text:
How to see my Picasa albums offline?
In other words how to download a picture from my Picasa album to my sdcard? I can see in the gallery but not have it in my phone :( so I cannot see when I don't have wifi. I don't want full sync but I want to save a pic which I see in gallery easily.
Update:
I have a good picture in my picasa web album.
When I am at my home with wifi, I can see the picture, show it to others. When I go out of wifi connection, If I try to see the picture I wont be able to because the image which was cached will be deleted and no longer available. I will just be able to see the thumbnail. Alternatively If there is an option to save the image to sd card in the gallery image viewer, I will save that particular picture to my sd card when I have wifi and view it anytime anywhere. So now, If I want to download a particular image of mine from picasa, I need to go to internet->picasawebalbums, browse for the same photo I can see in gallery and then download it. Is there a simple way of doing this? May be with anyother app?
Else, If I can access the cache folder where gallery caches picasa photos, I can copy from there. But I'm not able to find that too.
My phone model: Samsung Galaxy S LCD I9003
Update:
I found this app useful and allow me to save my photos but I cant browse friend's albums yet.

You can sync Picasa albums to the web via a setting in the software on your computer. Google gives you a little storage for free.
Then on your phone you under Settings->Accounts and Sync, select the Google account and tick Sync Picasa Web Albumns.
Next time you open the Gallery app, it will show all the photos that have been uploaded to the web.

but only when I'm online.

Any albums you have viewed are still available when you go offline.

Not always. It depends on cache which is removed after some time.

This option doesn't exist for all users. I don't have it on my Samsung Intercept.

Picasa Web Albums don't seem to be a sync option any more under ICS/JB.

Do I understand that your goal here is to save a single picture for offline viewing? If you access your photo via the stock browser rather than the Picasa app, you can long press on any image to bring up a menu of options including "save image" -- that will download the image to your SD Card.
I'm surprised that Picasa doesn't offer a similar option inside the app -- I'd at least try a long press there, too.

Long press in the gallery simply allows you to do multiple selections of albums: http://imgur.com/yTO5e

The Picfolio App from Google Play downloads Picasa photos and thumbnails to my external SDCard. In settings, you specifiy which Picasa Web albums you want to cache on your phone and where to put them, external SDCard or internal.
Display still works when both WiFi and 4G data services are turned off on my Samsung Galaxy II (Gingerbread 2.3). (You have to turn both of these off if you want to really test app caching, at least on my phone.)
JustPictures! and PicasaTool produced good read-only cached album results only when there was a data service of some kind.
I just turned standard Android Picasa sync totally off, so that it doesn't mess up the sort order of photos taken only on my phone. The images are already there on PicFolio.
There is also an upload to Picasa option, but I have not used it yet. I use the Pro version, currently $2.99, to avoid advertisements.
I hope this helps others, as this thread certainly helped me. Thank you.

JustPictures! might be the app for you. It has excellent support for Picasa Web Albums and lets you download (sync) full albums to your phone. You can also save individual photos to your SD Card (open a photo, press menu, select save photo).
Highly recommended.
One limitation is that you may struggle to open other people's albums. Related link.

You can use an app called PhotoSuitcase where its primary use is to make your own Facebook, Picasa and Flickr available offline.

Try installing Gallery3D from XDA and sync it with your google account. It has a offline feature.
You can get it from here,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=653503

I can't find Gallery3D from XDA. Did you mean this one?
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cooliris.media&feature=search_result

@balki I think TuxGeek means the one you can find if you go to http://forum.xda-developers.com and search for "Gallery3D Apk" I'm not going to link directly to the thread here because I'm not sure of the legality of the app having been ripped out of the Nexus One image.

It sounds like he already has the gallery 3d on his device, which has been available in stock android 2.1+ (or 2.2).

Connect the USB cable to your computer and copy the image files from your computer to your device.
Alternatively, use Picasa on your computer to publish to Picasa Web Albums, but keep the album private.

That doesn't seem to answer the question.  If he copies it form his computer, it's not in Picasa, and if it's in picasa web albums, private or not, he can't view it in the gallery offline.

How else to do it, then? The image will still be in Picasa (unless he removes it) and he's not asking for it to be syncable. @balki: Please clarify what you're trying to do.

I have tested this on my G2, thumbnails are stored and in some cases the full picture, but it is not consistent and there is no way to know which has been fully downloaded. The best way to view photos offline, is to manually download them from Picasa on your computer to your phone over USB.
It would be great if Google offered some way to know which albums were actually "synced" or if there was an option to download full resolution of all Picasa Albums for offline viewing.


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Video calling options
I don't see full support for video calling in my Samsung galaxy S.

I am not able to set a direct shortcut for video calling.
Not able to disable self image when video calling so that able to see full screen image of the caller.
No option to video call directly from logs. Need to go to the contact screen every time.

Is there any app that has better support for video calling?
Edit:
I am looking for more features in the video calling facility provided by sim provider (Airtel). I am not interested in video calling via internet like google talk/skype as I don't have internet connectivity all the time.

There are a few different options for video calling. i do not know how many of them will support the options you want, but i will try to specify their uses as best i can.

The new version of Google Talk It supports video calling and handles it well. You have to call from within the app though, i don't believe there is built in platform support for calling from call logs.
Fring
This is a widely used, multi-platform video chat app that has many options, and i know it allows you to remove your self image, group chat, and it pulls from your contact list to give you a list of other Fring users. On occasion, it has worked with Skype (mobile-to-desktop), but in my experience, this has been spotty.
Qik
The advantage to Qik is it's incredible online support. It has been improved greatly since it's introduction to the mobile market.
Tango
This got the last spot because it is personally my least favorite. You can only call to other devices using Tango, which i find extremely limiting, but it is the same scenario for Qik, so it'll have to be dealt with. It has very positive reactions from users though, so it's worth a look.
i hope this helps you get a jump start on finding a solution to what you want. Take a test run with one or a few of these and let us know what works best for you!

Note that Google Talk only officially supports video on Nexus S phones (as well as Honeycomb devices), so it could be a little buggy on other devices.

@eldarerathis is correct. But on a good note, i've had it installed on my Evo(rooted) for about two weeks now, and the only crash i get is when i try to use the rear facing camera, which isn't really useful for videochat anyways :P

Hi, I am not looking for internet based video calling. I am looking for more features in my phone to support the default video calling facility provided by my sim provider.

@balki, chances are that the features you wish to have will only come as the result of a custom ROM and a root. Beside these, there is generally no way to change or add system functions.

For #3, tap the caller image in the log, and select the second shortcut for video call. If i remember correctly, this has been available since Froyo (2.2), but I'm not sure (running Darky's Rom 10.1, which is 2.3.3).

New skype version has excellent video call quality.
The official version doesn't support video on galaxy S yet, though.
So you need to install the hacked version (check here).
I've been using it on my Samsung Galaxy S and it rocks.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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On OnePlus One w CyanogenMod, how do I get better camera performance?
How do I get better camera performance from the OnePlus One w Cyanogenmod?
Problems:

pictures out of focus / blurry
poor low-light shots
flash over-exposure
camera app doesn't have as many features as samsung s5
no HDR mode

1) Set image quality to 95% instead of 100%. Trust me, it helps
2) Set focus from auto to continuous (this also removes the line people get while recording videos). Leaving the focus mode on tap to focus is a great idea. It lets you pick and quickly set your focal point. Unfortunately, IF YOU DO NOT TAP THE SCREEN, SHOTS WILL BE OUT OF FOCUS.
3) Try a different camera app like Google Camera, Camera fv5, OpenCamera, Camera-Next
4) Change exposure mode from center weighted to frame average keeps the whole shot in mind when choosing exposure. Center weighted and the even more extreme spot metering are for focusing on the center of the photo.
Other more involved pain in the a** Options include:

the best fix is to root your phone and install a custom ROM.
Some suggested Roms are paranoid android, liquidsmooth and mahdi ROM.
For more information on how to do this, please refer to my thread on how to get cm updates (link in signature)
Try using manual focus and mess around with the iso settings to get better images

See more tips and a camera app comparisons @ https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/full-oneplus-one-camera-guide-including-third-party-apps.278496/

authors: วีระ ทองโคตร

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


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Can Microsoft Exchange Activesync in Knox container still wipe my device
I set up my work email account (which uses Microsoft Exchange Activesync) on my personal     galaxy s4 (gt-I9505 running 4.4.2) under the Knox container (version 2.0). If the Admin tries to remote wipe my device will it
  a: do nothing
  b: wipe the Knox container
  c: wipe my entire phone

I've looked around for answers on the web and gotten a few guesses but I would like some proof or at least hear from someone with first hand knowledge.
-Thanks

I finally sent an email to Knox user support:

I have a galaxy Note 4 with MyKnox installed. I have setup an
  activesync ms exchange account in the email app. One of the
  permissions is to allow remote wipe. I know that I have the ability
  through the MyKnox web portal to remotely wipe my own device. what I
  want to know is if the MS exchange admin sends a remote wipe command
  (through exchange, NOT throught the MyKnox portal) will it just wipe
  the container or the whole device?

Here is the reply:

Our R&D team has updated that remote wipe command through exchange
  will only wipe the container if the Exchange account is setup inside
  the container.
Please let us know if any further queries with respect to this issue
Best regards, Tanuj K Samsung KNOX support

My own addition:
This may only apply to MyKnox and not the other versions. I have friends who work in IT for organizations that use the corporate version and have been told that they can add additional permissions and privileges extending outside the Knox container.

The Knox container will be wiped.
Knox is a sandboxed instance of Android with its own separate security policy. Exchange's device administrator has no access to the contents of your phone outside of Knox and cannot wipe your personal data.

That's what I thought and hope for. Do you have any documentation to support your statement or at least personal experience?

