text:
How can I easily share links or text between my Android phone and my laptop?
For example, if I have a URL for an image from my laptop's browser that I want to share with a WhatsApp contact, what is the easiest way of doing this? The only way I can think of is to copy the URL, paste it into an email to myself, open the email, copy the URL and then paste it into WhatsApp.

Try https://link2tv.com - easy, fast, secure to share a link with any device

Some time after asking this question I found the Pushbullet app, which shares clipboard items across devices. Since Pushbullet changed its business model, I moved on to using the Join app which has similar features to Pushbullet and, although not as polished as Pushbullet, is functional and meets my original requirements.
Update (Feb 2021): And some time again after finding Pushbullet, the service made a radical change to pricing, so I chose to find an alternative. I've been using Join (https://joaoapps.com/join/). It's not as polished as Pushbullet and it doesn't work in Firefox, but it still meets my needs and it's a one-time purchase. It also has some power user features that might appeal to SE users.

It does not work on Android 10, you have to set your device in debugging mode and install a bunch of other stuff

Forget the pain of emailing stuff just to share some text. If you are running Android version 4.0 & above, check Keep from Google.
Keep works on your phone, tablet and computer. Everything you add syncs across all of your devices.
Visit https://keep.google.com/ to open Keep on PC.
Add your notes/text/link/audio note/photo. Immediately this would be synced across your devices. You can access the same stuff in your android app.
Works vice versa as well.
Get Google Keep Android app from here.
Click here to watch Google Keep video tutorial.

that's not quite ideal for simple things like sending a link from my phone to my Macbook because I was hoping for something that would just pop up a notification on my desktop instead of having to visit the Keep website in a browser.

Keep takes to much time, you need to share it on one device, then open Keep in the other device. It takes less time to share files using SendAnywhere than sharing a link using Keep.

I think chat.google.com is a better option because once you send a message, it syncs reliably.

For your specific example, just use Whatsapp on your laptop's browser:
https://web.whatsapp.com/

the trick is generating a QR-code using Duckduckgo´s tool. Then read it in phone via an app reader that uses your phone´s camera.
-in Chrome, i have added a search box shortcut named DU that searches in duckduckgo.com
-then i just type in the searchbox
    DU QR http://android.stackexchange.com/

tip: if you have the shortcut set up, then in the addressbox you just type DU QRwithout deleting the url in the tab
this also generates the qr code:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=qr+http://android.stackexchange.com/
NOTE: although the KEEP method is very easy, it requires that you are using the same google account on your pc and on your phone.
I do not use the same google account on my phone, as added layer of privacy.
This is a standalone solution so you don’t have to install nor sync anything.

Brilliant! Didn't know duckduckgo could do that. Thanks for sharing!

If you use Google Chrome, you can sync up your tabs so that when you open the chrome on either your laptop, phone or tablet, you will be able to see any tabs you have open on all of your devices relatively easily.

This is brilliant. Chrome - Menu - History -  - All previously open tabs are listed.

Decent solution. However this is inconvenient because the OP want's to send a link, not a tab. Also reduces your tab privacy.

You might want to check out Airdroid, it supports posting directly to the devices clipboard.

Another route, if you are on your computer and wanting to send something, is to see if there is an app/program on the computer you're using that would allow you to share the bit of information without involving your phone. I think there are a few apps/programs that allow you to communicate through what's app from your computer. Of course I mean at that point you could just send an email or even gchat.

If you are using a Linux distribution, you can use KDEConnect or GSConnect to share  clipboard et al over a local wireless network. Search for any of them for your Linux distribution. KDEConnect comes with KDE environment and GSConnect is a GNOME shell extension. For their Android counterpart, KDEConnect is available on Play Store which works for both KDEConnect and GSConnect running on your Linux system.
Once you have them setup in both your Android and Linux distro, pair them. Go into your Android app. It would show the available clients on the wireless network. Send a pair request and accept it in your Linux distro. Change settings, if need be, on both sides.
From now on, your Linux distro and Android would sync clipboard whenever they get connected to a local wireless network.
Sharing clipboard is a breeze. You copy your item (link, text, etc.) in either Android or Linux distro and it would be available on the other side seamlessly.

I can think of two simple ways.
1. Download in to you pc and android one of the many notes app with auto sync between the devices.
Just drop the link into a note and you'll get it inmediately on your phone, from there its a click away to whatsapp.
2. If you use chrome browser on both devices you can enable autosync of favs between them. So you add the site to your favs in one device and get it in the other.

KDEConnect is an open source option which doesn't require any accounts and allows you to share links and files between devices. Both Windows and Linux are supported (MacOS is supported but must be built from source - at the moment).
Simply install the application on your PC and android device and pair them (they must be on the same Wi-Fi network).
Right click on KDEConnect in the task tray → [Device Name] → Send a file/URL

Paste the URL and hit "OK"

Your android device then receives a notification with the link

The reverse is possible too just share the webpage then select KDEConnect then select your Device

It is possible to share information without login with yourself and others with Google Docs. When you create a doc, set the sharing option to "Anyone with the link can edit". Then anyone having a link to the document can make changes to it.
In your case, you first create a Google Doc as above (you will need to log in once to your Google account to do this), then share and bookmark it in any device you need.

If you are on a PC in which you don't have permission to install any software, one easy way to copy text from PC to Android (Maybe iPhone) without installing any software is to use the built-in Google Lens function. You can find Google Lens in the Google Assistant app. It provides an OCR function to recognize text in the camera images. And you can copy the text or directly open the link.

Register one Google account, and sign in Android phone,or on China, you can use chat app like Wechat or QQ to share link and text directly between Android phone and laptop.

Easiest way is to have two Gmail addresses and cut and paste through Google Hangouts inside of Gmail.

As to this suggestion, wouldn't your simpler Google-based solution be Google Keep? One location of data, readable with virtually anything, certainly a phone + a laptop as stated?

Use this app
Fire TV Universal Remote Android TV
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cetusplay.remotephone
It's a remote control and it allows you to push links to your Android box

You can use Scaan.in website. Just open the website http://www.scaan.in and read how to use it. It's the simplest and fastest way to share links from mobile to PC.
You can install the app from Google Play Store. Once you install the app, to share links/text, just scan the QR code.
Note: I am the developer of this app. It is new to Play Store, but you can trust that this app is a final product, that has undergone thorough testing.


text:
How to install bundles of additional terminal commands for rooted devices?
I rooted a HTC Wildfire S device recently and flashed an Android 4.1.2 AOKP Jelly Bean Custom ROM. One benefit is that I can use the terminal now.
I'm a little used to using terminal emulators on desktop machines but never did that on an Android device before. I noticed some commands are not found, for example:
$ tree
/system/bin/sh: tree: not found

Is there a way to add more commands to my device, maybe a bundle of GNU packages for Android available somewhere?

Yes that's possible with the termux terminal.

Homepage | Google Play

You can install additional shell commands using apt.
$ apt update
$ apt upgrade
$ apt install tree

Screenshot:

Bonus: Also works on non-rooted devices!

Termux only works on >= Lollipop devices

The tree command is not installed by default. I don't know how to install it in Android via the terminal, but you could always use the ls command. Yes, it doesn't show you a tree format that is easy to understand, but it still does the job.
ls -d */

Only list the directories in the current directory.
ls -ltr

List all files by the time they were last modified in reverse order. In other words, the last files listed are the most recently modified files.
Also, install BusyBox to have more Unix commands available.
Reference.

tree

Isn't even installed on Ubuntu by default.
That said, you can install BusyBox on non CyanogenMod ROMs that lack common utilites. YMMV, but on most "stock" ROMs seem to lack the utilities. AFAIK Busybox doesn't include tree.
ALWAYS DO A BACKUP FIRST!

You can install packages by first installing termux, then you install the desired package, next you type cd /data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin.
Now all you have to do is run these commands
su
cp DESIRED_PACKAGE /bin

Make sure to enter your desired package name at DESIRED_PACKAGE.
If you're not sure which packages you want to install simply (while in this directory) type ls

source: Stack Exchange

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

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

sort: votes


text:
Recovery partition on Pixel 2 'does not exist'
I'm trying to get TWRP on my new Pixel 2 so I can get stock android with Magisk for root. My issue is according to Fastboot (just re-downloaded) there is no recovery. When I hit tab recovery does come up still. Here's my command and results:
gido5731@gido-desk:~/Downloads/platform-tools$ sudo ./fastboot flash recovery ../twrp-3.2.1-0-walleye.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (32768 KB)...
OKAY [  0.098s]
writing 'recovery'...
FAILED (remote: No such partition.)
finished. total time: 0.098s

TWRP landing page says otherwise (says you can have a permanent recovery, just flashed in a different way); I've put the content in an answer.

Quoted from TWRP's landing page for Pixel 2:

If you already have TWRP installed: Download the latest zip and install the zip using TWRP.
If you do not already have TWRP installed: Download both the img and the zip. You will need to have fastboot binaries and the correct drivers installed. Power off your device completely. Hold volume down and turn on the device. Your device should now be in the bootloader. Connect the device to your PC. Open a command window and run the following command from the proper location:
fastboot boot path/to/twrp.img
This will temporarily boot TWRP on your device. Use adb to push the zip onto your device:
adb push path/to/twrp.zip /
Go to install and browse to the zip and install the zip. The zip will install TWRP to both boot slots. Installing TWRP at this time will remove root if you are currently rooted.
If you accidently flash TWRP to your device using fastboot instead of temporarily booting the image, you will need to download the latest factory image for your device and reflash the boot image.

That is true, Just a little further then I may go. Thanks for pointing this out! I may go and comment pushing it to / (anything for that matter) is 99% of times a bad idea, I'd recommend /sdcard personally.

