text:
Can't exit recovery mode after intalling HD revolution 71.1
I started with a HTC ONE m7 with HD Revolution 12 and Android 4.2.2.
Downloaded and installed Android_Revolution_HD-One_71.1.zip.  Install seems to go fine.  After installation it asks me to fix permissions.  Also wiped from TWRP before installation.
After installing and rebooting I can only get to TWRP v2.5.0.0 or the bootloader mode that shows:
TAMPERED
UNLOCKED
HBOOT-1.44.0000
RADIO-4A.14.3250.15
OPEN DSP-v26.120.274.0202
eMMC-BOOT
May 3 2013, 20:01:28-1
FASTBOOT USB:
Bootloader
Reboot
Reboot Bootloader
Power Down
or HBOOT:
Fastboot
Recovery
Factory Reset
Simlock
Image CRC
Show Barcode
What now?  Everything I try takes me to either the Recovery Screen or the TWRP.
:?

Try updating TWRP to 2.6.3.3+

My PC's not seeing the phone as a drive so there's no way for me drop installation files on it?

Have you tried mounting as a storage device from within recovery?

Just tried the mounting options under TWRP---Cache (x -checked) and Data (x-checked) and System and USB-OTG (Both unchecked).  Still not seeing anything on the PC

Is there some sort of USB Fast boot I should be doing from the PC side?

Thanks for the tip Jonny Wright.  I was able to instal 2.6.33 thanks to this youtube vid:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HWj_1KHbuY.  Reinstalled and booted up normally.  Now in setup up redoing apps and email.  Thanks!!

@ThomasBright Glad to read you were able solving your issue! Could you please answer your own question, describing the steps you've taken (and giving the Youtube link as a reference)? This would help other users with similar trouble to identify this issue as being solved, and directing them to the solution. Thanks!

Sure IzzY!   Per Johnny Wrights recommendation I was trying to update TWRP to 2.6.3.3.   Plug in the phone to the PC via USB and make sure the phone is in FASTBOOT USB mode from the bootloader menu.   I installed "Minimal ADB and Fastboot". Running that from the command line (cmd.exe) you type "fastboot flash recovery " then drag the file.  (watch the youtube video-it will make more sense).  I my case it was the 2.6.3 TWRP .img file.  That pushes the update to the phone.  I already had the HD 71.1 zip on the phone.  I installed that via the TWRP install and from there it booted up normally.

Summing up the solution from the comments, as neither OP nor the "solution provider" posted an answer:
Per Johnny Wrights recommendation I was trying to update TWRP to 2.6.3.3:

Plug in the phone to the PC via USB and make sure the phone is in FASTBOOT USB mode from the bootloader menu.
On the PC, I installed "Minimal ADB and Fastboot". Running that from the command line (cmd.exe) you type fastboot flash recovery then drag the file. (watch the youtube video – it will make more sense). I my case it was the 2.6.3 TWRP .img file. That pushes the update to the phone.
I already had the HD 71.1 zip on the phone. I installed that via the TWRP install and from there it booted up normally.

In my case, removing TWRP and reinstalling it solved the issue:

install stock recovery to replace the installed TWRP
install TWRP again so it replaces the stock recovery

After that, my device booted up normally.


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My phone is sending messages to international number
My phone is automatically sending sms to number 6592324290 and i have been charged heavily by my service provider. I don't remember that i have installed any app which can send such sms. please advice so that at lest further sms can be stopped.

Check out the link above, posted by @filoxo.  Take a look at your permissions for apps that can send SMS.  Are you rooted?

Procedure is the same as described here and here. Just replace the permission to check for by SEND_SMS.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How do I set an image as my custom lock screen image without any widgets on Android 4.4.4?
I have made an image that I'd like to use as my lockscreen "wallpaper". Except, I don't want it to be a wallpaper, I want it to be the only thing I see on the lockscreen with no unlock button or widgets on top. I don't mind if the status bar is there or not and it would be great to put a clock and the weather on there, but it's not necessary.
I've tried a lot of lock screen replacements, but haven't found one which will remove all the periphery and just let me set the image as the lock screen without any widgets or a lock icon on top. Do you know of anything?
For reference, I'd love to be able to swipe to unlock the screen.

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


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Galaxy Tab 3 won't boot - dead battery?
I'm kind of disappointed, this morning I wanted to start my GT3 but I get this logo instead (sorry for the poor quality) :

I've try AB testing with my Nexus 5 battery loader, both works on my Nexus. The GT3 flash sometimes and boot a few times but stop after less than 1 min.
I can't launch the tests (Power + Vol +) because it "needs battery to be above 3.4V.
Is the battery dead ?

Have you tried powering it off and charging it for 6 hours? If not, that should be your first course of action. If after charging it still doesn't power on, you may have either a bad charger or a dead battery (or some other strange bug I've never run into). If you have a different charger, give that a go for 6 hours and see what changes.
On my Galaxy Note 10.1 I've had that logo show up when I have very low battery. It won't actually power on until the battery is partially charged once you've taken the battery all the way down to zero.
Also, youtube: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEQQtwIwAw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl1jrrVcQ8f8&ei=3HPSU9LIOIqiyASgmoCwDw&usg=AFQjCNH9B0sbXK8q_fWhhpNVUnHmlmcXxg&sig2=lVcDHD3B7ilruFW4gPiMQA&bvm=bv.71667212,d.aWw

"It won't actually power on until the battery is partially charged."  With Android devices I've used, the minimum battery level to power on is 15%; lower than that, and you risk damaging the lithium cells, so the devices are programmed to shut down or refuse to start.

After reading all the posts I tried to open the unit, but without luck.  I then thought my computer USB port may be 3.4v or more, so I plugged in the Galaxy 10.1 in the USB port, waited about 20 minutes tried turning on the unit and walla it was charging.  I did not see this fix noted anywhere in the posts and it may just be coincidental that it worked, but does not hurt to give it a try yourself....so glad I did not have to fool with the inside of my tablet.

This amounts to letting the device charge to 15% before booting.  It's a pretty nearly universal Android solution; after a low-power shutdown, or a long time unused, you'll need to let it charge for a while (20 minutes or more) before it'll boot.  Recommended you power off and let it charge overnight, then verify the device's charger is working correctly.  Chargers aren't expensive...

Great solution! Yes, let it charge some time before attempting to switch it on.

I found the solution on this forum (in french, thanks god I'm french).
Your battery is too low, chances are you've left you tablet discharged and unused for quite a while.
Anyways, you need to unconnect the middle connector on top of you battery (you can see it in practice in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=humtforaj2w) then reconnect it and it should work again.
I'm amazed Samsung left such hardware bug in its device (Planned obsolescence?) but that's how it is.
Good luck


text:
Phone Storage Problems
I am having an issue where I have no free space. I have deleted a few apps and removed cache from all and it gives me some free space. I then go to delete to a text message from microsoft and I cannot get to the menu to delete it and messages crash and I then have no free space again.
Anyone know how to fix this issue? Is the message causing the lack of space problem or is the lack of space causing the message app to crash?
Thanks
HenGreer

You're probably having a problem using your device because of lack of internal space for running programs.  You can use a very low level, low resource on the Android to remove programs.  Install the Android SDK package and use it to uninstall some of your apps to regain internal memory.  You can even use it to back up the apps on your computer so that after you have your android working again you can choose which ones to put back.
A good GUI program for managing your apps and deleting files from your android is Airdroid.  However, you might not be able to install Airdrod until you've made space using the Android SDK package.
You can start out with these commands:
(You'll have to activate Debugging from the settings menu in the android to use this option)
This give a list of all the packages:
$ adb shell pm list packages

You can remove an app by running:
$ adb uninstall [apt-name]

You can use the "-k" option to retain your data/cache in case you will be reinstalling the app after you have gotten your android functioning.
You can us this command to see how much memory you have.  This will allow you to know when you have retrieve sufficient memory to operate normally.  It'll also allow you to identify better, if the memory is really your issue.
$ adb shell cat /proc/meminfo

You can look at Is it possible to backup apk from an installed application? for more tips on using the adb command.


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Phone is Stuck in Boot Loop With Recovery Not Accessible
I have a Tecno P5 and wanted to flash ClockworkMod Recovery onto it. I used Recovery-Tools to do this with the file TECNO-P5_130916__recovery_140106-193223.img. The process completed and I was prompted to boot into recovery. The reboot did not complete.
I can get into the boot menu (Volume Up + Power), but when I select Recovery mode or Normal mode the phone gets into a boot loop. Fastboot mode works and I can connect from Windows 7. The result of fastboot devices is "mt6572v1_phone fastboot"
No other Fastboot commands are having any observable effect apart from fastboot flash recovery TECNO-P5_130916__recovery_140106-193223.img which results in the error "Security deny - Err:0x2017".
fastboot oem unlock just hangs at "..."
Is there a tool that can either unlock the bootloader or reset the phone to factory settings so it can boot normally?

You could re-flash the stock recovery again from fastboot, but you'll need to find the image from the manufacturer or from someone who's taken a backup.

@DanHulme I have a zip that I believe is a backup of stock ROM meant for unbricking. I tried flashing the recovery from that, but I still get "Security deny - Err:0x2017". If only I could get pas that error...

Try downloading the latest adb and fastboot tools. Some fastboot tools hang while unlocking bootloader


text:
google play uses wrong account for in-app purchases
Problem:
When trying to purchase in-app items, google play selects the wrong google account and do not allow the user to correct it.
Scenario:
I have two google accounts, one private and one business. The private account is the default in google play when buying and installing apps. Though when trying an in-app purchase, the business account is choosen and cannot be changed. In my case, this prohibits me in-app purchases.
Further notes:
Uninstalling/reinstalling app to be sure the correct account is used in google play has no affect.
Haven't tried removing the business account and see how it affects the in-app purchases as I'm reluctant to do so. (Other way around would have been better:)
Question:
Have you encountered this problem and found a way to resolve/work-around it?