I would say that you don't have My Knox because if you look at My Knox videos you will see the icon says My Knox.  However, the version you are talking about just says Knox.  I can not find the version support for it either (as I have the same version you do) even though it says Knox 2.3 in the about tab under my apps -> Knox Settings -> Knox version.
Now if you go to the Knox settings -> Device administrators, you will see exchange sync or email services with the ability to erase data.  The question is when I go to device manager for the personal side of the phone the exchange service (email service does not have permission to erase all data).  I am confused myself. I would suggest that you use an old phone that can use Knox (or not) and use it with wifi only and use the email server only when wifi is available. If they do wipe the phone none of your stuff is on it.  I will carry two phones untill I figure that out.
Centrify is the developer (Youtube link) and so is the Samsung team.   Let me know what you come up with.  I have missed my password the amount of times required(20 I believe) and it resets the Knox version to new.  There is also this site for support. Email them as I am now.

You didn't mention what version of KNOX you have or what MDM your company is using.
With My KNOX, a personal version, you can wipe the entire device:

https://www.samsungknox.com/en/products/my-knox
https://www.samsungknox.com/en/system/files/admin-doc/Samsung_My_KNOX_Visual_Walkthrough_Guide_14.pdf

With KNOX Premium, an enterprise version, it depends upon the MDM.  Most MDMs can wipe your entire device:

http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/enterprise-mdm-vendors,2-732.html

Samsung's MDM can be configured to wipe the device or just the container:

http://www.samsung.com/my/business/mobile/platform/mobile-platform/knox/pdf/MP_Samsung_KNOX2.0_Technical_Whitepaper_V1.0_20140310.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/end-user-devices-security-guidance-samsung-devices-with-knox/end-user-devices-security-guidance-samsung-devices-with-knox

The real answer is:  Go ask your IT department.  Find out who set up the MDM and ask them.

Knox came pre-installed on my device. The Company IT dept had nothing to do with my setup and doesn't even know I am using it. I am using the mail app inside the knox container to connect to the exchange server. I could have done the exact same thing outside of the knox container. This is not the corporate version.

It sounds like you have My KNOX installed, and thus you are your own admin.  You can set it up at the "My KNOX User Portal" at my.samsungknox.com, and then you can wipe your own device if need be.  Good luck.

I don't understand which good content did I really remove in this suggested edit. Your answer has too many obsolete links, and the sources are scattered and not wrapped under text which looks bad. Are you saying that obsolete links are good content for you? Goodness.


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Android Wear "complication"
I previously had an Asus Zenwatch2. I was able to add a complication (I think that's what the little customize-able data points that can be added to certain watch faces are called) that would display the phone battery. It seemed the source for this was the Asus Zenwatch app installed on my phone.
I have upgraded to a Huawei Watch 2 Classic. I don't see an option to get this or several other useful complications that were available from the Asus app on my new watch.
I obviously don't really understand how these complications work.
Is this something that I could get in a 3rd party watchface or is it not available because it needs to be pushed from an app on the phone (like it was from the Asus app)?
Here is an example of the menu to choose a complication:


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Fastboot - what to install on Windows Desktop?
I have an older tablet Motorola Xoom Wifi (MZ 604). The tablet stopped working suddenly (while playing a game on it) and it cannot be restarted now. I have tried step described on Motorola XOOM MZ604 hard reset:

I have tried soft reset (Volume Up + Power), this brings the Motorola logo but nothing more.
I was able to enter "wipe data/factory reset" option, but the reset did not finish
I am able to enter a fastboot mode, however no matter what I have tried, I do not see any tools on the PC to connect to the device (or even to list it)

Now before I declare the tablet dead, I would like to try fix it using fastboot. What should I install on my PC (Windows 10 x64) so that I can communicate with the device?
Most guides I have seen want me to install Motorola Drivers from locations like Motorola Support, when clicking through the links, all I get are messages like  "File not found" or 404 errors. If I need any drivers, are there any generic drivers I could use?

Driver: Motorola End User Driver Installation - choose 64-bit.
Fastboot binary: Minimal ADB and Fastboot - Google now does have an "official" package, but it's unintuitive to install and use, so this one is still recommended.


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(Almost) every time I unplug my headphone, the Voice Command app opens. How to make it stop?
This happens frequently enough to make me believe the unplugging has some influence on it, but it doesn't happen all the time, so I'm not quite sure...
I can think of two options to find out who's responsible:

Detect which apps/services are launching (not receiving!) the Voice Command intent;
Detect which apps/services can handle the Action Headset Plug intent, since that seems to be causing all the trouble;

the idea being that once I find out who is screwing up, I can take the necessary steps to solve the issue.
Does anybody know of an app which can help me? Hopefully without needing to root my device? I own a Motorola Milestone 2, with standard-issue Android 2.3.6.
Capturing the log (with LogCollector) just after reproducing the problem yields (after a LOT of stuff):
11-21 15:23:57.014 W/Vold    ( 1209): Ignoring unknown switch 'No Device'
11-21 15:23:57.030 D/MediaButtonSettingReceiver(22525): onReceive: ACTION_MEDIA_BUTTON but user has disabled us
11-21 15:23:57.030 V/HeadsetObserver( 1376): Headset UEVENT: {SUBSYSTEM=switch, SWITCH_STATE=0, DEVPATH=/devices/virtual/switch/h2w, SEQNUM=10716, ACTION=change, SWITCH_NAME=No Device}
11-21 15:23:57.061 I/ActivityManager( 1376): Starting: Intent { act=android.intent.action.VOICE_COMMAND flg=0x10000000 cmp=com.nuance.android.vsuite.vsuiteapp/.VSuiteStartSession } from pid 1459
11-21 15:23:57.069 D/LockPlayer(22525): ONPAUSE
11-21 15:23:57.077 V/LockPlayer(22525): Current heap: 10032928/10240000
11-21 15:23:57.093 I/ActivityManager( 1376): Start proc com.nuance.android.vsuite.vsuiteapp for activity com.nuance.android.vsuite.vsuiteapp/.VSuiteStartSession: pid=23777 uid=10033 gids={3001, 3002, 3003}

Elixir reveals Cell broadcast (com.android.phone) as the process with pid 1459.
Well, crap. Still at a loss...

You don't have Turntable.fm installed, do you? When I had that app I had all kinds of "interesting" things going on when unplugging headphones, connecting to power, and so on.

Your headphones could short out the headphone jack for a second, making the phone think you press a button on the headset... is there any difference on whether you disconnect the headphones quickly or slowly?

@AlEverett Nope, no Turntable.fm... I have this inkling that Plug in Launcher may be the source of my problems, but I uninstalled that a long time ago... But now I'm just guessing.

@onik Wow, I wouldn't have thought of that :) I honestly haven't being paying attention, but I seem to recall it happening both when I yank it out and when I remove it gently.

@HumbertoAnjos I'd suggest trying with another pair of headphones if possible, but this is just a gut feeling, so I won't post it as an answer, at least not yet :)

@onik It's my second pair of headphones, and this still happens. I haven't been able to repro this now (neither with other headphones or my own), so I'll try later.

Well, I installed Headset Blocker, and the problem hasn't happened since. That doesn't mean much, since it is intermittent, but a man can hope :)


text:
Why does my Android phone download files slower over the same network than my laptop?
I have a HTC Legend running on JB. While on the same network, the same download file gets downloaded on my Legend slower than it does on my Laptop? (no change in any conditions whatsoever)

Exactly how much of a difference in download speed are we talking about?  Are you downloading onto the SD card (class?) or internal memory?

Also check the connection speed. I often notice some devices show only 48MBit (or less) when connected to a 54MBit router. Comparing the network speed of my Wildfire to that of my Milestone², the former is slow as hell while the latter is Speedy Gonzales...

@Compro01 - My phone downloads at max 50-100KBps. My laptop goes to 500-600KBits.

@Izzy - How do I check the connection speed?

The antennas in the phone are a lot smaller and subject to certain restrictions in how well they receive and transmit data and the laptop has a lot more power for filtering out the interference. The distance to the router/base-station is important as is constantly changing atmospheric conditions. Finally, how quickly the phone can write it to the card may play a part depending on circumstances. Ultimately there are too many variables to point to a particular cause. And all that is assuming there isn't a bug in the radio driver or firmware that is on the phone.

Phone may also be limiting the connection to save battery power.

@AbhishekSha I don't know your router. Mine has a page where it shows all connected devices with their MAC-Address and connection speed. Maybe you can check the Web interface of yours as well as I can on mine.

You seem to be using different measurement units, 50KBps is the same as 400Kbps. Remember that 1 Byte = 8 bits.
If that's not the case, check if your laptop is connecting using 802.11n, HTC Legend does not support 802.11n, it only supports 802.11b/g.

How do I check the connection speed?

Download SpeedTest app from the Market. And in your laptop, go to speedtest.net.

authors: Анжелика Иванова


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Galaxy S3 flip case: auto-lock when closed?
I have the Samsung flip case for my Samsung Galaxy S3. Is it possible to setup the phone to automatically lock when the case is closed, then to wake the screen when I open the flip case?
Is it also possible for me to get some sort of feedback from taps/touches on the phone, maybe a vibrate rather than the current tone it plays?

Please only ask one question per post.

You can try to use RFID labels for this action, but it's requires modding of case and software, what make some activities using NFC.


text:
batch processing SNB files
I am running Android 4 on SAMSUNG Galaxy Note 10,1, and using the S Note app,
Is there a way to process multiple SNB files at once? For example, S Note can export 1 SNB to PDF but not multiple,
but it would be better if there's also a way to export multiple SNBs to a single PDF

Yes, it is possible.
Try to go at the root of the note program. From a note, click the back button, then click on 'most recent notes' to see all notes. If you select "share", you'll be given to select more notes, or even folders.
For more information on compatibility, please provide with your exact version of s-note.


text:
RE: Android 4.0.4 shows folder count on Galaxy Note (Android 4.0.4) but not on Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Android 4.0.4)
On my Samsung Galaxy Note (Android 4.0.4) it shows the count of items on the header of each folder. I love this feature. Why cannot I see this on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Android 4.0.4)?
Thanks, Timothy

Which folders? Those on the desktop? In the email client? Please clarify.

