text:
Cyanogenmod - Filesystem for 64GB SD card, files larger than 4GB
Every time I find a thread on the Internet describing "how to get your 64GB SD card to work with Cyanogenmod", the answer is always the same: format it to FAT32.
FAT32 does not support files larger than 4GB. Does Cyanogenmod (10.1) support a decent file system that can take files larger than that?

Do you need it to work with Windows?

No. If you are going to mention EXT4, there seem to be lots of issues with permissions with that, but go ahead if you have a solution.

On yesterday's CyanogenMod nightly, I performed the following steps:

Unmount the SD card in the UI
Erase the SD card in the UI (this recreates the partition table itself and creates a new FAT32 fs)
Unmount the SD card again, if needed
Plug in the phone
Open a shell with adb shell
su to root (this has to be enabled in Settings)
Run make_ext4fs /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 to create the new ext4 fs
Mount the SD card in the UI (you'll have to unplug the phone to do this)
Reopen the root shell and run chown media_rw:media_rw /mnt/media_rw/sdcard1 to give the folder the expected owner
Run chmod 775 /mnt/media_rw/sdcard1 to make the sdcard writable

Having done this, the card is mounted automatically by CyanogenMod, and it can be written to from file managers without root privileges. I also copied music and pictures to the filesystem, and after a reboot, they are indexed and shown in Apollo and Gallery. I've only been using it for less than a day, but it's been working like a better FAT32 fs so far.

Do other apps work well? For instance, is poweramp able to find the music?

I'm using CM11 (11-20140804-SNAPSHOT-M9), and your step 8 does not work for me. It says "checking for errors", but then it ends without saying anything nor mounting. However, if I ssh to android, I'm able to mount with mount -t ext4 -o rw,noatime /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 /mnt/media_rw/sdcard1

@David I use Apollo, and it's able to find music. I do have an issue where if I unmount and remount the SD card, then all of my playlists are invalidated; I'm not sure if that's related to the filesystem or not.

@LuisA.Florit that's a good tip. I don't remember what behaviour I was seeing if I tried to mount while plugging in, but it may have been similar.

The "proper" answer would be exFAT. "Proper" because exFAT is crap but since it does "fix" some of FAT's problems, it is the only hassle-free option.
Forget NTFS.
Ext4 would be a much better option. Should it be properly managed in Android regarding rights management - from my quite recent understanding (latest CM11 as of Jan 2015), Android does not expect the true external storage to understarnd, let alone enfore access rights. Since *FAT has no concept of any rights, this is no problem. However, in Linux there is no clean way of disabling rights management on a native filesystem. Android's concept of security uses UNIX access rights in a different way than it was intended. Not to blame Android, the UNIX concept is ancient but it's use comes at a price. The price being the need of external rights management which Android is not ready for and the User has (usually) no control of either.
There is a way to use ext4 on Android, called Mounts2SD. It's quite clean and reliable though it is anything but native (made of "nasty hacks" some would say). I wouldn't recommend it unless you have absolute confidence in what you are doing.


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Non GPS Positioning
I get map positioning in iPad without GPS.
Any clues on how to get the same thing in an Android phone?
I tried it on google maps, maps with me, always with wifi on and no result unless I'm connected to the wifi network.

Your device needs some source to extract the location info from. That's either GPS, or the network (in combination with cell and WiFi IDs). The IDs themselves give no position information, it's the databases on the network where those IDs are looked up in. Which means, you either need GPS, or a data connection (WiFi or mobile). Simply having WiFi on, but no data connection available, cannot do the trick.

Additionally, in order to get an approximate location from wifi alone, the AP you're connected to needs to actually be in the wifi location database - in addition to actually providing a data connection - which it often isn't.

I understand what you say. But in the case of my iPad, it does not have 3G, only wifi, and it positions itself on either purchased or cached (i.e.google maps)maps...

Go into the main Settings app. Find Location access (Location services on some phones) in the list of settings pages, and make sure all the settings in that page are on, in particular Wi-Fi & mobile network location (which might have a slightly different name, such as Use wireless networks).
When you turn this option on, there's a dialog warning you that this periodically sends the visible Wi-Fi networks to Google. This is how the location mechanism works, so you have to agree to it if you want this feature.
Even when it's on, it only works when you're connected to the internet (either through 3G or Wi-Fi). It works by sending Google the list of Wi-Fi networks you can see. Google has collected a database of Wi-Fi network names and real-world locations, so with this information, they can reply to your phone with its approximate position. Obviously this can only work with internet access.
The similar feature in the iPad works exactly the same way, only with a different database maintained by Apple instead of Google.

I am sorry. But I use my iPad which is wifi only all the time in different cities around the globe in this way: I get connected to the internet, cache a portion of a map, and then when I walk a city I get position display...

You can do this in iPad or iPhone anywhere.

Without actually being connected to the net. Apple uses crowdsourcing. They continuously assign positions to ip's by extracting that info from wifi / gps enabled devices, integrate this into a data base. And then when you load a map, it has that info embedded. So you walk the city, no internet, no gps and get perfect position display.

I am crazy with this cause I just got my first android phone and realized I m not able to do the same thing...

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Why is my Nexus 7 taking up so much memory?
I had 2.2GB free on my Nexus 7's internal storage, then I decided to download a game that took up 1.55GB. Halfway through the download, it tells me that I have have insufficient memory and it stops the download. I then have around 500MB of storage left, and the app is no where in sight and I don't know how to clear up my memory. I decided to factory restore my tablet and afterwords I have 800MB of internal storage (it should have been around 500MB, but I didn't install some apps I had before). Does anyone know how I could get it back to 2.2GB? Thank you in advance.

Lots of useful information here: What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?

And here: Something is secretly eating up my Acer Iconia A500 internal memory and I need help finding it. Might prove helpful if you [edit] your question and include details on what storage we're talking about. The insufficient-memory error is only triggered for internal storage (usually when it falls below 25 MB), where playstore downloads usually go to (/data/local) but that would have been freed by a factory-reset. So how much space is avail/used/free on which storage (internal/SD/??)?

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


text:
How to create a hardware shortcuts in Android 4.3?
I have Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-i9500 running the latest firmware with Android 4.3.
I want to create "hardware shortcuts".
For example, if I hold volume up and home at the same time, then it'll open an application that I set, for example "Firefox".
As a Linux user, I know it's possible in Fedora and Ubuntu.
Is it possible with Android? My device has not been rooted.

The question is similar to How to assign a hardware button to camera?

From the description, it seems like Button Savior Non Root can do this (and Button Savior (Root) even more). I didn't try it, and the description is slightly unclear whether it only emulates hardware keys using a floating menu, or you can re-map hardware keys; so your feedback is welcome if you try it.
Alternatively, the XDA developers offer an app called ButtonRemapper. While this explicitly states Tool to remap the hardware buttons, it requires root.
Last partly alternative I can name is tasker. Here I know for sure you can remap at least the camera button. Not sure about others.

Button Savior can only emulate hardware buttons by creating a kind of auto hide dock on the right side of the screen from where you can select a function like phone, camera, etc.

With Tasker I found that you can only reconfigure the Camera key. You can not bind actions to combinations like Volume Up+Home.

With ButtonRemapper (ROOT) you can redefine what the hardware buttons do but you still can't configure button combinations like the OP asked.

Ah – thanks for the feedback. Wasn't sure about Button Saviour (note to self: remember). As for Tasker: OK, so that didn't change. I had hoped it was added meanwhile, as often requested. Not specifically for combos, but at least for "more keys". That leaves only the "root needed" variant of ButtonRemapper – unless someone comes up with a way to "capture the key events" in another way. // I took the combination just as an example; but you may be right with that. I still will leave my answer, might be useful for others at least (I hope).

I too feel that Tasker should provide more key options but we can come close using AutoInput now. I came very close if not emulated perfectly here: How to create a hardware shortcuts in Android 4.3? :D

You could try HomeSmack or Home2 Shortcut. These apps can remap the functionality of the home button to any app. With the second you can also set up combinations like Home key followed by Search key, Back key, etc. to launch an app.

My almost exact answer was originally posted for the question Bind action to hardware key combination.

I've come close but I still can't launch an action at the same time when two keys are pressed in combination like the way we do for taking a screenshot. Anyhow, you would need:

AutoInput (for Android 4.3 and above) with Tasker, both are/have paid/7-day full trial, or
Xposed Additions (needs root access) with Tasker  to make key combination(s).

The inconvenience in this solution is that unlike pressing both keys at the same time you would have to do it in sequence. That is, press/hold Vol Up followed by Power button. The timing between these key-presses is flexible.
Single key-press
Use AutoInput with Tasker if you want to launch your action with single  key presses combination i.e. only press a key one time but don't want to long-press the keys.

In Tasker create an Event based profile from Plugin →  AutoInput →  Key → Configuration:

Keys: Volume Up
Key Action: Key Down

Create a task in it named "AutoInput Volume Up" and create following actions in it:

Variable → Variable Set:

Name: %Kset
To: 1

Task → Wait → Seconds: 1
Variable → Variable Set:

Name: %Kset
To: 0

Explanation: When the single Vol Up press is detected the custom variable %Kset would be initialized to a custom value 1 and then we would wait for one second (under this one second you would've to press the Power key). We're then initializing the variable to 0 because our solution demands it, otherwise, our main task of capturing a photo would be executed just by  a single press of Power key.
Repeat step 1 but select Power key instead of Volume Up key.
Create a task in it named "AutoInput Power" and create following actions in it:

Task → If → Condition: %Kset eq 1
Plugin → AutoInput  → Modes:

Configuration:

Key Suppress: Enable
Keys: Power

Timeout: None

Optional action -- Alert → Flash → Text: Commencing launch
App → Launch App → Firefox**.
Repeat sub-step 2 of step 4 but do Key Suppress: Disable.
Optional action -- Task → Else.
Optional action -- Alert → Flash → Text: Psst: You're too late Jim!

