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How to turn off active Zen Mode?
OnePlus offers Zen Mode app for its devices as a system app. It functions more like an app in kiosk mode and gives you access only to one of its activities, the dialer app for emergency calls, and the camera app. The user cannot access anything else.
Works fine. Except that it also means the user is locked out of their device (which the user explicitly agrees to when using the app every single time) for X duration which the user had set in Zen Mode app.
Once in a while I feel the need to immediately access my phone because the objective I have in mind cannot be achieved without the phone. At that point Zen Mode comes in my way because I can't do anything with my phone except stare, in despair, at its countdown to finish.
Here are a couple of things I tried with no success when Zen Mode was active:

disabled Zen mode app using adb.
hid (pm hide) Zen mode app using adb
rebooted the device using adb
force stopped Zen Mode app using adb

If Zen Mode app is disabled or killed or hid when its timer is active, then irrespective of a reboot all I see is the launcher app with status bar hidden. If I try to open any app using my launcher or using adb, it doesn't show anything on the screen at all. It doesn't show any error either. When I re-enable Zen Mode and when the active timer expires then after exiting Zen Mode app I can see all those apps in the Recents View that I had tried to access when Zen Mode was disabled/hid/force-stopped.
I am looking for a way to turn off active Zen Mode in my rooted OnePlus 6 running OxygenOS (v10.3.11) / Android 10. How do I do that?

Note: this answer assumes that your OnePlus device has USB debugging enabled  and authorized already on an immediately accessible PC when you're in active Zen Mode. If not, this answer would be of no help to you.
Here's how to turn off an active Zen Mode. Run this adb command:
adb shell settings put secure op_breath_mode_status 0

That's it. Active Zen mode would turn off immediately and you can access your device to your heart's content.
Tested on a OnePlus 6 running OxygenOS (v10.3.11) / Android 10 with Zen Mode app v2.3.0 (works on earlier versions too).

Great answer. I have only one question: How do people find these settings??

@AleksG thanks. I didn't get your question though. What do you mean by finding these settings? Are you referring to settings as in settings term I used in the command, or the actual setting op_breath_mode_status? If it is the latter, I decompiled the APK of Zen Mode app and looked into its source. Came across that op_breath_mode_status setting at the center of action taking place in that code. Thought to give it a try and it worked out. That same setting was also visible in the output of adb logcat whenever Zen mode became active or inactive.

You answered my question: you decompiled the apk :)


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Loud notification(?) sound happens at random on LG Stylo 6
This was my mom's phone, she got a new one and I inherited this nearly brand new stylo. I factory reset the phone (mainly to get rid of her dozens of unwanted apps), and found that when I unplugged the phone, it would make this really annoying loud sound:
Low-pitched tone for .5 sec, high-pitched tone for .5 sec, then a long slide from low register to high register. Reminiscent of a car alarm, kind of.
I have used Macrodroid on my old Stylo 3 for various utilities, so I downloaded it and made a Macro that detects unplugging of phone, turns on "Do Not Disturb," waits 2 seconds, then turns off "Do Not Disturb." This fixed the beep when I unplug my phone, but...
Now, this nasty, loud beepy thing happens at random. I'll be at the store, or in my garage, or it's sitting on my desk charging, etc. etc, and BAM! low beep, high beep, low to high swoop. My brother just now was two rooms over and came in to ask me, "So, was that your phone making that crazy sound again?" I told him "Yes, it just happens randomly now."
WTF?!? Any ideas on what could be causing this? I went through my notification sounds, and can't find one that sounds like that, I made sure that my NFC was turned off (I read that sometimes that can pick up a signal and do weird things).

Hi, could you record the audio and share it here? (Vocaroo, Soundcloud, or anything else)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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What is this circular notification icon?

I have a Samsung J7 device and a notification logo showed up in my status bar as shown in the image. What kind of app is this? Thank you.

It was gone after a few minutes that is why I wasn't able to long press it.

It could just be the indicator for more than 3 or some number of app notifications. On my Samsung S9 w/Android 10, I have a dot in that location and I have more than 3 apps with notifications in the pull down drawer.

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


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Is it possible to put pictures into an album as they're being taken?
My wife uses her S10+ (probably upgriading to an S20 or S21 soon) to take document properties for our work. When it comes time to do the quote, she has to scroll through a billion photos to get to the one she's after. She's really busy during the day and it's annoying to put them into albums after the fact. Is there a way she can make a new album and as pictures are being taken to automatically deposit them into the "current" album?

I assume she's using GeoTagging when taking the photos at the properties? In that case, an alternative approach would be using a gallery app that can sort by location, like these apps offer. That could also be done at the desktop (there is software for that on Linux, Mac & Windows certainly). A third option would be marking time (property-start and property-end); file names usually carry time stamps, so grouping shouldn't be too hard that way either.

Use a file explorer that can sort the view to show latest, for instance solid explorer //create from the explorer a shortcut on to your home screen

@beeshyams I'm not sure you're following the use case. She needs to access it weeks later.


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Can we and How to create Live USB for Virtual Android OS with standalone apps from USB?
Can we run Virtual Android OS with standalone apps from USB dribe from Android mobiles if yes share like how can we don it?
Is it possible in Android to install or create program or run standalone apps (as in Windows apps software's runs without installing) on USB stick or create a live android USB OS with 500-1000 apps if yes how share links.
As Ubuntu Linux notable live USB be created but it will not run Android apps is it possible to run android apps on Ubuntu..Or run  create a. Android virtual os from Android itself

Android apps always require an installation, running an Android app just from an APK or a bunch of split APKs is not possible.

You cannot boot from a USB drive on Android devices irrespective of which OS it contains: How to boot Ubuntu persistent live USB on Android?

@irfan Latin bro thank yes Ubuntu live USB is good but
I think Ubuntu is Linux OS can we install Android apps on ubuntu I doubt...I have founded an app named
MULTI ROM which can run multiple stock from on rooted mobile but I want some virtual USB solution through which I can run  boot Android OS and 100-200-500 apps virtually from USB and unplug when not needed is it possible with to install Android apps on live USB of Ubuntu Linux is.

No, we can't install apks in Ubuntu,

And you never need all of those apps. Google Play Store and F-Droid are enough to get apps you need. Most apps on Android are for free or at least mostly cheap if there is really no free alternative.


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Maps launches Android Auto
Google Maps has started launching Android Auto almost immediately after touching "start" to navigate. A Google microphone and four sector grid that could bring up Android Auto appears at the bottom of the screen while using Maps. It happens when I'm driving, but also just sitting here.
This never happened before and I don't believe I've changed any settings.
The only suggestion I've found was to disable and force stop Auto, but it would just restart when I started navigating with Maps.  There's a lot about Auto launching Maps, but this is the other way around.
How can I fix this?

This appears to work: Maps - profile icon (upper right) - settings - navigation settings - google assistant settings - driving mode - off.
I'll have to test to see if this works when driving, but at least it works sitting here.


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Turning on "show pointer" breaks mirrored screen. How to turn off without phone screen
I am trying to help a friend who's screen broke on their Huawei P30. The screen is dead-dead. No touch, no light, nothing.
So I tried to connect an external screen to it, an voila, I have a screen. I even have a mouse and keyboard working. However, I want to copy the contents of the phone onto the computer, and nothing is showing up on the computer when I plug it in. So I tried to get ADB to help me.
ADB is not trusted, or something along those lines. So I go back to the screen, and turn on developer mode, and try to change settings to hopefully bypass the notification asking to give permission. Nothing works, I keep trying new settings.
This is where I mess up. Apparently there is a bug or something, because when you turn on (and I have no idea why I did this) "Show Pointer" the external display goes black with a grey bar at the top theoretically showing the pointer X and Y coordinates, etc.
If I reboot the device I see the home screen for 0.5 to 3 seconds before it reverts back to the black screen. If in this time, I click on the settings icon, it immediately goes to black.
Question: Is there a way, without access to the screen of a device to:

get ADB to work without it been an authorized device (I'm guessing not), or
turn off pointer location somehow using ADB or similar method, or
navigate the menus of the phone with a keyboard only, no mouse, no clicking, just keystrokes, so I can disable this blind (using another phone or video to know how many times to press down, for example)?

Any advice at all would be great. Since they already have a new phone, I don't want to have to pay to replace the screen, but that is last resort (which I hope would work).

Before Google acquired the company that developed Android, the whole system was designed for a non-touch display. From that time all Android commands have keyboard shortcuts. Therefore option 3 is realistic unless you device manufacturer has destroyed them while modifying the Andorid OS. My suggestion would be to use a Bluetooth keyboard and try to authorize adb blind.