Or /tmp which will be cleared upon reboot. Either way, just quoting that page faithfully, you know it well enough to tweak the process :)

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


text:
[Fixed]Nexus 5 displaying static screen
I am using Nexus 5 for at least a year. Suddenly the screen went crazy and it started turning off and on again. I tried to turn it on, but it didn't work, the screen was black. After a while, I could turn it on, but the screen was displaying static noise like this (not my phone):

I had my phone with USB debug mode enabled and used this Java application to mirror my phone screen. There was no problem using my phone from my PC, but the screen still was static. The touchscreen is working, but I asked a tech guy and he suggested to change the display. I bought the part and replaced it myself, but it didn't work (same results).
Now I've been researching a little more and I found out that the problem could be the charging port mic flex connection to the display. Can someone answer me if they have faced this same issue before and how they fixed it?
Fix:
It seems the flex connector (see image) was damaged by water, I replaced it and everything was fixed.

Hi, looks like you've found the solution by yourself, which is great! Consider posting it as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed but even encouraged. Thanks!

I faced the same problem after updating Android OS to 5.0
The scenario was:
I updated the Android OS to 5.0 and within some days my phone automatically shut down and also the screen gone OFF some times automatically.
As my phone was under warranty period , so i went to service center and they change charging port and reset Android OS to 4.4 .
Now again I updated Android OS to 5.0
But after few hours same problem occur, again went to service center and this time they change motherboard. But after few days problem again occur again and this time they change motherboard again, charger and USB Cable and they also suggested to not use other companies USB cables instead of original.
Now 3 months are passed and there is no sign of problem and I am using it on system on debug mode too, but avoid to use other USB cables.
(Note: 2 times my screen gone OFF in between - I long pressed again and again on Power button then it gone shutdown and I restarted phone again to work perfect)
So I guess information may help you and you can go for the same.
Thanks and best of luck for your device.

You could simply say "Visit Service Center"  in your Answer! Anyways, that is probably not Questioner want to hear on this site, I guess


text:
Lenovo USB 3 to Ethernet adaptor not working on Nexus Player
I have a Nexus 5, a Nexus Player, a USB OTG cable, and a Lenovo USB 3 to Ethernet adapter.
If I plug the Ethernet adapter into my phone (using the OTG cable of course) it loads the cdc_ether driver and sets up the interface eth0 (I ran cat /proc/kmsg).
However, when I do the same on my Nexus Player, it doesn't do either (however the kernel still picks up that I plugged it in).
I don't know a huge amount about Linux kernel development, but both seem to have cdc_ether.c in their kernel sources. Any ideas?


text:
How can I execute a Tasker reboot command only 1 time?
I'm working with a chinese tablet which needs to be initialized every time after it's connected to a power source.
I'm using Tasker to do so.
Problem is: this condition makes tasker execute the reboot command over and over, and it becomes a bootloop.
What should I do in order to initialize the tablet when a power source is attached, but avoid it from entering the bootloop?
Edit: TaskerProfile
<TaskerData sr="" dvi="1" tv="4.6u3">
<Profile sr="prof2" ve="2">
<cdate>1431370575080</cdate>
<edate>1431372456863</edate>
<id>2</id>
<mid0>4</mid0>
<State sr="con0" ve="2">
10
<pin>true</pin>
<Int sr="arg0" val="1"/>
</State>
</Profile>
<Profile sr="prof5" ve="2">
<cdate>1431370730220</cdate>
<edate>1431371684461</edate>
<flags>2</flags>
<id>5</id>
<mid0>6</mid0>
<State sr="con0" ve="2">
10
<Int sr="arg0" val="1"/>
</State>
</Profile>
<Project sr="proj0" ve="2">
<cdate>1431027887676</cdate>
<mdate>1431371133517</mdate>
<name>Base</name>
<pids>2,5</pids>
<tids>4,6,7</tids>

<nme>hl_aaa_ext_home</nme>

</Project>
<Task sr="task4">
<cdate>1431370589904</cdate>
<edate>1431372085383</edate>
<id>4</id>
<nme>Task1</nme>
<pri>10</pri>
<Action sr="act0" ve="7">
410
<Str sr="arg0" ve="3">Documents/sdcard.txt</Str>
<Str sr="arg1" ve="3">0</Str>
<Int sr="arg2" val="0"/>
<Int sr="arg3" val="0"/>
</Action>
</Task>
<Task sr="task6">
<cdate>1431370741046</cdate>
<edate>1431372415674</edate>
<id>6</id>
<nme>Task2</nme>
<pri>10</pri>
<Action sr="act0" ve="7">
417
<Str sr="arg0" ve="3">Documents/sdcard.txt</Str>
<Str sr="arg1" ve="3">%True</Str>
</Action>
<Action sr="act1" ve="7">
410
<Str sr="arg0" ve="3">Documents/sdcard.txt</Str>
<Str sr="arg1" ve="3">1</Str>
<Int sr="arg2" val="0"/>
<Int sr="arg3" val="0"/>
<ConditionList sr="if">
<Condition sr="c0" ve="3">
<lhs>%True</lhs>
<op>2</op>
<rhs>0</rhs>
</Condition>
</ConditionList>
</Action>
</Task>
<Task sr="task7">
<cdate>1431371028431</cdate>
<edate>1431372348654</edate>
<id>7</id>
<nme>runshell</nme>
<pri>10</pri>
<Action sr="act0" ve="7">
123
<Str sr="arg0" ve="3">reboot</Str>
<Int sr="arg1" val="0"/>
<Int sr="arg2" val="1"/>
<Str sr="arg3" ve="3"/>
<Str sr="arg4" ve="3"/>
<Str sr="arg5" ve="3"/>
<ConditionList sr="if">
<Condition sr="c0" ve="3">
<lhs>%True</lhs>
<op>2</op>
<rhs>0</rhs>
</Condition>
</ConditionList>
</Action>
</Task>
</TaskerData>

If I understood the question correctly, you want to connect the device to a power source which triggers Tasker to reboot the device (for initialization). But when the device reboots itself Tasker finds that the power source is connected so it repeats the task again. Your goal is to make Tasker reboot only once while power source remains connected. If the source is to be removed and re-inserted again, then Tasker should do the reboot again only for once.

Based on this understanding, I proposed the following solution:
The solution is very trivial. I'm using two profiles in Tasker, namely:

Not power USB
Power USB

These two profiles, as obvious, will be triggered by connecting/disconnecting the power source to the Android device. I'm using a file's content as a condition here to restrict boot-loop.
Note: For this answer, I chose my power source as USB only.
Instructions:
Regarding the file content:

Create an empty file in your default storage. (I created a file named sdcard.txt in /sdcard. The location of this file is /sdcard/sdcard.txt.)
Open this file in a text editor in Android and add 0 in it. (I used 920 Text Editor).
Note that there is no logical reasoning in using 0 only. It will be used in a conditional statement only. You're at liberty to try an another number.

Regarding Profiles and Tasks in Tasker app:

Launch Tasker.
Under Profiles tab create a Profile by tapping + → State → Power → Power.
Under Source choose USB.
Check Invert -- this will make Not power USB profile.
Press Back key/button once and select New Task.
Add a name for your task (persistent) or leave it blank (deleting profile will delete it as well).
Under Tasks tab tap + → File → Write File.
Under File field mention the location of your text file. In this case, it is /sdcard/sdcard.txt.
Write 0 under Text field.
Uncheck Append  and Add Newline. -- we want to replace the content, so no appending should be done.
Tap Back key/button twice to save this task.
In order to create Power USB profile, repeat step 2,3,5 and 6, respectively.
Under Tasks tab tap + → File → Read File.
Repeat step 8.
Under To Var type %True -- You can change %True to any other name. Make sure that you capitalize at least one letter of your variable to make it non-local. See this to know more.
Repeat step 11, 7 and 8.
Type 1 under Text field.
Repeat step 10.
Tap + corresponding to If. Add %True and 0 in fields respectively. It should look like %True ~ 0.
Repeat step 11.
Under Tasks tab tap + → Code → Run Shell.
Type reboot under Command. (My device is rooted, so I provided root permissions to this step to avoid any hassle.) As a soft-reboot option, you can use killall zygote instead of reboot.
Check Use Root if your device is rooted.
Leave Store Output In and Store Errors In blank.
Repeat step 19 and 20.
Go to Profiles and enable both profiles. To save yourself from unnecessary trouble, disable any other power related profile other than the ones mentioned above.
Tasker must be Enabled. You can check this by tapping Menu key/button once and amongst the options, Disable tasker would be visible. Also, if this app is running and you happen to minimize it, then as a default setting you would see its icon in the Status bar with the profile mentioned there (if activated).

We're good to go.

Go to Home Screen of your device.
Connect power source (we used USB only here).
Your device will reboot. Do not disconnect power source to verify that boot-loop vanished.
When the device comes back to Home Screen after reboot, you can see that Power USB profile is activated in tasker yet there is no boot-loop, not to mention that your initialization is also done. :)
Disconnect power source and the profile will switch to No power USB.
Connect power source again and device will reboot again for once.

Status: Objective Completed. Done!

It is switching between both profiles, but it doesn't execute the RunShell "reboot" task

@Tardo I traced this issue. If I uncheck root option in this task, then the device doesn't reboot at all. Guess what, no error in logs of Tasker as well. I checked root option and it worked fine. I'm having this feeling that your device is un-rooted.

I'm using SuperSU from Chainfire to root the device

If I execute (manually) the reboot task, it will reboot

Can you send me the screen shots of all the profiles and tasks that you made using this answer in details? IDK how to export and restore tasker data.

I will edit the post with the Profiles and Tasks.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Go to the ActionBar Settings (in the right corner) -> Data -> Share . Then you'll be able to get into a TextEditor a file similar to the one I've just posted as an edit.

Sorry but I don't have enough reputation to use the chat. :(

No issue with chat, the system asked me so I tried moving it. Anyway, I tried viewing the stuff in text editor and I also have another option. If you hold down a profile you get the option to "Export" it. I've exported both profiles and I think you should be able to import them. I'm sending you now.

