text:
Is there a list that explains the risks involved with each granted application permission type?
Usually, an installed Android app will request permissions such as

Phone calls

read phone state and identity

or

System tools

prevent phone from sleeping

But the actual consequences from a privacy standpoint are often a mystery to me. Is there a resource that explains the risks involved in these permissions in greater detail? Especially regarding privacy and personal information security.
(Pros would be such as one with practical examples, analysis, pitfalls, and providing complete lists.)

For anybody wondering about the idea behind this question, a good reading is: Does your flashlight app know where you are? Probing Android permissions, an article on TechRepublic. Interesting reading for all of you who didn't care that much about those "stupid" popup on app installations. Quote: 95% users were surprised this app sent their phone's unique id to mobile ads providers, similarly their location...

PS: I've just updated my answer with another source. I've summed up information from all around the web (wherever I could find pieces) and compiled a list of permissions, what they mean, and what implications they might have.

General information
You might want to take a look at What do the permissions that applications require mean? -- our "community wiki" which hopefully becomes such a resource one day. Next to that, you might want to take a look at App Permissions Explained – What Do They Really Mean?, a blog article at AndroidPIT giving at least some short explanations.
TechPP's article Use Permissions to Secure Your Private Data from Android Apps goes a little deeper into details (recommended reading!). Another nice overview is provided by BinaryDroids.
Edit: I've tried to sum up information from all kind of sources I could find, so the probably most comprehensive collection can be found at Android.IzzySoft.DE: Permissions. Don't be afraid of the ".DE": it serves its content in English as well. (Disclosure: I'm the owner, creator, and maintainer of that site.)
A last direct recommendation is How App Permissions Work & Why You Should Care -- and for more, please visit our good old aunt Google :)

Edit: I could not resist to add more valuable hints, as this is a very sensitive topic. So I will continue updating my answer:

OWASP Mobile Application Security
Android permissions explained, security tips, and avoiding malware, a very thorough article on more than just permissions (seemingly similar article here)
What Can a Zero-Permissions Android App Do?
The ins and outs of scary Android App Permissions (a general introduction into permissions and the "abouts")
Not directly an answer, but an interesting resource on our sister-site: Studies on Android users' attitude to security. Names a lot of further sources, studies, etc., including "permissions"
How to find those permission-grabbing add-ons in Android (link dead) reveals another interesting fact I was not aware of, as obvious as it might look once you know it: advertising networks get the same Android-permissions as the installed app they’re associated with. Ouch! A paradise for profilers... and, There are more permission-grabbing add-ons...
Smartphone apps: Is your privacy protected?
Use Permissions to Secure Your Private Data from Android Apps (while already from 7/2010, it still has good explanations on permissions existing back then -- and still there today)

Advertisement inside apps
Also keep in mind that many permissions some app requests might not be required by the app itself -- but rather by some ad module that app uses. So according to TechRepublic (page 404 now), MobFox and AdMob, two of the biggest ad networks, require the following permissions: INTERNET, ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION, and READ_PHONE_STATE (so they can know who you are [READ_PHONE_STATE: phone number, IMEI/IMSI], where about you are [ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION], what networks you are connected to [ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE], and whom you are communicating with [again READ_PHONE_STATE, while in call, for the "remote number"]). Does this look a bit too paranoid? That doesn't mean nobody's after you, see Deep Dive Into Ad Network Behavior on Android.
Which means: if you don't feel well with some combinations, you might simply check if the app on your wishlist also has a paid version -- which might do without those permissions, as it does not carry the "ad module". Speaking of this: Addons Detector will help you figure out which of your apps carry such a module piggyback. In this context, also consider: as trustworthy as the app developer might be, (s)he might not be aware of and has no influence on what those "ad modules" do with your data. Remember: advertising networks get the same Android-permissions as the installed app they’re associated with.13
On this topic, also read:

Android ad networks found accessing users’ private data
Free Android apps often secretly make calls, use the camera
How to Curb Aggressive Mobile Ad Networks (interesting to read for users, recommended reading for developers!)
Android Adware abusing permissions, Collecting more than they need
Reports Show Aggressive Mobile Apps Want Many Permissions They Don't Need
Mobile Ad Networks Accused Of Invasive Apps (with a "real life example" -- or rather "live example"?)
Top Mobile Ad Networks: Check out the networks on what permissions they want, how developers rate them, and more

Was this shocking news for you? Did I infect you with some "paranoia" -- and now you fell "left alone" with your bad feelings? I won't leave you without some recommendations. First, you might want to know which potential "data thieves" you already invited to your device, unaware of those risks. It's usually no bad intention of the developer (you know: "No money, no honey" -- the devs have to make a living as well). So having identified some "bad guys", you might want to confront the dev and give him the option to switch to a different, less "dangerous" ad provider (after all, the dev might have been unaware of the risks involved as well). If he's unwilling, you can still decide whether to kick the offender from your device. Or to "go pro", if there's a pay version available which comes without an ad module inside -- and honor the dev's work while safe-guarding your data, which I'd say is a typical win-win situation.
So: What options do you have? I will give a few examples below.

Addons Detector knows a lot of those modules. High rated (4.7 stars at more than 3,000 ratings), it not only detects ad modules, but also analytics, development, and licensing modules
Lookout Ad Network Detector -- nomen est omen -- concentrates on the ad modules. Its additional value is the ability to tell you exactly what data is being collected, and by whom. Comparable rating (4.4 at > 3,000 ratings)
TrustGo Ad Detector offers comparable features, and also gives you details on the ad networks' behaviour and backgrounds. Currently 4.5 at ~ 2,000 ratings.

"Root users" might also have heard of several ad-blocking apps (e.g. Adaway, Adblock Plus -- the latter not even requiring root), some of them able to not only "block by host/IP", but directly de-activating the ad modules. Well, those are no longer available on the Play store, as Google has banned them. But you certainly will find them in other places on the web. Make sure to select a trustworthy source, if you plan to make use of those. I recommend F-Droid, which has its own "market app" with the same name, so you get updates as well. All apps there are open source and thus free of charge. And no, obviously no "hacked pro versions for free", all fully legal and lawful :)


text:
Why do Linux commands not work properly on Android?
> adb shell
sh-4.1$ ls -F
-F: No such file or directory

-F switch works fine on my Ubuntu.
Why doesn't it work on Android? Is there a way to make it work?