Any tips on what terms to search for to find that? I'm coming up empty when i search. (read: full of spam ideas not relating to what I'm actually searching.)

I would search for Android keyboard shortcuts and e.g. end up here https://www.howtogeek.com/175267/the-htg-guide-to-using-a-bluetooth-keyboard-with-your-android-device/

Unfortunately that HowToGeek link focuses on shortcuts within apps or creating , and not how to navigate around in Android. :-( I tried searching for android navigation using keyboard, but they are all either related to the developer software, or specific apps in Android. I fear this is only going to be resolved by replacing the screen...


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Boot-Up System Test tools
I am a test automation script developer using Python.  One of my recents tasks has been to create scripts that can output the following test cases from an Android device under test during boot-up:
-Identification - SW Ver, SN, CPU, memory,....
-Memory test - bad block count
-DDR Training
-Peripheral inventory check
-Error logging
Ideally, this would all be done via adb interface, but I don't know what tools or commands are available to do such tests.  Some are trivial such as SW ver, SN.  But others like the memory test, and ddr training are new to me.
If anyone can point me in the right direction in terms of adb commands and/or test apps, that would be great.
I'm not an Android developer nor do I know Java so my knowledge of the inner workings of Android is very sparse.

Android die more a special Linux system, you will not need Java. Try the getprop command for identification data. For the rest we can't help you as such data is not available in general Android.

maybe interesting / related
How to disable bad RAM addresses and fix bad storage blocks?

logcat or dmesg is available via adb

Does this answer your question? How long until my eMMC is dead?


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Android 6.0 optimizing app 1 of 1 on smart tv
I have a TV that runs on android 6.0 and it gives me the optimizing app 1 of 1 message each time I start it, I have to factory reset everytime and it only lasts for a month before ir comes back, any way to fix it once and for all.

why factory reset? that is just some app refreshing dalvik-cache

It keeps optimizing for about 30 min everytime i turn on the tv and that's the only way i found to stop it.


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How to make a call from a phone without SIM using a hotspot with SIM?
I would like to use a single SIM by installing a mobile hotspot at home. This mobile hotspot could be a dedicated hotspot device or an older smartphone with hotspot enabled. This hotspot will serve all my devices at home or on the go.
Meanwhile, I would not have a SIM on my main mobile phone (Google Pixel 3A). This means it will not be able to receive or make dial calls.*
Is there a way to enable my main phone to make calls remotely, via Bluetooth or WiFi, using the Hotspot's SIM?
*I was thinking of using my main phone as the hotspot, but it would probably deplete shorten the life of the battery. This is why I would prefer a dedicated hotspot.

Theoretically you could run a software on the hotspot phone that acts as a gateway between GSM and SIP (VoIP protocol). On your second phone you could the use a SIP phone app and connect to this server. Unfortunately I don't know a GSOM-SIP gateway software that rund on Andorid.

Saw some related info on GSM-SIP gateway here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4723453/android-as-sip-to-gsm-gateway but it's above my technical understanding. I am hoping that the same system which allows to call from a smartwatch via phone can be used to call from phone A via phone B.


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How do i move a folder to the root of my Android Device?
I'm trying to install a GPS apk (igo primo), I have the apk and all the files i need but i cant access the root folder the instructions specify.
The instructions say this :
"Move this folder to the root of your Android Device and install the iGO app inside."
Do i need to install the apk and then move the files, or the other way around?
Can anyone give me a hand, I'm not very good with this.
I apologize for my English
Thanks!!

i don't think they mean root directory. 'adb push app.apk /data/local/tmp; adb shell pm install /data/local/tmp/app.apk;'

I assume "root" is in this case from the perspective of a PC the Android phone is connected to via MTP protocol. Then the root folder would be the sd-card section /sdcard. To move a certain folder there would make sense for Android devices prior to version 10. After installing the app it could use the files stored in this folder.


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Nexus 7 (2013) fastboot connection to PC
I've been trying for a few days to install LineageOS on a Google Nexus 7 (2013 version, or "flo"), using this guide here, but the USB cable connection seems to be very unstable for anything to work properly. It seems like there's a problem in the cable or the USB port, but it is still charging normally (even if the data connection seems frail) and I thought maybe someone has more information.
On Windows, the USB connection to the tablet has always been unstable, with it popping in and out of the devices listed on "device manager". I think I have the proper drivers, since I managed to follow the LineageOS installation up to the repartition step. After I entered the "modify" command on adb shell, it took a long time and a bunch of "file or directory not found" error messages started showing up. I was using Lineage Recovery and, following step 5, a clicked on "Reboot system now". Here's a log:
C:\Temp>fastboot devices
08460011        fastboot

C:\Temp>fastboot boot recovery.img
Sending 'boot.img' (10884 KB)    OKAY [  0.351s]
Booting                                            OKAY [  0.035s]
Finished. Total time: 0.491s

C:\Temp>adb sideload flo-repart.zip
* daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
* daemon started successfully
Total xfer: 1.00x

C:\Temp>adb shell
flox:/ # modify
2048+0 records in
2048+0 records out
1048576 bytes (1.0 M) copied, 0.077575 s, 13 M/s
20480+0 records in
20480+0 records out
10485760 bytes (10 M) copied, 0.289826 s, 35 M/s
umount: /mnt/system: Invalid argument
umount: /data: Invalid argument
umount: /sdcard: Invalid argument
GNU Parted 1.8.8.1.179-aef3
Using /dev/block/mmcblk0
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
                                                      (parted)   rm 22
                                                      (parted)   rm 23
                                                      (parted)   rm 24
                                                      (parted)   rm 25
                                                      (parted)   rm 30
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 614429696B 2187293695B
                                                      (parted)   name 22 system
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 2187293696B 2263875583B
                                                      (parted)   name 23 cache
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 2263875584B 2264924159B
                                                      (parted)   name 24 misc
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 2264924160B 2281701375B
                                                      (parted)   name 25 recovery
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 2348843008B 2610987007B
                                                      (parted)   name 30 vendor
                                                      (parted)   mkpart primary 2610987008B 15757983231B
                                                      (parted)   name 31 userdata
                                                      (parted)   quit
                                                      Information: You may need to update /etc/fstab.

mke2fs 1.45.4 (23-Sep-2019)
The file /dev/block/mmcblk0p22 does not exist and no size was specified.
mke2fs 1.45.4 (23-Sep-2019)
The file /dev/block/mmcblk0p23 does not exist and no size was specified.
mke2fs 1.45.4 (23-Sep-2019)
The file /dev/block/mmcblk0p30 does not exist and no size was specified.
mke2fs 1.45.4 (23-Sep-2019)
The file /dev/block/mmcblk0p31 does not exist and no size was specified.
2048+0 records in
2048+0 records out
1048576 bytes (1.0 M) copied, 0.163787 s, 6.1 M/s
20480+0 records in
20480+0 records out
10485760 bytes (10 M) copied, 1.376526 s, 7.2 M/s

After rebooting, there is not an operating system in the tablet anymore. All that is possible is to open fastboot mode with VOLUME DOWN + POWER. When USB connected to Windows, it will sound repeatedly as the connection is tried but fails. I tried the next step on the guide, which is to format one of the partitions with "fastboot -w", but it ended in error.
I tried to connect the tablet using fastboot on Ubuntu, but it never did establish a connection. The tablet does not appear with "lsusb", and using "dmesg" I can see the following:
[ 3452.967123] usb usb3-port11: Cannot enable. Maybe the USB cable is bad?
[ 3453.935126] usb usb3-port11: Cannot enable. Maybe the USB cable is bad?
[ 3453.935202] usb usb3-port11: attempt power cycle
[ 3455.219195] usb usb3-port11: Cannot enable. Maybe the USB cable is bad?
[ 3456.187128] usb usb3-port11: Cannot enable. Maybe the USB cable is bad?
[ 3456.187203] usb usb3-port11: unable to enumerate USB device

Nevertheless, the tablet is still charging its battery though the USB connection as if the cable and port were working normally.
I hope someone has any insight on this. I really don't understand much of this process, and I hope there's something I'm not doing right that is fixable.

Making system modifications using an unstable USB connection is a bad idea. First try to fix the USB problem and then start repartitioning and installing the OS.

flash TWRP recovery + 'adb push flo-deb_clamor_repartition.zip /tmp' + install zip from TWRP menu (no usb connection needed)


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Why FlashTool isn't detecting firmware?
I'm trying to flash stock Android 8 onto my Xperia X F5121.
Please see screenshots below:

What did I miss ?


