text:
Help me save battery, BBS dump included
I got fed up with my Android battery life and thought I should use it only when really required. Hence, I installed a minimum number of apps: Runtastic, Runkeeper, GPS Status & Toolbox, Metronomics Beats for tracking my runs, and WhatsApp, which I use from time to time in a day. I also have installed microG Project, UnifiedNlp Location, Nova Launcher, and Titanium Backup.
I froze all the running apps and WhatsApp using Titanium Backup and unfreezing them before use. Using Amplify, I also limited some wake-locks as suggested in other threads on XDA. I also have Naptime, Power Nap for dozing and blocking background activity on screen off. I have Greenify, but not enabled.
I marked a custom reference using BetterBatteryStats last night when going to bed and checked in the morning. The battery level lost is 1.6% in 7 hours 16 minutes. Out of this, my phone was in deep sleep for 7 hours 11 minutes. So, 5 minutes of activity consumed 11% of my battery. I am not sure what is eating my battery.
Could you guys help me figure out and block it? Ideally, since I don't use my phone a lot, I am hoping that the discharge percent is less than 1.
BBS dump: http://pastebin.com/066UsAwp

So, 5 minutes of activity consumed 11% of my battery

You are mistaken in saying this, don't forget that the phone is on all the time , so that too consumes power. But yes, 1.6% is a little on the higher side, but not too much IMO, considering that you have so many apps/services running
Looking at this, wake locks are reasonably under control

Deep Sleep (): 7 h 11 m 47 s  98.8%
Awake (Screen Off) (): 2 m 41 s  0.6%
Screen On (): 2 m 24 s  0.6%

but, you could also try to limit these using Amplify without disrupting, what is essential  to you (do you require GPS to be on?)

alarm (com.fitnesskeeper.runkeeper.pro.Runkeeper): 31 m 3 s  Count:0 7.1%
alarm (com.truecaller.phoneapp.Truedialer): 31 m 1 s  Count:0 7.1%
launch (com.whatsapp.WhatsApp): 31 m 1 s  Count:0 7.1%
launch (com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2.GPS Status): 31 m 1 s  Count:0 7.1%

So what you need is something that hibernates apps not in use like  Greenify (not task killers), which is missing from your active list- wonder why you didn't enable it? ( Have a look at greenifytag in case you are not familiar with it and in particular Android's native process management vs. Greenify) This should certainly help you in reducing battery consumption
I would also highly recommend you to read this XDA thread ✭[GUIDE][07-02-2016]Extreme Battery Life Thread(Greenify+Amplify+Power Nap)✭ by V7. It gives a very systematic approach starting with battery life saving tips and how to use apps like Greenify and Amplify to reduce battery consumption. The OP is highly responsive and would revert with solutions, once you post your BBS stats as explained in his thread. I have been able to achieve 0.8% per hour consumption following his thread
Edit: Since freezing apps by Titanium didn't help, they appear to be poorly designed- look for alternate apps. see this in the Greenify question linked earlier

Thanks for the reply. I am scared do to use amplify on runkeeper, runtastic and gpstoolbox as I use them for running with GPS on. I don't want the app to close or be non-responsive when I running. Also, before going to bed yesterday, I have frozen those apps including whatsapp using Titanium Root. I don't understand why those wakelocks/alarms are shown when they are frozen.

If freezing didn't help, It looks like they are stubborn by poor design and that is where Greenify would help. Having said that, please go through the XDA thread . You have a good set of tools installed to reduce battery consumption. I am repeating but OP is very helpful and good

I already have amplify and managed to limit most of those mentioned in that thread. Will try to post my BBS stats there too. Thanks

Unfortunately, I can't post the dump there as I don't have the required privileges.

use Greenify . 2. Look for alternate GPS apps that are not badly designed and will freeze when required and try them 3. 2. PM the OP of that thread with a request- he is very likely to help ( I know him-, use by name here- he will know :-)


text:
Bugs on Nexus One running Android Gingerbread
I love Android and have been a proud Nexus One owner for over a year now. I was also really excited when Gingerbread dropped and flashed my phone before the OTA update (who can wait for these things anyway).
However, since upgrading, Gingerbread has not been the bliss that I had hoped for.
The first thing I've noticed is that the new keyboard seems to freeze every other day rendering any app that uses text input unusable. This causes me to have to reboot my phone (or at the very least end the keyboard process).
I also started to notice that since my upgrade my phone will sometimes stop syncing with my work's Exchange server, causing me to miss emails that I used to get while not at my desk (again a reboot seems to fix this). I tried removing this account and re-adding it only for it to continue happening.
After these initial complaints some of my friends, also Nexus One owners, have started to report similar issues. One such friend says that his home screen icons will stop displaying leaving him with only his background to look at after pressing the home key. Another friend says that he must reboot his phone every day, at least once a day, due to his keyboard not working.
In general, though, the internet does not seem to have any reports of these kinds of issues outside of my few friends.
Have any other Android users out there noticed these or similar issues with Gingerbread? Does anyone know of any possible causes?

I'm really interested in a fix for the keyboard issues too, the same thing happens to me far too frequently. Any updates? 2.3.4 hasn't solved this issue at all.

@wsanville unfortunately I still have not found a solution to these things.

First, make sure you're updated to Android 2.3.3.  .3 has some stability improvements over 2.3.1 and 2.3.2.
The other thing I would try is a factory reset.  Upgrading can be a pretty messy process and you want to make sure you don't have any bad data left over.

yes 2.3.3. Also the other day I was playing around with my phone and ended up doing a wipe from the bootloader which I would think is comparable to a factory reset. The issues persisted after that.

Did you clear the Dalvik cache? That might help as well.

Thanks for the advice, I will try it and see if it helps.

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/2.5/

sort: votes


text:
Permissions for /system/etc
I was trying to enable writing titanium backups to the SDCard by editing the file:
/system/etc/permissions/platform.xml
However I was not paying attention and now everytime I boot up I get spammed with error messages "Unfortunatley, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped". All apps also produce a force close saying about the same thing. Continuously. I can recieve calls and open up a couple of apps but only by the small window between closing error messages. Here are the steps I took when editing the platform.xml
First I edited the file as suggested:
Original:

Add the media_rw group:

Then I copied the file back to the SDCard. After that I overwrote it in /system/etc/permissions. Not realizing the permissions were incorrect. I restarted the device and started getting errors. I assumed it was the file permissions so I started up ADB and entered the following lines:
mount | grep system
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /system
chmod 326 /system/etc

chmod 644 /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml
chmod 644 /system/etc

mount -o ro,remount /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /system

That changed the file permissions so I rebooted by my device and got stuck in a boot loop.
So I rebooted into Clockworkmod recovery and tried to restore a working backup of my stock ROM. Got past the boot loop but still spammed by errors, so I tried to restore just the /system partition from the recovery using Clockwork's advanced tab. Seems like the errors are even worse. I wanted to know if by my description someone could give me a push in the right direction. Does anyone know what permissions the /system/etc folder is supposed to have? I suspect the reason this is happening is because I changed the /system/etc permissions instead of just changing /system/etc/permissions. Please offer any knowledge you have. I've pretty much exhausted the first few pages of Google and I don't want to give up and factory reset just yet.
UPDATE:
I gave in and factory reset. However I still think the permissions remain incorrect. I get no errors or problems after factory reset and clearing of dalvik and cache. But if I try to restore my nandroid taken before the problems occured I get the same spamming of errors. A ls -l of those directories would give me some hope.

Have you tried to reflash the GApps package?

I haven't flashed anything new in fear that it was a simple fix. Its not just gapps. Its also everything else Rhapsody, Titanium Backup, All other apps on my phone that present the force closed. That's why I think its a permission issue.

I'll add this anyway - did you clear cache and dalvik-cache in recovery?

@HasH_BrowN Yes tried that, I believe if someone could check their /system and /system/etc directories andalso the /system/etc/permissions and /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml directories and files and show me the permissions that are set on those directories I could fix it. Would you mind providing this info?

The file is too large for comments and it doesnt qualify as an answer so i cant post it.

Extract your ROM on the PC and pull the platform.xml out, compare it that way. Did you include -system in your nandroid?

I use clockwork so I don't know if it included the /system. I just click backup. I'm using the stock ROM. Your suggesting I go download the stock ROM and I can see file permissions on my PC? Would you be open to emailing me that other stuff because it's too big? I think the part I messed up was chmod 644 /system/etc I think that folder is supposed to be 755.

@Cameron the folder /system/etc has 644? That's definitely wrong, missing the "execute" bit nothing can change into it. Your assumption of 755 is making sense here, as it is 644 + 111, i.e. adding the "execute bit".

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


text:
Apps continue to use battery despite closing them
I have noticed that certain apps continue to show up in the Settings-->Battery menu (which shows the % of battery used by each app) long after closing them.
Here are the list of things I have tried but nothing has removed the apps from the Settings-->Battery menu
- cleared the RAM using Active Applications widget
- Force stopped the app
- Restarted the phone
Some of the apps stay longer and some are gone automatically after a certain period.
My question is
1. why do the apps continue to show up in the Settings-->Battery menu when they are closed properly?
2. Is this something the apps can control like for how long they can stay awake despite closing?
Its a Samsung phone running on Android 4.1.2.

The Settings > Battery menu is a cumulative history that gets reset only when you re-charge the battery to 100%. That means all of the usage history is retained through the charge cycle (which includes any partial re-charges). The closed apps' prior battery usage (as a percentage of the total charge used since a full re-charge) should gradually decline as the total charge used increases.

I never realized what reset that chart.  Thank you for explaining it!

The Settings-->Battery menu doesn't show how much battery is being used at that moment, rather how much has been used (usually since the device was fully charged or turned on). The reason the apps show up is because before they were closed they used some battery.


text:
Remove "Software Update" app from device
I have an android device, with which I am facing this spam ad notification issue since quite a few months.
See below screenshot for reference.

