text:
Why isn't ~/.profile sourced when I start the terminal app?
I have created some busybox aliases in the ~/.profile file, but when I open the terminal app, that script isn't sourced and the aliases aren't available. However, when I manually run source ~/.profile, it is run and then aliases are available. What should I do to source this script automatically each time the terminal app is started.

What term app are you using? Jackpal's Terminal Emulator does allow you to set what commands are executed at startup, so it could be a workaround.

Yes, I'm using the Jackpal's terminal emulator! Where exactly should I place the commands that can be executed at startup?

Jackpal's Terminal Emulator has an option that allows you to set what commands are executed at startup. Go to Preferences - Initial command and put the source command there.
Extra tip: you can't execute more than one line of command from there, but if your command requires su, shortening it with su -c should work.


text:
Can I connect existing USB mouse and keyboard and VGA monitor to my Nexus 6
I guess question title sums it all. I have USB mouse, keyboard and VGA monitor. I am ready to buy couple of new adapters/cables. Will it be possible to connect all things up to my Nexus 6. I was thinking to do following:

Buy Micro USB to USB 3.0 Hub something like this
Buy USB 3.0 to VGA cable something like this
Connect Hub to phone
Connect mouse and keyboard to hub
Connect USB3.0-to-VGA cable to hub
Connect monitor to USB3.0-to-VGA cable

Will this even work?

Mouse and keyboard will probably work. I'm not sure about the monitor, though; I'm pretty sure there is no support for external monitors anyways.

any other way to connect VGA monitor to android with minimal hardware/software?

@Mahesha999 If your device has an HDMI port, yes you can connect a monitor.

My device? Which device? Do you mean if my monitor comes with HDMI male? Well my monitor has VGA male wire. And recently I bought HDMI male to VGA female adapter to plug in monitor to my HDMI-out only laptop... Will it work, if I buy USB-3 to HDMI female adapter?

A plug-and-play USB keyboard and mouse should work fine with your phone.
The Motorola Nexus 6 does not support video out of its microUSB port with any adapter/protocol.
You could cast video from the phone to a Google Chromecast ($35 MSRP) HDMI dongle, and then purchase an active HDMI female to VGA male cable/adapter to connect the Chromecast to your monitor - but note that the Chromecast and phone would need to be on the same WiFi network, and there is slight latency in wireless casting that you wouldn't get with a video cable.

how sure that Nexus 6 does not support video out of its microUSB?

I'm sure. The last Nexus phone to support video out was the Nexus 5. You won't find any official documentation for the N6 mentioning video out capability - just forum threads of people who cannot get it working: https://www.reddit.com/r/nexus6/comments/2oaw4g/video_out_on_nexus_6/

seems that I will have to use hdmi coupler(need to buy), HDMI-to-VGA adapter(which I already have) and a chromecast (which is also I have already) to get it done???

@Mahesha999 Sounds like that's what you'll need.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Any way to download swf files on android?
I want to download an swf file on my phone. I have the link of the swf, but nothing worked, chrome just ignores the link while other browsers(dolphin in this case) run the swf file and still no download option. I cannot play it in dolphin because it always crashes at a specific part. Any help will be appreciated.

I download the page it's on as HTML, find the link to the file, and then use ES's Download Manager to download it. But that's just me.

If you just want to download it with your link, you can use Advanced download manager or similar applications.

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


text:
Why Changing Permissions For Some Systems Files is Not Allowed?
I have a rooted  tablet and while browsing my files, i came along this folder: (./0/android/data) in the internal storage ... lets say (X-plore file browser) has the folder: (./0/android/data/x-plore).
For some reason, i wanted  to change the permissions for that program, instead of giving it the permissions: (reading, writing, executing) ... it will be (reading & executing).
The problem is it says (process failed, some file systems do not allow changing permissions) using Root browser or ES File Explorer (both with root access).
1- Why it says i can not change permissions although i have the root access already ?
2- Why it refers to a folder of an external application [(./0/android/data/x-plore)] as a system file ?

On more recent phones, internal storage is mounted on a FUSE mount point. Here's the corresponding line from mount executed on my Nexus 6P:

/dev/fuse on /storage/emulated type fuse (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,default_permissions,allow_other)

FUSE only acts as an interface that translates the underneath actual filesystem. In Android's case, it's usually VFAT, exFAT or something similar, to guarantee readability under a variety of host OS. FAT and NTFS filesystems don't support granular file permissions under Linux-based OS - everything is pre-determined by how the drive was mounted, resulting in the default permission you see. This leads to Root Explorer throwing the error in the screenshot.
Note: I'm not exactly good at Linux, and have also learned quite a bit myself as I searched for materials that could answer this question, so feel free to edit and improve this answer with more professional ideas.


text:
So what does Cyanogen Inc shutting down mean for CyanogenMod and similar ROMs?
So Cyanogen Inc (cyngn), known for their support for their support for CyanogenMod and their efforts to integrate Cyanogen OS into devices such as the OnePlus One, Alcatel POP Mirage, and several other devices. Cyanogen Inc just recently announced that they are shutting down their services.
What does this mean for CyanogenMod, Cyanogen OS, and the devices which originally shipped with Cyanogen OS? Will they no longer receive OTA updates?

How will you get an OTA update if the servers providing it are taken down, and no new updates are being made in the first place?

Well Matthew, there's several things that phone manufacturers can presumably do, and I assume that one of those may be to redirect the updater to a new location.

CM's own blog is unreachable now, but XDA-Developers already summed it up and clarified some important bits:

All monetary and infrastructural support for CyanogenMod from Cyanogen Inc. will cease. -> CyanogenMod will no longer receive nightly builds after December 31st... unless the team finds another host to build nightlies.
CyanogenMod will rebrand as LineageOS.
The CyanogenMod team will not continue official development on the CyanogenMod project, but the work will continue in LineageOS.

Since it's clear that Cyngn is going in a new direction, Cyanogen OS will almost certainly have no future - it's not community-driven in the first place. CyanogenMod, on the other hand, will live a bit longer, until Lineage truly dawns (or fails).
UPDATE Dec 29, 2016: The GitHub repo and Gerrit code review platform of LineageOS are online, and I have personally verified that codes are fully buildable, and previous CM users can seamlessly transition to current builds. Also, from what the Gerrit shows, the team is now working on renaming all CM elements to Lineage/LineageOS, amongst the usual bug fixes and improvements.
UPDATE Jan 13, 2017: Rebadging is almost complete: LineageOS 14.1 now has a redesigned setup wizard with no CyanogenMod presence. LineageOS 13 remains mostly untouched, since Marshmallow is near deprecation. The download site itself is also accessible, though building has yet to begin.
UPDATE Jan 18, 2017: LineageOS now has its own bootanimation, thus rebadging can be deemed as completed.
UPDATE Jan 23, 2017: All systems operational, and first official builds have rolled out!

Update - I moved from CM to lineageos builds about 3 months ago (Feb 2017). Its stable, the big stuff works, and overall works well enough to be a daily phone OS, although some (mostly minor) issues.


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Custom recovery, can it brick my phone?
I want to root my phone Samsung Galaxy J1 2016 (SM-J120zn). I tried using kingroot, root genius, SRSRoot, but it didn't work so I decided to try to do rooting manually.
I tried looking for my model of custom recovery from Clockwork, Cyanogen and TWRP, but i can't find anything for my device. The closest is Samsung Galaxy J1 ace (SM-J110H).
If i use the custom recovery from the model SM-J110H, will it brick my phone? Can changing custom recovery brick my phone?
Thanks :)

Rooting and custom recovery are two different things (device can be rooted but have stock recovery).  Next, if your device doesn't have a custom recovery, flashing a recovery meant for another device is inviting trouble. You may be able to recover if you are lucky - you can't be sure

Well first i will answer your question. If you want to use a recovery made for a complete Another model for your phone, yes it will brick your phone. Even though another model is very similar to your phone's model, it's not identical! There will always be some differences internally. For such cases you have to port the recovery. Before going for porting, Go to xda forums I'm sure there you will find a recovery for your model. But if you don't find it there, you need to port one from different model to your own.
For recovery porting is not easy and very risky I'll advise you to take help of someone who is well experienced in this. And proceed on your own risk.
Another part i would like to add is flashing recovery and rooting a phone are completely different concepts. Please read thoroughly on xda forums before proceeding.


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Security risks in case of activation of developer options
Is there is any security risks if I enabled  developer options in android phone (by clicking 7 times on build number)? Are there any risks when this option is showed in menu but switched off by toggle button?

No, clicking 7x just shows the hidden menu.


text:
sd card is empty when using su
I have strange issue.
I've just installed Supersu.
With regular user (not su ) the sdcard shows all contents as usual,
But on doing  su , I see (with "ls") that /sdcard is empty (though it is not) !, on going back to regular user, I see files again....
Any idea what's wrong ?
Thanks,

Try toggling mount space separation in Su app settings

magnificent, thank you so much. I will write is as a solution

yes please, the credit is yours :)

It is likely due to mount namespace separation being unchecked in SuperSU app settings
For an explanation of what it does and how it could possibly affect storage not being read see Mathew's answer here, also the link referred to therein
Aside, sometimes TiBu also asks you to do the same if SD is not recognised

This is a very non-obvious UX bug, thanks for sharing the fix!

@develCuy:Anytime. Glad it helped

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


text:
New Gboard dual language suggestions, how do I disable it?
Recently the Google keyboard has activated suggestions for both of my selected languages.  This is a real nuisance since the suggestions are a mess IMO.
How can I disable it and go back to switching languages manually?

As you've mentioned, the multilingual suggestions is a new feature in Gboard (ref: Gboard, now available for Android - Official Google Blog.
Steps to enable/disable it:

Open Gboard's Settings
Select Languages
Select a language
On supported languages, below Language settings, tap Multilingual typing to enable/disable it. When enabled, you can check/uncheck other languages individually.

