text:
HTC Sensation fastboot unknown device
I experience problems trying to root my HTC Sensation.
I turned USB Debugging ON, checked that Fast boot is turned ON in Settings > Power section and connected phone to PC.

My device was recognized successfully

Also it was shown in adb list
C:\sdk\platform-tools>adb.exe devices
* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
* daemon started successfully *
List of devices attached
HT15LVXXXXXX    device

Now i took out my battery, inserted that back, pushed and hold Power button and Volume Down and voila, i am in HBOOT.
I pressed Power button once, choosing FASTBOOT

My phone connected to Windows, but this time device was not recognized.

I tried to add drivers for that device manually, but it failed

I even tried to add %MyHTC%=HTCAND32.Dev, USB\UNKNOWN to androidusb.inf and then add driver manually, but device was not working anyway and fastboot devices command returned empty list.
I tried same operations on my Mac using fastboot-mac for that and i got same result as on Windows - device is not recognized in fastboot mode.
Any ideas?

Well, two tips I can give you. 1) Fast boot in the settings has nothing to do with fastboot for flashing. The settings one is for not fully rebooting the OS to speed restarts. 2) The driver for fastboot is different than the driver for ADB. If you install HTC Sync it should install both, however. Sometimes you have to remove conflicting drivers using usbdeview or other tool.

Hey if somebody searches for an answer to this.
I have solved it by adding a key in the registry.
In Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\usbflags\0BB40FF00100 (The "cryptic" hex-number at the end is the VID, PID and REV value of the Hardware-id you can see under Details) if that key isn't existing (mine was) create it.
Then add a Binary Value SkipBOSDescriptorQuery and set it to 01 00 00 00
When I did that it "magically" worked on my Windows 10 vers 20H2 Build 19042.928 after a reconnect of the USB device.
Why does this work?
As far as I can deduce, this BOS Descriptor is a fairly new thing in USB 3 and was backported to USB 2.1. Windows is requesting that from the phone's USB device and that or the driver isn't new enough to consider/disable this BOSDescriptorQuery and only delivers garbage to device enumeration. The drive/OS is confused and refuses to properly work. My bet is that the driver for such of an old phone isn't worked on anymore to consider this failure mode.

Thanks!  Upvoted.  Can you explain what this does and why this works?

As far as I can deduce this BOS Descriptor is a fairly new thing in USB 3 and was backported to USB 2.1. Windows is requesting that from the phone's USB device and that or the driver isn't new enough to consider/disable this BOSDescriptorQuery and only delivers garbage to device enumeration. The drive/OS is confused and refuses to properly work. My bet is that the driver for such of an old phone isn't worked on anymore to consider this failure mode.

Thank you so much!  I added that great information to your answer.  Thank you again!

Why there is such a high activity within last couple of days about a telephone which was released 10 years ago?

you need to unlock thebootloader first before doing anything... the screen shot shows that your phone is still locked
you can do that on HTCDEV site


text:
Can we modify or replace kernel and shell of an Android Device?
Is it possible to modify the kernel and shell of an android device? Devices like Samsung Galaxy S6 or Xiaomi Mi4i?
If yes, how is it possible?
Does the Manufacturer need to provide the Kernel before development?
Can we use any kernel in any Android device

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! This site is for users of Android, which means that questions about development/programming are off-topic here (see the What topics can I ask about here?). Development questions are on-topic on our sister site Stack Overflow. You might also wish to consult Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions? for a fitting place to your question.

Kernel yes, shell don't know of there is any way. By the way shell is the command line interface of android that you can access by rooting, and using busy box or adb. You can't change that as it is architecture based. Just like you can't change cmd on windows to use Mac commands. But if you are taking about firmware, then yes, ROM yes, recovery yes, boot loader no. If it answers your question.

source: Stack Exchange

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

authors: Виктория Самохвалова

sort: votes


text:
Access Android file system through ubuntu 14.04 over LAN
I have SOC which run android 4.4. I have connect this to my network using LAN.
Now I want to access android root file using my Ubuntu desktop. Something like ssh. How to do this?

@Firelord I am new in android world ...so I have tried from file explorer and I have dual boot of android and Ubuntu so tried to see android file system from Ubuntu...but not having success. I thought do it without  install any app. is it possible? llike ssh (we use between target and host Ubuntu).

Droid VNC Server
Allows you to remote control your android within your computer.
Note:Your phone must be ROOTED!
Note:Will not work on Tegra3 Devices
On your android Phone:

Install Droid VNC Server from playstore.
Open the app and click on START.
It shows the ip-address and port number.Please note it down.

On your Ubuntu PC:
Install xtightvncviewer by running the below command,
sudo apt-get install xtightvncviewer

After installing xtightvncviewer run the below command to view your phone's screen,
vncviewer xxx.xx.xx.xx:xxxx

xxx.xx.xx.xx:xxxx - is already noted ipaddress:port

Or Use
WebKey
Using this application you can control your phone from any browser.
Note:Your phone must be ROOTED!
On your android Phone:

Install WebKey app from playstore.
Open the app and select start service.
Note down the https link generated.

On that same application,go to settings->User settings->Click on Create new user to create a new user with login credentials.
On your Ubuntu PC:

Open any browser.I prefer firefox.Then paste the noted link on the
address bar.It display like connection is not secure.Trust the
connection and allow it to load.
After that a page will open and ask you to give the username and
password.Login with the same username and password.
After loged into your account,you can view your phone and operate
your android phone from there.

Or Use

Team Viewer
Note: It will work on most devices

Install teamviewer on both Ubuntu PC and android phone to control
your phone from PC.
Hope it helps:).

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


text:
Remove Google App from non-rooted phone

Is it possible to Uninstall Google App without root permissions ?
It consumes more internal memory and drains battery.
I already gone through a thread to disable it but uninstalling may free-up some space and saves battery.

AFAIK, no. It's considered as a system app and thus, impossible to remove (though I'm curious how you disabled it without root)

Its my primary phone that's why I'm worried off. rooting makes phone bit unstable and shows annoying popups asking root permissions every time.

I would just disable it just as you would do to any bloatware, but besides removing updates it is impossible to completely remove the app.

It's not rooting which causes those (annoying) popups. It's a superuser app which shows them whenever an app demands root access, and you would see them if only you've not set a custom default policy. // I'm curious how exactly did you conclude that rooting decreases any amount of stability?

It's not just about Google apps. You can't remove any system app without root privileges. The reason is very simple. You need higher privileges (system; root) to write the system partition which contains those system apps and you don't have it. system partition is mounted in read-only mode by-default.
Unless that partition is already mounted in read-write mode, a system app uninstaller would first have to remount the partition in read-write mode and then would begin the procedure of removing the app. To remount, they require root permissions while you're asking something impossible here.
Thinking about adb wouldn't help here because it doesn't have the privilege to remount that partition too.
As for freeing some disk space, know that disabling those Google apps and clearing their data from Settings → Apps → All apps should be enough because even if you somehow end up achieving the impossible, you won't be able to see any difference since the insufficient-memory issue is associated with data partition, not with system.
See Where in the file system are applications installed?
As for any concern about the battery, you may be able to save some juice using Greenify.


text:
Lock Screen Problem in HTC ONE X
How can I recover my clock-style lock screen after it failed to return on my HTC One X? I let the phone's battery run out. Then I recharged and turned my phone on, but I can't see my clock-style lock screen.
My screen is also cracked, just to let you guys know. I also tried many times to fix it in the settings but it still doesn't work. Also none of the other lock screen options work.

Try
setting - - > personalize - - > lock screen style

Tried that but nothing works

You should be able to set the lock screen in Settings > Lock screen > Screen security.

On Android 4.0 Settings > Security > Screen lock

I have tried that multiple times but nothing helps


text:
Samsung GT-s6312 USB issue connecting to USB
My samsung GT-s6312 phone does not connect to PC. Even after connecting USB cable, it gives an error to download software.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Did you download any software yet? What have you tried so far? Could you add more details to the error?

Have downloaded Samsung Kies software but it is not installing and gives error that phone is not found retry.

@giridhar.n Samsung Kies is not installing on your PC? What is the error message? Do you have an existing Kies installed? Uninstall it first.

I found that most of the time such type of problem are solved by this link.
STEPS : (for Windows specific instructions):

Ensure phone is not connected to PC.
Uninstall KIES from PC. Reboot your PC and Reinstall KIES after that. Just for great measure... open KIES, go to Tools | Troubleshoot connection error. Follow instructions and wait for it to finish the troubleshooting procedure.
Reboot your phone (or turn off and then on your phone again). Do not connect it to your PC just yet.
Once rebooted, go to your phone's dialer, type *#7284# - A configuration window will appear. In that window's USB section, if it's default to PDA, tap MODEM, then back to PDA, (if it is MODEM in the beginning, change it to PDA) then press the back key to exit. Most importantly, it must set as PDA when you exit.
Turn off USB debugging in your phone.
(Optional) Set your phone's screen timeout to a lengthy time. (minimum 1-2 minutes - recommended 5mins to 30mins) its found in Settings | Display. You can change this back later on.
Connect the phone to your PC with USB cable and let windows load your drivers... and wait for the drivers to get reinstalled.
Once reinstalled, disconnect the phone off USB. Switch USB debugging back on in your phone settings, and reconnect the phone back - you'll see windows load another set of drivers for your phone. Wait until it is completed. (This step is a precautionative measure to ensure your phone is identified with all the necessary drivers)
Once complete, unplug your phone, and turn off USB debugging... This is to ensure MTP will initialize. Also, press the phone's home key until your homescreen is displayed. Only after doing all that, reconnect your phone back to PC.
Test and see if MTP works using Windows Explorer. You'll see your phone's USB storage and SDCard contents if it does.

Hope it will help you..


text:
How to boot to ClockworkMod recovery with Galaxy5 GT-i5500
I have ClockworkMod recovery installed on a phone (Samsung Galaxy5 GT-i5500, I have used it in the past to flash ROMs).
The phone is currently not booting, just shows the Samsung logo.
I want to get into the ClockworkMod recovery mode, by pressing some key combination. (Do not confuse with Samsung download mode: power-down+middle-button+power.)
How to get to CWM recovery mode?