Without clarification from the OP this question we can only answer by guessing at what's being referred to.

This isn't a standard feature of the Launcher.
This has most likely been added by Samsung to their touchwiz build of the Galaxy Note - as such, it would not be possible to get this on your Galaxy Tab.


text:
Native Linux on Android's SOCs
I wanted to know for quite some time why linux operating systems are not ported to phones or tablets SOCs with android? Like how they are on desktops and laptops.
I know linux can run on various devices with different CPU architectures, I use linux daily, and android uses a modified linux kernel so why it is so hard to run some linux OS natively on an android based device?
We have projects like andronix, termux and linux deploy but even with chroot that's not natively. I even played with them but they are limited. For example, hardware devices access like GPU is very problematic (e.g. use hardware acceleration).

Probably a duplicate of: Bootloader/BIOS, flashing ROM and correlated risks. Why Android devices are more brickable than PCs? and How to boot Ubuntu persistent live USB on Android?

More details: Is it possible to install iOS, Windows or Linux on Android device? and Boot Process: Android vs. Linux.

Does this answer your question? What is the analogy of the X Server on Android?

simple answer: embedded devices are not PCs and android firmware is not linux operating system. even ubuntu touch is just on top of android, that's in the nature of hardware design. you wouldn't expect to run linux on your TV or wifi gateway, do you?

The main reason:
There is no revenue-generating stream for Linux on smartphones in comparison to Android.

Technical reasons, which can't be solved without heavy investments
Just porting Linux to SoC is not enough. Linux is only a kernel.

You will need to develop a distro suitable for a smartphone.

Android = 1. AOSP + 2. patches and blobs from SoC vendor + 3. user apps`

Patches and blobs from SoC vendor
#2 in the equation has restricted access. SoC vendors don't share internal details even with OEMs, only providing a minimum description for available APIs. Typical Android-capable SoC has a lot of proprietary peripheral modules (such as mentioned GPU or Audio, Image processing, radio modules). Some of them require OS drivers, others even specific complex FW with a separate OS.
Even for some desktop peripherals, this factor blocks Linux support.

Existing attempts
There were attempts to develop an open-source smartphone. As we can see, they didn't get widespread till the moment, and some of the projects were discontinued. The main reason is the same: the model didn't prove its sustainability.

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


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How do I fix Samsung Galaxy S5 FREEZING after updating to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop?
How do I fix the Samsung Galaxy S5 FREEZING AFTER UPDATING TO ANDROID 5.1.1 Lollipop? Ever since I installed 5.1.1 my phone locks up. It's like Samsung engineers purposefully sabotaged this update to force people to get the newest Samsung phone. The freezing happens several times a day with lots of lag. Facebook screen goes black, the keyboard takes a long time to pop-up, and words take a long time to show up after I type them across many different applications. I’ve rebooted my phone and cleared the cache several times. I had no freezing or lag issues before the update. This phone on paper is faster than the OnePlus One but is actually slower than it now. I am unable to root this S5 phone because Samsung's Knox security will be tripped.
I've taken the following steps to clear the system cache with no success:

Turn the phone off.
Press and hold the following buttons together: Power, Volume Up and Home.
Release the buttons once the Android system recovery menu appears.
Use the Volume buttons to navigate to Wipe Cache Partition option.
Press the Power button to confirm selection.
Select Reboot System Now option after deleting the cache.
Wait for the phone to reboot.

Should I just sell it on ebay? lol

You can always download the official earlier OS from Sammobile, and flash it using Odin. Since it's an official ROM, the Knox shouldn't be tripped.


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On OnePlus One w CyanogenMod, how do I add notes to a Google Contact?
On oneplus one cyanogenmod 12.1 w Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, how do I add notes to a google contact? When I go to Edit the Google Contact, there is no Notes section and there is no button to add that section.

On CyanogenMod, the notes section is after the building icon with the dialog box. See picture attached. If you don't have any notes yet, the field doesn't have a blank so doesn't appear editable.


text:
HTC G2 Phone randomly turns off w fully charged battery on Gingerbread 2.3
My HTC G2 running Android Gingerbread 2.3 randomly turns off while running applications such as the camera with full battery. After the random turn off I try to turn the phone on again and it won't turn on. I have to physically remove the battery, wait 30 seconds, put it back in, and turn on the phone to finally get it to work.
Is there an app to prevent this or software update or do I need a new battery?
PS: My previous phone, the Motorola Cliq w/ Android 2.1 and Motoblur also had this problem.

There is a known hardware issue with the HTC G2. Mine used to be hung at a black screen randomly when I tried to turn the screen on and unlock it. If your warranty hasn't already expired, start the process to get a replacement. The replacement I got hasn't experienced any of those issues.

thanks for your reply! how long is the warranty? How do i check to see if i still have it?

@BrianMcCarthy It's probably in the original package. But I'd just call your provider (T-Mobile?). They'll know.


text:
How can I fix the slow freezing text messaging app on my MyTouch 3G Slide?
I have a MyTouch 3G Slide w/ Android 2.2 and am having issues with the text messaging freezing up all the time and running incredibly slow. If I try to delete all the texts, the messaging application will continue to show the circular thinking pattern for over an hour and never delete all the texts. I ended up having to delete 3 texts at a time and waiting 5 minutes each time.... It's really frustrating... I have tried handcent sms and have the same issues with it
1) Is there a fix for slow/freezing text messaging other than factory reset?
2) Is there an app that deletes text messages over 2 weeks old?
3) Is there a better text messaging app than the onboard android messaging application for android 2.1 with better reliability, ease of use, and speed?

Handcent SMS is the most oft-recommended SMS replacement app on this site, so it's probably good to try.  If you have no issues with it, then I would assume it's just a buggy SMS app that you have and not a deeper problem.
If you don't mind losing all your messages you could try going to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, finding the SMS app ("Messaging" or similar), and clearing the data for it. There may also be something like "Messaging Storage" that you need to clear.
I don't know of any app that will improve performance of the existing app, and replacing a messaging app can be tricky.  I'd recommend a custom ROM that has had some of these bugs worked out.  This XDA topic has a good overview of ROMs for your device.

@MatthewRead, I have tried Handcent SMS and have the same issues with it. I heard that Handcent is buggier than the onboard froyo messaging application and is not recommended by a T-Mobile Tech Support Rep.

Everyone at T-Mobile is clueless.  But if Handcent has the same issues for you then I'm guessing it's a system problem.  Try a factory reset as per the other question.

@MatthewRead, How is clearing the SMS data via Manage applications Messaging" and "Messaging Storage" not a good answer to this question if you can't delete your texts from the application itself?

@Brian It doesn't answer these questions: "Is there an app that deletes text messages over 2 weeks old, a better text message app, or a fix for this issue?"  However if you don't mind deleting all messages, I've amended this answer to include the option of clearing the data.

@MatthewRead, it answers the "fix for this issue" question.  I reworded the questions so that they are clearer. Are there any apps to improve messaging performance?

OK, cool.  Updated my answer again.

Do you think it's worth upgrading to the G2 to fix performance issues?

Late reply, but I just experienced the same thing and used a different approach to fix this problem which may work for others.  I'm not sure what caused this issue--never really looked at my Texting settings before.  But below is what worked for me when restarting, and deleting data did nothing for me.
I went to Running Applications, found the Texting application (mine was Multi-touch keyboard), selected it, went to settings, changed the input method to "Swype", then closed out.  This stopped the keyboard from locking whenever I went to input txt into any application.

I know this is late, but I have the same kind of phone, and came across the same problem. Honestly, if you have that many messages and still want to delete them, the best way to do so is to set the screen fade out to never, plug it into the charger, and delete the messages while you're sleeping. By the time you wake up the loading circle will be gone, along with all the messages you deleted. Hope this helps!

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


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How to migrate accounts and data from one Android phone to another?
I have a HTC Magic phone with Android 2.2.1 and I want to migrate all accounts (9), apps, sms, settings, etc... to a new phone with Nexus One.
Do you known some Android service/option or free app on Market to do it?
Thanks a lot!
UPDATE
I have migrated successfully :)
Old phone: HTC Magic rooted with Android 2.2.1
New phone: Nexus One rooted with Android 2.3.3

At first, backup google accounts with Titanium Backup Rooted
Then, backup SMS and Call logs with Life Saver 2
At end, restore in the new phone

Some problems with settings restore (Wifi, Bluetooth, apps, etc...).
Thanks!

If you are rooted, use Titanium Backup.  You won't be able to restore some things, since the Nexus One and HTC Magic have some very different system apps, but most should carry over.  After backing up with TB, copy /mnt/sdcard/titaniumbackup/ to your PC.  Then on the N1: install TB, copy the folder from your PC to the same location on the phone, then run TB and restore.
If you're not rooted, it's difficult to back up most things, especially all at once.  I'd rely on Google's backup for your list of apps and that sort of thing, as the other answer suggests.

Ah, beat me to it!  :)

If you're syncing with Google already, most of that will automatically be synced to the new phone when you enable Google sync on it.

no : sms, app, settings, media files,...,  aren't synchronized at all

For the SMS messages, see this previous question: How do I backup and restore SMS Messages? out of the suggestions there, I've used Life Saver 2 successfully to transfer all of my SMS and call history between phones  very easily.

