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How to cut and paste on Sony XPeria Z1?
Assuming a healthy phone, what is the normal procedure for cutting and pasting from editable text fields on Android?
On my iPhone this pops up after selecting text, but I cannot even select the text on Android. The whole process is so intuitive on iOS I cannot even remember how I do it, it just happens naturally. On Android I can't work it out!
I'm mostly interested in version 4.2.2 and the multi-line plain text input used on the Wordpress app, though I have equal trouble with Notes and Chrome's address bar.
I want to occasionally move sentences around within a chunk of text, without duplicating them (so Copy is of limited interest, though I note it is equally difficult).
I have a Sony XPeria Z1.
NOTE: this question is about cutting, not copying. Thanks.

On Android, it's normally almost the exact same process as iOS. Long-press the text. drag the end-points, then click the Copy/Cut options. The only difference between Android and iOS is that on Android, the Copy/Cut buttons are on the top of the screen. Although it's possible that Samsung/Whoever has made the process different on their phones. Could you please [edit] your question and add information about which phone you have?

According to Sony, on their phones you double tap a word and some draggable gadgets will appear. Cut, copy etc appear at the top edge.

Wow. Changing from the OS standard long-tap to double-tap just makes things harder for no apparent reason. Good work, Sony.

Worse, they left the standard in place half the time. For Chrome (and probably others) both standards on one screen.

Android 4.2.2 already contains the advanced copy/cut/paste functions. Calling it up is intuitive too - just long press on a word, then use the field edge indicator gadgets to select the text you want to cut.

Then on top you will see some icons representing specific functions. There will be a copy one (Number 4 in the image above), a paste one (Number 5), and a cut icon too (Number 3).
Pasting works the same way, just long press where you want to paste, and press the button.

This answer is perfect, although "field edge indicator gadget" had me stumped for a moment. Is that the official name for the end-point things?

@dotVezz No, they're called text selection handles.

Thanks for the edit, yes, the official name evaded me a bit.
Also, the image seems to be from a non-AOSP ROM - on AOSP the icons are a bit different, and cut has definitely no scissor icon (on my phone, running CM10.2 it is as I described before).

The image is from the Sony website linked in Mr Gibbs's answer.


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Battery life indicator has failed
A week or two ago my battery life indicator for my Motorolla Atrix 4G has ceased to working properly.  The indicator indicates the battery drains ridiculous fast and it's inaccurate.  I'll fully charge it and after unplugging it for an hour or so, the indicator is down to 1%.  It remains at 1%, though, for up to a day.
Taking steps to avoid draining my battery is a separate discussion that doesn't have to do with this topic.  I specifically need to know what I should do about an inaccurate battery life indicator.  Is there a way to reset the indicator?  Should I contact Motorolla or is this a software issue?
Thanks in advance!
Edit: The first thing I tried was replacing the battery with a new one.  This did nothing to resolve the problem.

Maybe the battery is knackered, a replacement battery is needed?

Well, that exactly sounds like the reason given for battery calibration -- controversial as that topic might be... I know the following should not be done too frequently, but have you tried to let the battery drain once until the device switches off, and then (in one run!) re-charge it to 100% without disconnecting the charging cable?

Not sure how I failed to include this, but replacing the battery with a new one was the first thing I tried.  No difference.
And I'm sure I've tried that, Izzy.  I usually fully charge my battery.  Another phenomenon that started before this inaccurately fast draining indicator issue was that when I would "fully" charge the battery, the indicator would never read 100%.  It would always be 90-something.

To decide whether it is a soft- or hardware issue, you might try a factory reset (this will also be the first thing Motorola service will ask you to do). Keep in mind, however, that this will wipe away all your data and all the apps you've installed, so make a good backup first.

I'll try a factory reset and update this thread after I do.  Thanks for your continued input.

I did a factory reset and the fast draining indicator seems to still be an issue.  Seems like my only option now is to reach out to Motorolla.

Did you install some program right before it happened?
Did you open a program, made changes, saved, and this happened?
Are you using a custom kernel or ROM?
If it's a new program, try to uninstall it first and check the results. If you didn't install anything BUT used a program before the battery meter broke, then try clearing the data and cache of that program to set it to defaults.
If the above did not work then you might need to report the kernel to it's respective developer or try to flash another kernel/ROM (if using a custom kernel/ROM), and if not. A factory reset might fix your problem like what Izzy said. I recommend using Titanium Backup to backup your files because its easy to restore afterwards.
If it still did not help and you get a fast battery drain, then it is most likely a hardware problem, eg. power IC might be shorted

To reset the battery stats you just need to go to Recovery and Wipe battery stats. Its best if you do this with your battery fully charged. Its wise to leave the phone an extra 10-20 minutes when wiping stats to ensure the battery is fully charged.

That is a myth! It has been debunked by a Google developer, see this

As t0mm13b said (+1; developer mentioned is Dianne Hackborne). battstats.bin only holds data about how much battery which app has been "eating". Still, calibration of the battery itself is a different issue...

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Weird Google search results on LG G4
The other day my Google search app search results started looking like this:

There appears to be a globe next to all results and it's just much less readable. The app is up to date.
When I change my account in tyre Google app to my secondary email account, the issue goes away.
Any idea how to correct this?

Did you update the app?

@Matthew Read I assume it's set to auto update

This happens when you search with Google Search App?  Seems strange, maybe its newer version mine doesn't do this. Let me try to reproduce the issue with mine. Will get back to you

imho uninstall the google search app. clear your google account setting and then reinstall the app. Also what happens if search from any other device while logged into the same google account?

While I couldn't entirely reproduce this issue, I found a few points worth to share:
Seems the issue is caused by autocomplete feature in Google App.
Searching using autocomplete

When you start a search on Google, you can find the information you're
  looking for faster using search predictions. Search predictions are
  possible search terms you can use that are related to the terms you're
  typing and what other people are searching for.

How autocomplete works
Predictions are made based on factors, like the popularity and freshness of search terms. When you choose a prediction, you do a search using the term you selected.
Where search predictions come from

The terms you're typing.
Relevant searches you've done in the past (if you're signed in to your Google Account and have Web & App Activity turned on).
What other people are searching for, including Trending stories . Trending stories are popular topics in your area that change throughout the day. Trending stories aren't related to your search history.

Here's what Google says about autocomplete feature:

Search predictions aren't the answer to your search. They're also not
  statements by other people or Google about your search terms.

Change autocomplete settings
If you're using the Google app on an Android device, you can turn off Trending stories .

Open the Google app .
At the top left, tap Menu Settings Autocomplete .
Tap the switch to turn "Show trending stories" off or on.

What can't be changed

Other than Trending stories, you can't turn off search predictions.
  Search predictions are built into Google Search to help you find
  information faster and easier. You can always choose not to use search
  predictions.

As I suggested in comments it maybe a feature associated with newer Google Chrome version, together with new features in Google App.

I suggest, who also check related settings in Google Chrome and look for any options suggesting autocomplete behaviour.
In addition look for any odd history and cache, delete the unnecessary entries, in these Apps as well as  when logged in to your Google account

Hope this helps
Search using autocomplete
Edit
BY default Google stores most of the users's activity in the My account section of Google account.
Here Google collects bits of information based on the user's activity (e.g played youtube videos, location history, browsing and search history)
The information is stored (even without consent) in order to improve user experience - at least that's Google best explanation of this annoying behaviour.
To find out any previous data collected, or at least gain some control over your account, you need to navigate to the "My activity section of My account
here you find most of the stored data, cache etc,and deleted these and also control what data is collected. ( I believe this is the cause for annoying predictions based on previously or commonly visited websites)
I managed to collect samples of the My activity section:
For multiple accounts, Google claims the default account may get to store more of this user data activity:

Carefully review this "collected data" be sure to delete any details you no longer need, I suggest remove everything no longer needed, clear the cache and start afresh. Do it for all Google accounts stored in device
Check if you still see this.
References

FWIW when I change my account to my secondary email, the issue goes away.

More or less what I was suggesting , you will find that Google stores most of the activities(e.g browsing, search, location etc) you do. Most of the settings can be customised under My account section so you will need to log in to review these Also, If you use more than one account at the same time, some data may get saved in your default account

This looks to me like some of Google's internal AB testing, and you just happened to be one of the random select users with this test. This explains why your other Google account does not have the changes in search appearance. Nothing is wrong with your device, nor a configuration on your account settings. This is purely Google doing some things on their end without your say.
There's no way to disable or change back to the old style, but if you're so inclined, signing out would probably do the trick. The test will automatically be reverted in a few days to a few weeks depending on what Google wants to do with their product.
Source: Android Police

The "globe" icon appears next to related sites, when you have the prediction service turned on.
It looks like an addition as of Google app version 7.0.
You can turn it off by navigating to Menu -> Settings -> Search/In Apps and uncheck Google Chrome.
Ref: Google Support

Thanks for the response!  Unfortunately, this didn't work.  In the Google Search App, I went to Menu > Settings > In Apps and unchecked Google Chrome.  I then restarted and I'm still seeing the globe and less-readable results.

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


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Wifi disconnects during sleep
I noticed recently that, when I would use my phone after it had been sleeping, wifi wouldn't be connected and it would have to connect.  I went into advanced wifi settings and ensured that "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep" was set to "Always", but the problem remains.  Any ideas?
I have an HTC One and AT&T.
Update #1: Went through troubleshooting with three different HTC techs. The last effort was to clear the boot partition cache and factory reset the phone. After doing both, however, the issue remained.  I learned that the AT&T software is out of date and actually has never been updated since I've had the phone for 16 months.  I'm waiting for a level 2 HTC tech to send me the latest version.

Do you have a 3rd party battery saving app installed? They usually turn all connections off when your phone is in deep sleep, only refreshing it for a minute every hour or 45 minutes depending on the default settings.

I do not have a battery saving app.