Initially I used ignore them and close them by swiping them out of the notification area. But when the frequency of their occurrence got really high, I decided to get rid of the culprit app.
So I googled and found that by pressing for few seconds on the notification we can see the App Info menu appear in the notification area as shown in the below screenshot.

I hoped, that I would be able to uninstall the problematic app, but it wasn't to be. Clicking on App Info led me to below shown app.

As you can see, there is no option to uninstall the app. I am not sure from where this app came and is it of any use. I just want to remove this app and eventually the ad notification, as sometimes there are some ads for adults only and with my kid playing games on my device its obviously not good.
Force Stop doesn't help, neither does clearing data and cache, as the app gets started again after some time. Once you Force Stop or clear data and cache, the app appears in the All Apps section instead of running.

But after few minutes or hours it start running again causing the troublesome ad notifications.
I tried searching for removal of this app but my efforts were in vain.

For the time being you can use a firewall app to stop that app from accessing internet.

That's actually an adware app in Micromax to fetch and display ADs, just packaged with the name "System Update" to delude us to think it's the app responsible for OTA updates..
I face the same problem in my dad's Micromax Canvas Tab P680.
That app cannot be uninstalled because it's an system app (you need to be rooted to do that as others have said), and neither can the app be disabled nor the notifications be disabled from the App Info.
You can use the app "Notify Block" to block the notifications from that app (or any other Notification Blocker app)
Or as @Firelord suggested, you can use a firewall app like Mobiwol: NoRoot Firewall to block internet connectivity of that app.

If your mobile is rooted, use System App Remove tool from play store & remove the system App.
If mobile is Non-rooted : I don't think that voonik advertise is generated from your software update as it is a pre installed system app, but still you can try to clear cache & force stop and check if advertise is still popping up or not. If it is still popping then check other apps you have downloaded...
Last option should be factory reset..

I should have mentioned, I've already tried clearing data and cache with Force Stop. But it has the same result. After some time the app would be running and would have some data increased > 468KB.

Software update is an essential app for android OS to help you keep up to date with latest version available for your android.
But as you mentioned, you get annoying ads via the app.
I suggest you to not to remove the software update app.
First of all you must be rooted!
Just google to get info.
You should download lucky patcher app.
And patch it to get rid of google ads.
Belive me it works.
Download lucky patcher app- http://lucky-patcher.netbew.com/
Lucky patcher guide- https://www.wattpad.com/125568455-lucky-patcher-tutorial-hack-in-app-purchase


text:
Droid 4 no longer finding any GPS satellites
I have a Motorola Droid 4 with Verizon service. As of two days ago, it is apparently getting no GPS data from satellites. I thought it was a temporary glitch (cloudy sky, just turned the phone on, etc.) but none of my apps that use GPS are getting sufficiently accurate location data and it's clearly relying only on mobile network location.
A Google search for "GPS droid 4" hasn't been terribly helpful. Based on "How can I fix my Android's crappy GPS?" I checked that I've got GPS turned on (yes), am using AGPS (yes), having the mobile networks help with location as well (yes).
I downloaded GPS Status & Toolbox, and I get zero GPS reception even after leaving the phone sitting outside with a relatively clear sky for 30 minutes (far longer than it should ever take to get reasonable satellite fix with any GPS) -- no information at all for the lat/long. Resetting the AGPS and downloading new does not change anything.
I also tried GPS Test and can see zero satellites :\

Is this a problem that can be fixed (either by me or a professional) or am I looking for a new phone if I want to know where I am?

After the phone went through a factory reset, the GPS still wasn't working, which supports that the problem is hardware related.
The Droid 4 chip (indeed, all of the circuit board) isn't accessible without significant (read: warranty-breaking) disassembly, and I couldn't find any store that could/would repair.


text:
App updates from different sources
I'd like to know why F-Droid shows updates before Google Play Store. Typically these are apps like Hacker's Keyboard and NetGuard Firewall, etc. Wouldn't the developers of such apps submit changes at the same time to both?
F-Droid also tells me that the signing key is different as well. Is it a common practice to create new signing keys upon updating an app?
(Yes, I'm concerned about 3rd-parties using dirty tricks to gain access to my devices.)

I'd like to know why F-Droid shows updates before Google Play Store. Wouldn't the developers of such apps submit changes at the same time to both?

It's common for app developers to upload their updates to many markets at the same time; certainly they want as many users as possible to use their latest update. The only difference is how quick their updates are up on each store. Since F-Droid update workflow is considerably simpler than Play Store (automatic build from source, and no further server validation), big chance the apps will be up on there first.
While I have never used F-Droid, market apps in general can check updates for already-installed apps by getting and comparing their package names and versions, even though if it's installed from different source. (That's already possible by comparing 3rd-party apps manager: show app's package name and version from its manifest).

F-Droid also tells me that the signing key is different as well. Is it a common practice to create new signing keys upon updating an app?

From this statement, I assume you installed the apps originally from Play Store, then F-Droid notified you about the update.
First, I think there's a little misunderstanding: it's uncommon to create new signing keys upon updating an app, because it prevents users to update it!
The more reasonable practice is, that the developers use different keys for each store, but still (and must) use the same key when updating their apps to particular store. This might be used to prevent cross-market to interfere the update (e.g. security issue, different flavor, etc).
The other reason (which is this case) is, F-Droid forces their apps to be signed by them:

Packages built by F-Droid are signed by F-Droid, so all apps in the official F-Droid repo are signed by F-Droid keys. F-Droid will generate a new key for each app that is included. All of the different APKs built from different versions of an app will be signed by the same app key. But do note: if an app is also distributed in an APK signed by the developer, like in the Google Play Store, then the F-Droid APK will have a different signature.
(Emphasis mine)

Which is one of the reasons some devs are using their own F-Droid repositories users can add to their client (see e.g. Inofficial (and incomplete) list of F-Droid repositories). In those, apps are usually signed by the same keys used for Play Store.

Thank you for your detailed answer. The f-droid repositories list I didn't know about and should prove helpful in thefuture. Cheers!


text:
Access Android native settings manager
I got a Lenovo K3 Note with Android Lollipop 5.1, my problem with this phone is the hugely modified Android system. For example, there's no Settings > Applications or Settings > More menu in the Settings app.
How to restore the default Android settings manager so I can unlock these settings features?

I'm afraid you can't, because that's the only Android settings that's available on your device, with current ROM. You might be interested in using custom AOSP ROM (e.g. CyanogenMod) though.

To expand on Andrew's comment, Settings is a core system app that is tightly integrated into the ROM.  There is no way to replace it without flashing a custom ROM, and modifications like enabling or adding features would require building the Android source for your device.
If you are rooted or can use ADB, etc., there are a number of other ways to manage applications and settings — for example, uninstalling apps.  Feel free to search the site and ask another question if you want to do something specific that hasn't already been covered.

I don't think that the settings app I have is from android, I think that lenovo have modified it, because I see that settings app is different from device to device while using the same version of android

@ERROPiX Yes they have modified it, but it is likely still the same package -- com.android.settings.  You should be able to verify this by watching logcat when you launch it.

I have flashed the official rom and the problem is fixed, so I think the DX shop modify the rom to put some ads etc


text:
Why does Android extract native libraries to 2 locations?
I have recently noticed that Android extracts the native libraries in the 'lib' directory in the APK to two different locations. They are in the app folder (/data/app/package/lib/) and the app data folder (/data/data/package/lib). Not to mention they're already contained in the APK. For games where these libraries total up to 50MB each, this wasted 100MB of my storage space on my SD card.
Why does this happen? Is this normal? Is there any way to stop this from happening?
I am on an Android Lollipop (5.1.1) running a Resurrection Remix ROM for Samsung Galaxy S3 Neo+.

In truth, the lib folder you can found under /data/data/com.package/ is called a symlink. The real position of an app's libraries is located to /data/app/com.package/lib, while the reason for the libraries to exist outside the APK, is for performance purposes: since APKs are compressed files, it would be a waste of time (and a considerable negative impact on usability) to have the OS extract them anytime you launch an app, don't you think?

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


text:
Schedule songs as alarms that sound ONCE with no need to touch 'Dismiss' or 'Sneeze' or anything similar
I would like my Smartphone to play certain sound tracks at certain hours each day (quite similar to military-style buggle calls for waking up, assembly, lunchtime and so on). But I want the device to play the sound without asking me to confirm that I have heard it. No "Dismiss" / "Snooze" / "OK" buttom. Simply the sound at the scheduled time played once and nothing more.
Which application would do it? - Preferably a GNU program. Or any other kind of free software without advertising (it seems an odd petition, but we Linux users are used to that).

Tasker would be a nice solution - it's not free, but it's very handy in a lot of other scenarios too.

Thanks, +1. Sorry I forgot to add that is should be a free app.

Follow up to the tasker tag-wiki then, which also names a few free alternatives. But though I know that "we Linux users" (pledging guilty ;) are used to "free software": I've bought Tasker after trying its free version for 3 days. It's worth every cent, and I've never regretted that decision (but would have regretted deciding otherwise). You don't know the powers of the dar... oops, of that app – I bet it can even make a coffee :)


text:
How to avoid Android Pie (call recordings BLOCKED!!!) with my security update?
My Huawei with Android 8 keeps pestering me constantly with "System Update Available for your device" and the choices are "download and install" and "later" but not "Leave me alone it's my damn phone". The update has a cryptic name like:
DRA-L21 1.0.0.151(C432)
Now, since Android 9 has made it impossible to record calls any more and that is the very most important feature in my phone, how can I be sure that this or any other update is not going to install Android 9 but only security patches?
Sources:
https://bitbucket.org/copluk/acr/issues/2418/kb-android-9-p-call-recording-issues
https://bgr.com/2018/08/15/android-pie-update-call-recording-apps-dead/
https://www.xda-developers.com/android-pie-blocks-non-root-call-recording-apps/
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/08/15/android-9-pie-puts-end-third-party-call-recording-apps/
Let me quote a paragraph from the first link, which explains the extent of the problem:

A quick search on the Google Play Store shows more than 200 million total installs for over 200 call recording apps. It is clear that there is a legitimate need for call recording support. We alone received many thank you emails from our customers telling us how call recording helped them to win legitimate court cases, recover financial losses, listen to voice of loved ones who are have passed away or even save their lives!

