text:
How can I add a custom search engine to Chrome (beta, stable...)?
Call me dumb, but, I don't see an obvious way to do this.
I want to add duckduckgo.com as the main search engine in Google Chrome for Android (beta, stable...)

As of chrome v39, this still can't easily be done; however, you can hack it. From  the XDA post SomeNickName referenced:

Install a Terminal emulator or use adb shell if you're familiar with it.
Change the "last_known_google_url" and "last_prompted_google_url" settings support having a search&q=added to the end. For example, duckduckgo would work with, https://www.duckduckgo.com& -- where the extra ampersand at the end is for converting the "search" text into an additional query sting param.

Here's a shell command for setting the duckduckgo url:
    p='/data/data/com.chrome.beta/app_chrome/Default/Preferences'
    awk '/last_known_google_url/ {sub(/google.com\//,"duckduckgo.com/\\&")}; {print}' ${p} > $p.bak
    awk '/last_prompted_google_url/ {sub(/google.com\//,"duckduckgo.com/\\&")}; {print}' ${p}.bak > ${p}

I get a “permission denied” error on 2nd line — so perhaps a silly question: do I need to root my phone to be able to do it?

You might want to make sure that the first line's path actually exists. If it doesn't, then that command would fail. I may have ran this command on a rooted phone, but can't recall for sure (my last two phones haven't been rooted, but this post may have been from the phone before those two)

With newer versions, you need to open the search engine first, do a search, then Chrome will add it on its list.
If you then go to Settings -> Search engine, the search engine you visited will be listed in the Recently visited section.

You can configure the default search engine for the address bar by going to Chrome menu > Settings > (Basics) Search engine.

Search The Web

I don't see any placeholder to add duckduckgo.com as an option over there

? Isn't the option custom for you to type anything? I don't have Google Chrome installed, and i believe it is incompatible with my X8, i can't try for myself... but it should work?

I made the question because obviously I don't see that option

I can't help you much further because my X8 isn't compatible with the app for me to test it, however, if you feel with time and want to read more, these guys Were/Are having the same problem...


text:
Does Chrome for Android sync passwords?
Does Chrome for Android currently sync passwords to Desktop Chrome through your Google Account? I found the issue at https://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=113164, but last they say you need Chrome Beta for it.
I'm asking because I added a few new passwords from Desktop Chrome, and they still are not synced to Android Chrome, so I started to doubt if sync works. Both are signed into my Google Account.

Mine works...I have loads of passwords saved on my work computer and they are available on my tablet.

Google Passwords are now synced by default. Ensure Chrome is up-to-date.

When launching Google Passwords in the Samsung Browser, it seemed like a rather odd issue cropped up with the passwords syncing into an existing local copy of the passwords. The cloud version was correct, but the entries in the browser password list now had some urls and passwords from many moons and Christmases past.

Navigate to chrome://sync-internals, then hit "trigger getupdates".

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


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"Application not installed" on Android 2.3.5 based Videocon Mobile Devices-APK
I am trying to install non market applications on Videocon mobile, i am getting the "Application Not installed" Done . Even I enabled access for non-market apps in the settings. But rest of all the mobiles APK is installing and working fine. Please help me to get over this.

(1) Has the app been installed before? (2) Do you have enough storage space on your phone? Also, what phone?

If the application has been downloaded previously, and the certificates doesn't match, android will display the same error. Make sure you have uninstalled any previous versions of the application and then reinstall the application. If you can't find your application in the app drawer, you should go into setting->Application Manager and then uninstall the application.
Or the second reason may be that the app is not compatible with your android version.

Your mobile did not support the version of apk file installed. You can reduce the SDK version editing with APK Easy editior tool. Some files will work if you having luck. Package installer to be upgraded mainly. no one ready to implement of old andriod versions of mobile so you throw it and buy new android mobile which was supporting all apps

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


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downgrade resolution of nexus 5 to improve battery
I was just wondering if i can downgrade the screen resolution of nexus 5 to 720p instead of 1080p can it improve the battery life ?
is it possible to achieve this ? If yes than how ?

Turn off data and wifi, whenever possible.

No, it wouldn't make a lot of difference to the battery life, and it's just as likely to increase power consumption as to decrease it. The screen would still draw the same amount of power. All that you'd be saving is that the GPU wouldn't have to do as much work to shade pixels (i.e. determine the colour of each individual pixel) - but that would come at the cost of having to scale up each 720p frame to the 1080p physical resolution of the screen itself.
You'd only get a net benefit from that in certain kinds of game where pixel shading is very expensive. Such games often do this already - they render expensive parts at a lower resolution and upscale - to keep within the 16ms budget for rendering each frame. At all other times, the upscaling would be unnecessarily costing you power.


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Busybox installation on emulator[Error:/system/xbin/busybox: not executable: magic 7F45]
I was trying to install busybox on my emulator with the help of section 5.2 in Android Emulator.
My AVD config
Device: Nexus S
Target: Google API(x86 System Image)-API Level 19
CPU/ABI: Intel Atom (x86)
The busybox binary I used is "busybox-x86_64" as my emulator CPU in  is x86.
When I run busybox it throws this error:"/system/bin/sh: /system/xbin/busybox: not executable: magic 7F45"
I tried chmod 777 also but no luck.
Anyone have any suggestions..? Thanks in advance....

You can't run x86_64 binaries on an x86 system, regardless of whether it's real or emulated. You need to install an x86 binary of busybox.

As i said the binary I'm using is busybox-x86_64

Yes. x86_64 is wrong. You need busybox-x86.


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What are radio_dump .bin files? Can I delete them?
Each radio_dump_xxxxxxx.bin is 37MB in size.

I don't think your Windows computer will need them.  Could you give a few more details, e.g. where exactly they are located? As your question is phrased currently, it's hard to answer.

Keeping the question open. It can be answered.

According to an XDA post, it means that your modem crashed. They are safe to delete. BUT, you may want to consider changing/upgrading the radio/modem for your phone.


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Google Contact Sync Problem
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (now with Kit Kat) about a year ago and used my Google account to sync contact, calendar, G-Mail, etc. Everything is working fine since I noticed contacts sync problem two weeks ago. Every time I make sync, Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly. message appears. I only have around 260 contacts. I researched and tried some solutions. But sync problem still exists. Some websites suggest to clear data of Contact Storage and I did. Nothing become except all my contacts were gone from my phone. Sync still doesn't work. I hate to do Factory Reset for such problem. I have searched many questions like mine at here but I can't find any solutions. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Sounds like it could be a connection problem. Are you on a Wi-Fi network? Can you access Gmail with other devices on the same network?

No. I use Mobile Data. I could sync on both Wi-Fi and Mobile Data before. I can sync other Google services, no problem.

You could try "resetting" your contacts app (Settings→Apps, look for "contacts", open, "clear cache" and "delete data" – just for safety, create a local backup before from within the contacts app using Menu→Import/Export→export to SDCard). Your contacts are still saved on Google's servers, and should be sync'd back soon (if not, you can always restore the backup).

I already did, @Izzy. Google contacts didn't sync back. I tried many ways. Nothing worked. I think Factory Reset is the only solution which I really hate to do.

Short of factory-reset (still leaving that as last resort) would be resetting your account, i.e. removing the Google account from your device, clean caches/data from all Google apps, re-add the Google account. To my knowledge, at least with Android 4.x and up, no data should be lost this way. If it works out, it saves you the factory-reset. If it doesn't, you'll factory-reset anyway...

Thanks a lot for your suggestions, @Izzy. I will try again for every steps. Currently I exported contacts as vcard format from Google and imported to ph storage. It's not the way I prefer but it solves my problem temporarily.

Yes, that's a work-around. I didn't propose this, as when the sync starts kicking in again it might lead to duplicates – but if you imported it to your "local" contacts (as opposed to the "Google account"), that should be simple to solve then. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Go to http://google.com/contacts from PC then log in and check your contact from there

How will this help?


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Clearing photos space from device via USB, keeping auto backup
I am running out of storage space on my mobile device.  I am using photos auto-backup, and would like to still be available to view my photos/videos when I want to from my device.  Can I connect via USB and delete/move files from Internal Storage\DCIM\Camera and be sure they will still be available from the photos app while I am online?


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How to sync between PC and android by WiFi File Explorer PRO?
I bought the app because it says "In this PRO version, you can also upload, sync, delete, copy, and zip or unzip all the files on your Android phone and computer"
I can download, upload, but I don't know how to sync a folder.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OZOTSQ/ref=mas_ty

Alternatives Cheetah Sync
Wifi Syncr

Yeah, sure there are alternatives (my preference for sync still is FolderSync, I'm quite happy with it). But the question was specifically about a "promised feature" of the app in the question (sorry, I don't know it either, as I never used that app).


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Cant find the delete dumpstate/logcat on my Galaxy TXT (Y Pro, B5510)
My internal storage keeps running low, even though I keep removing apps, and I only have a handful of apps installed. I cant install updates anymore either for the ones I do have because of this. I read somewhere that i could try deleting the dumpstate/logcats by dialing *#9900# using the 2nd option: Delete dumpstate/logcat, but after dialing that number, this option is not showing up anywhere on the Sysdump list of my phone. Is there some other way to use this option?


text:
Format and fresh install
Is there any option for android phones to format like we do in computers and fresh install with a new OS?
I have searched a lot but all are going for custom ROM, and I am not interested in custom ROM, as they are basically a few tweaks. I want to install new OS in my phone like we do in our PC. Can anyone help?

What kind of "new OS" are you hoping to install, if not a custom ROM?

Then I'd suggest you take a look into our rom-flashing tag-wiki, where you find some basic explanations plus links to more details on the topic.

If you just want a fresh start with your phone, you don't need to reinstall the OS at all, because OS files and user apps and data are stored separately. In normal use, the OS partition is read-only. All you need to do is a factory reset. This wipes all user data and apps, but doesn't usually touch the SD card. The process to follow is slightly different for different phones, but there's usually two ways: either reboot into recovery mode, which has a "factory reset" menu item, or from Settings → Backup & Reset.

