text:
How to read 2 or more documents side-by-side in Android?
When I do my math exercises, I need to view the book and the exercises at the same time. Sometime I need to open a third PDF, but it's more optional. How can I do so with Android? On iPad I use the application Side by Side, which allows to read up to 4 different PDFs side by side.
I use Nexus 7 with Android 4.4.2.

In order to help you, we need some more information, like: What brand and model of device do you have? What version of Android does it have? Add any other additional info you guess it can be of use to answer your question.

Try using floating apps. Multi window feature is only available on a few android devices like samsung Note, etc.
Floating apps will provide similar functionality. Try this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lwi.android.flappsfull

You may also look here: How do I run two programs at once in split-screen?
Tested on a Samsung Note 10.1 (SM-P605) with Android 4.3 i found some apps which are supporting multi window, e.g:

My Files (*)
stock Video Player
MX Player
stock email app
Gmail
stock Webbrowser (*)
Chrome
Gallery
Contacts
Phone
Google maps
Polaris Office 5
WhatsApp
Facebook
Watch now
Chat on (*)
Google Play Store

But there are really very few apps capable to run with multiple instances (from the above list only those which are marked with (*)).
So, you can for example open My Files twice (left & right of upper & lower half screen):

Unfortunally, Polaris Office 5 (pdf viewer) isn't capable to run twice. So if you want to view 2 pdf docs side by side, it seems that you have to install a 2nd pdf viewer app and e.g. open Polaris Office 5 on the left and the other pdf viewer on the right side of the screen. A short look to Google Play Store for pdf viewers that support multi window:

PDF Reader from Ivan Ivanenko (free)
Ebooka PDF Viewer from Ivan Ivanenko (free)
RepliGo PDF Reader (paid, 2,26€)

At the following screenshot I had opened Ivan Ivanenko's PDF Reader & Ebooka PDF Viewer side by side:


text:
Sending group emails from gmail app in my nexus 10
How do I send a group email from gmail app. The group name is not recognised. Have tried from people as well and cannot work out how to do it. In my android phone it works from my group contacts list.

GMail App didn't have this option yet.
You can try this App. Its called contacts GroupU.
It will list all Groups and just press and hold on any group and select send Email.
Then there will be a pop up with Gmail app listed in it.
Select it. You are done.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Why won't my S4 charge in the USB port
I am trying to charge my Galaxy S4 in my laptop but no matter which USB port it is in it will not charge. It is completely dead now. I am abroad and the adapter doesn't charge it either. HELP!

At first glance I can see (at least) one of the following problems:

The phone's "charging system" is dead(worst case).
Cable/charger is broken
Battery is dead.

Of course I cannot deduct something more precise, because of the lack of information you provide, but what I would do is the following:

Ask someone to lend you a micro usb cable to try charge it(use both wall plugs along with adapter and a PC usb port).
If the above wont work, take it to a local electronics shop to test your battery.
If the above fails too, you are probably unlucky.

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


text:
I want to install Viber and WhatsApp on Android emulator
I want to install Viber and WhatsApp on Android emulator. Kindly help me out.

Can you try the advice here: http://shahzadimam.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/instal-whatsapp-in-android-emulator/ and see if that works. I've never managed it myself as I 've never been able to verify the account.

So what is stopping you? Where's the problem? Maybe you [edit] your question and add some more details?

If you got that .apk file downloaded in your system, you can easily install that by the following steps.

First of all copy the .apk file to the android sdk --> 'platform-tools' directory
To start the emulator use type the following command on your terminal
cd /path_to_android_sdk/platform-tools    // press enter
then type the following to start the emulator
emulator -avd <emulator_name>  // press enter

<emulator_name> is the name that you have given when you first created that emulator. If you don't know that name, go to eclipse and click window-->Avd and Sdk manager. On that window you can see the AVD name.
After that wait for a couple of minutes so that the emulator starts. After that, unlock the emulator:

Open another tab in terminal or open another terminal and type the following commands
cd /path_to_android_sdk/platform-tools; ls //press enter
Now you should see your application name.
adb install <name_of_the_apk> // press enter
./adb install <name_of_the_apk> // for MAC machine

After that you can see a success message.

Eventually press on the menu launcher button on the emulator where you can see your application installed. Click on the icon to launch that application.

That's a great explanation of how to install APK files in the Android emulator using ADB, but the OP doesn't have an APK file to install.

Ok. We can direct him to download apk files from third party sites(both apps are free, nothing illegal)

@DanHulme also he didn't mention about that.

You can get .apk files to your PC.
Create a simple html page with a link to your .apk
download

Use web browser in Emulator to access and download the file and install from SDCard of Emulator.

This step is completely unnecessary. If you have access to the APK files, you can put them in the emulator's SD card image directly. But that's not useful unless you have the APK file to start with.

Since WhatsApp is installed you have to activate it, but they blocked activation via SMS for  emulator-based installation, so use «Call me» activation option.
They call you and type the given number, that should enable WhatsApp to use on AVD-emulator.

Easy way
1) Download the apk file from http://www.whatsapp.com/android/current/WhatsApp.apk
2) Drag the apk file on Android Emulator and Follow the Steps


text:
How do I change my debit card details in Google Play?
How do I change my ATM card details in Google play as my old card has been damaged and I cannot purchase anything from my Android phone?

As Dan has detailed in his answer you can change it via the Play Store on your phone or you can manage your payment methods via the Google Wallet site. This should allow you to remove your old/damaged card and add a new payment method.

When you get the small white dialog with the green Buy button, press the down-arrow in the top-right corner (next to the price). Then click on Payment options and Add credit or debit card.


text:
Touchless Control 3.15.0.1 Cannot uninstall
My Motorola Ultra with Android version 4.2.2 contains 3.15.0.1 Touchless Control. I have uninstalled the software both from Google Play and App Settings. However, the device still says "Update", instead of "install".
How can I successfully uninstall the Touchless Control?
Note: The reason why I would like to uninstall it would pertain to the reason for installing the most updated version.

Does it say "Uninstall" or "Disable"? If the latter, then it is a system app which cannot be removed (by normal means). You need to disable it if you want it gone. However, you don't need to remove it to install a newer version. Just run the update.

It says "Uninstall". I uninstalled it and ran the update. However, Touchless Control still possess 3.15.01 version.

Then I am unclear exactly what it is you're trying to do or what the problem is.

I changed my current build, and it seems to have solved the problem.

@FranzNoel Can you post your last comment (and specify what build, etc) as an answer, and mark it as an answer later? Thanks.

I have same problem unable to remove Touchless Chat. Please follow this method and you are able to remove this software from your phone.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/how-remove-virus-from-android-phone-or-tablet-image-gunpoder-3605390/
After step 1, go to step 3 and in security Device administrator you will see Touchless software, uncheck it and then uninstall option give you to uninstall.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.


text:
Is there any way to stop Android from changing "I want $5.00" into "I want$ 5.00"?
I don't even know why it does this, tbh, since pretty much everyone writes $xx.xx and not anything else, such as xx.xxUS$ or anything like that.
Note: Turning off Auto-Punctuate does not fix this problem, so this is my hail mary attempt to get rid of this "feature."  :P
(Edit: My phone is a Motorola Droid 2 Global.  The problem exists no matter if the physical or on-screen keyboard is used.)

Never seen either of my phones do anything like that, on ithe default keyboard, or Swype. What phone and keyboard are you using?

@GAThrawn I've got a Motorola Droid 2 Global.  Added that to the original post to increase visibility.

@Michael Do you get the problem using the physical keyboard, or the soft-keyboard on the touch-screen or both? I've only ever used Androids with soft-keyboards, but on those at least there are a lot of keyboard replacements available in the Market, many have their own auto-correct rules.

Are you using the English language in Android or some other language?

@GAThrawn The problem exists both on the physical and on-screen keyboard.

@Bryan Yes, the English language is selected in the Language  & Keyboard options section.

I also experience this on a Droid2 Global, so @Michael is not delusional. It happens for me with double quotes following a space, which is absolutely infuriating.

Yep... quite a few punctuation characters perform like this, it seems.  It's good for periods, commas, etc., but not some others: &, *, -, + ... and I find $ and " to be especially annoying.

The problem is with Stock keyboard app/service. It can't be fixed by normal means. Simply, use third-party soft keyboard apps viz. SwiftKey, Go Keyboard EX, A.I. Type Keyboard, Hacker's Keyboard etc.


text:
Contacts sync stuck updating on Moto E 2G
My mom's Moto E (2nd Generation) has the following problem: after an OS OTA update (to v 5.1 security fix 2016-03-16), the contacts refuse to sync. The sync rolling icon is constantly showing, there are no contacts available, and the battery drains like crazy. She tried several restarts, and also left it alone for almost a day - no dice; the app is currently still "updating contacts".
I logged into her Google account using a browser - all looks well, and all the contacts are there. My dad has the exact same phone and OS, and no issues with his contacts - so I'm clueless as to how to continue or who to contact.
Things I've tried (remotely with her :( ):

Turn contacts sync off and on under accounts
Remove the entire Google account and add it again  -everything syncs but contacts
Erase the cache of the contacts app

Any ideas how to proceed? Is this an OS, app, or Google account issue?

