text:
What is CSC Fastboot Mode, and how to get rid of it?
I am trying to access my Zenfone Go's fastboot in order to unlock its bootloader, but it seems to have been replaced with something called "CSC Fastboot mode".
In this mode, I just see the ASUS logo, a "CSC Fastboot Mode!" text, and I am unable to enter any input. It looks like this:

Since I cannot enter any input, most communication with fastboot.exe is impossible. I somehow managed to have fastboot.exe correctly detect the device, but any command that requires confirmation on the phone is impossible (ex: fastboot flashing unlock), fastboot.exe just waits forever. I tried inputting the commands on the phone anyway, in case there was an invisible menu or something, but didn't work.
What I tried:

Turning off my phone, then "Power Button + Volume Up Button" until it restarts. It goes directly to CSC Fastboot Mode.
Turning off my phone, then "Power Button + Volume Down Button" until it restarts. It goes into Recovery Mode. Then I select "reboot to bootloader". It goes to CSC Fastboot Mode.
Accessing my phone through adb, and using the "reboot-bootloader" command. It goes to CSC Fastboot Mode.

What is CSC Fastboot mode? What is it caused by? And how to reach a usable fastboot menu?
Model Number: ASUS_X013DB
Android Version: 5.1.1
Build Number: LMY47V.JP_Phone-13.0209.1705.116-20170621044040677_2015122901270020000400001

Have you considered a simple Google search?

Do you have st least installed drivers? What is the output of fastboot devices ? Many phone have such screen while in fastboot mode. Your computer should detect it normally.

@Izzy I did spend the whole day on it, and read every single link on the first two pages on every search I could think of, so yes. Most of them are about how to reach CSC Fastboot Mode. A couple are about what to do once a phone doesn't reach anything else but CSC Fastboot Mode. There are some posts in Japanese and Malay, but from what I understand it was mostly people who booted in CSC Fastboot by accident. This question is already on the frontpage for CSC Fastboot searches, so I would say there is not a wealth of useful results

@esQmo_ I have installed drivers, yes. "fastboot devices" returns "G5AXGV51A2695PV fastboot". "fastboot flashing unlock" just displays "..." and stays stuck there

@Cristol.GdM the description on this YT video (hit #1 when I click my above link) reads: "… How to use CSC Fastboot Mode? How to Quit CSC Fasboot Mode in ASUS ZenFone Live?" (emphasis mine) Wouldn't that match your needs? Maybe I've misinterpreted your question of "getting rid" – but in that case: I doubt you can "remove" it.

@Izzy I see, sorry I was a bit snappy above... I meant "getting rid of it" as in "getting access to a proper fastboot mode". I am trying to unlock my bootloader, which apparently requires me to input some confirmation to fastboot commands, but this CSC Fastboot mode is completely unresponsive

This phone requires an app to do the bootloader unlock stuffs, the app os made by asus

@esQmo_ Unfortunately this model doesn't seem to have an official unlocking app, unlike the other Zenfone models. At that point, I guess I will have to accept that it's one of the few unrootable phones :/

Install ADB and Fastboot tools in your PC (two tools as parts of Android Studio)

Connect device through USB and open terminal/command prompt.

In terminal/command prompt, type:
fastboot devices
fastboot continue
fastboot reboot

The question isn't how to reboot out of fastboot mode, it's how to confirm the fastboot flashing unlock operation on the phone.


text:
Samsung account crashes on S3
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE.  I've been trying to use it with a Samsung Gear S3 Classic.  The phone and watch can find each other, but whenever I attempt to push an app or a watchface from the phone to the watch, I get the message

Unfortunately, Samsung account has stopped

I have seen this message for a little while now (whenever I restart the phone) but I have largely ignored it because the phone still operated correctly.  However, now it seems like it prevents the Samsung Gear app from installing items to the watch.
I have found some items that talk about updating the firmware.  I've downloaded Kies 3 (version 2.6.4.17113_1) and that refuses to do anything with my phone (which is running Android 4.4.4).   I've downloaded Smart Switch.  Which will actually connect to my phone and I've been able to back it up.  But it thinks the phone is running the latest firmware version.  In fact, my phone thinks that too when I check it directly on the phone.
I just would like to get Samsung Gear to install items on the watch, so it's pretty frustrating.  If anyone knows how to get Gear to work with this phone, I would truly appreciate any help.
I have read that this is related to an incomplete Samsung account.  I never had one.  I did create one online with the hope to add it to the phone.  However, attempts to add the Samsung account causes the same crash message,
Details:

Phone Model Number: GT-19305
Android Version: 4.4.4
Android Security Patch Level: 2016-01-01
Baseband Version: 19305XXUFPA1
Kernel Version: 3.0.31-6850576
Build Number: KTU84P.19305XXUFPA1
SE for Android Status: Enforcing SEPF_GT-19305_4.4.4_0050

Well, that's a shame.  I had asked this question on Samsung's community (https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S-Phones/bd-p/GalaxyS) and it was removed.  I guess I was hoping for actual support from them.

I've added it a second time.  See if they answer this time (https://us.community.samsung.com/t5/Galaxy-S-Phones/Samsung-account-constantly-crashes-on-S3/m-p/239705#M42859)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Motorola Milestone Android - Bluetooth Issue - Paired but not connected
im using a Motorola Milestone. I have tried to connect to various bluetooth devices (laptops/other android phone) with this phone but none of them work. I can pair them But after pairing it says "Paired but not connected" I have tried all normal steps: Soft reset, Hard reset etc and the phone is running the latest OS 2.2.1
Intrestingly, If I download the application "Bluetooth File transfer" by medieval software - I can succesfully pair and connect via this application to my macbook and send files. However, for my purpose I need to use the bluetooth SPP profile off the phone (Which it claims to support).
So the question here is, Is it a software/hardware issue?
-Seems to me like a software issue, because It doesnt connect with my macbook with the official bluetooth settings menu, but works through a third party application?
any fixes? - I called motorola, but no luck as Im not in the states.
Mohit

On a PC, it's often a driver issue. I followed these steps with mine last night:
Before doing this, disable any processes using bluetooth devices

Download the 'Windows Mobile Device Center' ( current version is 6.1 ) which you can download it from here
this works for both Vista and Windows 7. I've tried it on both.
Install the downloaded software but it may not look like it worked on Windows 7 PCs. Vista automatically configures the settings on the bluetooth devices but for those who have Windows 7, here are the things you should do:
Go to 'Device Manager' from 'Control Panel' -Or- just right-click on Computer Icon and choose 'Properties' and then click on 'Device Manager'.- You'll see 'Bluetooth Peripheral Device' under 'Other devices'

Right-Click it and click on "Update Driver Software" -Or- anyway you find it easy to bring up the Update driver window.
Click "Browse My Computer for Driver Software" button.
Click "Let Me Pick from a List of Device Drivers on my computer".
Select 'Bluetooth Radio' from the list if it asked you to select and then in the next window, it will show a list of drivers with Company Names in one list and Drivers in another. In the Company List choose 'Microsoft Corporation', not only Microsoft.

(From the drivers list there may be one or more drivers with the name "Windows Mobile-Based Device Support" with different driver versions. Select one or the latest. )
Ignore any warnings and keep pressing next and then Finish at last. If all goes well, the last screen will show the message that device driver is successfully installed. ( Click 'YES' in the box )

Now, after manually updating the driver for your bluetooth device, in 'Device Manager' when you click on 'Bluetooth Radios', it should display one more item which will say 'Windows Mobile-based device support'.
After you do this, restart all processes using bluetooth devices
i got this process from here, refer to it if you need help.
Good luck!! :)

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


text:
How do I move all the files from a folder (and subfolders) using the command line in Android 7.1+?
I tried using this command:
find /src/dir -type f -exec mv --backup=numbered -t /dst/dir {} +

sourced from here, but error messages suggest find requires root on Android. Any other ideas as to how to accomplish this? I want only the files in the destination folder (i.e. without the directory structure, all files in one directory) while maintaining the source directory structure. I've tried Termux, Terminal Emulator, and Tasker so far, without success.

How are you running these commands? adb shell or some third-party terminal app?

cp -a /src/dir /dst/dir? Guess you want to keep the directory structure, right?

@TimothyLanger I've tried Termux, Terminal Emulator, and Tasker so far.

@Izzy No, I don't. I just want the files only in the destination folder while maintaining the source directory structure.

Ah, that wasn't clear to me (the command used could have been wrong ;) I've integrated that with your question, feel free to [edit] again if it doesn't fully fit. Strange though that your find claims to require root: I've checked on two devices (LP, MM) and it doesn't. Could you please specify device and Android version? Worth a try: busybox find. If there's no busybox, try toybox. Some variant is running on every device I've seen.

Here's the error I get trying toybox: 08.23.36/E Run Shell:  ->
08.23.36/E Run Shell:  ->
08.23.36/E Run Shell:  ->
08.23.36/Shell runBackground toybox find /sdcard/Pictures -type f -exec mv /sdcard/Sync {} + root: false timeout: -1
08.23.36/Shell start process-thread ID 65322
08.23.36/E add wait type Shell1 time 2147483647
08.23.36/E add wait type Shell1 done
08.23.36/E add wait task
08.23.36/E Error: 1

Here's the Tasker error I get using busybox: 08.27.47/E Run Shell:  ->
08.27.47/E Run Shell:  ->
08.27.47/E Run Shell:  ->
08.27.47/Shell runBackground busybox find /sdcard/Pictures -type f -exec mv /sdcard/Sync {} + root: false timeout: -1
08.27.47/Shell start process-thread ID 65335
08.27.47/E add wait type Shell1 time 2147483647
08.27.47/E add wait type Shell1 done
08.27.47/E add wait task
08.27.47/E Error: 127

OK, after some head-bashing I've realised there's a Linux-specific (Android being based on Linux) mistake being made here - when you type /src/dir the initial / implies that you're looking in the filesystem root, mounted at /. In this case, however, you're probably referring to the current directory, which will likely be in /sdcard/ since you are not rooted. Simply omit the first slash and you're good to go (personally tested).
find src/dir -type f -exec mv --backup=numbered -t dst/dir {} +

If you find still can't perform the function (especially due to an error such as unrecognized option, make sure you install the latest Linux version instead of the one built in to your kernel. This can be done in Termux using pkg install findutils

Thanks Timothy. I figured out the solution, which I'll post shortly.

