text:
How to push gapps via adb to a rooted device
I have a Samsung t355c. A China model of the normal tablet that doesn't have gapps and as far as I get it a locked bootloader.
There is no custom recovery for it.
Runs 5.0.1
I managed to root it using kingo and tried many ways of pushing google apps into it. Ended up bricking it for now... redownloading original rom.
The question is. After I fix and root him again
Using adb with the root . How can I push gapps

One method can be:  extract the GApps zip and separate the files meant to be copied into the system partition. Then copy each of them individually to their intended location. In order to know the location, locate some script having instructions for Recovery. You would get the idea. Reboot and see what happens.

Don't forget to adjust permissions (also found in that script). Plus you will need to remount /system read-write before, and back to read-only after pushing the apps.

used link2sd to convert them to system, after some errors, logged into google have gmail, but can't connect the playstore @Izzy what permissions do i need to change?

As @Firelord already pointed out, the .zip contains a script: META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script contains the steps a custom recovery would execute usually. Use that as a guide – though you will have to "convert" the commands.

I have not really tried this, but a possible approach would be following the steps a custom recovery would perform when installing ("flashing") the .zip file – which can be found in META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script (after extracting the archive). For the Kitkat GApps archive, this looks like:

ui_print("Installing files...");
run_program("/sbin/busybox", "mount", "/system");
show_progress(1, 15);
delete("/system/app/Provision.apk","/system/app/QuickSearchBox.apk","/system/app/priv-app/SetupWizard.apk","/system/app/priv-app/Velvet.apk","/system/app/Vending.apk","/system/app
package_extract_dir("system", "/system");
set_perm(0, 0, 0755, "/system/addon.d/70-gapps.sh");
package_extract_dir("optional", "/tmp");
package_extract_file("install-optional.sh", "/tmp/install-optional.sh");
set_perm(0, 0, 0777, "/tmp/install-optional.sh");
run_program("/tmp/install-optional.sh", "");
show_progress(1, 15);
ui_print("Cleaning up and setting metadata...");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/addon.d", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/app", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/priv-app", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/etc/permissions", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/etc/preferred-apps", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata("/system/etc/g.prop", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "mode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/framework", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/lib", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/usr/srec/en-US", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
set_metadata_recursive("/system/vendor/pittpatt", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0644, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
run_program("/sbin/busybox", "umount", "/system");
ui_print("Installation complete!");

We of course can skip the comments/debug-output, and thus essentially end up with these steps. I assume you've unpacked the .zip file's contents somewhere on your device, and are sitting in a shell (terminal or adb shell) with root permissions (su) to start with:

mount -o remount,rw /system (line 2)
if the files listed in line 4 exist: rm -f <file> for each of them
copy all contents of the .zip file's system/ directory to /system (line 5)
chmod 0755 /system/addon.d/70-gapps.sh (line 6)
( apply the previous 2 steps on lines 7-9 )
sh /tmp/install-optional.sh (line 10)

Now it gets a little more difficult (for beginners) interpreting the set_metadata_recursive commands. I'll explain this on the first one (line 13):
/system/addon.d must be owned by uid 0 and gid 0, file permissions should be 0755 (dmode is directory mode, fmode file mode), SELinux attributes are u:object_r:system_file:s0. You might have noticed I've skipped two columns: I have no idea what the "capabilities", 0x0 stands for, so I cannot explain it (if anyone does, please comment). So let's do that:
chown -R root:root /system/addon.d   # -R is recursive, root is user/group id 0
chmod -R 755 /system/addon.d         # as dmode and fmode are the same, we can do that
# at this place missing: SELinux properties. I've never dealt with those

If like in line 14 fmode and dmode are different, you'll have to take care for that as well. Apply dmode as above, and follow it by a find <dir> -type f -print0 | xargs chmod <mode>, replacing <dir> by the first argument of set_metadata_recursive, and <mode> by the corresponding fmode.
Finally, remount /system read-only again: mount -o remount,ro /system – or simply reboot (you'll have to anyway), which takes care for that as well.
I have skipped the SELinux stuff due to missing knowledge. It will most likely work without – but might be good to do for additional security :)

Some GApps comes with gapps-remove.txt file as well. One can compare it with the files one have or is going to copy in /system. That can help them to know what they may be missing.

SElinux labels you set with "chcon" command and you can the result verify by using "ls -laZ".
For:
set_metadata_recursive("/system/addon.d", "uid", 0, "gid", 0, "dmode", 0755, "fmode", 0755, "capabilities", 0x0, "selabel", "u:object_r:system_file:s0");
it will be:
chcon "u:object_r:system_file:s0" /system/addon.d
You can verify this by issuing: ls -laZ /system/addon.d
source for usage of "chcon":
https://books.google.pl/books?id=AKbNBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=%22u:object_r:system_file:s0%22&source=bl&ots=MbpesnKLkI&sig=ACfU3U2sJc-vYndDkUOk1Tru42hrcuPyUQ&hl=pl&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqwqKiwZDnAhWiAxAIHZH8AGAQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22u%3Aobject_r%3Asystem_file%3As0%22&f=false


text:
Enabling Mass Storage instead of MTP/PTP
Is there any way to enable the old Mass Storage Mode in Android 4.4.2? Right now I can only see MTP or PTP modes, but not the Mass Storage mode that was used to be around in old versions(2.3, I guess).
The old Mass Storage Mode allowed me to play audio in my car when connected via USB, but ever since with the MTP, my music player doesn't recognize my device. Also when connected to PC, it enabled me to modify partitions directly.
Any ROM hacks or tweaks probably?
P.S. I have a rooted At&T Galaxy Note 2(Android 4.4.2)

Unfortunately, Android has switched to the newer MTP/PTP protocols, so no, regular "mass storage mode" can't be enabled. (That is unless there's a ROM hack I haven't found.)
Source: A post from 2013 confirming it's not a thing anymore.

I can say it's possible because I have a Tornado 348 Play in which you have the "USB Storage" option enabled, in addition to the other options:

Built-in CR-ROM
Media device (MTP)
Camera(PTP)
Charge only

P.S: This response should be a comment, but the 50 points reputation didn't allow me to post it as a comment. :)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Transfering MMS messes up group chats
I've tried three different tools, "My Backup Pro", "Easy Backup & Restore", and the backup/restore feature of "GO SMS Pro" to transfer my texts from one Android phone to a new one.
Regardless of what I use, after I've restored the backup to the new phone, all the restored messages within a group chat have been split up:
When I go to a group thread, it only shows the messages I sent. And the group chat texts other people sent get erroneously placed in the individual chat threads instead of the group chat.
Not sure if it matters, but the old phone is Android 4.1.2, and the new one is 5.1.1. Both are Samsung.
How can I transfer group chats without them getting messed up?
UPDATE: I tried using "Titanium Backup" but the results were...weird. When I use that, then "GO SMS Pro" finally reads the data correctly, BUT it can no longer send/receive texts at all and Android's built-in messaging app will immediately crash every time I try to run it. This is getting REALLY frustrating, nothing is working for what should be a trivial, basic function.
UPDATE 2: Found Samsung's "Smart Switch" app which worked corectly.

authors: Степа Рузанов

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


text:
System sounds but no other sounds when use headphones
I plugged in my headphones this morning,  which were working fine yesterday,  and went to try and watch a video only for there to be no sound.
But all notifications and click events seem to be making sound as usual. And only certain apps seem to be not making sound.
Thinking it was possibly a bug in YouTube, I tried running other apps:

Spotify: no sound
Google calendar notification :full sound
Hearthstone, a game : no sound
Analogue Synthesiser emulator: full sound
ZType,  a game: full sound
Shadowrun returns, a game: no sound
BBC iPlayer: no sound
Sony Xperia Podcast app: no sound
Pointless,  a game: no sound.

I've yet to test with other headphones. But have tried a restart and tried double checking the volume control advanced settings.
Any idea what the reason is?
If it was all sounds or only loud sounds it would be simple,  but it's not,  which is what confuses me.
further testing
After I got to a desktop PC did some further tests:

tested same sources with a different set of headphones,  same result.
tested the original set on the desktop PC,  produce sound from all sources no problem.
Set phone to safe mode to see if it would be an app which has a damaging bug after update (as I've set my phone to update when on wifi and charging, so it is plausible) the behaviour was the same.

Bee, the Headphones I currently use have never been detected by smart connect,  I think it's because they have a detachable cable, They're a set of shure headphones.

Well,  the phone is still under warranty (but not insured) do you believe this could be an issue that is viable for sending it back to Sony at no extra cost?

I never dealt with Sony but yes IMO, this warrants exchange. For starters you could post on their support site and if it helps, it could save you the trouble of sending back

Soundabout didn't have any effect

I had a problem with headsets and Skype on an Xperia z3 a while back. And then I found out order matters: the headphone needed to be plugged in before opening the app. Another potential cause: SONY tries to be clever and detect different headsets. In the sound settings, there is an option to select "generic headset" (don't know for the Z5, but probably similar)

Nah, no such setting in z5, probably because it was too buggy.
There's the option to have the z5 use headphone plug in to trigger events and a switch in setings to turn on ClearSound™ but there's no detection which changes sound settings unless I tell it to (which I haven't.)

Xperia Support are literally useless.
I told them the specific problem, but because it had a 1mm bend in the phone, they refused to repair the problem.
And then gave me the option of paying £25 to get it back unrepaired, £280 to get it replaced (which is 70 more than the phone costs) or they'd recycle it for free.


text:
Is there a way to change the cover photo in Gmail app's menu?
Gmail/G+ allows you to change the cover photo along with the profile photo. I already changed both. The profile photo will also be used in the Gmail app on most (every?) Android. But what about the cover photo? I don't want the Google default cover photo on my Gmail app.

I'm on a Samsung using Android 5.0. Gmail app is currently on 5.6.103338659.release.
Is there a way to change this?

The background image of the Gmail android app comes from the Google+ profile background. By the other hand this question belongs is off-topic here. See [help/on-topic] for further details.

My G+ background is another image. It's not working as you suggest.

Check the sync settings.

Sync is on, naturally. How else could my profile pic change?