If you aren't squeamish about rooting your phones you could use an app like Titanium Backup.

Just root both devices
Install Titanium Backup on both
Choose the apps you want from your Magic and back them up
Copy /mnt/sdcard/TitaniumBackup/ from your Magic to your Nexus One (this is the path used on my Droid, it may be different on your devices)
Load Titanium Backup on the Nexus One and load the backups

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


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Can downgrading OS make Xperia Neo V, boot after a boot loop
My Neo V MT11i was upgraded to ICS a few days ago. Today when I turned on bluetooth, it started to reboot repeatedly.
I tried to hard reset using sets of button as posted in some blogs but still I can't access it.
Is there any solution? Does downgrading to Gingerbread solve the problem?

You can try to use Sony's own Update Service. It's very easy to use, and you can chose the Android version you wish to install if I'm remembering it right.

Here is a forum post, the OP has a similar problem to the one you have:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2151177

He said that he just flashed his device with the stock firmware and it fixed the problem, so it's worth a try.

Here is the flash tool:

http://androxyde.github.com

4.1.B.0.587 Firmware ftf file:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=33295129


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Android tablet not reading internal sdcard
After I used sdformatter to try and fix a 0.00B internal memory problem I had with my Porto 9" 4.2 android tablet, I noticed I only made things worse because now my android mounts the internal SD card, but it doesn't show up in storage or the file manager, I now know how to fix the 0.00B internal memory problem but to do that I need my android to read my internal sdcard. By the way I used sdformatter to fully overwrite the internal sdcard by connecting it to my PC via usb

s formatter or sdformatter? (last line)

Is your SD card FAT32 formatted? Did it work before? Can you try it on another device, or another device's SD card on your tablet?

Why did you use sdformatter? Quick Google-fu Yielded that its specific for external sdcards that you can buy, not for internal storage which is an entirely different thing. I would hazard a guess you've really messed things up and no way of getting it back... :\


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Is there a hardware or software limitation to how long smartphone can record video?
Besides the obvious battery and storage limitations, are there any limits to how long can a smartphone record video? For example, could the image sensor overheat after an hour or more? Would the camera software explode?

Related: Android limited to 1 hour video recording? / Is there an app or setting available to increase video recording duration?

In theory no limit on recording. But as you say overheading is a big problem on summar days.
I experience that camera did shutted down recording video because a software problem. When you recorded, everyframe have to processed by processor. And camera recording process is a stream between processor and camera chip. During this stream, if a bit of stream's data changes, processor will handle an error in stream and will delete all recorded stream. This is a one scenario. Scenario's count can be increased.
For example if processor heat up, and after heating up , on transistor level will one electricity jump 1001st transistor to 1002th transistor and this cause a processor error and this can be the limit of recording video.
I hope I could explain.

You forgot about file system limitations. Depending on the file system used, limits differ – but the size of a single file cannot exceed a certain number. Of course, an app could take care for that by splitting recordings to multiple files, but not all video recording apps do. Plus, if I remember correctly, there were some legal/licensing issues.

He says ignore the obvious battery and storage limitations.

You're correct, and I was not critisizing (just adding "the obvious"). Count it as a "note for other interested readers" ;)


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Sync problem with Google account
I erased all my contacts in my Samsung S i9000 to import all of them from Google.
Sync has downloaded only around a half of 4500 contacts. Over and over syncing to get the rest of them I get an error 'Sync is currently experiencing problems...'. Sync Gmail and Sync Calendar work well.

After some troubled tries I could save (not sync) all my contacts.
First try was to remove all contacts again and sync with Mac address book (which is also synced with Google) using Kies (Samsung); it always crashed when around 80% sync task was performed. Then I remove all contacts again, created a vcf file containing all Address Book data, copied it to the phone and finally imported data from file.
Just to check sync with Google I added a test contact to Address Book, synced to google and then synced from the phone. The contact was added despite 'Sync is currently experiencing problems...' was displayed again.


text:
contacts, backup, sync issues
Houston We Have A Problem!!
I did something which I slightly regret now.. I updated my Samsung Galaxy S2 ( I already rooted it, hard reset, all works fine on the previous 2.24) it was only recently I decided to update to 4.0.4 that seems to work fine, though all my installed apps seems to have been wiped, the directories seem to be still on the phone.
Now I know I SHOULD have synced everything, but I had copied and pasted the whole phone on to Windows, I can not seem to find contacts.db and all my contacts seems to have been wiped off, again all the files seem to be on the phone aside from all my installed apps, games, etc..
I really do need help in getting my contacts to be found on my backed up folder on Windows to be put back into my android phone and I need this rectified as soon as possible, if anyone can kindly help, due to business, university and many other things with a lot of contacts that I need restored. I eagerly look forward to someones help!!

Did you copy /data partition of your device? It had everything you need now.

First thing: Why did you not have your contacts synced to your Google Account?

It's not as easy as copying back the contacts.db even if you had it: its structure might have changed, and simply replacing the existing file might break things (I had that once). I'm also not sure whether I understand how you copy-pasted your phone (sounds like text copy to me, which you surely didn't mean), so it might be helpful to add some more details on that. Not knowing what is available, it is hard to tell how to restore.

You should be able to find it in /data/data/com.android.contacts - check the folders inside there.
If it isn't in there, then I am afraid I have no idea where it could be stored, as that is the only place that app could store it's files.
Next time, I recommend syncing them with your Google Account.


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Turn notifications on and off based on time periods
Is there a way to configure Android to turn off notifications at a specific time and turn them on at a specific time? Pretty much I don't want to hear notifications at 3 AM from anyone or anything.

Possible duplicate. Take a look at this topic, it might help you

@Markissimo No, not really. That other question is more about "Makro Mode", i.e. "first run X, then Y, then Z". This here is about "Change setting at X (time), and change back at Y (other time)". Though the best answer (Tasker) is the same in both cases :)

Closely related: Can I silence only certain notifications during the night?

If you use Cyanogenmod there's Settings->CyanogenMod Settings->Sound->Quiet Hours.

Is it possible to schedule when those quite hours are throughout the day? The reason I ask is because I am looking for something that would snooze notifications, meaning still be able to receive them eventually, just not while I am busy doing something so that I do not get distracted.

"Do not disturb" mode should be present in stock and skinned Android versions. It can be accessed through the Settings. You can set which apps can send what notifications at what time.
The main benefit is no third-party app needs to be installed.

The nice thing here is that you can very easily set it to stay in "do not disturb" mode for a specific amount of time, so you don't need to remember to turn it off manually.

There are several automation apps in the playstore which deal with this kind of subject. Some of them are simply time-based (which would match your question), such as e.g. Timeriffic1 -- others additionally can react on other conditions like location, calendar and more (e.g. MyProfiles2). The top end of flexibility can be reached with Tasker -- there's almost nothing this app couldn't do. It needs some time to get used to, and costs some money, but for sure it's worth it.

There are a lot of more apps like the mentioned ones, so just take them as examples for further "investigation" in the playstore. There also is a German listing on AndroidPIT (Automatisierung -- Profile-Switcher & Co -- Google Translate Version) to give you a faster start looking for alternatives.

On my Samsung Galaxy S4 has a blocking mode that you can only receive calls or notification of calls in between certain times...unless you put people on a contact allowed list...not sure how this will work with texts.


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Startup and Wi-Fi problem with email, apps
Had to grab a Samsung Galaxy Discover prepaid phone with 4.0.4 as a quick replacement.  Only problem is whenever I power up the phone, my Gmail and ISP's email accounts won't sync and my weather widget won't refresh.  Idisable Wi-Fi service and then everything starts working immediately.  I can then start Wi-Fi and it seems like everything works via wifi from then on until my next on/off.  No other carrier or Wi-Fi issues that I can see.
Any thoughts on the cause?

Not a real solution as to the underlying problem -- but a possible work-around involving Tasker (or a similar automation app which could do the same):

Condition:

On Startup
If Wi-Fi On

Task:

Wi-Fi Off
Wait 15 sec
Wi-Fi On

This at least should save you from having to do it manually everytime.

Thanks for the tip.  I will give that a whirl if I cannot find the root cause of the issue.

You're welcome -- that was the idea behind it.


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DroidWall (firewall app) alternative for non-rooted phones
Are there any applications that can restrict specific applications from accessing data/internet for non-rooted ICS phones? DroidWall - Android Firewall provides this functionality but it requires Root access.

That's only allowed for root apps. Droidwall is an iptables frontend (which configures the kernel's netfilter subsystem to act as a firewall). An app needs root privileges to do that. Obviously it would else be very easy to switch the firewall off again.

Are the answers below still correct, or have things changed since this question was written?

Mobiwol is an Android firewall application that does not require root. They somehow use the VPN interface for firewalling (without actually connecting you to a VPN server).

We've used technology available to us from within the VPN packaging
  module offered by Android to be able to gain visibility to your
  applications' network activities

I tried it and it works fine for ICS.
Should be compatible with any device running Android 3.2 or later

The other answers are correct in that setting firewall rules requires root. And if you have root, you could simply deny internet permissions for a specific app without even needing a firewall (Permissions Denied or built-in with a CyanogenMod rom).
However, there is something you can do to partially circumvent the problem. Using Set DNS, you can change your DNS provider for wifi. Set it to something like Open DNS. From there, you can set up rules in DNS to block certain domains. Thus, when on wifi, you could block apps from making requests to a specific domain.
Unfortunately, you can't do this your your cellular connection; In fact, most cell providers override any DNS requests and use their own server no matter what.
If you set up a VPN, you could do the same thing over your cellular connection, but if you have a VPN set up, you could use that server to set up firewall rules anyway.

I would like to create white list for network, How it would be possible by using Set DNS I have rooted emulator.