The question asked here is indeed very similar to the one referred to as its duplicate, with one difference though; the app in this case is installed via google play direcly and not side loaded via APK. The referred to question does not contain a workable solution, with exception for removing all but the wished for account. From my investigation so far, this is a bug in google play's in-app purchase, or the in-app purchase in some apps (some apps are strangly enough directed to the correct account), one crude workaround is available as earler stated.

I tried to add this info as complementary info to the other case before posting question, though due to the 50 rep minimum for being allowed to comment, I was not allowed to do that. :)

I found that I had a similar problem. What I did was completely reset my device, and then only associate my business account with it. That way my Gmail App is only displaying business conversations only. This also has the benefit of not confusing Play Store. This isn't the best way to do this probably, but it works. If you need to check your personal account, just sign in through your browser. This also prevents prying eyes from looking through your gmail app and seeing something personal.


text:
ACRA init crashing after new rom flash
I recently flashed CM11 on my GS2, it was slimkat 4.4.2 earlier. I believe I did a dirty flash because all my apps and settings were present when I booted it. I used the "recommended" wipe on TWRP.
Some apps gave issues (particularly settings > developer) but wiping app data fixed that. However some apps, watchdog lite in particular is having crashes before it starts (everytime). From logcat, this looks to be due to ACRA init. Clear app data or even app reinstall doesnt fix it. Anyone have any idea?
The lowest exception I see is
E/ACRA    (10931): Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
E/ACRA    (10931):      at org.acra.ConfigurationInspector.toString(ConfigurationInspector.java:129)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at org.acra.ErrorReporter.init(ErrorReporter.java:363)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at org.acra.ACRA.initAcra(ACRA.java:297)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at org.acra.ACRA.init(ACRA.java:238)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at com.zomut.watchdog.library.WatchdogApp.onCreate(WatchdogApp.java:31)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at android.app.Instrumentation.callApplicationOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1007)
E/ACRA    (10931):      at android.app.ActivityThread.handleBindApplication(ActivityThread.java:4468)

This is for both Watchdog and Travel pocket, the other app that crashes. Any idea if I need to clear files on the SD card or something?
Is this the right forum for it? Or Superuser? or SO?

In my opinion, this is a valid end-user problem. I see no cause to migrate, although SO has more proficient users in stacktracing&debugging.

@onik I actually was thinking (perhaps selfishly) more in the lines of who might have the expertise to answer


text:
ADB Doesn't recognize device when on Clockwork Recovery Mode
I'm trying to install another rom on my Samsung Galaxy S3 and when in the Clockwork Recovery Mode, the ADB quits recognizing the phone. When I boot to the SO, the pc normally recognizes it, I gave authorization, I have usb debugging on. When I boot into recovery mode, it quits recognizing, thus not letting me upload the rom.

Assuming your computer is running Windows, try re-installing the USB drivers while the phone is in Recovery mode.

Is there a reason that you can't just copy the ROM file/s to your device's memory while it is on? Additionally, I've had much more success with TWRP than CWM. The latter has been much buggier in my experience.

@Chahk Sorry to mention, yes. Windows. And I tried that already with no success. I also tried installing alternative drivers, as instructed in some Cyanogenmod official wiki pages.

@filoxo I didn't know I could reach the same locations from the clockwork recovery as I can when the phone is connected. Could you give some more insight on that? Like where I should put the rom in order to later open from the recovery? Meanwhile I'll check out your suggestion.

I can only really speak for TWRP since I haven't touched CWN in ages. I usually download the ROM.zip file to my sdcard root (which is actually emulated, but it should be accessible while in recovery anyway). TWRP has a Mount option that you should use if you have a physical SDcard that isn't automounted. Then use that file to flash whatever you want. Flashing usually does not delete anything from your data partition (which is where the emulated /sdcard is mapped to). Feel free to chat if you need more info.

I had similar situation with Xiaomi Mi3 W. It was totally working while in OS, but not recognized by ADB when in recovery (CWM). In this particular case it was driver problem. When phone was working normally, it identified itself as MTP device, so Windows had neccessary drivers already installed. But when in recovery mode, it isn't neither MTP nor USB-flash device.
Check Windows Device Manager, it should show some unidentified device (with yellow question mark). If so, right-click it and choose "Update driver", then install standard ADB generic drivers provided by Google (they are labeled "Composite ADB Interface" or "ADB interface" or something like that). Then reconnect the device and see, if adb devices shows anything. It should now display your phone id and say it's in "recovery" state.


text:
Restore phone and keep whatsapp number after changing sim
I am going to restore my phone and I want to keep my whatsapp number.
The thing  is, after restoring I am going to use a new number.
Restoring my phone means I will have to reinstall whatsapp, then I will be asked to verify phone number. My old SIM is not working anymore.
What should I do to keep my old whatsapp number?
I am using samsung galaxy nexus android version 4.2.1

Insert the new SIM into the phone.
Go to Whatsapp settings > Account > Change number
Validate the new number.
Go to Chat settings > Backup conversations
Follow the instructions here to restore the conversations

Try this:

Backup your WhatsApp from old phone using Helium Backup. Follow the
instructions for backing up WhatsApp (or any other application for
that matter).
Once the backup is complete, you'll find a folder named "Carbon" on
your phone storage.
Copy this folder on your PC.
Install Helium on the phone after restoring and get this backed up folder on your
phone and place on the same location on the storage.
Start Helium and backup WhatsApp using the "Restore and Sync" tab
available in the app.

If you are not rooted, you need to connect your phone to PC using USB cable to start the backup. Follow the instructions given on Play Store page.


text:
Phone unusable whilst charging
I have a fairly old samsung galaxy S2 android 4.1.2. In the last few weeks, it has been behaving really oddly when plugged in to charge. The 'desk clock' page flashes up every few seconds of its own accord, and sometimes the 'voice command' page. When I try to use the phone, I can only operate it for a few seconds at most before one of these things flashes up, which means I have to come out of it and try to get back into what I was doing (usually just for the clock page to come back up again instantly). It's getting worse, to the point I just can't use it when plugged in.
I appreciate the answer is probably eventually going to be to buy a new phone, but was wondering if anyone had any ideas or suggestions in the meantime. Many thanks.

These are often triggered by magnetic sensors inside the phone. Is there any sort of magnet near the charger? Otherwise, you may have a defective charger or charge port that is tripping these sensors.

Check if your charger's current or voltage is not higher than what your phone is supposed to accept. I had similar issues before with generic (chinese) Android chargers.


text:
Typing emoji in SMS limits number of characters to 70
I have HTC One X running Android 4.2.2. While typing SMSs if I put an emoji character then it sets the maximum number of characters to 70. Why?

Because when you use emojis, you force the use of UTF-16 encoding instead of the regular 7 bit ASCII encoding. 7 bit ASCII encoding allows 160 characters per SMS, but since UTF-16 encoding takes up about twice as much data per character, it only allows 70 characters per SMS.


text:
Google now crashes on sony xperia m after update to JB 4.3
I have got Sony Xperia M (C1904) it was first with JB 4.1 update. I got very soon update to JB 4.2.2 and google now crash when keep long touch on home button. I got another update to JB 4.3 same problem continued but now after some usage of phone.
Anyone who know how to get rid of this?
I want Google Now launches after long touch of home button or swipe home button as it was working on JB 4.1

Uninstall all the updates to Google Search in the Google Play store.  Restart, and reinstall.


text:
Can Cyanogenmod 11 themes be used on CM 10?
In the past, I unintentionally discovered that Cyanogenmod 9 can use CM 10 themes.
While the play store shows CM 11 themes as incompatible on CM 10, would the themes work if installed manually?

The new Theme Engine, introduced with CyanogenMod 11 and later adopted by other KitKat custom ROMs, uses a different but simpler structure from past engines.
The theme files are all under the assets folder of CM11 theme APKs, while it was solely up to the developer as to where to put the theme files in the old Theme Engine themes.
While I have seen that there are some backwards-compatible themes available, they generally specify the target CM versions in the Play Store app listings. So if Play Store tells you that your device is incompatible, better heed the warning; but if you see in the app description / reviews that people using CM < 11 can install the theme, then maybe you can install the theme manually.
TL;DR
Try to see if people using CM < 11 have successfully used the theme. If so, then go ahead!


text:
Phone app crashes during phone calls
On my Android phone the Phone app will crash when taking or placing calls is there some way to replace the phone.apk?

What phone do you have?

Xperia P stock Android 4.1.2 rooted ( I had the problem before i rooted it)


text:
Linux Deploy - Fail to make disk image
I am trying to use Linux Deploy on my rooted Galaxy S4 with stock Android 4.4 rom. But when I press install:
Updating configuration file ... done
>>> begin install
Checking mount points ... done
Checking installation path ... done
Making new disk image (1023 MB) ... fail
<<< end: install

I have already checked root permissions, tried to install in internal with /storage/emulated/0 and /storage/emulated/legacy, I have also tried to modify the image size but same results, how can I solve that?

In my device I don't have /storage/sdcard1, I tried /storage/sdcard0/linux but it doesn't work

It seems a problem related to Samsung's Touchwiz roms, on Cyanogenmod 11 the software works. Maybe it's related to Knox oe selinux?

It's related with the touchwiz kernel, beacuse when I flashed adam kernel it started working. I think it has to do with selinux set on enforcing


text:
Package Name Info for Android Apps
Hi I would like to know if there exists a website where in once you enter the name of the android app gives you all the related info of that particular app. I am especially interested in the Package Name of the app.
I know about the site Droid Icon(Link) and also the app called Package Name viewer and have tried both out.
The App package name viewer works excellently but only returns the info of the apps installed on my device and not all. So for the information I need I have to install the app first. Which is a tedious job if we need to do it for 10 or more apps.
Droid Icon web site gives numerous package names which are at times not correct.
So I would like to know if there exists another source for my specific requirement.( i.e package names).

The problem is that the human-readable name of an app is different in different languages, and isn't necessarily unique, so there's no reliable way to find the particular app you're looking for. Have you considered just doing a search on Google Play?

