text:
Need to enable ICMP Ping response from phone
I'm trying to enable ICMP ping response from my Android 4.2.2 Phone (Galaxy S4). I am only considering ping over LAN via Wi-Fi, not the cellular network. WLAN Network connectivity is not the problem: I can connect to an FTP server running on the phone from another machine on the LAN. Pinging the phone from the same host of the FTP client results in timeouts. The phone is not asleep because the FTP session can be active, but ping still times out.
I can also ping an Android 4.4 tablet just fine, so it is not something specific with Android.
In the phone, I examined /system/etc/sysctl.conf and found the line:
sysctl -w net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all=1;

which I commented out as (editing with ES File Explorer Root Explorer, FS set to RW)
#sysctl -w net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all=1;

After rebooting the phone, there is still no ping response. What other settings could inhibit ICMP ping response?
Edit: I also tried the form
sysctl -w net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all=0;

That did not make a difference.
I can ping any other host on the LAN, including the router, from the phone using the Net Ping app.
I also discovered that I can ping the phone at its IPv6 link-local address (fe80::xxxx)
It will respond to pings while the phone is awake, but as soon as the screen goes dark, ping responses stop. But I do not get any IPv4 ping response under any circumstances, so some setting is blocking it. I do not have any add-on firewall like DroidWall running.

Since this isn't usual Android behaviour, it might help to tell us what phone you have and what kind of network connection you're using.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Rooted, Wi-Fi network.

Can you ping the other machine from the phone? Your Wi-Fi router could be blocking the echo requests.

Yes, I have an app on the phone called Net Ping. I can ping any other host on the LAN, including the router.

I tried changing the sysctl.conf line to "sysctl -w net.ipv4.icmp_echo_ignore_all=0;", but still no ping responses

You should add that information to your question by [edit]ing it. The site doesn't show all comments, so it's easy for information to get lost there.

I know this question is quite old now, but I came across this looking to for an answer and managed to work it out myself.
What I did was download a root file explorer (I used Root Browser from JRummy Apps) and navigate to /proc/sys/net/ipv4 edit icmp_echo_ignore_all so that it is a 1-line, 1-character file that simply says 0 (when I opened the file, it was set to 1)
No reboot, ICMP requests started working upon saving.
Hope that helps someone else!

The simplest (and, of course, tricky) way is to use nping. For example:

nping -c <ping_count> --tcp -p <your_ftp_port_number> <ip_address_of_your_phone_hosting_ftp_service>

Achieve same goal without modification of Android.


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How to remotely access full file system on Android for backup?
I have always used SFTP servers on my Android devices, with sync scripts run on my server daily to perform backups. I also transfer files to and from the devices this way.
With each version of Android, it becomes increasingly challenging. I now have a Samsung Tab7 FE with Android 11. I have spent hours buying and trying FTP servers, and none are working. Some only allow access to /storage/emulated/0, and the physical (external) sd-card is completely unavailable. After reading about Storage Access Framework (SAF), I found the Primitive ftpd from F-droid says it supports SAF, but it can only access new folders created by the Primitive sftpd app, and not the full file system.
What are workable approaches to provide filesystem access on Android over Wi-Fi, to enable unattended automatic backup and file transfer?
Edit - I am aware of ADB approaches, but as far as I know they are not unattended and automatic. I want to leave the tablet idle, connected to Wi-Fi, and have my script backup the tablet unattended at 2am.

Related: How to backup apps and data on non-rooted Android without needing a PC?

What OS are you running on your computer? Maybe ADB over WiFi in conjunction with adbfs-rootless would be an option (I use that here, though via USB, to access my devices)?

there should be entry in developer options for legacy storage

What I don't understand if you're going to have unattended full backup it requires rooted device - therefore why bother with SAF? use your power of su https://android.stackexchange.com/q/245392

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Direct dial/message shortcuts ambiguously displayed on Galaxy S3
The direct dial/message shortcut icons on the Samsung Galaxy S3 are ambiguous - eg: it is hard to tell which is text and which is a dial if you have the same person (one for each). Additionally, on this model, the shortcut is overlayed with "mobile" or "home" or whatever that persons phone you've selected.
Is there any way to easily change this?
I'm using GO Launcher, which I can change the icons directly but then I'd have to go and find the person's image, overlay it with a text/phone icon, etc., which seems like a lot of work.
The stock ROM on my Motorola Atrix used to have a pretty sweet widget that looked something like this:
-----------------------------------
            |           |          |
Contact IMG | Phone IMG | Text IMG |
            |           |          |
------------------------------------

Where the phone and text buttons of the image would direct dial\text the contact. Maybe there is something like this out there that I've missed?
This is what it looks like ("phone" and "text" were originally the contacts name):

You mentioned that you are using the Go Launcher EX then I think you will like the Go Contact Widget which can mange directly your favorites to home screen.

I've tried the go contact widget, it does not have one touch dialing.

There was no free option to fix this that I could find. There is a lot of junk on the play store, and it was kinda hard to find, but seems looking for "speed dial" in the play store was the key words I needed. I found and tried several apps, none of which were very good.
I finally settled on this app: Speed Dial Widget Contact+. It's the closest I've found to what I'm asking above.

Try the Contact Widget. True one touch. Uses contact picture, and allows you to select which number to direct dial or message(text). Also allows you to customize the label, i.e., "text", "call", or the contact's name (if you forget what they look like)(ish). Works in Go Launcher for my Samsung Galaxy S3, just like direct dial/message widget in TouchWiz home.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.livroandroid.widget.contatos&hl=en
Hope it helps.

Sounds like the widget you're missing from your Atrix was part of the Motorola skin laid over Android on that device. My Galaxy Nexus (4.1) has the same kinds of contact widgets that you're seeing on your SGSIII, and I agree with you that having the Direct Call and Direct Dial contact widgets next to each other is less than ideal.
Have you tried a dedicated contact widget? Something like the GO Contact Widget might meet your needs. You might even be able to accomplish what you want using a Tasker widget, although that might be a little overkill.
Alternatively, instead of choosing the Direct Call or Direct Dial widget, why not use a plain Contact widget? This places a nice picture of the contact on your screen which, when pressed, presents the contact overlay from which you can call, message, or otherwise contact your contact. This overlay, to me, is much better than two separate widgets (though it puts you one extra tap away from the action).
Mine looks like this. Contact widget:

Expanded contact card/overlay:

I know this is lazy, but it is that extra click to open a contact widget (or even go) that gets me. I'm looking for a true "one touch" option if one exists - maybe I need to write one :)

Fair enough :-). Any luck with the contact widget applications I mentioned?

I tried the top 3 on the list of "contact widget" and none of them support one touch dial\message. I did not try tasker as: 1: I'm not 100% sure it will do what I want, 2: it is $6, so if I'm not sure or not then I don't want to pay that much for an app :)

Although you didn't necessarily answer my question 100%, you led me down the path to victory. Since I can't have my points back and no one else has come up with a better answer you can have the bounty, thanks!

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


text:
Can I run a webserver on an android device?
You can make a Web server on your router providing that you rewrite its firmware with a free DD-WRT, Tomato, etc.
You can also run a on a raspberry pi, given that you can run a Web server on any device provided it runs a Linux. Can I run a Web server on an Android device, and if yes, how can I set it up?

Absolutely! You can either:

download a ready made one - like kWS - Android Web Server or
write your own - here's some code to integrate in to your project or just use as is.

It says. This app is compatible with all of your devices. good +1/accept

The book Pro Android Python with SL4A comes with some free downloadable source code, you can find it on that official site. In the source code samples there are examples of basic httpserver, and basic ftpserver. Both of those will work on Android devices, I imagine it is also possible to make a more advanced webserver using python, or perhaps even re-purpose one that is already in existence.

Is python default in Android ?

@EduardFlorinescu To my knowledge it does not come pre-installed on any devices currently. It can be installed via SL4A, or its own standalone apk installer.

http://code.google.com/p/python-for-android/ Yes thanks

There are actually several apps on the Google Play Store. A few of them even have PHP. My personal favorite is Servers Ultimate.

Till today Oct 22, 2017, there are at least 20 plus application on google play store. I personally develop every web application using my android phone . you can consider using bitweb server or kickweb server . although bitweb server is paid and kickweb server is free.
Link of kickweb server
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nokshaserver
Bit web server :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andi.serverweb

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

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


text:
Moving app between _three_ possibilities for storage?
My son has an Android phone, and when he bought it the storage space was divided thus:
System Memory: 157MB
Internal Memory: 1024MB
When this was essentially full we put in an SD card to give him more storage. So now we also have
SD card: 1.84GB
When he fires up something called "App Manager" and clicks on "storage" he sees these three possibilities -- System memory, Internal memory and SD card.
OK now here's the problem. If he downloads an app from the app store, by default it will typically install onto the Internal memory. He wants to put it on the SD card, but the only option available when he tries to move it with his app manager is "Move to phone". If he moves an app to the phone, which presumably is the system memory, then the only option now available is "move to internal memory". Furthermore, try as we might we cannot move any app onto the SD card. Is this expected behaviour? Is there a way of installing apps on his SD card (without rooting the phone, ideally)?
The phone is an LG-E400, running Android version 2.3.6 .

It would be helpful to mention the device in question. Assuming e.g. it is a Samsung Galaxy S3, a quote from App 2 SD states why it's not supported there: Galaxy S3 configures the SD card as a secondary external storage. This is configured by Samsung. Nothing developers can do about this. In this case, probably only the availability of root could solve your issue.

OP: Was this from Tesco?

It was from Carphone Warehouse

@Izzy: I do not understand the quote from App2SD (although the gist seems to be that a related problem, possibly the same one, is unsolvable). Is it the same problem? How might I check? App2SD does not solve the problem for us -- App2SD creates a list of apps which are "installed on SD card" and in fact none of these are installed on the actual SD card, they're all installed on what the phone itself calls "internal memory".

Does "only the availability of root could solve your issue" mean "if you root the phone you can solve the problem"? I have been shying away from rooting the phone on the basis that if I brick my son's phone this will cause a lot of problems.

