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Permission denied when I run insmod in terminal emulator
I want to install a module (bcm4329.ko) in my nexus one phone. I have rooted the phone and installed Cyanogenmod too.
In Terminal emulator, I tried various commands but everything resulted in failure
$ insmod /system/lib/modules/bcm4329.ko //[Operation Not Permitted]
$ su insmod /system/lib/modules/bcm4329.ko //[throw the syntax/man page of su]
$ cd /system/lib/modules
$ chmod 777 bcm4329.ko //[Read only file system]

The error messages I received are enclosed within '[ ]' after every command. How can I install this module in my android phone. Any help please.

You need to remount the system partition as read-write, it's read-only by default.
mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system

Got the error "mount: permission denied (are you root?)" Is there any other way to give root permission, as I already have rooted the device.

@SyncMaster Did you type su in the terminal first?

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/4021/how-to-be-root-user-in-terminal solved it. thanks. :)

@SyncMaster Lol good timing.


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Screen size and density of Samsung Galaxy Y
I want to know about the screen size and density of the Samsung Galaxy Y. Which category of screen size (small, normal, large,x-large) or density (ldpi, mdpi, hdpi, x-hdpi) is its screen? Any references would be helpful.

Using the following diagram from developer.android.com you can see where it falls in the specs:

It's 3 inches diagonally - it falls in the "small" category.
It's 133ppi - which is definitely ldpi.

can you tell me by looking at the following link, in which category does it falls?
http://www.samsung.com/in/consumer/mobile-phone/mobile-phone/smartphone/GT-S5360MAAINU

That's exactly what I did, it says 3 inch, 320x240, which is 133ppi == ldpi on a small screen

Yeah, didn't noticed it earlier. Thanks for the help

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Can I restore my HTC Hero to its stock ROM?
I have a rooted HTC Hero with the latest Cyanogen mod installed on it.
I'd like to get it back to its stock status, restoring the original, official ROM and unrooting it. Is this possible? I have found this thread with what seems to be stock ROMs, however, I don't know whether that will do the job and also unroot the phone.

If you install a completely original ROM for the device, it will be unrooted. flashing the correct Stock ROM for your device will revert it back to its original factory state. Remember to Wipe both the Cache and Data when you flash.
in the post you linked it also says:

Notice: These are NOT rooted, and contain radio/hboot rom updates

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


text:
Will any Micro SD card work in an HTC Desire?
I've bought my friend's HTC Desire off him, but it doesn't have an SD card. Should I buy just any Micro SD card, or do I need to get one specifically made for the HTC Desire? Is there anything else I need to know?

See also Does the HTC Desire support 'microSDHC'?, Largest HTC Desire SD card? and What size of SD card can an HTC Desire accomodate?

The spec is simply listed (on HTC's website) as such:

Memory
  ROM:  512 MB
  RAM: 384 MB
Expansion slot
  8 GB microSD™ memory card (supports up to 32 GB)

The above link is for the US Cellular variant, but the C Spire version has the same memory specs (the only real difference between variants is supported bands, AFAIK). GSM Arena also reports "microSD up to 32GB". Generally speaking, Android devices support any SD card that properly complies with the SD spec. There are no "special" cards for devices - any will do.

Is it limited to SDHC though?  Presumably standard SD/SDSC cards will work but I'd be surprised if SDXC cards did.

@MatthewRead: 2.0 is backwards compatible with the original SD spec but not forward compatible with SDXC (so yes to your question). The spec info on Wikipedia specifically notes: "Host devices that accept SDHC cards are required to accept SDSC cards." (they provide this citation)

@MatthewRead: Or rather, "no" to your first question and "yes" to your second statement.


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Locking SDHC Memory card on Samsung Galaxy 2
I have stored an important document on the SDHC card on my Samsung Galaxy 2 phone (so that I can edit it on the go). I don't want others to access this file or document without my permission.
I know I can lock the phone but this option means that nothing could be done on the phone unless it is unlocked.
I want others to still make calls from my phone but not be able to access the memory card. (Letting others use my phone is an internal arrangement i.e. so that there is one point of contact when we are travelling together)
Is there a way to lock the memory card (with a password) but leave the phone unlocked?

I would highly doubt it unless you're rooted, and if you're rooted the user can easily get around it.  What's wrong with encrypting the file?  That actually prevents against theft and so on as well.

Locking the memory card will prevent access to anything on the card. This approach would be more suited because then I will not have to worry about locking individual files (e.g. documents, photos etc.).

Simply, use BoxCryptor.. It'll encrypt your files & folders with AES-256 standard (AES-256 is classified by the U.S. Government to protect “TOP SECRET” information). The best thing: You can use it on any platform: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux. So, you can sync your encrypted files with Dropbox, too.
Its free Android app: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.boxcryptor.android (Free version has limitation of Read-only access). You don't even need a rooted device whats not the case of fully free LUKS Manager. If your device is rooted & you also need write access without spending money, go for LUKS Manager, but you'll miss cross-platform access. So, my recommendation is paid BoxCryptor if you need write access.
With encryption, your files & folders will be safe even if your friends are hacker. With even fastest super computers, breaking AES-256 standard needs decades or even hundreds/thousands years (based on password strength & encryption passphrase).

Encryption is most probably the most appropriate solution for your case. Something along the lines of LUKSManager could be the right tool. Though you would need a rooted phone in any case and perhaps a modified kernel, too.

Encryption is the only appropriate solution in this case. Everything else can simply be bypassed by just stealing the sd-card.

Root permission is not necessary for encryption... Some application you must try to check it: LastPass (Free), BoxCryptor with license (Paid)..

You cant lock, in your definition, the sdcard or one file. But you have some ways to protect your file.

Store it in a password protected Zip file.
Encrypt your sdcard
Use a AppLocker to lock the apps they are needed to view / edit the file.
Use BoxCryptor.

The only safe way is, to encrypt it. If you lock your sdcard with a software, the thief can easily connect it to a pc and steal the file or even steal the whole sdcard.

If your phone is rooted(which it may not), you might be able to unmount the card, altough I dont know if the system tries to remout it on itself after some period.

Have you considered just removing the SD card from the phone and keeping it in a safe spot until you need to access your important files?
AFAIK there isn't a way to encrypt/protect a single file on an SD card. That leaves you looking at fully encrypting the card which Android doesn't support out of the box. Instead of that hassle, why not simply remove it? You don't need an SD card to use basic phone functions (calls, SMS) and many apps can either do without SD storage or be moved to internal storage. Your device requires you to power down and pull the battery to access the micro SD card slot; insertion or removal of the card and then powering the phone back on, though, shouldn't take you much longer than a minute.
Keep it simple, I say.


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Google voice type offline doesn't work properly
If I touch on voice type tool it shows me following message "Google voice typing tool requires Google search app" but  Google search app have been installed on my phone.

How can I fix this?

Have you modified your phone in any way? Custom ROMs? Rooting? Etc...

Is voice input enabled in your keyboard settings?

Sorry for the late response @xavier my keyboard setting doesn't have configuration for voice input and it was working fine while ago. I am having this problem since i hard reset my phone


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Custom voice commands
I'm looking for an open source way to specify custom voice commands that use the Google voice recognition backend. It has to be open source and work offline. (I already managed to get the Google app which is responsible to voice recognition to work offline, restricted by Xprivacy and AfWall+.)
What I need to do is relatively simple. For instance when I say "Turn on light 1" it has to send a simple HTTP request to ’http://192.168.1.5/light/1/on’, when I say "Temperature to 23 degrees in the living room" it should use the url ’http://192.168.1.5/livingroom/temperature/23’ instead etc.
I know there are closed-source apps that can do this (Tasker for instance), but I I'm way too paranoid to install something on my device that needs network/Internet access and is closed-source. So are there any open source apps that could do this?

Did you even read the question?

Sorry for the last comment. I lost in answering two different questions. I was suggesting you pocketsphinx. It is also available for android


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Google Home app not letting me teach it my voice
Whenever I try to setup my voice when prompted in the app it just gets stuck on the subsequent please wait screen

.

This is on a Samsung S8.
Tried clearing the data on the app, restarting the phone, reinstalling the app. Nothing makes a difference.
I've been able to complete this step on my wife's phone for her account, so it doesn't seem to be a network issue.
Any ideas what's stopping it progressing through this voice learning?

I have the same problem....on a S8. Did you ever find a solution?

@daw9948 not exactly. I had to find my old phone (S6) and set it all up that way instead. Still don't know why the S8 doesn't let you do it.


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How to get Google voice input to "submit" / "enter"
Voice typing is convenient, having to press a keyboard button to submit or press enter is less so.
While 'native' apps like Google Assistant know when to submit according pauses or natural sentence structure, using Google voice typing in other contexts (even just the browser) doesn't automatically submit as far as I can tell.
How does one, using their voice, perform the enter/go/done action for Google voice typing in lieu of the keyboard?

I upgraded to Android 13 and it has done for Keep notes and send for SMS, but I havent found enter which would really expand the functionality to many more apps, even without official support like v13 has for specific actions like Chrome "new tab".

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


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How to transfer photos from internal storage to SD without impacting Google Photos and Dropbox?
I normally use my SD card to store photos. Due to some changes, photos I was taking were stored in phone storage for some time. I am back to storing them on the SD card. I am therefore left with ~500 MB of photos on phone storage instead of the SD card.
When taking a photo, it is automatically uploaded to Google Photos and Dropbox. In both cases (when the photos were going to the phone storage as well as now, when they land on the SD) they were correctly uploaded to both of these services.
I would like to understand how I can move the images in the internal storage to the SD without impacting the online storage (that is: without modifying it). In particular I would like to avoir re-uploading them, duplicates and changes in the timestamp.
Are the online services resilient on changes happening on the phone? In particular:

is the uploading process making sure that the photo which has changed (in my case: location on the phone)
would a full re-upload of the photos modify the online content (it could be that the photos are uploaded but Google Photos and Dropbox realize that the file already exists and just discard it). I do not care about the upload bandwidth, what I am worried about is the possibility of duplicates or (if the images are overwritten), of a change in the timestamp.

