text:
How to have multiple input languages?
I just unboxed a nexus 7 and coming from an iPhone I am missing the possibility to set multiple input languages for the on screen keyboard.
I need to type text in English and in Italian but I can't find a way to select the Italian keyboard. I am using a device bought in the US, but I don't think that would matter too much.

Assuming that it hasn't changed since ICS, you can go to:
Settings → Language & Input → Android Keyboard settings

You can enable another languages over there and then you can quickly switch by long pressing on the space bar or by tapping on "Select input method" entry on the Notification Bar.

Thanks it was still there. I looked at that menu but it was missing the latest step

You have to uncheck the box that says "use system language". I had the same problem, I had not seen that!

For Android 4.4:

Go to Settings, Language & input, and scroll down to KEYBOARD & INPUT METHODS.
Click on the dial icon next to Android Keyboard (AOSP)
Click on the first entry Input languages
Untick Use system language
Tick the languages that you want

Now you can switch between keyboards by long-pressing on the spacebar.

If you want to be able to write in multiple languages without having to change the language of the keyboard all the time, you have to use a third party keyboard like SwiftKey.
With Swiftkey, for example, you can start writing in english, write some text in italian, and continue in english, without having to change anything.

On 4.4.4,Long press of the key to the left of the space bar, setup input methods then untick use system language, you can then choose your languages.

I guess the OP wants both english and italian simultaneously.


text:
Can't install new apps, all incompatible with Android phone (ZTE Blade)
After spending a few moments moving some apps from my phone's internal storage to my SD card, I'm no longer able to download/install apps.
Every time I try to get one (like the Wikipedia app) I get the bellow weird alert, saying that my phone is not compatible with the item I'm trying to download.

I can update apps already installed, though.
How can I solve this problem? This is my first Android phone (ZTE Blade, commonly known as "a5" in Portugal) and I have no idea how to solve this issue. I have Cyanogenmod installed and all caches have been dumped.
EDIT:
I've simply uninstalled the updates for the Market app, downgrading it to the 'old' Market and it just worked!! I could easily download and install new apps, but when the Market app re-updated itself automatically, I couldn't download/install any apps again.

Did you move the 'Market' app?

Have you tried wiping and reflashing?

No I didn't, @P.T. I'm not even sure what that is, Demizide, but I'll google it and try it out.

EDIT: I've simply uninstalled the updates for the Market app, downgrading it to the 'old' Market and it just worked: I could easily download and install new apps, but when the Market app re-updated itself automatically, I couldn't download/install any apps again.

@JoãoRamos: Don't apologize for your written English. It's better than a lot of native speakers.

Which Android Version are you running?

When the market re-upates itself. Goto:
Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Market
and select 'clear cache'
Now go back into the market and re-signin with your market account. See if this helps.

just get a way to download Mobomarket, and you can use that app to download others, infact it works more or less like google play app. its not necessary to delete anything, unless you cant download the app(mobomarket) itself.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How to remotely disable MobiUCare from sending "SIM card change" SMSes?
My mother just changed her SIM card. I forgot to disable MobiUCare and I'm about a thousand of kilometers away from the phone.
I keep receiving an SMS:

SIM card changed. Plz check phone if lost or stolen" with SIM ID and Gmail ID.

I found that MobiUCare supports lots of SMS commands to remotely track/wipe phone. Doesn't it have any to defuse the anti-theft system? I mean, I expected the change of SIM card, the new one is legitimate.
Actually one SMS can be considered enough instead of an half-hourly report that drains credit

Answer: No
Based on the currently available information at their support FAQ page, no, you cannot disable the "SIM card change notification" feature with remove SMS control:

How can I control device via SMS
Configuration
  1) Set a password and enable SMS command option using "Preference" menu of the app
  2) Send SMS commands
Locate phone : ## locate password
  Siren : ## siren password
  Lock screen : ## lock password screenlockpassword
  Factory reset : ## wipe password
  Reset and format SD : ## wipeall password
  Toggle GPS : ## gps password
  Toggle WIFI : ## wifi password
  Toggle Bluetooth : ## bluetooth password

What can you do:
You can let the phone owner know how to access the app and from there, pressing "preferences", it can access the "Allow Notify via SMS" enable/disable checkbox:

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


text:
HTC Desire won't boot - buzzes 7 times instead
I've just bought an HTC Desire and it seems to have stopped working.
On startup, I just get the O2 splash page, then it buzzes 7 times, and that's it.
I tried holding down the Vol down key, then the power button, and it gets me into some menu called HBOOT.  There is a recovery option in there, but it just reboots the phone, and I'm back where I started.
How do I wipe the thing and get it starting up again?

I don't know if this is necessarily the same for the Desire, but in my experience with other HTC phones this is often indicative of a hardware fault that is not going to be fixable. The vibrating is basically a Qualcomm (the system-on-a-chip the phone uses) error code.

The reason I think that this is software problem is because it was plugged into my computer via USB while I tried to remote debug it using eclipse.

You should put your Update as answer to your own question and mark it answered.

I gave up and returned the phone to the guy I bought it from on eBay, saying it was faulty. My conclusion was that it was an intermittent hardware fault.

when u go into recovery try to wipe cache...


text:
Is there a way to clear every application's cache?
The biggest culprit is Google Music, but I would like to clear out all of my caches fairly quickly.
If I'm using my phone as a camera, having everything cached totally eats up my SD card's storage space, so I would like to either turn down the amount of caching for Google Maps, Google Music, and a few other apps, turn up how frequently the cache is cleared, or have some way to automatically clear the caches when I want to.
If relevant, I'm running an HTC Incredible with CM7.

I'm wondering why is this not part of stock Android, so installing a cleaning app is not required.

There are plenty of apps available that will do this. One that supports both manual and periodic cache cleaning:
1 Tap Cleaner

1-Tap to clean all cache, search histories and calls log. A default cleaner is also included.
Are you running out of application storage?
You now can get more available storage space by clearing apps created cache/data files.

you can delete the application cache directories, in /data/data but that will also remove any settings and things like that.
You can also use Clockwork recovery (if its available for that device) and "wipe data", but again, it will clear out the settings too. If the SDCard is the big concern, you can either use ADB or even Windows (when the sdcard is mounted) and delete the folders that contain the cache data that is taking up space.

There would be no side effects for deleting the cache directories? I found that they are located at /Android/data/[app]/cache. Can I just delete that cache directory without any problems?

you could probably run a "rm" command that would just delete the child "cache" directory, but I am not fluent enough to be able to tell you how.

I'm more concerned with what would happen if I just deleted them from Windows or another app. Optimally, I would like to control the caching behavior, but if I can't, I'd like to be 100% sure that just flat-out deleting the cache directories is safe.

deleting them "should" be safe. but there is really no telling if the app really uses that cache directory for much. Not all applications will use that directory. while it is the "standard" place for them to put data, they do not have to. You could test if it would be "safe", by removing your sdcard and see if the apps function correctly.

Quick App Manager is also a good (albeit not-free) choice for bulk cache cleaning. With it you can do one-touch clearing of all application cache.
Quick App Manager

Quick App Clean Cache becomes Quick App Manager, a complete and powerful application manager:

Cache cleaner
History cleaner
Task killer
App 2 SD manager (for Android 2.2 or higher)
Mobile traffic
Plus! A security tool helper that displays non system applications using potentially risky permissions.

Some devices, e.g. the Galaxy S, have a cache wipe option in their recovery.  Clockworkmod Recovery has a "wipe cache partition" option as well, it should be one of the options when you first boot into it.  Some older versions might have it under "advanced".

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text:
What's the use of .tmfs folder on SD card?
What is the use of .tmfs folder on SD card?
ps. there is only a file in it with Chinese filename ...

It's using some space. Honestly: Couldn't you give some more details, e.g. what's inside, does it reside in the SDCard's root directory, etc? It seems that folder is not present on all devices (I've never seen it with mine), so it could even be specific to some app you use.

Oh, I guess it's created by QQSecure as there is a empty file with a Chinese filename in it.

A file with a chinese name most likely points to something app-specific. And makes the question quite localized, one could say :) So if your question has found an answer, you may decide: if you think it's useful for others, please post it as answer (with some more details). If you feel it's rather trivial and of no larger interest, I'd say you'd better delete the question then before someone else closes it as "too localized" :)


text:
How to view devices connected to hotspot on Android?
This has been asked for a few times before, but none recently or with the Pixel/Nougat specifically that I was able to find.  Root is unavailable, so I need a way to do this as a regular user.  I really just want to see what IP my Raspberry Pi got assigned by the Android DHCP.  Also, if there's a way to set DHCP reservations to avoid having to look it up every time, I would love to know how to do that as well.

You won't find DHCP reservations but I observed that devices tend to get the same IP address they had earlier (don't know the time frame, though).

How about using third-party applications? I use Pixel Netcut for that. I also have a feeling Tasker can do this, but I will have to figure it out

@xavier_fakerat I'd be willing to use one if needed (and feel free to write up an answer if you have something in mind).  When I searched the app store, most things seemed geared towards the phone connecting to a wifi router and then viewing networks on that device.  I didn't come across something that did exactly what I wanted (and was free, which would be my preference.)

Honestly, I attached an LCD screen to my pi and got that to just output its IP, which resolved my personal problem, but I still would like to know the best way to address this for other devices in the future and think that it's a useful question others will undoubted have.

Most of the solutions known to me require root (as I noted in comments). However there is a third-party application that seems to be able to handle this task as well.
Hotspot manager1 claims to be able to monitor all connected clients on the hotspot. It gives the MAC Address as well as IP address of connected clients
Some other features include:

Managing multiple WiFi hotspots for different scenarios.

Monitoring all connected clients to your device.

WiFi auto recovery: WiFi state will be recovered if the hotspot is turned off (assuming either widget or the app to toggle).

See screenshots:

1: This app is no longer available on Play Store.