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Remove PDF "security settings"
On Android, is there a way or an application that can be used to remove the "security settings" on a PDF so it can be edited? The file in question does NOT have a password, so one it not needed to make it editable again.

Is there no password needed to remove the security settings or is the PDF protected in a different way? Were you able to remove the security settings of that PDF file using a PDF program on a PC?

One could use some online website, eg https://smallpdf.com/unlock-pdf, to remove the "security settings" on a PDF so it can be edited.
Note that one can't use the usual trick to print the PDF in Chrome to remove its security because on Android, Chrome cannot open PDF files.


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AFwall+ sometimes can't apply rules and doesn't get root
Sometimes AFwall+ has an error. It says it can't apply the iptable rules and that it failed to get root. I look in Magisk and there is no entry for it. Rebooting the phone fixes the problem. I'm just wondering if there's a more permanent solution?

Which Android device and Android version are you using? Which Magisk version are you using?

@Firelord Galaxy S20 with its stock Android 11. Magisk 23. Used to have Xposed but removed it.


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How to spoof NMEA sentences on physical Android 8.1 phone for apps like WeChat?
The problem. Location spoofing is fairly simple for most Android apps. It's done either by using Xposed modules such as XPricyLua or by using a location spoofing app such as Fake GPS Location or even both. But few sophisticated apps such as WeChat or GPS Info & NMEA Logging will anyway detect your real location even if you use an Xposed module or a FakeGPS app or even both. It happens because they utilize hardware level SDK (e.g. BaiduLocationSDK) and will relay on NMEA sentences rather than LocationManager and FusedLocationProvider APIs. There's a related post on stackoverflow that haven't been resolved.
Spoofing methods I have tried and they haven't worked (even on rooted Android):

Xposed Modules such as XPrivacyLua and LocationInjector (apps see NMEA sentences from real location)
Anything using Developer options, mock location app (Fake GPS location, MockGeoFix, Bluetooth GPS Provider)
Fused location provider spoofing with apps using both mock location and Xposed module (Mock Locations (fake GPS path))
IP geolocation spoofing (VPN)
GPS provider spoofing & IP geolocation spoofing
geo nmea and geo fix commands (worked on emulator, MockGeoFix doesn't show NMEA sentences)

Ideas. Some GPS-over-bluetooth/network/serial apps such as GNSSTool or GPS Connector almost do the work. They are able to receive NMEA sentences from other hardware devices (e.g. Android phone) or even replay them from nmea-files BUT but WeChat and GPS Info & NMEA Logging doesn't see satellites and NMEA sentences anyway (as mock location app selected).
The question. Are there any other applications, modules (Xposed, Magisk), methods or ideas to spoof location in apps relaying on NMEA sentences on a physical Android 8.1 phone?

It seems to be possible by kernel modification, see post here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38382931/android-emulate-gps-satellites-not-only-location

HackRF is proven hardware solution at about $300: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-bdK7tRpBI


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on Android 9 How do I get an audit going back some 10 days about a process that deleted some internal data
I am magiskally rooted on my Android phone running version 9 MIUI 11. In fact I moved toMIUIJust a week ago. Had This phone has a replacement of my lost AT&t phone since couple of months and initially installed custom GSI ROM which did not support many frequencies here so moved to stock.

Problem
About 5 days ago my entire WhatsApp internal data the most important of which is the  msgstore.db file was cleaned out.
 was extremely sceptical of MIUI vis-a-vis cleanliness & privacy is concerned and was trying to figure out how to to disable certain MIUI components which I could confirm were spyware.
And then this tragedy happened.
I would like to know which process has done this. I did not disable at that time the cleaner app - now it's disabled.

QUESTION
Is there any way to dig out which process cleaned out my phone I am about just a week away from when this incident happened

What I did
Looked up the logcat but I can't beyond a few days.
 what else will tell me the story ? I have USB debugging enabled

Android does not have any logs beyond logcat that could be used for what you want.

But if you are prepared beforehand and it happens again, you may identify the culprit: How to identify the app/process which re-mounts partitions R/W, creates files and changes file permissions?. // Logcat persistence: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/216659/218526

Thanks Irfan  for those neat n' tidy answers . https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/239500/analyzing-boot-loop-root-cause-from-console-ramoops-0-logcat  this question carrying a bounty might be of intrest  if you  are   that 'colonel' of  kernel & help get back my /data working with newly installed instance


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What kind of storage is IPSM?
I am working with a mobile device running Android.  In addition to the common Internal shared storage, it also has an IPSM card.  Does anyone know what IPSM stands for in this context?

Hi, could you add the brand/device model for additional info? Is it Honeywell? According to this forum, it's Intel Persistent Storage Manager.

Intel Persistent Storage Manager is the correct answer, thank you. If you want to make a formal answer I will go ahead and accept it.


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How to format the internal memory of a Huawei Mate 20 Lite?
I have a Huawei Mate 20 lite I need to format its internal memory.
I don't mean to reset it to factory defaults.
I mean I have to format it, that is, I have to overwrite the internal memory with 0s (or with random data and then with 0s).
How to do that?
I have a Linux desktop.

Could you explain what you want to achieve? Modern Android devices by default encrypt user data. In such a case you don't have to erase all data only the used encryption key. Afterward the data is better erased that any overwrite which is not that simple with flash memory because of overprovisioning, reserve sectors, ... Overwriting is more useful for simple magnetic media like HDDs.

@Robert i am trying to trash my old mobile phone without Mallory recovering my data

Does this answer your question? How to make a complete factory reset, without anyone being able to retrieve my data?


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Is a rooted phone safe for phone banking?
My phone (Android 7) has been rooted for years. That means it hasn't updated in years. I'm wondering if it's safe to do financial transactions on it...like download my banks app and a bitcoin e-wallet.
If not, then how can I make it safe while maintaining root?

I guess the question can be shorted to "is phone banking safe". The answer would be "No" – especially not on a device without the latest security patches. What is more, banking apps would not work on it – funnily not because of the missing security fixes, which banking institutions seem to find irrelevant, but because it's rooted (which they find more dangerous, though exactly by means of root one can increase security)…

"...though exactly by means of root one can increase security" How so? And would it supercede the security from the latest patches?

Rooting itself does not increase security but if you unlock your device and install a customROM (which banking apps also consider as "rooted") with latest security patches this is more secure that the stock firmware that have not seen an update for years.

Any suggestions on such Tom's. Can I use Google play on them?

The means Robert pointed out are part of it (Custom ROMs with more recent security patches). Others include e.g. proper firewalls like AFWall+ (non-root firewalls utilize VPN so you cannot use a VPN at the same time as there can be only one active at a time), blocking specific tracking modules in apps (or misleading them so tracking becomes nil), and more. This is a bit more complex, though, and not answered in a comment or even a "short answer" here as it rather needs a long tutorial to cover just half of it. And yes, if you insist you can install GApps. Or their alternative, microG.

stock roms are really unsafe with root. Therefore it's always recommended to flash a custom rom which has good security.

@Aayush any suggestions?

@Izzy I'm very interested to learn. How do you block tracking modules of an app? What are the other methods? Are these methods to be implemented on Android, or are you talking about a custom ROM? I'll start with downloading AFWall+. I want to be as secure as possible, so eager to know the other steps I should take.

@Kaftee may I suggest making that a separate question ("How do you block tracking modules of an app?")? A Q&A site works best with specific questions (rather than broad ones – so "…and what are other methods" should come last referencing the specific ones as "What else can I do to make my device more secure"). Btw, there are security blogs dealing exactly with that. If you can read German, I'd recommend you Mike Kuketz' Take back control series.

Stock roms are really unsafe with root because they are not made and optimized to be used with root access. Therefore it's always recommended to flash a secure custom rom. You can try lineage OS.. regarded as very secure.
I believe that custom open source Android ROMs like Lineage OS are secure just because of the fact that their full source code is open source.
And the professionals and hobbyists out there definitely would check and ensure that it has no secret bugs.
The developers would also not like to damage their reputations by open sourcing a software with spywares that everyone including the topmost brains in the world can scrutinize.