The problem is, as described in t0mm13b's answer, that the system will not recognize the SD card as valid target. With root available, you could probably use solutions like Link2SD to fool the system.

System memory, internal memory is a mis-leading thing, its actually referring to storage space which is a very different thing to the meaning RAM often referred as memory!
The reference to storage - system as in /system would be more accurate.
When you download an app from the Play Store, it must be installed into the /data.
From there you can actually move the app to the sd-card. On stock vanilla android, the option is there 'Move to SD card'.
Now by the sound of it, its as if it is indeed moving the app to the SDCard, but its not really a SDCard, its how an internal storage space (think of USB flash drives), is treated as an /sdcard but in reality, you have internal and external storage, the latter being the actual micro SD card slotted in place.
Its a bit confusing how it works, from a developer's perspective, when a check is carried out for an SD card, Android seemingly "tells" the developer that the internal storage is treated as an /sdcard.
Also, to compound confusion even more, there's also a symbolic link to the real sdcard, /external/sdcard as well - this bit is dependent on what device/manufacturer is in question.
Yes, this is the expected behaviour, whichever storage (from a view point of Android and the hardware device's file-system priority, is treated as "sdcard").
In short, nothing you can do, apart from using App 2 SD, but then again, that could fall into the same trap as I mentioned previously about the developer's perspective.
Edit
After the OP has edited their question to include the device, after looking at GSMArena
MEMORY      Card slot microSD, up to 32GB
Internal    1 GB storage, 384 MB RAM

Yup, it looks definitely like as if the internal storage is treated in this fashion as an "SDCard"...
The naming is misleading. What is really meant, is: internal (phone) storage 157MB, internal SD-Card (eMMC) 1024MB

@tomm13b: thanks for following this up. Is the upshot then that it might actually be impossible to install apps on the actual SD card? I am confused as to why one would even want a card slot on the phone if the card itself is inaccessible!

@KevinBuzzard the card is accessible for data, so you could keep e.g. your ebook or mp3 collection with you, or use it for backups or other documents. As to your original issue, I guess you're sitting in the same trap as the SGS3 mentioned in my previous comment.

Izzy and t0mm13b: thanks both of you for your clarifying comments. I'm slightly disappointed and surprised that I find myself in this situation; my son seems to have a "hard limit" for the number of apps he can install onto his phone, and he's hit it very quickly. I am now thinking about rooting the phone, but I guess that's another thread. Thanks both of you for the help.

@KevinBuzzard You are always welcome. Another hint is to check the playstore for App2SD related apps before rooting (if you're afraid of voiding your warranty etc.). There might be a solution not requiring root I am not aware of, as I was not aware of this special problem until today.

@KevinBuzzard I just googled a lot, and found some reports that it should work on your device with an app called "Apps2SD": New apps get installed on internal storage first, but you then can use Apps2SD to move them to SD card. Maybe you try that first?

I am using the same model LG L3 E400.I have fixed this issue by rooting my phone and installing APP2SD and some other apps are their for moving apps from internal memort to SD memory.
I am currently using custom ROM-- Jellybreard 2 which is a stable one..KUDOSSS
Try rooting and install custom ROM... Happy Rooting... :)

I have the same phone (LG Optimus L3 e400), I have the same problem but I have found some solutions, like the app directory bind which puts yours apps' data to external SD card and make the phone understand it is still on internal memory (the phone executes the apps using a new link made by db).
The other way is to upgrade to Android 4.0.3 with a custom ROMavailable and use an app called "root external 2 internal sd" to do exactly what you look for, for flashing a custom ROM you have to be rooted and take some risks, don't worry if you make an android backup there won't be any problems.
I actually found another possible way which is modifying the vold.fstab (must be rooted) if you try copy the original vold.fstab to the same directory and rename it (voldfstab.backup) if there's a problem just delete the modified file and rename back your original file.
I am a web developer not an android developer so this is the result of a lot of research and experience. Hope I helped you.

What custom ROM did you use?


text:
Is there a way to see the top apps across all categories?
Is there a way to see some stats about the top apps in the Android Market across all categories?
The Google Play Store gives me some top paid and free apps per category.  How do I get the overall stats?

This site gives stats on the App Market in general, as well as distributions of ratings and downloads.

AppBrain can give top apps overall and by cateogry.  It also has filters for Free, Paid, New, Updated and Price Reduced.

Doesn't answer the OP's question. I think he's looking for stats/metrics on the apps in general. Not how to filter them.

Good point.  I see where you're going and I may be completely off on this one.  Since the second part suggests the only problem with android.com is that there's no "all categories" option, I went with the interpretation that it is about top apps, not other stats.

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


text:
Galaxy S2 not switching on after being dropped
My Galaxy S2 dropped today and will not switch on. I dropped it on a very soft surface when this occurred. It usually happens and I just press the on button continuously and this usually does the trick. This is not helping and at the moment if I try to connect it to the charger an empty battery signal is flashing on the screen continuously. Any ideas on what course of action I should take? Could it possibly be a dead battery?

Problems after dropping the phones typically come from two reasons:

Physical damage
Brown out (unclean voltage drop)

The voltage drop may temporarily lock up the circuit, so you could take out the battery for some time to let it properly reset. Else inspect the connector springs if they're bent and measure the battery voltage, try a spare battery, etc.

thank you sooooo much :) my connectors just needed cleaning great help


text:
My Huawei u8160 is restarting automatically
I have a Huawei u8160 running Cyanogenmod 7.2 that always restarts automatically.
My phone is clocked to 122-600 while my phone's CPU's Max frequency 558.
I'm using the SMARTASSV2 governor and it mostly restarts when it is sleeping.
So I want to know what restarts my phone automatically?

Why would it meltdown ? Maybe because the excessive frequency ?

most probably it crashed and the watchdog circuit triggered a restart. Aka: yor Mod is still unstable.

@ce4 what crashed? and what is the watchdog circuit?

I've heard that the smartassv2 governor caps the frequency to the lowest while sleeping,maybe my lower frequency is not right?

@MohamedEssam Check my answer, it might shed some light at your current problem.

@Mohamed: Here's a wikpedia article about watchdogs in computing

Summarized Answer:
The main issue your facing is that you're using SmartassV2/ondemandX that was developed for stock kernels. But you're using it with a non stock kernel, the CyanogenMod 7.2. See bellow a summary for each of them.
Useful reading: A Beginner’s Guide to Android Kernels

SmartassV2/ondemandX governors
Stock kernel is the factory firmware. If you're using SmartassV2/ondemandX governors, they are modules for phones with stock kernels because they don't have 'smartass' or ondemandX' governors:

XDA Developers Forum :: SmartassV2/ondemandX governors for Rooted/stock ROM | 2012-02-24
Last updated: by AnDyX; 16th May 2012 at 07:47 AM.

This modules are for people with stock kernels because they don't have 'smartass' or ondemandX' governors.
Differences between this modules and build in stock kernels:

allows to set max CPU freq when screen is off (to save battery),
allows to set starting CPU freq when phone awakes (to speed up awake process),
allows set/change almost all aspects of governor (to suite needs),
should be a bit more responsive when parameters are well chosen for smartassv2 governor.

CyanogenMod 7.2.0-RC1
The current CyanogenMod 7.2.0-RC1 U8160 Port status is stable, but there are some known issues reported.
Already fixed reboot related issues:

v0.9 (20120203):

Hotfix 4test5 [21 Feb]: Revert longterm patches due to random reboot issue.

v0.7 - 22 January 2012:

Kernel stability fix (disabled SCHED_HRTICK due to instability/random reboot issue).

Note: Check your version. The latest is v1.3 released at 2012-06-25.

Use the link bellow to get detailed information about the development and what users are reporting. If you've got a version above v0.9, consider reporting your issue, thus allowing the developer to deal with it. If your version isn't the latest, consider changing to it.

XDA Developers Forum :: Huawei U8160/U8180 CyanogenMod 7.2.0-RC1 U8160 Port
Latest release: v1.3
Last updated: by psyke83; 25th June 2012 at 01:57 PM.
Thread responses: 3830

the last version is 2/7/2012 not 25/6/2012 and i have installed it already and then it started random rebooting

@MohamedEssam Can you provide a link for the version released on 02-07-2012? Didn't saw any mention to it...

i downloaded it from goomanager.

@MohamedEssam The release from 02-07-2012 isn't an official one yet. There's still some bugs being fixed. That's the reason as to why she doesn't appear on the changelog.

but the 25/6/2012 one has too many bugs the most obvious one is that all the sensors aren't working well.that what made me install that one.

@MohamedEssam You need to wait for a more stable version! Nonetheless, my summary at the top of my answer continues to be the answer to your issue, you're overclocking your hardware with software for factory ROMs, not custom ROMs like the one you're using.

let us continue this discussion in chat


text:
How do I reinstall MediaScannerService?
I recently rooted my Samsung Exhibit II. and was going through and deleting some bloatware and accidentally fat fingered and deleted the MediaScannerService not realizing what I was deleting.  Does anyone no how to reinstall the service?  I have tried downloading applications but they are just accessing the service and restarting it.  Since the service has been deleted the applications essentially do nothing.

you will need to pull it out of a ROM for your device (might be able to use 'non-device specific' version but I would use the same to "be safe" then copy it on to the device. The other option is to reflash the stock ROM (if you have it available from somewhere). - Always Nandroid Backup before making changes, or use titanium backup and Freeze first to "test" for issues.

+1 for the Freeze recommendation! It's the first thing I always recommend in such cases, as its reversion is much easier than a re-install. Having a backup before removing stuff should be that obvious -- though many users seem to forget this most important step. First thing after rooting is installing a custom recovery and doing a Nandroid backup.

There are only two ways to get it back:

Flash a (new) ROM. This could be the same you are currently using, or any other one fitting for your device. To find a matching one, please see Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?
Find the exact ROM you are currently using, and extract the corresponding files from it. Then copy the extracted files to your device.

For the future, keep in mind to always make a good backup before tampering with system files. A nandroid backup is a very good idea, as with that you are always able to get back to the state before you started with any changes.
See also the comments on your question for other details.