Today, as a matter of fact, the image suddenly appeared. I did not do anything special that I hadn't tried before: Switching on and off the phone, reconnecting gmail, disabling and enabling the respective settings.
So it's obviously just a matter of time until all the picture changes take effect in the app.


text:
"Google Now" swipe from Home button is not working in Marshmallow
After updating to Marshmallow I was playing around with settings. I don't know what I changed, but now when I swipe from the bottom, "Google Now" is not coming.
I used to assign that with Greenify to lock the screen. How to get it back?

Please add your device information and which launcher do you use? and How did you update your device?

There are actually 2 issues here:

No swipe from Home button gesture
Cannot change the action from Google Now to other apps (e.g Tasker, or Greenify)

The first issue is caused to accomodate a new feature called Now on Tap. Now, instead of swiping the Home button, you just need to hold it to access Google Now screen (or "Now on Tap", if enabled). AFAIK, this behaviour cannot be changed natively (enabling/disabling "Now on Tap" doesn't affect this).
The second issue is caused by the addition of explicit setting for assist app (before Marshmallow, you need to clear defaults the app that you assign to before). The setting can be accessed from Settings - Apps - Advanced (cog wheel icon) - Default Apps - Assist & voice input - Assist app. By default, it is "Google App" (i.e. Google Now), and you can change to any apps that support this feature (i.e. Tasker, for my case).

If you change the assist app, you probably also need to turn off "Now on Tap" to prevent Google App throwing "Unfortunately, Google App has stopped".

But the thing is earlier Greenify used to ask whether to lock screen or hibernate and lock. Now its default is hibernate and lock

@sameer I can't say anything about how Greenify works in Marshmallow (I don't use the app). Probably you need to contact their developers for clarification (or ask another question here, but I'm not sure if it's answerable).

Simply go to:
Settings > apps > setting icon > default apps > Assist & voice input > assist app
In there you will find a list of apps, you choose google, now  it will be selected. I use the home button to lock my phone with screen lock app. You should find greenify in there too,if you have it.

I figured it out. Actually in marshmallow, the swipe up gesture is replaced by the 'holding the home button' gesture. If you turn off the 'now on tap', the google now will launch if you hold the home button. I guess this is one of marshmallow's changelog...

You can actually leave the 'now on tap' on and still get to google now by scrolling up from the 'now on tap' screen and tapping the 'G' button below.


text:
Why can't I access Google and other sites when tethering my phone?
When I tether my phone, I can't access Google or Gmail (other sites, too).
cmd: ping http://www.google.com; Ping request could not find host...

List of problem sites/applications:
Sites:

https://www.google.com; http://www.google.co.jp;
https://encrypted.google.com
https://www.gmail.com
https://search.yahoo.com, same issue.
Also, https://play.google.com.
Further, https://github.com.
Dang!  https://www.freelancer.com.
https://www.sugarsync.com.
https://www.dropbox.com.
Parts of http://www.titanpad.com (i.e., login); makes me curious as to whether or not it's a language-blocking issue.

Apps:

ET Naver Line (a.k.a. LINE) (jp.naver.android.npush)

I experience this on various sites and apps; however the above are sites tested as working over emobile (separate modem)--the URLs should be correct.  I would change the question title, but I have a support request in with the developers to contact me via this site for a resolution.

Device info:
Phones:

Softbank Fujitsu Arrows 301F; 4.1-Jelly Bean.
Softbank Aquos 104SH; 4.0-Icecream Sandwich.
Connected via USB, debugging mode enabled, in MTP mode.
Phone's DNS: Google DNS; OpenDNS.

PC's:

PC OS: Windows 7 SP 1 (please request any hardware specs).
Connection methods tested: chrome latest, IE10 latest, cmd (ping), telnet.
PC's DNS: OpenDNS; Google DNS; no DNS.

Non-specific:

Tethering software: EasyTether lite (no root).

Known error messages:
Via Chrome:

This webpage is not available
Reload  Less Google Chrome could not load the webpage because www.google.co.jp took too long to respond. The website may be down, or you may be experiencing issues with your Internet connection. Check your Internet connection. Check any cables and reboot any routers, modems, or other network devices you may be using. Allow Chrome to access the network in your firewall or antivirus settings. If it is already listed as a program allowed to access the network, try removing it from the list and adding it again. If you use a proxy server... Check your proxy settings or contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working. If you don't believe you should be using a proxy server: Go to the Chrome menu > Settings > Show advanced settings... > Change proxy settings... > LAN Settings and deselect "Use a proxy server for your LAN". Error code: ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

Via IE 10:
Via CMD:

Ping request could not find host https://www.google.com. Please check the name and try again.

Via Telnet:

Connecting To https://www.google.com...Could not open connection to the host, on port 23: Connect failed

Via LINE:

Unable to login due to network issues.  Please check your connection and try again.

Question summary:
Why am I experiencing these issues (not being able to connect to the above-mentioned websites), and how can these issues be resolved?  Can you help me test what I think is causing the issues?

Proposed causes:

Perhaps the reason I cannot access these sites is because they are in use by the phone?  If that is the case, I am not sure how to test it.  So far, when I "force-stop" and "disable" an app like LINE, I still cannot connect.  So, I thought: it's possible that the phone is reserving the app's networking info, somehow. So, I went so far as to uninstall Line from my phone and reset the phone and PC.  Still unable to use Line on the PC.  Furthermore; Skype works simultaneously on PC and Phone.
Perhaps it's a PC or OS issue?  I still have yet to tether my phones to a different PC or OS.
Perhaps it's a DNS issue?  I still have yet to test this, but I believe I get a similar error with OpenDNS when trying to access localhost.
"Activate EasyTether or use it with UDP and secure sites BLOCKED?  This message appears at the top of Easy Tether's settings screen.  I'm very curious to know whether or not this is the cause.  It seems highly likely.

can you access/ping these sites via their IP addresses? If you can, that indicates a name resolution issue.

BTW, editing the question title won't invalidate old links to it. The question number is the part that matters: having the title in the URL is just a convenience and for SEO.

Can you still reach the broken sites from the phone when tethering, or is it both the phone and the PC that fail to reach them?

Who is providing internet access here? Are you using your PC's internet on your phone, or the other direction? If the latter, your first "proposed cause" is probably correct. I remember having read the similar thing a couple of times already: as soon as tethering is active, internet seems to be no longer available locally. I'm not 100% sure, though, so you might want to check other questions here for that.

Possibly related: Android Tethering DNS Problem

@DanHulme Well, thank you for the interesting meta-info.  About the setup: Using the phone's internet to access the web via PC.  me<->PC->phone->internet->phone->PC<->me.

@Izzy Right, it seems they resolved the error (it's a bit different) by doing something with their DNS (connecting to Google's DNS via their PC and phone).  I'm going to try linking my PC up to Google's DNS.  Maybe that will work.

check out cause 4?

@DanHulme I could access those technologies from the phone.

Resolution
EasyTether Light (No Root) is the best tethering software I've been able to find on the Play store; however, it blocks UDP ports and secure protocols.  Updating to EasyTether Full (cost: 9.99 USD) resolved the issues on all of the above-listed sites and services.  It was very bothersome to go through all this and e-mail the developer, only to get a kind of boggled response from him.  Their FAQ does not mention this, and the message in the app was covered up by the "warning, do not scratch the camera" message I had written on my screen guard, up until yesterday; so, I simply didn't notice.  I hope the developer will upgrade the app to include some kind of pop-up message indicating that this is the cause of the issue, or at least add the issue to the FAQ.
Thanks for all the comments and wonderful help!

I have the same problem with USB tethering. I have to USB tether the phone to the PC to get the internet because I am changing ISP's. Google.com works intermittently. Wiki doesn't respond, reddit is 100% and so is stack, and 70% of all internet sites "took too long to respond" page unavailable. Using WIFI tethering gives 100% page throughput on the same OS for my laptop, Windows 7.

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


text:
Aptoide has update for Google Play Store?
Installed Aptoide and noticed that it had some updates on some of the independently installed apps and updated it. But I noticed it had an update for the Google Play store, yet the Google Play Store program hasn't got an update in its own store?
How can that happen?
I assume Google has a longer approval process for apps so some apps in Aptoide will have updates sooner, like SuperSU, but Google's own app store app? Sounds odd...

How can that happen? Some Android user in the world receives the Store update in its rooted device, then get the apk and uploads it to Aptoide.
Google Play Store updates automatically. Some devices get the update faster than others but it's entirely not recommended update manually the Play Store.
There are a lot of bad guys out there...
Just wait. Sooner or later the update will come because Google doesn't like older versions of their own apps.

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


text:
Google location history... wild anomaly
Was driving home today from a trip up north and decided to check my journey on Google's location history after I got back. Phone is a Nexus 5 running Android 5.0. The locations mostly correct apart from one obvious wild location - which is clearly impossible. Any ideas what could have happened?

It's definetely not a duplicate, but an issue with cell tower reporting wrong location.

I have also had this happen, though when tracking my location for an exercise app.
I assume that I connected to a WiFi network unknowingly and that network was routed through a proxy in that far-away location. Thus, Google thought that I was farther away. I started turning off my WiFi when using that exercise app to track my location.
The root of this is that Google uses a combination of GPS, wireless network, and WiFi information to determine your location. Of these three, the WiFi is most likely to yield an incorrect answer.


text:
Lock screen while playing YouTube video
I have Samsung Galaxy S5. Is there a way to lock the screen but keep YouTube videos playing?
For example, a particular browser app or add-on that would allow for the audio to continue playing while the screen is off.

Related: How to play a YouTube clip in background/minimised?

You can with an All Access Music pass for YouTube/Google Play music.

tried youtube vanced already? see if it helps

Download MX Player
Play YouTube video using MX Player.
Press Menu button (or the 3 dot icon), and then select Play
Make sure "Background Play" is checked
Now, you can press Home Button and listen in lock screen.
There is also a shortcut for enabling Background Play, which is tapping and holding the Play button, instead of just tapping it to play a video

Update #1
Only For Rooted: You can install Xposed Modules Installer and use Repository called Youtube Background Play
Update #2
As suggested by @Tanishq Banyal in comment YouTube Vanced is pretty good alternative if you are open to installing 3rd party application/mod.
It works for both rooted and non-rooted Android.
Using Youtube Vanced Manager is pretty straightforward, in case your mobile is not rooted you are required to install Micro G along with main application.
Along with background play you can also block ads in Vanced.

