text:
battery gets drained at a certain time
Lately I've gotten a very strange behavior from my phone:
at a certain time (around 23h) the battery begins to drain,
it's very annoying because I used to keep the phone on during the night (and as a result woke up with a dead phone in the morning).
I use juice plotter to see what's going on and surely:
at around 11 the graph drops at a higher speed compared to the graph during daytime.
I didn't install new apps (that I know of), don't use wifi or mobile network.
I do keep my phone updated (I regularly update all my apps) so an update of a certain app can be the cause (question is: which app?))
If I look at the info of the os itself it doesn't show a certain app using more battery then usual.
How can I investigate this issue?
S.

Have you tried changing your battery? try & tell us what will happen.

Look who's using cpu after the drain starts (like, look at live cpu usage)

Is it possible your wifi is trying to connect to a neighbor who turns his network on/off? Close proximity + password enabled + failure = continued attempts until drainage. In fact, I exploit this condition when my tablet freezes; I re-charge an empty battery which has unfrozen to get past it.

Concerning my previous suggestion - this is more likely to be evidenced if you are placing your phone in a different location overnight than before?

@wbogacz: hey, this is not the issue (I don't use wifi or mobile network)


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Is there a way to change toggles?
Is there a way to change the toggles in Lollipop? I'd like to remove and add some.

Device needs to be rooted and Xposed framework installed to change them, unless you're using Cyanogen OS, then it would be easy to change some of them. Use Gravitybox LP.

This is reportedly a feature that's coming in M :)

You can't edit the toggles in the stock ROM, but I've heard Power Toggles works pretty well. I'm pretty sure that CM allows you to edit the toggles if you are rooted.

Depending on your device there may be the option to change the available toggles in settings or even in your notification pull-down.
Samsung devices (some) have this feature.

My device is rooted. So I have to install Xposed Framework?

That depends on your device. If those options aren't available to you, or to want more than to simply reorganize the toggles, then yes, xposed will benefit you.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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I Accidentally Deleted the Launcher
I was making some tests on my android phone and I accidentally deleted the launcher from the system partition and I forgot to copy the new one to the system partition again, and the phone doesn't show anything, just the status bar and I can't enter or run anything.
I tryed to send the launcher's apk using bluetooth, but neither other android phone nor windows 8.1 can't send any file to the phone, even if the phone is paired with both devices.
Is there any way to run the Play Store to install the launcher or to install the launcher from the SD card?
Thanks a lot.

You can find a launcher on the Google Play Store and remotely install it that way. Then reboot the phone after it installs. Once the phone reboots it should prompt you to pick a launcher and then you can go from there.
So for instance if you want the Google Launcher.
Then click on the Install button and select the device. As long as the device is online and signed into your account, it will install for you automatically.
Edit. Forgot to say this. You can do this from another device, just have to do it through the browser and not the app. Or since you said Windows 8.1 I assume thats a desktop/laptop. You can do it on there as well.
Edit 2. Adding on what @Izzy commented. You can download the apk for google's launcher from here. Then sideload via adb, using the command adb install </folder/nameof.apk>.

Beat me to it – yepp, that's exactly what solves it (+1). With the device not connected to GPlay, adb install is an alternative if you got hold of some launcher .apk :)

Was about to re-edit my answer to include that as well. But was looking for where he could download an apk to a launcher to sideload like that. Lol

I can help you with the latter: see my list of Home Replacements, many of them offer an .apk download (blue icon with an arrow pointing down).

I tried that, but the device is not detected on Windows. Is there a way to install it from SD? I don't have access from the device to anything, that includes the Play Store. One more thing, I have other device of the same model, it turns on but does not shows anything on the screen, the screen backlight turns on, but nothing is shown, just a "black screen". What can I do? by the way, both phones are iRulu Universe 2 and I got both from a gift.

What type of android are you using? My advice if google play store can still be used, use the keyword launcher to find thelauncher you want, then restart.

I did the same thing. Once I went to General Settings -> General -> Accounts & Sync and signed in, there were lots of notifications that took me to the Google Play Store.

authors: وجدان الحمدي

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

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


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How do I specify a different PIN than 0000 when pairing a bluetooth device on android
I have a bluetooth speaker with default passkey 1111 rather than 0000.
I'm not able to connect to it using my android tablet because of this error:

Couldn't pair with SP104B because of an incorrect PIN or passkey

How do I specify a different PIN than 0000 when pairing a bluetooth device on android 4.2.2?

To fix your speaker problem - Go to Settings > Bluetooth > Turn On and wait for your list of devices to populate. Locate your speaker and Long Press it (press and hold) and then select Un-pair. You'll be free to attempt to pair it again with the proper PIN!
If your device isn't paired with the phone, but it's still not connecting, you can try clearing your Bluetooth cache. Turn off Bluetooth, then Go to Settings > Applications > All > Bluetooth Share and tap "Force Stop," then "Clear Cache," then "Clear Data. If the device was ever paired or a pairing ever failed, it may have stored those credentials regardless of success. This should give you a fresh chance at it.
As for why you can't specify what PIN your speaker provides your phone - it's because the default PIN is assigned to the device when it's made, and can't be changed by the average consumer. Most 'dumb' Bluetooth devices have no way of changing the PIN it comes with.

My speaker is not paired with my tablet and when I tap on it to pair, there is no prompt for PIN. Android just try to pair using default passkey 0000 and then I get the error.

@S.Yavari - Ah, I misinterpreted your question - I assumed it was already paired but no longer connecting. I've updated my answer with additional troubleshooting steps.

Thank you for your effort. I Tried these steps but the problem is still exists and there is no prompt for PIN.

I ran into same problem. Had nothing to do with phone. Try holding down the power button on Bluetooth device when pairing to your phone.

I faced same problem with BOSE Bluetooth hand set with android (Version 4.4) phone.
I followed below step and succeed.
 1. Hold down the paired devices and removed the already added item.
 2. Bluetooth off and then ON.
 3. Search for new pairing and start pair the device.

Success.
Note: If above steps not work and restart OS of both devices.


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How to force an apk to install?
I have an early build of CM12.1 running on my ZenFone 2 and I'm working on trying to get the ASUS camera app to work with it, however when I try to install the apk, it fails.
adb install gives me Failure: [INSTALL_FAILED_DEXOPT]. I was wondering if there was any way I can "hack" the apk in order to force it to install the app anyway, instead of throwing an error.

Even if there were, you wouldn't benefit from that. "DEX" stands for "Dalvik EXecutable"; if that cannot be created, the app won't run. If you wonder why that happens on Android 5.x which is using ART instead of Dalvik, that might be due to the fact the first steps of building the ART code are pretty similar to those used on Dalvik (for compatibility reasons; see Wikipedia: To maintain backward compatibility, ART uses the same input bytecode as Dalvik, supplied through standard .dex files as part of APK files …)

camera is usually a system app ,you need to push it to /system/priv-app via adb push command

@lord-ralf-adolf Why /system/priv-app and not /system/app?

@Firelord well since kitkat ,not all apps on system partition have the system level permission ,for example no app can access WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS if it is not under /system/priv-app  ,stock cameras apps needs that permission and more so it have to be putted there ,priv-app was created for manufacturers so they can limit permissions to pre-installed apps ,putting apps under /system/app will prevent user from deleting them and at the same time no extra permissions will be granted for that app

@lord-ralf-adolf Could you provide a credible source? I need to read about that "WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS" and your claim about /system/priv-app meant primarily to limit permissions

of course @Firelord here for the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS read it in the official android devlopers >> http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html    for the /system/priv-app and system/app ,I red it somewhere ,I forgot where ,but I use it all the time and when I put my apps under /system/app I can't get the rights to use system level permissions

That type of issue is mostly often caused by an app going over something called a "Dex limit", which has to do with the external libraries an app uses. If you're interested, there's an explanation over on Stack Overflow.
This type of problem has been solved for some people by wiping the device and reflashing.


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how to fix error of insufficient space
Even though I have tons of memory I can't install apps because it shows insufficient memory in Google play..I tried all things such as uninstalling Google play store and typing *#9900# and clearing the data still it's not helping me...Please do something

Take a look at similar questions tagged under [tag:insufficient-memory]. Also, could you post a screenshot of the Play Store error, and the status of Storage available.

I've had this problem a few days ago. All I did was clearing all the data and cache of all Google related apps especially Play Store, Google Play Services, Google Play Framework, and Download manager. Next removing the Google account itself from the phone. Reboot the device and start fresh everything.


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can you charge samsung tablet with samsung phone charger
Someone told me that you shouldn't charge your tablet with your phone charger,it will ruin it. Is this true?  They're both Samsung.

It should be fine, just slower (depending on the rating of the two chargers).
It's possible for the tablet to draw more power than can be provided by a weaker charger, so for it to charge well you should ideally have it powered off or at least idle.

Yes you can and it's normal to understand that it's not a original charger for your device.
So it must be take extra time for charging.

Yes, you can charge but you will face some problem like slow charging , less battery backup, and also other battery related problem in future or heating of device

What is "battery backup" and why would less current increase heat issues?

authors: นฤชิต ศรีคําม้วน


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How do I make Android continue playing the ringtone music instead of restarting it as peer calls again?
Device receives a call, but there is no reply. In 3 minutes, there is another ring from the same peer.
How do I make long ringtone music continue from some point instead of starting from scratch when the phone is ringing soon enough?

I'm really not sure if this is possible (never heard of such feature). Also, is there a reason why you didn't pick up the call?

Because of I'm away from my phone and others around don't want to touch my device either to pick up a call or to just silence it. In case of when the call rings again and again, it is less annoying to hear continuation of ringtone music rather than the same 30 seconds again and again.

Aslo I just want in general to fine-tune how the phone rings and vibrates (which music/pattern depending on number, depending time of day, depending on history of calls and SMSes).

I haven't tried doing this yet; but I believe you might be able to do it with this app called Automated Device, you can setup some rules to change the ringtone, and by cutting your song into chunks, and then using the flag functionality to define which rule is active at each moment, you could setup a rotation of ringtones that together play the full song.
Something like (pseudocode):
If phone is ringing, and the flag "ringtone step" is zero;
then change ringtone to cut 2 but only after 29 seconds,
and set the flag "ringtone step" to 1.