Explanation:

In our first action we are checking whether the variable %Kset is set to 1 and if yes then the second action would block Power button press from getting passed to system since normally Power key-press would put the device to sleep and lock the screen.
Optionally flash a custom toast signalling that combination was successful.
Tasker would launch the Firefox or the chosen app successfully.
Disable Power key suppress since otherwise, you would never be able to use that button normally, as long as key suppress is not explicitly disabled  or AutoInput's accessibility is running.
Else statement is optional but could come handy since in the beginning your consecutive key-presses may not be in coordination so the custom toast in next action would hint you that the combination wasn't successful.

That's it. Go to Home screen or to any non-Tasker app, press the Vol Up key and then the Power key under a time period of one second (don't worry, you would get a hang of it, or else, change the wait period) and you would see Tasker opening its custom interface, a picture would be captured automatically and you would be taken back to what you're originally doing.
Hurray!

Long key-press
Some people may not like single pressing both the keys since they are not habitual or may feel odd to use them in that coordination. In that case, provided that you've root access and Xposed Framework installed, you can use Xposed Additions to set long key-press actions for your keys.
For custom action to be set to those keys we would need Tasker. Create the two tasks named "AutoInput Volume Up" and "AutoInput Power" explicitly in Tasker, only if you didn't follow Single key-press section.

In that app go to Button → set Long press delay time → Add new key → tap Vol Up key → select the new key entry.
Tap Add new Condition  → Screen On → → select the new entry → check Long Press and tap on that entry  → scroll down to Shortcut → Task Shortcut → AutoInput Volume Up.
Repeat step 1 but do it for Power key.
Repeat step 2 but select AutoInput Power under Task Shortcut.

Whenever Xposed Additions is enabled and activated in Xposed Framework, on any long-press of a button/key set under that app, you would feel a slight vibration. That vibration would help immensely to know when to release the first key and long-press the other key.
Try it because it's fun.


text:
Are all Nexus 5 phones sold unlocked?
Are all Nexus 5 phones sold unlocked (i.e., not tied to a specific carrier)? If I buy a Nexus 5 from a store in Germany will I be able to use it in another country (Brazil)?

Yes, at this point. But, there's a talk about Sprint-locked Nexus 5.
Note: If you intend to use 4G LTE, then you need to check LTE market-compatibility, too. Other than that, you're good to use the phone in both countries.

Yes, currently. However this could change, the US carriers sometimes sell locked phones.
There is currently only one Nexus 5 variant, so you don't have to worry about LTE compatibility issues.


text:
Why my nexus 5 is not getting on air update for Android 4.4.2
In India there are some Nexus 4 which got updates for Android 4.4.2 but my Nexus 5 is not even updated to 4.4.1, Who can let me know how this OTA works with Google?

The roll-out for all (or at least most) OTA updates is staged in case there is an issue which has not been noticed. The 4.4.2 update seems to be being rolled out quicker than the 4.4.1 update, but it won't be available to all devices at the same time. You should receive the update in a few days.
This post by an android engineer explains the process a bit better but i've extracted some of their post here:

Morrill mentioned how they “typically” begin with 1 percent of devices
  for the first day or two. This small batch is sent out and Google then
  watches for “return rates and resulting device checkins and error
  reports.”
Assuming the initial 1 percent rollout goes according to plan, the
  process then expands. Again, the word typically was used. But in this
  case Morrill said the updates then go to 25 percent, 50 percent and
  100 percent “over the course of a week or two.”

I think you intended for "this post" to be a link, but there isn't one. It would be useful for people who are interested in which devices get the update, especially given that the same post explains why mashing "check for updates" doesn't make any difference.

I've added the link to the original Reddit post.


text:
Haptic feedback on samsung galaxy s3 mini
I have recently bought a Samsung galaxy s3 mini and there is no haptic feedback on my soft buttons or typing a message, there is only a vibration key press on my lock screen. I have tryed going into settings, language and input, keyboard setting but there is no vibration on key press option in any of the settings I have looked through. Can someone help me please?

When you want to type, there is the option "choose input method", that comes on the crossbar. Click it, then click "setup input method", then click the "Settings" on the Samsung keypad. Then scroll down to the "advanced options". Click it, then disable key tap sound. That is easy.

Haptic feedback is still there. Go to Settings > My Device > Sound and it should be around the bottom of the options. It is labled haptic-feedback
Your keyboard should have its own option, but it depends on the particular keyboard.
Samsung Keyboard: Click on the 'cog' icon beside the space bar.  Click 'Vibration'.
SwiftKey: Settings > Sound & Vibration > Keypress Vibration.

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


text:
Can't make gallery photos lock screen wallpaper (Samsung S2)
I have a Samsung S2 and until recently changing the lock screen was fine, however suddenly (potentially after apps were synced), I am unable to change my lock screen using a gallery photo, using both the change lockscreen prompt through Gallery itself, from holding down the homescreen as well as through the Settings. I am only able to change it to one of the factory Wallpapers.
Changing the home screen is fine, and as far as I know my only third-party editing app is TwCrop, which I got to try and fix the problem (it didn't).

Related, if not identical: Can't make gallery photos lock screen wallpaper (Samsung S3). Hm, is the number following the "S" a counter? Cannot find the question for "S1"...

It is the same problem, however I was unable to comment on that post so had to make a new one. How do you mean 'counter' sorry?

Try to use the answer in the link Izzy shared. If it helps, upvote it.

Are you using the stock, pre-installed launcher (TouchWiz)?

@Justine "counter" was rather kidding. Comparing the title of the two questions, the only difference is yours ends with "Samsung S2", and the other with "Samsung S3". Like a count-down, so I was waiting for "Samsung S1". But instead we got the Galaxy S3 mini – well, in a way also a "smaller number" ;)

Thanks for the replies. I attempted to use the answer in Izzy's link but I am unable to set a common wallpaper, through settings, and I do not have any third-party app's installed, as far as I am aware. @Ivan- I assume I am as I am not tech savvy enough to have ever changed it :) Unsure how to know for sure though.

@Izzy- thanks for the explanation, I get it now :)


text:
Color note backup
I am using android jelly bean 4.1.2. I took the backup of color note notes then i have formatted my mobile. Now when I try to restore what I already took a backup I couldn't find the backed up notes in color note restore option. The problem is that I couldn't find the backup data inside the color note application to restore it though I have it in my memory card.

Can you post the path with file name that you are looking for?
may be something like /sdcard/colornote/backups/2013-12-8_back.xxx

storage/sdcard/colornote/backups/

i have the backup where is specified above

But this is not been shown inside the color note application from which i can restore

So my assumption is that the path is empty. Have you tried searching the file on the entire /sdcard if you remember the name of the file or only a bit of it?

No i have all the files there in the specified path

Would seem to be closely related to How to restore ColorNote notes after factory reset?

I downloaded colornote, made a backup on the sdcard and found they store two files for each back up(.dat & .idx). I found this on /sdcard/data/colornote/backup/ , have a look at there.

ya i have those both files @ ironblossom.....Can i do anything with those files explicitely

Turns out .dat is for the password of the note and .idx is the note itself.What you get from Setting>>Backup>>SDCard Backup at the saved back up data?

You have to go to the path /sdcard/data/colornote/BACKUP/ and there should be the idx and dat files. If you have them and you want to backthem up, it asks for the password. I solved this problem by adding another android device.

Take another android phone and install colornote
Make a new note and save it
Go to settings and turn off AUTO SYNC. Now you can backup manual
It will ask you about a new master password ( type in 0000 or whatever)
Now connect your android phone and copy the whole folder and paste it into the second device in the same colornote folder /sdcard/data/colornote/backup/
Start colornote on the second device.
If you go to backups, you will see the backup from your first device

The backup will work now and you can easily write it down or take pictures of your notes to put them back on your first device.

"U" is not a word. Please don't use txtspk here.


text:
YouTube "can not connect to server" error on specific videos
I started the YouTube application, looked up a song, and found it. Then I tried to load the video, but I got the error message:

can not connect to server

But I can play another version of the song on my phone, both videos can be played on my computer with Flash, neither of them without Flash. This is clearly not a Flash problem, and not a server problem. If I go back after restarting my phone, it is the same error message for the same video.
What is really the problem? How can I solve it? Is it like on a desktop browser, some videos are in Flash, some are not?

Have you tried to access the very same video from your computer? Maybe it's a problem with that specific video. Not all youtube videos are stored on one and the same machine ;)

Are you using Android 4.4.2?

This is a common problem with an easy solution.
First of all, you need to make sure you don't have any firewall, DroidWall app because they block the media server which is heavily needed by YouTube.
Secondly, if your problem isn't solved, try installing the latest Flash player.
Also, if you're on WiFi, go to the settings of the WiFi you're connected to, open up the settings, advanced settings, and then IP settings, then select DHCP. If you're on data, go to the settings and try ticking/unticking the APNS on the WAP of your operators.


text:
Battery Trickle Charging, good or bad?
What are the side effects of using apps that trickle charge battery. App like "Battery Doctor". It charges around 30-50 (varies with device) mins after battery is fully charged, which results in a bit longer battery backup as I found out. But is that harmful for battery health? Like damaging the battery? Or should I charge normally up to the device says "Fully Charged"?

You might wish to check with Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone? / Am I overcharging my phone? / my answer here

especially on a rapid-charger, this is normal charging behavior to achieve complete 'depth' of charge. I wish they wouldn't report it as "charged/100%" if it was still trickling.
Here is a graph of the charge curve. note the voltage on the battery tops out but the current is still drawn.