This app is not working anymore on even Android 7

App crashes on Android 13

Hello, try to use terminal

Another  "uglier" workaround involves using terminal , but it has an advantage if you already have terminal installed in your device.
Simply type ip neigh in terminal and you should see an output showing connected devices' ip addresses as well as mac address (but it looks a bit cluttered though)
See screenshot:

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)
The information in the terminal output includes
:

IP address of connected client
MAC address (obscured in screenshot)
interface (wlan0)
state of connection (i.e STALE, REACHABLE etc)

Note: This does not need root permissions

This is the method that works even on Android 11. If you are using termux, make sure to install the iproue2 package.

On Android 13 I get Cannot bind netlink socket: Permission denied

On the stock HTC tethering app, there is a view called "Manage users" which lets you see a list of connected devices listed be resolved hostname. Touching each device reveals its hardware address and currently assigned IP address.

As far as I can recall it is the same for the stock Samsung Galaxy S2 (at least in this region - Northern Europe).

There's nothing like this for Galaxy SII.

If you've got access to a terminal on your phone (I guess that requires being rooted), then you can also run ip neigh show dev wlan0 to see what's in the ARP tables.
That should tell you the MAC addresses and IP addresses of everything connected.

In some cases, it would be ap0 not wlan0, but the best is to simply type ip neigh. And yes, it does need root access.

This doesn't require root, btw. Just a terminal app.

Thanks, this really helped me. ip neigh show dev bt-pan for anyone else with a Bluetooth hot spot.

Take a look at Network Discovery1 -- it lists all devices within the same network, together with some details on them, as e.g. IP, MAC address, available services:

Network Discovery (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)
Other port scanners will do as well.

1: This app is no longer available on Play Store.

Does it scan the WiFi hotspot the phone creates or/and the WiFi network to which the phone's connected ? (I'm asking this because I don't have my phone right now)

It does scan the network the device is in. I don't think it matters if it itself is "master" or "client" in the network -- but I never tried.

It would be needed to enable in options 3G scanning.

@Vadzim not much chances. I'd bet port-scanning is blocked there by the providers/carriers for good reasons. Apart from that, the question was about WiFi, not 3G ;)

@Izzy, I was solving the problem of finding MAC of one device connected to Wi-Fi hotspot of the second device. The first device was in process of initial setup not allowing to view MAC from inside.

You can use Fing - Network Tools. It's a clean way for your task.

Fing worked, though not quite in the way I had expected. It can't actually see the hotspot from the phone. However, it works great from my tablet which is generally the reason that I turn on the hotspot anyways. Thanks

Fing doesn't scan the phone's hotspot, only the wifi network to which the phone is connected.  This answer is incorrect.

Use Ksiri tool to list devices connected to your hotspot.

Updated information on request:
I was facing same issue on my Android Oreo, some tools on net available is filled with ads or asking for unnecessary permissions.
Just for this simple listing of which devices are connected, ads and special permissions, both were not necessary, so I have created this app, which will not ask for any permissions and neither shows any ads.
This is the first step of "Ksiri Tools" that I have created, further if any tooling things comes up, I will add same app.
I have not released any of my apps on play store, as I feel it's unnecessary to pay Google.
You can download apk file and install. While installing you will be clearly shown by Android that this app doesn't require any permissions.
So safe to use.

Another alternative is Wifi Watch.

Could you elaborate a little more? Link-only answers are not considered that helpful. What details does it offer?

Sorry! but the questions says that it should work for mobile as hotspots. Wifi Watch is not for that. It scans if your mobile is connected to wifi hotspot

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


text:
Will the HTC Thunderbolt be able to use AT&T's network?
I'm speaking from a hardware perspective. It supports the 850 and 1900 network bands that AT&T uses, but will it work? The phone is amazing, absolutely destroys the Inspire 4G (which is a complete joke in my opinion).

No.  It's a CDMA phone using 800 and 1900 mhz bands. CDMA phones can't be used on GSM networks (AT&T, Tmobile...). GSM and CDMA are completely different technologies.

We don't do shopping recommendations here but if we did and I was on AT&T I'd get the Atrix.

Nope. I'm currently running a N1 and I ain't sacrificing my freedom for a Motorola. Plus the Atrix is only a 4.0 inch screen. What I'm really looking for is a 4.3" screen, front-facing camera, 4G, kickstand, and 8-32GB onboard memory with a SD card :)

@TK Check out the Samsung Galaxy S2 phones due soon, or the Vibrant 4G just out.

Bad luck. AT&T quote-on-quote "4G" is merely an upgraded 3G network (HSPA+), not actual 4G (LTE or WiMax)
The Atrix runs Android, so no different from the Thunderbolt except no HTC Sense dumped on top of Android.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
Open source app for remote wiping Android phone?
I recently lost my android phone, and regretted not having a remote wipe app installed. However, I do not trust 3rd party compiled apps with such power (too many weak links).
Does anyone know of an existing open source app to do a remote wipe?

Dev questions and soliciting are offtopic.  I've modified your question to just be asking about an existing solution.

See also Application for remote-wiping a lost phone without handing access to my data to a third-party?

Are you asking about wiping the phone that you lost, or is this for any future phone?

For non-rooted phones.
Up until 2.1 it is not possible. Regular apps do not have the permission to perform full wipes or factory restores. I believe there are apps that erase your call/sms records and your contacts.
Starting with 2.2, it seems Google is granting limited root powers to apps that use Device Administration. It is supposedly a way for enterprises to policy their employee's phones, and requires an extra confirmation by the owner. But I believe it could be used by anyone writing an app. In fact, the code for wiping seems so simple that I think you could write an open-source app yourself if you have some programming background. ;-)
For rooted phones.
There are remote wipe apps, but I don't believe any of them is open source (that I've heard of).
Remote Wipe for root users is possibly the simplest one, and it's in the market, but I've never tried it myself. This app is no longer on the market.

@bruce-connor: I do not see why this should require root. The dev page at [http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/admin/device-admin.html] does not seem to state that requirement.

@Animesh: You're right. It seems Google is granting some extra power to these Device Admin apps, by allowing them to run functions that were previously system only. I guess I'm just stuck in the past with my 2.1 phone =)

It looks like this app has been removed from the play store.

One open-source remote security app is Prey, although I don't think it does remote wipe.

looking at the options under my Prey account, I don't think it does do remote wipe, no. It will track your phone however, and can lock the phone so it can't be used.

The link seems broken...

@NoBugs Thanks, I've updated with a current link,

If the need for an open source app is purely down to your lack of trust in opaque, pre-compiled apps, then there are remote wipe apps that you don't need to keep permanently installed on your phone, but you can just push-install from the Market when needed. This way you would only need to have the app installed on the phone for seconds before it's wiped.
Some options for that are in this previous question Is there any way to erase personal information from my phone that has already been stolen?

Without question the security best app that also does remote wiping is Cerberus.  I reviewed Cerberus and a bunch of other security apps some little while ago, and haven't seen anything to change my opinion yet.
Short answer as to why Cerberus is better: it is controllable both by SMS and by a web dashboard, can be integrated into the kernel so that a reset doesn't wipe it, and has a boatload of well implemented features.  Well worth the $5 it costs.
@nicolas-raoul asked me to post my thoughts about the open source app Prey, so here they are my review:

Some redditors asked about Prey as a phone security app.  I just tried
  it out, and it’s missing most features I would consider important.
  The most vital was that while you can trigger it via a text message, I
  didn’t see any way to trigger a “report” from the website.  In fact,
  you have to subscribe to the Pro version at US$5.oo/month in order to
  be able to request the geolocation whenever you want it as opposed to
  whenever the Prey app runs at some unspecified interval, which pretty
  much kills the utility of the app as an anti-theft utility.
The only features I could find were obtaining the current location
  (but no real time tracking, and it doesn’t specify whether it gets the
  info from GPS or by cell tower triangulation so it may not resolve
  very far), getting phone network info, triggering an audio alarm,
  triggering a message box alert, and locking the phone.  While it’s
  great that it’s open source and that it supports so many mobile
  computing platforms and so might be good for protecting laptops or
  tablets, I wouldn’t recommend it as a phone anti-theft device.

Thanks for the review! This question is about open source apps though. So Cerberus is off-topic, but your feedback about Prey would be great to paste here.

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text:
Is it possible to upgrade my HTC Legend to Froyo without waiting for over the air updates?
I've heard that HTC has released its version of Froyo already on some other phones.

HTC now has an official way for Vodafone users to do this

Use ROM Manager to install this ROM from XDA.  You need to have root.  Otherwise just wait, I'm sure it won't be long till you get the OTA update since it was supposed to be released by all carriers yesterday.

So, if I want to keep Sense UI, I have to wait for my carrier to get round to deploying it?

There's probably a ROM with Sense too, just search XDA :)


text:
Error launching ddms.bat: "Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified"
I've been following these very detailed instructions to take a screenshot on my Motorola Flipside. When I get to the step #10 where I launch ddms.bat I get this error and my phone doesn't show up:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools>ddms.bat
     12:09:01 E/adb: Failed to get the adb version: Cannot run program "adb": CreateProcess error=2, The system cannot find the file specified

(and here I thought the difficulties of taking screenshots on Android were exaggerated)

Try adding adb's folder (platform-tools) to your PATH. The adb executable used to be in the tools folder on versions of the SDK up to v8 IIRC, but it was moved in v9, so ddms.bat is probably looking for it in the wrong spot.
See also this thread on Stack Overflow (accepted answer there courtesy one of our mods here) to see if this is in fact the issue.
Edit: If you need it, here's a decent guide for changing your PATH environment variable. It's written for XP but I don't think the process is much different (if at all) for Vista/7. The basic premise is at least the same.
Another edit: It looks like it's the same process according to this guide for Win7.

copying the adb.exe just crashed it on launch: Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: adb.exe
Application Version: 0.0.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4ced84a4
Fault Module Name: AdbWinApi.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6002.18005
Fault Module Timestamp: 49e03824
Exception Code: c0000135
Exception Offset: 0006f04e
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.256.6
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 9d13
Additional Information 2: 1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8
Additional Information 3: 9d13
Additional Information 4: 1abee00edb3fc1158f9ad6f44f0f6be8

@travis: Try adding it to your PATH, then. I'd never tried copying it, to be honest.