Note: the preference is not symmetric. When you have 2 languages that are supported for multilingual typings, you can disable it on language A while having it enabled on language B with A.

How can I get back to manually switching between languages? Is there a
  setting I've missed, or do I have to roll back to an earlier version?

On the the keyboard options you'll find settings for Languages, Preferences, Theme... and in Text correction you'll find the toggle you're looking for: multilingual typing.

Latest Gboard moved the multilingual typing toggle to Languages > Language. There, each language defines whether it uses multilingual typing or not, and with which languages.

Quick access to Languages menu
In the latest versions of gboard the multilingual settings have moved to the Languages submenu which can be quickly accessed by long tapping the SPACE key, and then picking LANGUAGE SETTINGS in the popup that appears (at the very bottom, below the language list).
Now, tap each language one by one, and uncheck the multilingual typing option.

Access gboard Languages from the Settings
You can also access the Languages menu from settings:
Go to Settings > Languages & Input > Virtual keyboard > gboard > Languages

Go to Gboard keyboard settings/Text correction and Untick Show suggestions

I don't want to disable suggestions, I want to disable the multi-lingual suggestions.


text:
How do I wipe the data from a hard bricked phone
I think I've hard bricked my Android, and the phone had sensitive private data on it while it was still functional. I plan to try and get it repaired, but is it possible to wipe this data first?

If it's hardware brick than phone is literarlly brick there is no repair.

If by hard bricked you mean you can't even access recovery, then as @ЈеднорукиКрстивоје says, no chance.

Repairing a phone like that is often more expensive than buying a new one.  And the good news is that if you have synchronized with Google then a new phone will have the option of restoring your apps and settings.

The very definition of bricked is that the phone is totally inoperable.  But on the off chance that it is just a screen problem there are a couple of possibilities.
Try the HDMI output.  See if there is any sign of life.  If so, then either using the screen digitizer or an external USB mouse, do the normal Settings, Backup/Restore/Set to Factory thing.
Another idea is to try booting up a PC with a Linux LiveCD of your choice and see if you can access the phone at all.  If so, then go about deleting what you can.
If it is truly bricked, then perhaps it is time to go shopping.  Walmart Online has some good deals.

DO THIS ONLY TO WIPE IT THERE WILL BE NO RECOVERY!!!
Try the Google Lost My Phone Method to wipe the phone clean:
1.go to https://www.google.com
2.Simply type "Lost My Phone" or "Find My Phone"
3.Click On Recover (You may or may not need to log in, MAKE SURE TO LOG INTO THE SAME GOOGLE THAT IS ON THE PHONE)
4.A page should appear, all the way at the bottom there will be "Consider Erasing your phone"
5.Click on that and follow further instuctions
Good Lucks.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Weird dot on screen that captures all input
Forgive me for the unclear title. Some time ago, my HTC M8, which is rooted and runs on a Venom ROM showed something weird. Firstly, in the Google Maps App a mysterious blue dot appeared, that captures the screen completely and makes it impossible to quit or use the application. It looks like this (I could make a screenshot)

When this happens in Maps, the only thing I can do is a hard restart with Power+Volume Up.
Since I have seen this occasionally in the camera app as well, I suspect it is not a bug of Maps itself. I know that the Venom ROM is not standard but maybe this is connected to some setting and anyone has seen this. Btw, the Venom ran smoothly for almost 3 years now.
Question: Has someone a clue what this could be and how I can get rid of it?

Potentially malwares related. Did you recently install any app ? Go check your apps list if there are some apps that seem unusual.

I'm very cautious with installing new apps. I have my set of applications and did not install anything new (or potentially untrustworthy). I know that making a clean install of the OS is a final solution, but I hoped someone came across this issue.

Did you check the apps list?

Yes, nothing which looks even remotely suspicious. I can identify every app.

What about background processes and services?

I found the answer to my question in this xda thread. What I experience is the white dot that can be switched on in the developer options, although there, I have never turned it on.
I guess my only solution is to either install a new ROM or return to stock :(


text:
How to change android account of a phone
I want to use different Google Account for my Android phone (Huawei Mate8). When I did Factory Reset, Android did not allow me to use another account, it says (Please sign in using the owner's account of this phone). In this case, I cannot sell the phone since the new owner will not be able to add its account. How do I eliminate this issue?

Go to settings and then accounts choose add account and then add the other e mail id that you want to, after that go to Google under accounts where both your accounts will be displayed, there delete the previous one and it'll be gone

Thank you very much. As I said in the question, I did Factory reset. Also I cannot login the owner's Google account, I made a huge mistake by using 2-step verification via Google Auth App that I installed before resetting :(, is there an alternative way instead of that?

Trying skipping sign in if it is possible assuming its possible since new phones allow that and then try, [ https://support.google.com/android-one/answer/6088915?hl=en-GB accord ding to this thread https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/gmail/KyLff1ZQ4-M many have the same problem but only that worked. So try full deletion as mentioned in the former link


text:
Synchronizing cookies between Windows Chrome and Android Chrome?
Is there an app/hack which automatically synchronizes cookies between Windows Chrome and Android Chrome? That way there would be no need to login to websites twice.
History/saved passwords are already shared so perhaps someone went one step further.

Apparently Google Browser Sync is supposed to do this. Does anyone else use Chrome on all their devices and have cookies synced?

Doesn't work for me. History/saved passwords/bookmarks are synced though.

As of 2017 Chrome doesn't support automatic synchronization of cookies between mobile and desktop versions, except for Google's own apps. I'm not sure why it's not mentioned anywhere, but it simply doesn't work.
Perhaps future versions of Android/Chrome will solve the issue.


text:
What is the red joystick icon that is on some of the screenshot of Android phones?
In some Android screenshots, I see this red joystick icon imposed on other app's screen:

What is this joystick app?

It's Game Genie included in ZenUI for the Asus ZenFone.


text:
WebGL support - which browsers?
Which browsers (and which versions) support WebGL?
In particular I am interested in checking Three.js examples, but I do not want to limit this question about a particular WebGL framework or a page.

If this search is related to your previous question , it makes sense to mention your Android version too

I do not think it is related, but I may be wrong. I think there is an indirect relation - some Web browser versions require some Android version, however I hope the Web browser version directly tells about WebGL version. If I am wrong in this respect, it will be good if an answer can provide the additional info.

I am not sure, was trying to help in achieving your goal

General information
The website Mobile HTML seems to contain some information. It lists WebGL as supported by following platforms + browsers:

Android 4+ and Chrome 30+, with following comment:

On Chrome 27-29 available enabling an experimental flag. On Chrome 30 it's enabled but on most devices you need to enable the flag 'Override software rendering list'

Opera Mobile 12+
Firefox (no version information)

There is no information about how complete the support is, the website claims:

HTML5 compatibility on mobile and tablet browsers with testing on real devices

Other page where one can check support for HTML5 features is Can I use, which lists following for Android Browsers:

Opera Mini: not supported
Chrome 55: partial support
Firefox 50: partial support
Android Browser- Android 5-6.x WebView Chromium 53: partial support
Opera for Android 37: supported

Chrome support
As for Chrome, the WebGL was probably enabled by default in some later version. I am now testing on a Xoom with Chrome 49 and I can run even WebGL specific three.js demos like geometry / convex. When going to chrome://flags, the WebGL option described does not exist, there are only flags for enable draft and 2.0 experimental extensions. When going to chrome://gpu, I can see WebGL: Hardware accelerated.
Testing results on Motorola Xoom + Chrome 49
The support is really "partial", some three.js WebGL examples work (geometry / convex), some don't (geometry colors), some work, but run very slow (like 1 FPS in camera / logarithmicdepthbuffer).
When checking chrome://gpu, I can see many error messages logged starting with Shader translator allowed/produced an invalid shader unless the driver is buggy.

Chrome browser supports WebGL but it is disabled by default. Here's how you can enable it:
1.  Type chrome://flags in the address bar.
2.  Tap Enable under "Enable WebGL" on the flags menu.
3.  Tap the Relaunch button.
4.  Navigate to http://get.webgl.org to verify that you have WebGL support. You might get a message saying that the support is experimental.
Source: http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/how-to-enable-webgl-support-on-chrome-for-android


text:
What is the point of a locked bootloader if a deep flash cable can bypass it?
I was reading about how important is locked bootloaders for users security after Xiaomi decided to lock some bootloaders of its phones. 1
However, I found that there is a specially engineered cable that can bypass locked bootloaders and flash other ROMs into the phone. 2
What is the point then of having a locked bootloader, if anyone can get this so called "deep flash cable" and bypass the locking restriction?

Qualcomm 9008 mode is for emergency repairs as a last resort - without it your phone could remain bricked under certain situations.
However, in case of Xiaomi phones, even if you flashed the phone under this mode, the account lock (if there is any) will still be persistent and you won't be able to use any services related to it (i.e. Cloud). The original user will also still be able to lock the phone based on the IMEI.
Additionally, Xiaomi is well aware of the security risk, and a recent MIUI8 update has patched this (Chinese sources, can't cite), putting an end to the loophole people are using.

Interesting info, but what if the user flashes a custom ROM? Then this phone lock thing won't work right?

@Ghasan You can't flash a custom recovery via 9008 mode, thus mostly negating custom ROMs. Partly depends on the model though - MI Max seems to have a way around this too, in which case the phone lock is indeed useless. It comes at the cost of gravity sensor not working if I remember correctly.


text:
Why has Google started asking questions when reviewing apps in Play Store?
I went to review an app today after receiving help from the dev and after selecting the star rating I was then asked three questions about the app. "Does the app have whiteboards?", "Does the app allow you to make checklists?", "Does the app have online storage?", with options, "No", "Don't know" and "Yes" for each. After that I was able to write the review. The app was just a fun app that measures vibration, comparing it to earthquake intensity, so none of the questions are relevant.
I checked a couple of other apps. One didn't ask any questions, the other did but the questions were different and more relevant to the app.
I have not been able to find info on this. Does anyone know why Google are doing this and how they decide the questions? Would also be interested in knowing when they started doing this.
Thanks.

