text:
Running a batch backup in Titanium stops my a set alarm on my alarm clock
I recently switch from Helium backup to Titanium (still free version). I tried to use the scheduled backup and experienced a quite annoying effect: I ran the backup at 3am in the night - and my alarm scheduled for the moring was not working.
It seems that titanium stops apps for doing the backup (I think I read this somewhere), and my interpretation is that the alarm clock app cannot exec scheduled alarms once it has been stopped.
Is there a way I can exclude the alarm clock app? In fact, I really don't need a backup of my scheduled alarms ...
I run CyanogenMod 11 / Android 4.4.4

What's the issue with the clock? Yes, TiBu might need to stop apps to make a clean backup (RESTART_PACKAGES). I run scheduled backups every night, and have no issue with that. The Alarm Clock doesn't need to run continuously; for alarms, it gets "awoken" by the system (alarms are registered with the system). Btw: Running CM 11 here as well on multiple devices using different Alarm Clocks. And the full (paid) version of TiBu.

I just improved my question above; I experienced that the alarm clock was not working in the morning :-(

Can you also 1) add which alarm clock you are using, and b) try if the same happens with a different alarm clock? I have a nightly TiBu job running at 3am (as you do), alarms never failed me (firing around 6…7am). I use the "default clock" on one device, and AlarmDroid on another, both devices running CM 11/Android 4.4.4. Additionally: what kind of batch backup are you performing (e.g. all apps, changed only, …)? I could then compare with mine.

I used the CM 11 standard alarm clock app (however it is called). Good idea to try another one. It was the standard "backup changed data" job in Titanium without any modification.

OK, that's the same running here nightly. No such issues, neither with the standard alarm clock nor with AlarmDroid. I wonder what that should be, as "alarm clocks" usually register an alarm with the Android System, which then wakes them up at the set time so they can play their alarm. So as long as the alarm is not at the same time as the backup, that shouldn't matter at all. Sure you've set the alarm for that day, and it wasn't a one-timer already fired – or a repeating not including that day?

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I used nightly TB backups (free version) with the last Android update Google provided (4.3) and never experienced this, but recently I installed 7.1.1 AOSP from XDA and indeed, since I did, I can confirm that TB now stops the clock app and doesn't restart it. When the notification says that the clock app is being updated, the clock in the status bar indicating that an alarm is set, disappears, and doesn't come back until the clock app is restarted manually.

Can't edit comment after 5 mimnutes; OP is running 4.4.4, @Izzy is running CM1 which is 4.4 or 4.4.1 - maybe it's a bug in TB with newer Android versions ?

Good to hear s.o. else is also having this issue ;-) I didn't find a solution yet.

Just to clarify (I shouldn't write at night :-P) :
"s/7.1.1/7.1"
"s/updated/backed up"
"s/CM1/CM11"

Update : also happens under 7.1.1 on a brand new Nexus 5X.


text:
How can one reduce Microsoft Outlook's background mobile data usage?
How can one reduce Microsoft Outlook's background mobile data usage?
For example, today I wrote only one email (text only), received 5 text-only emails, and open 5 conversations (also text only), yet it used 16 MB of background mobile data:

See Microsoft's offical website for the full details: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/outlook-data-hog/a88b5e3f-2982-4558-a190-1afa93044e1f
You can do a number of things to reduce background data usage:

Turn off mobile data when connected to Wifi.
This may sound strange, but apparently Outlook sometimes still uses mobile data, even when connected to a stable Wifi network.
Turning off the "Sync" feature
If there is the feature, set a data limit on Outlook.
This will prevent it from eating up your data when you arn't using it.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Which filesystems get overwritten when applying a ROM?
I'd like to better understand the process of writing a ROM (a zip package) to my Android phone.
Checking with adb shell, the following filesystems are mounted on my phone:
rootfs / rootfs ro,relatime 0 0

none /acct cgroup rw,relatime,cpuacct 0 0
none /sys/fs/cgroup tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=750,gid=1000 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0

devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,relatime 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
selinuxfs /sys/fs/selinux selinuxfs rw,relatime 0 0

/sys/kernel/debug /sys/kernel/debug debugfs rw,relatime 0 0
/dev/fuse /mnt/shell/emulated fuse rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,default_permissions,allow_other 0 0

tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,seclabel,nosuid,relatime,mode=755 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/asec tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/obb tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/fuse tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=775,gid=1000 0 0

/dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /efs ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,journal_async_commit,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 /system ext4 ro,seclabel,noatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/mmcblk0p8 /cache ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,errors=panic,user_xattr,barrier=1,journal_async_commit,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10 /preload ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,journal_async_commit,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12 /data ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,journal_async_commit,data=ordered,noauto_da_alloc,discard 0 0

Now, to the best of my knowledge, only the last five actually correspond to non-volatile memory. Could you explain what's the structure of such a zip package, and which devices are overwritten when a ROM update occurs through ODIN or CWM recovery?

possible duplicate of Do I need to wipe anything before restoring a full nandroid backup?

Not a duplicate, but possibly related. The other question 1) applies to nandroid restores, not to ROMs and 2) is not about which filesystems get overwritten, but rather about whether a wipe is needed to ensure a 'clean' restore.

Adding point 3: that might well depend on the image, and the device.

As Izzy has said, this entirely depends on the device and the particular image you are flashing.  Some might flash a new recovery, some not.  Some might flash only the system partition and leave your data alone.  There are even packages that will flash a new bootloader.
If you want to see what a ROM contains, you should open it up and have a look.  Here is a basic explanation of the structure of a kernel flash package.

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


text:
How to easily change keyboard input application?
I have installed a Morse code input method. I believe I have followed the instructions to enable it (it's enabled in settings).
However, I don't seem to be able to use it anywhere in any input field.
I have an Xperia Tipo cellphone with the Xperia Chinese keyboard which I use often, in addition to the inbuilt English keyboard.
Possibly, I'd also like to install a French keyboard and be able to easily switch between all these keyboards, but for the time being, I cannot even use the Morse keyboard although it's installed and enabled. How do I get started? Thanks.
Edit:
Ok, I found the setting "Default" keyboard, where I can choose between Xperia Chinese and Morse input and the other keyboards I previously installed. If I choose 'morse' then I can use it. The problem is now that I must chose between one or the other, and have to come back all the way to the settings to change keyboards. Is there any way to easily change between keyboard applications? I.e. whenever I need one specific keyboard application (Chinese, English, French or Morse) rapidly switch to the proper keyboard from within the application I am currently using (browser, messaging or whatever...) ?

Doesn't your phone have an item in the notification tray to switch keyboards?

@DanHulme It didn't have by default, but it does now that I have installed the app in the answer. Does it come by default in newer versions of android?

I can't tell you about "newer" versions of Android, because I don't know what version you're using.

@DanHulme That was indeed a silly question from me! ;) My phone is not rooted and runs Android 4.0.4.

On your Keyboard, hold the settings icon

Scroll Down and click "Change input method"

A list will come up with all activated keyboards. Choose one and then your keyboard will change to the selected keyboard. All without the need for an external app.

Look for and install a "keyboard switcher" application.
I have installed this one:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appaholics.keyboardswitch
and initial testing is encouraging.
I am simply surprised that this kind of functionality does not come by default...

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


text:
How to know which phone number Whatsapp is using on my phone?
On my phone I used my T-mobile number as well as my Google voice number. I registered to Whatsapp using my Google voice number. How can I check in Whatsapp which number it uses?
I use a Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900A) with Android 4.4.2.

authors: Адам Шевченко

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


text:
OpenCamera is configured to record in 60 FPS, however the recorded videos are in 30 FPS. Why?
OpenCamera is configured to record in 60 FPS, however the recorded videos are in 30 FPS. Why?
I use a Pixel 6 running Android 12. I don't use slow motion video. I can record videos in 4K 60 FPS with Google Camera.

Answer from rmendez011:

You probably have to change Camera API to "Camera2 API", you can find this option if you press the gear icon, and scroll all the way to the bottom, press "Camera API".
Not every device supports 4K 60fps recording on anything other than the stock cam.

Change Camera API to "Camera2 API" allowed me to record at 60 FPS on my Pixel 6.


text:
How can I change which Google account I use to pay for a subscription via Play?
I have several Google accounts logged into my phone. Some Android app such as YouTube allows user to pay for a subscription via Play. How can I change  which Google account I use to pay for a subscription via Play?

Example: YouTube allows user to pay for a subscription via Play:

I found the answer on Reddit by user AmericanEmpire:

The only thing I've found that works is to:

Delete app data (may or may not be necessary)

Delete app

Go on to a regular computer and sign on to the account you want to use

Install the app onto the device you want on the play store website through your computer

It should now be associated with the desired account. I wish Google would fix this issue.

I tried and that worked. (tested on Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra running Android 13)
Follow-up question: How can I determine which Google account is linked to a specific installed Android app?


text:
How can I view the size of each email in Gmail Android application?
How can I view the size of each email in the Gmail Android application?
I am able to see the size of some emails (e.g., emails located in the trash) via Google Drive's cleaning feature, but I can't see for other emails:

I don't know a way to directly see the size of individual messages in Gmail-for-Android however, if the goal is to identify messages based on their size perhaps using the search interface to return messages filtered by size would be helpful.
Search by Size Syntax

Operator
Gmail Syntax

Greater than
larger:

Less than
smaller:

Megabyte
M

Kilobyte
K

Byte
          ( Blank )

Example Searches

Archived messages greater than 5 MB:
-in:inbox larger:5M

Messages between 500 KB and 2 MB located anywhere except Spam and Trash:
larger:500K smaller:2M


text:
What's the difference between requesting and waiting when calling someone with Telegram?
When I call someone using the Telegram application, before the call get connected I see requesting, waiting and ringing. I understand that ringing means that the recipient's phone is ringing. But what's the difference between requesting and waiting?