Most shell commands in Android are not GNU versions or a POSIX-compliant implementation, they are either from Toolbox or Busybox and mostly stripped down versions.
A lot of commands in /system/bin are symlinks to /system/toolbox. I haven't found much documentation about it, just the source at https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/jb-mr1-release/toolbox/
Busybox is another implementation of several common shell commands, with more commands and features than the default Toolbox. It's used on other embedded systems too, and some bootable GNU/Linux CDs, so you may already be familiar with it. Because it's open-source, there are several installers available on Google Play: just search for "Busybox".

There is a guide at https://github.com/jackpal/Android-Terminal-Emulator/wiki/Android-Shell-Command-Reference

Strictly speaking, GNU userland command tools are not "original", they were designed based on existing Unix command tools and POSIX.

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authors: Татьяна Санкова

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text:
What Android phones are ANT+ hardware enabled?
I'm trying to gather information regarding ANT+ hardware support in Android phones. Basically, what Android phones have ANT wireless hardware?
ANT and ANT+ (http://thisisant.com/) as wireless protocols are quite promising, especially with potential open-source support for ANT+ ready-made fitness devices (see http://www.thisisant.com/news/stories/ant-enabled-live-google-data-feed).
For now, only Sony Ericsson has officially stated they have it in X10 mini pro, X10 mini, X8, and upcoming Xperia Arc (and AFAIK "plain" X10 is not included) - http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/developerworld/2011/01/06/use-your-sony-ericsson-phone-with-ant-enabled-health-and-fitness-products/. Also, it is known that Texas Instruments WiLink 6 and WiLink 7 module support ANT as well (some sources state Motorola Droid and Motorola Droid X have it, and therefore interesting too).
Sony Ericsson support seems to make its way to users, here the list of phones regarding Android ANT+ API (http://www.thisisant.com/pages/developer-zone/android-api). Still waiting for any official or unofficial support for non-Sony Ericson phones.
List of supported phones from the directory of mobile phones and devices - http://www.thisisant.com/directory/
ANT+ enabled phones: Any device with a USB Host feature and a connected ANT USB stick.
Any other? Please, share if you find others!

had to use ANT+ directory to get updates this time

This list gives the most correct answer, as it gives "what Android phones have ANT wireless hardware" regardless of if the software piece has been turned on: http://forum.xda-developers.com/hardware-hacking/hardware/ref-devices-ant-hardware-t2879990
For which devices have the hardware and the software to support apps, the best place is the ANT+ Product Directory: http://www.thisisant.com/directory/filter/~/60/~/
However, this does not include devices which have not gone through certification to prove they work correctly, such as the Xiaomi Mi3 or OnePlus One.

As well as the phones with embeded ANT support it is now possible to use ANT via a USB ANT stick.  The phone needs to have working USB Host mode support but that is true for most modern phones.  I posted some details when the anouncement came out a few months back as a developer of some ANT related apps.

Thanks, from your linked page it looks like to use a USB ANT device in addition to working USB Host Mode support on your device, you need to install the ANT USB Service and ANT Radio Service (both free from Play Store)?

Yes you need the two software packages from the store to get things working.  You then of course need some apps with ANT support built into them like my IpBike.

For the Tour de France Google created some custom firmware to run on HTC Legends so that they could track the riders in real-time.  It seems those phones also have the ANT+ capabilities.  I believe that those chips are fairly common in many phones.  The protocol is apparently similar to Bluetooth so it's not much additional work for the chip manufacturers, like TI, to put it into their chips.
I think the biggest obstacle is the drivers for the ANT+ protocol don't come with the phone.  That was the custom part of the firmware that Google provided.
Check out this article here for more about the Tour de France.
Have a look at this link as well.

seems those HTC Legends were not standard ones, HTC Legend you can buy uses Quallcom chips instead of TI WiLink :( see this thread - http://groups.google.com/group/mytracks/browse_thread/thread/9b0ce586697fb4aa/adb97744e9d091b0

I hope when SE gets their things done with public firmware, someone will be able to figure out how to use it with custom firmwares on other WiLink phones as well. But it's just a hope, and I'm not 100% sure SE Xperia X8/X10mini/X10pro uses WiLink :(

In order to enable ANT+ in Android devices there are mainly two options.
One is to have a smartphone with ANT+ built-in, another is to add an ANT USB stick and connect it to the smartphone using a USB OTG (OnTheGo) cable.
However, also the Android applications have to be written to support the external ANT USB stick. At the moment, only applications that use the official ANT Alliance APIs are able to communicate with the external accessory. This situation will probably change in the near future, but this is the state of the art, concerning ANT+ and Android.
For more info, check this how to: http://www.selfloops.com/resources/tech-guides.html

You can also go to the official ANT+ website at www.thisisant.com and then under the 'directory' tab (www.thisisant.com/directory) select in the filter options the following checkbox: CATEGORIES > Mobile Phones/Devices

If you need it for sports and want to buy now, maybe worth looking at Sony acro S. At least it is more protected (water-proof) than most phones. Anyway going for ANT+ enabled phone right now means you miss a lot of other interesting options though :-( (too many more capable newer models around are still coming without ANT+)

really?
so, you recomend me to wait?
but, if newer models without ANT+ are better, how they can receive beat rate signals?
(I mean, without attaching any adapter)

depends on what you need, just saying that most latest-greatest are not with ANT+ right now. for active usage external USB dongle is a dubious endeavor too. so for now, if you need ANT+ for sports in your phone - list is very narrow (and for some people even old and cheap SE Active would suffice)

yes right, I agree

I can see this is an old thread, but there have been a few new phones announced recently with ANT+ support.
This list is updated regularly: http://www.thisisant.com/directory/filter/~/60/~/ and now includes the Sony Z1 and Z Ultra (two new flagship phones) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

To add to the list, supposedly Samsung is going to release a firmware to enable ant+ on their s4 and others
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/10/samsung-mobile-devices.html

Add Nexus 5, Nexus 10, HTC One and LG G2. root is required though.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.z2software.antplus

Good that there is an app activating ANT+ on certain devices, but it's rather expensive IMO.