Well, I had to reset the phone to its factory state, and reinstall all from scratch. I've seen this question asked on several forums, with no satisfactory answer.
If you come across one in the future, ping me, and I'll reopen the question. Until then, just restore your phone. Tons of work for (what I'm sure is) a very simple sync bug :(.


text:
all android devices on my LAN can ONLY connect to the gateway
I have a phone running 2.3 and a tablet running 3.1 on the wireles network along with a bunch of computers. I have a bit of a networking mistery.
Here are the facts:

all the devices can get the the internet.
the non-android devices can all connect to each other.
the android devices can connect to only the gateway not to anything else
none of the other device can ping the android devices.
the tablet can connect to local computers on my work's LAN.

on the phone I see only a route to the local netowrk and a default gateway
ip address:
... many rmnet addresses ...
eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdic pfifo_fast static UP plen 1000
inet/ether 64:a7:69:70:76:7b brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
inet 192.168.11.4/24 brd 192.168.11.255 scope global eth0
inet <link local ip6>

on the tablet:
# ip r
192.168.11.1 dev wlan0  scope link
192.168.11.0/24 dev wlan0  proto kernel  scope link  src 192.168.11.6  metric 306
default via 192.168.11.1 dev wlan0
default via 192.168.11.1 dev wlan0  metric 306
#
#
# ip a
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 16436 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN
    link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
    inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
    inet6 ::1/128 scope host
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: dummy0: <BROADCAST,NOARP> mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN
    link/ether 42:cf:a5:fd:26:81 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
3: usb0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN qlen 1000
    link/ether 1e:2e:a2:c3:16:7e brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
4: sit0: <NOARP> mtu 1480 qdisc noop state DOWN
    link/sit 0.0.0.0 brd 0.0.0.0
5: ip6tnl0: <NOARP> mtu 1460 qdisc noop state DOWN
    link/tunnel6 :: brd ::
6: wlan0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP qlen 1000
    link/ether f4:6d:04:39:26:21 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 192.168.11.6/24 brd 192.168.11.255 scope global wlan0
    inet6 fe80::f66d:4ff:fe39:2621/64 scope link
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

also on the tablet i see that the problem is arp requests failing:
# ping 192.168.11.100
PING 192.168.11.100 (192.168.11.100) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 192.168.11.3 icmp_seq=2 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.11.3 icmp_seq=3 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.11.3 icmp_seq=4 Destination Host Unreachable
^C
--- 192.168.11.100 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 0 received, +3 errors, 100% packet loss, time 4005ms, pipe 3
# ip neighbor show
192.168.11.100 dev wlan0  FAILED
192.168.11.1 dev wlan0 lladdr 00:16:01:a1:a4:18 STALE
#

should i move this to server fault?  it's android specific, but also about networking?

Sounds to me like something to do with Android, it's probably OK to stay here.  I just checked and I can't ping my Android phone on my wireless network ... interesting.  Considering I can remote desktop from the phone into my laptop.

Any chance you have MAC address filtering or something else in place that would be blocking your devices from the rest of your network?

checked the router config and confirmed that the mac filtering is off, as well as "privacy separation"

broke out the packet sniffer and determined that broadcast arp request from android devices where being dropped in the access point.
turned out to be a bug with my Buffalo 300n wireless access point.
cheep new AP and problem gone... apparently some APs just don't talk to Android?
solved by using the principal of "replace the cheapest things first"


text:
Samsung Galaxy S: phone won't send or receive calls and text messages
I own a rooted Samsung Galaxy S, running 2.2 Froyo. My service provider is AT&T.
Every so often, around about once a week to once a month, my phone will unexpectedly, without warning, enter a state where it refuses to send or receive text messages and phone calls. The only way I've found to get my phone to work normally again is by rebooting.
Specifically, if I try sending a text message, it just says sending but never actually seems to send anything. I don't receive any text messages at all (and when I turn my phone back on, I might receive several at once that were sent over an hour ago).
I don't receive any phone calls.
When I try calling somebody, I don't hear the 'ringing noise', and the phone attempts to call endlessly without actually doing so. If I give up, and try clicking the red 'End Call' button, it does return me to the homescreen but displays the phone symbol in the notification bar.
If I slide the notification tray down, it has a sort of green 'in-progress' calling thing with a few buttons to mute or end the call. Attempting to end the call does absolutely nothing, and the 'call in-progress' thing is stuck there until I reboot.
However, the internet (both wifi and 3G) both seem to work.
I'm not sure exactly what causes this issue, or precisely how frequently this occurs. Since I only notice when I need to call somebody or am expecting a call, I suppose it's entirely possible that this issue occurs more frequently then I notice and just as silently resolves itself (although I have no idea how to check this).
I've tried searching on the internet, but wasn't able to find anything useful. Can somebody identify what's wrong with my phone, or help me diagnose the issue?
Edit:
Here's my logcat and here's the output I got after running adb bugreport. The error/crash last occurred on Thursday, Jan 10, 2013. I know that I wasn't receiving phone calls/text messages starting from at least about 3:20pm (Pacific time), and I rebooted the phone around 4:10-4:20pm.

Can you enclose the logcat to enable us to diagnose it?

@t0mm13b: I added the logcat. Let me know if there's anything else I can add/if I did it incorrectly.

I get exactly the same symptoms with my non-Android no-quite-so-smart (Nokia) phone every week or so!? Different service provider. The phone appears to be functioning OK otherwise.

I am suspecting, after reading the logcat and dump, the kernel killed off quite a few processes, whether its down to the ROM itself, or a buggy RIL (Radio Interface Layer), RIL is responsible for communicating with the cellular radio base-band firmware.
This is the excerpt from the kernel, showing Dolphin, Alarm Clock, Google Voice(?) getting killed off:
[125362.321461] select 2452 (ogle.android.gm), adj 8, size 5199, to kill
[125362.321481] select 2543 (.osp.app.signin), adj 9, size 3650, to kill
[125362.321495] select 2559 (pp.clockpackage), adj 9, size 4222, to kill
[125362.321512] send sigkill to 2559 (pp.clockpackage), adj 9, size 4222
[125363.255635] select 1225 (ek.TunnyBrowser), adj 7, size 19674, to kill
[125363.255657] select 2452 (ogle.android.gm), adj 8, size 5189, to kill
[125363.255671] select 2543 (.osp.app.signin), adj 9, size 3648, to kill
[125363.255684] select 2597 (gphone.acc.free), adj 9, size 3850, to kill
[125363.255699] send sigkill to 2597 (gphone.acc.free), adj 9, size 3850
[125364.339592] touch_led_control: 2
[125365.378613] select 1225 (ek.TunnyBrowser), adj 7, size 19294, to kill
[125365.378646] select 2452 (ogle.android.gm), adj 8, size 5061, to kill
[125365.378664] select 2543 (.osp.app.signin), adj 9, size 3604, to kill
[125365.378681] select 2611 (ock.xtreme.free), adj 9, size 3969, to kill
[125365.378702] send sigkill to 2611 (ock.xtreme.free), adj 9, size 3969

This is the excerpt from the telephony, note the gap in time logged, last logged at 19:23:48.949 and 19:35:33.144:
01-13 19:23:48.949 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14954]> REQUEST_GET_NEIGHBORING_CELL_IDS
01-13 19:23:48.949 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14954]> GET_NEIGHBORING_CELL_IDS
01-13 19:23:48.949 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14954]< GET_NEIGHBORING_CELL_IDS fails by E_REQUEST_NOT_SUPPORTED
01-13 19:23:48.949 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14954]< REQUEST_GET_NEIGHBORING_CELL_IDS error: com.android.internal.telephony.CommandException: REQUEST_NOT_SUPPORTED
01-13 19:35:33.144 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14955]> SCREEN_STATE: true
01-13 19:35:33.148 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14955]> SCREEN_STATE (1)
01-13 19:35:33.152 D/GSM     ( 2574): [GsmMultiDCT] Stop poll NetStat
01-13 19:35:33.644 D/RILC    ( 2366): [UNSL]< UNSOL_RESPONSE_NETWORK_STATE_CHANGED

Further on in the log related to telephony:
01-13 19:36:13.891 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14972]< QUERY_NETWORK_SELECTION_MODE {0}
01-13 19:36:13.891 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14971]< SCREEN_STATE
01-13 19:36:13.891 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14972]< QUERY_NETWORK_SELECTION_MODE {0}
01-13 19:36:13.895 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14973]< OPERATOR {AT&T,AT&T,310410}
01-13 19:36:13.899 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14973]< OPERATOR {AT&T, AT&T, 310410}
01-13 19:36:13.899 I/GSM     ( 2574): EVENT_POLL_STATE_OPERATOR
01-13 19:36:13.899 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14974]< GPRS_REGISTRATION_STATE { 1,a7e9,007537ea,9}
01-13 19:36:13.899 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14974]< GPRS_REGISTRATION_STATE {1, a7e9, 007537ea, 9}
01-13 19:36:13.899 D/RILC    ( 2366): [14975]< REGISTRATION_STATE {1,a7e9,007537ea,(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),(null),0}
01-13 19:36:13.903 D/RILJ    ( 2574): [14975]< REGISTRATION_STATE {1, a7e9, 007537ea, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, 0}
01-13 19:36:13.923 I/GSM     ( 2574): <Leo> PrePLMN: 310410, plmn: 310410, ss.getState(): 0
01-13 19:36:13.923 I/GSM     ( 2574): handlePollStateResult(); regState: 1, mNewLuRejCause: 0
01-13 19:36:13.923 D/GSM     ( 2574): Poll ServiceState done:  oldSS=[0 home AT&T AT&T 310410  HSDPA CSS not supported -1 -1RoamInd: -1DefRoamInd: -1EmergOnly: false] newSS=[0 home AT&T AT&T 310410  HSDPA CSS not supported -1 -1RoamInd: -1DefRoamInd: -1EmergOnly: false] oldGprs=0 newGprs=0 oldType=HSDPA newType=HSDPA
01-13 19:36:21.298 D/RILC    ( 2366): [0001]> OEM_HOOK_RAW (raw_size=6)
01-13 19:36:21.302 D/RILC    ( 2366): [0001]< OEM_HOOK_RAW
01-13 19:36:21.306 D/RILC    ( 2366): [UNSL]< <unknown request> {0}
01-13 19:36:21.306 D/RILJ    ( 2574): processing unsol response: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unrecognized unsol response: 11012

The NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone) crops up a fair bit too, as shown below within the same telephony log, IIRC, NITZ handling was not exactly great up to ICS, in which a patch was made to handle the handling of the timezones (either roaming when browsing the net or something awry went wrong with the RIL:
01-13 19:13:19.035 D/RILC    ( 2366): sendUnsolicitedResponses: multi client index=2, fd=28
01-13 19:13:19.035 D/RILC    ( 2366): [UNSL]< UNSOL_NITZ_TIME_RECEIVED {13/01/14,03:13:18-32,00}

The telephony errors shown, are sticking out like a sore thumb, and also down to the fact that Froyo 2.2, is old, and may not be able to handle whatever issue is with AT&T that causes it. Also, AT&T could have had their systems updated/upgraded, that is sending out extra telephony information/NITZ in a format that Froyo cannot handle and freezes.
Best bet would be to try a firmware update and see if that resolves the issue.
Prior to doing an update, since the handset is rooted, best to make a backup of everything, use Titanium Backup to backup user apps and data, use SMS Backup & Restore to save the SMS messages. It will be inevitable that the upgrade will lose root, but then again, it would be easy to do that after the upgrade.