Reddit user FactoryOfShit answered:

Requesting = asking Telegram's servers to start a call
Waiting = waiting for the recipient's telegram client to receive the call request and confirm that the ringing has started
Ringing = obviously waiting for the user to pick up

For such apps waiting involves the recipient choosing the app, it may be on the web version or on the phone


text:
Is there any virtual webcam on Android that can remove the background?
I use Snap Camera on Microsoft Windows as a virtual webcam to remove the background when I use Meet/Skype/Teams/Zoom/etc.
Is there any virtual webcam on Android that can remove the background?
I am using the Android version of Meet/Skype/Teams/Zoom.

The Android framework has no exposed APIs for third-party plugin app camera filters.
If a third-party program can inject itself into the Camera API, it would need to read the image data, if it can read the image data, it could exfiltrate the image which would be a security issue.
Applications themselves provide any visual features generally with OpenGL shader code or a ML pipeline.
My only suggestion is to submit feedback to the various Android apps the need for such a feature.
For an example of the complexity to developers see my answer to taking a picture with a Depth of Field camera.


text:
Ebook reader: open file (and the overall problem with closed source, dumbed-down app ecosystem)
I am a long-time, experienced Linux user, but I am a newbie android user. I am struggling with android: it seems the OS has been dumbed down so much for regular users, that even the simplest operations are difficult or impossible to achieve.
I have an un-rooted xperia tipo. The inbuilt 2GB memory card is almost full of applications. I have purchased and added a 32GB sdcard. Apparently with the xperia tipo, it is impossible to use the added sdcard to install more applications. I thought I would at least use the 32GB sdcard as a data store, for videos and misc. files. The problem is that none of the applications have "open file..." nor "save file as..." dialogs. The TED talks application allows to download videos, but saves it in the inbuilt, 2GB card, and not on the extra card. There is no option to say where to save the files to. I checked all the mobile phones settings and none seem to apply or to have any effect.
To make this question more concrete, here is a related problem I have with the google ebook reader. I can connect the phone on my kubuntu computer, mount the extra sdcard (but not the inbuilt one!), and from my computer's command line, create directories and copy some ebooks from my computer to the cell phone. The problem is that the ebook reader does not see them. There is no "Open file..." dialog.
Is there any, better ebook reader application that I could use to open ebooks that I have transferred to my big sdcard? Is there any way to have a "open file.." dialog? Is there a way to get google ebook reader to discover the ebooks I transferred on my card?
And, if you can answer this, is there a sane way to go beyond the dumbed-down limits of the "smart"phone? Would rooting the phone help in this respect? Is it the only way? Or should I put this to the dumbed-down application themselves?

I found a partial answer to my overall problem, and a good solution to manage my ebook collection.
The key was to go back to the sources of the Spirit of Open Source software. I installed F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/  a catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. Browsing the repository, I found some good ebook readers, including 'Cool Reader' which fairly deserves its name. The good thing is that there is an embedded file browser, so that I can now easily browse and open my collection of ebooks that I copied over from my computer to the external sdcard.
Overall, I found that the problem is the messy ecosystem of closed source, dumbed-down applications found at Google Play. From now on, F-Droid will be my first source when looking for applications for specific needs. In the best tradition of Open Source software, the applications there will certainly evolve into solutions that are friendly both to the newbies, the average users and the power users.


text:
Do devices that source power from the audio jack still work?
Some of the early audio jack magnetic stripe readers had no battery.  (Think Square, although I don't know if theirs ever worked this way.)  They sourced all their power by rectifying the weak AC signal of a tone played out of the audio jack.
About a year ago, I either read somewhere or was told by a co-worker that unpowered MSRs will not work on a majority of newer (ICS+) devices.
Edit: Since it's apparently not obvious, every MSR that lacks a battery is going to have a certain minimum power requirement.  How much power you can source from the audio port is going to vary by device.  I would expect that Google has established a standard for the minimum amount of power you can source from an Android device's audio jack, much like there's a standard minimum amount of power you can source from USB.  I found the audio headset spec, but I don't see anything in there about minimum power.
I'm finding multiple sources that say the iPhone 5 can source about 30mW from its audio jack, or 15mW per channel.  According to at least one source, some Android devices can only source a small fraction of that.  So I'm trying to find out:

if and when the minimum standard was lowered (or if there isn't a standard, if and when manufacturers started producing devices that could not source adequate power)
whether this actually means that non-powered audio jack MSRs will not work on newer devices, or if that's just a rumor

If this worked before why wouldn't it now?  What is the proposed mechanism for headphones still working without there being a signal?

@MatthewRead See my edit.


text:
Is Google deleting critical reviews from the Play Store?
I've had numerous factual critical reviews disappear from the Play Store. On more than one occasion, I received a notification that a developer had responded to my review. When I went to look at their response, my review was gone, i.e., it appeared that I had never rated or reviewed the app. This led me to look at my other reviews and discovered many of them missing.
My reviews were entirely factual and did not violate Google's comment policy. Examples of reviews that were silently deleted:

This app blocks the back button and has no apparent way to exit. You have to kill it by swiping from recents.

And

Sign-in required to try it out.

I've also noticed that you can no longer identify bad apps by the telltale U-shaped ratings curve, i.e., many 1-stars and many 5-stars.
Is Google engaging in mass deletion of critical reviews?

May be the app developer has removed the app from Play Store and later republished it again?

@Robert No. This happens within a few hours of posting any 1- or 2-star review.

Thanks for A2A, before answering i must add that though this question is rather off-topic for this community, i would still try to answer it.
Google isn't generally engaging in mass deletion of critical reviews.
However, incase the app developer reports of recieving spam negative reviews and if Google's regex algorithms and human intervention proves them to be true, multiple negative reviews might be removed by Google.
Another instance where something similar might be done from Google's end is when the algorithms detect people installing apps, reviewing it and uninstalling within minutes - such reviews are considered illegit so removed automatically.
And regarding that U-shaped histogram type review curve, Google ditched it aroud an year ago and i do agree that it was really 10 times useful compared to the  new implementation

Uninstalling might explain part of it, but that's still a sleazy way to purge negative reviews. If someone installs an app and immediately encounters a major problem with it, of course they're not going to keep it around. And I've had this happen with reviews on apps I did not uninstall.


text:
How can I fix Android Market app's "Allow Automatic Updating" checkbox after it hid?
I ran into a really weird problem (bug?)
In Android Market, when looking at a specific application's info, the first area in the lower white half of the screen is "Updates", containing "Allow Automatic Updating" check-box.
When I try to click on the check-box and miss even a little, the whole area containing the check-box disappears completely (the next "My Review" area becomes top-most).
I can not seem to get back the area for that app, even after reloading its info, or even killing Market app.

Is this a bug? A design feature?
How can I get back the Update checkbox-containing area from wherever it's hiding?

I don't think this is a design feature ... I'm not able to reproduce this at all (except for scrolling down a bit :).
However, as the Android Market App isn't the most stable app on the Android platform, you might want to try clearing the market app cache.
Go to Settings - Applications - Manage Applications - Select Android Market App  - Click the Clear Cache button.
Restart the Market app and check if the checkbox is present.

I will try that, thanks. I am almost certain that it will do the trick.

I have to clear both cache and data to get the checkbox back when this happens (it's fairly infrequent, at least...)

Market app is really sluggish on my phone (Galaxy S), a lousy experience. never had the checkbox issue though...


text:
Is there any way to lock the screen without turning off the display?
I just purchase a Nexus S.
Currently, to lock the screen, I need to

Press the power button.
Screen locked.
Display turned off.

To unlock screen, I need to

Press the power button to make screen visible.
Slide the touch screen to unlock.

Is there any way I can?

Press a button to lock the screen.
The screen remains visible, but get much less bright to preserve power.

Slide the touch screen to unlock.
Brightness of the screen back to normal.

I am guessing some themes do this job. Not sure.

I'm not aware of such an app/feature right now, but you could use the collective effect of a couple of apps to get almost the desired thing.

Lightning Bug: This is a cool free app that has
always-on display feature and shows the clock, (and weather, etc.) and
more.
Screen Filter: This app will allow you to reduce the
brightness even lower than what the Android system would allow you
to.

However, when you want to put your device into standby, you will need to open these apps to get the effect. Also, running these apps does not mean it's in "lock" mode.
I see a great potential for an app that does both of these together and also put the device into lock mode at the same time.

Try this widget for locking your screen with just one click.
What exactly do you mean by your second question?

I think you misunderstood -- he's not looking for a one-click lock, he already has that. He's just looking for a way to lock the screen without the screen turning off.

I have same issue with my s5, the screen flickers and once it dims it's hard to turn back on. So i downloaded keep screen on app so it doesn't turn off, then i downloaded touch lock app to prevent apps from being pressed when it's in my pocket.

Which apps did you use?