Aight. Please check the chat again.

authors: ณรงค์ฤทธิ์ จิตประเสริฐ


text:
How does a tablet automatically power on when a power source is connected?
Please imagine a car situation where you have an Android tablet:
http://content.worldcarfans.co/2014/11/24/thumbnails/24486128385597.hl2.jpg
And the following working rules (as expected in most cases):

If the car is OFF, tablet is OFF;
If the car is ON, tablet is ON (automatically);

I have been reading about enabling auto power on mode when the charger is connected: most tablets have the playlpm, lpm, or a specific file that displays the battery charging animation.
The trick is to overwrite these files and force a boot.
Furthermore, I have also checked and tested Tasker, where I was able to achieve this behavior only when USB is connected.
However, I would like to know if there's anyway we can do it if the tablet has no battery attached on it.
Would this same approach work?

I'm aware of phones (Chinese mainly) that doesn't power on (connected to power source) unless battery is plugged in. They don't show any animation, LED blink or any vibration at all in such state; that doesn't mean they don't detect the source since I flashed one of them in such state. IDK maybe firmware has something to do here. Can't say about tablets though.

I managed to solve this situation only by removing the battery.
Turns out that most tablet's automatically power on when they're directly connected to an external power source.

Solved simply by removing battery and shorting power button on lenovo a2020

authors: Саша Хороший


text:
my phone doesn't load any picture i take with the camera
I thought there was some sort of problem with my camera but it works just fine except that it doesn't load the pictures i take with it. I take a picture and when i try to view it it turns out to be a black screen. And in the gallery it sometimes doesn't show at all. I also can't send them because it says "error loading media". And none of my photos in the gallery have a thumbnail. What can i do?
P.S. I have the 9gag app and it doesn't load any picture on it either; as in i can't view any post whatsoever. Also with instagram.

Strange, sounds like you might be missing a JPG decoder library or something.  What device and OS are you running?  Has this problem always occurred?

Do you have the camera app set to save to the SD card? If so, the problem may sit with a bad card or problems communicating with the card.

I have a lenovo running on  android i hope that's what you're asking me and Îmi fact, yes, i have my camera app  set to save on the SD card. Now that i think of it, this problem started the day after i changed that. So  basically every photo I took before changing the 'where to save' settings are still on my phone, but they still don't have a thumbnail. The photos I took after the settings don't show at all.


text:
How to know where is the boot.img partition
I would like to modify my init.rc  file for get  init.d support  trough the the boot.img file. As I know is the touchy action I've got several procedure but anyone referenced with I can note on my device.
1|root@nexbox_a95x:/ # cat /proc/partitions
major minor  #blocks  name

 253        0     512000 zram0
 179        0    7634944 mmcblk0
 179        1       4096 mmcblk0p1
 179        2      65536 mmcblk0p2
 179        3     524288 mmcblk0p3
 179        4       8192 mmcblk0p4
 179        5      32768 mmcblk0p5
 179        6      32768 mmcblk0p6
 179        7       8192 mmcblk0p7
 179        8       8192 mmcblk0p8
 179        9      32768 mmcblk0p9
 179       10      32768 mmcblk0p10
 179       11     524288 mmcblk0p11
 179       12      32768 mmcblk0p12
 179       13    1048576 mmcblk0p13
 179       14    5148672 mmcblk0p14
 179       96        512 mmcblk0rpmb
 179       64       4096 mmcblk0boot1
 179       32       4096 mmcblk0boot0
root@nexbox_a95x:/ # cat /proc/mtd
dev:    size   erasesize  name
root@nexbox_a95x:/ # ls -l /dev/block/platform/d0074000.emmc/by-num/
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p1 -> /dev/block/bootloader
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p10 -> /dev/block/misc
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p11 -> /dev/block/instaboot
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p12 -> /dev/block/boot
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p13 -> /dev/block/system
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p14 -> /dev/block/data
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p2 -> /dev/block/reserved
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p3 -> /dev/block/cache
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p4 -> /dev/block/env
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p5 -> /dev/block/logo
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p6 -> /dev/block/recovery
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p7 -> /dev/block/rsv
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p8 -> /dev/block/tee
lrwxrwxrwx root     root              2015-01-01 01:00 p9 -> /dev/block/crypt

Someone could tell me where is the boot.img partition is this shell result?
Thanks for any help.

/dev/block/boot?

@AndyYan /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot

@iBug I mean from the info he posted. Not every device have bootdevice  exactly as it is. Let OP explore that.

Hi,  who is the OP?

OP = original poster = you.

@Andy Chicken and eggs How to choice between bootloader, instaboot, and boot partition


text:
Can I easily redownload all my apps if I get a new phone?
I am considering buying a new phone. Is there a way to easily redownload all of my apps onto the new phone without having to search for each one individually?

Yes you can.  There are a number of utilities around to do backup and restore, as well as other options.
I recently moved from the HTC Magic to the Desire HD.  The way I did it was to use a free AppBrain account.  This has a few advantages, in my opinion:

You can search for, read about and
tag for installation, applications,
on your computer, with a larger
screen/keyboard etc.
You can organise
apps into groups if you have multiple
android devices.
You can share your
apps with other people.

You can check out appbrain at http://www.appbrain.com/
If you just want straight backup and restore, Titanium backup, as mentioned by others, is a good choice. ( http://www.matrixrewriter.com/android/ )
You can also find both of them in the Android Market.

Someone should back me up on how this works, but...
Apps you have installed are synched with your Google/Gmail account, and will download upon initial sign-in to your new phone.
My Droid just recently broke, and I was close to the upgrade time, so I got a Droid 2 Global.  I know, of course, my contacts and calendar are synched with my Google account, however so were my apps.  The Verizon rep didn't touch my old phone, yet all my apps began downloading as soon as I signed in for the first time.  Also, to my surprise, my Cyanogen background also showed up (I was running CyanogenMod 6 when my original Droid died).  So, in theory, this should also work for you.  Verizon uses a proprietary tool called BackupAssistant that normally takes care of synching most things on your phone, but I specifically deleted it as I don't want my info backed up to Verizon.  I believe the app sync is built into your Google account.

Is there anyway to check whether my apps are in fact backed up? Apparently it can be disabled

I can back Ryan up here. My previous Android phone (an HTC Magic running stock Android 1.6) was stolen, so I had no chance to back anything up, or prepare for switching phones in any way. When I got my new Galaxy S running Android 2.1, as soon as I went into the Downloads part of the Market, it listed all the paid and non-paid apps that I'd had on my previous phone.

I recently upgraded from DROID to DROID 2 Global.  My apps automatically downloaded.

I tried upgrading, but only a small portion of my apps were automatically downloaded. Fortunately, I had been using App Brains before, but I strongly recommend backing up your applications

In my experience, they don't all always re-download. I find that I've had to go back and manually install some again. And I also had some apps that I had uninstalled, install again when restoring using the Google account sync. If you're rooted, go with a solution like Titanium Backup. It's much more robust.

If you're getting another of the same phone running the same firmware then you should be able to use Titanium Backup, pull the backup to your computer, get the new phone, install Ti Backup, replace the backup files from your computer, and then run batch restore of your apps.  I have not done this before, hopefully others will have more input.

If you don't backup data and only backup User apps (instead of System apps) you can do this on any phone/hardware.  Sounds like Casebash wants only that anyways.  I've done it and it's great.

Matt has a first-hand experience with accidentally having Google backup all his applications: Cancel All Market Updates/Downloads at Once

I've never gotten this to work myself.  Titanium Backup works great though (see Joe's answer).

The only issue with Titanium Backup is that your phone needs to be rooted. If it is not rooted and you are not prepared to root the device, then a suitable alternative would be to use My Backup Pro:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rerware.android.MyBackupPro&hl=en
http://www.rerware.com/

If I remember correctly @Liam W has experience of this particular app

Yep. Firstly, unless you have downloaded pirate apps (by which I mean you have downloaded each and every app through the Play Store), the downloaded apps will be in your 'purchase history' for the Google account (doesn't matter whether you have actually spent money on the app or got it for free). When you undergo initial setup on a new Android device and after entering your email address, you are normally given a choice to download all your previous 'purchased apps'.
However, just to be on the safe side, you should make a backup of all your existing apps through a backup utility (dozens of them on the Play Store). This has the additional advantage that (depending on the utility) you may also get all your old app data too. If you use the first method (the one with the initial setup and email address), there is a probability (depending on your sync settings and the apps' readiness to backup to Google) that your old app data will not be available to you.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/


text:
Android 4.3: How to get the dial pad autocomplete
One of the most exciting features announced for the release of Android Jelly Bean 4.3 was the ability to get autocomplete when dialing a phone number in a similar fashion to text keyboard autocomplete from previous versions. I just updated my Android to version 4.3 but I don't see any difference with dial pad from previous versions.
Does that feature actually exist? Do I have to follow some steps to activate it?

Actually this feature does exist, but it is disabled by default, so to enable it in a vanilla Android Jelly Bean 4.3 you must follow the steps below:

Open your Phone app, tap the dialer tab (first one at the left).
Tap the action overflow icon (at bottom right corner) and tap Settings
Scroll down to section Other call settings. You'll see the option Dial pad autocomplete is unchecked by default.

Check the Dial pad autocomplete checkbox
Go back to the dialer, now you'll see there is a slightly different layout than previously: the top area is now split in two different areas, shown in the picture as double arrows. The area with red arrow will show the phone number you are currently dialing as normally happens, but now the area with green arrow will show the autocomplete suggestions (contact name and their phone number) showing up to 3 contacts at the same time.
Start dialing a phone number and it will autocomplete both by contact name and by phone number as you touch each key. In the example it shows 3 suggestions: two by numbers 3-5-3 and one by letters corresponding to keys 3-5-3 (E-L-E)

If you don't feel comfortable with dial pad autocomplete, you can turn off this feature whenever you want by going again to Settings menu of the Phone app.