Screw you, Google. Screw you in hell for this. What are the alternatives now?

There are two possibilities: 1. root the device and use a call recorder that uses root. 2. System apps should still be able to record calls. Therefore if Huawei would provide such an app it would work. You could try to start an online-petition at Huawei to sign one of the call recorder apps.

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


text:
How to download apps on 4gb storage so I can move it to the SD card?
I have a HTC Wildfire S, and it's only got 4GB storage. I have a 16GB mirco SD card, but I can't download things because I'm out of the 4GB space (I don't know how ... ), so I can't get them installed so I can then move them to the SD card. I'm not great with technology, so I may be missing something, but this is just really annoying.

You'll need to move apps from the internal storage into the SD card. Go to settings app -> apps -> (select large apps). Next, you'll need to move the apps you've installed on that list. System apps are not allowed to be moved. In the app settings under storage, there is usually a move to SD card option, although not all apps support it. Look for ones you can move. You can move some apps to get your 4gb storage clear without uninstalling any application
I've added some photos of where you'll find this setting.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Overflow!
To answer your question, you will need to move apps to your SD card off of system storage after their downloaded.  You can't download directly to the SD card, unfortunately.
Once an app is downloaded, open up Application Management in Settings and click the check box next to the apps you want to move to SD.  This should free up some space.  Be advised, however, that not all apps can run from the SD card.
It's in your best interest to clean up as much as you can, rather than trying to stuff apps on your SD card.  In the Data section of Settings, you can see what items are taking up the most space.


text:
Does boot take up any significant power?
If I wanted to conserve energy, and needed to check on my phone once every while, would turning the phone off and on every 30 seconds actually conserve more power than if I had it on all the time?
Does the boot sequence perhaps take more energy than the energy I saved in the off time, thus having negative "profit" of power save?

My phone is running CyanogenMod 12.1, and is a kminilte (S5 mini)

Are you asking about booting, meaning from a powered off state, or waking the device (tapping power to turn on the screen)? Booting every 30 sec is not practical since the boot process takes longer than that, if you meant every 30 minutes, then you are better off leaving it on.

@acejavelin Waking the device is not booting, as no init, and kernel start takes place. I agree it is impractical, but if it saved energy (which is doubtful after answer from GiantTree), I would do it

Giant tree's answer is correct... Booting the device takes a significant amount of power by comparison... Depending on the device, a properly sleeping device could probably run up to an hour on the power it takes for the 1-2 minute boot process and the necessary syncs and checks afterwards.

Yes, booting the device is very expensive in terms of power consumption.
Many reads from the storage and lots of computation needs to be done when booting the device so that you need considerable off time to justify turning it off.
Android's power conservation features (deep sleep, dozing etc) allow you to keep your phone turned on all the time and still consume less energy than booting it freshly.


text:
Install multiple apps from Play Store with single click
The requirement goes like this.
Requirement 1:

Install parent app from Play Store with 2 or 3 feature buttons.
Once clicked, it should download and install corresponding apps from Play Store. (Catch here: it should not go to Play Store and ask to install)

Or requirement 2:

Install parent app from Play Store with single clickable button.
Once clicked, it should cumulatively install 2 or 3 apps from Play Store.

Is it possible?

Unless you're from Google, you can't, and for good reasons why Google prohibits it.
I assume you want to do this for better user-experience, in which they can conveniently install what they need with their consent. However, let's put aside that idea and think another possibility: a seemingly-safe app can install rogue apps from Play Store automatically without user's consent!
There's a more detailed explanation on an answer by ozbek on Stack Overflow, in which you can only request Play Store to install an app silently if your app is signed by Google.


text:
Change temperature unit on Total Launcher
I'm using Total Launcher, from the makers of ssLauncher. It has a weather widget that uses OpenWeatherMap. The default string is %4.1f° and the widget shows Celsius.
I tried every letter in the alphabet in place of the f but most of them said invalid format and none of them gave an expected value.
Is it possible to change the unit to Fahrenheit?

Go to the Total Launcher Options screen, then select Behavior. Towards the bottom is a checkbox to Use US customary units.

Additional note: the f on the string is not for Fahrenheit, but for decimal floating point. If you're interested in modifying the format, take a look at Android (string) Formatter


text:
How to restore old screen power-off effect on android 5
I upgraded to android 5 and the screen power off effect which was imitating power off of these old CRT monitors is lost. Is there any way for me to restore it?

You can try installing Screen Dimmer application available over the Google Play Store. One more thing I can't understand about what screen dim effect you are talking about ?? Are you talking about the screen dimming effect over the JellyBean environment or your are talking about something else.

Nexus 5 comes with KitKat (4.x android) and this was the default effect when you turned off the display using power button.

Pardon me I need to correct myself over the above post actually I was talking about the KitKat but I seemed to have typed Jellybean above ! anyway I would say that's something which we can't change I would say I have tried searching for an application which can do this but it seemed that there's nothing I can find anyway better to wait a bit more while to see if others members have something which can help you out !

I believe the only way to change it is to install a custom ROM that supports the effect you want.

If you have rooted your device then Xposed Installer can do this.
Xblast tools & GravityBox are xposed modules that have crt off and many other effects.

The old way was to manipulate certain parts of the code in the framework-res.apk file and then update somethings in the build.prop of the device. Of course this was when I was running Gingerbread (2.3) on my Samsung device. As of now, you could look into the system packages of latest Cyanogenmod git branch/ or wait for CM12.


text:
How to duplicate icons
I am using Android 6.0.1 on a Samsung J7.
I have an icon in my home screen that is a shortcut to an app in Parallel Space－Multi Accounts. I want to duplicate it.
(I have created it from within Parallel Space, but it does not allow for creating another such icon.)
How can it be done?
Note that it is not a direct shortcut to an App, so I cannot hit "+" in the folder I want to get the duplicate.
This appears to deal with such case, so it would not be useful.

@beeshyams Guess sancho is less interested in having a picture, but rather wants the same "instance" of the app be referenced from e.g. another homescreen. For some background: Parallel space allows you to use the same app with different accounts/settings/whatever, basically by putting it into separate "sandboxes" each with its own /data/data/* etc.

@Izzy - That is correct.


text:
'Engineer mode test tool' app - What do the codes do?
I was curious and installed the Engineer mode test tool app. It listed 'codes' and for most of them it wasn't written what they do. I couldn't resist stupidity and entered a few of them.
After entering one of the codes (listed under Google Service Framework in the app) my phone rebooted and the Android icon was shown and it said "erasing". I had a mini heart attack because I thought I had reset my phone. A white screen showed up saying something like "Enter password to unlock device". It said I have 30 attempts so I tried entering every password that I could remember but nothing worked. The counter said that I used just one guess no matter how many passwords I entered.
In the end I had to factory reset my phone because I needed it, but my data was on the SD card; as it was adopted I lost all my data.
What have I done by entering that code?

What was that screen that I saw?

What was the code? Where did you enter it?

@Dan Hulme I can't remember the code. I enter it in dialer

This looks like a case for Sherlock Holmes.
You can try reinstalling the app, and checking / trying a few things that will help you remember what you did and what you got (the object of your question), in what you would consider a harmless way.
The follwoing lists of codes may also help you remembering; there are many other lists around. Keep in mind that some of the codes are exclusive to specific manufacturers and may not work on all brands/models/carriers.
Showing details on your case in the OP might help.
Comparing with the codes listed under Google Service Framework in the app would help narrowing down the hunting.

110 Android Secret Codes, Hidden Menu, and Dialler Codes.
Secret Codes : Use at your own risk.
Hidden Android Secret Codes & Their Usage.
Android Hidden Codes.

Once you know the code you entered, it is likely trivial to answer your questions:

What have I done by entering that code?

  What was that screen that I saw?

I'm not much interested in discovering what code it was, than what it done, I described what screen look like, I'm curios and sure I'm not the only one who been there.

@ЈеднорукиКрстивоје - Finding out the code is clearly not the goal. But it will put you on the verge of it. See updated answer.

Yeah I could reinstall app but in that app when tap on some code it has same effect like you entered it in a dialer, and I don't have nerves for factory sesrt again. I took a look on theese codes but none of them is responsible for screen I've gotten.

@ЈеднорукиКрстивоје - Using the little information you have... How many codes are listed under Google Service Framework, in the app? Are the numbers for those codes also listed, or only a description of their action?

There is 9 codes under google services, first one is lg hidden menu (or at least it says that) for other codes it only says google services framework or google play services. I tried googling some of them but didn't fin anything usefull.

@ЈеднорукиКрстивоје - A few carifications are likely needed: 1) I guess "There is 9 codes under google services" means "There is 9 codes under Google Service Framework", is that so?. 2) Still you did not mention if the dialer codes are listed. 3) It would be useful if you post images of whatever you see under Google Service Framework. Posting as much information as possible helps others help you.

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
Configure storage of WhatsApp media files
I want to configure whether WhatsApp stores media in my phone.
I found many links like
this
and
this
which point to
Main Chat Screen -> Three dots -> Settings -> Chats -> Media auto-download,
 or the like.
But I do not have such menu.
I see what is shown in the image below.
What can I do to select WhatsApp media storage?
PS: I am currently dealing with a WhatsApp account setup in Parallel Space. I have no main WhatsApp account setup, and I cannot set it up now to test it. But I doubt this affects the menus available in WhatsApp.