When copying file set the permission as 644 and it should be copied to system/app


text:
Wi-Fi issues with HTC Desire S
I have an HTC Desire S, which I have had no issues with until now.  It is now not recognising any Wi-Fi networks. When I switch on Wi-Fi it scans, then gives me a green tick telling me it has it but it does not actually bring up any network. I have tried this in various locations so I know it is not an issue with my home router. I have also installed a Wi-Fi management app, and when that did not work I did a full factory reset.
Any help would be gratefully received as I am pulling my hair out now.

Please check: From your homescreen, tap the menu key, then go to setup, and "wifi & network". There select wifi. Make sure it's enabled (checkbox). Have it scan. Can you see any networks listed up? If so, and yours is there, tap it to connect. What is displayed? Does it ask for your passphrase (provided you have your Wifi protected)? Any error messages?

Could you install aLogCat, clear the logs and then try to log on to some wifi and then paste the logs here?

Basically I went on holiday and when I came back every single wifi network I was logged onto was saying " not in range, remembered" even if I was right next to it. So I cleared them all and started again. Now it will not even see them or it will let me put in the password and try to connect but still comes up with the same message after searching for 5 mins.


text:
Android 2.3.5 unlock screen activated unexpectedly
My Android HTC Sense 3.5 running Android 2.3.5 suddenly and out of the blue activates the unlock screen without pressing the power button. That's a problem because it gets unlocked by itself sometimes when it is in my pocket. Is there a special setting to disable this activation of the unlock screen?

I don't know why this happens, but you may be able to combat the problem with Proximity AutoLock.  If the phone's screen is somehow turned on, the proximity sensor should tell the phone to turn its screen off right away.  Now, this works when the power button gets pressed; I would think it would also work when other events turn the screen on, but I'm not completely sure.

You can set up a screen lock that requires more that a keystroke to unlock the phone, as to prevent the phone being unlocked when bouncing around inside your pockets:

Click your phone "menu" button;
Tap "Settings";
Tap "Location & security";
Scroll your way to "Screen unlock" and tap over "Set up screen lock";
Pick your poison, for me it was "Pattern";

After selecting a more robust method to unlock your screen, even if the unlock screen pops up while the phone is in your pocket, it will be virtually impossible unlock the phone that way.

This could work.  I would think an 'L' shaped pattern wouldn't be too much harder than a simple swipe. Is there a limit on how many pattern tries you can have?

@Chance After 5 attempts, the device forces a period of 30 seconds before allowing more attempts, and if the notification doesn't get dismissed, the 30 seconds period doesn't start the count down.

Agree.  I just wondered if his phone is becoming unlocked in his pocket via a swipe action, if an incorrect 2-dot pattern would be possible in his pocket, as well.  But the odds of this happening 5 times would be low, I think.  But yes, it would be impossible for the pin screen to be bypassed.


text:
mediascanner scan from system directory /data
How can I make mediascanner scan phone memory, i.e. the /data directory? I want to test playing MP3s from this directory.
When I try to hack it by replacing the "pathStr" from /mnt/sdcard to /data before MediaScanner::doProcessDirectory(), it fails saying
W/MediaScanner( 1713): Error opening directory '/data/', skipping: Permission denied.

And also crashed (probably in free).
I just want to play MP3s stored in phone memory and avoid reading the SD card for some experiments.

Without root one program can't access /data of another program.

Roxan, I understand that but how can I play mp3 from /data folder?

I mean, Can I change root permission for this process somewhere?

Have you tried browsing using a root file explorer such as FX, and playing through that? Having said that, you'll probably need to run the media player as root too.

How do you use FX? I see one app called MusicFX in my /packages/apps, will this be able to do that??

EDIT: This is rendered obsolete with Jelly Bean. Android 4.1+ has a unified /data/ and /sdcard section (the sdcard partition is emulated and really resides in /data/media, it's exposed via a special fuse layer to emulate FAT32 behaviour)
My thoughts on this:

The media scanner scans everything below /mnt
/data/* is protected, only individual apps can access their folder (/data/data/[app's package name])

To get it working the way you like:

You need root (obviously)
symlink /mnt/music to /data/data/your-music-location
you can also do a bind-mount instead of a symlink:
mount --bind /data/your-music-location /mnt/sdcard/your-music-location
Lift access rights accordingly (chmod -R ugo+rw /data/data/your-music-location)

Hope this works (the scanner should scan the whole /mnt as there's also /mnt/emmc and such). If not, you can also bind-mount a /data/data/* folder to /mnt/sdcard/your-music (as done with /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure (see the answer))

I realize that /system folder has permissions and does not require root permissions.

Don't use system. It's mounted read-only and must only be used for firmware (or root-related) stuff. I'd also suggest not to use data, except for testing and learning. Does it offer so much more space than your sd card that it's worth it?

How can I list music also from /system/media/audio into music player? This will help me to play the mp3 from system memory rather than SD Card. I want to make minimal change to do this. By hacking at some place in mediaScanner I think it is possible but is there a better method where I can list music from SD Card as well as from /system/media/audio ???  Thanks in advance.

I am using only for some experimental setup. So I am fine with using /system also for mp3 playback.

Be warned, editing /system will survive a wipe (or reset), FYI. maybe do a 'ln -s /your/music/location /mnt/music' and have the rights set appropriate. You need to remount /system read-write before you can write to /music. AGAIN: I suggest you don't do this. (Asking such question here implies you should be more aware of the risks involved. At least IMHO)

Thanks, I understand. As far as it plays mp3 correctly I am fine to play from /system as this is just for some experiment in development board and not in a costly working phone. I am doing a study and for that I need to do this experiment. I want to know how can I easily list files from any system directory. I can see that some hack n mediascanner does it. Please suggest a better method. Thanks.

I cannot think of more ways than stated in my answer: 1st: Symlink from /mnt/music to /my/music/library (ln -s /real-path /mnt/my-music-library) or bind-mount /my/music/library to /mnt/sdcard/my-music-library (mount -o bind /real-path /mnt/sdcard/my-music-library)

To furnish my thoughts, hacking on just the in-built media-scanner will not just suffice, as that requires rolling your own ROM! The reason being is that media-scanner is signed with a system certificate that is shared with the ROM in question.
And thus, that requires having the signed keys from the original ROM in order to replace the in-built media-scanner.
As to attempting to put MP3s in the /system/media/audio folder - why? Are we talking about album mp3s which can creep up to between 5-8Mb in size? Or are we talking about Ogg Vorbis for ringtones/notifications?
The /system partition is limited in size depending on the manufacturer's handset setup in terms of partition layouts.
If the audio media is stored on the SDCard under the respective directory /sdcard/media/audio/Ringtones and /sdcard/media/audio/notifications, along with a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) pointing to the appropriate media declared as "external storage media" as in "MediaStore.Audio.Media.EXTERNAL_CONTENT_URI" (see the Developer Documentation on this), it will get picked up by Android itself and will show under the Settings > Sounds, as 'Phone ringtone' or in 'Notification ringtone'.
Depending on the ROM in itself, there may be a Development tools called 'Dev Tools', in there, there is an activity which can trigger the invocation of the in-build Media-Scanner, this is in stock/vanilla AOSP Android.

If you have a standard Linux file system (i.e., not FAT32) on your SD card, you could create Soft Link of /data in /mnt/sdcard.


text:
Is back up to a network folder possible?
Is there a Backup App that would allow me to backup apps and application data to a network folder?  I don't mean to backup to the cloud (e.g. Dropbox) but to a shared folder on my PC or a NAS.
Over Wi-Fi would be cool, but I don't mind if that is via USB. I'm open to both.

If you combine two apps, this is possible. Of course, root is required on your device to backup app data, as you certainly know.
Now the first app you will need is Titanium Backup. This app not only creates a backup of all apps, app data, and even system data on your SD-Card, contains several useful tools for maintenance, and can schedule its actions -- it also allows pushing the backups to Dropbox.
But yes, I read you didn't target the Cloud, so here comes number two: FolderSync can sync your files/directories (and thus also your backup folder on the SD card) with several cloud services as well as with your own servers, using e.g. FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV or Samba (Windows Share) for the latter.
While there's no real alternative to Titanium Backup, there are some to FolderSync: Titanium Media Sync from the same author as Titanium Backup supports Dropbox plus FTP, SFTP, and FTPS. And FTPSyncX supports FTP, FTPS (SSL), SFTP (SSH), Samba, and Dropbox. I use the Pro version of the latter, and so I can tell you first-hand it works nice via Wifi -- you can even tell it to only sync when connected to your home Wifi, and run in certain intervals.
I almost forgot there's a tool that could serve both purposes, backup and sync in one: rsync backup for Android. But it may be a little more complicated to setup, and it requires ssh on the remote side -- not a realy show-stopper if your PC runs Linux :)

For samba, this requires the kernel drivers for SMB/CIFS to be compiled in, it is not a de-facto stock kernel option, rather, its custom. I did at one stage try to port sshfs for network mounting over ssh and failed miserably... :(

I never heard about problems like that with Samba -- and I guess Christian (developer of FTPSyncX) would have told me about it, as we use to extensively chat/talk from time to time. I'd say it's worth a try, but to keep your warnings in mind -- so thank you for placing them! Admittedly, I run CyanoGen on my devices; but Samba worked fine for me with the stock ROM on my Motorola Droid 2 as well as HTC Buzz (used it also with ES FileExplorer).


text:
When I plug in earphones into my HTC Desire S, it dials the phone
Every time I plug in my earphones into my HTC Desire S, it  starts calling the last dialed number automatically and starts the music after short interval.  Does anyone know about this problem?

I plugged my earphone to some other HTC phone and this was not happening..Is it issue with the phone?

Check out the default launch application when you plug a hardware like earphone to your device. Some phones has this option. Check out the music player setting which started the playing music when you connect the earphone and also check the setting of the calls.