If phone is ringing, and the flag "ringtone step" is 1;
then change ringtone to cut 3 but only after 29 seconds,
and set the flag "ringtone step" to 2.

If phone is ringing, and the flag "ringtone step" is 2;
then change ringtone to cut 1 but only after 29 seconds,
and set the flag "ringtone step" to 0.

The 29 seconds thing is so it won't skip to the next chunk without completing the current one (if an action is delayed and the conditions stop being true, it won't execute). I'm not sure what happens if you try to change the ringtone while the phone is ringing though.
.
For doing anything complex with it, it is a bit like programming, but a lot more awkward. But simpler stuff is quite easy.
Perhaps there might be other apps; I haven't looked for an alternative in quite a while; this one is what I'm familiar with.

Is callers number and presense in phonebook and ringing history accessible to AutomatedDevice's conditionals? Continued ringtone should be only for immediate re-call of the same number.

The first one, yes. Regarding checking for numbers not on the contacts, I don't think that's possible with this app; but you can have rules for all the numbers you want to be treated differently from the rest, and then a rule that checks if the phone is ringing AND none of the rules with numbers defined are being triggered. As for call history, I don't think so; but you can add some flags to identify which rule was last executed, and use those flags as part of the conditions.


text:
Share Android internet from proxy Server app via hotspot or usb tethering
I have a proxy Server android app that lets you modify outgoing http requests
that app Called  "Simple Server Android"
With it I Managed to get a free internet from my Carrier (Hacked connection)
By adding proxy and port to it
every thing is Work just fine on my android , But I Want to share this connection to my computer with this settings

On pc type on search box configure proxyserver then tap lan settings and voila configure your own proxy

A stock android feature is that you can use your device as a portable hotspot. On that device, go settings → more (in the wireless an. Networks chunk) → tethering and portable hotspot, in which you'll see two options: Portable WiFi hotspot(is a checkbox) and setup WiFi hotspot.
Choose set-up, and give it the name and password of your choice. Then save, turn it on (Mobile data must be on, just as WiFi connection need to be off) and connect your computer to it as you would to any wireless network(assuming you are on Windows, internet icon in bottom right) click it then your hot-spot, put in the password and you are done!

dude that didn't work for me I already did it before i even ask this question
When I use a hotspot my android share only a regular connection without a proxy server setting  without this setting I can't open any thing in my computer
So I need Mobile data to make  it through (proxy server app) before I use  it in my computer I hope I make it Clear

Hmmm. Look below. Also can you send me your data for this proxy? Send it to moveslikebill@gmail.com

You need to set proxy in Wi-Fi settings on your PC too. The reason is that hotspot network cannot be configured to use proxy without modifying NAT rules and/or kernel routing table at OSI layer 2/3. Proxy is used on per-connection basis by apps themselves, it's not enforced system-wide. For details see Why proxy set on Android does not work when used as hotspot?


text:
WiFi does not work properly on my phone only
This problem occured randomly. I have this problem for a week now.
My phone does not connect to the router, although it shows it in the list. If I get very close to the router (max. 2-3 meters) it does work.
I have tried setting the router to 5 or 2.4Ghz and tried different channels. The router does not show any problems. Also deleting the WiFi profile on the phone and re-adding it normally or via WPS does not help. I even installed another ROM on the phone (was on a 5.1.1 ROM, changed to stock one).
The connection works fine on at least 10 other devices (no, they are not connected at the same time, that's not the problem ^^)
Phone: Sony Xperia Z, newest firmware (Android 5.0.2)
Router: Fritz!Box 7490, newest firmware (113.06.30)
Thanks for your help!

Sounds like a hardware issue for me. To zero on it, can you measure the wifi signal strength from this and another device with both next to each other? If your Sony Xperia Z reports a lower signal strength than other, it could be a hardware issue.  You can also try the *#*#4636#*#* key sequence as well.

@Narayanan I don't think this is a hardware issue. Although my model is pretty old, the device is only some weeks old. I have an insurance for the phone and got the new one ~6 weeks ago... I had to be pretty unlucky for this. My notebook has 4/5 bars when my phone disconnects

@XLR8 It kinda works. The signal strength is higher. 3/4 bars. But if I click on it and then on "connect" it just does nothing. Sometimes (rarely) I get an authentication error.


text:
samsung galaxy s cannot add google account
My HTC was run over by a bus and I am temporarily using my Samsung Galaxy S whilst the phone is being repaired.
I discovered yesterday that my google account was syncing.  I was able to login into my gmail via the internet but the account would not allow me to sign in via the gmail/ youtube or market app.
From reading around it appears these apps need to be updated but there is no update option in settings.
When I try to access the play store via the browser to download , it says it is no longer supported.
Any ideas?

I assume you added your account through, Settings > Accounts > Google. or ran the setup for the device? You could also try removing your account from the device and readding it.
One thing you could try is going into the settings, Look for App Manager and find the play store, Clear the data for the app. Then try relaunching it.

No play store, only android market .

there's your answer. if you have android market, its wayyyy out of date

@DanB I know but how to I get play store?  Is it even possible?  Is there a way to update market to play?

There should be

@DanB I agree.  In end I created a new gmail account.  It just would not let me use my old email account, no idea why....


text:
LG l70 DBI Err Fatal - boot up display stuck here
I had LG l70 and I have rooted and fully unrooted it few times. Recently I fully unrooted it and factory reseted because I had intention to sell it. I left Lg l70 in sleep without battery in it for about 2 weeks and then I wanted to sell it, but when I booted up phone I got DBI Err Fatal. I have searched and tried every method to solve this, but the problem is I can't get phone to download or recovery mode. Everytime when I try to do it, it just displays DBI Err fatal. Even my computer can not recognise phone through USB connection. I am desperate for help.
Sincerely, divjad---
Here is the image of what it looks like everytime when it boots up.

authors: Иван Вашневской


text:
Android to listen TCP connection
Is it possible to put Android to accept outbound connections, ie. act as a server waiting for connections?
If so, is there any hindrance like an embedded Android firewall?
What I have in mind is to make a server-less, direct Android-to-Android (p2p) connection. My suspicion is that a few applications make use of that, eg. Skype when a call is established.

Your question is very unclear

If you want to share files like from android to android then you can use an app called ShareIt
If you want your android act as SAMBA server, there's Samba Fileshare app
If you want to make your own app that uses P2P between 2 android devices, then you've probably came to wrong place, maybe you'd like to check stackoverflow from top left corner

True, from hindsight it's unclear. Objective is to have my own app share files between two Android devices. Thanks

ahha now I see that you want some code like library or function, I think you have to post this to stackoverflow site then. Check top left corner


text:
will my apps get deleted if I update my twblet
Will my application  get deleted if I updated my tablet.if yes can I prevent it by moving them on my SD card?

You haven't specified your model number...
Anyway, if you update via the OTA Updates from within your phone,then the update shouldn't wipe your data/factory reset.
But just to be safe, backup your data. Copy your photos, app data, documents etc to your PC. So if the update goes wrong and it wipes your data, you can still restore your data from the backup you made.
By moving your apps to the sdcard, then still the apps will be removed after a factory reset. That would make no difference.
Hope my answer helps

authors: کامبیز کارگر شهامت


text:
Weird battery issues
There's this phone I got, it belonged to my girlfriend's mom, but she just gave it to me since it stopped working and I wanted it. The problem is it won't charge. I'll plug it in and the screen will turn on, but I get a picture of an empty battery with a yellow crossed out battery sign in the bottom right.
I've played around with it a bit and, after some testing, concluded that the problem is with a faulty battery - it won't charge in other devices, but other batteries will work and charge in this one.
My question is, could this be something I'm able to fix easily, or would I have to buy a new battery? She said that it broke because someone tripped on the cable while the phone was charging and it fell on the floor. I don't really have enough interest in the device to buy a new battery, and I doubt she does either, so if I can't fix it that's it for the phone....

How much do you have to pay for a new battery (€ or $)?

@ott-- around $20 not really that much but I don't have the budget for it at the moment. Do you know if I could get a used battery anywhere?

It depends on the battery, most are not repairable - if it's anything internal in the battery then there is nothing you can do but get a new one. Batteries have a limited lifespan anyway, it's normal to replace instead of 'fix'.
It is possible the connector broke off the batteries logic board (the part where the thing you plug into the device's metal makes contact with some other metal thing connected to the battery - part that isn't covered on the battery) has been shifted/broken off of what it's connected to and can't make a clean connection. If this is the case, you can try soldering the connector back onto the logic board.
Not knowing what phone type you have I can't give you a specific video that shows how to do this, but you can do a google search on your device/battery on how to connect the connector to the logic board - from there you'll know what to look for on the battery to see it it's not connected as well.

authors: Виктор Попов


text:
Back up photos from Nexus 5 do not appear on Google +
First off, I am technologically "challenged", so I usually have trouble performing the most basic tasks on phones/computers, etc.
Recently my phone battery has been dying way too fast and for no apparent reason. Yesterday, the phone had no power although it had been plugged in all night and it repeatedly turned itself off when I tried to engage it. I left it plugged in all day and tried again last night. Nothing. I panicked and found some advice online. Finally got it going again. I thought I had better back up my photos (around 1,500) to Google+ before I lose the phone forever.
I followed instructions and a small window on the phone said the pictures were being loaded. I kept the external power going. The battery did come back to about 85%. Then I left the phone and my Mac on all night. This morning, it (the phone) said there were 650 pictures remaining but I had run out of space. I then paid for the basic ($1.99/month) space and hoped that the rest would be uploaded.
So far NO pictures have appeared on Google+--I have looked everywhere. I don't know what to do now.
I am leaving the phone turned on and connected to external power since I'm afraid what will happen if I turn it off. (Right now the battery seems to be at about 10%!!)
I hope someone out there can help me before I lose all my pictures which are really important to me.
Thank you.