Is the impact of such changes on the phone documented somewhere?

Well, this is new to me.. Storing images in RAM, seriously? Rephrase question..

@ЈеднорукиКрстивоје:  I will rephrase so that your can understand better (which I believe is the intend of this condescending comment)

Note: this answer is based of experimentation and some speculations at the end.
I tested with a few pictures, and then with a batch move of the pictures from phone storage to the SD card.
The result was OK: the pictures online did not change, there was no upload despite pictures appearing on the SD card.
I assume therefore that the phone does some housekeeping and keeps a trace of what was uploaded (so that it is not uploaded again)

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје

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


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Android reacts to a headset button press with a lag or not at all
I have cheap wired headphones by JBL which have one button. The Huawei smartphone runs on Android 9. Audio apps react to a button press with a lag and sometimes don't react at all. I couldn't notice any pattern in their malfunctioning.
I'll appreciate advice.

I solved the problem. It turned out that Google Assistant prevented the button signal to be read by other apps. Turning off Google Assistant didn't help. I had to turn off a device in a list of devices used by Google Assistant.

How did you manage to do that? turning off "use this device to talk to Assistant" switch in assistant settings did nothing regarding other apps not reacting to the headphones button..


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How to create TWRP's data.info file by hand/after the backup?
I have a device with a dead screen, and a partially dead eMMC (poor contact, sometimes reboots. Sometimes reboots very often.). I managed to create a 12gb backup of the data partition somehow, but after generating two of the eight backup archives' .sha2 hashes my phone rebooted. So I have the backups in full, but the data.info is unfinished and there aren't enough .sha2. The latter are simple in syntax, so I can create them with HashMyFiles (SHA256). But deciphering the data.info, or forcing TWRP to make it after the fact is beyond my skillset. Is there any way to accomplish this?
EDIT:
I solved my problem, and also understood that this question was incomplete. It seems that the data.info is complete (and likely was one of the first files made after the backup archives themselves) and making the .sha2 by hand is sufficient. My real problem, which I didn't elaborate, was that Titanium Backup wouldn't work with this backup using the "Extract from Nandroid backup" function, so I decided that the data.info file was the problem, because it was the only different file, when compared to older, successful backups of the data partition. But the real problem was that I messed up the path (I added the backup folder, which is named as a date, directly to /TWRP/BACKUPS , when I should've added the backup folder in literally any folder one folder deeper, say /TWRP/BACKUPS/I_just_spent_10_hours_fixing_a_5_second_problem/), and Titanium Backup was too unsophisticated to check for PEBCAKs. That's about it.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Looks like you've found the solution by yourself, which is great! Considering the Q&A nature of this site, please try to fill the missing details and remove the answer from the question, then post your answer as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed, but even encouraged!. Thanks!

to answer the headline, there exist a little shell script twrp_sign.sh for generating data.info and sha2 digest. you can open it with text editor and see how it works
data.info is just a string containing
archive_name
backup_size
file_count
backup_type
Note: only the .win* files are important, all other files can be safely deleted without data loss


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Android 2.2 : How add device admin
I can't figure out how to add / remove device admins from my HTC Desire running Android 2.2
Where in the settings screen is this feature located ?
Any help would be highly appreciated.

It should be located under Android Settings > Location & Security.
But you need apps that support this feature in order to make full use of it. If you have a Google Apps or an exchange account your admin will be able to use the corresponding features like password reset etc.
Certain apps (examples: Llama / WidgetLocker / WaveSecure) when made as device administrators are then allowed a higher level of access to system features.

Yes I saw this in certain posts... but the issue is.. i have not such menu option. I have Security and Location separately, and neither of those options expose device admin to me.


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Avoiding "my cheek hung up on you" on an Optimus T?
I upgraded my wife to an LG Optimus T from a G1, and she keeps accidentally hanging up on people with her cheek. She never had this problem with the G1.
I've asked her if she's locking the screen (by hitting the power button once) and she appears to be doing that but for some reason when she's on a call the screen appears to take input.
At first I thought this was a problem with her face (heh), so I had her try it on my Nexus One and she can call, hit the power button to turn the screen off and then talk normally.
Has anyone seen this kind of behavior before, and if it's just an annoyance is there maybe an application that can mitigate this?

I actually thought the Optimus had a proximity sensor. That's not working, I'm guessing?

Try Screebl - it makes use of the internal sensor to determine whether the phone's vertical and turns the screen on/off during a call according to the options specified.

It turns out that by avoiding touching it with her cheek she was turning the phone a bit and moving the proximity/light sensor away from her ear, which turned the screen on and was causing the hangups.
When she presses the speaker firmly against her ear the screen locks like it's supposed to.

There is chance to experience this kind of back light turned of is due to proxy sensor got dusted. Firstly please check the proxy sensor is clean or it is not covered with your dusted phone cover, etc.


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How do I get my Samsung Galaxy S 2 to connect by USB "normally"?
Note: This question has been edited significantly based on new information, however, I think it still meets the original intent.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S 2. When I plug it into my computer by USB, this application called "Samsung Kies" comes up. It is, as far as I can tell, a proprietary Samsung system for connecting by USB to the computer which requires software on the computer side.
Even if my computer could run their software, I wouldn't want it to. I don't want their proprietary app, I just want to mount the Galaxy as an external USB HD, like Android does with its standard interface.
I can get at the standard interface by doing the following:

Settings -> Wireless and network -> USB Utlities

In that interface, under the heading "USB mass storage", there is a button that says "Connect storage to PC". If I click this button, a notification comes up saying I can now plug in the USB. If I plug in the USB cable at this point, then the usual Android interface comes up (green android with USB arm picture) and then I can press the connect button.
So I can do it, but I have to press the screen 5 times just to connect the USB!
With my previous phone, the HTC Magic, when I plugged in the USB, it automatically showed me the standard USB connect screen, and so with one touch I could connect.
I can't find any way of disabling or removing this unwanted Samsung Kies software, or making the standard Android USB connect the default.
Is this possible, and if so, how?

While the devices show up, they shouldn't be mounted.  To mount internal storage (or the SD card) you need to click the notification on your phone.  This is how it works with my original SGS on Windows, anyways.

try keeping usb debugging on by default.

@Aadi Droid: That answer seems to work. Why don't you post it as an answer and not a comment? I want to test it for a day or so to be sure it works consistently. If it does continue to work, you should be the one to collect the bounty on the answer.

done buddy :) glad it worked.

Keep usb debugging on and it should work fine.


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Pixel 3A Android 10 Assistant auto comes on and stops gesture, unable to reset connected devices
I have a brand new Pixel 3A with the recently updated Android 10 update.
Google Assistant has been activated while in my laptop bag.
I'm assuming this is because of the incessant urgings that Google displays on screen, and of course the new android doesn't swictch the screen off when you hit the power button, it leaves an 'awake' screen that can respond. Well, however it happened, Assistant is enabled and it is causing a number of problems, and I can't switch it off.
The main issues are:

Assistant repeats continuously on the arcane workings of the system. Voice messages like 'Checking WebAPP for updates' 'Downlaoding update' '10% downloaded, etc'
Assistant stops the phone Whenever any event status changes Examples of this are 'Home screen 1of 2, double tap to enable' etc., etc., etc totally take over the user interface.
The UI is now a triple tap pause system. To do anything, you tap an icon and wait for it to be highlighted (at which point a stream of help instructions are played back) then double tap to activate. This happens for each and every tap including back buttons, home buttons, whatever.The system is now an incredibly slow, novice system.
The gesture system is disabled. This is the real killer. Without the gesture system you are locked into only what is visible. You cant get into the app drawer, for instance. And you can't get beyond the displayed items in the settings screens.

My Problem is:
The instructions to switch off assistant are as follows:

Open the google app
Tap the compass at the bottom right
Tap the profile button top right
Tap the Assistant
Scroll down to the Assistant devices,Devices section and switch off.
BUT gestures and scrolling are disabled

You can see to the Face Match setting, but connected devices is somewhere way, way down below that. And one can't get there. Not for love nor money.
Under Android 9, I could deactivate with a voice command.
That seems to be gone.
Is my only solution to do a factory re-set?
Anyone out there with a solution for me?

The whole description looks like the TalkBack accessibility feature, not Google Assistant. Related: Accidentally turned on talkback and How to scroll screen when using text-to-speech accessibility?

Thank you Andrew T., that was the the solution. Two fingered swipe.