Just try YouTube Vanced, basically YouTube Premium for free, it was made by ex-google employees I think.


text:
How to remove Polaris Office on HTC phones?
I have Polaris Office installed on my HTC Sense 6, but I cannot delete or find it on my installed apps, Play Store, and even Device Administrators. Though, I can run the app and use it.
How am I going to delete it?

what app is it? Sometimes they're named strangely in the app list.

OP: Please clarify: What application? From where are you able to open it?

It's Polaris office. Not listed on playstore, cannot discover it VIA file managers, not a device admin and uninstall option is grayed out.

let me suggest something. let someone transfer the latest updated version of the app as apk file(via any app sharer) then install it on your phone that will upgrade your app and possibly fix the problem

Could you clarify your phone model? AFAIK, Sense 6 is not the phone model, but the version of HTC UI framework.

@Andrew yes its the framework.

@Devrim if your rooted it would be simple, you can use a system app remover such as this.

From HTC Rezound (Verizon Wireless)'s FAQ (I know it's a different device, but it's same for most HTC phones),

What is Polaris Office?
Polaris Office comes pre-loaded on the phone and can be used to open and view office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) received in email as attachments or stored on the SD Card. [...]

(Emphasis mine)
In other words, it's a bloatware. You need to have root access to uninstall bloatware.
If not, you can still disable it. Since it's not installed as a normal application, it won't be listed as your installed apps. Instead, you have to select "All" tab to list all apps, including bloatware. Then you can find and disable the app from there.
Alternatively, long-press the app from the app drawer (not home screen). There should be "App Info" on the top of the screen. Drag to there and release, and it should open the app info where you can disable it.

Thanks @andew I realised it is actually a bloatware after checking another device yesterday.

If you can run the app and use it this means there is a widget where you can use to enter.
Long press that widget(app icon) from home screen, since long pressing from app drawer just adds it to home screen, choose app info, this will redirect you to the app in the application manager where you will have options to uninstall or clear data...

Long pressing on sense ads a shortcut on the homepage.

long pressing from almost every android adds on homepage... i ment from the homepage

Not every app has a widget associated with it. Polaris doesn't have a widget. A shortcut isn't the same thing.


text:
Are nightly CyanogenMod releases safe?
I am using a 2013 Moto X Developer Edition (XT1053) and am currently running stock Android, (with the exception of Motorola's software) and I am thinking of switching to CyanogenMod. However, after looking at the CyanogenMod download releases for the "ghost" model, I notice there are pretty much only nightlies.
I have never used a nightly release before, and I do have a nandroid backup if anything goes wrong, but are the nightlies stable enough to use daily?

The latest snapshot showed in the release channel is CM11 M12. Snapshot is the new stable.

You can't use nightlies daily, you can only use them at night. (<- That is a joke, by the way.)
Nightlies are the most unstable builds of CyanogenMod, but the number of bugs depends on the device. Typically, there are few bugs, as they still test the ROMs, but you will probably encounter (a few) more bugs than in a stable build. Most people will be able to use the nightly build as a daily ROM.
It is highly recommended that you make a backup just in case anything goes wrong, but you should not expect it to be filled with bugs. Remember, they test these ROMs before they upload them, so they are generally safe. Even so, you should refer to your device's CM changelog to see what they fixed and what to watch out for.

Look for the appropriate discussion about the ROM, for which XDA is a good place. Usually, there is a reason why CM does not consider a ROM stable enough to tag the build as "milestone".
This does not mean it will be useless for you. Sometimes the ROM does not get the tag because something is not working like NFC or Bluetooth - and if you don't need that, you should be still fine.

-1 CM doesn't use milestone, and hasn't used milestones for a long time. They only use monthly builds which are built (drum-roll) monthly.

Yes you are right, I confused them with "snapshots" - thanks.

Back when I had a Samsung Galaxy Ace and wanted to use CyanogenMod on it, it almost always had a Nightly build. Encountered a few bugs, but not major ones.
Granted this is a different phone and CM version, point is you have to know which features/functionalities are working and not based on the wiki/release notes provided. Also, which bugs are present. You may want to wait for that information to be available before flashing. But it's always good to have a Nandroid backup.
So, nightlies could be safe, could be not. Always refer to the documentation.


text:
Disable screen lock pattern
I just downloaded JellyBean on my HTC One X.
I wanted to check APNs, but accidently went to VPN. Then, I had to set the screen lock pattern to access it. Now, I have an extra step when I want to use the phone. Is there any way to disable the screen lock pattern?

Have you checked in Settings -> Security -> Screenlock?

Yes screen lock only shows the pattern to draw on, the only option is to a time frame to keep phone unlocked up to 15 mins. I may have to do a factory reset.

First, remove the VPN entry. Settings will not let you remove the pattern unlocker until you do so.
Then choose a "Slide" option from Settings -> Security -> Screen Lock
I had the same problem and this works

My mistake for the previous answer .
As you have a VPN defined you are probably facing difficulty accessing the network as you need to unlock the screen every time you access so I suggest you download this app.
In this app it will remove the requirement for any pattern lock to access the network thereby relieving you of the problem which you face .
Else if you still want to disable the lock then go through with this

You can't remove the pattern lock if you have a VPN defined.

You can disable screen locks by going to Settings -> Security -> Screen Lock
On a side note, it's a good practice to use a screen lock, preferably a pattern, a PIN or a password.


text:
How can I update my Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) from Android 2.3.3 to a newer version?
I have a Samsung Galaxy SII (GT-I9100). OS version-2.3.3. Whenever I connect it to Kies, it cannot find an available software upgrade. Is there any other way to upgrade my OS?

Sure, just be aware that doing so you'll lose the warranty! If you want to do it anyway, just go to sammobile.com and look for your phone (just type i9100 in the search box). In the result list, choose your firmware and download it.
To flash it, follow these steps:

Download ODIN v1.85 from here
Unzip the downloaded files, both Odin and the firmware
Power off your phone and boot into Download Mode. To do so, press and hold the Volume Down and Home buttons together, and then tap the Power button until you see the construction Android robot icon with a triangle. Hit the Power button again to confirm entry into Download Mode
Launch ODIN on your computer and connect your phone to it while your phone is still in Download Mode
In case your phone connects successfully, one of the ID:COM boxes will turn yellow with the corresponding COM port number. This process may be time-consuming
Choose the files to be flashed or installed on your phone, which can be found among the extracted files in Step 2
Click the PDA button and choose the file named 'CODE'. Tap the Phone button and choose the file named 'MODEM'. Ignore this step if such file is missing. Hit the CSC button and choose the file named 'CSC'. Ignore this step if such file is absent. Click the PIT button and choose the .pit file. Ignore this step if there is no such file
In ODIN, enable Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time options. In case of the Re-Partition option, check it ONLY if you chose a .pit file in the previous step
Click the Start button in ODIN and the ROM installation process will begin. It may take a few minutes to complete. DON'T DISCONNECT THE PHONE OR IT WILL IRREMEDIABLY BRICKED
Once the ROM is installed, your phone will reboot. When you see the home screen, disconnect the phone from the computer. This may take a LONG LONG time, so don't panic and give it a few minutes

Your Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 is now successfully updated. Go to Settings > About Phone to verify the firmware version installed.
Enjoy :)

The EU prohibits outright denying the warranty when you load alternative software, it has to be proved that the alternative software is the cause for the defect (see this article by the FSFE)

If there are any available custom recovery for your device this should work.
1st: Flash a custom recovery and download stock or custom rom that suits you (make sure they are compatible with your device)
2nd: After flashing custom recovery, go to recovery mode (custom) and factory reset and wipe system too
3rd: Go to install and find the rom and some patch files (like gapps or anything if needed)
4th: Flash the found rom and patch files (if needed)
5th: Normal boot and try the rom


text:
Is it possible to handle cell phone calls through a Samsung Galaxy Player?
I currently have a Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 running Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. I was wondering if there was anyway to sync my cell phone to it via Bluetooth and then handle all of my calls and texts through the Galaxy Player.


text:
How can I root my galaxy S3 i9300 on android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean?
I want to update my S3 the latest jelly bean. Please provide me an easy-to-follow step by step tutorial on rooting my S3 i9300.


text:
How can I transfer files from PC to Phone or vice versa without internet
I am using a cloud service (Dropbox) when I am using internet for file transfer. But how can I transfer files between my PC and my Android device without going via the Internet? and of course without using data cable.

related: Browse or mount SD card over WiFi on Linux?

If the PC and the phone are in the same network, you can use Locally App (https://www.locally1.com). You can still use the app if you can create hotspot on your phone and connect the pc to it

There are multiple solutions available:
Using an USB Cable
If you connect your device to your PC via an USB cable, it shares (parts of) its storage to the PC. With versions prior to Android 4.x your device usually identifies as USB storage (like any external disk/USB-stick attached), never Android versions might use MTP instead, which might require special drivers on your PC to be used.
Once connected, you can transfer files easily between PC and Android device.
Using a card reader
If your device features a slot for sd cards, you could simply remove the sd card from your device (remember to unmount it first via the device's setup menu), put it into a card reader, and attach it to the PC. It should then pop-up on your PC as "USB storage" as described above.
Wireless solutions (Browser-based)
There are a bunch of wireless solutions available -- and this is not the place to list them all. Principially, you can install any FTP/Web server, and configure it to offer the directories you wish to access.
As this might be too complicated for many users, there are quite easy solutions. The probably most well-known is AirDroid, which offers a nice interface to manage almost your entire device from your PC:

As the example screenshot shows, a file browser is included -- and permits you to upload and download files to/from your device.
A second example for an easy-to-use app would be WiFi File Transfer, which -- as the name suggests -- is specialized to transfer files via WiFi:

There are many more possibilities, just check the playstore. A good starting point are the playstore pages of the mentioned two examples, then lookup related apps.
Other Wireless Solutions
There are many more wireless solutions available. As Logos mentioned it in his comment, I will add some examples here for completeness:
Samba
You can use apps like Samba Filesharing to turn your Android device into a Samba server. In short, Samba (or SMB, or CIFS) is the protocol used by Windows shares. Linux also understands this protocol. Using Samba, one thus can access the Android device's file system (without root, this will be restricted to the internal/external sd card) like any Samba-/Windows share.
WebDAV
Several apps like e.g. DavDrive can share the Android device's storage via the WebDAV protocol. This works via HTTP, but can also be accessed like a "shared drive" using the appropriate software on the PC.
Bluetooth
Don't forget that we also have this available -- at least on our Android devices. But also keep in mind this is much slower than WiFi. Nevertheless, it can be facilitated using apps like Bluetooth File Transfer.
FTP
The File Transfer Protocol also is an option. There are several apps available turning an Android device into an FTPServer...
Other solutions
For completeness, let's just name them in short: SSH Server, Web server, File Synchronization tools (like e.g. FolderSync), and probably several other options I'm currently unaware of...