Currently supported mobile phones and devices:

Nokia 7.2 (HMD)
Monterra (Garmin)
HTC Rhyme (HTC)
GALAXY Note 3 Lite (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY Note 4 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY TabPRO 12.2 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY Note 3 Neo (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY TabPRO 8.4 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY TabPRO 10.1 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY NotePRO 12.2 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY S5 (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY Grand 2 (LTE) (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY J (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY S4 (Android 4.3 and up) (Samsung Electronics)
GALAXY Note 3 (Samsung Electronics)
Xperia T2 Ultra (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z2 Tablet (Sony Mobile)
Xperia M2 (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z2 (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z1 S (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z1 Compact (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z1 (Sony Mobile)
Xperia Z Ultra (Sony Mobile)
Xperia SL (Sony Mobile)
Xperia acro S (Sony Mobile)
Xperia X8 (Sony Mobile)
Xperia x10 mini pro (Sony Mobile)
Xperia S (Sony Mobile)
Xperia x10 mini (Sony Mobile)
Xperia ray (Sony Mobile)
Xperia pro (Sony Mobile)
Xperia neo V (Sony Mobile)
Xperia neo (Sony Mobile)
Xperia mini pro (Sony Mobile)
Xperia mini (Sony Mobile)
Xperia ion LTE (Sony Mobile)
Xperia ion HSPA (Sony Mobile)
Xperia arc S (Sony Mobile)
Xperia arc (Sony Mobile)
Live with Walkman (Sony Mobile)
Xperia active (Sony Mobile)

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text:
Hangouts doesn't show the content of vCard
When I receive a vCard (.vcf), Hangouts does not show the content of it! Is there a setting for this or simply this feature is omitted in Hangouts?
Here, in this picture I sent a vCard and the other persons sent another vCard. I cannot see the content of either of them.

And when I tap the message, I still cannot see the content from there.

Did you try clicking on it?

@DanHulme absolutely

Android doesn't have native support for vCards and it's annoying. Fortunately, since they come through as SMS/MMS messages they aren't only in Hangouts, any SMS/MMS-handling app you install can read the messages so long as you haven't deleted them. You can install bizcardmanager (it's $1.50 but there's a free version too) and it will show a list of vCards received via SMS and you can import them to your contacts from there. There are other apps which claim to share contacts, not all work very well. I recommend bizcard (I have nothing to do with the app or its developer) simply because I know for a fact that it works.

They do actually work, I have had the same problem with my Nexus 5 & 6. I just have to randomly press the vCard icon repeatedly, fast presses, slow presses, holding it just until the message options pop up, closing Hangout and reopening, I haven't been able to work out which one it is though, but they will always work eventually. So it is not an unsupported issue, it is a bug on opening them issue.

Not a great solution, but you can forward the MMS to your Gmail. When you open the attachment in Gmail, it will import the contact.

You just need to touch the vCard green icon. A new window "view content card" opens, and there you have all the information at the pulldown arrow. The option "add to people" is also available on the top of the window.


text:
SuperSU binaries won't install to my HTC One M8
I am following this guide to root my HTC One M8. I just need root, I don't need a custom ROM.
I have gotten to step 7 (weaksauce). I can install weaksauce fine and it roots my device (at least, it says it roots it).
However, when I try to run SuperSU (downloaded from the Android market, latest version) it says The SU binary needs to be updated. Continue? It says this in my notification bar as well. I click Continue and it says Installing, please wait. If you see this message for more than five minutes please restart and try again. After about 30 seconds, it says Installation failed ! Please reboot and try again.
I've tried it multiple times with all forms of rebooting (adb reboot, holding power button, etc) as well as a factory reset (which put me back down to 4.2.2), however it keeps giving me this error.

I have had this issue and there are 3 ways to try to get around this.
You will need a custom recovery to attempt 1. or you can use Odin alternatively for 2. below. The superSU binaries are often (but not always) installed via recovery and the app itself gives this option.

When superSU asks you to update the binaries, rather than select 'Normal' select 'Recovery' and see if it can install that way.
Flash superSU.zip directly in your recovery or Odin. Here is the link to Chainfire's latest version. I have tried this myself and it fixed the issue for me on a number of devices.
Install an alternative super user app from the market. (This can be messy, and you need to ensure superSU is completely removed)

You can only achieve perm root by unlocking Bootloader then flashing a custom recovery. This cannot be done in Odin as the previous answer dictates. It must be done via adb. There are a couple of methods that work for unlocking the Bootloader but the only gurantee is Sunshine. After the Bootloader is unlocked flash a custom recovery(TWRP,CM OR PhilZ touch) via adb. The latter is what I would recommend if your used to using CM on previous devices. There are plenty of tutorials as well as how to vids on YouTube and it is really quite simple. Hope this helps


text:
Google Play Store is not updating
I unistalled Google Play Services and Google Play Store and later when I reinstalled them both, the Google Play Store was again back to an old version, and now it's not updating. Before I uninstalled it was updated to the latest version, the one with material design. I've tried updating it manually in  Google Play >Settings >Build version but it says it is up do date. Please  help.

What you can do is get the .apk file of the Google PlayServices and Google PlayStore from some trusted source like Android Police etc. You can also use these .apk files Google Play Store and
Google Play Service and install it over your device that's should solve the updating problem you are experiencing.


text:
Can't mount my sdcard rw
I really messed up my HTC Desire today. I need to copy some files to the sdcard, but my Android phone won't let me mount the SD card with write access.
Here's what I've done in short:
(boot to recovery, phone rooted)
$ sudo -i
#./adb root
adbd is already running as root
./adb shell
~ # mount -o rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /sdcard/
~ # cd sdcard/
/sdcard # ls
ls: ./internal: I/O error
/sdcard # touch test.txt
touch: test.txt: Read-only file system
/sdcard #

/sdcard/internal is a folder I created and copied some files to before the sdcard ceased to be writteable.
From now on I can't do anything, my system is down, It won't boot, and I can't copy a ROM to the SD-Card.

I/O error as shown, sounds like a badly damaged sd card... best to ditch it and get a new one instead...

I tried to format /sdcard/ via the recovery, but it would do nothing, contrary to what it logs.
So finally i've formatted it via newfs_msdos (/system/ needs to be mounted, the command is located at /system/bin/newfs_msdos ) :
/system/bin # ./newfs_msdos -F 32 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
./newfs_msdos: warning, /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 is not a character device
./newfs_msdos: Skipping mount checks
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1: 5992960 sectors in 93640 FAT32 clusters (32768 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=64 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf0 spt=16 hds=4 hid=0 bsec=5994496 bspf=732 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=2
/system/bin # ./newfs_msdos -F 32 /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
./newfs_msdos: warning, /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 is not a character device
./newfs_msdos: Skipping mount checks
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1: 5992960 sectors in 93640 FAT32 clusters (32768 bytes/cluster)
bps=512 spc=64 res=32 nft=2 mid=0xf0 spt=16 hds=4 hid=0 bsec=5994496 bspf=732 rdcl=2 infs=1 bkbs=2

and then my sdcard was fine, I could write on it and use it via USB. I guess it was somewhat corrupted.

Could be worth noting that there might be a reason it got corrupted in the first place; don't rely on it for important information in the future :)

Yeah, I think it's effectively corrupted. now I had some other trouble, and it won't even detect it :/ . The point is, my laptop has no problem with it.