But if we reset only the data will be wiped out but the OS will be the same. suppose if I have ICS, even after factory reset it will be ICS. I want to fresh install either ICS or Jellybean or any other version.

To get a new Android version, you either have to apply an update from the manufacturer (if one is available), or install a custom ROM based on the newer version. Does the answer to this question help?

For Nexus devices, you can use the official Factory Images from Google:
https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
This will even let you upgrade to a newer version using a "fresh install."
I used this when my Nexus 9 was giving an error trying to update. It worked like a new device.


text:
Apps in background are crashing
So, this happens to mostly every app, when they're in the background. Chrome tabs reload after reopening the app. Apps like Ingress look like they've just been started. Spotify even crashes, when it's in the background and I open Chrome.
So, before I reinstall the phone, what could be the issue? I've never installed any memory cleaning apps. I'm running stock 4.4.2 on a Moto G.
Chrome's crash log from ADB:
I/ActivityManager(  969): Start proc net.nurik.roman.dashclock for service net.nurik.roman.dashclock/com.google.android.apps.dashclock.DashClockService: pid=18611 uid=10126 gids={50126, 3003}
W/InputDispatcher(  969): channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)' ~ Consumer closed input channel or an error occurred.  events=0x9
E/InputDispatcher(  969): channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)' ~ Channel is unrecoverably broken and will be disposed!
I/ActivityManager(  969): Process com.android.chrome (pid 17867) has died.
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: Window{4303f310 u0 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main}
W/InputDispatcher(  969): Attempted to unregister already unregistered input channel '4303f310 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main (server)'
W/WindowManager(  969): Force-removing child win Window{42ea6618 u0 SurfaceView} from container Window{4303f310 u0 com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main}
E/JavaBinder(  969): !!! FAILED BINDER TRANSACTION !!!
W/WindowManager(  969): Failed looking up window
W/WindowManager(  969): java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Requested window android.os.BinderProxy@42ea6440 does not exist
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7968)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7959)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowState$DeathRecipient.binderDied(WindowState.java:1047)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at android.os.BinderProxy.sendDeathNotice(Binder.java:493)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: null

Ingress' crash log
I/ActivityManager(  969): Process com.nianticproject.ingress (pid 17260) has died.
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: Window{430e7c68 u0 com.nianticproject.ingress/com.nianticproject.ingress.NemesisActivity}
W/WindowManager(  969): Force-removing child win Window{431d43f0 u0 SurfaceView} from container Window{430e7c68 u0 com.nianticproject.ingress/com.nianticproject.ingress.NemesisActivity}
W/WindowManager(  969): Failed looking up window
W/WindowManager(  969): java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Requested window android.os.BinderProxy@423cb8b0 does not exist
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7968)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowManagerService.windowForClientLocked(WindowManagerService.java:7959)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at com.android.server.wm.WindowState$DeathRecipient.binderDied(WindowState.java:1047)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at android.os.BinderProxy.sendDeathNotice(Binder.java:493)
W/WindowManager(  969):     at dalvik.system.NativeStart.run(Native Method)
I/WindowState(  969): WIN DEATH: null

Alas, the "process x has died" message comes after the process dies, so whatever causes it is earlier than that, if it appears in the log at all. Everything after that is just fallout from the original problem.

I'll dig through it later.

I get this on MotoG 4.4.2 as well. It appears the MotoG has a very aggressive application culling in general. This link explains what the XDA group does about the problem.
In short, there is a 'minFree' system configuration file (sys/module/lowmemorykiller/minfree) which the OS uses to try and keep some minimum amount of memory free. Unfortunately, in stock MotoG 4.4.2 the setting is very aggressive and basically means only one application will be kept around (depending on memory footprint). In 4.4.4, this minimum amount is relaxed.
With rooting you can adjust the setting; or upgrade to 4.4.4. There's a helper app, MinFreeManager (requires root access), which can help adjust this settings file as well.

I already switched to a Moto G 2 with Lollipop and still experience the same issue from time to time...


text:
How to send photos to Chromecast?
I have made a bunch of shiny photos with my Nexus 4 and now I want to watch them on my Chromecast. Trouble is that the standard photo application wants me to upload the photos to the cloud and then add them to an album.
Is there an easier way to watch my photo gallery on my Chromecast? A cloudfree solution that just shows all my photos on my device would work best.

There are a handful of different apps you could try, each with varying amounts of features. A few specific examples:

Allcast - Also supports other devices like Roku and Xbox. Casts pretty much any kind of media.
Dayframe - Intended mostly for casting pictures as a slideshow/digital frame.
PhotoCast - Can display photos in a few different styles, including one that plots the location of geotagged images on a map in the background.


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Can I create a stock recovery from Nandroid backup or from OTA? How?
I am looking for a stock recovery for my phone (HTC One M7, rooted, s-on,CID: HTC__102, Software number: 4.19.401.11). But I cannot find it. The reason I want this recovery is that I want to experiment if it is possible to keep my phone rooted but going back to Stock recovery so that I can get OTA updates.
I have a nandroid back up of my stock ROM (I created it in TWRP, so it is after flashing the TWRP recovery),  and also I have downloaded an OTA for my phone from forums.
Is it possible I can get an stock recovery image from OTA zip file or Nandroid backup?
Thanks.

If your phone is rooted, it means some parts of /system partition were modified. An OTA update will most likely fail to install, regardless if you have stock or custom recovery.

I flashed stock recovery. now the Update process starts, it reboots the phone, and a progress bar fills up. when the progress bar finishes it reboots the phone. but i guess flashing stock recovery was not done properly, so it cannot finalize the update process and when the phone finally starts the update has not taken place.

It's probably not the recovery that's preventing the OTA from properly installing, but the fact that your phone is rooted.  Can you try un-rooting it (do a search for instructions for your root method) and applying the OTA again?

ok Chahk, let me try that. Just a question: I am assuming that unrooting will earas all my data, right? is there a way I can backup my apps and data and restore it after unrooting?

Un-rooting itself will probably not erase your data, although that depends on the rooting method you used in the first place. As far as backing up apps and data, take a look at Android's built-in adb backup tool. It works on non-rooted devices as well, so you should be able to do a restore after installing OTA update.


text:
Why does my Android have an 8MB hosts file blocking thousands of sites?
Background: my Android is the only source of internet I have - I use it as a hotspot while at home.
I have been noticing strange behavior out of my Desktop PC recently: sites like Amazon were not styled, and Yelp.com wouldn't work at all (as if it didn't exist)! Then, I attempted to use Yelp while I had WAMP running on my PC, and it redirected to my local website.
I soon discovered it was not a hosts file on my PC causing the issue, but the host file of my Android device from which my internet was coming.
I grabbed a terminal emulator from the Play Store and cat'd my hosts file into a text file, then retrieved it from my phone. It was 8.12MB, and it blocks 283,000 websites by redirecting their names to 127.0.0.1.
What is this madness? Most of these sites appear to be spam or inappropriate, but why are they blocked in this manner? Does Google do this? Why is Yelp.com blocked!? And why are Amazon's CDN servers blocked, too?
For now I think I'm going to manually edit the hosts file on my phone to get around this, but I would really like some answers, if anyone has any!
Thanks!

Are you rooted and using an ad blocker? This is usually the technique - to block these sites by redirecting their IP addresses internally - no outbound path.

I am rooted, but to my knowledge am not using an Ad-blocker. Why would www.yelp.com be blocked, do you think?

Yelp seems to be something a corporate office would block. Is your phone connected to an enterprise account and getting some sideloaded office policies downloaded, maybe?

I went back to take a second look after Unity3D couldn't connect to its licensing server, and it did say it was Ad Blocking by some rando guy. I think it must've come standard in the ROM I used. I am connected to corporate, but just for e-mail.


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LG G2 (d800) Stuck in Bootloop
After rooting my new G2 and tinkering with some XPosed modules I am now stuck in horrible bootloop limbo. My phone starts, shows the LG splash screen, plays the AT&T startup sound, and starts the boot animation. The boot animation slows down and freezes after a few seconds, and after a few minutes the sound plays again and the animation starts over ad infinitum. I didn't bother installing a custom recovery like an idiot, factory reset doesn't seem to do anything, I can't adb in when I'm in download mode, and I can't find a stock KDZ for a d800.
Please help me!

Try flashing this zip (the xposed disabler attached to the OP) in recovery. You can also try repeatedly pressing any hardware button during boot until the phone starts vibrating. Xposed will have entered "safe mode" when it vibrates for a longer duration. From the post:

Quick explanation of the safemode: It was developed by @Tungstwenty and makes it possible to disable Xposed by repeatedly pressing one of the hardware buttons during early startup. The phone will vibrate twice when the first key press has been detected. Then you have five seconds to press the same button four more times. Each key press will be confirmed with a short vibration; the final one with a long vibration. It creates /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/conf/disabled, which prevents most of Xposed’s actions (e.g. no hooks are made and no modules are loaded). There’s no 100% guarantee that this will get you out of a bootloop, but in most cases it should.

So I was able to find the TOT file for reinstalling your firmware here for kitkat and the directions to install the TOT method here. You just have to scroll down half way and there is also a video and picture instructions.
Hope this works and be very carful!!

I have long since switched phones, but I appreciate the response and hope it helps someone else in the future.

Hi, 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. Consider [edit]ing to summarize the content and/or expand the answer!


text:
Can't send/receive text messages on Nexus 5
My Nexus 5 has been able to send and receive text messages perfectly fine for 6 months now but as of a day or two ago it has just hasn't been able to send or receive messages from any text messaging app.
I am with Amaysim (in Australia), my phone is running Android 4.4.4 and I have tried sending messages from Hangouts, EvolveSMS and TextSecure and none have worked.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Do any of the apps give error messages? Have you tried sending messages from a different SIM or a different phone? Do phone calls still work?

Haven't tried that. Yes, phone calls still work.

I should of made myself more clear, I can still make calls but I don't think I can receive them.

To narrow down the issue, as keepcalm suggested, try placing the SIM into a different phone and see whether it shows the same symptoms there. If so, it's not your Nex, and you rather need a replacement card (or other help from your provider). Also, try a different SIM in your Nex for the same reasons.