What a nightmare. I've spent the last 2-3 weeks trying to have HTC work with me to resolve the issue. Their customer service had been frustrating.
After factory reseting my phone to no avail, it was concluded the only possible cause of the issue is that my software was outdated. It turns out, my phone had never updated its software. Ever. This is something I would expect to be done automatically, but HTC wouldn't accept blame nor would they blame AT&T or me for not manually checking for updates constantly. They also somehow don't have access to any of the updates I missed (that they own). An escalated tech support person said to have the software updated, I'd have to send my phone in for repair or he'd have to contact "corporate" to gain access to the updates. What?
In the meantime, he suggested a couple troubleshooting steps which, after reviewing my ticket, he saw had not been tried. One of them worked and that was to go to:
Settings > Power > Power Saver. Turn Power Saver off and uncheck Data Connection. I'm not exactly sure what this does - most likely results in my power draining faster - but it works and I don't feel like dealing with HTC anymore.
To be clear, I don't think this is a perfect solution, more of an acceptable stop-gap.  I assume that having the phone software completely up to date would resolve the problem, but since HTC is unable to provide me with their updates, this is what I have to go with.  Hopefully this helps someone else.

Just as an addition: I stumpled across the same (plus another problem) while upgrading my nexus 5 from Lollipop to Marshmallow. Every time when the phone was at sleep mode (for example: while driving my car and phone rested in the pocket) and I walked into a know wifi it did not auto connect.
Usually when I arrived at work, as soon as I exited at the parking lot I got notified for incoming mails or messages, but not anymore on Android 6. As soon as I unlocked the phone wifi automatically connected and everything was fine. But I always forget to do this and It sometimes took hours before I realized I haven't done this step and messages won't get sent to me since I was not connected to the wifi until I picked up the phone from the pocket and unlocked it once.
I looked through all the settings and policy stuff, and finally I found something that worked:
Under Settings -> Power -> ... -> Power Optimimization you can switch the list from "unoptimized apps" to "all apps". Then search for "Google Connectivity Services" and disable the power optimisation for this system app.
After I've done it finally autoconnects to known wifis while my phone is in my pocket.
UPDATE
I just wanted to leave a note, that there was a small update a couple of days/weeks ago that brought back the not autoconnect issue to me, Power Optimization did not work for me anymore. Still have this issue, I will do a clean Android 6 install in the next weeks and look if the issue still exists. If yes I will stick with Android 5.x
UPDATE2
There was another update a while ago that almost "fixed" this problem.

I don't see "Power" under "Settings" in Android 6.0...

I found it under Settings -> Battery -> (pull down menu in upper right) -> Battery Optimization.

I am glad you found it but I am afraid they changed something. The last small update brought back this issue to me, so the optimization does not work anymore for my nexus 5 at least :/ I can conclude 3rd party app since I don't have much installed besides the default Google apps,  Telegram, Netflix and 2048 :)

Yeah, I tried it and it seems to help but it still doesn't retain Wifi 100% of the time... which is unfortunate when I am in an area where I have Wifi coverage but no cell coverage (Google Fi...)

It's happening while on AC power with the battery fully charged.

On Marshmallow, go to settings, battery, pull down battery optimization, All apps, select Google Connectivity Services, select not optimized. This solve the problem for me. WiFi always stays on, even during sleep.

I had same problem and after mouths I tryed to switch from Settings->Smart battery saver (5.1) to ON from OFF and i saw it work, my Wi-Fi keep connected in sleep mode. I think on is off and off is on and nobody know it (+ google) or this is only at my phone... I don't know but this worked for me xD

I've tried everything this discussion proposes but it didn't fix my problem.
What fixed it, was enabling "Performance" Battery Mode instead of "Balanced".
Please note that I have CM13 on a LG G2 (d802) but I guess this problem excisted across many devices (I've read about SGS7 too).
I hope I helped ! That was my first ever response to stackexchange! :)

I had this same problem and had done just as the author: "went into advanced wifi settings and ensured that 'Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep' was set to 'Always'"
However, to solve it I just toggled the setting: I switched from Always to Never, backed out to ensure the setting took effect and then set it again to Always and backed out.
This solved my problem.

I solved this problem by changing the modem setting. The latest versions of Android has problems with the Wi-Fi channels 1 and 13, so a better way is to set the transmission channel number of the modem or router from automatic to a middle channel, e.g. channels like 5, 7, etc... Because I've done this change the connection is working great and never disconnects even when my phone is sleeping or screen is off.

Don't use ALL CAPS because that looks like you're shouting and it's hurting my eyes and ears.

Im 100% sure it is all about IPv6 type of connections. I was having IPv4 and it was all OK. Switched to ipv6 and this problem accrued.

On which Android device and Android OS did you try this successfully? Are you absolutely certain you had the same problem as mentioned in the question?

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


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Text Messages Sporatically Get Stuck In Unsent State On Droid 3
I have been having this issue for a long time on my rooted Droid 3 using the ROM it came with and this happens daily with relevant logs being left or any clear trigger.
Basically what happens, and it tends to happen after the phone has been on for a few hours, I will send a message, usually with Handcent SMS (though I've experimented and tried other apps including the stock SMS, still happens) and occassionally a text will get stuck.
Now one of two things generally will happen. Either it'll sit "sending" for about 5 minutes before finally failing. This acts like a text bottle neck, because if, say, I have a multi-page text being sent, the other queued messages will send instantly when the initial text fails.
The other thing is that the text message will just sit sending indefinitely until I notice it hasn't sent and I delete it manually. If I resend it, sometimes those subsequent attempts will also hang.
And once this starts happening, it will continue to happen until I restart my phone, resulting in my restarting my phone several times a day.
An interesting observation that could help diagnose is the issue is once when I observed this happening, I open up a SQLite debug app and when I try to open up the mmssms.db file, it cannot read the file, which makes me think, perhaps the file is locked which is why the SMS process cannot commit the change to the database. Just an idea; don't know if that's at all related.
Edit: This does seem to happen more often after heavy usage, say playing a game. Could it be that' some sort of SMS-handling daemon gets killed, perhaps?


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My xperia x10 is booting again and again
I just installed busybox and then my phone is rebooting again and again!!
What can I do to stop it?
I don't know how to boot it into recovery. I did it once (before I installed busybox) by clicking the back button when it's starting, but it's not working now.
I tried to do it from quick boot (while my phone stays on for a minute or less) but it doesn't work.
I have xperia x10 rooted to android 2.2 with cyanogenmod 6

Read the issues that arises with Cyanogenmod ROM. I faced the same issue. Finally reinstalled the Original ROM that comes up with my Xperia Mini Pro using SEUS.

where can i read them?how can i reinstall it ? in fact this is what i was meaning to do when i had this problem.any idea how can i fix this plz.thanks

Search for your ROM related information here :http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=617

I guess there is a updated version of Cyanogenmod ROM available. Download it and install it using xRecovery. If nothing works then use SEUS to format the phone and install the original ROM that comes with the Phone and try doing the same.

Yup man. SEUS is Sony Ericsson Update Service. You must have a PC with internet to do this. Download that software from http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/support/softwaredownloads/detailed/updateservice/xperiax10?cc=gb&lc=en. Install it and follow the steps.

After installation just follow the steps. But before even doing that back up all your data. You will loose everything with this installation.

I guess the following are the steps.Turn off the  phone, run SEUS until you are asked to connect the phone
Now connect the phone to your PC do not turn the phone on
Hold the back key and insert the USB do not let go of the back key until told to do so
SEUS will auto detect your phone at this point.

this is what ive done.then it says my phoe is up to date and it quit

Follow the steps here. Check the step no-6. It shows the install option even your phone has the updated software. http://www.guidingtech.com/mobiles/update-sony-ericsson-xperia-x10-to-android-eclair/

One thing - Your mobile had 2.1. You installed custom ROM to have the 2.2 version. And in the next quarter or later Sony Ericsson is going to release 2.3 version. I strongly recommend restore your phone with  the original ROM. If they releases any updates you will get informed in the notice bar.

Oh Man, thats the reason why you're not able to install the Original ROM. Sorry my answers won't applicable for your mobile. In that case you need to see the XDA forums regarding the Cyanogenmod ROM.

Guys, don't do this in comments.  Take it to the chatroom.

I fixed it :)
in case somebody is in the same situation, here is what i did:
i flashed my phone to its original rom using flashtool  (if u dont know how to use it go here )
thats it
thanks everyone

Try holding the "Back" key while turning the phone on.
It sounds as if the phone is in a boot loop.  Why did you need to install Busybox in the first place?  CyanogenMod (and most other custom ROMs) already has it included.  I would recommend re-flashing CM6 again.

i was/am trying to reinstall the rom cause its not working properly,followed a thread,that was the first step. holding the back button doesnt work!!


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How can I fix Xperia x10i application crashes under CyanogenMOD 6?
I have a lot of issues with my Xperia x10i:

I get a lot of forced close of apps
I don't have zoom in my camera nor flash light
I don't have Mediascape nor Timescape and maybe other apps I don't know about
From time to time it reboots from its own
My music app dosnt work
My camera doesnt work in apps (like Goggles or Barcode Scanner), it just gives me colorful stripes and no picture

As far as I know Sony has only released Android 2.1 for this phone and doesn't plan to do 2.2, But I noticed (in the info tab section) that my phone is 2.2.1! It seems that it was rooted and had Cyanogenmod 6 installed.
Please help me fix my issues.
i also have several question to understand a bit more :
  is my phone rooted? and what does it mean exactly?
  and if i do this would i still have Cyanogenmod? can i get back after that (i like its features)?
  and what does rom and mod mean?
Thank you

Do you have a specific question here? "Please help me with my problems" is not a specific question. If there really are that many problems with it you may need to break this up into several questions.

the question is how to fix  these problems..i think they r related so its better to put them in the same post..if not just let me know,its my first post here

We prefer questions that have the potential for a single answer. Except for "you got scammed" I don't think there might be a single answer here.

im getting some ideas here then i will be able to ask specific questions

I fixed it :)
in case somebody is in the same situation, here is what i did:
i flashed my phone to its original rom using flashtool  (if u dont know how to use it go here )
thats it
thanks everyone

I would suggest to start your phone in recovery mode (download and install quickboot from market).
If your phone restart in recovery mode you just need to find the last version of cyanogen working on your phone, install it and live happily.
If you don't feel like it just do a wipe all from your recovery menu (that's a complete "format" of your phone) and install from scratch latest sony firmware from their website.
As you start in one path or another and face different problems just come here with new and more accurate questions so we can give accurate answers :)
You'll get a brand new phone: do not give up!