Yep was just about to post this :)  Gingerbread SDK broke things by moving the location of adb.exe

It didn't refresh the %Path% globally, so I just did it via the command line before launching the BAT file: C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools>SET Path=%Path%;C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools then C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\android-sdk-windows\tools>ddms.bat


text:
How to mount a ext2 partition in sdcard
I don't want to use fat32, I want use the more stable ext2.

You cannot use anything but FAT for the external SDCard. Android will not mount the card if it is not FAT.

And the internal memory what uses, that depends on the ROM?

Internal SDCard? I believe that is also FAT. as for the other areas of the internal storage, like /system and such is ext4 starting with 2.3. Prior to that it used yaffs2.

I've managed to do it on Harmony developer board using adb shell:
adb shell "mount -t ext2 /dev/block/mmcblk3p1 /mnt/sdcard"


text:
What does the 'Failed to move application. Not enough memory' error mean when choosing 'Move to SD card'?
When I choose 'Settings - Applications - Manage applications' , and a 'Move to SD card' I get the 'Failed to move application. Not enough memory' error.
Anyone know why ?
I am running Froyo 2.2 on a Samsung Galaxy S phone.
I have 1.7GB free of system memory and 13.1 GB internal memory free on the internal SD card.
*UPDATE *
Can someone with an Galaxy S phone please confirm this ? I have seen it on two phones, and really would like to know what's happening here.

I've only had it say this when my SD card is full

@Bryan Denny: As I would expect. But both me and my colleague (who also has s Samsung Galaxy S phone) receive this message. You don't have to format an internal SD card, do you ? Or make it available in any other way ?

The Galaxy S phones have three sets of memory, System Memory, Internal SD card, and External SD card (if plugged in), have you checked the free memory on both SD card memories?

@GAThrawn: no external SD card ( no slot as far as I can see ), internal SD card 13.43 GB , 13.09 Free and internal phone storage Available space 1.71 GB. The Internal SD card has a section : Format SD card' with underneath 'Format (erase) the SD card'

Assuming you've got a standard Galaxy S, and not one of the US variants the external SD card slot is under the back cover right beside the SIM card. As far as I know all Galaxy S variants have an external SD slot, just don't know where it is on the variants.

@GAThrawn: You are correct. I thought an external SD card meant that an external slot was visible and available. Indeed, one is underneath the back cover. Still doesn't explain why I get the not enough memory error, though.

This is a known problem with leaked 2.2 Galaxy S Vibrant software (happened to me).  Even if you're not using a Vibrant I would suspect the issue is the same, since the software is mostly the same.
You can fix it using this post at XDA if you have a Vibrant or i9000.  If you have another model just check the subforum for your device (or take a risk and try this anyways).

Thanks for pointing this out .. will investigate further.

I received the same message on unrooted android 4.0.4, Alcatel 992D, with 12G free space on SD card. I am posting here, cos maybe it helps on 2.2, as well.
Installed AppMgr III, 3.10 (App 2 SD), and it also listed the same apps as movable, were not even marked with the gray X (supposed to tell you that by moving app you will lose some functionality, e.g. widget stops working on main screen).
It seems that only those apps gave me this message when trying to move (via AppMgr AND via the built in option in android) which came pre-installed on the phone.
Below article says moving/deleting pre-installed apps is not possible on unrooted phone: http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/google-android/articles/82517.aspx
It seems likely to me that in this case, the option "move to SD Card" not being grayed out is the bug, and maybe AppMgr receiving this misleading data causes it to show them as moveable, as well, while the inability to move them is by design.

For people that have this problem in the future. It is an ODEX issue. Some unused thing in there is causing it to think space is all eaten up. Find an app that cleans ODEX files. Chances are you are rooted which allows apps that mess with the ODEX files to screw stuff up by accident.

Good answer, but do you have any recommendation for an app that cleans odex files? Please edit it into your answer. :)


text:
Can't update or install app with new Google Account
I have two accounts on my phone

institutional google managed workspace - x@school.com
private gmail - me@gmail.com

The institution that manages (x@xchool.com) ended relationship with Google and switched to Microsoft instead. I am no longer able to use that email address as my Google Account.
I am now logged in with my private gmail - (me@gmail.com), but I can no longer update nor install existing apps linked to my obsolete account (x@school.com). I get Google Play Store error "oops something went wrong" - even if I uninstall the app and try to install it brand new.
How do I fix this?
Do I just have to remove my old gmail account (x@school.com) from the phone? If I do this, will I lose everything on my phone (i.e. all my apps will be removed?)

Removing a Google account form the device will not delete apps. Some paid app may refuse to work but they never just disappear.

I removed my old google workspace account (x@school.com), and I am now able to install the app with my logged in (me@gmail.com).
I was just too scared to do that before. The existing apps still work, so I can now slowly uninstall/reinstall them at my leisure.


text:
How do I Export/Extract my Play-Store Wishlist?
It's gotten too big/unwieldy to manage on the Play Store, I want to store it elsewhere & manage it there.
And I sooo don't want to manually open each item and grab its link (& maybe some other useful data)!
Some kind of scraping tool, user script, or addon used on the website, might do the trick?
Instead of bothering with the actual android app...
Thank-you.

APP solution seems to be the only way, since a) Google takeout doesn't seem to have this data b) Google Play help doesn't talk of this c) My quick search shows there hasn't been a ticket raised before with Google d) You could ask the Google community or contact Google help (if you are a born optimist)! // This isn't posted as an answer since you are specific about not using apps// +1

Unlike Amazon wish list that can be public, allowing users to buy you gifts, that can't be done with Play Store wishlists. That's probably why you can't share them


text:
Any method to enabled n28b band on MIUI phone?
Actually, I'm not sure if n28a and n28b are in the n28 band, or if they're different in the first place (even though the frequencies are both 700). Because the cell phone info sites I know of usually don't directly state whether they support n28a or n28b, but rather use n28 as a catch-all...
I'm in Malaysia, and my current phone is a Redmi Note 11T Pro China Version, and according to this Malaysia 5G supported bands, my current phone's U Mobile only doesn't support n26 and n28b, and according to this U Mobile 5G Compatible Devices. I then used this Malaysia 5G Supported Bands website to check for supported phones and also found many phones that support n28b but not n26. I strongly suspect that I can't receive 5G signal because it don't support n28b band!

The phones are locked for bands because they are not allowed to use other bands in that country. So they can be locked by the manufacturer or Telco/Provider.
Even if you can unlock it, it may not have the right antenna.

The antenna should be indeed the problem, optimizing it for multiple frequencies is to my knowledge pretty complicated so manufacturers limit the number of frequencies a phone can be used with. So even if it would be possible to unlock those frequencies the connection speed using those frequencies would be awful (or even not working at all).


text:
Why can the Nexus 7 display so much more content on-screen than the Galaxy Nexus?
The Galaxy Nexus is 1280x720, and the Nexus 7 tablet is 1280x800.
I realize that the tablet is physically larger, but it's screen resolution, not display size, that determines screen real-estate.
Why is it that the Nexus 7 appears to be able to show so much more content on-screen?
EDIT - My question isn't "why was it designed this way". My question is more "how is it that it is able to show more on the screen"? PPI doesn't explain this.
Is it just a matter of the scaling?

I should have asked "how" is it able to do so. When I said why, I did not mean "why did they design it this way", I meant, "why is this TECHNICALLY possible"?

Also, if you look in the build.prop of that ROM (if you have the ROM dump), there's a line in there ro.sf.lcd_density=xxx that dictates the screen density. The higher the value, the more can fit on screen, likewise the reverse, less can fit on screen.

@zacharyalexstern: asking how it's done is development question, and is off topic here. Try StackOverflow.

To understand why Nexus 7 can show more content than the Galaxy Nexus, I'll first explain two concepts: screen density and density-independent-pixel.
But before we go into technical details, it may be worth to clarify the design goals of using density-independent-pixels. The goal is to define a UI that is similar in dimension across devices, regardless of the screen size. So in this case the appearance of the menus is the same in the Galaxy Nexus and the tablet (side by side should look very similar), but, as one has a bigger screen, more content can be shown. The designer selects an appearance that looks good for a certain size (a 160 dpi screen is the base) and this is "simulated" in this case in devices with higher dpi.
Screen Density
Commonly referred to as dpi (dots per inch). Android groups all actual screen densities into four generalized densities: low (120), medium (160), high (240), and extra high (320). A device such as Galaxy Nexus has "extra high" screen density (more specifically, the dpi value is set at 320). The Nexus 7 uses "tvdpi" - i.e. 213 dpi.
Density Independent Pixel
Commonly referred to as dp. This is the virtual pixel unit used when displaying content. The density-independent pixel is equivalent to one physical pixel on a 160 dpi screen. To calculate dp use the following formula:
px = dp * (dpi / 160)

or equivalently:
dp = (px / dpi) * 160

The reason Nexus 7 can show more content than the Galaxy Nexus despite having similar resolutions is this: the dpi of Nexus 7 is lower than Galaxy Nexus.
Galaxy Nexus (320 dpi, 720 pixels wide)
(720 / 320) * 160 = 360 dp

Nexus 7 (213 dpi, 800 pixels wide)
(800 / 213) * 160 = 600 dp

This means that when apps are rendering on the Galaxy Nexus, the width of the screen is actually 360 dp (rendered using 720 pixels). Whereas on the Nexus 7, the width of the screen is 600 dp (rendered using 800 pixels).
Bonus
If your Galaxy Nexus is rooted, you can use an app such as LCD Density Modder and change the DPI of your device to 240. What you'll get is something a lot closer to Nexus 7 in a smaller package. On the left is a screenshot of the device at 240 dpi. You'll notice we can see a lot more content when the DPI is lower.

Nothing to do with PPI
The other answers mention PPI. The amount of content displayed has nothing to do with the PPI of a device. Though commonly, vendors select the DPI that is closest to the PPI of the device. (e.g. Galaxy Nexus has a PPI of 316, but a DPI of 320, where as Nexus 7 has a PPI of 216, but uses a 213 DPI).
Further Reading
http://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html

Thanks for this, nobody else actually answered the question I was asking.