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copy encrypted internal storage to pc ( in twrp mode )
I have this situation where I had my internal storage encrypted and then by using twrp I formatted only my data( booted into twrp > advance wipe > selected data and Dalvic cache > swiped to wipe . I didn't checked internal storage) ( dumb right ) now when I am booting into twrp it doesn't ask me for password to decrypt data but i can see my encrypted internal storage in file manager
I tryed to copy encrypted content to my pc ( hoping that i can decrypt it because i know the password by which it was encrypted ) but not able to do so
what I tried is

using adb pull it gives me error remote open failed: Required key not available
using MTP it is also giving me error
twrp decrypt <my password> it fails

can i somehow recover my data ( i know the password )

if you formatted /data partition your internal storage /data/media is formatted, can't be true. in any case you wiped your encryption credentials all data is lost forever. this is not expected behaviour for data wipe, claim this to your twrp maintainer

https://android.stackexchange.com/q/216155

@alecxs maybe I did't said right I booted into twrp > advance wipe > selected data and Dalvic cache > swiped to wipe

I did't checked internal storage

from my understanding if you select data then twrp will only wipe your app data and apps that user have installed not the internal storage maybe I am wrong here

true if you wipe /data then everything except /data/media is just deleted (no formatting). unfortunately the credentials in /data/system are deleted with this. looks like a serious issue with twrp

@IrfanLatif yes my data exist in /sdcard encrepted but the problem is neither I can copy it in pc nor I am able to decrypt it

@IrfanLatif I was using Lineage os 16 ( which is Android 9 ) not sure about FDE/FBE but my guess is it's Full Disk Encryption

If it's FBE, as @alecxs said, your encryption keys are wiped and you won't be able to decrypt your remaining data. If it's FDE, you should not be able see anything in /sdcard until it's not decrypted. Your situation is quite vague. More information is needed.

adb pull the whole encrypted userdata partition (~ 1 h) and analyse the dump, maybe you can recover locksettings.db https://android.stackexchange.com/q/208106

@alecxs, @Irfan Thanks a lot to both of you but the problem is I am not able to copy using adb pull error is remote open failed: Required key not available

@alecxs ok I got it will try to follow the link you gave me if you want you can post answer and I will accept it

your password is just a little piece of the puzzle. decryption only works on the device itself, you can't decrypt on pc. you must look for credentials only (see linked question) adb pull /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata will work. run extundelete and binwalk or search with hexeditor.. but there is less hope

@alecxs running mount | grep 'on /data' gives me the output of /dev/block/sda17 is this the block I want to pull ??? forgot to tell earlier I am using oneplus 6T

yes. if not sure check ls -l $(find /dev/block -name by-name)/*


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How to install cyanogenmod on a Samsung Galaxy Europa (GT-I5500B)
I currently own a Samsung Galaxy Europa (GT-I5500B) phone. I'd like to install cyanogenmod on it.

Is this possible? There's a how to available for people without experience rooting phones?
If it I don't like cyanogenmod, is it possible to revert the phone to the default Samsung install?

From the devices page, it doesn't seem like your phone is officially supported - http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices . As an alternative, see http://www.madteam.co/forum/development/%28development%29-cyanogenmod-7-1-%27galaxy5%27-port/
If you do manage to flash a custom ROM, you can change back provided you use the ROMs supplied by http://samfirmware.com - not official, just a repository of original factory ROMs.

I like using ROM Manager for CM. If it is supported on your phone it will come up in the custom rom downloads list. However if you want a different rom, ROM Manager is not an all inclusive list, it just grabs the most popular, so don't treat this as the only place to go.
CM is popular enough that it will be in the downloads list if it is supported by your phone, so if it's not there yet, just wait until it is. ROM Manager also allows you to back up your current rom (I'm not sure if you need ROOT permissions, but if you're flashing a new rom you will have them), so just back up the factory rom using this app and if you ever need it just boot up into recovery and restore the rom.


text:
Unable to connect Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Windows 7 for transferring files
I am unable to connect a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to a computer via included cable. Here is what I tried:

Tried to mount on Windows XP (32), Windows 7 (32), Windows 7(64), and OSX (Snow Leopard).
Tried installing official drivers from US and CANADA Samsung website.
Tried installing several versions of Kies.
Tried installing driver through each version of Kies.
Tried to see/push to device in DDMS using Eclipse with latest Android SDK.
Tried to connect using Odin, but I do not get any device information.
Tried installing drivers from other websites.
Tried Android File Transer for OS X.

None of these seem to work and after two weeks, I really have no other ideas of what to try. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Called Customer Support and it sounded like a defective unit. They covered it under the 1 yr included warranty. They pay for the shipping label as well, all you need to supply is the box.


text:
How to access the microSD card on Asus Transformer?
Is it possible to access the microSD card on an Asus Transformer or is there some way to mount this so it is accessible remotely?
When connected via USB to a PC the SD card in the keyboard dock is available but the microSD card in the main tablet is not.
I have read some articles for similar Android devices which mention that the microSD card is mounted but I can't seem to see it.
It would be good to not have to remove the microSD from the main tablet every time I want to copy files to it since ejecting it isn't exactly easy!
Edit I've used the rather nice http://code.google.com/p/swiftp/ FTP tool, from this I can't see the microSD card either.
Edit Part Deux I've actually returned the Asus Transformer as there were too many problems with it, whether these were Asus problems or Honeycomb problems I couldn't determine. caveat emptor

I'm not familiar with this device, is the dock required to connect it to the PC?

@Matthew if you mean the keyboard dock then no, this isn't required to connect the device to the PC, both the keyboard dock and the tablet itself have an iPod-esque connector with a USB connector at the other end.

A very simple way (but one that inquires a small cost) is to use something like WiFi File Explorer. The free version allows you to download files from a device on the same network as your PC, the pro version enables uploading and downloading directories.

Wifi File Explorer (click image to enlarge)
As for reading the SD card directly from the computer, i haven't found anything that gives instructions on how to do this. But if i find anything, i'll let you know!

Thanks, I think the problem is that the microSD card is not being offered as a directory at all, I've used the rather excellent http://code.google.com/p/swiftp/ to transfer files, but can't see the micro SD card from this either.

You most likely have to power down and back up for the card to be recognized.  Asus says you don't have to do that but if you don't it will not see the card.  Typical of how terrible Asus is at supporting this tablet.


text:
Huawei P30 Pro I can't set sleep mode to never
I just got my new Huawei P30 Pro and I am not able to set sleep mode to never. Maximum option available is 10 minutes. My battery mode is correct and it is set to "highest performance" so without any battery saving. I want to see my timer whole the time counting 1h and I am not able to do such an easy thing what is extremely annoying. I tried Automate or Caffeine apps but they don't work for me. My EMUI version is 10.
Please for help.

The Huawei P30 Pro has an OLED display. OLED displays have problems if the screen shows the same content for a long time in such a case it will suffer from burn-in effects. I would assume that therefore you can only have a maximum on-time before sleep of 10 minutes. The only chance I see is that in the debug menu there is sometimes an entry to keep the device awake when it is connected via USB. However activating it may severely damage your display on a long term (at least reduce the brightness when using it)!

That's ridiculous. I feel like I downgraded from my Xiaomi MI5...


text:
Two years of operating system upgrades (Android - one) - how is it implemented?
"Android One phones will receive at least two years of OS upgrades," according to Google.
I interpret this statement as follows.

An Android One phone will receive at least two major version upgrades for Android within two years of the device's launch date. For example, an Android One device that launched with Android 8.0 will eventually receive upgrades for versions 9.0 and 10.0.

Is this interpretation correct? Am I missing details?
To clarify, Android 8.0 was a major release; Android 8.1 was a minor maintenance release.

For example, if you have purchased an android one with Android 7, then you'll surely get android 8.0 and 9.0, also with monthly security updates of total 3 years.

android-one phones are produced by multiple OEMs, so they are not governed by a fixed date of release. But they are mandated to provide two years of OS upgrades and three years of security updates. To remove the confusion of start date and end date, which is your question, see the fine print at the bottom of page you linked which says, OEMs should

"Confirm exact duration of support for phones in your territory with smartphone manufacturer"

This applies both to OS and monthly updates as you can s from Android One Wikipedia
So, you need to check the OEM support for the region to be sure. However, since they are monitored by Google, you can be sure you will get updates as promised.

The general trend is that they release devices into the market before/after the next major update, for example, if Android 8 is to be released in a few months, the phones out of the box come with Android 7 and are supported till update to Android 9. That said, how soon they release the next version is a big variable. Your best bet, would be to follow Counterpoint comparison or technical reviews /XDA

Edit: Post your edit to your question, yes, your interpretation is correct.

The fine print seems to reference the security updates, not the OS upgrades.

It refers to both — OS and monthly updates. This is what Android - one wiki (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_One#cite_ref-one_19-1) says while referring to the fine print Concerning Android operating system (OS) and security updates the official Android One entry page says (in the fine print at the end of it):


text:
Is it possible to access another partition from recovery partition using command line?
Here's a situation: I've got Meizu 5 pro flashed with Flyme 6 which I flashed using TWRP recovery. I made few tweaks of the partitions (deleting and recreating and renaming) and then I wiped data.
Now the phone boots but as soon as it hits main interface I get error saying "internal storage is running out the process has been stopped" then it reboots and starts over, hits the message, reboots, starts over .... stays in this loop.
I still have access to:

Meizu's recovery mode (which is kinda useless if I can't access root directory)
locked fastboot mode (also little bit useless if it's locked)
recovery partition through USB

I also have MRT dongle for repairing Chinese phones but it doesn't seem to work unless the phone boots fully into Android.
What I can do about this ? Any help much appreciated.

Yes, I'm with you, but to flash TWRP onto the phone I need unlocked bootloader. My bootloader is locked hence I'm trying to think of a workaround.

When I run fastboot flash recovery recovery.img I get "Permission denied".

What flashing does ? It just extracts all files from an image or zip file. Correct ? Sorry this is the first time I'm playing around with internals of Android.

@alecxs  I wasn't locked before. It got locked when I flashed it with Flyme 6.

If you want you can take a look here for more info:  https://forum.xda-developers.com/meizu-pro-5/help/meizu-reboots-internal-storage-running-t4074897

Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get my phone to use TWRP, from which I can flash Flyme 5, unlock it and then I can flash the phone with custom ROM.

@alecxs SP Flash Tool requires a scatter file that supposedly comes with ROM, I've got a few ROMs here and none includes a scatter file hence I can't use the tool.

I reworded my post.