The app is called Advanced Screen Control, the feature is called Proximity Wakelock and its based on the proximity sensor.
Its my app.  :-)

Are you sure the app does what the question asks? As far as I understood from the app description, it just locks the screen, but doesn't dim the screen or leave the screen visible.


text:
How to turn off USB sharing on Android (Archos 70) - Installing Android Market
I'm trying to install the Android market to my Archos 70.
1. Load the update.img to the root of your A7HT.
2. Turn off USB sharing and you will be prompted to install an update.
3. Click install and A7 will reboot
4. Install the update and eventually go back to the setup screen
5. Go into settings, turn on WiFi and connect to your router
6. Once it is connected:
a. Open any of the Google apps (market, Gmail, Calendar)
b. Go through the Google setup screens.
c. Upon completion install: contacts.apk and GoogleContactsProvider.apk.

http://wiki.archosfans.com/index.php?title=Archos_7HT_Firmware_Knightsdominion_V3_Google_Market
How do I turn off USB sharing? I've disconnected and unmounted the Archos from my machine but it doesn't ask me to update; I've also tried rebooting it.

It could be referring to USB debug mode. Go to Settings -> Applications -> Development to turn that off.

I don't belive that's what it's referring to. I had checked those settings and it was already turned off by default.

OK.  In that case it does sound like simple disconnection from the PC.  Are you currently running the exact same software (OS version, kernel version, etc.) that they were in the guide you're following?

You shouldn't need to do this for the Archos 70.  Do you have the Archos 70 Internet Tablet or the Archos 7 Home Tablet?  The link you have is for the Archos 7 Home Tablet, which is an older model.  If you in fact have a Generation 8, Archos 70, here's the link you want: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=42067  All you have to do is open the apk file on your tablet.

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


text:
Why do some Android devices (Samsung) show battery charge in steps of 10% whereas others (HTC) show more accurate percentage?
Why is it that Samsung devices (and perhaps others) show the battery charge remaining in multiples of 10% whereas other devices are able to show a more accurate percentage like 96% etc?
Is this a limitation of the hardware or software and can this behaviour be changed to show an accurate (non-multiple of 10) display of the battery remaining?

My Samsung Vibrant shows 1% increments.  What phone specifically do you see this behavior with?

My motorola milestone shows only 10% as well. The exception is when it gets below 20%, then it shows 15% and 5% correctly. I believe it's a hardware thing and can't be changed software. Honestly though... I can't see why I'd need to be more precise. It would be nice, but I don't find it annoying or anything.

As far as I know, it is just a hardware thing. I also have a droid and it does as Bruce says (10% until 20%, then 15%, 10%, 5%, dead)

Spica usually have 5% increment, but using SamdroidMod or CyanogenMod, there are options to have either the regular battery meter or 1% battery meter.

I have a Spica, GT-I5700 running Eclair.

I have a Spica, GT-I5700 running Eclair and it shows me 100/90/80/70 and then a straight jump to 50 / 30 / 10. I use Battery Monitor PRO to show me the status in the notification bar.

I don't believe this is a hardware limitation, but just the way the phone's manufacturer chose to implement the battery reporting code.  My Droid 2 also only showed by 10% increments.  However, on my current setup I'm using the Circle Battery Widget available on the Market and it displays the percentage in 1% increments.

My only counter example is that on my Droid if I flash a new OS (CyanogenMod, for example), it still shows the same battery percentages. It could be possible that Circle Battery  Widget is "approximating" battery percentage for devices that do not report it?

@Bryan - I've actually been wondering the same thing. I know that after an update all the Moto Droid phones started showing 1% increments in Circle Battery Widget, but haven't seen anything from the programmer on how that was accomplished.  I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that it is an approximation.

My Droid 2 (actually, the EU variant Milestone 2) used to show 10% steps with stock -- but displays 1% steps since it's running CM7.2. Same experience with the Circular Battery Indicator on stock, btw. If it's an approximation, it's a fairly good one, to my experience. Note also that several "system monitor" apps (including the internal one at *#*#4636#*#*) seem to report it in 1% steps.

If you visit the Market page for BattStatt, the developer's site for Battery Left Widget, and this Motorola Owners' Forum thread you'll start to notice a theme.
Several Motorola phones do not report their battery levels in increments of 1%.

Most likely it's a battery saving feature.  Polling the battery state too often will drain it quicker, so manufacturers adjust the polling periods to sacrifice accuracy for better battery life.

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


text:
How can I disable the "Send Message?" warning with emails having blank subjects/bodies?
I frequently email attached files from my phone to myself. I am not worried about cataloging or anything, so most emails have blank subjects and blank bodies. However, whenever I send the email, the "Send Message?" warning message asking, for the hundredth time, "Send this message without text in the subject?"
Although yes, this might be a life-saver for others here or there, it is more of an annoyance for me and my usage; so how do I disable the error? (Yes, I am aware of other apps to make files accessible by cloud, but email is seems fastest and most universal for on-demand stuff.)
[2.2.2][FRG83G]

It appears it's not possible, even on gmail.com, according to this answer.  Gmail does understand the "EOM" tag at the end of the subject and will not prompt you about having an empty message body if that exists anywhere in the subject (even if it's the only thing in the subject).

Nice substitute with the EOM idea

Use a different email app that doesn't do it or allows you to shut it off.

Yes. I'm fine with Gmail though, any chance you know how to disable the error?

If there was a way, I would have suggested it :) Presumably you could hack the app, but that would be slightly on the difficult side.


text:
How can I configure Android so that the background applications download and upload as fast as possible?
According to the screenshot below, background applications have a lower download and upload speed:

The screenshot says:

Keep the app open for getting the best and upload speed.

How can I avoid that?
I use Android 10 with Samsung Galaxy S9.

@Robert thanks for the comment, the screenshot says "Keep the app open for taking the best and upload speed"

@Robert  "aggressive battery optimizations that some manufacturer implement. " -> how can I know whether my phone has such optimizations, and how can I  disable them?

@Robert oh wow, sounds like a dev nightmare! Thanks for the information, I wasn't aware of it.

The notification "Keep the app open for taking the best and upload speed" is most likely shown by the app as there are a few known problems when apps running in background that could make the download stop so that the app has to resume (or even restart it if the server does not support resume) it which of course makes the download slower.
The main reason for the different behavior between running in foreground compared to running in background is the battery optimization applied by Android.
As Android is open source phone manufacturer have the possibility to apply modifications to those parts of Android Google does not covered by it's certification. Some years ago phone manufacturer have started to implement additional "battery saving" mechanisms to reduce CPU usage of apps in background (as far as I remember Huawei was one of the first, the other followed). The term "battery optimization" is a brightened description of "app killing when they are in background no matter if the user wants it to run or not".
Of course from a user perspective an app that just stops does not work correctly and thus the app developers have tried to find workarounds for this problem. But as every manufacturer implements the background app killing in a different way developing an app that runs in background can get pretty complicated depending on the phone used. A very good summary of the whole app killing problem can be found on Don't kill my app!. There an experienced app developer has collected information on which manufacturer and android versions affect apps in background in what way and how to deal with this situation.
So as a conclusion: The shown notification is in my interpretation just a suggestion by the app developer to avoid problems. An app running in foreground is usually not affected by those "battery optimizations" and thus can download the file in a nnormal way.


text:
How to fix corupted icons on home screen?
ALL of the shortcuts for the apps that I installed (not preinstalled ones on a ROM), all of them sudden got corrupt. They all show upd now with "Android Logo" icon and not the icon of the program. T-Mobile TV is installed on a ROM, so the icon for that is fine, but take an app "Movies", the icon for that is corrupt and instead of icon of this program, I have a little "android logo" icon. How do I restore all of messed up icons?
Reboot does not help. I tried SD card mount/unmount with no luck

Are these apps that you've moved to the SD card?

yes. They are..

If you remove one of the apps from the home screen and then add it back manually, does the correct icon show up?

If you move an app to/from the sdcard, and you have icons on the home screen, you need to remove and re-add the icon to the home screen. when I have done this, I thought the icons removed themselves from the home screen automatically.
When you move it to/from the sdcard, it is a lot like uninstalling the application (without removing the user data) and re-installing it again in the new location.

I can not re-drag it on home screen. All of them (about 15) also disappeared from all-apps-overview

I was hoping for a refresh-all-icons.exe solution

if you can't even re-add them, then there is another issue. They are not installed correctly once they were moved to the sdcard. maybe they don't support running from the sdcard.

i have seen this one worked! you have to restart the launcher of the android.

I had this problem where all my apps stored on my SD card that had
  shortcuts stored within folders had the generic Android logo. This
  happened everytime I restarted my phone or unmounted then mounted my
  SD card. Right the fix......... go into settings/applications/manage
  applications/all and navigate to your launcher. I'm using a HTC desire
  hd so.my launcher is HTC sense. Some peeps may have installed a third
  party launcher. Anyways click force stop. Then press the home button.
  Your launcher should now restart. Your icon logos should now be back
  to normal and will be normal everytime you restart your phone.

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/thunderbolt-tech-support/147067-icons-pics-won-t-appear-after-restart.html

the problem is sometimes fixed when I insert sim card. normaly I do not have sim card in my phone and then it goes back to corrupted when I remove it.


text:
Does Airplane Mode allow GPS location to pass through?
This is what I saw when my plane was taxing to the runway at CDG:

Airplane mode was on and all other transmissions (except Location), including WiFi, mobile data, NFC and Bluetooth were off.
Location was not manually turned on by me, after I enabled Airplane Mode. It remained turned on.
What am I missing? Is GPS now so widely accepted on-board planes that Android changed its configuration to let this kind of signal/communication to pass through Airplane mode "block"?
I believe that this three year old answer isn't a duplicate, because at that time (2016) Location was generally "included" in Airplane mode and was turned off by enabling it.

I'm curious, on what device and Android version did you observe this? Airplane mode did not disable GPS on Android 4.x. At some point before Android 6.x, airplane mode was changed to disable GPS. (At least on my devices. It's possible that the device manufacturer or mobile carrier made that change.)