HTC Desire HD Android 2.3.5
I had exactly the same problem, would plug in standard headphones/ earphones/ aux cable to speakers... all of these would register on the phone as earphones with a mic built in for some reason.  it would cut music tracks short and play the next one or start ringing a call.
strangely, as i was searching for this thread, the problem has self corrected.  All that is different is that I updated ALL of my apps on google app store today.  This is the only factor that I have changed.  Try this!  I hope it works out for you as well as I know how frustrating it was!
best wishes

I had the same issue on my Evo 3d.  I downloaded an app called Headset Blocker and it disabled the phone's headset remote abilities. This solved the problem immediately.

I have this same issue with my HTC desire. My hypothesis is that my headphones or jack have a slight short and is activating the voice commands via the input channel. I am trying to see if there is a way to turn off voice commands on the headphone jack itself or all together without turning off the input channel so I can still use a headphone with a mic for phone calls.

Its definitely a hardware problem. Go to the app store and download Headset Blocker if it  works on your current phone's version. It didn't work on mine so I had to use WizDroid. Open the app then activate it and it should fix the problem.


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Phone interrupted during update
I was updating my phone using Kies and the download was interrupted. My phone now has a black screen with a little phone, a yellow triangle with an exclamation point, and a computer on it. I cannot put the phone into recovery mode, and the Kies application has a little icon on it that says "emergency recovery" but when I click on it I then get a message that says

TODO: has stopped working.  A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program.

I called Samsung, but they were no help at all. Their representative didn't even know what icon I was talking about. She just suggested that I take the battery out or try to put my phone in recovery mode, even though I kept explaining I already tried those things.

what phone is it?

What phone you have is important, you may be able to use Odin to fix this.  Sometimes Samsung phones do get "stuck" in Download Mode however, so I would try a combination of battery pulls with the device plugged into USB or not, while holding various buttons, etc. (basically as many combinations as you can think of).  Leaving the battery out for a couple hours before trying again might also help.

Make sure the battery is fully charged at least 90% charged... why was the download interrupted? Kies is notorious for this, if running something else, it throws Kies off during the update process... just saying, really, Kies is a terrible terrible piece of kit for this, you run into more risks of soft-bricking (did experience a hard-brick myself) in comparison to using Odin or Multitool flasher...

You can try taking it to third-party repair shop. It might work better than Samsung as they do not care if you voided your warranty or not.


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Certain Wi-Fi network not available on Motorola Milestone with Cyanogenmod
I have a Motorola Milestone with Cyanogenmod 7.2.0. Phone is working without any problems.
I was using this phone with my own Wi-Fi network. Something happened, and after that I'm not able to connect to Wi-Fi.
The Wi-Fi router should be fine (we use it with another Android phone and two notebooks without any problem). I made factory reset that didn't solve the problem (after factory reset, I started to use it with different account, so it didn't restore the Wi-Fi settings).
The phone is able to search for Wi-Fi hotspots (it finds a neighbor's Wi-Fi), but it doesn't list my own Wi-Fi network.
I can't figure out the reason, I think it is not hardware related. Maybe I disabled to connect to this Wi-Fi accidentally, I don't know.
Is there a way to check the setting for a certain Wi-Fi, or at least can I reset full Wi-Fi settings?

Try changing channel or mode.

There are two possibilities:

If your WLAN is running in 2.4GHz mode you should chekc the used channel. Not all channels are allowed in all countries - especiall in the US the channels higher than 13 are AFAIK forbidden. Therefore some devices do not even scan the frequencies that belong to those channels. What frequencies/channels are used is specified by the driver/firmware - therefore using CM7 my be the problem. Try to cache your WLAN access point config to use a lower WLAN chennel.
Your WLAN is running in 5GHz mode only. Only devices with 5GHz capable WLAN hardware can use a WLAn that is operating in 5GHz only mode. Unfortunately the number of smartphones that are 5GHz capable is very short. Therefore you should check your WLAN access point config if it is in 5GHz only mode and if so change it to dual frequency mode 2.4GHz + 5Ghz running at the same time.

I'm sure that not this is my problem. See edit section.

Some WiFi access point select the channel automatically based on the surrounding WLANs. Therefore a wrong channel would be still possible.


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Why won't my Samsung Galaxy Ace let me update my apps?
Why won't my Samsung Galaxy Ace let me install updates? It lets me download, but then when it gets to installing it says:

could not be installed on USB or SD card

Are you talking about Play Store apps update?

It might be possible that you have a previous version with support for 'move to SD card' installed on your SD card but the update removed that support.
Thus it fails because replacing the app on the SD card is not allowed any more.
Try to move the culprit to the phone storage in advance and retry.

You should move that app back to your internal storage then try to update it. Google Play can't update the app if it's stored on the SD card.

Is that really true? I see no reason why it shouldn't work if you used the official way to move the app to the SD card.

Are you sure you have enough space left on your SD card? To check free space, tap Settings > Storage > SD Card. You can also use the Disk Usage app, which is my favorite third-party way of analyzing storage space on Android.

I had the same problem; apps2sd solved it!

Do you mean that apps2sd solved this same issue for you? Can you edit your answer to describe how?

How did apps2sd solve your problem? I can't seem to relate it to the question.

I recommend removing and reinstalling the app to internal storage. Sometimes it's best to start off fresh.


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Importing contacts from SIM card results in only mobile numbers, and no home numbers
I needed to reboot my phone, (Galaxy Ace, Android2.3), but wanted to save all my contacts. So I did the following:

export contacts to SIM card
reboot phone
import contacts from SIM card

The problem is that only one phone number for each contact came back in when I imported. (When you enter contacts in Android, the default 'first' number is a mobile, and the second number is labelled 'home'. Ever wonder why the phone displays "call mobile" even when the number is a landline? This is why.)  Anyway, as I was saying, only the mobile or first phone number for each contact has been brought back in.  Any suggestions?  I have checked all the display options available.

The SIM card standard is very old and so is the phone book support that comes included with the SIM. There's limited space (100-250 contacts) and it is also limited to only one Number per contact (and no fields else! like address and such).

Contacts on SIM-Card are very limited -- so they e.g. can only store one phone number. Your phones / Google contacts, however, use a much enriched format, where you can store additional information like multiple phone numbers and even pictures.
Naturally, both formats are not 100 compatible. When exporting your contacts to SIM, information must be cut down to fit that format. That was when you lost your additional information. So no way to get that back -- it was gone the moment you overwrote your data doing that import.
The only chance left is using "forensics methods" -- in the hope the "deleted" data has not yet fully been overwritten. However, that would require root access to the device: You need to locate the contacts database (it's most likely named contact2.db, and will probably be located below /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/ -- the location might be different with some devices (e.g. Motorola uses a different provider for this). You could copy the databases from this directory to your PC, and investigate deleted entries with a HEX editor -- but that's no easy job for someone not used to it...
I know it's too late now for that -- but it might help you next time: To backup/restore your contacts, the contacts app offers an export to VCard format (.vcf) which it of course also can read back. This way all information is kept.


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Will an Asus Transformer Prime bought in the U.S. work in Portugal?
I live in Portugal and I'm going on vacation to the U.S. in a few months.
I'd like to buy an Asus Transformer (Prime or 300) while in the U.S., but I don't know if the Wi-Fi or 3G will work in Portugal.  I only know for a fact that 4G doesn't work.
Can anyone help me on this one?

The tablets in Asus Transformer line (including TF 101, Prime TF 201, and Pad 300) do not have a cellular modem, so they will only work on WiFi.  WiFi is a universal standard and will work just fine in any country, provided that your router supports the 802.11 b/g/n specification.

Even if WiFi is a global standard, some channels are not available in all countries. A lot of devices for the US market ignore all 802.11a/b/g access points on channels higher than 11 which cloud be used in Europe without legal problems. Don't know if this also applies to Asus Transformer.

Good point, @Robert!  I don't know about the Transformer tablets, but most Android OS versions (even carrier/manufacturer skinned ones) give you ability to change the channel under Advanced options on the "Wi-Fi" settings screen.

+1 to this answer, I'm from Portugal and we've got all 14 channels here.

Networking
According to the device specifications for the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime:

Connectivity 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

By a scan performed using inSSIDer 2.1

I'm from Portugal - Coimbra, and my 802.11 b/g/n is set to channel 6 to 10.
Other networks around my location are spread from 1 to 14.
According to the 802.11 b/g/n specifications, channels go from 1 to 14. Portugal has them all.
See this Wikipedia - List of WLAN channels (scroll a bit down to see the comparison table).
All flags are green to use that device in Portugal.

Power
As you've mentioned at the comments, US uses 110V, Europe uses 220V.
This is easily overcome by the usage of a transformer:

Amazom :: Goldsource® STU-100 Step Up/Down Voltage Transformer Converter - AC 110/220 V - 100 Watt

The wall plug can be used in the US or Europe.

The output is either 110v or 220v, depending of what you need.

OP may be able to set the region to change the wifi channels allowed, but YMMV on this one...

@Broam what I'm trying to say is that all channels are available here (Portugal), so the device may be limit to certain channels, but will always work! (I too acquire network devices overseas and never had any problems) :)

@Broam I had to search for the definition of YMMV :)

Thanks everyone. The only problem now is the different voltage in US (110V) and europe (220v).

@JoaoBrito I've edited the answer with a transformer. (solves the voltage problem for both locations.)

Note that most phone and laptop chargers that I've ever seen can cope with voltages from 100V to 240V, and only need a plug adapter to fit into the local socket, this is the case with the Blackberry and Galaxy Nexus phone chargers, the Motorola Xoom charger and the Dell laptop that I have on my desk at the moment. Have a look at the label on the charger itself, it will normally say something like INPUT: 100-240V ~ 50-60Hz (that's from my Samsung phone charger) which means you can use that charger pretty much anywhere.

@GAThrawn The charger is 100 - 240v. Problem solved. Thanks everyone.

Why the sudden downvote at this answer? Anyone?


text:
Where can I find a widget to enable or disable GPRS in my Spice Mi-270 Android handset?
I have a Spice Mi-270 Android phone. There is no touch gadget to enable or disable the GPRS connection. Every time I have to select settings -> wireless & networks -> data communication sim and have to select a SIM to turn GPRS off.
How can I do this in one touch?

Widgetsoid will allow a user to create a bar of toggles - add the MOBILE DATA toggle in the network section. Then tapping that will toggle the data connection.
Of course - a search turned up many other dedicated options. Try and use whichever you like best.