Is there a wireless solution without a wifi hotspot/WIFI access-point ? i.e. I would be interested a direct wifi connexion between pc and android device

@Basj probably not without root (I'm not aware of any WiFi-Direct solution for PCs; so that would require ad-hoc networking, which Android doesn't support on its own).

Oh, for completeness: Seems like I forgot to mention adb pull – but people having ADB installed probably don't need that reminder anyway :)


text:
Two-finger swipe 'breaks' heads-up notifications on Lollipop?
I have a Nexus 7 (2013) and a Moto X (2014) running Lollipop. On both of these, if I get a heads-up notification (i.e., those that show up on top of the screen when the device is unlocked) and swipe down on it with 2 fingers, it 'breaks' further heads-up notifications:

I can't tap on them to open the responsible app
For, e.g., an incoming phone call with 'answer' and 'dismiss' buttons, tapping the buttons does nothing. I can't answer phone calls anymore!

I can still swipe to the side to dismiss the notifications, and they still disappear on their own after a few seconds. I haven't been able to find a way to get the correct behavior back aside from a restart.
Yeah, the obvious workaround is to not two-finger swipe on them, but it's second nature as that same gesture expands notifications in other contexts.
I'm guessing the problem is generic, but I've triggered it on Hangouts and Phone notifications.
Do others experience the same thing? Any known 'fixes' aside from restarting?

This is a bug, and it has been reported on AOSP Issue Tracker #79583.
As of current writing, the issue carries on to 5.0.1 Lollipop, reproduced on a Nexus 5. One claimed that the issue has gone on 5.0.1 (but didn't mention the device), and the rest still reported the same issue on it.
If you are interested in the follow-up, you might "star" the issue (I have done it myself).

Thanks for the pointer to the bug report - I've starred it as well.

I also posted this in the bug report thread, but if you are rooted, running pkill systemui will fix the problem (until the next time you try to do a two-finger swipe).
I created a small APK that runs this command as root (if your phone isn't rooted, I don't think there's any way to restart systemui):
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95864024717072257


text:
How to enable the landscape mode on the default launcher on Android Marshmallow?
I can read on various news websites that in Android 6 Marshmallow, it is possible to rotate the screen on the launcher.
I can't find any setting about this on my Nexus 5 and when I activate automatic rotation, it doesn't rotate on the launcher.
Any idea how to enable this feature?

The latest version of Google Now added a home screen rotation option in its settings. To access the home screen settings, either long-tap on the home screen or choose Settings from the Google Now "hamburger menu" (the menu that slides in from the left). Allow rotation is the bottom option in the settings.
Source

Please link the source backing your answer

Can you post a screenshot showing the feature you claim to have been added in recent update? I don't see any mention of it in What's new of app's description.

source link added. the link also contains screenshots.

@Firelord I've tried the linked instructions on my phone and they work perfectly.

@HansGruber It looked like your answer was an attempt to reply to this answer, so I've moved it to a comment. Feel free to delete the comment and post a new answer if you want to actually answer the question.

Auto rotate Home screen was one of the top features of 2nd Android M Developer preview.
I hate to burst the bubble, Auto rotate home screen feature was not incorporated in the final version of Android Marshmallow 6.0.

We're  disappointed to see that auto rotate support hasn't made it to the home screen, however. In the second developer preview, the Google app added an "allow rotation" option to the home screen settings, which let the home screen rotate like any other app on the system. We loved it. It never made the jump to the final version, though.

Source

However, if you have got a rooted phone, you can modify build.prop file to get this feature.

Navigate to and open /system/build.prop file using any Root explorers
Add log.tag.launcher_force_rotate=VERBOSE at the end of the file
Optional step: Add lockscreen.rot_override=true to enable screen rotation in your lock screen
Reboot to see the feature working!

Source

It works perfect if you follow the directions.  Simply put, touch the google icon,  once it pops up push the hamburger menu,  find settings, scroll all the way down, last item on the list "allow rotation" tick it,  now landscape mode is working,  I know it's working on lollipop, marshmellow,  and Android. N. strange place to place this setting,  but what the hey,  that's why we have hard working and devoted devs and enthusiastic members that look for this stuff.  I've always like landscape home screen.

Welcome to the site. This is a good answer in itself, but it doesn't really add any information that wasn't already in Jude's answer. You can achieve more if you focus on questions that don't already have an accepted answer.


text:
How does Google TTS decide which voice to use?
How does Google TTS decide which voice to use? If a book is written in two or more languages, can TTS choose the language-voice pair (perhaps based on the information stored in a dictionary app or e-book)?

I have never seen Google TTS switch languages based on the text it is trying to "read", the default language is based on the system language, meaning if you select English as the display language, English is the TTS language by default but you can change it in the Language and Keyboard settings. Are you asking if an ebook is written in English and Spanish (for example) you want the TTS engine to read each portion in it's written language? I don't think that is currently possible for the Android TTS engine to have an "auto detect" setting.
You could request this feature, see
productforums.google.com/forum/#!home and poke around, I am not sure it has it's own section... all Google products are supported in their forums.


text:
How to restore Line messages from Titanium Backup?
It seems that Line (a messaging app like WhatsApp) is one that I cannot easily restore app data (messages) through Titanium Backup.
There is a whole thread on XDA, highlighting one post:

[...]

Restore Line with Titanium Backup (app+data) (DON'T OPEN THE LINE APP YET!)

Log into a root shell and delete the previous settings:
sqlite3 /data/data/jp.naver.line.android/databases/naver_line
delete from setting;
.quit

[...]

It looks quite difficult and I am not even sure it's correct.
Can anyone confirm before I try? Also, what is a root shell? Is that some form of an app?

See What does "to root a phone" mean? & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_(computing)

I rooted my phone

Possible duplicate of Transfer LINE account from a phone to another without losing friends and chat history

Log into a root shell

It's a mix up of multiple things. It simply means, login into a shell and then switch to root user or alternatively, directly login as the root user. For Android, you can login from a  remote shell using adb shell command. It automatically logins as user 2000. Alternatively, use a terminal emulator app and it would automatically login using its own UID. In both the cases, don't bother about the term "log in".
Switch to root user using su.

sqlite3 /data/data/jp.naver.line.android/databases/naver_line

sqlite3 is a command-line tool to interface with SQLite databases. Stock Android doesn't come with it.
That command does nothing more than attaching the database naver_line located under /data/data/jp.naver.line.android/databases/ to sqlite3 so that latter can do its work on it.

delete from setting;

I don't have that app or its backup but the command indicates that there is a table named setting in the said database. That command would delete all the data available in that table.

.quit

It would disconnect the database and exit from the sqlite3 tool.

I don't know whether those commands would achieve anything or not, so take this solution as a partial answer only.

What is CM? And stock android doesn't have command sqlite3. So how can I do it?

I don't know. You should ask the user who wrote that post. I posted this answer to translate those commands for you. :)


text:
Is it possible to flash a boot.img kernel with TWRP?
I'm looking to flash a ROM's boot.img on another ROM with TWRP 3.0. Is it possible?
If it's relevant, both ROMs are CM-based running Android 5.1 Lollipop.

still works by 2021+

Boot into TWRP, select Install and follow the screenshots for the rest.
(Click image to enlarge)

It's not a problem for TWRP to which ROM your particular kernel belongs. The size should not be greater than the partition. That's all.
If the kernel is not good for the ROM, your device would not boot into the ROM or would cause some other instability, so proceed with caution.

To install kernel, what partition to select from boot, recovery, or splash?

@Rahul Boot partition.

@Firelord how do you make twrp look like that?

@answerSeeker I did not customize this TWRP (it is unofficial version for Nexus 6 compatible with MultiROM). But, you can look into Material themes and splash screens available for TWRP. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube.


text:
Can I generate the GPG key inside R2Mail2?
I just installed R2Mail2 and it seems to work fine so far, but I didn't understand the key generation procedure at the beginning.
What is this key for? Is this already a new GPG key-pair I can use? or is it just some internal stuff I don't have to care about?
How can I generate a GPG keypair inside R2Mail2? Or do I need APG to create my keys?

During the installation R2Mail2 generates a 2048bit RSA keypair which is used to internally encrypt data like stored key passwords or message content.
You cannot access or backup this keypair since it is generated during the installation.
R2Mail2 has no option to create a keypair for good reasons. For more information see my post https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/r2mail2-beta-test/RYYaj4tOrwc
regards
stefan

So the R2Mail2 developer doensn't want to implement a GPG key-generation in an unsecure device like Android for good reasons. Well then: if security isn't that important for you, you can use Openkeychain or APG still.


text:
How safe is it to upgrade apps using Aptoide?
I know that there are issues with using Aptoide to install apps on Android. There's a pretty good discussion about this in this other question. If only regarding legal issues, Aptoide is definitely a gray area as some apps are not legally distributed there, clearly bypassing fees setup on the Google Play Store or breaking licensing terms. Furthermore, there are concerns that malware can be injected in apps shipped on Aptoide, although they make efforts to scan apps for such problems.
I wonder, however, if upgrading apps has the same issues as installing fresh new apps. Say I have an old APK from an app I paid from on the Google Play Store, then lost access to my store credentials (lost the phone!) but I still have the APK of the application lying around. So I installed that old version of the app and want to upgrade, but without buying the app again.
I understand (but may be mistaken) that Android has some sort of TOFU security model for apps: if you have installed an app, there is a public key that signed the APK and Android will not allow updates to the app if that key changes. Therefore, if I update an app using Aptoide, that signature will be checked and I can actually be (cryptographically) sure that the app update actually comes from the original author and hasn't been tampered with by Aptoide or the repository manager.
Is that a fair assumption?