Chat Screen -> Three dots -> Settings -> Data Usage -> Media Auto Download


text:
Android 9 device does not save network
On an Android 9 tablet:

Settings
Use Wi-Fi
Add network
Enter an SSID, and select security None (the Wi-Fi does not require a password).
Tap Save

The network is not saved and the tablet does not connect to the Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi network works perfectly with half a dozen or so other devices.
Could anyone shed some light on this?

What is the model name and manufacturer of the tablet?

@Robert Thank you for trying to help. It is this device: https://jltmobile.com/product/mt3010a-10-fully-rugged-tablet/ I have figured out - I need to go to Advanced options and select Yes for the hidden network option. Should I delete this question?

Let me answer my question per the suggestion of Andrew instead of deleting it.
The solution I found:

Tap Advanced options when adding a network
Select Yes for Hidden network

I think I missed the saved network when I posted my question. The network was saved on this tablet but it was on a separate list at the bottom:


text:
How to show screen recording permission prompt again?
Android asks for permission before an app records screen as following (a standard Android feature, not a part of the app):

After I select "Don't show again", this prompt will not show up as expected.  How can I bring it back for this app without uninstalling and reinstalling it?
I have checked App permissions, but it is not there. I have also deleted the app's cache to no avail.
[Edit] 2016-07-08
The following screenshot shows all the permissions (no screen record/capture permission):

The following screenshot shows the permissions of the app:

Don't have enough rep to answer this, but "appops set PACKAGE_NAME_HERE PROJECT_MEDIA ignore" removes the permission

@MohammadAG this question has been unprotected. Feel free to post it a proper answer!

click image for larger variant
On the bottom right is where you go to Show System Processes. I came here looking for the answer and ended up figuring it out so figured I'd post the right way since I had the same problem and was initially getting the same results until doing this.

And what does this have to do with "showing permissions dialog again"? I'm a bit confused. Maybe the confusion is you're talking about the "Screen recording" app (which is a pre-installed system app with Android 6+ AFAIK) – while OP asked about the screen recording permission of some user-installed app?

Clear app data to remove granted permissions of the screen recording app.

Where does it say that clearing app data removes granted permissions? Can you back that by a source? I very much doubt this.

@Izzy It does so, since clearing data == using the app from scratch and so Android does revoke the permissions. In Marshmallow, you can see it for yourself in the permission tab of the app.

@Firelord That restriction (MM and up) wasn't mentioned – it was phrased "generic" :) Plus, while at splitting hair: it would remove other things as well even before MM – e.g. all the settings adjusted. So Koorosh's answer is a much better approach. And, seeing the first comment on it, OP states being on LP (5.1) – a comment made almost a year before this answer was posted.

MM and up is implied since MM added the ability to control specific permissions. Prior to MM an app just got all the permissions that were presented to the user at install time.

it seems there is no way to do that without uninstalling app or restarting permissions Android Developer
but if you want to restart the permissions
Go to Application Manager -> App Permissions -> Requested Permission -> turn it off / on for your program .

Thank you for trying to help.  I could not find Application Manager.  The Android device (Android 5.1) has "App permissions". It has a list of permissions requested by apps. I do not see the request for screen recording.

are you sure screen Recording isn't listed under additional permissions ?

I have just added screenshots to show no "screen recording".

I Found the screen recorder permissions after tapping on the menu icon at the bottom of each function's Permission page. In other words, I opened the permissions list for Storage, tapped on the menu icon, tapped on the show system link that came up and found the video clip recorder app towards the bottom of the list, then finally disabled it for Storage. I then repeated the same process for Microphone and Phone. Cheers. Marco

You need to reinstall this app after uninstalling it from your device and you will start seeing this permission prompt again. I tried this on my Android device running Marshmallow 6.0.1 and it did the job.

Thank you for your response.  My original post asked specifically for how to remedy this "without uninstalling and reinstalling it".


text:
How can I send WhatsApp's image captions to email with images?
I am using Whatsapp 'Email Conversation' option that allow me to share pictures through email, but it doesn't send the caption of images.
Is there any solution so that I can send both Image + its caption to email address?
and where are caption stored in whatsapp data?
(I have root access)


text:
How to copy games data
Can I copy the data of a game and transfer from my old tablet to my new tablet and if so, how do I do that? Both tablets are samsung tab4 10.1
( my old one doesn't have an sdcard )

What Android versions are running on the devices? Are they rooted?

By data you refer to APK and its OBB files (I mean, data as you downloaded it) or the data that the game have generated like score leader databases, game characters, etc?

Depending on the game, the save data might be saved inside the /data/ partition. If you want to copy files from that partition you need root access.
Some games offer a function to save the game data to some online account (Facebook, Google Play etc).
I suggest you first check for an online method and then think about rooting both devices to copy the files.

If one must root the device just to be able to copy user data, then the design is very broken!


text:
What is the max sd card size for the LG optimus dynamic
What is the maximum size of sdcard that LG optimus dynamic supports?

As per This it supports Micro sdcard upto 32GB.


text:
Xperia Arc S typing problem while connected to PC?
I am having a problem with my Xperia Arc S, running Android v4.0.3. When I connect my phone to PC with USB cable, and trying to type anything while it's connected, my phone detects a single touch as a multiple random touches (e.g., I press "w", and it writes "wgjr4"), and when I'm trying to delete errors, it deletes one letter and again types several. It's annoying, and there's gotta to be some solution.
Can anybody tell me where is the problem, and how to fix it?

This is only when connected via USB? Are you using the standard keyboard?

Do you use a self-powered usb hub (with a bad power source)? Bad rippled power supplies may distort the touch screen inputs (for capacitive touch sensors). If not, try a self powered hub and see if it's better... (if your pc pwr supply is causing this)

Yup even I have a Xperia NEO had I have also faced the same issue. I tried reporting it on the Sony Mobile forum but it seems it is a unresolved bug. Seems the issue is with the current supply, which makes the screen too sensitive resulting in multi-touch. Try disconnecting and try typing after sometime, seems to help in my case.


text:
Atrix 4G update via OTA with unlocked bootloader?
I am running 4.5.91 currently on a rooted and unlocked Atrix.
Will I brick my phone by updating to 4.5.141 from OTA source?
Can I re-lock the boot-loader if that is the issue?

I don't think it's possible to re-lock the bootloader of a Atrix 4G. You should read this
too

I found out as much. Ended up flashing an AOSP ROM (nottatch or something) and it's wonderful. It was built off of 4.5.141 so problem solved.

oh ok good to hear :)


text:
How do I mount my Samsung galaxy s4 on ubuntu?
I'm running ubuntu 12.04 and have a rooted samsung galaxy s4.  The s4 is still 2 software versions back since I need to unroot to update and just havent had the time or energy to do all of the work to get back to where I'm setup.  I think it is 4.2.something.
So when I plug my S4 into ubuntu via usb I get an error message
"Unable to mount SAMSUNG_Android
Error initializing camera:-60: could not lock the device"
With my rooted kindle I run gMTP and that gets me access so I tried it with the S4 and it says nothing is available to connect.
With my old evo I had no trouble.  Even when it wasn't rooted I had access to the sd card just like any other drive being mounted.  What's the deal with this s4?
I do have usb debugging enabled.

Galaxy S4 uses MTP so you will need to turn debugging off and it should work with gMTP

I believe I have debugging on on the kindle and gMTP still works.  I'll have to confirm this later.  I might be wrong.

Open a terminal in ubuntu(ctrl+alt+t) and type this commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:langdalepl/gvfs-mtp
sudo apt-get update

Then, launch Software Updater (previously known as Update Manager) and install the available updates.
Afther you pdate everything restart pc.
if you want to revert back before making any changes:
sudo ppa-purge ppa:langdalepl/gvfs-mtp

Next time, I think you should ask this is askubuntu.com since it is more of a linux specific problem then android.

Thank you but what exactly does this do? Is this just updating gMTP? The reason I ask it here is b/c my ubuntu box has no problem recognizing my old HTC evo.  In fact it just opens like any mounted drive automatically as long as I unlock the home screen.  While access is the first step I'm trying to achieve I ultimately want to be able to skip jumping through hoops and just unlock my S4 plug it in to the USB and be in business.

Can anyone tell me what rat2000 code will do?  I don't like to enter code without having a basic explanation.  Maybe I should ask this at the ubuntu forums...

This worked and got me directly to the desired result. I recieved an explanation for what the code does here   http://askubuntu.com/questions/345735/what-does-this-code-do-if-entered-in-a-terminal

I had the same problem a while back. Make sure USB Debugging is disabled in the Developer Options menu.

@geffchang I have USB Debugging enabled and I'm having no trouble mounting the rooted device or the sd card.  I followed the directions posted above by rat 2000 and never had to disable usb debugging.  It just works now.  Check it out.

@hortstu Thanks, but I was just editing AbandonedGoat's post.

So far I found issues like if you have your USB Debugging enable or connect it through USB 3.0 then get this error. So either you disable that option or connect through USB 2.0 would work fine. Or best you can do is what @Rat200 suggested here I had exact same problem. Hope the answers the question.
Btw It's more of Linux specific problem not android.

Worked well. Confirmed it was not a USB cable problem by checking Samsung device appeared after launching lsusb, but an USB 3.0 port issue.

Have you tried connecting the phone using the usb mass storage option on the device? I usually do that with my S2 to work.

Where would I find that option?  I've explored settings pretty extensively and didn't see anything along those lines?

Have you tried the method here? link.

The method suggested by rat2000 worked for me.  Thanks for your help.

I'm glad it did.

I had the same problem when I connected via a USB 3.0 port, but USB 2.0 on the same notebook worked fine.

Trying a different USB port and restarting the ADB server worked for me.


text:
Extract a presentation file as PPT on SlideShare app
I am using SlideShare to view presentation. Sometimes I want to transfer the presentation to my PC and view it on projector. However, in the Android app, there is only a save feature to view it offline.
I know I can use its website to download the .ppt files, but is there any way to get the .ppt from the app?

Can you find it under data folder of your Internal Storage.?