Hi Timothy, I get unrecognized option for --backup==numbered even after running pkg install findutils and restarting Termux. Ideas?

Yikes! It worked for me after installing findutils. I have no further ideas since I can't recreate your issue. Sorry!

I asked at the Github. Looks like it's in coreutils now https://github.com/termux/termux-packages/issues/1959#issuecomment-353482678

Here's the answer I managed to figure out:
find /SourceDir -type f -exec mv -i {} /DestinationDir ';'


text:
Cannot mount /system as rw
I am rooted with magisk and while trying to mount /system as rw by using this command:

mount -o remount, rw /system

There is an error

'/system' not in /proc/mounts

Cat /proc/mounts returns:

ro,seclabel,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,seclabel,nosuid,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,seclabel,relatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,relatime,gid=3009,hidepid=2 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
selinuxfs /sys/fs/selinux selinuxfs rw,relatime 0 0
debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
none /acct cgroup rw,relatime,cpuacct 0 0
tmpfs /mnt tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
none /config configfs rw,relatime 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0
pstore /sys/fs/pstore pstore rw,seclabel,relatime 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /system ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /data f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/cache /cache ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/fsg /fsg ext4 ro,context=u:object_r:fsg_file:s0,nosuid,nodev,relatime,nobarrier 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/modem /firmware ext4 ro,context=u:object_r:firmware_file:s0,nosuid,nodev,relatime,nobarrier,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist /persist ext4 rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,noauto_da_alloc,data=ordered 0 0
adb /dev/usb-ffs/adb functionfs rw,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /storage tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /sbin tmpfs rw,seclabel,relatime,size=963128k,nr_inodes=113081 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system /sbin/.core/mirror/system ext4 ro,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /sbin/.core/mirror/bin f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /sbin/.core/img ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/framework/XposedBridge.jar ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libxposed_art.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libsigchain.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart-disassembler.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/lib/libart-compiler.so ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/patchoat ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/oatdump ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/dex2oat ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/bin/app_process32_xposed ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/loop0 /system/etc/hosts ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/default/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,multiuser,mask=6 0 0
/data/media /storage/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,multiuser,mask=6 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/read/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,multiuser,mask=23 0 0
/data/media /mnt/runtime/write/emulated sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,multiuser,mask=7 0 0
/dev/block/vold/public:179_65 /mnt/media_rw/C583-170F vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1023,gid=1023,fmask=0007,dmask=0007,allow_utime=0020,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/default/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,mask=6 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /storage/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=1015,mask=6 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/read/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,mask=18 0 0
/mnt/media_rw/C583-170F /mnt/runtime/write/C583-170F sdcardfs rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,fsuid=1023,fsgid=1023,gid=9997,mask=18 0 0
/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata /sbin/.core/db-0/magisk.db f2fs rw,seclabel,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,background_gc=on,user_xattr,inline_xattr,acl,inline_data,active_logs=6 0 0

I am on lineageos14.1 Merlin, Other apps like es file explorer can mount it correctly, but ADB shell cannot. please guide me on how to mount it as rw

Not sure why you're using Magisk - LOS has built-in lightweight root management which can be fully enabled with an additional patch. Tried the same command and it works on my own LOS device using built-in root. Suggestion is to backup and try built-in root with a clean flash - if that still doesn't work then the problem is device-specific.

Well, I couldn't find that root utility, but I want a single shell statement to work across multiple devices

The whole idea behind Magisk ist being systemLESS – i.e. NOT to modify /system. So maybe you [edit] your question and include what you want to achieve by mounting /system r/w? I somehow have the feeling this might be an XY problem to be solved in a different way.

Actually I am making an app that mounts the /system rw(kind of file manager) using a shell script so that I can edit system files. And since the script didn't work, I checked it in ADB shell and couldn't get it to work. I know magisk is all about systemless but other apps can mount my system rw whereas I can't even with the shell...

Alright, so it was some typo issue, the correct command to mount it is:

mount -o rw,remount /system

Wow, I used this command for years the other way around and it worked. Now I was struggeling on an new Android 8 device and this helped, I'm impressed.

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


text:
How do I get SMS messages to be sorted in chronological order?
I just got an HTC Desire HD, and it's sorting my SMS texts by what the sender has sent up at the top of the conversation page, and what I reply down below. It's almost like two conversations in chronological order, but it's not mixing them together. When it says I have a new text, it's actually the one I sent them and I have to scroll up to read the reply. How do I get the the SMS conversations to read in an answer-response chronological format?

This sounds weird. On HTC the default message app does exactly what you want. You sure you are not using a replacement?

I don't know how your stock messaging app works, but HandcentSMS does this exact thing, and very well at that!


text:
SIM contacts do not show up in my lenovo k6
How to show my sim contacts in my cell phone? I want to delete my sim contacts because I have received sms by my sim contacts not google account. Contacts are displayed of google account but not showing my sim contacts.
Any help regarding this issue will be appreciated.

Here you go SIMcardToolManager
with this you can view, Add , delete & manage contacts


text:
Synchronise intervall for Facebook for HTC Sense
I'm pretty new to the world of Android. Though I managed to solve almost all of upcoming problems on my own, I'm having troubles with this one.
I'd like to increase the number of synchronisations of HTC Sense with Facebook so its updates are in line with those of Twitter.
In Settings --> Accounts and Synchronisation --> Facebook for HTC Sense --> Update Frequency (the terms might be different; I've got a German UI and translated just on the fly) I can switch between

every 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 hours
once a day

On the other hand for Twitter for HTC Sense, I've got

every 5, 15, 30 minutes
manual

in addition.
As I'm using the Friend Stream Widget, I'd like to have the Twitter and Facebook synchronisations of the same frequency.
How can I achieve this? Preferably without installing any additional apps or widgets.
Thanks for your answers.

I don't think you can. Those intervals are set by the developers.

Al's right, you can't change the sync frequency for Facebook beyond what they provide.
Edit: The below only applies to the regular Facebook app.
But also, all that Facebook syncs is your contacts (and possibly events to the calendar).  It doesn't sync news feed items or notifications, those are only loaded when you actually open the app.  So unless your Facebook friends list changes more often than every hour, syncing more often would be useless.

In the settings for Facebook for HTC Sense I can select Synchronise Live-Feed and Synchronise Contacts. In the separate settings for the Facebook App I can only select the contacts and haven't got an option for the frequency.

@T.K. Oh wow, OK, I had no idea that app was completely separate from the regular Facebook app.  It should be theoretically possible to hack the app to check more regularly, but there still isn't an easy method.


text:
Can we explain Android in terms analogous to a PC?
I am familiar with computers. With computers, we have BIOS. BIOS is something like memory and hard disk. It's attached to the motherboard straight. It is, for all practical purposes, like a hard disk. When we boot the computer, I bet the BIOS would start first and then we move to the operating system.
Then we got the real hard disk. We can reformat the hard disk all we want and the computer will still be useable (not bricked). That's because there is this very basic primitive operating system, namely the BIOS. Then the BIOS will read CD ROM and we can install a new operating system to the hard disk.
That's how a computer works.

Now we have Android devices.

I think the SD card is analogous to a hard disk. Or am I wrong here?

Then I read Android Partitions Explained: boot, system, recovery, data, cache & misc and I got even more confused.

So, are all the apps in the data partition? Is the SD card the whole SD card? Shouldn't data be in the SD card?
Also, how can Android be bricked?
What is the BIOS of Android?
So, Android has a recovery partition, boot partition, etc. Are all those on the SD card?
Say, I really messed up with my Android and want to start from scratch. Say, I want to format the whole SD card like I want to format the whole hard disk. Can I do that? What are the consequences?
Is /boot like BIOS? Is it on an SD card too (the internal one?)
Is internal storage the SD card?

On PC, we have memory and hard disk. It seems that in Android we have memory, and then the "hard disk" equivalent, called SD Card is also called memory again.
PC|Memory|Hard Disk
Android Devices|RAM|Memory

Do I get the analogy correct?

Related: Can somebody explain the boot process of an Android device?

Can we explains android terms with its analog with PC[?]

We can try but it will restrict the expansion of our understanding since certain parts would never fit the analogy we're familiar in with desktop computing.
Take a good look at this image:

Image source: Reverse Engineering Android's Aboot - by Jonathan Levin
If you want an analogy, anything before Linux kernel can be roughly called as BIOS.1
Unlike traditional Linux distributions where kernel is stored inside a filesystem, where the latter also contains files necessary for satisfactory functioning of distribution, in Android, the kernel is stored in a dedicated partition, often named /boot.
/recovery is a partition synonymous to recovery partition an OEM ships in a laptop (I suppose desktop too) to recover your primary OS (often MS Windows). In PC, the recovery can be accessed by special keys from BIOS, such as a Functional key. In Android, we have key combinations to boot the device straight into recovery mode. We also have command-line options to instruct the device reboot into recovery mode. In that image, recovery partition should be visualized after Android BootLoader or you can say it should accompany Linux Kernel.
The Android OS is saved in a dedicated partition named system and is mounted by kernel during boot at /system. This is what you can call the factory state of the device. During OTA upgrade, the contents of this partition are upgraded.
There is fastboot mode, which is a low-level mode meant to talk to bootloader, often for the purposes of flashing the device's partitions. Fastboot should accompany Linux kernel and recovery in that image.**2
There is a partition named /cache, which you can read at What is the /cache partition? Your PC most likely wouldn't be having such a partition.
There is a partition named userdata, mounted at /data and contains user specific files. The files are so private in nature that the user itself is not authorized to read all of them.  During factory reset, this partition is either partially or fully wiped out, depending upon user's preference.
Then there is a user partition which serves as a storage for user media. It is what we refer as "internal SD card". Do not use the term "internal storage" but "internal SD card" to refer to this partition. In devices containing KitKat or above Android version, there is no such physical partition but the directory /data/media/ is emulated as "internal SD Card".
There is external storage, which includes external SD card and any USB OTG drive. This is secondary class storage, meant to compensate the limited amount of free space available in "internal SD card". Boot process has nothing to with this type of storage.
There are many partitions hidden from the reach of an ordinary user. They can loosely be called as firmware or part of ROM. There is no accepted definition on what constitutes as firmware in Android, so stick with "part of ROM". Useful reading: How to list all major partitions with their labels?
Here, every physical, non-removable partition that came with the device comes under the umbrella term "Internal Storage". That said, you'll find various articles including developers.google.com where Internal storage is referred to the partition (userdata) where user's private data is stored.
You want more confusing terms. Memory is one such term. People call RAM as memory, people call internal storage as memory. Avoid this term. Use the aforementioned terms for the type of storage you want to refer. They are clear and unambiguous.
Why you can't format the inbuilt storage of Android devices just like the hard drive in PC would only invite opinion from us. Just deal with the reality that this is how it is.