It's somewhat an EE question, but higher voltage is provided to the battery until the charge rate (current draw) drops to 5-2% of C, with C being the total storage. IE, on a 3000mAh battery this would be a charge rate of 60mA. Lower cutoffs (1%) are detrimental to battery health (IE, over 3-500 charges degrades capacity by, oh, 5-10%), but given OEM replacement batteries are $10-15 FOB from China, it is wiser to consider them sacrificial and not concern yourself with their health.
I know it's a shift in thinking but it's much easier to convert to Qi charging (just get a TPU case too to help hold it on) and just drop it on the pad whenever you are at work or at home. Once you have a phone with Qi you won't be interested in one without. plugging in twice a day (once to top up) is hard.


text:
Is there a VoIP / WifiCalling app that allows you to use your own number?
Is there a VoIP/Wifi-Calling app that allows you to use your own phone number?  (that is, the cell phone number that is already assigned to your device by your carrier)?
I've been poking around online and it seems almost all force you to take on a separate phone number for the VoIP/Wifi-Calling app.  I've only seen one claim that Vonage allows it, but none other.  Ideally I'd like more than one to choose from.  Haven't tried Vonage as of this writing but going to try it right after posting this question.
I tried Vonage.  It does use my number for outgoing calls, but incoming calls still ring the phone app installed on my phone by Sprint.  I have a feeling that acejavelin is correct that my only option is call forwarding to another line (like google voice) which is inherently set up to work over IP.
Seems to me, ideally, if I could just actually replace the phone app that my phone came with, that would work, if I could find a phone app that can do that and that does everything I want.   By the way, the main reason I want this is to be able to use Wifi calling when I'm in a location with a weak signal but available Wifi.  Sprint offers Wifi calling but they have some bugs;  I've escalated to Sprint's Engineering team, but it does not appear they are going to fix their bugs anytime soon.

T-Mobile supports the Android's native WiFi calling mechanism, provided you have a device/Android version that support it.

Many SIP or other online providers can route call outbound sending your Caller ID, or any Caller ID you chose for that matter (there are some legalities to this, so it could depend on your country or locale), but to get inbound calls over that service the provider must "own" the number in order to route it. The only other option would be to get a different number from that provider, and call forward always your existing number to that number.
A common way to do this is to port your number to Google Voice, and get a replacement number from your carrier... This allows Google Voice to route inbound and outbound calls on your number to cell phone. Google Voice allows inbound calls to be routed to your new number from your carrier transparently so the caller doesn't know the call is a data call or a voice call. This also removed the "link" between your number and the device, allowing you to make and receive calls via an Android app, iPhone app, Hangouts extension on Chrome/web browser, or with services like Simon Telephonics Google Voice SIP Gateway.

FreeFly881 app does offer the same mobile number for your VoIP calling.

Please link the app from play store

Doesn't look like FreeFly881 does what I want.
In their words:
"YOUR OWN PHONE NUMBER

Create a free phone number out of your existing one:
881 + [country code] + [your mobile number]"
That means people have to dial  "881 + [country code]" before dialing my number, if they want the call to come in via FreeFly881 app.


text:
2 apk files for same app
I've noticed that several of my applications have 2 apk files (different versions).  Why are there two?  And is it safe for me to delete the older one?
For example, on my phone I see:
"Google Play services for Instant Apps_1.13-release-159715800.apk" and
"Google Play services for Instant Apps_1.14-release-161844041.apk"
also:
"YouTube_12.25.54.apk" and "YouTube_12.23.60.apk"
also
"Chrome_58.0.3029.83.apk" and "Chrome_50.0.2661.89.apk"
also
"Amazon Kindle_7.15.0.73.apk" and "Amazon Kindle_7.14.0.18.apk"
and more ...
I'd like to delete the older ones.  Certainly, combined, they are taking up a lot of space on my phone.
One more question.  Not every app has 2 apk files like this.  Is there a setting to limit them all to one file?  Thanks.

Hey all, thanks for the comments.  Very good point to look where the files are.  Just some background how I got here: I usb'd my phone to my PC and searched *.* and sorted by size to find what was taking so much space on my phone's internal storage (will check my sd card next).  Saw these APK files coming up and noticed the duplicates, so I asked this question.
At any rate I've gone back now and checked where they are located and it appears that most of them are in /storage/emulated/0/SmsContactsBackup/apks/.  Based on the term "Backup" being part of the location, I'm going to assume that I can delete both copies of the apk files when both are in that directory.
Again, Thanks for the comments.  I definitely should have thought to take note of where the files were located from the start.  Any additional comments or answers as to how the apks got into that directory would be appreciated.  I'm guessing that either the install put them there, or once upon a time I ran some backup program on my phone (not something I do regularly since my most important stuff syncs to google anyway).

It would help if you could point out where you found those APK files. If they are in some "download folder", it's safe to remove them. From other places, things might be different.

@Izzy It's always safe to remove anything in Internal Storage (I didn't mean /data), especially for APK files which if needed wipl simply be downloaded again by the app who generated them.

@iBug True – but how do you know where Daniel found the APKs? And not to confuse "Internal Storage" with "Internal SD card" (better use the latter term): Unfortunately, there is no "clear name" for the "internal storage" (/data) which is not the internal SD card (/mnt/shell/emulated) – and I wouldn't suggest it being "always safe to remove anything" from the former (that's why you excluded /data obviously, but just to be sure – as there's also e.g. /mnt/obb and more on internal storage ;) True, that possibly requires root, but you didn't exclude that possibility.


text:
How to hide system message white transparent popup on Android screen
Some app generate an error and phone shows transparent popup, which looks like system popup because it is persisted across all apps and even hide system buttons or keyboard.
Example of messages in the box:

Resource has been exhausted (e.g. check quota)

Is there a system setting to move notifications to notification area instead? Or complete hide it...

That looks like a toast. Related: How to get rid of grey error/alert message popup (toast). There's a command to try on the comment thread, though not yet posted as an answer.

With the help of Andrew I launched the command:
adb shell "pm list packages -f"

to get the list of packages and then scanned for their properties (Bash script):
list='com.google.android.youtube com.viber.voip'
mkdir -p dump
for i in $list; do
  adb.exe shell appops get $i |& tee -a dump/$i.txt
done

Then I searched for the keyword TOAST_WINDOW. for Youtube app it was:
Uid mode: COARSE_LOCATION: ignore
LEGACY_STORAGE: allow
VIBRATE: allow; time=+7h31m46s232ms ago; duration=+27ms
TAKE_AUDIO_FOCUS: allow; time=+28m45s847ms ago
WAKE_LOCK: allow; time=+1h13m24s504ms ago; duration=+9s138ms
TOAST_WINDOW: allow; time=+1h12m25s632ms ago; duration=-24855d3h14m7s312ms
START_FOREGROUND: allow; time=+82d1h9m54s814ms ago; duration=+2m34s513ms
USE_BIOMETRIC: allow; time=+40d0h55m4s406ms ago

The line:
WAKE_LOCK: allow; time=+1h13m24s504ms ago; duration=+9s138ms

probably tells that last toast was 1h ago with duration of 9s. It looks like what we experienced!
So I disabled the privilege:
# adb shell appops set com.google.android.youtube TOAST_WINDOW deny

# adb shell appops get com.google.android.youtube
...
TOAST_WINDOW: deny; time=+1h23m2s506ms ago; duration=-24855d3h14m7s312ms

I hope this solves the problem. IDK if an app upgrade resets user settings...
UPDATE this UI element is called Toast.
Seems the duration of a toast is hard-coded in Android sources:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/7965135/what-is-the-duration-of-a-toast-length-long-and-length-short
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2220560/can-an-android-toast-be-longer-than-toast-length-long/

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


text:
Where is Emulator settings is Android Studio 1.5.1?
I take on-line course https://class.coursera.org/androidpart1-011/ and have many troubles with setup.
IDE (on Linux host) uses /opt/android-sdk-linux/tools/emulator which after some checks run emulator64-x86 which doesn't work! 32-bit version work great.
Also PulseAudio code in Emulator purely written and leads to 100% CPU load.
Also official docs suggest add -qemu -enable-kvm options.
So I need a way to change path to emulator executable and/or pass additional options:
-force-32bit -noaudio -qemu -enable-kvm

Intellij have special tab for this settings: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/help/run-debug-configuration-android-application.html
But I can't see Emulator tub in Android Studio 1.5.1:

Where is Emulator settings is Android Studio 1.5.1 (shame Google for frustrating GUI)?
PS Can any high score user add android-studio tag to question?

This site is for users of Android, which means that questions about development/programming are off-topic here (see the What topics can I ask about here?). Development questions are on-topic on our sister site Stack Overflow. You might also wish to consult Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions? for a fitting place to your question. BTW: That's the reason why there's no android-studio tag here :)

@lzzy Thanks for feedback. I will follow your suggestion in future!

Hm... I need to downgrade to version 1.4:

http://tools.android.com/download/studio/stable

or wait for fix to:

https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=195031
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33909062/no-emulator-tab-in-edit-configurations-in-android-studio


text:
Formatting internal MTD storage: selecting block size?
I have rooted china N101-II tablet with CyanogenMod after flashing custom ROM.
Internal MTD storage is 32 GiB large and custom ROM flashing make different layout to internal partitioning. Thus /data near 12 GiB instead of original 1 GiB (so thera are no longer need to move packages to external flash!!):
130|root@android:/system # df
Filesystem               Size     Used     Free   Blksize
/system                595.4M   549.8M    45.6M   1024
/data                   11.8G   449.8M    11.4G   4096
/cache                 126M     4.1M   121.9M   4096

Rest space left to /mnt/sdcard:
root@android:/ # cat /system/etc/vold.fstab
dev_mount flash /mnt/sdcard auto /devices/virtual/mtd/mtd9/mtdblock9 nonremovable

but custom ROM flashing process left mtdblock9 unformatted.
Under PATH available commands: mkfs.ext2 and tune2fs so I can format myself.
mkfs.ext2 support:
130|root@android:/system # mkfs.ext2 --help
mkfs.ext2 --help
BusyBox v1.21.1-jb bionic (2013-07-01 01:04 +0200) multi-call binary.