You're correct. When someone develops an app, said app passes through a phase of signing. The signature consists of a RSA certificate amongst its parts, so it's univocal (hence the fact that, if you unpack an app, alter it, sign it with another signature and install it, the Play Store won't show any updates for said app).
Just as the Play Store, even Aptoide, by default, shows an app as updatable only if the signature of the APK in their repository corresponds to the signature of your installed app. This behaviour can be modified by unchecking the appropriate checkbox in Aptoide's settings.
Lastly, since altering an app and repacking it with the original signature has limited probabilities of success (tried that myself, but to no avail), updating your apps via Aptoide is generally safe, providing that you leave the abovementioned checkbox selected.


text:
Is there any way to do automation/repetition based on user input?
Like iMacros in Windows, is there any way which can automate my task?
I had tried so many application like MacroDroid but hadn't got my aim to be complete. As I want similar work like iMacros, I want to open one link and then click some elements and then save the webpage to external storage and I want this task to repeat. Is it possible?

Try Repetitouch: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cygery.repetitouch.free
It Allows you to input a set of touches and swipes, and the app will repeat exactly what you have recorded.  You can also set stuff like delays, speed, or amount of repetitions.

Sorry, but since the app is not available on the Play Store anymore, future readers won't be able to download and use it (you may still be able to see the entry on the Play Store if you have installed it before).


text:
Does Nexus 5 support EAP SIM authentication?
As the title says, I can't seem to get it working at all. I am running Android 5.0.1 on Nexus 5.

From the answer on SO by chihchun,

Since the AOSP did not have EAP-SIM support, there are different implementations on the market. [...]

(Emphasis mine)
Also, looking at the list of supported devices for EAP-SIM on this site, I didn't see any Google Nexus products, which might prove the statement on that answer.
Note: I would say that the list might be too localized and not too updated, so don't take it as a hard fact. Also, the answer was posted on Jan '14 (before Lollipop), so it might be outdated.
OTOH, it seems that Nexus 6 actually has this function, and Nexus 5 was supposed to also have it. However, Issue #81587 on AOSP Issue Tracker and Issue #509 on Lollipop developer preview might tell that Nexus 5 doesn't support EAP-SIM, even on 5.0.1 Lollipop.

is it possible to do manual login by extracting EAP-SIM info?


text:
Close/reset Chrome tab(s) without launching Chrome
I've got into a peculiar situation with Chrome on my Samsung Note 2 running Android 4.4.2. I've been playing with JavaScript. I wanted to create an infinite loop (for as long as the tab was open) and apparently created some bad code. I know it because PhpStorm showed the warning that the code was likely to cause an exception. Still, I've tried seeing this page on my smartphone. (I need the smartphone because I am playing with the navigator.vibration function.) Chrome crashed.
Now when I run Chrome, it tries to re-open all tabs, the last being the one with the erroneous page (hosted with a web hosting company). Apparently, Chrome is trying to open the cached page. It makes the whole smartphone practically unresponsive, with app icons sometimes disappearing from the desktop. I can revive the OS by closing Chrome from the app manager (long-press the home key).
I have already corrected the page online, it works fine in a desktop browser. And no warning in PhpStorm anymore. But Android Chrome is hopeless. Restarting the phone doesn't help.
I wonder if I can somehow reset Chrome or simply close all tabs without running Chrome itself.

You could try killing Chrome and then clearing cache in the settings app.

Just in case no better answer is given, I found a workaround by mere chance. Another program (Play Store) decided to open some web-page. Since Chrome was a default browser, it launched Chrome with a new tab. This means that the last opened tab (which was my problematic one) was not made active and hence Chrome hasn't tried to display it. I was then able to close that tab as usual, and then open it again. This time Chrome downloaded the content from the web and since I corrected it, the problem was resolved.


text:
delete directory containing too many files
I have an app called Telegarm and it stores all its cache files in a directory inside sdcard/Android/data folder.
the problem is that there are thousand of tiny a few kilo bytes files stored in there.
while file manager app trys to read the list of files it hangs and wating a long time dosent work.
is there a way which i can delete those files fast and easy?
-p.s: my phone is not rooted.
-p.s 2:they are more than 30 000 files and more than 300 mgb!

It could be that Telegram may misbehave when find those files missing. Anyhow. You can use command-line for the job. Setup adb in PC and execute this command
adb shell am force-stop org.telegram.messenger                  # this would force-stop Telegram app.
adb shell rm -rf /sdcard/Android/data/org.telegram.messenger/*  # * means everything - all files and folders. Replace it with the directory name and enclose it in "" if the files to be deleted are inside a sub-directory.

Alternatively, you can do it using a terminal emulator app:

Force-stop Telegram app from Setting → Apps → Telegram → Force stop.
Remove adb shell from the said second command and run it on terminal app.

Another alternative is to use a third-party file manager and see whether it hangs. I would suggest using even an automation app. You can use my answer here for further info. (Tip: Use only the actions not the profiles there. Actions can be performed without a trigger/profile.)

Native Android file manager can delete the folder and all it contents
There is no UI showing the progress, but you can check the free space that is getting expanded periodically.


text:
Fire Tablet FreeTime sometimes takes a long time to start an app
Once every few days when my kids go into their account (FreeTime), none of the apps work right away. You'll tap/click to start running a game and the icon turns this like teal color, it waits a minute or two then it appears to either download or install something because a yellow progress bar shows up under the icon. It does this for every single app. The download/install process seems to queue, too.
If I go in directly into an adult's profile, this never happens (even while it is "downloading" in the kids profile). All apps work immediately.
Why does it do this?

Referring to a similar case posted on Amazon forum, this happens when the device has low storage.
First, check the device's storage

To access your "Storage" on the kindle follow these steps:

Swipe down from the top
Click on Settings
Device Options
Click on Storage

From there you can see how much storage you have left and how much storage your books/games/apps etc are using.

Next, remove corrupted download,

It sounds like it might have been a corrupt download. Please try long pressing on the icon and "Remove from Device" then do another hard restart. But this time, please hold the power button down for 40 seconds (regardless of when the screen goes black.) Then try to redownload the application.

If it doesn't work, then try to free up some space,

I had the same issue with my daughter's fire and I think it is related to storage. It's almost as if the app doesn't have enough room to download so it fails, but it never provides a message that there is a storage problem. One of the previous suggestions was to select "Remove from Device" and do a hard restart, but that is not an option (only "Remove from Carousel") which leads me to believe that it does not fully download. A hard restart also did nothing to help. I removed the app from the carousel, then removed a bunch of apps, and restarted. The problem was resolved. Now whenever her Fire starts acting glitchy I reduce her apps and make sure she has plenty of storage.

Or alternate method to clear FreeTime's apps data

From your kid's freetime account pull down from the top of the screen. Choose "settings" (you will have to have the password to move on)
Choose "storage" from the options listed
Choose apps, from the list
Select All (button or choosing each app checkbox individually)
At the bottom, click the "remove" button. This clears the stored version of the app data (and possibly the app itself). It does NOT delete the app from your Amazon account or cloud.
Back out of all the settings and go back to the apps page (where your child would start the app they want to play.)
  While you have internet access, click on any (or all) of the apps one at a time to download a new clean version of the app from the cloud.


text:
A phone with a WiFi signal icon appears on the status bar (Samsung Galaxy S6, Android 5.1.1)
What does the following icon that looks like a phone with a WiFi signal in my status bar indicate? And how do I remove it?

As far as I know, I didn't turn any setting on that triggered it. I can't find the icon online. My first guess was that it was either VoLTE or VoIP or WiFi calling, but I do not have any of these as options on my phone.
The icon does not go away unless I turn off WiFi. Below are screenshots of my full home screen and of the open notification panel.

The screenshot below is of my phone's "Call Settings". I have no 'Wi-Fi Calling' option. According to guides online, it should come after the 'Vibrate' option. The screenshot below is the results when searching 'Wi-Fi' in settings. No call options come up.

It definitely is the Wi-Fi Calling icon (even though I do not have it as an option on my phone) -- I tested it now and I can phone my contacts when in flight mode.

It looks very close to other WiFi Calling icons, so I'm pretty sure it's WiFi calling.

In short, it indicates that for mobile calls, the WiFi will be used if there's a good WiFi signal.
I have found it there:

Small phone with Wi-Fi coming from it
This strange new symbol shows your phone’s set up for Wi-Fi calling. It’s a new feature brought in by the UK’s biggest networks to help give you the best call quality. If your phone doesn’t have good reception, like when you’re indoors, it’ll make phone calls using an available Wi-Fi network instead.

Thanks :) You are correct. See EDIT 2 and 3 in OP. (I am still baffled how this setting is on though.)

What cell provider do you use? Sounds like they either enabled a feature they had turned off, or updated your phone to add support for wifi calling.

@remnant I think you could do something via the SIM menu - there should be such an app. Also try to open the phone app and check its settings.


text:
What is the permission ACCESS_WEATHERCLOCK_PROVIDER?
Some launcher apps uses android.permission.ACCESS_WEATHERCLOCK_PROVIDER permission.
What is this permission for?

Though the name suggests an Android core permission, no details on this can be found in official places (e.g. Android Developers or the code at Github). Still, tons of apps use this permission. I always wonder how devs find out they might need it – guess they're the only ones able to answer your question.