Pitto,thank you for ur answer, i dont give up :)
i installed quickboot and restart in recovery (i didnt notice any change!) but then i didnt know how to find the last version of cyanogen.
i intsalled rom manager to try to do that,but updating the rom is only for premium users!

if you didn't see any change I think that you have no recovery installed :/
Hurry then:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=859571

Here you find information about installing the roma again :)
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/install-custom-cyanogenmod-6-1-1-rom-on-sony-ericsson-xperia-x10/

i tried doing what the link said,i installed busybox...then my phone is booting againa and again!!!dont know what to do!

I would recommend going back to the Sony official firmware.
This thread has step-by-step instructions for reverting Xperia X10 handsets to stock ROM.  You might want to search the thread to confirm that the process is the same for your X10i model before starting.
Keep in mind that flashing to the stock firmware will erase all of your settings and installed apps, so back up the important bits.

already did,but didnt change anything..but will take a look at the thread maybe there is a method more efficent,thx

can i ask plz, is my phone rooted? and what does it mean exactly? and if i do this would i still have Cyanogenmod? can i get back after that?

If your phone has a custom ROM installed, then it's definitely rooted (see here for explanation: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/236/what-does-to-root-a-phone-mean). If you revert to official firmware, you will no longer have CyanogenMod.  Yes, you can always re-root the phone and install a custom ROM if you wish.

thx,if i re-root it,would i get these problems again?cause from what i understand they were caused by rooting..

Most likely rooting itself did not cause any of these problems, but installing a custom ROM could have.  For someone that is new to Android and is not technical enough to troubleshoot these issues on their own, I would highly recommend not installing a custom ROM.

Cyanogenmod is a custom rom right? what do i have to do to get technical enough? i dont know tutorials about this or any usefull resources..

Yes, CyanogenMod is a custom ROM.  http://cyanogenmod.com is a good starting point.  You should be familiar with some Linux terminology, and be comfortable with using the Command Line.  Keep in mind that installing a custom ROM is a fairly technical process, and if not done correctly can render your phone useless.  It will definitely void any warranty on your handset.


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The video file cannot be played (on Galaxy S)
Last few days my video files cannot be played on my Samsung Galaxy S and I do not know why.
I select a video and I choce to wath it with the android's video player and I have the message below :
"The video file cannot be played"
Have you a solution ?
Thanks.

If you have the issue with files, that you were previously able to play, try to reboot your phone. If playback works afterwards, you seem to have the same issue as described in this problem: Unsupported File Type: Why did my Samsung Galaxy S suddenly stop supporting MP3s?
I do not know of a fix for this yet, the only workaround seems to be a reboot.

Thanks. A simple reboot has solved my problem. I don't know why I had not thought of earlier.
(maybe because I do not associate Unix and Reboot =) )

If you have the same problem as me, this will unfortunately occur every 2-3 days :(. If you are able to reproduce this behaviour at will, I would be happy to know how you do it, so I can try it myself and perhaps find out what is causing it.

No problem.
But it's the first time and, I hope, the last..

Android's built in decoders are rather picky about the files they will play - limited encoded resolution (possibly less than that of the device's display), limited bitrate, limited formats.
If these are new files, try encoding them to be less demanding.
If these are files that used to work, see if something on the phone is perhaps slowing it down - on on rare occasion I had a file that generally plays start failing part way through.  A reboot might be worth trying.

I have an HTC Desire which had the same problem. A simple reboot did not solve the problem but when I shut it down, removed the battery, reinserted the battery after waiting about 10 minutes and then restarting the phone the problem was corrected. My problem affected gallery and all the browsers. I presume they all use the same engine for displaying video.


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How can you remove homescreens on the Nexus 7 (2013)
I have a Nexus 7 (2013) which comes with five homescreens, however I want to remove most of these but I'm unable to find an option to do so.
Most of the sites I've looked on so far suggest simply tapping and holding on the homescreen, but this prompts me to change my wallpaper.
How can you remove homescreens on the Nexus 7 (2013)?

Are you sure you have the google-experience launcher? The one that comeswith the Nexus 5 and has integrated Google Now on the leftmost screen? It does not come with the Nexus 7 update, it is Nexus 5 exclusive. You CAN sideload it, but since you mention "Five Homescreens" you don't have it. You have the stock launcher.
If you are using the Nexus 7 'stock' launcher you cannot remove or add homescreens. You could install Nova Launcher or another third party launcher. You can easily add and remove screens on these, through pinch out and drag screen to the 'trash can' or 'X' icon.
Specific to G.E.L:
You simply remove all the shortcuts from the rightmost screen and it will automatically remove the screen itself. The reverse is true also, drag an icon out of the app drawer over the edge of the rightmost screen and a new one will be created.
Side Loading GEL:
Phandroid 'How to' With links to the apk files
You can easily sideload GEL and you will only have one homescreen by default, and integrated Google Now. This should work on any Android 4.0+ Device. I have tested on 4.2.2 and 4.3 and 4.4 on Galaxy S4, Nexus 4 and HTC One.

@Kalina I've updated again with links on how to install the GEL on your device. Also Nova is a brilliant launcher, I've used it since my HTC Desire. Since they are both free, why not experiment with what you like? If you need anything else just let me know, if my answer was useful please condider accepting it!

Thanks for that - going through the process of installing GEL now!

Great, hope it works for you. Any issues let me know and we can sort it out. There are a few files to install to get it working. It worked first time on all my devices EXCEPT the Nexus 4, where it went very screwy. I got it working but reinstalling all the apks again a second time.

Yeah it's all up and running now, just re building my home screens! Much thanks

No sideloading is necessary. Install the official "Google Now Launcher" from Google Play store and it will allow you to remove unused home screens (desktops) and enable the "OK Google" voice commands, among other things.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher

I've figured this out and it's actually pretty easy:

Make sure one of the home screens is BLANK by removing all apps and widgets.
Then, PINCH TO ZOOM on the screen. This will bring up a collage of ALL the home screens.
Drag and drop the screen you would like into the 'Remove' trash bin.

Voila.

This doesn't work for me on my Nexus 7 (with Android 5.0.2 loaded)...pinching has no effect.


text:
What pros would upgrading to Superuser Elite bring?
I somewhat understand what Superuser does, but I'm curious if upgrading to the Elite version is a good idea... What pros are there? Does upgrading provide any additional features?

You can see the advantages from the developer's home page.
Superuser Elite is the Premium version of Superuser. It unlocks several premium features within Superuser, including:

PIN Protection – Secure your Superuser prompt with a PIN number so that nobody but you can grant Superuser rights to apps
Access timeout – Allow an app to maintain Superuser rights for a set amount of time, so that you can allow certain apps access without having to remember them or press allow multiple times
Ghost mode – Hide Superuser from your app tray and home screen. With ghost mode activated, the only way to launch it is by dialing a secret code into the dialer. The default secret code is *#*#787378737#*#*, but it can be set to whatever you want. Note that this feature will probably be disabled if your device does not have a dialer (tablets specifically).
Advanced log management – Set the log to only store a certain number of entries before deleting the oldest entry. You also gain the ability to set certain apps to not log at all.
Advanced notification management – Set which apps send notifications and which apps don’t
Toast notification placement – If you choose to use Toast notifications instead of Status bar notifications, you gain the ability to set where the notification will appear; top, bottom, or center of the screen, or the default location

I got it for the PIN protection and for beta access (which I believe is over), and of course to support Chainfire.  So far it's been great and the binary updater came in handy a few times before it made it into the standard version.

Thanks! I really had no idea what most of those things did, haha..


text:
How do I refund a purchase made through Google Play?
When I purchase an item from Google Play, I get the following message;

This message seems to indicate that I can somehow get a refund for my purchase by performing an action on my device within a specified time frame.
What exactly is this message implying I have to do in order to get a refund? How do I refund a purchase made through Google Play?

If you open the Play Store on your Android device and go to that app's page within the refund period, a refund option is available to tap. I'm not certain if this is available in the web version of the Play Store (It isn't, as far as I can tell).

All of the details on refund/cancellations are here on the Google Play support site:
You can do the following:

Within 15 minutes, open the google play app and click refund
Wait 2 hours and don't download the app.  It will auto-cancel
After 15 minutes, sign into google wallet, select the transaction and contact the seller. They have the option to refund or not at the sellers discretion.

If it has been more than fifteen minutes of purchase, you cannot refund an app via an Android device. [Well, you can but via the desktop version in a browser.]
Go to the Google Play Store, click the gear [settings] icon and select "My Orders" You have the option of then requesting for a refund, even if the app was bought a year ago [I've tried].


text:
How can I prevent Android from auto-installing all of my apps?
I usually install different ROMs regularly...
When I set up my account on a fresh ROM, I don't want my phone to start loading all of the apps that I had installed with the same account on previous ROM. I want to choose what I want reinstalled on a new version.
Can I control this behaviour or is there a another way around this?

Make sure to disable the auto-restore under Menu -> Settings -> Privacy -> Automatic restore before installing a different ROM.

automatic restore i had disabled for about a month.. in fact i havent checked the option to backup my data even..for more than a month..