It is impossible to boot directly into CWM recovery by key combination. However one can boot into "download mode" (as described in question) and then (re)flash recovery with Odin, this will automatically reboot phone to CWM recovery


text:
Are there "end of life" plans for Android?
I am wondering if there is a schedule for Android versions or devices to reach end of life some day? The term end of life refers to a state when developers decide to stop supporting a certain software version with updates. I was reading a related article on androidcentral.
So, currently Android 4.x is pretty common and rumors say 5.0 might come out in may, are there any end of life plans for any 2.x versions? I got a HTC Wildfire S with Android 2.3 and a Toshiba AC100 with Android 2.1. (Is the support bound to major version numbers or rather to devices?)

Update: I never asked at any point for speculations. I'm a software engineer and used to end-of-life or end-of-support plans. I'm am new to Android and I noticed my devices are equipped with pretty old versions, according to the link in the first comment: 3 years old, which is a pretty long term in a software life cycle (for example normal Ubuntu releases got only 18 months lifetime).
Is the support bound to major version numbers or rather to devices? Are there any end-of-life plans for Android or does that just happen if some version or devices does not get enough attention on the mobile markets? My research on this topic was not very effective. That's why I'm asking the community.
I've got no intention to seed rumors or speculations. A "no" would be a valid (but poor) answer.

Sure there will be an "end-of-life" for each version at some point. The German Wikipedia shows a list of Android versions, color-highlighting which ones are already unsupported. To my knowledge, the end-of-life date is not announced when the corresponding version is released -- and this site is not about speculations :)

Is that a "no"? I've updated my question and I know that software some day will reach end of life of course, but that was not my question. I was rather looking for resources on plans, schedules, etc.

I didn't put it as an answer as I have no definite reference. I don't know of any source pointing to facts here. The only one I've found so far is above mentioned wiki page, stating which versions are no longer supported at this moment. Btw: I didn't want to imply you were going for speculations -- I just wanted to state I don't want to speculate. Apologies if you felt offended, that was not my intention!

For android devices the answer is: 18 months is the maximum supported lifetime.
I found this in the Google Android FAQ. It is said that the 2 year old Galaxy Nexus does not recieve an Update to Android 4.4 "KitKat":

Galaxy Nexus, which first launched two years ago, falls outside of the 18-month update window when Google and others traditionally update devices.

Since at least 2017 (and now in 2020), major manufacturers have published support plans.
Google supports each phone for at least 3 years (Pixel & Pixel XL were supported for 3 years exactly): https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705?hl=en
Samsung seems to follow suit, at the moment supporting devices for around 3 years, and some for longer (as of now, 3 years 10 months for S7) https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb

This is marginally unanswerable. There certainly is no specific decision available regarding devices -> Google has an internal maximum, but updates are mostly done by manufacturers, for instance Samsung or HTC. Low-end devices will receive much less (if any at all) updates from their manufacturer.
High end devices will be able to run run new versions much longer, and if you take into account that you can put custom roms on the devices it's a complete open field.
So while the linked quote by @qdoe gives some rule of thumb for Google's idea about support, I'd not look too hard at it. It's a combination of manufacturer and devices specifications and what the user does: just like other hardware.
Now for devices vs versions this is also tricky: while we have devices that might-or-might-not be end-of-life in terms of support/updates that get there automatically, there is something as major versions. At a certain point one version (say 2.x) isn't being updated to x+1, but there's no specific reason that you can't update to 4, apart from limitations on device etc. So while a major version might be 'end-of-life', this has no specific meaning.
In the end it all hangs on why you want this information. You say you are a software-engineer, so I suppose you are releasing android apps? Your best course of action then is to always develop with the latest (4.3 currently) SDK version as target, with the MINIMUM set quite a bit lower (as low as you can without losing functionality). Most of the functionality is available backward-compatible through the support-SDK's, so you could as a for instance use fragments if you want in a min. 2.x supported app. I would step away from the "this is for version x, I need to know the lifetime" frame of mind.

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


text:
System Update Downloaded
I have Nexus 7 (Android 4.4.4) and got message:

System update downloaded
  Android 5.0.2 System Update

But when I press on it, nothing happens.
How can I install this update?
UPDATE: About Tablet screenshot:

I had the same problem on my Nexus 7 (2012) on 4.4.4.
Do you have multiple user accounts on your tablet? If so, have you tried installing the update from the other account(s)?
I have two accounts, and when the 5.0.2 update got pushed to my device, both accounts got the notification. However, one of them had the same symptoms you described -- nothing happened when I pressed the notification, and the settings app didn't say anything about the update. From the other account, the update worked.
Strangely, the account that worked was not the one I created when I setup the tablet.

yes, it worked, installed from other account.

On your Nexus tablet go to:

All Apps
Settings
About Tablet
System Updates

This should take you to a screen that tells you that you have a system update downloaded, and it should have the option to "Restart and Install".

I don't have System Updates there

@Alex, have you done anything weird to the tablet?  Rooted it?  Unlocked it?  etc?  I'm not sure why "System Updates" wouldn't be on that menu.

no, did nothing

Sorry if you have, but have you tried restarting the tablet?

yes, restarted several times

Can you take a picture of what is under your "about tablet" menu?


text:
Is it possible to connect Nexus 4 to Windows Server 2012 R2?
I'm trying to connect Nexus 4 (Android 4.4.4) to Windows Server 2012 R2 DataCenter for purpose of debugging from Xamarin Studio.
What I did:

Activated Developer Settings
Checked USB Debugging
Installed Google USB driver from Android SDK Manager

But Windows doesn't see it when I connect by USB cable.
Maybe it isn't possible with Windows Server?
PS. But it's charging and I see connected as MTP in USB computer connection.
UPDATE: I tried to connected it to Windows 7 and it's working. But I still have problem with Windows Server 2012 R2.
So question is: should I change some settings in Windows Server 2012 R2 or it is not available to connect Nexus 4 at all to Windows Server?

Does the phone think it's connected? You get a "USB Debugging connected" notification with a picture of a KitKat if it does.

no, I don't see any notification.

Do you have the SDK Tools installed? Install adb by running tools/android and selecting the latest platform tools and then try running adb devices in the platform-tools directory

I have Android SDK Manager. Is it what you mean?

@Alex The notification for USB debugging shows up regardless of whether ADB is running or connected on the host PC, so my first suggestion is to double-check that USB debugging is enabled on the phone. In particular, note that the on/off switch at the top of Developer Options doesn't turn on USB debugging: you need to check the check box labelled "USB debugging".

yes, just looked again USB Debugging is checked. Maybe it's Windows Server fault? I will check it with Windows 7 at work today.

I would check in services.msc and see if anything sticks out to you that is disabled.  Windows Server is a "core" installation of Windows, with most of the desktop services stripped out.  Something in there is preventing device connections.

which services should be enabled?

Actually Windows Experience Feature is the answer!
I had the same problem and could not install usb drivers for a MotoG on a win2012 Server, but when I installed Desktop Experience feature, all runs flawlessly, drivers auto-installed and all!
BUT it is a little weird to find it...
Go to:
Server Manager -> Open Add Roles and Features Wizard -> Features -> User Interfaces and Infrastructure -> Desktop Experience

We just found out that you need to install Windows Media Player through Desktop Experience to get MTP functionality on Windows Server.


text:
using cam in gotomeeting
I have tried to use Nexus 7 for GoToMeeting appointment. I installed app from Google Play, but I didn't have video during meeting. I could not find any button for web cam and didn't see any video in options. I tried Nexus 4 also with the same result.
I have again GoToMeeting appointment and don't know if can use camera. Anybody used GoToMeeting in Nexus? Maybe some options settings?
PS: I used video in skype on the same devices without problem.

I do not see any reference to that app in relation to camera usage on the Play Store?

you mean this app doesn't use camera at all? I used GoToMeeting on computer before and used web cam on it. People, who sent me GoToMeeting invitation want to see video, but I don't have web cam on computer now and used to use tablet or phone.

Read comment: "No Webcam Capability?! Mobile devices come standard with a front facing camera. How does this program come standard WITHOUT an option to enable your webcam to do video conferencing???

So, video is not available for this app?

Can anybody just confirm this?

Judging by the reviews and comments - it could well explain why there's no camera facility, perhaps write a  1-star review on the playstore explaining why and ask for ETA for a camera integration?


text:
How to sync Garmin Connect with Google Fit?
I have Garmin Swim 2.
On my Pixel 3A XL installed Garmin Connect, it works fine.
But I want also see data on Google Fit.
Unfortunately Garmin Swim 2 doesn't connect with Google Fit and I need to install third party app do this.
I installed Health Sync.
Look like it's working:

But I don't see any activities in Google Fit where I didn't have my phone with me, for example swimming, sleep and so on.
On Garmin Forum I found the following:

in Settings of Google Fit, under Tracking Preferences, Turn off "
Track your activities" Use Phone sensors to automatically track
metrics like steps and distance.

Okay, I did this, but it didn't help.
What I should do to sync Garmin Connect with Google Fit?

Thanks to Health Sync support, problem was solved.
Actually I have two google accounts and Goggle Fit used another account.
When I switched to correct account, everything started to work.

if there is a problem with Health Sync, you can use the 'Report another problem' option in the Help Center, and you will get support to solve the problem.

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


text:
not able to install Google Fi
I subscribed to Google Fi for transferring my American phone number to this service.
I have Google Pixel 3a XL, which has esim.
To activate Google Fi service I need to install Google Fi App.
This service is available only in USA.
I have American address and American phone, but right now I'm in Canada.
So when I try ti install it, I get error:

This item isn't available in your country

Okay, I installed TunnelBear VPN, but is having the same error.
Should I try different VPN or change some setting on my phone?
UPDATE: Following this article, I installed VPN Unlimited on my other phone (Windows phone) and connected my Pixel to this phone by hotspot.
I cleared cash on both phones and set location off.
Now browser show me weather for Los Angeles. But Google Play still gives me the same error.
Btw, I have US Profile in Google Play.
Still should to try Fake GPS, but may I should drive to USA to activate Fi.