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Changing Google Play country: Are there any side-effects when it comes to available apps?
The question of how to change your Google Play country has been asked over and over. However, it's not clear whether this has any (unwanted) side-effects when it comes to apps, and especially those with region restrictions.
Some possible issues that come in mind:

What happens with any free country-specific apps you have installed in the country you currently use? Will they cease working? Will they cease receiving updates?
What happens with any paid country-specific apps you have installed in the country you currently use?
Is it possible for an app to have different country-specific versions in two countries? What happens then?
Can you change back your country any time you want, or is there a limit on how often you can change it?

This may seem like a dumb question, but I have heard some horror stories from friends who changed country in Apple App Store, only to find content they had purchased inaccessible. So I don't take the safety of this operation for granted.

Last time I did this, all apps you already have are kept and unaffected.

To indirectly answer my own question: There is no need to change your Google Play country just to access specific geo-restricted apps. Android supports using multiple Google accounts. By using a new account per country, there's no need to worry about what happens when switching the country of your primary Google account. This solution is ideal for expats, that may want to have access to geo-restricted apps in >1 countries at a time.
An overview of the process:

Create a new Google account.
Link it to your Android phone, in addition to your primary account
Continue using your primary Google account as usual.
When you need to install a geo-restricted app, tap the account avatar in Google Play search bar to switch to an account where the app is available (see picture).
Switch back to your primary account.

The additional Google accounts created, may or may not be used regularly. My personal preference is to keep them only for use with Google Play, and not use other services with them.

This solution was the best for me and worked. But it is very important to note that you need a payment method from the new country. No money is taken, it is just a check. Also, although it warns that it can take up to 2 days, in my case the change was immediate after submitting the payment method.

I did this when I moved across countries - the apps are unaffected. If you had apps which are available in the earlier country then you can continue updating and using them. The only downside is that if you have credit in your account, then that doesn't appear in the new country. You can still use the credit if you change your play store country back to the old one.

First of all to be able to change anything on your android device you must first 'Root' it .
I assume your Android device is already rooted .
There is an App called Market Unlocker/enabler , it makes it very easy to change your country
to any other country for G-play known .
Just install it as an normal apk , and give it Root permissions .
and you can configure everything , its a piece of cake :)

There are NO SIDE EFFECTS : i tried it on GS3 , GS2 , nextbook 7 premium , galaxy tab 8.9
Ace 3 , Ace 2 , galaxy young , working fine all the time :)
download link :
https://app.box.com/s/ad74848bacf8800ae077

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


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Can I use a 32:9 aspect ratio monitor on an android TV PC?
I have several TX92 TV PCs connected to TVs for streaming, and to monitors for use as thin client workstations with Windows. I recently upgraded, getting the same android box for each use. What I want to do with the one where I do my work, is buy and connect a 49 inch 32:9 aspect ratio monitor. I have several questions. Can I do it? Will the aspect ratio magically appear in the list of available aspect ratios in android settings? I use "Resolution Changer" (google play) to change resolution and DPI for phones, TV PCs, and the BlueStacks emulator for Windows. Can I make the monitor work using that? The TX92 comes rooted from the factory. A 32:9 aspect ratio will let me have two Windows sessions side by side, each 1920x1080, or I can do a Windows session and still have plenty of screen left for android applications. I use "Taskbar" (google play) for the launcher and to run windowed android apps.
Edit:
TX92 has android 7.1.2, 2 gig ram, 16 gig storage.
I don't know what communication exists through the HDMI port. Connecting different devices causes different resolutions to be available in android settings, 4k TV vs monitor. That's why I think the resolution may magically appear when the wide monitor is hooked up.
The TX92 manufacturer has a nice website but has not replied to many inquiries.

There are a number of questions here and it is difficult to tell what is being asked (beyond an answer of 'just try it and see if it works'). Note that it would help to identify the OS version if you are using physical Android TV boxes. Related developer documentation but describes system behavior: https://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens-distribution.html#MaxAspectRatio

I updated above.

Yes, having two panels in android 7 will be nice. That's why I want such a wide monitor. May work perfect! The "taskbar" app used as a launcher exploits android windowing very well. It lets me reload another instance of the same app, if the app allows it, resize, use half screen, etc.


text:
Recover deleted SMS message using Google Backup?
I use Android 4.4.4 & XPeria Z3. Google auto backup service is turned on.
Recently I deleted my SMS messages and now I want to recover one particular SMS.
Is it possible via Google Backup? If yes, what is the correct way?


text:
How do I clear clipboard contents on Samsung Galaxy Tab S?
I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet running the official non-rooted ROM based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Sometimes i copy-paste sensitive data (like passwords etc) that i would prefer to disappear from the clipboard once i'm done using it. So i was looking for a way to clear clipboard contents on demand.
I've tried looking for existing answers to this question, but most of them share the same misconception: that clipboard can only hold a single element, and one should copy something new into it to clear what's been there before.
It's not true in my case. For example, look at the screenshot from my device, it shows something i would call a "clipboard panel" that contains eight of the most recently copied elements. This panel appears to be the only way to actually clear the clipboard contents, i.e. the 3rd party apps like Clipper or Clipboard Contents can only clear their own copies of clipboard but never the system one.
Unfortunately, getting access to the clipboard panel is a somewhat convoluted process for me. It can be accessed via Samsung Keyboard (which i don't use in favor of SwiftKey) or via some other apps, but not in a straightforward way.
So my question can be summed up to two items:

Is there a way to clear the clipboard contents other than with help of the clipboard panel?
If not, then is there a way to access the clipboard panel directly, e.g. via a shortcut on the Home screen?

Thanks!

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S and I clear my clipboard like this:  go to Google (the website, not the quick search bar) long click in the search bar, choose clipboard and touch clear, then confirm. This is pretty much what the others said, so I think that you are trying to use the quick search bar that is on the tablet home screen instead of actually using the website search bar.  This should work

I honestly don't know why, but this just doesn't work. I opened the Google website in both Chrome and Firefox: Chrome only shows "paste" popup on long tap, while Firefox opens a clipboard panel on top of the screen, but only the "paste" icon is present. Maybe my tablet is cursed, I don't know =/.

Okay.  Another way you could try is long click in the Web address bar.  You'll want to long tap after it turns blue.  A small group of icons pop up, like :  select all,  cut, copy, etc.  You can swipe them to the left and there should be a clipboard icon.  Click clear, confirm, then you're done.  Hope this works for you.

Long click on the search bar (from google for example) as if you were pasting ...pick the clipboard...pick edit...delete what you want by clicking the trash can on the images or material.
.

First off, there is no "clipboard" when long tapping on a search bar. Second of all, I stated in my question that I know several 3rd party apps that allow accessing the clipboard, but that's not an approach that i find viable when dealing with a system resource like clipboard. So, unfortunately, the solution you're offering is not feasible.

@Semisonic, I think what zeke is aiming you towards is the text controls that appear when you are in a text field. Search box is just a convenient one. I saw a similar forum post that suggested - Tap any text field to start text entry. Tap the cursor to evoke the slider under the text. Tap the slider to evoke editing controls, including the clipboard icon. Does that work? If so, maybe we can just edit this since zeke was pretty close.

@Saiboogu, my point is that in my particular case the text controls that appear when working with text fields don't include any "clipboard icons". To illustrate that please see the screenshot taken on my device - http://imgur.com/GNcMfm8. Like I said earlier, in some 3rd party apps the text controls do include the clipboard icon, but that's by no means a default behavior.

Understood. Not having a Samsung device I couldn't double check if he was on the right course or not, and I saw a possible point of confusion to clarify.

Follow the instructions:

Go into text message, type in your phone number so that if you accidentally send it, it goes only to you.
Click on the empty message box →  click the little blue triangle → then click clipboard. All pictures will be lit up now, along with any copied text.
Simply long click any picture and select delete. It took me a while messing with my phone to figure it out, but this one actually works.

As you probably noticed, my device is not a phone. It's a tablet.

I just open up a Samsung app, like s planner (calender), and select a random date to put a "note" in. Then I long press in the title/note area and the paste/clipboard icon shows. I go to clipboard and delete all. I had the same issue as you and no clipboard showing on things like my browser. I have the same tab s as you do.

when you go to paste and you get the little clipboard panels at the bottom of your screen you'll have two buttons press the edit button and little locks and trash cans will appear over each one of your panelsPresti press the trash can buttons to delete that particular panel


text:
How do I prevent unauthorized accession of my data when my phone is connected to the internet ?
I have an Android smartphone and my data connection is always enabled. I often use browsers like Opera Mini and UC Web as they are faster than the inbuilt browser apps. I often use Mobile banking services for several purposes. I have heard that the  hackers can steal data from Android smartphones without my permission when my phone is connected to the internet.

How do I get to know that my private data is being accessed by others without my authorization?
Other than installing an Antivirus app, is there a way to prevent my smartphone from allowing access to my data? Like, is there any default inbuilt security option in Android smartphones as of such?

Yes, just like for any Linux PC, you can install a Firewall to block wifi/mobile internet accesses and XPosed to keep track of all access attempts made to you device from programs. But unlike what Google and Samsung want to make you believe. Rooting your device is essential to allow you to have far better control of leaked data and unauthorized access. I highly recommend using apps like:

AFWall+ (The firewall to control internet access.)
XPrivacy
(Uses the
XPosed
framework for fine-grained access control.)
App Quarantine ROOT/FREEZE (Temporarily disable unruly apps.)

These are just a few fundamental steps to take to better protect your privacy, to mention a few. In addition you should also know that Google AOS/API often circumvents iptables based firewall settings on many devices. This is especially true for mobile carrier provided phones. See for example, Android betrays tethering data.
Finally, Anti Virus, is almost useless in the mobile device world, as there are so many other attack vectors that can be far more easily exploited, than what's detectable by signature based heuristics.

You can disable background data. That way applications will use data only when they're running in the foreground. For this, go to

Settings > Data Usage
Menu > Restrict background data


text:
Are flash counters a part of Android?
I have heard that many Samsung devices have a flash counter so that the company can know if the device had been rooted, even if the device was unrooted later.
Are such flash counters or any similar software default in every Android device ?
I have an Asus Zenfone 5. Does it too have similar software like Samsung's flash counter ?
Thanks in advance.

