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Should I root my phone?
Clearly I am being thrilled with this question boggling in my mind. "Should I root my phone?" What are the pros and cons? Clarify this thing to me, is it dangerous or is it better than I imagine?

Please browse our questions tagged with rooting. Many topics related to this have been asked and answers.

If your phone really gives you a hard time, and it really needs to be upgraded, then rooting is the best options.
As per Wiki says "Rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets and other devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as root access) over various Android subsystems. As Android uses the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device gives similar access to administrative (superuser) permissions as on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system such as FreeBSD or OS X."
Pros of Rooting :

Install Custom ROM’s
Can back up all the Device data onto memory card
Can Install Awesome Themes
Install Many Apps with Some awesome features.

Cons of Rooting :

Security issues
Malfunctions of Your Android Device
Loss of Software warranty.

Helpful Link  :
http://www.techglitter.com/2013/08/what-is-rooting-how-to-root-android.html

"Can install Latest Version of Android" - I don't see how rooting allows me to update to a newer version of android? Neither do Custom ROMs require root - they require an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery. I know that these are just the Pros mentioned in the linked article but I feel like they are not quite right and confuse users even more.


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Stuck in fastboot oem unlock (Fly IQ4503)
Trying to install another OS on my Android phone.
Fly it isn't so popular phone, so I have lots of problems within installation. Also I used for this my laptop with Ubuntu 15.10. Now I'm trying to unlock oem with this command:
sudo fastboot oem unlock

and in my terminal just showed this: ... That's all.
After tipping this:
adb reboot bootloader

my phone doesn't have normal bootloader with Android and title "Start", it has just grey screen and with inscription "fastboot mode 2 (NORMAL)" with green color.
So, what I should to do in this situation? How can I to unlock oem on my phone?
Thank's a lot.

after adb reboot boot loader oem unlock doesn't work - it says "FAILED(remote: :unknown oem command)". Then I type sudo fastboot continue - it works, and screen changes to black. Just black screen. Fastboot can find device ??????, but oem command working, that I said. I understand, that ... - it's mean waiting my answer on phone, I should confirm. But I don't have any messages in my phone, just black screen. Can I confirm it from console in laptop?

I have the same problem on a Lenovo A7600-H.
fasbtoot oem unlock, and in fact fastboot oem <anything>
the terminal shows ... and doesn't return.

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


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Using google apps with separate google account
I have two Google accounts. One use for certain google stuff and one for other.
I want to be able to use Google apps on my android phone with both of those accounts. I want to use some with one account (e.g. email) and another with the other account (e.g. play store). I am aware that I can create different users on my phone with different google credentials but this is not a simple and usable option. Is there any other way?

Doesn't seem possible without some Xposed magic. By default, Android keeps a centralized info of accounts, so every app (which wants to see the accounts) can see all the accounts.

Then can i not have two google accounts and choose each time?

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


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What does the "eye" symbol mean at the bottom of Telegram messages?
In Telegram Messenger, at the bottom of each message, there are two numbers. One is the time that the message has been sent, and the other is a number near an eye symbol. Does anyone know what this number means?
Note that this number is in all messages, not only messages released in groups or channels.
These are two screenshots:

I guess it indicates total views of the post.

Do you mean all telegram users who view the post?

I do not know how Telegram works, but the eye icon is typically used to show the total view count i.e. total number of times the original post (be it image, article or whatever) has been loaded or seen by users. E.g., Quora uses a similar icon to show post views. See image: https://i.sstatic.net/VpI3Q.png

As per Telegram's official blog:

Each post in a channel has its own view counter.

Views from forwarded copies of your messages will be included in the total count.

That eye icon is usually used to depict the total page or post views. For example, Quora uses a similar icon:

You can find some more icons here.


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How can I make a call to an SIP address from Google Voice number?
How can I make a call to an SIP address (e.g. sip:613@fwd.pulver.com) from Google Voice number?
Does Google Hangout support calls to SIP addresses?
Can an SIP address call my Google Voice number?
Thanks.

The answer is no. Google voice is no longer accepting SIP traffic. See here for more info.

Hi, I want to evaluate this answer, but as someone who is uninformed about SIP, could you clarify if SIP calling needs both parties to have SIP addresses? The article mentioned that Google Voice doesn't provide SIP addresses anymore and is no longer accepting SIP traffic, but didn't really say anything if Google Voice can still make a call to other SIP addresses or not. Thanks!


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Developer Options in Android 5.1.1
I have turn on my developer option in my Samsung galaxy grand price. how to hide the developer options in android 5.1.1?

Try this :

Go to Setting.
Tap on Apps/Application, Navigate to all apps.
Now, here you have to find Settings app.
Open the Setting app, There is a button "Clear Data", Press it, Again press OK.
Your Developer Option get Hidden now.

Hope that helps !!


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Is it safe to keep /data partition when switching from one ROM to another?
If I am switching from stock/custom ROM to custom/stock ROM, would it be safe to keep the /data partition so as to keep the data there as it is?

The short answer is no.  It's always a good idea to do a wipe when switching ROMs so as to prevent any issues due to incompatible data.
You should back up things like games and save data individually, or use the backup through your Google account where available.

Even if I have the same Android version on both the ROMs?

@HarshitGarg Yes.

@HarshitGarg You'd want both the same Android version and the same kind of ROM -- such as a very minor update from the manufacturer to the stock ROM.


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Device stuck in a "bootloop". Resolved after re-inserting battery
A Customer of mine has a Casio V-T500 Tablet on which he runs our app. For a few days it started to be stuck in a bootloop which could be broken by removing the battery, wait a few seconds, and then putting the battery back and starting the device. It's running Android 4.0.4 with an special Launcher by Casio.
Does someone ever have/had this kind of problem? How can this be resolved? Is this a hardware failure? After about 9 Months of "work"?

Removing battery is called hard-reboot. Hard rebooting is different than soft-rebooting, so there's a difference in the process you perform. Why is it happening? I can't tell but seems pretty much software related. You can try to backup your phone and try a wipe to see if it is a fix.

As I have no physical access to this or any similar device, it will be hard for me to guess what the user has to do in order to backup and wipe the device. It would be enough for me to know, if something like this can happen by installing an app, or if this is something that is hardware related.

Oh, I thought you had the phone in your hands. Well one can't tell without examining of course. If the phone is not rooted, and if the problem is not caused right after an OS update, then a factory reset would be enough to tell if problem is caused by software or hardware.

So, if this problem still exists after a factory reset, it's most likely a hardware failure?

Yes. If the phone is used only the way it is meant to be.

Putting it in and out of a dockingstation should be a valid use case ;)

I got stuck in a similar bootloop last Sunday on my Samsung GS4 (i9505G), except instead of rebooting, it would power off.  Pulling the battery did not resolve it.  I had to plug it in to a charger.  The battery was at about 25% at the time.
Sadly, I do not know why that resolved the problem, but I wanted to post my reply in case it helps someone.


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Phone Screen Blackouts and respond only to Power Key Long Press
I have Moto G with Bootloader unlocked and I have installed TWRP Recovery and I was using CM-12 Nightly Build.
The device was working fine but now The device just Blackouts after reboot and I am unable to access any control of device but when I press Power button for couple of seconds, it shows Reboot/power off/Airplane mode option.
I am able to hear caller ringtones and everything seems to be working fine except the screen is completely black.

Have you tried flashing a different nightly build to verify it isn't the nightly you flashed?

Yes, I have verified the Nightly Build version and after installing CM12, the phone was working fine.

I just switched off my phone and then reboot in Fastboot Mode using Power + Volume Down key and then chosen recovery.
In recovery mode I choose Wipe and then Format Data then typed Yes and hit Go
This will take some time and the phone will reboot and now it's working fine.
Note : Take backup of data before formatting, you can take backup by connecting phone to your PC via USB and Copying all data on PC.


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Screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S6
I saw a couple places online saying you can hit the power button (on the side) and the home button (on the front, at the bottom) together on the S5, similar to the way you take a screenshot on an iPhone.  However, it doesn't seem to be working with the S6.  Can anyone explain the process for getting a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S6?

Are you pressing them simultaneously for 1-2 seconds? The official website mentioned the same procedure, but an another one too which uses a gesture. See http://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00038721/746369734/

Have you tried standard android shortcut: power button + volume down?

@Firelord - OK, that worked.  Although it's still a bit tricky to get the timing down.  The iPhone was a little more lenient in terms of timing the button pushes.  I'll get used to it eventually, I'm sure.  Thanks!

Possible duplicate of How to take a screenshot with an Android device?

on Samsung s6 you can swap your palm over the screen to take a screenshot


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XPrivacy - explanation of restriction settings
Maybe it's me but I don't understand XPrivacy's per-permission-settings.
The legend sais

first check box: restrict category or function
second check box: restrict on demand
first check box is default value
■: stands for "partly restricted"
?: restrictions will be asked

But what does ✔ (checked) mean? Fully restricted? And what are the meanings of the combinations?
And what is the "default" case for?
Can you explain the following combinations:
[ ] [ ]  (no restrictions (the only one I truly understand :)))
[ ] [?]  (?? default: no restrictions but ask otherwise?)
[ ] [✔]  (?? default: no restrictions but full restrictions otherwise?)
[ ] [■]  (?? default: no restrictions but partly restricted otherwise?)
[■] [ ]  (?? default: partly restricted)
[■] [■]  (?? partly on demand, default is partly?)
[✔] [ ]  (?? default: fully restricted?)
[✔] [?]  (?? always restrict but ask otherwise??)
Which ones are missing?
Why isn't there a combination like [■] [?] or [✔] [✔]?
Please help me out..

According to the README file of XPrivacy that can be found here:

The tri-state check box works this way:
unchecked = no items in the category are restricted
solid square =
some items in the category are restricted
check mark = all items in
the category are restricted
Note: By default, categories and functions
are filtered by permission, so you may not see all of them. The check
box state is independent of this.


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Decrypt crypt7 without key (phone was factory reset)
I have my whatsapp backup db in crypt7 format. I forgot to backup the crypt key.
Now I want to decrypt the crypt7 file but not sure what to do. I have my device with me on which the file was encrypted, but the device has been factory reset, hence I am unable to get the key from it.
Now my question is, if I reinstall whatsapp, will I be able to get the crypt key and will I be able to decrypt the file which was encrypted before factory reset?
if not, is there any other possible way to decrypt it?
Thanks for any help.