Usage: mkfs.ext2 [-Fn] [-b BLK_SIZE] [-i INODE_RATIO] [-I INODE_SIZE] [-m RESERVED_PERCENT] [-L LABEL] BLOCKDEV [KBYTES]

        -b BLK_SIZE Block size, bytes

According to:
root@android:/ # cat /proc/mtd
cat /proc/mtd
dev:    size   erasesize  name
mtd0: 00400000 00004000 "misc"
mtd1: 00800000 00004000 "kernel"
mtd2: 01000000 00004000 "boot"
mtd3: 01000000 00004000 "recovery"
mtd4: 18000000 00004000 "backup"
mtd5: 08000000 00004000 "cache"
mtd6: 300000000 00004000 "userdata"
mtd7: 00400000 00004000 "kpanic"
mtd8: 28000000 00004000 "system"
mtd9: 46fa00000 00004000 "user"

seems that I need to select block size as 16384 (16KiB). Am I right?
UPDATE Seems that mkfs.ext2 from busybox and doesn't properly functioning:
android# mkfs.ext2 /dev/block/mtdblock9
mkfs.ext2: lseek: Value too large for defined data type

But I found mke2fs:
android# mke2fs -I 16384 /dev/block/mtdblock9
mke2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
mke2fs: invalid inode size 16384 (min 128/max 4096)

In order to reduce fragmentation I try to  select larger block size (which make lesser amount of erase operation on flash I hope):
android# mke2fs -I 4096 /dev/block/mtdblock9
mke2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
Stride=0 blocks, Stripe width=0 blocks
1162128 inodes, 4651520 blocks
232576 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=0
142 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8184 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
        32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208,
        4096000

I select largest possible block size for mke2fs to avoid block fractioning as erase operation on that MTD memory performed by 16 KiB chanks:
android# /sbin/mke2fs -t ext4 -I 4096 -O ^huge_file -m 0 /dev/block/mtdblock9
mke2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
Stride=0 blocks, Stripe width=0 blocks
1162128 inodes, 4651520 blocks
0 blocks (0.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=0
142 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8184 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks:
        32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208,
        4096000

Writing inode tables: done
Creating journal (32768 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done

This filesystem will be automatically checked every 35 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first.  Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.

then:
android# tune2fs -c 0 -i 0 /dev/block/mtdblock9
tune2fs -c 0 -i 0 /dev/block/mtdblock9
tune2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Setting maximal mount count to -1
Setting interval between checks to 0 seconds

NOTE There is no need to format /data and /cache partitions. That can be done automatically in wipe data of recovery menu.


text:
How can I stream PC desktop, 1:1 pixel ratio, to Android device?
Does anyone have a solution for streaming pc screen content to an Android device with 1:1 pixel ratio? I want to use it to display graphical work directly on the device, and possible for the future to produce quick interactive prototypes.
There is an application for iOS called LiveView which lets you bring up a container on your Mac which streams the content of the container straight to your iOS device.
I'm wondering if anyone knows of any solution for Android that does this?

There is the SplashTop Desktop Streaming Application. The app is free, but has some in-app purchases for more features.
They also have a few premium versions available.

+1 I really like the looks of this. However, I'm not getting it to work. I created an account using the app and then downloaded the PC client. When I tried logging into the PC client it said that there was no account with that email... really weird. so I created the same account again in the PC client, which did go through. But the PC client still doesn't recognize the device. so frustrating, I wonder where it went wrong...

It has been a while since I used it (and set it up). I will try when I get home, unless you figure it out.

http://betanews.com/2012/01/05/turn-you-android-into-a-second-pc-monitor/
try this.
hope it will help you,
cheers

Please add some more information to your answer. See also http://meta.stackexchange.com/a/8259/156683

There is screen stream for Android that seems to do what you are asking.
It streams live the display of the device and has many options.
There is a trial version here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobzapp.screenstream.trial


text:
How to adjust brightness alternatively?
What if system brightness control does not work ?
How to adjust brightness of android phone alternatively ?
I am on HTC One X. I just noticed my phone's system brightness control is not working as I recently got my phone repaired. My phone's display IC has been changed as display was not working as my phone got wet.
I doubt the one who repaired a phone changed display IC of other phone, that's why the brightness control is not working.
So, is there any alternative way to control the brightness in android phone ?
Whatever app so far I have installed regarding brightness control seems to do the same thing what system brightness control does. So, nothing worked for me.

You may want to use the Screen Filter app by haxor industry. I use it primarily for keeping my screen dark at night for reading, but it may be a suitable temporary solution in your situation.

It sounds like the brightness control in the hardware is broken. Perhaps when the mechanic installed it he didn't manage to connect the ribbon cable correctly. There's no way an app can work around such a hardware problem. You should return your phone to the mechanic and ask him to actually fix it this time.

At least a quick try couldn't hurt: There's Screen Dim Trial to do that.

he says my display was damaged, and he somehow fixed the display, he says the display needs to be changed...

@hsuk Then maybe you can post a new answer and say that you will have the LCD display replaced (in case a software solution doesn't work for you). Then, don't forget to mark it as an answer. :)

@geffchang : I am still waiting for other answers though that won't gonna solve my problem. Replacing display could not be the answer as display is working fine ... I won't replace just display to get brightness control. It costs NRs. 6500.

@hsuk The LEDs or EL strips illuminating the display are part of the display module. You can't replace one or the other separately. If this isn't working because the person who installed your display got it wrong or used a faulty component, you shouldn't have to pay again for him to fix it.

All he says is I need to change the display, I think I have to use my mobile like this till display works fine. I don't know how he fixed the display... May be he carelessly did sthg that damaged the brightness control...


text:
How to install ROM when bootloader is not unlocked?
Accidentally, on stock recovery, I selected wipe data/factory reset which could have uninstalled the ROM on it. So, now my mobile is showing company logo only.
My mobile HTC Inspire A9192's bootloader has not been unlocked yet.
How to boot the mobile again ?
Every time I restart my phone, the data/ cache and system gets unmounted.

A factory reset doesn't wipe the ROM files, only the user data, so you can't have "uninstalled the ROM" that way.
Having a locked bootloader doesn't stop you flashing a ROM: it just limits you to official ROMs signed by the manufacturer (or possibly by the carrier). So even if you can't or don't want to unlock the bootloader, you can still flash the stock ROM in the usual way from the recovery, if you can obtain a backup of it.

there is already something like clockworkmod named HTC ACE and its on chinese. While I tried to flash clockworkmod, it returned error that remote is not allowed.
And I don't know why the mobile is keep showing the HTC logo, I felt like its taking time for first boot but it kept showing for more than 30 mins. any solution ?

Every time I restart my phone, the data/ cache and system gets unmounted. :(


text:
Error occured while flashing Galaxy Y with JELLYBLAST V3.0.2
While installing ROM on my galaxy Y as per mentioned on [ CUSTOM ROM - KERNEL] JELLYBLAST V3.0.2 for Galaxy Y GT-S5360
ROM installation aborted with error:
Finding update package...
Opening update package...
Can’t open /sdcard/JELLYBLASTV3.signed.zip
(bad)
Installation aborted.

Recovery.log
-- Installing: /sdcard/JELLYBLASTV3.signed.zip
Finding update package...
I:Update location: /sdcard/JELLYBLASTV3.signed.zip
Opening update package...
minzip: Missed a central dir sig (at 0)
E:Can't open /sdcard/JELLYBLASTV3.signed.zip
(bad)
Installation aborted.

You should ask that in the Blog's page. The zip was updated so that might be the problem.

This error comes normally for two reason.

You have a corrupted .zip so you should try re-downloading.
You have an unsupported recovery.

According to your ROM's requirements, You must have stock kernal. Most of the time while rooting, we flash a different kernal. So you may have to flash your stock kernal back again.
And also you must have a CWM recovery, as they say.  You can find it here http://techcure.wordpress.com/2012/10/17/how-to-root-and-use-cwm-for-galaxy-y-gt-s5360/
If you have already done these steps, please let me know. I will try to help as much as I can.

Thank you so much Murshid for your effort, I have CWM recovery and I tried via it. I downloaded CWM from the same site, so I hope it should work. As you said, my kernal has been modified while I rooted my phone. How can I get my stock kernal back ?

Here are some of the stock kernals for Samsung Galaxy Y https://hotfile.com/list/2023820/c55629e . I hope you can find yours here. You are welcome :)

Download the zip. Copy it to mobile. Boot your mobile into recovery mode. Wipe Cache Partition. Wipe Dalvic Cache. Flash the Zip. Reboot. Wait for 10 minutes. Then restart the phone into recovery again. Then try flashing the ROM

I think it would be better to ask in the appropriate section on the XDA developers forum. The one for your rom can be found here
The creator of the rom should be able to help you. There are number of reason why you can't install the rom, the most probable for me is that your zip file didn't download properly. Double check the expected and downloaded file size for any discrepancies. Also make sure that your recovery mode supports installing custom ROMs

Actually, I have already asked this question on the forum from where I got the ROM and it was not only me searching for the solution of this problem. As I didn't get the solution, I asked here. Download is fine. I did it twice.

Then check if your recovery (ClockworkMod) supports installing ROMs from zip files. If you have required version of ClockworkMod recovery then as suggested below - you may need to install new kernel first.


text:
What to do when mobile gets wet and the battery is not removable
I got my mobile (HTC One X) wet yesterday and I could not take out the battery since it is not removable.
Currently, everything works fine but I can see a dark blur shadow on the right of the screen and few dark spots all over the screen.
What should I supposed to do ? Do I need to take it to technician right away or I can stay calm ?

It looks like your screen has been effected by the water and needs a new screen.

You can also open it up and dry the screen and digitalizer carefully. Maybe the screen and digitalizer are still wet on the inside. iFixit has said that it's "impossible" to repair it (open it up and being able to close it again), so be warned.
The other option is to turn your phone off and put it in the oven for a short few minutes. The heat will come into the phone and the water will dry up, but it's not guarenteed, since it looks like the screen has already been infected.

It's best to let a technician do it's thing. Take note that waterdamage is probably not a warranty thing, so that they're charging serious money. It's your choice to let it repair or not, because I don't think your phone will suddenly stop functioning. If it does, you can always let your phone being repaired later.

You could always try the trick of sticking the phone in rice along with the things that Tom pointed out. But in the end, since you can already see the damage, it might already be too late. Seeing that you have a newer phone, you might still be under warranty, so I hate to say it but that probably will be your best bet if you want a completely fixed phone. Water damage is the worst to phones!

Depending on your warranty, budget and how much time you've got to invest in the fix...