That is exactly why Package Names are unique. Name of the app may vary but the package name of the app stays the same. Thats why my aim is to find the package names. Now say I have 10 apps on my android phone. I will get their package names instantly using the package name viewer app. but what if i want to know the package names of 50 or say 100 apps? then it doesnt make sense installing each and every app on my phone just to find that one detail(pkg name) I am looking for.

And if you read Dan's comment again: "human readable names" are not unique, while package names are. So you can easily lookup the package name to find out the human-readable name – but not vice-versa. Try e.g. "Quick Dial". There are hundreds of apps using that name. All you can do is searching Play or Appbrain and see what turns up. No unique way, as that's technical impossible.

Picking up my own example from above comment on the question: Simply use your Google-Fu. Here's mine:
intitle:"quick dial" site:play.google.com
Hits: 197. Now try that for 50 or 100 apps. For most of them, the result list will be shorter – if the devs thought of more unique names:
intitle:"secure backup" site:play.google.com
Hits: 3, Exact hits: 1 (easy to tell by the title). Hover the URL: com.sentinal.
[intitle:"stripsearch" site:play.google.com] Yuck. Got me. Need to improve my Google-Fu:
intitle:"stripsearch" site:play.google.com inurl:"store/apps": 1 hit. Exact. Correct.
Repeating #1 with the new foo: Much better, just 196 hits (oops).

I just notice I forgot the explanation:

intitle: What appears as <TITLE> in your browser window's title bar. With Google Play Store, this includes the App name – so this is where we put our search term
site: Restrict the search to a specific site. In our case, that's the Google Play Store – where most apps are listed. Same could be done with e.g. Aptoide (e.g. intitle:"quick dial" site:store.aptoide.com returns 3 hits) – but wouldn't work with F-Droid (the <TITLE> with them is always 'F-Droid', no matter what)
inurl: a string being part of the URL. I used this in my example to fix my search to apps – without that, results included Google Books, Google Music, and probably even more (everything sold via Google Play Store)

For readers: Google also offers an interface for advanced searching. Find it here. And then there are search operators to make the life (and search) easier. Did I mention Google Dorks?


text:
External usb not support
I have Karbonn a18+ and its kernal does not support otg as well as seed charge.the is kernel version is 3.4.5 someone help me.I want otg support .

Check whether the hardware supports OTG functionality.
If hardware supports, check for any custom ROM (such as CyanogenMod) is released for your device.
Follow their procedure to flash the custom ROM.


text:
Change default in-call & out-call ui or theme
Is there any app available in the store that lets me change the default in-call & out-call ui or theme of my kitkat?

There are several apps available on PlayStore like this or this one. However, you can't change the full "Theme" as such on Kitkat. You can change the look and feel of your home screens, caller screen, etc with the help of launchers (Nova Launcher, Themer, etc).

:Is there any free app with bigscreen options for all contacts?


text:
Use VLC (desktop) to play music while phone is plugged in
Can I use VLC (desktop) to play music while phone is plugged in to my PC via USB?
I have tried to open folder, but when I do, my phone isn't in MyCompter as a compatible device. Is there a plug in or something that will make this work?
Alternatively, is there any media player available that will play the music on my phone through my computer when it is plugged in VIA usb?
Thanks

You might wish to check our questions tagged dlna for that purpose. DLNA servers act as media servers on one device (in your case, the Android device), so DLNA clients can access those media. This way you can use the client on your PC to play music from your Android device. Would that be convenient?

Are you trying to play music that is stored on your phone, but using VLC which is installed on your PC?
What is the phone in question?

Yes jonny. That is exactly right. My phone is a nexus 5.

@Izzy does DLNA work over USB? I thought it had to be WIFI.

Uh... got me, overlooked that part. No, it doesn't have to be WiFi (an ethernet connection does as well). Not sure if it does via USB, though. What OS you're running on your computer? You could definitely share your storage to it (at least via MTP; on Linux even via ADB), so you could access it with any player on your computer.

When you say "my phone isn't in MyCompter as a compatible device", do you mean it does show up in My Computer but is not compatible, or it does not show up in my computer at all?

@izzy im running a mac as well as windows 7. Doesnt work on either. If like it to work on w7 more

@john yes its listed as a device and i can browse it, but VLC doesnt see it when i go to 'add a folder' to my library or playlist

What doesn't work: to share the Android devices content (SD card, internal or external)? What Android version? Where's your music stored? You're not using Google Play Music, are you (because then your almost lost this way)?

I am using google play music but ive added my music manually to the virtual sd, its a nexus 5.

@Frantumn did u try windows media player? Windows media player will list the connected mtp device and you can browse the songs

On your Windows 7 machine, have you installed USB drivers for your Nexus 5?

Right, I have done some playing around and I think I know the answer problem.
On older Android devices (I'm sure my old Desire HD worked like this), when you connected your device to the PC it showed up as a removable disk and was assigned a drive letter by Windows. The newer devices, including my Nexus 4 and HTC One, show up as a "Portable media device" and are not assigned a drive letter. When you try to add the file to VLC it is looking for a path to this file, however no path actually exists. If you opened the "Music" folder which is located on your device, from within Windows, and double clicked on one of the files, you may notice (I did 'cause my PC is pretty slow these days) Windows actually copies the file onto the PC; I guess to a temp folder somewhere (found the folder: C:\Users\Jonny Wright\AppData\Local\Temp\WPDNSE\{00000001-0001-0001-0000-000000000000}), and then plays the file from there.
In short, I don't think its a problem with VLC, or even Windows to be fair. Its the way device makers are allowing you to browse your device from within Windows, and I bet other OSes aswell.
Sorry, I don't think its possible unless you can get your PC to see your device as a "Removable storage" medium and assign it a drive letter.


text:
Does Android indeed need defragment?
I have recently format(not just wiping) userdata partition on Note 2 N7100 and Tab 7.7 P6800.
I also restore /data using nandroid and restore internal sdcard by manually copying files.
I notice that my devices become much snappier. App installs and opens are much faster.
It used to lag a lot when it gets connected to internet, triggering apps to run by Autoruns. After formatting, it just doesn't lag when connected to internet. I noticed that mmcqd0, kworker, system_server now use much less CPU than before formatting. I also do TRIM a lot, and it didn't help the device to become any faster. Both devices were heavily used, stored a lot of files to almost full capacity, cleaned up some space, and stored new files(app and internal sd) again, installed custom ROMs more than 10 times and always install without wiping data/media/, only wiping /data/.
So is it possible that files on those device gets fragmented and slow down everything?
I'm just curious why a format with restore of everything fix lags on my device very much.

I don't think the fragmenting of files on your Android will cause much of a performance decrease. They obviously don't use 'mechanical' media for data storage so have real quick read speeds.

So why does a format with restore all data fixes lag problem, it used to struggle with read-write operations, high mmcqd0 cpu use, long blue bar (i/o) cou use.


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How do I use the Root External 2 Internal SD app on a Galaxy S4 device?
This app
I want to install Dragon Quest VIII, but Google Play automatically downloads straight to the internal storage.
I tried using /mnt/shell/emulated/0 for the internal mount path, and /mnt/extSdCard for the external, but no luck. I also tried this post, but there's no "download settings" option for me.
Did I pick the wrong folder paths? If so, how do I find them? The developer's instructions are pretty awful and don't explain half of the options in the app.
I'm on an S4 with Jellybean, rooted. Thanks a bunch!

(Rooted Phones Only!) Your Samsung phone is rooted right? You can swap your external to internal just one click from your fingertips without having a sweat. Try to read this information from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.swapit.expander.de , i hope i answered correctly your question on this matter. Thank you.

How about exchanging ORIGINAL mnt/sdcard to mnt/extsdcard, then ORIGINAL mnt/extsdcard to mnt/sdcard. I am trying to say is swap these two.change their paths so that the phone will read the external as sd card main, and the changed path sd card will be the external memory. Sometime back from MSDOS, if you want to change paths, simply exchanging it's location to execute faster. Maybe my kind of idea will give you an extra help. i hope.


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Is there a way to configure custom keyboard layouts?
There are a lot of apps out on the market that you can install to have a customized Keyboard with different languages and functionality, but I didn't find a way to get my own custom Keyboard layout on my device.
Is it possible to get this running easily?
I would like to have the left half of the single handed Coffee++ Layout on my device:

One way to do this (although I can't say it will be too easy) is to create your own custom IME (input method editor).
While it may seem like a daunting task, and there is a good chance that it is, you aren't the only one who wants their own input method. So here is a pretty popular Stack OverFlow that could help you out: How to develop a soft keyboard


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Is there any device for convenient control of device while walking?
I want to use some my Android device while walking. It is too dangerous to walk while looking at the screen, so I have modified the software I use so that it speaks and beeps so I know what is happening without looking at the screen.
It is still troublesome and dangerous to hold the device and use the touchscreen while walking. I'd rather place the phone in my backpack and hold some very simple controller in my hand.

Wires or wireless are both okay.
I don't need many buttons. Just 2-4 buttons is enough.

Is there any controller device which can plug into an Android device so that I can hold just the small controller while walking?

Another option not involving too many buttons would be "voice control". For this, I can recommend you a combination of tasker and the AutoVoice addon on the software side, and a common Bluetooth headset on the hardware side.
Using the Bluetooth headsets button, you can activate AutoVoice, then speak your command, and Tasker would execute it. Due to the versatility of Tasker, this gives you almost unlimited possibilities to control your device (and everything connected to it) – if you miss one specific feature, chances are very high there's another Tasker addon adding exactly that.
I'm a long-time Tasker user, and cannot imagine doing without it anymore. I also tried AutoVoice, and must say it works great. You can even use "casual phrasing" and have it "matching for wildcards" – so it e.g. wouldn't matter whether you say "TV on", or "turn the TV on", or even "turn the TV screen on"; setup correctly, AutoVoice would check for "TV..on", and act accordingly. (Sorry for the strange example, but that's about what I did, integrating it with my home equipment ;)
One possible "handicap" here: As AutoVoice relies on Google Voice, it would need a network connection to work. But the big plus: nothing to carry in your hands :)

It sounds like what you want is a presentation clicker. This is a small device used by speakers to control slides during their talk. Usually it uses Bluetooth HID profile, and is visible to the host device as a keyboard or mouse. Alternatively, you might already have a Bluetooth game controller (such as a Playstation controller). Android has support for these built-in.
There are also wired USB presentation clickers, and USB game controllers. If your device supports USB-on-the-go, you can use one of these.