The answer is no. The partition will show up as a root directory in command line interface. The same goes when trying to browse the partition with Python.


text:
How can I reformat internal storage on Android?
I'd like some assistance with formatting the internal storage of my phone.
I've managed to unbrick it and to flash TWRP recovery but I can see that capacity of the internal storage is only 33 MB which is clearly wrong. Before I started doing all this it had GB of capacity not MB. So clearly I need to fix this. I tried to use Windows's disk manager
but the manager isn't detecting the phone or the storage.
Can I have some guidance here ? It's Meizu 5 pro. Any helpful input much appreciated.
cat /proc/partitions gives me:
major   minor  #blocks  name
   8       0   61071360  sda
   8       1   1024      sda1
   8       2   256       sda2
   8       3   256       sda3
 259       0   4096      sda21
 259       1   8192      sda22
 259       2   2048      sda23
 259       3   4096      sda24
 259       4   4096      sda25
 259       5   24576     sda26
 259       6   32768     sda27
 259       7   32768     sda28
 259       8   20480     sda29
 259       9   20480     sda30
 259      10   20480     sda31
 259      11   20480     sda32
 259      12   20480     sda33
 259      13   2621440   sda41
 259      14   524288    sda42
 259      15   57663468  sda43
 259      16   38912     sda44
   8      16   4096      sdb
   8      32   4096      sdc
 179      0    30253056  mmcblk0
 179      1    30252032  mmcblk0p1

ls -ld /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/* gives me "No such file or directory"
Note:
The phone hasn't got any OS running at the moment.

I managed to use ADB and fdisk to get a list of locations (fdisk /dev/block/sda) in the phone. Then I pressed "p" for a print out.
I marked locations or partitions in question. Cache takes up all the storage whereas "userdata" gets only 38MB. In advanced mode where I get to make changes when I press "p" again I get different output. I don't understand this.
Update:
I modified the partition table to make it look like the way I need:

The problem I'm dealing with right now is that the phone doesn't want to mount the devices. Can't get it to mount system, cache, userdata.
I made sure "userdata" is still vfat and cache is ext4. Order number of partitions have changed though. Does that matter ?
latest update:

Looks like I was right for once. When I ran mount -a to mount all devices I got error because devices are assigned to different partition number.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

check your file system type is ext4 or f2fs with mount
in TWRP you can format from command line (beware this is factory reset /data and /sdcard is lost)
adb shell
umount /sdcard /data
mount -r /system
mount -r /vendor
export PATH=/system/bin:/sbin
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/system/lib64:/system/vendor/lib64:/vendor/lib64:/system/lib:/system/vendor/lib:/vendor/lib
/system/bin/sh
mke2fs -t ext4 /dev/block/sda44 [fs-size]
or
mkfs.f2fs /dev/block/sda44 [fs-size]

Note: fs-size is optional. depending on encryption method you may reserve last -16384 bytes for encryption footer. in this case calculate sectors

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.


text:
sluggish performance due to mmcqd CPU usage
I have an older Droid Incredible running Cyanogenmod 7.2.  Recently, I've noticed some sluggishness on the phone that doesn't seem limited to a single app.  The CPU Usage Plus app (which I think just runs top) often reports that the mmcqd\2 process is using up a lot of CPU (sometimes 50-60%).  Googling around, it seems that this process is somehow related to SD card access.
Is there any way for me to diagnose in more detail what exactly is causing this process to use so much CPU, e.g., by seeing what other process is accessing the SD card?  Could re-formatting the SD card help?  Or could CPU Usage Plus be leading me astray?  I have some apps installed on the SD card, and I could try moving them all back to the phone, but it would be nice to figure out a more detailed diagnosis before trying random solutions.

Do you happen to be running A2SD on your phone? I had a similar experience on my HTC Desire some time ago, and it was due to having moved both app-data and Dalvik cache to sd-ext. I tried different configurations and moving app-data back to where it was seem to give the best performance for me. There are sources that say otherwise though: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20255/what-will-be-faster-when-moving-to-sd-ext-via-a2sd-data-or-dalvik-cache-or-ca

Hey, not running A2SD; I'm pretty sure both Dalvik cache and app-data are on internal storage.  I ended up formatting my SD card (after a backup), and things seem to be happier now (I don't have any apps on my SD card now).  But, I'm still hoping someone will know a more principled way to diagnose the exact problem.

Yes, when you see mmcqd on the top-3 processes most of the time you can assure there is a bottleneck created on any storage/flash. You can check that fact easily at the developer options in Android (how to get it), by enabling view CPU usage, the blue color represents I/O operations (more info).
My scenario was more general than the one of the original question: the tablet was already cleared factory-reset, no new apps at-all except chrome and netflix, even re-flashed the stock image but it still was desperately laggy (FYI - Nexus 7 model 2012 with 5.1.1). This is specially true when connected to WiFi or CellData, so before proceeding it's better to enable plane mode for a faster operation.
I found the following fixes to be sufficient:

[optional but recommended] IF you are root OR have custom
recovery (any), you can manually trim the storage for a boost of
performance (how to). This is specially true since the last
time it was used years ago apparently worked well but apps or reflash might have filled space without a chance to trim (more info).
[optional but recommended] The newer versions of the Google Play
store include more services and functions (even API and sync), which I found
specially heavy for those older flash storage. Uninstall unused new Google Play items (such as music, books, news, films) and then go ahead to the sync
menu and disable most of the items (how to). You will surely
find there an item in error, but anyway it's better to clear most of them.
All these are background I/O (instead of foreground I/O) lagging
your device as soon as you connect to network (WiFi/cell).
[optional but recommended] On the above mentioned developer options menu, scroll down at the bottom to find limit background process and select no process for a radical approach. That will eliminate background apps I/O adding up.

These general actions totally solved the I/O issue of the old Android (constant mmcqd). However obviously it is not perfect and there might still be other additional problems, because still modern apps take a small lag to react (for CPU and disk read), and first-boot-up of the system needs some patience (all this is expected). Newer apps and google services do expect newer devices speed.

So I seem to have addressed this issue, but basically by trial and error.  I tried formatting the SD card, but that didn't fix the problem.  Finally, I gave up and re-flashed the phone with a full wipe, and then re-installed my apps one by one.  Eventually, I found that the Amazon Appstore app was a cause of the problem.  Without Amazon Appstore, my phone is much snappier, and I haven't seen mmcqd popping up in CPU usage.  (I haven't re-installed every single app I had before, so there could have been other troublemakers.)  So, problem fixed for now, but I would hope there is a better way to figure out these types of issues.

One way of diagnosing the offending CPU hog application is to open your application manager while your CPU Usage bars are overlayed.  One by one open each potential suspect (Start with your list of downloaded apps from the app store) and select 'Force Stop' while watching the CPU usage bar.  If you get a significant drop then you have found the (or one of the) problems.  Remove that app.  Note that i could be an app that you have had installed for a long time and so you 'trust' it, however a recent update may have changed its usage profile (sending constant checks/polling/whatever to check for status/notifications/updates/etc from whatever site the app is associated with is a typical app abuse symptom.


text:
GO Launcher apps in HTC Sense
i want to use Go switch widget in htc sense launcher. But widget list doesn't show me this one. why is that so ??

Do not GO widgets require the GO launcher?

If you start GOWidget, there are 2 lists. Installed and not installed widgets. You can install widgets from there. If you installed the Switch widget, you can add it to your homescreen tapping on a blank space and selecting GOWidget from the list. Switch should now be listed in the Installed list. Obviously Go Launcher EX has to be installed, it cannot just be used with HTC Sense. You have to replace HTC Sense (at least the launcher) through Go Launcher EX.

i mean in sense launcher

@WebDeveloper: Then please edit your question to be more accurate.


text:
Can't transfer file from Ubuntu to Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1
when connecting my Samsung Galaxy tab 10.1 (USB debugging off) to my PC running Ubuntu 10.10 the device seems to be mounted properly, but I can't transfer any file (I always get "Error creating directory: -1: Unspecified error").
I googled the issue, installed mtp-tools and mtpfs, tried several recommended methods, but I still can't use my tab as a mass storage device.
Anybody can help?

I think i have read that you have to have usb debugging on for it to work.

Several devices are like that, unfortunately.

No fix? I won't be able to transfer file from Ubuntu? It sounds like a joke...

Did you try turning on USB debugging?

I think you'll get better help at http://askubuntu.com/

Install SSHDroid on your phone and mount it on your Linux box using sshfs. Even if a wifi network is unavailable, you can still manage a transfer just by setting up wifi tethering on your phone (this will even work without a data connection, say when you're travelling).
Connect your laptop to the wifi tether and then turn on SSHDroid. After that it's just like copying to a server.  You can use a command like:
scp /home/daniel/Music/* 192.168.48.1:/mnt/sdcard/Music/

Or even mount that remote sftp server to a local path.  Just google for sshfs fstab.  Just note that the ip mentioned here will likely be different for you.
Note that data will move between your laptop and your phone on the local network, not using up your mobile data connection (if you even have access to one), so there's no need to worry about data fees.

I have a Galaxy S2 and I resolved a similar problem using the phone just as a mass storage device (and not using MTP), following this tutorial from askubuntu (it worked nicely):

go to the settings
under Wireless and network click on "More"
select USB utilities
click the "Connect storage to PC"

Now you can plug in the USB cable and use USB mass storage.
On more modern versions of Android, you may need to click the "More…" item in settings. This contains the "USB Utilities" item, mentioned above.

Answers where there is no useful information except what can be found by following a link are not really answers; answers should be able to stand on their own. Please copy the relevant information into your answer (but by all means give credit to the source).

Is it ok now? :)

Absolutely. On behalf of future readers: Thanks.

That's the way to do it, but the real problem with Galaxy Tab seems to that this option is absent in the settings -- very confusing! According to the answers above, USB debugging should be turned on for it to appear.