Google photos has now unlimited storage for images. Try synchronizing yours with their app.


text:
Decrypt SD card on a phone with a broken screen
I have a Glaxay S4 and I know the password to decrypt the card, and the phone's memory... but the screen is broken and doesn't display anything. Otherwise, the phone is fine.
It's my understanding that one phone cannot decrypt another phone's sd card... so that leads me to wonder if there anyway to remote into the phone and get it to decrypt it's own card without taking any input from the screen (or maybe some other method that I haven't thought of)?

Do you have a computer with an SD card reader (and an adapter for microSD cards)? If so, you can use that to decrypt the card. The actual solution depends on what operating system you're using on it - may be a bit easier if you're using Linux.

I'll be more than happy to install a linux VM on my machine, if it works. I'm just not sure how the encryption key is built and whether or not there is a device specific salt.

Assuming that only the screen is broken, that your device thinks everything is ok and boots up and runs normally you might be able to remotely decrypt the card or access the data, but I think it's a long shot. First, the phone would have to be rooted. Then you would have to connect it to your computer and run a remote access program like Telnet or SSH. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to do this without enabling or configuring the client device first.
From what I've read, the S4 doesn't use any hardware encryption so you should be able to reproduce the phone inside a VM running on a PC. You would need to obtain the exact ROM your S4 uses,  load it into an Android emulator (try Virtual Box) then configure the ROM with your phone's unique (ESN/IMEI, etc.). There's no guarantee this will work as I haven't come across any information on what algorithm the S4 uses for encryption or how it builds the key, but I don't think there's any other way besides fixing the screen.

The phone is encrypted as well, so I have to enter in the password during the boot process, it restarts and then boots up... I'm then prompted to enter in the password again, to unlock it. Because of this... I don't think that telnet or ssh is an option. I can't even get it to boot without interacting with it.I'll try the VM option... it would REALLY surprise me if it didn't use some kind of device specific salt, though.


text:
What are the current rooting options for Galaxy S6?
I've sort of been following the development scene for the A6, enough to know that there are multiple rooting options, each with their own pros and cons. What are the current ways people are rooting their S6s?

It seems the more popular way people are rooting the S6 is via Chainfire's autoroot method. You can find more info on XDA. http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/orig-development/cf-auto-root-t3056630

Pingpong Root, Uni Kernel, Odin, CF Auto Root. Google them along with your device model and you should be good to go. Keep in mind, once you upgrade to 5.1.1 there is no way to root without tripping Knox, unless you have the T-Mobile or international variant, using the engineering bootloader (http://wyckedroot.com/). If you want root you need to trip knox.

These are my options by which you can root your device:-

Odin (I prefer)
Kingo
Oneclick

See this link to know more.


text:
Kingo rooted my phone, windows laptop died
Now running Ubuntu 14.04 on my main computer; my windows laptop that i ran kingo root on to root the phone died, my LG G Vista is due for the lollipop upgrade from version 4.4.2 and it will not let me do the upgrade while its rooted. Is their a way to UN-root it using a different method even though i rooted it with the app so i can do the upgrade? I tried running kingo root in the wine emulator and it seemed to run fine it just didn't see my phone through the usb even though it was plugged in and on debugging mode. Any help is appreciated and thank you in advance!

Can't you just unroot from within the Superuser app?

@SuperThomasLab Some root apps, although allowing unroot, do not fix the "system modified" problem.

Alright. You are going to need:

Your device + cable
the stock ROM (Download here
adb (ill help you install that)

Ok, heres what to do:

plug in your phone in usb debugging mode(in developer options. if not there, go to about device and tap build number 7 times, then back once.)
open terminal, and dosudo apt-get install adb remember to put in your password!
in terminal, do cd /home/<username>/downloads
boot your device into recovery mode (you made need to look up how, it varies on device) and choose install from adb or similar options.
in the terminal, do adb sideload <name of ROM file, include the extension.>
Wait dor it to finish, and you will be updated!!
Boot your device up. Charge it to full (if not already) and use the system update option. It should work.
Enjoy your 4.4.2 :)

Does it matter that I own an at&t phone? This rom says verizon, i just wanted to make sure before starting this process.

I believe  it may.


text:
behaviour Syncing of contacts in telegram app
When I installed telegram, I was astonished to see the contacts which I had deleted long before. I wonder how they are still in my phone or still attched to my google contacts. What happens when we delete a contact from android phone? will it be deleted forever of google just hides it?


text:
How to disable touch during a call
When I call with the smartphone (HTC one M7) I often click the screen with the cheek.
I have notice that on Samsung Galaxy tab 8.0 when I call is there an option that disable the touch. Is it possible to import/install this feature also on HTC One?

Is your M7 rooted? If so, you might wish to check this post on XDA for a possible fix.

You're looking for "proximity sensor" settings.  If your proximity sensor is enabled and your screen doesn't go black when the phone is to your ear, the sensor (looks like a tiny camera lens, usually in the upper screen frame) may be covered by a screen protector or case, or may have failed.  If you can't find proximity sensor settings, your provider's tech support should be able to help.

I had this problem, used the #0# thing to test the proximity sensor, it seemed to be fine (screen went green whenever my hand got close to the screen).  Went to phone -> setting -> call and disabled the "turn off screen during calls" thing, power off, removed the battery, blew into every hole I could find, reinstalled the battery, powered on, went back and re-enabled the "turn off screen during calls" thing and now it works.  Go figure.


text:
wiping device and re-entering account info reloads all previously loaded apps
My phone was running quite slow so I decided to wipe it and re-enter my account info into it. After I did that all the apps I had previously had installed started re-downloading themselves. My contact list was restored as well.
idk if I mind the contact list (altho I had written down all the names / numbers I wanted to keep) but the apps re-installing themselves is a bit of a PITA. I could start uninstalling every app under the sun but as a matter of personal preference the apps that came with the phone (even if they're not a part of Android itself) I'd just assume keep. And plus it just seems like it'd be easier to start from scratch and selectively install the apps I know I want instead of uninstall the apps I don't want.

Depending on your device and android version. When setting up the device on Lollipop 5.0+, When you get to the part about "Get your apps and data" From the drop down select "Set up as new device." If on KitKat 4.X.X, When you get to Google Services setup screen, uncheck the "Backup and Restore" option. Once the device is setup and whatnot. If you go back into the settings, you should be able to recheck it without it trying to download all the apps again, but only after the initial setup is complete.
Edit
Photo of Kitkat screen.
Photo of Lollipop screen.


text:
Mute an APK file
How to patch an APK file so that its permanently mute?
For example if I want to send a game to my friend but don't want him to hear its sound?
Can I edit permissions related to Audio?

most apps/games are developed with toggle switch to turn off the Game volume, from it's settings. Don't your game/app has this feature? And AFAIK you may not be able to edit App features once app is installed.

Yes but I want to force mute it

There is no audio permission, because (nothing personal) that would be ridiculous. Apps rely on queues to play audio e.g. Play track 1 when player hits start. In theory, if you removed all the sounds from the apk (or replace them) it will mute the app.

Why can't your friend opt for turning the speakers off when playing your game? That's rather easy.

What is your device information and os and are your rooted? And which app/game you are trying to mute?

Both devices are 4.3, Mine rooted but his not

I want a universal solution


text:
Kindle Fire query - snapchat and Google Play
I would like to know how to get my snapchat working. Everytime I go to sign in to my snap chat it says "This app won't run without Google Play services, which are missing from your phone." so therefor I went onto the Kindle App Store to try get this but once I installed it, whenever I tried to launch the app it crashed.This means my snapchat still isn't working I would love to know if anyone knows a solution for this please?

If your Kindle Fire is rooted, install the Xposed Framework and install this mod to allow you to use SnapChat without Google Play Services. If you don't have your Kindle Fire rooted, please specify which Kindle Fire model you own, and search for tutorials on how to root your phone. However, this WILL void your warranty so please root at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage caused on your device. Anyhow, good luck trying to get SnapChat working!


text:
How can I see what specific times my phone has connected/disconnected to wifi?
How can I see what specific times my phone has connected/disconnected to wifi? I would like to see at what times exactly in the last week (for example) my phone connected to wifi. In fact I would like to be able to see an activity log of some kind? Would you be able to see location history if your location services were switched off, for example? Any help would be great :)

Do you want to see logs from now on when you would be using Wi-Fi (because that would be easy to do), or do you want to see the past connect/disconnect info?

I would like to see past connect/disconnect infor please.

You can check the internal Android log logcat to see WiFi connectivity changes (and many different events) from the last few hours or so.
To do that, you'll have to enable USB debugging, download ADB, install an ADB driver for your phone on your computer, connect the phone with a USB cable and run this in a terminal:
adb logcat -v threadtime ConnectivityService:* *:s

To dump the whole log to a file, run:
adb logcat > log.txt

However, if you need older data, the most bulletproof way is to create a custom app that would log the events you're interested in.


text:
SIM Toolkit keeps disappearing from app drawer
I purchased a phone sometime back (LG G3) that initially came with Android Kitkat. Eveyrything worked beautifully until I upgraded to Lollipop. Many things suddenly broke but my main concern is the SIM toolkit disappears a few minutes after reboot. I use the toolkit a lot and it's a pain to have to reboot the phone twice or thrice a day.
Can this be fixed or the phone is now forever broken?

Yes. I have reset it twice. That helped with speed as it was quite slow. It did not help with other problems. Thanks for suggesting though.


text:
User profile Freezes in Android Lollipop
I created a new user in my MotoG Android Lollipop and, sometimes while i'm in this new user, my actual aplication freezes by undetermined seconds, and sometimes minimizes the aplication. I only can acess the header menu when it occurs (and I change the user in this case, mainly), even the app list does not work for sometime.
Also it not occurs in the main user. There is a reason for this problem? And I can do something to fix it?

How much memory do you have? Did you try Wipe cache partition?

"* I only can acess the header menu*" -- by which, should I assume you mean Status Bar and the Quick Settings Menu?

300Mb free RAM, 1Gb free Disk. Yes, It is Status bar and the Quick Settings Menu. Also, if I try to open the Configuration Menu when my Android freezes, it not launch.

I didn't tried wipe cache partition, also i don't know how it works. Can I lose some important data trying it?