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How do you move a contact in address book tied to an email to different one?
Have multiple accounts that I am logged in on my phone. Since the last one is my work Android assumes it is my default. I added a contact which was saved to the wrong address book and I need to move them is there a way to easily do that without having to delete and recreate them.

I cannot find an option to do it easily but here are some solutions:
You can export the contacts to your storage and import it to the right account.
You can also share the contact by email for instance and send it to the right account. Then just import it from your email.

EDIT: If you have set up a default application for handling contacts intents (for instance if another app such as outlook automatically imports the contacts), you will need to reset your intent associations. See How can I manage Intent association with Apps?
Last option, you can use the Contacts website (on your computer) which is in my opinion easier to use if you have multiple adjustments to make: https://www.google.com/contacts/

Sadly one is a gmail account and the other is outlook. When I import it quickly flashes the accounts option before automatically adding it to the outlook address book.

In that case, you will need to change your intent associations. See my edit.


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Instead of tabs, is it possible to save links and read them one by one?
My reading style is as follows:

Open the main page of, say, a newspaper.
Review the entire main page and open the links I want to read in a new tab. This usually results in 30-40 tabs
Read and close tabs one by one.

Unfortunately, Chrome for Android crashes frequently if many tabs are open. So I'm looking for a way (addon, app) to a different workflow:

same
Review the entire main page and add the links I want to read to a reading list.
Walk through the reading list: read the first article, touch Next, etc.

What device and Android version are you using? I never have any problems with Chrome on SGNII 4.1.2 2GB RAM.

Galaxy Tab 2, Android 4.2.2. The crash would not be a serious problem if it could recover from it. But it forgets the tabs that were open last time.

Oh, so you have 1GB RAM I guess. It could be the culprit of your problems with Chrome on Touchwiz device.

Try Link Bubble: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linkbubble.playstore
If I decide I'm done reading, I share the links I've opened to Pocket so I can read them later.
Pocket: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideashower.readitlater.pro

Thanks, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work well with Chrome. Links clicked in Chrome open in Chrome.

@Arthur I think you have to "share" the links to have Link Bubble listed.

If you already have a Google account I recommend you Google Keep (http://drive.google.com/keep). It's fast and does not require to download anything (just the app on mobile devices), it's all in the cloud.
You can save the links in a note and open them later. All your notes are synched across your devices. You can also share content to and from keep to store your links and stuff.

Thanks, but I don't really want to save the links, just open a lot of them as fast as possible and then quickly walk on the opened pages. Something like going through a folder of images in an image viewer.

Something like a web browser that doesn't load the url until you navigate to it, while saving a snapshot of the page so you can know the content of that url while sliding through them? I don't know anything similar but I think it has potential for a good project.

Maybe you don't need to get away from tabs, you just need your browser to not crash. I just did a quick stress test of Firefox for Android, and got to 72 tabs before encountering any issues on my Nexus 4. It might be that it can better handle your workflow than Chrome can.

Thanks, that could be an option if there was an addon that would make it easy to move to the next tab, for example with a  gesture. Switching tabs via the sidebar is a bit clumsy in Firefox.

FWIW I'm currently sitting on ~100 tabs in Chrome on Nexus 5. The tab count changes to an emoticon when you get above 99. No crashes.


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Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 file transfer, USB not recognised. No USB options in Settings menu
I have a Samsung Galaxy Y GT-S5360 and I wish to transfer some audio files from it to my PC, running Windows 8.
When I connect the phone to the computer with the USB cable, the phone beeps and begins charging but displays no USB connection notification. Likewise, the computer doesn't register the connection at all. I have googled the problem but only seem to find partial solutions, which don't fit my situation.
I've tried updating PC drivers and phone software, turning off and on again, trying with and without Kies software and on several different machines.
The phone is running Android 2.3.6
Anyone got any ideas?

Some USB cables don't include the data wires as they are only meant for charging. Check if other devices work with this cable, and try another cable.
Also, if the cable is sure to work, take a look at My computer -> right click -> Manage -> Device manager and see if you can find your phone there and try upgrading the driver from there.

Just got to Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging and confirm that usb debugging is disabled. That is it. Now your phone will connect to PC perfect.


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Galaxy S3: I747UCUEMJB upgrade - baseband unknown
Last night I updated my Galaxy S3 from Cyanogenmod 9 to CM 11. One of the steps was to upgrade the bootloader. Everything went fine, and I'm now on CM 11-2014-06-02-d2lte.
The problem: can't connect to mobile network.
Settings > About Phone:
Model number: SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
Baseband version: Unknown

How can I fix this?

We do need more information. Which carrier, and exact model do you have?

Carrier = AT&T. Model Galaxy S3 SGH-I747


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I have a problem with the android internal memory allocation is permanent
Has the android "internal memory allocation freeze" been solved?
Example: GS3 internal memory full with photos (picassa sync issue). After moving problem photos to SD card, the internal memory is still an issue due to the fact that internal memory used for the photos remains allocated.
Samsung's answer was to do a hard factory reset (LOL)

Have you done a hard reboot? Switch off, battery pull, reboot? Worth a look in. There's no fix in KitKat on the S4 or S4 google edition anyway, but a hard boot seems to work intermittantly for me.

No, reboot didn't work but hard factory reset did. The problem with the reset is that when I restored from the back-up all the app settings are gone which is a very big pain (not a real fix). Does anyone know how to do a back-up whuch includes app settings.

I can't believe that a lot of users don't seem to think that the allocation "lock-out" is a big problem. Personally I think it is a fundemental fault and if I can't find a way around this I will never buy another android phone again!


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using galaxy tab as a bluetooth device for mobile
i've been trying to find a way to allow all my notifications and phone calls from my phone ( galaxy s3 or galaxy s5) to go through a galaxy tablet, as i'm wanting to replace my car stereo ( honda civic 2007)  with the tablet and i'm wanting to be able to control my phone from the tablet and stream music from the phone. the closest thing i can think of that does this is the galaxy gear watch so can we put the capabilities of the gear in the tab.
below is a list of things i wish to have.

Hands free
music sync or transfer
control music
allow the use of my data from my phone ( i know i can tether but i just thought i would mention it
make calls
view contacts from phone
use maps

I really do think this is possible, so if anyone has any thoughts if this is possible then please help me out.

You'll have to understand, that Bluetooth is based on a master-slave structure, and so are it's drivers and protocol stack.
Most of operations you have specified use existing Bluetooth protocols and profiles:

hands free => HFP
music streaming => A2DP
music control => AVRCP
tethering => BNEP
making calls = TCP
contact viewing => PBA

The problem is, the tablet can act as a master for these protocols, but is missing the stack and drivers for slave functionality. You can, for example, connect the tablet (master) to a headset (slave) over HFP, but you can't use the tablet as a headset.
Until someone develops a more complete Bluetooth stack for Android, which includes both master and slave profiles, you can't do this over Bluetooth.


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Point of using 4G enabled Nexus tablet in the USA
As far as I know, the providers (AT&T, Verizon, TMobile) in the USA neither sell nor support mobile connection for Nexus tablets. So what is the point of buying a Nexus tablet with 4G support in the USA?

AT&T and T-Mobile both offer data-only plans. You can even buy the N7 from Google Play with a T-Mobile SIM included. Why are you under the impression that they can't be used? Where did you see any information that makes this claim?

@eldarerathis: In the link below, I do not see any SIM card for Nexus. This is link is for the case when we have the tablet already. http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/byop.html

AT&T's site has various SIMs labelled for popular devices and/or devices they sell themselves on that list, but they're not actually different. The "tablet" section shows 8 SIM cards, but look at the pictures. There are only two varieties there, which can be identified by their shape/size: mini SIM and micro SIM. The N7 takes a micro SIM. The fact that they chose to label their SIMs like that doesn't mean that the network only supports those 8 devices. If you filter the full shop to SIMs you can see them with more generic (accurate) labeling: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/att.html

For example, here's their "SIM for 4G LTE Android and Windows Phone devices" (i.e a micro SIM): http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/att/att-sim-for-4g-lte-android-windows-devices.html


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Nexus 7 (2013) won’t go past Google logo screen, can't enter Recovery mode
I hold down the power button until it starts up, and it gets up to the Google logo screen, but won’t go any further; it just freezes on that screen.
Tried to reset device in Recovery Mode (support.google.com/nexus/answer/4596836?hl=en) using these steps:

If your tablet is on, turn it off.
Press & hold the Volume Down button, then press & hold the Power button simultaneously until the tablet turns on. You'll see the word "Start" with an arrow drawn around it.
Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight Recovery mode.
Press the Power button to start Recovery mode. You'll see an image of an Android robot with a red exclamation mark and the words "No command."
While holding down the Power button, press the Volume Up button.
Use the volume buttons to scroll to "wipe data/factory reset," then press the Power button to select it.
Scroll down to "Yes - erase all user data," then press the Power button to select it.

Points #1-#3 go well, but I can't pass through #4, after pressing the Power button to start Recovery Mode there is no 'image of an Android robot with a red exclamation mark', screen just goes off for 1-3 sec and than there is again Google logo screen, performing actions from #5 gives no result, tablet just goes off if I hold the Power button and the Volume Up button too long.

Are you rooted? I'm guessing not since you're running stock recovery?


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Is it possible to use Apple Wireless keyboard with Android 4.2.2 tablet?
I have a Kobo Arc 10HD and it runs on Android 4.2.2. I have successfully paired it with an Apple wireless keyboard but I still can't seem to use it. My virtual keyboard pops up and when I type on the Bluetooth keyboard nothing happens. Has anyone used a different keyboard that works? Is it even possible for me to use the Apple keyboard?