After you flash a new ROM, you are usually asked to log-in to your Google account. If I remember correctly, one of the (wizard) steps has a checkbox that will ask if you want to sync your account, or re-install the apps that you installed previously.
Is it possible that you missed this step and just moved to the Next screen?

On most ROMs (if not all) there's a checkbox after logging in to your Google account in the initial setup wizard which allows you to enable backup/restore for the device. If you deselect this checkbox, your apps will not be automatically installed.


text:
Is there a way to launch app via terminal in the background?
Is there a command to launch an app via terminal and have it start in the background?
Something like the "&" in Linux...

Android is a Linux too, so a simple example :
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.TetherSettings &


text:
Is it possible to selectively limit background data usage?
I have a sufficient data-plan so I've never worried about this... tomorrow though, I'm travelling abroad. Due to this, I will have restricted 3g usage.
Are there any apps or Android settings to prevent certain applications from syncing in the background while allowing others to work unrestricted? For example, if I only want to use WhatsApp or check emails, without "Android OS" or Facebook playing around online, would this be possible?
If I could have this as a "roaming only" profile/mode would be an advantage. If I could also allow these applications to run as normal when WiFi is available, that would be a bonus!
My device is not rooted and I would prefer not to root it to achieve this. Are there any apps or solutions to achieve this?

Unfortunately, you're looking at rooted apps to do this - AFWall+ is one I can think of. No other way of filtering it without root and iptables...

@t0mm13b sure there's another way -- but it requires at least Android 4.x. Here you can setup an overall data volume (a requirement for the second step -- but one can set that rather high, like 4 GB). Once done, tick the "restrict background data" checkbox, select the apps to block, and set their limit to 0. Now they no longer can "silently eat your dataplan", but only when you actively trigger actions. To be found in the system settings, mobile data (the one with the pie-chart symbol).

@Izzy - ahhh yeah... forgot about that - but then again, its neatly hidden away, if it was in a more obvious place that would have been spoken for! :)

If your device is running at least Android 4.0, you can use Androids native data management:

Data Usage configuration on Android 4.0+ (source: Droid-Life.com, click image to enlarge)
Here you can setup an overall data volume (a requirement for the second step -- but one can set that rather high, like 4 GB): tick the Set mobile data limit checkbox, and play with the bars.
That done, select the apps to block (tap their entries you can see in the second screenshot at the bottom), and set their limit to 0 (scroll to the end of the app's page, and activate the checkbox labeled "restrict background data"). A popup will inform you that the app might stop when there's no WiFi available, as it will no longer be able to use background data on the mobile network -- plus that there might be additional controls inside the app itself.
Now these apps no longer can "silently eat your dataplan", but only when you actively trigger actions. You find described screens in the system settings, mobile data (the one with the pie-chart symbol -- see above screenshot).
P.S.: If the above is not applyable for you (Android <4.0, or a WiFi-only device with Android 4.3+), please also see my answer here.

hey, thanks for the input. i cant seem to find where i set the limit to each app... ive also ticked the restrict background data. but still how do i set the limit to 0 for each app?

I updated my answer a little to make that clearer -- hope now it's easy to reproduce :)

I have Android 6, I touched some application and there is a checkbox to restrict background data - cool. But I do not see described specific settings.

I cannot check with Android 6 (have none) – but did you tap the corresponding app's name to open its settings etc. as described? I've just checked with a 4.4 device I've got here, and at least there it's still as described.

I have Android 5 as well on a tablet and it is the same when I open some application. Yes, there is an Application Settings button but it is disabled for most applications and only few implement it the way their developer like. There is only a checkbox to limit background data which disables it at all.

You could try using this app: Mobiwol: NoRoot Firewall


text:
Install custom rom ACE PLUS without voiding warranty
I read somewhere that we can install custom ROM in our devices without voiding warranty ace plus is not getting updates soon.
Is there any method by which  we can install that and please suggest a good custom rom.
thanks

If you live outside the EU, I very much doubt you can install a Custom ROM without voiding your warranty. For the other part of the question, please see Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

but i read somewhere we can install and something about counter and all i dont remember was written

and i went through this question but can't get a good custom from from these sites

The counter is one thing for tracking. But in case you "brick" your device, and have to turn it in to the service center without being able to restore to stock, an "untouched" counter doesn't help: service can clearly see the custom ROM. If they care, that is.

ok thanks @Izzy and can you please suggest a good custom rom coz i can't find a good 1

Sorry, I don't know one from my own experience (don't have this device). But you cannot have checked the list thoroughly: What about CyanogenMod for Ace Plus? Just try this Google Search for more hits ;)

thanks buddy but i tried and havent found anything good but thnx for your response..:)

Sum-up from the comments:
Warranty
First, at least as of today and outside the EU, it is not possible to install a custom ROM or even only root your phone without voiding your warranty. Even if it can be done in a way not increasing a (possibly existing) "flash-counter": In case your device "bricks" for some reason, not giving you a chance to restore to "stock", your custumizations would be found in the service center.
Existing Custom-ROMs
As said, here you might want to take a look into the question Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?, which lists a lot of ressources where to find different Custom ROMs. A good choice might be CyanogenMod, which is e.g. dealt with in the XDA-Developers thread about CyanogenMod for Ace Plus. To find more details, you can simply use this Google Search.


text:
How to extend the timespan of Google's calendar widget?
Or in other words: How to show more dates in Google's calender widget?
The next date I added to my Google calender is an appointment I have in eight days from now. The Google calender widget does not show this appointment. Right now there are no other dates added to this calendar.
So the problem is not, that there are to many dates. The problem is that the widget does not look into the future far enough. I want to see my next date, even if it is still a month to go.

How can I make the widget display dates that are scheduled farther in the future than it does now?
Is it possible to display all future dates?
Of course the display of regularly repeated dates must be limited, but I would like to see at least the next scheduled of each one.
What is the reason, that this is not already the case?
This seems really odd to me, because it does not look very complicated to find all the appointments in a database or sync them. To me it seems to be more work to limit those features this way.

P.S.: I just saw that the "date-list-view" of Google's calendar app (not the widget this time) does show dates, weeks ahead. I don't see any limitation. I would like the widget to behave the same way.

You might want to look for a 3rd party solution. There are a lot of calendar/agenda widgets available in the Playstore which are far more flexible in their configuration.

Thx for your comment. In general you are right, that I have to choose the the program satisfying my requirements best, but this is often hard, because all of them have advantages and disadvantages. In general I prefer to go with the default apps as far as I can. It is just frustrating to see those really artificial limitations.

Arrrrgh. I was so frustrated that I looked up the source of the Google calendar widget and it looks like they really HARDCODED it in, with magic numbers. Oh happy day! https://github.com/android/platform_packages_apps_calendar/blob/master/src/com/android/calendar/widget/CalendarAppWidgetModel.java#L259

I was a bit fast. It seems it is a little more complicated. Not sure if the posted LOC is relevant. This one may be relevant two: https://github.com/android/platform_packages_apps_calendar/blob/master/src/com/android/calendar/widget/CalendarAppWidgetService.java#L98 Anyway they should use magic numbers.

I just downloaded off widget from Google Apps called simple calendar. once you install the widget on to your home screen then you go to the apps area and single tap on the simple calendar icon. takes you into the settings for the simple calendar widget and you will be amazed to see how many different ways you can customize the calendar. you go into one area where you can select how many days to see on your calendar. you can even mix items from several gmail accounts.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. A link to the app will make your answer more useful.

comment by coder284: He might be referring to this application

I lost S. Planner Agenda when upgrading to Jellybean. Can't find it anywhere at Playstore.
Just download Agenda Widget for Android. I spent a few hours during some downtime mucking around with it, because it was addictive just working with the settings. It's free at the store. Can display up to 150 lines of future dates / events.   "everybody all the time" is listed as the creator.
They have a paid version too; less than $2 AUD. I still can't work out the paid version benefits. I just wish they also brought back Google Calendar Sync, it synced my home computer Outlook calendar with Gmail calendar, my wife's iPhone calendar, and my Galaxy S2 now running Jellybean.


text:
How to hide calendar but receive reminder notifications?
I have a calendar containing only regularly recuring dates. I would like to hide this calendar or these dates from the ordinary Google calendar app and the Google calendar widget.
The reminder notifications of these dates should not be disabled.
I activated synchronization in the Google calendar app and deactivated the display calender. Now the dates do are not being displayed, neither in the app nor in the widget, but I either do not receive the reminder notifications.
P.S. What is the difference between those two settings?

Note that this might be a fundamental problem.  Even if I just hide a calendar on the desktop browser  version of Google Calendar (by unchecking it in the side bar, not by unchecking "SHOW IN LIST" in calendar settings),  I stop receiving notifications for all events on that calendar, weather on mobile or desktop.  This doesn't seem to be universal behavior.

Seriously? 3 years later, we're running Android 6 now and there's still no way to do this? That seems incredibly silly!

Strongly agree on how silly this is  What it's worth, I followed this this suggestion from Reddit to use Google Keep.  Inelegant, but it gets the job done.

I know the original post is now ancient but I haven't found any recent discussion on this and I believe the behavior is still basically the same.  That is, if a calendar is "hidden" on your mobile device, you will not get a notification for any of it's event.
Much like the OP, I wanted to schedule recurring tasks (clean cat litter, take out trash) at specific days/times and then get reminded of them on my phone WITHOUT cluttering up my calendar on web OR android version of google calendar.
I found google tasks to be a great solution to this, as:

I can add/modify/view these events on either phone (tasks app) or web* (calendar.google.com)
They don't appear at all in android's gcal
I can hide them from web gcal and still get notifications

As an added bonus, because the notifications on my phone come from the tasks app (and not gcal) I can set a different notification sound/vibe pattern to differentiate these less important chores from potentially important events.  Also, I really like the ability to "mark as complete" as opposed to just dismissing an event notification (this behavior is similar to google reminders, but unlike tasks, hiding reminders from gcal does disable notifications)
Here's a great post on the differences between google tasks and reminders
The one missing piece that I'm still searching for is the ability to share these chores with someone so that, for example, my wife and I can both mark chores as complete and then the other one will know it doesn't need to be done.
*Edit: I just realized you can't create a recurring task from web gcal, but you definitely can from the tasks app (and then still view all of them on web) so this is only a minor annoyance.