Hate to say it, but it might be your SD card slot in your phone as well :'(

erf, haven't thought of that. Poor old Desire, you were such a good mate ...

update: I have done some research and my symptons looks like something called "usb brick", I'll seek through it

You should try this command to remount as rw (read-write):
mount -o remount,rw /mnt/sdcard

remount doesn't work!

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text:
Is there an app which supports both PDF and epub ebook formats?
Are there any apps which support both PDF and EPUB files?
I've tried Alkido, Laputa, and StarBooks, they only seem to support either PDF OR epub, not both.
Any suggestions?

Txtr purports to support both, but hasn't gotten very good reviews.
Speak Text Easy and MultiReader are primarily for text-to-speech, but they both appear to support both file formats.

Aldiko is a good free application for reading PDF and ePub documents.

OP mentions that they have already tried Aldiko.

Aldiko supports pdf and epub according to the app description- "Advanced library management system: import your own EPUB and PDF files into the app to read them on the go"
Probably in 2010 it didnt

Okay, makes sense.

Both Aldiko and FBreader support PDF reading without conversion. As the app should update, you can check them again.
I found these later: Aldiko only supports non-DRM'd EPUB.
NOOK for Android by B&N and Kobo eBooks seem support both PDF and EPUB.
Get the information from: http://www.pdfmate.com/read-pdf-with-ebook-reader-app-for-android.html

Moon+ Reader in the Pro version supports almost all formats available, including ePub and PDF. You can even highlight and annotate text; with PDF files, these highlights/annotations will be directly embedded into the file (so you then can simply transfer the PDF to another reader and have your notes included), while for the other formats they are stored separately. Support is pretty good, fixes and new features are constantly released (developer is quite active and responding).

I am using BlueFire Reader. It is free of charge and can display PDF and ePub files with Adobe DRM.

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text:
How do I check the class of a micro sd card?
I'm thinking about getting a new sd card and read that the class of them really matters. I'm looking at getting a 16gb one with a class not less than class 6. How do I check for the class?

While Android devices use SD cards, this really isn't an "Android question".

Even a class of 10 is really slow. It means minimum 10MB/s. Cards can be much faster then that. Buy a reputed brand (one that can be trusted) and look at the advertised speed.

An SD Card class basically the minimum sequential write speed that the SD card supports. Testing the class of an SD is quite easy, just copy a 1 GB file to an empty card and measure the time it took for the copy. A class 6 SD card should support at minimum 6MB/s.
Also check out the markings on the SD card, there should a logo like the following:

the number in the logo describes the speed class.

Specification sheets lie, packaging lies, the mark stamped on the card itself lies.
I have lost track of the number of "class 10" SD cards that only run at a couple of MB/s or the number of 8/16/32GB cards that have an actual capacity of 2GB!
If you really want to know how fast a card is (and whether you have been duped with a card which is smaller than it reports and will thus corrupt your data when it gets full) I would highly recommend testing every single SD card you buy.
Even branded products can be faked. I've bought what appear to be high end branded products, in convincingly authentic looking packaging which were actually fakes and failed when put to the test.
Testing under Windows
The best Windows test tool is h2testw, from Heise†.
† This page is in German, the google translate version is readable even though the formatting is poor.
This writes a unique, verifiable pattern to the drive, completely filling it. Since the pattern is unique, it can verify that the data read back is actually the same as was written and that the card isn't reporting that it has a higher capacity than it actually has.
Since the class is related to the minimum write speed and SD cards get slower as they get full, this also ensures that you are testing speed under the worst case conditions. Loosing one complete rewrite of the drive is a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Hardware required
In order to get an accurate reading on speed, you will need a card reader which supports the interfaces on the micro-sd card.
My card reader of choice is a Kingston MobileLite G4 as it's reliable, cheap and fast. The G4 can make full use of its USB3 interface, and supports memory cards with up to UHS-II (up to 312 MB/s half duplex). It will, of course, be limited to USB2 speeds (around 60 MB/s) if used on a USB2 port on your computer.
If you need to test a UHS-III device (up to 624MB/s), you will need a better card reader though.
Testing under Linux & OSX
There is an open source project called F3 (which is short for Fight Flash Fraud or Fight Fake Flash) which is very similar to h2testw for Linux and Mac, but I don't have any personal experience of this. It might however form the basis for an Android port (the source code is on github).
There are also some GUIs for F3:

F3 QT is a Linux GUI that uses QT. F3 QT supports f3write, f3read, and f3probe. Author: Tianze.
F3 X is a OS X GUI that uses Cocoa. F3 X supports f3write and f3read. Author: Guilherme Rambo.

Testing under Android/IOS
If anyone knows of a similarly robust and reliable Android application to test the SD card in a tablet/phone directly, I would happily update my answer.

This is not my experience. I stay away from generic brands, buy well known brands that I can trust to some extent. Also maybe your reader is slow, not the card.

I'm not sure how your comment helps me improve my question. As it is, I've bought what appear to be branded products, in convincingly authentic looking packaging which were actually fakes. That's why I always test every memory stick or memory card I buy, since I care about the integrity of my data. I think losing one complete drive write is worth the security of knowing that you haven't been duped into buying a fake.

You can test SDcard speed in command line :
adb shell
dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/sdcard/test bs=512 count=2048000
rm -f /mnt/sdcard/test

that will write a 1GB file with zeros bits in sdcard.

I suspect that writing zeros will result in best case performance rather than worst case performance, and the storage class is all about minimum sequential write speed.


text:
Why is there such a difference in the amount of internal memory?
So first, when I go to Settings -> Apps this is what is shown:

(Click image to enlarge)
After some time ~20 seconds, the amount of space left is this:

(Click image to enlarge)
Why does this happen? What does this mean? And when installing any Android app I always get the insufficient storage space error. Why?  When determining the amount of space that is free, which of the two screenshots' storage space  does the Android OS consider? Anyhow, in both the cases the minimum that I had was 40MB and the app that I wanted to install was 12MB, yet I got the error.  I am running on HTC Legend, Android 4.1  Please clear this confusion. Thanks!

Your confusion is most likely caused by the way the Playstore handles installs/updates. They are first downloaded and stored in internal storage (not on sdcard, but /data/local), then the app is to be installed on the same partition (/data/data/app.package.name) -- only after that the download can be deleted.
In your case, this would mean a 12M download, which then needs to be unpacked (at least another 12M, or rather more) -- which could sum up to 30M or more. A safety margin needs to be kept to keep the device from crashing -- so you get the "insufficient storage" error.
See also: Package Install via Market sometimes fails and gives seemingly random error message

There is a difference for multiple reasons:

The app settings menu takes a few seconds to update the amount of storage an app takes up [AND]
Apps sometimes delete/add data to their data folders. This causes the amount of storage to change often.