I remember using an Apple WK with an Asus Transformer tablet about a couple of years ago. I don't remember exactly which Android version it was, but it worked just fine.

If you're sure the keyboard is properly paired, have you tried using the excellent External Keyboard Helper Pro? I use it with a Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard, and it handles both switching to the external keyboard from the internal one (and back) when needed, but also little chores like nuking the caps lock key.


text:
Replacing the system partition without touching the kernel?
So I have an android phone that I'd like to put a clean rom onto, but it looks like there aren't any good kernels ported to it yet. I've done some reading into the android architecture, and come to the conclusion that it could be possible to simply leave the kernel as-is, and flash a new (standard) system on the device.
Is this idea at all viable, or am I missing something? And if it is viable, does anyone have any tips to how I might go about it?

What device do you have?

I've got an inexpensive chinese model this one. Has one of them MTK chips, but the customized android they have on it is really rubbish however.

It is viable, as there are custom ROMs I've seen that contains the original kernel but different system files.
There is a catch though: If for example your device ships with CyanogenMod and you want to put PA on it, you'll have to get your hands dirty with the ramdisk as each ROM needs slightly different init* files to boot.
As for installing the ROM, you'll need to put it in a ZIP file and include a META-INF folder which will contain the files responsible for the correct ROM flash, e.g. updater-script.
The full procedure is too long to mention here, so I'd say you should head over to XDA to get the info you need.

I'd definitely have up-voted this if the XDA link pointed to a specific page rather than just the site.

@mc0e Oh, sorry. I couldn't find a thread that's perfectly suited for this (or I wasn't looking hard enough). Either way, I'll just make my own thread in a few days and update this answer with the link. :D

No need to apologise.  Was just saying...


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MMS messages text disappears
When I receive an MMS message (Android 4.1.2), I can see by the momentary preview that there is text to the message, but when I open it, I cannot find the text, only the image.  Anybody have the solution?  Thanks.

What phone do you have? Different manufacturers use different SMS/MMS apps.

Sorry about the omission:  Samsung Galaxy S2.  Thanks.


text:
NANDroid backup/restore of CM11 encrypted device after wipe
is it possible to restore a NANDroid backup of a encrypted device running CyanogeMod 11 (KitKat 4.4.2) after performing "Format Data" in TWRP recovery (this function wipes the encrypted partitions)?
Here is scenario for such a case:

So, let's say I have an encrypted phone, which I back up
periodically (with TWRP: boot, cache, data, efs, modem, system
partitions)
Then, something gets messed up, so that I have to wipe
all, reflash recovery, etc.
So I flash the working recovery with
odin, boot to it, format data using TWRP, removing the encryption
from the device
Now, I want to restore the NANDroid backup I've done
before (when my system was encrypted)...

Will it work?????

I think encryption encrypt your sd card and /data and nandroid backup will backup your rom which is in system partition

Yes
As far as I know, a NANDroid backup makes an Image of the entire device.
So, this can work because the entire file system is copied along with the file system. The device will still be encrypted after restoring.
I might be wrong because I've never done this. But if you encrypt a flash drive with bitlocker, copy the contents of it including the encryption, format the drive and copy it back; It will still contain the data if you decrypt it.


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Rooted phone - Cannot remove some bloatware
I have an LG Optimus Elite (Sprint/Ting) thats been rooted. Since its a Sprint phone, it had voluminous crapware, which an install of the NoBloat app took care of a good part of it but I still have a bunch that weren't seen in the NoBloat screen. Several of them are obvious Sprint crap (SprintID, SprintMusicPlus and SprintTV & Movies) but a few are Google (GooglePlayBooks, GooglePlayMovies & TV, and GooglePlayMusic).. I know at least a few are going to suggest putting ClockworkRecovery and a 3rd party ROM on the phone. I'd really love to do that very thing, but am running into the problem where all of the info I've googled on installling CWR on a LG Optimus Elite calls out putting it on a partition that doesn't seem to exist on my Elite when I do a "mount" .. I'm really shy about following the instructions that appear to me to be wrong.. The FAQ I'm referring to is at
http://androidforums.com/elite-all-things-root/620742-faq-guide-clockworkmod-optimus-elite.html
The Step 5 calls out "Type dd if=/sdcard/part_13_cwm_9_22_17_32.bin of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p14 and tap the [Enter] key" .. According to "mount", there is no /dev/block/mmcblk0p14 on this phone. I've put CWR on my old LG Optimus V with no questions/problems, so assume I'm comfortable with the rest of this procedure...
If anybody has input on either of these sub-problems, I'd sure appreciate a hand...
Dave

Have you tried something like Titanium Backup?

I see your device has a Snapdragon chip.
Check to see if you have partitions that you can actually read by typing
su
ls /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/

If you see something called recovery there, then you're in luck.
su
dd if=/sdcard/part_13_cwm_9_22_17_32.bin of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery

If it isn't there, then you must try the one in the CWM thread again.
I've never heard of a device-specific nonexistent partition before, so perhaps you just typed it wrong or you forgot to su.
I apologize if this is not of any help.


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Exchange email syncs even if I disable it (only want to sync calendar)
I only want to sync Exchange calendar, not email.
In the Exchange Account's options, I never checked "sync email", and it still synced after a few hours. I retried from scratch, and same thing happened again.
Anyone experience this, do you have a workaround?
Also I tried uninstalling the stock Email app, but unfortunately then you can't even add Exchange accounts. :(
Android version 4.4.2

Seems to be addressed here already: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4607/is-is-possible-to-sync-my-samsung-galaxy-s-with-an-exchange-account-but-only-th


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Though auto sync is turned off, Andorid 4.1.2 still auto syncs photos in Gallery
WIFI is turned off on my mobile.
A. I had turned off auto sync feature as follows:

Apps > Settings > Accounts & sync > Google > Auto sync is turned off for my email
Apps > Settings > Accounts & sync > E-mail > Auto sync is turned off for my email

B. In Gallery, I had turned off auto sync as follows:

Gallery > Settings > unchecked option for 'Sync on Wi-Fi only'

C. Deleted auto-synced photos in Gallery as follows:

Apps > Setttings > Apps > ALL > Gallery > Clear data and Clear cache

Now, when I visit Gallery I do not see photos auto-synced, but once I turn on WIFI and visit Gallery, it again syncs photos from 'somewhere'. And, shockingly, option as specified in B.1(listed above) is auto checked. The photos which I see are the ones which I had uploaded to my Google+ a/c. Why I say 'somewhere' because, I had deleted all photos and posts which contain photos from my Google+ account. Still, I can see photos appearing when WIFI is turned on.
Please help:

From where does Android sync photos?
Get rid of photos to be auto synced when WIFI is turned on.

Thanks much!
PHONE: LG Optimus L7 II Dual and OS: Android v 4.1.2

My brother helped with this link which suggests as follows:

Apps > Settings > Accounts & sync > enable / check 'Auto-sync data' option which I missed to notice.
Apps > Settings > Accounts & sync > Google > Email id(you email id) > un-select 'Picasa Web Albums' option.
If you want to remove already synced photos then, Apps > Setttings > Apps > ALL > Gallery > Clear data and Clear cache

This helped me and hope this might help others too. So, the point that I was missing and even from @Blackhat002 is covered in the link - to enable 'Auto-sync data' option as pointed in #1. Only then, as a next step, one can un-check option to auto-sync photos.  Hope this helps others too. The question still remains - from where does Android sync photos?

Link-only answers are discouraged here.  It would be more helpful if you paraphrased the instructions in your answer.

Thanks for the suggestion, I agree with you. Updated my answer and up-voted your comment.

Open the  Gooogle+ Photos app > touch the   menu icon/button  > Settings > Auto Backup > Toggle On or Off
To Remove Google+ photos from your gallery

Head to your phone’s settings, and scroll down and tap “Google” under the Accounts subheader.
In here, uncheck “Sync Google Photos” as well as “Sync Picasa Web Albums.”

Once that’s done, you need to clear the application data for your Gallery to reset your albums list.

Head to the application manager in your settings. It could show up as either “Manage apps,” “Application Manager” or “Application Settings.”

Scroll down and tap “Gallery.”
Tap “clear data.”

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’re good to go. Your Gallery will only show the albums that are only on your phone. Much neater. Remember though, if you have Google+ Auto Backup set up for your photos, your backed up photos won’t show up in your gallery anymore, but you can still access them through your Google+ account.
Hope this works if not then please comment!!
Thank You.

Actually, like others you too had assumed one thing which was actual problem - that my 'Auto-sync data' option was checked under Apps > Settings > Accounts & sync which must be a point before your #1. Only then, one can un-check option for synching photos. Anyways, thanks much for your response. Up-voted your answer.

Please let me know if you do not agree with above comment and if I had missed to take a note from your answer to correct the problem. I don't mind to accept your answer.


text:
Unlock PC from Android
I was pretty sure this question wouldve been already asked, and I tried hard to find a solution but couldnt find much.
I'm trying to lock/unlock my PC from my Android device. I dont want to use BTProximity to do this because even if I'm in another room in the house, it would be able to detect my phone and unlock the computer. I want finer control over the event that triggers the lock/unlock, instead of relying on proximity.
I would be very happy to use tasker to achieve this, although I'm unable to find any way for my PC to lock/unlock with anything tasker can do.
The solution can either be for Windows or Ubuntu, or both.

The best integrated solution with your Android phone and PC is to use Autoremote and EventGhost. The general idea is that you use AutoRemote to send a message to Eventghost which then unlocks or locks your PC. The task will look something like this:
AUTOREMOTE MESSAGE
     DEVICE: NAME OF COMPUTER OR CHROME EXTENSION  <----Addressed at the end
     MESSAGE: Unlock (Really could be anything)

Next is the EventGhost side. Eventghost doesn't always respond especially if your not on the local network but you can get around this with AutoRemote's Chrome ExtensionIf you have any trouble with AutoRemote, the developer has a great website and is very active in his google group. The direction to install the AutoRemote plug into Eventghost can be found here. Here are the steps to create the Eventghost trigger:

Create a Macro but don't worry if you can't find the AutoRemote Plugin. This is really a fancy folder
Add an event from the toolbar which will trigger the eventghost macro. It should look like this: Autoremote.Message.unlock
Next are your actions. This will unlock your work station

If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments and I'll do my best to quickly respond.
If my answer solves your problem please don't forget to mark it ask the answer and upvote it for it's usefulness. I'm new and trying to build my reputation here.