I can't do that for another 2 days (I'm camping and have to stay where I am). Would it help to mention that I still have mobile internet access?

It could be the network, have you contacted customer support and asked them about any issues? Have you tried re-setting up your APN and settings and so on?

I have tried contacting the support team but they weren't able to help. I found out today that Google was dropping text support in Hangouts as of the 2nd of July (yesterday for me) so perhaps that could have something to do with it? I haven't changed any settings at all so I'm not too sure what the problem is. I haven't tried re-setting up my APN settings yet.

Hangouts from WEB is not supporting SMS, nothing to do with the app on your phone. Notably, the SMS feature from the Hangouts app for Android will still be available. Users can still send and receive text and multimedia messages in the Hangouts app. from this site here The network should be able to send your SMS settings to your device, and should be looking into this!

Sorry for the bump, I just want to say that I FINALLY got the problem fixed. Amaysim was not able to tell me what the problem was but they escalated it to Optus and had them sort it out. This can now be closed.

I face similar issue on nexus5, wish the solution had an answer.


text:
Why does Google Search suddenly need a lot more permissions?
I obviously have Google Search installed on my stock Nexus 4, however, a recent update for this app appears to require no less than 11 new permissions. Google does not appear to give any explanation for these new requirements. So, what is the reason for these new permissions?

Device & app history
Identity
Contacts/Calendar
Location
SMS
Phone
Photos/Media/Files
Camera/Microphone
Wi-Fi connection information
Device ID & call information
Other

Whenever I get a new update for an app, I glance over any new permissions and if they don't offer any explanation for why they now require these new permissions, I simply don't update the app. That is, after all, the reason why we are alerted to any new permissions - isn't it? Unfortunately, this means I have not yet updated this app. Should I?

Most of these permissions are used by Google Now and the new features they will be bringing out after Google I/O and the upcoming Android L Release.

I'm not sure about why they need a lot of these permissions, but I will explain the ones that I know about. Feel free to edit the answer to improve it. I have listed all the sub permissions as listed in the play store.
Device & app history

Retrieve running apps
This is for an upcoming feature where google search results will point/link directly to apps installed on your phone.
Read your Web bookmarks and history
This is for making Google Now suggestions based on your web habits. For example, I get updates about Fifa World Cup scores because I have searched for them on my phone before.

Identity

Find accounts on the device
Should be related to the feature mentioned in "Retrieve running apps"
It is also needed to log in with your Google account for the "commute sharing" feature, to access your web search history, and for app search, if you have any of these features turned on
Add or remove accounts
Read your own contact card

Contacts/Calendar

Read your contacts
Mainly for Google voice commands, such as calling a contact or sending them a message.
Modify your contacts
Read calendar events plus confidential information
For reminding you about upcoming events.
Add or modify calendar events and send email to guests without owners' knowledge

Location

Precise location (GPS and network-based)
Approximate location (network-based)
To provide location based suggestions, I get Google Now cards with places to eat nearby, weather reports, Photo spots nearby, etc

SMS

Receive text messages (SMS)
Send SMS messages
To send messages via voice commands
Edit your text messages (SMS or MMS)
Read your text messages (SMS or MMS)

Phone

Directly call phone numbers
Make calls via voice commands
Read call log

Photos/Media/Files

Test access to protected storage
Modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

Camera/Microphone

Take pictures and videos
Record audio

Wi-Fi connection information

View Wi-Fi connections
Might be used for guessing when you're at home/work or maybe related to this

Device ID & call information

Read phone status and identity

Other

Send Gmail
Permission to write Sound Search matches
Preload results
modify secure system settings
receive data from Internet
choose widgets
download files without notification
Read Google settings
disable or modify status bar
contacts data in Google accounts
view configured accounts
adjust your wallpaper size
prevent app switches
Modify Google settings
set an alarm
run at startup
control flashlight
view network connections
prevent device from sleeping
install shortcuts
use accounts on the device
change your audio settings
read Google service configuration
modify system settings
full network access
pair with Bluetooth devices
access Bluetooth settings
set wallpaper
send sticky broadcast
connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
read sync settings
control vibration

"View Wi-Fi connections" isn't needed to get location info based on nearby Wi-Fi hotspots. This functionality is a part of Android itself, so apps just use the location permissions to get this information. However, it could use it as part of the "guessing when you're at home/work" functionality, but that's just speculation.

The accounts-related ones are because it needs to log in with your Google account for the "commute sharing" feature, to access your web search history, and for app search, if you have any of these features turned on.

Reading Gmail is so that if you book a flight with your Gmail address, it reads the flight details automatically so it can tell you when to check in and which gate to open, &c.

The Bluetooth ones are needed for the "use a Bluetooth headset for voice commands" option.

@dan Regarding "View Wi-Fi connections", wouldn't it be needed for the "To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off"  feature in Android 4.3, to get the location when GPS, Data Connection and WiFi is turned off by the user

No, that's an Android feature, performed by the Fused Location Provider. It's not part of the Google Search app or any other user-visible app.

"Most of these permissions are used by Google Now" - I thought "Google Now" was a separate app? (Which I've been using for ... a long time already?)

@w3d The functionality of Google Search and Google Experience Launcher (formerly known as Google Now Launcher) have been merged into the Google Search app now.  GEL is basically just a shortcut to Search.

@JohnSPerayil Something striking is the flashlight permission! Could somebody elaborate? Why would this feature be added? Could this mean there is some way to control my flashlight with my voice?!

@reubenjohn I don't know, I tried a few keywords to see if Google Now can turning on the flashlight but no luck, maybe Google is bringing in a built in flashlight app in Android L :)

I saw an extension for Google now that allows custom voice commands including the flashlight, so maybe it's in there somewhere, hidden for now ! I'll link to our when I'm not on my phone! Here you go  http://www.androidauthority.com/commandr-google-now-401174/


text:
Tasker best profiles to trigger two states
I use some confuse profiles to trigger a task when I come to office and when I'm back  in home, based in time of the day and week(this is the problem to have many profiles). But I have two access points (wifi), in my house and in my office. So I would like to make only one or two, or even 3 profiles to this, based in the two wifi acess points, and not 6 I have right now.
Any suggestions would by welcome.
Thanks!!

You'll want to use the Wifi's SSID & MAC address as a trigger.
When you create your profile you'll go to state and select Wifi Connected.Then you'll see a magnifying glass next to SSID & MAC. Touching the magnifying glass will allow you to see the wifi networks currently in your area. You can add multiple SSID for a single task but then I'm not sure how the MAC addresses with interact with that. You might be able to see the wifi network it remembers but I'm not 100% sure on that. After selecting the correct SSID and its corresponding MAC Address tasker now knows to trigger. By selecting the SSID and MAC Address is prevents tasker from triggering if you connect to another wifi address with the same SSID. I hope this help. Since I'm new and trying to build up rep please don't forget to select this as your answer if it works for you and to upvote it. Thanks. If you have any issues please come back and ask more question but provide more info about the phone, Android version and tasker version along with any other plugin you might have.


text:
Inspect Android Browser elements like Desktop Chrome Inspector
I'm a web developer (don't know any native Android Development) and would like to inspect any web page in Android's browser without using an emulator.   Is there something available like how you can plug an iPhone into a Mac and use Safari to inspect the page just as if it were a webpage being loaded in the desktop Safari browser?
If this is not available, what is the next best thing?

You can't do this with the old "Android browser", but you can in Chrome, which is downloadable from Google Play and comes installed on all recent Android devices. The feature you're looking for is called Chrome Remote Debugging, and it relies on having Chrome on your desktop and ADB enabled and connected.

Good to know.  Unfortunately I need to have some live debugging on a Android stock browser only.  It's not horizontally scrolling something that works fine on all other mobile browsers I can test on. What's the next best thing?

authors: จิราวัลย์ กุ้งมะเริง


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Saving pix from Google camera to SD card
I have tried all the suggestions in the forum, but to no avail...
What I have:
Galaxy S4, 8GB internal, 64GB SD card, Omega ROM with Android 4.3 (TouchWiz); has Samsung camera AND Google camera (with Photosphere) which I prefer much more than the Samsung camera.
Samsung camera makes it easy to store pix on ext. SD card. Cannot find any setting or way to do the same with Google camera. Even tried deleting DCIM on internal SD card, hoping I would be asked where I wanted to store pix. But DCIM and subfolders were just recreated on the internal SD card.
With only 8GB internal, I need to clear more space out. That's why this is so important. Any help?

it seems i cant answer due to less than 10 reputation. if you are rooted you could try the app FolderMount.

Unfortunately the Google Camera app does not natively support saving pictures/videos/panoramas to SD Card.  I am guessing that this goes with Google's general stance against SD cards in general.  If your device is not rooted, you are stuck with having to manually move the images/videos.
For rooted devices, there is a work-around to this limitation.  Xposed framework allows various modules to override many stock firmware options without using 3rd-party ROMs.  It should also work on custom ROMs, but that isn't "officially" supported by the framework's developer.  You will need the Pictures2SD module, which makes all media from various camera apps (including Google Camera) to be automatically saved to the DCIM folder of the SD Card.
Xposed Installer app is not directly available via the Google Play Store, so after rooting your S4 (looks like you are already rooted, since you're running a custom ROM), you will need to allow side-loading of applications via Settings -> Security -> Unknown sources, download and install the APK from here, and activate it according to these instructions:

Installation of the framework:

Download the Xposed Installer APK and install it
Launch the Xposed Installer, go to the "Framework" section and click on "Install/Update"
Reboot
Done!

After that, the installation of modules is pretty straight-forward:

Installation of any modules:

Download .apk (e.g. via the
  builtin repository browser) and install it
Launch the Xposed Installer
  and go to the "Modules" section (you will also get there if you click
  on the notification warning you that the module is not enabled yet)
Enable the module by checking the checkbox
Reboot
Done!