Seems only specific to Huawei devices

@AndrewT. saw that one, yes. But it mostly says census detected it there (strong indicator, though). Doesn't Huawei have its own namespace for perms, like others (Samsung e.g. uses com.sec.android.* – so I thought Huawei-specifics are covered by com.huawei.android, as that census list suggests as well)?

@AndrewT. Good guess, though: Digging a bit deeper at Census, I've figured what provides this permission. See my answer below for details.

this permission is used in microsoft arrow launcher and the weather is displaying in my lenovo device.

Andrew's guess was correct: According to Android Census, this permission is declared by Huawei's own weather app (or rather the data provider behind it). The site further shows it has been found on Huawei devices only (at least by them), covered by different protection levels (ranging from "normal" to "signature|system"), thus it cannot be even clearly said whether its declaration by some user app would have any effect at all.

For clarification: com.huawei.android.weather is a Content Provider, protecting access to its data via the android.permission.ACCESS_WEATHERCLOCK_PROVIDER. If an app requests that permission, it must be granted to it on install – which is done based on at least two conditions to be met: 1) Android knows of that permission (i.e. the app providing it is already installed), and 2) the protection level permits it. For "user-installed apps" that limits it to "normal" and "dangerous" protection levels. Now note the second census link: for some devices, this permission uses level "normal" (so it's available to user-apps), while on others it is "system|signature" (and thus not available to user-apps).


text:
Skip ads from YouTube
Since ads are almost inevitable on the official YouTube app on Android devices, I was wondering if those can be skipped automatically. This post is only about those ads which can be skipped, let's ignore ads which can not be skipped.
For example: When a YouTube video starts, for some ads, there is an option to "Skip this ad in 5 sec". Once the "Skip ad" label is enabled, we can click on it to move to the video. Of course, this is all manual, and as a user, you need to focus on EXACT timing to HIT the skip button. And it becomes worse if the video is having multiple ads (a few of which will be shown in the future time), where when an ad plays, the user needs to click manually to skip it again.
Can this be AUTOMATED, meaning when there is an ad which can be "Skipped", then just let YouTube skip it without the user's intervention? This will be especially useful for those videos which have multiple ads spanned across the video length and few of them can be skipped. Looking for a solution on a non-rooted device.

Update: It seems like Google is introducing new ad format called Bumpers. Bumpers, which are unskippable 6-second shorts placed in front of videos.
So, soon we may not see an ad which can be skipped, forget about skipping it via automation!

I agree with @Baronz here. Even it could possibly be done (I don't know of a mainstream automation app for Android can emulate touch data, even after which this would need root for getting access to YouTube's data as it runs, to recognize an advertisement)

@TamoghnaChowdhury gives a good clue too.  It looks like the app "Tasker" may get you most of the way.  I don't know much about it, and don't own it, but it can "see" some things on the phone and respond with emulated touch events

i guess the intention is not to disrupt the Ad model of YouTube. the intention is : if ad can be skipped, let the settings/software do it in automated way, instead of doing it manually.

You're interested in the YouTube AdAway Xposed module. It requires root access and the Xposed Framework.
It completely removes the following:

YouTube ads
Channel logos
Video suggestions
Information card teasers

To the best of my knowledge, what you've requested (auto-skipping advertisements in the stock YouTube application) cannot be done without root access. Root access is required to 1) draw over other apps and 2) record/replay touches.

You are assuming device is rooted. OP has not confirmed this. More importantly, please explain how this addresses automation OP wants to implement. That is the key element in the question, which is not answered by you

As @beeshyams said, mine is non-rooted device. The idea is to skip those ads which are marked as "skip this ad after 5 sec" in an automated way.

@AADTechnical The problem with what you want is, there are three ways to do it, which all requires root.

Yes, I get that. I use AdBlock Plus plug-in in Google Chrome browser on Desktop which exactly do this. This is what I was looking for in YouTube app

Even proper ad blocking on Android requires root (e.g. MinMinGuard Xposed module or editing /etc/hosts). If you don't have root then you have to rely on using a browser with a built in ad-blocking or configuring proxy servers that perform that blocking. So unless you use a third-party YouTube app, there's simply no way around it.

As @Six stated very correctly, it is NOT possible to do without root access at all. His answer is pretty good but there is still some things I can add.
A non-rooted phone quite literally means a phone that can only be used the way manufacturer wants it to be. Its power is limited to how much the manufacturer wants you to have (and  for good reason according to some people, which sometimes includes me too)
On a non-rooted phone, no third party app can emulate screen touches, modify the loaded or running copies of other apps or access to data of other apps. All for security reasons.
So your wish can't be granted without root access.

hm, what about setting proxy on the phone which filters traffic?

You can subscribe to YouTube Red and as a subscriber, you wouldn’t see ads and the people who make the videos you love will still make a living.

well, that service is only available in USA as of this writing and I don't live in USA.

Neither do I, but you don’t actually need to live there to use the service. ;)

can you help understand how to use YouTube Red service in countries where service is not supported? Is there a legal way to access it?

You need a US credit card. There are many companies that sell pre-paid “gift” credit-cards that can be used when you subscribe to US-only services.

Fast forward to now, this is now known as YouTube Premium and is available in more countries.

Clue: use old versions of YouTube app. Try to find the balance between maturity and modern.
For example, I use v4.5.17 and it perfectly plays HD but completely lacks ads ;)

The best solution i've found for this is using an extensions-enabled browser like Firefox Beta, and then install uBlock.
(I know there are also Chome-based browsers with adblock support, but i haven't tried them.)
Unlike unofficial 3rd party apps this will allow to use your YT account features like posting comments, like, subscribe, etc.
For more ads skipping, the SponsorBlock extension will also help.

One more way to skip ads. Adguard for Android in the latest version released yesterday (17 Dec 20), let's you skip ads.
It doesn't require root.
You need to click the share icon under the video and it prompts you a choice which has Adguard included. Select Adguard and your video opens up in a separate window without ads.
I am not associated with the app but love it's performance for Ad-blocking and a host of other features such as this


text:
CyanogenMod error signing school Google account on the Oneplus One
Phone: OnePlus One
OS: Cyanogen OS 12.1.1-YOG7DAS2K1
Andorid Version: 5.1.1
I recently purchased the Oneplus One used. I love everything about the phone and OS,  however I cannot seem to sign into my school's Google account (a large portion of the reason I bought the phone at all).  I searched XDA and here for an answer to this question and could not find an answer. !
I tried to log in as explained here but there is no 'sign-in through browser' option. I'm truly at a loss as for what to do.
I've also now tried the unlock captcha link (suggestion found here) and the method of importing a specific certificate found here on StackExchange (I am looking for the link again).
Please note, I have already talked to my IT department and they say that the account has mobile access and that there shouldn't be any problems.
edit After the update to Cyanogen OS 13 everything is gravy.

What error do you receive when you try to sign in to the account?

It states "Cannot Connect to sso.chemekta.edu" which is the authentication server.

Failure to Authenticate Images

Are you using two-step verification on your account?

Nope :[ It is off.

I'm not sure what to do. You could try resetting the phone I suppose but this will wipe all data and I suspect that this is a Google issue. In that case, maybe contact Google Support? Sorry I couldn't help further.

If nothing works I will try to factory reset and post the results of course.


text:
I have a Sprint Samsung Galaxy S4 which I want to root?
If I root my phone will I have any carrier problems? Towelroot seems to be the right program, but is towelroot.com safe? Virustotal said Dr. Web doesn't trust it. Is towelroot the right way to do it root it anyway? If I want to install Cyanogenmod what are my options.
Thanks
References:
https://www.virustotal.com/en/url/46f8ce8a82ae707f6d951e528e4fb55514d55e929c3063ea9f3054003fa6d953/analysis/
When I scan the apk file itself, it has several hits as risk ware or exploit. Does this mean it is not dangerous?
https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/5aa19d58ccda518979ecec97db9ee7a6a1de606fd661ef9238e65f3b533f170c/analysis/

The most reliable root for the Sprint S4 is CF-Auto-Root, which requires a computer. Instructions
If you found an article saying Towelroot will work, then Towelroot will work as well. I have an S5 and I used Towelroot. It's definitely trustworthy.
When it comes to one-click-root apps, it's as easy as just trying them, if they work they work, if they don't move on to the next one. The only exception is when you have to flash a systemless root kernel for that specific device, which applies to some of the latest flagships
Of course I don't know your specific model number, so it's always good to google search your model number, android version, and the word "root".
Hope this helps

My apologies I meant s4. So, with it working on your s5 I should be fine? Thanks for sharing!

Updated my answer. Yes. Millions of Android peeps have used Towelroot, including me. I trust it, Android security freaks haven't found anything wrong with it, so there's that. And no problem.

Ok, I will try those two thanks so much! I sadly can't up-vote your answer yet.

Try Towelroot first, it's the easiest for sure.


text:
Change path via script?
Currently, after I shell into my devices I run this script:
#!/system/bin/sh
export PATH=$PATH:/data/local/tmp
echo $PATH
/system/bin/sh

The sh at the end of the script inherits the new path from the export. Without it the change to path is lost when the script ends. How can I get around opening the extra sh? Is there a better way to temporarily change the path?
Thanks!

Can you explain your final goal? /system/bin/sh wouldn't do anything useful to you in a script.

The goal is to temporarily change the path via script rather than having to enter an export PATH every time I log into a device. The call to sh is the only way I've found to make the path change persistent (for the session). Without it the change to path is lost when the script ends.

authors: Николай Рыбников


text:
Displaying profile photo on others' phone when called
I am using Android 6.0.1. How and where to set my profile image, so that the image is seen by the opposite person when he is called on the phone?

You can not do that. It is not possible to set a profile photo for yourself on other phones. Phone calls transmit nothing but your voice and phone number. You can not transmit a profile picture through a phone call. Third-party apps like Google Hangouts do not use phone lines, instead, they use data, so they use a custom protocol that allows them to send the profile pic of the caller.
The receiver of the call must set a profile photo for you. This must be done for everyone that you want to see the profile photo of:

For iPhone users: http://osxdaily.com/2015/11/07/assign-photo-to-iphone-contact/
For Android users: http://www.howtogeek.com/259513/how-to-change-contact-pictures-in-android/.