As far as i know the whatsapp crypt7 files are not actually encrypted.
There is an app that can encrypt/decrypt/backup the crypt7 files without a key.
Also, over copy-pasting your whatsapp folder will also work, i think i've succesfully tried that already...


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Unable to remove malware
I have android tablet and every time i open a browser, any browser, it automatically opens pages with ads or making me download things. Obviously the tablet got a malware but i am not able to remove it. I installed Avast, Avira, Malwarbites, CCleaner but none of them was able to remove this malware.
Any other ideas how to get rid of this malware?
Usually in which location the viruses for android resides? In Windows most of them are in Temp folder but i am not very familiar with android.

The best way to remove ~99% of all malware is to simply factory reset the device. Only a small fraction of malware apps really protect themselves from those solutions, because they require more work than needed for their purpose.

Isn't that a little drastic solution? I mean if i reset the device i will loose all of my settings and apps i have installed, right?
And by the way, i am seeing ads on every other app i open, they appear at the top or at the bottom of the screen.

I know from a friend, that this is the easiest way to remove any malware. Plus, it allows the system to reconfigure itself and usually restores some of the original speed it had after the first boot. You could always try to find out if you have any suspicious app on your device and remove it by hand.

What tablet do you have? Also, save all your important files before you consider factory resetting.

The tablet is not a top brand, but the android version is 4.4.2.

Seems it's related to the recent Alarm Controller malware. If it's, related post: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/129052/alarm-controller-is-sending-me-unwanted-notifications-ads

I reset the factory settings: settings>backup&reset>factory data reset and now the ads disappeared. I also checked "opt out of interest based ads" in google settings app.

Please edit your answer to include steps you used so others may follow along. Also to make it a complete answer.

"Opt-out of interest based ads" won't help this issue actually. It just instructs Google to display any ads, not related to your interest based on your history.

Most of the malware removers for Android are of limited value because Android makes things run in their own little sectioned-off area of memory. Sometimes, a malicious app may slip through the protection or trick you into allowing it past.  Unfortunately, the same setup that tries to block malicious apps also will prevent "good" apps from trying to fix it.
One of the easiest ways I can think of to force you to default to a malicious web page is either changing the browser's default web page or creating shortcuts on your home screen so that you think you're starting your browser but you're actually going straight to the malicious web site.
First of all, try launching the browser directly from the Apps menu (where you go to see all the apps installed).  It may be that the malicious software created shortcuts on your home screen that look like browsers but aren't.  If launching it from the Apps menu works normally then delete all the copies on your home page and drag the App from the menu to create a "fresh" one.
If that doesn't work then something may have changed all the browers' home pages.  Go into the settings for each browser and look for an option to set  your home page (there's a bunch of different terms: home page, default page, starting page.  Look for something like that) and set it something innocuous like Google.

The spams and ads didn't just come out of nowhere. Many times it's the junk app that you have downloaded. Crappy apps produce spam, ad, makes your phone act up, lag, etc.
Sounds like you have an app that produces needless ads. Go over what apps you have installed, and nit pick through them, and uninstall the app that you would think to be producing the ads.
another best way to remove malware from an Android would be to, unsurprisingly, install a malware removal app. Just be sure to install a reputable one. How silly would it be if you accidentally installed malware while trying to install a malware remover? Here are some free ones that you may want to check out:
3 60 mobile security.
Avg mobile security.
It will surely help you if not then try this
Back up all your pictures (and music and videos) to your Google account. Google+ is a great place to store your pictures, drop your videos in your YouTube account, and you can store up to 20,000 songs in your Google Play Music account. Utilize this free space Google gives you, even if it's just to store a few things while you pour digital bleach on everything.
Take the SD card out of your phone if it has one. Visit a computer and wipe and repartition it using the built-in software for disk management. Don't save anything — you need to be brutal to make sure anything nasty gets nuked. But first try Checking your app list. Then use tool if that's not helping.

How shall that help removing malware? Are you suggesting malware just sits in the cache folder? I very much doubt that. Your suggestion doesn't hurt – but probably doesn't help either.

Wiping cache didn't help. Still looking for other solutions to try, before reseting the factory settings.

Check the answer now

Please refrain from your condescending editorial comments when providing an answer. Just provide facts, references, links  and/or personal experiences. Unless edited this should be a comment, not an answer.


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Camera keeps crashing on Google Nexus 5 with 6.0 Marshmallow
I have a Google Nexus 5 with Kernel 3.4.0-g2aa165e and build number MRA58N. (Android 6 Marshmallow)
Its not rooted or modified.
Just recently the camera keeps crashing. I click the camera button and get "can't connect to camera" message. The only way to start up the camera is to switch it off and on again. I'm travelling and take a lot of photos - Its incredibly frustrating when I just want to take a quick snap. By the time the camera comes back on, the moment has passed.
Any ideas?

Related: Camera doesn't work on Nexus 5 running Android L / Nexus 5 front camera not working / Is there a real solution for "can't connect to camera" issue on 4.3? / "Can't connect to camera", Nexus 6 - Lollipop 5.1

Cheers but it was working fine on 5.1, seems to be an issue with 6.0


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Do I lose my data if i factory reset my phone?
If I factory reset my phone, how long will it take for my data to set itself back up? And if it doesn't, have I lost my data?

Factory reset will wipe everything in your device and your device will be as when you bought it. You should always backup your data before factory reset if you need it for after use.

And your data doesn't "set itself back up" again after that. That's something you have to take care for yourself. Even not if you've enabled Google's cloud backup – which at least up to Android 5.x includes parts at best.

Your data does not set itself back up, factory resets remove everything on the phone memory so you should back up your data before you do a factory reset then copy it back to the phone after the reset is completed.


text:
Make the photos taken by Android Camera app and Google Camera app smaller when created?
The photos taken by either Android Camera app or Google Camera app are too large when created. Is it possible to change some settings in the two apps to make the photos  smaller when created? Thanks.

For the Google Camera app:

Drag from the left screen edge to show the menu
Select the settings "gear" icon in the lower right
Select "resolution & quality"
Select which camera you want to change the resolution and select a smaller size

Thanks. Can you suggest what resolution is good yet not too large for what case?


text:
Local media players won't play audio on movies
I have a generic Android set top box. It works fine mostly, except it won't play audio for .avi, .mkv, mp4, etc. files. I can successfully hear audio on movies via NetFlix and YouTube, but if I download a movie, there's no audio.
I have tried multiple media players, including MX Player and VLC but neither works.
I haven't knowingly changed something to cause this. Any ideas what it could be?

how is the audio encoded? Like AC3 or DTS? May be a codec problem.

Android, MX Player, VLC do not have full codec compatibility due to licensing problems. I think the audio on your movies is an ac3 or dts codec which is a 5.1 audio system, so it doesn't play natively on Android because Android uses 2.0 stereo. As I said, it can't be played natively, but there is a codec for MX Player that can play such audio formats. Follow those steps :

Go to this thread on XDA
Download the codec that matches your device's processor type (if you don't know which one to choose, search for an app called Phone Info on the Play Store. It will give you your device's type. Download the right codec)
Put the downloaded zip somewhere on your device. Example: /sdcard/download/codec_arm_V7_neon
Open MX Player and go to Setting > Decoder. Scroll all the way down and click Custom Codec, navigate to the downloaded zip location, and choose it
You may be asked to close and then reopen the MX Player, do so
You are good to go. Now your device can read AC3 and DTS sound format

I should note that the audio used to work on this device for the same files.

Are you sure it's the same file ? Because even if the extention is the same the codec might be different

authors: Наталья Венгловская


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Difficulty in accessing Internet through University network [require proxy setting]
I use university's wifi network for accessing internet. When I connect to internet from Academic area, some of the apps does not connect (especially whatsapp), whereas when I connect to internet from residential area all of apps works fine.
The network requires prxoy settings and authentication. A few of my friends uses ProxyDroid app for accessing internet which requires to root the device and I would not prefer that. Other option include running a Python script through SL4A. Any suggestions?
I am using Zenfone Laser 550kl working on ZenUI.
Thanks

Probably you need to consult with your university's IT department to set-up this correctly. Otherwise, bypassing it can be considered as "breaking rule". (it's probably blocked to avoid cheating on exams)

your point would be correct if all android users face the same restriction, but this is not the case many are using whatsapp without any additional program.

Related: Configuring Wifi Proxy Settings

I use Psiphon available on Google play. Doesn't require root.
It's a proxy server, and bypasses filters in my college.
Try it out.

Link to the app, brief description?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.psiphon3&hl=en

It's a proxy server, and bypasses filters in my college

Just an update, apparently when using this app one cannot detect which apps are using internet. Hence even 'blocked' apps can have internet access. All internet appears to have been used by the Psiphon itself, and not by the app.


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Problem in turning on a phone without any launcher?
The only launcher of my phone which is a note 3 samsung china version was deleted and now it is turn off, how can I do with it?

See I Accidentally Deleted the Launcher

Assuming the device is still configured with your Google account, some network (WiFi or mobile data) is enabled by default, and you can turn it on (though not being brought to the homescreen as it doesn't exist):

turn on the device and let it boot up
on another device (e.g. your PC), point your browser to the Google Play Store, and log in with your Google account
still in the browser, select any launcher/homescreen app you like, then click the "install" button

After a short delay, the selected launcher should be installed on your device. Give it a few minutes, then tap the "home" button. If nothing happens, give it a few more minutes. Once the app is installed, this should launch your new homescreen app.


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Lost my phone, how can I get my contacts from my SD card?
Well, I lost my phone. I know I can get some contacts from google, but it's not phone numbers, only e-mails. (I already tried locating my phone with google, and I was able to do it. It seems to be turned off now, though.) Is there any way that I can get those contacts from my SD card? I can get a new phone, but I can't get all those contacts back.

NO..If you have not backup it to SD card or if you did not backup it using some 3rd party app to your email or drive. there is no way to retrieve that. But next time you can use some backup app there are all over the play store not only contact it can backup every thing in your phone.