1: Technically, it's the Bootloader (aka SPL, Secondary Program Loader – though that's rather comparable to a boot menu like GRUB; in the flowchart, "SBL" must be a typo). Not sure if the IPL (Initial Program Loader aka "radio firmware" aka baseband; "modem" in the flowchart) should be counted as "BIOS" – though it fulfills its functions in addressing the underlying hardware, one cannot enter it for configuration.
2: Actually, fastboot does not really have anything to do with Android specifically; it's rather an own, minimalist OS tailored for its specific purpose.

This is a community wiki. The definitions are something we do not produce individually but collectively. Improve this answer, wherever you can.

First, RAM, hard disks, ROM, etc. are all types of memory. Also, not all Android devices have SD cards, thus they are not a necessary part of an Android file system.
PC and Android file systems are not necessarily equivalent. See the chart below for a simplified explanation of the types of memory in each system and their uses.

PC

Android

Memory Type
Use
Memory Type
Use

RAM
Volatile memory used while the device is running, erased when the computer is shut off
RAM
Volatile memory used while the device is running, erased when the computer is shut off

ROM
Where BIOS (commands that are run on initial power-up) is stored
ROM
Where Bootloader (similar to BIOS) and Operating System are stored. This memory is what is flashed when you install a new OS and what is corrupted when the phone is bricked

Hard Disk
Where Operating System and most data, including programs, is stored
Internal Flash Memory
Where all user and app data is stored. Each app has its own section within this memory that it can use to store data, special permission must be given for an app to access data outside of its partition

External
Optional storage space of programs and data
SD Card
Optional expansion of Internal Flash Memory

Original chart

You sure the table is correct? Got sources? So the operating system is in the "BIOS" of the android? Also there is no way data and app is stored in RAM. RAM it turned off when device is turned off. If I restart my android my app is still there.

Physically, is internal memory and ROM on the same "organ"?

If you notice, there is a division in the middle of the table. The left half is regarding Pc and the right regarding Android. So, no the OS is not in the BIOS of the Android and "data and app" is not stored in RAM. Everything is turned off when the device is turned off but the internal clock, but RAM is wiped.

Again, please relook at the chart, noticing the division in the center. Internal Memory and ROM are two different chips.

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


text:
Can fastboot be used to backup device?
Many people say that fastboot can be used to flash an image on one of the partitions.
Is the reverse also possible, that is to take a binary snapshot and store it as a zip file containing the exact binary representation of the partition to be backed up?
The reason I ask this is
backup has two steps.

Take an image/snapshot and store it in the backup location (backup), and
Replacing the image/snapshot with the one from the backup location (restore)

To me, it seems that fastboot is only doing (1), while being able to write to the Android's internal flash (in binary "dd"-style) seems it should also be able to read from the flash.
This way, nobody would need to organize and run another potentially not trustworthy ROM to do the reading job.

Not possible with fastboot.  However, adb has a TWRP backup mode :)

I'm still low rep on this SE, so posting as a comment: New versions of fastboot have a fetch PARTITION OUT_FILE command, this was added in recent versions of Android along with the fastbootd machinery

@tux3 The question has been unprotected. Feel free to post an answer :)

If you check with our fastboot tag-wiki, and follow up the link to the List of fastboot commands, you will see the answer is NO. Fastboot only has commands to write to the device. A few exceptions include:

making sure there is a device at all, using fastboot devices
some OEM specific commands to read configuration values (fastboot oem <option> – note that all those, except for oem lock/oem unlock, options start with INFO?)
several bootloader specific commands
rebooting the device after "work done" (fastboot reboot / fastboot reboot-bootloader)

From the CyanogenMod Fastboot Intro, emphasis mine:

fastboot is a small tool that comes with the Android SDK (software developer kit) that can be used to re-flash partitions on your device. It is an alternative to the recovery mode for doing installations and updates.

Wikipedia describes fastboot as a diagnostic protocol included with the SDK package used primarily to modify the flash filesystem via a USB connection from host computer. (again, emphasis mine).
No source speaks about backing up partitions (or data) from the device.
Update: newer SDKs added fastboot fetch PARTITION OUT_FILE, so backing up partitions should be possible. However, I didn't yet encounter a device supporting that – plus you'd need to know the names of partitions in advance (I didn't see any fastboot command to list existing partitions).

Thank you, for answering the question. I know that it must seem to you, that I simply was not looking well enough for the info myself. With uboot, recovery partition, recovery mod, clockworkmod, fastboot, adb, etc there are really lots of things that seem to have similar purposes and the info is sometimes confusing. the point in real is that writing and reading to/from memory are basic operations and it seemed idiotic that one makes fastboot only being able to do one of the both. It is great you can flash with fastboot, but why would it not be able to read seemed "wrong to me", so i asked

I didn't blame you in any way: Especially people new to it can easily get confused here (for the reasons you've pointed out). Had I wanted to blame you, I'd placed an "RTFM comment" – instead I rather thought a little summary cannot hurt .) // In fact, backing up partitions can be much more tricky (unless your custom recovery's Nandroid does exactly that). You can dd and transfer partitions, my Adebar can help you create a fitting script for that (working via ADB).

of course, I simply though you were in the right hinting on the available resources. your answer was great and nicely phrased, thank you! I missed stating some background when composing the message. The background (i added in the meanwhile) is simply -and as indicated on the tag wiki- that its absurd (to me) you can flash images but not take them.

That's not that absurd. It'd be absurd if you could create a backup that way but had no way to restore it #D But yes, I get your point of course. Glad I was able to shed some light!

I suspect there is also the issue of security. One could use fastboot to make a sector image of a locked device, allowing access to the filesystem content without needing to factory reset.

@jiggunjer good point. But that could also be protected by the "lock bit" (i.e. only allowed on unlocked device), for example.

We can temporarily load a custom recovery
fastboot boot <kernel> [<ramdisk>]

then backup system partitions.

For future readers: the device must support the fastboot boot command. <kernel> may be something like ClockworkMod (cwm.zip) or TWRP (twrp*.img).

On some phones (e.g. Xiaomi) this also requires that the bootloader is unlocked, which you can't do without a data wipe.


text:
Blocking 3rd-party image in Android browser?
For Firefox 4 for Windows, there is a really useful image-block addon for slow connections: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/quickimage/
Unfortunately, Firefox mobile is pretty slow and the addon doesn't exist for it. Most browsers can turn off image loading in options/settings. But often this causes a horrible site look. Blocking only 3rd-party image sources really makes browsing on 64kB/s mobile connections a lot faster. Generally, you don't need things like Opera Turbo Mode, it's not like DSL speed, but sites load within 5-10 sec.
So is there a way to block 3rd-party images by default? Tools like AdBlock don't show images with distinct paths (, but download all images by default?). I'm not looking for something like Opera Mini or Opera Mobile Turbo mode. I know these options.

I found a solution for Firefox (built-in config setting). I keep the question open, as someone may find to do the same thing on Dolphin HD or Opera. Then Dolphin would become my standard mobile browser.

So you don't want to block all images on a webpage, just 3rd party images, i.e. adds?

@chance test the quickimage desktop firefox add-on or try my answer below. I'm aware of adblock, but this is much better for low bandwidth cell phone contracts

Found out that Firefox mobile can do this by going to
about:config

in address bar and setting
permissions.default.images         3

Possible values:

1 = load all images
2 = no images
3 = only images from the current URL

Saves a lot of bandwidth (e.g. user avatars on Stack Exchange are not loaded, while with "no image loading", one doesn't see voting arrows). I just don't like mobile views of sites that much. An add-on would be nice to easily switch this config setting for a single website like the quick image addon on Firefox Desktop.
If Dolphin HD had this, feature it would be unbeatable. Unfortunately, Firefox is lacking the speed and tap gestures of Dolphin.


text:
To enable mobile broadband in ZTE Light
My Sim -card works in a HTC smartphone out of the box. So the problem must be in the ZTE Light -tablet. I can call with the tablet, but not surf the internet. I get Web page not available when trying to use the browser. I have no terminal in the device so I cannot try ping.
My current location is Sweden so network mode GSM. The device is not sim-locked.
I have the following settings in Wireless & network settings > Mobile network settings:
Data roaming: off
Network mode: Preferred network mode GSM/WCDMA
Use only 2G networks: off
Network operators: selected my operator's name
Data Connection: On
APNs: nothing selected by me

My android version 2.1-update1, kernel 2.6.29.
How can you enable the mobile broadband to ZTE Light?

You should select your operator's internet APN from the APN list to enable the mobile data network. If you don't see it, check the settings from your operator and insert it manually from that menu.