Saving pictures to any 3rd party app is forbidden. It leads to a CTS fail even if a ROM builder provides an app with it. Therefore, I don't think Google Camera app has that function. You should change /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml by adding:
group gid="media_rw"

under
permission name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"

After that, find an app with the function of saving to the external SD card.

Install a file manager like ES File Explorer and manually move the captured images to a directory on your SD card. Only way around this ridiculous restriction I believe. You would have to do this each time you use the camera obviously.

Here is my workaround (I'm not sure if it works on Samsung devices).
On my Moto G with Kitkit 4.4.4, I go to Settings > Storage > Move Media > Pictures.
...and voila. Google's Camera takes better pictures so I don't mind moving them every once in a while over to my SD.


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How can I get the newer version of android?
My device (Samsung S4 mini i9195) carries a 4.2.2 version. When I ask for a software update manually, it says that the latest version is already installed. How can I force it to accept the actual latest version (4.4.2) as depicted in this page?

You are not getting update most probably because the new version of OS is not yet released for your REGION. If really want to update(not official) you can install custom ROMS. But at the end of day I would prefer you retain your present OS if its not posing problems.

To the best of my knowledge you have to wait until your carrier pushes the update. Unless you are on a Google Play edition or Nexus device, your carrier reviews the updated software from the manufacturer and adds what it deems to be necessary additions, applications, etc.

Google Play edition is actually released by the manufacturer not Google. Samsung add the Touchwiz framework support for the S-View Cover, and HTC add Beats Audio, and the rest is stock!


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Permissions and owners of /system/etc/hosts
Can somebody please tell me what permissions, owner & group I should give to /system/etc/hosts file? My current script is:
#!/system/bin/sh
ln -s /system/etc /etc
touch /etc/hosts
chmod 644 /etc/hosts
chown root:root /etc/hosts
echo "IPADDR DOMAIN" >> /etc/hosts
svc data disable
svc data enable

Can someone help me with the following?
chmod 644 /etc/hosts
chown root:root /etc/hosts

This is from my rooted phone running Cyanogenmod 11: -rw-r--r-- root     root           25 2008-08-01 08:00 hosts

Those are the correct permissions and owner/group for hosts.
Beyond that, you would need to add additional information to your question for further assistance.


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Huawei Ascend P7: Problem with Push Notifications
I've just purchased 2 brand-new Huawei Ascend P7 phones and have problems with both: The Push Notifications do not work properly: messages come in delayed, sometimes only when I enter the corresponding app.
This is not restricted to a specific app, and occurs on both Wifi and mobile data. I have given all apps push notification permissions within the Notification Manager, I have also disabled Smart Power Saving Mode and enabled always-on mobile data (hope that helps keeping the GCM connection alive).
One of my phones already received the new system update to P7-L10V100R001C00B121SP01, the other one is still on L10V100R001C00B116SP3.
I've googled a bit, this seems a common problem with those P7s. Any ideas?

Make sure you've turned on Datasync in Settings
Use https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andqlimax.pushfixer to set notification heartbeat interval
If nothing helps, factory-reset your phone
Check if the same problem appears on both phones, if yes, try a different telephony company


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Is possible to install Android on Samsung GT-S5220?
I have a Samsung GT-S5220 without android, I want to know if is possible to get Android on it. So, is this possible? If yes, how? If not, there is any site similar to Google play?

Check on XDA to see if your device has an unofficial port of Android (unlikely if it's not shipped with Android).

No. There is no way to do this. This is a "dumb phone" with 20mb of internal memory (nowhere near enough to run Android) and the hardware is completely incompatible.
As for sites similar to Google Play, this isn't possible either. This device does not support downloadable apps.
You may wish to look into something like the Moto E. It is a very good Android basic device that sells for about $130US (price will vary by market).


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How to Repair IMEI of rooted phone without backup
I recently rooted my Samsung Galaxy S2 AT&T phone (SGH-I777) with KitKat AOCP version. I used ClockworkMod 6.0.4.6 recovery. However, I encountered a problem "E: Cant mount storage/sdcard0" . I formatted my sdcard0 and then it worked.
However, in this process I deleted my efs folder which supposed to have the IMEI information. Hence, now the phone can not get telephone service, so I can not call.
I have gone through the forums explaining how to restore IMEI if you have a backup, or how to edit a corrupted imei file. However, I coudn't find a suitable solution for my case.I don't have anything inside my efs folder to start with.
I know my EMEI number, since its written on the back of my phone. Is there any way I can generate a fresh IMEI file for my phone from the number. What steps I need to follow to get my phone running again.
Thanks for help.

I'm pretty sure there's a way to hexedit your IMEI back in, but only if you manage to regen the efs folder...

The efs folder is created by the custom rom. But the file which holds the imei info: "nv_data.bin" is empty. If I can get a sample file, may be I will be able to edit it with my IMEI number.


text:
Galaxy s2 stuck on samsung logo after installing an app
I installed a game on my Samsung galaxy s2 using an .apk file.
I was playing a while, and after a couple of minutes my phone rebooted and got bootlooped.
Now there is no boot-loop anymore, but it stucks on Samsung logo.

I can get into Recovery mode/Download mode.
My phone has a "PhilZ Touch 5" recovery.

How can I revive my phone?

Flash a nandroid backup? Install a new ROM?

Isn't there a simpler solution?

You could do a Factory Reset. Bootloops mean you will lose data. ALWAYS BACKUP everything! Nandroid backup and Titanium Backup!

The usual way of fixing bootloops is doing a Factory Reset (via Recovery mode). Of course, you will lose your data.
But seeing that you have a custom recovery, do you also have a custom ROM installed? If yes, try (dirty) flashing the custom ROM via custom recovery. Don't forget to wipe cache and Dalvik cache.

Can't I just uninstall the problematic app somehow?

@OmerEldan Are you on a custom ROM?

Yes, but I don't remember the exact ROM name and version. @geffchang

@OmerEldan To uninstall, you can probably delete it from the /data/app folder via recovery. You can try, but I'm not sure if it'll work. Can you check?

@OmerEldan The newly installed app and its data is not necessarily what got corrupted.  If you need the phone to be usable a.s.a.p., in recovery do a nandroid backup and wipe data/factory reset. You can worry about getting your data out of nandroid's .tar backups later.

@Chahk Unfortunatly I cannot get into recovry mode now. What should I do?

@OmerEldan Can you get into Download mode? If so, you'll need to flash Samsung's stock image via Odin.

@Chahk Yea, I can. Will I lose my data if I'll flash a stock ROM ?

@OmerEldan Yes, Odin wipes all user data. Unfortunately without a functioning recovery image there is no way to backup the data.  You may want to try flashing only the custom recovery first to see if that will allow you to boot into recovery. Galaxy S2 section of XDA-developers forums should have the recoveries in Odin format. Be sure to download for your exact phone model, as there were quite a few variants under the "Galaxy S II" branding.

@Chahk I tried to flash stock rom via odin and it failed: ID:0/008 SetupConnection..
ID:0/008 Initialzation..
ID:0/008 Get PIT for mapping..
ID:0/008 Firmware update start..
ID:0/008 zImage
ID:0/008 NAND Write Start!!
ID:0/008 Complete(Write) operation failed.
 All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

@OmerEldan Make sure the USB drivers are good. 99% of all Odin failures are because of bad drivers. Uninstall all current Galaxy S2 drivers (including Kies if you have it) then download and install the latest ones, and try flashing again.


text:
unlocking bootloader moto g xt1033
I'm trying to root my MOTO G XT1033 DUAL SIM but in the videos I've seen till date it says that you need unlock the boot loader .I saw solution videos to unlock boot loader but all of them says that by unlocking boot loader you will lose all your data.
So I was wondering that is there any way to unlock the MOTO G's boot loader without losing the data?
If it's not possible then please tell me how to unlock the boot loader without PC (my PC is damaged)

You cannot unlock your bootloader without also wiping your data. Backup your data, either manually or using an app. You also need a computer to perform the unlock process because it is performed while your device is in fastboot mode; before the Android OS is even started.


text:
i deleted my sim an i know wont reinstall whatsapp how do i keep my old number
I bought a new phone an I want to transfer my old whatsapp number to my new phone but i dont anymore have that sim card it has been deleted is there any way I can still keep my number?

As far as I know, Whatsapp requires a mobile device with a phone number.   The idea being that your phone number becomes your Whatsapp account id.  Should your phone number change, you get a new account.  Just like if someone needs to call you up,  if someone needs to message you on Whatsapp, they'll need your new phone number.
If, after getting a new cellphone account or switching carriers, you want to retain your Whatsapp account,  you'll need to have ported your phone number through your new wireless carrier.  Although, in some countries, you're entitled to a port, depending on the place, you may have to hefty pay fees, wait varying amounts of time or just be unable to port your number.
In all cases, though, you'll need to arrange the port prior to canceling the old number.
When you think of it,  not much is associated with your account.   It's just:

Undelivered messages.
Your status message.
A bunch of info you don't have access to that the company's no doubt selling to advertisers :-)
Your pending balance, if you paid for the service.

If your concern is your balance,  you may want to contact Whatsapp directly on this. They may have a way to transfer this to a new number.


text:
Nexus S doesn't start up
I flashed my Nexus S with the 4.1.2 factory image this morning and then relocked the bootloader. Everything was going fine, until I turned it off (it charges faster this way) and it wouldn't turn on again. The battery started getting warmer and the phone doesn't respond at all.
Any ideas?

Can you tell after how much time battery starts to warm? Or getting hot

I would suggest you to flash 4.4.3 and then lock.

I'm unable to physically turn the phone on - no fastboot, no download mode. The battery starts to get warm as soon as its plugged in. My computer doesn't detect the device. The phone was at 30% battery when I powered it off.

Seems voltage issue. Your battery is not supplying voltage as intended. I would suggest you get a replacement. You will get warranty since you said you relocked the device. Good luck, and don't worry you can easily get replacement

tried another battery, same behaviour, seems like the phone processor can't even boot the hardcoded charging code to charge the battery?

Still I would advice going for a repair since a phone should not give such issues in flashing rom


text:
Is it possible to charge phone faster?
I know that going to Airplane mode can be useful
But is there any way to charge phone faster?