Thanks a lot, this looks promising. Although, It would take me some time to implement this and verify. If someone else succeeds using this method, then do comment here.

It shouldn't take too long to set up since the links that I proved are direct links to the files that you need. Once downloaded you'll only need to drop and drag them into event ghost to make them work.

What connection between Android and iOS does it use: Wifi / Bluetooth / anything else?

"This will unlock your work station" -- the linked post requires to download and run MyUnlocker which is Windows BAT file. Is there a similar script/program for OS X?

Evenghost, which drives everything, is only for PC.

You can use an NFC phone to unlock your PC from the LAN, aka scan an NFC tag and login to Windows. On your Android phone, install the following software: NFC Tools, NFC Tasks, Tasker, Unified Remote (all from the play store). On your PC, install Unified Remote server.

Configure Unified Remote app on your phone to connect to your pc, communication should set to encrypted
Use Tasker to create Unifed Remote (via Tasker's integrated UR plugin) click, tab and stroke events, to automatically type your password for you at the lock screen (list of commands in the proper order that matches your lock screen). You have to play around with it to configure it properly, test tab orders, arrow strokes etc.
Use NFC Tools & Tasks to write Unified Remote commands executed by Tasker on any compatible NFC tag.

It will take some time to make it work, but it does and  you have to pay a few dollars for some of the apps, they are not all free. The process it's safe if you protect Tasker with a PIN and secure Unified Remote communication. First logon has to be performed in the classic way (keyboard), to allow the Unified Remote server to start.

I have actually implemented this in a similar manner to The3rdIcon. Use his answer to get the framework, and I can provide details. Note that the unlocker program he links doesn't work for Windows 7 and up, but this trick will. For my particular case I used a bluetooth device attached to my workstation for proximity detection but you can do whatever is applicable. Here are the actual details.
Since the PCs I'm working with are behind a firewall, I'm using AutoRemote's Chrome extension redirect which works very well.
Tasker Bluetooth Near profile
Notes: Ignore the %WorkHint bit, it's for something else. This profile does require that you be paired to the device, but not connected. It isn't terribly responsive (for battery saving reasons) but will detect near/far within a few minutes. Additionally I use a couple other profiles that can trigger an unlock so that it's more responsive but this should get you started. My example sends to an AutoRemote channel (Work) so that it can lock/unlock 2 computers for me.
Profile: BT Work Near (166)
State: BT Near [ Name:yourbluetoothdevice Address:* Major Device Class:Audio / Video Standard Devices:On Low-Energy (LE) Devices:Off Unpaired Devices:Off Toggle BlueTooth:Off ]

Enter: Anon (167)
A1: Variable Set [ Name:%WorkHint To:true Do Maths:Off Append:Off ]
A2: AutoRemote Message [ Configuration:Recipient: Group
Message: Unlock
Channel: Work Package:com.joaomgcd.autoremote Name:AutoRemote Message Timeout (Seconds):200 ]

Exit: Anon (168)
A1: Variable Clear [ Name:%WorkHint Pattern Matching:Off ]
A2: AutoRemote Message [ Configuration:Recipient: Group
Message: Lock
Channel: Work Package:com.joaomgcd.autoremote Name:AutoRemote Message Timeout (Seconds):200 ]

EventGhost Lock Macro
Notes: These use a little trick to accomplish lock/unlock. It essentially disconnects from the console session and later reconnects to it for the unlock. It still displays the CTRL-ALT-DEL screen and someone seeking to use the PC would actually have to log in. Note that the reconnect trick will not work if you use the EventGhost lock workstation action or an actual WIN-L lock.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<EventGhost Version="1700">
    <Macro Name="Lock Workstation" id="6" Expanded="True">
        <Event Name="AutoRemote.Message.Lock" />
        <Action>
            System.Execute(u'c:\\windows\\system32\\tsdiscon.exe', u'', 0, False, 2, u'', False, True, u'', False, False, False)
        </Action>
    </Macro>
</EventGhost>

EventGhost Unlock Macro
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<EventGhost Version="1700">
    <Macro Name="Unlock Workstation" id="9" Enabled="False" Expanded="True">
        <Event Name="AutoRemote.Message.Unlock" />
        <Action>
            System.Execute(u'C:\\Windows\\System32\\tscon.exe', u'1 /dest:console /password:yourpassword', 0, False, 2, u'', False, True, u'', False, True, False)
        </Action>
    </Macro>
</EventGhost>

I do use a couple other macros to send a notification to my phone when the PCs are locked or unlocked either automatically or manually. I can post those as well if there is any interest.

This program for Windows does both lock and unlock, allows to adjust the distance (as you requested), notifies your phone if anyone tries to steal your laptop, allows to lock/unlock with your phone fingerprint reader and blocks the screen saver when you are within Bluetooth range.
You'll need to install the program in your Windows PC, an app in your Android phone/smartwach and select a Credential Provider in the lock screen. It is free but has ads on the phone.
The site also has a program for Mac.

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


text:
Application reloads from the launch activity when icon clicked in some devices?
Our application relaunches from the launch activity on some devices when the icon is clicked in the launcher, while on others it resumes its current state when clicked in launcher.  The application uniformly resumes its current state when resumed from the application history.
The behavior is different even in different phones that are the same running the same OS i.e. two Galaxy Note 2's both running 4.1.2.

So what's the question? Are you looking just for a reason behind this, or a solution/fix to prevent this non-uniform behavior?

My guess is that your application is being terminated on one device, while staying in memory on the other.  This is a common scenario since Android's own memory management will free up memory by terminating apps when necessary.

@filoxo A reason, and to know if I need to fix it.

@Chahk I doubt it.  Again I can always pull it back up from the history list.  If it was out of memory where I launch it from shouldn't have an impact.


text:
Accessing android device via ADB shell with broken touchscreen (can't authenticate)
So, the touchscreen on my Nexus 4 broke this weekend. I have a new device coming in, but in the meantime I need to be able to access the device to use a few different apps and send/receive some SMS messages from it.
I found this guide on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1r2zha/how_i_managed_to_use_my_android_device_with_a/
It's not exactly simple, but it should work.
Unfortunately, I discovered that in order to use ADB shell commands, a pop-up window should appear on the phone to allow/disallow USB debugging. (USB debugging is enabled already, but there appears to be an additional 'authentication' step)
Unfortunately, I can't use the phone's touchscreen, so I can't unlock it or tap the notification that will allow me to authenticate the phone.
Is there a way I can get around that authentication step?
The device is unlocked and rooted.

possible duplicate of Broken screen while debug mode was disabled. How can I re-enable adb?

@GAThrawn No, that question is about the opposite problem, where touches work fine but the screen doesn't display anything. In this case, the screen displays, but doesn't respond to touches.

I figured this out on my own. I solved this by installing Airdroid using an OTG USB adapter and a wired mouse. I then used the airmirror capability of the software to control a virtual mouse on the device. I do have root on the device, this may be significant to the operation of Airmirror. I could then accept the debug confirmation on the screen and complete the backups I wanted to do.

Well with the boot loader unlocked you can temporarily boot up into recovery by using fastboot:
fastboot boot recovery-clockwork-6.0.4.7-mako.img

This will then give you adb access to your device to get files off etc. The adb debug mode could then be turned on by editing a settings file and copying in the crypto keys generated by adb on the host computer. I've done the latter before but not the former, which could be an issue.
Update - To reboot into fastboot mode do:
To get into fastboot mode power off the phone, if nothing else a very long press on the phone should work if all else fails (I don't want to confirm this on mine and crash it!). Then power on holding down the volume down key and the power key together. If you can't see the display (I gather you can but you can't use the touch screen) then hold the buttons down for about five seconds and it should vibrate to confirm. Then use the above command to load custom recovery and gain adb access. This all assumes that the boot loader is unlocked, as stated above.

I did something a little boring, but it helped me ... Since I wanted to use the smartphone as a webcam, but as you may already guess, the screen is broken.
So I connected the smartphone to the computer, when the message was displayed on the screen, I marked the location for yes and with one of those automatic click apps, I selected the location and put a delay of a few seconds. I started the application and connected to the computer, so after a few seconds he clicked yes and I was allowed to do what I needed.
NOTE: To install and configure the auto click application, I used an OTG cable with a mouse.
Sorry for my English...

I'm sure this is not exactly the answer you're looking for, but this could solve your problem:
If your Nexus works fine otherwise, why don't you just plug a mouse and keyboard (via USB OTG or Bluetooth) and pretend your Nexus does not have touch screen?
Anything, including allowing USB debugging would work as the mouse cursor is even usable when your phone is locked.

The stock Nexus 4 doesn't support USB OTG. You need some hacks to enable part of it.

Worked perfectly for me! In my case I am running Lineage with the TWRP recovery, I'm not sure whether my device natively supports a mouse and keyboard in the stock ROM but it did the job in my case!

I saw this on a different thread, after searching online for hours and hours....seemed to help a few out so I am re-posting here...

"This just happened to me!
  Phone works but screen and LCD broken and unresponsive. I had a screen lock too so what I did was I took off the back plate, removed the battery, and unscrewed the six screws to uncover the PCB board under the back housing. Then I carefully disconnected all the tiny ribbon connectors.
I waited a minute just to be superstitious and then reconnected all the ribbon connectors and put everything back to how it was. Then I downloaded Kies from the Samsung website, pluged my phone into a computer via USB and was able to view all my files!
Something about disconnecting the PCB board resets the default settings to factory state but doesn't delete any data at all. Good luck and I hope this helps someone out there."