It appears that there are some defects in your handset. So, there are no simple hacks or mends specifically apply to your situation. But here are some ...suggestions on how you can recover from the error... and some tips to ...diagnose the issue... as you have asked.

Try using a different SIM card in your device. These kind of problems are often caused when the SIM card does not contact the metal connectors on your phone.
Check your signal strength. When there is poor signal levels, some devices act wierd when they are have poor reception form the carrier.
Go to your mobile network settings and try switching between the different network modes available.

If none of the above solved your problem, you should talk to your dealer/manufacturer (and claim your warranty if applicable) or its time to change the handset. Option for updating your OS to the latest Ice Cream Sandwich is non applicable. Your device do not have an official update available (src)

No variant of Galaxy S will receive an ICS update. See the the source link you posted.

Does the phone allow you to enter Airplane mode? Try enable then disable it.
This may not completely solve the problem, but is a workaround for other phones that have similar issues.

It does let me enter airplane mode, and I tried toggling it on and off several times, but unfortunately it doesn't appear to make a difference.


text:
Cannot add users on Nexus 7
I recently purchased the Google Nexus 7 tablet running Android 4.2. This link describes how to manage multiple users on the same device. However the menu item "Users" does not exist on my table under the "Device" item.
The following menu items are visible:

Sound
Display
Storage
Battery
Apps

Do I have to enable some other settings so that this item will become visible?

You shouldn't have to, have a look at this screen shot http://cdn3.pcadvisor.co.uk/cmsdata/features/3418647/Nexus_Daydream_1_thumb.png it shows where 'Users' should be.

possible duplicate of Cannot add users on Nexus 7

Following the screenshot my device does not show the item "Users". It only shows: Sound, Display, Storage, Battery, Apps.

@t0mm13b 'Possible' duplicate? ;) I've already flagged the other one and this one contains more info so should probably keep this one open.

@Peanut yeah, I saw that, that you flagged the other one as a duplicate... ooops, cyclic duplicates... xD

@Robert can you confirm your android version number please? my nexus 7 runs 4.2.1 and shows users menu option. can you check for updates?

To the close-voters: The mentioned duplicate has just been closed in favour of this questions, so it's a bad idea to cross-close both of them ;)

It certainly shouldn't matter, but what flavor of device did you get? Did you get the 3G version?

The problem has been solved. My device (3G) had Android 4.2 installed initially. However the multiple user functionality is only available with Android 4.2.1. My device didn't show the udpate. Today it did - no idea why - and now the item is visible.

Please accept this as the solution :)

Takes me another 17 hours to do so :-)


text:
How use the Samsung Galaxy S3 stock contact/phone app with custom ROM?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Verizon with the custom ROM Cyanogenmod 10.1. It has it's own people app and dialer.
Previously, before I rooted my phone and installed the Cyanogenmod, the S3 comes with Samsung's TouchWiz along with all of Samsung's built-in apps. One of the apps was their dialer and contacts app.
Is there anyway, while using the Cyanogenmod, to replace the Cyanogenmod's default phone app with the original S3's phone app? Is there an apk file of the phone app I could install?
Thanks!

You need to get a stock ROM of the same Android version. In this case 4.2 JellyBean, since its the base of Cyanogenmod 10.1.
Once you get the stock ROM, you can open it with any zip viewer and get the apps you want from /system/app, then you just connect the phone via USB and adb push the apps to /system/app in the phone. Be sure to wipe cache/dalvik and reboot to apply the changes.
Another easier way is if you have a nandroid of your last stock ROM (and its JB also). You can open the nandroid with WinRAR and get the needed apps from /system/app without searching for the stock ROM.

Will this work - I mean even if the resources (in framework-res.apk) between CM10.1 ROM and stock ROM are out of alignment, this is going to cause trouble - not sure, just a hunch :)

Where can I find the Samsung Galaxy S3 stock ROM?

You can check if they're already uploaded to SamMobile: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/


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How can blind users enter (keyboard) characters without resorting to a braille I/O device?
If I am unable to use my eyesight¹ and also unable to use my mouth², then how can I comfortably enter characters into my device using only one free hand?
Suppose TalkBack is enabled. Is there gestures I can perhaps (set up or register and then) use to enter characters or Chinese idiograms into the device (without using the keyboard given that hovering over keyboard keys and having each key sounded out by TalkBack seems awkward and using the keyboard with TalkBack seems unnatural to me at least)?

¹ for instance because my screen may be blinded by a very intense outdoors sun or because my eyes may be undergoing adaptation from intense light to dark light environments or vice-versa or because of an accident or because I may be taking part in an experiment requiring me to have my eyes covered with a bandage wrapped around my eyes or because I may have headphones on so as not to make noise and may be sleeping in a place with beds sharing a common room and the light coming from my device would wake others up and lead me into trouble
² for instance I may have a piccolo or other musical mouth instrument in my mouth, or I may be in the situation of a shared bedroom in the dark just described and talking would make noise, or may have a speech disability or disorder

You asked a lot of different questions here.  I have very tech savvy blind family members, and tech savvy deaf family members, so I'm always interested to participate in these discussions.  If you get some flack for your question being too broad, then I would suggest you split this into multiple questions over a few days and see what the community comes up with for each scenerio.


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Samsung Kies fails to restore all my stuff. What other software can I use to complete the process?
I spoke with the Samsung Support today, and as part of the troubleshooting process they asked me to do a backup of the phone and then reset it. I followed through and I've done that (the initial problem still remained). What they failed to tell me is that I won't be able to restore all my stuff to the phone. Because apparently, the Samsung Kies (version 2.6.1.13105_7) can only restore some parts of your data from a previous backup.
When you make a backup, it offers to include everything in the backup. Here's a list of the stuff it offers to backup.
 - Contacts
 - S Planner (Calendar)
 - Call log(s)
 - S Health
 - Message(s)
 - Videos
 - Music
 - Photos
 - Miscellaneous content files
 - Ringtone(s)
 - Applications
 - Home screen
 - Wi-Fi
 - Lock screen
 - Email account information
 - Other preferences

(Click on screenshots below for a bigger view.)

This is what it offers to restore after the reset.
 - Contacts
 - S Planner
 - Message
 - Videos
 - Music
 - Photos
 - Miscelaneous content files

Obviously, it offers to restore less than half of the things it had taken a backup of. Why offer to backup something you know you can't restore?... This makes absolutely no sense! It's absolutely insane!!
The options that I can't select for restore are greyed out. There's also a small blue warning triangle icon with exclamation mark on the side of each of these options. If I hover over this icon I get a bubble message explaining the following.

This item cannot be restored to the connected device.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?... It's still the same bloody "smart" phone! It's not like I have switched to some Samsung Bada phone or something. It's exactly the same phone?... So what the hell!?...
How do I restore the rest of the stuff like apps, app data, messages, account settings, customized settings, widgets and app shortcuts on the home screens?
I can see it has taken a backup of more than it likes to admit! I can see a whole list of APK files in a subfolder of the backup location. I recognize some of them as the apps I had previously installed. So why doesn't it want to restore them then?
File locations...
Everything that has been backed up can be found in this location.

%userprofile%\Documents\samsung\Kies\Backup\GT-I9506\GT-I9506_\GT-I9506_20140108044055

Contacts, logs, messages, calendar events, etc. is stored in

.\Calllog.scl
.\Contacts.spb
.\LockScreen.sls
.\Message.sme
.\SHealth.ssh
.\SPlanner.ssc
.\Wallpaper.swp
.\WIFI.swi

Even the Wifi settings!

Apps are stored in

.\APPLICATION\_SamsungBnR_\Abackup

Some sort of settings are stored in

.\CONFIGURATION\BR\Configuration.bk

Email messages are stored in

.\EMAIL\BR\Email.bk

Music files are stored in

.\Music

App data seems to be stored in a folder named Others
e.g. the backup files from ColorNote are stored in

.\Others\data\colornote\backup

Pictures are stored in

.\Photo

Videos are stored in

.\Video

Photos and videos are stored as actual media files and they can be read without a problem. But all the other files (scl, spb, sls, sme, ssh, ssc, swp, swi, bk) are encoded in a format I can't read, and some might be encrypted. Is there a way I can open and make use of these files and have them imported to the phone? Or is it just garbage now?

I solved the same problem with Samsung Kies (version 2.6.1.13105_7) installing older version 2.6.0.13074_14 downloaded from Samsung pages.
http://www.samsung.com/cz/support/model/GT-I9195ZKAETL-downloads

Thanks for sharing this solution! Could you please [edit] your answer and include a link to the mentioned download page?

authors: Ган Очир Жанчив


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Alternative Functions from Bluetooth Input
Is it possible to modify what a Bluetooth input effects, such as changing a key press of a Bluetooth keyboard to instead record a tap on a certain location of the screen on your device? (I am running a Kindle Fire HD.)


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multiple user for Android
I have a Le Pan Mini with Android 4.2.2. It's obviously not the greatest device but it's what I could afford and most importantly it has 4.2 which is supposed to support multiple users.
But it doesn't.
I am sure I have the 4.2.2 but users doesn't pop up in the settings menu. Any ideas on what I should do?

In Android 4.2, only tablets support multiple user profiles, not phones. This means it's up to the manufacturer to enable multiple users when they set up Android for the device (what's called system integration). Since the Le Pan Mini is a tablet, they should have turned on this support. You should report this bug to the manufacturer (and let us know what they say, to help future visitors).
It's sometimes possible to change this using a customized, unofficial firmware, but that relies on having a community of knowledgeable users who can do the work necessary to create a new firmware image: this is very hard without the manufacturer's support. Since your device is not a mainstream one, it's unlikely there are enough interested people with the necessary skills.

Get root and then install the Xposed framework:
http://mdc.gd/xposedfw
And then the MoDaCo Toolkit:
http://www.modaco.com/topic/361634-xmod-modaco-toolkit-for-xposed-framework/
Once everything is installed, and the MoDaCo module is activated inside Xposed framework (you need to go back into it once it's installed and running and do this), you can then enable multi-users in MoDaCo (as well as many, many other hacks - BE CAREFUL!).
After a reboot, go into your Android settings and there will be a "Users" section. Enjoy!
This all works perfectly on my Son's similarly cheap Ondo V701s. I have the primary account (which gets root access and other goodies), he gets a pared-down desktop with mostly games.
One thing to note; my "Onda Desktop" refused to function on the second user's account and I installed Nova, removed the default launcher. I'm guessing other Chinese tablet manufacturer's will have similarly flakey custom launchers. The Standard Android 4.4 launcher also works well (I briefly played with GoogleHome.apk v0.9.6.886092).

authors: สุรไกร จาระเสน


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how do I get my exchange email to notifiy me when my phone is in my holder? HTC DNA
I only get notification when I have my phone in opened (in my hand unlocked) from my Exchange (work). I need to get the phone to alert me when it is just setting there. Right now I have to open the phone and check, this does not work for after hours support. I have a HTC DNA. Any help would me nice, for me this is a job exposure.