@NoU Motorola Moto Z2 Play with Android 7.1.1! :>

My device is Android 6.0.1 and when I turn on Airplane Mode the GPS is still enabled (and even WiFi if you turn it on yourself). It's fun to follow your plane path in Google Maps :P

I've done it all the time, even before 2016, because GPS is never turned off even in airplane mode. See GPS when flying over the ocean

GPS is disabled in airplane mode on my Samsung Galaxy S10, Android 11.

GPS is a receive-only technology. There are satellites in orbit around the planet and these satellites transmit. Your device receives these signals, but does not communicate back to the satellites. Using your device with GPS is no more dangerous than using it without GPS.
Airplane mode is basically equivalent to "turn off transmitters", though you can also reenable WiFi and Bluetooth. Using GPS is completely consistent with transmitters being disabled.
Assisted GPS is a way of improving the time to first fix. Your device communicates to local non-satellite infrastructure (a cell tower) and receives information about what satellites are currently in view for the local area and orbit corrections. Satellites also communicate this information, but it is much faster to receive this from a local data connection. Without assisted GPS, your time to first fix may be ~12.5 minutes (obviously longer if you cannot receive a good signal). With assisted GPS, this can be reduced to seconds. Once you have a fix, assisted GPS is equivalent to unassisted GPS.
With airplane mode enabled, your device will not use assisted GPS because it cannot communicate with the assisted GPS infrastructure. It will use the standalone mode. This is why people may suggest to acquire a GPS fix on the ground before you start your flight; it's easier for your device to acquire a fix with a data connection and preserve a state where you get location updates than it is to cold start in-flight.

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


text:
Quick way to show unread emails in inbox in Gmail app?
Is there a quick (menu / tap) way of viewing the unread emails in your inbox? Or at least showing the unread emails at the top of the list of emails, in other words sorted by unread/read (temporarily)?
The only way I have found to do this is to search for is:unread in:inbox which is not ideal on the phone's touch screen IMO.
Is there a quicker way?

Yeah, I imagine typing that search is less than ideal, but once you've done it once it's saved in the list of searches, so next time you search it is available in the list.

@AlEverett: Good point - actually the saved list of searches works quite well! :)

Doesn't seem to be, the search is the only way as of now, however; if you use the browser there is an option to view only unread emails.

As Al Everett says in comments, previous searches are saved in the autocomplete list of searches, so you shouldn't have to type much to get this search back - and most recent/frequent searches are at the top as well. This actually works quite well.

is:unread doesn't work well because it also shows up the archived emails that are also unread but uninteresting.
As of 2021, a better way is to do Settings -> Unread first

Tap the magnifying glass on the top left corner of your screen to launch the search function.
In the search field text box, enter is:unread in:inbox
Launch the search and there you go! All the unread messages come up first.

This is exactly what I stated in my question?!

I had the same issue.  Tried in vain.  Search is the only way - inelegant but works.  And repeat searches are relatively easy if one does not have too many previous searches with different filters.

another option is to make a label for unread mails.

Make a label for unread mails (Gmail won't let you name it "unread" but you can call it something else. I called it "unread mail")
Make a filter. In the filter write under "has the words": "is:unread label:inbox"
Press "create filter"
Apply the label
5."apply filter to ...." at the bottom
"create filter"

Now you can access the unread mail through the label section and once you open it in on your Android through the "recent labels".

i was to fast to write it. :(
doesnt work....
leaves read mail in the label....

Yeah, you'd have to manually remove the label when you've read the email, which is messy, too complex and massively prone to error.

It is very easy

Open your Gmail App (android)
On the top left side click on the 3 horizontal lines
Scroll all the way down and click on settings
Click on your email Account eg

General setting
xxxx@gmail.com
Add Account
Click on your Gmail account (xxxx is for an example you should have your account there instead)
Click on the Inbox
and select Unread First
Now when you go back and click on the 3 horizontal lines you will see Inbox and Unread ;)

Please avoid adding a link to the answer that doesn't answer the question. Also please clearly mention your affiliation to the linked website if you feel it is necessary to include.


text:
"Phone may be monitored"
I'm seeing this message is because I installed a device owner, right?  (Note that I'm talking about a "device owner" in the sense of a special device administrator app, not the first user in a multi-user setup. Thanks to Izzy for drawing my attention to the possible ambiguity.)

This is Android 6.  I never saw this message on different device running Android 5 with the same device owner installed.
The device owner must be configured immediately after a factory reset, before setting up a user account.  I could factory reset the device and see if the message goes away, but I'm hoping to avoid that since I've already set up a bunch of other things.

This message is shown when a device owner is set.
I bit the bullet and reset my device.  It only cost me a few hours of setup.  The "Phone may be monitored" message appeared when I ran the ADB shell command dpm set-device-owner.


text:
Ringtones incompatible with custom rom. How to improve compatibility?
I have been using Samsung Galaxy s4 stock firmware up until now. Yesterday I switched to AOKP 4.4.4 (18/10/2014 build) and I've noticed that none of my old ringtones work (12 unrelated ringtones). I tried converting some of them to ogg, mp3 and wav formats with audacity. Whatever i do, they do not appear in ringtone list when moved to system/media/audio/ringtones. They cannot be selected with ES explorer - I get "Wrong file type, please select again" message. If I select them with root explorer the ringtone is set to "None".
Some mp3 files in my music library work, but not the ringtones.
I assume it has something to do with ringtone format, however, I have got no idea where to start looking.
Is there any setting I could change or an app I could change / install to add the compatibility?
Is there any particular app responsible for sound playback in android?
EDIT: I am running AOKP on Samsung Galaxy S4.
EDIT2: I recently installed latest official firmware. During instalation I tried resetting to phone default firmware and ringtones worked. Now that I am on new official firmware, old ringtones do not work again. Also, On the new FW I used official ringtone selection tool (that creates a ringtone file). The ringtone created works in ringtone selector list, but cannot be added to list if removed from the list or if moved.
This leads me to believe problem is with some update all newer firmwares (including AOKP) have.
No real answer to this question, I am forced to use a 3rd party app to use my old ringtones.

Possible duplicate of "Wrong file type, please select again" when choosing a ringtone

In my OnePlus 2 running OxygenOS 2.2 (Android 5.1.1) the problem was solved by removing .nomedia in the root of the SD card,  copying the audio folder from the media folder to the root of the SD, and then moving it back to the media folder. Don't ask me why but it worked again.

Uh.....I can't believe something like that worked, but it did.

It's weird that your ringtones are still incompatible after conversion to the Ogg Vorbis format, because it (as you probably already know) is what Android's native ringtones come in.
Since you mentioned that you put your files in /system/media/audio/ringtones, it is worth a try to check and set the permissions of your files. It's as easy as

chmod 0644 /system/media/audio/ringtones/*

in a terminal emulator or through ADB.
If you want, you can also put your ringtone files in /sdcard/media/ringtones and do a reboot. You should be able to see, preview, and set your ringtones in Settings. (This works with regular MP3 files, as I've tested months before.)
P.S. Since you also said you've tried using Audacity, it's worth noting that Android doesn't repeat custom ringtones when they stop playing (as is the expected behaviour with call ringtones) unless you include a tag named ANDROID_LOOP set to true in the ringtone's metadata.

No it's not permissions, originally, I saved the ringtones to SD card and made sure that permissions are set after it failed the first time.

I dont know why it works, but re-namimg a file from *.mp3 to *.wav makes the file work as a ringtone.
If you then rename it back to *.mp3, it still works.
No idea why.

Renaming .mp3 to .wav worked for me! Thanks for advice


text:
Zeroconf mDNS on Android?
Is it possible for me to run a Zeroconf mDNS server on my Android phone? Something like Avahi on Linux.
The reason I ask is because I run an SSH/SFTP server on my phone for transferring files to/from the phone. Right now I have to connect using the local IP address (10.1.0.x) and the IP changes via DHCP. I'd like to simply be able to connect to my phone using a .local address.
I don't think Dynamic DNS will work, because I want my LAN address (the private IP, 10.1.0.x) not my public NAT IP.

Do you have any control over the (presumably wireless) LAN that you're connecting your phone to? It seems to me that the main part of your problem is just that your phone picks up different IP addresses each time it connects to your LAN. If it always had the same IP, then you could either make a note of this, save it in your SSH client, or assign a name to that IP on your other machine(s) using a HOSTS file or similar.
Are you in control of your network, or do you know the person that is? You (or they) should be able to assign a static IP address, or a reserved IP address, to your device so that every time you connect your phone to the LAN it always picks up the same IP address.
If it's a small, personal network then this would just be a setting on your device's record on your router, if this is a larger network then it would be setup on the DHCP server and a matching A name record could also be setup on their internal DNS to give you a permanent name.

Thanks, this was what I ended up doing -- I assigned a static DHCP mapping for the phone on my router, and then added that IP to my local DNS server. Solved the problem for me but it wouldn't necessarily solve it for others.

Just as a comment: I change networks often but I still want to arrange for my devices to know each others' addresses, so this isn't a general solution. It would be better if Android supported Zeroconf.

This solution works fine at home... but the thing about android devices is they tend to be portable... and these days, so do computers! :) Connecting from my laptop to my phone is something I'd like to be able to easily do anywhere, whenever they are on the same network, whether I have control over it or not. mDNS provided a solution to this problem years ago... is it still impossible to take advantage of on Android?