NoRoot Firewall works as the name suggests. I used it to keep my phone from downloading things by itself. I couldn’t make it persistent on that phone though, so it wouldn’t restart automatically. But while it’s running, it blocks unwanted apps just fine.

I highly agree with No Root Firewall, If you are familiar with using DroidWall's interface No Root Firewall is like the old editions of DroidWall before the category selection stuff, It sometimes freezes and causes temporary security breaks, so it's not exactly full-proof but it works 95% of the time.

it's simply not possible for system user to prevent another process from accessing network, it can only be done by root, therefor root is required to do firewall changes to your system.

What about the noroot Firewall? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.greyshirts.firewall Apparently it uses VPN to be able to block packages. Does it work?

Restricting internet access of specific apps isn't possible on a non-rooted device. So, an app doesn't exist.

While I share your opinion: Any idea how Onavo does that? It claims to be able to Restrict specific apps to Wi-Fi (among others). And I read nothing about "root" there -- neither in the app desc nor in the comments.

A great firewall app alternative for non-rooted is NetGuard, it's open-source and well maintained and has been around for a while, I use it as well
you can find it on the android Playstore here

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


text:
Is there a way to wipe a device based on a certain password? A like a "Wipe-me" password?
Is there a way (an app perhaps) that will wipe a phone if a certain password is entered at the lock screen? For example "letmein" unlocks the phone, but if you enter "wipeme" it will start the factory reset process, or erase the decryption key or what have you.

What purpose should this serve? Is your use case cop/gangster/whoever forces me to unlock it but I enter "wipeme" instead? To give you a hint: This is technically possible - but - the unlock is done by the system itself and an app cannot intercept it (for obvious reasons). In short: Not happening on stock firmwares, someone (you?) would have to code it himself right into a custom ROM.

@ce4 I like that reasoning ;)

@ce4 The scenario sounded silly when brought to my attention too, but I am researching it nonetheless. I would think the user would be advised to worry more about their well-being than the data on the phone. Requiring a custom ROM is the type of answer I was looking for. Thanks for the insight.

Custom ROMs will not just magically support this. Someone has to implement it, e.g. for CyanogenMod and the person who wants that feature has to use a phone that can be modded (i.e. an unsubsidized Nexus 4, not a locked one from VZW/ATT/etc.). BTW: The easiest /fastest way would likely be to use a full-encrypted phone and just delete the key on the /efs partition (/efs/userdata_footer). Encryption details are here

There is no way to do this, although you could do it using SMS.
You would have to install an app like Cerberus which allows you to send an SMS to wipe your device.

There is none in my knowledge. The good reason why its not there because if its applied to specific models then anyone who owns the same model and knew the code can erase your privacy. So its not a good idea.


text:
Screen timeout versus secured lock time
I just updated to Jelly Bean on my GS3 and am mostly impressed.
I am having trouble with the screen timeout setting, however.  When I go into Display>Screen Timeout and select a time, say 30 seconds, I get a message that says "Screen will turned off when screen is locked.  Secured lock time is currently set to 5 seconds." My question is where? I cannot find this Secured Lock time setting in Display settings, Lock Screen settings or Security settings, which would seem to be the intuitive places to look for it. Further, even though I get this message, my screen now does not turn off at after 5 seconds, or ever as far as I can tell.  After walking away from the phone for 20 minutes, I returned to the screen  blazing in all its AMOLED glory.

If I understand that right, your screen should turn off after 30s idle time. If you switch it back on within less than 5s, you won't have to unlock (lock screen). After that "grace time" is exceeded, Keyguard takes over and enables the "lock". That's how your "configured part" sounds. I have no explanation, however, for the 20min thing -- except that some app might keep the screen awake -- here it might help if you specify what is running when that happens.

Thanks, Izzy. Your comment about an app running that might be keeping the screen awake prompted me to do a restart, which resolved whatever was going on.  Screen turns off after 30 seconds and locks after 35.  Appreciate the feedback!

Glad the hint helped! I took the freedom to turn it into a more detailed answer (giving additional hints).

Your problem is not in display but in Lock screen. I had the same problem and fixed it: Go to settings, lock screen, then secured lock time, and set it for ten minutes

With a relatively modern Android version, there is no need to trust a 3rd party app, which probably explains the app landscape observed.
There are three settings that can be managed to allow the screen to dim without locking the phone.  These features have been around since at least 4.4.
settings > display > sleep is the amount of time the screen will remain on after activity stops.
settings > security > Power button instantly locks is what needs to be altered so manually turning off the screen with the power button does not lock the phone.
settings > security > Automatically lock can be set to a comfortable span of time, such as 10 minutes.
On later versions of Android, the path to get to the above two is under the screen lock gear:
settings > security > screen lock (settings gear) > Power button instantly locks, and
settings > security > screen lock (settings gear) > Automatically lock.

As said in my comment on the question itself: That settings page is the place to configure the default behaviour. In your described case, those settings define the screen to switch off after 30s of idle time (i.e. no touch event), plus activate the Keyguard action (i.e. the lock pattern, PIN, or password) after additional 5 seconds (so if you switch the screen back on within less than 5s after it switched off automatically, you do not have to unlock the device as it would not yet be locked).
Now why does the screen stay on for 20 minutes or more, though configured to switch off after 30s of idle time? The solution is not always that obvious. Apps with the appropriate permissions might override those default settings. A good example is a navigation app: One surely doesn't want to permanently touch the screen to keep it from switching off while navigating. Another example might be an ebook reader prolonging the timeout.
While a reboot might solve that issue once it happens (in case a quick-fix is needed), in the long run it will prove better to check running apps for candidates overriding the mentioned default settings. While the navigation app might be obvious (and most likely desired), other apps might let you configure this behaviour.
In case you cannot easily figure out which app is causing it, a look at the system logs might prove useful. aLogcat is one example of apps helping you to capture log contents (there are many others as well). It might produce a large amount of lines, but searching the content for strings like "screen", "timeout", and the like has good chances to narrow it down.


text:
Salvage Android Phone as Linux-Server (radio/wifi hardware broken)
My device has hardware problems with radio/wifi. Hence it's not possible to use sim-card or wifi. That also makes it restart frequently. Now it's useless as a phone. So I am trying to turn it in a desk computer (mini-server linuxdeploy). Simple air-plane mode isn't enough to solve these reboots.
How I figure out its wifi/radio components were broken (tentative)
I have an OnePlus 6 enchilada.

It fails to detect sim-card and at the same time can't turn on wifi.
If I try to turn on wifi. In the second I click to turn it on it freezes and reboots.
I read multiple logcat logs to my best efforts. Also system crash dumps. All seams related to radio/wifi or tentatives to turn modem on.
One think that make its work again (sometimes): is by pressing exactly on the Qualcomm SDR845 RF transceiver (and also Qualcomm QDM3620, QDM3670, QDM3671 Diversity Receiver Modules) on the back.
Other people also faced similar issues and same temporary workarounds. They found it to be related with those components. Repairing the motherboard seams impossible. And support want a full motherboard replace which is impractical ($$$).

Deeper disable wifi/radio than simple air-plane mode
Is it possible to somehow to disable the WIFI/radio somehow deeper than simple air-plane mode? So I can use it as a desk mini-server. Installing linuxdeploy or any other software like that and use reverse tethering.
I tried many solutions around internet (including android.stackexchange) but none really works.
If someone could give me any tip or advice I would greatly appreciate!!

Your device has active LineageOS support. Therefore you could try to build a custom version of LineageOS and modify the device tree or other parts of the source code to disable the broken components before building the ROM.

@Robert Hilariously the solution I found is exactly what you commented. Unfortunately I had to spent almost an year of exploration to find that by myself. Thank you anyway for your willingness to help.

I solved by myself so I'm sharing so it might be useful for others.
Deeper disable wifi/radio = recompile android Linux Kernel disabling wifi/radio drivers
First I tested the Lineage OS custom ROM for my device.
From that I got access to fully rebuild my Custom Lineage ROM. They have all source code for all supported devices including the source for the linux kernel for my mobile board (Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 SoC).
When the kernel is built It should be decided if It will load driver modules (all SoC board component needs a driver) or have driver modules statically built in it. In either case the driver must be enabled during the kernel build. For configuring the linux kernel build a .config file is used.
After studying a lot more about linux kernel building. Found from here that QDSP6V5 from OnePlus 6 SoC SDM845 board was mandatory for mobile-data and WIFI when building the kernel.
Using Lineage OS docs and more research and 250 GB of source code and almost 12 hours of download (repo sync + brunch enchilada) I managed to build my custom Lineage OS 16.0 ROM after modifying the kernel .config fragment (enchilada_defconfig) from android\lineage\kernel\oneplus\sdm845\arch\arm64\configs\enchilada_defconfig.
Setting CONFIG_MSM_PIL_MSS_QDSP6V5 from y to n(NO).
Note: When building LOS I had to disable dashd since I couldn't find this file while extracting proprietary blobs. Comment it out on ~/android/lineage/vendor/oneplus/sdm845-common/Android.mk
#include $(CLEAR_VARS)
#LOCAL_MODULE := dashd
#LOCAL_MODULE_OWNER := oneplus
#LOCAL_MODULE_PATH := $(TARGET_ROOT_OUT_SBIN)
#LOCAL_UNSTRIPPED_PATH := $(TARGET_ROOT_OUT_SBIN_UNSTRIPPED)
#LOCAL_SRC_FILES := proprietary/rootfs/sbin/dashd
#LOCAL_MODULE_TAGS := optional
#LOCAL_MODULE_CLASS := EXECUTABLES
#include $(BUILD_PREBUILT)

and deleting it from  PRODUCT_PACKAGES += list on sdm845-common-vendor.mk on same folder.
Eureka!!
Wifi and Mobile not working at all.
No more reboots and internet working flawlessly from usb reverse tethering.
Hilariously solution is exactly like @Robert commented. I had to spent almost an year of exploration to find that by myself. `-)


text:
Is the rooted hack for Move to SD card better than the option built into the Android Phone OS?
What I have found recently: In order to save space on my device (Galaxy S5) I attempted to use the 'move to SD card' option. This has not really helped all that much. It seems that it uncompresses an application, making it a lot larger before moving a chunk of it to the SD card.
What I am asking is about the option that is available via a rooted phone. Does the rooted version offer a better solution, such as moving more of the app to the card? Or is it not worth the effort to root the phone for that choice?
My phone is I am certain long out of warranty so not really worried about that.
It is clear to me there also may be multiple different tools that do this. It would be helpful to find which may be the best choices. Thank you in advance.