You may get the insufficient storage space if an app expands and extracts needed libs and data when it is installed - this can cause the insufficient storage error.

@Downvoter Reason please?


text:
How to enable adbd to listen to a port at boot time in Android?
I have a rooted HTC Hero, and what I want to do is to enable the adbd
to listen to a port at boot time.
I tried some code found here:
setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555
stop adbd
start adbd

in an Android shell and it works great.
I tried to change the init.rc file. I added the above code in init.rc
and I replaced it with the original file, through these commands:
adb push init.rc sdcard

adb shell
adb su
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /
adb cp sdcard/init.rc /

The file is replaced successfully, but when I reboot my phone and try to connect
through:
adb connect <IP>:5555

the connection is not being established.
Any ideas?
(PS. I don't want to use the remoteADB application and a shell command like
    am start -n ...
)

The reason it does not work properly is this:
The init.rc script resides in within the RAMDisk attached to the boot image.
Hence the init.rc script that was edited and pushed across is now overwritten by the boot image's own script upon reboot - effectively changes are lost!
You need to extract the boot image, using every boot image has the kernel and the RAMDisk. The tools available to do this can be found here.
Extracting
When invoking the script split_bootimg.pl on a boot image it will recreate the following:

boot.kernel
boot.ramdisk.gz

The two files are obviously self-explanatory. To extract the ramdisk, create a directory called RAMDisk and from that directory, invoke this: gzip -dc | cpio -i, to recreate the directory structure that is used in the RAMDisk which gets flipped over to the live file-system upon boot. In there, the file that is of pertinent information is init.rc. Now that can be modified to your heart's content.
Putting it back together
Go back up a directory level, and issue this - mkbootfs ***RAMDisk*** | gzip > my_custom_ramdisk.gz.
Then, to "attach" the original kernel to the boot image, issue the following: mkbootimg -base 0x.... -kernel boot.kernel -ramdisk my_custom_ramdisk.gz -o my_custom_boot.img.
At this point now, a boot image has been constructed, then that boot image will now have to be flashed via fastboot flash boot my_custom_boot.img.
TL;DR
Changes are lost upon re-boot because the script is not properly edited which required extracting the boot image and modifying it and re-packing it. Once re-packed and then the boot image is re-flashed, the changes will be permanent.
This is done every-time the changes are needed.

Replace "service" by "persist" to keep it upon reboot :
    setprop persist.adb.tcp.port 5555

worked for me on Vibe UI 2.0, Android 4.4.2

It also works in Android 7.1.1. Thx


text:
How to change analog clock widget on home screen to digital clock?
I have an analog clock widget on my home screen and I want to change it to a digital clock.
If I tap the widget it takes me inside the clock app. If I select settings and then select "Style Digital", the home screen clock is still an analog clock.
How to change the home screen analog clock to a digital clock?

You can't make the widget change from analogue to digital, but you can replace the analogue one from a digital one. Hold your finger on the clock widget and drag it to the delete icon to remove it. Then, to add a digital clock widget, go to the app drawer and click Widgets, and find Digital clock in the list. Hold your finger on the digital clock to pick it up, and drag it where you like on the home screen.

On later versions, swiping your finger vertically across the circle will cause it to flip over. On one side is analogue, the other is digital.


text:
Update OpenDNS IP from Android tablet/phone
I want to use my Android tablet or phone to update my OpenDNS IP since there is no official OpenDNS client for Android. Is it possible?
As a bonus, I'd like to do this automatically whenever I connect to WiFi.

SUCCESS!!
I went through a free web service called dnsomatic (run by the folks at opendns)
It's as simple as signing up for an account and adding opendns to your services. No configuration beyond that.
For Android users busybox versions of wget are way behind and don't have options to use user names and passwords, so we will have to install and use cURL
The guide to install curl can be found here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362386
Once you have curl you can simply do things like updating your opendns ip
curl -u opendnsusername:password http://updates.dnsomatic.com/nic/update?hostname=opendnshostname

Next you need to setup tasker to run this command when your device connects to WiFi.
Make a net profile that runs a task when connected to your WiFi ip or Mac address.
Press the "+" button in tasker to add a new task and select "scripts" and then "run shell"
Add the line of code above
curl -u opendnsusername:password http://updates.dnsomatic.com/nic/update?hostname=opendnshostname

This will make tasker execute the command when you connect to WiFi

OK, I know I'm way late, but here's an alternative I'd like to share that may be of help.
Just open your browser at
https://email:password@updates.opendns.com/nic/update?hostname=your_opendns_network_label to update your IP -- and that's it. On the email part, use "%40" as an @ and "%2E" as a dot, ie, write "someone%40somewhere%2Ecom" instead of "someone@somewhere.com".
Credits to "rotblitz" at https://support.opendns.com/entries/23217700-Is-there-an-IP-Updater-for-OpenDNS-using-android for this nice tip.
As doing it automatically, sorry, no ideas but the aforementioned Tasker... hey, maybe IFTTT for Android?


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System icon that looks like ear with line through it on JellyBean
I'm Using Sony Xperia P with Android 4.1.2. Can anyone tell what's this icon (one with small T) to the left of battery bar? Is it any application based?

I remember a similar question was asked here a while ago (Can someone identify this icon (looks like a ear) in the notification bar?). Not sure about the T, but the symbol it's connected to is an ear (not with a cigarette behind, no), standing for some accessibility aid (hearing impaired?). I cannot say for sure, but tend to assume it's not application based (but provided by the system itself). Though an app could create a similar looking notification, admitted.

That symbol isn't Android-specific: it's the symbol for a hearing aid induction loop. Some landline telephones have an induction loop that transmits the phone audio directly to the hearing aid, so that hearing aid users can hear the phone call better than they would otherwise. The T stands for "telephone": because the induction loop system originated on landline phones, using the facility requires switching the hearing aid to "telephone mode", usually by flipping a physical switch to a position marked with a T.
It seems your phone has the same facility. The fact the icon is on the right with the "system" icons, instead of on the left with the notifications, shows that it's a part of the OS, not an app. I can't say for sure as I don't have your phone, but I expect you can turn it off in the device's accessibility settings.