While you are using VPN your location may not have been updated. I would go into Airplane mode and use a Fake GPS provider to place yourself near where your VPN endpoint is located. Then try downloading Google Fi. Google itself may be using your old location to prevent location spoofing (1000km change in 10 mins doesn't seem real), so a few hours of device off in Airplane mode might help before connecting a renamed router (Google records wifi locations). Note that activation of Google Fi itself may require access to a supported US carrier.

okay, will try. Found interesting article: https://medium.com/@panteliszirinis/project-fi-activating-internationally-and-using-it-as-a-digital-nomad-on-nexus-and-iphone-687b04f4cf32, he used two phones, one with VPN and hotspot to connect other phone.

okay, installed from there: https://apkpure.com/google-fi/com.google.android.apps.tycho/download?from=details

Change your country setting in Google PlayStore Account settings. You'll get a notification that you can only do this once a year blah blah blah, but right after I changed mine from New Zealand to USA I was able to download and activate the app.
Cheers


text:
Can't uninstall Cyanogenmod11 themes
Recently I installed a number of Cyanogenmod11 Themes from the Android Market. Now I want to uninstall some of then But whenever I try to uninstall it my phone soft reboots. And the theme is still in the phone.
The phone I'm using is Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini GT-i8190 running CyanogenMod11.

Try this: Just press and hold the power button; once the power menu appears, tap and hold the reboot button and press OK to reboot in safe mode. Now you should be able to uninstall the themes without any problem.

In safe mode, all apps were crashing including settings. Therefore i rebooted the phone and uninstalled the installed themes from Settings -> Apps -> Downloaded apps. Done!

If you are currently using those themes, just switch to the default theme and try uninstalling them. That usually works.

I did that before but all in vain. Whenever I click that uninstall button it soft reboots.


text:
Android cant access play store after installing app from outside the play store
I have a rooted android phone where i install an app from outside the play store. and now I cant access play store anymore. I search for solution and found this. But I can't even edit the host file. I use ES file explorer to edit.
This are in the host file.
127.0.0.1 localhost
127.124.218.80
android.clients.google.com
mtalk.google.com

My questions is

How to edit the host file?
What can I delete from the host file?(what are the extra lines apart from default in the host file?)

Did you enable Root option for ES File Explorer? Also, what's the name of the app that deliberately messed up your HOSTS file. It must have requested root access which you granted (blindly).

Could you edit out the link and mention the crux from that link? That link leads to a site which hosts modded APKs (akin to malware many times) so it is best to prevent users from clicking it for nothing but one or two lines of relevant content.

Yes i did enable root option to ES file explorer. @Firelord exactly i grant root access  to the app because it is needed to use the app.

That pretty much looks like the side-loaded app altered your hosts file – and if so, it's malware and I'd get rid of it ASAP – it's completely borked, not even syntactically correct (and looks like a try to redirect playstore access to "nirvana" – as 127.* addresses are reserved for "local loopback"). All but the first line has to be removed.
As your device is rooted, the easiest way to achive that is via adb shell or a terminal app:

su
mount -o remount,rw /system
echo 127.0.0.1 localhost > /system/etc/hosts
mount -o remount,ro /system

You didn't write why/where ES failed editing the file – I assume you've missed mounting /system read-write before trying that (ES can do that as well).

sorry to ask this question. Will it really work ? because I already mess up my nexus 7 tab so I don't want to do it if its not sure

@Puni I cannot give guarantees here (after all we're talking about computers ;) – but I don't see what should go wrong with that. Two places where it might fail due to implementation, but none that would break anything: If the last step fails (remount r/o), simply reboot. If the first remount (r/w) fails, we need to revert to a little more complicated syntax. The "echo" won't fail. And if the "su" fails, your device isn't rooted :) // Summed up: It won't mess up anything, but very good chances it fixes up things. Estimated chances for success: 99.9%

Thank you. Your answer helps. As you said I can do r/w in ES file explorer , I found a solution through my friend and it is very easy to do, I have posted the answer below. Anyway there might be some other people who may face this problem and doesn't have ES file explorer so your solution is best for all so I am voting up your answer as well as accepting it as the answer.Thank you once again.

Thanks a lot Puni, also for sharing your own solution (upvoted)!

I got an easy solution from my genius friend here's how.

Go to ES file explorer click menu on the right.
Scroll down to Root Explorer and turn it on, then click again on the Root Explorer it will open up a new menu.
Click mount R/Wit will open a new menu.
Turn on the RW option on for the /system.
Go to the host file /system/etc/hosts and edit the file, then saved.

You can do it by transferring your host file to the pc and by using adb drivers of your mobile you can edit the host file.

Connect your device with usb debugging to your pc
Open cmd on your PC
Write command - adb devices. This command will show your device in cmd.
write command for downloading host file from your mobile to PC. -  adb pull /system/etc/hosts F:\hosts
When you get your host file edit it using notepad.

Source Taken From :
http://www.howtogeek.com/140576/how-to-edit-the-hosts-file-on-android-and-block-web-sites/
Hope that helps !!

I see two issues in your answer. 1)  Why choose "F:"? It may be a DVD drive in some PCs. Best to always detail your answer. 2) You pulled that file but where is the instruction to push it? Also, it is best to mention the need of root access if your answer needs root. There are visitors who never read the question carefully and when the answer doesn't work on their non-rooted device, they post "this answer doesn't work on my device. It give me operation not permitted. blah blah". Please [edit].

As @Firelord pointed out already, your instructions stop at the most important place: How helpful is an edited hosts file on the F: drive of your computer concerning the non-working apps on the Android device? And, btw, what to edit there? Also there's a gap between steps 3 & 4: if step 3 doesn't show any device, the following steps will fail – what to do in that case?

I've got this solution from the web. What you have to is you need to have a proper root permission for this to work. Just download Hosts editor from the Play store and run it with root permission then just find if there's any hosts entries other than this "127.0.0.1  localhost" if get any just tick the check boxes of all other hosts entries make sure not to delete this "127.0.0.1  localhost" then delete those entries by clicking the delete button situated on top right corner and you are good to go. Now just exit the program and run play store.


text:
How to restart android, without touch or removing battery?
All of a sudden my Android (Lollipop) stopped responding while I was using an app. I pressed the power button two times and the problem persisted.
I waited a few minutes and pressed the power button again. It showed the lock screen, but still the smartphone (Moto G) didn't respond to my touch commands.
How can I reboot my device? I can't touch the "Power Off" option neither can I remove the battery.

Are you charging with an incompatible charger? That could sometimes lead to this not responding issue. And it's your phone rooted?

Have you tried holding the power button for like 20 seconds or so?

Press and hold the power button for 10-20 secs and your phone will force reboot, in most cases anyway. If your phone still doesn't reboot, then you'll have to remove the battery and if its not removable  you'll have to wait for the battery to run empty.


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Does it mean that Memory usage of app same as size of app
This is a conceptual doubt I have. Request some one to resolve my doubt. I have an app of size of 4.5MB and I am calculating memory usage of processes in the app. I am getting each process memory usage as 16MB...
final Runtime rt = Runtime.getRuntime();
rt.gc();
final double startSize = rt.totalMemory()-rt.freeMemory();
What I am getting is correct or wrong?Does it mean that Memory usage of app same is same as size of app?

are you sure that by "memory usage" you mean RAM usage? It's easy to mix the two up.

I saw that  Runtime.getRuntime() is going to give me memory in VM

What was that outputting?

Yeah as i said - final double startSize = rt.totalMemory()-rt.freeMemory() was outputting 16MB for each process

good point. Hmmm, it could be cache and app data. The app itself may be 4.5mb, but what about everything else it has?

The cache is 20KB and app data is 16 KB.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

It is correct, there is no reason for the memory usage of you app to be the same size as the apk.

Actually, there's no reason the two are related at all: A small app can eat a lot of RAM, as well as a large app can be well optimized (or just have parts of itself running).


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i have 500mb available but can't install 2mb app!
i have 500mb available but can't install 2mb app!!!
it's so frustrating i tried uninstalling apps, clearing cache, deleting files ... nothing works.
Please help.

Please clarify your question, what app are you trying to install, what is 500MB? Amount of RAM? Free internal memory? Free external memory? What is your phone model?

500 mb is 500 millibit, that's half a bit, and it's insufficient for anything. You probably mean 500 MB (capital "B" is for bytes, lowercase "b" is bits).

Look like most people here are too young to remember how many things can be done with 500MB. The answer is simple: Google got evil, and want you to throw away your smartphone and buy a new, more expensive one. Now they are friends of the smartphone companies, that's all.

Normally Android will leave some space empty for own usage, normally by clearing cache or unistalling apps you should be able to install that app.
Here that isn't the case.
What I would try would be to get rid of some apps try clean master from tge google play store.
Worst case Factory data reset it or wipe the data off of it.

authors: Вадим Протасов


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"Low Memory Space" but my space is plenty
As of right now i have 144mb on external, and 44 on internal. But i can't download a 8mb app? I fixed it once but i had to do a lot of stuff to it and I'm only 14 so yeah not a tech wiz. Its getting really annoying. Help?
When i clear the data for Google Play Store Services and Google Play Store (application manager > all) the low memory space notification thing foes away for like 10seconds and then comes back

u download must be on internal by default

I'm pretty sure it is. If not how do i do that?

move some apps to sdard from settings

Cant do that. I have a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit

ok from where r u downloading apps?