Since Aug 2016, Google has been testing a new feature called "Top Features" of an app.
Android Police reported,

[...] it seems that Google has begun testing another change in the same arena - Top Features, a new element that aims to make determining what functionality an app has easier. [...] Top Features is situated above Review Highlights and contains user feedback about certain abilities of the reviewed app.

How Google gets this data is by crowdsourcing it to reviewers (similar to how Google Maps crowdsourced maps improvements)

In addition, the reviewing process has been tweaked. [...] The new process asks reviewers (up to) three questions about the app. Basically, Google will ask if x function is available in the app; if it is, you give a thumbs up; if it isn't, you give a thumbs down; and if you're unsure, you click "Not Sure". The process itself is pretty straightforward, but it is unclear how exactly Google comes up with these questions; all we know is that they eventually contribute to Top Features.
(Emphasis mine)

As reported, it's unclear how Google comes up with the questions. It could be from app's manifest (e.g requires internet connection or not), or from app's category (e.g. social network, etc), ...


text:
Phone will randomly crash, then only loads to boot loader
I rooted my Samsung-sm-g930a (Galaxy s7 AT&T)
And after I did, the VOLTE showed up... I thought nothing of it because it is Voice Over LTE but a week after I did that when i tried to open an app it closed the app 2 seconds later (almost immediately) and if I restart my phone it gets stuck at the AT&T logo I can boot it into recovery and reset the device, this fixes it temporarily then 3 days later it does it Agian. Any idea how to fix this?

What's the said app that's force closing? Is your phone doing an update or something? Specifics! What your experiencing is called a boot loop where the phone is stuck at the boot animation. I don't know why it would do that after three days but an app or mod you installed can be causing it.

give it the stock rom

@JCTechie The only root app I had installed was Super SU and I did not "mod" the phone or Anything... The only thing I did was go into /data/data/com.505Games.TerrariaPaid and I replaced a few of the worlds. Corrupted things in a game wouldn't screw up the whole phone would it? And, it's all apps doing it, besides settings and chrome

@Donovan_D I think the easiest solution for you is to factory reset your phone, and re-do the root process. It sounds to me that something got messed up when rooting, and you need to start over. You can backup your contacts and game saves with google or get an app that does that for you (titanium backup can restore your app data)

@JCTechie I did a factory data reset, it still does it 3-7 days later

@Donovan_D does the factory reset have root? Is it unrooted and crashing? That's probably a bigger problem, try downloading a stock rom for your phone from xda-developers and flash it through recovery.

@JCTechie when I do the factory reset cpu-z says I still have root, but I can't use it. Another root checker said that root was not properly gained. My system status is now "Custom" And on startup it shows "Custom" with a unlocked padlock that's not my phone but it's similar

@Donovan_D that's very strange, I recommend that you download this stock rom from XDA-Developers. Follow the instructions (i'm not sure what "type" of S7 you have, if that's really a thing, but check that that's the correct phone before installing the stock rom :)

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s7/development/6-0-1-s7-stock-rom-v1-bloat-script-mods-t3423409

@Donovan_D that rom includes root BTW

It appears that something wrong has happened with your rom. Since factory resetting has not fixed the issue, the next step is to restore the stock rom. Here's a link to the stock rom for the Samsung Galaxy S7:
Edit: New link (from OP): https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/firmware-stock-sm-g930a-pb5-odin-files-t3411468
(Includes Root)

-1: you offered a "stock" ROM for the wrong model (G930F uses Exynos, G930A uses Snapdragon) that would wreak havoc if actually flashed, and it's a stock-based ROM flashed from a custom recovery, not a real stock ROM flashed via Odin, so it's of little use for fault recovering.

@andy yan woops sorry I don't own a Samsung so... What's the link to the correct stock rom?

I just looked it up - weird that both SamMobile and Samsung-Updates don't offer firmware for this particular model. Some over at XDA does seem to have one, so editing this in is at least better than not. I'll retract the -1 after your edit.

@JCTechie I think I found it here:  https://forum.xda-developers.com/att-galaxy-s7/how-to/firmware-stock-sm-g930a-pb5-odin-files-t3411468

I ever faced a situation like this where my phone load until the Samsung logo and that's it. What I did was installing a stock rom in to my Samsung and it did fix my phone. You can visit the web of cyanogen to see if your phone model is listed there.


text:
How to get out off bootloop?
Can you tell me how to get past bootloop on my HTC desire 620g dual sim. I did an software update, but it failed. Help please

Add more information please.  Was the update that you tried to install an official one from the manufacturer? How and where did you obtain this update (automatic download, manual download from some site, etc.)? Is your phone running stock firmware, or a custom ROM? When you say "it failed" what exactly do you mean? Were there any errors?

If you're able to get to recovery mode, maybe you can flash a stock rom or use a backup. You may also be able to use ADB to flash a working rom, this tutorial is for the htc one but it's mostly the same.
You can also just keep turning it on I guess, I've gotten lucky plenty of times when a phone that was seemingly bricked and not exiting a bootloop just decided to work one day.
Also, if you are having issues flashing roms to your phone you should probably do a bit more research. Using reliable cables, not turning off devices and doing a bit of research into other people who were able to successfully flash and those who unsuccessfully flashed to a device is always a good way to prevent these mishaps as well as fix them. This tutorial explains the process quite well.


text:
Yu Yuphoria bricked after installing custom recovery and boot file
My YU YUPHORIA got bricked while I was working with it. I want to install custom ROM into it for that I am installing custom recovery and boot file but the file that is found on Internet was not working and that's why I am stuck with company logo. I can't go into recovery mod, neither it boot, and USB debugging mode is turned off. I tried to install fresh ROM from fastboot but after installing every driver properly command prompt is showing "waiting for the device". Please sugest some way to get rid of this problem.

Flashing stock firmware may solve the softbrick.
Download firmware fron this link. - The link is for model Y5010a, since you didn't mention which model. Update with model name if it's differ.
There is 3 files, in zip format. Choose any of them, unzip it and you'll find drivers, the flash files and the flashing instructions. Install drivers and your phone should be detected.

my device is Y5010(not "a") . will this method work with usb debugging off??

Yes. Flashing doesn't require USB debugging. Did you download the file? You can follow the instructions contained therein.

yes every thing is going fine but when i write command fastboot -i 0x2a96 oem unlock it show press volume up key to continue, press volume down key to cancle. please tell me which key i have to press. and after 20seconds it show oem unlock cancelled

You're trying to unlock the bootloader. Is unlocking the bootloader required in the flashing instructions?

someone on the other form suggested me to do this before any thing

is it necessary ???

thanks sir every thing worked fine. i am happy. thank you very much

You're welcome, glad I helped


text:
Gboard doesn't save new words and use my personal dictionary?
I have both swedish and english activated in GBoard, but I'm using the swedish layout so I get easy access to the letter  å ä ö.
My problem is that Gboard doesn't seem to "learn" some new words. A specific example is when I'm swiping hon (swedish for her), it never suggests hon, instead it autocorrects it to jobb (swedish for work) every single time. I've erased the suggestion, I've typed h o n manually and clicked it in the top bar - I even added hon to my personal dictionary in the Gboard settings, but nothing seems to help.
It's gotten so ridiculous that I just stopped erasing and correcting it when texting some of my friends, I just informed them that if they see an oddly placed jobb, just assume I mean hon :)
On a side note - both me and one of my friends (who's using Sony's built in keyboard) seem to experience periods of our predictions going haywire and suggesting completely wrong words, or in my case often weird acronyms like DF, DT, DGV etc. This seems to last for a few days and then it gets better for few weeks. Might just be coincidental, but I'm curious if anyone else is experiencing something similar?

I just figured it out while trying all possible Gboard settings. Turns out that "block offensive words" was activated for some reason, and apparently the word "hon" is considered offensive in some places.
I had no idea it was an offensive word, and either way I'd have thought Gboard was clever enough not to block english offensive words when I'm in "swedish mode" (i.e. when the last word i typed was in swedish and all the suggestions it comes up with are in swedish). Turns out it doesn't care, and "hon" gets blocked either way.

Ett enormt tack! Detta har stört mig i flera år. Vågar inte ens räkna på hur mycket tid jag har lagt ner genom åren på att rätta jobb och hob till hon. Glide type skriver nu: Hon hon hon hon hon hon. Underbart!

Thank you, but the suggestion above didn't work for me since I already had the 'block offensive words' disabled. However, I found out that for Gboard to learn the words I typed, I also had to enable the 'personalized suggestions', under settings > text correction. Hope this helps :)

I think I found a solution for this. Write the word manually and select any emoji but don't put a space between the word and the emoji, and the word will have a red underline instead of a blue one. Tap over the word and it says ... 'add to dictionary' (like in the old days). If you write the word, space, backspace and emoji, it wont work. If you do this, then delete some of the few last letters and write them again, leave no space and insert emoji again. That worked for me.  Gboard is not learning automatically but at least you don't have to be writing the words every time or adding them manually in the dictionary (well, you are actually but while you are writing the message).


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Cat B15Q pairs with Toyota, but connection unusable
I have no problems pairing my Cat B15Q (Android 4.4.2) with my 2013 Toyota Auris over Bluetooth. However, it stops there. As soon as I try to use the connection (make a phone call, play music, access the internet), the Toyota complains with a non-descript error message.
I have been able to successfully connect a WinPC with the phone (incl. file transfer).
Does anybody know any tricks? I have tried the obvious ones: deleting the connection, re-pairing. To no avail. The car can use my wife's iPhone 6 over Bluetooth. I have contacted Cat, but they say the problem is with Toyota. When I see the long list of phones compatible with my car, I can only wonder why my phone isn't working and why the problem should be with Toyota?