The "Move to SD card" neither moves the app (APK file) nor the complete app data.
It just moves the additional media files and data (that doesn't pose any security risks upon revealing to user) like Images or Graphics or whatever.
(And all apps do not provide this option. It depends on the app developer.)
These moved data can be found in the Memory Card in a directory named Android/data .
And yes, the rooted solution moves the complete app and app data into your memory card, which completely lessens the burden.
But you have to create a separate EXT2/EXT3/EXT4 partition first in your memory card (using softwares like MiniTool Partition Wizard) and then use an app like Link2SD (as @Tamoghna said) or Mounts2SD.

Thank you for the elaboration and additions, partition solution as well. It makes sense. This looks like what I am needing.

Link2SD is a great root app that move the files 100%. I had it and saved a lot of space! but for now I don't need it. You will need to use a tool to edit the partitions on you SD card to make Link2SD work. I'm not sure if any of the tools running on Android will work correctly. There is a "Link2SD tutorial" available.
Just one bad thing about Link2SD : It is not free.

Sounds interesting, I will consider it - thank you for answering - for now I will accept this answer.


text:
Smart Lock, and multi-factor authentication?
I am using Marshmallow, and I use the built-in encryption mechanism.  Typing my password every time the screen locks is a pain.  I would like to leverage Smart Lock to have the following ideal situation:

If my phone is far away from me, I'd like the phone to immediately lock; thus requiring a password to decrypt. (This way, if my phone is lost, or even stolen, then my data will be safe.)
If my phone is nearby me, I'd like it to simply "soft lock" my screen; i.e., require either a PIN or facial recognition to unlock the screen, but not my full password. (This way, if I leave my my phone at my desk at work, for example, someone sneaky can't snatch it and snoop at my text messages or who knows what.)

Before I go on a wild goose chase, can someone please tell me if this setup is possible with Android?

As I feared, the answer is most likely that there's no such thing as a "hard lock screen" in Android.  Unfortunately, the only one that exists is after rebooting the device.  More information here: https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2016/11/24/android-n-encryption/

Worst-case, you could use tasker to reboot your phone whenever you leave it alone for too long.

@Ajedi32: If someone explained how to do this, I'd be up for trying it.

@Ajedi32: Actually, I think that'd be drastic. What would be great is if it auto-rebooted once it's too far away from me.


text:
What is Marshmallow encryption protecting?
I installed CM 13.0 onto a Nexus 6, which includes Android 6.0.1, and I have set a PIN. The Settings UI reports that my phone is encrypted.
However, my phone is able to boot all the way to the lock screen without entering my PIN. This seems to imply that only /data is encrypted. I was expecting that I would have to enter a PIN at boot time, the way I did with Ice Cream Sandwich and Lollipop. Furthermore, when I go to TWRP, I can see all my files without ever entering a PIN.
My understanding was that Marshmallow required full disk encryption, and that full disk encryption would require a PIN at boot time to decrypt anything useful.
What did I misunderstand here? If someone stole my phone and didn't know my PIN, what would they have access to?

You're misinformed, thanks to some technical terms mostly applicable to PC now used in Android ecosystem. For Google, full disk encryption means completely encrypting all user data (only data partition, often) and that's all. (Source). Have you taken into account that CM13.0 (not stable) might be buggy?

Because I still use Shamu as personal device, I had experience with CM ROMs.
Nexus devices with L or M had forced encryption at first bootstrap - that is, forceencrypt flag is present in fstab.qcom, so your device is automatically encrypted.
In those cases, master key is encrypted with default password, which is default_password
Most probably, when you had set lock screen PIN, you haven't selected Require PIN to start device, hence, there is no preboot authentication.
In regard to FDE, in AOSP ROMs only /data is encrypted; but there are solutions for LUKS or PBE that are not user friendly. Several years ago, WhisperCore was launched and abandoned.

Summary of this is: Encryption is Automatic and Ever there for Marshmallow. Especially the CM13 you are operating on.

But protecting your device is your choice. The system wants to give you liberty to do what you like so it won't enforce data security even if encryption is available. When setting lock screen security, there's a question about, liking to protect your device by asking a pattern, password or PIN. This means when device switches off, and this option is on, it runs an encrypting script so as on the next bootup the phone demands the pattern to decrypt. Even TWRP will ask you for a code so as to mount /data. Note that if the whole root partition is encrypted, the device won't even use the boot.img and recovery since they rest at /dev/platform/[memory.name]/by-name/boot.img and /dev/platform/[memory.name]/by-name/recovery.img hence encryption only affects the /data partition, anyway, encryption is for protecting your data from unauthorized access not the system from accessing it's runtime essentials. Failure to agree to that prompt well count your device as decrypted and it's not encrypted on shutdown again hence it behaves like a decrypted device which is put aware to you when it tells you, "device protection features will not work on this device". That's what Android does, if you want a more practical visible type of encryption try BlackBerry 7 OS encryption and it's precedent devices. It will encrypt media, sdcards, and they won't even work on your computer through drag to copy. Unless you send then by bluetooth or any recognized upload.

I do believe the password you had entered was Encrypt Device Data which in turn does what is below, not screen lock
If you have gone into settings and encrypted your device please note that IF your device had the function of Mass Storage, that feature will now be disabled as Media Storage will be the only thing you can use(media storage: add videos and or music by computer media software; no adding other folders and or files manually, ect.)
Encrypting a device and or SD card locks specifically 3rd party software and or computer interaction from getting access to the device, device files and or prying eyes let alone access to folders you once could by connecting to your computer.
To undo this that I have found useful and possibly the only way:
Format Encrypted Device
SD Formatting wipes out all user data like a clean slate and or like a new card
Device formatting wipes ALL user account information including all files like Music, Photos, Videos, ect.
It is recommend to backup these files before formatting any of the two (2)
To backup

Settings
Backup and reset

Make sure Backup My Data is checked
Make sure Backup Account is correct
Make sure Automatic Restore is checked
Automatic Restore: Restores user account(s), system data, downloaded system apps, restores system pictures, system videos, system music, and or anything else that was saved to the system only
IT IS RECOMMENDED TO RESTORE OVER WI-FI, IF YOU USE CARRIER DATA CHARGES MAY APPLY

How does this answer the question?

@Firelord this is an answer to his question, long winded explanation, and an only solution in theory. Although I am up for being corrected as it may be reveseable in lollypop and up. Is there a better answer? It will be a learning experience for me as well to know of a better solution, especially when I had this issue myself on an old phone 4.0.4 ice cream sandwich I do believe if memory serves me correctly


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Mediatek-res.apk causing bootloop
Right, so I've been an absolute idiot and I uninstalled mediatek-res.apk. I was probably very tired and I was stupid enough to forget to make a backup in recovery. The phone is a Chinese clone (Jiake JK3) and I can't find any stock firmware on the internet. It's now stuck in bootloop, so somehow I need to restore mediatek-res.apk. I can get adb access with root when I'm in recovery. I've tried pushing it to /system/framework with the correct permissions, but that hasn't worked. The log (when I boot up) says:
D/PackageManager( 1699): scan package: /system/framework/mediatek-res.apk , start at: 66650ms.

D/asset   ( 1699): AssetManager-->addDefaultAssets CIP path not exsit!

and
I/PackageManager( 1699): /system/framework/mediatek-res.apk changed; collecting certs

D/dalvikvm( 1699): GC_CONCURRENT freed 1976K (15855), 34% free 4069K/6124K, paused 1ms+2ms, total 19ms

and
E/PackageManager( 1699): Package com.mediatek has no signatures that match those in shared user android.uid.system; ignoring!

W/PackageManager( 1699): Signature mismatch for shared user : SharedUserSetting{41de1470 android.uid.system/1000}

I have no idea what any of this means but I'm a fairly capable user so if someone could let me know what it means that'd be great.

The signature mismatch indicates that the package you've installed (the mediatek-res.apk) isn't from the same source as the rest of the OS. It's from a different ROM, probably one made for a different device, by a different OEM. You need to find the APK file that matches the rest of your ROM, from the same device as yours.

Would turning off Signature Verification in the Recovery make any difference at all? If the OP has the ROM zip on their device/PC then they could pull out the apk probably anyway. Or dirty flash the ROM over itself..? Also worth noting: ALWAYS ALWAYS make a [tag:nandroid] backup before deleting anything from /system or flashing zip files at all!

I don't think so, as it's not the recovery that's checking the signature, it's Android itself.

Yeah, the problem is with the Android bootloader. I might have managed to recover the original APK, because when I tried a new apk it boots to the lock screen and works for a second, then displays a force close message for Google Play Services and reboots. I've been trying to contact other people with the device from various Android forums so they can upload their firmware.


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PC Suite For Android Galaxy S3 I9300
Why hasn't Google developed such a suite as good as the Nokia suite that would almost 100% allow us to use most of our phones' basic functions on our PC?

We can't tell you why Google has or has not done something because we are not Google. Do you perhaps have a more answerable question on this topic?