This is a good answer overall, but the "nothing to do with PPI" paragraph makes a false distinction between DPI and PPI.  See my comment on Mohammed Essam's answer.

Hello. I just don't understand a word of what you're saying. You assume that the more the dpi is low, the more you can show. But when you have 100 dot per inch, you just show less informations on an inch that when having 200 dot per inch. And also, if the default density is set near to the device ppi, you can't do better, even modifying the value, because as far as I know, yes one dot can be displayed on many pixels, but a pixel cannot display more that one dot.

Uhhh, do this apply to desktop screens ?

Actually the Nexus 7 has 213 DPI, and is 600x961 dp units. See https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/6eWwQvFGLV8

That's because the pixels per inch (PPI) is different between them. The higher the PPI, the higher the quality but at a cost of (relative) smaller screen size. So the Nexus 7 has 216 pixels per inch while the Galaxy Nexus has 316 pixels per inch. The resolution isn't everything, you also have to consider the density of the pixels.
High PPI values have the advantage that it's HD but it also has a disadvantage which is a smaller screen size (at a persistent resolution).
You can read more about PPI here.

I don't see what PPI has to do with screen real-estate. Assuming no scaling, the Galaxy Nexus should have roughly the same screen real-estate as the Nexus 7, things just should appear smaller on screen.

@zacharyalexstern, PPI is relevant because it determines font scaling.  12-point text is supposed to be one-sixth of an inch tall (72pt = 1in), which corresponds to 36 pixels on the 216ppi Nexus 7, and about 53 pixels on the 316ppi Galaxy Nexus.  Other UI elements are scaled based on PPI too.

Basically, the UI elements are scaled to appear with a consistent physical size across devices.  That's why you can fit more of them on a device that's physically larger.

PPI has NOTHING to do with screen real-estate. What we call "screen real-estate" is the actually the number of density independent pixels (DP). DP does NOT depend on the PPI of a device, and only depends on the DPI. That's why I can change my Galaxy Nexus from 320 DPI to 240 DPI, and see almost as much content as the Nexus 7. Phone vendors simply select the DPI closest to the PPI of the device (e.g. Galaxy Nexus - 316 PPI, 320 DPI. Nexus 7 - 216 PPI, 240 DPI).

@Wyzard UI elements on android are most certainly NOT scaled to PPI, they are scaled to DPI.

@DerekKwok, DPI is a printing term that's not really applicable to computer displays.  When it's used in relation to computer displays, it's generally a synonym for PPI, because the image is made of pixels, not dots.

Showing the same amount of content on a 4.6" screen would make it prohibitively small in most cases. You wouldn't be able to read it, so putting that much content on the screen just doesn't make sense. Resolution determines how many pixels you can display, but one pixel is not the same size on every screen. Making content usable and readable requires you to use up more pixels on a smaller screen because they are more densely packed.
For a good comparison, open a web page on a Galaxy Nexus and zoom all the way out. The same page viewed on a 14" (or such) monitor with similar resolution would be no problem, but the text is nearly indecipherable on your phone.

From the standpoint of "how is this accomplished technically" - it largely depends on how an app is written. By default, Android will simply scale the interface on to the larger screen, which may or may not cause more data to be visible (consider a scrolling list, for example: more items would be visible on a larger screen). That's the most basic scenario.
It's also possible, however, for a developer to define entirely different layouts based upon screen size or density. Therefore, the layouts on a 7" device may be completely unrelated to the layouts on a 4" device or 10" device. This gives developers a lot of flexibility to create richer UIs for tablets (and other such devices) while keeping the phone UIs useable. This is covered in length on Android's developers site.

Was going to say, ironic that Google are supporting the iPad for their Google+... that Glass demo with Brin was something else though... :D

I understand WHY it's done, my question is more how. E.g. is it just a matter of scaling?

@zacharyalexstern: That depends on how the app is written, then. You can write an app to use entirely different layouts on screens of different sizes if you want, so it isn't necessarily just "scaling" in the typical sense. Or, you can let the app just scale if you want. There's a fairly sizable set of documentation dedicated to this on the Android developers site but that's a pretty basic summary.

Sorry for the stupid answer, but: the Galaxy Nexus makes everything bigger.
For example, the small letter 'a' can have a width of 30 pixels on the Galaxy Nexus, while it only has 20 pixels on the Nexus 7. This way, more letters can fit on the screen. The reason why they appear to be the same size (e.g. 3mm if you put a ruler on the screen) is, as the others said, pixel density. Basically, pixels are bigger, physically, on the Nexus 7.
The reason why the Galaxy Nexus makes everything bigger is so that you can actually use it without keeping it an inch from your face. If the letter 'a' would have a width of 20 pixels, like on the Nexus 7, it would be too small to read comfortably (because pixels are much smaller).

I understand that, that's not my questioin.


text:
Fastboot failing with error: FAILED (remote: unknown command)
I am trying to run the following command against a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 SM-T505 (2020):
> fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
target reported max download size of 797411328 bytes
sending 'vbmeta' (9 KB)...
FAILED (remote: unknown command)
finished. total time: 0.016s

But as you can see, it fails with remote: unknown command.
When I check the fastboot options, I get (partial):
> fastboot --help
usage: fastboot [ <option> ] <command>

commands:
  update <filename>                        Reflash device from update.zip.
                                           Sets the flashed slot as active.
  flashall                                 Flash boot, system, vendor, and --
                                           if found -- recovery. If the device
                                           supports slots, the slot that has
                                           been flashed to is set as active.
                                           Secondary images may be flashed to
                                           an inactive slot.
  flash <partition> [ <filename> ]         Write a file to a flash partition.
  flashing lock                            Locks the device. Prevents flashing.
  flashing unlock                          Unlocks the device. Allows flashing
                                           any partition except
                                           bootloader-related partitions.
  flashing lock_critical                   Prevents flashing bootloader-related
                                           partitions.
  flashing unlock_critical                 Enables flashing bootloader-related
                                           partitions.
  flashing get_unlock_ability              Queries bootloader to see if the
                                           device is unlocked.
  flashing get_unlock_bootloader_nonce     Queries the bootloader to get the
                                           unlock nonce.

confirming the particular command I am using is supported:
flash <partition> [ <filename> ]         Write a file to a flash partition.

I believe the arguments are set correctly and the vbmeta.img file exists in the directory I am executing the command from, but have also ran the command fully qualified path.  Always the same error.
And
> fastboot devices
R9TR11AW1N     fastboot

So the device is running fastboot.
I have found other posts on FAILED (remote: unknown command), but so far, they have all been about oem option for fastboot, which is not in fastboot help, nor am I using this particular option.

So, what am I missing here?  Why is fastboot complaining about flash
option?

Background
I am trying to root a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 SM-T505 (2020) following this guide. I get through all the steps 1-6 without issue, but am stuck on step 7 and unable to get into recovery menu to factory reset. It appears that Knox fuse is triggering and preventing recovery menu. These are my steps.
Step 1) Enable OEM Unlock
Settings > Developer Options > OEM unlocking enabled
power off tablet

Step 2) Unlock bootloader
Press volume button (up+down together) then plug in usb -> tablet will boot into Odin mode.

in Odin mode > volume up to unlock bootloader

Tablet reboots

verify OEM unlocking is greyed out

Step3) Download firmware package from Samsung official update server
> samloader -m SM-T505 -r BTU checkupdate

T505XXU4CWA1/T505OXM4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1

> samloader -m SM-T505 -r BTU download -v T505XXU4CWA1/T505OXM4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1 -O .

Step 4) Decrypt and Extract
> samloader -m SM-T505 -r BTU decrypt -v T505XXU4CWA1/T505OXM4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1/T505XXU4CWA1 -V 4 -i SM-T505_3_20230113142541_erh3m0ivc4_fac.zip.enc4 -o SM-T505_3_20230113142541_erh3m0ivc4_fac.zip

Step 5) Use Magisk to patch the firmware image
> adb push AP_T505XXU4CWA1_T505XXU4CWA1_MQB61232139_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT_meta_RKEY_OS12.tar.md5 /storage/emulated/0

> adb install /path/to/magisk/Magisk-v25.2.apk

run magisk, select md5 image pushed earlier, and patch it.

> adb pull /storage/emulated/0/Download/magisk_patched-7tzTQ.tar  \path\to\firmware\imagefiles\

Step 6) Flash patched AP firmware using Odin - deselected auto-reboot
rename magisk_patched-25200-7tzTQ.tar to magisk_patched.tar

Odin crashes at PRISM segment if not renamed:
Faulting application name: Odin3 v3.14.1.exe, version: 2019.5.1.0, time stamp: 0x5cef2bf9
Faulting module name: Odin3 v3.14.1.exe, version: 2019.5.1.0, time stamp: 0x5cef2bf9
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x001cb10a
Faulting process id: 0x2f58
Faulting application start time: 0x01d9424e6340c61a
Faulting application path: C:\Users\Me\Documents\Android_OS_Imaging\Odin\Odin3 v3.14.1\Odin3 v3.14.1.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Users\Me\Documents\Android_OS_Imaging\Odin\Odin3 v3.14.1\Odin3 v3.14.1.exe
Report Id: 5faed018-fdf7-422d-b1ba-31f45a6b53dc
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