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I have my android connected to my pc via a wifi hot spot. How do I enable usb debbuging through the adb ? What is the commands?
What are the commands in ADB to enable USB debugging?
I have my android connected to my pc via a wifi hot spot. How do I enable usb debbuging through the adb ? What is the commands?

https://android.stackexchange.com/q/197914 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.co.henry.hsu.adbwirelessbyhenry

Enable developer options and USB debugging of your phone:

Open Settings, then select About.
Tap on Build number seven times.
Go back, and select Developer options.
Scroll down, and check the Android debugging or USB debugging entry under Debugging.
Plug your phone into your computer.

For debugging Android studio via WiFi install Wifi Adb Ultimate plugin
https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/9207-wifi-adb-ultimate

consider improvement include adb tcpip 5555;
adb connect  for a complete answer

If you want to do this manually, it can be like usethe4ce answered in https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4893953/run-install-debug-android-applications-over-wi-fi


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How to make saved images to retain saved in Whatsapp?
After some time all images in my Whatsapp look in the following way

i.e. as if I never downloaded them. Although I did.
How to make it keep images once downloaded?

You download an image from WhatsApp, the same image still exists in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images/, and WhatsApp shows like it's not downloaded? Android version and ROM?

What's your os? android version? Sometimes (in rare cases tho) there is autodelete function enabled in some roms by default. AND do you use any 3rd party app to free up storage?

Did you possibly move them to an sd card or something to save space?

Open a file manager app and go to folder
WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Images
and check if your images are still in that folder. If not, you can try downloading them from WhatsApp again, refresh the folder, and see if they appear there.


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Enable USB-Debugging and delete display pattern on OnePlus One Android 6
I tried to get some data from my OPO that i screen crashed 3 years ago. I'm not able to unlock it, because i forgot the display pattern.
So the plan was to enable usb-debugging via adb in recovery and then to remove the pattern via adb command, but i guess it doesn't work with CM 13 Recovery.
I put my new SIM into the OPO to get internet connection so that it can sign in into my google account automatically but it didn't, even though it was linked to this account when i used this phone.
Is there any possibility to unlock it? Or maybe to connect it as media device to my computer to get the data?
Back in the days i used to have TWRP Custom Recovery, it was pretty easy to connect with a computer and use the phone as a usb device while in recovery mode.

Is the bootloader unlocked? Also, not sure they work but years ago I did come across some links/software which claimed to  unlock OPO's bootloader without wiping data, so you may search and try them if all else fails.

to be honest, i'm not sure. i havent used it since 2017. when i reboot to bootloader a cm icon shows up and says "fast boot mode". I'm sorry for my bad knowledge, i really was good at this stuff years ago, but it's been 6 years or so since a flashed my last custom rom on my droid razr. so i'm really not into this stuff anymore :/

Setup [tag:fastboot] in your PC, reboot the device into fastboot mode and issue this command: fastboot getvar all. Among other things it should show you (bootloader) unlocked:yes or no. If yes, you can  flash or boot into TWRP easily.

thanks!!! I'll try when i come home. after i flashed twrp i can mount the opo as usb device in recovery, right?
is it also possible to activate usb debuggin in twrp? if not, its fine, but if yes it would be great.

USB Debugging and root access is enabled in twrp. You can alse enable MTP from there. Get whatever data you need from there.


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How to force Firefox Nightly to install an addon?
Firefox Nightly refuses to install addons unless Mozilla "recommends" them. That's an artificial restriction.[1] How to bypass it?
[1] https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-compatibility-firefox-preview#w_extension-compatibility-for-firefox-preview

Did you find: https://extensionworkshop.com/documentation/develop/developing-extensions-for-firefox-for-android/

@Morrison Chang doesn't work, "Firefox Nightly can't download this file type". Opening it from a file manager doesn't work either. xpinstall.signatures.required is disabled although I didn't expect that to help.

See a hack here: https://old.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/i8igam/androidrequires_root_install_any_addon_from_amo/


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Repair SD card removed from phone without unmounting?
I have a Xiaomi phone and I'm using a microSD card to store photos and other data. I wanted to copy photos to PC so, with the phone turned on I just removed the sd card from the phone.
Putting the card into PC doesn't work, it asks me to format it and putting it back on the phone it seems it's not recognized and when I click 'install SD' it just gives me an error.
I ran Easeus Data recovery and all data seems to kinda be there so it probably just needs to run like a 'chkdsk' for android SD cards :)
How can I repair this card so I can read the files normally on Windows and/or works again in Android without formatting and losing data?

See my answer to Check and fix SD card errors within Android itself?

tesdisk can probably also fix this (it detects the partition also) but I ended up using DiskGenius to fix the partition table and save it, all data come up and it's working 100%. Easeus Partition Magic wasn't able to recover the partition in case anyone gets into the same trouble.
On DiskGenius:

First insert your SD card into your PC and run DiskGenius;
Click on Partition Recovery, Whole Disk and start the scan, it can take a few minutes to run;
While scanning, select Reserve for all partitions that appear;
Hopefully DiskGenius can find your missing partition that will appear in Green on the left Tree menu under your SD card;
If you are happy with the partitions found, just hit Save All and changes will be saved to the SD card

I was able to follow these steps and recover 100% functionality of the SD Card without formatting or losing any data. Be aware that DiskGenius is a paid app. I can guess the free testdisk can also achieve this but I was afraid to do it with the more 'manual' steps required by testdisk.


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Dropped phone into water and shut down automatically after the logo is displayed
I dropped my phone(Asus Zenfone max pro m1) into water then I took the phone out from the water and turned off and cleaned the phone surface with a dry cloth. Then kept my phone in a pouch with uncooked rice for 4 days. Now I try to turn on it shows the logo and shutdowns automatically. Even I tried to enter into the recovery mode but got failed. But I can enter into the fastboot mode. When I try to charge, the charging indicator fluctuates. Can anyone tell me what is the issue?

The issue is that it's malfunctioning because you dropped it in water. Unfortunately hardware issues cannot be fixed remotely. You need to get it fixed by some technician.

Relevant iFixIt Q+A.

I gave to technician and now its fixed. No worries

firstly did you completely sink your phone into rice? if at all you did then no wonder your mother board is damaged! like some kind of short circuit might have happened... well you can replace same model mother board or you upgrade to some good affordable motherboard because they cost nearly same price as new phone, you got 2 options buy new phone or buy new motherboard(costs less than new phone).


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Samsung Galaxy S3 Keeps shutting off
I just recently found an old Samsung phone and I have been trying to get it to boot up. I have some old pictures of my kids on there I would love to get off of it. The phone tries to boot up but as soon as it gets to the Galaxy S3 logo it shuts down. I charged the battery and it works fine (checked it with another S3) I tried the Power button, volume down, home button and it gets to the point where I can choose to reset the phone and it goes to the android logo then shuts down. The volume up option shows that it begins the boot recovery but then it shuts down. Any ideas? It had become my mission to figure this out, but it is looking like it might be a lost cause.

check the device modelno GT-I9300 from download mode and flash official twrp recovery according to your device model How to flash a custom recovery with heimdall

don't mix up with S3 Neo GT-I9301i


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Restore contacts from VCF to SIM Card
I've been trying to restore contacts from a vCard backup I have (VCF file) to the SIM card.
So far I managed to do it, but only through an app called "Simple contacts - Easy contact manager" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simplemanage.contactsapp&hl=en_US&gl=US). From there, I can click Import from VCF file and it will have the option to select the SIM card "account". When I try from the Contacts app, no such "account" appears, and I can only select PHONE or Google Account. So I think the app enables the option from the Contacts app, which might be locked because of any non-sense reason (unless it's because of what I'll say in a bit, and if it is, I'd like to know why they didn't fix it...). When I try to do this, all contacts are restored perfectly with absolutely no errors. Though, after a restart, all are gone from the SIM card. No trace. No explanation also...
From another idea, I've also not found another app that imports from VCF to the SIM card directly, so I restored to the phone (perfect restoration) and copied to the SIM card. This ended up in one of 2 ways only: either the names would be incomplete many when there are special characters on them (it would cut them for some reaason), or it would still cut the names, but less times and only with one app which I don't remember anymore because I've been trying various (if needed I can look for it).
In some cases, they will be shown perfectly on the app that copied them, but when I open the Contacts app, their names will be cut.
Since it seems to have to do with special characters, I've thought in being related with encodings (the encoding used on the phone memory). A wrong encoding could be taking too much space for the SIM card to store or something, but no idea, just came to my mind.
Does anyone know a decent way of restoring the contacts to the SIM card...? I don't want to be forced to go get my Nokia Navigator or another one even older I have from 2008 (the Navigator at least I know it can do this because I used to do it, the other one I'm not sure) to do something an Android phone (much more recent and more powerful) can't and should be able to do, every time from now on.
Thanks in advance for any help!