You're looking for Samsung KIES probably?

You're asking us to speculate as to Google's reason(s) for (not) doing something. Only Google can answer that. We prefer questions that can be answered, not just discussed. Or, put another way, questions about real, concrete problems you're having with your Android device, which have the possibility of a single, correct, answer.

You might want to re-phrase your question to keep it from being closed. See my answer below for an example ;)

Google unlike Samsung and Nokia and such is a service company that wants to bind you to its cloud (sorry for the buzz word).
You can see it with Gmail, Google Docs, Google+, Google Voice and of course Google search which all are (more or less) agnostic of used operating systems, hardware and so on. They all operate in the cloud, the only dependancy is a decent browser.
And so does Android. You aren't bound to even own a PC if you have an Android device at all. It's meant to be a replacement for some of the stuff that you currently do on a PC. For a comparison: Only with iOS 5 has Apple removed the hard dependancy to have iTunes installed for backups and updates of ones iOS device.
Courtesy of Google :-)

Rephrasing your question to something more constructive:

Google hasn't developed such a suite as good as the Nokia suite that would almost 100% allow us to use most of our phones' basic functions on our PC. Are there any alternative ways available to fill this gap?

In this case: Yes, there are good answers available. The market playstore is full of apps offering similar functionalities. For Windows users, the closest solution probably is MyPhoneExplorer. Together with its PC component, it offers almost all capabilities you find in your mentioned PC suites:

sync your phone with Outlook, Thunderbird, Sunbird, Lotus Notes, Tobit David, Windows Contacts, Windows Calendar,...
manage your SMS, Calllists, Apps, Files, handle Calls, create backups...

Connection via WiFi, USB-Cable or Bluetooth.

Other solutions include e.g. AirDroid, which allows you to manage your Android device from your PCs browser:

There's a Video Guide available on Youtube to show you this apps capabilities, which are quite amazing.
I could continue this list with a lot of apps, but that's not the intention of this site. Having given you the idea of for what to look and where should get you started filling your gap -- from here on, I guess, you can continue on your own ;)


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Why is Caller ID not working since 4.0.4 update on Droid 4?
I have a Samsung Droid 4. I keep all information about my contacts in Google Voice. In the past, this has always worked seamlessly.
However, since my phone updated it's operating system to version 4.0.4 last week, caller ID is no longer working. When people call me now, their telephone number shows up on the phone's screen. However, it doesn't match that phone number to their name from my contact list.
Is anyone else experiencing this problem? What is the fix? Why did this happen?


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Rooting an unbranded tablet
I bought one of these simple cheap Chinese no-name tablets: HDMI, Bluetooth, HD display, dual-core CPU. Unfortunately, it came without official Google apps such as Market and Gmail. I tried different ways to install these apps. Every time I got a Force Close error.
I'm using Ubuntu as my workstation and looked with adb for the device. Found one, good! The command lsusb gives me
Bus 001 Device 031: ID 18d1:4e22 Google Inc. Nexus S (debug)

I've tried obtaining root access on this device, without any success. Information about the hardware is attached as a screenshot, made with Quadrant Benchmark.

I have tried these tools:

SuperOneClick
UniversalAndroot
EasyRootICS

BusyBox is installed but without su. Cannot remount /system, because its not permitted.
Cannot login with adb root, it fails with the following message
> adbd cannot run as root in production builds

You can try http://xray.io/dl for additional exploits (it's a security tool by a well-known researcher (J.Oberheide from DuoSecurity). It checks for common vulnerabilities. Also: Do you have a means to boot into recovery and/or fastboot mode? The recovery might come with root access and fastboot boot boot.img gives you the ability to start a custom boot image that can give you root (if the bootloader is unlocked). Generally, those cheap tablets have weak security.

If you don't know what device you have, it's hard to get any assistance.
Without any warranties of success, and without assuming any responsability by what may happen to your device, I can suggest that you visit UnlockRoot, known to work with tons of devices, may became a solution for yours.
The process is done with three steps:

Your device must be in USB Debugging mode. Turn it on, go to Settings-> Applications-> Development and check the box.（Look Here）
Connect your device to your PC, Run UnlockRoot.exe.
Click "Unlock Root", enjoy!

And it's reported to work quiet well, see last entry labeled "What are the Risks of Rooting?".
The FAQ section is also quiet useful.

Read the documentation from the website and proceed at your own risk.

This will not work with ICS, as it says in its FAQ.

You will really struggle finding a way to root a tablet running ICS, especially a 'no brand' one.
I have had the same issue with an Arnova Gbook.
Unfortunately, the answer to your question is that it would be very difficult, and maybe even impossible, unless a new ICS root exploit comes out, as Google patched the main one in Android 4.0.

try using VROOT, i've purchased a unbanded phone, (actually locally branded). Using VROOT i was able to get it rooted, now i am looking for a method to install CWM Recovery, and you just gave me a idea.. Thanks and i hope it works for you too !!

Please add a link to this app; I can't find it on the Google Play app store. Thanks!


text:
Can't update or unroot Droid Bionic, or reinstall deleted apps
Details:
Running Android 2.3.4
System Version  5.9.905.XT875
I rooted my Droid Bionic using SuperOneClick. Stupidly, I didn't backup my ROM at any point before beginning to tinker with it.
The only thing I did that required root access was freeze and delete some bloatware using Root Uninstaller. Every program that I froze or deleted, I first backed up. When an Android update (don't remember which one) was made available and I let it download and install, it simply said "The software update failed!" after rebooting. I went back to unfreeze/install every system app so that the phone was back to it's state before using Root Uninstaller, but two apps won't reinstall. Those apps are "SmartCarDock" and "Social Networking" (The APK is called FriendFeed). When I run the APK for each program, it just says "Application not installed". From what I've gathered from searching, my best guess is that it could be something to do with saved userdata that is preventing the system from installing an app that "should" be installed, but I have no idea where to start.
I also am unable to unroot, presumably because of those two apps.
I know this could have been prevented by backing up the ROM, but, well, I made a mistake.
In general, I am asking because I want to update my Bionic to ICS, so if anyone has answers pertaining to that, all is helpful.
Let me know if more details are needed!

A factory reset might work, although it might not restore the missing apps either.  You could backup the backups somewhere off the device and try it, then try to reinstall the apps if they haven't shown up at that point.  Is your bootloader locked?

@MatthewRead When I boot into recovery, it just shows an android with an exclamation point. In the past, I tried installing from my computer, and it still didn't work.

That's Download Mode, not Recovery Mode.  You may need to use a different key combination to get there (from an off state of from the former mode).


text:
Extract or view data usage for specific times
In Android 4.0 there's data usage I can see how much for date to date was used. I want to see for specific date and only 1h from specific time.
How can I view this already used data usage? DON'T post new data usage counters witch will count only from installation. I need to view old data or extract.

I'm afraid this is not possible retrospectively.

@Izzy: "Retrospectively"? Do you mean "retroactively"?

Well, in that case I'm afraid you only have an option to check with your service provider. Service providers normally keep track of it. No app can track your past data usage. To avoid this trouble in future you should consider a data counter app. :)

@AlEverett You're probably right -- I'm not a native English speaker, so please forgive me :)

I want to extract to proove provider i havent used internet while i was out of country. I did try to use but it wasnt connecting but they say thats what ive been using. So i want to get info from phone.

Retroactively means influencing backward, action going backward, beeing wrongly.
Retrospective is looking in history.


text:
Unlocked HTC One X (AT&T) Jelly Bean update
I just got my HTC One X from AT&T and have been using it unlocked on T-Mobile. Eventually, will I get the Jelly Bean update, or will I need to root?

OTA updates come also with carrier modifications. So no, you will not

If you own a carrier branded device, then OTA updates come also with carrier modifications.


text:
How to show the complete title of an app?
Some apps with a longer title show up on the launcher screen (trebuchet) with a shortened title. E.g. an application with the title "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" will be titled "abcdefghi..".
The same applies to videos linked with a shortcut to the screeen (I used the app "media shortcut" for this).
Is there a way to show the whole title before opening the app or the video? I have a lot of videos that I would like to distinguish before opening them.

That's the limitation of Home/Launcher app. Try different.

Sorry, there is not way to do this.
I believe that some launchers may wrap titles, but I can't think of any that do.
As per dymutaos' comment:

ADW wraps the titles of apps. They wrap it to a second line, and they make the second line smaller in order to fit within a certain space. Though if the name is really long and doesn't fit within 2 lines, it still gets truncated.

ADW wraps the titles of apps. They wrap it to a second line, and they make the second line smaller in order to fit within a certain space. Though if the name is really long and doesn't fit within 2 lines, it still gets truncated.


text:
HDMI + USB communications
I have a LG-P930 cellphone with Gingerbread 2.3.5. This device has a micro-USB connector that shares pinout with HDMI. I bought a MHL adapter but it seems that the USB plug on this device is for power only.
I know that my question is not purely about Android but does someone know about a MHL adapter that would preserve the USB data connection? In other words, I would like to connect to my HDMI screen while communicating with the computer through USB.

Have you tried an usb hub? I have a microUSB->female-USB converter here, which I then connect to a hub, and I can connect a keyboard, mouse and sdcard reader at the same time without any trouble. Perhaps it works the same with HDMI/MHL, I'm not sure (that's actually what I'm searching this site for, so I'm curious as to whether this worked!).

USB and MHL share the same pins on the connector. Once the phone is in MHL mode, there is no USB capability. So, currently you can't use MHL and USB simultaneously.


text:
Videos working on my website do not work when viewed from Android browser
My website has videos which are in MP4 format and work well when viewed from a Google Chrome browser. But when I try to load my website from the browser of an Android OS, the video doesn't show up. Is there any thing else I need to do in order to make it work? Actually the site is not done by me, so I have no details about how the site is built. I just
wanted to know if anything special needed to be done in order to make videos work in the Android browser.