Last week, I had to turn in my (company car) Toyota and I got a Peugeot 2008 in return. Of course I tried to connect the Cat to the car. Pairing was no problem. Making a phone call, however, was not possible. But receiving a phone call was possible! This got me thinking. The Cat is dual SIM and in fact I have two SIM cards. In the settings you can choose which SIM card to use as default for outgoing calls, or whether to postpone that decision when actually making a phone call. I had chosen for the latter option, but after I changed it so that outgoing calls always use one specific SIM card, I could make calls with the car's phone buttons!
Maybe the connection with the Toyota had been successful after all, it just got stuck because I hadn't opted for the default SIM card option.


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Xposed as a system app
And by the course of the days, memory keeps stacking and stacking up on Android, I have the habit of restoring the phone after a while (even with root, SuperSU as system app). But now I have Xposed framework, and it is not a system app (but I can change that easily). Do Xposed framework keeps working when the phone is restored? (Assume that Xposed is a system app)

A factory reset will not touch the system partition/storage ... It specifically wipes the data partition/storage only ! ... Assuming that you have installed Xposed Framework, you will have a custom modified app_process in system/bin and even removing the Xposed application should still keep the framework active !  However you may need to allow the specific permissions with xposed !  Hypothetically you can remove root access and still use Xposed afterwards .. but due to the new Android Pay and Certified Device's change's, it may have difficulty working, as this could be a serious security issue

Xposed Installer is not necessarily a system app; however, Xposed framework itself , mainly /system/bin/app_process, is. If by "restore" you mean factory reset (wiping /data) then it will not go away.

Uh, I didn't know that they were different things. Thanks and btw if I make the Installer a system app, it will not be erased either?

Yup. Why you'd want to do that is beyond me, though.

Just because I don't wanna reinstall it (I even don't know if I still have apk)


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Will Samsung Fast Charge charge a QC 2.0 device as
I have seen that Samsung phones can fast charge on both Qualcomm Quick Charge  and  Samsung Fast Charge adapters.
But I am unclear if you want to charge a HTC/Sony etc Qualcomm 2.0 device if the Samsung Fast Charge chargers will charge the device similarly to a dedicated quick charge 2.0 charger?

Re your comment on my now  deleted answer -1. Yes, both Qualcomm and fast charging are different but not much 2. Fast charging supports Qualcomm also as you can see on Samsung site. Since it supports both, and it does have Qualcomm certification ( as I recollect), arguments given in the answer were valid. Deleted my answer since it appeared to you that I missed understood the question

To be fair, I should have clarified this in my answer as well

I understand that page saying that Samsung fast charge phones will work with both QC chargers and Samsung fast chargers. Where do you see that the fast chargers work with non Samsung QC phones?

Elsewhere on the web. But more importantly, once it supports QC charging and is compliant to standard, it has to behave like QC compliant phones in supporting other devices- that's the purpose of standardisation

My device, Moto X Play uses Turbo Charging but is QC compliant and works on other brand devices to quick charge

you are not addressing the issue that the Samsung fast charger is not QC and does not have the QC logo.  Where does it say that the charger is QC compliant?  That is the question.  The samsung phones are both QC and fast charge compliant. Where do you see the charger is compliant to QC standards?  Your moto X is the phone that is compliant not the charger.

You are right if the charger does not have QC logo and I remember reading that it had (not sure for which Samsung phone) and as mentioned in first comment. You are also right about Moto X. Charger is not QC compliant. Which is the model of your device... Let's see if we can get more inputs on that- Samsung is known for changes across models

the charger does not have QC logo.  I had a pic on the answer you deleted.  The question is - is the samsung fast charger QC compliant.    iBugs answer was of course.  I was told otherwise in a shop.  Hence the question if it was tested on a non samsung device, as I presume the shop guy has no idea.  iBug tested the Voltage so for sure the QC device can get the higher charge.  So my question moves to are there benefits to using an actual QC charger, as in 12V over 9V.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Yes, of course.
Samsung Fast Charge is basically an alias for Qualcomm QC 2.0/3.0 (for S7/S7 edge). They are totally compatible with each other.

have you tried it?

I have a nubia Z9 NX508J using a Samsung S6 edge stock charger. The charger outputs 1.55A @ 8.96V, read with a USB meter. Then I got an ordinary phone and the charger started outputting 0.98A @ 5.11V. That's where my conclusion is drawn from. The QC 3.0 part is what I guess but I think it's true.

I see QC goes also does 12V.  Fast Charge does 9V.  Would your Z9 charge faster with a QC2 charger?

It'a bit faster but mu USB meter can't exceed 10V. I suppose it takes 1/6 less time as the 12V charger outputs 1.5A.


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Batch file for android that runs at startup
On my windows laptop, I have a batch file which checks for a specific file and deletes it. My question is, is this possible on android, to make a file that runs at startup (without root), checks for the existence of a directory called "thumbnails" in /storage/sdcard0/DCIM", if exists, delete. Answers greatly appreciated

Sure that is possible. Many automation apps (see our automation tag-wiki) offer that. I e.g. use tasker (see: tasker tag-wiki) which offers to perform actions on device boot, and can execute shell commands. So a typical Tasker profile could be fired "on device boot" to "execute shell command" rm -rf  /storage/sdcard0/DCIM/thumbnails. No check needed for the existence of that directory: If it existes, that command would remove it – and if it not exists, result is the same :)
While Tasker is not free (there's a 7 day trial, though) there are other free automation apps you could check with. I don't have a list of which ones provide on-boot command execution, so you had to look that up yourself.
In case your device is rooted, you'd have additional possibilities – e.g. utilizing init scripts. If your device doesn't support them as-shipped, there are some apps which could help adding that feature.

Disclosure: the linked app lists are my product, so those links go to my website.

Thank you so much, but is there a way that I could do that without third party apps?

Please read the last paragraph again: If your device is rooted and supports init scripts, you can. Otherwise I'm not aware of any such possibility.

Wow, I Just bought tasker, IT'S AMAZING!!! I would never have known there was such a thing! IT IS ALMIGHTY POWERFUL! thanks for recomending it.

It definitely is! I'm using it for years already. So if you're looking for ideas, see my Tasker resource collection :)

Great page. Read through it in about half an hour! Was totally worth it!!


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Root Access After Custom ROM Flash
I have flashed Custom ROM on my S3 Neo using CWM recovery.
Now after flashing the rom,I want to get the root access,so I tapped on the build number several times and activated the developer options,where I get an option of enabling root access.I enabled it for Apps and ADB.Naturally I expected root access after this,but unfortunately while checking by root checker(several best root checkers in play store) whether I got root access or not,it says no su found,and no root access.
What should I do now?Am I to Root the device again? Is it safe??

You don't need to flash the whole ROM again.You can just flash the superuser.zip from the recovery.(It's completely safe,just make sure that it's for your device). Good luck!
Here is the direct download link for updated supersu.zip from XDA Developers. Hope this helps!

Sorry,the link you provided is blank..

here try this! http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3-neo/development/root-samsung-galaxy-s3-neo-t2907189

Sorry to say that this didn't work..

Is it possible to get root access on a phone run by cyanogenmod by the rooting application kingo root??
Actually root access is denied,even after the update of super su.

Well I had S3, a year ago and tried the flash of supersu.zip which worked fine for me. You can always one click root methods. Hope works! If not you can find the rom with pre-root access and flash that. Your recovery does the flashing stuff so rooting is not required (As of my case in my current phone - Moto g 2014).


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Unlocked boot loader Moto G (4th Generation) - Amazon Prime Exclusive
Does the Amazon Prime exclusive Moto G4 have an unlocked boot loader? This phone is $150. Is VoLTE. And, has Band 12. Can I buy it and put an AOSP on it and get around the Amazon adds?

No
The bootloader on the G4 Amazon Prime Exclusive is locked and can not be unlocked.


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Difference between requiring an encrypted device password pre-boot or post-boot?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 with device encryption enabled. I unlock my device with a secure password upon booting it, and then use a fingerprint afterwards. When I first enabled encryption (Lollipop), my device would ask for a decryption password as soon as it began booting. Since upgrading to Marshmallow, the phone boots up completely, but will not accept a fingerprint to unlock the device until the password is entered once.
The secure startup settings allow me to choose to require a password before boot (like it was previously), or not to require the password until the device has booted (the default now). The description on the settings page states:

In addition to using your fingerprint to unlock your device, you can further protect the device by requiring a password be entered before the device starts up. This helps protect data on lost or stolen devices.

What is the difference, from a security standpoint, between the two options?
I at first assumed that data at rest would be encrypted the same for both options, but the description seems to indicate that a pre-boot password increases security. Since the setting is easily switched back and forth I assume no underlaying changes are occuring to the device encryption when the setting is changed, but something must be changing if security is improved.
The fact the phone can fully boot without my password seems to indicate the data on the phone is actually decrypted without my password, and the password is merely protecting my fingerprints and access to the phone. In this case, how is the device encryption functioning as anything other than a lock screen if the phone is lost while powered on?

If the phone boots up without asking for a password, it is most likely not protected by encryption in the way you would expect.
In theory, it might not be encrypted at all. But as you note, that's not plausible if you can change between the two options on the fly. More likely, it is encrypted with a default password, meaning that anyone accessing the phone's storage outside the normal UI login procedure (e.g. by flashing a custom encryption-aware recovery like TWRP or via ADB) can access your data. Your password is then only used to provide entry to the user interface – not protecting you from outside access to the phone's storage.
If you need to enter your password for bootup, it is that password that is (hopefully) used for encryption, meaning that outside attacks should only be possible by cracking your password (provided that Samsung's custom implementation is cryptographically sound). You can check that encryption is active by trying to mount your data partition in TWRP.
It is surprising that Samsung doesn't clarify the fundamental difference between the two options. But then, Google themselves are possibly even more careless in Android's default implementation as indicated in this blog post.
The author states that on enabling accessibility services, all you get is a cryptic message that "your device won't use your lock screen to enhance data encryption" before the encryption password is reset to the default password – effectively disabling encryption for all practical purposes and giving anyone with a bit of technical understanding full access to your data. The Android encryption documentation seems quite proud about the default password encryption being "resilient against off-box attacks", but attackers will likely not care as long as they can access your data "on-box", ie. with the storage installed in your phone.
Whether Samsung's implementation uses Android's default behaviour described above or a proprietary way of switching between encryption passwords, it is quite likely that only one of the two options provides any meaningful protection that goes beyond using a password on a non-encrypted phone.