Did you back up the contacts to you SD card before losing the phone? Normally the contacts are stored on the phone's internal storage, or sometimes on the SIM card.
If you did save the contacts to the SD card before losing it, you should be able to retrieve you contacts by going to your contacts app, and finding the option 'Import/Export', where you can choose 'Import from SD card'.


text:
Extracting contacts from broken phone
I've broken the glass of my LG G2. Touch is not working. Although I can still connect the phone via USB and see its contents. I want to extract contacts and copy them to my new Android phone.
The phone is not rooted.
Yes, I had sync with my gmail account, but for some reason many contacts where not synced.
Is there anything I could do?

Although touch is not working, can you read the screen? If yes, then does you device support OTG? If true, then buy an OTG cable and use a standard mouse with it and install a contacts backup app from Play Store to make backup of your contacts. ( [tag:adb] can't backup the contacts.)

Also, you can try to sync contacts if your OTG is working.

You will not be able to access the contacts data on an unrooted phone using a file  explorer.
You may be able to use "LG PC Suite" to control and manage the phone from your PC.
As a final option, have you thought of having the phone repaired? Lots of glass replacement businesses out there. Many will  fix while you wait.

Linked has been added


text:
CM12.1 audio won't output to earphone
I flashed CM12.1(unofficial,Android5.1.1) yesterday.Then I flashed SuperSU.
But whatever player I used,Music will only output to speaker.
I want to use my earphone.(BTW,Earphone is Okay,Android4.4 can use it)

I'm facing the same issue. I tried a trick to make its work but you have to do this every time you connect your earphone, first connect your earphone Open the fm radio and switch to speaker output and again to earphone. Thats it

Try following methods and check if it works:
1.Factory reset
 -Settings-->Backup & restore--> Factory data reset.

2.Reflash CM12.1 ROM.
 -Boot into Recovery and install zip from sdcard.

If it still doesn't works then it must be a bug in that particular build. All you can do is wait for next release or switch to another ROM.

No.It won't work.I think there must be sth wrong with the config files or .so


text:
How to change lock screen due to VPN settings
I just faced this problem.. i turned on my VPN last night and a pop up told me to change my lockscreen settings to either password or fingerprint (I'm using Samsung Galaxy Note 4), so i did. Ever since that, I cant change my lock screen settings back to none.. i have tried deleting all my VPN. I have tried to choose the Clear Credentials option but its grayed out. I have tried entering my google account at the forgot password section on the lockscreen but it shows that i had entered incorrect username or password (but I'm sure of my google account email and password). So what else can i do?

did you try your google login at a different machine? just to make sure you're not hacked. Also see http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/22867/connecting-to-vpn-forces-having-secure-screen-lock?rq=1

Are you using Android for Work? Try this:

Go to Settings > Security > Device administrators
Deactivate the entry that has installed security policies
Now go back and see if you can change your screen lock settings


text:
Redirect wi-fi to a proxy

i have a such following LAN: there is a PC that running proxy server on it. My Android phone is on that line. my wi-fi hotspot is on. i want to redirect my wi-fi to proxy? is it possible?
my phone is: Android 4.4 Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

Each Wi-Fi network has settings in it. There's an "Advanced settings" option there ( I can't say how exactly it's called on 4.4 as I have only 5.x devices now). In Advanced settings you can specify a proxy address for this connection. Note, that the browser settings can be different from the proxy you configure in network settings.


text:
mount.exfat-fuse mounts drive r/o
I'm mounting an external exFat drive on a rooted Android device (Amazon Fire TV/2) using the mount.exfat-fuse program.
mount.exfat-fuse -o rw,umask=000 /dev/block/sda1 /system/test

directory permissions are 777, but permission denied for anything root tries.
Thanks for any help.

/system is read-only by default, could be related.  It's certainly not a good place to be mounting external drives.

system was mounted r/w and the location was just for easy testing of a script in xbin, but thanks for the replies.

It turned out that SELinux policy on the Amazon Fire TV/2 caused my exFat drive to be read-only when mounted, despite mounting arguments. The SELinux command setenforce can be run with an argument of 0 or 1, setting SELinux to permissive or enforced, respectively. When set to 0, the drive can be used normally.
So, I check for the presence of setenforce in my mount script and set it to 0 if found. The unmounting script does setenforce 1, putting things back as they were.

can you please post a more detailed answer ,so it can be useful as a future reference :) thanks in advance

Sure. I hope this helps someone else.


text:
Synch on mobile data not only wifi
It appears my S planner synchs when I am on Wi Fi but not when wi fi is off and I am connected to mobile data.  There is probably a switch "synch only when on wifi" to save paying for mobile data, but where do I turn that off if I want to synch in a hurry and there is no wifi handy?

Specifying which Samsung model, Android version will help in others give a specific answer


text:
my file manager uninstalled accidentally
i have xolo a500s jellybean version cellphone...i give root access... and by accidentally my file manager uninstalled... and i have a backup apk of my file manager...i try to install it but after some install processing it says “×app not installed",i need my file manager back...and i don't like and don't want to use other file explorers so please give me suggestion what can i do for it..??
:-(

What do you mean backup .apk? Is it the base.apk?

Place your apk under /system/app, reboot and then tell us the result.

This file manager app is a system app thus you will not be able to install it as a user app (using the default package installer) due to extra permissions that can be granted only for system apps.
To fix this you need to push that app to system/app using one of the methods below :
1. ES File Explorer (or any other root explorer):

Install ES File explorer from the Google Play Store
Open it and swipe right to open the left panel containing the the settings list.

Scroll down and toggle root explorer
Grant root access then click on root explorer item.

You will be prompt with a set of settings. Locate system and choose rw (rw stands for read/write)
Locate your backed up apk file and make sure the file name contains no special characters or spaces.
Long tap on the apk file. The file will be selected. Now click on the copy icon in the top bar.
Navigate to /system/app and paste the apk file.
Reboot your phone the file explorer will be installed

2. ADB (root and a computer needed )

Make sure adb debugging is on under settings >> developer settings

On your computerm make sure you have adb in your path and drivers are installed if you are using windows or udev rules if you're using Linux. adb works out of the box for OSX.

Plug your phone to the pc and copy the backed up apk to your pc (in the example I will assume you put the apk under c:\myApk.apk

Fire up a command line/terminal and type the following commands.

Make sure your phone is unlocked
adb kill-server
adb remount
adb push c:\myApk.apk /system/app/fileExplorerStock.apk
adb reboot

After the phone reboots the apk should be installed


text:
How to enable AWS band on Galaxy s4 SGH-I337M?
Phone stats:
Make:                  Samsung Galaxy s4
Model #:               SGH-I337M
Android Version:       5.0.1
Baseband Version:      I337MVLUGOH1
Kernel Verion:         3.4.0-4508315
                       DPI@SWHD7402 #1
Old Carrier:          Telus  (unlocked by carrier)
New carrier:          Wind mobile
Problem:
After researching web/youtube, I had bought the S4 on the premise that I could add the AWS band on to the phone with relative ease after watching a youtube video tutorial. (I'm not extremely technical but I'm a DIY guy and thought I could take on the challenge)
After purchasing the phone, I started following the steps in the video and quickly realized that the OS on the tutorial was older than my newly purchased phone with a updated OS. First video I found, told me to use a code *#7284# to enter into the modem settings (which no longer works for some reason). Then I found a video that asked me to enter *#0808# (this does work to get into the settings the tutorial asked me to change). The problem is, that after I change the settings from "MTP" to “RNDIS + DM + MODEM”, my phone will not connect to my computer and thus renders me unable to continue with the tutorial. (computer says "unable to identify USB connection")
I'm worried because I need to have my phone up and running before the end of this month because I have to return a shitty ACER phone I purchased temporarily from costco is running out of its 90 day return policy.
I know the phone is already 2 generations behind its predecessors but I'm hoping someone in this forum can help me out!
I've been following these steps: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2291589
Thank you in advance,
Matt

In addition to changing from *#7284# to *#0808#, I also had to temporarily go back to the stock recovery from TWRP so that I can "enable cp logging".  If I don't do that, QPST (the program you have to run to add AWS) simply cannot find the connection to my phone.
Originally I was afraid that going back to the stock recovery would remove my root, and I would have to re-root again before I can install TWRP.  It turns out a non-issue.
Just a reminder when your attention is so warped up with this AWS challenge,  Odin cannot flash a recovery.img file (which you extract from the stock ROM).  I should have known better.  After some frustrating moment, I archived this file into the .tar format and Odin flashed it without a glitch.

if you can find the exact carrier 4.4.2 file.. flash it with odin. the phone will take it no problem. then run rndis... but before you can try going into recovery and enable logging and see if that picks it up... im stuck on this problem right now and i know there is no way around it then to actually downgrade and push the aws file... good luck


text:
How to use volume key to take picture in Samsung S3 (with android 4.2)
I've just been gave a Samsung S3, and it come with Android 4.2 (so I cant apply this guide) So I post this question, Please guide me how to take picture using volume key with Samsung S3 (Android 4.2)!?

Is the device rooted? You can use Xposed Additions then. If not, see if QuickClick helps. On a side note, how do you want to assign volume key to camera app? In a way that pressing it would awake the device and launch the camera app for you, then you could use it take snapshot as well? Or, in a way, the device is already awake (screen is active), camera app is already opened and you press the Volume key to take a snapshot?..

For the latter case, related:Camera app that can use hardware buttons for making photo

@Firelord cause if you can not take the picture with volume key, you can not use the selfie stick to take picture too.
Candy Camera or some other camera app can do this, but I dont want to install other camera apps, they have alot of ads and keep running so my phone slow down.

You could always download a new Camera app, like openCamera or Google Camera, that would include the volume as shutter function, if the camera app that came with the phone does not have it.

just visit this link, it's worked for me http://indahpurngrm.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-use-volume-key-to-take-picture.html?spref=tw
In summary: root your phone and install Xposed Framework and then the Xposed Additions module. From that module you can intercept the volume up key and make it take a screenshot.

a LOT of work for a "simple" request, haha!
Probably not for the average user.