@Josh the original question was focussed on a device that would need to be discoverable on a particular network, if you need a solution that will work as you roam between different networks (and different types of networks) then that is a different question. Please ask yours as a new question, and feel free to link back to this question stating the differences in your needs.

Currently there is no Avahi daemon on Android and open ticket #354 at Avahi tracker, where there are attached patches, needs to be addressed to make a build for Android possible.
You can try to build it manually, if really needed.

Is there still no avahi daemon on Android? :)

Wow, that is really shocking and pathetic at the same time. The above link is dead by the way, no such page at the Avahi tracker. This sucks, this is sad and not good engineering! I'm actually going to have to enter a different IP each time, just because Android is too dumb to get this.


text:
What can be saved before factory reset?
My phone has a GPS problem and service says the need to wipe it completely.
They are probably just lazy and would rather do it the easy way.
C'est la vie.
The phone is SGS unrooted 2.3.4 - Touch Wiz. I don't want to root it.
Now, what I am going to do is this:
- Save contacts with Kies
- Save files
Is there anything else I can do or that I should know?
For example, I believe that apps associated with the Google Account will be reinstalled after I re-enter my account into the newly formatted phone, correct?
However, app data like savegames won't be ported, I have to search for them in the phone memory?
Can I backup SMS?
Can I back-up settings?
Will imported contacts keep all fields like I have them now, i.e. work phone, home phone, work email, home email etc?
I know it's a ton of questions, sorry about that.
Thank you.

You might also want to take a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices.

Basically, you can back up everything which has a "data provider" available -- as e.g. contacts, call-logs, SMS, and the like. If you search the playstore for "backup", it will give you a lot of apps for that. One of the best non-root backup solutions for this probably is MyBackup Pro, which covers most of it -- though there are a lot of apps offering to backup/restore parts.
Most other app's data cannot be backed-up, however. Some of them provide possibilities to export their settings (and import them at a later point), others have dedicated backup apps (I remember e.g. something like that for Angry Birds).
For contacts and calendar, there's also the possibility to sync them with your Google account. I would not, however, rely on the "Google backup" for other things, as it is often reported to unsuccessfully restore. For that case, there are extra measures one can take. The easiest would be to logon to AppBrain with your Google credentials, and sync your installed apps. Appbrain then allows you to save that as a list with their service: you can then use this list to restore all apps you put into it -- or you could even send it to a different device (even a different user's device) for a "mass install".
In case you had some apps installed which are no longer available on the playstore, you could also take a look at AppMonster: in its payed (pro) version, it also allows batch-install. Plus, it captures each app you install/update and saves a copy -- which can be useful in the future as well: if some update breaks a functionality, you can ask AppMonster to simply restore a previous (captured) version.
And though this currently does not affect you (as your Android version is lower than 4.0), just to mention for other users (and your possible future device): starting with Android 4.0, there is the possibility for a Full Backup of non-rooted devices (rooted users always have this possibility with Titanium Backup ★ root).
Data stored on your sd card should not be affected by the factory-reset.

I would recommend you remove the external SD card before sending, and backup the internal.

Thanks. I'll look into that. How about apps? Will they be reinstalled on the device when I first log in on the new install? Or do I have to pick them up by hand, one-by-one?

Depends on. If you enabled Google Backup ("Do you want to backup your data to Google...") before (and after the factory reset), they theoretically should be restored on the first sync. Practically, however, it often seems to fail. So in that case, you had to install them manually. Or, alternatively, login to AppBrain before resetting, and sync with them. Login thereafter and let your list restore. Just in case the Google backup stuff fails.

Guess I'll move those "extra chars" up to the answer itself, as it is a means of "backup your apps".

By "extra chars" I meant, the char limit for comments is stupid.

I noticed. Saw the added chars in the answer? Count them, and count the chars from the corresponding comment as well to compare #-) Never mind, got it :)


text:
How does Google Play work out if an app is compatible with my device?
I have one "generic" Android tablet, and often when I come to install and app, Google Play says it's incompatible with my device. It happens even on popular apps such as Twitter, Instagram, Evernote, Foursquare and even Google Maps!
I know it works, because if I copy the APK from my Motorola phone onto this tablet and install it manually, it runs fine (at least Instagram and Twitter do).
I'm not trying to make Instagram work on my tablet. I'm trying to find a way to install the apps from the Play Store.

How and where does Google Play performs a compatibility check on my device? I suspect said check is failing somehow. I want to be able to install apps that will work on my device and stop Google Play preventing me.

The apps are not blocked because of the country of my device, I know this because when it is blocked because of the country, the message is different http://i.imgur.com/B69bn.png and it won't even show on Google Play, I have to open the page on my desktop.

Both my Motorola Defy phone and my gerenic Genesis tablet run Android 4 (Cyanogenmod 9 in case of my phone, unknown rom in case of tablet).

When developers make apps, they have to specify any hardware/software requirements in a file called the androidmanifest.xml file.
These can be hardware or software requirements, such as if the app needs GPS, or telephony features - or if it will only work on a certain Android version.
When you use Google Play, it sends your device's 'features' to the server, and then filters apps accordingly.
The most likely reason it is deemed incompatible by Google Play is that it is set to require a certain screen resolution - or maybe portrait/landscape mode defaults.
Some tablets have a low resolution, and also tell google play that they cannot go into portrait mode.
It could also be, your tablet being generic, that it does not have the required GPS or sensors that the manifiest file says it needs, and the market is stopping you from installing because of that.
I shall find out what the instagram app needs (look at it manifest), and edit this answer for you.
EDIT:
According to the Instagram manifest, the only 'required' item is the glEs version - minimum 131072. It could also be because of your tablets country/carrier setting.
Twitter needs a minimum of Android 2.1, and may also need a Vibrator, as it uses the vibrate permission.

No, it is not because of the country of my device, neither the carrier. It has no carrier (no GSM or phone capabilities), and when some app is blocked because of the country, the message displayed is a different one -- http://i.imgur.com/B69bn.png

@ruda.almeida Just covering all the boundries...

No problem, I was just providing more data, thanks for your efforts!

@ruda.almeida If an app requests the telephony permission (to send/receive texts), then it will require telephony hardware as well.

I know you don't think it is due to your country HOWEVER I noticed that your screenshot was in a language other than English. I am an android developer so I am sorta familiar with localization. Basically apps have certain locales which "represents a language/country/variant combination. Locales are used to alter the presentation of information such as numbers or dates to suit the conventions in the region they describe" (see this on the Android development site). This caught my eye:

An application's Java code refers to just two strings, text_a and text_b. This application includes a localized resource file (res/values-en/strings.xml) that defines text_a and text_b in English. This application also includes a default resource file (res/values/strings.xml) that includes a definition for text_a, but not for text_b:
This application might compile without a problem. An IDE such as
  Eclipse will not highlight any errors if a resource is missing. When
  this application is launched on a device with locale set to English,
  the application might run without a problem, because
  res/values-en/strings.xml contains both of the needed text strings.
  However, the user will see an error message and a Force Close button
  when this application is launched on a device set to a language other
  than English. The application will not load.

Notice the part about how the application might compile without a problem but might also show an error message and Force Close if the device has a locale that is not supported by that app. I realize this is not what is happening to you but might relate to your problem because Google Play will see that your device might be set to a locale that the app in question does not support or have a specific set of resources for. Google Play might than hide that app from your device even though it could work fine due to the default resources the developer has presumable written, however Google Play may decide it does not want to risk an angry costumer over a Force Close issue so it might just hide it completely from you. Again, this is just an idea and I realise that you see a different message for incompatibility with your country. Hope this helps.

Interesting, I had no idea about it (and I suspect a few developers might be unaware too). However both my phone and tablet are set to work on the same language. I know there are a few different system attributes to define language, country, locale etc, I have a few system apps that display it, I'm going to run it and add the info to my question.

Glad I could open a new door for you. You might want to check out the two developer pages I provided because something might pop up there to help you out.

Google Play compatibility checks aren't based on locales. Additionally, it's normal practice for the developer to have one locale's resources (such as English) as the default, so in an unsupported locale it will just use the default resources.


text:
ODEX file: Does every app has one and if yes where are they stored?
I know that .odex files are optimized .dex files.
I have seen a lot of .odex files below the path /system on my phone. I am just curious if there are also .odex files for my installed apps.
I searched the file system but I wasn't able to find .odex files for my installed apps. But I assume that they exist - the question is just where they are stored.
BTW: My phone is a rooted Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.1.2

I think only prepackaged system apps will have .odex files because any other app isn't optimized specifically for your device, although I could be wrong on that.

.odex files make the app launch faster (on system boot).  Therefore they are only applicable for System-installed apps, not regular apps from the Play Store.

When your ROM is booted up for the first time, Android's Dalvik goes through every apk and extracts the dex file from it.  It places the dex files in the cache folder - located at /data/dalvik-cache.  This is the directory that gets cleared when you clear the dalvik cache in your recovery tool

So Android generates odex files in /data/dalvik-cache only the first time you boot Android? Or the odex files are generated every boot if the cache is empty?

Are you sure these are .odex files?

Yes every user app has an odex file. Check /data/app and you will see every user app with a folder called oat in that folder, in which you will see an odex file

I believe every app has an ODEX db because this keeps the app files for running the app,the widget or apk cant work without it. Its normally located in the Secure file system under apps,each app with have its icon and the odex file with the same name .ODEX next to it.