Unplugged USB, restarted tablet (Power + Volume Down), hold Volume whilst plugging USB back into tablet (Odin mode). Start Odin again.
Select respective files and click Start
<ID:0/007> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/007> Odin engine v(ID:3.1401)..
<ID:0/007> File analysis..
<ID:0/007> Total Binary size: 6852 M
<ID:0/007> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/007> Initialzation..
<ID:0/007> Set PIT file..
<ID:0/007> DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!
<ID:0/007> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/007> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/007> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/007> SingleDownload.
<ID:0/007> abl.elf
<ID:0/007> xbl.elf
<ID:0/007> xbl_config.elf
<ID:0/007> tz.mbn
<ID:0/007> hyp.mbn
<ID:0/007> rpm.mbn
<ID:0/007> devcfg.mbn
<ID:0/007> cmnlib.mbn
<ID:0/007> cmnlib64.mbn
<ID:0/007> km4.mbn
<ID:0/007> storsec.mbn
<ID:0/007> NON-HLOS.bin
<ID:0/007> dspso.bin
<ID:0/007> qupv3fw.elf
<ID:0/007> apdp.mbn
<ID:0/007> uefi_sec.mbn
<ID:0/007> msadp.mbn
<ID:0/007> sec.elf
<ID:0/007> bksecapp.mbn
<ID:0/007> icccgrd.mbn
<ID:0/007> vbmeta.img
<ID:0/007> blgrd.mbn
<ID:0/007> grd_fw.img
<ID:0/007> vaultkeeper.mbn
<ID:0/007> recovery.img
<ID:0/007> dtbo.img
<ID:0/007> super.img
<ID:0/007> userdata.img
<ID:0/007> metadata.img
<ID:0/007> vbmeta.img
<ID:0/007> vbmeta_samsung.img
<ID:0/007> boot.img
<ID:0/007> cache.img
<ID:0/007> omr.img
<ID:0/007> prism.img
<ID:0/007> optics.img
<ID:0/007> RQT_CLOSE !!
<ID:0/007> RES OK !!
<ID:0/007> Remain Port .... 0
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 1 / failed 0)

Step 7) Fails - Holding Power + Volume Down for ~7 seconds then when tablet screen turns off Power + Volume Up.

I have not found a way around Knox yet. Any guidance on how to get around or another rooting method altogether would be appreciated.
I am able to get all the way through using original AP file:    AP_T505XXU4CWA1_T505XXU4CWA1_MQB61232139_REV00_user_low_ship_MULTI_CERT_meta_RKEY_OS12.tar.md5
instead of magisk_patched.tar - all the way to factory reset, reboot, settings developer options enabled.

[Auto-generated]: Comments have been moved to chat; please do not continue the discussion here. Before posting a comment below this one, please review the purposes of comments. Comments that do not request clarification or suggest improvements usually belong as an answer, on [meta], or in [chat]. Comments continuing discussion may be removed.

After some effort and community assisstance, I finally got root access, which is/was the ultimate goal of the question.
Following this guide, and a little patience, I was able to get through.  This guide is very good, but does not mention a rather significant point in my process, or does not give enough detail, which is the display after reboot of the Samsung warning screen, which displays for ~3-5 minutes.  It pauses longer after the first reboot than subsequent boots.  While it's mentioned that the first boot is long, it does not mention the warning screen.  If you wait out this screen and not attempt to access recovery menu (which the guide states as a step), then you should get through.


text:
Flashing Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Verizon branded)
We are attempting to flash a Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Verizon branded) with a cutom ROM.  We get to the following screen:

Followed by

First, where is it looking to download?
Second, why is it hanging?
Stuck and looking for some guidance here.
Edit
I found this post that points to a locked bootloader:
Root and Unlock Bootloader on Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Verizon)
Edit 2
Following the aforementioned post:
I get this error on the Odin console..
<ID:0/006> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> CF-Auto-Root-espressorf-espressorfxx-gtp3100.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/006> Odin v.3 engine (ID:6)..
<ID:0/006> File analysis..
<ID:0/006> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/006> Initialzation..
<ID:0/006> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/006> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/006> recovery.img
<ID:0/006> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/006> FAIL! (Auth)
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

What steps/guide (if any) are you attempting to follow? What are you expecting to happen when you go past the warning? It's not "hanging", it's waiting for you to flash your ROM. Related: Whats ODIN mode in Galaxy Tab 2?

@eldarerathis I am trying to enumerate the device with adb fastboot so that I can upload the ROM I have compiled, but the device is not showing up.  I am not following any guides because I have not found one for the GT2 7.0

I don't think the Tab 2 has fastboot support. You'll probably have to install the ROM via either a custom recovery or Odin/Heimdall. A generic "how to root" guide can probably help you get a recovery installed. Might start by looking into that: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1900055

Thanks for the link. :^) I will check it out.  It's been a long day and will pick this up in the morning.

Galaxy Tab 2 is not bootloader-locked. You can directly flash the images. Just write the partition name and drag the file in command-line using Heimdall.

You are trying to root/flash a custom ROM to a Verizon GT2 but I see GT2 3100 in the code. You are not using the correct ODIN files. I'm no expert but I know the Verizon Tab is different from the WiFi Tab. Luckily you didn't lock it up.

Yes.  We actually figured that out, but I have not updated this post to reflect that.

authors: Василий Чернев


text:
Why can't I charge a Samsung phone?
I use a dual-port 2-amp charger with an Amazon Basics USB cable. This works perfectly fine to charge my Nexus 4 and the Nexus reports "AC" not "USB" as charging mode. From the recharge time it's also evident that it gets plenty of juice.
However, when I connect my wife's Samsung Galaxy S Duos then it simply does not charge at all - the battery indicator does not get the lightning symbol, and the battery really never charges (even when nothing is connected to the charger's second USB port). When I connect the same phone to my computer's USB port, it charges just fine - even using the LG charging cable! - but slowly of course. The Samsung also charges well from any el-cheapo car charger (lighter socket) as well as from my expensive 3A car charger and from my LG AC charger.
What's the cause of this? How can a charger&cable combination work very well for one phone, yet not at all for another?

Very interesting case, Torben.  Does the Galaxy S Duos work with other AC chargers??

possible duplicate of Why are USB cables of two different OEM's different

@IAmTheSquidward yes! The Samsung happily lets itself be charged from any el-cheapo car charger (lighter socket) as well as from my expensive 3A car charger and from my LG AC charger. It's baffling.

@TorbenGundtofte-Bruun Very interesting!!!  I would try to isolate what is causing the problem... Use the Duos with the Amazon cable and a car plug, and then the Duos with the dual port 2-amp and a different USB cable, etc etc, and see what is causing the issue.

In my experience, and my extensive reading on the subject, it seems to be related to the charger and not the cable, unless the cable is a non-standard USB cable.  Samsung does not use a special cable for their micro-USB chargers, only their old devices with the Apple-like connector.
The USB standard requires handshaking to negotiate more than 500 ma of current.  This is not done in a standard way outside of IOS devices, so not all manufacturers use the same methods.  I believe some Samsungs look for a certain voltage on one or two of the pins of the connector, and will not work with other chargers, but I'm only guessing.  What I have found with, for example, my Galaxy Tab 3, is that there are some chargers that will not register no matter what cable I use (including "charge-only" cables like from Mediabridge), and other chargers that will not charge it at the full rate unless I use a charge-only cable.
My wife's iphone seems to charge from all the chargers, although I'm not sure if it's at the full rate since I have no app to check.  I should mention that most aftermarket chargers are designed to work with Apple, and not necessarily Android, so this is no surprise.
My LG G2, on the other hand, seems to be much less picky, and charges from most every charger I have.
TL;DR, a lot of chargers will not work well, and it's hard to know in advance whether they will.

You seem to be contradicting yourself. Your first paragraph states that the cable is irrelevant but your second one says that some chargers need specific cables. I have found this to be the case on my Galaxy Tab 10 as well. Only the stock charger combined with the cable it came with will charge the device at full speed. The same charger with a different cable will not.

@terdon:  Sorry if I was not clear, but I wasn't actually referring to the cable, it's the charger that is not standard.  Using the same cable, and switching only the charger, I find that some will not work with my Samsung tablet, and others will work with everything.  I don't fully understand it, but I've definitely confirmed it.

I realize now that my previous comment might have come across as rude or aggressive. If so, I apologize, it was not my intent, I was just trying to understand. I've had similar issues and in my experience, the cable is also important. The original charger with a different, but high quality, cable doesn't work as well. Haven't you also found that the cable is a factor? You say that some chargers will work with any cable while others require a specific type.

@terdon: I believe that if you use the charger that came with the device, then the cable normally makes no difference (assuming it's a standard, decent-quality cable).  However... sometimes, with a different charger, you might find that it only charges at .5 amps, the maximum USB-2 current without a special driver to negotiate a higher current.  In this case, you can sometimes use a non-standard "charge-only" cable, that will trick the charger into putting out more current. I believe this is not needed very much currently, but I'm not really sure.

Marty is correct! I had the same problem with a third-party USB charger that would charge everything I had, except my Samsung phones.  They look for a specific voltage on a certain USB pin.
By opening a charger that worked and the one that didn't, I was able to modify the one that didn't to also work.  I'm not sure how USB connector pins are numbered, but for the sake of this explanation, let's say the one with the positive supply (say the leftmost one) is '1' and the negative supply (far-right) is '4', then for Samsung charging, '2' needs to float (no connection) and '3' needs to be connected to the minus pin ('4').
Of course this involves opening the USB charger and soldering stuff, so not for the uninitiated!
Hope this helps some future viewers of this post!

To answer some of your questions in your comments:  The USB specification allows for a fifth channel, OTG (On-The-Go), to negotiate master/slave relationships.  Some manufacturers remove the OTG channel (cheapo USB cables are notorious for this), and, subsequently, charging negotiation is halted if the device is trying to send data through it.  Some early Samsung phones require the OTG channel, and if your cable doesn't have it (or it's a bad circuit in that one line), then it won't charge.  Very weird, but, some manufacturers do that.

Most probably the USB cable is not supporting the Samsung device. Not all OEM USB cables support other OEM Android devices. It may work with Nokia USB Cable  but not with the Nexus because the design of the pins is not matching.
For this you cannot open the USB cable and change the design or something what you can do Is to try another OEM USB cable like Nokia.It will definitely work.
For more details check the answer

How can the cable be at fault? It's just four copper wires with a plug on both ends. I'm curious.