The easiest way to achieve this is to install a 3rd party calendar app which uses the Google calendar backend, and tell that app to not show that specific calendar, while leaving it enabled in the default Google calendar app (aCalendar  would be a good and relatively light-weight choice here). As the Google calendar is responsible for the alerts, you still would get them (and the corresponding notifications), while its content wouldn't disturb you working with the 3rd party app. I do something similar, and use the mentioned app, so I really can recommend it.
To the detail question: Synchronization is what the name suggests: updating changes made on either side (for a disabled calendar, obviously only in one direction). It's probably separated from (de)activating a calendar so you can activate it up-to-date even when having no network connection -- just my guess, but that would make sense.

An imperfect solution is to use Google Keep (following this suggestion on Reddit).
This means you can't, as I desire, look at Google Calendar and toggle the reminders briefly visible.  For that, you could try sharing the reminders-specific calendar with a different Google account and then syncing that account with a 3rd party Calendar app that handles reminders (while still keeping the Google Calendar Android app synced with your main Google account, where the reminders-specific calendar is hidden).

How about having a seperate Google acount and use google tasks on the other one only for those you don't want to pop up in your main calendar?


text:
Google image backup sans moving photos off phone
Prior to recent phone dying, I had found out that Google's photo backup strangely (or at least sans a setting I was missing) MOVES files off your phone that they backup. Once I realised that I excluded all new folders created from this "backup". Of course when I get a phone replacement, and choose to recover the old phone's stuff, don't expect those to be there.
So that I don't end up in the same situation again with the next phone, with Google photos backup is there any way to retain a copy of everything backed up on the phone?

The question didn't mention the device model, but if you're using Pixel devices, the Files app may automatically clean up backed-up photos.

This process usually only happens when the user uses the "Free Up Space" feature. It is likely that this process was run on your old phone. For example, this could have been initiated as simply as responding to a notification. You should avoid using this feature if you want to retain the photos on your phone. The feature exists so that less space is taken up by media on people's phones (whilst, the media are still accessible in the Google Photos app, as they are instantly downloaded via the internet when the user opens a photo or video).
If you really want to store your media on your phone, after it has been taken off, consider the following (other than tapping on photos individually). You could download the media on a computer, and transfer them to your phone via a USB cable.

Evidently should have mentioned, I am not a user, but 20 years in IT. No notification was selected that elected this, nor using the Files app cleanup,  and I scoured the settings looking for a way to turn the default move off. I see I didn't mention, but photos are not still accessible when in a dead zone of wifi or cell data, as I sometimes am when in need of some photos. Finally, how does taking photos off to a PC, then back onto phone, solve the backup-to-google-photos-by-copying (the ideal, given it is automatic) desire?

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


text:
At what application size does android add the WiFi tag to it?
In the Google Play Store, when an app is too large in size, a "WiFi" tag is mentioned next to the app name. That way the user can know that the download is heavy.
At what application size does Android add the WiFi tag to apps ?

Good question. I believe the answer has been recently changing, because while I was initially under the same impression as SaintWacko (thinking the cutoff was 25 MB) I have been unable to find any Google documentation defining such a limit.
What I have found is that the maximum APK (app) size is 50 MB. Developers can also choose to use up to two APK expansion files to be downloaded along with with the app's APK, each of which can be up to 2 GB. Even for these larger expansion files, though, I could find no mention of Wi-Fi only download restrictions (unless explicitly required by the developer). I remember seeing the Wi-Fi download flag you mention on some larger apps that I use personally, but today I've gone back to those same apps and don't see that flag.
As best I can tell this policy has changed.

While there is some conflicting information, the limit at which the market adds the WiFi tag appears to be 25MB.


text:
How do I enter recovery mode on my Motorola Milestone 2 to unbrick it?
I own a Motorola Milestone 2, also called A953 (apparently this is different from the Droid 2 Global). It used to have Android 2.3 with Motoblur middleware. It was bought independently from any phone carrier (so it was not bought from Verizon for instance). I rooted it, installed ROM Manager, Droid 2 Global Recovery Bootstrap and ClockworkMod Recovery. From ROM Manager, I could successfully reboot my phone into Recovery mode, allowing me to back-up my data for instance. Until this stage everything went fine.
What lead to my problem : I also wiped the cache and installed CyanogenMod 7.2 and the Google apps from ZIP files and from the Recovery Mode interface. But now my phone is broken. When it now boots, it shows the stylised M logo, but then switches to an entire black screen. The phone is still on so I have to pull the battery to shut it down.
I would like to reboot into Recovery Mode but this doesn't work : I am never able to see the Recovery Mode logo (a warning sign with a little android). How should I do it ?
What I have tried : I tried to boot while holding the Power and the 'X' button, as adviced on different forums. This still leads to the black screen. At this state, pressing the Search hardware button does nothing. Holding the Power and the Volume Up button has no more effect.
I am able to enter Bootloader Mode by holding Power and Up Arrow.

I also tried to use a live CD from here with ezSBF, but I get errors in the process and then my phone reboots in Bootloader mode and shows the following error:
Critical Error:
FEBE 0047

After that I still cannot get to Recovery Mode.

For instance, does anyone know a better hotkeys combination ? Or could I use ADB ?

I managed to do it using help from XDA-Developers. Here is the procedure :

Download the best SBF file from here. Among those corresponding to your geographical region and carrier, choose the most recent one.
Flash it to the phone by using either "sbf_flash" if you are on Ubuntu, OSX or another Linux, or by using "RSD Lite" if you are on Microsoft Windows.

The result is that the phone is unbricked. Among other things, I now can go back to Recovery Mode.

Is it unplugged when trying to do this?  I could hold X while booting, then I would see the Android and exclamation.  Then hold Up/Down Volume and get the recovery. You have to press both Up & Down at the same time. It is not a rocker key and you can press them both. Use Enter key on keypad with the arrow above OK to make a selection.

+1 for the "up/down together" hint. My stone was caught in a boot-loop, so the "x" didn't help. Has CyanogenMod and TWRP installed. Shortly after boot starts, the LED lit up blue (which is when it's waiting for keypresses; I'd tried up, next time down, without success) – this is when to press both volume keys. Got me to recovery (via boot menu), and I was able to wipe cache/Dalvik to kick it out of the loop.

Boot while holding X gets you to the bootloader
Boot while holding volume up gets you to the recovery.
I myself can't get to the bootloader but can get to the recovery. (Flashed a wrong SBF, oops)

Power up while holding the X and when you see the yellow exclamation mark after the Moto Logo, hold Vol Up+Down. That should get you to the Recovery Screen.

As I said in the question, "I tried to boot while holding the Power and the 'X' button, as adviced on different forums. This still leads to the black screen". Hence the GIF in the question. But thank you anyway for your participation.

Hold power key , up volume key , and home button should go to recovery mode

LOL It's a MOTO device, not a Samsung. No such thing as "home button".


text:
How do I connect to a EAP-SIM authenticated network (namely FreeWifi_secure from Free Mobile)?
I am running CyanogenMod 10 (based on Android 4.1.2) on my Motorola Milestone 2.
I just switched to the French mobile carrier Free Mobile. They offer access to their "FreeWifi_secure" wifi network in the plan. The authentication method is known as EAP-SIM ; it connects using information in the SIM card. However, this option is not given when you try to connect using the "Settings" app in Android.
So I tried to connect to the FreeWifi_secure wifi by following a method explained on XDA-Developers.com. It consists in adding the following lines to /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf :
network={
    ssid="FreeWifi_secure"
    key_mgmt=WPA-EAP IEEE8021X
    eap=SIM
    priority=70
}

I managed to follow the instructions but still cannot connect to the wifi network. FreeWifi_secure is correctly displayed as a favorite network, however, when trying to connect, it never goes past the "Connecting…" step.
Do you know whether the Milestone 2 is hardwarewise compatible with EAP-SIM ? Or is the incompatibility due to a software limitation in CyanogenMod ? Have you personally managed to use the Free Mobile wifi network ?

It looks like Android in general doesn't support EAP-SIM and Free Mobile's wifi network, CNet France ran a story about this back in April, here Free Mobile : bascule 3G / Free WiFi mais pas pour Android ? (also you seem to have mis-copied your XDA link, it's got a load of dots in the middle instead of the actual address)

So I contacted Motorola's customer support and they told me that none of their phones was compatible with EAP-SIM.

Thanks for pointing at my broken link. However EAP-SIM is compatible with some Android phones as shown here for instance : http://forum.freenews.fr/index.php/topic,80665.0.html


text:
Using two tablets simultaneously as a dual-screen
I have had a Nexus 7 (2012 version) for quite some time now. Recently I saw an offer for a really cheap refurbished Nexus 7. Since I've been really happy with my tablet, I decided to order an additional one.
Not really having a plan in mind, I'm now looking for cool projects to use my second Nexus 7 for. So my question:

Are there possibilities to use both tablets simultaneously in a dual screen setup, sort of like extending one screen onto the other, for some real multitasking? I know I can just open a browser on one, and edit text on the second, but then there is no interaction between them, like sharing the clipboard or dragging files to one another.
I have been searching, but all I could find was extending screens between some PC OS and a tablet/phone, but not between tablets themselves.


text:
Viber photo sync
My husband is having an issue with photos being sent to him via the Viber app are being synced and posted directly to his Facebook page! How does he stop this?

I think this is done by Facebook's photo sync, not Viber. See Facebook's help page on how to disable photo syncing.
How do I turn photo syncing off?
Android

Open the Facebook app and tap the top left main menu in your sidebar

Scroll to the bottom and select Settings > App Settings

Choose Don't sync my photos

I find that Facebook seems to be more aggressive in what photos it syncs. It seems to find images that Google+ Photos and Dropbox don't, for instance.