Turning it off first. Then there's no possible stuff draining energy while it's charging.
Be sure to charge via AC. Charging via USB is much slower.
There's a small chance that the charger you have doesn't draw power as fast as your phone can take it. A charging brick with a slightly higher mA rating might get you some quicker charges, but I think it's unlikely (especially if you're using the charger that came with the phone).

I saw this a few weeks ago which, if genuine, looks pretty good. I am still sceptical however but would be nice to see if it is successful.

Use DU battery app. By that my phone charges abit quick.I have noticed it alot of times
Link to the app(android) -
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dianxinos.dxbs&hl=en


text:
Details on Android OS massive data usage
Yesterday Android OS on my Nexus 5 transferred 44,7 GB (!) data over both WiFi (42,2 GB) and mobile data (2,5 GB). I have no idea why the data transfer started, and I have no idea why it stopped after one day, and I have no idea what data was transferred, and to/from where.
I haven't changed or installed anything on the phone.
Is it possible to see exactly what data has been exchanged by the Android OS and why?

Yes, you can - details here: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/why-you-dont-need-third-party-apps-to-manage-background-data-use-in-android-jelly-bean/
From the article:

"To access the Data Usage screen, open your Android phone’s Settings
  screen, and tap Data usage under Wireless & Networks. You’ll see a
  graph displaying how much mobile data all apps on your phone used over
  a period of time. Specify the “Data usage cycle”  time period that
  your carrier uses to determine your monthly data usage and you should
  see the amount of data you’ve used in the past billing cycle."

Hope it helps!


text:
AOSP ROMs Video Playback Capability
I have one problem with AOSP roms and I consider this as the biggest one.
I have a Galaxy S3 I9300 running Stock 4.3 deodexed, zipaligned etc.
Now with this ROM I am able to play almost all types of video files...Why is this not possible with AOSP roms?
I have always seen people installing different types of Apps (MX Player, VLC Player etc. etc..) to get all the videos playing...
But TouchWiz plays almost all types of videos out of the box...As of now I don't have any third party video player installed on my phone...
I am a big fan of CM, but refrain from installing it just because of this one reason!
Can someone please explain this to me...would be great !!
And please correct me if i am wrong...
Thanks.

I think it's down to Samsung's vide player being pretty decent at formats, rather than the ROM itself, but afaik Samsung have modified the player to need the TW framework. I'm open to correction though.

It could be that the stock ROM uses some video decode hardware on the phone, which third-party ROMs lack drivers for. Just a guess though.

Related question with my answer: What media formats are supported in Android?

AOSP Video Playback
Samsung's Touchwiz framework includes Samsung's own Video Player for Android. It's a decent player and covers a lot of different video formats.
AOSP (Android Open Source Project) ROMs come with the 'Stock' video player, which does not seem to have the wide array of features that Samsung provide.
Samsung Video Player APK:
I found a link to the apk for Samsung Video Player.  Here is the player
As you said, you would have to install VLC, MX or an alternative player on AOSP to enable more video formats. I think the trade off of downloading an app, vs reinstalling the laggy, bloated Touchwiz is an easy choice, but it depends on what you prefer. It'd personal choice really.

Galaxy S5 Video Player
You can actually install Galaxy S5 apps on your S4/Note 2/3 as well.
This XDA thread has the apk files for Galaxy S5 applications, including Video Player

Added Bonus: Other Samusng Apps:
This XDA thread has Samsung apps you can flash via custom recovery. However, it requires a custom recovery, and the Video player is not listed. Here are the apps you can install, perhapst he Samsung App Store would have the Video Player:
Samsung apps store
Polaris office
Touch Wiz 4 HD Launcher
Touch wiz clock package
Samsung Task Manager
Memo (not S Memo)


text:
When sending a text message to multiple recipients, how does one see the other recipients?
I sent a text message through MightyText to 5 recipients. One of them showed me on his phone it indicates the other people the message was sent to. How is this possible? Does SMS include each recipient in each message?

This is called group messaging. In short, everyone in the group gets replies from all the other group members. You can choose to remove people from the message or isolate specific people to message separately, and for that reason it will list all "participants" in the message.
I am not sure how to view them in your app as I have not used it, but in most messaging apps, when you are in the message thread, there will be an option to view group participants. It may be hidden behind the menu key (3 dots often in upper or lower right, or hardware menu key, if your phone has one). Or it may have its own button. (Tip: in many apps you can find out the purpose of a button by pressing and holding the button)


text:
Use data connection when WIFI has no internet access
My friend has a wireless router in his car that supports streaming music. I would like to stream music to this router from my google play (or other internet source), but as soon as I connect to his router, I lose internet access (since his router doesn't have any kind of outside line). It seems that even though the router clearly doesn't have internet access, android is shutting down my 4G connection. Is there any way to change this behavior, or is it expected to change in Android L? It is a little disappointing that this doesn't work as it seems the iPhone has supported this for quite some time.
For reference I am on android KitKat 4.4.3

This question is kind of unclear. Do you know the manufacturer and model of the device you are trying to connect to from your phone?
As far as I know, you can't simultaneously use the cellular modem and the wifi at the same time.

@Chahk It's a little different, I'm not trying to have an app use both connections at once, I don't have internet access over wifi so I'd like to be able to access the internet over 4G while still interacting with devices on the wifi network

I was able to get more details about the device, you can find it here http://airenabler.qnology.com/ it seems it is using some special mode to make sure the iPhone keeps its data connection alive, and I have contacted the manufacturer to find the details of this method.

@MaxEhrlich That's exactly the situation the linked question is about.


text:
Installing Clockwork Mod using .img
I would like to install Clockwork Mod recovery on my Motorola Cliq running Android 2.1. Unfortunately, it seems that the app to install it is no longer available in Market, only in Google Play, but Play doesn't work in 2.1. I was able to download an image, but have no idea what to do with it. Can somebody walk me through the process? Sorry for the basic question but I'm rather new at this.

Found the answer. The image file goes on the SD card, and then execute the following commands in Terminal Emulator:
su
flash_image recovery /sdcard/<filename>


text:
Clockworkmod error on Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 - Failed to send data
I'm trying to install Clockworkmod on my Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500), but I'm running into an issue when installing.
I'm following the steps laid out here, and I then receive this error when running Heimdall to start the flashing process...
Initialising connection...
Detecting device...
Claiming interface...
Setting up interface...

Initialising protocol...
ERROR: Failed to send data!Releasing device interface...

I've tried on both Mac and Windows machines, but I keep getting the same error.
I'm kind of at the end of my rope here, I've tried everything I can think of, and have googled my butt off, but no luck. :/
What could be causing this, and how can I get past it?
Thanks in advance!

Is Heimdall compatible with the I9500? I know other users have had compatability issues. Contact the dev maybe? Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20820/how-can-i-flash-clockworkmod-with-heimdall-on-galaxy-mini?rq=1 Not the same device but could be the same issue. Why not use ODIN on a Windows PC and do it that way, definitely works, Heimdall is a nix version.

As far as I know it should be, according to that tutorial I was following. I've tried Odin, but I get the same issue, Odin doesn't pick up the device at all.


text:
How can I make Windows remember my Galaxy S3
Whenever I tether my Galaxy S3 to my laptop, using the built-in functionality from the Network Settings, Windows considers it a completely new connection: It labels the network "Network X" (with X being an incrementing counter) and asks for information on the type of network.
Is there a way to let Windows treat all of my tethering as a single connection and make it stop asking for the connection type?

You either have to forget the network connection,by navigating to Settings >> Network and Internet >>  WiFi >> Manage known networks, and choose "forget" for the appropriate network, then reconnect and see if problem persists or unistall the device driver.
If its USB tethering try unistalling the Network adapter:
Go to device manager >> Network Adaptor>> Right click on your wireless adaptor and select uninstall. (Also enable "show hidden devices" and delete old instances of this network adapter, its usually RNDIS Device)
Reboot and reconnect your device. Sometimes its just occurs because of some corruption in registry.


text:
Secure boot while still being able to keep up with nightlies
Following this great answer, I've secured the bootloader on my Nexus 7 deb by using fastboot oem lock and installing the original Google-provided recovery image.
However, I now have a dilemma. Here's my setup:

My device is encrypted with a very strong passphrase.
I'm running a CyanogenMod nightly, but I'm planning on sticking to more stable releases as they become available. (The nightly which I'm running is because it provides keyboard layouts as imported from AOSP that were previously unavailable)

Every so often, I'll get a crash and the device will reboot itself, there are weirdness with Bluetooth, etc. This I have accepted with running nightlies, I know what I'm getting myself into.
I just realized the terrifying truth: in order for me to fastboot oem unlock my device, a user data wipe is necessary. That really, really stinks.
Is there a way for me to do this without wiping my data? Moving forward, is there a way for me to both maintain security of my device and be able to flash new updates to my ROM?


text:
Strange Gallery Folder
Every once in a while, a folder simply titled "Images" Will appear in my LG G2's gallery. It comes back even after I delete it.
For reference: http://imgur.com/e5s0IOc
Is this just Android being Android, or is an app causing this?
Thanks

The image is 404

Check if any application you installed creates this folder. For example, "Easy Battery Saver" app creates its own image and video folders when you open it. I suspect, there is some application, which when you access, creates this folder.


text:
accidentally deleted the samsung apps app that I need to use for my phone and gear2 watch. how can it be reinstalled?
accidentally deleted the samsung apps app that I need to use for my phone and gear2 watch. how can it be reinstalled if it's not in Google or anywhere else?

You didn't say what device, but you can unroot and re-install the Stock Samsung Firmware: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2265477   that's for the S4 adjust your search accordingly.