Under Warranty: If your phone is under warranty, contact the store you bought it from and find out if water damage is covered...If it is, you're golden! Let them fix it for free. Otherwise, read on...
Cheap, doesn't void warranty, but takes time: Start with using a desiccant to try to dry-out the phone. This is the least invasive way to try to fix the problem as you don't have to take the phone apart, but as much water as it seems you've got in your phone...It could takes days to dry it out. If you've got rice around, then find some kind of container/tupperware that you can seal your phone in along with a bunch of rice. Then leave it sealed (important to seal it, so the rice is pulling the moisture from the phone and not the air) like that for several days. The other option, if you want something a little stronger than rice is to stop by an art&craft store and buy some desiccant bags. Do the same thing with sealing your phone in with the desiccant and leave for a couple of days and then check on it.
Cheap, but risky and could potentially void warranty: Check the internet and sites like iFixit for directions on taking apart your phone. Do so and carefully dab dry any pools of wetness you find and then leave all the pieces out in the open air to dry overnight. Put it all back together the next day and the phone should be all better...And you'll have had the experience of taking apart a phone!
Safest, doesn't void warranty, but likely expensive: Bring the phone to an authorized repair store and have them fix it. If the warranty doesn't cover it, it'll likely cost quite a bit but since it's done by an authorized repair shop, you won't lose warranty status in case something else happens.

I dropped my HTC m9+ in the toilet and it was completely drowned. There was water inside the display within seconds.
I tried turning it off asap but it kept
turning back on automatically 2 or 3 times because it was getting short circuited internally. After a few tries it turned off.
I took out the sim and sd card and placed the phone in a box of raw rice. After 6 days i plugged it back on into charging (in a wall socket) and the phone turned back on perfectly alhamdulillah. Its been more than a month, there is some problem with the sim tray though. The rest is working perfectly alhamdulillah.


text:
Does flashing a recovery only affect the system?
I am trying to get my stock recovery back so as, I could install my updates 5.0.1 on my nexus 5. I flashed my recovery from TWRP to stock recovery but my phone is now looping on boot animation screen.


text:
Why is Android app not compatible
My son's got a Kurio 7 tablet. I've installed the Amazon App Store on it and noticed not all apps are compatible. Bad Piggies for example won't install. The Amazon App Store says its not compatible with his device. Why is that? Bad Piggies is supposed to support Android 2.2 and the Kurio 7 has Android 4. Other than that it doesn't say anything about the requirements. What other things can make an Android device incompatible with some apps?

There are a few different things on Android that specify whether or not an app is compatible with a device:

The author can specify minimum and maximum supported versions.  Meaning that even though 2.2 is supported, 4.0 may not be.  (Probably not this in your case). Reference
Apps may require certain features to be available, another thing that the author puts in the manifest.  This specifies things like needing a camera, needing an accelerometer, needing internet access, etc.  If your device doesn't have one of the features, it may show as not compatible. Reference1 Reference2

Here is a list of possible features that may be required by the app's developer.

As an example for #2:

When you declare "android:required="true" for a feature, you are specifying that the application cannot function, or is not designed to function, when the specified feature is not present on the device.

So is there any way to check which requirements my tablet is lacking for particular apps?

Not that is easy, as far as I am aware.  Many times you can tear apart an APK to see the manifest, but that's a bit more involved.


text:
How do you adjust notifications on the LG Nexus 4
I use to see notifications for Facebook and Snapchat on my phone but now I don't.  Can you tell me how to get this back.

There are two basic scenario:

You disabled the notification from the app itself.

So open the setting of the app and enable notification there

You removed the notification power of the app from system setting menu

Open settings -> Apps. Click on the name of the required app and make sure "Show notifications" is enabled.


text:
Support for Dolby Digital?
I have an embedded Android system and I connect it to my TV via HDMI.
Also my system has an Optical audio port.
I would like to know...
Does Android support Dolby digital (via MHL or HDMI or any other option)?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts, Campiador! Please note that our site works best using exactly one question per post. I'd suggest you keep the first here, as further, development questions are off-topic at this place (see our [help/on-topic] for details). They are dealt with at our sister-site Stack Overflow.

Thanks for updating. I just did a little Google search, and wrote an answer. Note that I didn't dig very deep, and have made no practical tests.

Though I found no concrete specs saying all (or which) Android devices might (or might not) support it, there are strong indications that it's possible (and at least partly supported):

Jabra advertizes its app for Dolby sound. No explicit mention of "Dolby digital, though.
XDA has a thread titled Beats audio with dolby digital advanced audio; as you can see, this explicitly mentions "Dolby digital". As this discusses an Android app, this pre-supposes the technical possibility.
AndroidAyuda.com has a Spanish article on this topic, which also implicates the availability

There are about 5 million hits for a google search on 'android "dolby digital"', which you might want to check some more from. The few I've picked didn't state any restrictions as to the device (though there are probably some, for what use does the support make if you have no appropriate output, such as HDMI). But it's clear that the Android OS is no hindrance to it.
TL;DR: Android itself can obviously deal with it, if the device supports it.

android does not support dolby (digital) / DTS
dont compare beats with dolby / DTS
beats is just an equalizer software layer in between your mixer in android
it doesnt encode audio streams from applications, applications have to have build in support for that
for music dolby playback its useless, for video playback it is impossible
since android needs to have encoder support in the kernel itself
then the application for playback needs to support it
dolby digital is not giving licence to android platform, they are very picky
ipad and macs have encoder support and licence for it
for example cinexplayer for iOS has exellent support for dolby/dts
cinexplayer has also an android app, but no dolby/dts support duo android limitations
i'm android developer and tried all sorts of things by using code hacks in custom roms to get
some kind of dolby playback
if the music/video app doesnt support build in dolby/dts then obviously
you cannot encode the audio stream for dolby/dts so it doesnt matter
even if you have support in the kernel and beats audio and all that crap

Dolby® Digital Plus™ is built into many Android devices out in the market. This means
  Android Applications and Games can have amazing immersive sound by
  integrating the Dolby® Audio API for Android™

Support is there in many of the devices, but it is up to the developers of the games/applications to implement it:
Dolby API for Android


text:
What exactly is backed up if I select app data in the sync options?

Here, app data, what exactly is backed up if I check this option?
If I uninstall an app, and re-install it, will its data (like my progress/score of a game app) restored?

Not so much uninstall/re-install, but more factory reset and re-install, or buy a new device, add same Google account to it, and install.

See also: What exactly is this App Data that is being backed up to Google?

See also: Does the built-in Google app data backup work?


text:
lost apps after backup and restore on Samsung Kies
I downloaded Kies because there is a software issue on the phone.  So I backed up the phone to Kies on my laptop then did a factory reset on the phone.  Then I restored the phone from the laptop but seem to have lost all the apps.  Help!

I say go to play store, when you will open my apps section the backed up apps will be downloaded automatically. Make sure that you are connected to WiFi or 3G .

Indeed, this will get the apps back - however, it will not restore app data.

that's what taking Backup with Kies does it copies all data on Internal srorage i.e. app data

@coolhz that's what I thought, but after restore I lost a lot of my data. I don't see any of my tasks in Tasker anymore. WHy could this be?


text:
Android photo viewer that doesn't blank screen
I have many photos of my family on my phone. I like to draw with my daughters and I invariably end up drawing family members. It would be really nice to have an android phone app that displays a photo and simply leaves it there without allowing the screen to dim or to lock the phone. Certainly such permissions are commonly used by video player apps, but photo viewer apps seem to always allow screen dimming and phone locking.
Is there such a photo viewer app? I would expect a handful, but haven't been able to find one.
(Yes, I know display costs battery, and that if I don't close it my battery will be drained.)

You could just turn the screen timeout off in Settins > Display while you use it, it's not elegant but might just be easier. Alternatively there are play store apps for this, but they basically just do that. Alternatively there is a Keep screen on while charging option you could use if it is convenient to leve it plugged in while you draw together.

I have looked for that kind of app in all my installed apps but no photo viewer requests such permission. I really doubt there is a photo viewer that keeps your screen awake, because of battery drain (which is not exactly what an average user would be looking for)
Maybe what you should do instead is to search in Google Play for an app made specifically for keeping your screen awake, and use it with your favorite photo viewer. There are lots of them, and many are free, like this one (Keep Screen On)


text:
How do I install a self compiled android image onto an SD card, and run Android from said sd card?
I have compiled a generic version of Android KitKat from source, and run it in the Android SDK emulator.  I now want to take that version of Android I created, which sits in my ../out/target/product/generic/ folder and install it to run on an SD card in a tablet.
How would I go about partitioning, formatting, copying over all the required Android files, etc.?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! I'm afraid your issue is beyond the scope of our site (it's rather a development specific question). Furthermore: As you write "generic version", I'm not sure whether it would even run on your device, unless you've included the hardware specific drivers.

Thanks for the welcome Francisco :)  I currently have a Linux dev environment set up.  I did indeed have a rough time getting adb to recognize the android device through Windows.  The manufacturer does not provide USB drivers.  It resulted in me switching to Linux as it doesn't require OEM drivers to detect the device.
I have been searching all over the past week or so trying to find some help with unlocking the bootloader on this device, but can't find anything.  It seems most sites focus on the most popular and widely used devices.  And that makes sense.

So I've given up on rooting and flashing my device.  I was going to try and setup a dual boot through SD Card.

As for hardware drivers required by android, it may not run with all the features or not run at all, but I would like to at least try.  I could always recompile with changes or added drivers.  Recompiling the kernel and dealing with patches is also a concern.  Right now I'm just trying to get something running.

Also Sorry Izzy, I meant to thank you for the welcome.  I think I saw an edit to my original post done by Francisco, and thought he was the commenter a second.  Thank you Izzy.

No problem. You're right, Francisco did an edit to your post. He would have welcomed you as well, but I was faster. So we take your thanks together and share :) Good luck with your issue, and sorry I cannot further help with it.

I assume you can you adb to push it on, but don't take my word. You run the risk of bricking your device. XDA-developers.com is the best place to ask Android questions. They also deal with this technical side.
Sorry for this not being a real answer, but I can't comment and they can help you out more.
Generic Answer

Get root access
Unlock Bootloader
Install custom recovery like a Clockwork Mod
Flash ROM

I have frequented that site many times this past week.  Sadly, it seems almost all questions on that site referring to my device or a model similar get no or vague responses.  I guess it is to be expected since this isn't a Samsung/Nexus/etc.