That's the problem with using  SIM card, names are truncated because of length restrictions, only name & number pairs can be stored, no other details, you can't store more than 250 contacts // Using SIM card for contacts means you have to live with these restrictions

Yeah, but I don't mind at all. The thing is I can write the contacts there myself manually one by one and they'll remain saved. If I copy from phone to SIM, they're either get truncated for some reason, or they'll be saved perfectly and last until a reboot. I just don't want to write them myself again or go get a Nokia to do it right because an Android phone can't! Makes no sense to me why I can't copy contacts to SIM decently but I can write them myself manually like I did for 20 minutes with 140 contacts... But I'd like not to do it myself --> vCard - and the phone doesn't cooperate... Cool.


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Android execute script at logout
I would like to execute a script at logout with my GS7 android 9 (Resurrection Remix). I see that it is advised to use tasker. I guess it is possible to do that without installing a graphical application.
I connect to the smartphone through adb and have a shell. Where can I write a file in the file system with bash or python commands that will be executed at logout ? Also, how should I manage the bash or python environment in order to have it working ?
Thanks for your time.

On a rooted device you can make use of init's on shutdown trigger:
# /etc/init/custom.rc

on shutdown
    exec - -- /path/to/executable

For more details on how to run an executable from init's .rc file, and what factors need to be taken care of, see my answer to How to run an executable on boot and keep it running?

I tried the solution and was able to do things. I created a shutdown.sh script, make it executable and put it under /bin/
#!/bin/bash

/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/mosquitto_pub MOSQUITTO_COMMAND

And it works from adb shell.
Then I created the /etc/init/custom.rc file with
on shutdown
       exec - -- /system/bin/shutdown.sh

And when I shut it down that doesn't work. I think the files permissions are good. However, I am confused with the android file system. Should I make everything under /system or not ?

How to make code blocks in comments ?

I tried different things about custom.rc. Can not get it doing anything at shutdown. I don't find anything online. Any suggestion ?

@yoarch the usual troubleshooting steps. Set proper mode, owner, context on files. Apply dos2unix if needed. Start with something simple like exec - -- /bin/echo Hello. Then replace - with u:r:magisk:s0 or some other super context. Or set SELinux permissive. Check dmesg for init log.

Thanks for the answer.
Could you give me a concrete example with /bin/echo Hello please ? As the partition seems to be read only, I can not do something like exec - -- /bin/echo Hello > /some/file.
I checked the dmesg logs with dmesg | grep init. But I don't see anything related to the custom.rc script.
The path should be "/bin/echo Hello" or "/system/bin/echo Hello" ?
I guess I need magisk to be installed in order to use the u:r:magisk:s0 context ? That is my case.

Any one ?
I can not get that script be run while shutting down my android phone. This is the only part I can not get working ..


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Repetitive "Google failed" popup
I have a Nokia 3.4 (Android 10) for over a month now. This morning this repetitive error window keeps popping up. It opens and closes so fast that I don't have the time to select anything - in fact, it's so fast that the video capture is not able to capture all cases!

This is a static capture of one of those error windows:

Things I have already tried without success:

Shutdown and reboot
"Clean cache" and "clean data" of the Google app
Block notifications for the Google app

The only way I was able to "fix" this was by disabling the Google app. But I would rather not...
Should I just do a factory reset?

Looks like this is a global issue caused by Google's update very recently. While the dupe isn't "answered" yet (there's a helpful comment there), I have to close it to centralize the info. Thanks for your understanding.

@AndrewT. Oops, I tried to find dups, but could not find any... Btw, in mine phone, the issue stopped - I am unsure why - it stopped after I enabled/disabled the Google app and rebooted a couple of times...

I think Google has pushed the fix. Also covered on XDA Forums: It’s not just you: Google App is crashing for many Android users


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Do I need any sorta CLI parameter, in order to TWRP backup all users?
I don't even know if that's a thing, but I decided to ask anyway.
I'm making backups using this line:
adb backup -f full.twrp.ab --twrp compress system data

Although, I'm not sure if this is making a backup of all android users or just the phone owner.

You can get all command-line options by executing the backup binary bu on the device: adb shell bu --help

One way (which I would have gone with if I had his problem)  to find out is to actually make backup and then extract or peek into it if other users are indeed backed up or not. Make sure to decrypt all users before taking backup.

@Firelord nice tip! would you mind telling me what is the best way to decrypt my backup on a linux machine? softwares and stuff...

backup is not encrypted, only compressed. i recommend not to backup multiple partitions in one single file, only create one file per partition https://twrp.me/faq/openrecoveryscript.html

Does this answer your question? How to decrypt Island / Work profile and Parallel Apps user in TWRP?

for unpacking try this script from post #7


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How to change bluetooth maximum volume with mixer_paths.xml?
As question title, I want to change the bluetooth overall volume doing some changes in mixer_paths.xml (if possible). The problem is, that I don't know what variable to change.
With the same phone, but different ROMs, the output voltage of bluetooth receiver vary from 0.8Vrms to 1.1Vrms. The bluetooth device is an LDAC / AptX -> I2S -> DAC, which should be able to output a good 2Vrms of voltage, but I can't fully exploit it.


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The default Full Disk Encryption feature (known as Secure Startup on Samsung phones) is not working for me
In the past, with older Samsung devices, whenever I have enabled Secure Startup to fully encrypt a device, I have gotten an instruction to charge it to at least 80% and leave it plugged in, as it would reboot and take about an hour for this procedure to finalize (maybe not word for word, but iirc that was pretty much what it would say).
I've a used stock ROM Galaxy S9 here and I enabled Secure Startup, and it simply said that it is enabled... No restart, not an ~hour long activation process... Nothing, it just says it is enabled. When I restart the phone, it does ask for my password, but I suspect it just might be a UI/visual thing and that it does not really encrypt the device.
I checked if the Knox fuse was tripped and it wasn't. Also, because I had the phone heavily debloated, I suspected maybe I have uninstalled a crucial Secure Startup related system app, so I hard reset it and tried again with no default apps being uninstalled. But still the same thing. It says it is enabled, but did not say anything about charging the phone to 80% and that it would take about an hour, or prompt me to reboot, etc.
Again, this is a Galaxy S9 and I'm definitely sure it uses Full Disk Encryption (FDE) as its encryption method (I googled this). The reason why that is relevant, is because if it was File Based Encryption (FBE), I'd suspect it would be normal to enable Secure Startup instantly—as it seems to be doing it now—and not have to reboot and take about an hour to encrypt the entire phone.
What am I missing here?

It doesn't matter if it uses FBE or FDE. The reason why it is so fast when you activated encryption is that all Android devices come nowadays encrypted by default. Therefore all your user data were already encrypted when ever you write it to flash (even without a PIN or password set).
Therefore if you enable secure startup all files are already encrypted. The only part that has to be updated is the master encryption key (and may be some managing data). As such a key has only a few bytes activating secure startup is done in less than a second.
CPUs often contain hardware encryption/decryption commands which work pretty fast and require very little battery. This makes it possible to have it enabled all the time. This also has the positive effect that a factory reset is very fast (just eliminate the master key) and very secure as without the key all data is gone.

If it is enabled by default, then when I would disable it, and then later on enable it again, wouldn't it then go through the hour long process of actual encrypting? (Or rather a few minutes, since it is so fast)
Or are you suggesting that the device is encrypted by default and you cannot unencrypt it anyway? In that case why would it let you enable/disable Secure Startup as pleased?
In fact, why is there this Secure Startup feature in the first place, when everything is encrypted by default? Is it some form of UI psychological reassurance for the less tech savvy users?

@miraqolo6689 Yes that is what I told you all files are always encrypted. The only thing you can change is when the Gatekeeper system (the security manager of Android) allows to use the encryption keys. When it comes to FBE Android has the possibility to allow decryption before the first login (for some essential user files). Note: even if all files are always encrypted this does not mean they are always highly secured. As each file is encrypted with a different key if or if not a file is stored secure depends on who can access the key. And this the part where Sec. startup can enhance.

I see. So, Secure Startup disabled → all files encrypted regardless (on a per file basis). Secure Startup enabled → same thing plus master key at boot. Correct?