This will depend on large part what email app you're using.


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Native USB tethering of wifi (not mobile data)
I would like to know if later versions of Android natively support USB tethering of the phone's wifi connections. If so, after which version?
I know that there are custom ROMs that allow you to use the phone's wifi connections via USB tethering. I'm asking if this functionality comes out of the box for all manufacturer ROMs as well.

as a footnote: I'm interested in buying a new phone to make use of my carrier's mobile-only wifi hotspots (FreeWifi_secure) on my laptop. Directly connecting to these wifi hotspots from my laptop is practically impossible due to the eap-sim authentication they require.

[This is probably not the complete answer you're looking for, I can't comment though]
I'm running a Nexus 4 with 4.4.2 and it supports tethering of the wifi connection out of the box. I think it was already able to do that when I got it , meaning this should work at least with >= 4.2.

I'm looking for a way to do this as well. I am not interested in tethering to my cellular data, but to WiFi only. I'm on a Nexus 5x running Lollipop.


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How to Disable Double Tapping?
My Galaxy S2 asked me to double-tap and drag to unlock (instead of just dragging) and every time I try to tap anything, one tap only makes a yellow box appear around the app or file or whatever, which is really difficult to deal with and annoying.

Could it be you've played with the developer options? Though I've never heard of that side-effect, the "yellow box" reminds me of some "feedback" which can be enabled there.

Are you using Accessibility options?

Go into the device settings, then from My device, choose Accessibility. From that menu, press TalkBack, then click the switch in the top-right corner to turn TalkBack off.
After tapping something once to get the yellow box (and the spoken description of what the thing is), double-tap anywhere on the screen to click the highlighted thing.

But I can't scroll down to the accessibility settings. Double tapping also locked the scroll-down. Any idea?

The steps to disable double tap to unlock

Go to Applications

Go to Settings

Go to Accessibility

Select Talk Back and turn off Once the talk back has been disabled.
you do not need to keep on doing double tap.

On some Android phones, you can disable TalkBack by holding Vol+ and Vol- for a few seconds.

On Samsung Galaxy Y Plus (GT-S5303), follow these steps to remove the double tap:

Go to Settings
Choose My device
Tap Lock Screen
Go to Screen security lock

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


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Bootanimation can't be changed anymore for unknown reason
I recently tried to add a custom boot animation to a Galaxy Note 3 by adding a custom bootanimation.zip to /system/media and then flashing a custom binary for the boot animation made by a user on XDA. That worked, the phone booted with my animation instead of the stock animation.
Though I noticed that it was rotated by 90°, so I replaced the bootanimation.zip with a fixed one, though after doing that the animation didn't change. Flashing the binary again didn't change anything either, neither did formatting the cache. I tried it with a totally different animation from XDA but that didn't work either so its not fault of the zip file.
The strange thing is I can flash the original .qmg animation from Samsung but then flashing the binary again just gives me my old rotated boot animation.
Now I wonder why is that happening? Does the system copy the animation to a different place and that's why replacing the original zip doesn't change anything?
It sounds like something Android specific, I somewhat doubt the binary is doing that.

I had a similar problem on CyanogenMod and it turned out to be broken permissions. I tried the following which worked in the shell only for whatever reason. You need to be rooted and have ADB installed. The following commands mount the system partition for reading and writing, copy stock bootanimation zip (change location, or skip), copy custom bootanimation zip to data/local, and (re)applies correct permissions to media folder and zip files, and finally reboot (if you want).
adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp /sdcard/download/cm/bootanimation.zip /system/media
cp /sdcard/download/bootanimation.zip /data/local
chmod 775 /system/media
chmod 644 /system/media/bootanimation.zip
chmod 644 /data/local/bootanimation.zip
reboot

If you want to restore to stock, simply delete the data/local version. If you want a new one, replace it while keeping the system/media version intact. You can also create your own bootanimation using this guide from XDA.

Hi, great tut however the Samsung animation doesn't change. Do I need to rename bootsamsung.qmg and bootsamsungloop.qmg in the root/system/media folder?

This saves my butt after 3 days of trying everything.
-Install adb driver & tools first
-Connect via usb
-Open command prompt
Note: Assuming you have the original as bootanimation.zip1 in the same location or use new one that might work (in this case you must add another line after mount to push the new file first in the same location - google how to "push file")
While bootanimation.zip keeps playing, paste below(quickly each line):
adb root
adb shell mount -o rw,remount /system
adb shell cp -f /system/media/bootanimation.zip1 /system/media/bootanimation.zip


text:
Video won't record
Sprint LG Optimus G Android 4.1.2
Default camera app
Video has stopped recording.  When I hit record, all the settings icons disable for about 4 seconds, then it goes back to a Red highlighted button.  I feel like it coincided with Google+ introducing the Photos app.
Still photos work fine.  Plenty of space left on the device.

Have you tried clearing data from the camera app?

Have you tried another camera app? There could be something happening with the storage. Maybe you are running out of room, or the sdcard is going bonkers.

How do I clear data from the camera app?  When recording w/ Instagram, it acts like its recording, but when it completes there's nothing saved.

huh - Zoom Camera by Moula Soft Inc. says "Oops! Video recording is not working in your cellphone right now!"

Tried rebooting the device?

Many times.  I also went to the task manager to kill apps that might have been running using the camera.


text:
How to root and flash a android Galaxy Ace s5830t?
i am trying to root my device which has android 2.3 in it. The reason is something has gone wrong and wifi and bluethooth are not functioning. every time i try connect,  it says error and automatically gets disabled. so i decided to, root the device and install a fresh ROM.  i am able to root it but when trying to install the ROM it doesnt allow me. it prioritizes TELSTRA.
Any help on this is highly appreciated from android geeks.
EDIT1
i was able to flash it and now there is a problem that phone is not starting up. its stucked in well come screen for more than half and hour now. but i saw in the screen instead of galaxy ace S5830T it shows S5830 which is a change. anyways to recover this kind of a situation ?

According to this old XDA post it's the same as the S5830. I'm not really sure though, you need to investigate this on your own if have doubt. Note also, that your S5830 is a legacy device and only really runs Android 2.3 well.
So you could either follow CyanogenMod's installation instructions for the S5830 or search the S5830 section on XDA here.
Note: If you want to replace the stock firmware, you don't have to root it in the first place; it's not needed to be able to flash it. You'll have root with the modded firmware, then.

i was able to flash it and now there is a problem that phone is not starting up. its stucked in well come screen for more than half and hour now. but i saw in the screen instead of galaxy ace S5830T it shows S5830 which is a change. anyways to recover this kind of a situation ?

What did you exactly do/install?

well i installed the CWM, then rooted the phone again, made a backup of the earlier system. then flashed the new ROM.

The Myth ROM final is what i just installed.

It's still dead? Did you do a factory reset (wipe) in CWM? Plus: You probably want the right google apps (http://goo.im/gapps).

Nope, it is working now. But still the wifi and bluetooth issue exists. when i try to turn on wifi, it says error and gets disabled. any idea how to make it work ?

From what i've read it's discontinued. Did you install the latrst version? You may try a different ROM ( eg. CM7.2 http://get.cm/?device=cooper) or check the thread over at XDA for pointers: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1737805

If you have a Micro SD card, download a different ROM to your phone. My phone wouldn't ring after I did a factory reset, changing the ROM worked for me. If you don't have a Miscro SD then connect your phone to the computer and open your files for the phone to see the direct path and move from your computer to your phone. If you don't have the new OS on your computer goto http://d-h.st/TxQ to download the Dark Unicorn ROM, you will need a zip extractor, either on your computer or your phone.


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How can I copy SMSes from Nokia N8 to Android for free?
How can I copy SMSes from Nokia N8 (Symbian) to Android for free ? It is for my very important. I have found MobileTrans application, but it is paid and I wanna not pay 39 $.
Thanks in advance !
SOLVED
I solved my problem my exporting SMS to CSV by Nokia Suite and then importing it to my device using SMS Tools - All in One  application.

There are some similar previous questions about transferring SMS messages from Nokia phones, have you looked at those? Import SMSes from Nokia 6300 / Transferring messages to android from a sqlite db on my laptop / SMS backup in Android

Thanks that you also shared your answer! Would you mind copying that into the answer part (see below), and then accept it?

Yep, please share your solution as answer and not as edit to your question :)

As the OP found a solution, but missed to make it an answer, let me transfer it here:
I solved my problem exporting SMS to CSV by Nokia Suite and then importing it to my device using SMS Tools - All in One application.

IDK if WP8s have this feature, but is there a way to save your messages to the SIM? That is assuming you'll be keeping the SIM.

SIM cards have very limited memory so this isn't a great solution.

Well you might as well try, mightn't you?

Even if it does work it'll only have like 20 messages though so there's actually not much point in even trying. That's assuming SIMs still have such limited memory, the 20 text limit was normal about a decade ago.

OK @peanut, don't use that way then!


text:
How to root Moto X with stock 4.4 kitkat without unlocking bootloader?
I have tried RockMyMoto, PwnMyMoto and SlapMyMoto. All have failed. I am also unable to downgrade from 4.4 kitkat (which the phone came with) to 4.2.2 in order to root. The downgrade fails due to "security downgrade" or something similar. Any advice? I do not with to void the warranty by unlocking the bootloader.
Is it possible to flash a pre-rooted kitkat system image using RSD Lite? I was able to use it to re-flash 4.4 after a failed attempt to flash 4.2.2
This is somewhat urgent as it is a surprise gift for someone who likes having rooted phones.
Note: I only mention downgrading from kitkat because there seems to be no way to root a phone which came with kitkat on it. If there is another option, I would love to hear about it!
UPDATE: It is possible that the phone came with 4.4.2 and the updated bootloader. I did not check before I attempted rooting and flashed 4.4 using RSD Lite.