@Lucky that assumes the device is rooted. Checking the SD card would be possible without root as well – and is IMHO more likely to be used here, considered that some devices only have low "internal storage".

@Izzy From the Slideshare faq saving offline slides to external sd card is not allowed even if the phone has external storage and by data folder I meant the Internal Storage/Android/data/ directory. This is the default directory every app stored the data right? and does this require root to view  the contents of the directory?

@Lucky ah, misunderstanding. "Internal storage" is /data/* – you meant the internal SD card (/sdcard/Android/data/*). I've meant both, internal and external SD card. And the part for the external SD card seems out of discussion now by your comment.

I found that the presentation saved by this app isn't in .ppt format but each slide is sliced into a .jpg having a numeric name, and the images are found only under /data/data/net.slideshare.mobile/files/
E.g. A presentation with 78 pages was sliced into images with names ranging from 7456179_00.jpg, 7456179_01.jpg...7456179_78.jpg.
Note that all the related presentation images  will be having a numeric string like 7456179 in the beginning of name, which is exactly the ss_id defined in the table slideshows of database slideshows under /data/data/net.slideshare.mobile/databases/.
Now, here is the disappointing news because all of the said information probably wouldn't be of any worth to you, since this app has declaration of android:allowbackup="false" in its AndroidManifest.xml. What it means is any non-system/root backup app won't be able to touch this app's data, including ADB and Helium which I deliberately try despite clear evidence of failure. It seems that there isn't much of a choice left to backup the presentation (or what has become of it).
What's next? There is one thing that I can think of. If your device is not rooted and you're or can make yourself aware of extracting backup made by your device's Recovery, then go ahead and take backup from it since Recovery doesn't care or even know those "disallow backup declarations", and it should take backup of your app too, among other things.
For root users
You now know what to do:

You can copy-paste images from  /data/data/net.slideshare.mobile/files/ into your SD card and then into PC, or may be do adb pull,
You can also find out easily which ss_id belongs to which presentation using an SQL query or an app like SQLite Editor,
You can take backup by Titanium Backup, export it, and extract it to see the files,
and any possible way you can think of. :)

1)Open slideshare.net on ur browser in your phone.
2)Then,from the dropdown menu in your browser,select the option "request desktop site".
3)The download option on the slideshare page will be available now.
Note:- These restrictions have been implemented only on mobile users in order to boost the slideshare app.
WELCOME;)

OP already knew about that: "When I use its website then i can download the .ppt files."


text:
Log into WiFi network on Android Wear
Android Wear has a new feature where you can connect to WiFi and get notifications even while away from your phone.  If the WiFi network is secure, then it uses the login credentials last used on your phone. However, some WiFi networks aren't secure, but before you use the network, you must log in from a browser, such as at public places like cafes or hotels.
How can I do this from my watch, since these credentials are not saved for use on wear?

Since the login process isn't something the phone can "teach" the watch, you probably won't be able to use those networks.

This limitation has been discussed in reviews, and is mentioned directly in Google's Help page about it

Note: Your watch cannot connect to Wi-Fi networks that take you to a page before you can connect (for example, Wi-Fi networks at places like hotels or coffee shops).

It is simply not possible at this time with standard Android Wear.
XDA Developers does detail a way that they claim works, if rooted, to achieve this, but it's a lot of extra steps, and won't work for devices such as the Moto 360 that don't give you access to ADB. Presumably custom ROMs could build something in to support this as well, but I've seen none at this time.


text:
How to find exact HTC One S version (S3/S4)
I have begun doing research about rooting my HTC One S phone (HTC Sense looks so nice but unfortunately is so unstable) and one of the first things I've noticed is that there are two versions of HTC One S. One has a 1.5gHz dual core CPU, the other has a 1.7gHz dual core CPU.
I went through all the information I could find in my phone's "about" menu, but the CPU section only specifies "dual core". The packaging also has no further details than this.
The only reference I have is that the (online) shop I bought it at, has 1.5gHz in the spec. That would mean I have the S4 which is the most common version. But the vendor may as well get that information from somewhere else rather than the actual product, so I want to be sure before doing anything.
I've already searched google and can't find anything, but I hardly know what to look for either. Seems like no other website knows of this distinction.
On a side note, if anyone knows (has experience with) any good and reliable guides about rooting the HTC One S, feel free to post them as well.

Easiest way. Check your packaging. Look for Model describtion on the back of the other label. Either z520 or z560, the z520 is S4, 560 is S3.
from wikipedia:
Processor and memory
One version of the One S uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4...In certain markets the One S uses the older Snapdragon S3... The two versions have slightly different packaging, the S4 is model Z520e/Z520m and states "Processor: Dual Core, 1.5GHz"/"CPU Speed 1.5 GHZ, dual core, whereas the S3 is model Z560e and states "Processor: Dual Core".


text:
LG Optimus L5 e610 randomly reboots
I have got the phone of my sister in law. It is a LG Optimus L5  e610. While trying to flash CM it has been bricked. It is constantly rebooting after media scanning. It reboots even in the bootloader (CWM 6.2.8). The bootlaoder shows that the sdcard can't be mounted. The time the phone stays in android is to short to use adb.
The phone has been rooted using this guide. This guide has been used to flash CWM.
Well hence I can neither use adb to replace anything in the filesystem nor use the recovery to install a zip.
Is there any way to get this phone back working?

If it's re-booting on MediaScanner: does it have a SDCard inserted? If so, try booting without the card bein inserted. We already had the case with a broken card/file system on the card being the cause of exactly that behavior.

The problem was the difference in unlocked bootloaders between e610 and e612. Finally I ended up using the few seconds before the reboot to write the backed up bootloader and recovery back via dd. Wow I hardly often do backups, but this time it was quite helpful.

It would really help if you explained exactly how you did that. I believe I am experiencing a similar issue.


text:
Run Android application from remote computer
I need to run my Android application from a remote computer (in the same network) via SSH (not using ADB). How do I do that?

See also: How to launch Google Keep from shell?. About how to find the activity to start, see e.g. What is the main activity of Google Keep called?

You need to run an SSH server on your phone, such as DroidSSH.
You can launch adb shell from the SSH session terminal, and then run am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n <qualified-app-name>.  For example, <qualified-app-name> is something like com.android.settings/.Settings.

You don't need to run adb shell before using am. am works like any other shell command, so you can run it from a SSH session directly, unless the SSH server dicks around with your $PATH.


text:
Why isn't Xposed framework available on Google Play?
So why isn't Xposed framework available on Play Store? Also, why are modules available there?

The Xposed framework violates the TOS of Google. Those prohibit exploits/modifications of the system. Modules only use the framework so they are permitted on Google Play Store.

From XDA - Xposed FAQ,

Why isn't the Xposed Installer available via Play Store?
I [read: the developer] have several reasons for that. I wrote about it in this post. And as I learned, Google does indeed sometimes remove apps which interfere with other apps.
From my point of view, you are free to publish the modules you develop on Play Store (at your own risk - Google might remove them). However, be careful if you plan to get money from them. Paid apps are stored in encrypted containers, which means Xposed can't load them at boot time.

From "this post", which explains a number of reasons,

Currently, I don't plan to release the framework elsewhere. I had some vague plans to release it on Play Store, but there are some reasons for me not to do it:

The rudeness in comments and ratings is unacceptable. This isn't for single apps, it's the overall feeling I have. I spend much time on Xposed and everything around, I don't want someone to insult me for it.
Limited supporting capabilities. I think you can reply to comments now, but a dialog with the affected user would be required to fix bugs that may occur.
Unexperienced users. In the best case, you just need to install the Xposed Installer, click the button, install a module and activate it. Restart and you're done. But problems do occur, sometimes resulting in bootloops. I hope that most users here will be able to make their phone boot again (if only by restoring a nandroid backup). I don't expect that from the average Android user, even if the description says "ROOT" and "BE CAREFUL!!!". I recommend these users stay off from risky modifications like this one.
When somebody writes a module and publishes on the Play Store as well, their users might have trouble using it. Then these users will need to communicate with the developer of the module, but they might also contact me directly. Or if the developer doesn't know the answer, he might contact me. I would have to expect more support requests on different channels. More time spent on support => less time for private life and coding => less fun.
Not sure what Google thinks about apps which interfere on such a deep level with their baby.

Readers: Note that the post concerning the first quote was last updated in 2015, and for the second quote was in 2013, in case one wonders the length and breadth of "Currently".

thank's alot! This was helpful, beacuse i couldn't find this on XDA. If You could link it to me it would be nice from Your side.


text:
Is it possible to scan WiFi access points without turning on WiFi?
Just as the title says, is it possible to scan all WiFi access points around the Android phone device when WiFi is turned off (e.g. only using 3G)?

By "modems", did you mean WiFi access points? Also, please include some background why you want to know this and what do you want to do with it.

Yes @AndrewT. I mean wifi access point

Starting from Android 4.3 JellyBean, it's possible to scan WiFi access points even if the WiFi is off. It's called "Scanning always available"
From PCMag.com,

As those who have taken a spin around the Android 4.3 ROM have noticed, Google has made a change to devices' Wi-Fi settings in Android 4.3.
"To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off," describes Google.

If your device is Android 4.3 or newer, you can enable it from Settings - Wi-Fi - Advanced Wi-Fi - Scanning always available.

Fire up the Settings app and tap your finger on the Wireless and Networks option. Tap on the Wi-Fi option, and then tap on the Overflow button on your phone's screen (the triple-dots icon). When this submenu pops up, tap your finger on the Advanced option. From there, you'll want to make sure to check the "Scanning always available" option if you want to participate in the new Android 4.3 feature. Otherwise, if it's checked, you need merely to uncheck it to ensure that "Wi-Fi off" really means "Wi-Fi off."

is it possibel to enable "scanning always visiable" programatically on android

Please refer to this question on SO, since programming question is off-topic here.


text:
Strange chinese menu on Lenovo IdeaTab S6000
Context
I just Skyped with my mother (far away) because her Android tablet (Lenovo IdeaTab S6000, running on Android 4.2) showed a strange menu with Chinese characters, almost like a bootloader. My short troubleshoot history looks like this:

When pressing the volume-keys, the displayed content changed, at one point the text contained "GPS", so I assumed it would be some kind of "hidden troubleshoot menu" for showing system information.
A restart was possible after pressing and holding the standby-button, after restarting everything seemed untouched.
Just to make sure, we changed her passwords.
She did not visit any suspicious websites, nor did she install any apps recently.