They will want to follow the instructions to add a photo to your contact, not theirs.

You can do this through the Google account you have set up associated with your phone number. It's in your Google account settings.


text:
Opening links within apps causes bad switch to Chrome in Nougat
Running the latest Nougat beta on Sprint Galaxy S7.
Whenever I open a weblink within an app (such as reddit, Google Search/Now, Gmail) the link opens within the app, but as soon as it's done loading my phone switches to Chrome -- but does not open the link in Chrome.
To see the page, I have to switch back to the original app.
Is there a fix for this? I tried clearing Chrome defaults, disabling/re-enabling Chrome, uninstalling Chrome updates. No dice.

Try updating your "Android System WebView" application.
It may be happening because of the confusion to an app of choosing which web view app or you can say service to use...
I have CyanogenMod 14.1 which is based on Nougat. There's this option in
Settings -> Developer Options -> WebView implementation

Aha ... mine is called "Android System WebView", at version 54.0.2840.85. In my Dev Options I only have the "Chrome Stable" option. But I am not rooted so I don't see how I can update this.

OK, I updated via Play Store to version 55.0.2883.91 but it's marked as "disabled" and I can't enable. Weird.

Installing Chrome Beta & disabling regular version seems to have fixed it for now. Apparently WebView is deprecated in Nougat.

Related article regarding "Chrome as WebView", although it's focused more for developer.


text:
Is it possible to flash an app via custom recovery? If it is, will it become a system app?
I wanted to have an app as a system app without rooting it. I was wondering if it's possible to flash/install an app through custom recovery as we do with Gapps and other stuff.
So, I came up with an idea to flash it via recovery, but I don't know whether it will work or not. If not, is there any other way to make an app a system app without rooting?

Yes, it is definitely possible and has been done many times. The method to do so is explained in this article.
Briefly, the main steps from the provided link are following:

Download any similar zip template
Extract it; there will be 2 folders - META-INF & system
Make a folder with the name app inside the system folder
Paste your APK files in the app folder
Zip META-INF & system into a file
Flash it


text:
How to VPN only a single application?
Say, you only want to route the traffic of a single application through a VPN because the application lacks proper encryption support or the remote service is only available on a cooperating network. Other stuff like web browsing should go through the normal data connection.
Unfortunately, quite a few VoIP gateway providers do not provide encryption of data (voice and signaling) - thus using a VPN is necessary (at least when connected via WLAN). One provider (sipgate.de) even provides its own VPN (and no other SIP/RTP encryption methods).
How to configure this on a recent Android device (>= Android 4.0)?

More information about which apps you are specifically trying to tunnel may help.  Do they support SOCK5 Proxy? SSH Tunnel may be a good start.

@earthmeLon, VoIP apps, VoIP apps which support SIP - cf. the last paragraph of the question - e.g. CSimple.

The free and open-source OpenVPN for Android app supports this.
In the profile configuration dialog, there is an 'allowed apps' tab that allows you to select a list of apps that is either excluded or excluded from using the established VPN:

'VPN is used for all apps but exclude selected'
'VPN is used for only for selected apps' (sic)

The list then contains all available apps that can be selected/deselected.
This doesn't require a rooted device. For example, it works fine on a Nexus 5x device with stock Android 8.1.
A simple test is to install another broswer like Firefox, include just one of Chrome and Firefox in the list and then switch around browsers and visit https://wtfismyip.com in both.
One pitfall is when you are on a dual-stack IPv4+IPv6 network but the VPN is IPv4 only. In that case, the 'Bypass VPN for local networks' in the 'Routing' tab needs to be disabled. Otherwise, IPv6 traffic travels unencrypted besides the VPN.

Every app on Android runs on a different user, so iptables should be able to recognize the given app using -m owner --uid-owner, BUT. Like many things in Android, there may be no user frontend to do this easily. (like there is no option to this day to use ext4 as a format for external SD card). If you have some knowledge about routing tables and iptables, You may try going this way.
Another way is to set up a VPN to route through it only the IP address of your SIP provider (not the default route). There is though another unrelated problem - SIP doesn't like NAT, so you may need to set up some traffic forwarding on your VPN server.

Use ExpressVPN. Go to Settings, select the app for which you want to use VPN and there you go.

ExpressVPN is one of the most trusted, secure brands in the virtual private network industry, and that’s for good reason. It’s super fast and extremely safe, boasting an SSL-secured network with 256-bit encryption and, get this, unlimited bandwidth and speed.


text:
Issue with work profile deletion. Remove profile left work profile half deleted
Having an issue with work profile, created through Mobile Iron Go.
After de-registering the device, tried removing work profile. On selecting "Delete" on prompt, the profile got deleted from Accounts. But re-installing Mobile Iron Go is not allowing re-configuration:
The message I am seeing is:

You have set up a work profile. To continue using MobileIron Go, please use the badged version of the application

Is there any way to remove work profile left-overs without resetting mobile or removing cache from recovery console?

I was able to delete the work profile.
Reference: OnePlus Forum discussion thread
Root cause: Oreo allows to have more than one work profile and OnePlus was adding a work profile by default (not sure).
We have to use adb to remove it.
These are the commands:
adb shell pm list users

Now you will get this list of users (or profiles) running in your device:
Users:
UserInfo{0:Your Name:13} running
UserInfo{999:Multi-App:4000030} running

In this case, the default profile ("Your Name") has the USER_ID 0, and the work profile has the user USER_ID 999.
The second one is the one created by OnePlus to get parallel apps, so you have to launch a command to remove it:
adb shell pm remove-user 999

And there you go. Work profile deleted successfully.


text:
Telegram contact addition problem
I'm trying to add a contact on Telegram, the specified number can be added through other phones, but not the same here:

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
[Name] is not on Telegram yet, would you like to invite them to join?

Any suggestions?

You're trying to add a Telegram contact, which only work if this user has a Telegram account.
It's not just like adding a contact to your phone.You can add this number to your regular contact list, and search it (by the saved name) in Telegram. If the user has a Telegram account - you'll see it.

If you mean that in other phones you can add him as a Telegram contact directly, you might want to try and share the contact from one of the other phones with yourself:

Open Telegram, find the contact, open its details and select share. Send it to your Telegram account. Don't use the contact attachment button, it works differently.

If that's the case, it's very weird. I really can't see any reason it would happen.

Maybe the user you're trying to add doesn't have a telegram account or go to settings app manager telegram clear the cache out only the cache then try again


text:
Why does this character ⚫ crash Whatsapp?
I received a WhatsApp forward that reads:

If you touch theblack point then your whatsapp will hang
<⚫>           ereh-hcuot-t

Surprisingly on touching the black dot, it crashes WhatsApp (The whole screen hangs and we have to wait till WhatsApp closes). Is there any reason for this crashing behaviour? (Attaching screenshots for reference)

This crashed on my Android (8.1) Phone. My friend who uses an iPhone claims that it doesn't crash on his phone. (I hope this is the right place to post the question)

Same message is also causing hang/crash in Signal messenger

As others said, there are ~2000 zero-width or 'invisible' unicode characters in that message. These characters are the ones which instruct the text renderer whether to display the text left-to-right or right-to-left. When you tap on the message, the text renderer tries to work out which character you are tapping on. As there are a lot of characters with conflicting instructions, the app hangs up until it can make a decision.
There is this very elegant and informative video by Tom Scott on youtube that explains the problem better than I ever can: https://youtu.be/jC4NNUYIIdM

that message have more than 2000 no displayable characters and for be that long message make a crash if you hit wait on the message it came back to normal just give it time to process the long long long string

The message have a lot of (about 2000) invisible characters called "left-to-right makr" (It is used to set the way adjacent characters are grouped with respect to text direction)

It just bunch of letters and numbers hidden behind that ball and bugged so someone who touches it, it will try to open the whole message but cant hence as a result it crashes the app..


text:
boot loop after flashing partitions from stock firmware
I have Arch linux installed and have installed android-tools(so fastboot and adb commands are available).
Because I had a problem with kingroot I needed to flash the phone to stock.
I had stock firmware downloaded and extracted it to see the sin files inside it.
I flashed partitions using these commands :
fastboot flash system system.sin
fastboot flash userdata userdata.sin
fastboot flash cache cache.sin
fastboot reboot

Now the first two succeeded but the third one failed saying partition not found(guess I don't have cache partition for some reason).
After that I got stuck in a boot loop.
Normally sony Xperia P boots with Sony word and then to Xperia word(which blinks) and then to android but it's stuck in the Sony word.
I tried powering off the phone and flashing the boot partition using this command :
fastboot flash boot kernel.sin

rebooted, the same problem.
I tried to flash FOTAKernel but I don't seem to have this partition.
I tried also fastboot reboot-bootloader and then reboot but the same.
I've read the boot-loop wiki, both Safe mode and recovery mode are unreachable.
I would try to flash the other .sin files But I don't know to what partition they belong and google didn't help me to get this information :3 .
So what to do ?
Update
I forgot to mention that I tried to flash .ftf file using FlashTool 0.9.19.10, this tool didn't work, I click the lightning bolt, I chose the Flash mode, I choose the .ftf file(after putting it in ~/.flashtool/firmwares), after clicking ok it tells me to plug my device in fastboot mode.
I click Volumne Up while plugging the device and I see the blue(somewhat purple) Led light on.
I wait and wait and even when Flashtool said "Device connected in fastboot mode" it doesn't do anything but telling me to plug my device :3 .
Device
Sony xperia P runing android 4.0.4, bootloader is unlocked but the phone is not rooted nor has custom recovery(so no CWM or TWRP here).

Have you tried flashing the .ftf file using Flashtool?  You can select the partitions that you wish to flash in that tool. Also, if you're on Unlocked bootloader, you can flash custom recovery with fastboot flash recovery recovery.img command

@Manubhargav yes I tried Flashtool, about custom recovery my phone isn't officially supported by neither TWRP nor CWM, I found an article on xda developers about TWRP for my phone, unfortunetly it needs a working root phone.
If you know of a custom recovery that I can flash even with the situation my device in , I'd appriciate it .