You have two questions here, which should be split into different questions.
To answer your first question from the title: In general, you need to unlock the bootloader to root the device.
Also, by unlocking the bootloader, you are allowed to flash a custom recovery. Using this custom recovery, you can wipe the device's cache, system, and data folders. Afterwards, you can flash a custom ROM that may have a previous version of Android.
Also, under stock ROM, (in some cases) some bootloaders (esp newer ones) will not allow you to downgrade. Doing so will break stuff on your device, like Wi-Fi and sound not working properly, etc. But again, this is a general statement (not specific to Moto X), and may partially answer your second question.
Anyway, there is a guide here that allows you to downgrade from KitKat to JellyBean.

While you are right, I have only one question really: how can I root this phone without voiding the warranty? I followed that guide and I was unable to get it to work. The 4.2.2 image wouldn't install gpt.bin because of a "security downgrade."

@KG6ZVP Root = Void Warranty. But it depends on countries, really. In other countries, customer service still accepts repairs for phones that have void warranties. As for your installation issue, what step is that?

I get the error on step 2 which is fastboot partition gpt.bin and if I try to simply ignore it and continue, all the others fail as well.


text:
What is the other number in the alarm notification?
I set up an alarm (using Google Now) for 55 minutes, so the end time was around 20:13 (and therefore the start time was 19:18
When I looked at the alarm notification, there's another little number in the right hand side which said 19:43 (so 30 minutes before the time the alarm was set for)
It would make sense if it was the start time (19:18) but by itself it makes no sense.
Edit: I just tried it again and the same thing happened. I set the alarm for 55 minutes at 20:36, and it says 20:36 on the right hand side of the notification, then when there's 30 minutes left, it changed to 21:01 (which is 30 minutes before the end time)

Is it just the current time?

@eldarerathis nope, it seems to be the time the alarm was set, and then for some reason it changes when it gets to 30 minutes before the alarm time.

What happens when you set the alarm for longer than 1 hour? Have you gone into device settings>time & date and make sure set time is correct with automatic time from internet?

The time on the right-side of the notification is, just like all other notifications, the time when the notification appears.
The alarm notification is a new feature from Android stock Clock app on KitKat.

Google's latest Clock app ... now notifies you two hours ahead of when your alarm is set to go off ...

The clock app will display the first notification 2 hours before, then the second one 30 minutes before the alarm goes off.
By looking at how Android works on the notification, when the notification is displayed using same ID and it's not dismissed yet, it will be updated instead and the "time when notification appears" will also be updated (overwritten) to the new (current) time.
In your case, when you set the alarm for 55 minutes, the notification appeared since it's already less than 2 hours. Assuming you didn't dismiss the notification, when the alarm was less than 30 minutes, the app updated the notification. Since there was no info changed (alarm's time & name are still the same), you wouldn't even notice that the notification was updated, except the "time when the notification appears".


text:
why do all sound apps get  bluetooth button events, all at once
If i have my phone (thunderbolt cyanogenmod7/2.3) connected to a bluetooth stereo and i hit the play button on the stereo, music, pandora, Subsonic, and Audible all start playing at once. pausing pauses all of them.
is there some way of controlling what apps respond to the buttons?
is there an app to filter button events?

I suspect that they're all listening to a "Play Music" Intent. Our resident developers can probably shine some more light on this.

Interesting, on my OG Droid w/ CM7 it will occasionally decide to play from a random audio app when I press the lockscreen play button. I wonder if there's any relation.

Also see my related question: "What determines which application acts to a bluetooth AVRCP command?"

The app Media Button Router is just what you are looking for. The app allows you to choose the media app you wish to control with the Bluetooth forward/reverse buttons using voice prompts.
The app doesn't work perfectly with all media apps, but I find that by playing with the settings you can usually overcome problems. But when it works it is magic!

Check to see if all of those music processes are running. I would assume they all listen to play/pause events while active, maybe verifying that all but one are killed could get a response from just one.


text:
Is there any version of gtalk supporting multiple accounts which works with 2.3/cm7
Gtalk 1.3 doesn't support multiple accounts: it just connects with the main one, with no apparent way to switch it.
Upgrading to hangouts technically works, but it doesn't even bother to display user online status, so I'd rather have a real chat app.
Do I have any other option, running on 2.3.7 / cm 7.2.0?
If it isn't an official gtalk version, I'd appreciate if at least it was as good, integrated and non-bloated as it is, such as:
• integrated with address book
• downloads whole conversation (as opposite of just displaying new messages)
• plain and simple

Did you ever tried IM+
I still think hangouts is better, but since you don't like it may by you could give IM+ a chance. Now it will not download all your previous chats that you had on talk, but after you are logged in it should display all messages that you send, recive, even if you are not directly sending them from your phone.


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How do I make wi-fi calls from a cell phone with no number now associated with it?
I recently got tired of paying $65+ a month for cell service when I get mostly email. So I dropped my Sprint service in favor of $20 a month, no-contract phone and a Nexus 7, because WiFi is seemingly everywhere. It works great! I have all the service I need, and it's much cheaper.
I still have this nice cell phone, a Nexus S. I enabled the WiFi on it. I'd like to make free WiFi calls on it but it no longer has a number associated with it. I ported that number over to my $20 a month phone. Is there anyway I can get a number associated with this old phone so I can sign up for a free voip service?  Is there anyway I can make voip calls without a number?
Thanks.

It's not possible to have the same number on two different phones.
On your Nexus S, you could install Skype. That will give you FREE VOIP for Skype-to-Skype calls. You don't need a number for this, just an internet connection (and a Skype account, which is free). Take note, however, Skype to mobile / landline is not free.
For other alternatives, search for voip in Google Play.
Edit #1: I looked around and found IPKall. It gives you a FREE Washington number. Is this the kind of service you are looking for?

It's not possible to have the same number on two different phones. Sure? I'd say it depends. There are special services for that, at least over here in Europe. You can get a second SIM card, responding to the same number. Of course, this means a little extra fee -- but it is possible.

@Izzy That's interesting to know. I haven't heard of that kind of service here in the Philippines though. In any case, it's probably not common practice.

I don't know whether this would work with CDMA devices (where you cannot simply insert a SIM). I just know that at least one provider here in Germany has it in his portfolio, so you can get a second SIM encoded to your phone number. Useful e.g. for devices "fixed" to mobiles (car equipment etc.). Or to have a "deputy" picking up if you don't. You can even configure whether it should ring simultaneously, or only if the "master device" didn't react for X seconds.

There must be someplace on the web I can find/buy a phone #.  I though I might be able to get one off Google Voice but I can't figure out how to associate the # with this phone.  Any ideas?

@Joe See my Edit #1

Let's get this right the first time, shall we? : )
Several options that are offered so far seem to indicate a third-party app will be doing the dialing. However, dependent upon your geographic location, you may be able to activate the native dialer in the Google Nexus S.
Before proceeding, you will need to:
1) Be based in the United States (there are ways around this...!), and;
2) Have a phone number registered for use within the United States (required).
3) Grab a BEvERage of choice.
4) Not be busy for the next 45 minutes. Tell everyone to PFO (please fone others).
5) Remove your SIM-card from your Google Nexus S.
Let's begin!
I: GET GOOGLE VOICE VIA WEB SIGN-UP
1) Get a Google Voice account. When going through the setup portion, you need to confirm a secondary number with the account. Use your phone number that you have with your $20/mo phone.
2) Grab an area code that you like (as GVoice calls currently are free throughout USA & Canada, but this may change).
3) GOTO Settings, and enable Google Chat as a client that can make and receive phone calls.
What if I have a US-based cellphone, but I'm in country other than USA?
Use a proxy or TOR-based service, cloak your exit location with a US-based proxy, and sign-up for the service. BTW, your welcome.
II: GET GOOGLE VOICE VIA ANDROID MARKET
1) Find "Google Voice" in the Android Market. Alternatively, you can also find the *.apk with a quick Google search if you can't access the installer via the market.
2) Install "Google Voice."
3) When asked about how you want Google Voice to process calls, select "As every time I make a call." You can use other options, but just stick with this.
III: GET SIPDROID (I-P-TEL GMBH) VIA ANDROID MARKET
1) Find and install Sipdroid via Android Market.
2) Open the program. Upon first run, you will see the magical button at the bottom of your screen, which may be covered by a keyboard. Get rid of the keyboard by pressing the back button or hide keyboard button.
3) Tap the "New PBX linked to my Google Voice" button.
At this point, you will be linking a free SIP account with your Google Voice account. Also, as passwords must be the same between accounts, the following situation happens:

You're based in the United States
The pbxes.org servers are in Germany (?), and will ask permission to use your credentials to login to your Google accout via their servers

This causes Google to think someone has hacked your account in Germany. If you get this, do not worry.
4) Get details for your SIPdroid account credentials.

Username: it will be username-200@pbxes.org. (The "-200" comes right after your username)
Password: whatever password you used to register for the service. (BTW, my pw is hunter2, but you should see stars. HAHAHA.)

5) Uninstall SIPdroid
IV: CONFIRM ACCOUNT VIA pbxes.org
1) Login to pbxes.org with your credentials (from section III, step 4).
2) After login, go to "Personal Data" (on the left-hand side). If you don't want your account deleted in 1 week, fill this out. Fill out with your details, or use dummy data if you wish. I'm sure Alice, Bob, John and Jane Doe have multiple accounts... : )
3) GOTO Extensions, then Sipdroid <200>. In Device Options, you will see a password field. The password HERE has to match your Google Voice account. That way, pbxes can login to Google Voice. You can also set up your caller ID here, so go crazy.
4) Optional, but strongly suggested: make sure that the password to login to the web interface of pbxes.org is different from the one to your Google Voice account.
V: PUTTING THE SIP SERVICE ON YOUR NEXUS S
This is where it get's serious. Actually, it's pretty easy.
1) Go to your phone dialer.
2) Tap the menu button to get Settings.
3) Scroll down to INTERNET CALL SETTINGS, and tap Accounts.
4) Check Receive incoming calls. Yeah, you can be a jerk and only use your phone to call out, but what about the people who want to phone you? Just check it. Unless you don't want anyone calling you. And if that's the case, why are you even following this guide?
5) Tap the menu button and tap Add account.