With my little knowledge, so far I do not feel able to rule out an attack or a trojan app, from what I can see she could have activated the strange menu by accident. Via internet research I only found one individual with the same problem, but no solution at all.
Question(s)
What can I do to determine the cause? Should I contact the provider/manufacturer? Is it safe to assume that her data & accounts are not compromised?
I know it is little information, so please bare with me, I just want to prevent damage.
Thanks for any advice.
TL;DR
Lenovo IdeaTab showed strange chinese/asian-symbols-menu, gone after reboot, do what now?

What can I do to determine the cause?

The user just accidentally accessed the Factory Mode on Lenovo tablet.
It can be accessed by:

Turn off the device
Hold "Volume Down", then connect the USB

(Image courtesy of XDA)
As a proof, there is a text containing "GPS" like you mentioned.
For the translation of each menu, you can refer to the post on XDA forum (also, source of this information).

Should I contact the provider/manufacturer?

If the user didn't do anything on this menu, then I believe you don't need to contact the provider/manufacturer since nothing happens.

Is it safe to assume that her data & accounts are not compromised?

I believe no data are compromised. Factory Mode is usually related to device testing/configuration, but not individual user data.

If you Hold power and up it will boot to English


text:
How can I view a PDF in book style / two page view?
Is there a way to view PDFs on Android that lets you show 2 pages at the same time like a regular book? - or like the "Two Page View" on desktop Acrobat Reader (with the first page as the cover)?

I found my solution to this problem in this video https://youtu.be/_xqa-44QdYQ

It looks like EBookDroid has this functionality.
The PDF reader in Documents To Go looks like it might, too.


text:
Location of exported notes from Note Everything app
Where can I find the exported notes file from the Note Everything app on Android?

Note Everything exports all notes in the folder named noteeverything. It seems that it chooses /sdcard as its base to identify where to store. Regardless of it, in my device having External SD card as default storage, the notes were saved in the root directory of external SD card under the folder named noteeverything/text/ with names as text[0-9]+_<Note_Title>.txt.
E.g.:
text7_Bonafide.txt
text6_Bcode.txt
text5_QW.txt

where QW, Bcode, and Bonafide are the respective titles of my notes.
You can also find other used resources under the folder noteeverything.
Ultimately, you should look under all your storages for this folder. Otherwise, just use find/search in your File Manger to do the job for you.
A simple command-line query would be find /storage -iname noteeverything.


text:
Issue Updating Google Apps - "Not Signed Correctly"
First and forehand, I am running JB 4.2.2 AOKP on my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3. I have the latest gapps package installed after every time I flash an update to my ROM.
For some reason though, whenever I try to update either Gmail or Play Music, I get the error "Package file was not signed correctly. Uninstall the previous copy of the app and try again."
I can't uninstall the apps because they are used as system apps, and the best I can do is disable them, but that still didn't let me update them. I'm sure it has something to do with the gapps package that I flashed, but why does it not give me the same error when I update Play Movies and Play Magazines?
I do not use Titanium Backup to back up any of my apps, so I saw that that was a problem for some other people. If however, there is another question that relates more to mine, I will be glad to go and check it out, but after my looking I did not find a solution to my specific problem. Thanks in advance!
EDIT: Here's the link to the gapps package that I installed as well as the exact ROM I am using.

In Android, every package is cryptographically signed by its author. To be an upgrade, the new package has to be signed with the same key as the old package. Since packages can read previous versions' data files, this is an important security precaution.
The error you get tells you that the update you're trying to install was not signed using the same key as the package you had flashed to the ROM. Either the original package you flashed, or the new package, was signed by a different developer.
You should either obtain an update from the same source you originally got the gapps package from, or flash a new ROM with a gapps package from the same source you're trying to update from. We may be able to help further with this if you edit your question to say where you got these packages from.

I linked to the gapps and ROM I am using. Since the developer updates the gapps more regularly than most, he must be tweaking them slightly for his ROM. I guess I just have to wait until he incorporates the updates.


text:
Android GTalk, Chromium Gtalk, Gmail Gtalk - how can i send files such as image, music, video clips like whatsApp?
I am using on my Android Gtalk where i can only do chat text send and receive. But how can i do all the features of WhatsAPP from Gtalk?
Features like:

file transfer (image pictures, music, video clips)
Audio replay from the chat by history
Video reply from the chat by history

Is there any way to make Gtalk by default to do file transfer features?? So that pictures in mobile can be sent, musics in mobile can be sent etc can be sent from mobile directly ??

The rumored Google Babel may be the solution you are looking for. Hopefully it will be announced/released before or at Google I/O.

That would be a great because Google Babel to have. All Google products are the cool. WhatsAPP is very evil mind, its not allow Unix/Linux users to run friendly from desktop there apps, we have to always use emulator for there craps. But having Google on this will help us to relax by sitting our old OS and use the same simple crap what whatsAPP was trying to make complicated.

Google Talk doesn't have any of those features. It's meant as a complement to Gmail, and it's intended that if you want to send files or persistent things to your chat partner, you'd email them.
If you want a chat system that has all the features of WhatsApp, why not just use WhatsApp?

WhatsAPP is only for mobile with 3G, Wifi. But i use Unix or Linux or sometimes my Android only. And everything i do with Google. Just for file transfer feature i have to day and night use whatsAPP which is abnormal choice. So i do not use whatsAPP, but looking forward to have file transfer feature in Gtalk, which makes the life easier.

Gtalk is open source, why not a single person willing to add this feature in Gtalk for Linux and Android version? Is this impossible for Google to add this feature?

@YumYumYum: Google Talk is not open source. Part of the core, libjingle, is open source, but the Talk app built around that core is not. Someone would probably have to extend libjingle and write a separate set of applications around it (or get Google to accept the core changes and hope they implement the necessary UI).


text:
Upgrade version Of Custom Recovery
I have CWM already installed on my Android device.  To upgrade my CWM version, do I simply boot into fastboot and cd the new .iso over to my device?  Is it realy that simple?
EDIT -- The new file that I have is an .iso not a .zip so when I boot into CWM it doesn't see the .iso.
2nd Edit ---
I used this command when booted into fastboot to flash my recovery
fastboot flash recovery recovery-clockwork-5.0.2.0-olympus.img

It's even easier than that. Just flash the new recovery from CWM as you would any other flashable zip.

see edit......I have a .iso file not a .zip file

Then that can't be a cwm recivery. What's the full file name?

recovery-clockwork-5.0.2.0-olympus.img

Seems like you have HTC. Yes you should be able to do it this way also but you might also be able find a zip of the CWM recovery for your olympus and flash that directly from CWM. So you have 2 options.

Just flash the recovery like you flashed it before, simple as that.


text:
Retrieve back ONLY ONE deleted WhatsApp message
I have accidentally deleted ONE message from a chat conversation and I want to retrieve it back. I have read posts and articles on how to retrieve WhatsApp messages, but it talks about whole chat or whole conversation. There are solutions such as uninstall/reinstall WhatsApp before doing a manual backup and recover data, but this does not apply to my question.
I just want to retrieve the ONLY ONE message that I deleted a couple of hours back from a chat conversation. Is this possible?
EDIT: I assume something has to be done before whatsapp takes a backup. Appreciate an early reply. Thank you.
EDIT2 : Is there any way to change the autobackup time from 4AM to 4PM?

IIRC WhatsApp takes backups daily at 3 am or something

In Settings -> Chat settings, it says 4am. Is there any tool to undelete deleted message before the auto-backup time?

If you didn't take a backup after the message was received on your phone(and before it was deleted) then no you can't recover it.

I think I lost the message now. But i am still curious about what to do if this thing happens in the future. You mean there is no other way to recover that 'one single message'? There are no sofwares/tools/utilities that can recover the message before the auto-backup initiates at 4am?

Is there any way to change the autobackup time from 4AM to 4PM?

Sadly I don't think that too can be done. All you can do is make manual backups.

I have seen lot of articles that says how to recover deleted messages. You just have to take the backup of your whatsapp folder in the sdcard, uninstall and reinstall whatsapp then all messages are recovered. I tried that but I did not get that 1 important message i deleted :(


text:
Merging a Crypt7 and a Crypt8 whatsapp backup
I have been searching a lot in the past couple of weeks on how to merge two whatsapp backup. Last month I got a new phone, installed whatsapp along with my old backup. During installation, whatsapp said, "backup found" and an option to restore. I clicked on it, it was processing for a very long time and then said backup cannot be restored :(
I started using whatsapp on this new phone and observed that the present database type is Crypt8 and my old database was of Crypt7 type (may be that it why the messages were not restored). I have still kept my old backup. Can anyone please tell me how can I merge these two databases (old Crypt7 and new Crypt8) or is there any other file that I need to consider?
I also rooted my phone to get access to com.whatsapp folder. Found it in the root @ data/data/com.whatsapp
File structure on the root
+ com.whatsapp
  + cache
  + databases
    - axolotl.db
    - axolotl.db-shm
    - axolotl.db-wal
    - msgstore.db
    - msgstore.db-journal
    - wa.db
    - wa.db-shm
    - wa.db-wal
  + files
  + lib
  + shared_pref

File structure on SDCard (old backup )
+ WhatsApp
  + Databases
    - msgstore.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-17.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-18.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-19.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-20.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-21.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-22.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-23.1.db.crypt7
    - msgstore-2014-11-24.1.db.crypt7
  + Media
  + Profile Pictures

File structure on SDCard (present backup )
+ WhatsApp
  + .Shared
  + .trash
  + Databases
    - msgstore.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-9.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-10.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-11.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-12.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-13.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-14.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-15.1.db.crypt8
    - msgstore-2014-12-16.1.db.crypt8
  + Media
  + Profile Pictures

EDIT: Is it possible to uninstall whatsapp, reinstall and recover old backup (crypt7) first and when everything is working, import latest backup (crypt 8)? No replies so far - Is this even possible ?? Eagerly awaiting a response.