Yep it indeed was a hearing aid notification from call settings

This symbol was frustrating me,
on my phone I managed to turn it off with this setting

Settings --> Call --> Accessibility --> Hearing aids (turn off)

I have no idea how it got turned on in my phone, probably some sort of elaborate 'pocket dialing'.
(Android version 6.0.1 - Marshmallow)


text:
incompatible with other application(s) using the same shared user id
I have a nexus-5 with Android Kitkat 4.4.4, no root or anything like that.
I tried to install the game "The Walking Dead: Season Two" but after the download I got this error: incompatible with other application(s) using the same shared user ID. I don't know how to fix it.
Note: It's important for me to say that I don't understand about  ROM, ROOT and how the Android OS works. So please; if you post an answer, write as many details as you can.
I very much appreciate the help!
Thank you.
The error Message:

Have you side-loaded any apps (i.e. installed from different sources)?

Do you have any other apps by the same developer?

yes,i have the walking dead: season one on my device but i don't think that suppose to do any problems.... i installed it from a different source (not play store).


text:
Galaxy s3 backup contacts google play
How can I get my contacts backs from my galaxy s3 when the LCD doesn't work and the screen is pitch black ?

What has Google Play got to do with it?

Well, I would say there may not be any reason to backup your contacts because I guess its backing up automatically over your gmail account. So for verifying it why don't you try logging yourself up over the Gmail account over PC/Laptop once logged in tap over the Gmail icon and click over the contacts. I am sure all your contacts are available over there !


text:
Upgrade RAM memory in Galaxy Y
I am using Samsung Galaxy Y Device . The device has only 512 MB RAM
available. I want to upgrade the RAM memory to 1 GB. I have a SannDisk 8 Gb class 10
memory card. Is there any way to boost the RAM?

authors: ابراهيم البارقي


text:
How to do a fresh install of Android : Nexus 5
I installed Cynogenmod 11 on my Nexus 5 through their Mac OS X app. Judging by the information that provided me, I would say it went fine. However, while my phone did the first boot, it got stuck in a boot loop. It continuously showed the alien face with the arrow circling it. I let it sit for about 15 minutes, and it still didn't boot. So, after that I tried it a few more times. No dice. Each time doing an identical thing. So, after that I figured out adb sideload. From there I attempted to sideload another version of Cynogenmod, 11s, and even Android L. I was able to sideload 11s, but I had the same problem. It went to the boot animation, and just stayed there. Never booting. Is there some simple fix to this that i don't know about? At this point anything would be helpful. I just want my phone back to some working condition. I have clock work recovery installed. It came along with the Cyanogenmod Mac installer. What I would really like is a way to just install android back to its factory condition.
Any ideas could be helpful.

Sounds like you forgot to wipe cache and Dalvik.

Note: I was able to fix my issue using this YouTube video. http://youtu.be/PX4R6IhcoTM

Ryan, if that solution differs from those in the answers: Feel encouraged to answer your own question, and please include an outline (in case that Youtube video disappears one day – and also for those not able to access Youtube). Thanks in advance!

Note: I have tried to make below a bit more generic than your specific Mac OS option, but the Mac is covered in the below answer, but this may help other Nexus 5 users. Full credit to the OP on XDA.
If you want to restore your Nexus 5 back to stock, you can flash a Factory Image. Note: This process will wipe your phone completely. Backup your storage before you continue. There are 2 methods, below I've given the "easy" method.
For this process, you will need to:

Install adb and fastboot drivers. To do this, use this program:
For MAC users:
*Note: MAC users will have to write "./" before every command in this thread. For example :

./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
Linux users

Download the latest factory images from here
Extract the archive you downloaded (Use WinRAR). It should look like this:

http://104.imagebam.com/download/VxZG49wcq59qXJqsRAPIng/28626/286255946/Untitled.png

Unlock your bootloader (In case you haven't already)

Easy Method:

Power off your phone.
Boot it in fastboot by pressing and holding Power Button + Volume Down at the same time.
Connect your phone to your PC through your USB cable.
Execute the flash-all.bat script (for Windows) or flash-all.sh(for MAC and LINUX) in the folder where you extracted the factory images.
!! For MAC: You'll have to edit the flash-all.sh, and add "./" before every fastboot command.
Wait for everything to flash.
After everything finished, select "Recovery" using the volume buttons.
When a small dead Android appears, press Power Button + Volume UP.
Select "Wipe data/factory data reset"
Reboot. Your phone should be stock.

If you want to Unroot completely:
The Nexus 5 has a thing implemented in the bootloader called a tamper flag. This shows if the bootloader was ever unlocked, kind of like the flash counter with Samsung devices. You can check it out by using this command
fastboot oem device-info
. If the tamper flag value is "true", then you'll have to reset it. The following steps will reset this flag, and lock your bootloader.

So, first, go here (Thanks @osm0sis for the wonderful script)
Under "Flashable Zips", you will find the Nexus BootUnlocker script. Download it.
Put the zip on your internal storage.
Download the latest TWRP recovery image for the Nexus 5 from here. Rename it to TWRP.img.
Now boot it. You do this by booting your phone in fastboot, and typing the following command:
fastboot boot path/to/TWRP.img

Replace path/to/TWRP.img with the path to where you placed the TWRP.img. For example: C:/Users/X/Desktop/TWRP.img

TWRP recovery should boot.
When TWRP finished booting, select "Install", then navigate to the Nexus Bootunlocker zip, select and install it. After it finished, use the back arrow at the bottom of the screen to go back, and reboot.
Now your bootloader should be locked, and your tamper flag should show "false".


text:
AFwall+: Why does the Kernel need an internet connection all the time?
Since I started using AFWall+ (a firewall based on iptables) on Android, I was wondering why the Linux kernel tries to connect to the internet all the time?
Allthough blocking the kernel I didn't recognize any disadvantages or issues.
A short answer is given here on the FAQs page of AFWall+.
It says that the kernel does not communicate directly, it only pass packet information from some applications and something about policy routing based on fwmark.
What does it mean? What is fwmark? Can somebody translate it into simple language for noobs? Is it better to allow the kernel to connect over TCP?

fwmark stands for Firewall Mark, which can be better described as a "netfilter mark", according to a quote in this article (also my reference).
Simplifying stuff a lot:
fwmark is a "stamp" on TCP/IP packets put there by the kernel. mark refers to the command line entity (whatever that is, refer the linked article for details). These are used by Linux Virtual Servers to coordinate routing from different IP addresses used by the virtual servers to the same real server (the actual server machine).
I have next to no idea why an Android device would need that. It is probably a holdover from the mainstream Linux kernel features integrated by the developer into the Android kernel.


text:
Use stock recovery to install superuser?
I am trying to use the stock recovery to install superuser.zip but it give me an error:
E: signature verification failed
So I cannot root it by the superuser.zip
I Googled and someone said solution is to install CWM. However, when I try to install CWM, it require superuser privilege?!
Now I get into the loop CWM need superuser -> install superuser need CWM -> ...