I wiped my cache partition but the problem stills


text:
Recover data from a Nexus 4
The touch screen has stopped working. The side buttons still work.
No backups to any cloud services/pc and no sd card. No special apps installed.
Am I able to recover the data? I don't have any special equipment.

Which Android version?

You can take backup of stuff in Internal SD card easily at this point (provided that you didn't check "Charge only" the last time you connected the device into PC). If the USB debugging is on, then you can backup App's data as well. And if you've root access, then you can backup lots of things. // Your phone boots well, right? -- Only touch screen is unresponsive, but the display and Android is fine.

@Firelord I am on the latest Android version I believe. I don't believe debugging was on and I am not sure about the "Charge only" option as I dont get any options when I plug it into the computer. Nothing happens when I plug it in. The device isn't rooted. Yes its just the touch screen that is unresponsive, it boots fine.


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error on "install and update" to lollipop 5.1.1 in nexus 6
I have nexus 6 with lollipop 5.0.1. There is setting to install and update to 5.1. I download and install. But facing error on half way. Showing android icon with error text. How should I do that?

What is the error text that is being displayed? Have your restarted the mobile and tried to update?

I don't remember exactly, but it contains "error". It restarted when update.

I think you are running into the same problem reported over here by fellow Nexus 4/5/7 users on the google product forum page.
Error during updating to 5.0.1
Some of the suggestion found there,

Wipe cache partition
Factory reset. (Warning! This erases all data on your phone)
Unroot your phone if you are rooted.

But none of them seems to completely work will all other Nexus users. But you can give it a try if you are sure about each of the process. As the accepted answer posted by a Google Employee confirms that there is a bug and they are still investigating this issue,

As several of you have noticed, a new update (still labeled 5.0.1) is
  currently being sent to the Nexus 5 that addresses this issue. If
  you've got a Nexus 5 but haven't received the update yet, please be
  patient as it should be available for your device soon.
Please note that we're still investigating this issue for other
  devices (so far I've seen reports from Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 owners) but
  I don't have further updates or a workaround to suggest at this time.
  We appreciate your patience as we continue to look into this for other
  devices.

thanks Lucky, I didn't fount this solution. I will try it.


text:
How do I downgrade my android software from 5.1 back to 4.4.2 on my Nvidia Shield Portable?
So I decided to download the new software and I cant stand it. I don't have a computer to plug the device into.  So can and how do I do this?

Can't stand what exactly?

If you have a rooted Android device, yes it is possible to downgrade your device. You must have a custom recovery installed on your device that is specifically for your phone model and either a stock ROM of the Android version you wish that is also very specific with your phone model or you could install a  custom ROM (I.e. CyanogenMod). You must then install the ROM by using the custom recovery.
If you don't have a rooted device, I'm afraid it's not possible.


text:
samsung tablet not connecting to my wifi router
I have a samsung galaxy tablet. Before 2 days it was connecting to my home wifi router. But now it is not getting connected to the router and it can not find the home wifi network. all other surrounding wifi networks are detected except my home wifi network. I have tried to factory reset many times but still same. need help

Have you tried using WPS? Also, it may be a router problem. What is your router?

Did you change the wifi frequency band at your router? Some devices don't support 5 GHz.

@PediT. is right, and in such cases, the Wi-Fi doesn't show up. So, did you change the settings of the router? Other than that, which Samsung tablet and Android version is it?


text:
Sony Xperia Z3 flickering between charging and discharging
When I plug my phone in it often has problems charging.  Both the green led light and the charging icon will flicker on and off every half a second.
This seems to happen at different times during charging.  Sometimes when I first plug it in, but will also do it for seemingly random intervals whilst plugged in. It seems to be always doing this when I wake up (having plugged it in the night before).
I have tried an assortment of charging cables and methods (not limited to):

Supplied charger and cable.
Supplied charger from Sony Xperia Z3 tablet
Official magnetic charging dock with charger supplied with phone
From PC & Mac via micro USB port
From PC & Mac via magnetic charging cable
Magnetic charging cable with supplied charger

It seems to me that it is not the chargers or cable (as my tablet charges from these perfectly fine).
Nor is it the ports as this happens with both the microUSB port and the magnetic charger.
Phone works fine otherwise I still get 90%+ charge, but never get it fully charged because of this. Just concerned this is bad for the battery, plus the flickering LED is pretty annoying at night ;)
N.B while writing this it has gone from flickering to, charging fine, to flickering again without me touching it.

I know it is not helpful, but I have the same phone and the same problem. I generally use the magnetic dock, so I cant make a good comparison with the charger cable. I just take it out and place it back, seems to do the trick sometimes (it did 5mins ago, after which I ended up here). - Any update from you on this?

Ditto on Samsung A3 running Android 6.0.1.


text:
Wrong picture default in messages can't change
I accidentally set my text message pictures to open to a printer.   I have tried everything I can think of and I can't change the default back so I can't open any pictures now

You'd want to clear defaults

Navigate to App Settings (Probably Settings > Apps)
Select the printer app that opens
Scroll down till you see the Clear Defaults button. Press it.

(Click image to enlarge)

This should stop the app from opening by default, allowing you to specify another app to open it.


text:
Why can't my tablet detect my bluetooth speaker after I reset the tablet?
I reset my galaxy tablet and it no longer detects my Sharkk Bluetooth speaker. How can I resolve this problem?

Could the speaker still be paired with the tablet before the reset? If so, it might not detect any new devices. You might need to reset the speaker.

You have to get your speaker into pairing-mode at first. You can get into it by holding the "M"-button for five seconds. After that, it should show up as a bluetooth-device on your tablet. I think, this video could also help: Review Sharkk Portable Bluetooth Speaker


text:
ifup/ifdown scripts
I am fiddeling with some network related things and want to try them on Android too. In Ubuntu it was quite easy to run some commands if an interface (eth0 or wlan0) goes up or down by simply adding the script call to /etc/network/interfaces.
How can I do that in Android?
There is no such file, and I could not find a way to have my script executed on every network up/down.
I have root, and I am running the latest CyanogenMod. I would also switch the ROM if needed.


text:
Location high accuracy mode with wi-fi turned off
My understanding: location mode «High Accuracy» is more efficient than «Device only» because it unburdens some of the GPS task by using Wi-Fi networks information.
Consider these settings:

«Scan always available» is set to «off»
«Keep Wi-Fi on durin sleep» is set to «always»

If «location» is enabled in «High Accuracy» mode, but the Wi-Fi is disabled, does this mean that location works as if in «Device Only» mode?
So in order for the «High Accuracy mode» to actually work you have to have either «Scan always available» «on» or the Wi-Fi on. Is that correct?

Related: See my answer here and this comment.

No, high accuracy mode without WiFi is not the same as device only because

The mobile network provider location source is also used in high accuracy mode but not device only.
Assisted GPS may be used to reduce the time to get a location fix when you use a network connection, either WiFi or the mobile data connection. "Download GPS assisted data only over WiFi networks" determines whether the mobile data connection is used for assisted GPS. Information about the GPS satellites expected to be in view is passed over the data connection, and this is much faster than the GPS receiver searching for satellites.

No, for high accuracy mode "to actually work" does not require WiFi. GPS provides better location accuracy (~5m) than WiFi location (~25m) regardless of whether WiFi is enabled. That is why it is called high accuracy. WiFi location is much faster than GPS, but not as accurate. For many applications, it may be sufficient to know what city you are in but not what street.


text:
Disable all but a few applications from accessing mobile data connections
I would like to disable all of the applications on my phone from accessing my mobile data connection, except for a select few applications that allow me to remotely control my phone, and thus, require a data connection. Is there any way to do this?
Im using an HTC One M8, running stock (non-rooted) Android 5 with HTC Sense 6.

You need a firewall. See my answer here.


text:
What do these symbols mean/what apps do they represent?

What do these symbols represent?

Did you take a look at Settings -> Apps? You might see the icon there and the app name.

Partial Answer

First one is Podcast Addict.

The second one is Todoist.

For the downvoters: this answer was correct until Podcast Addict changed its logo to something else on the Play Store link.

Thanks to @vanogrid for the heads up on the second one.
It is Todoist, and I found the icon with the plus/+ here. It's a persistent notification that allows you to add a task.


text:
How can I stop Google photos to show images from my google drive
So I have some private images that I would rather not like to show up on google photos, I have them on my google drive but today I wanted to show some pictures of my office to a friend of mine when some other pics showed up that I uploaded on drive the day before,
Is there anyway to hide those images from google photos?

You may choose to show or not all images from Drive to Google Photo, not individual one. There's a Google Drive setting in Photo for that.
There's also an analogue setting in Drive, to show images from Photo. You may turn off the setting in Photo and turn on the Drive one, so you may upload images in Drive if you want to not show it in Photo or upload them in Photo to show them also in Drive.


text:
Connection timeout to single IP
I have a strange problem and I am not sure how to debug this.
My Android phone (OnePlus One, Android 5.1) is connected to my WiFi (FritzBox 7490) at home. Everything works fine except connections to my own server which is used for ownCloud, e-mails, and other services. Every connection attempt results in a timeout, regardless of the service used (HTTP, HTTPS, IMAPS).
The first attempt to find the cause for this was to try other devices in the same WiFi network. And yes, every one of them is able to establish the connections. However, if I try to connect with my OnePlus One using another WiFi or mobile data, connections are also possible.
So now I am in a bad position. The manufacturer of my WiFi router says "Other devices are working, it must be the fault of your phone.". And I already hear CM developers say "Other WiFi APs or mobile data works, it has to be your WiFi router".
My last attempt was to reset both the phone and the router to factory settings, without any luck.
Does anyone has a clue about how to debug this kind of problem?