To know where .odex files are stored you can use a terminal emulator and run the following command:
su && find / -name=*.odex*


text:
What are the options for streaming music from PC to phone?
I'm interested in being able to play music that's on my computer through my phone - mostly so I can plug the phone into speakers in different parts of the house. Looking for apps, I realise that there are actually some pretty different ways you can do this:

Run a music server that's accessible over the internet, access through app or web browser on phone (eg AudioGalaxy, Subsonic)
Run an audio streaming server that provides a single audio stream (eg SoundWire - you drive the choice of music from the PC, and the phone is just a passive receiver)
Share your music folder, and use a Samba (or equivalent) file share app like ES File Explorer to access the files on your phone and play them from there.
Use DLNA-supporting apps at both ends to play and share music (eg, Windows Media Player on PC, and AllShare or Skifta on phone)
Sync music from PC to phone regularly, and just play it from there.

Am I missing any? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach? One concern for me is I'd rather not have music going via the internet, because then it would count doubly out of my internet usage cap.
Also, are there apps (with the right combination of PC software) that can combine these approaches? It would be great to be able to either drive a playlist from the PC, or select songs from the phone. Extra bonus points for solutions that work for video (ie, films) as well.
My PC is Windows XP, my phone is Samsung Galaxy Note.
EDIT Incorporating answers from below into the original list.

Have you looked at Play music from PC on Android?

Yeah, I did - tried VLC Stream & Convert, but it was super flakey for me.

Generally, Galaxy devices have AllShare app which is DLNA certified software. If your device doesn't have AllShare, install Skifta.
Now, all you need is a DLNA certified media streaming server on PC. Fortunately, Windows Media Player 11 on Windows XP has this capability. So, you don't need extra software.

Make sure your music collection is in WMP library.
You don't need any extra-terrestrial configurations as DLNA certified products feature UPnP (Universal Plug and Play). Just make sure apps (or, its services) are open & are connected to same network (LAN/WLAN).
Its the best way for streaming media because its UPnP. It was designed to get rid of complexities of traditional media streaming solutions. And, it supports pictures and videos too.

That looks like a great solution. Strangely, the "Share my media" option doesn't seem to work for me - clicking OK just makes the dialog freeze for a minute, then do nothing. Any alternatives to WMP?

@Steve When you tick Share my media option, WMP searches compatible devices in network. So, tick it after turning on DLNA service in Android device and connecting it to same network. See if it works or not..

OIC, actually you need the "Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service" running in control panel. See here: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/supportOwnersHowToGuidePopupPrint.do?howto_guide_seq=5302&howto_guide_step_no=1&prd_ia_cd=N0000044&map_seq=31159

Ok, cool, this works. Seems like there are some limitations (eg, only 500 entries in any list displayed), but it's a pretty good start.

More info: serviio (http://www.serviio.org/download) is better than WMP: much faster (maybe 5x) browsing of media, smarter categories etc.

Have a look at SoundWire.

Ta - that's one of the category 2 solutions: sharing all audio from the PC to passive receivers.

If you're looking to just play music anywhere in the house, the option to just access a file share from your phone and play music from it is probably your best bet.  ES File Explorer has a Samba plugin that should allow just that, and most music players should be able to do playlists.
As an aside, no matter which option you chose you don't have to worry about bandwidth so long as you are using a locally hosted option to stream your music (ie, not a cloud service like Google Music).
However, if you want a lot of control and the ability to stream to multiple devices simultaneously like an internal house radio station over your local network, I would strongly recommend Subsonic.  You have an enormous amount of control over your media via the app from any machine running the Subsonic app, and they have apps for all phone and PC platforms.  The only catch is that there is a $20 license to use the phone apps.  However, that wouldn't stop you from just tuning into the streaming feed from your phone and using the browser based interface instead to control your music.

Cool - well that works. The Android app looks great. The straight web interface is pretty bad on a mobile (even on the note). Its huge window requires lots of panning around. Also, it needs flash player which doesn't seem to work for me. So I'll have to think about that $20...

Personally I think it's well worth it myself.  It's quite spiffy.

FYI, if you're worried about data and you're just using it around the house, list the Subsonic server as the local IP address and it should then only be accessible over wifi.

I use option 4 (DLNA) quite beautifully for streaming both music AND video to my phone/tablet/PS3 and tablet within wi-fi range in my house.
My setup is:
PC MediaTomb running on Ubuntu-linux (If you run Windows, I'm sure there are alternatives)
Tablet / Phone: uPNPlay (free on Google Play) linked to your favorite media player
Pros:

All media sits on one machine
All my devices (phone, tablet PS3*) can stream media from that location
Secure over encrypted network
No bandwidth issues

Cons:

My PC has to be on 24/7.

*PS3 only recognises some divX codecs

Thanks, didn't know about UPnP AV. Which leads me to: http://superuser.com/questions/226636/what-is-the-difference-between-dlna-and-upnp

Interesting, I didn't know that.But uPNPlay does supprt both. I see I made a typo in the app name which may have been confusing. Fixed that.

I've had a squeezebox streaming media player for years and the software which is also downloadable free is pretty good so I use that. I can stream remotely, as per original question, when I'm away from the house and I've used XiiaLive as an android player. It's not as light as player as I would prefer but it works.
The server also looks after submissions to last.fm which keeps me happy.
All free software. The Squeezebox server is also cross platform.

Links would be helpful.

Subsonic. It is extremely robust and easy to use.
It is open source but there is a licensing.
However as it is open source you can remove easily the license. (and this is perfectly legal)
See https://github.com/KHresearch/subsonic

Well, here we are in 2018 and I have a cunning plan.  It doesn't quite answer the question as posed but I hope it's close enough.
I have an old HTC phone that has a micro SD slot.  128GB SD cards are available on eBay now for a handful of $ / £, so, objective #1 is to find out if this phone (it's Android 4.4.2 I think) can utilise all the space.  [Update: it can, woohoo!].
Then I will copy my entire music library across from my PC.
Next up is a Bluetooth audio receiver that will pair with the phone and that you can simply plug into a spare input on your amp.  Again, these are incredibly cheap on eBay.  I don't know yet if they are any good, but people have posted some enthusiastic reviews so I couldn't resist buying one. It's in the post, will report back.
Then, install the music player of choice on the phone and to start streaming just press (I believe) the 'pair now' button on the receiver and then fire up the app.  The phone should then play through the receiver to the amp.
Pros:

Nice and simple.
Dirt cheap, if, like me, you already have an amp and speakers and a suitable spare phone.  Even if you need a phone, it should be easy enough to pick up something second-hand, you just need that SD card slot.  Or you could use an old tablet, but that would obviously be bulkier, clutter the place up more.
No monthly fees (unlike, say, Spotify Premium).
Should be easy to use.
Choice of music players, pick your favourite.
Cheap to run - no need to leave the PC on.
Also works for Internet radio, podcasts and YouTube music videos.  And indeed any other streaming service, most likely.
Should also work from an iPhone (my partner has one, I'm hooked up with the wrong woman, what can I say?)

Cons:

I don't yet know how good the sound quality will be, it depends entirely on the receiver.  But if it's not good enough I will buy a more expensive one.  I'll let you know.
128GB might not be enough for your entire music library.  You can get larger cards at modest cost on eBay but I think it's wise to avoid the very cheap ones.
If you have a second music system in another room you would need to buy a second receiver.  But they cost peanuts so it doesn't matter.
Unlike some WiFi devices, such as (I believe) Chromecast Audio, you can't stream the same sound source to several receivers at the same time.  But I don't care about that, and those devices seem to be focussed on (paid-for) streaming services anyway and I that's not what I want.
Have to charge the phone or keep it plugged in.  Maybe I can find a cradle for it.

So, a few unknowns still but I have high hopes.  I'll let you-all know how it goes, should be fun.

You can use SoundIt to stream audio from your computer to any other device easily, it's designed specifically for that.
It allows you to stream to multiple devices at the same time and control each device's volume remotely.

Here's my method..
I have an old Samsung tablet I leave connected to the stereo and powered-on at all times, where it has all my cool audio apps installed and configured. I then install Android VNC Server on it (in my case the one I got to work was VMLite VNC Server which can work with or without 'root' access in Android). My tablet happens to be rooted so VNC server can auto-start on boot for me.
Then I connect the free RealVNC client to it which gives me a remote desktop type window to have full access to the home screen of the Android.
Then on my laptop I can launch it and get into the tablet and launch all my cool sound apps like Folder Player, iHeart Radio, Tune-In Pro, Scanner Radio, and maybe 25 others. That stereo is wired to speakers in multiple rooms which allows the content to be everywhere.
They also have VNC Client apps for Android so one could access the tablet from a phone, but I haven't tried it since I am always using my laptop when at home so Windows VNC client works fine.
Some may find it crude but for me it is the most versatile.


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Altering left-right sound balance on Android 6.0.1
I have a hearing problem and I need to custom balance right and left outputs for my headphones.
How can I do it on Android 6.0.1 ? (I have a Nexus)
Conclusion so far: It seems like Android system is lacking some of the standard accessibility features that can help people with disabilities access and experience the Google Play applications. My next mobile will be iOs.

Thanks for updating those details, Victor – but this being a Q&A site, answers should not be placed into the question button. You could separate that to its own answer, or have me integrate those details into my answer (and then "accept" the corresponding answer by ticking the check-mark next to it). Which path shall we go?

Thanks for remarks Izzy. Unfortunately, I do not see any 'accept' button yet (maybe because I have a fresh account?) and this is not actually my answer.

Should look like this if unchecked (and if unchecked is only visible to the one having asked – regardless of who wrote the answer). As you've edited it out of your question post (thanks!), I'll integrate it with my answer now.