Thank you! I needed to press the middle button in my APNs -list such that add a new entry. I thought first that the list is empty or there is an error going on, since there was no button visible on the screen to go forward - a design bug in my opinion.


text:
Why can't I overclock a rooted Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 beyond the default maximum 528MHz?
I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 running stock Donut (Android 1.6). I tried a couple of overclocking apps such as SetCPU and CPU Master, but none of them let me actually "over"-clock the CPU, because I can't set the maximum to be more than the default 528 MHz. I have read about speeds of 624 and/or 710 MHz possible with either the Galaxo custom ROM or GAOSP, but I want to achieve those kinds of speeds with stock Donut.
I've tried GAOSP b3 (Gingerbread) and Galaxo 1.6.3.4, but I prefer the feel of stock 1.6 (that's why I love my stock Nexus S running 2.3).
Is it possible to set the CPU speed beyond 528 MHz in my rooted Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500? How?

It is my understanding that some ROMs allow for Overclocking, whereas others dont. It depends on how the kernel is setup. I couldnt Overclock my Samsung galaxy s2 for example on the stock rom with it rooted. I could however once I installed Cyanogen. Perhaps that is the case.

Unfortunately, this is true. Galaxo is a modded version of the stock 1.6 with a kernel that allows for overclocking, whereas the original, stock 1.6 kernel doesn't. Thanks!

If you're using Donut you're using an older kernel, or perhaps the presets for your phone from autodetect don't include the desrired frequencies.  From SetCPU's manual:

In rare situations and in older kernels, and when SetCPU cannot get
  root access, SetCPU may not be able to autodetect the full range of
  speeds supported by the kernel. If this is the case, you can configure
  SetCPU to use custom frequencies. To get started, you'll need the list
  of frequencies your kernel can support in kHz (not MHz!).
Create a plain text file called “setcpu.txt” and place it on the root
  directory of your SD card or on your SD card's ext partition (/sdcard/
  or /system/sd/). The text files should sort the frequencies on one
  line by comma, from lowest to highest. For example, the following is a
  valid config file:
125000,250000,500000,550000,600000
To store the custom frequency list on your phone, save it as “setcpu”
  with no extension and put it in /data/. SetCPU reads from the SD card
  first and uses that text file if present, then tries to read from
  /data/.
To configure SetCPU to read your custom frequencies, go back to the
  device selection screen (in the Main tab, press Menu > Device
  Selection), choose “show other frequencies” if necessary, and choose
  the custom config option at the very bottom.

If you don't want to do that, you can also manually choose a different model of phone  that offers the frequencies you're looking to use instead of using auto detect.

Is that just a very elaborate way of saying RTFM? :-) Thanks for the tip - I'll certainly try this tonight!

The look and feel of CM7 is superior compared to most stock rom's. So if your reason for not switching from the stock rom is the look n feel, you wont be disappointed with CM7.
Get CM7 for your phone from cm.get, install it. Once done go to

Setting --> CyanogenMOD settings --> Performance --> CPU Settings --> Change Min Frequency

That is it, but be careful you can screw up your system, there are available governors, i suggest you use them.

The OP explicitly said they want to keep their current ROM, so telling them to use CM isn't helpful.

My reason for not switching from the stock ROM is that anything else isn't stock. I love original Android and I hate customisations such as TouchWiz and Sense or even third-party launchers. Besides, Cyanogenmod isn't available for the i7500 directly. That's what GAOSP is for - it's a port of CM for the i7500. I've already tried GAOSP (based on CM7/Gingerbread), and I wasn't happy with the feel.

@Logos I only suggested CM7 in case look and feel was the reason..
aalaap my bad did not have knowledge of that.


text:
Sending sms from tablet not allowed or not possible?
This is more of a meta question, but the best place to ask I'm sure..
Why can't I send an sms from my samsung galaxy tab 10.1 3G tablet? Is it because the hardware does not support it (most likely), or because android 3.1 does not support it (least likely)?
Cheers!

The hardware and software support SMS, but not calling. The most likely explanation is that your contract is a data-only contract and SMS messaging is disabled by your operator.
There is a chance, however, that the problem is your SMS settings. You can check these by opening Messaging, then open Settings from the top right corner and check that the Message center under Text message (SMS) settings is correct. The Message center number is network specific, so check it from another phone that uses the same network or ask your operator.

I feel quite stupid now, for not having checked more thoroughly, but indeed, sms works! Thanks!


text:
Samsung Galaxy S2 Problems - Possibly Hardware Related?
I've had my Galaxy S2 SGH-I777 (AT&T) for about 2 months now and everything has been great up until yesterday. I started experiencing some freezing and strange behavior. The phone is unrooted and using the stock ROM.
The problems include but are not limited to:

Random freezing when the phone is locked (by pressing the power button). Always have to do a hard reset.
Random notifications about MTP initialization when no USB cable has been plugged into the phone.
Vlingo Voice command (come preloaded on the phone) randomly popping up/starting without anything being pressed.
Sometimes when I power off the phone it doesn't actually turn off completely but just restarts.
Plugging in the USB cable while the phone is off turns it on (I don't think this is default behavior).
And just recently I've had some strange touchscreen issues. Random letters being typed that I haven't touched etc.

These issues are not constant but occur intermittently. I've already performed a factory reset, but the problems persist. Since I have yet to read about anyone else having similar problems with their phones, this leads me to believe that it's not actually an issue with the stock ROM but an issue with the phone itself and the hardware. But before I take it back to AT&T I wanted to get some input from you guys. Any ideas on what could be causing this?
Thanks in advance.

I am also a user of Samsung Galaxy S2. Mine is rooted but all the indicators of your phone are pointing to a hardware problem. There is most probably a short-circuit like instantaneous electric jumps inside the motherboard. Most of your problems can be answered rationally by uncontrolled electric jumps.
For instance plugging the USB cable (namely a power source) directly starts the phone, indicating that there is a short circuit which transfers the USB power to the power button of the phone whereas they should be insulated.
When you power-off the phone, it restarts. This may be explained with a short-circuit of the phone's battery with the power button.
So on and so forth...

This is my inclination as well. Guess I'll be visiting the AT&T store again.

I have had this issue for a couple of months now with the whole MTP connection when I have not plugged it in. Turns out I just needed to clean the USB port on my S2. It had its little fit of unplugged/plugged in while I was cleaning and stopped once cleaned.

I had this problem recently and found out that I just have to clean my USB port.

I am experiencing the same exact issues here with an AT&T Galaxy S2 bought Oct 26 at Best Buy.  I did root and have tried various ROMs along with returning to bone stock with no help.  I have called AT&T for replacement but I have found 2 possible solutions in my research on the internet:

I saw a random post somewhere about a user who tried CM7 (Cyanogen Mod 7) ROM and for whatever reason. It has rendered my phone very usable with none of the above issues for a few days now.  For curiosity, I switched back to another ROM I had used before, and the problems came back immediately.  Needless to say, I'm not sure why CM7 did any good.
I also came across a post suggesting to use a small paintbrush and rubbing alcohol to swab out the USB port area.  Several users reported success from this.  I have not tried this yet but plan to.


text:
CM7 GPS works randomly, no rhyme or reason, is there a fix?
I have the Incredible and here are the specs:
CyanogenMod 7.1.0 Stable
Baseband: 2.15.00.07.28
I can't seem to get my GPS to run in a stable manner. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
I've installed all the diagnostic GPS apps: GPS Essentials, GPS Status, GPS Test, GPS Fix, and doesn't make a difference. Cleared the AGPS, d/l new AGPS, etc...
When I use any of those, or my speedometer apps - Speedview and UlyssesSpeedometer - the GPS icon doesn't even blink. It's as if it can't hook the GPS command to turn on.
When it does work, it's great, a fix in about 3 seconds and 10 or 11 satellites.
I've run Fix Permissions in Rom Manager, and that seemed to help right away, but nothing since then, and I've ran that after I've installed new apps unrelated to anything GPS, and still to no avail.
How can I fix this to get a stable GPS on my phone?? Any help would be greatly appreciated, so frustrating.

Alright everyone, I think I may have found something, so if anyone is having this problem, hopefully it can help.
I believe it's a problem with google maps. For me, sometimes, when I launch maps and the GPS icon flashes a few times without locking and disappearing, that's when the problem starts.
Well i had the Google Maps Traffic Widgets active, and I would use those all the times and didn't realize it wasn't locking the GPS, But my speedometer apps wouldn't work, or even maps wouldn't work
I uninstalled maps, and reinstalled, didn't help.
This is what i found that works - don't use the traffic widgets, just open maps and look at traffic if you need to.
The second is, if you open maps and GPS doesn't lock, exit maps. Open up GPS Status, let it lock - for me I don't even need to clear or update AGPS info, but you may need to.  Exit GPS Status, not open your speedometer app or Maps, and it should work.
I have been able to 'fix' the GPS issue this way over the last few days with multiple reboots and intalls/uninstalls of maps.
Hopefully this can be helpful or at least a start to troubleshooting. Good Luck!

I had this very same issue with my Incredible! I did everything you described and even flashed a newer Radio version to no avail. I got so frustrated I broke down and did a factory reset - for some reason it magically fixed my issue. I know it's the nuclear option here (as well as a popular catch-all answer) but I honestly think it's worth a shot. This also might be an excuse to bump up to CM 7.1.0 Stable.
FWIW I've had various strange and inexplicable issues with Cyanogenmod on my Incredible, this GPS trouble being just one. If you're up for a slight paradigm shift I've come to really like MIUI and haven't run into anything terribly strange (...yet).
EDIT: Just in case, here are some great instructions for performing a factory reset from the helpful MIUI HTC Incredible Installation Guide (these steps are applicable to performing a factory reset in any ROM as long as you're using ClockworkMod Recovery).