Thank you for your reply, the blog post you linked was very helpful. It seems that by choosing to only require a password after the device is booted, the device encryption key is changed to a default password which is common knowledge, providing good security against off-box protection but terrible on-box protection. I was also not aware of the implications of enabling accessibility access to apps, as described in the blog post.


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Any way to have hardware accelerated virtualization without changing HW?
when I installed Android Studio on my Windows box, at the end of installation it told me
"Android SDK is up to date"
but it complained that
"your computer does not support hardware accelerated virtualization".
Then it listed some alternative options.  Looks like this is because my native HW has non-Intel (AMD) CPUs.
So my question to Android developers is,
does anyone know of a way to have hardware accelerated virtualization without changing my PC hardware?

Thanks @GiantTree. Could you submit that as an answer rather than a comment? Useful info I think, that other users would be interested in seeing in an answer where it would more easily be seen.

Basically you can't.
Your best bet would be a Virtual Machine in VirtualBox but this is more like hoping for it to work and not break after installing.
The reason is Intel HAXM that is building on Intel's virtualization technology, VirtualBox also supports AMD's virtualization technology and should be better than using no hardware acceleration at all.


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Install Nexus Android on Samsung S4
The Android OS that comes with the Samsung S4 has quite a few unwanted extras. The Android OS that comes with the Nexus 5 is quite slim and I prefer its interface.
Is it possible to replace the OS running on the Samsung S4 with the Nexus-flavoured android?

Yes; The Nexus Android is closer to AOSP which is a minimal OS all the other Android distributions are built on. You probably want CM though as it's the most popular pre built ROM for your device.
https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Jfltexx_Info
Also unlike the Samsung ROM, CM gets security updates every month and unlike Samsung will continue to for older devices like the S2, S3, etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOSP

Do note that, by default, CM comes with a different launcher (Trebuchet), making the UI slightly different from current Nexus devices. Get Google Now Launcher if you want a somewhat better emulation of the looks.

@Andy, yes but no one really wants that.


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Disable all blackground apps when using some apps (possibly with Tasker)
Is there a way to disable all background apps (gmail, google notifications, messaging apps, etc...) when a certain/any app is running? I would like to do this because I play a certain game (Sine Line) which requires you to press the screen for short periods of time, in a very controlled manner, and any lag kills me.
I assume this could be useful for other resource-intensive apps, such as maps/gps, or image editing.
Either disabling/killing background apps when a certain or any app is running are acceptable solutions. Tasker is also acceptable, however Tasker itself is quite resource-intensive so avoiding it would be best.
Thanks

Did you try limiting background process in the Developers Options to One process? This might do the job...

@esQmo That ought to do the job. I can actually set no background apps. If you write your comment as an answer (maybe with a little more details for other people in the future), I can accept it.

You can do so by forcing the system to limite background processes. Open the Settings > Developers Options > Limite background processes and select No background process.
If Developers Options is not enabled (on Android 4.4.2 and above), enable it at Settings > About phone > Tape 7 times on Build number > Go back to Settings, the option should be on.


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Samsung S5 compatible with tracfone and Verizon Wireless
I currently have Verizon wireless. I want to switch to tracfone and change my cell phone at the same time. I'm thinking about getting a Samsung S5. My question is, can I get a Samsung S5 to use with tracfone that will also be compatible with Verizon if I choose to go back? If so, what details should I look online when I'm shopping for a phone?
I think I need an unlocked phone but some say that it won't work with Verizon. I'm unsure how to proceed.

After having gone through this process, it seems that all Verizon-compatible Samsung S5s are compatible with TracFone, and there is no unlocking that needs to be done. All I had to do was get the new SIM card from TracFone and put it in the S5, then follow there instructions to get it activated. AFAIK, I could go back to Verizon at any time, by simply putting the old Verizon SIM card back in.
For any other model phone, just contact TracFone. They'll tell you whether the phone is compatible or not. It really was a straightforward process.


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AD's will popup on screen
Each time when i turn on my WiFi, ads will popup and apps will get installed automatically. Some times WiFi switch's on automatically and junk apps gets downloaded.

Related: Find what app is causing popups, NOT in notification bar // Some program is showing ads on my desktop… How can I catch it? // our malware tag-wiki // questions mentioning popups, tagged malware and having answers

It would appear you have some sort of malware. I'd consider one of three options:

Antivirus - May get rid of the virus without harming your legit files.
Fresh reinstall of the stock ROM - WILL get rid of any viruses...along with anything else you had on your phone. It WILL NOT fix any malware-esque behaviours that were built into the rom
Install a custom ROM - Like 2), will get rid of any viruses and the popular custom ROMs, for example Cyanogenmod, do not have any malware-esque behaviours. This option requires you to root your device and unlock the bootloader. Googling 'install cyanogenmod ' should tell you what you need to know.

I would try the solutions in that order to save on unnecessary lost data or technical ordeals.


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How can I require my Android (latest version) phone to require BOTH a fingerprint and a password?
Setting up one or the other is easy, but I can't seem to activate both at once.
Before anyone asks, my primary reason for wanting to do this is security.

I don't think this is possible; see this Reddit post.

Use a third-party lock screen for a password. Use native lock screen for fingerprint. Keep both of them active.

@Firelord which 3rd party lock screen is trustless, open source and cannot be prevented by loading at launch?

This thread is about How to demand fingerprint + password on login? I edited the title and body be clearer. I deleted my duplicate therad, archieve here https://android.stackexchange.com/q/174809/9897

You can go trough Android's security using only one at once. For example, if you have both Fingerprint and Pattern activated, only one of them is required to unlock the device. However, with third party apps like Next Lock Screen or Picturesque Lock Screen, you can actually stack them. If you activate Next Lock Screen, Pattern and Fingerprint, you will have to use Next Lock Screen first, then either Pattern or Fingerprint.

So you cannot do this by default without an extra application. I hope the change will come in Android 8 because the issue is about security.

@Susan
If your phone is rooted and has the Xposed framework installed, you can take a look at MasterLock. It's nearly impossible to remove (installs as system app, is device admin, etc). Though, I can't resist to ask, why want to use two lock methods at once? Only you have your finger prints. An additional number lock seems kind of useless to me.

Your assumption that "only you have your fingerprints" is not necessarily correct for multiple reasons, but that is outside of the scope of my question. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30623611

Most likely you can only use one security type on your phone. If that is the case, I would suggest taking the fingerprint security type, so that way if your phone is stolen, it cannot be accessed. However, there may be apps that you can download to allow you to have more than one security type.

If you want two locks (fingerprint and pattern/pin/password) only once, you can restart your device or else as others said you need to add any other security application.

Now I don't know much about this topic but I do know from past experience that the best way to do both is 1 use the phones actual finger print password then download an app that gives you a second password or an aplock best wishes and good luck

Look for an option in the settings, if this doesn't work out you can install a third party application like applock for adding up a password. :)


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How to solve Android 7.1 flash failure with remote data too large?
It started when the regular OTA update failed to install and left me with a "no command" screen.
I downloaded a stock ROM from the official developers.google site.
I tried the flash-all script to install the ROM. It gave me the following:
archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
archive does not contain 'recovery.sig'
failed to allocate -1492308812 bytes
error: update package missing system.img

After pasting all the files from the image.zip to the parent folder with the flash-all script in it (that way the system.img is in the same dir as the flash-all script), I received the same error.

After some googling I found some instructions to flash the files manually using fastboot.
All went well and I came to the second last instruction to flash the system.
Then this happend:
>> fastboot flash system system.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
erasing 'system'...
OKAY [  0.090s]
sending sparse 'system' (520374 KB)...
OKAY [ 20.706s]
writing 'system'...
OKAY [  9.350s]
sending sparse 'system' (515510 KB)...
OKAY [ 22.374s]
writing 'system'...
OKAY [  9.586s]
sending sparse 'system' (479538 KB)...
OKAY [ 20.531s]
writing 'system'...
OKAY [  8.527s]
sending sparse 'system' (514677 KB)...
OKAY [ 21.401s]
writing 'system'...
OKAY [ 11.339s]
sending sparse 'system' (524289 KB)...
FAILED (remote: data too large)
finished. total time: 124.427s

As you can see, fastboot is already sending the data in smaller portions. What do I have to do to fix this?
I searched google but couldn't find any usable fix..

The phone is an rooted Nexus 5x.

Turns out that some old adb tooling was in my PATH variable, so I was using an old version of fastboot..
It all worked well when I used the right version!

Will accept this as an answer in 2 days.

What version of fastboot are you using? I'm on ubuntu and have installed the latest in repository, but are still getting the same error. --
Lyon

I'm using fastboot version 302830efc153-android! Have you checked your PATH variable?

I had the same issue and changing fastboot solved it. Thank you.

Great stuff - using the latest platform tools from the android website worked perfectly. Would have been impossible to troubleshoot without this. Thanks for reporting back.

For those who still have the problem, you can simply use the -S option of fastboot.
In my case, it worked great with: fastboot -S 300M flash system system.img


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Can Google Pixel C tablet Android OS update every version?
If there releases a new android version, can google pixel c tablet update that soon by user himself from system control tool?
Is it the same as iOS update?


text:
are the apps being uninstalled during OS update?
I haven't updated my Nexus 5X OS version for a long time already, due to the fact that I'm really afraid that something might go wrong with the state of some of my apps.
For example, my WhatsApp history goes back to 2011. The folder size is ~5GB and holds more than 29,000 files. A few times before the app produced a warning shich stated that its state is corrupted for some reason ("something went wrong") and that a restore is needed -- each time it took hours, and almost never succeeded immediately (I had to re-install and change some backup file names).
So, my question is basically -- what are the steps of the Android OS update installation process? Does all the apps being uninstalled, then the new version of the OS is being installed, and then the apps are being installed again? Or is there some "intermediate state" for the apps, which can provide an option for the apps not to be uninstalled in the first place?