The easiest way to check is by booting into the bootloader and check the screen output. If there is a line like: Flash Counter or similar, then your device has such a flash counter.

By booting into bootloader do u mean download  mod?

I guess. I only own a Samsung Galaxy S3 and it is working like that: Boot into bootloader/download mode and read it out.

It is not built into Android, but is built into the bootloader. Not all Android devices have it.
As said by @GiantTree, the easiest way is to boot into the bootloader and checking the screen output. Asus devices in general, don't have any such counter.
Samsung uses a flash counter or the Knox counter, which is triggered when any changes are made to the stock partitions. Knox is tough to reset, but apps like Triangle Away can reset the flash counter.
Rooting usually does not trigger any flash counter, except in cases where you have to install the SuperUser (su) binary manually by flashing it. A clean unroot will, in most cases, restore the counter if it is triggered.
For more information, please see this link : http://www.kingoapp.com/help/samsung-knox-counter.htm
Although the above link contains material related to the Kingo Root App, it contains well-explained information regarding this topic.


text:
No SIM detected after installing CM13 nightly on Galaxy S III (AT&T) SGH-i747
After CM13 was installed on my Samsung Galaxy S III, I faced unstable camera and browser and whenever I attempted to turn the cellular network on, I received the following error:

Unfortunately, the process.com.android,phone has stopped

I put the SIM to another cellphone and didn't get the earlier mentioned error. I asked AT&T to provide me a new cellphone and got the same error after I inserted the SIM card onto the device.
What I already did:

I did wipe phone, SIM and contact storage cache and data in two different ways,
I did delete Phone folder and Sim Toolkit
I did dial and type *#*#3646633#*#*,
I did disable Automatic Time Zone
I did factory reset the phone many times,
I did flash it again with following list:

cm-13.0-20160402-NIGHTLY-d2att
twrp-3.0.1-0-d2att.img
modem_CWM_I747UCDMG2
Odin_v3.09

I would greatly appreciate it if you kindly advice me on what I can do to get my cellphone running back again.
My device is Samsung Galaxy S III (AT&T), device model SGH-i747.

authors: حٍمۆيَ حٍمۆيَ


text:
How to take a screenshot of an entire scrolling activity?
I have a Samsung Galaxy Y, and I have an application that has a scrollable activity. I wanted to take a screenshot but the "Home button - Power button" combination only captures the contents that are visible on the screen. What I wanted is to capture the full activity of the app including the unscrolled parts... I hope I explained it well ...

That cannot be done am afraid - ICS only takes the snapshot of the activity regardless if there's more views hidden in the scrollable area... only thing you can do is to scroll down a bit more, snapshot it, scroll down a bit more snapshot it.

Check my answer below, now it is possible from PC :-)

Some others apps suggested as a workaround: Here's why you can't take scrolling screenshots on Android 11

You can check the scrollscreenshot tool: https://github.com/PGSSoft/scrollscreenshot
It makes multiple screenshots and simulates drag events to scroll content between each screenshot, then join all images into one.

Disclaimer: I'm author of this tool, it was published by my employer. Feature requests are welcome.

Linked my account just to upvote this. Just wish it was easier getting the inertia parameter right.

Awesome. Do you have an app ?. So I can do it with just my phone.

@FranciscoCorralesMorales - it would require rooted phone and deep trust such app won't harm you. Or at least gone berserk and reset your phone because of some unfortunate event sequence.

As was said - this cannot be done. I am just putting this in an answer form...
The reason being is that screenshots work by converting what is on the screen to an image - what is on the screen is pulled directly from the hardware.
Obviously, the screen doesn't know what is going to be displayed, a bit like we don't know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow (unless you're psychic, but we will ignore that for this analogy).
As such, there is no way to do this.
What you could do however, is to take many screenshots, scrolling down a bit, and then use a graphics package to stick the two screenshots together - may not look nice, but it will have to do I am afraid.

As said, a simple screenshot cannot do this for the mentioned reasons. What you could, however, do, is a ScreenCast -- which is easiest described as a video recording of your activities. AirDroid is one of the apps offering this for free (experimental, and root required). Searching the playstore for "screencast" will show you additional candidates. However, root will be required to operate them.
Aside from that, and not requiring root, is to make a series of screenshots, as suggested by t0mm13b already, and then using an image editor to connect them.

If you want to take a scrolling screenshot of any webpage in android or iPhone you need to install an app for this.
Android Users can install Stitch & Share app in your android device from play store and follow the simple steps provided in demo.
iOS users can install Trytailor app or Stitch It app  from app store. Once you download this app check the video and follow the steps. Also don’t forget to give access to your photos.
Source: How to Take Scrolling Screenshots on Android and iPhone
Disclosure: I'm the author of the linked article.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S2 Settings Notifications crash
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. In my notifications, the "Configuration Message List" is always highlighted, but pressing it causes the phone to exit to the home screen. All other notifications work.
Any thoughts on how to solve this?

I solved this by going into the "Active Applications" widget, and clearing the memory through the RAM - section.

I rebooted the device and the message was gone.

Rebooting is generally the best option in such cases where the system is stuck on to a few things / memory not cleared or so.


text:
Remove ransomware-like malware
I downloaded android-6-marshmallow.apk from

marshmallow-google(dot)com

(Warning, ransomware fake malware! Do not install!)
It was a fake application and I couldn't delete that because of the screen below, and I can't go pass through this screen.

How to remove it?

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

Because there was shown an add of adult site in mobile tray, I opened it, and you know what happend * ;(

I will start this with the most funniest thing the malware developer did. The developer who created this malware with label Android 6.0 Marshmallow, version 6.0(6) and package name com.xtrlee.fiehan, didn't bother with an Activity or an overlay (was trendy) or with a lock screen (the latest trend as of now) either. They decided to employ a full screen Toast (you read it right). Here's what dumpsys window windows and dumpsys appops reported on Android 5.1 (tested on Android-x86).

That explains to me why the view was not constant but flickering.
Now, contrary to the permissions a typical ransomware would need, this malware comparatively didn't demand anything significant. The dangerous permissions it requested consist of listing out all the files available in your external storage (both internal and external SD card) and listing out device information, such as Android ID, IMEI and other information to uniquely identify your device.
The app is targeted at SDK version 21 (Android 5.0, not 5.1) and would work on Android 2.2 and above (the author must have planned to subdue the whole world). The user's data in my opinion would never be touched by this app as it didn't ask for the permission to write external storage.

Interesting components
As far as what I understood, the malware is definitely not a work of art. It has one main Activity which is responsible for showing the app's icon in app drawer. It also acts funnily. If you launch the app the very first time, the user would be shown a dialog to make it a device administrator. If you cancel the dialog, it would spawn again. However, if the user doesn't act under the next 10 seconds, the dialog is immediately dismissed and the main Activity is disabled.  Automatic disaster aversion, so cool.

This is how that dialog looks like:

The rest of the components are various receivers which helps in device administration and starting the app once boot process completes.
The solution
So, you made a series of terrible mistakes and you think your data is held as hostage. What do you do to save the data and get rid of this supposed update-cum-ransom? Follow any of the approaches noted below:
USB debugging already enabled and authorized
Using adb and root access, you can find the apk under /data/app/, remove it and reboot the device. You can also achieve this from a custom recovery as well. Alternatively, with adb alone, you can force-stop the app.
adb shell am force-stop com.xtrlee.fiehan

If the above command doesn't help, in Android 5.1.x, you can have appops deny the malware permission to show the toast.
adb shell appops set com.xtrlee.fiehan TOAST_WINDOW deny

Use this window of opportunity to go to Device administrator settings and deactivate the ransomware. Post that, you should go into application manager and uninstall that malware.
USB debugging not enabled or authorized
If your device doesn't have USB debugging enabled, your only hope seems to be to boot into safe-mode. Fortunately, the app doesn't obstruct the power menu (not at least in Android 4.3 and above) so you can long-press Power button → long press Power off → tap OK when asked to reboot into Safe mode. Once the device boots into safe mode,

you should open the security settings which usually comes down to Settings app → Security → Device administrators → deactivate the ransomware. If you're shown any dialog that the data would be wiped, ignore it. It's not going to happen anymore at this stage.
you should remove the app from application manager which is more or less the Settings app → Apps → All apps → tap the app's entry → Uninstall.
you should do a  reboot to boot the device into normal mode.

And that's how I removed that malware multiple times on this day.
Recommendation
If you're not a power user, do not venture into the unknown territory. This comes down to

not side loading any app;
keeping Unknown sources setting always disabled;
never granting Device administration privilege to any app (even to ones installed from Play Store) until you've certain the app is safe to use;
taking a minute the report the malicious page/site if encountered to your favorite web search engine. For Google, you can report here.
using your head before the fingers jump in.

@Firelord The virus can override the launcher and anything but the notification bar even without admin rights.

@Firelord Even if my info may not be needed, let me point out that it can obfuscate the power menu as well, when ran on 4.1.2 without admin rights. Hope it'll be useful.

I experimented on BlueStack (Android 4.4.2), and it seems as you mentioned, the app is safe (although that overlay screen is annoying). I don't see anything encrypted, and can kill the app using ADB. Off-topic: I don't see how I can access Device Administration on BlueStack even using ADB, so I can't uninstall the malware, but I don't think there's any problem with following steps on real device.

As always, the site was recently created. In this case, May 19, 2016.

I didn't expect it was a Toast... I thought it's a bugged code. Additional info based on my testing which might be useful, although not necessarily practical: you can still navigate using touchscreen without going into safe-mode, the input goes through the toast, but you have to be very patient to see the screen. I managed to get into Settings - Apps - (this app's info) only by mouse click on BlueStack while that toast is still active.

I uninstalled it into safe-mode, thank you very much,

As you answered before it that there will be nothing gone or erased , it was right, thank you, and I installed after that "Avast Ransomeware removal "


text:
YouTube updates not showing up
I have the YouTube app built into my device but the problem is when I open the YouTube app, there's always a reminder to get that latest version of it. When I click that reminder, it directs me to Google Play, and there is no update button there. It isn't showing on the My Apps list too. How do I update the YouTube app now?