3) Open Rom Manager and select "Reboot into Recovery." (Yes, we're
  assuming you have already flashed the latest "Clockworkmod Recovery."
  If you have not, please do so now via Rom Manager by selecting "Flash
  ClockworkMod Recovery" from the Rom Manager options before trying to
  reboot into recovery.)
4) ...from the Main Clockworkmod Recovery
  menu, select "Backup and Restore." Then Select "Backup." This will
  create a Nandroid Backup in case anything goes incorrectly during or
  you get a bad ROM, you can always load your backup and return your
  phone to EXACTLY the way it was before you began making changes in
  Recovery. You may also Restore your Backup from here, but only after
  performing a Full Wipe of your phone to eliminate any trace of the old
  data that may corrupt your "restore" process. For more info on
  performing a "Full Wipe," see the next step.
6) Now to do a clean wipe of your phone. Note: At this point you
  will lose everything on your phone that you have not backed up to an
  alternative storage space, via cloud, PC, SDcard. This will basically
  return your phone to a straight out of the box setup. Select
  Factory Wipe/Data Reset from the list of options (On the HTC
  Incredible, you may move your selector up and down with the trackball
  or the volume buttons, the press the trackball to enter your
  selection.) After your selection scroll down through the Nos to the
  "Yes" and select it, and your phone will begin to clear out its
  memory. When it completes, you should be back at the menu to Wipe
  Data/Factory Reset.
7) After your Full Wipe, scroll down to the "Advanced" menu, and
  select it. The next list of options should display "Wipe Dalvik
  Cache." Select it, Scroll down through the Nos to the "Yes" and select
  it. It should only take a second. This step may be redundant after a
  full wipe, but if you ever need to "Update" a ROM, its important to
  know where this option is, so good practice.
8) Press the "Power" button on the phone to go back to the main
  Clockworkmod Recovery options.
...
13) Select Reboot System Now, and your phone should reboot.

Crazy! Yeah I've thought about that...doing a complete reset.
When you say 'factory', you mean back to the stock ROM? Or you mean reformatting and reflashing cm7?
I had a typo, I am currently on 7.1.0.

I mean 'factory reset' as in wiping everything from it an putting it back to the condition it was in when you first flashed your current ROM (I don't mean going back to the stock ROM). See my edit above. As always, make sure to backup your ROM (even if you don't like how it's performing) before making serious changes like this one.

Thanks for the reply. I think a reset is probably in the near future, or maybe even a try at the Gingerbread Inc Deck Rom.
I was on MIUI for months until it started sapping data like crazy. I guess it was something to do with the build prop #, not exactly sure. So that's when I switch to CM7. I really liked MIUI though, might go back eventually.

To each their own. Best of luck!


text:
Link2SD working issues
I have installed the Link2SD application on my Samsung Galaxy Ace, everything is in place, now I dont understand how it works. I have allotted 1GB of space to my second ext3 partition, I have 2 doubts:

Whenever I link my application, those space does not gets deducted from internal memory, I checked in Settings → Manage Application
When I move the application to SD card, still I have some space occupied in internal memory

I don't understand the exact use of Link2SD: if I allotted 1GB of space for the apps, then why my internal space is being used -- and if Link2SD does work like this only, then I would better use force move application using adb shell, which even does not require rooting. Can anyone please clarify my doubts, and let me know how can I use Link2SD, so that everything is moved to SD Card and nothing remains in internal memory?

An application files consist of apk, dex, lib and data files. Link2sd can only move the first three types of files to your SD card. Program like Google+ has huge data files so even after using link2sd they take up precious space of internal memory.
When you move app to sd, only the apk file(in Android 2.2) and only the apk and lib files (in Android 2.3) are moved.

Then how can i retain my internal storage, and use external storage for the apps. is there anything in Link2SD to do that

Nope, link2sd can't link data as of now. You have to use data2sd for that.


text:
Pre-caching limitations and reliability in Google Maps
The latest version of the Google Maps application bundled with Android allows me to pre-cache map areas. Each time a pre-cache a point it saves the map in a 10 km hamming radius of that point.
I'm about to take a long vacation in various destination. Can I pre-cache those destinations and reliably use Google Maps there without data connection? Is there a limit to how many areas I can pre-cache (aside from the obvious memory required)? Is the map data guarantee to remain after a few weeks or months, or does it expire after some time?

The number of areas you can pre-cache is limited by the amount of system storage you have available.  It is important to note that the cache is stored in system storage, not the SD card.  Also, the stored data is the base map tiles and landmarks.  You will not be able to get directions based on this downloaded data, but you can browse it offline and track your current location.
The cached data expires and is deleted automatically after 30 days.  If you are not able to refresh your offline data in that time, you may be in trouble.
More data on the feature is available on the Official Google Blog post.

Well I just checked and it turns out the number of cached areas is limited to 10, regardless of how much storage I have remaining on the SD card :\

To those coming across this now, note that the Google Maps app now offers Offline Areas. While similar to caching, it offers more features including directions (obviously not with current traffic information though!) However, they currently do still expire after 30 days.


text:
Can the Netflix app be loaded on an Acer Iconia A500 without rooting?
Acer recently released an official upgrade to 3.2 for the Iconia A500 tablet, but the Netflix app is still not visible in the market.  Is it possible to get the Netflix app on this tablet without rooting?

The hacked apk from here works: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=18058380&postcount=147


text:
How to get rid of "SD Card blank or has unsupported filesystem" notification
My Samsung Galaxy S II phone crashed and after I restarted it, there was an SD card notification icon that says "SD Card blank or has unsupported filesystem" with the only option of formatting the card.
However, the contents of the SD card like photos taken or videos is accessible just fine UPDATE: the card seems to be corrupt, at least it's not visible from my computer. I'll try formatting it.

I'd try: shut down, remove the card, start up without it, wait 5 minutes, shut down, insert the card, and start up again.

To my surprise, when I removed the card I can still browse both /sdcard and /sdcard/external_sd paths from the built-in file explorer. What is going on? What's the filesystem path for external SD?

/sdcard is the path to the internal storage on the device. and /sdcard/external_sd is the external, but if you dont have a card in there, then it is just a "folder".

SD Card blank or has unsupported filesystem means your SD Card has corrupted data.
The only way is to get it normal is to Format it.
Now what about the Data on SD Card ?
If you are using Linux Machine then there is something called TestDisk. Install it on your PC. Now connect your phone with SD Card inserted to you PC. Run TestDisk and follow the options that it shows. Backup the Uncorrupted Data to your PC and format the SD Card from your Phone.

Formatting the card wasn't possible as it was probably corrupted but I managed to copy data from it using the TestDisk software, thanks.


text:
What does "Sync Google+ Notifications" do?
I've recently upgraded to 2.3.7 and noticed a new setting under the Google accounts sync options.

Settings->Accounts & sync->my google account

As well as sync contacts, GMail etc it now also has a checkbox for

Sync Google+ Notifications

Does anyone know what this setting does?

Obvious: It syncs Google+ notifications if you have a Google+ account.  For example, comments on one of your posts (depending on your notification settings).
Not as obvious: You need the Google+ app for it to work.

Ok thanks. Seems odd wording to me as sync is really about data. Notifications aren't data they just tell you something has happened. But from what you are saying it will sync the data (comments etc) related to the notification.

@sickgemini I don't know the specifics of what's synced, but to my mind notifications are data like anything else.

Perhaps it is syncing the unread-flags of the notifications?


text:
Can I stream video from PC to an android device over USB?
I'd like to be able to stream video to my android phone (Samsung Galaxy S rooted 2.2) from a PC running Windows XP (I'm at work!).
There's no wireless network here, VLC and similar marketplace apps seem to only offer this service over wifi/3G; can I over USB?

Are you looking for a way to share your PC's internet connection over USB, rather than streaming video files stored locally on your PC?

Nope, I'm specifically looking to be able to show video files/dvd/streams on my phone, freeing up space on my desktop monitor while working.

I think the answer here is "in all practicability, no."
One hypothetical alternative would be USB host support, and to mount an external hard drive or thumb drive onto your phone. This would mean doing something like this, How To Mount External Hard Drive to Your XOOM. This seems impractical and potentially dangerous (who knows if that OTG cable might cause a short). The SGS may not even recognize the cable, or the drive, and the apk may not work with your phone.
That's the best answer I have on actually connecting via usb to a storage location.
Actual streaming from a PC via the USB port, though? Even if there were a way, it'd probably require extensive work on both the phone and the computer. Wouldn't a better (and way easier) solution be to buy a wireless USB adapter and set it to ad-hoc mode and SSID non-broadcast? Just a thought.

+1 interesting idea. Didn't know you could use a wifi USB adaptor to create an ad-hoc network. Will try it out!

You could turn on "USB Tethering", then run some media server like VLC carefully configured with RTSP streaming on your local server. Then open up the stock browser on android, type in your local ip (prefixed with rtsp:// protocol instead of http) of the pc followed by the port number as set in VLC or equivalent. The Android media player should launch if all is set and should start to play the video.
The local ip must be the ip of the PC running VLC or equivalent media server. You'll need to find it through right clicking the active LAN connection (of usb tether) > status > "IP address : "..
Do disable firewalls or add exclusions appropriately for this to work, also, set the VLC with proper video transcoding format that your android can play.
Warning: you might want to disable data pack when enabling the usb tether to avoid incurring unwanted costs.

+1 for the idea! Will be a while 'til I get a chance to try this out, seems good though. Will accept if it works!

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


text:
How to modify functionality (skip song, play, pause) with side phone volume keys?
This is a really requested feature in a lot of forum, but I haven't found any convincing solution.
I'd like that my volume keys:

If simple (short) press both together, pause/play.
If simple (short) press of single key, change the volume up or down.
If pressed and hold change track forward or backward.

My options in order from preferred to less preferred are:

Do it with Tasker
Download an app to achieve this (not a media player)
Develop an app to achieve this (any advice?)
Download a media player that has mentioned functionality.

Thanks, Diego
Note: With volume keys I don't mean keys in the headphone, I mean those which are at the side of the phone.

PowerAmp (http://powerampapp.com/) is open source, so that may serve as a good starting point.

What's the sense of a paid app which lets you unlock it for free? Also: where can I find the source code?.. You can post this as an answer.. I think it will end up resolving my issue.

PowerAmp is an open source app, which may serve as a good starting point for developing your own app.  The code can be found here.

Headset button controller is an excellent app in market which will do all these functions..
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kober.headsetbutton&feature=more_from_developer

While that does look like a useful app, the OP is looking for something that changes the behavior of the buttons on the device itself.


text:
"Unnamed Device" listed on Play Store
I was looking to install an Android app on the Chromebook and this device pops up:

And no, it's not on my signed-in devices.
How can I remove it?


text:
How to remove Samsung native email app from Galaxy S2?
I only use the Gmail app. It's annoying to have the email icon always popping aside from the Gmail icon in every contact of my phone when I only use Gmail.
Is there a way to uninstall or wipe the Samsung email app/client from Galaxy S2? I just can't find a way to take it off my phone.