Okay, I found it. According to this serverfault question, TCP timestamps cause the error. I disabled the option on the server with
sysctl -w net.ipv4.tcp_timestamps=0


text:
how to use a remote camera (webcam or Windows-usb) as my Android built-in camera(s)
Please read carefully, there are MANY answers to the 'opposite' question from the one I ask here, but I cannot find an answer to the following question:
I have an android device with no built-in camera.  I want to be able to use a REMOTE camera as the "built-in" camera on this android device.  The remote camera could be a (streaming)webcam, or it could be a USB cam attached to a PC.
My requirement is that the android device i use "think" that it has a camera built-in (or even better, two cameras, a front- and rear-facing one), so that I can use Skype, and zoom, and all other camera apps.
I am happy to also need to install software on the remote device where the camera is physically attached.  That remote device is really a windows PC, but if necessary, i could perhaps have it be a Linux box.
Please note that I do NOT need to 'turn' my android camera into a webcam. That is "easy" -- except that I don't have an android camera. That is why i need to do the opposite.  I would be fine to use a very generic solution, for example a "net-usb" client server solution, which would give me a usb-camera on my android. But the solutions i have seen like that are VERY expensive.
Thank you for any help/pointers you can give me.
--scott
PS ("the truth") -- the truth is that I would like to run Skype and Zoom on an android-86 running within a Windows HyperVisor. Unfortuantely, Windows HyperV seems not to support USB, and so i don't know how to add a 'built-in' camera to the android-x86 which I have already running there. Therefore, i can not use SKype or Zoom, since I don't have a camera 'built-in' to this machine.

Can you clear up this question and be more specific? Because I got lost. In second paragraph you're writing about true Android-based device with no built-in camera. In last (PS) paragraph you are writing about virtual Android device run on Windows HyperVisior. For first (true Android device with USB-attached external camera) -- take a look at this answer. For other option (virtual Android device), I don't know, if there is any solution.

Thanks for your question: I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that a "built-in camera"  on an Android device could be assumed to be attached via USB; I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that both "built-in" and "external"  cameras are attached  via  USB, and so my question was about android devices where there is no USB, but there is IP. I don't think it should matter if the hardware on which the Android OS is running is "real" or "virtual". In your terms, my question is: "suppose the Android hardware has no camera and no USB, but does have IP. Can I make a remote webcam be the "built-in camera". Thx!

I'm not sure about using a 'remote' camera, but as for a USB camera I've found a simple solution for myself as I was having a similar issue. Enable USB 2.0 and go into the Devices tab and Webcams and click on your webcam (assuming it's detected) prior to installing your operating system. This worked great for me with android x86 7.1 RC2

You just copied @trejder. Please be sure to always read comments as they clarify the OP's question and also will eliminate the possibility of duplicates


text:
How do I get past a VPN lock screen as I've never entered a password?
I downloaded Private Internet Access vpn to a Nexus S which also had Tor installed. Tor asked did I want to set up a VPN. I said yes. Nexus S vpn dialogue came up. I decided no and hit the back button to return to Tor. Went to front door to answer a knock with the phone in my hand.
Looked at the phone and saw a lock screen saying emergency calls only with a cursor blinking at me. Tried the random five wrong passwords with no result or no dialogue. End result no way back to the phone. Dont want a factory reset n losing my data. Ice Cream Sandwich runs (ran !) on the phone. Q: POssible hack ? Thanks for any suggestions.

You can remotely wipe your phone from https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager and that will remove the lock, sorry for your luck.

Edit: Looks like you can replace the lock from there using the lock feature there too, might be useful to you, to avoid wiping.


text:
Forget Android Screen Lock Pin for samsung galaxy s7262
Forget Android Screen Lock Pin for samsung galaxy s7262
tried many times not even asking for forget pin or google account details.

Try entering the lock pin for several times, the Google password recovery will popup and will ask you for recovery options.
If the above recovery fails, nothing else will work.
Just go and reset you phone.
Here is a good tutorial for hard resetting your device.
Tutorial for hard reset a Samsung device

V_J, you accepted an inappropriate edit. Was approving it a mistake or a careful calculated attempt? See What are the guidelines for reviewing? (for Suggested Edits)

I accidently approved the edit. Apologies @Firelord.


text:
Galaxy S2 USB port blown, need to transfer files via wifi
Power supply port on my Galaxy S2 is shot and I need to backup all of my data/content/contacts, but can't do it via USB.  I've tried a couple wifi transfer apps, but am not convinced the transferr is viable. (I can see some stuff, but others are 'Directories' or 'Executables' and won't 'Unzip' on my mac.
Phone is Samsung Galaxy S2, model SCH-R760X, Android vers. 4.1.2.
IIRC, I'd tried using SmarterDroids 'Wifi File Transfer' and have looked at several others, but would appreciate advice from other users.
I would note that I'll want to transfer the data to a mac, then eventually an iPhone 5.
I can provide more info if needed.
Any suggestions or solutions for this situation?
Thanks,
K

Hi and welcome! Is it possible to use Samsung's "Kies via Wi-fi" on a phone as old as yours -- whether using Mac OS or whether using Windows on Boot Camp?  Alternatively, can you back up all your data to the cloud (to Google Contacts and a photo-sharing website and whatnot) and then restore it to the iPhone?

Also: What data do you want to back up? Contacts and what else? Please [edit] your question and tell us. Please go into excruciating detail, if possible.

Or can you somehow use Bluetooth to sync your data?

Total commander with the LAN plug-in will let you copy the files to a regular shared drive, or you can use the wifi tool to setup a temporary custom share with another phone/tablet - it creates a share then displays a QR code which the other device then scans. Fast, free and easy. You will need to zip it first and create a shared drive on the MAC (which doesn't need any software but you can install it if you want).
Total commander https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ghisler.android.TotalCommander
LAN plug-in https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ghisler.tcplugins.LAN
Root is not needed and zip/unzip is included.
Contacts you should be able to sync with an email account and pull from there to the iPhone

authors: مجنونه يلي يجيني هو جنوني


text:
How can I find my Chrome bookmarks from Windows?
I dropped my Galaxy S4 SGH-M919 running KitKat not rooted and the screen broke. I can connect to PC using a USB. I was able to copy all the other data I needed using this method. But I had a few bookmarks in Chrome i would like to copy. I can't find these files anywhere I look.
I don't have my android chrome synced to anything. And I can't set that up at this point. Is there any way this is information is findable?

Short answer: No, you can't access those bookmarks from the PC that easily.
Why so?
Because Android's UMS and MTP only gives you access to content under /storage. Chrome's bookmarks are stored in its data directory (/data/data/com.android.chrome/app_chrome/Default/Bookmarks). A normal user doesn't have the privileges required to  access /data directly.
Even ADB backup isn't allowed because android:allowBackup="false" is set in Chrome's Manifest file.

While the device is not rooted, I should mention in brief methods to get those files when the device is rooted:

Use a root file explorer like ES File Explorer to access Chrome's data directory. Copy the bookmark file to SD card, and then use PC to copy it from SD card.
You can use adb pull directly or indirectly as well.

Run a file server like FTP and set it's root directory at /data/data/. Access the server on PC using Wi-Fi/hotspot or USB tethering. This is the direct access I like to have.

There are other methods for rooted devices, but because the screen broke and the device is not rooted, the chances are none. Sorry!


text:
How do you encrypt your device running CyanogenMod 12.1?
CyanogenMod 12 and 12.1 'Encrypt phone' setting is broken, and has been for quite a while. Is there any way to encrypt the phone in some other fashion? Can CM be sideloaded onto a phone with an encrypted /data directory? Are there any other ways to keep your data safe and sound? The device I'm working on is a Verizon LG G3.

There are low(er)-level commands that can be used in a shell to encrypt your user data partition. Disclaimer/Warning: the following instructions will wipe your data, ensure that you make a backup if needed.
Following these steps, you should be able to wipe your data partition and have it encrypted afterwards (similar to a factory reset):

Boot your phone normally (either recovery does not work anymore, or I ran into a different issue).
Ensure that USB debugging mode (adb) and  Root access for ADB is enabled.
Enter a root shell with adb root followed by adb shell.
Optional: watch logs by invoking adb logcat in another shell.
Enter this command, type your password and press Enter. This will actually set your password. This command reads one line of input (head -1), strips the trailing newline from Enter (tr -d '\n') and converts it to a hexadecimal representation (hexdump ...). If it looks scary or if you are not sure what this command does, see below.
vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password $(head -1 | tr -d '\n' | hexdump -ve '1/1 "%.2x"')

If everything goes okay, your device will set keys and reboot to complete the encryption.

The above vdc command ("Volume Daemon Client") communicated with vold (Volume Daemon) has some subcommands like cryptfs for encryption. The enablecrypto subcommand has two modes: wipe (clear /data completely) and inplace (supposedly applying encryption while copying your original /data inside the container).
Then, four options are available starting with Android 5.0, one of them is password which accepts a single hexadecimal sequence as key. Thus if your password is foo, then the hexadecimal representation is 666f6f (f is 66 in hex, o is 6f, see http://www.asciitable.com/). The command for this is:
vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password 666f6f

This was tested on a Nexus 5 (code name hammerhead, running cm-12.1-20150814) which has a separate partition for storing metadata. It is important that the userdata partition has the encryptable flag set followed by either the path to a partition or the special string footer. An (abbreviated) line from my /fstab.hammerhead file:

/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata     /data           ext4    ...,check,encryptable=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/metadata