Source: Android Central


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Do a Google voice search with Belkin CarAudio Connect Bluetooth on a Sony Xperia
I have a non-rooted Sony Xperia running Android 4.3 and I have recently have bought a Belkin CarAudio Connect AUX with Bluetooth. It connects fine and it all works however it left me wanting more. Currently pressing the button on the CarAudio Connect pauses and plays the audio, a feature that I wish to keep. However, I was hoping that a double tab or a long press can do a Google voice search so I can call or text people (or find out important information like the height of the Eiffel Tower) while driving.
How would I set this up? I have tried 'Bluetooth Launch' from the Play store but it didn't do anything and I couldn't find any similar apps. I was thinking a Tasker task or a similar app but I don't know how to set it up or what action to look for.
Please help.

This can be done using tasker and the AutoVoice Addon. From the addon's description:

Control your Android device with your voice, now even via your Bluetooth headset! You can even redirect all audio to your Bluetooth headset and also react to your Bluetooth headset button and do whatever action you want with it in Tasker.

Basically, you create a new profile in Tasker to activate AutoVoice (e.g. shaking the device, pressing the camera button, using a shortcut to the given task, whatever), which then acts on keywords even by regular expression match (there's also a "permanent listening mode" which you could enable on conditions like "power plugged in plus Bluetooth connected to car"). There are plenty of ways to realize different things with it, a full how-to would go much beyond the scope of this site :) You can even have AutoVoice triggering Google Now, if you like.
To go deeper into this topic, let me give you some links:

How to use Google Now to Trigger Tasker Tasks - YouTube
[TUTORIAL] Merge Xposed, Tasker, Autovoice and Google Now to use phone only by voice
AutoVoice Beginner: Setting Up Voice Recognition - YouTube
Voice Control Your Phone with Tasker and AutoVoice - XDA developer TV

For more, simply google for "autovoice howto" :)

Thanks for the answer however it probably a bit more complex than I was aiming for. I was more hoping for 'When bluetooth button is pressed then launch Google Now' instead of writing all my own commands. Saying that I found that there is a long press function on my hands free just that I have to release to make it activate (I was pressing so long waiting for something to happen but it only turned off) and I got it to activate Google Now, now just have a problem that behind the lock screen it only allows calls and no other commands.

Well, basically it is that (just setting up one task to have AutoVoice launching GoogleNow, and than voice-interact with GoogleNow) – everything else was just to "show off what's possible". As for the lockscreen issue, I would again argue with Tasker: "When docked → Disable Lockscreen" (that's part of my "Nightstand Mode").


text:
Help finding app history
i know there is a place i can go on my lg motion and see the history of all the apps ever downloaded to my phone, including the ones that have been removed. This same place will show the last date the app was installed but I can't remember where that is.

You can go to the Play Store and click My Apps and then All

What's is interesting is to find out how many times I have tried to give an app a chance. I install, test it, uninstall, come back months later, do it again. I seem to have installed Amazon Kindle at least 3 times, that I can see.


text:
Disabling SMS notifications except in the top bar
Whenever I receive an SMS I have 3 on-screen notifications. How can I disable them without disabling the notification in the top bar?

Text program/menu/settings/notifications/uncheck only disable the notification in the top bar, which I don't want:

I use Samsung Galaxy S3 with Android 4.1.2.

I haven't found any solution so far.

So I am still interested if someone has any idea.


text:
Fast Upload, Slow Download on Wireless-AC WAN over SFTP
Title says most of it.  I use ES File Explorer, but the issue seems to exist in any file manager.  Copying files to the SFTP server nets 20-30MB/s, whereas copying files from is ~400-500kB/s.
I gather this may have something to do with Android treating these copy operations as a background download, but that's mostly supposition.

Maybe the site/computer you are downloading from have a upload limit. but when you push files (you upload) the other side is downloading, so it less of a problem for them.

I wasn't clear, my fault.  This is all over an internal Wireless-AC network.  I'm currently on a device (laptop) that connects to the same SFTP server (desktop, also mine) without this issue.

In that case try a different application, to make sure it is not the application fault. Some application implement file transfer over the network very poorly.
p.s I had similar problem when both my laptop and my phone where connected via wireless, and the download speed on my phone was very slow (phone downloader/laptop uploader over wifi).
wifi is a shared volume, and only one client can talk at the time.


text:
Create shortcut to system apk that doesn't have a shortcut
So I have a MTK Android Phone, the gps of which sucks. Only App that can get a fix is ygps.apk in engineering mode. I have to keep it running background so other gps apps can get fix. Every time I want to launch this app I need to go to engineering mode, although my phone is rooted and I know where the YGPS.apk is.
Can I create a shortcut for this app so i can launch it with one click?

possible duplicate of How to create link to app that does not appear in the apps menu?

Several launchers can do that, e.g. Apex and Nova. You pretend to create a shortcut, select "Activities", browse for the app you normally use to enter engineering mode, and see what activities it provides. Should have one for that YGPS if you normally launch it from there.
There are other tools available specifically creating similar shortcuts (if you don't want to use one of those browsers), e.g. Activity Launcher should be worth a closer look then.
In either case, you get a complete list of all available apps – regardless of whether they are shown in your app drawer or are hidden from it. So even if that YGPS is a separate app, it should show up here with its activities. If its an activity of some other app, it should show up there.

I had exactly the same experience with YGPS.
QuickShortcut Maker is an app that allows you to create a shortcut to an application from the list of activities which are installed on your phone.
This works with YGPS and YGPS works when launched this way.

Tasker could do something for you, like start the ygps app before the 'real' one starts.

Tasker is a app with lots of functions. Please explain here how to achieve the goal.


text:
Does Nexus 7 has Bluetooth Smart technology?
I've read here http://www.bluetooth.com/Pages/Bluetooth-Smart-Devices-List.aspx among other pages that it has this technology, but i'm trying to connect to a beacon with it and the app says that "Device does not have Bluetooth Low Energy".
Are there maybe any Nexus 7 devices without this kind of bluetooth or what is the problem?
The device is updated and the beacons are working because i can find them with other devices.

I assume you're referring to the 2012 version of the Nexus 7? Although the hardware is capable of supporting Bluetooth LE (as suggested by the link in your question), Google never certified it as such and so the stock ROM does not support it.
There is an answer to a similar question on stackoverflow which appears to suggest that CyanogenMod (and maybe other custom ROMs) has added support for Bluetooth LE on the 2012 Nexus 7.


text:
Samsung Duos Mac address keeps changing
I have a Samsung Duos GT-I9082 (Android 4.2.2).
Every time the screen turns off or is locked, the WiFi gets turned off. Then on the MAC address changes so I cannot connect to the WiFi due to MAC filtering.
Could you please help me figure this out? Thanks.

The smartphone's wifi turned out to be spoofed.

With a random MAC address? Why did you do that?

Unless you specifically installed some app or mod to change the MAC address, that almost sounds more like a bug in a custom kernel mod. Did you root the device?

authors: عبود الحيالي


text:
Touch sensitivity problem
I'm using glaxy grand (I9083). I was facing this touch problem. For example, if i touch and hold letter 'e' on my keyboard to enter number 3, it will type bunch of letter e's (eeeeee). First I thought it was some software problem(touch driver). But today I found out that if I remove the back cover and use the phone, problem goes away. Weird right?. Anyone know how to fix this?

Probably not the issue but make sure your hands and the screen are both clean. This happens to me if i get certain substances on my fingers and then subsequently on the screen

Nope that's not it. If I remove the back cover, it perfectly works. And then I put it back on, problem comes again

Tell us more about this cover. What kind is it, and how does it attach?

It's just the battery cover that comes with the phoone (battery cover)

It's a plastic flip cover

It could be they somehow the battery is interfering with the screen when it gets pressed farther into the office by the case. How? I'm really don't know.

Yes that might be the case. When I loosen up the cover it works ok

Try putting a paper shim behind the battery (without blocking the contacts on the phone or battery, of course). That might create enough space to prevent the interference. I've experienced similar symptoms while a phone is charging, but that's a slightly different situation. Maybe your phone has a slight manufacturing defect? It could be the cover, the battery, or an internal component that's not quite properly shielded.

Might be because of static charge accumulated during charging. Use the stock charger if currently not using also there are many tips to remove that static charge off your screen. Try those and tell us.

Ivcode ,this maybe a solution for your problem.
First of all ,try to upgrade your android.
Second,go to settings>my device>display.
There must be an option at bottom named 'Increase touch sensitivity'.
Tick it and you are done!
If it helped then please reply, if not then let me know what happened.


text:
Lost access to internal and external sd card because modified vold.fstab
I just bought a copy of Samsung Galaxy S4, rooted it using framaroot, installed busybox. Then i modified the vold.fstab because the internal sd card size only 1.8gb and i want my 16gb external card become the internal sd card, after i reboot my device some of my downloaded apps was lost and i can't open play store then i open file manager its empty. So i go to recovery mode and factory reset and nothing happening, i still cant access my sd cards. The two sd card are accessable in recovery mode so i moved  my external sd card to my another samsung device and downloaded cynanogen custom rom and gapps then i moved the external sd card back, i go to recovery mode and tried to install the custom rom but it failed. I have also tried using android commander in my windows pc but it didn't  work either because it says i have no root acces. Now i have no idea what to do, can someone please help me solve my problem if anyone can i appriciated it. Thank you....

What about restoring the original vold.fstab from the backup you've made before editing that system file? As that's stored in internal storage (so neither internal nor external SD), you should still have access to it.


text:
Is there any widget for iframing a link/url and make it viewable on homescreen in full or resizable area?
Is there any widget for iframing a link/url and make it view able on home screen in full or re sizable area?

I think this might be what you're looking for:

Meta Widget: Create widgets from almost any website element
Websnap-Web capture,Web widget: take a snapshot of any web page or part of a page and display it on your Android home screen with a refresh interval of your choice

Feel free to search Google Play for related apps.

Thanks. But I also need some images to be displayed as well, like thumbnails, in that case the above widget wont be that useful.

@jitendra Hard to imagine what you are really looking for. What sample website do you want to view on a widget?