@miraqolo6689 From: https://docs.samsungknox.com/admin/knox-platform-for-enterprise/kbas/kba-360039577713.htm  Section on FDE: If the user sets a PIN, password, or pattern on the device, and configures Secure Startup via Settings > Biometrics and Security, the Primary Key is re-encrypted by the Keymaster using the user's credentials and stored. If Secure Startup is not enabled after being configured, the Primary Key is re-encrypted using the default password instead of the user's credentials.

Interesting read, thanks. To sum up, (a) my device is supposed to not reboot and take the hour long process to encrypt, as it already is encrypted and (b) enabling/disabling Secure Startup basically adds/removes a master key at boot; other than that the user files are encrypted regardless. Correct?


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Did Samsung disable the option to keep apps in memory?
In the last few days, I have noticed that the option to lock apps and keep them in memory seems to have been grayed out. This occurred after downloading an OTA update. I am using the SM-9981, with One UI 3.1 and Android 11.
Has Samsung eliminated this option in a recent update? Can it be re-enabled?

I  only heard stories that Samsung now aggressively kills apps since Android 11 though.

@AndrewT  In this case, the option is there but grayed out and impossible to click.

you can downgrade ROM back to same bootloader level only


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2nd Gmail account syncing only once per day
I am using the Gmail app on a Samsung Galaxy S8+ on Android 9 with 2 Gmail accounts and a Yahoo account. My primary Gmail account and my Yahoo account sync very frequently and I get notifications about new emails within 5 minutes.
However my secondary Gmail account gets far fewer emails and it only syncs once per day, in the middle of the night.  I've seen a lot of questions about this happening to POP accounts, and potential solutions to increase frequency by increasing the number of emails received. But this is a Gmail account and I should be getting push notifications with instant syncing, right?
Is there a setting to check? Or even though it's a Gmail account, do I need to write a script to send myself messages every 5 minutes?

Have you checked what sync date/time is displayed in the Android settings -> Account -> 2nd Google account -> Sync?

Do you mean "Days of mail to sync" setting? That's 30 days. Or are there other sync settings I can't find? Under "Data Usage" in the account setting, I see 1) Sync Gmail (checked), Days of mail to sync (30), Download attachments (checked), Images (always display), Enable dynamic email (checked)


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How factory reset process looks in details?
So I tried to find answer for this question, but it is very hard to find something other than simple instruction of doing factory reset and backuping data.
I'm interested of detailed process of the factory reset.
When I force system to do this, what is going under the shell.
It is some image on hidden partition from bootloader boots "clear" system? Or maybe it's just deleting user configuration files, and every corrupted system file states same as before reset. Or maybe there is the way of checking hash of critical files and repair them from some kind of recovery image?

[Tag wiki of factory-reset] (https://android.stackexchange.com/tags/factory-reset/info) and the questions there are a good starting point //IMHO, your question is amply answered

are you mixing up ROM flashing with factory reset? it does nothing more than erase userdata

On Android there is a read-only system partition and a user data partition. Factory reset deletes the user data, the system partition is not touched at all.


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manipulating character strings communicated over Bluetooth
I successfully installed a Bluetooth Keyboard Emulator for an Android device – it has keyboard and mouse control that works nicely.
I wonder if there is a way to “break” the app to get access to the character strings that are communicated from the Android device to the notebook, via the Bluetooth link, to support manipulation or feeding “synthetic” character strings to the notebook.

That depends how the app is implements. Unfortunately you don't name the app (inclusive [Play Store] link) so everything we say can be true or false.

The link to the product: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.appground.blek&hl=en_US&gl=US

Have you checked the forum the app details mentions if you post your feature wish there? Changing an app e.g. via apktool requires detailed knowledge about Android and it's Java API as well as Smali language as decompilation to Java is usually not an option if you want to modify something.


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How can I disable subtitles by default on VLC for android?
I went to options > subtitles > and unchecked "auto load subtitles". Still every time I load a video it auto loads the subtitles?

Just to make sure, are the videos soft-subbed (subtitles are extras on the video and can be toggled on-off) or hard-subbed (subtitles are added directly to the video and cannot be turned off)? Have you tried playing the video with other players and see if they behave the same?

That setting you mention is as far as I know for loading external subtitles from a separate file. Most subtitles are however embedded into the MP4/MKV or what ever video container is used.

The videos are not hard subbed. I can turn them off in vlc once the video starts. They are embedded in the mlv container.

Wait, there is no way to turn off subtitles by default? What are the developers thinking? This is f'ing stupid.


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How to press power button using fastboot command?
I want to unlock my Oneplus 6 bootloader. But my power button is not working, so at the screen where I have to select, 'unlock the bootloader' I don't know how to do it without Power button??
Hope u could help me..

What actions have you performed so far or which tutorial for unlocking to you use?

fix power button before unlock

Ik that fixing the power button would help me.... But I want to know is there any fastboot command to simulate power button click?

there is no such command because that device is shipped with physical button from stock, why should it have simulation for? 'fastboot oem key 5' = is power button on some devices with no physical button only. fastboot oem commands are device specific and not standardized. if no custom command is available you should fix power button before unlock

Does this answer your question? What is the difference between fastboot oem unlock and fastboot oem unlock-go?

None of the suggested methods helped me :( I think the only option is to get my power button fixed.


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Automatic app opening + power, home button not working J Max [SM-T285YD]
My device is Samsung J Max (SM-T285YD). I can go onto download mode, recovery mode. Even after restart power button also working. But after sometimes suddenly it opens chrome, google automatically. Even when i am starting an application it is coming back to home automatically. I am not touching anything. During this time power and home buttons are not working. Even after factory reset the problem remains same. I wiped all files even the os and installed the firmware in the morning. The whole day it was fine. Now at night it is showing the same problem. What should i do ?

your buttons are wet/short circuited. dry smartphone in sun

Done..but no effect

wait some weeks


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Bluetooth headphone volume buttons make big steps
When I change music volume using the volume buttons on my bluetooth headphones, each click moves the volume 2 or 3 volume steps (compared to when I change volume using the volume buttons on my phone itself). This often means that it jumps right from too loud to too quiet, so I have to dig out my phone to get the volume to a comfortable level.
I've already tried Developer Options > Disable absolute volume, which didn't seem to make any difference. I'm using a Pixel 2 (stock Android 11) with Soundcore Life Q20 headphones.

I have the same prob (with a Samsung, Android 14) and tried this option, too (which is the only hint I found yet). The option is effective only after disabling bluetooth and reconnecting afterwards.
But for me the effect is that volume control is not at all effective on my BT device (except setting zero volume works).


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Huawei Media Pad T5 AGS-W19, usb tethering missing, please help!
As per manual, there is usb tethering under settings. Followed exact instructions, but the option of "usb tethering" doesn't exist even when searched. The only option is "USB" which is currently in MTP, tried PTP, Charge only, Midi, all does not give me "usb tethering".
Developer options, turned on USB debugging, "usb tethering" still missing.
Tried restarting, factory reset, changed usb cable, changed usb ports, changed computers, updated drivers on pc, all of which did nothing to give me "usb tethering" on my tablet. I have an exact LTE version of the tablet, it has "usb tethering". The wifi version as per wifi version manual indicates there is usb tethering.
Please help?

Could you quote the WiFi version of the manual? I could only find online manuals that say "Use USB to share mobile data: Use a USB cable to connect your device to a computer. Open Settings, go to Wireless & networks > Tethering & portable hotspot, and enable USB tethering to start sharing your mobile data." (emphasis mine) on page 64 and  "Mobile data is not supported on Wi-Fi only tablets" on page 63.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/D1JVS3ciTbS.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjrmPKP8KbwAhWIKzQIHZxlAhgQFjADegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw3KcPJFlinI9U7xq-fHseUw

The page number is different, but the text is the same. I could only infer that the USB tethering feature is not included in the WiFi-only tablet... at least from the UI, though maybe there's a hackable way to do it.

I don't see why the manual say there  is usb tethering and it isn't. I feel like there some options diabled. I searched online, and I see other tablets having same issues after certain system updates. Anyhow, suggestions on hackable way?

Try settings up adb and then run this adb command from your PC when the device is connected via usb: adb shell svc usb  setFunctions rndis. If your Windows PC still doesn't get Internet connectivity than USB tethering might not be supported at all on your device.


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Emdoor EM TS809 Dead Boot - KCOLO point wanted to revive
Flashing with a bad firmware to this tablet became completely unresponsive and does not switch on. M/B marks report that is created from Emdoor and its model is EM TS809.
https://www.globalsources.com/Voice-activated-speaker/MT8167-EM-TS809_R70-1173578814p.htm#1173578814
I tried to revive it, by shorting GND and KCOLO joints and reflashing with SP Tools. Unfortunately, joints do not have descriptions so I tried every joint without voltage. None of them worked. Does anyone know if this M/B has KCOLO or just COLO/KOLO joint?