I have the simplest way for you. Try this :

Open a camera app.
Tap a cogwheel icon to enter the setting menu.
Scroll down to find volume key option, then tap it.
Select the camera key option.
Go back to the camera screen .
Now your ready to use volume down to click a picture.

this wont work, because, you wont find  out "volume key option", there is no option like that.


text:
How to show all braodcast events of a particular app?
I know its possible to show all broadcast events/intents that are triggered in android. But I wanted to list all the broadcast events of a particular android app. My purpose is, I want to test a particular app for broadcast theft vulnerabilities. It may be possible to reverse engineer the app and analyse the code. But its too time consuming. Is there any other methods to do this?
Is it possible with logcat? Can it be retrieved from the manifest file? Any input is appreciated.

Dexplorer app on play store has the ability to read manifest file you can find all the intent there

@lord-ralf-adolf It appears that not all the broadcasts receivers (and hence their intent filters) are mentioned in the manifest of an app. See Registering BroadcastReceiver Programatically.

Yes, that is the problem. :( Is it necessary that I should reverse engineer?


text:
Can't see 'My Maps' in Google maps app
According to this, I should be able to see 'My Maps' from the main google maps app in android.

Open the Google Maps app maps.
Touch the menu  >Your places.
Scroll down to see your maps.
Touch one to show it on the map.

However, when I scroll down (3), there are non of 'My Maps' shown.
Does anyone know why that might be?  Do I need to enable something?

Is location sharing off? Or location in general?

Probably just needed an update

authors: Снежана Кутякова


text:
Verify Cyanogenmod update - checksum?
I am running Cyanogenmod 11. The OS made an automatic check for updates, and there are new nightly builds available. I downloaded one of them, but have not yet installed it.
Can anyone advise what security features are built into this automatic update process?

Where is the update downloaded from?
Is it possible to see the checksum of the update in question?
Are updates signed?

You dont have to worry about corruption of update. If its corrupt, the zip file will not be parsed and recovery wont flash it, no damage done.
Still, if you want checksums, you can go to http://download.cyanogenmod.com/, find your device and check the checksum of latest build for your device.
If you are still not comfortable installing update, backup first using recovery. You can always restore if it doesn't work out.

Are updates signed?

I dont get what you meant by that. CM updates are signed with Android's default debugging keys (test-keys). Ofcourse feel free to research about this on your own at Cyanogenmod Wiki.

This wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I did manage to run a checksum of the downloaded file (it's in the cmupdater directory). That matches with the checksum at https://download.cyanogenmod.com/

Did you guys mean https://download.cyanogenmod.org/ because the .com link is  a 404. Also, these pages on the cyanogenmod site give a 503 error saying they're "over quota" so you can't even get the sha1 hash directly from them, but you can load the google cache version of the site.


text:
Phone not reading headphone jack resistance
So I wanted to modify a pair of headphones I have to work with my android phone (Motorola Droid Turbo), and to do so I was experimenting with resistor values according to the "Wired Audio Headset Specification (v1.1)"
https://source.android.com/devices/accessories/headset/specification.html
I wired up a 240 ohm and 470 ohm resistances which should control volume up and volume down, respectively. I plugged in an old headphone jack I spliced, and double checked the voltage output which was reading the correct 2.2 V. Unfortunately when I tried connecting the 240 ohm and 470 ohm across nothing happened. I tried this with my friend's android phone (LG G3) and it worked perfectly. Not really sure where to proceed from here.


text:
NANDroid on CM12.1, Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100
I would like to install XPrivacy on CM12.1 (Samsung Galaxy S2  I9100).
For that I have to:

Preferably do NANDroid backup
Flash correct version of Xposed framework (xposed-v78-sdk22-arm.zip)
Install Xposed app (XposedInstaller_3.0_alpha4.apk)

The problem is in the first point: CM was so kind as to install its own recovery, which does not provide backup option.
I used CWM recovery before, but that as far as I know isn't maintained anymore. TWRP is another option, but I can't find version for I9100 (if there is any).
What are my options?

I could probably stick with AppOps, but it is a bit too simple for my needs. Another question is whether it is worth the struggle with installation of XPrivacy given the stability (and security?) of such solution.
I could probably substitute some XPrivacy features with AFWall, but I had some issues installing it on CM12.1.
Another feature I would like is the access restrictions to Android ID - but that is probably possible only with Xposed(?).

Regardless of whether CWM is maintained anymore or not, have you verified that the its version 6.0.5.0 isn't working to take backup of  CM 12.1 ROM? Furthermore, you can use dd to pull the images of your partitions when booted into your obsolete CWM recovery.

@Firelord I thought that the reason it was replaced was its incompatibility -> I will give CWM a try : )

The problem is in the first point can be solved by this link on XDA.
And by the way it is just for safety in case something happens wrongly. So, you can use that backup to get your old stable state.

Next option for you that you can flash CWM again as you have done previously to install this rom.


text:
Unbrick Galaxy S5
I tried to install a CWM recovery on my G900F with Odin Mobile (using these instructions). But when the phone restarts, it just shows this:

It says Recovery is not seandroid inforcing, Set Warranty Bit: recovery. It reboots avfter a few seconds, but then the same text is showing again.
First of all, what does it mean?
Second, any idea of what I should do?
By removing the battery and pressing volume down, home and power when returning the battery, I can get it to start in some Download mode, but I don't know if there's anything I can do. It says:
ODIN MODE PRODUCT NAME: SM-G900F
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
REACTIVATION LOCK(KK): OFF
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0x1 (2)
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
RP SWREW: S1, T1, R1, A1,
P1 UOC START
Some forum posts suggest try flashing again, but when I connect the device to my laptop (Mac), it won't show up when i list devices in adb or fastboot.
Is there anything I can do?
(I've done this a few times before, but I still consider myself a beginner ...)

Hey, if I get an explanation for the downvote, I promise to write a better question the next time!

Ok, I solved it at last. What I didn't know, was that with Odin, i can flash a custom recovery to the device, even though it didn't seem to respond to anything. Next time, I'll try Odin directly.
Here's a good guide, if someone else is interested!


text:
Is there a native way to find all the installed apps that have access to a phone feature?
Is there a native way to filter installed apps by permission (features they have access to)? For example, filter all the apps that have access to the camera.
Looking to delete all the apps that have access to the camera without manually going through each installed app and checking its permissions...
Android version: KitKat and newer

@Firelord, Was looking for something that can be done in the UI easily. I.e. by a general user...

Figured that Google Play would have something that allows you to filter the apps you've installed by permissions...

Sorry, didn't realize that. Would an app recommendation be fine if not the command-line?

Do you happen to have rooted Android? XPrivacy can easily do the job here. Otherwise, see if aSpotCat or Advanced Permission Manager works. You can also check out Izzy's list here for  relevant apps.

@Firelord Thanks! I guess a permissions app is my best bet. I'll also try sending a feature request to Google Play ... seems like this should be a basic option

In case, you ever decide to go with a command-line way, you can try my approach.
Dependencies

Requires adb to be setup in PC.
Requires busybox binary. If the device is rooted, install Busybox app. Else, download busybox binary from official source, rename the binary to busybox, set Linux compatible executable permission on that binary for everyone and move it into device using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /data/local/tmp/   # LOCAL_FILE is the file path where busybox binary is located in PC

Requires aapt binary. If you're running a CM or its derivative ROM then ignore this requirement. Otherwise, for Android 4.x, you can consider downloading the binary from here, rename the binary to aapt, set Linux compatible executable permission on that binary for everyone and move it into device using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /data/local/tmp/   # LOCAL_FILE is the file path where busybox binary is located in PC .

Android 5.x users: ask Google for assistance.

This is my little script:

#!/system/bin/sh
# Check if the busybox binary exists under /data/local/tmp/ or /system/xbin. Set the detected binary's path into the variable busybox or exit if file doesn't exist or executable permission is not set
[[ -x /data/local/tmp/busybox ]] && busybox=/data/local/tmp/busybox || { [[ -x /system/xbin/busybox ]] && busybox=/system/xbin/busybox || { date +'busybox binary not found or executable permission is not set. Exiting' && exit; }; }

# Check if the aapt binary exists under /data/local/tmp or /system/bin or /system/xbin. Set the detected binary's path into the variable aapt or exit if file doesn't exist or executable permission is not set
[[ -x /data/local/tmp/aapt ]] && aapt=/data/local/tmp/aapt || { [[ -x /system/bin/aapt ]] && aapt=/system/bin/aapt || { [[ -x /system/xbin/aapt ]] && aapt=/system/xbin/aapt || { date +'aapt binary not found or executable permission is not set. Exiting' && exit; }; }; }

! [[ "$1" == +([0-9a-zA-Z._]) ]] && { $busybox printf 'Permission field should not be empty or contain anything beyond these characters: a-zA-Z0-9._' && exit; } || perm=$1;

# List package name of all the installed apps and save them in the file packages.txt under /sdcard
pm list packages | $busybox sed 's/^package://g' | $busybox sort -o /sdcard/packages.txt
$busybox printf "\nList of apps with permission $perm:\n\n";

# From the output we just saved, take each line (package name) and see whether the package has the said permission. Print the app's label and package name when positive. Before printing everything we're also sorting the lines in A-Za-z order. Sorting is not mandatory.
while read line; do
    [[ `dumpsys package $line | grep "$perm"` ]] && perm=1 || perm=0;
    if [[ $perm == 1 ]]; then
        path=$(pm path $line | $busybox sed 's/^package://g');
        label=$($aapt d badging $path 2>&1 | $busybox sed -ne '/application: label=/p' | $busybox cut -d "'" -f2);
        $busybox printf "$label ($line)\n";
    fi
done < /sdcard/packages.txt | sort

Save the script in PC into a file named perm_script.sh and move it into /sdcard using
adb push LOCAL_FILE /sdcard/   # LOCAL_FILE is the  path where you saved that file into PC

Run that file
adb shell sh /sdcard/perm_script.sh PERMISSION   # replace PERMISSION with the android permission for which apps are to be shown

The greater the apps installed in the system, the greater the time will be for the command to complete execution. In my device, it took around 40 seconds.
Demo output:

List of apps with permission android.permission.CAMERA:

AirDroid (com.sand.airdroid)
Android Live Wallpapers (com.android.wallpaper)
Barcode Scanner (com.google.zxing.client.android)
Camera (com.android.camera2)
CellConnectionService (com.mediatek.CellConnService)
Chrome (com.android.chrome)
...
Webkey (com.webkey)
YGPS (com.mediatek.ygps)
YouTube (com.google.android.youtube)

One-liner
You can reduce the script to one line:

adb shell pm list packages | tr -d '\r'| sed 's/package://g' | while read line; do [[ `adb shell dumpsys package $line | grep 'android.permission.CAMERA'` ]] && echo "$line"; done

Drawbacks:

Nothing much, except that you need a *nix OS. Cygwin may work for MS-Windows.
You won't be seeing labels but only the package names.