Google Play Store

Android leaves some space for system updates, usually 10% (I'm not sure if this number), so if your free space becomes lower than that, it says you are running out of storage space.
There are methods for increasing internal storage by using a second partition on your SD Card and mounting it using Link2Sd. (Note: you need root for this)


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Wiping dalvik cache - Dalvik cache of uninstalled apps
I just came across the folder dalvik-cache having size of about 750MB.
I searched for dalvik cache on google, and came to know that it is builded during boot up, and wiping this will make the next boot slower.
So whether wiping dalvik cache is not at all useful?
My doubt is that whether Dalvik cache has some files related to only the uninstalled apps?
If so, how we can find that files?
Or Dalvik cache components get deleted when we uninstall an app?
EDIT: My phone is rooted.

If you are rooted there is an option in Titanium Backup Pro to remove anything from the Dalvik Cache not linked to an app. This orphan data suggests that data may remain in the cache after the app is no longer using it or even uninstalled.

Ok.. @RossC .. Please add this as answer (with some more details on this unused/junk dalvik cache, and how to wipe this using Titanium backup) Thanks... EDIT: Yes, my phone is rooted.

There's also nothing wrong with periodically wiping your device's Dalvik cache using a custom recover like TWRP. It might take a little bit longer to start up some apps, but that would be almost unnoticeable on most modern devices.

Thanks @RossC and @filoxo for your comments.
Adding these as answer:

If you are rooted there is an option in Titanium Backup Pro to remove
  anything from the Dalvik Cache not linked to an app. This orphan data
  suggests that data may remain in the cache after the app is no longer
  using it or even uninstalled.
There's also nothing wrong with periodically wiping your device's
  Dalvik cache using a custom recover like TWRP. It might take a little
  bit longer to start up some apps, but that would be almost
  unnoticeable on most modern devices.


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PIN longer than 16 digits
I was wondering if there was any way to use an unlock PIN longer than 16 digits on android lollipop - in the settings it allows you to enter a PIN less than 17 digits. I would like to stay away from 3rd party lock screens if possible. I am running resurrection remix (Lollipop 5.1.1).
Thanks

Appears to be hard-coded: see L108 and L318

Far as I know, no. Now of course wait for more answers but far as I know, if it is set to be 16 characters max it means it is a 128 bit variable. If that is all Android has saved for the PIN, then that is that.

It would help if you  explain the reason for mentioning "it means it is a 128 bit variable". Alternatively, tell us what is it about and why does it matter? Perhaps, something in the source code , or maybe a security policy for Android, or something else?

@Firelord I am not a developer so I don't know very deeply about security measurements of Android. I know that PIN is not meant as the ultimate security tool though. Anyone who had enough time and required tools can certainly crack the PIN code eventually. Let's not get sidetracked though. Far as I know, when you set a PIN code, the combination you picked is assigned to a variable with a pre-defined size. You can't assign a literal value greater than the variable can take or it will fail. Youtube used a 32bit counter and Gangnam style was watched more times than it could take and it broke.


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Smart Phone Flash Tool Remain 0 percent
I have a Lenovo A3000 tablet and I want to flash it (Reinstalling firmware?). So I download my tablet driver and MT65XX Preloader drivers for Windows. After installing all of them, when I click on Download button on in Smart Phone Flash Tool it successfully detect the COM port number, but it doesn't start to send data. Why?
P.S: I tried above steps with Win 7 32&64 bit, Win 8.1 64bit and Win XP!

Does the SPFT version you use support the device? Please check and report.

@TamoghnaChowdhury Based on this link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdPT6QBtEqw and the page that I downloaded it, yes. It support. Where is the report?

I meant check out and report back, not "report".

@TamoghnaChowdhury The problem was with the version of SPFT and the firmware! The firmware wasn't for my tablet and that version of SPFT  doesn't notify me that it is not for this device! When I installed the latest version of SPFT and retied the steps, in the last step, when I click on Download, it alert me that Scattler file version is not consistent with your Tablet. And I understood that my Tablet is A3300-GV (Not A3000)!!! Now, I am downloading the appropriate firmware. Thank you very much.

Please check out the answer, I compiled one from the comments

Answer compiled from comments
The SPFT version you are using is probably incompatible with your device or firmware, and it is failing silently. Try downloading the latest version of SPFT and the correct firmware, and it should probably work.


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copy contacts from gmail account to phone memory
I have imported my contacts from my old phone into my google account which now shows up on my phone (this was the only way I could do it), but I would like to keep my contacts off 'the cloud' and so would like to move them to the 'phone' contacts section.
Is there anyway I can do this?

This should be able via your contacts app. Hit the menu key (or tap the "hamburger icon"), go to "Import/Export", then chose to export to your SD card. This will result in a VCard file, which you also can read with other contact apps e.g. on your PC. Verify it's there, copy it to your computer for backup.
Now delete all contacts from the Google storage (e.g. via the web interface), resync, make sure they're gone. Check the settings of your contacts app again, make sure it has local storage set as its default. To be on the safe side, also go to your device's Settings › Accounts and disable contact sync.
That done, again go to the "Export/Import" menu in the contacts app, and re-import your contacts. They now should be in your local storage – and not sync'd to your Google account.

Update:
As pointed out by the OP in the comments, the original issue behind the case was Android's Contacts app (as well as several 3rd party apps) being unable to read the VCard export done on a previously used iOS device. As it often is the case, it seems some "proprietary additions" (or format mis-interpretations violating the standard) caused this. So above described procedure cured it: Android's Contacts app was perfectly capable of reading its own exports, as one should expect.

That would, under normal situations, be the solution and I should have elaborated. My phone is not reading vCards (see http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/130435/phone-not-importing-vcard). Is there any way around this? Or can you answer that question?

Have you tried with the export from the Android contacts app? In the linked question, the VCard file was created with iOS; maybe it used some special field/structure which Android's contacts app (and your 3rd party candidates) were unable to deal with? I'd simply try exporting a single contact, edit the name slightly in the .vcf file (so you can distinguish it), and then import that .vcf file again, just to find out whether it works.

Yep, it did understand vcards created by Android. Weird though, I tried third party apps to try to get round that exact issue. One weird thing was that it exported multiple versions of contacts which was a pain but oh well. Thanks.

Anytime – glad we figured. Might be a good idea I integrate those format issues with the answer – not everyone reads comments :) So thanks for the feedback!


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Fastboot oem get_identifier_token - FAILED (remote: unknown command)
Hello Everyone!
I am trying yo unlock the bootloader with no success. Basically, the following command
Code:
Fastboot oem get_identifier_token

is hitting the error of:
FAILED (remote: unknown command)

Please, your help will be greately appreciated. Thanks in advance for reading my question.

Device State:

OEM unlocking: is enabled from the developers options.
USB Debugging: is enabled from the developers options.
Software Status: Official
Software State: LOCKED
Software Security: S-ON
Device Information:
Model Number: HTC One M9
Android Version: 5.1
HTC Sense Version: 7.0
Software Number: 2.10.401.1
Baseband Version: 01.04_U11440601_71.02.50709G_F
Build Number: 2.10.401.1 CL576582 release-keys
Kernel Version:
3.10.49-perf-g901e7f1
and@AABM #1
SMP PREEMPT

oem in the command implies that that command is not a fastboot standard, but is OEM specific. are you sure that your device supports this command? Can you please link to the source of whatever guide you are following?

Thank you for your comment. I am following the official tutorial that is listed in the main website of HTC for this specific model.

I found the answer to my question at last after hours of researching.
We should execute the command from the fastboot mode (FASTBOOT USB) and not from the bootloader mode (HBOOT). This is a non-default option selectable using the volume buttons in bootloader (HBOOT) mode.That's why it was not working for me.

What is the difference between the two modes?

The only command to reboot to fastboot is adb reboot bootloader so What do you mean fastboot mode (FASTBOOT USB) and What is the command used for that?


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Why does "Power off" actually reboot?
If I hold my power button, I presented with the option to "Power off" my device. I touch it, and my phone (a LG Nexus 5 running on Android 4.4 KitKat) indeed turns off. However, it suddenly turns back on. If I power off multiple times, it eventually stays off. Is this normal? Does the phone restart if it is aware of pending updates or something?

No, it's not normal. If you are in warranty, go to the service center. OTA updates aren't triggered automatically. You need to tap it from notification.

Because long pressing the power button on all most any android device(if not all) will reboot the device. It is meant to be the restart button in case on a device something goes wrong, you have the option to hard reset the device.
To correctly shut down a device you have to tap the power button and select the option to power of, or if you are in CWM select "Power off device", or I think you can shut it down using adb to.

This is likely the issue. I haven't observed the reboot issue the past couple days. If I do, I'll look into replacing it.

"Power Off"(menu selection) actually reboots my Kit Kat if it's plugged into the computer with USB debugging on. If i disconnect, the power off powers off.


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Need to force close the "Phone" (Dialer) app manually
I have LG E612 (Jelly bean 4.1.2).
My problem is, my phone (dialer) app will not close automatically when I press "Back" from dialer to Home screen.
Phone app is still running in background, and I need to close it through a task killer.
Is this a normal behavior with all android phones? If not, is there any settings for this?

Leave the memory management to the OS. It depends on the version (4.1.2 in your case) the OEM (LG) and the particular dialer app (not sure what one you have). As a rule task killers degrade performance, and the app being in memory has no impact on your battery or performance. I'd say leave it be. It's running on 4.4.2 for me on a custom ROM and on Stock on the Neuxus.

Thanks @RossC , But in my case, (using pre-installed dialer app), i think it eats more battery... If i force close it (using pre-installed app manager), I can clearly see increase in battery life and performance! Also, I can receive calls without any problem even if i force close it!

Yeah the dialer app doesn't dictate whether you can receive calls, there's a mechanism for that elsewhere that then calls the Dialer. But you'd need to check the battery stats to see if it actually is eating battery, and if it is then it is misbehaving somehow. Mine does show as 'running' but like any other app in the background the battery use is negligible / zero. Has you dialer a huge amount of cache or data it is trying to sort or something maybe? I'm at a bit of a loss here.

Thanks @RossC, for your comments.
Adding this as answer:

Leave the memory management to the OS. It depends on the version
  (4.1.2 in your case), the OEM (LG) and the particular dialer app. As a
  rule, task killers degrade performance, and the app being in memory
  has no impact on your battery or performance. I'd say leave it be.