Hi, I'll just want to let you know that while this device is running Android, the core of the question looks more like an electrical engineering question than an Android one. While this community has a broad knowledge of the Android system, I'm not even sure they know about the detail of the underlying hardware, like a motherboard and its joint...

I suppose you have right, a member of this forum purposed to search for this solution

look for kpcol0 at page 7 (AA2) https://www.pigworld.pw/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/PCB-Design-Guidelines-for-MT8167.pdf kp=keypad col=column (n)=0 https://patents.google.com/patent/US20130162452

@alecxs thanks  alecxs, I will check it and I will let you know.

@alecs I just saw the PCB of the MT8167. Are you suggesting finding the pin of the KPCOL0 and Grounding it? If yes, this will be a little bit tricky since the IC has BGA  packaging, and it's pretty difficult to find the correct pin, but I will give it a try.

i suggest to follow the printed circuit track to some test point. of course it's tricky guesswork, but maybe it works the opposite way and you can track it down to the right corner of cpu (AA2), at least :)

@alecxs thanks I will do it !

I will give it a try :-)


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when i enter my android into download mode, it restarts like after 5 seconds. is this normal?
Brand: Oppo A92
Model: CPH2059
I tried installing a USB driver and it didn't work.
I hope you can help me with this, thanks

fastboot is disabled because Oppo does not allow to unlock bootloader. therefore no driver to be installed


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Internet access via wi-fi is ok, but just not financial apps
I have hit the same problem with a couple of apps on an Android phone. The phone has no issue with Internet access using wi-fi. Web browsing and other apps run ok. However, two apps hit connectivity issues when the phone is on wi-fi. During the moments I am facing the problem, if I turn off wi-fi so that Internet connectivity switches to cellular (4G), the apps breeze through immediately.
It so happens that both apps are finance apps. One is a bank's app and the other is a payment app. Both are not related to telcos, ie they don't use cellular for authentication. They have been working fine on wi-fi all along until recently.
What could possibly explain this behavior?

What phone and Android versions? Although I doubt this is an "Android issue", do you have "Private DNS" defined and can you go to those sites and login via your mobile browser (not the same always, but a valid test). The suspect here is DNS actually, as your mobile carrier will likely give you unfiltered/public results, but your WiFi may be acting as it's own DNS server or using a filtering list incorrectly or any host of other things. The fact it works on mobile data and not WiFi definitely implies a WiFi issues.

Yes, a different DNS server from the telco could explain the phenomenon. However, I have just tested with another phone side-by-side connected to the same AP. Both devices are showing the same DNS server (192.168.7.1) in use, but the other phone works fine for the problematic app.

In your case the best chance to understand what is going wrong would be a network dump from the router while the app is making problems. Without such a network trace understanding what is going on is pretty difficult. I don't know how much you know about networks if creating and understanding a network dump in Wireshark is a realistic approach but as I said this is the best option to understand the problem.


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Cannot Set Up Samsung Default Email and Add CenturyLink.net Account
Samsung Galaxy S9 phone
Until recently I could send/receive emails on my phone with the Samsung default email app with an email address at centurylink.net.
I had a problem with my centurylink.net email and a Samsung support person told me to go into the Mail app and Delete Data, and then I would just have to log in again.  However, I have not been able to Set Up Email and Add Account.
I get “Couldn’t verify account
The username or password is incorrect or POP3/IMAP access isn’t turned on for this account.  Check your email account setting on the web, then try again.”
I have confirmed that I have entered my full email address and password correctly (Show password).  I can log onto centurylink.net with them on my phone with a browser.
Samsung support says talk to my email provider and Centurylink support says to talk to Samsung.  I have gone through this loop 3 times, but still have the problem.
I have also searched online for a solution, but found none.
I am using these parameters, as Centurylink says to use at
https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/internet/email/setup-email-on-android-device.html
Domains centurylink.net
Incoming Server (choose one)    POP: pop.centurylink.net, Port: 995, Security: SSL
Outgoing Server SMTP: smtp.centurylink.net, Port 587 TLS
Username    Full Email Address

Are you sure you want to use POP3? Nowadays most people use IMAP instead of POP3 as on IMAP the mails stay on the server, instead of POP3 which downloads the mails and deletes them on the server. Therefore my recommendation is to use IMAP instead. What is the error message you get? Please screenshots of the settings pages of Samsung Mail so we can see what you have configured.


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Smartphone laggy and slow: when a factory reset is ineffective
First of all, I would like to say that I recognize how tiring it must be to read about people asking for help to solve problems all the time. I tried to not be that person... but here goes my story.
I have  Galaxy S6 (SM-G920i), 4.5 years old, that I used a lot, and always served me well (within its capabilities). It is running Samsung's stock Android 8.1.
However, two days ago, out of nowhere, he became excessively slow. It was very sudden: in a second I was reading some messages on WhatsApp, and in the next second the device was not responding, taking many seconds to answer any command from me.
I decided to restart it. But even that I couldn't. It was as if it didn't recognize that I was hitting the screen lock button. Then I forced a shutdown (I connected it to the charger, and held the power off + volume key).
After that, I turned it on again, but now the phone was stuck in the boot loop: taking 5 or 6 minutes to boot (screen with the Samsung logo) and as soon as it went to the lock screen, it restarted on its own.
I did a search on some specialized sites and forums, and the first recommendation was to "Wipe Cache" through the recovery mode. I was able to enter recovery mode, but I received the message "NO COMMAND" on a blue screen with the green android! Moments later, while I was searching about that new and unexpected error, the recovery screen finally appeared. I selected the option to clear the cache (Wipe Cache Partition), waited for completion, and then restarted the device... No success there! The problem persisted. Bootloop again.
The next recommended step now was to perform a factory reset. Against my will, I did. But, unfortunately, it did not solve the problem: the smartphone is still very slow, it is taking several minutes to boot up, it is taking 3 or 4 seconds to respond to simple commands (lock, unlock, scroll, etc...) and is exaggeratedly slow to open any application (simple as it may be, such as a calculator). Sometimes it hangs and gets hot (e.g. if I try to open the camera). Even in the safe mode, it behaves this way.
I am aware that this problem may be something related to the hardware since the storage units have a life cycle (although unlikely, it is possible that this occurred in less than 5 years). That said, I am also aware that the problem may not have a solution.
On the other hand, hope dies last: have you guys ever seen something similar, even on other devices? Am I missing something? Is there a path that I have not explored? Is it (soft or hard) bricked? Or, considering the facts, it is indeed a dying device?
Thank you for your time!
TL;DR: A Samsung Galaxy S6 with 4.5 years of use suddenly became laggy and unresponsive. "Wipe cache partition" and "Factory reset" were unable to restore device performance. Is there a solution?

I would start with a simple benchmark test that checks CPU and storage for speed. Hopefully this will help you to identify which of both components is the lagging part.

Good point! Do you have a benchmark app to recommend in specific?

Sorry, I don't have a recommendation. Usually I don't have any need for a benchmark on a smartphone and I never encountered a situation like yours.

I am passing by to post a possible solution to those who have similar issues.
Although I cannot say it is definitive/long-term (I did it only yesterday) the device is really much more responsive now, and the hangings and crashes seemed to disappear.
The steps were (without deep details):
In my computer:

Downloaded a stock ROM from a reliable source (mind the exact version);
Downloaded Odin v3.13;
Installed Samsung USB drivers;

In my Samsung S6:

Wipe Cache (recover mode), then reboot.
Started it in Download Mode.

After that, plug the USB cable between the phone and the PC, and flash the firmware using Odin.
I followed these steps. It may help someone too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEnm5TU5KMw
In my case, I needed a factory reset after the flashing because the new FW did not erase the data. Now everything seems fine. I wish I had discovered that before buying a new smartphone. However, no problem... I'll give this one to my father. :-)
Hope someone finds this useful.
See you guys!


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Is there a way to transfer SMS mesages from a Samsung Galaxy S5) to an Ubuntu PC, in a form in which I can view the SMS messages on my PC?
I want to transfer the SMS messages on my Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone to my PC (with Linux Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS), in a form in which I can open and view the messages on my PC as I do on my smartphone.
I know about the apps which can back up smartphone data, such as Kies and Smart Switch for Samsung phones and ADB and Android File Transfer for Android devices. But as far as I can tell, these only back the SMS data up rather than save them as files which can be opened on PC desktop.