If you do a normal system update (no restore or something like that) your apps are not uninstalled. The system doesn't really do anything with your apps at all until it finished the system update. Then the system will recompile all apps (The 'android is optimizing apps' dialog) in order to make them run faster. This should not interfere in any way with your data.
I do not know about your specific problem with WhatsApp or if a system update could cause your error but your data will not be touched by the system during the update. This means if something breaks whatsapp your data will still exist in order to restore your history.
Btw. what android version are you running? With android 7 the recompile step will partially change (to the good).

From the "app perspective", it's the same as an app update (through Google PlayStore for instance), or the same as an uninstall and re-install with recovery (due to the fact that the data is untouched, as you mentioned)? I'm asking, because I'm not afraid for my data, I've backed it up, I'm afraid for the "fragile" state of the WhatsApp app - I just don't want it to start some type of basic recovery and fail, due to my "abusive" usage of the app.

From an "app perspective" it will be (more or less) the same as an usual app update (with PlayStore).


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How can I stop the Skype notifications from re-enabling?
I have Skype on my Moto G, but I don't use it much. It's primarily for contacting cow-orkers at work. I certainly don't want to get notified every time anyone says one in a group chat while I'm on my day off.
So I switched off the notifications by selecting "block all" in the notification settings for the app. Then I got a notification. So I switched off the notifications again. Then I got a notification. So I switched off the notifications yet again. Then... you get the picture.
How can I keep the notifications from Skype switched off?
Or do I just have to uninstall it?

I don't use Skype to test but this should work  Macrodroid automation app. Trigger: Notification  Received > select Skype and configure or all Action:  clear notifications > clear all. Constraints: Day of week > select your day off. Let me know if it works fine and you want that as a solution to be posted

Skype running in background annoys me so much that I keep it signed OUT when not using.
To turn of notifications of SKype on Android :
Tap the menu icon (three vertical lines), tap Settings > Notifications, then tap Notifications to turn them off.
what you have been doing is , you were telling your android to mute the notifications its better to tell the app itself

That's indeed what I have done in the meantime. I was about to self-answer when I saw yours. Thanks.


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Phone sometimes can't detect any WIFI networks
I have a fully rooted Lenovo A328, and at random times, it would just totally not detect wifi. Even if I place the phone right in front of my wifi router, it still doesn't detect it. In the WLAN settings, it gets stuck at the 'Searching for WLAN networks'.
And I also can't seem to turn the WLAN setting off. Heck, the settings would sometimes suddenly freeze also. The only temporary fix I've found for this is restarting the phone, but then, the problem would usually return after a few minutes or so, prompting me to restart it again and again.
Is there a reason for why this is happening? And is there a permanent fix for this?

Trying flashing stock ROM after backing up data.

This is an issue happening because of problem in the wifi module of the ROM you have flashed.
Try to get a fresh ROM and also don't forget to read the bug reports of it.
If you see many download links, download the stable instead of nightly / experimental.
Flash it. Or else, go back to stock ROM

Okay, I'll try that. I'm quite a newbie at this, so it'll take some time.

So, I've been searching around for a custom ROM for my device, and I've come around two particularly good ones: Cyanogen and MIUI. Which one of these is better?

Cyanogen is for you. MIUI is designed by Chinese Manufacturer Mi for their Redmi Phones. We can't predict how your phone react with the MIUI. Go for Cyanogen with your devoce's model number


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HTC Desire 526 stuck "Proccessing" after factory reset
I just recently factory reset my htc desire 526 and when I turned it back on, this happened
and then this happened

I've tried going into recovery mode and rebooting from there, i've also reset from the recovery screen, but every time it leads up to that point.
its currently been stuck there for like 30-40 mins,
Help appreciated, Thanks

i mean its not frozen, i just take screenshots holding the power button and the volume down button at the same time(i think at the same time)

Turn phone off remove the sim card and start your phone again.

Turning it off taking out the battery and the sim card replacing the battery and turning it back on got my phone past that page. Rekia87 was right.


text:
how to get back up of all phone data after Flash stock ROM?
i am having Letv 2 mobile phone, unfortunately i uninstall google launcher and my phone stop working. i was advised to update system and my all phone data has been lost. i want all phone data back, please help me how do i get it back?

What data do you mean? Contacts? Music? SMS? or what?

First of all, I would suggest not writing any new file on your device until the deleted ones get recovered. You can use tools like Wondershare Dr. Fone for android(Its a PC app) https://drfone.wondershare.net/android-data-recovery.html. Its paid but you can try it for free if it works or not for you. Another tool I remember is Disk Digger(Android app) and its pro version Disk Digger Pro which requires root access. If they dont work you may need to seek professional help. But remember dont write new files on your phone as they would overwrite the deleted ones and make them unrecoverable.


text:
Nexus 5 Early Bootloop Fixable?
My Nexus 5 goes into very early bootloop - basically during the initial 2-5 seconds from turning on it goes into bootloop. It also restarts even when in recovery mode (dont even have time to make any selection before it restarts). My suspicion is that this is a HW problem - just wanted to confirm if the phone is dead for good before I throw it away. If it is HW, it would probably require main board replacement, which would be very costly I assume? Or could it be something different?

Going to include my resolution in case it helps someone. The problem turned out to be malfunctioning power button, which the phone was taking as pressed all/most of the time. Some random jamming, pressing and squeezing of the button fixed problem. From what I understand this is relatively common problem on Nexus 5,as many are getting their power button replaced.


text:
Android Tracking by vendor
I am concerned about the type of tracking done by the vendor of my Android Phone.
Can they track my location when I connect my phone to internet or GPS?
Do they do this tracking once after device activation or repeatedly after some time interval?
And are they legally allowed to track me?

See How does Google know where I am? from SE security for good answers on this. Reproducing key extracts here:

When only your cellular data is on and Wi-Fi / GPS is disabled, Android uses Cell Phone Triangulation . See John Deter's answer

Each cell tower has a set of ID numbers that identifies them to the phones. It broadcasts its identity constantly so that phones can connect to it as they move around....If you're in a larger populated area, like a city, your phone will usually get signals from more than one cell tower....
So how does Google know any of where these cells, wedges, slices, and intersections are?
From the billion Android phones that have GPS turned on (including yours, when your GPS was on), constantly sending reports of their GPS location and what cell towers and signal strengths they see. Google has used this data to map out where each cell is located, and what the approximate signal strength is at each point. They have a giant database on their servers with this information; your phone queries that database by making a network request that lists all cell towers that are in range, and the Google servers respond with your estimated location.

From BSSID information from your WLAN Access point even if your GPS and Wi-Fi are turned off.
See INV3NT3D's answer

Google and others like Apple and Skyhook build a Database which links WLAN BSSIDs to a geographic location. A BSSID is like the MAC address of a access point that gets broadcasted by that access point. It is therefore "public viewable" if the BSSID broadcast is enabled, which is the default for most access points....So, essentially, when you ARE using WiFi and GPS, Google's database of BSSIDs is updated with a geographic location associated with that BSSID....So it's not that the ISP is giving Google the location of their routers, it's that your phone has already helped to build a database of the Access Points around you, and Google uses this data for geolocation.

So, you are pretty much tracked all the time and more accurately perhaps when your GPS is on and you are in a Wi-Fi dense environment (did you notice that your map location accuracy is much better while traversing a business or shopping area? )
Coming to other points in your question, tracking is periodic and I doubt if the frequency of updating would be available in public domain ( my assumption and open to correction )
Coming to the legality, this SE site doesn't deal with it but I am sure when you tick I agree on activating the device, you would have agreed to this ( Who reads them anyway? )

Thanks for the great answer but there is one more thing I am looking i.e. apart from google the mobile phone vendors like (Samsung, LG etc) also track my device for any usage statictics?

Welcome, I can't help with that question and a separate question may help ( though it may be border line off topic)

also see https://android.stackexchange.com/q/15009/317510


text:
Where are IP addresses stored on Android?
Where are IP addresses stored on and Android device? In what location on disk, or otherwise; how are they stored?

IP addresses of what?

What's the actual problem you're trying to solve?

I want to store a persistent static IP address for my ethernet interface, to survive during reboot.

And what speaks against using the configuration menu? Doesn't that work, or doesn't it survice a reboot?

There is no static ip configuration choice in my prefs.

I have found the answer myself. At least for the device I am using here. All settings are stored in an Sqlite database as a file on the filesystem. Check out this thread on how to manipulate that database:
Is it safe to edit settings.db in Android

Under Settings, Wi-Fi, , Modify Network, Advanced Options, IP Settings, you should have a choice of Static or DHCP.  Choosing Static adds input boxes for IP address, Gateway, Network prefix, and DNS.
If you don't have this, I suggest trying a third-party app such as WiFi Manager.
Finally, if you're really talking about where in the filesystem this is stored, it's in /data/misc/wifi/ipconfig.txt, and is managed by the WifiConfigStore class. This is not a public API and is only used from class WifiStateMachine.  However, you can find out the format of this file by viewing the source: WifiConfigStore.java.

Good effort. However this seems device- or version-dependent because there is no files in my such directory.

Your original question doesn't include what version you're interested in, but if it did, I'd be happy to look into the specifics.  However, 2+ years after my answer, the latest Android Nougat on my device still has the above file (and others) in /data/misc/wifi/.  Note that if you don't have root access on your device, you cannot see, list, or access in any way, the files in /data and below, neither via shell nor file explorer apps. To an unprivileged shell or app, it will appear as though those folders and files don't exist, while in fact they do.

I am on Android 4.4.4 . I have root so I was able to expore the location, but couldn't find anything (text-readable, maybe binary?) there.