Other possible duplicates: How can I uninstall built in apps?, How can I uninstall applications that are locked by phone vendor? Probably a few others.

Note that the Email app might be a required system app, and removing it could make the OS unstable.  I don't see how a tiny icon you don't have to even look at is annoying, personally.

No, you can remove Email. It might break other Google applications, but the phone still works.


text:
Cannot open PDF files when the extension is in capital letter
On my Android tablet, it is not possible to open a PDF where "PDF" is written in capital Letters. If I rename the file, it is opened with Google PDF viewer. The error is: "File can't be opened".
How can I fix this issue?

So just for clarification: Let's say you have a file called example.PDF that won't open. Are you saying that it works fine if you rename it to example.pdf?

Yes, you are right.

Can anyone reproduce this error?

Could you perhaps add more information to your question? Which device are you using, which version of Android? Is the file on your SD Card (or /sdcard/ partition) or is it somewhere else?

It is a problem with the android version or your pdf viewer.  On Android 13, I have tried several viewers, they all work fine

As usual, you can't fix the misbehavior exhibited by any app. This is unlike Windows, where you could edit the registry to resolve such issues. With Android, Google effectively owns your phone, and they take extensive measures to prevent you from making modifications or fixes.
Your only option is to install a new PDF handler such as Acrobat Reader or the Drive PDF viewer (invariably bundled with Google Drive).


text:
is it possable to install a linux distro ie:- nethunter on a android device
I have been trying to work out how to use my old Android tablet as a stand alone Linux tool for pen-testing and network monitoring and logging. I have it boot straight into the OS without having to run it over the top or along side my android OS for obvious reasons (speed,storage,simplicity)

What your question? Which specific device is this?


text:
Can you flash directly from another Android (no PC, no SD)?
I have an old Android TV box (the ZaapTV 509N) that is useless. It was advertised as a $300 subscription-free streaming service for Arabic channels from overseas, but every 3 years they would force a $300 hardware upgrade on you, and now that they've run out of new upgrades, you need a subscription to continue using the device with their service.
The device is running their custom Android ROM on it (4.2.2), and it is pretty locked down. You cannot add a Google account to use the marketplace to install useful apps like YouTube or Netflix. I've been looking at what other custom ROMs I could flash on it to regain control of my device, just installing YouTube and Netflix on it would make this device useful again. I've found 3 candidate ROMs for this, from similar streaming devices with very similar hardware.
I've flashed phones before (ported ROM from a different letter iteration of the same model or straight out CyanogenMod), and all these needed me to connect the Android device to a laptop. With the ZaapTV, the only USB ports are female, so I would need a male A to male A USB cable to connect to a laptop. The only male to male USB cables I have are micro at one end and regular size at the other.
So, I could connect an Android phone to the ZaapTV device. If I move the required ROM to my phone's storage, is it feasible to use my phone instead of a laptop to flash the ZaapTV? Is there an app or a flash utility that is available to do what ODIN and ADB are doing on the laptop?
I do have access to the recovery menu on the ZaapTV. I also have a Raspberry Pi (running Raspbian, a port of Debian). It has an OTG micro-USB. Could that work?

@beeshyams Mobile Odin can only flash the device it is being run on, only supports Samsung, and I can't install apps on the Zaap (which is why I need to flash something on it).

Indeed yes. There is an app that can be used for Linux . I don't know if it helps in your context

@beeshyams DriveDroid uses your phone as a USB booting device. ZaapTV can't boot from USB.

@tlhIngan You can try putting a regular Linux distro and see if it accepts the TV box as a peripheral device. Works in theory.

@harpratap I'll keep that in mind. Plan A is to use a BeagleBoneBlack as a USB host. Raspberry Pi is a no-go, the micro-USB is what powers the device, and it needs too much juice to be used as a peripheral at the same time.

@tlhIngan can't you package a rom in a bootable sd card? did you try that?

I'm still actively trying to find a way to flash my Zaap 509N, so please share if you find anything useful.


text:
How to find audio files from apps
I have this app from Bungie, which is called Destiny, and it's a companion for their game.
The app has a really nice notification sound but I don't know how to find the audio in the file manager because the folder from /Android/data has nothing in it.
If it helps I also have 2 computers, one with Windows 10 and the other with Ubuntu 16.04.
My phone is a Samsung J5 2017 with Android 7.0

Any chance it's using one of your prepackaged Android system sounds? Go through the list and sample them.

On your phone you can install Show Java or Dexplorer to decompile the apk. Usually such media files are kept in assets folder, but can vary on their development practices. On your PC you can use apk tool to decompile the apk and check the source there.


text:
Parental control impossible to uninstall on Samsung device
I have a Samsung device. My friend and I were trying out the parental control feature. Even after stopping supervision, it's impossible to uninstall the parental control app and remove its restrictions
Here are some deets:

I've already tried age verification
Already stopped the supervision on my friend's phone
Tried clearing the cache and storage of all Google apps
Removed myself from the family through Play Store
Tried resetting all settings, but factory reset is disabled
Tried disabling parental control as a device admin, it is greyed out
Unable to boot into safe mode
Can't enable developer mode (so no ADB)
Security certificate section is disabled
Deleting my Google account is not at all an option, it's my primary account
Tried changing the password of my Google account, and tried to force log out and reset using the Find My Device feature. That didn't work (it says no device registered)
Tried transferring the app (Family Link) to the SD card, and removing the SD card. Didn't help, it still has restrictions
Unable to reset the phone through Samsung Find My Device and through Google Find My Phone (both say my phone is not registered)
On my friend's phone, it says open parental control (by going to Google in Settings) and set it up again to start supervision.
Another question with a similar problem
What to do when "Stop Supervision" does not stop supervision in Google Family Link. As mentioned in the answer, I tried waiting, and it's been more than 24 hours, nothing has happened, the issue still persists
Tried meddling with my birthday in my Google account, but at some point, it asked me to verify my age through a card, which I did. And the age got verified.
Tried to install the beta version of Family Link, by signing up through Google Play Store,  hopping the beta has resolved the issue, but it didn't help
Tried restarting my phone several times, but to no avail
Tried hard resetting (through the recovery menu), but the phone won’t go into recovery, it vibrates at a point where it was supposed to go into the recovery menu, and boots normally and the phone turns on

My problem is my phone has become laggy and I'm not able to add Google accounts. Unable to reset my phone. Please help in removing the app Family Link.

Managed to solve my problem.
Start by backing up your phone and then perform a hard reset.
Procedure:

Once you have backed up your data, shut down your phone
Connect the phone to a computer, it should start charging your phone
Now hold the volume up and power button
After a couple of retries, the recovery menu will appear after the Samsung logo appears

The key is to keep retrying the procedure from step 4 until you get it


text:
Android TV/box, wrong date time, and no internet access
I have a few Android TVs and Android TV boxes around the house, and one common nuisance is: that if the time and/or date are incorrect, then the internet for those devices won't work. Also through the ISP we use, the automatic time/date checkbox option does not work either.
The Android TV devices only forget the time/date once a month at most. But it is very unintuitive for someone to think that the time/date needs to be correct for the internet to work. Once more with the incorrect time/date, the internet in Firefox for Android still works. But not for Chrome or YouTube (if the date is incorrect). It's very frustrating and has been like that for years despite performing all the Android system updates available.
Why do the time and date need to be correct for Chrome & YouTube to work on Android TVs and TV boxes?

Not having a correct date could be a symptom too, not necessary a root cause. I'm wondering how getting date/time automatically can depend on ISP. Can you share a bit more details?

Its just it has never worked from our home. But works from other friends places, and the ISP is the only difference. Its like it can not resolve the IP address from the domain name of the time date server through our ISP.

I suppose I can try a different name server through the connection settings than the one provided by our ISP to try and get the IP address of the time/date server resolving.

A lot of WiFi routers also work as NTP server (AFIK announced via DHCP). May be the router of the one ISP does not provide NTP services?

A correct date or at least a date not too far away from reality is important for every internet device in these days.
The reason is that internet connections are mostly HTTPS (HTTP over SSL/TLS) connections and one integral step for establishing TLS is checking the used server certificate if is is trusted and valid. Each certificate contains two dates: not valid before and not valid after. The time span between both dates defines the period in which the certificate is valid. This validity period lasts between 3 to 12 months.
So if your system date is so wrong that is is outside of the validity period then the validity check can fail even if the certificate is perfectly valid and the TLS handshake will fail and so no connection can be established which means no data can be transmitted.

I'm sure the time had to be correct too. I can test that on my android tv box later to see if only the date needs to be correct. That can save me time later if I only have to fix the date. One of our android tvs forgets the time/date every time it is switched off. I'm guessing it has a dead CMOS battery, and so can't remember the time/date while powered off. It had that problem when we bought it brand new.

Your isp most probably started filtering the ports due to an attempted ddos attack or something. Maybe they did some wrong configuration for which ntp port is blocked and thus the tv / tv box is not getting time from ntp. I had this problem for a month and today the senior engineer of my home internet isp fixed it.


text:
No music quality option in Clubhouse for Android
I know the Clubhouse have the music playing feature in the new version of it, but I don't have the music quality option in my Clubhouse app. Based of this post, it must have the below icons:

How to enable and use Music Mode in Clubhouse?
To enable the new feature, users can open Clubhouse and once they are in a room, they can navigate to the options by tapping on the three-dot menu on the top-right. Look for the 'Audio Quality' option here and subsequently, Choose 'Music' amongst the various options.

But my room options are like below:

My phone is Xiaomi Note 9A on Android 10, as you can see below:

And its permission are :

Also I use dual app option in my Xiaomi phone, so I have two Clubhouse app at my cellphone.
So if possible, I want to know why I don't have music options in my Clubhouse rooms.