What device is this? It's hard to point you in the right direction as Dan said below. You can't install Superuser through stock recovery, you don't need root to install a recovery.

Android has a chain of signature verification that (by default) protects your device from being hacked or having an unofficial image installed. Recovery images, updates, and OS images all have to be signed. The bootloader verifies that the recovery is signed by the manufacturer's key, and the recovery in turn verifies that the OS image (and any updates you try to install) are signed by the same key.
That's why you need CWM or TWRP to flash an update that roots the device. You don't need to root to install CWM or TWRP, but you do need to unlock the bootloader. This wipes all user data on the device. It's a security mechanism, to protect your data: if someone steals the device while it's locked, and wants to flash a different OS to bypass the lock and steal your data, they first have to unlock the bootloader.
So, there's no loop at all. Unlock your bootloader and flash a recovery using fastboot, then use that recovery to install the "update". The exact details of how vary from device to device, so find yours on our rooting index.

If I understood correctly, I need to port the CWM to my device, which requires me to access the boot.img, etc. But without root, how can I obtain the boot.img?

It seems unlikely that CWM isn't already ported to your device, but obviously I can't say for sure since you didn't say what device you have.

It has not been ported yet, otherwise, I will not ask this question. It is a relative new and exotic device. But I did manage to get boot.img from factory restore ROM. Now I am starting to port the CWM.


text:
I've lost SuperSu
I have a rooted nexus-5 but the only problem is I don't have the SuperSu application on my device. I have tried to re-flash the zip but that doesn't do anything. Its in my application list in the settings but It's not in the app drawer. It was there before but somehow it just disappeared. Please help. Thanks.

The binaries should still be there so just install it again. Updates sometimes make the icon vanish, but it's still there. Do you have the APK file anywhere or is it purchased?

eu.chanfire.supersu.mainactivity-xxxxx
(xxxxx would be the SuperSU icon you picked).
If that activity is disabled/restricted it will remove the icon from the app drawer.

Since rooted you should use the app My Android Tools to check.

From menu select Activity
Select the System tab
Scroll down to SuperSu app
Select it and look for disabled main activity
Enable the activity

It is safe to enable this activity for just this instance. Don't go through the list of apps and start enabling and/or disabling things without understanding what they do. You can brick your device. You do so on your own. And always make a backup before changing anything
As I stated above, if the MainActivity-xxxxx is disabled it will remove the icon from your app drawer. This is the cause of the disappearing icon.

I have checked this myself on each of my devices. Disabling and enabling activity for SuperSU, then checking app drawer for the icon each time.

If you see it in applications but not in the app drawer just reinstall it from the playstore. Also make sure your launcher isn't hiding the app icon, which is a possibility depending on what launcher you use. Also in the supersu app under customizations launch icon, there is a setting to hide the icon. If you want to make sure the binaries are still there you can always check easily with an app called Root Verifier.

Try opening dialer then type *#*#1234#*#*
If you cannot see the asterisks, please read below:
(Asterisk, hashtag, asterisk, hashtag, one, two, three, four, hastag, asterisk, hashtag, asterisk)
It should open SuperSU
Then Change SuperSU icon on the SuperSU settings


text:
Why there is no Calendar sync Option on android 4.2.2? (Lenovo A850)
I can't find the sync option for calendar in my new Android 4.2.2 phone.
There is every other option such as: Gmail, Google+, Contacts and so on but no calendar!
Can somebody help me to make it work?
By the way, I have rooted my phone. Thanks.

Have you installed Google Calendar?

Install Calendar app
Enable calendar sync

Select calendars to sync

I just found out that running "Google Calendar" app (download from Google Play) on my Huawei synced the "hidden" google calendar (look into the apps settings and calendars on the top left hand corner). Running this app forced a calendar sync and all my events are now visible and the Calendar Sync option in the Gmail account in the Users & Accounts section of Settings is now visible again.
I hope someone out there finds this helpful.


text:
How to get into CWM Recovery in Samsung galazy star pro s7262
As you have read the question; you know what I want.
I'm always getting into stock recovery-mode but I have flashed CWM via Odin v3.07.
I m using adb to get into recovery-modebecause when I press Vol up + home + power buttons; nothing happens. Can someone please help quickly?

You need to hold Volume Up + Home and then Hold power until the phone vibrates, let go of the volume button but keep holding Home and Volume up, it should boot into recovery then. Holding them makes a difference. Alternatively can you simply go to Restart > Recovery from your device? If not since you are rooted you can install Wanam Xposed and then install a 4 way reboot (Reboot, Fast Reboot, Reboot to Recovery, Reboot to Download Mode).


text:
How to bootup a Samsung s-duos with bad battery
My phone switched off because of low battery and when I kept it for charging a black screen appeared. It is just blinking on and off. The same problem occurred previously also. I gave my battery to a technician for repair then battery worked, he said that he booted the battery.  So how to boot when the battery is bad?

If you claim that you took  it to a technician to repair it, are you sure the problem of your battery was solved? Have you considered replacing the battery with a new one? Or using another Samsung's battery on the phone?
Once you have a good battery you can know check for other issues that could be affecting your phone.


text:
Inability to call or text with Samsung Galaxy S3
My Samsung Galaxy S3 has this annoying habit that, whenever I try to do something like connect to a network, or open Candy Crush, after 20 seconds my phone will turn off, and on, and then keep turning off and on, the timing at which it turns off after turning on is variable: sometimes I have the option to enter my PIN, most of the time not.
Up until this point I solved it by plugging it in, and stop attempting to do anything  with this phone that I cannot do on my old Nokia. The problem this time, is that my phone has entered a state of isolation: I cannot text, or receive texts, cannot call and the symbol which normally shows how good my connection is to my network has been replaced by a stop sign. How do I get rid of this?
Also, my battery occasionally drains: from full to 0 in under 2 minutes.
Placing my SIM into a different phone allowed me to text and call, so its nothing to do with that.

You could try booting into safe-mode and see if the problem persists (you won't have your user-apps available there, but should be able to do some testing). If it works fine there, it's most likely a software issue – if not, it's a case for service. Option 2: backup everything and do a factory-reset. Same stuff: either the problem is gone, or you've got to send the device for service.


text:
I forgot my password
I had set a security password on my Samsung Galaxy S Duos mobile and unfortunately forgot the unlock password. I tried hundreds of times to unlock my phone with many possible passwords but was unsuccessful in each of my attempts. Please help me unlock my phone and send me the master code (if any) to unlock the phone.