Just bought a Galaxy Note 10.1, and ran through same problem to transfer file through USB with my Ubuntu 12.04 PC.
Now, it seems that using 'connect as a camera' is smoother... No need of any other software.
Go to Settings / Developer options, and check 'USB debugging'
Then open the main menu (where you get the notifications) and tap on "Connected as..." to open the 'Storage settings/USB PC connection' menu (can figure out how to access it another way): 2 options 'Media device (MTP)' and 'Camera (PTP)'. I checked the Camera(PTP).
Then connect the device to the PC, cancel all messages that may appear on the PC, and normally the device should mount automatically: 2 icons should appear on the desktop: 1 is the main card, the other the extension card.
Now you can copy and past files from the PC to the device cards via Nuatilus like for any other device.
BUT...

you do not have access to the files on the cards: ie,the directories appear empty (if they appear at all). So you may need to shuffle the files around afterwards on the device directly to re-arrange the locations etc... Appart from that, drag and drop files on the extSD card does work: the files are copied, no pb.
You do have access to the files and directories you just copied though.
Some characters seems to be forbidden in the names of files and directories that you copy. Do not use:  "  or  :  or  ?  and perhaps some others. the . - _ and ' are ok. But having a forbidden character in the file or directory name causes an error as reported in the original post :"Error creating directory: -1: Unspecified error" if pb is in the name of the directory you want to copy, or "Error copying file xxxx: -1: Unspecified error" if it's in the file name.

The best hassle free way to transfer files between Ubuntu and your device is by using and ftp client like FileZilla on Ubuntu and Software Data Cable for your android device. You can then transfer files via FTP. Works for me. Hope it helps.

Ubuntu 10 requires manual editing of your udev config in order to recognize an Android device's SD card.
As root create the text file "/etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules” and add this line for a Samsung device:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", SYSFS{idVendor}=="04e8", MODE="0666"

Save the file and exit the editor, then set the permissions of the file and restart the udev system:
$ sudo chmod a+rx /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules
$ sudo restart udev
udev start/running, process xxxx

If that doesn't work, you can also install an app for file xfring as other answers have recommended.  Personally I favour Samba Filesharing.

I did what @Logos suggested. If you are looking for solution for your Galaxy Tab (tablet, not Galaxy phone), then upon plugging usb data cable to your linux computer you will see a usb connection icon. Tap on notification aera, then on usb connection, then tap on check-box that is non-MTP connection option.
Then you will see your Galaxy tab's SD card mounted on your desktop. If you browse folders - you will find them empty, content is not shown. Just transfer your files where you want them to be. The opposite direction is not working, I guess.

Speed of transfer is... wow... blazing slow ((


text:
Suspicious directory ".MySecurityData" in internal storage
I have a Galaxy Note (N7000) device running stock Android 4.1.2. I was browsing the internal storage and noticed a directory named ".MySecurityData", which contains one single directory "dont_remove", which contains multiple directories whose name consists of hexadecimal characters of length 32 (presumably MD5 hashes). All those 3rd level directories contain three directories - ".image", ".thumb", and ".video". A search through find command reveals that all the directories are empty containing no files.
Fact that the parent directory is hidden, directories have suspicious and obfuscated names, and a web search returns no results for ".MySecurityData" has raised concerns of some malicious activity.
Can anyone identify the application that may have created these directories? I'm a paranoid person and usually shy away from installing apps, and double check the ones that I'm installing.
There is also a SQLite3 file inside "dont_remove" (name is again in hexadecimal characters of length 15). A SQLite3 .dump on this file results in following:
PRAGMA foreign_keys=OFF;
BEGIN TRANSACTION;
CREATE TABLE android_metadata (locale TEXT);
INSERT INTO "android_metadata" VALUES('en_GB');
CREATE TABLE medias (_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,album TEXT, from_path TEXT, dest_path TEXT,thumb_path TEXT,file_name TEXT,file_type TEXT,file_ext TEXT,timestamp LONG,rotation INTEGER DEFAULT 0);
COMMIT

UPDATE:
After a grep through dumpstate logs in /data/log, I noticed that the SQLite3 file was being accessed by com.domobile.applock. I've emailed the developer asking for more information.

After a grep through dumpstate logs in /data/log, I noticed that the SQLite3 file was being accessed by com.domobile.applock.

Using the ls command, you can find out the owner (and group) of those directories. Following this with a ls on /data, and watching out for the same ownership, you should find only one hit, reveaing the package name of the corresponding app – which you then can use on the Google Play website to find the matching app (by placing the found package name after the id= part of the URL).
As access to the /data directory is restricted, the above commands must be executed with root privileges.

AppLock is a legitimate app, considering that you opted to install it. It allows the device owner to assign a password to any app, settings area, or even Google Play thereby making it possible (for example) to lend the device to a young child without having to worry about the youth accessing those apps, settings or store. The app works as defined. I would therefore not consider the directories as suspicious, if they indeed are owned by AppLock as a previous post clarified.


text:
Performing key combinations in connectbot?
Does anybody know how to perform key combinations in ConnectBot?
Examples:
Ctrl+Z
Ctrl+F2
Ctrl+Alt+Del

The ConnectBot developers recommend Full Keyboard to issue keyboard shortcuts. But there are also other keyboards.


text:
Why fastboot isn't accepting unlocking code I received from Sony?
I'm following this https://www.getdroidtips.com/android-10-q-sony-xperia-x guide about changing ROM of my phone to Android 10. My Xperia X is stuck on Android 8
and isn't getting any further upgrades. It gets only security patches. But that will end soon too.
I got unlocking code from Sony but I got a pushback from fastboot:
running fastboot -i [received code here]
resulted in error: invalid vendor id '[received code here]'
Edit:
I already toggled on OEM unlocking in the system's settings. After running fastboot flash recovery twrp.img I got:
sending 'recovery' (21824 KB)...
OKAY [  0.697s]
writing 'recovery'...
FAILED (remote: Command not allowed)
finished. total time: 0.699s

which hinted me that I needed the unlocking code from Sony.

How should I proceed ?

I would prefer the official unlocking guide from Sony: https://developer.sony.com/develop/open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/how-to-unlock-bootloader/ According to them you only need to enable OEM unlocking in developer options.

I did follow the official guide. It is how I got the code for unlocking bootloader. fastboot -i [code] isn't in the linked article but I've found thread where another Xperia user used the flag to use the code to unlock the bootloader.

I added a screenshot to my question.

That did it ! Unlocked and flashed. Feel free to post it as an answer.

Funny enough after running adb reboot recovery it doesn't reboot into recovery mode. It just reboots and loads into Android.

Yeah I figured that concealing the unlocking code is super unnecessary. This isn't a security issue. I did it out of habit concealing any authentication codes. :) Even people having my IMEI doesn't really do anything. It's not like you can hack into my phone using the IMEI.


text:
PIO CLI support for normal Android
Question is simple, is it possible to integrate PIO CLI tool to normal AOSP project for cellular device?
According to my current knowledge Android Things OS is not open sourced, at least not entirely. But there is a little info on the internet. I've checked the aosp manifest branches and there are some present for Android IoT. But after taking a quick look into them it seems there is nothing regarding peripheral tool. Other than that I've no idea where to look for this.

https://developer.android.com/things/sdk/pio/pio-cli

I asked about possibility of integration of this tool. How page describing functionality is suppose to help me?

i have just added this link for others so they must not search for what PIO CLI is (like i did)


text:
Coordinates from 'dumpsys location' are censored on Huawei devices
I'd like to read coordinates from my Huawei P30 Pro via ADB by calling adb shell dumpsys location. However, the output is like:
Last Known Locations:
   gps: Location[gps 11******,14****** ...

They are censored with stars even though the GPS is already turned on.
Any idea?

It looks like this is a modification that Huawei did by themselves (factual reasons not yet found). In short, the method to print the location's detail was overwritten.
dumpsys command calls the system services' dump method (more detail on this answer on Stack Overflow), and for dumpsys location, the respective service is LocationManagerService.
The dump() method for LocationManagerService (in Android 10, but also no major differences on previous versions) contains code like this:
...

pw.println("  Last Known Locations:");
for (Map.Entry<String, Location> entry : mLastLocation.entrySet()) {
    String provider = entry.getKey();
    Location location = entry.getValue();
    pw.println("    " + provider + ": " + location);
}

...

where it will iterate the last known locations from all location providers and print the name of the provider and its location. Note that the location is an instance of Location objects.
By default, the method to print the detail of the Location object (toString()) contains code like this:
@Override
public String toString() {
    StringBuilder s = new StringBuilder();
    s.append("Location[");
    s.append(mProvider);
    s.append(String.format(" %.6f,%.6f", mLatitude, mLongitude));
    ...

where it will print the latitude and longitude in 6 decimal digits.
For many devices, this is the standard behavior, as shown on Nexus 5 with LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7.1):
 Last Known Locations:
    ...
    fused: Location[fused 1.234567,101.010101 acc=500 et=+12h00m00s000ms]
    ...

The numbers are changed due to privacy reason
By overriding the method, OEMs can customize how dumpsys will display the content. (Note: while Android requires some services not to be modified, location is not one of them)

Thanks for your useful explanation. So, is there a device independent adb command i may use? In my case (python), i can only work with adb commands...

@mahack I haven't researched further nor tested it, but perhaps you could install 3rd-party apps that can get the GPS coordinates and output them to logcat, then use adb logcat instead.

thank you for your idea, I will keep this for a plan B. The problem is that I do not have the possibility to install an app for not having that permission.  But I got the problem with that toString() thing, could become a long way.


text:
Undoing MagiskHide or updating magisk without the GUI (perhaps by using magisk --install-module)?
I have magisk installed on my phone – binary & daemon version 22.0:MAGISK (22000). It is great. I had to install MagiskHide to enable a banking app that otherwise did not work.
I used the option to rename the MagiskManager binary to something else to prevent it from being detected – which was required for the (evil!) banking app to work. I now wish to update Magisk and install another framework. Unfortunately, whilst I can see the renamed binary to the gui / UI on my launcher, if I tap on it, it doesn't open – the shortcuts to "Modules" and "su" and so forth are still there, but the binary doesn't work.
If I log in via adb shell, I can call su and all works that way. Other apps that rely upon root don't show the permissions dialogue if I did not previously authorise them – unfortunately, because I updated termux, that includes it and su just hangs.
In a root shell, magisk and magiskhide all work – I have disabled magiskhide but still cannot open the manager application.
If I install the latest version of Magisk from github, it cannot connect to the daemon and offers to flash an image.
I am therefore in a bit of a pickle. I would like to know:
– Can you run magisk --install-module <path_to_latest_magisk.zip> to get it to update itself? Would that bring the gui back?
– If not, can I manually undo whatever magiskhide did to rename or hide the MagiskManager gui?
One option I have yet to try is flashing the latest magisk zip via twrp but I am slightly worried that having two versions of magisk is likely to be a BadThing™...
EDIT: Here's what the (renamed) Magisk Manager binary looks like – none of the buttons work and nothing appears in dmesg when I tap them:

Related/possibly duplicate https://android.stackexchange.com/q/231184/131553

https://android.stackexchange.com/q/232411/131553

@beeshyams – thanks for your replies. What do you mean by clearing the data – I haven't wiped the whole phone; pm list packages shows no magisk anywhere and I do not have it installed. I've tried installing and uninstalling the latest apk of magisk, but to no avail.