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Google Play app doesn't auto-update
Ever since the new update of Google Play app, I couldn't get the apps to automatically (in background) update.
But instead, they only update, when I open the Google Play app a few times
I have auto-update and notificatoins checked. I have auto-update apps ofer WiFi only set.
I have JB 4.1.2 and Galaxy S3 GT-I9300.


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Uninstall harmful app. 'Mobile tracker' can damage your device.'
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 international i9300 since 2012. I've never rooted it. The last app I've installed was a few months ago. I'm running Android 4.4.4.
Today, for the first time ever, I've gotten this notification. It appeared sometime while I was using the Dolphin browser app.
XDA forum thread seems inconclusive. Some say it's an app that you have to install (obviously I've never installed this app), others say it's a part of Samsungs firmware.
Does anyone know what this might be?
EDIT:
Although I haven't been able to confirm this, this seems to be an official Android or Google Play notification. I've clicked the uninstall button and the (Samsung's pre-installed) app 'Mobile tracker' has been removed from the applications list.

Answer: malware, addware and so... Stop browsing on untrusted websites with an untrusted browser. Some websites, those that have free contents are known to be full of malwares. Don't simply install.

Did the message come with a button to install a package that will "clean" it out for you? I suspect it is clickbait for malware, if you haven't installed anything recently.

@wbogacz looks like a native notification. The only button available is the "Disable" button.

Come to think of it. The white triangle with a black question mark is every-so-slightly different from the original Samsung's icon. Hmm... Should I do a factory reset or just change browsers? Is there a virus/malvare/adware checker for Android (that can be easily uninstalled later)?

Some of those malicious Javascript popups are pretty good in imitating "native screens" – especially on devices as common as that (a screenshot might help, in case you see it again – which doesn't mean you should hunt for it, rather follow the advises given in previous comments). If you didn't interact with it (i.e. pressed any button/link it showed) but "backed out" (back button, power off, whatever to "abort"), no harm should have been done. Forget about any app calling itself "Anti VIRUS" – they often introduce more trouble than they solve. …

… though if you insist, find some here: Anti-Malware . Make sure to read the previous-to-last bullet point here first, though – then you know what I mean by "introducing trouble". Same for the "introduction" at the top of the app listing.

I faced the same notification on my Galaxy S 3 yesterday. It prompted me to uninstall it as the app can be used to spy on me. Here is a picture of the pop up:

I clicked on the OK button and hope that no malware has infiltrated the phone this way.

I have got S3 i9300, I got this message too. The message was from Google appstore app. I could disable it.  But couldn't remove it.


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Android keyboard resizes when changing letter casing
I've Nexus 4 with latest update. When I type something, when typing capital letters, keyboard size is almost twice bigger than when typing small letters and it's confusing because when I start the sentence, I have to type first letter (capital) and then wait a little to click on small letter (because its position changes as key sizes change). Is it possible to "fix" the keys sizes?
UPD: This ONLY happens with Russian keyboard... Attached screenshots.

Can you provide a screenshot of what you're talking about?

Are you using the default Android keyboard? Does this happen in all applications? I also have the Nexus 4 with latest update, but have not experienced this.

Yes, that's default keyboard. When I click "shift", the size of the keyboard changes (keys get bigger when switched to capital letters).

Bryan, attached screenshots.

This behavior is really weird. Perhaps it is caused by unicode fonts with fixed height that the keyboard can't trim causing it to look enlarged. Try changing your default font with ROM manager if you are already rooted.

I've the same problem suddenly with UK keyboard quertyuiop. Nexus 4 latest android.
The solution was to power down the phone and start again. All back to normal now.

Use Hacker's Keyboard instead it's the best I've used.

The Hackers Keyboard is great - I use it on my tablet. However, I also use the default Android keyboard on my Nexus 4 (Android 4.2) and this works great also. I particularly like the swipe input (new with 4.2) which is awesome. However, I don't think recommending another keyboard is necessarily a desirable solution in this instance where there does appear to be a genuine problem. (I didn't downvote you btw.)

Yeah, alternative keyboards will help, I tried GO Keyboard, it works great. But still I like the default one, others are too overloaded with features.

I agree with @Tareq in the use of an alternate keyboard, although I prefer Swiftkey.  My children have the default keyboard on the Nexus 7 tablets, and it drives me nuts when I have to fix something.  Especially not being able to long press for number but having to switch to a different keyboard entirely.  Of course, it's still easier than inputting a 64-bit WPA2 passcode into a Nest thermostat. :-)


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Not able to see who is calling in HTC Desire C when connected to computer
When HTC desire C is connected to the laptop, the screen gets locked and if a call comes, the phone is not showing the caller details. Also there is no option to unlock the phone when it is connected to the computer.
Only options I left with are

To answer the call unknowingly who is calling
To wait till it becomes a missed call.

Any ideas to see the who is calling when It is connected to the laptop.
I tried the Stay Awake while charging option and set it to On; but no use.


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How to add a shortcut to the 'My Apps & Games' screen of the Google Play Store?
I'm looking to create a shortcut that links straight to the 'My Apps & Games' screen of the Google Play Store.
Either that, or configure the Google Play Store to always open in the 'My Apps' screen.
I've downloaded and installed AnyCut 1.0 but I'm unable to find the activity for opening Play on that screen.
AnyCut 1.0
Thanks.

You'll need an app like Tasker than can assign actions with activity launches.  Create a New Task, name it, and Add an action.  Go to System → Send Intent.  Then fill out these fields:

Action

com.google.android.finsky.VIEW_MY_DOWNLOADS

Package

com.android.vending

Class

com.google.android.finsky.activities.MainActivity

Target

Select "Activity"

Assign an icon from the lower right.  Leave Tasker.  On your desktop, create a new shortcut, Task Shortcut, and select the task you named.

No it doesn't. I just did this running 4.2.2

I couldn't get it to work with 4.0.3

You must've done something wrong then

Apologies, I tried again and it worked - found a few more instructions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1582313
Previously I kept getting the error message "package not installed".

Works in Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Do you know of a legitimate link to QCustomShortcut?

Tasker works in Android 4.4.4, clarified the instructions.

Cool! Based on this Intent, is it possible to click the Update All button via an Intent?

Does this still work?  I don't see that action available in Google Play store.  If it's not in that app, in which app is the action located?

The following will work only in Android 7.1 and later:
It should be possible to go directly to the My apps section of the Google Play Store by long pressing the Play Store icon and dragging the My apps shortcut out to the home screen.
It is described in this article on Android Police:
https://www.androidpolice.com/2016/12/28/android-7-1-tip-get-rid-play-store-home-screen-use-apps-shortcut-instead/

I added a note that this will only work in Android 7.1 and later.  If you know of any way to get it to work in earlier versions of Android, please add that too. :)


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Problem importing CSV/vCARD contacts to S3
I have an S3 I'm attempting to import contacts to.
I started with a list I've converted to .CSV and then used an online converter to create .VCF files from for each of the contacts.
The S3 will not import the .CSV or .VCF files. I've combined the .VCF files into 1 and it still refuses to import them.
Is there any other way to do this without creating a GMail/Google account to first import them into? (Device is setup with an IMAP account so no need for GMail).
The S3 reports "Couldn't import vCard" then within notification it reads "The format is not supported". The .VCF's I have created are version 2.1.
What versions of vCard does the S3 support?

No comments or replies?!

Without finding a way of doing this I ended up bluetoothing all the contacts from the old handset across (A Samsung B2100).
Would be nice to find more information about this buggy/broken feature on the S3.

The reason I had this issue was a badly formatted vcard file. There were many BEGIN:VCARD tags that were not closed with END:CARD tags. As an example, it looked like this:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
BEGIN:VCARD
# Bunch of fields in here like N, FN, EMAIL, etc.
END:VCARD

As you can see, the first BEGIN:VCARD is not closed.
So in a text editor, I did a Find and Replace to get rid of any unclosed BEGIN:VCARD, such that it looked like:
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
# Bunch of fields in here like N, FN, EMAIL, etc.
END:VCARD

After doing that, the vcf file imported without any problems.

Hi & thanks for the info dagrha, I don't have this old handset or the .VCF file any longer to check things but your explanation sounds valid and it's totally feasible that was the problem with my data/file.


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Rooting Desire permanently
If I root my Desire permanently  can I reset it to default manufacturers settings by installing official android version?

Whenever you root your device, you are adding root access to the current OS. If you just perform the Factory Reset, it will retain root (as this just deletes user data), but if you restore the stock image, it will completely wipe the OS and will put the system back as HTC intended it (which would remove root). You would then need to re-root the device.

Note that if you replace the original recovery with clockworkmod (or some other recovery), that will not get restored if you flash the original image. If you are trying to restore your phone in order to get warranty service done (for example), you'll have to find an image for the original recovery along with the original rom.

This depends on the manufacturer. I know with previous HTC devices, when you use the RUU, it will completely replace the phone's software including the recovery. Also, if you replace the system image, most OSs will automatically restore the stock recovery on every boot unless you modify the OS to prevent it.

That's what Stephen was referring to with "original recovery along with the original rom". Sometimes both are bundled, sometimes not.

what is stock image exactly?

The stock image is basically a snapshot of the system as HTC intends it to be. This will either be an image file of the exact OS/version that was shipped with your phone, or sometimes they will release newer images from updated versions they've put out.


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Can I install sudo/su with the signed apk exploit?
The BlueBox Security Scanner says that my Nexus 4 is still vulnerable to two signature exploits.
As far as I understood the exploit can circumvent the apk-signature-check so that any apk posing as an update for a system-apk will be installed as system app.
Is there a known way to install sudo/su with this exploit?
I would like to do so before my Nexus gets patched...
Update 2013-07-22:
What I am looking for is a step by step guide along these lines:

get sudo-apk
choose one unused system-app
remove updates for this system-app
download latest update for this system-app
integrate sudo-apk with system-app-update-apk
install
have joy

As you correctly wrote: any apk posing as an update for a system-apk will be installed as system app. But an update requires something to be already there which it can update -- otherwise it's simply a fresh install. I might be wrong, but to me that means a clear "No".