I want to view my personalized edition of google news. I mean I have to sign in. The closest is WebSnap, however, I cannot click on the link (headlines). it is just like a viewable newspaper.

Is there any up to date app like these? Both of them dated to 2016 and never updated, both have very low ratings

As geffchang has suggested, there are some widgets that can show a thumbnail/screenshot of the website, but it's not possible to have a fully working, interactive view like you get in a web browser.
Home screen widgets don't run like normal apps: instead, the widget provider tells the home screen app what layout the widget should have, from a set list of GUI elements (text, buttons, images, &c.). It's not possible to include a web browser view in that layout.


text:
How to downgrade from kitkat to jelly bean?
May I know how to downgrade from android 4.4.2 kitkat to jelly bean? There are many problems on my galaxy note 10.1 after upgraded to kitkat. Please help me~ Thank you very much!

If you took a backup of your ROM before updating, then you can restore the backup. Alternatively, if your phone is rooted then you can download a stock Jelly Bean ROM from somewhere like XDA and flash it.

Tread carefully here.  If your Galaxy Note 10.1 has the Knox bootloader (the 2014 edition does), then you won't be able to downgrade the OS even if you have a Nandroid backup or the original Jellybean firmware.  Knox prevents downgrades and you'll likely soft brick your device.  I did this accidentally on by Galaxy S4 by applying an older firmware backup (only a minor patch release) instead of the most current one.


text:
Samsung S3 Clone "Not registered on network" error
I have a clone S3 which our local Samsung outlet gave to developers in my group. Wireless and all other functions seem to work but when I put in a sim card it does not register and gives the error "Not registerd on network". Searching for the network manually finds the network but can still not register on it.Azira Patch app says I have no root permissions. Superuser gives and error when I try to install. These are the only solutions I have found so far.Also the clone S3 have no physical button for menu rather it shows up on the home screen and I cannot get into download mode. Details for the phone are as follows:
Model number: GT-I9300Android version:4.0.3 Baseband version: I9300XXLB7Kernel version:3.0.15-154884-userBuild number:IML74K.I9300XXALB7


text:
Change Language
My Hummer H5 smartphone came preloaded in Chinese.  I have changed the language setting for the phone itself to English however, the Google search is still operating in Chinese.  I would like to know what steps to take to change this to English.

Based on the basic settings which is available throughout the
Android Devices a phone has to display the default language
throughout the phone through which the user can interact with the
phone with ease.
Well If you have changed the default language to English under the Mobile
Settings properly then it should display the default language for
your phone throughout or else you might have not changed it properly(Chinese language has been categorised into many languages depending on the location like Simplified Chinese as far as I  know).
What I can suggest you is either you checkout with Customer Support
or Check the instruction manual which should be available on the Web or in the Package with which the phone was shipped


text:
Is there an internet free radio app that can connect to bluetooth speakers
I have an old Samsung galaxy S1 that I would like to use an a radio transmitter and connect to my home entertainment system via bluetooth.
To run the built in app you are required to have head phones connected and you have the option to output the music through the phone speaker.
How can I move this from the phone speaker to the bluetooth option?
Are there any apps that can do this?
The main criteria for this is to be internet free. If the internet is required I can just use the laptop for the music through Spotify or some other app(which i don't want to do)

So you're wanting to use the onboard FM receiver to play music through bluetooth?

Yes that is correct. Either through the default application or if needed i will download another app


text:
Possible to restore phone-only contacts from PC backup?
I have a Samsung S4 which I did factory reset on, after backing up my data to my PC via USB.  I grabbed everything off the "phone" and "card" directories and backed up to an external drive on my PC.  I assumed that this would be enough to protect my data, but it looks like the phone-only contacts (not the ones synced with Google) are no longer available. (I didn't have Verizon backup assistant turned on lately enough to catch the contacts.) I've read that there should have been a db file in one of the directories, but I don't see anything like that in what I backed up.  Someone else wrote that I needed "root" to get to those files, but wouldn't those files have come through the USB backup?  Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Well its possible to restore any contact present on the Personal Computer provided your method of backup was done using a dedicated software like Samsung Kies.
For Samsung Kies follow the below Steps

In Samsung kies it provides two kinds of restore phone only restore
or complete (SIM+ phone).At first after installation of Samsung
kies3
Samsung  kies has currently two versions Samsung kies and Samsung kies 3.Samsung Kies is for basic mobiles as well as smart phones with Android version upto Android 4.1 As yours is Android 4.2 above device kies 3 is suitable for you.
After installation all your backup is to be taken and stored
So whenever you lose data or do a firmware upgrade you will have
your data always with you safely


text:
How do I get rid of synced contacts?
I want to get rid of the contacts that were synced through my Skype, Facebook, and Gmail accounts. How do I do this? I don't want to factory reset my phone, but if I have to....

I had to do this with contacts from a secondary Google account. I just removed the account and re-added it with contact sync turned off.

Go to gmail on desktop
select contact from the drop down menu by clicking on Gmail on the left top of the screen.
Select all contacts and delete them


text:
Is there a way to replace the 4.4.2-style emoji graphics with the Google Hangouts versions?
I don't use emoji very often, but I did think the Google Hangouts-style emoticons were rather adorable. Following the 4.4.2 update, the graphics set used for emoji have been enabled in the stock keyboard, but in these rather unattractive cliche-looking versions which have also overridden the ones available in Hangouts. Is there any way I can get a Google Hangouts-style icon pack or something? All of the Google Play searches I've attempted returned mostly emoji keyboards which are NOT what I am looking for.

What phone are you on? Some manufacturers skin the Emoji, I'm looking at Samsung's at the moment and they're pretty dreadful. They change from the keyroard to what appears in the Hangout due to Touchwiz and its invasive uglyness!

@RossC An s3. So there's no way to change it?

Needs root access: You can change the AndroidEmoji.ttf font that can be found in /system/fonts/. XDA has a copy of different Emoji fonts you can use.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2618523 here are the attachments with the emoji from Google if you want to add to your answer

I haven't rooted my phone; is there another way to accomplish this? How do apps that add system fonts work without root access?

@AsianSquirrel No idea, but I think you wouldn't be able to replace the exact font (name) without root access. You might want to check if this works: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2479346 Please give feedback.

@geffchang The iFont app seemed like it would work if you wanted to change the system font and not necessarily the emoji font. However, a fee was required for use on non-rooted devices; I have no money, and therefore could not try it out. Interestingly enough, NotoColorEmoji.ttf was in the /system/fonts folder (along with the rest of the NotoSans, etc. font family),but I'm guessing SamsungEmoji.ttf is what is being used as the display font for emoji? There are several other fonts in the font folder, but none of them (incl. Noto) are available for selection in the  system Display options.


text:
How to see hidden files/folders on android internal storage over USB
I have a windows 7 pc and a Sony Experia Z android phone. I use a downloader app to download files to the phone, and then hook it up to USB to copy to the computer.
The only problem is sometimes the files+folders do not show. I moved the download folder into DCIM folder (the camera pictures folder, which is always visible), and now the FOLDER appears, but all the files inside it are hidden. How can I get windows to show ABSOLUTELY EVERY file and folder on the phone?
Things I have tried:

USB Debugging mode.
A different browser on the windows operating system (Total Commander - Same problem, empty folder)
Windows explorer settings are set to show all files, folders and hidden system files.
Resetting the phone

Can someone answer this? I really need a totally working solution. One time I turned on USB debugging and it worked, but today it has not. I need a 100% solution as this is the only way I can download large files from the internet.
I have no router, no 3rd party internet provider and no wifi. I dont know what the android version is, it is just the default one the "Sony xperia Z" came with, and I cannot update the android version, because I dont have wi-fi.

One option may be to go in with ADB this can usually see the file system without much of an issue. So you can look into how to hook it up to your phone (the link above will get you started), and once you are connected copy the files over command line.
Another possibly easier option would be to put a file explorer app on your phone and and transfer the files locally to another visible location on your phones file system.
EDIT:
This may be a bit of a weird one, but if you put this code: *#*#273283*255*663282*#*#*
into your dialer, it should give a file copy screen which may give you the desired result.
The code is from this post.

authors: ابو تمام محمد


text:
Page can't be loaded in S4 using http, but it does in https
I'm having special issues loading a website in my Galaxy S4, either Chrome and the default browser. In my case, when I try to access a website file using http, it throws an error 500, while accessing it using https, it works as expected. The weirdest thing is that when I try to access using another phone or a pc, it perfectly works. I've even tried using Firefox, but it still doesn't work.
Do you know where does this error can come from?

HTTP error 500 indicates a server problem. You should report the problem to the owner of the website so they can fix it. Some sites deliberately behave differently for different browsers and OSes, so that could be triggering the problem at the server.
There's one more possibility, if you're using mobile data (instead of Wi-Fi) to access the site. Most carriers use a transparent web proxy to compress data you access on the web (especially pictures), to use less bandwidth. Obviously this only works when you're using HTTP: for HTTPS, the carrier's proxy server doesn't know what the page contains. If you're seeing the same problem on several sites, it could be that the error is coming from the proxy server (or is otherwise caused by the proxy server), not the site you're trying to access. In this case, another phone on a different network wouldn't show the same problem. If you're using mobile data, and you suspect this problem, you can check whether it happens on Wi-Fi too.

Heh, the funny thing is that I am one of the administrators, that's why it looks so weird, because it works with everything else. I'll give it a try with the wifi thing, and I tell you later. Thank you!


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Android OS installation to tablet
I have a tablet X touch, But its operating system has been damaged. Now I want to install fresh one to it. How can it be done? Someone help please? Thanks in advance.

What do you mean by "damaged"? Does the tablet boot up? What is the exact problem you are trying to solve here?

@Wajid Ali, I suggest you to report to nearest Customer Care for that device; in case you are not responsible ;)

Find the firmware for your specific model of tablet via this search, then download the firmware image and the tools listed, and follow the instructions to flash the firmware onto the device.

@Dan Hulme's contribution is notable. The asker has not specified whether he is responsible for the bricking or not. If not then he would better report to customer care unless the device has not overpassed the warranty.