Hmmm...I could not find this option of "not syncing photos" on FB as you described it. Do I have to access FB from a pc to see this option?

@Jtc see updated answer for better instructions.


text:
Google Hangouts: Conflicting online status information
Another "I don't quite understand what is going on in Google Hangouts" type of question....
So - when I view Hangouts via my Android app (running under KitKat), my girlfriend's status is ALWAYS shown as online (green speech bubble next to her picture), even when she is not online.
Conversely, if at the same time I log into my GMail account, her status is  shown as NOT online (no green line under her name). How can she be both online and offline!!?
What the hell is going on here?! Has anyone else had this issue?

Google Hangouts is a little odd. It doesn't really have a concept of online/offline. It just knows about conversations you've had with other people. If you send a message to someone who's not "online" it'll still reach them. If you call but they don't answer it doesn't mean they're not "there". It is a bit weird, and you're not the first person to wonder about it. (There's more than a few questions here as well as [webapps.se] on this topic.)

Not to mention, in the Android app you can set whether people can see your "status", while you can't do that with the Gmail Hangouts app. (And if she's still using Google Talk instead, well, then all bets are off.)

I’m voting to close this question because Google Hangouts has been deprecated and migrated to Google Chat.

Once you sign-in to the Google Hangouts app in an Android device, you will always appear online until you sign-out of the app.  Shutting down the phone, or even uninstalling the app won't do it.  I'm not sure why she appears offline in Gmail.

But why is the status different between gmail and the app? One says my girlfriend is online whilst the other says she is offline.... Its very confusing!


text:
Receiving text messages multiple times
The problem is that I sometimes recieve bizarre text messages: two different kinds.
1st kind: I receive a text message multiple times after receiving it a first time.
2nd kind: I receive a duplicate of a text message days after the real one was received.
I have a Wiko Cink Slim Android device running 4.0.4.
It's a rather low power device (512 MB RAM, for example) but I get by fine with it.
I have tried a variety of SMS clients: stock, Hangouts, Textra, Hello... So far same problem.
I live in France and have a plan with a newer operator Free Mobile, which both piggybacks Orange's antennas and also has its own antennas. I have forced my phone onto Orange's antennas because I read online that sometimes the antenna switching could provoke problems like mine. So far no difference.
However, the problem occured especially when I turn on my Wifi or my Data connections. When I do this, many different applications run and it slows down the phone a lot. Then, I get multiple repeat text messages.
I am leaning towards this hypothesis...

Has anyone had a similar problem?
 Anyone have a solution?


text:
How to verify a backup file from ADB backup
I have backed up my phone via adb to my computer by doing the command:
adb backup -all -apk -f C:\myfolder\backup.ab

I went to look at the file it had created when it said the backup was finished, but it says it is 0 bytes big.
Is this because of the encryption? I am worrying if my phone is backed up properly...

If it's zero bytes, it's definitely not backed up properly. Encryption can't make an empty file store data!

Question might sound stupid, but anyway: After executing that command, did you confirm the backup on your Android device? Otherwise, there would be no data send to the PC, and the adb backup command would simply "time out" – resulting in an empty backup, possibly.

@Izzy How long would the time out take? On my device it said "Backup Finished" just a second after it said "Backup Started".

That's much too fast for a timeout. I didn't check, but expect it to be at least 10 seconds. Maybe you check your logs (adb logcat) to see if they reveal something?

I found out that there was a bug in the Samsung OS that corrupted the desktop backup password.
One day, my phone bootlooped and, after a reset, I could backup fine with no backup password set.


text:
Find out which firmware to use to revert to stock ROM
I bought the SG3 (GT-I9300) 6 months ago from Amazon Germany. I have Cyanogenmod 10 installed but wanted to revert it because I'm selling the phone. I want to use this guide to revert it, but I'm not sure which Firmware I should download from sammobile. I didn't get the phone from a specific service provider, so I have no idea which firmware I should use. Any help?

You can use a SamMobile ROM, but be sure that the model, the country and the original carrier match the phone as different carriers often require different radio drivers if they use different radio spectrum for bandwidth.  If you don't know which carrier there are several routes you can use to determine it:

find out which radio you have on your device and match it to the appropriate carrier's
find out what frequencies your current carrier uses and use that to determine the equivalent carrier for the SamMobile ROMs
the version of CM you installed should also tell you which radio is on the phone, on the CM website
you can also get the information directly by dialing the code *#0011# on your phone, tho it may not be overly helpful (GSM900 is helpful, for example, but WCDMA is not - if it's WCDMA you'll have to look up the Rx(download) and Tx(upload) to determine frequency)

FWIW, I find that Odin generally is easier to use than Kies for flashing ROMs.

You can download Android 4.3 for s3 i9300 for your device From sammobiles. I think Android 4.3 released in Germany.
OR Else If you have the back up before flashing the ROM, you can restore it from Recovery

Not helpful, as if the OP doesn't know the correct carrier he can brick his phone by using a ROM with the wrong radio.


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Clearing logcat on HTC one X
I've faced with insufficient storage problem on my HTC One X (rooted, stock ROM 4.2.2, CWM recovery).
I've solve this problem before on a Samsung device by dialing *#9900# then press Delete dumpstate/logcat. However, I try that with HTC and it doesn't work. Anyone know how can I delete logcat or other method to fix this problem?
Updated : FYI, I have plenty of storage in  phone storage as well as in SDcard. I also try installing other app which seems to installed without problem. The app I'm having problem is Gallery Vault. Earlier, the app is installed and I uninstall it. Now I'm trying to reinstall it and I get insufficient storage error.
Thanks

Clearing logcat can't make any difference to your storage problem. The logcat output is stored in a ring buffer, so it has a fixed size, and the ring buffer only exists on RAM: it isn't written to the storage at all.
See the frequent questions under the insufficient-memory tag for what to do when your phone storage is getting full.

I'm no Android guru, bur clearing the logcat/dumpstat on a Samsung Galaxy S2 solved exactly the same problem: apps could not be installed due to "no space" errors (even if gigabytes were free). After clearing it via the *#9900# menu, the problems were gone (also more than a gigabyte of storage was freed up).
PS: Is there a general "How to clear logcat/dumpstate?" question? Hopefully with an answer?

I try deleting all file associate with the app (apk, settings, etc) I can now install the app. Seems like residue files are the culprit.


text:
Can I remove the gray triangle in the lower right of a contact icon?
I added a contact widget to the home screen of my Droid Razr M (running stock Android 4.1.1), and the icon has a little gray triangle in the lower right corner. Is there a way I can remove that from the image? I see these little triangles in my contacts list also.
Update: Here's a screenshot of what I'm seeing (it took me a bit to figure out how to take it):

If it's any additional help, my contacts don't seem to sync properly, and I don't know why. When I go to Settings > Accounts - Google > {My account}, I see the "refresh" icon next to "Contacts." The last sync date for that item is older than all of the other items on the list. I've manually cleared the "Contacts Storage" data, and did a resync that way, but subsequent sync attempts seem to fail.

How do you mean little gray triangle, unless that's a google sync error on the contact?

Maybe you can add/link a screenshot to make this clearer?

What is the contact widget?

It's a little 1x1 widget that allows you access to a particular person in your contacts list. Apparently, it's the only way Motorola allows you to have a shortcut to a contact on the home screen.


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Granting device admin previlage to email account
I am connecting my gmail app(or any e mail application) to my office e mail using exchange. It asks me to add the mail app as a Device administrator for my phone. So that it can  Erase all data,Set password rules and the list goes on.
Is it safe to grant the previlage?
Can someone else erase my data or do anything to phone?

I don't think something as simple as an e-mail client should be granted those privileges. Are you sure you're using the official Gmail/Exchange apps?

@Arielle Yes I am using the official gmail app. Without those privileges the exchange account will not work. No problem in using google mail.


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Issues making or receiving calls and texts with a LG P500 (Software Version V20e)?
I just got a LG P-500 device and I want to deploy with it. Everything is working fine, except that I cant make phone calls, receive phone calls, send SMS or receive SMS.
The phone is on its stock ROM (Android 2.3.3, Software Version V20e). The Mobile Company is Orange. The phone recognizes the mobile company, and even shows the signal bar as full, but when I'm trying to call I'm being directed straight to "Call Ended" screen, and when I send SMS, I receive back a "SMS wasn't sent" notification. The SIM is Working on my SGS.
I tried everything, can anyone help me with this?

Have you set up APNs for Orange?  (Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names).

Yes, Still doesnt work..

@MatthewRead you need APNs to make a call? I thought they were for data only ("mobile networks", not cell service)?

Is it possible that the phone's Stock ROM is for 850MHZ sim cards? because in my country there is a Mobile Company that uses 850MHZ instead of 900MHZ and the phone is from her.

@LStyle The network frequencies that can be used are determined by the hardware of the phone.  GSMArena says 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; 3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 so you should be OK for 2G at least.

@Izzy The mobile voice network is a mobile network :P but I was focusing on SMS not working.

@MatthewRead still strange, but other countries might do things different. I cannot remember having to set this up when I didn't want "mobile data". And I remember hearing from people they could do calls fine but not go to the net (no APN defined). So this is new for me, that an APN is required to make calls and send SMS (MMS is something different, and needs an APN).

@Izzy Yeah, on my network I can only receive calls without the APNs set up, not make them or send/receive SMSes.

@MatthewRead Thanks for these details! Everyday something new to learn...

I still cant recieve calls, SMS or make calls and send SMS..
If I'll flash a new Custom ROM and root the phone will it work?

In India, I am using LgP500. APNs are not required for voice calls and plain text SMS and is definitely needed for MMS. The messaging app in this phone decides the format based on its contents. @LStyle, just as a test, can you swap another working SIM on your LgP500 and run tests on both phones?