(To get app's label using its package name, use GAThrawn's answer - works if only the app is available in Play Store; use Izzy's answer - works for any installed app.)

Profit: execution time reduced to ~50%

Bulk removal
Use this command to remove those apps in bulk

adb shell pm list packages | tr -d '\r'| sed 's/package://g' | while read line; do [[ `adb shell dumpsys package $line | grep 'android.permission.CAMERA'` ]] && echo "Removing $line" && adb uninstall $line; done

Expect it to report failure for system apps.

Show App info for all
The following command would display the App info page of the apps having the permission android.permission.CAMERA

adb shell pm list packages | tr -d '\r'| sed 's/package://g' | while read line; do [[ `adb shell dumpsys package $line | grep 'android.permission.CAMERA'` ]] && printf "Launching App info page of $line\n" &&  adb shell am start -d "package:$line" -n com.android.settings/.applications.InstalledAppDetails --activity-multiple-task && sleep 1.5; done

The flag --activity-multiple-task is important to note. It is because of that every App info page for an app would be shown as a new task for the same activity. In essence,  App Info page for every app having the fed Android permission can be accessed under the Recent activities and once you close the App Info page of an app using the Back button, the App Info page for an other app would show up because they were consecutively opened.
In this way, you can review the app having the Camera permission and take the actions on it, be it Uninstall or Disable.


text:
Is it safe to use compression for nandroids (backups) created by custom recoveries?
Many custom recoveries, like TWRP, have an option to use compression when creating nandroid backups.  By default, this option is typically disabled.
Is it safe to use the compression option?  Are the only downsides the time that must be spent to compress the nandroid and the possible need for temporary working space to perform the compression?
Any other reasons why that option is typically disabled by default?

Good question. There must be some reason, as in previous versions (a couple of years ago) compression was enabled by default (at least with CWM).

@Izzy, perhaps the reason is, a couple of years ago, most of the devices did not used to come with lots of storage space and external SD wasn't that cheap to buy, so compression can be justified for that time. That doesn't seem to be the situation nowadays, or does it?

@Firelord I had those thoughts as well.  On the other hand, processors are much faster now, so compression is faster.

Faster ≠ Safe(r). I can't see a good argument against compression except for faster access – but when things are fine, the latter is no argument anymore. Afraid only one of the "Nandroid devs" can answer this – and hopefully one turns up here to do so.

@Izzy Exactly. The whole point of a nandroid is to have working backups.  If the compression jeopardizes the integrity of the backup (or the restore process) in any way, it's not worth it.  If it does not, then it seems like the best choice given how quickly nandroids will fill up even 64GB of storage.

That might even be one of the reasons behind it: backups get ever bigger. So for compressed backups, one first needs the uncompressed size, then compress it, and only then free the space – unless one "pipes" the copy process. The first would "wear out SD faster" (as if we'd do a Nandroid every minute!) and might be an issue with available free space – but I see no integrity risk here. Not sure about "piping" and what the risks should be with that. Leaving piping out of the equation: if compression fails due to no free space, one still has the uncompressed backup. So what? I've got no clue.

Hope this helps
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2001834
I've used compression for a long time, won't stop anytime soon.


text:
stuck on bootloop due to installed xposed framework
i recently installed xposed framework on my X-TIGI A5 china smartphone and on restart got into a bootloop,i have tried on the custom recovery but it seems that my device does not have either twrp or cwmr..anyone help me restore my device??

If you haven't installed them then of course your phone won't have TWRP or CWM.

You could try formatting your phone in stock recovery even if you don't have any custom recovery such as TWRP or CWM installed.

This won't work. Xposed is installed on /system which is left unaffected by a factory reset.

How did he gain root access without a custom recovery ?

@user2119, search 1-click root access on web.

Hmm intrestting ; well I use a galaxy,so I installed a custom recovery using Odin and then only rooted my phone


text:
How to start a bootlooping phone in Safe Mode
Exactly a week today, I updated Podcast Addict on my Alcatel One Touch M'pop 5020D. It shut down immediately I opened it. And then other apps started shutting down too. So before going to bed I restarted the cell. I woke up at dawn to realize it was stuck in bootloop.
I've tried wiping the cache partition and performing a factory reset in Recovery Mode, but that hasn't helped. Fortunately or unfortunately (I'm currently in a state of confusion as to whether or not this was a good decision after all) my phone is not rooted. I therefore can not apply several options in fixing this. I'd like to know if there's any way, any medium at all, that I can boot into Safe Mode so I can uninstall the Podcast Addict. Thanks for the help.

If you have a working ADB bridge in your recovery you can uninstall the app, more information can be found here.

Sorry for the disappointing news, but there is no way to boot into safe mode without USB debugging enabled and already authorized by Android, and  root access or a custom recovery.
The content of the file named persist.sys.safemode must be set to 1 for the device to boot into safe mode. The file is located under /data/property, is  owned by root user and is part of root group only. If only the root privileges are granted, the file can be edited.


text:
I lost my option to use a key that allows me to speak my text or emails
I have a samsung galaxy s5 - my email and text keyboard has dropped the key that allows me to speak my text and I can't find a way to get it back.

I don't have access to a Galaxy S5, but one possibility is that you have somehow disabled the voice input method, typically Google voice typing is provided as the default.
Try going to Settings > Language & input, and check whether the Google voice typing input method is disabled and if it is, enable it and try again.


text:
Inconsistent performance over wifi
I noticed this with my Nexus 5, and was surprised to see it continue with my new Nexus 6P:
I have a 5th generation Apple Airport Extreme. When I am using my Android phone on wifi, images load really slowly or not at all on apps like Facebook and the Google Play store. When I switch to LTE, they load right away. This is weird, because my speed tests indicate 100mpbs performance over wifi, and most other apps don't have any issue.

It turns out turning off IPv6 support in the Airport config fixed the problem.


text:
IMAP forwarding show IP address to Google servers?
I use K-9 Mail app on my phone, and sync my gmail via IMAP.
My question is: Do google servers see my IP address when checking/sending mail?
I am pretty sure that if I used the gmail app they would see all my IP address at each sync request. Using a 3rd party app like this, do I avoid that?

No, if you tell K9 to fetch your mail from Google's imap servers, then whenever K9 goes to fetch your mail, it has to contact Google at which point Google will know at which IP they can reach you (to reply to the fetch request).  They may not get to know your "internal IP", tho (e.g. if you're behind a NAT router, they'll see the external IP address of the router, rather than the specific intenral IP address of your Android device).


text:
Disable vibration of the phone, but leave it on smartwatch
I'm trying to figure out the best setting for my Android 5.1 phone during my working hours.
When I'm at my workplace, my phone is constantly docked and in set to the Priority mode (this is automatic). When someone calls me, I get notification on the smartwatch. I set up Hangouts to vibration only and let it notify me in Priority mode (it is in the exceptions list).
I don't like the vibration of the docked phone, which may distract my colleagues, especially given the fact, that the only vibration I need is one of my smartwatch. At the same time I believe the smartwatch notifications are duplicates of phone notifications and if the latter are disabled, the former get disabled too.
Is there a possibility to disable docked phone vibration notification, while left smartwatch notifications intact? Any other suggestion to set up the phone in a workplace-friendly manner?

Android Wear -> Settings  -> Mute phone alerts & calls

I don't want notifications on the phone to be disabled all the time. I just want them to be disabled only when the phone is docked.


text:
Accessing my phone whose screen died
My Samsung's screen (Samsung S-III mini) seems to be dead (it suffered mechanical damage at the top, mostly the right corner).  I can't really tell if the phone boots completely normally or not, tho it does generate the usual little tune that it does at boot, so it seems like maybe it does boot more or less normally.
When I connect it to the charger, it does give me the usual "beep".
I tried to access it via adb but adb devices doesn't list anything and adb shell says error: device not found.  I did access it via adb before, and IIRC it required some interaction on the phone to enable incoming access via ADB, so maybe the problem is that I'd need to perform this interaction but without seeing anything it's rather impossible.
So I'm looking for some kind of "secret handshake" I could use to get access to the machine, so as to extract the data it has on the internal flash?
Maybe some tool that can just extract a raw image of whole flash partitions (i.e. the reverse of rom-flashing)?

Do you have a custom Recovery?

Not that I know, it's a stock firmware with no hacks (other than the 7 magical clicks that I needed to use to enable ADB access a few months ago).

I ended up installing a new screen.  Interestingly, it's a lot easier than I thought, especially if you're only interested in recovering data: you just need to connect the new screen, so you don't even need to remove the old one and/or try to properly insert the new screen such that the whole device can be closed and stays closed properly.

The screen can be replaced.
In the interim, you can install the Android USB driver. The device will show up. After that, you can take screenshots of the screen using Eclipse with ADT plugin or Android Studio. You can also check the Log Cat window.

Where would I install the "Android USB driver"?  If you mean on the phone, I don't see how I could do it without a working screen.  If it's "on my PC", what does it do that ADB (which I already have installed and working) doesn't?

ADB needs the driver to communicate with Android devices via USB.

ADB is already installed and configured (and I'm on GNU/Linux where there's no need for such USB drivers).

You got the /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules created for your device after executing lsusb?


text:
The QR code doesnot work for WhatsApp web. What is the issue?
While I click on the whatsapp web from menu , it opens scanner but can't read the code. Why?

We will need much more information to give good recommendations here. Please [edit] your question and include at least: The device you're using, Android version it is running. Also check and update the tags you've used to match your issue.