@DanNixon that's why I mentioned "Not all" and in the link given to the answer it clearly mentions the +D and -D signalling made in the USB cable


text:
How to boot into the bootloader when you have ClockworkMod?
I want to upgrade the radio and I'm not sure how to boot into bootloader.
When I try to power the phone using VolumeDown+Power, I do get into the ClockworkMod Recovery, but it seems that this is not what I was looking for because on PC the command fastboot flash radio radio.img is still < waiting for device >.
In case it matters, this is a permarooted + hroot + ClockworkMod, HTC Desire HD.

Make sure your phone is powering off completely before you try to boot into the bootloader. For a DHD you might need to go into Settings > Applications and uncheck the "FastBoot" option in order for it to power down completely (source).
If #1 doesn't help, try turning your phone off, then pulling the battery. After you've pulled the battery and waited a few seconds, hold the volume down button and put the battery back in the phone. Then continue to hold volume down while you power up the phone and it should land on the bootloader.
If #1 and #2 don't work (or you're lazy, since I think this is the easiest way), plug your phone into a computer that has adb on it. Make sure USB debugging is enabled, then simply enter adb reboot bootloader from an adb terminal. This will (unsurprisingly) reboot your phone into the bootloader.

#3 worked and it was by far the easiest method.

Not with Galaxy xCover GT-S5690 Gingerbread XXLA6 ... adb reboot bootloader boot "normal". Also #2 boot normal. Volume down & power up boot into recover which is not bootloader "mode". Gobbling thing.

This question is about an HTC Desire HD and not a Samsung.


text:
Factory reset left root intact?
I rooted my Dream/G1 last night and finally gave up on modding it (not for good mind you, but for the moment) and opted instead to just restore it to factory settings via Settings > SD card & phone storage > Factory data reset, which did solve all the problems I was having with multitasking (and not being able to answer it, etc.)
Curiously, I still seem to have root on the phone, despite having reset it. I'd love to understand how that is possible! Superuser Permissions is the only non-stock app still on the phone, and I'm still able to use su to gain root privileges from adb shell. Is this because BusyBox installs to my SD Card?
My phone works just fine, so this is hardly critical, but the whole exercise was/is about knowing my phone better and this is most def. a mystery. Thanks!

Root things (su, busybox and Superuser.apk) are installed in /system, which is usually on a special partition. This partition is usually mounted as read-only. (Remember mount command, that is neccesary to allow writing there...) It is likely that this partition is not affected by master reset.

Note: @Redh3ad confirmed this in his comment: A factory reset only wipes the userdata partition and cache. Superuser.apk and su are copied to system partition when rooting, so a factory reset doesn't touch these files.

If you want to remove root access from your phone you need to un-root it.
Here's a link for Unrooting HTC G1/Dream
or Unrooting the G1 | Android Forums

The links I provided are just a starting point - I have never un-rooted so I can't speak to the method but I know that a "Factory Data Reset" / "Hard Reset" will NOT remove 'root'.  I have done a "Hard Reset" though and have experienced the same thing as you - you still have root and any apps that were part of rooting and whatever custom ROM you flashed - everything else is gone.  This will just clear your user-data and apps (and possibly some other things that I just don't know about) but the phone will still be rooted if you had done that before you did the "Hard Reset".  As one of the links states one of the main reasons for un-rooting is for turning your phone in for warranty repairs.
Hope this helps.

You should test your phone to see if you actually still have root access, or if for some odd reason restoring your phone to stock didn't remove the icon for the superuser app.
Go to the market and download something like Barnacle (adhoc WiFi AP app) or AndroSS (screenshot app) and try to run whatever you download.  If it request su access, you allow it, and it actually performs the task it's designed for then you still have root.  If it doesn't prompt you for su access or if it does but them seemingly doesn't respond properly then odds are the factory reset removed your root access without cleaning up after itself.
As far as why you wouldn't have root but still have the superuser app installed?  That's something that would require a lot more digging, I think.

Amanda says she restored to factory settings, not that she reflashed the original ROM etc. IMO, all that has occurred is that the various settings have been restored to their original state and the user data has been wiped. Whatever exploit was used to gain root access still remains which is why she's still rooted.

@Sparx - I was under the impression that a factory reset brought the firmware back to stock settings (meaning no apps installed that didn't come with the phone at stock) which would mean the superuser app shouldn't have persisted as you don't get that from the Market where your account will redownload anything you had previously installed (at least on 2.2 it will).  Of course the main difference between our perspectives lies within the method that the factory reset option uses to accomplish it's task.

A factory reset only wipes the userdata partition and cache. Superuser.apk and su are copied to system partition when rooting, so a factory reset doesn't touch these files.


text:
How to return to call when screen blanked
I was on a call and I was put on hold by the other person. The screen blanked after a time (as expected).
When I hit the power button to return to the call. I found the call dropped.
How can I resume the phone without losing the call.
(2.3-gingerbread samsung-nexus-s)

Related, in that someone was looking for the opposite behavior: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2972/hang-up-using-button

Check in settings > accessibility and see if theres an option for the power button to end the call. If there is make sure it's unchecked.

Thanks Matt. Wouldnt have thought to look under accessibility.....


text:
Is there any way to sync my Outlook calendar to my Samsung Galaxy S without Kies?
I am trying to sync my Outlook 2010 calendar to Samsung Galaxy S using Kies.  For some reason, it doesn't sync.
Kies has a nasty habit of hanging, so I would really like to use something else, if possible, instead of trying to understand why it doesn't sync to begin with.
Are there any tools out there that will sync the calendar directly to the phone without using Kies?

Have you thought about doing this over the air, rather than using a desktop client for the sync?
If you use Outlook, presumably your company uses Exchange for it's mail servers? If so, and if they allow Exchange Active Sync, and/or have Outlook Web Access enabled, then you could sync your phone's mail and calendar directly with them over the air.
The built-in Mail client can be used to connect directly with Exchange, or there are third party alternative Exchange clients like Touchdown, Moxier or K-9 Mail

My company does not allow Exchange Active Sync with Android phones, only with iphones and Blackberries.

Really? Mine specifically bans iPhones, but is looking at allowing Android 2.2+ & WM7 along with full support for Blackberries via our BES.

You can do this using the native Exchange app on your device. On my Galaxy S5 using Android 6.0, it's in Settings -> Account -> Accounts -> Microsoft Exchange Active Sync -> then I tap on the specific Outlook account I'm trying to sync.
Below is a screenshot of what it looks like on that next page. When I had this exact same problem, I found that "Sync Calendar" was not checked. I'm not sure where in my app updating or activities that this got unchecked, but putting this on immediately solved my sync problems.
For your device, it's probably buried somewhere in Settings as well, but it's not too hard to find once you get in there.

You might give Google Calendar Sync a try. It's a tiny application which will run on your Windows PC and synchronize your outlook calendar with googles calendar, so you'll have all your appointments always on your mobile. Works like a charm for me, and you'll not nitice it's even running.

My calendar has some data that I don't want to sync to Google for security reasons (the IT department where I work would not be pleased).  I want to copy the Outlook calendar directly to the phone.


text:
How to add Android StackExchange RSS feed to HTC news reader app
I've been trying to add https://android.stackexchange.com/feeds to my RSS feeds in the News application on my HTC Desire Z. However it doesn't "find" any results. I just want to add this URL as it is instead of searching for it. Isn't this possible?

I was all set to add an answer along the lines of "it's really simple, you just...", and then realised I couldn't do it either! :)  I do have this site's RSS feed in my News app, but that's because I'm subscribed in Google Reader - maybe that's a workaround for you?  Interested to see if there is a 'proper' way though.

Glad that I'm not the only one. ;-) I tried the workaround, but whenever I access the Google Reader RSS feed it says "No Stories". :-(

did you have any luck fixing it?

@Daniel Unfortunately not...

I would recommend another way of fetching RSS feeds to your cell phone:

Synchronize News Reader to your Google Account (to read news from Google Reader - it should be available there)
From your 'big' computer add this URL (http://android.stackexchange.com/feeds) to your subscription in Google Reader.
You should see news from Android.SE in your News Reader after its next sync with Google Reader.

How do I link my News Reader App with my Google account?

Ok got it, it's by default linked... that worked, thank you!!

You may have already done all this but I will detail the steps I just took to add this to my HTC Evo.  It worked so maybe there is something different I'm doing.  First off I have never used the News app before.

Opened the News app
Deleted all default feeds
Clicked "Add Feed"
Clicked "Add from URL"
Entered in the URL you have above
Clicked "Done"
Feed Appeared with 30 unread.

Then to see if maybe you had typed the URL incorrectly on your device, I entered almost the exact same URL with one letter off and I got a warning that the feed was incorrect.  So since you didn't mention this I'm guessing thats not your issue.
If none of this helped - can you add any other feeds or its just the android.stackexchange feed that isn't working?

Tried it and there's no "Add from URL" button on my phone. After I click "Add Feed" there's a button "Search further" (in German) and then it says "Enter key word or feed URL for search". I did successfully add other URLs, but I think it only worked because they were found in the Google feed directory(?).

@werner5471 I wonder can you add other Stack Exchange sites? If so maybe when we are out of beta it will work.  I find it odd though that it would work on my HTC but not yours. Just a thought.

@werner5471 Not that I would expect it to change anything but have you tried this since we left beta?

I found a workaround for adding own URLs now, however it still doesn't work with Android Stackexchange. I opened the Android Stackexchange main page in the HTC's browser, then pushed the RSS button in the URL bar. Usually I can then add the given feed URL. However for Android Stackexchange it says "Wrong URL-format:/feeds" (in German).


text:
Is there a way to select Editions when playing MKV files on Android?
MKV video files have a feature called editions, which allows you to string together multiple chapters into a sort of playlist all within one file. For example, a single file could contain the chapters for the extended cut of a movie, and an extended edition and theatrical edition that selectively include those chapters.
On Android I have tried two video players, VLC and MKV. I can't figure out how to choose an edition to play in either of these. Is there any way to play an MKV file on android and be able to select an edition to play, before or during playback of a file?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Please note that questions directly asking for app recommendations are off-topic. Instead, we prefer the asker to just state the underlying problem that they want to solve and not put any restriction for apps-only, so we'd appreciate it if you could [edit] the question, add some details, and/or remove the restriction. Otherwise, you might be interested in our sister site, Software Recommendations Stack Exchange instead.