And just in case your reply is "I didn't root the device": in that case you most likely also didn't delete the Samsung Apps, as they come pre-installed, but just de-activated them (check Settings→Apps, "All" tab, watch out for the app in the list, and re-activate it then).


text:
I accidentally deleted all applications from my Android phone
My phone is Samsung S4 mini CLONE GT-i9190 (CHINA)
Accidentally I have deleted all the applications, what I did is that

I installed V root on my pc, and through this program  I rebooted my phone.
I installed MoboRobo on my pc, and accidentally marked all applications for delete.
I went outside and when I came back and saw mobile screen was black, it was lighting (I think there is no any application and mobile has nothing to show that's why it is just lighting)
I put out battery and put back and try to turn on and showing Android logo and can listen start up tune, after that the screen is lighting (the display is lighting)
My friend told me to install the ODIN 3 program  on your PC and download firmware for GT-i9190 and install in the phone, but my phone is not debugging.

I think my mobile is empty. If you know solution please tell me.

Typically, you can reset your phone to its factory settings using this answer: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/77088/67135
However, that won't work: it will only wipe /data, restoring your phone to it's factory settings, not restoring the entire ROM.
The reason why ODIN did not work is that ODIN only works for genuine Samsung phones, with Samsung firmware.
You'll need to get a update.zip file for your phone to flash in recovery. Unfortunately, clones don't usually have these files available.

It sounds like you were trying to root your phone. If this is the case, then part of that process is completely wiping your /data and /system partitions. So yes, all of your applications, pictures, music etc. are gone.
I would recommend reading the documentation you have, and completing the rooting process. Then sign back into Google, and download all your apps from the play store again. (From the slide out drawer on the left side, select My Apps, then slide from right to left to switch from Installed to All. This will show you a list of all the apps you've ever downloaded. Long press on an app, then tap your way down the list, and you can mass reinstall.)
Things you'll need immediately after rooting:
1) a ROM, for a beginner I'd recommend CyanogenMOD, but I'm not sure what is available in Chine
2) Gapps, these are all the essential Google applications. (Play Store, Play Services etc.)
After you root your phone, and put a ROM on it I would highly recommend buying a backup app. I use Titanium Backup Pro, but I'm not sure if it is available where you are from, you'll have to do a little research.
Lastly, once you root your phone, welcome to the wonderful world of root. You can flash custom roms, use the Xposed framework and much more. You can make your phone do tons of stuff that it could not normally do.
Good luck, have fun.

Looks like you confused a few things: a) one doesn't need a new ROM after rooting (basically, rooting just adds a few binaries), b) OP removed SYSTEM apps (not "user apps"), so the device doesn't boot up completely, and no install from Play (or "completing the rooting process", for that) is possible) – OK, and that makes him needing a ROM ;)


text:
I have lost my MOTO E
My device has stolen by someone,,, i need to block the Device as completely useless
Find the following IMEI Details,
IMEI No.: 359299053253550
          359899053253568

You can use Android Device Manager from the web to try finding your device. It can "call" and maybe lock & wipe your device, too.
Android Device Manager: https://www.google.de/android/devicemanager


text:
Android Device Manager can't locate my phone anymore
I have used ADM before and located my phone and also tried to 'ring' the phone and both worked (After a few tries, but it worked).
Now it's not working at all. I have both WiFi and GPS on and I could find my location using 'Maps' and another GPS app called 'OSMAnd'.
I also checked that ADM is selected as 'Device administrator' and that 'Remotely locate this device' is selected in Google settings -> Android Device Manager.


text:
Is it possible to disable confirmation dialogs in Android 4.4?
I have an LG G2 which came with Jelly Bean, and I have recently updated it to Kit Kat.  I have noticed that the amount of confirmation dialogs when changing phone settings seems to have gone up from Jelly Bean (although Jelly Bean had a lot as well, IMHO).  I am of the opinion that if I change a phone setting, I want to do it, and I am sure of it.  I don't want to confirm every thing I do with the settings every single time (maybe the first time I do it on the phone, but not forever).
For example:

On Jelly Bean, if I enable GPS via the quick settings, it would just enable.  With Kit Kat, every time I enable it via quick settings, I have to confirm twice that this is what I want to do (once for "Location consent" and again for Google's location service).  Since I like to leave GPS off until I need it to save battery (such as for my traffic app), this gets annoying really fast
Another example that bugged me with Jelly Bean is the same on Kit Kat: every time I want to reset the phone, I have to confirm it
Turning off mobile data warns me that I will not be able to use apps that require a data connection.  I know this.  I don't need to confirm this every time I want to disable data
Airplane mode produces a dialog stating that I will be unable to make or receive calls with it on.  Again, I know this.  I don't need to be reminded every time
Oddly enough, enabling/disabling Bluetooth does not produce such nags.

I was wondering if there is any way (mod, app, hack) to turn off these confirmation dialogs.  Thanks in advance for any insight.

I only recently updated and have the same issues (also, the sync switch in the quick settings need to be confirmed every time...). Did you find any solutions?

Try LG G2 tweak progs / xposed modules, like LTweaks, GravityBox, G2 Xposed, G2 TweaksBox. Or install Lollipop on it.

Hello. Can you tell how to use any of them to achieve the objective in question? It would be very helpful.


text:
"Flashing" custom recovery from running ROM
A possible solution to my other question related to this.
Having root access, what's there to prevent me from manually flashing a custom recovery from my running operating system? If my bootloader is locked, can I still do:
dd if=openrecovery-twrp-2.7.0-deb.img of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery

If so, then I'd be able to flash a custom recovery from inside of a running Android operating system, bypassing a locked bootloader. I suppose if someone has root access to a running operating system, you're pretty much hosed anyway, but would this at least in theory work?
Can I use something similar to the above command to flash a recovery in a live, running Android device?

In response to my own question: yes, you can flash a custom recovery from a running OS. The recovery, since it isn't mounted, should be fine to write:
dd if=openrecovery-twrp-2.7.0-deb.img of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery

You run the above at your own risk and I accept no responsibility for what you do with this.
Do note, however, that if you have a locked bootloader, it will prevent booting because it will see that the recovery's signature is bad.

A 'newer' and free (and in my opinion the best so far) root app is Flashify.
It can flash kernels and recoveries from your phone. Additionally it can download the images for you, too.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cgollner.flashify

Actually I have tried this on around 3-5 occassions(and it has always worked, for some reason).
What I did was I download recovery in img format (or if it was zip I manually extracted it to get the img file). Then renamed file from whatever name to recovery.img
Then I went to system/etc and deleted existing recovery.img and copied the new one downloaded above. Then set permissions to rw-r-r or 755.
This has quite greatly worked for me. Again, I am not taking any responsibility here. Feel free to backup and check ;)


text:
Auto-sync killing battery all of a sudden on S3?
I have had my S3 for a good long while, ever since they were new with Verizon. Almost immediately, I bought an extended battery and all was good. In the last week or so, the battery has begun discharging rapidly. 50% in a couple of hours. I had extra batteries, so I switched out thinking I had a bad one. Same deal.
Looking around, I read that killing the cache should fix it. Nope. Then someone suggested turning off auto-sync. That did it. Battery drain want back to normal. Why? Why all of a sudden? Then, the Gmail app doesn’t want to manually sync… Annoying. I was hoping to avoid a factory reset, but would that be my next course of action? I’m wondering if the Gmail app is bad. Definitely going to dump that and re-install.
Any thoughts?

Is it just the gmail app? Or are other auto-sync apps also guilty of battery murder?

Settings → More → Battery will show you which app(s) use the most battery. Check there, and then update your question with what you found out.

It is not "Constantly" trying to update, and therefore it is not
  constantly using your battery.
Autosync only transmits when the other side has something to send. It
  doesn't constantly ask if there has been a change that needs to be
  synced.
This is accomplished by opening a socket to the server, then putting
  the radio to sleep. The socket stays open until server attempts to
  send something, or the socket times out. TCP/IP sockets typically time
  out anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes after they are opened.
Each time the radio listens for traffic (which in GSM land is every
  120 milliseconds) it will see that traffic is waiting if EITHER the
  socket timed out or the socket became readable (has data waiting). It
  would then power up the radio enough to read the data, or reestablish
  the timed out socket).
Your phone is doing that all the time, 24/7 365 whether you have
  autosync on or not. That's how cell phones work. It takes virtually
  zero power.
So if you sync your Gmail, Contacts, Calendars, Picasa, Documents,
  Books, Music, Reader, all of those things you sync with Google are
  handled by ONE socket. That one socket gets set readable when there
  has been any change in any of those services that needs syncing.
Add another socket for Dropbox, or skydrive, or any non-Google mail
  accounts.
(For non-google mail accounts ALWAYS choose IMAP accounts, never POP3.
  Pop3 has to wake up and check mail. Have your gmail account pull mail
  from pop3, and get that account off your phone. IMAP accounts use IMAP
  IDLED, which works on the open socket method described above, as does
  Microsoft Exchange).
The vast majority of these services go hours if not days between any
  changes, so there are very few times that data needs to actually be
  synced. Most of the time its just a socket refresh. And all of these
  tend to happen at one time, because Android tries to get them to all
  drop at the same time by starting them at the same time when you
  bounce from one tower to the next or switch from cellular to wifi.
But the key point to remember is that your phone is ALWAYS talking to
  the towers anyway, every 120ms, so these socket refreshes take almost
  zero extra power.

Source: icebike's answer on http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-x/181151-autosync-battery-killer.html

Wow! That is a great answer. Thank you, you really helped me with understanding this functionality. But this being said, why do you think the dramatic battery drain slows (dramatically) with auto-sync turned off?

I hava a Samsung S5. Before I charged my phone once per 24 or 48 hours and since a few days suddently the battery lasted only 4 to 8 hours. After several test I discovered the cause was a few corrupt images. I deleted the corrupt images and the problem was solved. I used this app to find the corrupt images.


text:
How to Install App as System App
My S3 has a damaged motherboard (says Samsung Tech Center), only boots into safe mode.
If I am to keep using the device I have to make the apps into system apps, so they run in safe mode.
One way is to use titanium backup (or other root file app) to make the app system, but the phone came back from Samsung wiped clean. It is still rooted, have SuperSu app installed.
Does anyone know how I can make a Play_Store or Downloaded_APK app system?

I won't tag this question as S3 or root because these details are specific to my own case, and have no relation to the broader question.

Yes, it is a duplicate.