Username and Password is what was listed in section III, step 4.
Server is pbxes.org
Check Set as primary account
Tap Optional settings. At this point, check to make sure Transport type is TCP, and that your Port number is 5060. You can probably use another port, but it seems to work. Oh wait, port 5060 is the official SIP port. Go to:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers
and search 5060. SO YOU USE 5060, AND LIFE WILL BE GOOD. Don't be smart and say "I'll use port--" NO! This is not a storm, you are not a sailor going to another port. You will use 5060, and you will be happy with the choice. Alternatively, port `5061' is SIP over TLS, but I've never used that and I am not sure if it would work.
6) SAVE the account.
VI: TESTING THE PHONE
If you've gotten this far without errors or crying, then try calling a number.
1) Dial your number. From now on, dial with the following format:
1 - areacode - XXX - YYYY

That way, you don't have to worry about whether or not it's a local call or long-distance call.
At this point, a nifty popup will show. It will state Complete action using. Select Mobile Data, and tap Just once. That way, you can make it permanent after it works properly.
2) Now you get something that pops up saying [warning triangle] Place call. You will tap 'Internet call', as you (i) don't have a SIM card in Nexus S.
At this point, it will dial the number. When connected, there will be a bit of an echo. Why? Well, your call is probably routed the following way:
Nexus S >> Yankee-land (via Google Voice)

Yankee-land (via Google Voice) >> Deutsch-land (via pbxes.org, via internet)

Deutsch-land (via pbxes.org) >> Yankee-land (internet-phone bridge, not sure if it's the right word...)

Yankee-land (internet-phone bridge) >> Person that you are calling

It sound like there's a delay and echo
Yeah, because you're voice is going half-way around the world. Always pause to let the other person finish. Do this on your side by waiting 2 seconds before and after any speech.
But I don't want delay
It's free for North America (US+CAD). Icing on top? If you have a VPN based in either Canada or the United States, have your Android use that connection. That way, you can be in the UK, have a VPN connection to the US and phone someone in US or CAD.
Friend: "Where are you?"
You: "In whatever country via VPN connection"
Friend: "Aren't you paying a lot?"
You: "Yes. Can you wire me USD$100? I'm in central Australia right now, and the wifi from this wild dingo sucks."
Friend: "..."
You: "Yes, the dingo has wifi. It's got a coin slot in it's butth--"
Friend: "I've got to g--".
You: "OK, Bye."
Friend: "Bye."
THE END

Dell voice AKA Fongo gives you a number. Set up your number, log in, and run the app from any device.

Viber is a free call and messaging app. Both parties should be on wifi to make this work.


text:
Rooted, then flashed, now not able to root again /system is always read-only
I rooted my Android ICS with some script.
It was rooted then I installed and removed some system application.
Then I formatted the device and re-installed the ICS.
Now when I try to root it again it gives error could not copy are you a root?
I searched for that and finally found that though I re-flashed it any times.
/system is read-only.
So then after I tried
adb shell
mount

then command of mount and it gives error permission denied.
Please help to reset the permission of /system so I can manually add the su file in it.
The technique i used to Root is at this link.
Then i format using cwm and install new rom. Now i am not able to root it.

I would say that more information is probably needed. Like what device, how you rooted the device. you do not have permission to run "mount", unless you are root, to make /system not read-only, you have to have root. /system is read-only on purpose. there is nothing to fix there, it should be read-only.

What is the some script you are referring to?

i have added the link in question please check it.

"using cwm and install new rom". Are you sure the ROM you installed doesn't already have root? What ROM did you install?

Reinstalling ICS will revert the file you changed...

I reinstalled still not working the rom i am using is Refresh V2 from this link

@RyanConrad using cwm only i installed and the rom is not rooted

if you still have cwm you can file a flashable package that contains the su and SuperUser (or SuperSU) apps

how to do that?? any guide? now i am trying to flash with other rom then again will install refresh and then try to root it lets see whether it works or not

Now i'll go mad, from this tutorial i installed ap it got installed then i installed cwm again and then installed new rom still getting error msg mount error are you root....

I have posted the question on same link shown in question. Till that i tried everything format SD card totally, also tried different roms of ICS still it was not worked.
Then as in reply i got on that forum saying install gingerbread rom then root it, use OTA root keeper and upgrade.
So i did similar to that i installed gingerbread.
Then i formatted all using cwm. Then i installed new ICS refrec v2 rom. And then after i tried to root it. And it worked.
Hope so if anyone face the same problem they can downgrade to GB then again move to ICS to root it after flash if their favorite rom doesn't come rooted. :)


text:
How to determine cause of boot halt in Samsung logo screen?
The apps kept crashing on my phone (even MIUI Home) so I shut it down using the long power press and selecting shut down/power off option.
When I powered it back on, it just stays stuck on the Samsung logo boot screen with the yellow warning sign (which has been there ever since I rooted it).
Here's what I tried which didn't work:

List item
cleared cache, dalvik, fixed permissions - FAIL
with above, it means booting into CWM works fine but booting into OS fails
reflashed with MIUI i9100 ICS 2.12.14 (still downloading 3.1.25 as I type this) - FAIL
removed micro SD and SIM and tried booting - FAIL
earlier today, it started doing the crashing thing too but after reboot, it went into Safe mode. I rebooted again to get out of safe mode. After booting back normally into OS, all my non-system apps were out of there arranged folders and just listed in the next home screens like they were all reinstalled.

So I got to backing up my data with CWM and did a data wipe and it now boots successfully.
I need to restore my data. Can't work with a fresh wipe.
With this, at least I know it's not a HW problem. Or is it? :O

First of all, it always a good thing to have USB Debugging on. It can help you check your phone and even recover it if something is wrong.
When your phone is on a boot loop and won't start correctly, you can use adb to check where might be the problem. Connect your phone via the USB cable to a PC with adb and then type the following:
adb logcat

Power your phone and you should see, as your phone starts the boot secuence, a lot of information in the adb window. That is the current log of your phone boot secuence (like the one you can see in linux for example). If the phone ends in a boot loop, you should be able to see what is trying to do and then try to fix it.

It's working fine now. But I will keep this answer in mind when it happens again. Thank you!


text:
How to update rooted android (nexus 5)
I have rooted Nexus 5 device with Android 5.1.1.
Now system shows updates are available. But on restarting it shows error screen, virtually making it impossible to update.
Is it possible to update rooted android OS, and if yes how (without wiping out any data)?

Is the bootloader unlocked?

Updated, it was 5.1.1.

You have to use the Android SDK, specifically the command fastboot, to flash the stock system.img and stock recovery.img.  Only flash the boot.img only if a custom kernel has been flashed, if not, this isn't required.  With USB Debugging enabled in Settings - Developer Options, you'll need to boot into the bootloader.  You'll also need the factory image for the current version of stock you are running.
You'll need to use the commmands:
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img

Rooting modifies /system, which OTA's will check and fail.  Also, any other recovery except for stock recovery will also fail to flash the OTA.


text:
Are those log files in /storage/sdcard0/log necessary?
On my SGS2 (GT-I9100, Android 4.1.2), 1.2GB of log files piled up in the folder
/storage/sdcard0/log

. I have almost no space left on the internal SD card and a lot of the space is used by those log files, so I want to get rid of them once and for all.
To give you an idea what's there, here are two examples of file names stored there:
dmesg_cp_boot_201405280100_24.log
logcat_cp_boot_radio_20140219173_53.log

Is it normal that those logfiles get saved there? I can simply delete them, but then new ones are written there anyways. Can I prevent that?
UPDATE:
The logfiles seem to have started appearing about a year ago. The file with the oldest date in the file name is logcat_cp_boot_radio_201304060741_36.log.
Most of the files have names of the form logcat_cp_boot_radio_*.log, but some are also called dmesg_cp_boot_*.log or dmesg_cp_boot_done_*.log, the latter two being completely empty files (0 bytes length).

Is your phone rooted?

@Chahk, I had rooted it once, but afaik I've unrooted it afterwards. I've done this a long time ago (2 years?), so I don't remember exactly. Can I do something to check this so I can give you a definitive answer?

Try opening up Terminal Emulator and issuing su command.  If that succeeds or pops up a dialogue asking for permission - you are rooted.  Regardless, try the following: open the dialer and enter *#9900#. This should open the SysDump utility. Now tap on the Delete dumpstate/logcat button.

@Chahk, $ su => /system/bin/sh: su: not found

Not rooted then. The SysDump should work regardless.

Usually the presence of logcat_cp_boot_radio*.log files point to an issue with the phone's modem.  It's possible that when you first rooted the device you flashed a ROM which contained a modem firmware that was either old, or slightly incompatible with your current carrier.  Besides amassing large amounts of these log files, you would see frequent disconnects and reconnects from cell and data services when the radio crashes and restarts.
While you can always keep deleting the log files every now and then to free up the memory, the larger issue will persist. In order to resolve the root cause of the RIL crash, you will need to install the proper radio firmware.  These differ based on geographic location, and sometimes on the carrier.
The first step is to find the modem version that is currently installed on your phone.  You can find this information in Settings -> About phone, under the "Baseband version." It should start with "i19100", and then followed by some letters and numbers.  The letters represent a geographic location:

CE---> Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
  DC---> Thailand
  DD---> India
  DX---> Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam
  DZ---> Malaysia, Singapore
  JA---> South Africa
  JC---> Algeria, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia
  JP---> Arabic, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria,
  Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria
  JV---> Tunisia, Turkey
  UG---> North America
  UH---> Latin America, The Caribbean
  XE---> Bulgaria, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia,
  Ukraine
  XX---> Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, United Kingdom
  XW---> Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Nordic,
  Spain, United Kingdom
  ZC---> China, Hong Kong
  ZH---> Hong Kong
  ZS---> China, Hong Kong
  ZT---> Taiwan

And the numbers represent the version, incremented alphabetically.  You should find the latest modem version based on the country you are in, and then flash it on your phone using either Odin, or Recovery (must be a custom recovery like ClockworkMod or TWRP, for example.)
A quick Google search yielded this site which contains ClockworkMod-formatted modems for the Galaxy S2 I9100 variant for various countries.  I'm not sure how recent it is, but this should start you off in the right direction.


text:
Sony F5121: Forgot Device Encryption Passwort, locked bootloader
I forget the device encryption password for my F5121 (locked bootloader). Is there any way to hard-reset the device, so I can use it again (I don't care about the data on it)?
I already tried some combination with Power Button + Volumne Up/Down, but I don't see any options popping up.
Also, unlocking the bootloader does not seem to work (probably I should have enabled oem unlocking in the android settings before), it says:
FAILED (remote: 'Command not allowed')

Same error, when trying to flash TWRP.