Also, when you swap the SIM, note the message centre number, which is a mobile number to which all your text SMS are forwarded. This will be set automatically to operator's number in message settings when SIM is inserted. A valid message centre number is required for a successful SMS use. If still problems exist, I would suspect a faulty app or ROM.

I am trying to root the device, but I have one question:
after the SuperOneClick Procedure is done I read that I need to reboot my phone - but how can I do it? should I power it OFF and then Turn it ON? I cant reboot it other way..


text:
Bluetooth HSP profile backward
I am deaf and use a cochlear implant and a hearing aid.
I have a device called a "microlink" which acts as a bluetooth 1.1 headset (amongst other things) and transmits audio received via BT to FM whence it is received by tiny FM receivers attached to my CI and HA.
This PHONAK Microlink device was expensive and works fine as a mobile phone headset (HSP profile), but when I had a NOKIA E series phone I could also play music from the phone's media player - which was fantastic!
Now, I have a Blackberry and a Nexus 7 and neither of them will send audio other than a phone call via the HSP profile, I assume they insist on A2DP for audio.
This is crippling to me, since I cannot now listen to music from either of my Blackberry or Nexus 7 without being wired up to it (or using a direct connection to the Microlink).
I cannot believe in this age of backward compatibility that there cannot be some way of sending media player output to (mono) bluetooth HSP as used to be the case.
Also, since the NEXUS 7 is not a phone - what the heck is the use of HSP on the device? (which shows in the profile list) - a nice port of Android, but why does it still think it's a phone!?
I came across an entry in some list some time ago (that I can't find now!) talking about being able to enter some secret AT string or something to a phone which caused it to redirect audio (from its speaker) to HSP bluetooth - does anyone know anything about this?

BTmono and BlueMusic app might do this.
Can you leave feedback when/if you tested it?
Here's a question on stackoverflow (for the programming part).


text:
Will this audio/video cable work with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and I'm looking for a cable that will allow me to output audio and video to a TV. I found this on a website and I was wondering if anyone has tried it or knows if it will work?

A link or some part no.of the cable would be helpful.

As I had commented to @onik's answer: If this cable does not have a DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter), this cable will not work.
I also found a search result about a scam related to this kind of cable, which again confirms this. Since I am unable to view the video (restriction at my work) I am unable to see to comment more on it.

btw, the poster of that video misunderstood the purpose of the cable. It's not a HDMI->RCA cable, it's a HDMI->VGA cable with 3xRCA cables, 2 for audio and one extra (don't know why).

A source link could give us more information, but I see no reason this wouldn't work, since it uses the correct port and that port also supports HDMI, which means that video output is supported.

IMHO, HDMI deals with digital content, while the other end in the image has RCA pins, which deal with analogue only. Unless there is a DAC some where in that cable, I seriously doubt. Having said that it is only my hunch.

My bad, confused this with a component cable. That being said, analog video output has been supported on several models even through the headphone jack, and there are official RCA cables for the tabs, see here for a video review.


text:
How to create videos similar to Khan-Academy videos with a Samsung Galaxy?
I would like to know what is the best option to create videos with audio similar to those of Khan Academy with Samsung Galaxy Tablets. Some of my colleagues have Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note and some of them have Samsung Galaxy Tab. On the other hand, I have been able to create similar videos with audio using an iPad and the free ScreenChomp app (please see this video). The characteristics I like about the use of the iPad app ScreenChomp (and that my colleagues would like to have in a similar app for Samsung Galaxy Tablets) are:

It is easy to install (just find it in the app-store and download it)
I learned how to use it in five minutes
Once I finish a Khan-Academy-like video, I can upload it to the cloud (to a server of the ScreenChomp makers) and share the link by e-mail with my students, so they can see the video in their devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, whatever) less than ten minutes after I created it
If I want to, I can download the video as MP4 in my laptop, so I am able to see it offline, and if I want, I can upload it to YouTube (which is Not necessary, as explained before, because students can see it directly from the link to the ScreenChomp site)
It is free.

I actually believed that the Samsung Galaxy Tablet would be a better tool to create this kind of videos (better than the iPad), however my student and I were unable to do it with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and my colleagues that received a Samsung Galaxy Note do not know yet how to do it. Could you let us know how to do it? We are interested in solutions as simple to use as the ScreenChomp in the iPad, as described in the five characteristics above. Is it possible in the Samsung Galaxy Tablets?

Without spending ages watching videos to work out what you're talking about, perhaps you could give a short description of what makes a video "Khan-Academy-like"?

Hello GAThrawn, it is very simple, I write in the screen with my finger or a stylus the solution to a Math or Physics exercise, step by step, and at the same time I am speaking and explaining the procedure. All of this is (writing and audio) is recorded, and immediately uploaded to a site, and I am given a link which I can e-mail to my students so they can see the video when they want and as many times as they like. If the video is five minutes long, I can complete the procedure in less than twenty minutes with Screenchomp. How to do something like that with Samsung Galaxy Tab or Note? Thks

Here is how one teacher is using Coach's Eye for Android to create whiteboard style videos. Hope it helps! http://educationambassador.com/resources/entry/coachs-eye-app-is-elusive-android-flipping-whiteboard

Thanks for adding this to the conversation! In case this link breaks, can you edit your answer to include applicable quotes from the article, or maybe direct links to the Youtube videos?

@Mike That seems a great option! We will try it!

@Mike Well, I did buy and try using Coach's Eye in a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, as in the link you provided, Mike, but I have to say I am a bit dissapointed. It is very difficult to write properly any text, or even worst, any math symbol; I could not erase only one letter or symbol, have to erase everything; I finish the total space very fast and it doesn't have more pages or space that I can scroll down, so I have to erase everything in order to continue with the procedure. I will do some more experiments, but for the moment I have to say I do not recommend to use Coach's Eye this way


text:
ICS Photo editor weird behavior
I have just installed CyanogenMod and, while testing the Gallery and Photo editor apps, have noticed a very strange behavior. Whenever I try to apply some effects such as Lomo, Documentary among others, the Photo editor applies the effect only to a circle in the center of the image. The problem happens with any image from my gallery, no matter the resolution or the camera (back or front camera).
I have already rebooted the system, and have tried to "clear data" of the app. I have searched all the possible configurations and could not find anything related to this problem.
(The funny thing is that I tried an app called Photo Editor ICS, which is a clone of the original Photo Editor, and it worked fine. But I don't mean to keep using it, I expect that the original app works)

what version of CM are you referring to?

CM9.0.0. Running on a Samsumg Galaxy S2

Try using Aviary instead.
It's an excellent photo-editor app with even more features than the default one, and it works for me, even when I flash experimental JB roms where the camera doesn't even work.
This is a strange problem, unique to your device, and you should probably report it on the CM forums.
HTH!

care to tell everyone else what the linky is about?

ahem OK! Good tip. Thanks for not downvoting.

I give other people a chance to improve themselves by going "pssstt... what's that about?" ;)

Aviary seems to be a great app, but... I don't mean to pick any photo editor, I'd like to use the native one. There are many apps out there with great features, but I think it's essential that the native app works fine. Anyway the problem seems to be specific to Samsung Galaxy 2. I have seen in a friend's phone and also there are some people discussing it in XDA forum. In fact it seems to be a problem with the CM9 release, not sure if it can be corrected by a regular user.

Right, which is precisely what I said--
This is more than likely an issue with the CM9 build for your device.
Therefore, to immediately get around the issue, as opposed to waiting for a patch from the CM9 team for the SGII--- you can just use Aviary-- since it is fully featured, has the plugin capability, so you can invoke it directly from the Gallery--- etc, etc--
Would you like me to edit out the part about Aviary so that "This is a problem with CM9 on the GSII" is the correct answer?


text:
How to type a question mark without using the shift key in Swype?
One of the reasons Swype is so great is, of course, that I can write very fast no matter how lenghty is a word. But whenever I have to use a question mark, or an exclamation, I have to hit the shift key, then the punctuation, then shift again to continue writing. Is is possible to have a shortcut for this?

The fastest way I've found is to actually swipe from the "m/?" or "z/!" keys directly to the space bar. That'll insert a punctuation mark and then a space. In the same fashion, you can insert a period or a comma. The other similar shortcut I use creates an "'s" by swiping from the apostrophe to the "s".
Some similar suggestions can be found in Swype's online reference, specifically in the "Swype Gestures" section of http://www.swype.com/tips/advanced-tips/.

+1 For providing some nice shortcuts I never knew about along with a website where's there's more.

perfect, thank you! :) I knew about period-space and also comma-space, but I had no idea m-space and z-space would also work.

Thanks, I was unaware of those shortcuts and I believe they will be very useful to me when ending sentences.

1 for making my favorite keyboard even faster!

No more long-pressing M for me!

You do not have to use shift, if you hold down the 'm' key for a longer time it will insert its alt key,  a question mark.

+1 In fact anything on the top of any of the keys can be entered by long-pressing on the key for about half a second. If you long-press for even longer (around a second) you get a mini-menu popup with even more options for that key.

+1 for you. I've had my Android for nearly 5 months and I didn't know this.

It wasn't until I got Swype that I realized the same thing (holding the key down) works for the standard Android keyboard too.

Long-press works but unfortunately leads to the same problem from using shift: it takes longer time than just swiping.


text:
Joined Google Contacts do not sync
I can join two contacts on my Android phone, regardless of where the contact is from (Google Contacts, Qik Video, Skype, etc). But when I join two Google contacts, I expect to see the contacts merged in Google Contacts as well, after synchronization, and this does not happen.
My phone is a Samsung Infuse. Model number: SAMSUNG-SGH-I997. Firmware version: 2.2.1

I realize I didn't explicitly ask a question. I realize that the Android "Contacts" application deals not only with Google contacts, but also "Phone" contacts and Skype, etc. But what I am looking for is a solution. For example, on my phone, I'd like to add a new contact of type "Google contacts", but I appear only to be able to make a new contact of type "Phone". I would like a solution such that my  contact information is centralized.

you haven't answered George's question about your phone's make and model and the Android version running on your phone. Contact joining on the phone has changed a lot since Android was first released so it really does make a difference which version you have. Also, as many manufacturers modify the Contacts app themselves and change things like Contacts linking and defaults it may make a difference who made your phone.