Oh OK..I misunderstood.. Sorry

So, it transpired that MagiskHide had successfully hidden Magisk from itself. I:

Logged in via adb shell and got root
Ran magiskhide disable
Uninstalled the stub app shown below
Downloaded the current magisk .apk from the github repo
Rebooted (normally) and installed it
Found that magically my previous version of magisk was detected, and I could thus update it.

Phew!


text:
Can/How to Update Alldaymall a88s Android 4.4 to 5.0?
Recently received donated tablets for our school. I need to update the Android software in order to use them. I have looked under settings, also in the Google Playstore & did a factory update. I need Android 5.0 to run the PaySimple app we use for our card reader. I have looked for manufacturer information but cannot find anything on them (manual, website, support). They are Alldaymall a88s tablets.

it is not possible because there is no official update available https://android.stackexchange.com/q/120553 https://android.stackexchange.com/q/181337 https://android.stackexchange.com/q/224047

@alecxs Thank you! I am new to Android & tablets. So I cannot upgrade the Android software like you can with Windows (uninstall windows & install the new version)? There were about 50 of these donated to our school & we won't be able to use them if we cannot update them.

no, android must compiled from source code device specific. request the source code from manufacturer and find a developer who can do it. another solution maybe ROM can ported from other device with Allwinner A33 chipset


text:
Android menu navigation without touchscreen input
I'm working on a smart glasses project that is using an Intrinsyc Open-q 2500 SOM (connected to a custom breakout board) that utilises a Snapdragon processor, running a custom Android SDK (Oreo 8.1) made for smart watches.
To navigate through the Android UI, as well as applications, we are hoping to use a IQS223 touch sensor chip, which will output high for a short period when a gesture is detected. E.g If a swipe forward is detected it will set pin1 (connected to GPIO1 of SOM) to high for 80ms, or if a TAP is detected it will set pin2 (connected to GPIO2 of SOM) to high for 80ms.
I've read it is possible to connect navigate/control an application via an external keyboard. All interactive widgets are focusable, meaning that the selected widget is highlighted (via a glow or appearance change). Therefore, It seems I should be able to fire a keyboard event on detection of a GPIO input change, and use that event to trigger an action. E.g. on detection of a high input on GPIO1 I'd fire a "Enter" keypress event.
My question is how would I go about doing this for the main Android UI (navigation of settings, selecting an app from main menu etc.)?
i.e I want to set the main Android UI to be focusable (if possible) so I can navigate/control the device by simulating  keypresses, which are fired when an input level changes on a certain GPIO pin.
Is there an alternate method to achieving this?

In the direction of @Puspam answer, have you looked at building your own Accessibility Service to handle the GPIO input translation.

Thanks @MorrisonChang, this looks like the information I was looking for. It looks like I will be able to bind a keypress event (generated by the GPIO input) to a navigation action by creating an Accessibility Service.

If you can/need to do a Custom ROM, then see: https://source.android.com/devices/input/touch-devices for considerations regarding touch driver.

Great! that also looks like it'll be useful. We do a have a custom ROM provided by Intrinsyc, so it's just a matter of setting up the DT/Driver to generate a specific keypress event on GPIO input level change.

The functionality which you are looking for is available under the Accessibility settings. It is called Switch access, Universal switch and many more, just search for the term switch after going to System settings -> Accessibility. Then, follow the on-screen instructions for setting it up.

Okay so Android does have the capability to operate in the desired way. Does that mean I would have to go to kernel level and assign keypress events to GPIOs connected to the touch sensor? Then I could generate the keypress when I set up switch access and it will detect the fired event?

If you want only a single switch, then the headphone (earphone) jack can help. 4-pin earphone jacks can implement a switch which can be seen near the mic. some smartphones can detect that key. But it is not guaranteed to work on all phones.

You can also use the USB OTG functionality as it is present in all recent smartphones. USB devices can be connected to the phone and the OS can detect the keypress. So, you can use a USB interface to connect your sensor to the phone, for eg. Arduino. You can find the necessary settings in the Accessibility menu. In my phone, there is an option called USB switch.

Thanks for your suggestions, they are definitely helping steer us towards the right place. The issue is that the touch sensor chip is actually on a PCB that is used to break out the SOM and provide additional peripherals (camera, display etc.) - meaning that the touch sensor outputs are actually connected directly to 3 of the SOM's GPIO ports. In other words, we need a way to to control the UI via GPIO input changes.


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How do I stop voice typing from muting/pausing other playing media?
I sometimes want voice typing to transcribe voice audio that is playing on my device. However, whenever voice typing is started, it stops all audio coming from my phone.
I have the xposed module app settings installed. This permits you to revoke individual permissions for an app. I tried revoking media_content_control and modify_audio_settings, but this didn't do anything.

As you know the voice typing feature works by listening to microphone of the device in use and any device where you use voice typing would behave same as if the device keeps playing the audio and also try to listen to microphone at the very same time, it may end up listening to the audio that the device itself is playing and would cause conflict between the user's voice or external voice and audio played by device
Generally this is the standard way voice typing work on any device not only android, i just tried this thing on windows Cortana and it reduced the speaker voice to very low level while the conversation was going on
In short i guess that wouldn't be possible without going too deep inside the system and modifying system files

You're totally right here: it's the standard for all kinds of voice input across platforms and devices, and not something one can usually change.


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Can I make Android require Fingerprint + PIN to unlock the screen?
I have a Galaxy S5 with a fingerprint reader. I'd like to be able to unlock my phone with a PIN or pattern unlock, but I also want to protect myself from shoulder-surfing.
Is there a way to require both a fingerprint and a PIN/pattern to unlock the phone? If the fingerprint fails to read correctly, then a much stronger password would be required to unlock.
This would let me scan my fingerprint and put in my PIN/pattern without worrying that someone might see my PIN and unlock my phone later. It also protects me more from governments that can require me to unlock my phone with my fingerprint, since a PIN would also be needed.
Is there an lockscreen app, XPosed module, or other method that can enable this two-factor-like authentication?
I have a rooted Galaxy S5 running Android 5.0.

How can I lock my phone with a swipe lockscreen along with a fingerprint/PIN? was left unanswered as well, so this one doesn't seem easy. Only use pattern lock instead of swipe screen and pattern lock has the opposite problem. What I could think of would be using the SIM PIN additionally (I know, not really fitting but close) – provided that could be configured to be "always required".

Galaxy S5 has that functionality by default. My fingerprint doesn't work sometimes so I just click "Alternative Password" and enter my pin. Not using stock ROM?

@AaronGillion I want my phone to require my valid fingerprint, and then after it accepts my fingerprint, require a PIN as well. That way, you must both scan a valid fingerprint and type in a valid PIN before it lets you unlock. And if my fingerprint is unable to validate, a simple PIN won't unlock the phone; it would use a very long backup password instead.

Using Xposed immediately stops any protection you think you have put on the device. You need to be rooted to used Xposed and therefore it's unlikely your phone will be encrypted. If it's not encrypted then all your data is accessible. If it is encrypted, it's likely Xposed can be removed via recovery and you are left unprotected/your fingerprint could be forced. Xposed and security are not compatible.

@Kryten2k35 You can have Xposed along with an encrypted device; that's how mine is set up. And even if Xposed can be removed via recovery, a reboot always requires the long password (a fingerprint doesn't work initially). Xposed and security can easily go hand-in-hand. However, like root, it all depends on the skill and abilities of the hands that hold it.

One solution is to use Tasker. Set up your phone to use a fingerprint as the standard unlock mechanism, with a strong password as the backup unlock (required if the fingerprint fails, or every time the phone reboots).
Next, create a Task named Screen Unlocked (or similar). In the Task, make it run the Display->Lock action. Set the Code to whatever pin you want. Check the Remember Till Off and Full Screen options, and make sure Allow Cancel is unchecked.
Next, create a Profile in Tasker for the Event of Display Off. When that profile is triggered, have it run the new Task you created. Add a second trigger to the same Profile to prevent this lock from happening if a call is in progress (using Invert). Otherwise, putting the phone to your head will turn off the display and cause the PIN lock (even though android knows it isn't actually locked and doesn't require tour fingerprint),and removing it from your head will show the PIN and block the call end and other buttons.
Finally, add a second Profile for the event Display Unlocked, and have it run the same Task. That way, if you do manually lock the phone while in a call with the power button (tripping the standard android fingerprint lock), it will properly show the PIN request on the screen again, without interfering with the end call buttons. Don't worry, having the lock show for display off and display unlocked will not, in fact, require you to type the pin twice.
With this setup, you unlock your phone with a fingerprint. When that is accepted, Tasker will prompt you for a PIN as well.
The reason you run this task on Screen Off instead of Screen Unlocked is that the Screen Unlocked creates a delay between unlocking the phone and showing the PIN request. By running the task on Screen Off, the PIN request is shown the instant you unlock with your fingerprint.
Note that this setup requires the PIN even if you use your backup password (if your fingerprint can't be read). However, I'm willing to live with that, since I rarely need to enter the master password anyway, and typing in a PIN afterwords is fine.
Protect Tasker
Since the PIN is stored in plaintext in Tasker, you should probably setup a PIN to open Tasker. Tasker has this built-in to its preferences, so you can require a PIN to view and modify any Tasker profiles and settings. Otherwise, if you leave your phone unlocked, anyone could find your PIN by viewing the Tasker config. In any case, don't use the same PIN for your screen unlock as you do for any other service like ATM cards or voicemail.