As explained in the article and Clubhouse blog article, the Music Mode is currently only available on iOS.

As was the case with spatial audio, Music Mode will roll out on iOS first with Android as a fast follow.

This is strengthen with the remark on Clubhouse Knowledge Center.

What is music mode?
Note: Music mode is currently only available on iOS.


text:
What does the green/amber/red light next to the time remaining in navigation mean?
I think it's something to do with how fast/slow you're going, but some clarification would be nice.

+1 Oh how I want to know the answer to this. My guess was it was showing the traffic-state of the roads left on your journey (green = clear, red = congested).

Google Maps Navigation also provides Live Traffic Information along your route, updated every few minutes. A red/amber/green light in the corner shows if there are any traffic problems anticipated along your route. If there are, you can see where the holdups are and have the option to press to re-route which will find a route avoiding the traffic holdups.

Source: http://mobile.jack-frost.co.uk/google_maps_navigation_review_uk.php
Also: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=4f7b34dd18f74b75&hl=en
(Via: Google Search For "google navigation amber green light")


text:
How to switch sd cards when using a data2whatever (d2w) custom ROM?
I'm currently running MIUI XJ (Gingerbread 2.3.5) with d2w on my HTC Desire with the 4GB sd card it was shipped with, but as I found the joy of the occasional ROM-switch, I found myself running out of storage on the sd card, which was filling up with alternate roms, flashable updates for said roms, nandroid backups of different roms, titanium backups, miui backups and, well, the stuff I'd actually like to use (photos, music).
So my question is: How can I safely replace an sd card with a bigger one, even if the original one is partitioned in a special way to make use of d2w?
I realize I could simply partition the bigger sd card similarly to the original one, but what if I need a bigger sd-ext partition? (Which I, indeed, need for some Gingersense ROMs).
Will the system simply accept the bigger partition or do I have to make a nandroid backup with the original sd card and reflash that backup once the bigger, partitioned sd card is mounted? Would the partitions remain untouched?
Would there be any considerable loss if I boot the system with the partitioned sd card with an empty ext-partition? As you can see, I don't even really know what sort of data is stored there.
EDIT:
So, I did it.
My solution (not optimal, but worked. Keep in mind: With the HTC Desire, you can't switch SD cards while the battery is in, so no "on the fly" way. Also, I have no proper card reader lying around.):

Backup of ALL the things (Nandroid backup, just in case, MIUI/Titanium Backup for apps+system settings (things stored on the sd-ext partition) and a full copy of the previous FAT32 partition)
Put the new SD card in the phone and partition it (I used 4EXTRecovery so I could do it in the phone and increased the sd-ext partition from 256 to 1024mb)
Mount the sd card on a computer, copy the contents of the old FAT32 to the new one (FAT32 partition should now be the same as before and it has your MIUI/TitaniumBackup on it)
Boot the system (may be slow since there is now an empty data partition), when the system is up, you can restore your backups via MIUI Backup and/or Titanium Backup. I used Google to sync contacts and messages etc were synced with MIUI Backup, if you are not running a MIUI then you can use SMS Backup+ for messages.
System is now the same as before, but the partitions are bigger :)

Recommended solution I stumbled upon that seems easier to me:

Mount the sd card on a pc, open in the partitioning tool of your choice (I was told partition wizard would do the trick)
Clone the sd card as a whole
Apply that clone to the new sd card
Increase the partitions as you like
Put the new sd card in your phone. Should work exactly like before.

The only thing I can think of is that the system might rely on the specific size of the partitions, but I'm not sure.

That's what I am afraid of :) I hope there's someone around here who has tried something similar.

AFAIK the different partitions are identified by their ordering on the SD card. Therefore the standard FAT32 partition comes first, followed by the app/data partition (usually ext3 or ext4). Sometimes a swap partition follows as third partition.
If you use the same partition pattern (number of partitions and partition types) on the new sd-card there should be no problem. The partition sizes should not play a role - as long as you don't reduce the size.
Just partition the sd-card, format the partitions and copy your data from your old sd-card over to the new.

Thanks, +1 for helpful info :) So, do you think I should copy the data of the ext-partition as well? (I'm just asking because that would mean that I need to get a linux live cd or something, since I'm running Mac OS X and Windows 7, bot without (native) ext4 support (as far as I know)

I can confirm that the order and type of partitions is the only thing that matters.  And yes, you will need to copy the contents of the Ext partition if you want to retain all apps and settings that reside there.

@Jemus42: If you already have installed a virtualization software like VMWare you can run the Linux system in the VM and only route the SD-Card reader (I assume it's an USB reader) into the VM.

@Cahk: Thanks, I suspected something like that. / Robert: My USB card reader can't cope with the SD/MicroSD-adapter, so I'd need to use the phone. My recovery (4ext recovery, a CWM-derivative) supports usb sd access, so that might even work. Or I'll just get a proper card reader. But thanks for the VMware hint, got that lying around anyways :)


text:
Can Google's Voice Actions be started by voice?
I love Google's Voice Actions! It lets me listen to a song of my choice by simply saying "Listen to <song name>".
Problem is... I can't find any way to start Voice Actions itself by voice. I must touch the screen in order to start it.
So, my question is two-fold:

Is there a way to start Voice Actions by voice? (or without having
to touch the screen)
If there isn't, what kind of a solution or workaround can you suggest
for a blind person?

For example, some phones have only one tactile button (other than the power button, of course) -- the trackball. Is it possible to set that trackball to start Voice Actions when pressed long enough?

Not that I'm aware of. Presumably you could create an application that listened to the mic all the time and triggered it (voice search) on a certain phrase, but as voice to text is done "in the cloud" it would require a huge amount of data to go back and forth to accomplish this. One shudders to think of the implications on non-unlimited data plans, not to mention what it would do to your battery life.
Many phones launch voice serach when you press the button on a bluetooth headset. YMMV, try connecting a bluetooth headset and see what happens when you press the button.

another forum thread about launching search from a headset

+1. Great answer and insights. Based on this, having the phone constantly listening is impractical. I wonder whether there is a way to have local speech recognition, even if limited to one command only.

if your phone has hard keys you can start void by holding down the search key (don't have to touch the screen).

+1 this is what i use. There probably isn't a way to start it by voice, because it'd always have to be listening, but memorizing the location of one button and holding it down is pretty simple, and it gives you an audio cue when it's listening!

@bytebender +1 That's a great solution if I don't mind limiting the choice of phones. Is it the only solution? I would love to hear additional ideas. For example, some phones have only one tactile button -- the trackball. Is it possible to set that trackball to start Voice Actions when pressed long enough?

my phone (HTC EVO) has touch-sensitive buttons, but the search button is in the far bottom right corner, so i seldom look to use it anyways.

@jlehenbauer This is great input. +2.

thanks @ateiob! but i'm with you, i'd love to see some interesting solutions to this question :)

@jlehenbauer The Bluetooth headset button method (mentioned by @devnul3) is a great solution, when using a Bluetooth headset... Imagine if all Android phone manufacturers provided such a button in each and every phone itself. :)

if you do stick with a phone with physical buttons, most android versions allow you to define an action for a certain key, you could then change a hardware key to a one-click voice search!

@ateiob I am going to say yes on the trackball. I have never owned a phone with a trackball so I don't know if you are able to change it's function in the settings. But I could see the potential for an easy app that would do that.


text:
Does Google Family Link control all apps, even those that come from Samsung?
I was told that Samsung has its own browser and other apps, and that Family Link isn't effective on them. I want to be sure I am able to control the usage of their apps on my kid's phone.

I have found that yes, it is possible to control (and block) native Samsung apps using family link.


text:
Prevent headphones from starting Google Assistant
Like many headphones, my headphones have a button that calls up the phone's voice assistant. The phone is a Fairphone 3, stock OS, which is their own variant of Android, but looks much like any other Android. So the default voice assistant would be Google Assistant. I don't use Google Assistant, or any other voice assistant.
Unfortunately, the assistant button of the headphones is pretty easy to press by accident. That stops the music and tells me to set up Google Assistant when it is safe to do so. This is accompanied by a pop-up saying "Your Google Assistant is ready to help you get things done TURN ON". Furthermore, the question is asked in a deafeningly loud voice, seemingly uncorrelated to any of the volume levels.
What I've found;

This user's solution doesn't work, the default app is set to None, but the phone still asks to set up Google Assistant. This also doesn't work.
This is related, but unanswered.
I'm aware I can remove Google in totality from the phone, which is a cool idea, but then I'd need to figure out how to get a lot of apps without Google Play, and I'm not keen to do that right now.

By turning off everything I could find in the Google Assistant settings, I've managed to stop it from doing anything if the phone is locked. If the phone is unlocked, I still get the popup. Why the Google Assistant settings matter when the assistant is set to None confuses me.
A solution that worked by modifying the response to signals from headphones or by removing the Google Assistant would be great. Rooting the phone is not a problem.

What happens if/when you freeze or disable both Google Assistant and the Google app?

@ReddyLutonadio There only seems to be a "Google" app, but when I disable that all popups/questions from the google assistant go away. The phone warns that this could break other things, but everything still seems to work fine. I will update in a week to let you know if there are any side effects. Many thanks!

@ReddyLutonadio I can confirm that disabling the google app prevents the request for the google assistant to start, and in a week of using the phone I have experienced no adverse side effects, despite the warning given when disabling. If you were willing to write that as an answer I can accept it.

I had the same issue with a Pixel 8 and USB headphones with a microphone. It kept cutting out podcasts and activating the assistant. Disabling the Google App stopped that and so far had no ill effects. (I have no need for the Google Assistant.)

If disabling Google Assistant does not prevent, then try also disabling Google app as it gives access to the Google Assistant via its settings (open Google app, press on your account, select Settings -> Google Assistant). Get started with the Google Assistant on Pixel 4 & later states that:

To use the new Google Assistant, you need a Pixel 4 and up with:

The Google app with version 10.73 and up.

The above is also true for other phones brands and models. So disabling Google app should prevent the Assistant from starting when you insert the headphones.