@AndrewT. Do these edits make it sufficiently broad?

That should be fine, thanks. P.S. you might want to edit the title to reflect the issue you want to solve too :)

So I was able to find a repo with different forms/features of MKV files: https://github.com/hubblec4/Matroska-Playback/tree/master/files And I think what you want is similar to OrderedChapters ('Title' in Playback menu on VLC for PC) but given the lack of discussion I've been able to find about it may be a low priority item for media app developers/lack of user feature request.


text:
Not receiving SMS messages
I recently switched phone provider, and since then many of the messages sent to me never show up, as if it was never sent. But the sender shows it as sent (though I think it can't know it's been delivered).
I was with my old provider for ~10 years, I use SMS a lot and never had a problem receiving them before I switched provider. I've had my Samsung S6 for 2-3 years now, running Android 7.0 now.  I use Google's messenger, currently known as Android Messages, up-to-date via Play Store.
The problems seemed to start the moment I switched SIM card. The phone is unlocked, and I am receiving "most(?)" of the messages. It's worth noting that my old provider was "3" and the new one is "Spusu" which uses 3's network. Definitely not related to the sender; this is a problem from any person, any company, any network, even any country.
Seems it's not related to my current location or current time, nor signal strength. I now carry 3 phones -- my S6 with the new SIM card, a spare phone with the old SIM card, and my work phone. Every hour I send a test SMS from my work phone to both my own phones. The old SIM always receives the message, the new one misses some at random.
I've spoken to staff with the new provider and they claim that all messages have been delivered to my phone, per their log files.

They claim that the Samsung S6 is known to have this problem - but I never experienced it with my old provider, so I don't believe that.
They told me to clear the cache of my SMS app.  I did, but no change.  I rebooted, no change.
I received a replacement SIM card from the new provider. No change.
I even went as far as doing a complete factory reset of my S6! I hoped this would either fix the issue or rule out the device. Still didn't help.
Is the Samsung S6 really known to "throw away" SMS messages?
Can the provider really see that my device received the message?
How can a phone receive ten SMS messages and some would randomly be missing?
How can I further troubleshoot this? How can I fix it?

This is a serious problem because everyone I know uses SMS a lot, and suddenly I can't trust it because who knows when a message will go missing again?
I must have SMS capability back. It's no help suggesting some other app.

I'm on Android 7.0, that's the newest update there is for the S6... And the app is up-to-date via the Play Store. I find it hard to believe that the app itself would be broken, but it's of course worth a test with some other SMS app.

SMS is a pure function of the device and SIM, no special configuration is required for SMS (MMS is different) so there is no APN or other possible issue here. Standard Android trouble shooting would apply, restart, try a different app, wipe cache partition, and if all else fails perform a factory reset. Note it is not uncommon when Android versions change due to OTA updates to have to perform a factory reset, and in many devices it is recommened if any issues arise after an upgrade.

I can guarantee that this is not a problem related to your phone. Some 15 years back, I had a network provider that did the same, and ultimately I had to switch over to some other network.
Since the problem started soon after you changed your service provider, you should contact your new service provider. There's nothing wrong can do from our side to help you.


text:
No notification sound, even though enabled
My phone doesn't play the notification sound (only vibration) for any app. This is particularly annoying when I get an SMS as I never notice when I get a message.
It appears that all notification sounds are affected, because the StackExchange app notification triggers a vibrate but no sound either. It has been working until a few days ago, and I don't know what I've changed lately.
In my Settings > Sound, I can "preview" the Settings > Sound > phone ringtone by simply choosing any of the ones listed. So far so good.
When I do the same with Settings > Sound > default notification sound, the phone stays silent. It does not matter whether I touch one of the stock sounds or one that I provided myself (which used to work!).
How can I make the notification sounds play again?

Device: Nexus 4
OS: stock Android 4.4.4, rooted.
This problem exists since a few days.
I have tried rebooting the phone, but it didn't help.
The volumes are turned up. In Settings > Sound > Volumes, all three sliders are somewhere in the middle.
The stock Messaging app is the default app for text messages. I have Hangouts installed but it's not in use. I also had a few others installed because I wanted to test them, but I have now uninstalled them.

Is this only on preview or does it not play at all?

No sound when I get SMS. The above was my investigation. I'll edit my post.


text:
If I buy an ebook an Amazon, can my son, with another Android device, read my books?
When I buy a pocket book both my son and I can happily read it.
I bought some books on the Amazon Kindle store (which I read on my Samsung Galaxy S), and am now wondering: can my son read these books too ?
Knowing that the price of an ebook is not that much lower than a pocket version of the same story ( I even found some where the ebook costs more than the pocket equivalent ), I am just realizing that this could not be a good thing to do.
[--- UPDATE ---]
Having read the first few answers, I must clarify something: the Amazon account of my son is NOT the same as my Amazon account.
I think that for him to access my Kindle store ( as I do as well with my Archos 101 tablet ), I need to give him my login credentials, or am I mistaken ?
It's not a matter of trust that I should not give him my login credentials. It's just that, I have a lot of items in my wishlist/saved basked that are items I may give to him as a present. And of course , I do not want him to see these items.

Create a third, shared account?

The person using the Kindle app doesn't need to log into it every time. You could log your son into the Kindle app on his phone, and then it should open straight into your shared library after that, so he won't need to know your password. The Kindle store link within the app works with one-click and I can't see any way to get to (non-ebook) purchase history, or saved shopping basket items, though he will be able to buy new ebooks on your account.

@Lie Ryan: Can you create multiple accounts coupled on the same credit card ?

I'm not familiar with Kindle, but with Nook you can lend books to other accounts.  Can you do so with Kindle?  Would it be a pain?

As per their FAQ:

How many Kindles can I use to access
  titles in my library?
Most books you purchase from the
  Kindle store may be simultaneously
  accessed for your personal use on up
  to six Kindles or Kindle-compatible
  devices (such as Kindle for PC or
  Kindle for iPhone) registered to your
  Amazon.com account. If the limit is
  less than six simultaneous copies for
  a specific title, you'll see the
  message "Simultaneous Device usage: Up
  to X simultaneous devices, per
  publisher limits" on the Amazon.com
  detail page.
If you reach the device limit and want
  to replace one of your current devices
  with a new one, you must first
  deregister and delete the content from
  the device you wish to replace before
  you can access the content in question
  from your new device. For device
  registration instructions, please see
  the Help page for the device you wish
  to register/deregister on the Kindle
  Support pages.
Subscription content such as magazines
  and blogs can only be downloaded to
  one Kindle at a time and cannot be
  accessed from Kindle for PC.

So yes, you can read the ebook on multiple devices, but be aware that there is a limit of 6 (or fewer) devices.

Also of note, this works with Amazon's Android Appstore as well.

Can verify this works, I sign into the same Amazon account on my Kindle, my Galaxy S, a Blackberry and my Desktop PC. I can open any of my titles on any of those. One thing to beware of is that if two of you are actually reading the same book at the same time, don't let it sync your position in the book when it asks you, or you could be taken to the other person's current page, instead of the last page that you read.

You should be able to register multiple Kindle apps or devices to the one Amazon account.
For example I can read the same book on my Kindle, HTC Desire using the Kinde app and the desktop application on work and home computers.

Some Kindle books have "Lending" enabled on them, so that you can loan them to another Kindle user for up to two weeks. The downside is that this can only be done once per book, and not all publishers allow their books to be leant out.
More info here Amazon.com Lending Kindle Books

the idea of lending an ebook seems bizarre to me...


text:
Why can I download Kindle books from amazon.com but not from amazon.co.uk?
I installed the Android Kindle application and purchased my first Kindle e-book yesterday.
Although I have an account on amazon.co.uk and have used this account for multiple purchases of dvd's and regular books, I cannot purchase Kindle e-books from this site.
I can, however, purchase Kindle e-books from amazon.com (with the same login).
Does anyone know why this is ?

It's an artificial geographic restriction that Amazon have put in. Essentially the .com Amazon Kindle store is accessible to any Amazon customers worldwide (except for customers who's account has an address in a country that has its own Kindle store). Country specific Kindle stores, like Amazon.co.uk's Kindle store are only accessible to Amazon accounts that have an address in that country.
So, the Amazon.co.uk Kindle store is only accessible by UK devices, based on a UK Amazon account. The Amazon.com Kindle store is accessible to everyone worldwide who has a non-UK Amazon account. The same thing happens for the newly launched Amazon.de Kindle store, only users with German or Austrian addresses can use it. It's based on your account's home address/billing address, not on which website's account you use. You can apply to Amazon to have your Kindle account moved from .com to the country-specific site, if you created your account before your country's site was available, but you can't use two sites at the same time.
Presumably when more countries have their own Kindle store, they'll be locked out of the .com store, and other countries will be locked out of their country-specific store.

Just register your Kindle(Your Android) for your Amazon.co.uk account instead of the Amazon.com, to do it just go to your account on the site and register from there

@Nathn Campos: I don't own a Kindle. I read the Kindle e-books on my Android devices. If I go to the amazon.co.uk Kindle e-books page, it inexplicitly tells me that 'The Kindle Store at Amazon.co.uk is for UK customers only.'. I was just wondering why this is.


text:
How do you move an app shortcut between launcher screens?
So I have a few icons and folders on the leftmost launcher screen.  I want to move them to the middle one.  You'd think that you'd do it by dragging the icons to the dots on the lower left/ lower right corner, but that doesn't work.
I know it's possible to do because I've actually done it few times, somehow, but I can't figure out how to do it in any kind of reliable way.

Drag the icon to the edge, not the corners.  It can be a little finicky depending on the particular touchscreen hardware your phone has.

Finicky is an understatement. I've given over trying to do it that way and just long-press from the app drawer.