First step is to root your device. Next is to unlock your Bootloader. Once you get those two steps done then the rest is a breeze. Use your custom recovery to install your ROM.

There is no need to partition. Recoveries allow you to boot in select ROMS. I don't remember if they install on the phone or sd card, but my bet is on the phone. Ivan imagine some problems with booting from the sdcard with a phone. What phone is it?

The closest cousin would be the Positivo YPY 10.

I have never heard of it. However, I just looked it up. They look nice, but I can't understand the web page. Google is your best friend. Go through as many Google pages as you can until you find a root and unlocked Bootloader solution.    If you had sufficient knowledge in reverse engineering then you might be able to create a root kit to give you root. I would Google and check XDA. XDA does seem more knowledgable for Android technical. Maybe even spam thread n XDA until you get a reply?


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Is there a TRUE brightness controlling app?
I need to set my brightness below what Android allows me, and thus I'm testing a bunch of "dimming" apps. What they all have in common though is that they put on a filter over other apps so while they protect your eyes they do nothing to get you more battery life.
Is there an app that has low-level access to the screen brightness so that when you go beyond the default minimum brightness it actually gets you more battery life?
RootDim might be fitting, but I need something without root access.

As far as I'm aware, the brightness levels are coded into the kernel. If I'm correct, then no app can really override them if you want to go lower than the minimum - you'd need to flash a custom kernel that has more flexible brightness ranges.

Related: How can I reduce screen brightness below the minimum without an app?

Related: Make my screen dimmer than the lowest setting available on my Moto Droid?

Thanks @Krampus, looks like I was wrong. Won't be the last time.

@user1891836: Don't know if this might help, but can you try DroidSet Free. The app has an auto brightness and manual brightness function much like Android screen brightness setting.

I have been using Lux Lite and it works well for me.

Lux isn't your ordinary brightness app. It intelligently adjusts the brightness of your display based on the environment you're in. If you step into a dimly lit room, Lux will automatically lower the brightness of your display to make it not only comfortable to read, but to also preserve battery power.
Lux is also able to adjust the screen temperature of your display automatically to make it appropriate for night usage. At sunset, you can have Lux automatically warm your display and switch to your Night profile. If you're an astronomer, you can enable astronomer mode to cut out harsh white light. If you have a root enabled phone, you may even be able to apply these enhancements at a low level with Lux's plug-in system.
Perhaps the best thing about Lux is that you can teach it how to behave. If the backlight is too bright or dim for your liking, simply open the provided Dashboard, adjust the brightness slider to the level you desire, then hold the link button. Lux will use this new 'link' as a reference in future.

Are you sure Lux Lite is not only applying filters as well? The app's feature description (following your quote) makes me assume so, especially Astronomer mode. Adds a red filter to your display to preserve the eyesight of stargazers. The others could be interpreted both ways; no clear hint. On the other hand, Screen Adjuster explicitly mentions dimming the screen 15-100% (below minimum system brightness) and system brightness 0-100% adjustment (note: not filter).

Astronomer mode is an extra filter over and above the backlight dimming options. (Gives the screen a red cast.)

I thought so, yes – but from the app's description it's not clear. Can you confirm everything else is really reducing brightness (and thus power-saving, as requested by the OP), and not just other filters?

According to Battery Doctor, Lux Lite is draining battery like crazy so it is certainly not controlling system brightness

@user1891836: Doesn't drain my battery.


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Is internal storage formatting harmful?
I have been messing around with my Archos 7 Home Tablet V1, and have currently installed this ROM.
Now when I go to Settings -> SD card & device storage, Total space under SD card is "Unavailable", and Available space under internal flash storage is 0.00B.
I also cannot browse through the internal or SD card with explorer.
I have tried formatting the SD card on the device, by pressing Format SD card in this menu, but that did not change anything.
Now when I connect it through USB to my computer, Windows 7 tells me that I have to format the INTERNAL memory before I can acess this.
My question is: Can I "safely" (I mean, will it not brick it? I understand if no-one can be sure about that ;) ) do this while the tablet is running, then reset it, and flash it again? Or will I be able to say bye bye to it when I do this?
Also, what is the default filesystem on the internal memory? fat32, fat, or what is it?
Thanks in advance!
-René

Alright, on the forum thread of that specific cusom rom (linked in question), someone said that he re-formatted through Windows with FAT32 as type. So I tried this as well.
While the device was on, I plugged in the USB cable, and put it into lock. Then, as usual, the drives showed up in Windows (SD and Internal that is), and it forced me to format the internal drive in order to acess it. Pressed ok, then formatted with FAT32. After format, I did not even pull the device off the lock, I just quickly pressed the reset button on the back. Then flashed it, and turned it on.
It works perfectly! Now I have Android 2.1 instead of that less-worthy 1.5 build!
Thank you to everyone who proceded help :)

I suggest you to format the internal memory since it won't clean the ROM memory, just the place where your personal files, applications and other stuff like this are stored. Then flash the ROM again. This might solve your problem.

I don't exactly understand what you mean. I can't acess the internal sorage in any way. Also, do you know what the default filesystem is?

You can format it without any problem, but after this flash that ROM again

You shouldn't format it with Windows though, if that is what you are asking. Do a wipe / factory reset on the device itself, then reflash the ROM.


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Android recover data (adb device unauthorized)
I am trying to recover data from my phone (Galaxy S3 mini) which screen is cracked. I want to do this using adb. But my device is unauthorized.
How can I solve this? I don't have acess to the device directly therefore I'm not able to turn on USB debugging.
 C:\Program Files (x86)\Android\sdk\platform-tools>adb devices
    List of devices attached
    007667324ccb229b        unauthorized

Your phone has to have "USB Debugging" checking in Settings - Developer Options.  When you run an adb command, your phone should pop up a window to allow it to be authorized when using adb, you have to check the checkbox and hit OK.  I would assume if you haven't done this, you may not be able to w/ a broken screen.

Screen is completely dead(cracked).... No other way to do this?

Jacob, please check our broken-screen tag-wiki. Your question seems to be covered at least partly e.g. by Broken screen while debug mode was disabled. How can I re-enable adb? and How to backup broken screen phone when USB debugging IS NOT enabled? The other links might also be useful to you. Good luck!

I resolved the problem entering the recovery mode by pressing "home", "volume up" and "power" buttons at the same time.
Once in recovery mode adb recognized my device and I was able to use the command adb pull /sdcard/ which copied the sdcard to content to my PC


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Pull down notifications from the center of the screen in Android 5.1 on Sony Xperia
On my previous phone (sorry, I didn't set it up myself, so I can't give any more details than "some kind of Android") I was able to pull down the notifications by swiping down from the center of the screen (or anywhere really).
On my new Sony Xperia running Android 5.1, the same can only be accomplished by swiping down from the very top of the screen, which is quite a stretch to make.
Is there a way to change this? I couldn't find anything in the settings.

Could you clarify more? In that previous phone, were you able to pull down notification drawer from the center of the screen if only you were on home screen or from any app? You're asking for gesture support. Android natively doesn't have any settings for such gestures. Your OEM of previous phone possibly added that feature in that phone. Which particular Xperia device are you using? // Custom launchers can easily provide gesture but they work only on home screen mostly. If you want a global gesture, you may need root access.

If you are using the stock launcher, chances are there aren't settings for that.  I know that with a custom launcher like Nova Launcher, there are gestures that you can set up to do what you are looking for.
Nova Launcher on Google Play
Nova Launcher Prime on Google Play

just for further information: you need the paid version of nova launcher to access the real gesture settings.


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Can I install Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM on my HTC One X by AT&T?
Can the Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM that seems to be released for the HTC One X international model be installed on HTC One X subscribed by AT&T?
I found the update for HTC One X on following link :
Android 4.2.1 AOKP IceColdJelly ROM for HTC One X
Does my HTC One X from AT&T support this ?

No you can't flash an international ROM on your device.
Because your phone's configuration is different than international version.
Details are given below:
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon (AT&T)-----  Nvidia Tegra 3 (International)
CPU: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait (AT&T)-----   Quad-core 1.5 GHz (International)
GPU: Adreno 225 (AT&T)---------               ULP GeForce (International)
if you flash this , it may brick your phone.
See this

Thanks mate, since I am using an unlocked HTC One X from att, if att provides an update for this phone, does my phone able to get it ? It was bought in US and I am using it here at Nepal and its unlocked.

That means you are not in AT&T network now. Right?

yeah, im using other network subscriber. He don't have AT&T here at Nepal

Thanks, I heard Odin is just for Samsung mobiles, isn't it so ? AT&T ROM is not important for me, I would like to install android 4.2.1 with or without HTC Sense.

If you need 4.2.1 then go for CynogenMod 10.1 Nightly...

Yeah, I can see CynogenMod 10.1 on this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2064621 which has few issues, if I install this, will it be a clean anroid Jelly Beans or it will include HTC Sense too ?

Its pure android vanilla experience, not HTC Sense..

can I install HTC Sense separately later ?

@hsuk Odin is definitely just for Samsungs.


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Is HTC one X AT&T and HTC one XL same?
Just noticed HTC one X AT&T and HTC one XL has got same configuration. Are those mobile same ?
HTC one X AT&T vs HTC one XL (GSM Arena)
Actually, I read a article on which it was mentioned like " Android 4.2.1 ROM is cooked up for the HTC One XL (the AT&T One X) ". This tend to think me whether these two are same.
Android 4.2.1 AOKP Custom ROM for the AT&T HTC One X

The short answer is: No, they are not the same.
The long answer is as follows:
At least for dimensions, they are not exactly the same (HTC One XL, to the right, is a bit smaller)

Also, from the comparison table you talk about:

HTC One X AT&T wouldn't support HSDPA 900, while HTC One XL does.
HTC One X AT&T supports 4G network with LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 /
2100, while HTC One XL does it with LTE 1800 / 2600.
HTC One X AT&T supports Mini-SIM, while HTC One XL supports Micro-SIM.
HTC One XL has Stereo FM radio with RDS, while HTC One X AT&T does not.
HTC One XL has 32 GB internal storage, HTC One X AT&T has 16 GB internal storage.