I tested this, and although it works as described, I found that I am able to revoke the "draw over other apps" permission by following the notification in the status bar, which completely deactivates the Tasker pin prompt.

Yes you can, you can install "APPLock" from the playstore (download the one with a "silver-coloured safe" icon). Then you can use PIN, Fingerprint and Pattern to unlock your phone or app

I use NOTE4 N910C. After upgrade to 6.0.1 such feature is avaliable by default. As I can see on http://www.sammobile.com, MM 6.0.1 is available for S5 so simply update Your phone via Odin

I have marshmallow 6.0 on my S5 now, and the functionality still isn't what I need. Sure, a reboot requires the long password, but I still can't require a fingerprint and a PIN simultaneously to unlock the phone during normal operation.


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If Bluetooth Then Hotspot
I have a Pixel 2 and I just installed a Android head unit in my car. I am looking for an app or script that when I get into my car and my Pixel connects by bluetooth to my head unit it turns my Hotspot on so my head unit can get internet connection. I tried IFTTT but that doesn't have an option for it. I am new to Android a bit but pretty computer savvy. Has anyone seen an IFTTT like this or know of how this can be done?

I am looking into something similar. So far IFTTT does not appear to have any hotspot applets. Various threads talk about an app called TASKER. Not tried it yet. 1 week for free, then one time purchase of about $5.

@JeffEckstein I saw that too but for it to work on my Pixel with Android 10 I have to root it which is not easy with Android 10 and add TASKER as a system level app and then build the task. TASKER is hard as hell to learn and I have been working on it for 9 months and still haven't figured it out.


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Android 8 delayed notifications
Every once in a while my device get "stuck" - I send an SMS or Email, and they are received only after 10 minutes or later. The device can be "stuck" even when the phone is on, and running other apps.
I tried installing Push Notification Fixer apps, but they do not help.
When I send the test and the phone is not "stuck", I get a notification after about 10 seconds.
However, I do receive notifications for Google Voice and WhatsApp when phone is in "stuck" phase, so it does seem app specific issue. Also I have noticed that these 2 apps have permission receive data from Internet , which the Gmail app does not. Seems to be related to what type of push notification is used. see documentation.
Also I noticed the Google Play Store is unable to install/uninstall apps in this "stuck" phase.

The answer doesn't work lol. Btw, there's no way to fix delayed notifications on my phone. Some device manufactures have aggressive battery optimization changes that cause delays or even nothing may happen so no setting may work. The actual answer may be to get a different phone from different manufacturer sadly. And yes, Google introduced different ways, its possible one way or another may cause different reaction.

It does not make sense to block some functions when the phone is on and running other apps, which is already battery consuming.

Here's a list of things you can try:

Make sure you haven't disabled the app by force quitting on it
Make sure power saving mode isn't on
Check Data usage to see if Background Data is enabled for the App
Turn off battery optimization from Battery Usage option for the App
Make sure that there isn't any third party overlayer that you've utilized which is utilizing the app sync permissions ( certain launchers/ addons may do so)
Clear cache for that particular App
Factory reset the Google app by selecting the Uninstall updates option
Install this app and set your heartbeat rate to 5 minutes. It's a quick fix for the issue. It's most probably a network driver issue which the company needs to patch up and in the meantime, you can use this app to ensure normal functionality

Tried all that. doesn't help.

Then try installing the app that I've linked. It's a network framework issue and requires a company side fix. Also try to see if you can send them a ticket regarding your complain

Note: Disabling the battery optimization may not have an immediate effect. I had the case where I had to reboot the phone before the setting was applied and the app finally worked as expected.

You should probably do the "wipe system cache" of your phone. That might help (check out the steps online)


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What do the 2 triangles beside the WiFi icon mean?
I'm running Oreo 8.1.0 on a Xiaomi A1. In the status bar, I see the following three similar icons beside the WiFi icon, never more than one of them at a time:

One of them is a solid equilateral triangle, with a vertex at the top, occupying the top half of the status bar.

One is a solid equilateral triangle, with a vertex at the bottom, occupying the bottom half of the status bar.

And the third is the combination of the other two.

I can't find any info about all of them by searching online, nor at Material Design's Icons.
What do they mean?

I guess you think on up/down arrows next to the WiFi signal indicator. They are called network activity arrows/indicators.
Those arrows are showing when there is network activity. Arrow pointing up means you are uploading data (doesn't necessarily mean that you are uploading a file but rather that there is network activity, when you search something on Google you need to send data first - request to be able to receive) and an arrow pointing down means that phone is receiving data via the internet. They can appear separately or both at the same time.
They also appear next to cellular signal strength if cellular data is active. Sometimes arrows are inside of WiFi/cellular icon, it really depends on the device manufacturer.


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What does `adb shell dpm set-device-owner` do?
So I have been looking a lot into how I can save some battery life on my Samsung Galaxy S8+ (not that it is bad by any means) and so I've been trying and looking at a lot of different apps. Among these are Greenify, Island, Tasker+Package disabler, and Ice Box. And especially Ice Box has caught my eye.
But there is something about, how Ice Box is set up that I don't understand. If the device is not rooted (which mine isn't), you'll need to run the following in ADB to make it work: adb shell dpm set-device-owner com.catchingnow.icebox/.receiver.DPMReceiver.
I don't know a lot about shell commands, but as far as I understand this will set the App as device admin/owner (is there a difference?)? But this command for some reason also require you to remove all account when run, otherwise, it won't work.. - BUT Apps like Island also require device admin? But that can be set right on the device without ADB?
What is the difference and what exactly does that shell command do?

Google has noted here:

A device owner is a specialized type of device administrator that has the additional ability to create and remove secondary users and to configure global settings on the device. [It can be used] to take fine-grain control of the configuration, security, and apps on managed devices. A device can have only one active device owner at a time.

(Emphasis mine)
So now you know why all other accounts have to be removed for Ice Box but not for other apps. You can add those accounts later, after making that app a device owner.
Also, if memory serves correct, once you set an app as a device owner I don't think you can remove that app. You would have to factory reset the device or use root access to wipe it out.

Alright thanks!:) But is that "all" the command does? What is DPM receiver?

That .receiver.DPMreceiver is a component of IceBox app. I don't know enough about the functioning of a device admin receiver, so that's all I can give.


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How can I transfer android data to PC (windows) given that phone screen is not working and I don't want to replace it.?
I have a LeTV android phone launched in India in 2016, now the company has been shut down. Few days back, my mobile screen suddenly just went off. Now it is just switched ON. Before dismantling it, I want to transfer my data to my PC as I haven't set backup on. I tried through command prompt adb commands but it is saying  device in unauthorized, do it by clicking on screen which I can't do. Please help me, how can I transfer data.

Both of your queries are of most widely discussed topics. Make a search and you will get hundreds of answers like this and this.

First buy USB-OTG adapter and try to connect keyboard/mouse. If no USB-OTG support, you could flash rom with ro.adb.secure=0 and userdebug. or inject init.d script which will sync /data/misc/adb/adb_keys from any given location (cache, system, sdcard). For unencrypted Mediatek devices simply readback with SP Flash Tool

TWRP has adb shell, too https://twrp.me/faq/openrecoveryscript.html

ADB commands won't work if you haven't set up USB debugging prevoiusly, and also allowed your computer to debug the phone.
If I understand you correctly that your phone only turns on, but you cannot see anything on the screen, I am afraid nothing can be done. Take your phone to a person who can fit in another display. Otherwise, this seems virtually impossible.

OP stated that usb-debugging is on, just not able to confirm the RSA-Key


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enable screen mirroring on galaxy S7 (broken display + locked by sequence) with keyboard
I have a Galaxy S7 device with broken and black screen. The phone is locked by screen sequence (pattern).
I would like to activate the screen mirroring on it to backup data, but it is not possible to use touch screen.
So I have bought an OTG cable to connect a mouse or keyboard to my phone.
The problem is that i don't know which steps I need to perform to tap the screen mirroring button on the top menu.
Is there a way to know the steps to do for this purpose?
Or, is there an alternative way to access on phone?
I've tried with Vysor software app, but it is needed that USB debugging is activated on phone, so maybe I need to know the steps to activate USB debugging via keyboard.

I assume "screen-squence" means that the device uses an pattern lock. If yes this is bad because an OTG mouse only sends movements and not absolute coordinates. Therefore it is next to impossible to move the correct path to unlock the phone without screen. The only chance is to trigger the Google password prompt after too many failed attempts.

@Robert yes, you are right. Also notice that because of pattern lock, I can't do screenshots to understand how is the screen in a certain moment. Also, if I connect the device to my PC, I do not see any file inside, maybe because file transfer is not activated too

USB file transfer (MTP) is not available on a locked device. You have to at least unlocked the device once after connecting it via USB to your PC.

I suppose it is not possible to unlock it, am I right?

Not totally impossible but very very unlikely.


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SD applications return to Internal Memory
I have a Samsung J7 prime with Android 8.1, the issue is that my applications can be moved normally to external storage, but then it appears again in the internal memory. (when google play store updates the apps). Is there any way to avoid that?

To avoid updating apps it can be changed in settings when updating is allowed. Or u can shut it down all together then manually run scans to pick and choose which app you want to update.


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Encryption failed after turning my android phone on
when i turn on my phone it shows "Encryption failed" and "Unable to start up your device. the encryption process was interrupted. you need to reset your device to factory default setting. this will erase all your data " and it has a reset button. this reset button and flashing my phone with Odin does not help. how can i make it work again?