@GAThrawn: I've just updated my original question to include the phone model. Thanks.

Would exporting your contacts to Google solve the problem?  Or is it that you want to have your Skype contacts and such automatically be sent to the Google server?

I don't really care about the other contacts. I'd like a way to sync the ones I've added into my contacts manager on my phone to Google Contacts.

Google only keeps track of your Google contacts.  The Contacts app on Android allows other apps to provide data to it.  That's how you get your Skype etc. contacts on your phone but Google can't know what they will be and can't sync them.

+1 "Merge"ing on the web is not the same thing as "join"ing on the phone. Merging takes two Contact records in GMail and combines them to form one record. Joining on the phone takes two accounts that could be from anywhere and just puts a link between them to say that these records from different sources are relating the same person.

@GAThrawn Thanks for the responses. Please see my comment on the original question.

Firstly, you need to write here model of your phone and firmware version.
Some examples from practice.
LG Optimus One. I didn't realize very long time how to make Google Contacts from phone. It is simple. When you create contact there is on top of windows drop-down box, where are three items: Phone (or PC Sync), SIM Google. It is obvious where each item saves contact data. Default item is Phone. Video how to create contact and select it's type.
HTC Inspire 4G. Default behavior is to create Google contacts. But there is also drop-down menu where I can select SIM or Phone items.
Please look through your phone menus more thoroughly.
Also you can make contacts directly in web-interface of GMail. After small time they will be available in phone. And when you edit such contacts, they are edited on Google server too. One thing you need to make such functionality available is to connect your phone and your Google account.

@Goerge, I've added the phone model to my original question. My phone is already registered with my Google account


text:
How to stop checking for mail and asking for backups?
My mom is using Android 6.0.1. The problem she was having last week was that her phone was checking and downloading her email, and she did not want that. So I signed her out of her Google account, which fixed the email problem but created a new one. Now the phone is spawning messages that her phone is not being backed up (presumably because she is now signed out of her Google account). She does not like those messages either.
What is the best solution to this problem? I.e. stop the emails without disabling other phone features. Thanks.
Galaxy J3 Luna Pro

Disabling the email app solved my problem without introducing new problems.


text:
How to log and visualize resource usage stats (to identify resource hogs)?
I want to be able to collect up to, say, a couple of day's worth of resource usage statics for my android, at the resolution of individual apps, and ordered according to their shares of the resource.  And I would like then to be able to view this information in such a way that I can easily identify the worst resource hogs.
Any suggestions for how to do this would be appreciated.
(FWIW, my phone is rooted.)
Thanks!
PS: There is a bazillion of apps for monitoring CPU usage, memory usage, etc., but all the ones I have found give only global statistics.  I.e. they will tell me that, e.g. 84% of my phone's CPU is being used, but none will give me a weighted breakdown of that percentage over the apps responsible for it.  Monitoring apps that do not collect and display statistics at the resolution of individual applications are of little use to me.  And of course, it goes without saying that "task manager" apps, or even for apps like Watchdog are even farther removed from what I'm looking for; these apps may be very good at what they do, but they simply are not designed to do what I want done.

Related App resource usage over time

You might be able to get some of what you want from Carat. This app is a project from UC-Berkeley to measure what's using your battery and how your battery life compares to other people's devices.
It doesn't directly measure CPU, but your resource hogs are going to use more battery by implication.
From the description:

Carat will tell you which apps it thinks are hogs (they use a lot of battery) and which are bugs (they use a lot of battery on your device but not most others). Being a hog or a bug does not make an app 'bad', but a user trying to improve their battery life can use these designations to adjust their behavior.
== Carat Features ==

Action List telling you how to improve your battery life and by how much
Device information detailing exactly what data we are recording
Reports apps that are using lots of energy and whether that is happening on other devices, too
Detail views let you dive down into the data and see graphs of energy use
Low-overhead sampling requires almost no energy or CPU
J-Score tells you how your battery efficiency compares to other users
Sharing features let you post/tweet/blog about your experience; more users means more data which means better recommendations for you


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Why is the size of my Google Play Magazines app 357MB when it's empty on my S3?
When I look under the size of this app under Application Manager I see that the size is 357MB under data except that I had one magazine on it which I deleted but it still says the app is 300+MB!  What is the cause because the app is not 357MB itself. I'm running out of space so I need to fix it.  Any explanations?
OS: 4.1
S3

Did you try clearing the app data?

Don't forget about app cache, which I would clear first (to not lose any configuration). If that didn't help, I go with Al and delete the data as well. And if you really had 1 mag only and nothing else, step 3 would be uninstalling that app. For other helpful stuff on your low-storage-issue, I strongly recommend visiting our insufficient-memory tag-wiki.

I've been using it for 2 months without checking data. I've got about 5 mags on it. The app size is 22MB and the Cache is 53MB. 300+ is a huge amount of data. AS Izzy said try the cache first then the app data. Failing that clear both and re-install the app I guess. What does the 'About App' scren show?

What do I lose if I delete cache? I deleted the data but it strange why the data was so huge!


text:
Factory Apps for HTC First
I recently received a HTC First that I'd like to use, and without rooting the phone I'd like to simply disable all the unnecessary apps that come with the phone. I don't really know where  to find these kinds of resources, but I am looking to use it for testing in App Development as well so I'd prefer more detailed rather than a wimpy general user sort of list if possible.

Normally, Uninstalling of pre-installed apps are not possible on unrooted phones.
But you can Disable some of the pre-installed apps.
Go to Settings->Apps-><your app name> and check whether you have Disable option.
EDIT:
If you can't find the Disable option, that means that you shouldn't disable it.
Example:
You can Disable Alarm App.
But you can't Disable Android System App.

Sure, I'm capable of that, however I have quite a few apps that have ambiguous names such as: com.android.smspush or com.android.wallpaper.holospiral and com.google.android.voicesearch

And although I can try by trial and error, I'd like to know where the documentation is for them so I can fairly simply know what's vital and what's not at a glance.

@Kainui Edited. Hope it helps.

@Kainui I'm afraid there is no such "documentation". For some devices, you find lists for "apps safe to remove" in forums like XDA. As a thumb-rule: com.android.* is mostly core, and should not be touched. HTC's own stuff usually starts with com.htc.*. But as even those apps are woven deep into the system with Sense, some of them must also be kept. If you really want it "clean", you'll have to use a minimalist custom ROM.

More and more google apps are moving to com.google.android as the push them to the Play Store these days, then can be disabled generally (i.e. Google Keyboard, Google Drive etc) but not things like Google Play Services. There's no hard fast way, other than Google searching what you don't know and consulting XDA on your particular device/carrier/model.


text:
Do i really need to factory reset/data wipe for cynogenmod?
im new here, the question is in the title. I would like to use cynogenmod for when im listening to music, so that i can change the track just by using the volume buttons. I don't plan on installing custom ROM on my phone since there is none available.
Im using Samsung Galaxy Ace II (rooted) V. 4.0.4

I'm not sure what you think Cyanogenmod is, but it is a custom ROM. It replaces the whole OS on your phone. You need to factory-reset when flashing it because the built-in apps and settings are (or might be) saved in a different format to stock Android: if Cyanogenmod tried to read the settings saved by stock Android, it would go wrong.
If all you want is to change track using your volume keys, you don't need Cyanogenmod for that: just install a music player app that offers that feature.


text:
Where does Android keep app permissions?
I have a rooted Android, and I want to disable (not read/write/execute) permissions to an app (for example, I don't want it accessing the camera or the phone).
Where does Android keep those permissions? Is it in a database somewhere?

App permissions are defined in the code of the application (the manifest to be exact) and cannot be changed without actually "un-building", changing and then rebuilding the apk again.
the solution you're looking for is using permissions controlling/restricting applications.
Here are some examples for these kind of apps:
LBE Privacy Guard
PDroid
App Ops - Permission Manager

/data/system/packages.xml is the file you want. For each package it follows a template. For an app it would look like this:
<package name="com.spazedog.xposed.additionsgb" codePath="/data/app/com.spazedog.xposed.additionsgb-2.apk" nativeLibraryPath="/data/app-lib/com.spazedog.xposed.additionsgb-2" flags="572996" ft="14f1b3d2848" it="14f1b348243" ut="14f1b3d30a2" version="71" userId="10120">
<sigs count="1">
<cert index="20" />
</sigs>
<perms>
<item name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<item name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
<item name="net.dinglisch.android.tasker.PERMISSION_RUN_TASKS" />
</perms>

You're after the entries between <perms> and </perms>.


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Default Phone Dialer
I use Samsung Galaxy S2, Currently running on 4.1.2 JellyBean. I have downloaded an App called, 'Espier Dialer iOS 7' and I want that to be my default Dialer. I tried to goto Application Manager > Clear Defaults for Phone and tried to make this app my Default Dialer application, but the selection only shows 'Phone' and 'Skype' Any help guys?

You shouldn't need to clear the defaults of any application.
If you install a new application that handles an intent for which you've already set a default, Android will "clear" that default so that the next time you fire the intent (e.g., dialing the phone) you will be prompted with the "choose an app to perform this action" menu.
It sounds to me like the app you've installed doesn't handle that intent, and that for you to use it you will need to explicitly launch the app.

I am sorry to make you guys take a big trouble to try to solve my problem, I have now sorted out this problem by downloading Espier Launcher 7 and now the Dialer works as a plugin and all is set. Thank you for your valuable and precious time, guys!