Many SMS backup apps backup to xml or csv file. Both are plain text formats.


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Creating a virtual camera that shows an app (override web whatsapp QR code)
I'm trying to override the problem of connecting to web whatsapp on a phone without a camera in order to scan the QR code.
It's probably not important but the computer runs linux.
My idea: creating a virtual device that the phone (samsung galaxy s21) will see as a camera, and in this camera there will be:
Option 1: the remote controlled desktop of the linux computer (by vnc or similar).
Option 2: the android phone will be connected by USB to the computer and it will see the desktop as a "camera".
Any other idea can be good, but it must be a synchronized whatsapp and not on an android emulator.
Thanks!

Did you find the solution to this? I am stuck in the same situation.

Unfortunately no...


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How to stop the screen from dimming when on call using speaker?
When I'm on call hold I usually turn the speaker on while they play their plinky plunky music.
The screen dims after 10 seconds. I have to tap to wake up the screen. Which is annoying.
How do I stop this annoying feature?

Increase the screen timeout from settings to whatever limit is available and that you want

I've tried all that. Screen timeout is max - 10 minutes. Adaptive brightness is off. Screen saver is None. Doesn't work.


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Cant disable wifi multicast and constant arriving of data packets on rooted Android
Problem :
I'm using public wifi in my college. (They won't allow alternatives). At least 40,000 students are using it regularly.
I keep receiving data packets from the moment I turn on wifi even though my device is idle and no other apps are using the wifi. You can see it here :
https://i.sstatic.net/zKzcO.jpg
This has been giving me nightmares lately. My active drain per hour was 6-7% and CPU usage was below 40% while browsing social media or stream videos.
After this problem, my active battery drain is 20-25% per hour, and CPU usage is always around 70%+ which leads to phone heating up and very poor screen on time.
Solution :
• Tried blocking qcom_rx_wakelock from the kernel (doesn't block data packets)
• Tried editing WCNSS_qcom_cfg.ini from system/vendor/etc/wifi and added offloading features e.g. arpOffload and nsOffload. The guide can be found here -
See here
This works for the majority of the phones (my friends tried it and it worked) but sadly not for me.
What I need -
I have root and I'm looking for a way to block the packets from coming to my phone. I could disable wifi multicast from the router if it was my wifi. But it's not.
Is there anything I can do? Thanks for reading
Note : The problem disappears if I e different wifi which proves college wifi the culprit

Multicast in Wifi is often a problem because most Wifi system just convert it to a regular broadcast to all devices. If this is the problem source in your case it has to be solved by the Wifi network provider. I would make a PCAP network traffic dump using e.g. PCAPDroid and provide this capture to the college IT admins. The common way to stop this is to block multicast and broadcast traffic.

@Robert thank you so much for the comment. I already complained to IT office and they won't do anything about it cause only a few people reported it. It's sad there's nothing I can do from my phone.


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Why does the Google Photo App (not storage of photos) take up 0.92 GB? Samsung S 7
I've 'freed up space' so that the actual photo storage should be entirely empty, yet my phone shows 0.92 gb of storage taken up. As far as I can tell, this has nothing to do with the images on my phone; I've checked in all the other folders and there's nothing that would indicate why this amount of space would be taken up by the app itself.
I've tried googling the problem, but all of the answers point to stories about how Photos stores your photos in the cloud, how that policy is changing, how to 'free up space' by uploading, etc.
I've done all that! And the app is still too huge.
Maybe it's got it's own hidden cache or something that I can clear? (I've already cleared the cache via the app management tools in settings.)

this app has trash bin containing deleted pictures in app data directory

This was it! Thank you! I hope someone else finds this post when they have the same problem!
(I had accidentally created a video from my camera that ate up a bunch of MB, it was sitting in my trash bin but still taking up app storage space.)

User @alecks answered this for me: the 'trash' folder in Google Photos was the culprit of taking up space.
I had one video file in there from my phone accidentally captured 3 minutes of video in my pocket, taking up hundreds of MB. I deleted it (and a bunch of other photos) and now the app is taking up 400+ MB instead of 0.97 GB.
TL;DR - if your Google Photos seems to take up too much space and you've already uploaded all of your photos off your phone, the trash bin may be holding a lot of files or a few big ones. They clear after 60 days, for what that's worth!


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Why is OTG not working on Android 11?

I have a Samsung Android 11 device and I can't open the usb via OTG and I think the problem is with the Android 11 update. Is there a solution?

The USB mode shown on your screen shot is not OTG, instead it is client mode like if you are connected to a PC.

I am facing same problem, OTG is not working in Samsung M31 after android 11 update.


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How can I download a file with the Google Drive program directly to my phone's SD card?
I use Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 10. How can I download a file with the Google Drive program directly to my phone's SD card? By default files are downloaded to my phone's internal storage.

If Google Drive app doesn't have an option, you can't. Plus, apps can only write to their private directories on external SD cards, even with Storage permission granted: How to save files to external SD card on a non-rooted Android?. Things are getting more difficult with Scoped Storage concept on Android 11+

@IrfanLatif thanks you're welcome to convert your comment into an answer

Access to Google Drive can be added to apps directly (no need to go through the Google Drive app). For example there is an add-on for tasker that allows upload/download tasks with Google Drive.


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What is my overseas Hardware and how to Flash it?
My phone was bought online and it came from overseas. Various benchmarks have determined that my phone's Android system and hardware does not match the description given on the site or the About Phone section. The About Phone section says my system is an Android 10 and that I'm running an eight core processor with 12 gigs of RAM and 512 gigs of an internal storage.
The various benchmarks determines that I'm running Android 8.1. That I have less than 1 gig of RAM and only 8 gigs of internal storage and a 4 core processor.
I cannot get a clear-cut picture of my entire system to be able to Flash it properly. Is there an app or a website system that isn't going to charge me, that can determine any of the specifics that I need so that I can Flash a new ROM or Find and Flash for me?
I have done every possible search that I know of considering that I am not all that fluent with this area. Most of the benchmarks say that I'm running an Alps manufactured machine. But I can't verify that they are the manufacturer or that they even have manufactured a phone. So I really need some help. Any help that can be given, I would be greatly appreciative

Looks like you got a forged phone. Reclaim your money and send the commerce platform the info that the seller is a fraud.

So you're saying there's no way to find out what the hardware is so that I can find the proper ROM in flash it. I don't know that just seems a little anticlimactic considering I know what software can do.

Well it was your decision to buy an non-name phone from an dubious oversea vendor. Even if the hardware would have been as specified the software of such products is always a problem.

And not one of that can argue with. But I still think that I can find some apps somewhere that will give me the information that I need about the current hardware that is machine takes up and be able to compile a ROM or find a ROM that will work. So really I don't know if I'm missing anything or not because I'm sure if I find the right parts and a can assemble it then it should work right?


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Is it possible to automate a complex task without using apps or rooting? If not, which is recommended?
So, we are part of a company that provides VPN services to retailers. One of our clients doesn't want to have their employees open up the VPN and login every time they turn the device (an Android tablet) on. This involves opening up OpenVPN, putting in credentials and clicking the Connect button. Is this possible natively, without rooting - opening up an app and putting in credentials automatically - or do I absolutely need an external app? If so, which app is the most recommended in this case?

The implementation of your VPN app is a bit bizarre. Why does it force its user to login every time? It can save a token for the authenticated user credentials and use that token to auto-login every time the app is opened up. Even opening the app is not necessary. Always-on VPN Android functionality can also be utilized if the user should always be using VPN so long as the device is used by them.

Hello @Firelord♦, we use OpenVPN, it doesn't force the user to login every time, but the retailer wants it to press the "connect" button automatically. You know what I mean? It has to auto start and auto connect.

OpenVPN is an open source protocol. There are many free and commercial products for almost every OS which use this protocol. You mean you use OpenVPN Android Client app? You can develop a simple OpenVPN based app of your own which behaves the way you want it. Both OpenVPN and Android's VPNService API are open source.


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How can I clean flash Moto C Plus (xt1723) rom?

Where can I find a legit Moto C Plus xt1723 (EU) rom and how can I make sure it's good?

Is there a way to clean flash without removing TWRP?

What's the simplest way to do it?

How can I then root it?

There are at least 3 questions here: 1) finding ROM (off-topic) & make sure it's good (opinion-based), 2) clean flash (on-topic), 3) root (on-topic). Please focus on 1 question per post.