Carl Parker writes about it on Android Authority:
(partly reproduced here in case the original post goes down)

For Apps Installed on the Device

Assuming you have installed the app on your device, go to the app’s
  Google Play Store link and take note of the words after “?id=” and
  ignore the rest.
Connect your device to the computer via USB
  cable.
Open the command prompt on your computer and type the following
  commands:

adb remount
adb shell
su
cd /data/app/

Type the command ls appfilename* (where “appfilename” is the app’s ID on Google Play
  Store; make sure you include the asterisk at the end).  This command
  will display the app’s complete APK filename.
Enter the following command:

mv apk_full_filename_here /system/app/apk_full_filename_here
exit
exit
adb reboot

The device will now reboot. Your app is now saved as a system
  app.

For Apps Whose APKs Are on the PC Hard Drive

Open a command prompt on your computer and navigate to where the APK
  file is located.
Enable USB debugging on your device and connect your
  device to the computer via USB cable.
Enter the following commands:

adb remount
adb push apk-filename-here /system/app/
adb shell chmod 644 /system/app/apk-filename-here
adb reboot

Your phone will automatically reboot. Your app will now be saved as a system app.

Hi, but where is the configuration of the system app is saved ? Is it also saved in /system/ ?


text:
Nexus 7 system update notification
My Nexus 7 permanently displays a 'system update downloaded. Touch to install' notification' that I can't seem to clear. I've touched the notification to install but am just taken to apps. Can anyone help me get rid of this notification, please? Many thanks.

Did you try going to Settings->About Phone->System Update and trying to update the phone from there?

Is your Nexus 7 rooted?

Download the updated image and manually flash it instead. That is what I did with mine.


text:
Bootloop Sony Tablet S
I had a problem with my Sony Tablet S (Android 4.03) i tried to unnistalled some app and then alot of messages pop up one after another teeling that "x" application has fail, so i try to reboot, but since the tablet get stuck on the loading screen when try to initialize.
Anyone can help me to solve it without lost all the apps and info? thanks.

Have you checked our boot-loop tag-wiki, which includes some first-aid on the issue? If so, what have you tried, and where are you stuck?

@Izzy thanks, yes i have seen it, and also i could fix the bootloop (just did a reset to factory) i couldn't save the data, but at least i can use the tablet again

Thanks for the feedback, Dmitry. Would you mind making your experience an answer, including the steps you've taken? That could help future visitors (even more if you include links to where you picked details from ;) Thanks!


text:
How to restore Google Search withOUT Google Voice Dialer?
Stack Exchange newbie here.  Please forgive any protocol mistakes.
I'm following a thread, but can't yet comment as a newbie, on a question involving the Google Voice Dialer for Android 4.1x - everyone commenting knows that the prior version worked fine but a new OTA push made it serious junk.  I've followed some instructions that say to disable Google Search so that the system will use Voice Commands instead, and that solution works consistently well.  However, additional instructions state that one should then re-download Google Search to reinstall it. This does not appear possible... when an app is disabled, it indicates this status in the Play Store and one cannot opt to download a fresh copy.  And re-enabling Google Search just puts the crappy Google Voice Dialer back online.
How to restore Google Search withOUT Google Voice Dialer? Comments or answers to this please?  Your help greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
Droid Bionic  4.1.2  System ver  98.72.22.XT875.Verizon.en.US


text:
Galaxy S4 Turning on problem
My lock button was having some problems such as when I clicked it it wouldn't do anything or it would glitch and hold down, so I restarted my phone now nothing is happening, I can't get anything on the screen to work at all
I tried to boot into savemode, and download mode, dev move, nothing is working. I tried taking out the battery then trying, still didn't work. The most I can do is have it show "Samsung Custom" and then turn back off.

I have same problem, and I formatted my mobile, still problem not solved

I suggest to report to nearest Customer Care in case this device is in warranty.

I found out that it was my lock button, I put on my otterbox then banged my lock button against my table fairly hard, but if you don't have a good case I don't recommend that because it would probably crack your phone. use your wrist


text:
How do I remove the pattern lock?
I have my brothers old HTC & was playing with the Location & Security settings. I added the pattern lock to my phone, but it's now just an extra thing to get through before being able to use my phone. How can I remove this? I'm rather clueless with the terminology too & don't grasp the concept of APN's & VPN's or know what a corporate administrator is.

When the "none" option in key lock settings is greyed out: Fail the pattern on purpose multiple times, wait out the time-lock, use your PIN to log in and the pattern lock will have been removed automatically.

In your phone go to the settings options and check for Security settings and find key lock settings.

You will have Some options like PIN, Pattern, None.
Pin is for the phone will ask you for a 4-digit number to unlock
your phone.
Pattern is for the phone will ask you to draw the pattern for the
phone to unlock the phone. The  pattern should be the same as the pattern you
had set.
Choose none for the phone will not ask for any pattern or pin to
unlock your phone.In this way you will be free of any hassles to unlock your phone.

@bouncy72 did the above work for you

Every Phone Have option to remove the pattern lock.
Go to the

1.Setting
2.Security
3.Screen lock
4.click
5.Option Coming(none, Pattern, PIN, Password).
6.Choose NONE option.

Then you have remove the pattern lock.
In android every phone have same process.
Above answer is also correct. I have updated only how to remove pattern lock specifically.

authors: กิตติยา รอดมี


text:
Fully Wipe Nexus Device
I have a Nexus 7 2013 WiFi-only (flo) device. I rooted it and just generally messed around with it. Now I want to put it back to complete stock everything (bootloader, recovery, ROM, etc) AND COMPLETELY WIPE THE DEVICE. When following the tutorial detailed here: Tutorial, an inspection with TWRP file manager (ON A NON-ROOTED DEVICE) shows that under '/', there is still a directory called 'SuperSU' (evidence that I rooted). It's clear that wiping the device in this way is not incredibly thorough. How can I put my Nexus back to COMPLETE, wiped stock (as though I had literally just opened the box from the factory)?
Many Thanks.

You can download and flash a factory image from here: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#razorktu84p it also includes instructions at the top on how to do it. This will restore it completely to stock.

From Laurence "This is me (Laurence) on a different account - lost access to old one! Thanks for the very prompt response. Are you sure that flashing the above image returns the device to full stock (with no evidence as to what was on it before)? If so, I must have imagined the instance of 'SuperSU' under '/'... Strange :-/"

Yes flashing the above image returns to full stock. Just the way it would come out of a factory.


text:
File deleting problems after Android v4.4.2 upgrade?
Phone:  Samsung Galaxy S3
Carrier:  AT&T (US)
Upgrade Path:  v4.2 to v4.4.2
Is anyone else noticing SD card file deleting issues after the upgrade to Android v4.4.2?
I use CoolReader to view files stored to  my SD card and continually delete them and add new ones.  After the updgrade, CoolReader and Astro File Manager are unable to delete files.  In fact, with Astro, the system popup appears with "Deleting..." and stays up until I cancel it.
Only connecting to a PC with USB and opening the folders there has allowed me to delete files.
Any suggestions on settings or anything else to correct this?
Thanks!
Bill

Pretty normal. With Android 4.4, Google decided apps shall no longer have write access on the external SDCard – unless they are system apps (or have root privileges). They call that "security" (while others call it "crippling", and doubt "security" being the real reason behind – rather suspecting "cloudy interests").
While apps still can store their own data in their own dedicated directories (i.e. <sdcard>/Android/<package_name>/), the entire concept of a "shared media storage", where you can use any app of your choice to organize your own media and documents, has been abandoned. So (without root access) it's e.g. no longer possible

for a media player to download covers into the music folder
for a media player to (re-)write ID3 tags im .mp3 files it did not create itself
to edit a document created with another app or copied from your PC

All this can only be done when you stored those files in the cloud, as with most cloud apps all cloud-stored data is available to all apps you give access to your cloud account (the same way they had access to the SDCard before 4.4).

Technically, apps do have access to external SD cards, but only within their own designated folders. I also subscribe to the "cloud all the things" conspiracy theory, but in this case the security reason really does make sense. Seeing how many (badly written) apps love to store personal info in clear text on SD cards, it's certainly nice not having to worry about other apps having a blank check to read those anymore.

@Chahk, that's known and was already mentioned here multiple times, which is why I initially omitted that in my answer (updated now). As for your "badly written apps", they now can (or have to) do that in the cloud, which I feel much more dangerous: I can wipe my card, but I cannot wipe the cloud (nor can I know for sure who else has access to it). // But don't we discuss that here; the facts are named, so everyone can make up his own mind about it. Thanks for pointing out the missing ones ;)


text:
Unable To Open Google Play
I've encountering a problem. The problem is that i can't access my Google Play on a my Wi-fi. It is not on a particular tablet or phone. Its all the devices me an my family own. That includes 4 phones and 2 tablets. It only says "No Connection" even when the Wi-fi signals are at full strength. I don't know if this is coincidental but recently I've been receiving this notification that says "Sign into Wi-fi Network". Guys please advice immediately because how can i download awesome apps without the awesome store and i'm not planning to let 3rd party apps populate our devices.

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20855/why-does-google-play-show-a-no-connection-retry-error and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/46999/google-play-store-says-no-connection-retry?rq=1 and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/15947/always-seeing-no-connection-retry-in-android-market  and http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/40763/google-play-store-gives-error-no-connection

"Sign into Wi-fi Network" says it all: No network, no connection. You most likely changed the password/keyphrase at your router, and forgot to adjust your devices. They cannot log in to the network anymore, hence you get that notification. Fixing your WiFi configuration will solve the other problem along.
Edit: Thanks to Dan for pointing out my omission: The phrasing of the notification indeed points to a "captive network", which requires a sign-in via browser first. To automate such a login, you might wish to take a look at WiFi Web Login and comparable apps. Also see Automate web login for Wi-Fi hotspots (captive portal) on Android at our sister-site.

It doesn't say "sign into Wi-fi network" if the Wi-Fi password is wrong. It only says that on a captive network.

