'm still running an "Up to date" OS with 4.2.2.
Is this a carrier issue? Could it be because I'm not on one of the BIG THREE carriers in Canada (Rogers, Telus, Bell), but instead I'm on Virgin Mobile?

footnotes:
†: *#*#2432546#*#* or *#*#checkin#*#*

Perhaps Virgin Mobile are vetting the OTA?

When my WiFi Xoom was still officially supported, it took several (sometimes 30+) attempts at Force Stopping and Cache Clearing of Google Service Framework before Check For Updates would recognize I had an update.

From what I've read the force-stop of the Google Services Framework doesn't work any more.

For what it's worth, I have a WiFi Nexus 7 (so, no carrier encumbrance) and I didn't get the update until yesterday. They just seem to be rolling it out fairly slowly.

@AlEverett Same and I only got mine this morning. Still haven't received it for my Nexus 4. EDIT: Just the tried the answer to this and it worked for my Nexus 4, got 4.3 now.

So I tried to "Clear Data", instead of just "Clear Cache" in the Google Service Framework (and Forced Stop).
I then ran the checkin again (Dial *#*#2432546#*#* in the phone app), and now I'm being shown the new Android 4.3 System Update.

Just tried this on my Nexus 4 and it worked (UK), I also force stopped GSF.

Worked for me too (China)

Worth noting that this can cause issues with the play store, if it does remove your primary account and re-add it.

Yes this seems to have removed my device from my Play Store devices. I've tried @jamesakadamingo's fix, but my device isn't there. Truthfully though, I'm just happy I have the latest version... Now trying the same thing with Keylime... er, KitKat.


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Honor 9 fails to update apps over Wi-Fi
There is a new Huawei Honor 9 with Google services pre-installed.
When I download/update an app via wi-fi it gets "Downloading..." for a long time and then it finishes as:

Can't be downloaded. Try again, and if the problem continues, get help troubleshooting. Error 503

Other phones/notebooks consumes the same wi-fi internet without a problem. Honor's Chrome can access internet normally. Google Play app can access wi-fi internet too (loading app info and pictures) except the one thing - downloading/installing an app. There is no such error via mobile data.
To make the things yet more complicated I am able to install certain apps but the majority still fails.
I cleared Google Play cache. Also the wi-fi permission is given to every app listed.
Model STF-L09 / Build STF-L09C10B170 / EMUI 5.1 / Android 7.0

There is no "Downloads" or "Download manager" listed among  apps.

10x, I found it and cleared its data. Didn't help.

Resetting my router to the factory state solved that misteryous problem.

That's good. Please post the answer yourself. It would help others and delete earlier comments to keep it clean :)

Resetting my router to the factory state solved that mysterious problem.