I'm afraid disabling the Google app means you cannot use Assistant or Google Lens at all. The issue itself seems an obvious big, but I assume nobody at Google uses (or cares about) wired headphones any more.


text:
Stream music as if it was a phone call
I have a car that handles Bluetooth and that plays on the car speakers my phone calls, but doesn't play my music.
Would someone know a trick or an app that would simulate a phone call and redirect the music sound stream as it was the caller stream?

I tested a similar App 'Blue Mono sound' github & opensource. I connected the BT to my car, then launched the music, then this App. After playing with the sound volume I finally got the music on my car speakers. YAAATAAA! Thanks for your input

I read that BTmono is an app that does that kind of thing, but I had no success using it in my car with a Galaxy S7 Edge.
Without any app, I noticed that sometimes after ending a call the car keeps hanging on the the BT stream allowing Google Map's navigation directions to be announced through the car speakers treating it like an in-call sound. But I'm guessing that's probably a bug with the software in the car's entertainment system.


text:
How can I copy-paste an image into a form field on Chrome for Android?
I use a Google Pixel 6 with Android 12. I tried the following, but it doesn't work:

Copy the Android Enthusiasts site logo image
Navigate to the Ask Question page
Long-hold the form and select Paste

I have the same issue with the two other websites have tried, namely Gmail and GitHub.
How can I copy-paste an image into a form field on Chrome for Android without having to download and re-upload the image myself?

Use the image URL.

If the image is from a website, long press on the image, select Copy Image. Then go to the field you want the image to be pasted into, long-press on the field and select Paste.

@ReddyLutonadio thanks I've done but got some error as shown in the gif

@Robert  Thanks. I would like to copy the image instead of the URL in case that the website is private

@FranckDernoncourt Apologies I opened Kiwi browser instead of Chrome.

I have tried a little experiment with copy-pasting images on Chrome for Android. Looks like SE Imgur uploader can accept JPG and PNG images fine, but not SVG (the site logo is in SVG format) and Gravatar image (API-returned image). However, I could copy-paste the SVG site logo to Google Keep fine. At this point, I'm afraid it's more of a problem with the SE Imgur uploader (which might be more suitable as a post on meta) rather than a general issue. Have you tried on other sites that also accept pasting images?

@ReddyLutonadio  thank you. This is interesting to know that it works in the kiwi web browser

@AndrewT.  I have the same issue with the two other websites have tried, namely Gmail and GitHub

Do you still have the same issue? It seems to be working fine (at least on my side) with the latest version.

@ReddyLutonadio nice, thank you. The issue is now fixed indeed. You are welcome to post it as an answer

Back in January 2022 when the OP asked the question, I had the same issue while pasting images with Chrome using the Paste option after using Copy image (but not with Kiwi browser, see comments).
With the latest Chrome version (98.0.4758.01), the issue has disappeared. Whatever the cause, it seems the Chrome developers have (for now) solved it.


text:
fastboot does not recognize my LAVA Iris Atom
I've been doing quite the research on this error, but couldn't find a solution that could help me  with my device.
Adb commands works fine, but not fastboot commands.
I have tried several sites for the fastboot drivers, in case that's the problem, but it didn't work. (I still have an exclamation mark on Android ADB Interface icon in device manager.)
My phone gets stuck at boot logo when I try flashing a custom ROM and I have to re-insert the battery to solve it. I rooted my phone using the KingRoot app. Does this have any relevance?

"My phone gets stuck at boot logo when I try flashing custom ROM" How do you flash the custom ROM if the phone doesn't show up in fastboot?

I used flashify app to try custom ROM, but, unfortunately, I was stuck in the boot logo each time and couldn't install it.

Right click on Not installed or Exclamation mark driver in device manager, click Properties, then click Details Tab. After that from Property Drop down list, click Hardware Id.
and copy first value from the box and google it by pasting in search.
i hope you'll get the right driver.
Example:

Moreover, once you are sure that drivers are installed successfully, put your phone in Fast-boot mode to access otherwise fastboot command will not work.
in case you will stuck in process, let me know.
Thank You

Thank you Muhammad Fahad Irshad. I hope this could help me.

@Jane18 Instead of leaving a comment, the way we say "thank you" on this site is to "accept" the best answer, and/or "vote up", using the buttons on the left. This way, the best answers rise to the top of the list, and Mr Irshad gets more reputation points on the site.


text:
How can I flash a new radio firmware on my s3 neo trough my custom recovery?
My USB stopped working after I installed a new ROM on my device and I figured I must have messed-up the radio-firmware. Regardless to if that's true or not, I would still like to know how I can install and where I can find an appropriate radio-firmware for my Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo device.

What kind of reasoning led you to suspect the radio when USB is down? Shouldn't you first blame the ROM instead?

@AndyYan I have installed 3 other roms since then. Also mounting mtp directly in the recovery doesnt work either. To me it seems that the hardware abstraction layer is messed up and now I need to flash a new one. From what I read the radio-firmware is what I am looking for. It even says it in the tag for it on this site.

The radio firmware has nothing to do with the USB, that is purely kernel drivers, whether from the boot image, recovery, or  bootloader, all high-functions of USB are handled by the kernel loaded at that time. That said,  since you have flashed 3 different ROMs and USB continues to fail (all 3 would have different kernels), I would look at hardware issues. Cable, port, bad mainboard, etc. maybe the cause. A quick flash back to stock should tell you, although if you can't use flash in Download Mode that pretty much signifies somekind of hardware issue.


text:
Can bought Android apps be shared between devices you own?
On the iPod Touch/iPhone, since it is tied to your iTunes account, I am quite sure you can have your bought apps on multiple devices you own (can't test though, iPod Touch was stolen).
However, now I have the Motorola Droid, and am waiting for a tablet, and am considering getting a Nook and rooting it to run my own apps.
Question is, if you buy an app on the marketplace, how is the security done:

Is it tied to your Gmail account so you can share it between devices you own?
Is it tied to the device? (Don't break/replace your phone!)
As long as it's installed, you're OK? (If you uninstall, or wipe your device, it's gone).

I assume 3 is highly unlikely, though a possibility, so leaving it here as a potential answer to my question.

Just for complement, if you buy an app on App Store, you can only download it on 5 different devices before you have to buy again, while a single purchase on Google Play (formerly Android Market) enables you to download it for unlimited times.

On your phone open the Android Market app, press Menu, then select Help, then choose Troubleshooting (under Users), you should now see the "Retrieving previously purchased apps" headline. This says:

Your application purchases are tied to
  your Google Account and can be
  installed an unlimited number of times
  on any device.
...
If you change devices, you can install
  previous purchases by making sure you
  sign into your device with the same
  Google Account you used on your
  previous phone.


text:
G1 - Can I Update to Newer Versions of Android?
I'm considering getting a G1 from T-Mobile (in the US), and am wondering, can I can update to new versions of Android as they come out, even ones targeted towards newer Android phones? For example, would I be able to update my G1 to Android 2.0 when it is available?

See also: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-2-update-froyo

See also: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/7150/g1-misbehaving-can-i-should-i-reinstall-donut/7152

Oh wow, this is a really old question, October 29 '09?

@Bryan: Back when there was only SO, SF, and SU.

@BryanDenny: Oh wow. I completely forgot that I asked this question :)

Possibly not according to Engadget:

Pioneering T-Mobile G1 owners have
  been enjoying the spoils of Android
  1.5 (or Cupcake, as it's known 'round these parts) for months now, but it
  looks as if that very treat will be
  the last taste of confectionery
  goodness that the smartphone gets.
  According to Android software engineer
  Dave Sparks, a time is soon coming
  when devs "wont be able to fit the
  latest [Android] release on the G1's
  internal flash," and yet another
  engineer has chimed in via Twitter to
  say that he "can't promise" that any
  update after 1.5 will fit. For
  whatever reason, HTC gifted the G1
  with an incredibly meager amount of
  internal flash, and considering that
  no Android phone will support app
  storage / loading from a microSD card,
  there's no way to free up room for
  Donut, Eclair or Flan. You've been a
  real champ, G1, but without 2.0+, we
  just can't give you the love and
  devotion you truly need. Go on, call
  us fickle -- we deserve it.

However, I'm sure there will be a hacked release available, since Droiddog reports video's showing Android 2.0 running on a G1. So keep an eye out for the guys over at XDA Developers for getting a cooked ROM.
Most likely it will be possible, but they probably won't support it...

I think that when they made this statement they didn't know for sure what version number Donut was going to get (turned out it was 1.6). Still like Droiddog says: it works, so you could install it yourself

Froyo has definitely made it to the Magic, which has almost the same internals as the Dream/G1. There have been unofficial ports of the Magic Froyo back to the Dream, see the "When will my phone get the Android 2.2 update (FroYo)?" post http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2696/when-will-my-phone-get-the-android-2-2-update-froyo

The last official version for the G1 was Android 1.6.
If you want Android 2.0+, you must root the device and install a custom rom such as CyanogenMod. Full instructions and other information can be found here.  Note that the G1 is no longer supported after CM6 (Android 2.2), but there may be other custom roms available to obtain Gingerbread (Android 2.3).

Yes, but not without rooting it and modding it. My G1 came with 1.6-Donut installed. Find recommendations on suitable ROMs at G1 Misbehaving -- can I (should I?) reinstall donut?

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


text:
Will leaving a device on an NFC tag do any harm?
I want to leave my phone sat on an NFC tag all day long - will it do any harm to either the phone or the tag?
I'm worried about Android constantly trying to read the tag all day, and that this could cause unecessary battery use, the tag could get hot from constantly being read, etc etc.
Is there anything to back up these concerns, or is it fine to leave a device on an NFC tag for a long period of time? Will Android read the tag over and over again, or does it somehow know when it's placed on a new tag?
Note the device is a Samsung Galaxy S7 (Android 7.0) and the tag is one of the cheap 'NFC stickers' you can get from amazon etc.
Edit: not a dupe of the linked question because that only asks about battery drain. This question is about adverse affects in general (e.g. over heating the tag).

Nothing to the tag, and nothing to the phone except for power drain.