Try reading this FAQ first. I think it's related to your issue. But I'm not sure if you could merge crypt7 and crypt8 DB files.

Thanks Andrew... I have already read this. You cannot merge two files of different encryption using this. Thanks for your concern.

This is how I solved the issue.

backup your existing whatsapp installation
 adb backup -f whatsapp-new.ab -noapk com.whatsapp

clear whatsapp data by going to settings>apps
upload your old database to /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases and delete other files in this directory
run whatsapp, restore messages and initialise app (you will have to reenter your phone number; if this doesn't work try installing older version of whatsapp - 2.11.432 worked fine for me)
backup installation with old messages
 adb backup -f whatsapp-old.ab -noapk com.whatsapp

download android backup extractor (https://github.com/nelenkov/android-backup-extractor), and its dependencies (bcprov-jdk15on-151.jar) and compile it (use Eclipse if you are not familiar with this)
extract files from backups
java -cp path-to-libs/bcprov-jdk15on-151.jar:path-to-comiled-abe/bin/ org.nick.abe.Main unpack whatsapp-new.ab wa-new.tar

java -cp path-to-libs/bcprov-jdk15on-151.jar:path-to-comiled-abe/bin/ org.nick.abe.Main unpack whatsapp-old.ab wa-old.tar

tar xvf wa-new.tar
mv apps apps-new
tar xvf wa-old.tar
mv apps apps-old

copy unencrypted databases to a new directory
mkdir plain
mv apps-old/com.whatsapp/db/msgstore.db plain/msgstore-old.db
mv apps-new/com.whatsapp/db/msgstore.db plain/msgstore-new.db

download sch3m4's wforensic from Github, install it and  follow this https://github.com/sch3m4/wforensic#merging-all-msgstore-files-into-a-single-one (alternatively you could just merge both .db files - they are plain sql3 archives)
clear whatsapp data on phone again; upload the merged database to sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases and name it msgstore.db and delte other database files
repeat step 4

Now you should be able to see all conversations (hint scroll down to see all conversations - they are not sorted chronologically - but that sorts out with time).

Unfortunately when I try to install an older version of Whatsapp to load my crypt7 database backup, I get the following message : "This version of Whatsapp is obsolete since ... please download lastest version". I tried modifying the system date but whitout any succcess.

Sorry, I'm afraid I cant't help you then. It worked for me back then. Seems they check versions on their servers. But that's the problem with closed-sourced proprietary solutions, you basically agree that you can't actually access your data - it is their service and they can do anything they want... I switched to open source alternative Telegram.

OK I think I will switch to another alternative too. Thank you for your help!


text:
Why are Zygote and Whatsapp asking for root?
Since yesterday, WhatsApp and Zygote have been asking for root permissions on my phone via supersu. Apparently zygote is a system app.
Is this malware? Lookout scan came up clean.

On another note, if you allowed them to get root, you should consider your device to be compromised and wipe it completely.

I have got the same on Android 6, rooted with Xposed Framework.
It suddenly happened, I did not install some suspected stuff. Whatsapp works normal. P | grep Zygote brings 3 entries: Zygote, Zygote64 and xposed_zygote_service.

Are you using Xposed ? Seems like issue with Xposed

Do you have the whatsapp extention exposed module installed? check the xda-thread.

It is unlikely for WhatsApp to need root privileges, and impossible for zygote to ask for it.
Zygote is an essential system component that is started by init process itself while booting, so it does implicitly inherit root privileges.
Matter of fact, zygote is responsible for starting every other app, be it system apps or other apps.
Having said that, these two apps (installed in your device that asks for root access) are strongly MALWARE.
If you have ADB, issue the command adb shell ps | grep zygote. (Or from Terminal Emulator as ps | grep zygote)
I believe the output will be two processes: one is the real zygote, and the other 'zygote' is part of a package name, which is a malware.

To clarify are you saying WhatsApp is strongly malware? Or the specific program calling itself whatsApp that op has installed is malware? (I'm asking from an unrooted Android phone that has WhatsApp installed)

@BruceWayne The real WhatsApp is fine - it would be all over the news if it weren't as it is the #18 free app on the Play Store. He's talking about the fake WhatsApp OP may have.

I always has the real WhatsApp and it also asking for root


text:
execve permission denied under /data
I have met a weird problem on a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, running Android 4.3, with an origin-forgetton rooted rom.

getenforce returns "Permissive", so selinux is Permissive.
cat /proc/self/status returns CapBnd/CapEff/CapPrm ffffffffffffffff after su, so all the capabilities are granted.
su is from chainfire's SuperSU.

The syndrome is, after su any executable under /data calling execve() fails with EACCES.  BUT, execve() under /data is permitted by a normal user.
To demonstrate, all the following experiments are carried out after su. Compile the following program into a static linked binary, say execve.
# gcc -static execve.c -o execve

/* execve.c */

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  char *newargv[] = { NULL, "hello", "world", NULL };
  char *newenviron[] = { NULL };

  if (argc != 2) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Usage: %s <file-to-exec>\n", argv[0]);
    exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
  }

  newargv[0] = argv[1];

  execve(argv[1], newargv, newenviron);
  perror("execve");   /* execve() only returns on error */
  exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

Running "execve /system/bin/ls" should be equivalent to "ls hello world".
But if execve is put under any subdirectory of /data, "execve /system/bin/ls" results in "Permission Denied".

If execve is put into any of /, /system, /cache, /mnt/obb. execve() works.
Remounting /data with exactly the same mount options as /cache does not help.
Symlinking a subdirectory from /cache into /data containing execve works.
ln -s /cache/test /data/test # /data/test/execve works
And in reverse, execve does not work.
ln -s /cache/test1 /data/test1 # /cache/test1/execve Permission Denied
Bind mount /data to /bind. /bind/execve works, but /data/execve does not.
mount -o bind /data /bind

Conclusion: There is soming preventing any executables under /data from making execve() syscall.  The mechanism has nothing to do with the filesystem attributes, and symlink is dereferenced before the mechanism is applied.
Question: What mechanism in Android could give this strange behavior?
Reference:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56264859&postcount=414

Hi, sorry I didn't know this question was too specific to developers.  Feel free to make it read-only or move it to stackoverflow.

Samsung has some restrictions hardcoded directly into the kernel. These things differ per device, per kernel/firmware, and are a real drag to work with, or around. Try a different firmware.

Thank you very much Jorrit. Great to have you here. I'll try to replace the offensive kernel.

Reflashing the phone with cyanogenmod works. Thanks!

authors: อนุถาพ สอนราช


text:
Force new Mobile IP
I'm using my droid phone, running KitKat, to wifi tether my linux box to the internet.  The application that I'm writing requires me change my ip address on occasion.  Is there a way that I can communicate with my phone, connected via USB, and force it to obtain a new mobile ip address?  Using a VPN is not an option...

This sounds like it would be dependent on your network.  Quite possibly even a full disconnect and reconnect would not renew your IP, since they might expect occasional service issues and keep your IP lease active.

Did you find a solution to this?

What you can do is reduce the WiFi IP lease time to reduce the duration of time that an IP address is assigned to a device before a new one is assigned.
You could also manually assign an IP address from Settigns -> WiFi ->long hold the WiFi AP name -> Advanced settings and manually assign a IP.

I'm actually talking about the LTE connection, not the WIFI


text:
How Google can check whether an application is installed from Play Store or Not?
If a developer turns ON Google Play's Anti-Piracy setup, the application cannot access the play services if it is not installed from Play Store(so says Google). My question is how Google verifies this? More than that I need to know, if I can install an application from the play store, then modify the apk and then re-installs it in my phone manually(by enabling 'install from unknown sources') AND then use the play services?

i think following link can explain how google Play knows or in fact how any dev can know if a given app was installed from play store or side loaded:
How to know an application is installed from google play or side-load?


text:
How to debug non-rooted Nexus 5 Android 5.0.1 tethering issue?
I normally use tethering a lot but hadn't since the 5.0 update and so didn't notice this issue. Now my Nexus 5 is at 5.0.1 and today I needed to tether and found that it doesn't work.
Phone is Nexus 5, with 5.0.1, build LRX22C. Computer is MBP OS X 10.9.5.
IP address is allocated on tethering, but every query results in "Server not found" error. I think that I found a related issue here:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=82545
The additional problem I have is that using different name servers (8.8.8.8) does not solve the problem.
The surprising thing is that tethering works on my wife's phone with the exact same configuration without any problem.
I am at a loss how to debug this. Any pointers would be appreciated.
It goes without saying that my data connection works, the carrier isn't blocking it in anyway.
Edit 1: So looks like that statement was not entirely true. I am roaming in the US using Roam Mobility SIM card. And this is what I found on their site:
http://www.roammobility.com/support/Cannot_use_Hotspot_with_Nexus_5.html
So I switched the preferred network to 3G from LTE, and the tethering works. It is annoying to not understand why this happens. Any ideas?


text:
Are applications from "Unknown Sources" restricted by permissions?
I know that Google Play applications cannot do anything that is not spelled out in their AndroidManifest.xml and will be blocked from doing so. I want to know if non-Google Play applications are locked down with the same security measure.
Will Android tell me what permissions they require before installation and block functions that use permissions not noted in the manifest of non-Google Play apps? Because Google says:

In the event that an application attempts to use a protected feature which has not been declared in the application's manifest, the permission failure will typically result in a security exception being thrown back to the application. Protected API permission checks are enforced at the lowest possible level to prevent circumvention. An example of the user messaging when an application is installed while requesting access to protected APIs is shown in Figure 2.