It is Most probably due to the bandwidth of either Computer or Mobile me too have faced the issue when i had a bad bandwidth as the WhatsApp web changes its QR in a very short period of time within which the Android should capture it and process it online I'll prefer you to connect your mobile in wifi and try the same :)

It could happen if you're using high contrast theme on Windows. If that's the case, then just set the theme to Windows Basic theme and it will work.
I regularly do it because I use black contrast theme.

I tried to scan it in portrait rather than landscape mode and it worked.


text:
Make any Notification Persistent
I am using the Google Calendar app for creating reminders for any event. The problem is that when I receive the notification for the event (usually a day before), I find that I am able to swipe the notification away. Is there a way to make this particular notification persistent until the event has ended?


text:
Dual clock on OxygenOS lock screen
I've got the new OnePlusTwo with Android 5.1.1 and OxygenOS 2.1.2. Does anyone know how to display home and roaming clocks on lockscreen?
That was basic on Galaxy S5, but haven't found out how to do it with this one.


text:
Mail app bug - resents non existing failed emails
My friend has a weird bug on Samsung Note, when he turns on the phone, in his mail app he has 4 messages that marked as failed and it keeps trying to resend them.
When I am trying to navigate to the failed emails I am getting to empty failed mails tab.
This is really killing him, specially when he is abroad and he doesn't has a 3G connection - the phone tries to send those messages (which doesn't exists), so its finishes his battery very quickly..
Any Ideas, except mail app reinstallation, factory reset and such ?

Is it possible to delete those messages from Mail app? Also, can you tell him to check his email from browser to see if there are outstanding mails/drafts?

No you cannot delete those messages - cause they doesn't exists in the app. It's 4 emails from last year.  I'll try to check if you can see them from the browser


text:
How do I change the storage directory for Playstore apps in a device running lollipop?
Just wanted to change my storage directory from internal storage to SD card, unfortunately , I am unable to do this.Could anyone provide a solution ? The device I am using is Samsung Tab S running lollipop!

Are you rooted?  See http://android.stackexchange.com/a/12633/1465

No, my device isn't rooted.


text:
t Google Keyboard gesture typing intermittently stopping after switching keyboards
Sometimes when I switch keyboards (from Google Pinyin input) back to English the gesture (Swype) typing doesn't work. There may also be a several second delay when switching. Occasionally the app I'm using loses its bottom half to a glitchy-looking keyboard. The problem goes away on its own after some time has passed or after force-quitting the app that was open when switching.
This problem is present on both a Nexus 4 and Nexus 6 running Lollipop and Marshmallow respectively.


text:
Android studio emulator start without response
So I am new to android developer, the AS start first for the default 6.0sdk, emilator runs well but after I download the 4.0.3sdk and the exact emulator, the emulator crashed while starting, the emulator screen keep black without response. what is the problem?thank you

I have solved this problem,for I delete

C:\Users\chcc.android

and redownload the sdk and Emulator,it runs!


text:
Can downloaded Android emails be backed up?
Helpfully the nice chaps at TalkTalk accidentally deleted my mailbox. They are in process of trying to recover it but is not looking promising.
I have a snapshot of some of the emails downloaded to my android phone using the standard email app and was wondering if anyone knows of a way to backup or archive these so if I were to update my phone I wouldn't lose them and could still access them moving forward.
I have looked into several email backup apps but they all seem to require a connection to my mailbox which is not currently possible. Presumably the downloaded emails must be stored somewhere on my phone to access and backup. Rooting confuses me slightly but assume this may be the only option if someone could guide me through this or advise an easier way that would be great!
Many thanks in advance.
Shaun

Well for this thing you have to go through two methods:
1) Rooting your device
2) Backup your email [Need Root].
For Rooting Your Device:
1) Download Framaroot app from Play Store and Install it on your device.
2) Open the app -> In Specify Execute type-> Install Super SU.
3) You will see some exploit character will appeared, click any of the exploit.
4) You will see a message popup- "Success, SuperSu and su binary is install". Reboot your device. That's all your device is rooted.
Source : http://menonjats.com/root-or-unroot-android-using-framaroot/
OR incase above method not work.
1) Search "Root Genius Software for PC", Download this software and Install it on your PC.
2) Connect your phone with PC using USB Debugging.
If you don't know how to open USB debugging below link will help you :
http://www.samsungsfour.com/tutorials/how-to-enable-usb-debugging-on-galaxy-smartphone-on-kitkat-4-4-2-or-higher.html
3) Open Root Genius Software and Press - Root.
Source : http://androidxda.com/download-root-genius
For Email Backup :
You can use adb for this:
adb backup -noapk -noshared -f gmail.ab com.google.android.gm

would backup all data of the GMail app to your PC, storing it in a file named gmail.ab in the current working directory. A restore of that snapshot then is as easy as running
 adb restore gmail.ab

Note that this will include all the settings of the GMail app.
If you prefer doing the same via an app on your device, take a look at Helium Backup.
Without root, it's not possible to access the corresponding folder on your device directly (which would be found below /data/data/com.google.android.gm and be owned by the GMail app, which forbids access for other apps/users, including the shell user).
Original Source : Backup gmail emails offline

Have you solved the issue ??

@ShaunBlack, thank you comments add noise here unless you've something constructive to mention. If the answer worked for you, you can consider accepting it?

Why did you mention that backing up that email app using ADB requires root access because I don't see the role of root anywhere during backup? Please enlighten.

Just wanted to ask the same as @Firelord: adb backup 1) does not require root and 2) gains no advantages even if the device is rooted. Only exception is if the app-to-be-backed-up has opted out of backup (ALLOW_BACKUP set to FALSE in its Manifest) – but even then, it would need a 3rd element (e.g. the Xposed module "Backup all apps") to overrule that. Additionally, you've described backing up Gmail – while OP asked for the default Email app (which is a different one, usually com.android.email).

I had include root because-  Without root, it's not possible to access the corresponding folder on your device directly (which would be found below /data/data/com.google.android.gm and be owned by the GMail app, which forbids access for other apps/users, including the shell user).

You're informed but not your answer. You wrote "Backup your email [Need Root]" which explicitly means backing up email requires root access. But ADB doesn't use root to backup an app. Do you get it now? Consider editing the details in the beginning and specify that rooting is optional here. Also, use @ to notify somebody.


text:
Whatsapp encryption key location
I have an old phone (Galaxy S3 international unbrandedand) and I would like to decrypt my whatsapp backup files (crypt8, as recent as the latest backup which is always at 4 AM, I think).
I've googled many tutorials but they all seem to be outdated.
Most of them presume that the key file is located in /data/data/com.whatsapp/, however this folder does not exist on my phone.
I've also tried adb backup as root on my linux laptop (adb backup -f whatsapp.ab -noapk com.whatsapp), but when I transform this ab file into a tar and then extract its contents, it's just empty.
I've also tried to locate the com.whatsapp folder (not the user files folder with the actual *.crypt8 files, pictures, etc), but I can't find it anywhere on my phone.
Am I missing something? Are the whatsapp app files somewhere else now? Or has the location of whatsapp changed?

"adb backup as root on my linux laptop",  -- root as on Linux or on Android? If the device is rooted, then there is no need to do adb backup. Just go to the location using some root file explorer and get the file. If it is not rooted, then it doesn't matter whether you  run adb backup from Linux using root privileges or not. As for the empty backup,  WhatsApp has android:allowBackup="false" in its manifest, so ADB can't backup WhatsApp.

root on linux, I had some problems using adb without root (sorry for the ambiguity). The backup flag is bad, what options are there now? I assume there is no way to change the manifest file ...


text:
Nexus Player 5.10.31-leanback developer options
I just purchased Nexus Player after doing a bunch of research on it capabilities. However the one i have appears to be stripped of the "developer options" that will allow me to side load the apps I want. When I click on "Build version" 7 times nothing happens. Is there a way to do this on the new software version?

After speaking to support at Google and Asus it seams the folks at Google removed it. However, if you hard reset the device you'll get the original Asus software and Developer Mode can be entered.

authors: สมเกียรติ สมหวัง


text:
How can I unlock my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 without factory reset
I suddenly cannot access my phone with my normal password. it just keeps saying its incorrect. How can I unlock my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 without factory reset. Very urgent help needed please.

Don't you get an option to use your Google account to log in after 10 or so tried to enter the password?

No there is no such option. I have tried it keeps saying you have typed the wrong password 10 or 15 times, try again in 30 seconds.

Pat, you should have mentioned that the points mentioned in the answer don't work for you before posting. Please do so in the future as it helps to prevent us from posting useless (for you, that is) information.

Sorry about that. Any other helpful tips please?

Yeah. Please go through this: http://android.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask

Follow the below steps if you forgot lock screen password.

Enter a wrong lock screen pattern five times (shouldn’t be hard if
you don’t remember the correct one)
Select ‘Forgot Pattern’
Now you should be able to enter a backup PIN or your Google account
login.
Enter either your backup PIN or your Google login.
Your phone should now be unlocked.

You can also follow Device Manager by Android steps
Ensure that you had enabled Android Device Manager as a device administrator under security settings before trying this.

On a computer or other mobile phone, visit:
google.com/android/devicemanager
Sign in using your Google login details that you also used on your
locked phone.
In the ADM interface, select the device you need to unlock (if it
isn’t already selected).
Select ‘Lock’
In the appearing window, enter a temporary password. You don’t have
 to enter a recovery message. Now click ‘Lock’ again.
If it was successful, you should see a confirmation below the box
 with the buttons Ring, Lock and Erase.
On your phone you should now see a password field in which you
 should enter the temporary password. This should unlock your phone.
Now, before you go on with your life, go to your phone’s lock
 screen settings and disable the temporary password.

Disable your lock screen using custom recovery and “Pattern Password Disable”

Download the pattern password disable ZIP file on your computer and
 put it on an SD card.
Insert the SD card into your phone.
Reboot your phone into recovery.
Flash the ZIP file on your SD card.
Reboot.

Your phone should boot up without a locked screen. Should there be a password or gesture lock screen, don’t panic. Just type in a random password or gesture and your phone should unlock
That’s it!