There's an older related post on this topic: How do I adjust audio balance of my Android phone headphones out? – but it seems that it's not matching recent versions of Android anymore. Like this CNET post it recommends going to Settings › Accessibility and check the "Hearing" section (which I could not found on my Lollipop devices – according to the linked question, it might be device-specific and not available on all devices – the Samsung S6 e.g. seems to have this, for other devices it seems to have been removed) for either the "Sound balance" or the "Music Effects" item. So if your device has that: great, you're done!
If your device does not have this setting, there are 3rd party solutions. But as far as I am aware, they all require your device being rooted. If that condition is met, you can e.g. use:

the Audio Balance XPosed module (see this XDA thread for details)
the Viper music effects app recommended in the linked question (still maintained; the download page mentions "Android 4.0~6.0")

As much as I've looked around, these seem to be the only options available currently.

Update by Victor Spinei after evaluation:
In order to download and install this you might need to check:

Settings/Security/Unknown source to be ON
Settings/Google/Scan device for security threats to be OFF
Close security applications like Lookout
Do not forget to restart all those services after installing the audio apps.

Thank you for the response. I have checked the other related topics and I found similar conclusions. Android system is lacking some of the average accessibility tools.

Is not easy to install outside Android apps but will test this too recommended by you and update my question.

OK, trying both

http://repo.xposed.info/module/com.robertogl.audiobalance
http://vipersaudio.com/blog/?page_id=48

Thank you Izzy!
In order to download and install this you might need to check:

Settings/Security/Unknown source to be ON
Settings/Google/Scand device for security threats to be OFF
Close security applications like Lookout
Do not forget to restart all those services after installing the audio apps.

Thanks for the feedback! 1) is required for Viper, yes. AFAIK the Xposed module can be installed from within the Xposed GUI even without. 2) No idea what Scand is, never heard of it (new with MM, or did I miss something?) – wait: maybe you mean that "let Google scan apps you install" stuff? Does that get triggered by one of the two apps and yields a warning? 3) As those usually cause more trouble than they solve, I've never used any such :) 4) Well, same as 3 I guess :)

I cannot use Xposed framework with my Nexus 5 / Marshmallow.
After many hours I found a zip that could help this framework work but I fail to understand how to install it.

That would be a different question – though not yet answered here for MM (the XDA link on the Xposed installer page might have details, as the Nexus 5 isn't exactly a rare device ;)

True, I found the same data when looking for a solution. Now is obvious that I need to root my Android for any of this two solutions, and this is not something easy and comfortable (as technical and secure) to do.

Not being "easy and comfortable" the first time one does this, I agree. As for "not secure", I rather disagree (I root my devices usually before unboxing them :) if done wisely. But again, that's a different question :)

Android itself has a.f.a.i.k. no balance setting (which is a shame!).
But you can try in Googles Appstore "Bass Booster and Equalizer" - which installs itself as MusicPlayer and allows - amongst many other audio settings - to adjust the balance.
The only disadvantage is that the settings are limited to the application itself (the music player), and not system-wide effective.


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Android 2.2 - How to see applications that run at start-up

Possible Duplicate:
How can I prevent applications from running on startup?

Hello!
Is it possible to see which applications are set to run at startup?
For example, the idiots at Yahoo made the Android Messenger so that it starts on Android Start-up, but provide no way of preventing this behaviour. They always do this kind of dirty tricks...
Anyway, is there sort of an msconfig as in Windows?
Thank you.

If you logout from Yahoo Messenger, it will not automatically login when you reboot your phone.

I know, I killed the process, but I want to see which apps start after rebooting and change that if needed.

I don't know of a free solution, though there may be one.
I do know of Autostarts, currently just under 1 USD, a pretty good price in my opinion. It gives you a list of applications that have attached themselves to different events in the Android OS (I'm not an Android programmer, my wording is likely wrong there). You can then choose to disable that association without actually removing or disabling the application. For your Yahoo startup example -- With Autostarts you can prevent it from launching on startup, but it will still be accessible for you to launch at your leisure later on.
Forgot to mention - this does require root. A bit of searching seems to confirm that there is no way to disable startup apps without root - your only option in that case would be uninstalling them.
I also stumbled on a manual process that I've never personally tried -- You can do what Autostarts does by issuing some shell commands (ADB or Terminal Emulator app).
su pm disable <package name>/<package name>.<activity name>

I believe that would translate to something like:
su pm disable com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.im/com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.im.android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED

But I've never tried this myself.

Thank you, Saiboogu. Excellent answe, I pressed set as accepted 9 times! Hope that counts for something. :)

The info in the answer (talking about price) is not complete: Autostarts is free software (= open-source), also available from f-droid.org, which is important to know for those who don't want to install non-free software (non-community-reviewed, possibly malicious code).

There is an application called Startup Cleaner (Free). Startup Cleaner does not require root, however just like Saiboogu said, you cannot actually prevent application from starting up without rooting. Startup Cleaner register itself at boot time, and then kills applications that you want to prevent from starting up at boot time; and after some time it kills itself.

Thank you Lie, I'll see about Startup Cleaner as well. Thanks.

I've used similar apps, unfortunately they often cause problems and most apps just start up again later.

Yeah, I've decided not to go down that road. I generally dislike "cleaner" apps etc from my Windows OS experience.

which is precisely why I uninstalled that apps as well; though it might be a viable alternative if you don't want to root.


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Where are the .apk files of currently installed apps stored on my Android device?

Possible Duplicate:
Where in the file system are applications installed?

How can I view the .apk files of currenly installed apps on my android phone?

Use a file manager to look in the following locations:

/data/app
/data/app-private
/system/app/
/sdcard/.android_secure (shows .asec files, not .apks)
On Samsung phones: /sdcard/external_sd/.android_secure

You need to be rooted to view the first three.
Use command pm list package -f (via adb shell if you want to use ADB) to list packages with their respective locations. You can then read the files. This can be done without superuser permissions.

Matthew, you can consider an update to the answer. Android need not  be  rooted to access /system/app/ now.

System apps are found in /system/app/.
The other apps you've installed are found in the /mnt/asec/ directory. See my answer to this question for details.


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Moto G -- recovering files after bootloader unlock (wipe)?
I'm trying to evaluate the options for recovering some important files that were  deleted from a Moto G 1st generation. I have sufficient experience with the data recovery itself once I have an image file, and I know how to extract an image of the /sdcard partition once the phone is rooted.
However, I see the following problems:

The phone isn't rooted, and the bootloader is still locked. Unlocking the bootloader will wipe the phone.
The phone is updated to Android 4.4.4 . Therefore it isn't possible to root it without unlocking the bootloader. (this seemed to work for 4.4.2 , but a downgrade requires an unlocked bootloader)

What I think might be a solution:

Backup to PC with adb
Unlock bootloader (wipes all data!)
Root phone
Extract image of /sdcard partition to PC
Recover files on PC using the usual forensics tools
Maybe lock bootloader again/unroot phone (still tbd)
Restore backuped files with adb

Questions:

Is the wipe during bootloader unlocking just a normal "delete" (quick-format) operation or will the whole partition be overwritten? If the former, will I have chances to recover the files, with the usual caveats (i.e. files not overwritten yet by new files). If the latter, I prefer to avoid this tedious procedure...
Does the procedure make sense or am I missing something important?

Were you able to find the solution for this problem.
I am having the same problem so if i could get help.

I had the same question. Then I used a retired Moto G to test ROOT (as usual) and recovery with this method: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-internal-memory-data-recovery-yes-t1994705
Now I have a RAW file with 13 GB and neither Handy Recovery can find files earlier than wipe. It doesn't seem a quick-format.
I'm still looking for a non-wipe method meanwile talking to Motorola to recover a folder lost during an MTP's error. I still hope...


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How to Backup and Restore Android OS without Rooting
I want to find a way to restore my phone in case the process of rooting my phone or dual booting a custom rom breaks it. However, most of the ones I've looked at require the phone to be rooted before installing. I know I can create a nandroid backup through system settings, but I don't know how to recover that without rooting my device, or if there are better options. I'm not terribly concerned for any personal data on my phone (I can backup my pictures pretty easily), but I mostly just want to be able reinstall Android OS or reset to factory default in case my device breaks. Thanks!
Edit: I am going to ask a new question (one different enough to justify not simply modifying this one) with the new info I learned from the possible duplicate.

I know I can create a nandroid backup through system settings

No, you can't. Read the tag wiki of nandroid to clear your concept about nandroid backup, including how it is made.

I mostly just want to be able reinstall Android OS or reset to factory default in case my device breaks.

A factory reset wouldn't help since it only clears data, internal SD card and cache partitions while rooting mainly affects system partition. System partition is what contains the files needed for Android to run.
You can use the answers available to Full Backup of non-rooted devices. On a non-rooted device, those answers  are more or less  limited to the extent of the magic adb can perform. In essence, they would, when possible, copy an app's apk and its data. Some of them covers both system and user-installed apps.
Tip: If an app doesn't want to be backed up (such as Chrome), none of the answers there would be able to backup that app's private data - sad reality of our times.
As for re-installation and possible nandroid backup, the situation differs for device to device. Following are few generic things I can tell:

Your device is popular enough in developer community that at least one person has created and publicly hosted a custom recovery for your device and also hosted the stock ROM somewhere, either by themselves or by making a copy of what OEM probably provided . If there exists a way to flash the ROM without booting into a custom recovery mode, then you can take the moderate risk of rooting.
Make sure you meet all the requisites to flash the ROM before you begin rooting.
Your device's OEM provides stock ROMs image which can be flashed from stock recovery or through fastboot (or equivalent) mode.
Fulfill the requisites of ROM flashing and you can take the moderate risk of rooting.
You own a device with chipset from Mediatek and that chipset is supported by Smart Phone (SP) Flash Tool. If yes, then make the scatter file and use it in SP Flash Tool to make image of your device's partitions. You can call it the true nandroid backup. That backup can be used to restore the Android OS.
Note: If you've a custom recovery for your device, then you can use SP Flash Tool to flash the recovery without bothering to root the device at first. Once the custom recovery is installed and device is booted into, rooting would be a piece of cake.
Make sure you meet all the requisites before you begin rooting.
If there is no OEM or developer support for your device, then I suggest you don't take the risk of rooting. The ending might take away your peace of mind.