Download Go launcher EX and install it and then download the Go widget called Go Switch widget. This widget will allow you to switch among many apps through one touch very easily.


text:
Default browser doesn't play embedded music from a website
Today I came upon a situation where I had a website which had an embedded player in it which plays sample music. To my surprise I came to know that the Android 2.3 default browser or Opera web browser didn't support it. But I was able to play the music on my iPhone. Is there a way I can make it work on my Android, or is there any other software available for this?

Is it Flash? Maybe you need to have Flash installed? Download it from the Market.

but I have adobe flash 10.1 installed already!

How about Adobe Air?

Could you post a link to the resource, assuming it's safe to share?

Website link please?

@geff: Can't be Flash if it works on an iPhone.

Hummmm... its not a HTML5 website is it? I say that since you've stated flash 10.1 is already installed but  stock browser/opera does not work! Have you tried dolphin browser?

Have you tried with other similar websites which play music? It could be an isolated issue due to the way that specific website was developed.

In browswer's setting check if you have made the "plugin load on demand". If so, try "always load".

It is in "always on" state


text:
How can I sync my Outlook calendar with my Android phone calendar?
I have Galaxy Europa GT-I5500 Android phone with me.  The problem I am facing is I am able to Sync my Contacts and Notes with my Outlook 2007, but I am not able to sync my my phone calendar with Outlook 2007.
I'd appreciate if anyone can help me with the problem I am facing.

You will probably find MyPhoneExplorer quite useful. It does not only sync your contacts etc. with outlook, but provides a lot of additional useful features, such as managing your SMS, Calllists, Apps, Files, handling Calls, create backups...
You might want to visit the products page for more detailled information.

No love for us Linux+Thunderbird users - Windows only :(

Logos, are you kidding? You don't want to tell me you use Outlook on Linux, do you? That's what the OP asked for (Outlook), hence this answer. Not that I use any MS software (MS-free zone here :) Ask a question about Linux, and I tell you that Thunderbird, Evolution, KOffice etc. can directly access the Google calendar -- hence no need for additional "helpers" on this ground, unless you don't sync with Google. And even then, plenty of possibilities ;)

No, I don't use OL on Linux - hence adding the "+TB" to my comment.  It was just a comment, not an answer.  Hence the comment :)  It looks like a spiffy app though, hence my sadness that it's Windows only.

ack. Reminds me of the Palm Desktop, from the screenshots. Yeah, bad luck for us with things like that. Those folks still didn't check they could get new customers here... I wouldn't even mind paying a reasonable 1-time-fee for good stuff ;)

Is this a local Outlook calendar?  If so, you might want to migrate your appointments to your Google account's calendar, then add your Google calendar to Outlook (pretty simple to do).  That way it will sync automatically, as well as being available on the web.


text:
Accessing a web server running in Android emulator from my local machine
I'm trying to access a web server running on the Android emulator from my machine. I know the reverse i.e., how to access the server running on my local machine from the Android emulator (using 10.0.2.2). I have searched a lot about this stuff but couldn't get any relevant information.
When the server is up and running inside the emulator I can access it using 10.0.2.15:portNumber. I can do a telnet to the emulator, but I wonder how that will be helpful. Any suggestions on how to get connected to the web server running inside the emulator?

You need to create a port forwarding to your Android device. This can be done with ADB.
adb forward <local> <remote> - forward socket connections
                                 forward specs are one of:
                                   tcp:<port>
                                   localabstract:<unix domain socket name>
                                   localreserved:<unix domain socket name>
                                   localfilesystem:<unix domain socket name>
                                   dev:<character device name>
                                   jdwp:<process pid> (remote only)

For example: run adb forward tcp:12345 tcp:23456 and then use the URI http://localhost:12345 to access the server running on port 23456 in the emulator. Note that some ports are reserved for Android and some can only be used after rooting, so I'd suggest using high ports (>20000) if you can.


text:
Number of cpu cores change in my systrace output
I have 4 cores cpu on my device,
but each time I use this command line to genetrate a systrace file :
python C:/Users/BJI/AppData/Local/Android/Sdk/platform-tools/systrace/systrace.py freq idle -o C:/Users/BJI/Desktop/systrace

I get a different number of cores (2 or sometimes 1 core cpu),
is it only the number of active cores ?

you can check how many cpu<?> under  /sys/devices/system/cpu/
for example, If CPU has two cores, there should be
/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0

/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1

I have 4 cores, even in my power_profile.xml I get 4 cores cpu, but it is different for the systrace output, sometimes I get 2, other times I get 1 core ...

if there is no trace event happened on that core, the systrace won't show the cpu core.  there is a very common power saving strategy when you turn screen off, the system will unplug some cores to save power; BTW, Is there some IM groups we can chat with each others to share experience with android. for example, port android to a new arm device?

thank you for your help @kevin , I don't know if this helps but here [ https://community.arm.com/f ] is arm community  where you can find many forums


text:
Why should I care about ROM size when buying a new 'phone?
RAM is clear enough, but why so many different ROM sizes & how much does a basic user need?
Basic == 'phone calls/WhatsApp/SMS/email/light browser use - no games, streaming, videos, music,

That mainly depends on how many attachments you receive e.g. via WhatsApp and email and if you keep them all. If you don't store everything or e.g. use IMAP for email (server stores everything, client just keep temporary copies) the you may work happily with an 32GB or even 16GB flash device. BTW: ROM means "read-only memory" - I think you mean flash memory, because a read-only memory would be of no use to you...

Hmm, apparently what's called "ROM" is actually the storage capacity (equivalent to harddisk), though I believe it's actually a misnomer since it's not "read-only memory" (as it can be writable).

@Robert I actually meant ROM. I can understand why more RAM is better, but am not so sure about ROM

Please explain what's your understanding of word "ROM" is in the context of Android phones. Are you talking about the internal flash storage (which is like 32GB, 64GB and so on)? Or are you referring to the custom operating systems which are developed by community for a device (wrongly called ROMs because they are written to /system, /vendor partitions which aren't writable for user data unlike /data partition)? Technically speaking there's no ROM on Android devices except some tiny part (usually a few KBs) embedded with SoCs which includes Boot-ROM (or its equivalent) like BIOS on a PC.

Does this answer your question? 2 GB RAM or 3 GB RAM, does it really matter?

As a prior post indicates you use a
Ulefone Armor X3
A quick search brings up:
https://www.amazon.com/Smartphone-Ulefone-Armor-Waterproof-Shockproof/dp/B07VL28Y84
And in the description reads:

2GB RAM + 32GB ROM

This is an error in the description. It should read

2GB RAM + 32GB Flash storage

That Flash storage is the same as a hard drive and will contain the OS and apps/data/pictures/videos that you are using.


text:
How to "undo" Android cats easter egg and remove cat power controls on MIUI 12
I have enabled Android 11 easter egg by dialing 3 times and unlocking "11" now I have cat controls enabled when I slide down settings shortcut menu on my Poco F2 Pro (MIUI 12 - 12.2.4), and I do not know how to disable this. I honestly don't mind having these controls there, but my UI became very laggy since I've done this (there were no POCO launcher updates or any updates for that matter hence, "cats" are the main suspect). Anyone knows how to disable them?

Go to Settings, then About phone, then Android version.

Open the logo by pressing it several times, then reverse the regulator.

A  sign will show, and done.

I finally found it. You need to go to settings, then Notifications & Control centre, then under Smart home choose None instead of Android R Easter Egg.

Thanks a lot ❤


text:
Flashing GApps from Recovery, getting Error Code: 20
When I try to flash GApps right after flashing LineageOS with TWRP I get,
Updater process ended with ERROR: 20
Error installing zip file '/sdcard/open_gapps-arm64-10.0-micro-20201114.zip

What is the cause of this problem, how can I fix it?

This is because you can't flash Open GApps right after flashing LineageOS. You must reboot back into the recovery TWRP, and flash the application after that.
From the Official Instruction, which support only LineageOS Recovery

(Optionally): If you want to install any additional add-ons, click Advanced, then Reboot to Recovery, then when your device reboots, click Apply Update, then Apply from ADB, then adb sideload filename.zip those packages in sequence.

But this is no different for TWRP. You can find people here in the bug reports for Open GApps that have the same problem.


text:
New Samsung S6 tablet stuck on Samsung logo?
I have bought 20 Samsung s6 and after every 4 of them got stuck on Samsung logo, I keep them on charging for 2 days. Nothing work for me.

Are you sure the devices are genuine? May be you bought some fake devices that can only show the Samsung logo. Have you tried pressing the power button for 10-60 seconds to force a reboot?

@Robert yes I have tried that, and I bought these devices from authentic manufactures in my country. out of 20 devices 15 are working fine.

Since 5 of the Samsung tablets you received are working differently than the other 15 tablets, it's clear that either:

Samsung has sold you a bunch of defective tablets.
You received at least some counterfeit tablets.

In the comments, you mentioned that you believe you purchased them from a reliable source.  If they are genuine, your experience indicates Samsung has a quality control issue... perhaps a serious one.
Return the tablets for replacements or insist on a full refund.
Note that I've purchased multiple Samsung Android products with serious problems, and trying to get support from Samsung was time consuming and a huge hassle. I now try to avoid Android devices made by Samsung.

If they're new, I'd return them for an exchange.  (And make sure you're not getting cheap fake copies of Samsungs.)

Thanks so much, I actually return those tablets back to Samsung, and now they return me back and they are working fine.


text:
Notification doesn't show up on Redmi 8 MIUI 11 and 12
Some push notification from some apps (some games actually, I wasn't aware about other apps) suddenly no longer appeared. When I first bought this phone, they all worked fine, but then I updated MIUI to 11 and 12, and since then notification from games wouldn't appear. They would only appear when:

I opened the said games
In battery-saving mode (on low battery, when I activated this mode, notifs will immediately popped up)

I have turned on notification in Settings for those apps, doesn't help.
Anyone encountered the same problem? Any solution?
My device:
Redmi Note 8 Pro, Android 10 (Q), MIUI Global 12.0.2 Stable

This is usually a problem with battery optimization. Go to your settings and identify the list under battery optimization (that is the stock Android name, it could be battery saver etc). Remove those apps from the list
Edit: As confirmed by OP in comment, it is found under Settings → Battery & performance → App battery saver. Selecting those app(s) from the list, and changing from Battery Saver to No restrictions fixed the problem of missing notifications.