@Izzy how about that "Google Korean keyboard" that I deactivated? This is a firmware-app with pending updates.

Try it and tell us. That might do, but I'm not sure what your SuperUser app is named then :) And being an update, it would replace that keyboard (or whatever system app you would "update"), so be careful and beware side-effects.

@Izzy I would love to try it - but I need a step by step installation. The name of the apk should be correct - if I undestood what BlueBox wrote about this.

For that I'm out: cannot give you that "step-by-step" guide.

Anyway, the app will still require root to touch to /system and so to install the su binary. What I mean is that system app doesn't have more root access than a "normal" app. You'll still have to found a root exploit to gain temporary privilege.

That's exactly the point: For su to work, it must be in the $PATH. To modify that accordingly, /system must be mounted r/w -- and that doesn't happen even when a system app is updated.

The Exploit (& Fix) Android "Master Key" article describes the process of using the “Master Key” exploit to get elevated privileges with lots of technical details. The main point is that the exploit by itself does not give root privileges — only arbitrary code execution as the system user, and another privilege elevation exploit is needed to get root privileges (one well-known example shown in the article is writing ro.kernel.qemu=1 to /data/local.prop, but this attack is blocked in most Android 4.1 and later versions).
The article also provides download links for the Cydia Impactor tool which automates the “Master Key” exploit (currently only up to getting the system user rights, not all the way to root). There are versions for Windows and Mac OS X.

The exploit is patched into AOSP, currently in CyanogenMod, its a matter of time before the update gets pushed out. It does not give you root privilege per se, rather it circumvents the signed key used to sign the ROM so that an apk can pose as a system app, in which the installation of the apk bypasses the said signed key.
As you have a Nexus 4, it will be a matter of time before Google pushes that out.
As for others, best to check with your manufacturer, not your carrier.


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Dowload PDF in Dolphin Mini?
It seems to be a relatively new feature that pdf files are shown directly in the browser instead of downloading them.
How can I download them instead?

I have updated to the latest Dolphin, but it asks me to download the PDF file. Have you tried with a different site? Just to test, search for a PDF file in Google, and try to download it. Let me know if it still opens on the screen for you.

@geffchang Upps. You are right! There seems to be a difference between Dolphin and Mini in that aspect - I updated the title of my question accordingly. I tried with mini and assumed this to be a general behaviour.

Dolphin Mini blog post documents how to download the PDF file.

Q2: How to download PDF files?
A2: 1) long press the link of PDF files, choose the “save link” option
  in context menu. 2) click “download” option at the bottom of the page
  after you click the link.

Can you answer the follow-up-question as well?


text:
How do I automatically back up my photos from my phone to Google?
Last time I checked, many months ago, or a year maybe, whenever I took a photo with my Android phone, it would back up to Google Plus. Although I didn't want my pictures to be shared on G+, I did like that every photo was being automatically uploaded in case something happened to my phone.
Within the last week, I had to reformat my phone. Unfortunately, it was only after that I discovered that Google has made some changes. There is now a separate Google Photos service, separate from Google Plus. It seems now that my Google account has not been automatically uploading my photos. So, everything that was on my phone is now gone. Which sucks.
I tried to see if there was an option with the new Google Photos or Google Drive or somehow to make it so my phone automatically uploads pictures I take for backup, but I can't find any such setting.
Is it possible to automatically backup photos with my Google account?
Note just in case someone suggests it, I'd like to not use Dropbox for a variety of reasons that aren't worth going into here. So, please, only suggestions that utilize my Google account if possible. Thanks.

QuickPic app may work. Install the app and open Settings and add Google Drive account and select the folders which you want to be uploaded automatically to Cloud. This is only a suggestion. I used it on my old phone.

Actually Google Photos app does allow Auto backup of your photos onto Google, and the best part is that there is no Storage limit on it, i.e. you can upload unlimited images and videos.
All you need to do is,
Open Photos app and slide the navigation drawer from the left.
Select Assistant and you will be able to see that your photos are being backed up.

Additional note for people who were confused like me: Google Photos is now a totally separate app from the camera, and I didn't have it on my phone by default. The interface I was used to before was accessed through the Google+ app. Now, to have this functionality, one needs to download the Google Photos app, and then you can do what this answer describes.


text:
How can I email large videos to someone else?
My sister took a minute long video on her new Droid Incredible 2 and wanted to share it with a friend.  The file size was about ~22 mb due to the higher quality of the recording. She's used to emailing videos with her blackberry, which produced far inferior quality videos (and much smaller sizes).  But if she tries to share this video via her gmail account, it won't attach the video because of its large file size.
Is there an easy way for her to share this video? Is there a way to shrink the size of the video on her phone by degrading the quality of video or similar?  She'd really like to just email it.
Other important information

She doesn't want to upload the video to YouTube (or any other service)
She doesn't have access to wifi, she uses her phone exclusively for internet access (no tethering, either).

Without using a third-party I think you're stuck.

Best option would be to upload them to either YouTube (marked as Private or Unlisted if you don't want them searchable/viewable by others) or Dropbox. Should take the same amount of time to upload both. Once uploaded to dropbox you can share either the file or a link. I typically use YouTube as it doesn't require the other person to download the large video.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.dropbox.android

YouTube is what I suggested to her first, but she didn't seem interested in trying it.  Plus, I believe there is a limit to how big a file you can upload to YouTube without wifi (which is a real problem, she uses phone for exclusive internet access).

You could always have her chop up the video and send it in pieces: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.goseet.VidTrim A very manual process but this would serve to eliminate unecessary parts of the video and keep upload limits from being hit.

Definitely Dropbox. Don't bother uploading to YouTube and then turning the privacy on etc etc Too much trouble. Plus if you later want to delete it later it'll just be more of a pain.

I don't have any experience about the Droid Incredible 2, but most Android phones I've used allow to choose the quality of the recorded video from the camcorder app. Decreasing the resolution would be the only way without using hosting services.


text:
ADW Launcher crashing on home screen
I installed the wrong theme for ADW and now it crashes every time the home screen displays.
Since the home screen keeps crashing, I can't seem to reach the settings pannel to disable the stupid theme.
I've also tried "Safe Mode" but so far it doesn't help.

This should help (may even be a duplicate): http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4910/how-to-get-to-your-settings-without-a-home-screen-app

@Al Everett - That looks like it has to do with the issue that Launcher Pro had where it was saying it was expired. Launcher Pro automatically opened the browser which made it easy to download an update. If the launcher is crashing, there is no real way to open any application.

Try installing another launcher. Then press the Home key and it will ask you which launcher to use. Select the "new one". Then try going in to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> ADW and Clear the data.
You will probably also want to delete the "settings backups" that are stored on the sdcard, if you created them.
Then you should be able to switch back to ADW.
If you can't get to the market to install another launcher, you will probably have to side load i using ADB.
Or as Lie Ryan suggests, use the Market Web interface to install another launcher.

or try push installing from the web-based Android market.

There's a much cleaner solution to this, which will work if you have email notifications in the status bar, and can turn internet access on from the status bar widgets. I found it in this xda-developers thread; many thanks to aps786 for getting me out of a fix.

Problem already solved but just for others visiting this thread, there is a way to get rid of the issue (which worked for me). when there was crash in ADW Launcher, statusbar still works. This is to key to get back to original theme (as you can't access settings directly to set default theme)

Opened status bar, start internet.

From another device (or desktop machine), send a mail to yourself with google play link for the new theme you just installed

Your status bar will now have new mail notification (assume its activated)

Now access your mail app and open the link from the mail

Now you have browser app opened with google play page

You will have uninsatll option for that theme. Just do it.

Now as new theme is uninstalled, your default theme will come in picture and everything will be normal.

I hope this will help others fall in similar situation after installing new theme.

I suspect you could also do this using SMS, WhatsApp, or any messaging application that can get to your notification bar.


text:
Force menu button in Android Lolipop
I have a HTC One M8 with the 5.0 ROM (Play Edition) flashed on it. It's rooted.
I previously used VenomRoms which had an option to force the menu button, is there something similar on the default Lolipop rom?

By default, I assume you mean stock? Then no. Google did away with the menu button in Android 4.0. It's officially unsupported and appears (now called the "Action Overflow button") only when an app ignores design guidelines and requires it anyway. Google provides no direct way to force it, as it's officially no longer a part of Android.
Only custom ROMs or toolkit like Xposed modules can bring it back. An example module that includes such information is App Settings, although I can't speak to its Lollipop compatibility, especially since I think Xposed is still in early beta for Lollipop.

Can you link to Google's documentation on removing the menu button? I am interested in their logic behind this, especially on phones with it built in...

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2012/01/say-goodbye-to-menu-button.html
The basic rationale is strong: burying commands in a menu key nobody remembers is there (most users don't even know what it is) only creates confusion and reduces functionality. Android took a MASSIVE step forward when they removed this. A very important one. I don't miss it, and I'm very happy apps have mostly stopped relying on it. And very few phones have it anymore. It's a rare annoyance when one appears. Most switched to the multitasking button.

Long press the recent apps button, and you'll get the app menu. At least, that's what works on LG lollipop phones.


text:
Disconnect/reconnect to wifi with same SSID
I'm playing with some more advanced things in Tasker, and I've set up an NFC tag to do various things when I return home from work each day. One of these is to connect to wifi and run an SSH command to wake up my computer.
I'm in a dorm at a university, so all of the wifi SSIDs are the same. Because of this, my phone (a Nexus 5 on stock/rooted 5.1) will latch onto one AP and hold on as long as possible, and eventually switch as I move further away. This means that when I arrive at my room and tap the tag, my phone is almost always in the process of reconnecting to the nearest/correct AP and my SSH command fails. Sometimes it's connected immediately, sometimes it doesn't connect for a few minutes, so a simple "wait 10 seconds" in Tasker doesn't cut it.
Is there a way to simply break the existing connection and reconnect to the same SSID (just reconnecting in general is fine, there's only one SSID)? I know that disabling wifi altogether, waiting a few seconds for the phone to do it, enabling it again, and waiting a few more seconds will do this, but it takes longer and I imagine there's a better solution.
TL;DR: How can I break a wifi connection then reconnect in Android 5.1 (stock/rooted) without actually disabling wifi? Terminal commands are fine.