@Manubhargav anyway what will custom recovery do if I can't even boot into recovery mode :3

I have found the answer.
FlashTool worked after using Flashmode, it wasn't working because of my mistake, I was plugging the device in fastboot mode instead of flashmode.
After I flashed it it works great.


text:
Can Hike Messenger steal WhatsApp data?
As per the new update of Hike messenger, it gives a reward up to ₹10000 for making your friend join Hike. To do this, Hike asks for accessibility permission. And when you refer a friend or a group, all messages start showing in Hike. So now I guess Hike can read all WhatsApp text messages and media shared.
But the problem is that after getting accessibility permission, it can read all the notifications, even OTPs of our transaction. So how can I assure my security and privacy? Is it a big concern or am I missing something with their terms and condition?

So why on Earth would you ever use Hike? Just use Signal or something... Honestly, their T&C are ridiculous on the rights they and their "third-party" affiliates have over your information, pictures, voice, name, and everything else related to anything you do in Hike, perpetually (forever) and for free.

The problem is that after getting accessibility permission, it can read all the notifications, even OTPs of our transaction. So how can I assure my security and privacy?

Turn off SMS, NOTIFICATION ACCESS permissions to that app.


text:
Can't hide/change battery icon on Doogee S60
I'm using a Doogee S60, on Android 7.0 Nougat, rooted, with Xposed and GravityBox installed. I'm seeing this weird issue where my status bar has a non-standard battery icon, and I can't seem to either hide it or find out where it's coming from.

Turning off the battery icon in the GravityBox tweaks just moves the signal icon closer to the point where it starts to overlap with the battery icon. If I select a different battery icon, it just adds it overlapping.

In addition, if I open an app that makes the status bar background white, the battery icon colour doesn't change with the rest, making it mostly invisible.

I've looked in all the settings I can think of/find (including System Settings, System UI Tuner, GravityBox, and my launcher settings), and have no idea how to get rid of this. I just want the stock battery icon, or failing that, add a custom one. Either way, I want this battery icon gone.
Does anybody have any ideas about this?

The answer lies in build.prop!
All credit for this goes to Nephiel on XDA-Developers (this post, specifically).
The Doogee S60 has the setting battery_view_land_show, which is defaulted to yes.
On a rooted phone, this setting can be changed easily using BuildProp Editor.
Set the value to no, reboot the phone, et voila! Back to the standard battery icon, and all expected behavior from GravityBox and such!


text:
Removing or bypassing FRP (Factory Reset Protection) on Marshmallow (6.0)
I own an Alcatel VDF 300 which was factory reset but after reboot, the phone stuck at the setup screen, can't pass the Wi-Fi selection step, where it searches account information on the server. It sticks there even after hours of searching.
I searched on the Internet and found solutions for bypassing the FRP but none worked.

The one using an OTG USB drive didn't work because it seems like it is disabled
The one bringing the browser to connect to a site and install the Dev Settings so that I can reset the phone from the Settings (works on Samsung though) by exploiting the keyboard didn't work either simply because there is no way to do so.

Is there a way to bypass FRP on Marshmallow? Does flashing a new ROM remove the FRP?
PS: The phone is an MTK (MT6585 - I guess) and runs Android Marshmallow (6.0). I've consulted How to bypass “Verify your account” (Factory Reset Protection) already, but none of those methods work.

If FRP was easy to bypass, it wouldn't be much good... For good or bad, manufacturers are patching every way of defeating FRP we come up with. There is no generic bypass for Marshmallow, only a few device specific exploits have been found. The fact it can't get to the WiFi selection screen is more puzzling, since FRP checks occur after that happens.

If you can flash the stock ROM (the whole firmware) from scratch then do it. It should flash FRP partition as well and free you from this mess. Alternatively, flashing a custom ROM without GApps (Google's Setup Wizard) would also help.

@Firelord, it's Solved! your suggestion about the Google setup wizard lead me to fond a way to connect the phone to the computer, since it's an MTK, I connected it in META mode, this enabled ADB and I was able to hide the setup wizard package (because I couldn't remove it,root access needed).

I don't know if this solution will work on a different phone model, but let me explain what I did:
First, I tried to get the phone being detected by the computer, so I downloaded the MTK drivers (preloader VCOM drivers) and plugged the phone in META mode with MAUI META (a tool that connects mtk to META mode and does many other interesting stuffs, repairing IMEI for example). Then I downloaded ADB (the best I found is "Minimal ADB and Fastboot"). With that, I could connect to the phone and the hidden setup wizard. This post on Reddit helped me with the commands.
From the command line:
adb shell
 cd /system/priv-app/

ls (to list all installed applications)
Then:
pm hide <package name>

You would list all the packages with pm list packages first if you don't know the package name.
An alternative way is to use software called Debloater.

Thanks for sharing! Could you please [edit] your answer and include the package name you identified being the setup wizard?

oh sorry, I don't remember the exact package name, but this post explains how to get a specific app and it package name and this tool  lists all installed apps with their respective package names.

LOL Yeah, the first one happens to be my post :) I just thought if you remember what to look for, that would make it easier for others to get an idea. OK, if you don't remember you of course cannot add that :) Thanks anyway!

Using Debloater makes it easier to find the app and hide it just in one click thus allow bypassing the FRP


text:
What does 'No carrier <device name>' mean on Play Store?
I tried to install Google Cardboard on Samsung Galaxy J7, but I found "No carrier Samsung SM-J700F". However, I see that Cardboard works in another phone (Google Nexus) with same SIM card.
What does "No carrier" mean? Why can't I install Cardboard?

It means that Google cannot retrieve the carrier info on your device. Some possible causes:

The SIM card is not inserted, or inserted incorrectly/broken (can't use telephony feature)
The SIM card is inserted correctly, but Google cannot identify it (e.g. an issue with Republic Wireless)
The device doesn't have SIM card slot (e.g. tablet)

As far as I know, the text "No carrier" is only an informational text to identify which device you are choosing, and it's not an error message. I have installed some apps to my older phone without carrier, without any problems.
Regarding app installation, it may/may not affect the installation. Some apps are restricted to certain carriers (usually carrier's apps themselves).

For your specific case, since you've mentioned on other post that other device with same carrier could install Cardboard, but your device didn't, it means that the carrier is not the problem.
On the other hand, based on GSM Arena, Samsung Galaxy J7 doesn't have gyroscope, which is required for Cardboard.


text:
completely remove kingroot when I can't find it
I installed kingroot and tried it, I closed it thinking it finished and rebooted my phone.
After reboot root checker says I have su binary but not root access.
My problem is I can't find kingroot, not in launcher nor in Settings->apps it doesn't appear anywhere yet when I install it from apk it doesn't say "Install" but "Replace", I tap on replace and wait until it says "application install failed".
I want to remove it completely But I don't find it , how do I uninstall it ? and if I can't find it then how the packaging tool detects it's installed ?
my phone is sony xperia P with android 4.0.4.
EDIT :
I have found Kinguser.apk in /system/app not /data/app so That's why I can't find kingroot, it installs itself as system app(and apparently sets some permissions to not allow me to even see it)
So I need root to uninstall it, unfortunatly when I try su in terminal I get this :
[-] Connection to ui timed out.
So what to do?
EDIT 2
Ok after I rebooted I can find kingroot in my Settings->apps->all now for some reason, I can disable it but not remove it (because As I said it has installed itself as system app).

Can you flash a custom recovery or do you have one? It would be easy to remove Kingroot using a custom recovery.

@Firelord I don't have custom recovery, is it a ROM ? if it is then I can't flash it as that needs root(right?) and I can't root.

You can use ES File Explorer to delete it from the system/apps  folder. Then goto android settings and remove it from the device administrators. Now you can uninstall it

I have to factory reset to remove the MALWARE kingroot and kinguser.

Install kingroot again restart your phone, install system app remover application and use it to uninstall kingroot. remover

I can't install it again, As I said in my post it refuses to install

OP wrote: "root checker says I have su binary but not root access". If root privilege cannot be gained then I don't think the app you linked would prove to be helpful.

which file explorer are you using

@Frrank file expert 6, why do you need this info ?!!! if you want me to manually uninstall it then I'm afraid I can't because it needs root access which I can't gain

Try attempting to use different uninstaller apps to locate and remove the application.
KingRoot is a system app, so you will need a system app uninstaller, such as Jumobile System App Remover (which worked for me).
Try using a different launcher (this sounds weird, but in my experience some apps bind to launchers in strange ways...)
Try using a different rooting app, if possible, and going from there.
If none of these work, more drastic action might be needed.

whatever uninstaller there is I must have root access because kingroot is considered a system app and I can't gain root

I might try different rooting app but after I completly remove kingroot as I think whatever that app is kingroot will interfere with it

If only I can "su" like I do in my arch linux then I can do whatever I want

You might just have to reflash a stock firmware. I know this doesn't sound ideal, but if this is something you really need done, that might be the only way to do it.

Solved the same problem. You said you have disabled it. Just ENABLE it back!!! And you have root access again!

thanks, I have solved the problem long ago by flashing the rom, I didn't post that as an answer because technically I was looking for solutions other than "format" so technically this isn't an answer


text:
jelly splash started fresh even after restoring its data via titanium
I have backed up jelly splash's data with titanium.
I updated jelly splash to 2.22.2 with google play, I thought after restoring its data with titanium our progress should come back but it didn't, it started from the level 1 again !!.
I tried this to verify if titanium restore really worked : first I went to Settings->Apps I chose jelly splash, second I cleared its data, third I went to titanium and restored again, last I went back to Settings->Apps->jelly splash and there I can see the data was successfully restored(I can tell by size, it becomes from zero to 10 MB excluding the app size).
So Titanium worked perfectly, then why didn't jelly splash recognize that ? and is there a way to restore our progress, we reached around level 180 !!!!?
Note : downgrading the app and restoring data again didn't help

Sounds like the new ago isn't compatible with the old data.  You should install or restore an old version and contact the developer about the issue with upgrading.

@MatthewRead downgrading didn't help

Does this app shows up in Settings -> Accounts?

@Firelord No it doesn't