Currently in my device (MIUI 12), the setting is in Settings > Battery & performance > App battery saver. Select the troubled app from the list, and change from Battery Saver  to No restrictions, and finally the notifications appear. Again, thank you very much!


text:
Gabb Plus sim card locked
My Gabb phone's sim card got locked. It's my only phone, so I can't call or text any number. I don't know my PUK code, which it requires to unlock. How would I unlock it?
Thanks in advance.

Contact you mobile network provider, that is the only way.

@Robert thanks! I got my PUK and it is all fixed.

Contact your service provider and it should work.
Or, you can look at the sim card box (if you got one) and it will say.


text:
Is there no way to get scripts to run in Android?
Since Android is Linux at its base, I logically think it should be possible to run a script on Android, like a Python script or PHP script (with executable bit obviously).
If not conventionally, is there any way to do so?

Are you asking about a command prompt, or about developing Python code under Android?

Python and php are not the same as Linux. But regarding to your question, yes it is possible to run python and php in Android, though you do need to install them first since unlike many other Linux systems, they're not installed by default.

Did you try anything?

Python/PHP specific
If you are asking specifically for Python and PHP scripts, SL4A probably is your best choice (though there are other Python
supporting apps in the playstore, like e.g. QPython Lite). And if you want to automate things, you might want to take a look at the SL4A Script Launcher (in connection with TaskBomb task scheduler) as well.
Shell Scripts
But talking about "Linux" and "scripts in general", the first coming to my mind are Shell Scripts. These can be run directly from the command line using any terminal emulator (e.g. Android Terminal Emulator, Terminal IDE) -- or, if you prefer some "graphical help", using specific launcher apps like SH Script Runner, ScriptMe, or Script Manager.

Bash shell scripts can be run from SL4A also.

You want SL4A. From the website:

Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A) brings scripting languages to Android by allowing
  you to edit and execute scripts and interactive interpreters directly on the Android
  device. These scripts have access to many of the APIs available to full-fledged Android
  applications, but with a greatly simplified interface that makes it easy to get things
  done.

To run python scripts on android download "QPython" / "Qpython3" app from google play store.
To run PHP scripts don't use SL4A because you can only run php scripts but can't develop php sites,Instead download Server for PHP app from google playstore.
Watch the below video to learn how to run php scripts on Server for PHP app
:
https://youtu.be/VG6IdIi7m8k

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! This answer might be more helpful if you add a link to the apps you're recommending.

6 views to the video as of now! Seems more of a promotion than an answer.


text:
Bluez-A2DP as sink
I want to configure and use Bluez as an audio sink for my Android Based Car Head Unit, so that I can connect a smart phone to the Car Head Unit.
The smart phone must work as a source of audio stream and head unit must work as an audio sink, so that when I stream from my Phone I should be able to listen to songs on the car speakers.
The car head unit is android-2.1 and uses Bluez -  4.47.
Has anybody already achieved this. If yes, please let me know what extra modules/application is required apart from Bluez to achieve the same on the Car Head Unit.

if I can ask, what head unit do you have and where did you get it? I have been looking for a true 2 DIN, head unit, that runs android, and also has the "normal head unit" features, like CD/DVD, AM/FM tuner, RDS, etc


text:
Call blocking with spoken message?
Does anyone know of a call blocker that will let you create a voice message for blocked calls?
What I want is to block calls from hidden numbers. This is almost always salespeople so I want to just block them, but maybe once in a while someone with no ill intent might be calling from a line with a hidden number.
So I want the app to actually take the call, but not tell me about it. Then it should play a sound file that I make and then hang up.
This will let me tell the person at the other end, that I just blocked them to get rid of salespeople and that if they are not such a "person" then they should just use SMS.
I know that some of the apps will let you type in a text that will be sent to blocked callers, but as it will almost never be a cellphone, but an old land line with blocked number, then that will not help a lot.
If no one knows of an app that will let me do this, then I will just have to make it my self, but I thought I'd better ask first.

ask your carrier? they may have call blocking service and voicemail service; they might be able to configure hidden numbers to go straight to voicemail.

nope, asked already. Besides, I don't want the calls to go to my normal voicemail, since it will not tell them why they got there and my carrier does not support multiple voicemails.

You might be able to do something with Google Voice. You can customize your outgoing message based on contacts or contact groups. You could make your default message the one for the people blocking their number.

sadly, no google voice. Not in the US :)

I, too, would LOVE an app (or anything else!) that would allow me to achieve this exact same thing.  To have my Android answer the call (without having alerted me in anyway) and simply play a pre-recorded message to the caller then hang-up.

No app can send audio to calls (A chip thing). It would only be doable by a voice mailbox

I found one that does just this last week. Check out http://www.youmail.com. It's an app you download, but can manage it from their website. You can record different greetings for different people; family, business and the main reason I got it.... the number has been disconnected for people I REALLY don't want to talk to! I also have a msg just for Blocked Called IDs, telling them I dont accept them and to unblock their number. And...it's FREE :)

Looks like a great service, but only US so far. Or so it looks. Anyway it will not take my phone number as a valid one. So no support in my country anyway.

You might try Hullomail to see if it is available, as it has similar things. I don't know if you can direct callers on-the-fly, so to speak, though.

it's not free anymore ($5/mo)

I have never heard of this - this is somewhat unheard of, block hidden numbers and load up a sound file and play it which defeats the purpose  of a number being blocked, in pseudo-code, for the most part of call-blocking apps, it would be something like this:
if incoming_number is on block_list
   send reject_call
else
   allow

Now, if what you're saying is this - to play a sound file, it would mean that the incoming blocked number would have the handset open in which Android would notify there's an incoming call, and re-route the playing of the sound file to the speaker, technically that's quite a difficult thing to do!
But, there is an app to do something like what you're looking for - 'Private Stop' -

No one likes getting "Private" or "Hidden" number calls, you can use
  Private Stop to block nuisance callers, Marketeers, stalkers, anyone
  that hides their number. Private Stop blocks the call and pushes the
  caller to your voice mail so you can decide if you want to communicate
  with the "Hidden" caller or not

As one commenter above, stated - No app can send audio to calls (A chip thing) And why the downvote, because the OP clearly is asking for something technically impossible and pointed out an alternative. Still, no pleasing people as in "I WANT" stomping their feet off the ground like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum

Google Voice allows you to do this.
You can make up to four different answering-recordings and specify who gets directed to which one, and that the called automatically gets directed to voicemail, without ringing your phone.
You have to configure the settings at http://voice.google.com , but after that, the app will even give you a neat widget that transcribes your voicemails!

The OP pointed out in the comment above under Eliazara's answer that Google Voice is only for US only and OP is outside of US :)

-_-
It's still a valuable answer to this question, isn't it?
There may be some Americans asking the same question.

Well, the only thing that blocks the call from coming through to your phone (you never know about it, it shows up nowhere) and gives a message to the caller who blocks their number stating that there is call restrictions is "Family Base" from Verizon, but it charges you $5/month. Yes, that is a bit much to spend monthly just to have this 'convenience', it seems to be the only way I can figure out how to take care of those calls.
I did use an app called "Call Filter". That app would not notify you of the attempted call, & what I liked was it just 'hung-up' & not go to voicemail. But, since I have a 'Jellybean' update, I guess the app does not support that yet, so I got a "free month 'trial'" of the 'Family Base' until I can either find an app that does not send call to voicemail, or the "Call Filter" app updates to support the 5.+ Jellybean update.
Hope this helps someone, but I can't give a definitive answer as to if it works outside the USA.

FYI, 5.+ is Lollipop, not JellyBean... or do you mean the app version? Anyway, could you provide a link of "Call Filter" on Play Store? Is it this app? It seems more useful than Verizon/US-only solution for general users.


text:
Is Wi-Fi always favoured over other data connections?
I am at home and I would like to be sure that the data connection is always going through the Wi-Fi rather than the (expensive) data connection.
Is it enough to simply turn on Wi-Fi and connect to the (password protected) network? How can I control that the download is happening through the right connection? Can sleep (or other events) disable/change/toggle this setting?

In Android, AFAIK, when you connect to an active Wi-Fi network, mobile data (GPRS, 3G, etc) will be disabled (even if are turned on) temporary. So it would be OK to just connect to the Wi-Fi network. But, if you want to be sure about disabling mobile data, you should go to Settings -> Wi-Fi and Networks -> Mobile Data and uncheck the option to disable mobile data.
(in ICS it's in Settings -> Wireless and Networks -> More -> Mobile Networks)

It's not necessary to disable mobile data, it may even be counterproductive when it comes to MMS.

@Flow I didn't say that it's necessary, I just mentioned if you want to be sure that no data would be allowed through mobile network, uncheck that option.

An adition to yrajabi's anwser:

In Android, AFAIK, when you connect to an active Wi-Fi network, mobile data (GPRS, 3G, etc) will be disabled (even if are turned on) temporary. So it would be OK to just connect to the Wi-Fi network. But, if you want to be sure about disabling mobile data, you should go to Settings -> Wi-Fi and Networks -> Mobile Data and uncheck the option to disable mobile data. (in ICS it's in Settings -> Wireless and Networks -> More -> Mobile Networks)

Sleep might change this if wifi is set to sleep when screen is off - wifi turns off and data comes back on(unless data is force-disabled as per yrajabi). To keep wifi on during sleep be sure to set:  Settings> Wireless & Networks> Wi-Fi settings> MENU button> Advanced> Wifi Sleep policy to Never.


text:
MMS vCard displaying as playable media file
I am having difficulty viewing a vcard received via text message.  My phone recognizes it's an  MMS but views it as a Multimedia file and tries to play it.
My phone is rooted running Cyanogen 7.0.1.2 and I'm using the builtin messaging app
I have taken a screenshot of what I'm experiencing
http://dumpt.com/img/files/hz9oupxkp9g5myy9tu5z.jpg

In my case I got a vcard sent from an iPhone, and it just displays as text (BEGIN: VCARD VERSION:3.0 PRODID:-//Apple Inc./iOS 5.0.1//).  I'm running stock Android 2.3.4 on a MyTouch 4g slide phone.  I see no way to save it.  Silly....