Hmm. I have a disadvantage of no longer having a physical 4.4.4 device to experiment with. I have only a Genymotion 4.4.4 VM which won't help since VMs are never connected to "real" WiFi, only virtual nets. They still have /data/misc/wifi but there's no config there except for wpa_supplicant.conf and softap.conf. This is expected, since the n/w config is "wired." In all the physical devices I currently have (5.1 and 7.0), the above directory contains ipconfig.txt, networkHistory.txt, and a bunch of other things.

The fact that you have an empty /data/misc/wifi leads me to believe that the vendor of your device may have customized this aspect of the device in some way. Having now looked back at the comment discussion on the original question, I suspect this is the case, since you stated you don't have the same menu items as everyone else seems to.  Note that the devices I'm working with are all stock Android.


text:
Android 6.0 x86_64 bit boot stuck at root@x86_64:/ on Windows Hyper-V
I have been trying to start up and Android x86 (64-bit) on Hyper-V using the latest edition available from http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-6-0-r2http
I have installed it with GRUB and created a bootable Partition during installation. Format drive to ext4.
Every time I try to run the VM I am presented with the following image

and it doesn't proceed to boot to the android screen. Anyone have an idea how to fix? I would greatly appreciate it.

What RAM size have you selected?

The default screen resolution /color depth is not work. Need to be changed. A guide could be find here:
How to Install Android x86 4.4 R2 on Hyper-V – Part 2: Configuration, Screen resolution and Network (Jan 2015)

The screen resolution seemed to fix it, but now when I get to the initial page for setting up Android, when I click the arrow to proceed with setup, the VM then bootloops back to the android loading screen. Any ideas?

I have extracted the guide below from the article which made reference
  to remixos on hyper-v, however the procedure is the same for any
  android x86 installation:

Install Android x86 on Hyper-V virtual machine
Installation to Hyper-V virtual machine is a bit tricky, but achievable.

First of all, create Generation 1 VM with at least 6 Gb HDD.
After creation of VM do not power on it.
Connect created VHD disk to any windows machine (Disk Management -> Right Click -> Attach VHD)
Initialize it as MBR disk.
Format it in FAT32 file system.
Detach VHD.
Boot VM with Legacy ISO. Do not choose Resident or Guest mode

During boot up;

Press TAB button. Edit your boot string to:

/kernel initrd=initrd.img root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=android_x86 androidboot.selinux=permissive quiet INSTALL=1 nomodeset vga=785

You can replace 785 with any 16bit (or 24bit) color depth code. More codes can be found at http://pierre.baudu.in/other/grub.vga.modes.html
Chose sda1 partition (vfat system)
Do not format it.
Chose yes for GRUB installation.
Skip EFI GRUB2 installation.
Choose yes for making system directory read-write.
Choose yes for creating user data image.
Enter size of data.img. Maximum is 2047 because we formatted our dist to FAT32 file system.
You can run you Android-x86. It’ll take a while, do not panic.
Configure it as you wish.

After completion;

The last thing you need to do is eject ISO from VM and edit created GRUB entries.

Shutdown your VM and eject ISO.
Once again attach VHD to Windows machine.
Edit \grub\menu.lst

You need to delete extra digits after kernel path, for example if you used vga=785 previously you need to replace kernel785 with kernel . Also you need to add desired vga mode again. So your menu.lst should look like:
default=0
timeout=6
splashimage=/grub/android-x86.xpm.gz
root (hd0,0)
title Android-x86
kernel /android-2016-01-14/kernel vga=785 quiet root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=android_x86 androidboot.selinux=permissive nomodeset SRC=/android-2016-01-14
initrd /android-2016-01-14/initrd.img
title Android-x86 (Debug mode)
kernel /android-2016-01-14/kernelvga=785 root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=android_x86 androidboot.selinux=permissive nomodeset DEBUG=2 SRC=/android-2016-01-14
initrd /android-2016-01-14/initrd.img
title Android-x86 (Debug nomodeset)
kernel /android-2016-01-14/kernel vga=785 nomodeset root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=android_x86 androidboot.selinux=permissive nomodeset DEBUG=2 SRC=/android-2016-01-14
initrd /android-2016-01-14/initrd.img
title Android-x86 (Debug video=LVDS-1:d)
kernel /android-2016-01-14/kernel vga=785 video=LVDS-1:d root=/dev/ram0 androidboot.hardware=android_x86 androidboot.selinux=permissive nomodeset DEBUG=2 SRC=/android-2016-01-14
initrd /android-2016-01-14/initrd.img

Detach VHD and boot your VM.

You should now get past the screen android x86
(Unfortunately couldn't upload images since I used RemixOS instead of androidx86)
Sincerest acknowledgements go to:
Install RemixOS on Hyper-V virtual machine


text:
Why does adb shell have higher permissions than common terminal applications?
For example you can write to /data/local/tmp with adb shell but not a common terminal application. Why is that?

In short, a normal terminal application runs with "normal user" privileges. ADB shell is designed for debugging purposes, so it has more privileges.

adb shell is basically used for  debugging an application on android.
It has increased no.of permissions because, it checks the android device compatibility, rooted or not, manifest files and other sensor based checks.
you can list the permissions by punching in...
$adb shell pm list permissions

It has the ability to minimise the permissions, and the ability to increase the no.of permissions for rooted devices.
$shell pm [grant|revoke] com.my.app

You don't need to be rooted to grant permissions with pm through adb


text:
Share apk via bluetooth
I have to receive an apk by bluetooth to my phone, but i can't do it, because in my phone(nexus 5 running android 6.0.1) blocks the file, the devices are paired, I tried with others files like images, and i can receive them, but not apk files, why?

You can try to either compress the .apk (using a app like RAR) and then try to send the compressed file, or you can try to sent the file using another software like "Bluetooth File Transfer".


text:
Is it possible to use icon packs with the ASUS launcher?
I have a DigiLand tablet that I have downloaded and it runs the so-called "ASUS" launcher. I had downloaded many icon packs before my switch to this launcher. I am wondering, if it is possible to use icon packs, how do I do it? Thanks.


text:
How to get router's ip aka gateway in Android's shell?
In a normal linux environment we can do
gateway=`netstat -rn | grep ^0\.0\.0\.0 | awk '{print $2}'`

or
gateway=$(netstat -rn | grep ^0\.0\.0\.0 | awk '{print $2}')
but since Android's busybox/magisk doesn't support netstat -rn, what other commands can we use to get the gateway or router ip?

It is as simple as getprop net.dns1

This is only true when your gateway / router is also the DNS server. On home networks this will work but this will fail on more complex networks with dedicated DNS servers.

@GiantTree how to get it on a more complex network system


text:
Samsung Galaxy s6 stuck in boot
My galaxy s6 is stuck in what appears to be the boot phase, where the logo is flashing on and off so the screen is not frozen.

I have tried:

Holding the start button and power button
Holding the start button, power button and volume up button
Plugging the phone into the computer to try and flash it, but the computer won't recognise it

Before it was like this, I was trying to unlock the phone with my fingerprint. The screen froze for a minute then went into what is currently being displayed (see picture).
Is there anything else that I can try?

Try hard resetting it, works in many cases of soft brick.
Force close your phone, hold power button + volume down for 10 seconds. Phone should power off.
Now hold volume up + power button, phone should boot in recovery. From there select Delete data and cache then reboot.
You'll lose all your data stored in the phone memory but phone should work normally.


text:
huawei y6 pro in bootloop:(
Today, after installing custom firmware into my Huawei Y6PRO it shows only boot (bootloop), and I went to fastboot mode, and by mistake turn on lock on bootloader :( so now I can't go into recovery mode, nothing happens when I click pawer + volume up / volume down or both:( any advise how to fix it?:(

Can you still enter fastboot mode? (Hold volume down and plug in a USB cable connected to your computer)

@ThunderStorm no:(

Is there any other way to enter fastboot mode?

None that I am aware of. You might want to use google.

Simply flash a stock firmware. You'll need an SD card for that

@esQmo_ ok, but how do that, if I can't go into recovery or fastboot?

@ThunderStorm ok, but how?

Huawei devices doesn't need recovery or fastboot to be flashed. There is a flash mode that can be used for that.

@esQmo_ ok, how can I go into that? what I need? could u help me with that? I have SD card:)

Please check my answer and follow the steps.

I've just read the specs and it appears that this phone model is powered by a Mediatek chip (MT6735P), so the SD card method won't work. We'll need a computer for that.
Assuming you have a Windows or Linux computer:

Download the firmware from this site
Download SP Flashtool here
Only required by Windows: Download MTK CDC, VCOM drivers here (Needed for the device to be detected by the computer as android preloader)

To start, unzip the firmware, SP Flashtool and (on Windows) install the drivers.
Now open Flashtool then click on Scatter-download. Browse to the firmware folder that you unzipped. Select a text file (MTxxxx_Android_scatter). Some files should load into SP Flashtool.
Important: Unselect the Preloader (Flashing the Preloader may permanently kill your phone).
Now click on Download (green arrow) then power off the phone (leave battery inside), connect the USB cable (Windows should install drivers).
Once USB cable is connected, the flashing process should start automatically. Wait till the end.
A big green check mark should pop. You're done.
Edit:
Another download link: http://consumer.huawei.com/np/support/products/downloads/detail/y6-pro-np.htm?id=87066
Edit 2:
Contrary to what I said before, the SD card method can be used on this model too. Follow this link get the files and a step by step guide. This site seems to have many ads, be careful and download only flashing files.
Update 3 SD Card method:

Unzip the firmware file
You'll find a folder labeled dload which contains UPDATE.APP
Plug the SD Card into the computer (use an adapter)
Copy that folder into the root of the SD card put back in the phone
Now hold volume up + volume down and briefly touch the power button.
The flashing process should start automatically

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


text:
Why the game is compatible in BlueStacks, but not in Genymotion?
I've tried to install KoA game in Genymotion on Demand on Android 5.1, 6.0 and 7.0 using Google Play Store app (by following these steps), but it reads that it's not compatible.