When the special string footer (encryptable=footer) is present, then 16 KiB at the end of the data partition is used to store encryption metadata.
For further reading, see:

https://source.android.com/devices/tech/security/encryption/

Appendix: logcat excerpt from the moment I executed the encryption command until it finishes and reboots (omitting unrelated graphics messages at the end). Note that this Nexus 5 has hardware-accelerated crypto (QSEECom).
--------- beginning of main
08-16 12:57:15.459 W/DrmManagerClientImpl(Native)( 2108): DrmManager server died!
08-16 12:57:15.459 I/ServiceManager(  184): service 'drm.drmManager' died
08-16 12:57:15.467 D/Cryptfs (  186): Just asked init to shut down class main
08-16 12:57:15.470 D/Cryptfs (  186): unmounting /mnt/shell/emulated succeeded
08-16 12:57:15.599 I/ServiceManager(  184): service 'media.audio_flinger' died
08-16 12:57:15.599 I/ServiceManager(  184): service 'media.player' died
08-16 12:57:15.599 I/ServiceManager(  184): service 'media.camera' died
...
08-16 12:57:16.695 D/Cryptfs (  186): unmounting /data succeeded
08-16 12:57:16.695 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_get_handle sb_length = 0x2000
08-16 12:57:16.696 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): App is already loaded QSEE and app id = 2
08-16 12:57:16.697 I/Cryptfs (  186): keymaster version is 3
08-16 12:57:16.697 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_dealloc_memory
08-16 12:57:16.697 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_shutdown_app, app_id = 2
08-16 12:57:16.697 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_get_handle sb_length = 0x2000
08-16 12:57:16.697 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): App is already loaded QSEE and app id = 2
08-16 12:57:18.058 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_dealloc_memory
08-16 12:57:18.058 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_shutdown_app, app_id = 2
08-16 12:57:18.058 I/Cryptfs (  186): Using scrypt with keymaster for cryptfs KDF
08-16 12:57:18.208 D/BootAnimation( 2683): Use save memory method, maybe small fps in actual.
08-16 12:57:18.208 E/QCOM PowerHAL( 2683): Failed to acquire lock.
08-16 12:57:18.691 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_get_handle sb_length = 0x2000
08-16 12:57:18.691 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): App is already loaded QSEE and app id = 2
08-16 12:57:18.692 I/Cryptfs (  186): Signing safely-padded object
08-16 12:57:18.797 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_dealloc_memory
08-16 12:57:18.797 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_shutdown_app, app_id = 2
08-16 12:57:20.056 I/Cryptfs (  186): Using scrypt with keymaster for cryptfs KDF
08-16 12:57:20.690 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_get_handle sb_length = 0x2000
08-16 12:57:20.691 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): App is already loaded QSEE and app id = 2
08-16 12:57:20.691 I/Cryptfs (  186): Signing safely-padded object
08-16 12:57:20.796 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_dealloc_memory
08-16 12:57:20.796 D/QSEECOMAPI: (  186): QSEECom_shutdown_app, app_id = 2
08-16 12:57:21.429 I/Cryptfs (  186): Enabling support for allow_discards in dmcrypt.
08-16 12:57:21.429 I/Cryptfs (  186): load_crypto_mapping_table: target_type = crypt
08-16 12:57:21.429 I/Cryptfs (  186): load_crypto_mapping_table: real_blk_name = /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata, extra_params = 1 allow_discards
08-16 12:57:21.431 I/Cryptfs (  186): Making empty filesystem with command /system/bin/make_ext4fs -a /data -l 13725837312 /dev/block/dm-0
08-16 12:57:21.447 I/make_ext4fs(  186): SELinux: Loaded file_contexts from /file_contexts
08-16 12:57:21.447 I/make_ext4fs(  186): Creating filesystem with parameters:
08-16 12:57:21.447 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Size: 13725835264
08-16 12:57:21.448 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Block size: 4096
08-16 12:57:21.448 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Blocks per group: 32768
08-16 12:57:21.448 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Inodes per group: 8144
08-16 12:57:21.448 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Inode size: 256
08-16 12:57:21.448 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Journal blocks: 32768
08-16 12:57:21.449 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Label:
08-16 12:57:21.449 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Transparent compression: none
08-16 12:57:21.449 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Blocks: 3351034
08-16 12:57:21.449 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Block groups: 103
08-16 12:57:21.459 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Reserved block group size: 823
08-16 12:57:21.465 I/make_ext4fs(  186): Created filesystem with 11/838832 inodes and 93654/3351034 blocks
08-16 12:57:21.465 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Total files: 0
08-16 12:57:21.465 I/make_ext4fs(  186):     Total bytes: 0
08-16 12:57:42.926 D/Cryptfs (  186): Successfully created filesystem on /dev/block/dm-0

Wow @Lekensteyn thank you for taking the time to write this. I'll have to spend some time this weekend trying to set this up. In case I eff up, I can just wipe everything from TWRP and try again, right?

Yes, it is just the data partition. I deliberately wiped mine several times when I was experimenting.

LPT: As of 6.0 (Marshmallow) vdc does use password not ascii encoded as parameter (=cleartext). It was pretty nice to practice with the ASCII table once I found out this thing - just minutes after I was asked to enter my password om boot. I had to put my password in ASCII because of my fault lol

For me, the original answer did not work as expected. It looked like it encrypted successfully, but the UI came back very quickly and the "Encryption" setting did not show that the devices was encrypted.  I then applied  the commands given in the update, but it still didn't work.  I then reduced the size of the data partition and it encrypted successfully.  I.e.
mount | grep data to find the actual block device of the data partition. Let's assume it is /dev/block/mmcblk0p26.
umount /data for the ext-tools to work.
e2fsck -f -p /dev/block/mmcblk0p26 to not run into trouble for the upcoming resizing.
tune2fs -l /dev/block/mmcblk0p26  to obtain the Block count. Let's assume it is 3057395.
resize2fs /dev/block/mmcblk0p26 3057375, i.e. substract a sufficient amount like 20 from the original block count.
e2fsck -f -p /dev/block/mmcblk0p26 found a wrongly placed inode for me.
I also needed to mount the /system partition in order to get hold of resize2fs. On my system, that binary was linked against a 64bit version of libc, but the TWRP I was used did not seem to provide that.  So I needed to prefix the commands with env LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/system/lib64.

For F2FS file system: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/146081/how-to-resize-the-data-f2fs-partition

As of CM12.1 2015-10-15 the answer by Lekensteyn no longer works.
Apparently the mkfs.f2fs which is needed to create the file system, has been moved from /system/bin/ to /sbin/
Also we have to contend with SELINUX. This means that we need to do several additional steps:

adb root
adb shell
setenforce 0
mount -oremount,rw /system
ln -s /sbin/mkfs.f2fs /system/bin/mkfs.f2fs
vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password 666f6f

Another update-
CM13 Jan 9, 2016  build, using Nubia Z7 Max, NX505J phone
This command (ln -s /sbin/mkfs.f2fs /system/bin/mkfs.f2fs) is no longer needed as the file lives here again. There is no need to create a symbolic link.
This command no longer needs to be in HEX and if you enter hex your PW will be hex.
cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password 666f6f -
This literally created a password for me of 666f6f not foo
I am still researching this issue because I got past the extra blocks needed for the meta data.  I now need to get past the fact the GUI and the manual commands  to encrypt both result in encryption that is viable only through one boot cycle.   I will report back when I have a successful encryption.
Right now I encrypt and it works fine and I boot the first time and it says the phone is encrypted. Using TWRP I can confirm /data is encrypted but the HEX and ASCI passwords I try in TWRP both do not work. On the next reboot the Android OS cannot fully boot CM13. It confirms I have the correct encryption password and then I only get 1 encrypted boot. After the first successful encrypted startup it locks on the animation stage of boot cycle thereafter.
Security best practices now recommends AES256 phone encryption.

How reliable has the system been with the AES256 phone encryption in CM13? I opened a thread about the thing here http://android.stackexchange.com/q/134981/9897

Having a Moto X 2013 running Cyanogenmod 12.1 I also was not able to get it encrypted. Finally, I succeeded with these steps:

Enable root in Developer Settings on the phone and open a shell (Terminal app, can also be enabled in Developer Settings)
Enter su, and confirm root access
Enter setenforce 0
Now open Settings, go to Security and select Encrypt Phone. Android will then reboot and start encrypting the phone.

I came to this solution by combining Art's answer and this forum thread.

Didn't work for me. Btw, can you set the SELinux status back to 1 after this?

Encrypting didn't work on my phone (SGS5; CM13, TWRP 3.0.2-2) - I always got a black screen.
I didn't want to use shell commands, so I found another way :
I had SuperSU installed, I uninstalled it in the App and then flashed the SU-Remover.
After that, I was able to use the encryption from the menu.
Warning:

Encryption deleted all of my Data & Apps (including Files on internal SD), so make a backup first!
After Encryption, i only had 2 GB internal Space left (normally 11 GB) - I had to do a full wipe (also removing Cyanogenmod itself), reinstall Cyanogenmod and another encryption attempt to get my Space back.
You also have to reactivate root, i used BETA-SuperSU-v2.68-20160228150503 for that (flash with twrp).

After 6 hours of mental pain and sweat I might have stumbled on a solution what worked for me. And it was an accident too.
I did this for the Samsung S4 Mini with CyanogenMod 13.0 and Android 6.0.1. Important key factor here is, that I started it off from a clean phone (fresh firmware and unrooted), because when the phone was previously rooted, then the phone didn't want to work at all.
I used the Firelord's and Lekensteyn's solution to the problem, but I managed to to forget one line from the commands.
Here is how I did it:

I turned on the Android debugging and Root access to ADB only in the Developer Options.

In the ADB Command Prompt I used the adb root and adb shell command. After that I opened another ADB Command Prompt and used the adb logcat command.

In the first ADB shell, I went forward with setenforce 0 and after that vdc cryptfs enablecrypto wipe password YOUR-PASSWORD.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The password command might vary from the Android version what you are using. If you are using Android 5.X, you must use the hexadecimal system (In the Chr line is the symbol in your password the hexadecimal value is on the Hx line). If you are using Android 6.X, then the YOUR-PASSWORD will be the password what you entered there.
As you notice then I forgot to use the mount -oremount,rw /system command. After that I the screen will go black. When I saw, that the ADB shell with the log stopped and finished, then I rebooted the phone. But as for everyone, the problem is, that CyanogenMod wont load. And I managed to fix it quite easily:

Hold Vol Up & Home & Power down till the TWRP boots up. It will ask you for your encryption password.
Do the CyanogenMod install part with the additional Google Apps (The second part of the guide).
After it is done, then reboot the device. When it boots up, then it will take a while. First it will start up the phone, then it will ask the encryption password and then it will take a while till it boots up.

There you go, it should work. At first, when the phone set up comes up, then let it be for a minute. There might be a little crash for the Setup Wizard if you rush it too quickly, but it will automatically restart when it crashes.
In my very small knowledge of how the CyanogenMod and the Android Encryption works, I think during the format it deletes some important Cyanogen or Android files, what stop it from booting.

authors: Максим Часов


text:
zenfone 5 lollipop update fails
I'm using Zenfone 5 with firmware ww_user_2.22.40.53. When I try to upgarde with 3.23.40.52, it fails,saying only android 4.2.2 and 5.0 can update with this package. What should I do?