This subsequent question has more information: MMS images showing up as videos - Android - Stack Exchange

One solution is to long-press and save the .vcard to your SD card, then open it in a file manager, like File Expert. If you still cannot read the file after viewing it from one of these channels, then your system can probably not view files in this format and i would try downloading a .vcard viewer, if such a thing exists.

How do you save a text message in a file?  Long press on the message text relates to selected text, and doesn't give a save option - it offers stuff like "copy", "quick lookup", at least on android 2.3.4.  It takes careful work to select the vcard text, and then e.g. paste into an email message, but that doesnt' come across as a vcard.  Short press offers stuff like "forward", but only to another SMS recipient, not to e.g. email

Try using Handcent SMS - it now has support for displaying business card format. If a similar problem occurs, perhaps it'd due to the vcard itself?

I've received more than one that behaves this way.  I just wanted the stock messaging program to work.  Even after clean install it still does the same thing.

The Handcent SMS app says it handles vcards, but for me it just shows an empty message - even worse than the stock messaging program which at least lets me copy/paste the text of the vcard.


text:
Maximum ring volume for one contact, vibrate for others (SMS)
I keep my phone on vibrate all the day because of my work. So I mostly get back on people when I have the time.
However, I must be informed immediately when some server goes down. For that I have ordered a service which sends me an SMS when it happens.
How would I have the phone ringing with a maximum volume for just one contact, while at the same time have everyone else on vibrate?

I get a lot of spam - how do I mute rings for all but one contact?

There are SMS apps in the market that allow you to customize notifications by sender.     Handcent SMS is the one that I've used.


text:
Kies dies when trying to update Galaxy Note firmware
I downloaded and installed Kies in my Windows 7 laptop. (Toshiba Satellite.) I plug the phone in the USB, it is recognized and its storage shows in Explorer. Then I run Kies. It says there is a firmware upgrade available. I click to update. A window shows with a progress bar at the bottom, saying something like "downloading update components."
After the download goes to 100%, Kies just silently dies on the PC, no error messages, its windows just vanish. And nothing happens on the phone. My phone is not rooted, it still has the carrier-provided software, regularly updated via Play. It was bought here in Brazil.
Kies is trhe latest version, I had it check for upgrades. I also disabled the PC antivirus to no avail.

I had the same problem, did everything I could think of. Finally last night, I decided to try something different. I ran Kies in "Compatibility Mode for XP SP3" it took forever, left the phone plugged in while I went to bed, woke up this morning with 4.1 finally on it.
I run a Windows 7 Premium Home 64bit.  Not sure if this will help with everyone's problems with Kies but hopefully it will help a few people. It's worth a try.
My phone is a Galaxy S III from AT&T.  To change to "Compatibility Mode" do the following:

Go to C:\ drive, right click and click on `Explore'.
Go to \Program Files x86, look for Samsung then right click on that folder.
Click on Properties then click the Compatibility tab and choose XP SP3

If you are given the option, select Run as administrator.
I really hope this helps everyone else as it has me.

Kies is known not to work proper with Windows 64bit edition, regardless, its a very poorly written piece of software!

Just run the Kies with Administrator permission. For windows 7 right click on the "Samsung Kies" or the "Samsung Kies(Lite)" version and select "Run as Administrator"

Same problem for me (SGS2 i777) on Windows 7 64bits:
I could fix it by going to control panel=>programs=>programs and features. There is an option called Run programs made for previous versions of windows: click on it, follow the steps, troubleshooting will start and a list of programs will appear, once the list is populated select Samsung Kies lite and select troubleshoot program, select start from there.

Had the same problem with a Samsung Galaxy S.
I persisted and left it plugged in while I went on to do something else. When I came back later on the phone screen was all blue and the pc went to sleep:
THE PHONE WAS BRICKED
The app then says it needs to restore from an error but it freezed the same way it did on the initial update attempts.
I managed to get kies working "properly" on a computer with more memory. But it didn't unbrick my phone.
So if it goes silent don't insist. You can try on an other computer but my advice is NOT TO USE KIES.
You can flash the stock roms used in Kies with another application. (If you need I'll give more info when I get home).

+1 for the advice to not use Kies, as in my previous comment to another's answer above/below, it can soft-brick handsets, use Odin or Heimdall instead. :)

This is only due to the less memory on phone. Try to uninstall some applications and media file from phone memory. Automatically it will work.

I had a similar problem with the previous version of Kies. Every time I started Kies (with or without the phone connected) Kies would show a message that some components needed to be updated, even though I had the latest version of Kies. After selecting OK, Kies would start the update process and after a while just close itself without any warning.
I experimented a bit and I think the problem has something to do with rights on your computer. I noticed that Kies does install the components update properly when run from the administrator account, but strangely not when run from another account even when you tell it to "run as administrator". I thought the problem would be fixed after I ran it in the administrator account, but when I started Kies again under my normal (not administrator) account, the update message appeared again, and again Kies shut itself down during the update. After that I gave up and just selected "cancel" every time the update message appeared.
I upgraded Kies itself this morning to version 2.5.0.12104_15 and now the problem seems to be fixed. The update components message does not appear when I start Kies, but I haven’t tried updating the phone’s firmware yet.

Here is the solution:

Get sure that u have enough free space in your internal memory.
Update your samsung kies.
If you had connection problem with USB, download samsung mobile USB device:
http://samsung-mobile-usb-device-1-0.soft32.com/
Right click on samsung kies
Use compatibility mode ( windows pack 3)>
Before you start updating:
Go to your mobile and turn off music, wifi, bluetoot, gps..as well.
Start updating.


text:
Prevent SMS from being classified as spam on Android
One-time-password SMS send during MFA by our system is classified by Android OS as spam. Is there anything that can be done to prevent that from happening? How does Android OS determine what SMS is spam?

Android (the OS) doesn't have internal spam detection. Instead, it's a feature incorporated into messaging apps, and the procedure to detect spam and remove it may vary.
For example:

Google Messages only provides reporting the message as not spam while the detection itself is based on machine learning models on the user's device, as per Your chats stay private with spam detection.

How spam detection works

Messages tries to detect suspected spam and hides it in the spam folder. If you get a suspected spam warning in Messages, you can let Google know if it’s spam or not by tapping “Report spam” or “Report not spam.”

How we protect your data

[...]
When Spam protection is on, Messages uses machine learning models that operate on your device to detect known spam patterns in your messages. The app analyzes these patterns to catch more spam and warn you sooner. Because spam is detected on-device, Messages warns you about spam even when you don’t have a data connection.
[...]

Truecaller relies on user's contribution but allows for manual appeal, as mentioned in their FAQ, What is spam?

Truecaller spam lists are created by our user community who choose to report unsolicited calls and SMS messages.
[...]
We acknowledge that mistakes can happen from time to time.  If you believe that your number has been mistakenly added to our spam list, for the EU, EEA, and Switzerland please [email to support.eu@truecaller.com]. For the rest of the world please [email to support@truecaller.com].

For other messaging apps, please search for their own help center, support, or policy.


text:
Why isn't my android working properly?
A couple months ago I tried putting CyanogenMod on my sprint galaxy s3. I used the one click cyanogen installer on my windows PC.
I don't remember why, but the install didn't fully flash because unless I'm going into recovery mode I never see the cyanogen boot up screen. I have gone into About Phone but I can't find anything telling me that Cyanogen is actually running or even on the device.
Ever since I did try to flash this ROM my phone hasn't been able to fully function. Certain apps that I previously had or reinstalled off of the play store either don't work or certain functions within the app don't work. All I know is that when I enter recovery mode it does show clockworkmod as my recovery.

It's possible that the flash purely failed, or that you dirty flashed (flashing without clearing the cache/data) the ROM.
Seeing as you have access to recovery:

I'd suggest that you download a new CM ROM (Lollipop-5.0.2) from the XDA Developer Forums
Download the corresponding Google Apps package (i.e. for PA GApps for Android L)
Place both of the .zip files on your external SD card
Boot your phone into recovery mode and Wipe Data (Factory Reset). Also wipe all caches (Dalvik inclusively)
Install both .zips. First the ROM, and then the GApps package
Wipe the Dalvik Cache one more time for good measure
Boot the device and enjoy CM


text:
I can't put my email in when i try to sign in
Every time I try to sign in like when you restart your phone I go to the play store and I press existing I when I do my email and password it says I can't sign in. And its an ice cream sandwich.

Check your google account credentials on google.com when/if those are correct then go to settings - scroll down to user and backup section and select accounts - select google and redo your google account settings. After that turn syn on through the top drag down menu and everything should function correctly.


text:
lost my moto e phone without sim card
I had bought a MOTO E which was stolen the very next day but, due to some issues, I had already taken my sim and the sdcard out. Is there any way I can locate my phone using the google id I had used to start the tracking features?

If your Moto E has Android Device Manager enabled and the WiFi is connected to network, then you're in luck!
Also, file a police report immediately and tell them that you phone was stolen. That is my two cents on this answer.


text:
Exchange mobile sync has been disabled using gmail
My Exchange mobile sync has been disabled twice already by the exchange server. The reason is that the corporate policy is to disable mobile sync when a connection is attempted from a different device id. I checked and the reason is that for some reason at certain times Android sends Device ID: 0 instead of the real one.
I am using Lollipop, latest exchange services (Nov 2014) and Gmail as a client.


text:
How to turn off auto suggestion popups in Google Keep?
When writing lists in Google Keep, sometimes infuriating Clippy-style auto suggestion popups appear, suggesting different things starting with the same word that another person might have wanted to write. These popup boxes are distracting and get in the way, usually overlapping the space I want to press to move to the next item in the list and obstruct seeing what I've written.
I want to turn this feature off. I've been through the settings and help, but there doesn't seem to be any option to turn it off. I've also sent feedback through the app asking for an option to turn it off to no avail.
Looking at the forums, I see people have been asking for a way to turn this off since 2016. There's a common old suggestion that it only turns on if something relating to "Shopping" is in the list title - but in 2018 I still get the popup plague even on lists with no title.
Is there any roundabout way to disable this which works?