You can use the Talkback by-pass of FRP i can not post the steps and i am not the author of this, so please find a tutorial here
https://www.techeligible.com/2018/03/10/bypass-google-account-sony-xperia-android-8-0/

Thanks for your reply. However, please note that I cannot even start/boot android. I am locked at a boot password (encryption)

please add a picture of this

Good idea, I updated the question :-)

as i can see you use the full disk encryption, so android can not boot without password. which android version you have? if it is Marshmallow it should be possible to hard reset

I can't believe it. Entering anything (but the password) for 30 times resets the phones.
I also stumbled upon this (later on), it looks like there is default password in AOSP based ROMS: How does Marshmallow encryption work technically?

Good  another way is perform a  software repair using Xperia Companion. if FRP is activated you can pass it with your google account

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


text:
Do the new NFC options in 4.4 Kitkat allow one to have a combined digital wallet?
The new Android has Host-based Card Emulation built in which takes care of the secure element: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/nfc/hce.html
Wondering what it takes to load NFC enabled cards unto a Nexus5 (or another Android Kitkat phone). Can one read out the cards and load them in some general app to create a digital wallet with public transport, company access and credit cards (how awesome!)? Or do the card suppliers need to enable this themself in compatible apps?
Hoping for the first option of course, but seem unable to find the answer online and don't have the Nexus5 yet.
Thanks in advance! :)

All that host-based card emulation (HCE) does is it enables app authors to support more hardware: that is, devices that don't have the necessary secure element hardware. Developers of apps that previously made contactless transactions using the secure element will now be able to make their apps work on devices that don't have that hardware. However, using HCE is less secure than using a hardware secure element, so it's likely that payment card operators will choose not to support this.
Secure payment cards
The obstacle that stops you reading your own cards into your phone (cloning the cards) is not related to the phone's technology: it's because the card is designed to prevent this. The card contains a secret number that can't be accessed via an NFC transaction. To be more precise, there's no sanctioned way to do this: security researchers and criminals have found ways to use flaws in the design to clone various contactless payment cards. I wouldn't recommend doing this, as doing so may constitute a criminal offence where you are, and will almost certainly make you liable for your bank's losses should anything go wrong.
In summary: the only difference that HCE makes is that if your bank already offers an app to do this, but it doesn't work on your phone, it might (if your bank chooses) work after you upgrade to Android 4.4.
Door cards, etc.
Unlike the high-security payment cards, with processors and secret numbers, door entry cards and tags and the like often just have an ID, which they present to the card reader. Such cards are already very easy to clone. The main obstacle has been getting the the phone to present the desired ID, and HCE means there may well be an explosion of apps that are made for just this use case. (See also Can I clone my (mifare classic) Access card with an Android device?.) However, the long-term result of this is likely to be that door entry systems are changed to use challenge-response protocols and thus become harder to clone.

Thanks for your clear answer! Too bad, I was too enthousiastic for this new addition to the Android NFC capabitlities it seems, haha.


text:
Connection to DoT server is not retried
I'm running my own DNS-over-TLS server under my domain (dns.example.com). On my Motorola G100, which is running Stock Android 11, I can set the private DNS to this domain and it works.
This works on my Linux machines, two other Androids (some Motorola on Android 10 and a Samsung with Android 10), and also on two different routers (AVM FritzBox can use DoT as upstream).
The server is not at fault, the certificate is valid and all devices work the way they should, that is, until the server is rebooted or otherwise blocked. Then, of course, I receive the notification that it "can't access the private DNS server".
The Linux machines recover and just retry to connect, as well as the routers. But the Android phones don't want to retry even when I know for sure that the connection is working.
Upon disabling private DNS and reenabling with my domain, the following log is shown (IPs removed)
09-30 19:32:46.091  1144 20197 W resolv  : Validating DnsTlsServer <MY_IPV4> with mark 0xf006b
09-30 19:32:46.091  1144 20198 W resolv  : Validating DnsTlsServer <MY_IPV6> with mark 0xf006b
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20197 W resolv  : SSL_connect ssl error =1, mark 0xf006b: No such file or directory
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20198 W resolv  : SSL_connect ssl error =1, mark 0xf006b: No such file or directory
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20197 W resolv  : TLS Handshake failed
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20198 W resolv  : TLS Handshake failed
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20197 W resolv  : query failed
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20197 W resolv  : validateDnsTlsServer returned 0 for <MY_IPV4>
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20198 W resolv  : query failed
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20198 W resolv  : validateDnsTlsServer returned 0 for <MY_IPV6>
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20197 W resolv  : Validation failed
09-30 19:32:46.138  1144 20198 W resolv  : Validation failed

I don't know why it tells my that the handshake fails, all other devices (or kdig +tls) can connect just fine. From the server's reboot to now, no config, certificate or software version was changed.
My guess is that Android caches the connection and "remembers" that it failed at some point in the past and doesn't even try to connect again. I tried rebooting, shutdown, airplane mode, another DoT (dns.google works), disabling DoT but nothing fixes this behavior.

Hard to guess the root cause of failure at this point without doing some network troubleshooting on device. Could be due to negative DNS caching of your server's domain.

No, it's really the badly implemented certificate verification on Android.

Apparently, Android (even the newest versions) can't deal with the type of certificate that Let's Encrypt generates by default.
The solution is a combination from the Let's Encrypt forum and the setting --preferred-chain="ISRG Root X1" for certbot.
If you use caddy as your server, you can set it in the Caddyfile global options:
{
...
  preferred_chains {
    root_common_name "ISRG Root X1"
  }
...
}

You have to force the renewal of the affected certificates/subdomains by deleting the corresponding files in caddy's data directory. (Beware of rate limiting if you generate many certificates at once.)

Perhaps this is related to the expiration of the root certificate that Let's Encrypt previously used (DST Root CA X3) that affects many sites, including Stack Exchange.

Yes, but the certifcate I'm using is still valid. All browsers or clients can support the dual (?) chain but the library for the DoT-validation doesn't support this kind of certificate. It has nothing (well only tangentially) to do with the invalidation of a certificate.

This Android bug might have been fixed: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/201661947


text:
Google Now says it's not available in my country
On my Xiaomi M2A, Google Now complains that it's not available in my country.
I know for a fact that Google Now is available in the Netherlands, because it works fine on my Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.
So apparently, Google Now thinks it's in some other country (possibly China, since that's where I ordered this phone). But the phone has been configured to use the Dutch settings everywhere I could find. (Silly enough, the message is actually in Dutch).
So where does Google Now get the idea that it's somewhere else? And (more importantly), how do I tell it that it is, in fact, in the Netherlands?

Well, I'll be damned.
It seems that Google Now refuses to run on a rooted device, but it just doesn't say so.
The vendor had installed an app to enable rooting of the device. I'd played around with it, but root access was disabled after the first upgrade of MiUI. I didn't really miss root access, to be honest, so it let it be. Ziggo (my cable TV provider)'s TV-watching app did refuse to let me watch TV, though, because it claimed that I wasn't using "an original operating system".
Recently, I tried uninstalling the (Chinese) root manager app -- I can't read Chinese anyway. Uninstalling turned out to be impossible, but after clicking around a bit, and disabling most things I saw, suddenly Google Now became available! And Ziggo suddenly allowed me to watch TV on my device!
So apparently, Google Now refuses to run on a rooted device! Ziggo's TV-watching app was more honest: at least it told me it refused to operate on a rooted device..

Since Google Now isn't actually available in my country, I did some looking around, and found this "hack" in a blog :
http://thenepalidroidguy.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-to-enable-google-now_6.html
In case that the link dies, these are the steps described there :

Make sure you have an active internet connection and follow all the
  steps below carefully.
Step 1: Turn on Airplane mode in your device. Now turn on Wifi and
  connect it to your Wifi network.
Step 2: Go to Settings>Location  & switch to "Device only" mode
Step 3: Install this app from Playstore (Fake gps - fake location)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fakegps.mock
Step 4: Open the app and set the location to "Miami" (I chose Miami
  but you can select any other places in the USA which would get
  guaranteed Google Now support). It might ask you to enable mock
  location first, do that from the developer options in the settings.
  Now go back to the Fake gps app and set the location to Miami by
  searching Miami and hitting Play icon on the bottom.
Step 5: Go to Settings and tap in "Google" under Accounts. Then select
  "Search". Go to Accounts & privacy> Google Account and sign out.
Step 6: Go to Settings>Apps>All and look for Google Play Services. Tap
  on it and Disable it. It may ask you to uninstall updates and restore
  to factory version, do it. You might have to deactivate Google Play
  Services form the Device Administrator first.
Step 7: Go to Settings and tap in "Google" under Accounts. Then select
  "Search". Go to Accounts & privacy> Google Account and sign in to your
  Google account.
Step 8: Google Now setup screen should come up. Select I'm in. (It's
  obvious).
Step 9: Now it may prompt you to Re-enable Google Play Services, do it
  and an update might be available for Google Play Services, update it
  from Playstore. Then Turn off Airplane Mode. Uninstall Fake gps app
  and choose the location service mode of your choice under
  Settings>Location.
Step 10: You did it. Enjoy Google Now!

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.


text:
Show the original timestamp on received messages
Is there any way I can change the message settings on my LG Nexus 4 to show the time a message was sent to my phone, rather than the time it was received?

Show the time an SMS was sent, not received is 2 years old, but the answers might still be helpful.

This was raised as an issue in June 2009 and despite being discussed extensively there doesn't appear to be any way to show the original timestamp in vanilla Android. This leaves you with a couple of options:

Use a custom ROM like CyanogenMod which supports this, or
Install an app like SMS Sent Time which appends the message sent time to the message itself


text:
Text message with pictures: "Download" button does nothing
I have a Galaxy S2 running Android 4.0.4.  When people send me text messages with a picture attached, I receive the message but it says something like this, with a "download" button:
Message size: 1KB
Expires: 8:52AM, Mar 12
[Download]

When I press the download button, it changes to the text "Downloading" for a moment, and then it changes back to the download button and nothing else happens.  I was expecting the picture to open, or something.  Is there some way I can download & view these pictures?
[Update]: I have seen other suggestions to turn on mobile data.  I went to:
Applications => Settings => Data Usage

and verified that Mobile data = ON.  As an experiment, I toggled it OFF then ON again, then pushed the Download button on my text message again, but got the same result (it said "downloading" briefly then nothing).
I have also turned off auto-retrieve here:
Messaging app => Menu => Settings => Multimedia message (MMS) settings

Auto-retrieve  is unchecked & still no success.  I'm pretty stumped.
Update #2:
Suggestion to check APN settings.  I went to:
Settings => Wireless & network

But there is no "mobile" choice.  There is a "more => mobile networks" but it only has "3G data" and "connections optimizer".  Is there some other way to find/set the APN settings?