Firelord: Kitkat 4.4.2 is my OS. I've tried to upgrade by adb sideload and by copying the upgrade file to internal memory and by clicking on the notification. Both lead me to the above error

Can you link the tutorial that you followed, or from where you downloaded the firmware?

http://www.asus.com/zentalk/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=11408 this is the tutorial, but their lollipop link is broken. So i downloaded it from official website

I have downgraded my phone from 2.22.40.54 to 53 when i read that its the bridge firmware

I found the answer myself. Downgrade the firmware to 2.22.40.53 then upgrade back to 54. Now your root is long gone. Then 54 will detect the lollipop firmware. Upgrade it and wipe cache from recovery mode. =)


text:
Android folder does not show up in Windows 7
I had a personal folder created in the root directory in Android (when you connect Android to windows, the directory that opens up). I copied a bunch of files and folders. It all went well. Then I disconnected the phone and I could access this folder from it.
However, later whenever I re-connected my phone to Windows, that particular folder did not show up in Windows explorer. I can still see it in File Manager. So it's definitely present. It contains some images and i can view those too. It's not hidden or system file. Yet it doesn't show up in Windows. Pretty weird right?
Any ideas what to do about this?

This also happened to me. This is because of a code issue in Android itself, no matter what version you are running it up to until Marshmallow 6.0.1, not with Windows. The workaround is to move or copy the file/folder you want to see in Windows using a File Manager on Android.

On Android, go to the File Manager.
Move the File/Folder on a different location.
On Windows, go to the location where you moved/copied the file/folder.
Voila! The file/folder is now there.

EDIT: Go to your Apps and clear Media Storage cache then reboot. Worked on mine.

This answer works. The reason it works is related to the MTP protocol needing to be refreshed. File managers refresh MTP usually after each change they make to the filesystem.
See this question for reference: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13507789/folder-added-in-android-not-visible-via-usb

Connect your phone to the computer.
In the status bar, You will get USB symbol.
Tap on that and change the settings from 'camera'  to 'MTP'

This will help you to solve the problem. If the problem still exist, Copy your personal folder to DCIM folder. Now u can access that in Windows.


text:
"Calendar Storage" uninstalled. Calendar doesn't work
I had uninstalled the "Calendar Storage" system app from my device. Now I cannot use my Calendar Application. I assume this because I had uninstalled Calendar Storage.
I haven't got any backup for restoring that app. I have even tried factory reset, but I cannot get the app back. Now I need to get an apk file of the app, move it to /system/app/ and reinstall. But I cannot find the correct apk file of the app for my device.
I am using iBall Slide i9018 (rooted) running on android 4.2.
Please help me find the correct apk file of the app for my device.

Hi! Questions asking us app suggestion/recommendation are off-topic here. See [help/on-topic] to know more. But your question has  on-topic issue, so I recommend an edit to purge the part asking us to find the app. Instead, simply ask what to do now.

Simple answer is: 1) factory reset wouldn't help because you removed a system app, that is, an app which is part of factory state of OS, so reset won't help. 2) You may end up at a malicious apk if you go on a hunt like this. Simply download the correct firmware, extract the APK, and load it into the system. You may see: Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?


text:
My phone cannot access internet on a Wifi network created by mHotspot
I'm using mHotspot to create a hotspot for my phone to connect to my LAN through my laptop. It authenticates and connects but the Wifi icon has an exclamation mark on it and internet is not accessible.
I even tried creating a wifi hotspot through windows command prompt and my phone still doesn't access internet through that
What could be the issue?

There is a detailed process covering all cases for solving the problem.
http://www.mhotspot.com/connected-to-hotspot-but-cant-access-internet-on-client-devices
Disclaimer: I'm with mHotspot.
Update: (Quoting the answer here)

Open Control Panel and navigate to Network & Sharing Center.
Check Access Type for your hotspot.
If you have Internet as Access type, then your firewall or Antivitrus must be blocking mHotspot.
Add an exception to mHotspot in Windows firewall & Antivirus Firewall.
If you have No network access, stop the hotspot.
Update WiFi drivers and restart the hotspot.


text:
What device is listed only as Android on list of devices that accessed my account?
I have an LG Optimus Zone 2. On the list of devices that have accessed my account one shows up as Android, but no other information is given. What type of device is this? Why aren't there any details shown for the device?

It is better if you mention that the list is available at Google. I didn't suspect it at first until I saw the answer by Lucky.

Visit the Devices and Activity page to review the recent activity on a device. This page will show you the list of activities with all the devices you accessed your account with.

You can see a list of devices that have accessed your account in the
  last 28 days or are currently signed in to your account
  Click on a device to see your last activity on it, including the last
  date and time it connected to Google. For example, if you have apps
  that automatically sync with Google, you’ll see the last time they
  synced.

You can view the Device, Location, Browser and Date & Time information by clicking on that device. If you’re unsure about the activity, and think someone else may have access to your account, follow the steps to remove that device from your account.

----  Screenshot - Android Device Detailed Info  ---- Source

Remove device access:   If you lose a device or notice any suspicious activity on it, you should remove the device’s access to
  your account.

Go to your Devices & activity page.
Click on the device.
Click Remove access.
If you don’t see a button to remove access, follow the steps to secure your account

Source: See devices with access to your Google Account

Lucky, thanks, I didn't know about that page.


text:
Android 5.0+ multi-user feature: how detailed can you set user restrictions?
I'm thinking about buying my first tablet in the near future. The main goal is to use it for very different parts of my daily life (private, university, two different music groups, some private business, etc....).
I'd like to keep all those parts separated, that is why I want to create various users and use android's multi-user feature. Until today I only have a htc smartphone, with android 4.2 and also only one user of course -> no experience with multi-user @ android at all...
I already bought a lot of apps and I'd like to (re-)use those apps (or at least some of them) on all of my different users in the future. This means I will be using one google/play account only, for every user the same account. BUT I'd like to restrict some users from accessing this google-account's calendar-data for example.
Is this possible? Is it possible to make the restriction-settings in such a detailed way (allowing access to play but restricting access to calendar, email, etc. for example?)
If so, this would be really great. Since i never had the opportunity to hold one of the new android tablets in my hands I just don't know. I hope someone of you can help me :)
Thanks in advance!
All the best
ben

When any app is installed on your android device, the app is visible to all the users. However, the data of each is user will be different (private to each user).


text:
Bypass Swipe to unlock in Android 5.0.2
I have upgraded my Sony Xperia Z1 from Android 4.4.4 to Android 5.0.2 and now, when the screen is locked, I first have to swipe before I can enter the pattern. When I go to Settings -> Screen Lock, there is an option None, but it is greyed out because of
Disabled by administrator, encryption policy, or credential storage

What does this mean and how can I change this?

Are you rooted?

You have set a custom VPN, encrypted your phone or something else that requires a lock screen on your phone. To disable that you will need to decrypt, remove your VPN's to get only a swipe lockscreen back.
On Android Lollipop, Google has added the swipe-up before you can enter your pattern. I don't know why the did that, but they found that usefull.
Hope my answer helps!

Thanks for your answer. I have indeed once set up a VPN, but by default I am not connected with it. I find it hard to believe that these two things are related. I have not encrypted my phone (I think).

@physicalattraction if you are rooted you van remove the lock screen even if you have a vpn.

What does "rooted" mean? If it is a deliberate action on my side, then I didn't do that.

@physicalattraction take a look at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android_OS)

Thanks! I don't have my phone rooted. Are you saying my phone needs to be rooted to bypass the swipe screen? Seems far fetched to me.

You need to go to: settings; security; credential storage. And then clear credentials and then you can activate unlock by swipe


text:
Android music players show wrong album artwork
I've started Googling last night on why all of the android music players show the wrong album artwork for my "Unknown" album. For example, when I play any song in this album, the big album artwork shows up, which basically shows a male rapper for like 80% of my songs. Playing music on the plane makes it look like I have a crush on this guy or something.
Can someone help me figure out what the problem is? I've searched my ENTIRE music folder for ALL instances of pictures, and there's not 1 single picture file in the entire folder. I have no idea where it's coming from.
I tried deleting the entire Music folder and resyncing it last night with my Desktop, but the album artwork came up yet again.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've had this problem for awhile now and just never really looked for a solution until now.

possible duplicate of Music player showing the wrong album art

This other thread just simply changes the album for every song doesn't it? Is that the only workaround that's really out there that you know of? Thanks for posting this btw.

Is there any easy way to get real tag info associated with the songs?


text:
Which android internet browser can download a specific file by clicking on a specific button?
I'd like to see the four different graphical altitude profiles (original, 1st, 2nd and 3rd alternative) for my specific route with my personal profile (write something in the field "Profile") on my smartphone (Android 5.0) created with http://brouter.de/brouter-web/ and download it by clicking the GPX button.
I've tried following android apps (without success):

Google Chrome
Chrome Beta
Firefox Beta
CM Browser
Ninesky Browser
Opera
Opera Mini
Dolphin
Photon Flash Player

Only with the Dolphin app I was able to paste by clicking in this field a text (the code from a customized profile for optimal route calculation which is saved on my smartphone), but clicking on the Download Button on GPX didn't work. I was asking why does the internet browser app not allows to click on the GPX text.
Summary:

In the Dolphin app: insert of the code works, also the choice of the four alternatives perfectly works. But the download is impossible.
Only with the Android app Opera I was able to download the GPX file, it really works! But here in this web browser I was not able to insert the customized brf profile text.

Is there an android app which can do both: write a code in the "Profile" field and click onto the "GPX" to download the calculated route?

Is this question not concerned like "Using your Android device"? How would you suggest me to improve this question?

It sounds like your problem may not be with the browsers, but that Android doesn't have any app willing to support the specific download.
You could try downloading an app which has an option to support all downloads, such as ES File Explorer. It should then offer to open the GPX file when you click on it to download.

No, that's not true. With the android app "Opera" the download of the GPX file works. Because the GPX button has no URL (because the file is generated every time newly), you cannot use ES File Explorer for this webpage.