Thanks for the response but I've tried all these before posting my question and it still didn't work. The device manager keeps saying device is offline or network is unstable. but my device is online with pretty stable network,

Also, please ask for clarification or comment on the OP's question as comments, not as part of the answer

Try to reconnect with network again and try. If this not works you may go for erase all details.  You need to move on to more drastic measures. In case Android Device Manager is enabled on your phone and unlocking it didn’t work, you can use it to erase all data by selecting the Erase button. Be aware that this will delete all apps, settings and other data on your phone. The good thing is, once the erasing process is done, you can use your phone again (after setting everything up).

Erasing my data isn't an option right now. I have a lot of info on my phone that I cant afford to lose.

Have u tried Samsung's "Find My Mobile tool"?.This is an easy way to unlock your Samsung device if you created a Samsung account and registered it beforehand.

Yes but its not working either.trying to contact the samsung website now

ok then if you know rooting and custom recovery you may try this "Disable your lock screen using custom recovery and “Pattern Password Disable” zip file. If your ok with it i'll edit my answer with this method

I do not have an idea how to do this can you put me through please

Edited my answer with third method. Please don't try if you don't know root and custom recovery.

I do not know root and custom recovery. Thanks for all ur help

I had similar problem and to me it was weird! It happened like this:
My Note 3 hot spot (tethering) stopped working. When I switched it on it displayed a message "hot spot in use" and it did not connect to any of my devices as usual.
I reinstalled my device (reset to factory settings) and it worked perfectly. Hot sport stared working. Then I set my common password to my Note 3, and actually I used it for a couple of times. Later, the devices rejected my password! All the time it said "wrong password"!
I used several options including locking it using "Android Device Manager" exactly as the method is suggested here above. Yes, my phone was locked with a black screen but it did not REPLACE the lock screen with one I put in the website for Android device manager! (I think this is not good. Android device manager should be more serious) So I was stuck again!
What I finally did was to go to the "https://account.samsung.com" and put my Samsung account information and used the "unlock" button. All passwords were wiped clean! Now I can access my devise.
I hope this will help somebody
Frank P. Seth

The other two answers are good, this is just another system/recovery way of backing up your data in case you don't have access to a backup PIN or Google Account. But of course, you'll need to have access to fastboot and CWM recovery image of your device for this to work!

Start your phone in fastboot mode by long-pressing DnVolume+Power button.
Connect to a PC using USB cable (ensure ADB drivers are installed) and run this command (replace path with your CWM image path):
fastboot boot /path/to/CWM.img

Once inside CWM recovery you can use adb commands! Mount the /data and /system partitions if they aren't already, and pull whatever data you want. For example, to list all the files and folders in your external sdcard, run:
adb shell ls -al /sdcard/

To copy a file, run:
adb pull /sdcard/foo.bar

This way, you can recover anything you want from the phone/tablet even if you forgot your PIN and don't have access to internet or google account or an OEM alternative method!

requires unlocked bootloader, and fastboot is not available for samsung devices


text:
Visible to only some people on Whatsapp?
I am afraid of using whatsapp just to avoid so many unwanted messages or unnecessary people contacting you. Just wondering, is it possible that am visible on whatsapp to ONLY some people (all my contacts shouldn't come to know)?

What is your phone model and Android version?

You mention on a comment that Actually, i have windows phone... so, you're on the wrong channel

Yes, you can choose the option to be visible only to your contacts.
Go to Settings --> Account --> Privacy --> Who can see my personal info and choose Last seen, Profile photo, status to My contacts. But configuring this, everyone who is not in your address list can know that you have a WhatsApp account, but they cannot see your last seen, profile photo, status.  You can also block unwanted contacts here. By blocking a particular contact, the other side will not see your last seen, profile photo, status and additionally you will not receive any messages / calls from blocked contact, messages will be shown as undelivered to them.
When you are in a group, provided you set the correct privacy options, the group members can only see your number and the name that you used while adding account on the device. There is no way to change this behavior.
Also, you cannot avoid unknown users adding you to a group. WhatsApp doesn't ask you whether you wanted to join a group or not. All you can do is to quit after joining and block the ones that joined you. Blocked contacts couldn't add you to a group.

Actually, i have windows phone. I have set "noone" in privacy for profile, status & picture yet my contact can see. Can't I avoid it?

I don't own a windows phone. It could be a bug. I see you have asked in Windows Phone section as well. You may report to whatsapp about this.. Mail to support@whatsapp.com

WhatsApp needs the users mobile number to add someone, so I guess don't give your mobiles number to everyone and if someone got your number and is trying to give you unwanted messages then just block 'em.

I don't share or add someone to my phone contacts just like that! I have to  be on certain WhatsApp group to receive some updates however, I don't want all my contact to know about it. Looks like WhatsApp doesn't have support it yet. Right?

Blocking is not practical so it is "per user". People won't be able to send you msgs on WhatsApp but they'll come to know you're on WhatsApp.

so can it be like that the groups are sending you unwanted messages cause thats what happened to me.

There're ppl who are ready to create group & simply add u without your permission. Just want to avoid it.

Then simply long press on the group and delete it.

yea, I am aware. Wish WhatsApp feature which allow you to make urself visible only to few people in your contact


text:
How to share android directories over LAN using SMB protocol
I want my hone to be used as network drive, by sharing folders over network. So that I can access it from My windows PC. I want to use SMA protocol for that.
I am using OnePlus One, CM12.1 OS with ES file explorer.


text:
How many SIMs does Data Usage remember?
The Data Usage screen of Android seems to remember data usage per SIM. What I want to know is how many SIMs does it remember before deleting the old ones or does it not do that?
With my carrier it's cost effective to activate a new SIM (heavily discounted) every month so was wondering how much data the Data Usage screen would take up.

Each time you change the sim card and use internet, The data will be added up to the previous data. In lollipop, The Data usage moniter screen will show the entire data. If u want to clear that, You have to Root the phone or Reset your phone.
There are many third party apps on Play store to Record usage. And u can also customize them for your need.

I'll have to confirm that again but as far as I remember data usage is remembered per SIM - changing SIM to another one resets the data usage but it's still remembered and if you put that SIM back in again the data usage is remembered.


text:
What's this persistent Camera-app notification in Android 6.0?
I've been using my Nexus 5X for about a week now, but this morning was the first time I noticed the following notification:

Backstory: I snapped a few photos this morning (w/ default camera app). Looking at their meta data, they were taken at the exact time it shows in the notification. These are not the first photos I've taken with this phone. I don't remember the notification popping up immediately, but I did put away my phone right after taking those photos. Based on the timestamp, I may have simply missed it. I didn't notice the notification until after arriving at the office (roughly 1h 15m later).
Tapping on the notification shows the familiar ripple effect, but nothing happens. It's also persistent: I cannot dismiss it by swiping it.
The notification appears to display some sort of progress, but whatever it was processing, it no longer is. It's about 10am now, and it's still 'stuck' at the same place. The ellipsis seems to suggest that there could be text below the progress bar, but not sure what it would display.
So, does anyone know what this notification's purpose is? And what exactly got stuck while being processed? As a bonus, I'd like to know how to 'continue' whatever got stuck. If continuing isn't an option, then a way to dismiss it without rebooting the phone will also do. I've already tried killing the Camera app, with no result.

Go to Settings -> Apps -> All apps -> your camera app -> uncheck Show notifications -> agree -> check Show notifications. That should remove any notification of the app. (The method is not tested on Android M but works for Android L and below.)

@Firelord: On Marshmallow it's just a toggle button called "Block all" (and you don't have to agree to anything first). Enabling and disabling it indeed got rid of the notification. I'd still like to know what it's about though. Thanks so far. :)

Good to hear that. As per the answer here, OS simply hides the notification for the app. Technically, your app will continue to push the notifications as usual but OS won't show them to you. As for the cause of the notification, are you using Google Camera app? More specifically, did you use lens blur feature before putting away the phone?

I was going to ask the same question. I just hope the photos aren't syncing with any Google Cloud services.

@RaymondChenon: Unfortunately l haven't gotten any closer to solving this mystery. The main reason for this is that I haven't seen this notification anymore since posting this. As far as I can tell, I don't seem to be missing any photos (either on my phone or on my synced Google Photos).

@MH. no changes in my Google Photos too.  BUT I always see this notification lately when I am outside without wifi. So I suspect something is uploading. Did you  "Block all"  notifications ?!?

@RaymondChenon: Nope, notifications are enabled. I only toggled the setting once to get rid of the notification. It hasn't shown up since. When you say you're walking outside without WiFi, do you mean there is no data connection at all, or with mobile data enabled? In my case it's the latter, although syncing is enabled on WiFi only.

@MH. in my case mobile data is enabled. However when mobile data is enabled and I am back indoor ( with wifi ), this persistent notification will disappear hours later.

Android M (nexus 5, 6.0.1, security patch 1 juin 2016):
long press the notification, click the (i) button. turn on "block all", then turn off "block all".
This will dismiss the persistent notification.
thanks @Firelord.
ps: I cannot comment or vote on this SE, so I posted an answer.


text:
Automatic Call Recorder Pro won't play recorded sound files
I have installed Automatic Call Recorder Pro along with [Automatic Call Recorder Free] play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.four.fox.automaticcallrecorderfree. The problem is that when I open any of these two apps I see the recorded files but they won't play. When I press the play button it temporarily changes to a pause button but within less than a second it turns back to a play button and no audio is played. This happens with all sound files. I had to install Call Recorder in order to be able to play my files. Why is Automatic Call Recorder not playing my recorded files?


text:
Windows 10 ADB driver to debug HTC phone via USB?
I'm trying to test an application on an old HTC Incredible S smartphone (running Android 4.0.4). I've enabled USB debugging on the phone and connected the USB cable, but .\adb devices doesn't detect it.
I've successfully tested my app on an android tablet via USB, so I suppose the problem is with the ADB driver for my HTC device. I can transfer files to the HTC phone, but I can't use ADB to debug on it.
I'm using Android Studio with the SDK on Windows 10, with all current updates installed. I tried installing HTC Sync, but it didn't help. I've looked for the appropriate oem-usb driver at www.htc.com but couldn't find it.
I've found links to various "universal USB drivers" online, but don't know what's trustworthy and what's potential malware. Hoping someone more experienced can help!