Which files did you use? You should flash "repair firmware" which clear the memory. In the other hand, this can be a hardware failure meaning the flash memory is damaged

when i turn on the phone it shows "encryption failed" and it says you should factory reset your phone and there is a reset button which is factory reset . but it does not work

you said you did flash it with Odin!

yes but the problem is still there . after installing  new software or factory reset , it still says "encryption failed" on startup

Any idea on what did cause this? It seems to me that this can be a hardware failure with the eMMC chip

it was on my hand when it suddenly freezed then i had to wait until its battrey runs out of charge . when i turned on this showed up

here is a shot of the problem https://imgur.com/a/JEKmdXW

Ok, I guess the file system is compromised. You just need to flash the whole firmware. Download the so called "repair firmware" then flash it with Odin. Leave all options to default while flashing. Should solve this

What is the model number? Should be printed on the back and start by SM-

it is galaxy A8+ SM-A730F

Well, grab these files from here: https://www.full-repair-firmware.com/2018/01/repair-firmware-a730f.html?m=1

i downloaded as you said, with pit file Odin failed and without pit file it is still encryption error  :-(

So I'm afraid that your memory chip is damage. You'll need to bring it to a repair shop to get it fixed as they have advanced tools that can access the memory directory


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Can not receive WhatsApp messages unless I open the app
I have a Huawei P20 Lite with Android 9, EMUI 9.1.0 and WhatsApp 2.19.253, which is the latest version.
As I wrote in the title, I can't receive WhatsApp messages, after many hours of researching I didn't find any solution for my problem. This is the first time I face whit this problem, because I managed and configured variues P20 Lite but none of them gave me that headache.
The things which I did:

Turn on every single option for WhatsApp's notifications;
Uninstall the application and install it again;
Remove the app from the battery optimization process;
Clear the cache;
Enabled automatic start, secondary start and running in background, following this steps Settings -> Battery -> app launch -> 3 vertical dots -> manage manually;
No limit for internet traffic and allow background data, following Settings -> networks and wireless -> data usage -> select WhatsApp -> enabled the varius option.

Any idea or solution for this problem?
EDIT
When I send a message from my phone to this P20 Lite, on the message appears only 1 tick, such as the P20 is disconnected from wifi/mobile data, but the wifi is enabled and connected, the same behaviour with mobile data.

Have you disabled background data for Google Play Services? This service is used for notifying Whatsapp of new messages. See this question and it's answers for details: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/216714

@Robert No, the only things which I did, are wrote in the answer

Does your phone never receives messages when the screen is off or is there just a long delay. Let someone send you a message and leave the phone alone for may be 30 minutes.

@Robert Yes, the phone receives messages when the screen is lock, but after 5-10 minutes WhatsApp stop doing is background work such as the system kill the process. When I open it everything works well, instant messages with screen on and off

The OP in this thread also had the same issue as you and it was solved by going to «Setting--> battery optemization --> select "all apps" on the little arrow and go to Whatsapp and select " Not allowed"». There is another solution also on that thread. I know you wrote about battery optimization but try once more, you never know.

@ReddyLutonadio Already tried this way and already read this post, anyway thnaks for the advice.

I just had this issue here with P10 - WhatsApp would not receive until opened or at least running in the background. Now it receives even if closed. I solved it by:
Settings > Search for setting > Ignore battery optimisation
If by 'Allowed' apps you don't see Whatsapp, click on the corner triangle for 'All apps', search for Whatsapp and 'Allow'

I had similar issues with late or no notifications showing up, eg for Snapchat, Messenger.

It is called PowerGenie and it kills all apps that are not on its whitelist. You cannot add custom apps on their pre-defined whitelist. This means there is no other way to fix proper app functionality on Huawei than uninstalling PowerGenie.

https://dontkillmyapp.com/huawei
Basically you can remove PowerGenie without root using ADB:
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.powergenie
adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.huawei.android.hwaps

After I removed those packages I receive notifications 100% of the time for all my apps, just how it should be (and with no impact to battery life that I can see).


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How do I switch my Android device's SD card without causing problems?
I just got a new 32GB SD card for my Nexus One. On the old one I have a bunch of apps installed and store the data there because the internal memory doesn't handle it.  So now I want to switch SD cards, but how do I go about doing that without causing any issues?  Do I just simply copy-paste everything, or is there another way to do it?
I'm on stock firmware on the Android and using Mac OS X Lion.

Unless you did some App2SD magic with ext4 partitions on your SD card (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you didnt), the SDCard will only have a simple FAT32 partition.
So all you have to do is copy all the data from old SDCard and to a new one and everything will be fine.
Easiest way to do it is to plug the phone in your laptop, put the card in the card reader (with help of an adapter which is usually bundled with new SD Card), copy everything over and swap the SD Cards in the phone.
EDIT: Android stores applications that were moved to sdcard in a folder named .android_secure which is hidden on OS X Finder and Linux Nautilus by default. Don't forget to move that :)

awesome, just had to restart my phone after copying and all is good :)

@Mavrik But SDHC card with FAT32 has 4GB limit per file transfer. Is it wise to copy from old FAT32 SDHC card to new SDHC card with newer file system that does not have 4GB limit?

Android requires the SD-card to be formatted to FAT32 and not to any of newer filesystems so this is moot point (root hacks excluded, but for those you really have to know what you're doing).

Does this answer still work? Seeing as my .android_secure folder seems to be empty. Can I still migrate this way?

Yes, folder names have changed lately, but the process didn't.

Also note that, like .android_secure already pointed out in the answer, there might be more "hidden directories" starting with a dot. Make sure to catch them all :)

If you have done anything fancy on a second partition (usually is EXT4 or EXT3 fs), or if you have CWM (ClockWork Mod) and can thus make full backups easily, I'd take a look at this answer.
In a nutshell:

Make a backup with CWM (creates a backup stored on the SD card),
Copy everything from the SD card to the PC,
Insert and format the new SD card,
Copy the data back to the new card,
Restore the backup (including ext4) using CWM.

I believe you can do step 2. with the usual USB-cord method and that it only needs to include all data from the first partition (FAT fs). Do remember to include hidden files.
On older versions of Android (older than 2.2) if you are, say, using link2sd, you may also need to:

Re-link apps (may need to 'reinstall' via link2sd's quick reinstall feature).


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How can I get TV-out from a Galaxy Tab 8.9?
I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. I would like to mirror the screen on my TV but I could not find TV-out in the Settings.
How can I do this?

Since the Tab 8.9 uses a proprietary connector (as do other Samsung tablets), you need to use an adapter that they provide. These could previously be purchased direct from Samsung, but have since been discontinued. Resellers now list a wide range of pricing on sites such as eBay. There was also an even older RCA adapter made by Samsung, but the Tab 7 Plus, 8.9 and 10.1 don't support it, to my knowledge.
At that point, I believe it works like other Honeycomb tablets in that it will simply mirror to the TV automatically after being plugged in.
The only real alternative would be to use your computer as an intermediary device, along wish some software that allows you to cast/record your screen. There are a number of options in How do I project the screen of my Android phone for a presentation? that may be worth investigating.

My parents' TV does not have HDMI. So screaming to their TV. So it is impossible to have the image from Tablet with Composite cable with 8.9.

@Masi: Unfortunately, no, I don't think the 8.9 supports composite output natively. The best you could probably do is to get an HDMI to RCA/S-Video converter, but the video image may very well get distorted (I know Amazon sells some but have never tried them).

Link is broken.

@DJClayworth Looks like they no longer manufacture or sell the adapter,  likely since the tablet is not supported anymore.


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My phone was just stolen an hour or so ago. Are there any options for tracking?
I realize this is a long shot, but my phone was lost or stolen a few hours ago.
At the time it was stolen, I didn't have any specific applications installed to track it or wipe the data. So... my bad. I'm hoping the fact that I have a pattern lock will at least prevent anyone from accessing my data.
My question is, do I have any options for tracking or data wipe after the fact? (I'm more interested in tracking.)
Note: I have read similar questions, but unless I'm mistaken, they all address the question in terms of preparation before losing the phone. I'm asking about fallback options after losing the phone.

See also  Is there any way to erase personal information from my phone that has already been stolen? which covers phone tracking as well as wiping

I strongly recommend you change your Google account password.  Like, now.

it's not just changing account passwords... you have to explicitly un-associate the device from certain accounts. Dropbox is one such, as is twitter

If you have changed your password before remotely installing Plan B, I doubt that, Plan B can get installed remotely, because of authentication failure.

@iSid: Good point to note, though in this case I did install and attempt to execute Plan B before changing my Google password.

You can install Plan B remotely to your phone via the Market's web interface. Plan B was made exactly for this, to get the location of your phone AFTER it has been stolen.

Is there an alternative that works on a Galaxy Pad Galaxy Tab 10.1v GT-P7100?

Ah I see: Android Lost

Unfortunately Plan B only works with 2.0 - 2.3 versions of Android.

Android Lost is another app that you can install after your phone has been stolen.
Quote from the link:

No pre installation required
  You didn't install AndroidLost on your
  phone? No problem! You can push the AndroidLost app to your phone from
  google market and initiate the connection to googles servers by
  sending an SMS with the message "androidlost register" to your phone.

As of 2014 and possibly some version of Android I don't think that is possible now because of the need to send an SMS or register the phone by starting the application (which the person in possession of the phone would need to do) - https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/androidlost/Vo5_F0wF_do/0CUPZ5o2nuYJ

Same situation here. However if you changed your account's password before installing Plan B and your phone was off, you still have a chance to get that app installed and trace it, at least it worked for me after changing it.

I'm surprised that no-one has suggested going to the play store / device manager and using the built-in tools for locking and erasing the device in question. Go here: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager?hl=en&u=0

Whoever stole it probably turned it off. You should probably call your carrier if you know the IMEI.