Checking the Tasker manual for the "WiFi Net" action shows:

WiFi Net
Change the wifi network connection status.
Reassociate: reconnect even if already connected.

(emphasis mine)
That should be exactly what you're looking for – playing with Tasker anyway :)

Dang, I didn't even see that in the manual! Perfect, thank you!

Great! And yes, that manual could use a better index (it has not even anchors to the segments, so it's hard to reference). Easy to overlook the "small print" :) Btw: For more Tasker tipps, see here. And scroll down to the function graphs to see what's available :)


text:
K-9 Mail not working with Openkeychain
K-9 does not seem to find the installed Openkeychain app. OKC works fine and so does K-9 except for this problem. Both programs have been installed from F-Droid and are the the latest version. I am using a Moto G ("falcon") with ParanoidAndroid 4.6b5 without Gapps. APG used to work.
Thanks in advance for any help.

This issue has been raised over on the K9 GitHub repo: https://github.com/k9mail/k-9/issues/3420 - there may be useful discussion there too.

Apparently on the "Accounts" screen, one has to long press the account.  Menu will pop up.  Click on "Account settings".  Another menu will pop up.  Click on the "Cryptography" item at the bottom.  The Cryptography menu will open.  Click on "OpenPGP Provider".  By default, "None" is selected.  Click on the "OpenKeychain" and you're set!
Hope this helps!

This may work but in my experience it doesn't "stick". AFAICT (see this GitHub issue) it's an issue with K9 being unable to launch OpenKeychain.

My platform: Samsung Galaxy A9100, Android 6.0.1, with OpenKeyChain 4.8.1 && K9Mail 5.400.
I'm also stucked here and problem is (unperfectly) solved. I tried:
Open OpenKeyChain, click '三' to open left sidebar, select 'Apps', run K-9 Mail here.
Now, check K9Mail->Global Settings->Cryptography, OpenKeyChain is successfully detected.
However, with this solution, I must launch K9Mail from openkeychain app. Hope my experience could provide some help.

I also struggled with setting up Open Keychain with K9 Mail, and I was able to solve it.
Even though the recipient's key was in Open Keychain, and even though Open Keychain was selected from Settings>Account Settings>Cryptography,  when I tried to send to send an encrypted message, it would show the message that said "private mode is enabled but some recipients don't have keys."
What I did to solve it was to open Open Keychain and select the recipient's certificate, click the three dots in the upper right corner, and then selected "Confirm with fingerprints>Finger Prints Match > Confirm Key
That turned the contact a green color in Open Keychain.
Finally, I went back into K9 Mail, and was able to send encrypted emails.
I don't know if my experience was unique, but thought I would share it since it took me hours to solve this problem.

I finally found an answer. There is a setting in K-9 to use any encryption app installed.

Could you expand this answer at least explaining the steps to do that?


text:
Galaxy S5 / Lollipop: video player not showing video, only audio
I have a strange problem with my Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android Lollipop 5.0 with all available OTA updates up to today.
I wanted to remote control a specific app from my Mac and tried out a few 'remote control' apps from the App store for the purpose. Some of them required access to the screen (recording / screenshots) upon first start. Unfortunately, none of them worked properly, so I uninstalled all of them again.
But since then (I think this is related but I don't really know), I cannot play my recorded videos any more using the built in "Videos" app. I only get a black screen with a large grey "screen mirroring" icon and I can hear the sound. It seems something activated screen mirroring but I cannot deactivate it in the app or in the settings, and there are no mirroring devices attached either.
Youtube and other video apps seem to work.
What went wrong here? How can I completely disable this feature and get my video screen back on my smartphone? "Screen mirroring" in the Android settings is disabled and was never enabled (by me).

Solved. It was actually this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teamviewer.quicksupport.addon.samsung
After deinstalling this app and restarting my phone the Android video player app works again. Just deinstalling Teamviewer Quicksupport itself neither deleted this add-on nor helped with my problem.
EDIT: Also, deinstalling this app removed very strange lags and pauses at certain display animations (fade effects, e.g. of the lock screen camera button and in apps) that I experienced while I had this app installed.


text:
Select multiple files on Google Drive App
Is it possible to select multiple files on the Google Drive App?
I tried every intuitive solution I could think of, perhaps it's possible on the Google Docs app?

Since Mar 6, 2015, you can trigger multiple files/folders selection on Google Drive app by long-pressing a file/folder, then ticking other files / long-pressing other folders.
After selecting them, you can:

Star selected items
Pin selected items
Remove selected items, or
Move to another folder (by selecting from the menu, or by dragging the "deck" to a folder)

It's still impossible when I need to select multiple files as attachments using gmail app and using "From google disk" option. I can select only single file. On the other side, when I use share option from Google drive app I can select multiple files but there is an option to add those files as physical copies (not links to files on google drive) which I don't want because of email attachments size limitation.

That's exactly as it works in other apps or on Android system in general. But the problem is, that you have to manually tick every single file what's useless when you need to select more files than a couple of them. It looks like there's no way to select a range of files.

Simply first go gallery, select multiple files,  then select the share option, then select drive, all files will upload simultaneously.


text:
Is there a universal way for a circuit to detect battery life and report it to the stock OS?
It must be noted that I know very little about programming, and don't even own an Android device, however I am considering building one(Learning whatever it takes.)
My question is simply, if I were to build an android computer, using a development board such as the Odroid C1, is there a standard way, using any battery, that I could make a circuit to detect battery level and connect it to the board using IO pins, and report the level to the OS in a way that doesn't need a custom driver to be developed, so that the stock Android OS can display the battery level.
The purpose of this is so that if I were to replicate many of these computers, I could simply install the stock Android OS and it automatically detects the battery level, so that I would not have to install a custom driver on every single one.
Everything I have asked may not make any sense, as I am not very familiar with android at all. I'm asking under the assumption that Android works similarly to a typical Linux OS.

Short answer: I think not. You'll need to create/install the appropriate battery driver if you want to run it from battery (and be effective).
In Linux power management is done via APM/ACPI which is handled at the BIOS layer. So when you buy a motherboard/dev board the expectation is you'll be plugged in. If you go into any mobile shop, you'll see a variety of batteries even from the same manufacturer. As batteries pack a great deal of energy, every one of those batteries could either have a microchip which communicates the handset informing it about battery charge state or some read-only storage which contains the appropriate necessary parameters so that charging can be done in safe manner.
I'm going to point you to the slide deck where I found regarding Android Power Management:
http://www.slideshare.net/jerrinsg/android-power-management
While I'm not sure if you can immediately understand everything in it - it should give you some scope as to the complexity involved.


text:
retrieve logcat after a system crash
Is it possible to retrieve a logcat from before a system crash after the phone recovers?  I.e. my phone is running normally, then it crashes and reboots, and I want to view the logs when it recovers to try to determine what caused the crash.  I can't find any way to view logcat in anything other than realtime, except to have a terminal emulator running and execute logcat -f logcat.txt V, then just leave it running forever.  That could build up a massive file that eats up all my storage.
I can't believe there's no way to view a crash report, I just can't figure out how.

Unfortunately logcat does not survive a hard reboot because the logs are stored in circular buffers in memory, and are never actually written to storage.  Your solution to leave a terminal session running may work, but as you said may grow the file uncontrollably, and during a reboot it may corrupt the output file.  I would suggest adding the -r and -n switches so that only the most recent entries are written:
logcat -r 1024 -n 10 -f /sdcard/logcat.txt &

This limits the logs to 10 files named "logcat.txt", "logcat.txt.2", etc., each 1MB in size.  When that limit is reached, it will overwrite the first file, and so on.
You may also want to look into /proc/last_kmsg file, which stores kernel logs just prior to the last reboot.  Use cat /proc/last_kmsg > /sdcard/last_kmsg.txt command to write its contents to a file on your storage.

The first thing is probably the best option.  Is there still risk of the last file getting corrupted on the hard crash?  Also, will the most recent log always be called logcat.txt, with the older logs incrementing their suffix, or will the newest log just overrwrite the oldest and keep the same name?

Newest one will always be called "logcat.txt", and the others will be named .1, .2, and .3.  And yes, there is always the risk of the file currently being written to getting corrupted on crash.

ok new issue.  I kicked this off from an adb shell, which is nice because it runs in the background.  but I accidentally put the output files on my internal sdcard instead of external and I can't figure out how to kill the process.  I closed the shell but the process is still running

also, it's cycling at ~16KB and only storing 5 files

In adb shell top command will give you all currently running processes.  Try killing the process named "logcat" with owner "shell".  The syntax is adb shell kill NNNN where "NNNN" is the process ID (1st column in top.)  Also, rebooting the device will definitely stop it :)


text:
How does a phone store date and time even when the battery is removed?
I have seen android phones which do not ask users to set the date and time even if I remove battery and reinsert and start the phone. If I have a SIM card inside it, I understand it fetches date and time from the network provider. But what if I do not have SIM and there is no Wi-Fi connected?

I'm afraid this is not "Android specific"-related, but I guess this is similar: there's a smaller internal battery that powers the chip. Also related (but wrong place): http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26360648/is-there-any-cmos-chip-battery-in-android

“There is in fact a second battery in every phone.” (Cf. answers 15., 19. and 48. of this discussion.)

A semi-anonymous comment on a TechDirt article isn't much of a source. In this case it may (but may not) be correct, but I wouldn't consider it "reliable" in a general sense.