Yeah depending on how many screens I want to move it (more than one) I'll just delete it and long press from the app drawer :)

I'm lazy, I'll drag an icon from the far left to the far right just because I don't have to pick up my thumb more than once that way ;)


text:
are there any lag fixes for Samsung Galaxy S that don't require rooting the phone?
It seems like the Samsung Galaxy S is notorious for its occasional lag.  Various lag fixes are out, but most of them require me to root my phone.
I am reluctant to void the warranty on my phone, so I would like to avoid rooting it if possible.
Are there any lag fixes out there that don't require me to root the phone?

Yes
You can lagfix without rooting by flashing a kernel like Voodoo through Odin.
But
This will void your warranty anyways.
If it helps, the SGS phones are very easy to unroot and revert to stock to hide what you did.

So the question should be if there are any lagfixes out that won't void my warranty, right?

@Nathan Anything that goes beyond what is possible for regular non-root apps voids your warranty, in most cases. And I doubt a regular app can do a real lagfix. The problem on the SGS is the filesystem; changing that is pretty heavy-duty.


text:
How create a local network on Android?
I want to create a network where my phone is the server, other phones can connect to my phone, and all of them can read or write on a specific folder, not all of my internal storage.
Recently, I was trying to use SSH (using Termux). I searched and asked about it on Server Fault. So, I could not find a way to use that. Is there any other way?
I don't know if I can do this with SSH or any other protocol. (I use Termux, and if there is any way that needs Linux, I will thank you for sharing it with me.)
I don't have a computer, so I prefer solutions without requiring it. I am ready to do it the hard way because it's the only possible way for me. Thank you.
Edit: my phone is Xiaomi Redmi 10. 128GB with 4GB RAM.

Note that if your phone is in Hotspot mode opened ports will not be accessible by the clients (unrooted device). So accessing a port on you phone only works if you are connected as client to a Wifi e.g. operated by a Wifi router. What Android version is running on your phone?

Thanks. I have edited my question. I have Xiaomi Redmi 10. And i use a modem , there's no problem

There are several protocols you could use for this. I have not used any of these apps.
File Transfer Protocol ("FTP")
This is a pretty early Internet protocol, but it still works.

Banana Studio's FTP server was updated this month, and is free.
PowerFTP is both client and server, and updated in August.

Secure File Transfer Protocol ("SFTP")
This is essentially "FTP over SSH".
Banana Studio offers a server for this, also updated this month. There are several SFTP clients on the Play Store:

Terminus was updated this month.
Mobile SFTP was also updated this month.


text:
Irreversibly Blocking Internet Access for an Hour
I need something like an app with a switch that I can press so that my Android phone would be blocked from connecting to the internet (whether Wi-Fi or mobile data) for an hour so that I may focus on things such as cleaning the house, reading books, or studying. Most importantly, the switch should be enforced and irreversible. I should be unable to connect back to the internet unless an hour has elapsed after pressing it. This is for self-control reasons. Non-rooted.

The simplest solution for this is a time-locked container. These are already sold, for purposes including mobile phone addiction. Examples from my local Amazon store, since I don't know which country you're in: Vaydeer, or Mplerven.
Doing this with software on the device is not dependable if you don't trust yourself: what software can do, it can undo.


text:
Is it possible to set a transmit power limit to Bluetooth on (some?) Android devices? Or at least monitor it?
My smartphone is not compatible with Bluetooth LE 5.2 audio, but I still want to limit the power transmitted to earbuds. I know the transmit power is set automatically, but in case it is conservative, is it possible to limit it in software? I do not necessarily need LE audio levels, but at most 10mW guaranteed would be appreciated.
If it's not possible, is it then at least possible to see what the transmit power is in real time?
P.S. I think audio devices do not transmit except for acknowledgement aside from upon boot and pairing. I'll check this next though


text:
Disable Factory reset via ADB
I want to disable factory reset/data wipe on my phone via ADB. I tried running
pm disable 'com.android.settings/com.android.settings.SubSettings'
but it threw
Exception occurred while executing 'disable':
java.lang.SecurityException: Shell cannot change component state for ComponentInfo{com.android.settings/com.android.settings.SubSettings} to 2
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.setEnabledSettings(PackageManagerService.java:3808)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.-$$Nest$msetEnabledSettings(Unknown Source:0)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.setComponentEnabledSetting(PackageManagerService.java:5652)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.runSetEnabledSetting(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:2363)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.onCommand(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:272)
        at com.android.modules.utils.BasicShellCommandHandler.exec(BasicShellCommandHandler.java:97)
        at android.os.ShellCommand.exec(ShellCommand.java:38)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.onShellCommand(PackageManagerService.java:6045)
        at android.os.Binder.shellCommand(Binder.java:1049)
        at android.os.Binder.onTransact(Binder.java:877)
        at android.content.pm.IPackageManager$Stub.onTransact(IPackageManager.java:4313)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.onTransact(PackageManagerService.java:6029)
        at android.os.Binder.execTransactInternal(Binder.java:1285)
        at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:1244)

How can I achieve this? I want to disable the factory reset on my Android phone. If theres no way to achieve it through adb, how else can it be done? I have heard of people doing it, so I know there is a way, I just need help doing it.
I also tried pm disable com.android.settings but it threw

Exception occurred while executing 'disable':
java.lang.SecurityException: Shell cannot change component state for null to 2
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.setEnabledSettings(PackageManagerService.java:3808)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.-$$Nest$msetEnabledSettings(Unknown Source:0)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.setApplicationEnabledSetting(PackageManagerService.java:5528)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.runSetEnabledSetting(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:2356)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.onCommand(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:272)
        at com.android.modules.utils.BasicShellCommandHandler.exec(BasicShellCommandHandler.java:97)
        at android.os.ShellCommand.exec(ShellCommand.java:38)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.onShellCommand(PackageManagerService.java:6045)
        at android.os.Binder.shellCommand(Binder.java:1049)
        at android.os.Binder.onTransact(Binder.java:877)
        at android.content.pm.IPackageManager$Stub.onTransact(IPackageManager.java:4313)
        at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService$IPackageManagerImpl.onTransact(PackageManagerService.java:6029)
        at android.os.Binder.execTransactInternal(Binder.java:1285)
        at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:1244)```

If you disable or uninstall Settings app, your device will work fine until you restart or power off the device -- then it will get stuck in a  bootloop.


text:
Heimdall/JOdin: "We could not obtain the PIT file. We tried, but it didn't work."
I'm trying to root my Samsung S6, but I don't have a Windows computer. Luckily, JOdin works on Linux too and it connects to my phone, so I am now much closer to my goal.
But now I am facing a new challenge: JOdin says: "We could not obtain the pit file. We tried, but it didn't work." The CLI output of the JOdin's offline version reports the following (excerpt):
[VERBOSE]Heimdall Device detected!
[ERROR]ANALYSIS DETECTED ERROR:Failed to send data!
[VERBOSE]Did not find pit
[INTERACTION][SHOWERROR] Title:Could not obtain pit.
Message:We could not obtain the pit file. We tried, but it didn't work.

The JOdin support seems to consist of this 30+ page long forum post, which is why I hope to get more useful answers here.

JOdin relies on the Heimdall package, and that one has a list of supported devices that does not include the S6. I suppose this is part of the cause of the problem. I use JOdin v1035 and Heimdall v1.4.0-0.
Indeed, when I run only Heimdall, I succeed in connecting the phone but the PIT download fails; the only relevant log line is ERROR: Setting up interface failed!
Full log output is here and here is the verbose output.
The command sudo heimdall print-pit --verbose --stdout-errors --usb-log-level debug as suggested in comments produces this output which is beyond my skill to interpret.

I dare not download a "random" PIT file from the Internet; the risk of choosing the wrong one is too high, and those I've found are behind a sketchy-looking Vietnamese paywall. Google also pointed me to methods that rely on adb shell and requires root ... but having root is the goal I'm chasing right now.
How do I download the PIT from my phone?
Update: I've managed to root my phone using a Windows computer and therefore I no longer urgently need this working on Linux. I will probably need it the next time I have to fiddle with the phone (e.g. when an Android update is available) but for now I will abandon this challenge.

@BoLawson the normal output is here and here is the verbose output. It doesn't really give any additional hints...

@beeshyams The Droid News site suggests using Odin (didn't work) or using TermEmulator+BusyBox (requires root!), and the XDA link (thanks!) lists five different PIT's and I can't tell which one I should choose - as I said, I'm afraid that choosing wrong will brick my phone.

First post on XDA link clearly says " original pit for a G920F dévice open firmware:
ZEROFLTE_EUR_OPEN.pit :

Have a look at this....http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/general/root-pingpongroot-s6-root-tool-t3103016

@BoLawson thanks, I added the output in the post (list item 4).

It's a communication error between libusb and your device. Umm, try different ports/cables. Honestly though there are many things that could be. I will keep my eye out for more information while traveling the world wide web

I was thinking about it there might be another program blocking it. Example is kies and odin even though they are from the same family they hate each other and can block the other from working. TLDR there might be another similar program keeping it from communicating.

Interesting idea, and yet: isn't Kies a Windows installation? I certainly didn't install anything like this in Linux. I wonder if some combination of hardware (socket/cable/driver/mainboard) is somehow only almost compatible.

Yep kies is for Mac and Windows but it was just ment as an example nothing more.  Some insight into your logs #2 - #5 ended with -7 which = LIBUSB_ERROR_TIMEOUT meaning operation timed out. #6 ended with -1 which = LIBUSB_ERROR_IO meaning Input/output error. Now that your rooted (congratulations you totally need an aircraft carrier with a mission accomplished banner in the backround) it does not really matter but for future issues you could also pull kernel logs specifically Dmesg. It might give little bit more info.

I have similar problems with a Samsung J5 phone. The hint from @BoLawson to check the output of dmesg was good. The cable seemed to be broken, because the phone was connecting and disconnecting forever. With another cable at least that issue is gone. But still the PIT file problem. And now that I have found a PIT file which I think is the right one, Jodin and Heimdall still don’t copy the content of the TWRP file to the phone. I don’t want to install windows. Last time, with a Sony telephone, I used Wine and it worked.

authors: Анастасия Ломова