Sources:

Left image: HTC One AT&T at HTC US website
Right image: HTC One XL at HTC Australian website

Actually, I read a article on which it was mentioned like " Android 4.2.1 ROM is cooked up for the HTC One XL (the AT&T One X) ". This tend to think me whether these two are same.
http://drippler.com/htc/one_x#!602019

Nope, both have different features, and are not the same.

Would you care to elaborate on the differences?


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CM10.1 Wifi issue
I just flashed my HTC One X AT&T Build number 1.73.502.1 710RD ATT US edition with CM 10.1 as described at CM10.1 Android 4.2.1 ROM for AT&T One X/One XL
Everything seems fine, but once I connect my device with wifi, its gets connected but data is not being transferred. Does someone has idea if this is bug or is there any solution for this ?
I am trying to connect via my broadband router. Sometimes, it shows signal of being connected, but the data connection speed is too less and gets disconnected. Even Airdroid doesn't work, it should have work when being on same network.

Is that some hotspot which requires authentication via a browser, maybe? Lots of hotels use it that way, and it looks exactly the same: Connected, but no data until you authenticated via their webpage.

No, I am trying to connect via my broadband router. Sometimes, it shows signal of being connected, but the data connection speed is too less and gets disconnected. Even Airdroid doesn't work, it should have work when being on same n/w

Are you using CM 10.1 nightly?

hmm, I don't know whether its nightly, can you please check this link, http://onexroot.com/one-xl-roms/cm10-1-android-4-2-1-rom-for-att-one-xone-xl/

Once I unchecked Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone on Date & time settings, everything worked perfectly.


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Differnce in between Android 4.2.2 and 4.2.1
Just updated my HTC One X from cm-10.1-20130119 to cm-10.1-20130304-EXPERIMENTAL.
The only difference I noticed is my android is now on 4.2.2 from 4.2.1.
Can anyone list me difference in between them ?

As far as Android is concerned, 4.2.1 to 4.2.2 contained only a few things. They include:

Show remaining time for downloads from the Play Store
Provide a system notification sound when wireless charging begins
Allows long-pressing on certain tiles in Quick Settings

In reality, since you have a device that doesn't support wireless charging, the second point obviously doesn't apply to you. And since CM already heavily modified the tiles for Quick Settings and offers far more options that this update introduced, the only benefit you would get out of this update would be showing the remaining time.
But, CM has new features being added all the time that are separate of the features added by Google. If you look under Settings -> About Phone -> View Changelog, you can see a big list of all the major features that CM 10.1 adds to Google's Android 4.2.2 release.
And if you want to look at all the specific changes (usually around 10-50 per day, although, some are new features, some are bug fixes for devices not related to yours, and some are new/updated translations), you can see it online at http://changelog.bbqdroid.org and clicking on your device and CM version. You can browse through the changes for each nightly there, and although some of the subjects can be cryptic, you can still usually make out what new features are being introduced.

If you are willing to look at wikis
Then wikipedia has a changelog for it >>> click me

If you could see the official Android web page, the section What's new in Android 4.2, Jelly Bean enumerates all the changes in detail.  Though it is the delta from 4.1 and not from 4.2.1 as you had asked for.

Another difference is that which you might notice that 4.2.1 show the total space of those apps greater than 1GB like asphalt 8, GTA san andreas etc while 4.2.2 just shows the total apk size so 4.2.1 is better in this case!


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Titanium Backup batch options
Does "Backup all user apps" also include app data too and does "Backup all system data" include backup of messages and contacts ?

TiBu's FAQ says:

Click “Backup all user apps” (if you want just your apps) or “Backup all user apps + system data” if you want everything backed up. This doesn’t seem to always backup SMS and contact history.

Unfortunately it doesn't explain all options in detail -- but from the above quote one can conclude:

"Backup all system data" normally includes contacts, SMS, etc (but might miss some history -- not clear if the latter a) refers to an old version, as I never experienced that, or b) is device-specific)
"Backup all user apps" must include the data, otherwise the term if you want everything backed up wouldn't make sense.

To make sure, just visit the above mentioned FAQ for a closer check, which might answer other questions (you didn't know you've had ;) on the way.


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Stock Nexus 5 stuck on Google word on boot
My nexus suddenly froze. I was on whatsapp when it happened. A few apps were being (auto) updated in the background and AVG was scanning each app as it finished downloading and updating. I usually don't pay attention to it.. and always, every time AVG scans the app, my keyboard goes down. It's a bit annoying, but nothing major.
Today, after the last app was scanned, (at least I think it was the last one) - instead of my keyboard disappearing, my phone just froze. It wouldn't respond to anything on touch screen and not even to volume/power buttons.
Googling a bit told me to hold both volume buttons, with the power button to do a force restart, as I was out of the option of just taking the battery out.
Now, the phone is stuck on the first start screen - the screen that says 'GOOGLE' and nothing. Usual fix to this seems to be factory reset - I did that. I've got everything I need backed up so don't care about losing data - but that just brings me back to the google screen.
The second screen on recovery mode - the one you get by going to recovery mode and holding power button + press release volume up... I see some errors at the bottom saying
E: failed to mount /cache (No such file or directory)

and a bunch of similar errors.
This is a stock android with latest lollipop (or the latest that's been released to nexus 5) and I have not messed with the phone in any way... So I am understandably a bit disappointed it's got a problem, esp as the phone is less than a year old.
So, Is there a way to fix this please?

Edit: After chatting with google support team and walking through some troubleshooting steps, turned out to be a hardware problem with ROM and I was suggested to contact the seller.. I spoke to amazon and am having to return the phone for a full refund.

Does fastboot still work?

Did you attempt to wipe the cache partition?

@ThomasMartin hi - yes, I did attempt to wipe the cache partition, nothing happens.. as in, it restarts and gets stuck on google word screen again

@aureljared yes, fastboot works (if fastboot means going to the recovery screen thing...)

Looks very similar to this issue- http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/88501/android-5-0-0-on-nexus-5-stuck-on-boot-logo
Have you had any drops or water spills? Since the phone is less than a year old, I would go ahead and call google support (or whoever you purchased the phone from) and see what they have to say.

@ThomasMartin Had no water spills at all, no damage whatsoever, haven't  even dropped it. I bought it off of amazon, and it says the item is not eligible for returns.. it does look awfully similar to that problem!

@iamserious they should still support the phone, depending on how the warranty works through a third party. I would try contacting them through the options at the upper left of this page- https://support.google.com/nexus#topic=3415518 I had an issue a while back with my N7 and they were pretty good about it.

@ThomasMartin thank you, maybe you can put your comment as the answer and I'll accept it? It turned out to be a hardware fault and I will have to send back the phone for a refund.

@iamserious anytime. And thanks for the answer credit.

Sounds like a hardware problem. Google will support the device even if it was not purchased directly from them, since it's still under warranty. Try contacting them through the options at the upper left of their support page- support.google.com/nexus


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Stuck in recovery while doing factory reset
Having had problems in the past with battery draining too fast, I was advised to return it to factory settings. On doing this, it worked for a while.
Now the same problem has started occurring again. So, I thought, I would simply reset again.
However, I think, I may have pressed the volume down instead of volume up (or vice versa) as now I have a pic of the android and a message warning me not to turn off the tablet for the last 15 minutes.
Have I done something wrong?

Please mention the device model and the version of android you are running to help you further.

Normaylly, you just have to access the following options: Menu | Settings | Back up and reset | Factory data reset (Note: These option may vary between manufacturers). No need to shutdown the phone and go into Download or Fastboot mode. You only use these modes to wipe the Android device and install a new firmware onto it.

Your device is currently in either:

(Non-Samsung) Fastboot Mode
or...
(Samsung) Download Mode.

In this case, because you're not actively transferring files, you should be able to safely reboot it.


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How do I get my Nexus 5 to show up in the adb devices list?
I'm trying to connect my Nexus 5 to DDMS in Eclipse.
When I uncheck Debugger Mode on my Nexus 5, it is detected as MTP.
When I check Debugger Mode on my Nexus 5, it is detected as a USB device and can be ejected.
But it doesn't appear in the DDMS neither with adb -devices
How can I get it to show up in the DDMS?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts, Serge! We need some more details to answer your question, as solutions are different between operating systems. On Windows, you might need to install a specific driver (e.g. Koush's universal ADB driver), while on Linux you just need to enter a line in your config (see e.g. here).


text:
Can I connect a slimport to a DVI only screen using an HDMI to DVI adapter?
I have a Nexus 4. I would like to connect it to my desktop screen but it only has DVI (currently I'm using HDMI to DVI adapter). Would slimport work anyway?

Yes it works! However there is no guarantee that it will work with every DVI screen.


text:
where are the free books the kindle app offers?
According to its description on Google Play, in the third sentence, it says that the books are free. I installed the Kindle app and went to the Kindle Store and all the books I looked at so far all have to be purchased.
Where can the free ebooks be downloaded from? Because when I click 'books on device' in the kindle app, it shows none (so I'm guessing I need to download them from somewhere).

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Our site works best with only one question asked per post, so we took the freedom to remove the second one. No need for a separate question for that: Guess the difference between an app and a hardware device should be clear :) Besides, the Kindle tablets are just running Android and the Kindle app, so from that point there's no difference. // As for the free books: Yes, there are some. But the majority is, as you found out, to be paid for.

@Izzy hm okay, interesting. Right yea I thought if you buy the kindle ebook reader then the books will be for free but guess not. And hm okay thanks.

No, Amazon usually makes money via content. But see my answer below: I recommend Moon+ (using the Pro myself): supports a load of different formats, and has many nice libraries pre-configured (including my own bookserver :) If that answers your question, please don't forget to click the check-mark next to the answer, to help others see your issue was solved.

You can try this blog https://kindlebooks.blog/

From Kindle Store, you can only get popular classics for free. But, Kindle is integrated with many of free eBook providers. For example, on Open Library, you can click Send to Kindle link while viewing a free title (Amazon authentication will be required).
See Amazon's Free eBooks Collection page. It gives you all required instructions to get free eBooks from various sites.