Your device isn't compatible with this version.

However I was able to install in BlueStacks on Mac. Both Android platforms are x86 compatible.

Genymotion
root@cloud:/ # getprop | grep -w cpu
[ro.product.cpu.abi]: [x86_64]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist32]: [x86]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist64]: [x86_64]
[ro.product.cpu.abilist]: [x86_64,x86]

BlueStacks

Where is the compatibility problem? Is it because of Android 4.4.2 vs Android 5.1-7.0, or it's something else?

It sounds like the application is only compatible with ARM CPUs, but not with x86. Genymotion doesn't have an ARM translation libraries installed due to intellectual property reasons where Bluestacks have them installed by default.
Here is the response which I've received from Genymotion support team explaining this in details:

We do not offer 32-bits AMI images. However, it shouldn't be a problem because 32-bits applications should be compatible with x86-64 CPUs that Genymotion on Demand is using.
It rather seem that this application is only compatible with ARM CPUs. There is an ARM translation tool that can make your application work on Genymotion. This ARM translation tool is present in Bluestacks and not Genymotion by default.
We do not provide ARM translation tool by default because it's not our intellectual property.
Genymotion support team

As per above message, an ARM translation tool needs to be installed on Genymotion in order to make the application work properly.
Normally if you're developer, you only need to add the x86 build target to your current targets.
Otherwise, you need to install ARM to x86 translation libraries, which you can find on the Internet or you can contact the developer of the application to ask for x86 architecture support.

An ARM application running on Genymotion is less stable and efficient than an x86 application. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you only use x86 applications with Genymotion.

Source: Why does Genymotion return an error message when I try to install an ARM application?

Suggested steps to install an ARM translation tool for Genymotion:

Download an ARM Translation tool (e.g. Genymotion-ARM-Translation_v1.1.zip).
Drag & drop the ARM Translation tool to the Genymotion Home Screen
Once you see ARM Translation flash message, confirm with OK.
Restart device if required (e.g. adb reboot).

Source: How To Download & Install ARM Translation v1.1.zip for Genymotion.
Related: Genymotion with Google Play Services for ARM at Gist.


text:
Daily data usage on home screen
Can I see daily mobile data usage (excluding Wi-Fi) on the home screen using a widget?

Yes, with the help of third-party applications, I am not sure if the feature is available in stock, perhaps it depends on ROM

Apps like this do this but as pointed out above not a stock Android feature

I think this 3rd party widget will do it. It says that it can be customized.
Data Counter
PS: Sorry for not using the comments field.


text:
How Google Play updates itself?
A few days go I launched my old phone with old version of Google Play. I launched it, but in few seconds application crashed. When I launched it again, a new version (this one that I have on my current phone) was shown infront of my eyes. I'm asking, how? I have a theory that Google Play checking content of server and when detect a new apk, it install it in the background. Am I reasoning it right?

What do you mean "how can it"? Google services are constantly in contact with the servers, when they are outdated they automatically update and you pretty much can't stop it. The Play Store, Play Services, and other Google services are not like normal apps, they are more like system services.

When you're connected to Wi-Fi and Google Play Store is running, it will automatically download any updates for Play Store and Play Services. If you have something like a network monitor, you'll occasionally find Google Play Store occupying large bandwidth and stops after tens of MB.
Updates for Play Services will be installed immediately while updates for Play Store will be installed after you quit it (by pressing back multiple times or home). As noted by @Matthew Read, apps with system privileges do not require user intervention while installing or updating apps.

Just to clarify, it will also update over regular cell phone internet, not just Wi-Fi. Play Store as well as other things it considers important.

Yes, you're correct.  Google Play Services checks for and installs new versions when needed.  As acejavelin mentions, Google services are privileged apps and do not need user interaction/permission to update.


text:
How to prevent google to parse my calendar?
I use Android 6.0.1 on a Samsung Galaxy J5.
I have my own mail + contacts + calendar server on a dedicated server.
I noticed that when I put some entrys in my calendar (smartphone) with an address, when I open Waze, I have the choice proposed directly (Appointment) to go to this address.
I don't want google to track my calendar, so any idea to prevent this ?

Solution, install Xprivacy for rooted devices.


text:
Cleaning down phone between uses?
I'm project manager consulting for a charity who have a set of LG Nexus phones that are sent into schools as part of a STEM project.  For safeguarding reasons when the phones are returned we need to clear off any photos, videos, audio recordings and any internet cache/history.  There are a couple of apps loaded onto the phones for the students to use that need to be retained.
I'm looking for a fast solution for cleaning the phones.  All the phones are connected to the same Gmail account.
I know nothing about coding for Android devices (or anything about Android devices in truth!) so please be kind with your responses.
Many thanks in advance.
Julia

So it's just the apps (and probably the Google account) that need to be installed to a "sanitized" device? Or must the apps already be pre-configured somehow? Also, are the devices rooted? Do they have a custom recovery? Choices differ based on those facts.

Hi Izzy, I don't believe the devices are rooted.  The apps that are used do not need to store any data.

As root is not available, there might be another viable approach by just clearing the app data. For some background, please take a look at our adb and adb tag-wiki. The idea, in short, is walking all apps and clearing their data:
adb shell "pm list packages"

would list all installed apps. It can be restricted to just the user-installed apps by adding another parameter, -3 (3=third-party). Next to that, the pm tool a.o. allows to "clear app data" for a given app:
adb shell "pm clear com.package.name"

The package name you need here is returned by the list packages command from above. So you'd need to create a script once, calling pm clear for each app you want to clear the data from (you certainly want to skip some, e.g. to have the Google account remain intact). Then, whenever you need to "clean devices", simply connect the device to your computer via USB cable and run the script.

Thanks for that information.  I really know nothing about how to interact with these devices but I will make it my business to find out how and try that script you mentioned  :-)

Our tag-wikis will be a good starting point (here, especially the already mentioned adb tag-wiki). You might be interested in the "minimal installation of ADB" (as you certainly don't need a full-fledged development environment), and a "basic dive" into ADB commands. You won't regret it, as ADB comes in handy with many situations (eg. accessing the logs, see our logging tag-wiki). Good luck, and let us know if this worked for you then, @Julez !


text:
How to force android 6 to automatically connect to a network without internet access?
I've set up a hifiberry(raspberry + dac shield) in my car, which has a wireless access point. I'm using my old sony z3 compact as a headunit. Runeaudio allows you to do all this easily. However, the raspberry is just an access point, there is no modem so it has no internet access.
Normally the phone will connect to networks automatically, but inthis case, it says "no internet access, won't automatically connect" in the wifi options. I have to manually connect it every time.
Is there a way to make it connect automatically, even though there is no internet access?

This seems strange as android is supposed to automatically connect to automatically to saved networks irrespective of internet access,  otherwise try forgetting the network and reconnect ing

I can add a screenshot later if you don8

T believe me. It says it is not automatically connecting explicitly because there is no internet access.

Oh really, let me see if my device behaves in the same way, i will get back to you

Figured it out! I guess the phone detects it as captive portal

The interface for runeaudio is a webpage, runeaudio is the OS running on the pi so that would make sense. Where you able to reproduce it? Ill upload scresnie in 30 mins.

http://imgur.com/a/btXYK

So how could I go about making it connect automatically? There must be a simple way with an automation app, I couldnt find anything on google though.

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/110789/very-frequent-wifi-disconnection-while-being-in-china

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/100657/how-to-disable-captive-portal-detection-how-to-remove-exclamation-mark-on-wi-fi

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/66964/connect-to-wifi-network-even-if-it-doesnt-have-internet-access

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/220414/how-can-i-automatically-re-connect-to-a-wifi-network

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/186993/captive-portal-parameters

See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37218510/android-6-0-1-force-wifi-connection-with-no-internet-access

As mentioned here since Android 5, when  the device connect to. Wi-Fi network it makes  a quick HTTP request to check if it has internet access.

This check is, for example, done with
  clients3.google.com/generate_204 , a “webpage” that always returns
  an HTTP status code 204 No Content| . Thus, if the device receives a
  204` it is connected to the internet, otherwise it assumes that this
  network does not provide proper internet access or is just a captive
  portal.

Most probable resolution is to disable captive portal detection, ad there are a variety of ways to achieve this:

Using AdAway to prevent the HTTP leak (blocking the URL)

Configuration of AdAway which blocks Google’s captive portal detection.

# captive portal
 127.0.0.1   clients3.google.com

 127.0.0.1   clients.l.google.com

Disable captive portal detection

With a rooted phone you can simply disable captive portal detection. Just get a root-shell through adb (or SSH etc) to run the following command:
settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

Additionally see this related question: How to disable captive portal detection? How to remove exclamation mark on Wi-Fi or signal icon in Lollipop?

Change the server for captive portal detection using AdAway
Another option for changing the captive portal detection server is to change its IP address to one that’s under your control.

You can do that with AdAway, for example. Let’s say your captive portal detection server has the IP address 5.189.140.231 , then you may add the following to your AdAway configuration:
5.189.140.231 clients3.google.com
5.189.140.231 clients.l.google.com

The webserver at 5.189.140.231 should then of course accept requests for the foreign domains.
For other workarounds see here

Thats great! Anytime :)


text:
How to keep my music and alarm files separate
I have two folders of mp3 files, one for music and one for my alarm clock. I have them both on my sd card.
Right now I'm trying to use (or find) 3rd party apps that will do what i want.
Even outside the default music folder,  the music player and the alarm app both seem to pick up both folders.
I'd like to find a way to ignore the folders in each app. I tried adding a .nomedia folder but that hides it from both apps.
If there's a specific app that can ignore .nomedia files or only look at specified folders, that would probably work.
Seems most alarm apps name you select each song (let me know of any that can just watch folders), but it's still annoying sorting through picking out which is alarm and which isn't.

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