You may call it a partial answer since I can't possibly cover details for backup.

Helium might be something you're interested in. It backs up mainly apps, but since you said you already have solutions for photos, this could work the way you need.

Helium is the missing app sync and backup solution for Android.
Helium does NOT require root. All Android users can use Helium to backup and sync Android applications.
Helium lets you backup your apps and data to your SD card or cloud storage. With Helium, you can sync app data from your other Android devices-- even if they are not on the same network. Set up backup schedules with Helium, and never lose data again.

That being offered, if you're looking for a way to back up the entire system, an ADB nandroid backup might be better, and can be restored without root. This has been outlined in another answer here.

It is not a solution as it can't backup android os(stock rom).


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Getting metadata of audio file currently being played?
Is it possible in android to get information of an audio file currently being played by an application? Is there a central service that keeps track of what's being currently played in Android instead of just relying on the audio players?


text:
Automatic factory reset and app installation
I have a Android tablet for which I want to do a factory reset, and then install some pre-defined applications.
This has to be carried out by someone who has no computer experience and no Android experience at all. All I get this person to do is connect the device to a computer by cable, and interact with a very simple interface with a couple of buttons.
All this has to be performed on a well known device and only for that model.
Is it possible to connect a device to a computer and with a couple clicks do all that?
If so, are there any suitable applications which do that already? Would it be necessary to create software for that?
Rooting is no problem.

possible duplicate of How to recover apps from a factory reset?

@Ryan Conrad it sounds like it's slightly different. The recover apps question implies the apps were previously installed. This question implies they weren't necessarily.

@rob05c - the question is from the same person. the original question should have been modified, not a new question started.

@Ryan Conrad ah, I missed that.

@RyanConrad I intended to ask both question separately. In fact, the plan was to obtain answers to the other question, and then ask this accordingly. Moreover, this question is more specific than the previous one, since here I'm asking for a solution for the whole procedure, while in the other one, I am asking the general thing.

Possible solutions, in descending order of idealism and difficulty:

Create a custom ROM, with the apps you want on it, which you can flash onto these devices. This question is a good starting place for that.
Write your own app, which automatically installs the other apps. The first answer to this thread provides the code to install apps programmatically.
The easiest solution, if it suits your needs, would to be to use one of many "installer" apps. If you can drop the apps on the tablets after installing your stock ROM (ideally on an SD card), you could then install an "installer" app. Then either run it yourself, or instruct your users to run it and install the listed apps.

In any of these solutions, you will have to write the desktop computer application which has the few-button interface for users, which does the flashing and installing. Whether you do a custom ROM or a stock one, you will have to automate its install. This thread has some help on automating ROM installation.

@MobileCushion I believe any solution to your problem will require development. I'm fairly certain what you want doesn't exist somewhere in prepackaged form. Just remember Android Enthusiasts is for Android users. For development questions, Stack Overflow is the place to ask.

Thank you for answering, and yes that is somehow what I was fearing. Looks like this would be an harder task than what I was expecting. ;)

I know it's a late answer -- but it does not need any "special app" to be written:
As to your apps installation: Put all the .apk files into a directory (you can catch them e.g. using AppMonster Free Backup Restore). Add the basic stuff from the Android SDK (you don't need the entire SDK package, just a few files which you can find e.g. in the AndroidForums ADB Guide, for Mac, Linux and Windows). Write a tiny Shell/Batch script to adb install *.apk.
The factory reset can be accomplished in a similar way:
adb shell "recovery --wipe_data"

So put that as the first line of your script Optionally prepend it with an adb wait-for-device. As the wipe is followed by a reboot, better make it look like this:
adb wait-for-device              # in case the user starts the batch before connecting the device
adb shell "recovery --wipe_data" # factory-reset (includes reboot)
adb wait-for-device              # wait until device has rebooted
adb install com.foobar.myapp     # install the apps you want
adb install ...
echo "=========================" # let the user know the process is finished
echo "All done -- Cut the rope!"
echo "========================="

Zip it all up and send it to the user.
Instructions to the user:

Unpack the ZIP to an empty folder (closer descriptions depending on the OS used)
Connect your device with an USB cable (maybe add instructions on how to see whether the connection was established successfully. On windows, added trouble might be special drivers needed)
Start the Shell script/Batch file

Taking a look at the ADB options might give you further ideas ;)


text:
How does one copy all the data AND apps from one Asus tablet to another?
I have an Asus Transformer Prime TF-201, and am upgrading to an Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF-701. Before I sell my old table, I want to backup all my data and apps, and somehow transfer them to the new tablet. Is this possible without rooting the tablet? Both are currently synced with my Google account, and on both tablets, under Settings->Backup and Restore, both tablets are set to backup information to Google.

For the "Backup and Restore" you are referring to, please see What exactly is synced with Google? -- it's much less than you'd expect. Especially it's not "all your apps data".

Thank you, that does explain why nothing else transferred... Except it didn't save my Asus settings either :( Oh well. I'm going to try the solutions below too

I could start with the very same lamentations: No root no fun. As except for root only the app itself can access its data, there's no real way around -- except...
But first an elegant alternative to the mentioned Titanium Backup: While running both (rooted!) devices simultaneously,
AppSync can synchronize apps and data. So you could even start some game on one device, sync, and continue on the other -- just to give you one example.

The one possibility without root requires at least ICS (Android 4.x). I'm not sure whether this works betwenn different devices (or whether some device component is used for encryption), but as far as I understood it should do: Using adb backup and adb restore, which requires the Android SDK installed on your computer, and is described in detail in the article on Full Backup of non-rooted devices.

I know you would like to have the transfer done without rooting.  But in my opinion it can't be done. So, in case if you are ready for a compromise on rooting, you can use Titanium Backup Root app to back up and restore apps with its data and settings.
I once did this kind of transfer between two rooted phones. On the first phone, I backed up all user apps with its settings and data. I copied the TB's folder in SD card to my computer and in my other phone (already rooted) I used the same Google account and downloaded Titanium Backup. After a first run, I copied the previously copied TB's folders from computer to the other phone's SD card, over writing the existing content. After running TB in the other phone, I opted for restore all user apps with its data and I got back everything as it is.

I have news for whomever said: "Without root it's not possible" yes it is. I got a Asus transformer TF700T in Oct 12. It came with app backup. It gives you the choice of just backing up the app or app/data. Tested it and it works!

The fact is not new (see: Full Backup of non-rooted devices). But that an app for this comes pre-installed on some devices means somebody with "root" did so, and arranged the required privileges. This might be specific to that manufacturer, or even to this device line (here: it might be the case for the TF700T as shipped when you purchased yours, but not for previous versions or other product lines as e.g. the TF-201).

What about FruitMobile App BackUp? I haven't tested it but it looks like it can backup/restore apps and app data to/from the SD card without root.

Checked the play store and www.fruitmobile.com: No where it is mentioned that data will be backed up. Emphasis on root privilege is required especially to read the data and not for extracting the APK for the apps. Can only ensure by using it.

Right. It backs up the APK only. My mistake.

You are only trying to help :) I had sent an email to the developer seeking clarification. I am yet to receive it.

The short answer is, this is not possible without rooting.  Application data and settings can't be accessed outside the application/system by the regular user account for security reasons.

Sorry Logos, but "not possible without rooting" is simply wrong -- except if you limit it to "prior ICS (Android 4.0)". See my answer and follow the link for details (or just follow the link in the "Linked" section of this question).

I did say it was a short answer.  I'm taking into consideration the fact that any user who stipulates non-root solutions likely isn't going to be capable of installing and using ADB effectively - particularly as transferring settings (which I assume is included under 'data') between two different devices is problematic even for the extremely savvy.

OK, so let's agree on "is difficult without rooting" :)


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Reduce the screen brightness below given permissible level
Is it possible to reduce the screen brightness below given level? Well if possible does it really reduce the energy consumption.

That programming part would make this question off-topic (see [help/on-topic] to know more). I suggest you remove it. // By given level, do you mean the level set by your OEM? If that's the case, then yes, you can reduce it.

I suppose this is what you're looking for: How can I reduce screen brightness below the minimum without an app?

Yes it is possible to reduce the brightness level below the default screen brightness slider level. You can use, Night Mode app from Play Store.
As mentioned in the app description,

Night Mode's main goal is to reduce the brightness of your screen
  lower than you can achieve with the default settings.

And this app doesn't require you a root permission.
Does this setting saves battery?
It depends upon the screen you have for your phone. If you have AMOLED screen it will save battery for you.
See this post for more explanation How does reducing brightness of screen increase battery life?

Figuratively, it does, because it uses overlay filter so it would feel that brightness is reduced, though energy consumption isn't reduced on my screen. Technically, it doesn't.

Updated my answer. In AMOLED screens it will reduce the battery consumption based on this post.

Yeah, noticed that, so changed my comment to "my screen". :)