Try opening the "Downloads" app, or use a file explorer to look at various folders on the phone. It may be that the message app you use simply stores it in a folder and expects you to handle it afterwards.

@StephenSchrauger - thanks, I went to the downloads app.  There are 2 tabs: "internet downloads" and "other downloads" but there is nothing under either of them.  Is this where SMS downloads are stored?

No, that's just where downloads go to. Do you have a data plan at all? Can you e.g. call up web sites with your browser? Messages with pictures attached are MMS, and require an Internet connection, and often a specifically configured APN (provider specific, so you might need to contact your carrier).

Yes I have a data plan, I can browse the web, do Google hangouts, and so forth.  Everything else seems to work except this.  I will have to read about APN, not sure what that is.

@Izzy is mostly right. This is largely a case of incorrect APN settings. When I use stock ROM specifically for my carrier, I can download files. But using custom ROMs (with modified-who-knows-what), I usually have problems, and am not able to download them. I can modify the APN somewhat, but it still has quirks. In the end, I just give up on MMS downloads.

APN stands for Access Point Name, and gives the device the configuration to access the network behind (see Settings→Network→Mobile→Access Points). Your carrier should be able to either send you a configuration SMS, or at least specify the details to configure here.

Thank @Izzy & geffchang.  This is probably what it is, but I can't seem to find APN settings... I'll update my Q with what I've tried.

There's a "More" in between (Settings→Wireless & network→More→Mobile→Access Points). Sorry for my omission...

I did actually find "more... => Mobile Networks" but under there it only has "3G data" and "connections optimizer" (No "access points")

I just solved this issue on my phone, mms only works through 3g or 4g.  It doesnt work over wifi so turn your wifi off, turn your mobile data on and it will work! Or at least it did with mine anyway. That's had me stumped for a veeery long time haha I hope ive helped someone with this :-)

Wow, thanks Dave, that did the trick on my phone too!  Hard to believe.

I was using a Nexus 5 with Android 6.0.1 and had this problem (download button did nothing once pressed and therefore I was unable to receive MMS msgs). Google's Messenger App as SMS/MMS app.
I ended up calling FIDO and someone directed me to change the url for MMS proxy (in Access Point Names => FIDO LTE => MMS Proxy) to an IP address.  I then turned off my phone, took out the SIM, re-inserted it and turned the phone back on.  I was then able to receive text messages.  I'm not sure which of those steps actually solved it, but together they worked.


text:
AC-USB Charging Device Makes Sounds when Device Fully Charged
This might not be the right place to ask this question, as it falls under the purview of electronics, however that SE is not about consumer electronics. And this phenomena has only happened with Android devices, at least with the Droid 1 and Droid 3. So Android is where I stuck it. Sorry if that's wrong :(
This has happened with both the MicroUSB-to-USB (with AC adapter attachment) OEM wall charger and MicroUSB-to-AC-only wall charger.
Basically, when my phone is charging, the AC plug is completely quiet, but once my phone hits 100%, sporadically the plug portion of the charging apparatus will begin to make squealing noises. It stops once I unplug the phone and will begin again if I were to re-plug it in immediately.
Here's the thing, two other people I've asked cannot hear it. I promise you I am not going crazy and imagining things -- but I have been known to have very sensitive hearing -- hearing buzzing from old TVs and monitors and so forth.
My question, mostly out of curiosity, why is this happening and how can I get it to stop, as it is rather irritating.
This issue seems unique to my old Droid 1 and Droid 3. My laptop or similar high-power chargable device does not suffer from this issue.

See this very good answer on Electronics SE for details. Basically it's a side effect of the charger circuitry operation - it's by design, you can't change it. If that disturbs you - either find another charger, or bring this one further from you, don't try to silence it with an enclosure - that may lead to overheating.

Very interesting! Thanks for the info! Sadly the charger is right by my bed and the only other place is on the opposite side of the room.. which is like not even 10 feet away, so I'd hear it anyway. And I need the phone in this room as it's my alarm. But at least I know it's not preparing to explode due to bad electronics, haha.

I had this same problem and switched to an old Blackberry charger that I had laying around. It then stopped. My wife couldn't hear the noise either and thought I was going crazy.


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Frequent, unexplainable "Download unsuccessful" using stock browser on Droid 3
I have been experiencing this frustrating issue with my phone where it might take several attempts to download a file through the stock browser. An example would be how it took 5 attempts to download the dropbox beta apk file.
This is frustrating because it wastes my time and my bandwidth. Downloading on firefox for android is okay, but probably because it caches the files, so if you save an image, it just copies it from the cache to your downloads directory.
There have been a few instances where I have witnessed it hitting 100% complete and displaying "Download complete" but then changing to "Download unsuccessful" 3-5 seconds later.
Until today, I didn't have an external SD card, so I figured that perhaps the file was getting corrupted because something else was reading or writing from the card at the same time. But I can't find a way to get the stock browser to change the path it writes downloaded files to.
Is there a way to fix this? Perhaps a way to see why the filesystem is marking the file as unclean? I checked my logcat app, but didn't see anything useful.
I'm considering using TitaniumBackup and freezing the stock browser and replacing it with Dolphin or something. I prefer having two browsers as some places I have two logins and hate constantly logging in and logging out, additionally when I need to look something up "real quick" I use the stock browser as it is light-weight for quick tasks.
For record sake, I am using stock android on a rooted Droid 3, but this problem has been happening before I was rooted.
Additionally, this is an insurance replacement that I got January 18 of 2012, but didn't touch it between January 31-Oct 11, 2012. So I do not know if the data radio is burnt out and is corrupting the packets.
Update: I used a SQL Editor to look at the downloads database. It seems that the files that didn't download saved with a status code of 489. At first I thought this was an HTTP status code, but turns out to be a SIP protocol status code. Research finds that it is returned when the client sends a malformed Event header.  Any clue what is causing this?
Another Update: Just adding more information has it becomes available. This seems to be happening beyond the stock browser. Last night I decided to finally update all of my apps that have been pending updates for a week. Several of them took several attempts to download as they'd error out like seen in this screenshot:

Please note that the above screenshot happened while I was on wifi. Generally I am on mobile data, so the problem isn't because of a poor wifi signal.


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Any way to change my caller id?
Is there any way to change my own caller ID so the person I'm calling sees my Google Voice number instead of the number associated with my SIM card?
My Google Voice number is my primary number and I prefer everyone to use it, so I can receive calls on my PC, while travelling internationally etc.

I think you need to have Google Voice initiate your calls rather than the dialer app.
Generally speaking you'd change the setting in the Voice app for "Making calls" to "Use Google Voice to make all calls". If you'd like to be prompted before the call, then you can use "Ask every time I make a call". (There's also an option to use it just for international calls.)

@Max: Well, frankly, I set up my GV so long ago I had to go searching for it.

See also: https://support.google.com/voice/answer/168520


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Nexus 4 verification failed error on Update Android 4.4 KitKat
I successfully downloaded Android 4.4 KitKat (see screen shot):

And after downloading do not appear "restart/install" button, appear "Verification failed" error  (see screen shot):

(click the images for larger variants)
If I click "Check now" button it begin redownload update Android 4.4 kitkat again.
Does anybody know where the problem is, and how it could be solved?

Few people have experienced the same issue over at XDA and Android Central. It generally works after a day or two (couple of them reported at xda). If you really want the update, sideload the update. It is easier to sideload the update (no need to unlock bootloader).

Is your Nexus 4 100% stock? (i.e. no Xposed module changes, or low-level tweaks like status bar mods and DPI changes).
Verification will fail if the system files on your device don't match factory/the expected ones. I had this happen to me several times with both my N4 and N5. Reverting the changes I made (thankfully, they weren't too many) fixed it.

Thanks @Infinitesimus you are right, but in my situation the other problem was, when goes verification was slow internet speed then appear fail message. Then I connected my device to stable high speed internet and problem disappeared.

You can use the Nexus Factory Images to upgrade your phone to Android 4.4 (now 4.4.2). To do this have a look at this question.


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KitKat Lock Screen: Possible to remove bottom menu?
I updated my Nexus 4 to KitKat. It adds a menu bar at the bottom of the lock screen. By default, it shows the camera on the right hand side and caret in the middle.
Is it possible to remove the bottom menu bar from the lock screen? Alternatively, is it possible to remove the icons on the menu bar.

Are you sure its configurable?

Nope, that's why I'm asking. I'll rephrase to make that clearer.


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Application for randomly deleting files
I like to listen to my music randomly, so I have an application on PC that can upload random part of my music collection to my Android phone.
But sometimes I run out of space while not near the PC, so I would like to delete a random part of the uploaded music. Is there an app for that?
In other words, I'd like to have an app where I can select a folder, tell it how much to delete and it randomly delete files from that folder until it reaches the limit I specified.

Assuming you have Windows Media Player, you should be able to do this pretty easily.
In Windows Media Player, click on the "Playlists" selection. Then select "Create Auto Playlist". Click on "Click here to add criteria" under any of the music libraries you see there. A list with a scroll bar will appear. At the bottom of the scroll selection, there should be an item called "more...". Click "more". Next, a new list will appear, and on it will be an item called "Randomize Playback Order". Click that. Then you will be brought back to the previous window. Now click "Click here to add criteria" again. Click "more" again. This time select "Limit total size to". Type in the total size you want. Say, 4GB or so? And lastly, save your playlist.
At this point you can edit your playlist manually if you want.
Now that you have a playlist created, save it and then click "Sync" to sync it to a portable device. Follow the instructions. I usually manually remove the files first using the Android file browser. But Windows Media Player should handle that automatically if you do the "auto sync" feature. I'm not sure if it just deletes everything first on the Android device or whether it just deletes enough to free up space. I think it's probably the former, not the latter.
Hope that helps.

I'm not looking for the syncing application on PC, I already have. I'm looking for deleting app for Android. (I have clarified the question.)