Does this apply to non-Google Play apps?

An app has to declare all its permissions requirements, because they are granted to it at installation.
See the section "Using Permissions" here: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/security/permissions.html

So then the benefit of the Google Play store is the simple fact that Google is controlling it and watching out for exploits. Whatever internal security Android has for Google Play apps still applies to apps outside of the store.

Pretty much, yes. It's also why you should always always always check the permissions.

Will it tell you which permissions are required for the app (should I make this a separate question)?

Google Play will tell you what permissions the app has declared before you install it. Installing from an .apk will show you the permissions at the beginning of the installation process.

Zero day exploits still can attack users from Google Play until they are removed. It's basically just regulation. Amazon's store could be just as secure. Even noting the permissions, hackers could find some vulnerabilities.

Will Android tell me what permissions they require before installation?

In general, yes. In most (if not all) Android devices, there's a system app called "Package installer" which handles the installation/upgrade of an app. When you install an APK file from unknown source, this app will run and show all permissions the app requests, which looks like this:

Package installer on KitKat

Will Android block functions that use permissions not noted in the manifest of non-Google Play apps?

During installation, Android doesn't check/test if a function requires specific permission to run. In other word, user can still install the app. However, the app will throw SecurityException (that may crash/behave unpredictably/do nothing, depends on how it's handled) when running the function that needs a permission, but is not declared in the manifest file. This applies to all apps, regardless from where it's installed.
Example: doing network operation without declaring <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" /> will crash the app with stack trace:
E/AndroidRuntime(18698): Caused by: java.lang.SecurityException: Permission denied (missing INTERNET permission?)

.


text:
Nexus 5 Update To Android 5.1
When I try to download the OTA for 5.1 it gets stuck at "Waiting to download". Am I the only one that has this problem or is there a fix? Also, if
I manage to download it, will I be able to update or will TWRP get in the way?

To download the update, I have to reboot my phone a few times.
To install the update however, I will need to unroot (to get the stock recovery), install the update (after downloading it you get the option to install) and then re-root my phone (not necessary but if you're like me, you will want to).


text:
Text having stroke/outline on Android Lollipop
I have an issue in Moto G 2nd Gen running Lollipop. It shown a stroke/outline on the text for the entire display. I thought it may or may not be an OS issue.
I tried searching this option in Settings to change the style, but I didn't find anything about it.
Is it possible to turn this off?
Here with I've attached the screenshot, what the difficulties I faced.

Screenshots - (Click to enlarge image)

You've (accidentally) turned on "high contrast text" accessibility option, an experimental feature on Lollipop. From Google official support,

High contrast text
This information applies only to devices running Android 5.0 and higher.
High contrast makes text easier to read on your device. This feature fixes the text color as either black or white, depending on the original text color.
To enable or disable high contrast text, follow these steps:

Go to Settings > Accessibility.
Select High contrast text.

High-contrast text is currently an experimental feature, so it might not work correctly everywhere on your device.

Thank You for your support Mr.Andrew, I Follow the step and resolve it. My Device Become Clear Visible Font Appearence. Thanks a lot.


text:
Where does Inbox (by Gmail) store downloaded attachments?
I'm receiving email with attachments on Google Inbox. While online, I could open the attachments. Later I would be offline and would like to access those attachments.
So, anyone knows the path where those attachments were downloaded into?
(NB: I'm rooted)

You can check the following location to view the attachments:
(root)/data/data/com.google.android.apps.inbox/files/downloads
In this location you'll see a random code something like cd8ca9801230132321232sd312312ad312
Navigate to that folder and you would see few other folders named

attachments
avatars
smart_hero_mail_image
smart_mail_image

To view the attachments, navigate to "attachments" folder. Here you'll find lot of folders with random name. Sort the folders based on date, so you could file the most recent ones on top/bottom. The attachments will be stored on random folders, based on when (date) you opened the files via Inbox application.
Hope this helps.

Hi @devav2, on my device it was found at /data/data/com.google.android.apps.inbox/files/downloads/{some hash}/attachments/{more hashes}/<here goes your files>. Thanks for giving the idea. The only difference is /data/data/... rather than just /data/....

You are right /data/data is the correct path

On my Galaxy S6, /data is empty, and /sdcard/data/data contains only one Samsung folder. The Inbox folder seems to be /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.apps.inbox, but it contains only an empty cache folder. Where else might attachments be saved?

authors: جمعان القحطاني


text:
Status/Notification bar can't be accessed while inside full screen apps (GS4 - i9505 CM 12.1 Lollipop 5.1.1)
When I'm running a game or playing a video on full-screen it's simply impossible to push down the status bar. So I have to close the APP whenever I want to see the time, battery percentage or answer a notification. AM I the only one having this problem? Does someone know anything on how to solve it?

Once nobody was able to help me, I decided to share the answer I got by myself. I was bored and had nothing to do so I started going here and there trhough the conf. menu and I found out an option to solve it. It's under Developer options. There's an option enabled called Block touch gesture events  or something like this. You should just disable it then you're able to pull down the status bar over the full screen apps. Hope it helps someone. Thanks anyway.


text:
Issue with Lollipop upgrade on Micromax Yureka: Unable to pick calls
Yesterday I got an update to upgrade my Micromax Yureka mobile to CyanogenMod 12 which upgrades the Android version to Lollipop. And from then I am unable to pick calls, as nothing gets displayed/or rather display won't turn on to pick up the call.
I installed a sensor test app and found that the proximity and light sensors are not working. I removed the screen protector as well. Can someone please suggest a fix for it?

Which ROM did you upgrade from? You may need to flash an updated modem.

Go to yuplaygod forums you will get more suggestions !

Please dial this code: *#*#7769#*#*, and after that click on start. It will automatically resolve the issue.


text:
how do I get rid of this google searchbar?
I have a Google searchbar in a tablet I have borrowed

For me it's in a very inconvenient location and I keep on pressing it accidentally.
It looks like I can't click and drag on it to move it to another location either.
How do I hide this toolbar? I need to be able to get it back as well, since the tablet isn't mine, but I want to hide or disable this search bar while I use it (or at least move it to another location)

The search bar is a built-in part of the default launcher and can't be moved or disabled. The least invasive way to get rid of it is to install a new launcher of your choice and use that instead of the default one. The old launcher is still installed, and will come back when you uninstall the new one, so the question is just whether you ought to install software on this device you've borrowed.

I have no idea how to install a launcher and I don't want to do anything that may trash the system. So am I stuck with it? Is there any way I can disable it? I don't mind it being there, I just don't want it to be clicked accidentally

if it can be moved to another location on the screen that would be fine as well

Is it possible to do something like pass a command line parameter for this launcher to disable this toolbar then restart the launcher, using adb?

@user17915 Installing a launcher won't trash the system: it's just like installing any other app.

A launcer like Nova has an option called 'Persistant Search Bar' that can be disabled if you want it gone. There MAY be a setting in display on your device, try having a look around for that in the settings. A launcher is just an app from the Play Store and Apex and Nova (as exapmples) are excellent! They're simple, light, easy to customise and 100% trustworthy. You won't trash anything with it and you can always uninstall it if you don't like it. They are free apps.

You cannot deactivate that, not to my knowledge anyway. You can install something like Smart Launcher, Next Launcher or Go Launcher which have extreme flexibility in what you can do. It's just like installing any other app, and the next time you hit your "Home" button you select that launcher "Just Once" to test it out.

Google Search can be deactivated in the system settings, in the apps. It then appears at the bottom of the apps in the system settings, where it can be activated. It cannot be deinstalled. (If it were able to be deinstalled, you can back it up using Astro File Explorer, and using any file exporer re-install it).

Press it, hold your finger over it, then a red trash can will appear. Drag it to the trash can.
Press & hold to start the drag & drop.
Press & hold on an empty space to bring up a menu to add widgets. Then select the search widget to bring it back.

It's not a widget, so that won't work.


text:
How do I flash a modem for CyanogenMod / CM10.2?
I have already flashed the latest nightly (as of this time) and the corresponding gapps for my Samsung Galaxy S4 via CWM. But when I checked the Phone settings (About Phone), Baseband version is Unknown.
I have already tried flashing I9505XXUEMJ7_MODEM.tar via Odin (as Phone), but the Baseband is still Unknown.
What am I missing here?

Finally fixed the issue (old CWM):

Upgraded CWM from 6.0.3.2 to 6.0.4.4 using ROM Manager.
Rebooted to Recovery Mode
Wipe Data / Factory Reset
Wipe Cache Partition
Wipe Dalvik Cache
Flash CM zip (two times)
Flash GAPPS
Reboot phone (boot animation now showed; this was just black before)

After the phone booted, (and the usual wizard),
I noticed the Baseband was no longer Unknown,
but listed my previously-flashed modem.
I rebooted phone into Download mode and flashed a different modem (for my region).
Phone working normally now. :)

I know this doesn't solve your problem of flashing a Modem via Odin, but have you had a look at the Collection of CWM modems, e.g. here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47234771&postcount=1220&nocache=1&z=1674485336989164
There is this hint:

Originally Posted by lambstone
  Ok it worked.
  If anyone else is having issues with the baseband not changing, do this.

Use Odin v3.04
Untick Autoreboot
Flash modem
Reboot once again into Download Mode using (Vol Down plus Home button combi)
Flash Modem once more
Once done,unplug then reboot device manually.
If this doesn't work, try repeating the flash process again while rebooting manually and with auto-reboot option turned off.

Yes, I know that list. There are no CWM-flashable modems for the S4. I flashed one via Odin, but it still didn't show up on my phone settings. Still Unknown.

have you tried flashing via "Mobile ODIN" ? Hint:  rename tar.md5 to .tar and open it as MODEM