@DanHulme That's true, and I'm aware of that (which is why I didn't suggest to update the password on the router). My phrasing might be a little unfortunate here; thanks for clarification!

Well as going by your point that the problem is not limited to you but to your whole family then the problem lies with the configuration of your modem.

If the wifi is not configured properly then it may or may not show
connected but you will not be able to download or browse any content
let it be Google play  or the internet.
As you have not specified any h/w details of your modem then I can
only provide a general solution which would be to configure your
modem properly either by yourself or from the relevant technician of
the modem.
Also do please check whether the Wi-Fi is displaying a Red cross with an error
of irrelevant settings on your Desktop or Laptop when connecting over the Wi-Fi or the connection is normal through the LAN Cable.
If its a yes for the LAN and Wi-Fi then you need to get your modem checked by the
technician for both Wi-Fi as well as LAN Connection


text:
Support Help! Warning!! A custom OS can cause critical problems
MY phone (Samsung S3) just went off today and started flashing the Samsung logo. I have taken out the battery multiple times and tried to restart the phone. Only once did it restart but then after ten minutes went back to the logo.
I tried to press HOME VOLUME UP and PWOER and nothing happened. Then i tried HOME VOLUME DOWN and POWER and i got the screen for Support Help! Warning!! A custom OS can cause critical problems....after a while it goes back to the logo flashing.
I cant restart or reboot my phone.
Please help.

Volume up and power should boot to Recovery, Volume Down and Power is 'Download Mode' if you were using ODIN or such to root your device? Do you have Kies installed? Can you use it to do a firmware recovery? Have you don anything recently like update firmware, or root the phone? That message is always there before you go into download mode by the way, that's totally normal.

The only thing i did today was upload Zynga Poker. The app froze at some stage and then i never opened it again. I did have Kies i think. Losing data isnt an issue for me. I just need my phone to work again!!! Thanks again for your help.

Assuming it was a legitimate copy of the game, that shouldn't matter. Install Kies on your PC and see if you can do an emergency firmware recovery. That's your first bet. Failing that you can get a copy of your firmware from Sammobile.com and flash it onto your phone again and see if that works.

Volume up with home and power doesn't do anything...it keeps flashing the logo.

I had the same problem with my S4. Whenever the phone goes off and I try to turn it back on the annoying 'Warning' Custom os comes on and I couldn't turn my phone on.
I read a few articles and discovered that it has to do with your volume button. I dropped my phone a few days ago and read that if the volume button is stuck that this happens. So I went to the kitchen and go a sharp knife, put the blade to the side of the volume button and pulled it up on both ends, to my amazement, the phone turned on!!! (make sure its plugged in because whilst that warning is on the phone doesn't charge)
Now I have to go and get my volume button looked at because it is a stuck volume key that causes this. It must be a secret sequence that the phone companies use to change an os. I also read that Knox program can cause it, nevertheless, the volume button release worked.
Hope that helps.

Amazing! The knife solution did indeed work for me, too, with a visibly dented volume button on an S4.


text:
packet sniffer to show sending app
I'm android developer and normally monitor packets by WiFi+Fiddler in my laptop in order to inspect developing app communication.
Curiously, my phone (LG G2 Jellybean, Codename LG-F320S) continuously access http://www.un.org site with no reason, but don't know which app sends it.
Several android packet sniffers show data packet itself, but do not give which app send the data. Is it possible to know the sender app?

Technically, this is well possible. You didn't name which sniffers you've already used (maybe my list Sniffer, Spoofer & Portscanner can give you alternatives). You might consider asking for a specific app at Software Recommendations. How to do this "programmatically" is rather off-topic here as being a development question. But let's see if any other end-user friendly solution turns up here.

@Izzy I mean, I'm finding the app to display which packet is from which app. I tried tPacketCapture and no luck. Of course I can understand why those kind of method cannot acheive my requirement.

I understood that (as that was the missing component if you could see the package content). I didn't play much with this, so I've got to pass on the answer; all I can give are pointers, which I did. Sorry I can't help any better.

@Izzy you're welcome, thanks for your comment.

An idea, though: Try e.g. OS Monitor. Keep it open on the network tab. Wait until the "un.org" (or its IP) turns up somewhere for "remote", and check what app did connect there. Of course, if it just does so once a day, it might not be the best way...


text:
Is there a setting to allow folders to be uploaded from a PC/Mac to an Android phone via bluetooth?
Reason I ask is because I get an error message saying that the type is not acceptable/supported when I attempt to drag and drop a folder into the window on my Mac showing the contents of my Android SD card.
Using Astro Bluetooth on Sony Z1 Compact, latest Android. Mac OS Mavericks.
Looked around here on SE but couldn't find an answer that addresses this issue with folders.

I don't think Android's MTP protocol supports creating folders in the root of /sdcard.  I could be COMPLETELY wrong though, and I encourage people to correct me!
Have you tried creating a folder manually (right click>new folder), and then just copying the files to the folder?
All of this is me speaking out of my butt though, because I haven't used my Mac for anything Android related.  I use my PC instead...

I believe the feature I'm using uses OBEX FTP - FTP does support folders so would have thought it ought to work. Thanks for the suggestion of creating a folder - the contents contain subfolders etc so this wouldn't suit my needs. Not sure, in 2014, why support for folders would seem to be problematic, nor can I see why it would present any issues, e.g. security etc.

I use an app called AirDroid which allows me to upload folders/files to my Android phone. It is not done via bluetooth, however. It's done through my 4G connection.


text:
How to tune Android to have dark colors in all menus?
I bought brand new Xperia Z1 compact for my girlfriend, but she complains she don't like light colors in all menus (like settings). Personally I don't like it either in my Xperias.
Is there any tool or other method which allows switching theme of the colors in menu to light letters on dark background? I am not interested in rooting the phone and invalidate warranty.

If this device is rooted, you can try this tutorial (I didn't try it). If not, you can use Big Launcher, this app has some apps dark theme, such as phone and messaging.

None of those answer the OP's question. The launcher doesn't make any difference, because with any launcher you can set the background/wallpaper to something dark. That tutorial doesn't have any instructions on how to change the colors, although you may be able to with Xposed.

No, you can't do this without rooting or installing a custom ROM. Some apps allow you to select from predefined themes within the app, and you can install a custom launcher to change the appearance of the home screen and app drawer (the list of apps), but you can't change the appearance of all apps.
If you could, there'd be no way for app authors to know what the app would look like on users' phones. For example, if an app had light-coloured background artwork or photo, with dark text, and you changed the text to light, it would no longer show up against the background image. People already complain that Android apps look less polished than iOS apps, and this would be even worse if app authors had to worry about text colours being different on different users' devices.
Samsung phones have an accessibility feature that colour-inverts the whole screen, in all apps. Even this doesn't quite do what you want, because of course if the app started out with light text on a dark background, it would be inverted to dark on a light background. It also makes the device pretty useless for looking at photos or other artwork, and makes colours ugly in all apps.

Appearance is strong word here, I just would like to have light letters on dark background. It's very bad from Google's side they don't allow that.


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Not receiving notification for a particular contact on whatsapp
I'm not quite sure if this problem exists with someone else, I couldn't find it anywhere on the Internet.
There is a particular contact whose notifications I never receive. By notifications, I mean the ones that come on the top. I need to specifically open Whatsapp to check his messages.
I'm able to see notification of other contacts, and he is able to see mines. Also he has checked by sending message to some other contact, and they do get a notification.
I don't know if there is a secret option to turn off notification for a particular contact, is there any way to fix it? I've already tried reinstalling Whatsapp.

In case this helps someone:
I had the same issue. Apparently I had a custom notification for a specific contact and then at some point I deleted or moved the mp3 file for that sound, so whatsapp couldn't find it to reproduce the sound. Going into Whatsapps' custom notifications for that contact and changing it did the trick.

You may have muted notifications for this contact. Press the menu button on your device (or touch the menu button in the top bar (action bar) if your phone has no menu button) And go down to "MUTE" then from there you should see an option to hide notifications. All you have to do is turn that off, and that contact's/group's notifications should start appearing again.

You can only mute groups I guess, because there is no option to mute a specific contact

How can you mute a single contact ?

I found this as had the same issue. It looks like I inadvertently changed the custom notification tone to none from default. Changed it back and now getting notifications.
Hope that helps!

restart your device, it worked for me


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Reliable way to set DNS
I have an LG P880 phone on 4.2 and a 2013 Nexus 7 on 4.4. I use 2G, 3G and Wifi for the phone. I am experimenting with changing the DNS to Google's. I do notice that the ISP (Wifi of course) DNS performance is unacceptable.
Which is an app that allows me to set DNS with minimum drama: no random failures, no need of root, no interception of traffic (one app creates a VPN)?

Go into WiFi Settings > (Press and hold) the preferred network connection > (Click) Modify network config > (Check) Show advance options > (Select) Static (instead of DHCP) > [Under DSN 1 and DSN 2 enter your choice) > (Click) Save
This will work for wifi.  I don't think it will change the DNS provided by your phone carrier.
When you specify static you are overriding the DHCP distribution of the router.  You would have to specify an IP address outside of the specified automatic range pool


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Does a broken screen on a Nexus One automatically mean the touch screen digitizer needs to be replaced?
After 5 years of faithful service, my Nexus One finally cracked (literally) today when it fell from my vehicle. The screen is severely cracked but remains intact in the frame and the display has no problem at all (other than the obstruction by the fractured glass itself). Even touch sensitivity seemed to be intact though I have to risk my fingers on the broken glass to use it.
From some googling, it seems like touch screen digitizer is the part that's recommended to be replaced in such cases. Will that have to be the case here too, or since the touch sensitivity is intact can it end up a cheaper replacement than that? The digitizer seems to be >$25 here in India and I'd prefer not to spend that on an old soon-to-be-replaced phone.

Screen protector might help protect your fingers, if glass is even and no missing pieces

That's a good idea, but not related to whether the sensor behind the glass needs to be replaced when the glass is replaced.

Yes, this would probably have been better as a comment on the original question, but it's a very good idea that I hadn't thought of, thanks. I'll make use of this in the short term till I get this sorted.