@laminin -- All that says to me is that Opera is already allowing you to download any file. ES File Explorer doesn't open web pages, but just provides a handler for opening arbitrary files. If you already have ES File Explorer installed and setup to handle any file, then this answer doesn't help you. If you don't, I would suggest you try it.

Yes, I already know it and I also like it as a download manager, but for this webpage it doesn't work.


text:
Are apps device dependent?
Are all Android apps device dependent ? Like for example if two different devices run the same version of Android can I interchange the app apk files ? Like the camera app ? Can I take the camera app of device A and install it in device B ?
Are the apps made by manufacturers or are they a part of the Android OS ? Like would it be possible for me to the get the Gallery apk of the Jellybean OS if I downloaded their SDK from Google ?

Related: What's really 'third party applications'?

Can I take the camera app of device A and install it in device B ? -- possibly, you can. But don't expect the app to launch or work because of reasons mentioned in the answer(s) below.

Not all apps are device dependent, but many are. One particular example is, indeed, the camera app, which is often dependent on OS revision, the actual hardware, and the framework the OEM is using (such as Touchwiz on a Samsung device). Many are reliant on the version of Android, although typically this only impacts using on an older version, up to a point.
As well, apps can be either developed separately or part of the system. Just depends on how the manufacturer wants to handle it. But they'll typically, these days, update them separately which then replaces the system app (really it just covers up the old version which remains), so the answer tends to be "a little of both." But if it's something made by the device manufacturer, they WILL lock it to their devices.
However your particular example, of the Gallery app from Jelly Bean, would probably at least partially function on a newer OS. That's based in AOSP, so not device-dependent. Only possible issue is whether it has any conflicts with newer apps on a newer OS.

So where can I download the device independent Gallery apk of Jellybean from ?

Here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/themes-apps/aosp-gallery-app-t2949472

The answer is "it depends on the app".
Most of the things you as a user interact with on Android (including the home screen itself) are apps.  Android comes with a set of apps created by Google that ensures a basic level of functionality (e.g. Clock, Home, Download manager, web browser, Dialer, Contacts manager, Calendar, SMS/messaging, etc.) These are generally non-removable by users. However, due to Android's open source nature, manufacturers and carriers are able to modify, or completely replace these apps with their own creations.
Apps supplied by the manufacturers are very device-dependent.  Most depend on the particular framework that the manufacturer added to "stock" Android.  For example, you cannot take Samsung's Camera app from a Galaxy S5 phone and have it work on an LG G3.  Even if you manage to install it successfully, it will most likely not start up, or crash, because that app has dependencies on Samsung's TouchWiz framework and libraries that would not be present on LG's, Motorola's, or even stock Google's Nexus lines of devices.
3rd-party apps that you find on the Play Store are created to be compatible with as many devices as possible, because developers usually want as many people as possible to be able to buy and use their apps.  You can generally "move" them between vastly different devices without issues, provided they are not restricted by by Android OS version running on the target device.  Apps that make use of newer features that became available on certain Android versions will be incompatible with older OS versions.  The Play Store app itself handles this, and will not even show you apps that are incompatible with your phone.  You can still side-load such apps, but don't expect them to work well or be stable.


text:
How do I get sound on sms and NOT on emails?
I just bought S4, came from Iphone 5.
Nice phone, but I have a problem with the setup...
"Messages" seems to be both sms and email - so I cant get notifications on ONLY sms without also get notifications on emails.
I use Outlook & Gmail for emails, and the standard "Message" program for sms.
Can anyone help a new Samsund Galaxy S4 user please?

Turn off notifications for emails (probably in the Outlook and Gmail settings page)

Usually apps that serve notifications provide their own ways of controlling them.  You will need to open each app that you want to stop notifications from, open their settings, and look for notifications.  There you will have many options including changing the ringtone, frequency, and even turning them off completely.
For example in Gmail app:

Tap on the top-left "three lines" icon, then scroll down and tap "Settings".
For each account you've added you'll need to tap it, and then modify the Notification settings.
To disable notifications altogether - uncheck the "Notifications" option.

The Outlook app should have similar controls for notifications.
For apps that don't provide any way to control notifications, you can completely suppress them via Android's 4.x built-in feature. On the home screen go to Settings -> Apps -> All apps, then find & tap the app you wish to silence, and uncheck the "Show notifications" option.
On Android 5.0 and above the per-app notification overrides got more options rather than just a simple on/off toggle.  See this site for details.  You can long-press on the offending notification and tap the "info" icon to get several options that include privacy features, along with the above mentioned toggle.


text:
Nexus 4 red light of death. Unable to fix it (tried two possible solutions)
Using a 3-year Nexus 4, I started yesterday to suffer the red light of death issue.
Firtsly, I open the unit, disconected and conected the battery, following the directions of:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWABgDHvfx0
It did not work, so I tried to power off the device through the bootloader menu:
https://support.google.com/nexus/troubleshooter/3337561?hl=en#ts=3337943
The battery icon appeared on my screen, I waited for nearly two hours but, when trying to turn it on, the red light appared again and the device did not turn on.
What am I doing wrong? Any tip is welcome.


text:
Android App 30 day expiry
I downloaded an app that had a 30 day trial about 5 months ago and never used it, so uninstalled it. I have downloaded it again and it wont register as it 'sees' it has being installed on the device before...... any thoughts on where the App is getting its information?

Uninstallations sometime leave remnant folders on the SD card or internal storage.

This may depend on how the app implements it, so to avoid guessing, could you mention the app name? Have you opened it at least once before uninstalled it?

Since you have already downloaded the app once it will keep track of your 'Device ID' or even the 'google account' that you used to download the app.


text:
I have unlocked the booloader for my xperia arc s running ICS 4.0.4 and would like to flash a custom ROM.?
I have unlocked the booloader for my xperia arc s running ICS 4.0.4 and would like to flash a custom ROM. I would like to know if i need to root and flash same kernal ? and also need to install the CWM recovery ? or is is fine to flash custom ROM right away?
please be specific with your answers !

Don't even try to install any custom ROM or kernel without first flashing ClockworkMod. Also, I would suggest CyanogenMod, but that may not be compatible with your device. Check here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Devices

This site expects self-sufficient answers. Please add the relevant info from the link. Also, Don't even try to install any custom ROM or kernel without first flashing ClockworkMod. -- do mention the reasoning for it.

Please be specific about wht you are sayin?

This hopefully should be the correct custom ROM for your device:

http://download.cyanogenmod.org/get/jenkins/5933/cm-9.0.0-nozomi.zip


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Switching from Wifi to mobile data takes long time
Since a few weeks ago, my Moto G takes a long time to start up mobile data after I turn off wifi. Usually it will take only a few seconds, but now it can take 10 minutes or even more. As long as it stays on, there is absolutely no problem with the mobile data. The problem only arises when I use wifi, then turn it off to get back to mobile data.


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How to know if phone has been connected via USB? (connection log on the phone?)
I'm trying to find out if someone has connected the Android phone (Samsung Note 4) to the PC via USB. Is there a log somewhere on the device showing the timestamp of connection? Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Another way is to use adb shell dmesg and look for power connection/disconnection logs there. That's the best source to consider. In Android 4.2.1 you can check kernel logs (if rooted) without ADB by browsing into /data/log_temp/.

Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Sorry! I don't have a solution that doesn't require USB debugging as of now. A workaround is to use a rooted device and run ssh server on Wi-Fi.
Anyhow, if the device has been connected to PC using USB, then it must have drawn some power, miniscule and momentarily it may be.
Setup adb in PC, turn on USB debugging on phone or use the workaround, and enter the command:

For Lollipop 5.0.2:
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:"

or, to get the most relevant details only:
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently"

The output could be like:
Statistics since last unplugged:
  Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) realtime, 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) uptime
  Time on battery screen off: 22m 13s 363ms (95.7%) realtime, 22m 13s 362ms (95.7%) uptime
  Total run time: 23m 13s 868ms realtime, 23m 13s 868ms uptime
  Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16
  Screen on: 1m 0s 505ms (4.3%) 0x, Interactive: 1m 0s 758ms (4.4%)
  Screen brightnesses:
  dark 1m 0s 505ms (100.0%)
  Total partial wakelock time: 22m 13s 363ms
  Mobile total received: 0B, sent: 0B (packets received 0, sent 0)
  Phone signal levels:
  moderate 22m 35s 311ms (97.2%) 1x
  good 38s 557ms (2.8%) 0x
  Signal scanning time: 0ms
  Radio types:
  none 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) 0x
  ...
  Device is currently unplugged

I've removed some output denoted by ... since it's not relevant here.
Now, the latest unplugged detail highlights:

Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16 -- On Aug 9, 2015 at 06:50:16 AM, my device was unplugged from USB
Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms -- time for which the device has been running on battery since last unplugged

You can do the calculation now, based on your case.
Note that this info has nothing to do with full charge details. It simply tells us the details for the event when the device was connected to a source that supplied it power.
For Android 4.4.2:
dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

For Android 4.2.1:
dumpsys batteryinfo | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

Note: In the last two cases, Start clock time isn't available but Time on battery among other things.

All of this info would be helpful if only you have not plugged the device into charger or PC since the above battery-stats doesn't differentiate between the two.
Nonetheless, it is still a good lead!

This answer by Matthew Read also deals with the same thing.

I see. This is a good lead... I think the battery graph in control panel shows a similar output... but I've since charged my phone several times so it's not possible to trace back to the time my phone was in someone else's hand. So Android doesn't log USB plug/unplug at all?

It does log, the kernel logs precisely speaking has those plug/unplug entries. It's in the output of adb shell dmesg. I can't seem to find where does Android 4.4+ and 5.x stores these kernel logs which dmesg outputs.


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How fix sd card unexpected unmounting on Lg L65 (kitkat)?
I have bought sd card Kingstone  which supports UHS-I standart and use it with Lg L65 mobile phone (android 4.4.2). Of course I moved almost applications to it. Everything works just fine and fast, but every ~2 days I see a message that sd card was removed or has unsupported file system. I have to turn off (not restart) and turn on my mobile to make sd card working again.
Is there a way to fix such problem?

Take out your SD card, then put it into your computer. In Windows, go in and check for errors. Then format the SD card, but make sure that you back up any information on the card that you do not want to lose