Try clearing cache of Play Store and Youtube. You could also clear data to be sure, but you might have to log in again in that case

you may also try going into Settings app and choose YouTube app. And try to "Uninstall updates" option. Note that, doing this will REMOVE your Offline videos from YouTube app which you may have downloaded earlier.


text:
How do I take a full image backup of an Android device?
I am trying to do a full system image backup of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4.
It is unrooted at present, and is running Android Kitkat 4.4.2 . I have no desire of rooting it as of now.
I have tried creating a full image backup of the device using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) method (adb backup -apk -shared -all -f C:\backup.ab), which looks like it works, but when it completes, no backup files are created (Although the backup process is shown as having been completed).
Can anyone either offer advice on why the adb method doesn't work, or present an alternative solution to this? The end result should be a full backup image (including all apps and data) that I can use to restore the device back to its exact backup state.

The adb backup command that you used doesn't create an image. A system image will contain a '.iso' file extension. Looks like you were creating a '.ab' which is a type of system snapshot. Basically, these will contain a list of refs to different resources plus instructions to download / install them. The difference is quite significant. In fifteen years, when the "linked list" (pun intended) is just a bunch of null ptrs to nothing, the iso should still run.

Yes, you can, by taking a full NANDroid backup. This takes a backup of everything, including the app data, the accounts, the system, etc. with the exclusion of the files stored on the SD cards (both internal and external).
Such NANDroid backups are usually taken with the help of a custom recovery, like the CWM (ClockWorkMod) recovery and the TWRP (TeamWin Recovery Project) recovery. If any custom recovery such as the ones mentioned here, or any other custom recovery based on them; is installed on your phone, then, you can proceed to do so.
For more information, and some helpful resources you might want to see, please visit here and here.

i don't have either of them install, and i was under the impression that root was required for NANDroid. and root is certainly required for TWRP.

Yes, root is definitely required. Installing custom recoveries would definitely benefit you in one way or the other, so I would do it if I were you. Root is highly required, but if you have issues like tripping the flash counter or the Knox counter, you might ask for help on XDA-Developers or any such website. You can perform a clean unroot after you root, and Chainfire's 'Triangle Away' app might be of some help here.
Having said that, do remember that taking a NANDroid backup is actually the best way of backing up, and I would highly recommend doing so before you do anything else.

as i said, i don't want to have to root 100+ devices.

You have never mentioned about 100+ devices anywhere in the question ...

the number is irrelevant to the original question, as i clearly stated i didn't want to root. you edited my original to change the wording as well. i never said the word "desire".
it appears you chose to ignore the fact that i didn't want to root and provided an answer that required root. not very helpful at all really.

Online articles be like: "NANDROID saves literally EVERYTHING! Name it and it is there! Literally EEEEEEEVEEERRRYYYYYYthing!" [size=0.001]. . . .with the exception of user storage. [/size] What? I thought NANDroid backs up everything!

I don't think root is actually required for Custom Recoveries. You can boot into recoveries without flashing them. I've seen it done before. I don't know how to do it but Google can surely help you.
A Toolkit is available for my phone which let's me boot into TWRP or CWM without flashing them and can easily do full NANDroid Backups.

i installed TWRP and the moment i opened the app is said root was required.

@chenks No, I didn't talk about the 'app' TWRP. The app is just an install of TWRP recovery. I said that there may be a toolkit for your phone model that allows you to boot into custom recoveries without rooting.

i have no idea what any of that is then.

@chenks You would need a TWRP recovery image designed for your specific build and you can find root kits for some builds that include a handy toolkit like the one in the following example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/root-nextbook-ares-8-twrp-recovery-t3133165 you would just skip the su user install, do not install any su, sudo, or super user stuff to avoid rooting the device and don't install the boot image either. See here for officially available images https://twrp.me/Devices/ You  will need an adb shell and fastboot preferably linux or apple.

Since, you do not want to root your phone. ADB backup are closest to the Full Backups.
I recommend using Helium Backup for taking backups to your Phone's SD card or PC.
More information can be found here.

An ADB backup isn't an image is it?

Depends on what youare trying to backup. A system backup is always an image. While apps and settings backup can be text and/or archive.

Rooting would be no issue if there wasn't something disgusting called "eFuse".

@Rahul Bali Wrong. A system image is an actual image file, as in you could overwrite it with a photograph. and store that instead. There are MANY differences, but the most important one is DEPENDENCIES. An .ab file only tells you where to download your apps. So running it just asks Google Play to try its best to set up an environment that resembles yours. Also, if you have an ab of android 6 env and try to install it over v 10, think again. You already know that they arent giving you 6 back...


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How do I install one Android phone's apps to another Android phone without rooting?
How do I install one Android phone's apps to another Android phone without rooting ? I need to install the Samsung Galaxy S Duos Internal Music Player on a HTC Desire 620G. Please help me, and thanks in advance.

Please tick the answer as the correct answer if it helped you.

To your problem, you cannot do so, unless you root both your phones.

Samsung Galaxy S Duos's music player is a System App, if I remember correctly. System Apps can't be copied like normal Application Packages unless you are rooted. You have mentioned that you need a way to do so without rooting, and it is not possible.
If it is a User App i.e. if you have installed them yourself, then you can just copy the APK file present in the data folder and install them onto another phone.
Instead of doing so, I would recommend you to use the Shuttle music player. It has many features, and can be used as a replacement for any device's music player.

If you prefer rooting by any chance, then you can do so (there will be a few bugs, because of porting System Apps from a Samsung TouchWiz UI based ROM to a HTC Sense UI based ROM) by using the Link2SD app and the following procedure :

Open the Link2SD App
Convert your specific app into a User App
Get the APK file of that app, using an APP backup tool or any similar one which converts installed apps into installable APKs
Copy the APK to your other device (in this case, your HTC Desire 620G
Install it as a System App using the Link2SD App.
Use it.

Note that the App might have a possibility of crashing when being converted into a User App, and because of the dependencies of the app on the specific frameworks of the specific devices, it might not work at all, and might even brick your device. Do so with caution.


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Can't download apps from the Google Play store
Whenever I try to download any app from the Google Play store, an error pops up, giving the message "Retrieving information from server. ". This error does not go away, however I try. How do I go about fixing this ?

Please can you refine your question? it isn't very clear what you're asking.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! You might wish to take a look at our google-play-store tag-wiki, which already holds a list with errors that might occur and the solutions to it. From the phrasing, it looks like we've got that one covered already: Keep getting “Error retrieving information from server.” from the play store

Errors present in the Google Play store are not uncommon, and are mostly related to issues with the internet connection, internal storage space, etc. among many factors. So, please mention your device model, Android version and also whether you are rooted or not. Please check for similar questions too, and go through them before posting here. @Izzy mentioned one here, so do go through that. Thanks for using Android Enthusiasts !


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How to flash Stock Recovery without PC
I'm trying to get back to stock recovery. Currently I don't have access to a PC. A few days ago, when I tried flashing the recovery.tar file via Odin, it failed. How can I get back to stock recovery? I have the recovery file in both formats i.e. .img and .tar.
Any help will be appreciated.
My Device : Galaxy Tab 4 SM-T531 Android 4.4.3 Stock

By "don't have a PC" do you literally mean you don't have access to a desktop or laptop computer, or do you mean you're using a Mac?

Provided that your device is rooted, you can use various apps to flash recovery without PC. Notable ones are Flashify and Rashr

@NDGeek I don't have access to a PC at the moment.

@Firelord I tried flashify but It didn't worked. After flashing with flashify when I reboot it boots into download mode saying couldn't do normal boot.

You can also use mobile Odin for this purpose. Look on play store ;)

Oooo also download pem it generates passwors for when you extract the tar file in mobile odin other way is twerp flashing it

See our community guidelines on How to answer


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How can a rooted Android phone generally get bricked?
I've rooted my phone but now I'm scared that it would be bricked. I've seen a page on "Tips to prevent from bricking" and it said to install custom ROM recovery or something like that. I think there were two things; ClockWorkMod and Team Win.
I tried to install one and downloaded ROM manager but didn't work (didn't find my device model name).
Doing what kind of things increases the probability of bricking my device?

Why did you root in the first place ?

Curiosity, Internet pressure and someone saying "OMFG, ROOTING IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER KNOWN". It's pretty cool actually.

It's good but in most cases you don't even need root.

Doing exactly what you are doing is probably the biggest chance of bricking your phone - experimenting without proper knowledge and understanding of how things work. Go into xda-developers and find your phone's forum. Then start reading - how to install a ROM and a Recovery, change kernels etc. Read the threads and follow the steps exactly as they are shown and you won't be having any problems. All it takes is for you to mess up a single step, to brick your phone - may it be you download wrong file, not for your model or you type in wrong command etc. Still Android these days (not like back in 2010 for example) are quite resilient. It's not too difficult to recover from almost all kinds of bricks.
TLDR Read how other people did it before you on accredited sites like XDA-Developers and be careful.
Story time: I've been doing this (rooting, installing roms etc. - being power user)  for 5-6 years now so I know my stuff. I started unlocking my LG G4, then rooting, then installing recovery. What I did here was really stupid. Instead of installing a recovery I booted into it - so I had access to it only once. But I didn't notice right away. I installed my files, and the installer required a restart, and to boot back into recovery. But since I didn't install recovery the first time, as soon as I restarted my phone I literally messed up. I went into semi-soft brick. No access to fastboot, couldn't hook up my phone to my PC to execute commands, and the phone was in bootloop, only going as far as the logo.
Well I panicked a bit, went into the forum and started reading for solutions. At the end, something written for totally different thing allowed me to push some commands, and salvage my phone.
Also on your comment: And in general, don't root if you don't know what it is. Many people do root exactly for your reasons "people say its cool" I rooted to install xposed and get some modules I need.

Short, straightforward and precise answers, please.