Did you try this http://developer.android.com/tools/extras/oem-usb.html#Drivers ? For HTC, it says Click on the support tab to select your products/device. Different regions will have different links.

Google USB driver should work. But install the driver using device manager

I did follow the link to HTC from developer.android.com, but couldn't find a driver listed in my region (Australia, where I bought the phone). I'm curious if the drivers are available in other regions, though I doubt it. Or maybe it's been there all along, and I just don't see it? Don't know.

I also tried to install a Google USB driver (sdk\extras\google\usb_driver) using Device Manager, but it said "Windows was unable to install your USB Composite Device".

I'm looking into the Universal ADB Driver from Koush.com, which is available at github. It seems to work in Windows 10 at least for some people (though there might be open issues for others). But I'm concerned about installing unknown (to me) software on my WIndows machine that could also potentially root my phone too. Apologies to everyone for my mistrust, but I'm very new this community and don't yet know what's what here.


text:
Why isn't my Moto G showing up on my lapto
Moto G not showing up on PC. But gets charged all right. Tried changing the cable and plugging on another PC. Out of luck. Turned on USB debugging. Still isn't working. Any ideas?


text:
Is there a way to enable Qi Wireless charging for Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X?
Is there a way to enable Qi Wireless charging for Nexus 6P or Nexus 5X? They had wireless charging in all the previous Nexus models and I'm sure it's a hidden feature in there somewhere.

Seems that you can hack the Nexus 5X and integrate a Qi Receiver into the phone:
http://www.phonerepair.us/blog/nexus-5x-teardown-disassembly-qi-wireless-charging-mod-demo

Yupp, it's not a hidden future, but a missing hardware indeed. And yes, you can hack it in by soldering receiving coil to usb power lines. However you have to be sure what you're doing. And it voids warranty, of course.

authors: Жерж Виликий


text:
Tasker | Keyboard | how to bring down keyboard in Dropbox?
Dropbox for Android does not have a "do not automatically open keyboard" option. So we'll have to do this via Tasker.
Keyboard for Dropbox only pops up when your opening a word-doc (like a .txt file) and continues to do so when re-focusing back to Dropbox while the word-doc is still open regardless of the user bringing it down.
In Tasker how can we bring Keyboard down when ever dropbox is put to focus? (and/or when ever Dropbox is launched).


text:
Can't find webview.db file for android browser to view saved passwords in internet app
I can't find this file anywhere.
Can anyone advise where this might be stored?
I downloaded SQLITE editor on my note 3 but it says no database.
When I see the internet icon under Apps in SQLite Editor in /data/data/com.sec.android.pp.sbrowser a pop up error says: "Root shell binary not found in standard location (or phone note rooted).
However, I rooted with Kingroot.
I need to recover all passwords stored in the android internet appl.
Please help.
Thank you!

You could try obtaining the app's data via ADB: adb backup com.sec.android.pp.sbrowser. Then extract the file from that backup (for details on ADB, see our adb tag-wiki, and also our backup tag-wiki, especially How do you extract an App's data from a full backup made through “adb backup”?). Please report back if that works.

[LG G2 4.4.2 rooted]
I couldn't find webview.db either but opening the file ACEBrowser.db which was in the data/data/com.android.browser/databases had all the required information under 'password'.
Took me hours to realise this. Hope this helps someone else to do so quicker :)


text:
High CPU caused by sp1 process
I have a Samsung Galaxy Alpha and I have a problem. Sometimes a process named sp1 starts to run 100% on a single thread, causing a constant 12% of CPU (I have 8 cores).
I don't know how I can understand what applicaion is related to this process.
This problem is very annoying because if you don't see it in time all the battery will be drawn soon.
Any advice?

Have you already opened a terminal to inspect this process' dir in /proc? Like cwd, environ, fd?

@ott-- good advice, I'll give a try


text:
Nexus 5x won't use custom ringtones/notifications
Just got the 5x, and loaded it with my favorite tones. Did the same thing I usually do with Android phones to set different tones for different app notifications, alarms, etc.
Phone either plays stock tone or no tone + vibration.
The files were pulled directly from my Samsung in .wav format and will play on the 5x via VLC just fine.

Where did you put the ringtone file on? It should be on /sdcard/Ringtones

Horrible answer. I shouldn't HAVE to move the  file there. Numerous programs offer me the choice of setting the file as a ringtone.  If that involves moving the  file, that's their problem.  When I click on "Set as Ringtone", it should SET it. Lots of people are suggesting this, but I've had three previous Android phones, and never once did I need to explicitly  move a file to Ringtones.

btw, putting  a file in /sdcard/Ringtones actually has no effect, anyway!

I had this issue, but only with the Alarm media files.
Use a file explorer, like ES File Explorer:

Using the ES File Explorer, navigate to the folder you have place your custom alarm media files.
Click on the file you want, and in the "Open with" prompt select "ES Media Player"
Open the menu in the top right, and pick "Set ringtone" (the entry with a bell icon)
In the dialog that appears, pick "Set alarm"

I tried several folder locations when my LG G4 got the Marshmallow update and nothing worked.  This little trick worked great for putting in the alarm sound I wanted.

Works for me; the selected sound gets added to the list. Note that after you'll have to set it manually as ringtone/alarm.

@dr01 That's what I thought happened last time I did this, but this time it automatically became my Phone ringtone.

Surprisingly, the analogous trick doesn't work with alarm tones. I added an alarm tone to /sdcard/Alarms but the alarm clock app doesn't notice it or add it to the list of available alarms on my Nexus 5x. (To be sure my Samsung audio clip was OK, I tested it by putting it into the /sdcard/Ringtones folder, where it works as described here by others.)
However, I have discovered a workaround for alarm ringtones: If you put the ringtone into /sdcard/Ringtones/Notifications/Alarms, it will show up in the list of alarm tones in the Alarm Clock application and can be used normally.

It was a permissions thing for me.
Upgraded no problem and it was all OK. Factory started and although I could see the file in notifications it wouldn't play as a message tone.
Settings,  apps, messages, added storage to permissions.......happy me!

Please clarify. It is difficult to make out what you did axed how it helped you and how you think this can answer the question

I had problems with chosing custom alarm tones on Marshmallow. They were chosable within the alarm tone list, but if i chosed them, the default tone had been set every time.
With this hint i was able to fix it, because simply as it was, the storage permissions were not enabled.
Therefore i went to settings -> apps -> clock -> permissions
and enabled "storage". Now i can chose my custom alarm tones as it were on 5.0

Downloaded ringtone from zedge (mp3 format)
Downloaded ES File Explorer from Play Store
Copied ringtone from download folder and pasted into Ringtone folder
Called myself from other phone to confirm

Worked fine on Nexus 5x.

You can try converting the same into *.mp3 and try again. Ideally you should be able to.

What I did:

Installed ES File Explorer App on Nexus 5X.
Connected my Chromebook to the Nexus 5X using a USB cable.
Swiped down from top of the Nexus, chose "File transfers" as the desired use for the USB connection.
Waited for the Chromebook to automatically open a window that shows the Chromebook and the Nexus file folders. Had to wait for a few seconds for this window to automatically open.
On the Chromebook, dragged the desired mp3 file from its Chromebook folder to the Nexus 5X folder named "Ringtones".
On the Nexus, tap Settings> Sound & Notification > Phone ringtone. Nexus dialog asks which App to use, choose ES File Explorer.
Tap on the mp3 file you want to use as your new ringtone.
Close the Nexus Settings app, disconnect the USB cable, and you're done.

Super easy way to do this (free as well)

send the .mp3 via bluetooth to your nexus 5x
download vlc player from the google play store onto your phone
play the .mp3 file with vlc player on your phone
from vlc there is a setting in the "kebab menu" to set as ringtone

Please link to play store app mentioned and adding a snap shot of "kebab menu"  :) options would enhance value of answer

I copied the ringtone to ringtones folder on the phone. And when ever I want to change the tone in sounds and notification, that tone appeared along with the system tones. Simple isn't it?

Ringtones folder where? Please clarify.

I was having the same issue for notification tones and while troubleshooting it I happened to need to send a picture file over Google HO.  The system prompted me to allow access to media (for the picture) and then suddenly custom tones started working.  So you might try sending a pic in case this is a case of permissions not being set correctly by Android.

You don't need to send a picture, but the reason is plausible. It seems there's a "permission reset" bug for some people after updating to Marshmallow. Otherwise, just enable the permission from Settings - App - Hangouts manually .

Good info, Andrew, thanks.  FYI, this wasn't an update for me, but a clean flash.

I plugged Nexus 5x into my iMac. Used USB file transfer to move downloaded ringtone from download folder into Android ringtone folder. It then appears in the ringtone list under sounds in settings. Choose it and then it works fine. Double checked by calling my Nexus 5x from my landline.

I've had this problem with my 6P. Even though my 3rd party .mp3 ringtones and notifications were stored in the Ringtones and Notifications folders (resp.) the Android Settings selection 'using Media Storage' would not display them (even after a reboot) and using the ES File Explorer option to select them gave "Wrong file type" errors. I couldn't set my Hangouts SMS notification to a 3rd party tone either. I also tried messing about with converting the file types with no luck.
I then followed the alternative method of setting ringtones and notifications from within ES Media Player described within this thread and it worked ...and I noticed that my 3rd party ringtone then appeared in the 'Media storage' list. Though I couldn't directly set my Hangouts SMS notification tone from within ES File Explorer I set my 3rd party notification tone as my general notification tone and then it appeared in the 'Media Storage' list in Hangouts so I then set it as my SMS tone and switched my general notification tone back to Tethys - job done.

Nexus 5X/Android 6.0.1
Android won't see new ringtones saved in the system ringtones folder (Android/media/com.google.android.talk/Ringtones) unless files are transferred to the phone via USB.  If you transfer ringtone files to your phone from the cloud, FTP, or some other non-USB method you'll need to reboot your phone in order to see your ringtones using the system 'Media Storage' file picker.
In order to choose ringtones stored in a different folder using a 3rd party file browser such as Solid Explorer you first need to clear the system default 'Media Storage' ringtone file picker.

click Settings, click Apps, click on the 3 dots upper right corner, click 'Show system'
click 'Media Storage', click 'Open by default', click 'CLEAR DEFAULTS'