Also, there's no difference if you read a book with Kindle app on Nexus 7 or Kindle eBook Reader device.. except Kindle eBook Reader device doesn't have color display & would provide a very-very long battery life.

There is a difference, if you are prime member, you can only borrow a book on Kindle hardware device. (no option to borron in Android Kindle app)

The majority of books on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and the like, are definitly payed for. All of them offer some free books to get you in, but you end up in a "closed ecosystem": you can read them only with their dedicated readers, as they often use their own formats (Amazon) or at least some DRM.
If you want to go for free content, you're much better of chosing an eBook reader app supporting the open ePub format (some exemples include, but are not restricted to: Moon+ Reader, FBReader, and Aldiko. At least the first two already ship with a load of free libraries pre-configured, which they can access directly from inside the app.

This isn't what OP is asking.

When it comes to DRM-free eBook files, you need to purchase that too. Plus, you can push these DRM-free eBooks to your Kindle cloud.

Not quite correct, Sachin. There are tons of DRM free eBooks you can simply download. Just not at Amazon. And let's not go hair-splitting: OP obviously wanted to get "free eBooks" in the first place, and Kindle was just the instrument he thought fitting (keyword: X-Y). And no, I won't discuss that here, unless the OP states it himself :)


text:
Swipe animation during back/forward navigation? Where is it?
I've come to heavily rely on Safari's back/forward animation, which allows me to not only navigate quickly between visited pages, but also reveals the content of the previous/next page while on the current page without refreshing, thus greatly facilitating comparisons and plain-old reading. Once you experience this, there is really no going back -- it's like reading a book.
It is shocking to me Google have still (v4.3) not implemented this fantastic memory-aid and usability feature in Chrome. Since no other Android browser I tried (Dolphin, Opera, Firefox & Puffin) has such gestures by default, is it at all possible to have swipe navigation/animation on Android?

There are tons of browser apps for Android. Maybe you should keep trying. Is it possible? Probably. A developer just has to see the need for it.

Give a try to Opera mini. I think you will find similar navigation in it too.

Opera mini does provide on-screen back/forward buttons and going through history is fast, but there is still no swipe navigation. UC Browser Mini is the only popular browser I've found to do this even though not very smoothly.

UC Browser is the only popular Android browser I've found to support swipe navigation (i.e. one-finger dragging from left or right side slides to previous/next page without refreshing). Swiping only works adequately in fit-to-screen mode, but even though it's not as smooth as Safari, it does the job. :)


text:
Delete application folder in Android device
Hi I am using Samsung Galaxy S3. In my device I created a folder in Application menu to have a bunch of related apps.
At a point of time I uninstalled all the apps in that folder. Now I cant delete the folder that I created.
How can I delete a  folder that is created in Application menu?

Samsung likes to monkey with stuff. Have you tried long-pressing the folder?

What's you Home Launcher?


text:
How do I disable the "app has been given root permissions" toast message?
I have installed an app which needs root. Whenever the root manager gives it root permissions, it makes a toast popup that says "[app] has been given root permissions".
My problem is that it shows this popup every time the app is used or opened. This is annoying. How can I disable this toast notification so I don't see it anymore?

That's part of the SuperUser app's settings. Looked up on my Milestone² running Gingerbread:

Open your SuperUser app on the Android device
Hit the "wrench" symbol in the upper right of the screen to go to its settings
Scroll to the "Notifications" section
Uncheck "Notifications"

On ICS and up, the wrench symbol might be no longer. At least chainfire's SuperUser has a Holo GUI there. If that's the case for you, there should be a "Settings" tab visible instead, so use that.
Edit: Here's a screenshot I've found at AddictiveTipps:

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
Note the last item displayed, that's where you can trigger it in ICS and up.


text:
How can I access Internet using my PC through an Android phone connected via USB?
I have a phone with Android 2.2 (HD2 with CM6.0) enabled to surf internet pages (data connection). Now, I would like to "surf" using my PC connected via USB to the phone.
Is it possible? Which programs do I need both on PC and Android?
If there are multiple solutions available, a free or low cost one is preferred

I'm not sure what you're trying to do here what do you mean by "enabled to navigate"? Are you trying to use your Android as a tethered GPS device for a PC, or something else? Are you expecting the maps and driving directions from the Navigate part of Google Maps to appear on your PC?

Sorry for the poor explanation. I mean to surf internet web pages

Seeing that you have 2.2, the easiest solution would be to go to Settings -> Wireless & networks -> Tethering & portable hotspots. There you have an option to enable usb tethering (exactly what you asked for) or, even better try out Portable Wi-fi hotspot. That way you will be able to connect to the internet without connecting the phone via usb, and connect multiple devices if you want.

It sounds as though you are just asking for a tethering solution (whereby you share your data connection on your phone with your pc). A stalwart in tethering is the app PDAnet. The free version (which doesn't allow secure connections, but allows most browsing and even WoW connection) can be downloaded from the market and installed on your phone. From there you install a client side program on your desktop/laptop, enable USB debugging on the phone, and follow PDAnet's instructions.
If you want to one-up my suggestion feel free, there are better solutions, but I would recommend trying the baseline to get your feet wet first. Especially considering you'll want to keep the data usage inconspicuous.

If you're trying to use your Android phone as a GPS device for your PC (or presumably laptop) then you can try an app called GPS Tether this sets your phone up so that it will forward GPS details to a PC, but the PC does need the full Android Developer tools installed, so that it can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) so isn't very straightforward.
This will only pass on the GPS location data to the PC, the PC will need to do everything else, so you'll need a separate navigation and/or maps program on the PC to make use of the data.

If you want something to connect to the files on your PC (which clearly is what you meant by navigate) you'll either need to share files on your PC, on the same home network you connect your phone to, or get an app like pocketpc to have a remote user connection to your phone.

Do you have a link to that app you mention?

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


text:
Contact details showing up for sources that have sync turned off
I am new to Android, and I am trying to learn, (sometimes unlearn) and work around "issues". So please bear with me for my naïveté.
I have multiple accounts (multiple Google accounts, Skype, WhatsApp etc) configured on my phone. I want to sync contacts only from one Google account (let us say x.y@gmail.com). I have turned off Sync for all other accounts (let us say a.b@gmail.com and p.q@gmail.com) in the Accounts settings page.
I see that only contacts from x.y@gmail.com getting displayed by default, but if the same contact exists in another account as well, when I see the details from the other account also when I open it.
Say I have two accounts, x.y@gmail.com and a.b@gmail.com.
I have a contact named "Test Sync" in both these accounts. I don't use a.b@gmail.com for contacts any more but it has a older copy of Test Sync with a older number. x.y@gmail.com has the latest details and this is the account I intend to use for contacts.
x.y@gmail.com has 9876543210 which is the latest number
a.b@gmail.com has 12345678900 which is an older number.

Sync is off for contacts from a.b@gmail.com.
In the contacts app, in the "Contacts to Display" section, only x.y@gmail.com is selected (a.b@gmail.com is not selected)
When I see the list of contacts, Test Sync is listed, which is expected as this contact is present in x.y@gmail.com.
When I tap this contact to open it, I expect to see the number 12345678900 but I do not expect to see the number 9876543210.
But I see both:

I don't want my phone to use a.b@gmail.com at all, in any way, for contacts. This is what I would expect when I turn off contacts Sync for an account and when I leave it unselected in the "Contacts to Display". Is this possible without removing the account altogether or deleting all contacts from the account?
(I have a HTC one)

If you have all those accounts configured on your device, and have the contact data entered there: why should they not be shown? Or did I get something wrong?

The Sync option only controls whether changes are synchronized to and from that device: that is, if you add or delete a contact on the device, this change is reflected on other devices, and vice-versa. Disabling sync just means the contacts that have already been synced to the device will get out of date when you change them.
To control which contacts are shown, you need to go into the People app, then choose Contacts to display from the overflow menu (the three-dots in the top-right corner). Then choose Customise from the Contacts to display dialog, and you can choose which groups of contacts from which accounts to show.
When you create a new contact, you can choose from the menu at the top which Google account to create it in (or to keep it on the phone only). It remembers your previous selection, so if you only want to use one account, you only need to set it once.

In the Contacts to Display part, only x.y@gmail.com is selected. Contact 'Temp Sync' is present in this account and is shown. When I tap that contact to open it, I see the details not only from that account but from other accounts as well (even when the other accounts are not selected in Contacts to Display).

I have reworded/updated my question to make it more clear (hopefully)


text:
My phone got factory reset and all data wiped, can I find out how?
Today morning after a long taxi ride (I am travelling this week, personal vacation), I took my phone from my pocket and it seemed to be turned off. I switched it on and the phone started up as it was the first time.
All my settings, config, apps, widgets were gone. I think the phone was factory reset. Not sure if it was locally (accidental click in settings?) or may be remotely. (The phone was fine earlier in the morning).
I tried to get the data from my Google account backup (which I remember setting up when I got this phone) but I could not (no 'Restore' option was enabled in settings. But that would be a different question).
I had to manually (painfully) set up things again. All my photos are backed up to google and I think I can get them back. Same for apps, most of the should have data on the cloud somewhere.
Is there a way to know what happened?
I have a HTC one (M7), and use Google for most services including backups.

Well, I don't think you could get to know what has made your device getting factory reset on its own. As far as I know I think somehow the volume up and power keys may have been pressed which results in factory reset. I have also heard the if you put the patter lock wrong over the HTC M8 for more that 10 times, the device gets automatically factory reset. I am sure Accidently you may have !!

The 10 times is a possibility. I was hoping there would be some log of why this happened, but I understand the log would also have been deleted. May be there are beat practices around how to backup a device....

Several options:

You had an exchange email account (probably corporate) which had device admin permissions, and it got activated by the email provider.
You had android device manager installed and somebody activated the factory reset
Or you reset it by unluckily booting the device into boot loader, opening recovery and factory resetting (as suggested by @peter carlos)

All of this could have happened. Thanks for the feedback. Now off to investigate why backup recovery did not work.

Which backup recovery, because the default google one just backs up links to play store apps and any data stored in play games.