@rjt.rockx I have bolded the TLDR section just for you. OP might be able to benefit from my personal experience story ;)

Excellent example, sir. Although I prefer a more empirical approach (and bricking things is what you should go through in order to learn how to fix them), it's generally better to learn from others' mistakes. Of course, this doesn't stop me from messing with the bootloader, but reading is a must, and something to do -before- playing with something you don't know about.

Things like :

Flashing a recovery/ROM that is built for a different device other than yours
Installing beta/unstable builds of ROMs/recoveries
Messing about with system files without a proper backup
Typing the wrong command while modifying your device

These increase the probability of your device getting bricked.
Always ensure that you have something to fall back onto in case of an error. A NANDroid backup is recommended.
In case you run into any problem, sites like XDA-Developers are a good source of help.
Rooting isn't bad, as long as you know what you're doing.

Actually, I've just downloaded some apps like xposed, system app uninstaller, gravity box, tinted status bar and apk2rom. I've downloaded them to modify the appearance. And I've changed the boot audio and animation, also deleted the camera sound nothing much.

@BenJunior As long as you know what you're doing, nothing much won't happen. But sometimes, conflicting modules might cause soft bricks.

Can downloading some modules from other websites other than Google Play be dangerous?

@BenJunior Nope, nothing like that. There is no guarantee that those modules might be malware-free, though. Google checks the APKs uploaded to the Play Store, so there is a comparatively lesser threat level there.

Is it possible to unbrick without any recovery installed?

Is it also possible to still maintain these appearances like the transparent statusbar even after unrooting? Thanks

Nope, because Xposed requires root to function properly, and unbricking, yes, if you have a specific tool to do so.


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Unable to pass through setup wizard
I had deleted the Google keyboard app and was using a third party keyboard app on my Motorola Nexus 6. Just now, I hard reset my phone and come to know that there is no default keyboard installed; making me unable to pass through the setup wizard. I am running Android 5.1.1 and because of factory reset protection, it's a must to pass through setup wizard, can't skip anything. Please help me fix this, thanks in advance.

Is your nexus 6 rooted?

I have installed kingroot on nexus 6 and deleted default keyboard app forever..but after dat through kingroot i have uprooted my phone again..so now don't have idea if it is rooted or not.. Phone is stucked on setup wizard only

Related: No keyboard after factory reset. Can't install keyboard on phone with bluetooth, google play, sd card, etc

Unlock bootloader (if not done already), flash TWRP, download Google Keyboard's APK from somewhere and through TWRP, push it under /system/app/. Reboot to Android OS and the app would auto install during the reboot.

Because you are currently in an unknown state, the "best" option here is to reflash the factory images manually. Google provides factory images and instruction on their Factory Images for Nexus Devices page, and you could also upgrade to 6.0.1 if you wanted to.
Going through this procedure will return your Nexus device to it's factory condition, except with the version of software you chose to install.

Thanks for your advice i will try this option and let u know about results... Thank you


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Adding a new spell-checker to Motorola Moto G
Does anybody know how can I add a new spell-checker to Motorola Moto G (it runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean)?
I have the spell-checker for UK version, but I also would like to use Polish spell-checker.

The following is the way I enable additional spell checkers on my Galaxy Nexus which runs on vanilla Android 4.3, I hope it will be the same for your Moto G:

Open your app drawer and go to Settings > Language & input
Scroll down to Keyboard & Input Methods section: If your Google Keyboard is enabled, tap its settings button, if not, enable it first.
On Google Keyboard Settings screen, tap Input languages

On Input languages screen, scroll down and enable Polish. Then tap Back.
You should be on Google Keyboard Settings screen again: Scroll down to Text Correction section and tap Add-on dictionaries.
On Add-on dictionaries screen, scroll down and tap Polski (which it should say it is available).

Now it should appear a button to Install this dictionary: tap it and wait until it is installed.
Now, the Install button will be replaced for a Delete button, and the dictionary status will say Installed. Exit settings screens.
Now you can use the Polish spell checker in the phone. Just toggle the language by tapping the Globe key to the left of Spacebar in Google Keyboard until it says Polski and you'll be ready to use it.

I had to install Google keyboard first, as there was only Android keyboard by default (AOSC or something similar), but then your guide is perfect. Thanks!


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How can I arrange the applications on each page of my app drawer?
I have recently bought a Samsung ACE S5830 smartphone and downloaded several applications like astrology, live wallpapers, games, and some daily usage applications.
When I open my application drawer, I see all these applications mixed up and are spread across 5 pages. This is very confusing and makes it cumbersome to find an application I want to use.
How can I arrange the applications on each page? For example, I want astrology related applications on page 1 of the applications page, games on page 2 and the default applications (like Internet, calculator, clock, etc) on page 3.
Is this possible? I have tried folder organizers and app organizers from the Android market but none of them meets my requirement.

You can press the Menu button while in the app drawer and change the view type the "Customizable grid".  Then hit Menu again and "Edit" to rearrange the icons.  It won't let you leave empty spots on a page, though.
Probably the best way to do this is simply to drag the icons onto your home screens, and then you can have a home screen for each type of app.  If you don't have enough home screens then there are probably custom launchers where you can set the number of screens.  Another alternative is folders, as you mentioned; I don't see why they wouldn't work.

Just a note that some 3rd-party launchers allow you to create folders even within the app drawer, which could be closer to what @Indeevar is looking for.


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Android Tablets: Use USB to Ethernet connector?
Do Android tablets generally support USB to Ethernet adapters? And if so, which models?

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?

Looks like 'no', with some xda-developers work.  If you want to connect to a LAN, why not go with an access point the size of a deck of cards?  If you want extra security, you might turn off your wifi router's beacon, use WPA2 without WPS, and turn on its MAC address filtering.  Your device will connect without the beacon if you 'Add Network'.

Is this still the case?

@Alex, if it's changed, the feature you're looking for from the new devices is "USB host".

To my knowledge, the Motorola Xoom does support the USB to Ethernet adapter solution, but I don't know of any others. Even the Xoom however requires some serious work, and you will need one of two custom kernels for the Xoom as well as an adapter based on a particular chipset. For more information, check out this XDA article and the threads it links to.

I'm using a Toshiba Thrive (OS 4.0.3), a Curtis KLU MID704 (OS 4.1.1, and one of the Rockchip clones) a Polaroid branded PMID704 and a ZTE phone. Of all these, the Polaroid and Curtis have Ethernet support in the settings. I'm using a Radio Shack Belkin USB-to-Ethernet adapter, which is supported off-the-shelf by Android. (Only the Toshiba Thrive has a full size type-A USB jack.) The Polaroid is "broken" in that the Ethernet doesn't work. You click on it in settings and it clicks but does nothing. The Curtis works, it shows me my IP and MAC address in settings and I can set static IP parameters including IP Address, Gateway, NetMask, and 2 DNS servers.
However, the Android frameworks (in the Java(tm)-like language) are broken. The connection managers only support WiFi and Mobile Data. You can inquire about the Eth0 device but can't open a connection or do anything with it.
I know...I've got a $70,000USD contract hinging on solving the ethernet connection problem and it's getting frustrating. I've got google people telling me it's in there, but I can't find API's or examples. Supposedly Google's working on it.

The most easy way to use LAN to your Android device is to connect your LAN cable to a portable wireless router ( about US$20 in ebay ) then you can use WiFi service from your LAN cable.

Not really answering the question here, you could do with expanding it a bit if you think you are.


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How can one access hidden apps on the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0?
There are many apps loaded on the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 that do not appear on the applications icons page.  Phase Beam 1.0 is an example.  It is not a "Samsung App".  How do we find and load these hidden apps?

The Minimalistic Text widget app allows you to launch any Activity (Android speak for program UI module) when you press it. Within the settings for the widget you can get to a list of all Activities in the system.

Where would I find the Minimalistic Text widget app?

On the Play store.


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Can't get into Clockworkmod recovery on LG Optimus 2x
I flashed a MoDaCo ROM this afternoon just to try it on my LG Optimus 2x P990, which was on ICS (CM9). I see that it's based on the offical LG Optimus 2x ROM, but I decided to flash it back to Android 4.0.4 ICS again, the one I was coming from.
But I can't get into ClockworkMod Recovery. I didn't find ROM Manager on my phone after flash (it works, except for Market and has very many bugs), so I reinstalled it by sending the *.apk to my email. I installed CWM successfully, but I can't get into it. I have tried the volume and power button method and reboot from ROM Manager. None of them worked.
My phone does works (call and such), but I can't get into CWM, which is really annoying.

A successful flash of CWM should boot you into CWM, so how do you know it was successful?

I fixed it by flashing ClockWorkMod and the boot image manually. Then, I used the volume down and power buttons to get into it. Now, I'm running Android 4.0.4 ICS again.


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remote: oem unlock is not allowed
i did not find any solution on xda-developers, so i am posting this question here.
i am trying unlock bootloader on nokia6 when i give command:
sudo fastboot oem unlock

or
sudo  fastboot flashing unlock

always i am getting error:
...
FAILED (remote: oem unlock is not allowed)
finished. total time: 0.002s

phone model: Nokia6(T1021)
android version: 8.0.0
usb debuging and oem unlocking is on
Does Nokia not accept unlocking bootloader?

It seems, bootloader unlocking is not yet supported for Nokia phones.
Check this out : https://www.xda-developers.com/hmd-global-kernel-sources-bootloader-unlocking/

As far as I am aware of, the Nokia Android phones by HMD Global does not allow unlocking bootloader. I have also stated the same in another answer.
So you're out of luck, at least for the time being.
Reference: XDA Developers

So your question is Does Nokia not accept unlocking bootloader?
Technically it's not actually up to Nokia but more of the license that they're using to develop android firmware.
When developing an OS for Android you must follow the license terms of the AOSP ( Android Open Source Project ) this means that many elements of your firmware are strictly open source and any person should be granted the same access to the source code as they themselves have been granted by the license, many companies refuse to follow the GPL License in this way as well as many other license's, Technically you should be able to have access to the kernel source code due to such terms, however they'll refuse to give it up, Their has been many legal disputes about this that have forced companies to release the kernel source.