I'm all for dumbing down or simplifying apps as much as possible, including minimal settings pages, BUT there should also be an advanced settings option which gives access to absolutely everything that could be tweaked. If they can spend weeks working on an option to autocomplete my shopping lists, they can spend a moment on an advanced setting to turn it on and off. It seems that even the biggest companies lack understanding of basic common sense software engineering principles, which would be self evident to any thoughtful child programming enthusiast.

Start each list item with a space. That way, you still get your keyboard's auto suggestions but you don't get the annoying Keep ones.

There are some workable workarounds buried in this forum thread.
The simple way (which makes writing lists take slightly longer):

Initially, create the list as a normal note with one line per item (not a checkbox list)

OR if it's already created as a checkbox list, press 'Hide checkboxes' under the three vertical dots in the top right. Unfortunately this causes Keep to forget which items were ticked.

Finish writing or editing the list
Press the '+' in the bottom left corner, then press 'Tick boxes' to turn it back into a check list

The more involved way (which in theory, you can do once then forget about)

Install a url filter like an adblocker and add the URL for Google's "show some popups of things I didn't type" service to the list of banned addresses. I've not tried this, so I can't guarantee it works - in particular, I don't know if it requires rooting the device or not (please comment if you have tried something like this). Two suggestions from that post:

The app uBlock, then going to "Settings -> My Filters" and adding https://taskassist-pa.clients6.google.com/v2/taskassist:suggest*
AdBlock, then going to "Customize > Manually edit your filters" and adding /v2/taskassist:suggest$domain=taskassist-pa.clients6.google.com

Don't forget to also go to "Help & feedback" in the app and tell Google that you want a normal option to turn off auto suggestions.

I deleted the keyword, made a new keyword, and the old keyword suggestion was gone. I think it only started doing it when I made the first word say "breakfast" in capital letters.


text:
No service after installing cyanogenmod
After I installed CyanogenMod, I noticed I couldn't call anyone, receive calls, or text, and it says I'm roaming. In the status part of settings, it says my phone number is 000-000-xxxx (x's are numbers) but the imei is still the same. I can't find anything online about this problem, please help!

Neither can we, joe – but maybe a few more details can help: what device are you talking about? Which image did you install (and where from)? Was it exactly matching your device? Is it a "nightly build", or rather a stable one?

Did you read the changelog and bugs for the ROM from the developers website (the forum you got it from)?

So did you read the developers website on your ROM? You don't state in your edit.

I finally got a solution to "No Service" after installing Cyanogenmod 7 on HTC Incredible 2. The answer is simple and it does not have anything to do with flashing radios, reinstalling ROMs, etc.
Simply turn the phone off and remove the battery to take out your SIM card. Then switch it back on without the SIM in it. After it has finished rebooting,
make sure the network bars are appearing even without any signal (in other words, an "x" on the bars) and also airplane mode is off. Now go to "Mobile Network Settings" and choose "CDMA/GSM (auto)" and not the preferred one.
Now turn off the phone and put the SIM back in. Replace the battery, start the phone, and tadaaa! Your phone will have the most amazing connection!

authors: Сергей Деркач


text:
Connect to Sony Xperia M Dual with adb/fastboot
I want to ask how to install custom rom on Xperia M Dual
I had tried adb and fastboot command in cmd but it shows waiting for device..
Help me please I'm too frustrated

Sounds like you didn't install the proper usb drivers. Easiest way I can recommend: Boot a linux live system, install fastboot and adb and execute the commands as root.

But I'm running on win7 64 bit

That's why you should try a live system which does not require installation. Ohterwise, try to properly install the usb drivers for windows 7, without them your device will not be detected.


text:
Purchased music won't play without wifi
Why won't the songs I purchase from Google play actually play without wifi? I have set the settings to download without wifi.  I don't care about the data. I don't like waiting until I get home to be able to finally put the music I have purchased on my phone

What exactly happens when you try to play them? Does it give you an error message or anything? Can other apps access the Internet?

Download without Wi-Fi? You can download the music you buy directly from the Google music app and you can also use the Google music manager on a desktop or directly download the albums from the website.

Stumbled across this thread since I am having a similar issue with my unlimited google music subscription; hope your issue has been resolved by now!
I had this issue happen randomly to me. I was able to stream all the songs in my library, then suddenly half of them were grayed out and wouldn't play ("Can't play this song without internet connection").
I contacted Google customer support and they helped me fix the issue. They said that my phone hadn't checked in with their servers in 24 hours, so they had me force my phone to do that. They had me change the date, time, and time zone in the Date and Time settings. They recommended to change it so there were no similarities (i.e. if its AM there, choose a time in the PM; if its 2015 change it to a date in 2016; etc). I verified the time and date changes on the home screen, then changed the Date and Time settings back to Automatic.
They then had me fully close the music app and reopen it, and voila, all my songs would play via cellular data again.

Go on google play music and find a small icon that looks like a pin which is grey, click on it and google will download music on your phone and you will be able to listen to your music whenever you want.
Hope it will help.
edit : I have just checked on my phone the icon could be an arrow also.

I noticed I was having this issue when I went camping, only to find about 30% of songs I downloaded weren't available. A screenshot of this is shown below.
Even removing and re-downloading an album wouldn't fix the problem. Changing the clock as Austin suggested didn't help either.
The Solution:
While connected to wifi (disable download only mode), go to Settings > Account > Refresh. Wait a few moments. Play a different song, then start playing your album again. This fixed the issue for me, and I really wasn't expecting it to be so easy.
And you can test this by using Download Only mode in the main menu.

Below is what it looks like when some songs you downloaded don't work offline (or in download only mode).

Go to settings->apps & notifications -> Google Play Music, clear cache & storage.


text:
Google Earth opens to a black screen after latest update
Google earth want black screen 2 updates ago, is there a fix for this yet? I have tried twice to reload and it still comes up black screen. I have also tried reverting to an older version, that worked until a new update made it go black screen.
Device is Samsung Galaxy Tab 4

Similar to http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/87141/google-earth-showing-only-a-black-screen-on-samsung-gt-s7582l-how-to-solve

What worked for me in a Samsung Galaxy Duos 2 may work for your tablet too. It look like the same problem.
The solution is to downgrade to version 7.x of Google Earth.
To downgrade, for example, download apk from here: http://google-earth.en.uptodown.com/android/download/52238
You will have to enable installation from unknown sources: http://gs4.wonderhowto.com/forum/enable-unknown-sources-android-install-apps-outside-play-store-0150603/
Then disable auto updates for Google Earth: http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/08/21/psa-as-of-play-store-v4-3-10-you-can-finally-disable-automatic-updates-for-certain-apps-and-update-all-will-honor-these-settings/
Periodically try to go back to newest version and check if the BUG, if it is a BUG at all, resolved.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Ace doesn't see sdcard
My Galaxy Ace was working fine until this morning. it's now failing to read any sdcard. I have tried factory reset but still it doesn't recognize the sdcard.

Try connecting the card to a laptop or a PC via a card reader and see if the card is working correctly.Also format the card from the mobile and see if that works.


text:
Install multiple user accounts on kitkat 4.4.2
I have an Azpen A1040 and it did not come with the ability to have multiple device user accounts, which is less than desired because this tablet is shared in my household.
I rooted my tablet, but I am not sure how to install or enable that feature.

Some phones and tablets do not have the multiple user feature, which means that this feature is disabled by manufacturer. The feature can be enabled by installing "Multi Users for Phone" module on Xposed Framework, which needs root. This works for Tablets too, and works for Android 4.4.2 KitKat (I am not sure if it works on other versions).
Steps on how to do this:

Root device (Required)
Backup data (Recommended)
Download Xposed Installer
Install Xposed Framework
Go to Modules and search "Multiuser"
It listes "Multi Users for phone" in "Not Installed" Category, click that
Swipe left to Versions and download the latest version
Install the Module, Activate and Reboot

Tada! To edit Users, go to Settings and Users.


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How to access the download mode of a device with a outdated bootloader?
I accidentally flashed some outdated bootloader firmware and now I cannot seem to access the bootloader I tried holding the vol up + power and both to volume buttons + power but it  made the phone vibrate and reboot.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3573865

SM-A405FN with Exynos chipset? I am not aware of any emergency download mode. Let battery drain for few days. Press and keep holding both Volume buttons when plug in charger.
If you still can't reach download mode, buy JIG dongle (your last hope)


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Where is the WiFi MAC randomization data stored?
In the newer Androids there's a feature called WiFi MAC Randomization. In its basic form, the mechanism calculates the random MAC for a given ESSID. Each time you connect to the same WiFi, Android will use the previously generated MAC. Even when you forget the WiFi network and add it anew, Android will use the same MAC as before. So where exactly is the WiFi MAC randomization data stored?

According to the Android documentation the persistent randomization is not stored anywhere.
Instead the "random MAC address" is generated every time you connect to the Wifi. This generation bases on the Wifi network parameters:

Android generates a persistent randomized MAC address based on the
parameters of the network profile including SSID, security type, or
FQDN (for Passpoint networks).

And I assume that additionally some secret factor that is unique to your device is included into the calculation, otherwise every Android device would generate the same random MAC address for the same network. Not sure what they actually use, may be ANDROID_ID or some random ~128 bit data stored somewhere in your user profile.
In such situations typically an HMAC algorithm is used to generate pseudorandom output that can then be used for the 46 bits of the MAC that are randomized. This makes it next to impossible to determine the used secret part based on the randomized MAC address and to calculate MAC addresses you would use in other networks.
Note that this answer is only about AOSP. Android manufacturer may change the randomization. According to a study on WiFi MAC randomization Motorola e.g. implements a custom MAC randomization scheme (not the 46bit scheme described in AOSP).