The Android Browser's capability and Version is responsible for playing the video. There are couple of browsers which don't support the video codecs. You need to see the compatibility matrix and make sure you put correct format of the video on server.
http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/media-formats.html


text:
Contacts and Phone icons missing
My Contacts and Phone icons are missing from my primary shortcuts bar. I can't restore from the Edit in the app drawer since they don't show there. Can anybody point me in the right direction?
(Samsung Galaxy Note)

Rooted? Custom ROM?

"Contacts" may instead be "People".

Same happened to me on my NOTE 3, and what I found was I had inadvertently TURNED OFF the CONTACTS app.
On Samsung phones go to Settings, General tab, Application Manager scroll to the last page labeled "TURNED OFF". Click on the app you need to turn on and select Turn On.
That did it for me.

I wish I had found that earlier. Well done! :)

In your app drawer (the main one), you should see them. You can then long press and drag them to the main bar at the bottom.

thanks for the reply but this is the problem: neither Contacts nor Phone icon shows in my app drawer.

@preston In any app drawer? Please reboot, and check again. Did it come with these apps? Is it a phone or tablet?

its a galaxy note running stock ICS, rebooted, they are still missing. In your first reply u said 'the mail one', did u mean 'main one'?

I tried to restore them via the blue Applications button, Edit (in grid view), then drag and drop. Works fine with other apps but Contacts and Phone don't show there.

But can you see Contacts and Phone anywhere else? If so, just drap and drop - no need to enter edit mode (long press on icon).

@preston: That's all important information you should add to your question.

Try deleting your launcher data from settings:
Settings → Apps → Launcher → Clear Data

Could you elaborate on why this would help?

You just need to go to the settings>all apps>contacts>uninstall updates.
contacts are gonna reappear.

The problem appears to be with the contacts default contacts App itself. I simply downloaded another contacts App from Playstore and all my contacts came back through it

Some apps show in the play store but nowhere on your phone.  In that case you can go to the play store and open you installed apps area.  Locate the app that is missing and click to uninstall it.  You will most likely be uninstalling the update that cause the problem.   Make sure the app is still install and saying to install uupdate and then reboot the phone.  Once the phone is back on you should be able to locate the missing app.  Also check the status of the app in the play store.  The update may not be needed at this time.

Go to Settings → Apps → All → Phone and press the Force to Stop button. Phone now will appear


text:
How can I import / export contacts as VCF in Sony Xperia Tipo Dual
I'm using a Sony Xperia Tipo Dual with ICS. I need to backup my contacts with or without linked contacts.
Does anyone know the exact procedure to export contacts in VCF format; either directly to PC using PC companion or to SD Card using any third party free application?
In addition to that, I want to know if it would be possible to add / update contacts on the mobile through the Sony PC companion?

You can use rocketdial or go contact  ex from play store and they can backup it in vcf format. BTW your default stock app also backup it in vcf format .

I am guessing that you are running Sony's TimeScape Interface. (As you not mentioned anything explicitly) So here are steps:
To back up contacts using a memory card:

From the Home screen, tap the Application screens icon.
Find and tap Contacts.
Press the Menu key, then tap Back up contacts > Memory card > OK.

Tested on Xperia Neo, Xperia Neo V, Xperia Ray running 2.3.4 Gingerbread to 4.0.4 ICS with Sony's TimeScape UI. Should work on Tipo as well.
Here's a page from Sony's site for further help.

i cant do that...
while backup it shows error as cant read memory.... :(

i have connected using the software from
http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/tools/pc-companion/

@prabhuprabhakaran In that case I think there's some problem while contacts app is trying to read / write data. Do you have an SD card inserted? Have you tried rebooting your phone after this issue? If no, please do so, if yes please show me the screenshot so I can have a look at it.

On Sony Tipo, go to Contacts. At the bottom there will be three buttons, press the last one that looks like four lines, then go for backup contacts, then back up to SIM, memory card, or internal storage.


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Will an Asus Transformer Pad Infinity work in the UK if I ship it over from USA
I want to ship my Asus Transformer Pad Infinity from the USA to the UK as it's cheaper. Will I run into any compatibility issues? (It does not have 3G.)

possible duplicate of Will android tablets from US work in the UK?

See also Will an Asus Transformer Prime bought in the U.S. work in Portugal?

The Transformer Pad Infinity itself would function fine in the UK. You would probably have an issue with the US charger and would need to get an adapter or charge via USB. As far as I can tell GPS and WiFi should work the same no matter where in the world you are.

I have the original Transformer Eee Pad (great device highly recommend any version of Transformer tablets). I actually took it to Europe this summer (I live in the US) and it worked fine EXCEPT for a couple of things:
-As ZnewmaN said, you will have to get a converter for the charger (if you plan to plug it into any sort of outlet).
-I believe the Google Play store MAY be slightly different. I know in France it was (content such as music and books were unavailable when I tried to access Google Play from my tablet in France (I didn't try it in the UK). It is very possible that this is not the case in the UK but you should be aware of it.
Yes, GPS and WiFi work just as well. I tried both in England with out a hitch. Hope this helps clear things up.


text:
Keyboard in alphabetical sequence (ABC layout keyboard)
I am considering buying a Samsung Galaxy phone. Is there an option (either basic phone function or a third party app) which provides a keyboard in alpha sequence, that is ABC layout instead of QWERTY?

The stock Android keyboard doesn't have ABC layout. However, there are some keyboard apps which have ABC layout. SlideIT English - ABC pack is an example. You can find some more if you  search for "ABC keyboard" on Google Play.

The stock Android keyboard doesn't have ABC layout. is wrong as my SE Xperia mini supports it.

Or I'm misunderstanding the question?

Probably isn't the stock android keyboard then ;)

@avirk: Your manufacturer likely added their own keyboard which does support ABC layout.  The stock Android keyboard (as of 4.2) supports QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, Dvorak, Colemak, and "PC" layout, but not ABC.

@avirk: The keyboard you have mentioned is not stock Android keyboard. I reckon that is "Xperia™ keyboard" However, the latest version of Xperia Keyboard (found on newer phones like Xperia S) doesn't have ABC layout either. I have an Xperia Neo V and I have flashed Xperia Keyboard from Xperia S system apps, so I have confirmed this on my device.

There is a keyboard available that is on the app store, it is designed for dyslexics who have difficulty in recognizing the letters, the problem with the QWERTY layout is that dyslexics cannot "see" the letters and looking all over the keyboard for it, have a mate who suffers from it, and this was born out of the idea when I watched him struggle with the touch keyboard.
This keyboard is actually from stock AOSP Gingerbread source, with letters re-arranged into ABC layout.
It is available here on Play store.
Edit: Disclosure, I am the person responsible for the aforementioned app.

You should disclose any affiliation you have with this app per the [FAQ#promotion].

@Al Everett -Sorry I put in the disclosure in place, to hopefully clarify my affiliation with the app.

That's fine. That's all we ask.

The stock, AOSP Android keyboard does not have the ABC 'old fashioned' keyboard layout, however some manufacturers package their own IME (keyboard), that comes with this feature.
Some manufactures are LG, and Sony Ericsson that do this (Sony Ericsson Xperia devices do).
AFAIK the stock Samsung IME doesn't come with this option - however, you can download 3rd-party IME's that have this layout format.

I published an alphabetical keyboard that's now available on Google Play and Androidfreeware.net.


text:
How to disable proximity sensor
I dropped my Motorola Charm (Android 2.1) and the proximity sensor doesn't work which is annoying, it makes the the touchscreen disabled when I dial anything (super annoying).
I would rather like to disable the proximity sensor, so it will never disable the touch screen.
Does anybody know how I can do so?
In case of absence of any ready made solutions, I am even willing to write my own app for that (there are programs that do that but for Android 2.2).

If all other readymade solutions let you down, you can do a small app that will do exactly as you asked. Please see this StackOverflow question which talks about the same.

You need root and an app called Hardware Disabler from Google play. See also here

See also http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1658474

The first review of @ce4's suggestion looks to fit your case nicely: For me, this is very good app. I found that my proximity sensor is not working and the phone app is freezing because of it so I just found propriate drivers with other app and disable them with Hardware Disabler... Works like a charm

@ ce4 Hardware disabler is for android 2.2 and above, it wont install on mh 2.1 android.

this device is android 2.1 so unfortunately hardware disabler wont work on it, I wish I had the source code for the hardware disbler so I could compile it with 2.1 sdk

Motorola CHARM has a proximity sensor located on the upper left corner; as stated in Motorola CHARM product support site, external lighting conditions will affect this sensor.

My suggestion is: each time you need to use the touchscreeen while making a call, try to "trick" the proximity sensor illuminating it with a flashlight or LED, so the sensor "thinks" that you've moved away the smartphone, thus re-enabling the touchscreen circuits.
If you don't have any of these items on hand, look for a place with bright light toward which to move yourself/your phone.

We have come a long way.
Almost a decade later, Android 10 comes with a Quick Setting Title to disable all sensors temporarily.

Enable Developer Options. If you don't know how to do it, check the steps here on my blog.
Tap on Quick settings developer tiles
Enable "Sensors off"
Swipe down to open notifications shade and you will find the "Sensors off" title.

You can now toggle the "Sensors off" title to enable and disable all sensors on your device including the proximity sensor

Hello Amar. Our policy requires full disclosure of affiliation with the product/website mentioned in any of your post. I have edited your post to reflect your relation with the weblink. In future, please do keep that in consideration when writing answers. Otherwise, your answer is likely  to be treated as spam, and would be dealt with accordingly.

Under Android 10, MIUI 12.0.6, no such developer option/quick tile option exists. What am I missing?