What does any of this have to do with unlocking the bootloader?

Your question was "Does Nokia not accept unlocking bootloader?"

I also don't see how this is related to bootloader unlocking - the majority of the text is about the open-source nature of the OS and kernel, which the bootloader is not a part of.

To be able to unlock the bootloader of your device you'll need to have a modified kernel or modified boot.img to install over the old locked one, the only way to make this is by having access to the source code

No. Get some facts straight? To be able to install a custom/modified kernel you need an unlocked bootloader. Bootloader is a separate and proprietary part.

The kernel and the bootloader aren't one and the same, even if the name boot.img might have you think so. The kernel is a modified Linux kernel, which inherits the GPL license upstream is using, thus forcing whoever distributes its binaries to release its source; the bootloader is proprietary, hence closed source. Depending on the manufacturer and the carrier, said bootloader will be either unlocked, unlockable or locked down. The latter is what happens to OP's device.

Your edits also make no sense (and hence I have reverted them). This question is perfectly fine on this site. It is not the wrong place to ask. The license of the OS source has nothing to do with the ability - or lack thereof - to unlock the bootloader. That is why you are receiving downvotes, not because the question is somehow unclear. You may want to consider deleting this answer entirely.


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Galaxy S5 - Exchange email - How to sort by sender or by date ascending?
Galaxy S5 - Exchange email - How to sort by sender or by date ascending?
The sort option is removed.
The filter option does not allow options for sender.
I want email oldest on top, newest on bottom and can't reverse it.
Help? Please/Thanks.

It is apparently not an option in that particular app. However, there are plenty of third-party alternatives for email. I personally recommend Boxer.


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Phone wont boot
Yesterday I got an Acer Liquid Z410. After installing some apps and checking out the phone, I charged my phone fully. Then I was trying to acces my phone again but it was off. So I tried to access it by turning it on, but it wouldn't start. I even tried the power button + volume up button and power button + volume down. The phone does charge and I kept it on the charger for a full night. I cant get in recovery mode. I dont have much more information except for that I cant seem to find the solution anywhere. Not the manual, nowhere.What is going wrong and what should I do? I dont know my android version but I do know I have Android.

If it has a removable battery: did you try taking that out for a couple of minutes, and re-insert it? If the battery is not replaceable, there's usually some "reset hole" you could stick a needle in for a few seconds to reset it, with a similar effect.

@Izzy Yes I tried that

If it doesn't switch on at all, I'm afraid it's a case for being turned in to service. Might well be a hardware issue (e.g. broken power button or the like).

@Izzy Yup I did that. I'm getting a new one. Thanks.

Please consider to answer your own question – especially if you get some feedback from service on what the culprit was. Might turn out helpful to others :)

Anytime – and thanks for posting your solution as answer (+1 from me for that) :) Enjoy your new device!

I went to the store and it had to do something with the hardware. I am getting a new phone and all is settled. Al though the store said they've never seen or hear about it happen before.


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Dialed names are not shown (htc u11)
Contact name is stored in Google. But when I dial it, and finish the call, it shows only the number without name as if I don't have the name stored. And it only happens with my new stored numbers, and since one week till now.
How to solve this?

Do the numbers show up when you search for them in your contacts app?

It's possible that you have saved the same number in two or more contacts. Either that was by you or it was caused when importing contacts from another source. I had similar problems and it was solved when I deleted duplicates.


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How can I restore IMEI code after factory reset?
The phone is a Hero H2000 dual sim with Android v2.2.1, MTK Platform
I get an Invalid IMEI error after a factory reset.  How can I fix this?

There are several possibilities. The first starts with checking the "Related" section to the right of this page, which gives you some good candidates which already contain answers/solutions, e.g.:

How to fix “Invalid IMEI ” after Factory reset?

Next, there are some video tutorials on Youtube on this topic, e.g.:

How to Change or Repair Your IMEI Number On Android Cell Phone
HOW TO SOLVED Invalid IMEI

My short Google Search also found some forum threads providing hints and solutions, e.g.:

Invalid IMEI after Reset to Factory Defaults

I couldn't verify any of the mentioned solutions myself (luckily, I've never been affected by this problem) -- but I hope at least one of them will prove helpful to you.

I lost my IMEI today. Searched Google and android.stackexchange.com for solutions, but could not find any. I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 I9505. Could you help me? Thanks!

@SuperThomasLab I have no Samsung device, so I'm the wrong person to guide you step-by-step. I only know with Sammies it has to do with the /efs partition usually.

I already restored the /efs partition, but it didn't work for me.

No more ideas then from my end. Maybe you open a new question (include a reference to this one to avoid someone counting it as "duplicate") with details what you've already tried, to attract those who might be able to assist?

I posted a question here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/113667/how-to-restore-the-imei-number-on-the-samsung-galaxy-s4-i9505


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Samsung Galaxy S2: Autorotation only in stand-by mode
I have the problem with the auto-rotation since the GingerBread 2.3.6 and now with the ICS 4.0.3, now the rotation works only if I put in "stand by" the screen, then I rotate the phone and it rotates...the blue ball in calibration setting does not move...I tried the hard reset, the rooting (in gingerbread), the reflashing (GingerBread and ICS), nothing to do...There is only a strange fact the App GyroDroid when I had gingerbread the "linear acceleration test" did not work, now (ICS) it works...but it seems that my accelerometer works only in that test :-( What can it be? Thanks

Please be aware that home screens DO NOT rotate.
As well as this, developers can request their apps are only to be used in portrait mode - they therefore won't rotate automatically.
If you really want to rotate your screen, you can download the Set Orientation app, which will allow you to force your screen to rotate, based on a default orientation setting, or your sensor.

Oh, some home screens do -- mine does (GOLauncher EX), and AFAIK so does ADW. Some others might rotate as well. But the Set Orientation app might prove helpful; I cannot tell from my experience, but the app description sounds promising.


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Better Autocorrection on Galaxy Note similar to Blackberry?
I got my first android device ever and it is the galaxy note.  Previously I was on a blackberry.
At the moment, I dislike the auto correction on the Galaxy Note.  If I want to type "and" but accidentally typed "abd", the autocorrect puts "abduction".  With my old blackberry, typing "abd" will display the suggested autocomplete inline.  If you press the space bar, then "abd" remains.  If you press enter key, then it will display the suggested autocomplete of "abduction".  This is great, because you can easily choose between abd or abduction without needing to look to a separate userinterface control for autocompelte suggestions and moving your fingers to a separate userinterface control.
Can anyone recommend a blackberry like keyboard for android?  Or just somethign that let's me easily choose "abd" instead of "abduction" when I mispell "and"?

There's a keyboard better that that of Blackberry: SwiftKey X. Believe me, you'll love its Artificial Intelligence based suggestions. It learns from your typing habits to suggest you better. And, it can learn from Twitter, Facebook, Gmail and RSS Feed too (Quick Learning).

You can try default Android keyboard. Search for Gingerbread keyboard or Icecream sandwich keyboard in play store.


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Android SDK 2.1: Unable to install app from Android Market on the Emulator
I am testing the Emulator that comes with Android SDK 2.1, but I am Unable to install app from Android Market.
I made the Login on www.google.com but still no success: This is the error message:

Não há telefones Android associados a esta conta. Faça login com uma conta diferente.
There are no Android telephones associated to this account. Do Login with a different account.

Did you just log into the Market, or did you also add your account to the phone?  Look at Settings -> Accounts and sync and see if it's listed.  And by testing the SDK, do you mean the emulator?  We have questions on getting the Market on the emulator, just search :)

I tried that, but it seems that it want to add an e-mail account. When I type my username@hotmail.com  it tries to connect to hotmail. But gives an error

You need a Google account.

+1 good question. I get this even with a Google account logged in on emulator.

Check your system configuration if it is 32-bit or 64-bit processor. Download Android SDK (32-bit or 64-bit) and install it. Also download Eclipse (32-bit or 64-bit) and install it.

The market on the emulator is a special case.
It is also recommended you use a Google Account i.e. you are using username@hotmail.com change to use username@google.com
To reset the account associated with the phone , either clear all google app's cache or do a factory reset. As you are on an emulator just delete that one and create a new one.


text:
How many additional numbers can I set in one contact?
How many additional numbers can I set in one contact?
I was playing around with a script and I was able to get only 400 of them in on a simulator. However, I would like some official response about what is the maximum, and does it vary based on the Android version.

We probably need to go into the source code to see it, which is off-topic for here.

Yeah, thought I might get this kind of a reply. Will post in StackOverflow then. Thanks.

Meh, I ended up deleting it there as honestly some people really are as they say 'so police'

@SarpSTA That's nonsense. We have many questions that have been answered by examining the Android source. It doesn't matter how you get the answer, just whether it's interesting and relevant to non-developers.

What issue are you trying to solve? It's pretty unlikely a single person has several hundreds of phone numbers.

@Nikola Don't worry. One random user doesn't decide what's on- and off-topic on this site: we all decide together, as a community.

@Izzy: say you have one 'spam contact' that you keep filling with spam numbers that come your way - that's the use case and problem I'm solving.

Good point. Maybe you [edit] your question and add that? With that detail, you might have described an XY problem. Isn't your real question rather "how to block hundreds of spam numbers effectively" – and would you also accept solutions other than adding them to your contact list?

Well, not to drag this convo any further down the rabbit hole; I do know how to make that programmatically, I was just looking for some official docs which would tell me the limitations (at least some rough numbers), if they exist. Thanks for your kind help guys, as it seems this really varies from version to version and make to make.

Clarifying on your comment asking for a rough estimate, it is 499 and that seems to be not rough but pretty much fixed . Source- from SE webapps- What is the maximum number of phone numbers per one contact in Gmail?
It is relevant in the sense ultimately your contacts are going to be synced using Gmail , while the Android capacity may be more or less, it doesn't matter and by the same logic Android version shouldn't either