They use a Real-time clock, the same as just about any other electronic device that keeps time. Newer devices have largely begun to move to supercapacitors to power the RTC, but batteries are also used. The decision depends on a variety of factors, including space and relative cost of the components.
If you want some really in-depth details on how an RTC might be designed, Texas Instruments has published the specifications for the various RTCs used in their chipsets. Here is the spec for one of their OMAP systems-on-a-chip (warning, PDF file).

As @eldarerathis said, there are secondary batteries or Real-Time-Clock (RTC) chips built into the SoCs (System-on-Chip) of each device. They are built into the circuits by the SoC provider, like Qualcomm, MediaTek, etc. Newer devices use semiconductor arrangements like the CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) battery in computers, which do the same thing. This feature is present even in many sub-par non-Android devices running proprietary operating systems.
If you dig deep into the specific operating system, (in this case, Android) you can find an option to disable it. This causes the phone to completely eliminate any power transfer inside it in some cases. However, this cannot be guaranteed to be present in all devices. It is just used to store energy to keep track of time or prevent any specific circuit from idling away.
In some cases, the time-record may be lost if the device is not used for long periods of time. In such cases, there would be no current flowing inside the circuit, because all of it would be completely used up.


text:
Where is Settings.apk on Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 (4.4.2)
I can't find Settings.apk file in /system/app directory. I use the latest stock firmware. Where can I find this APK on this device?

You can try to do an adb backup (with -system -apk of course) and see if the apk is in the backup. If it isn't, then I don't think it's in any accessible location.

Look also for /system/priv-app. I forget when that started to be used for system APKs, but it may have been there in 4.4.

@ChrisJester-Young : But that will only tell us that Settings.apk exists. How is it gonna tell us the location of it?

If your device is rooted (I assume that, since you can browse the /system/app folder), try file manager that has search feature, like ES File Explorer. When I searched it on Nexus 5 (Lollipop), it's on /system/priv-app/Settings/ just like the answer below... or Samsung doesn't name it as Settings.apk. Instead, could you explain a little why you want to find that APK?

You're right, in kitkat(and up) it maybe deleted from above address but,
I found this on Lollipop 5.0.2 in :

/system/priv-app/Settings/Settings.apk

Hope you can find it.

Edit : file founded in KitKat-emulator (API-19) with below address :

/system/priv-app/Settings.apk

Proof :

I've checked — the only related to Settings apk is SecSettings.apk in this directory.

check my answer please, Updated.

I believe you, but unfortunately my question is related to Samsung device, not vanilla Android. My directory listing looks like this: http://pastebin.com/H5WbnDKb

it was on 4.4.2 KitKat not vanilla... anyway, i find this and also : settings.jar in /system/framework. hope , it can help you.

Thanks, I'll check it. "vanilla" kernel/OS means "original", without any vendor changes. For example, Android SDK or Nexus devices have "vanilla" android :)

ok :) but, can i ask you why this file important for you ? if you cant find it at The future, try or flash stock rom and check it again, maybe this file deleted or something like that.but i already installed 5.0.2 and this problem not exist,(as i said, i find it) this is intresting on kitkat.


text:
Unable to backup/export/access an SMS conversation on Android
I am attempting to use "SMS Backup and Restore" to backup 2 particular SMS conversation threads from my phone. The SMS app I use is Textra. My problem is when I go to select the conversations (or export ALL conversations), it seems to NOT include the conversations I'm after in the list. In fact it appears to show every conversation (in descending datetime order, UNTIL this conversation, and then no more before that)
I don't know why this is the case. It almost appears like there's an issue with that conversation, and when it gets to that thread, it can't get beyond that. I understand that Texta supposedly inserts a copy of SMS's into the android's main SMS database. I'm not sure if the issue is with the backup program, or the data in the internal SMS database, or something Textra has done.
Two possibilities came to mind:
These 2 conversations are VERY large in size, thousands of messages, and a number of MMS/images/etc. Could this be the reason they're not available for exporting? Perhaps too large in size or something?
I switched to use an SD card at a certain point. Is it possible SMS Backup and Restore is only looking at SMS records that have been inserted into the SD card database and not the internal storage? (assuming that's how it works?) if that's the case is there a way I can have it look at internal? Is there a way to test this?
Note this is actually a very critical issue, involving a fragile, legal situation. I need to export/access these SMS's so I can access/format/print them out etc.
I have in the past been able to do this with SMS Backup and Restore without any problem.
I basically want to know how I can access and export these conversation threads. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would be extremely grateful and appreciative for any advice.
If there's another way to access the SMS data and get it onto my computer (raw data??) I would be willing to explore that if there's no other options.
I'm using Sony Xperia z3, with Android 4.4.4.

Anyone have any suggestions on this?
Is there a way i can access the Textra data files directly - does anyone know where they are?
I am really stuck on this one :(

I have finally found a solution to this issue. Rather than repeat what's already been written very clearly and concisely, I will just refer to the URL:

http://blog.shvetsov.com/2013/02/access-android-app-data-without-root.html

This provides a way to get access to the SQLite database that Textra uses, and export it to a computer, without needing root access. I am sincerely grateful to the guy that posted this! Potentially saved me from serious legal consequences had I been unable to access this information on my phone.


text:
Syncing Outlook Calendar Events to Google Calendar
Good morning everyone,
I am having a peculiar issue with syncing calendar events between outlook, my phone, and Google calendar.  I have been using Android Sync to import all of my outlook calendar events onto my phone and have not had any issues with syncing that way.  Android sync gives me the option to sync to a local calendar on my phone or to sync to my Google account.  Either way it appears that only a local sync is completed.  If I sync to my Google account, the calendar events show up on my phone, and are readable/editable, but as soon as Google calendar refreshes (usually via reload on PC) all of the events are removed from my phone.
I am trying to convert from using a local copy of my calendar to a shared copy so that other employees can have access to my schedule.
Thanks in advance!

Not being a Microsoft user: Does Outlook support any external calendar sources? In that case, maybe you can get it to work via an "intermediary".

There are ways to import calendars into outlook, and you can subscribe to a google calendar, but it is only one-way. A few years ago (circa 2012) Google had a direct sync between outlook and google calendar that allowed you to create and edit events in either and would automatically sync changes together, unfortunately they discontinued that.

There are several results turning up for "outlook sync". SyncRoid even has been updated this January. Worth a look I'd say.

Not sure, as an alternative:
An alternative to the google calendar outlook calendar sync issue is as follows:

Ensure that you export all outlook calendar into google calendar once only (ensure that you use your google calendar not the phone calendar for all appointments or change them so that they are)
Use google calendar to create and update all events
To then use outlook: export from google calendar and then import this calendar into a NEW outlook calendar
Rename the new calendar in Outlook to today's date (deleting or hiding other outlook calendars)
Repeat steps 3 and 4 on a regular basis , deleting the out of date ones from outlook

Regards
Chris UK

This is essentially what I have ended up doing, it's unfortunate that I haven't been able to get an automatic way to do this sync, as I was previously able to automatically sync outlook to my phone. Oh well, a little elbow grease never hurt anyone!


text:
Connecting phone contacts with facebook contacts, sync.me can't find right one
I've got a phone contact named Dave T. On Facebook his name is David Tiger. Sync.me can't find him for some reason, though it normally does work. I think it has to do with Dave vs David how can I fix this? What I really want is the picture beside the contact.
I've got Xperia Z2 running Lollipop.

As I've read, this is because of new FB restrictions (which are changed quite frequently), which don't allow SyncMe (or any other app) to use the FB friends list.
What you can do is to try to perform more operations on FB with this contact, so that other ways that the apps (like SyncMe) use to get the friends list will succeed. Maybe tagging in photos is enough.


text:
How do I collapse outlines in OneNote app?
I understand OneNote for desktop can collapse/expand outlines to any levels. However, I failed to find this feature in OneNote Android app (version 15.0.2727.2300). Did I miss it?

I suspect the answer is no. :-(

Almost one year later and version 15.0.3232.1047 and this critical function is still missing - unless someone can explain how to this?
So I would say the answer is no


text:
does factory reset delete my gmail contacts, drive files, google plus photos e.t.c?
I have a Note 4 and this is my first smartphone ever. So I'm illiterate about all these sync, backup, restore, reset stuff on smartphones. I setup the phone to sync all my contacts, google drive, google photos etc with my phone and it works fine. I even setup remote lock, locate my phone thing online. Now if I loose my phone or sell/give it to somebody else, I need to make sure I'll erase everything on my phone but keep all my data on gmail contacts, drive, photos untouched. I'm not using SD card.
If I do factory reset

Do my gmail contacts, files in my drive, photos will be erased too or not?
Do I need to change my google password or my other accounts passwords after factory reset?
Wipe my device on findmymobile.samsung.com does it erase my online contacts, files in drive and photos?

Probably worth noting: for those that are using an SD card and are storing photos on the SD card, I believe there is an option that needs enabling when resetting the phone, if you want the SD card also wiped. I am curious how these remote-wipe services (either from Samsung or Google) deal with SD card stored data.

The general rule of thumb is:
Anything that you can access online from your computer will not get deleted forever.
For example:

emails and contacts that you can access on gmail.com. all of those will not be deleted.
files that you access in drive.Google.com, also not deleted.
but photos that you can see on your phone but not on google photos, those are not backed up anywhere and will be gone once you factory reset. (It happens if you're not backing up all folders from your phone)

Password makes no difference, once you factory reset anything that was on the phone is gone, including the credentials from your accounts.

Any data that is synced to your google account is safe. Factory Reset will only wipe data that is stored locally on your phone. Resetting your password won't hurt, but it's probably not necessary, especially if you use multifactor authentication.
Update
Ars Technica is reporting on a study that shows some information on some devices may remain after a factory reset. This could potentially include login credentials. For extra protection, it is recommended that you encrypt your device with a very secure password (more than 11 characters) prior to doing a factory reset. This will make recovery of that data less likely. I would add that many services allow you to revoke access from individual devices. For instance, devices may be removed from Google by going to security.google.com/settings/security/activity, selecting your old device and clicking remove.