Go to https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
Provided you have your phone set up with your Google account, it should show up on that page. Choose the LOCK option. It'll ask you to set a new pincode (and message if you want). As soon as you hit "lock" after entering in the new pin, the phone will lock with the new pin. Now just try to unlock your phone again.
That feature is really supposed to be a way to remotely lock your phone if it gets lost/stolen and doesn't already have a pin/password lock on it, but its a handy little workaround for resetting your pin if you forgot it.
...
...
Another option is through Samsung's Find My Mobile site.
The guide for your model shows two possibilities:

Lock my device: Locks your device by setting a 4 digit PIN to prevent
other people from operating your device.

Unlock my screen: Initializes the security lock settings such as the screen lock pattern, password and PIN to unlock the screen of your device.
Since this function initializes the device's screen lock setting, you must set the screen lock setting again. The screen lock set by the device or remotely set by the Lock my screen function will be released.

...
...
If none of this works, I'm afraid you may be looking at a factory reset.


text:
Where to get the release version of lollipop for Nexus 7
I'm looking for the Lollipop OS that I can sideload to my Nexus 7 2012 and supposedly they released Lollipop for Nexus 7 2012 today (Nov 3, 2014).  Is there a site I can go to download the OTA file?
The official version is not here yet.

Why the downvote?  I'm not asking for when the device will update on its own - but where I can get the new image.

It will come out on the site when Google release it. There is no official release date. The Nexus 6 and 9 will be released with it today, but the other Nexus devices don't have any release date. Even if it was out today, it's early morning in the US still so they're not even in the office

I read in various sources that the new image would come out today.  Though, the sources weren't Google.

Yeah that was one article that got copied all over the place. Google haven't given any indication at all. Maybe it will be today, maybe not. The N6 and N9 images should be soon, the other devices 'when it's ready.'

The place you've already linked is where the downloads will show up first. Normally OTA updates are staged-rollout, meaning you'll have to wait until your device/region is eligible to receive the update unfortunately.

Yep, "when it's out" is the only answer at the moment. A few guesses were today (November 3rd) but not from any official channels. The Nexus 6 and 9 are released today with Lollipop, so maybe that's what's causing the confusion.


text:
Nexus 7 wont appear on my PC in the bootloader, semi bricked
So I tried to root my nexus 7. I realized I done screwed up. However, when I looked for my SuperSU installed file in TWRP, I forgot to install it before hand, when I was at my bootloader, or before that. Now my Nexus 7 will not appear on my P.C to save my life. I have tried it one 2 different cables and PCs. It won't appear as a media device no matter what I try. I also cant open up the OS for some reason. I followed this guide and that did solve my issue of having TWRP. Say I have 0mb internal storage, but I still cant install super SU, or boot up my OS. Whenever I try and start it now I get a slightly lit black screen forever.
EDIT: despite all this I am able to do commands like flashing
EDIT JUST A FEW MINUTES LATER: removing TWRP via fastboot erase or something, then reinstalling allowed me to see my nexus on my computer, install super SU, and reboot... into a still black screen. i guess ill try and reinstall the system os rom?
EDIT: A few hours ago I reinstalled and flashed the System.img Straight from motorolas website. It worked. Thanks if you helped.
TL/DR:
Device won't show up on my PC. Device is semi bricked in bootloader.

Consider posting the edited (solution) part as the answer so that you can accept it and indicate that this question is already answered. Self-answering is encouraged :)

Did you ever tried using Wugfresh? Try it, they have everything explained in their software, how to install/remove drivers, easy root, bootloader unlock, and many other tools.

A link to the software would be useful, as well as a bit more information on how it applies specifically to this situation.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766475 - Here it is.


text:
Installing Plan B on Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
I lost my Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 I have no tracking device installed on it and the WiFi and GPS are off. I can call it and know the imei number. I've tried to install Plan B but it says it is not compatible. Please help.

Possibly a dupe of Tracking Android Phone via IMEI number

Plan B is only available on Android 2.0-2.3.
What you can try is Android Device Manager. It's mostly preinstalled and enabled on more recent versions of android.


text:
KitKat 4.4.2 error 'unfortunately, the process com.android.systemui has stopped working
On Android KitKat 4.4.2 an error comes up 'unfortunately, the process com.android.systemui has stopped working.
Now I can't turn it on or off as the error keeps popping up and won't let me do anything.

I finally found out that holding the power button down turns it off. Hopefully this will help others.

Hi @philw I edited both your posts to neaten it up, you can roll them back if you're hot happy with them. No need to apologise for answering a question. I'm not sure why you've been downvoted. It was a legitimate question, and these error messages aren't the easiest at times.


text:
Where can I find my Android backup?
Where can I find my Android backup in my Google account?
What is the name of my android backup in my android device?

Do you mean the backup of your contacts etc? That is saved on Google's servers, not on the device. It is preformed through your Google account, I can't remember the name of the services that do it. (Contacts Backup is one afaik)

Is there a specific problem you are trying to solve? Do you need to extract something from a backup? More context will allow us to help you better.

What do you mean by Android backup?
Your contacts ? Your emails? Apps you've downloaded from Playstore? Or your photos/videos?

Google does not backup your whole Android device.
Only your apps, and, if you have a nexus device (< not sure), the app's data will be backed up. And if you turned on automatic camera backup in the Google Photos app, your photos are backed up, too
You can't download these backup from your PC or another device.
To restore it you have to login on a new/factory reset device. Then it will ask you to restore your apps.


text:
Help with Photo app / Gallery
I deleted the photo app that actually comes pre-installed on Android and have been just using gallery. Is there any way  to download the photo app?

I thought (but I could very well be wrong) that this was part of Google+. Worth uninstalling and reinstalling maybe? I cannot find an apk for it here.

@RossC only with Kitkat AFAIK. It was a separate app before, and was subject to be split-off again with Lollipop (no safe informations on the latter, though).

You can try "gallerie pro" from the play store. i assume that this is a branch of "the original google Gallery app" - at least on my android 4.2 it looks nearly the same

I did this also, and found an app in the Play Store. It's called Google Photos, but you don't need to search for it that way. Opening the store and typing "photos" will bring it up as the first option. The icon looks exactly the same, so you'll recognize it right away. The download is free and easy.
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy 4 running Android 4.1.2. I may be wrong, but I think any phone which has previously had the app will be able to download it again.


text:
Any Fast Charge Kernel for Nexus 7 grouper? Franco Kernel?
I have the latest Franco kernel on my N7 2012 WiFi, normally it should be able to fast charge but I cant? Anyone have a solution or another kernel supporting fast charge for my device?
This wont effect multibooting right?


text:
Storage space issues
I've changed the default install location from my Galaxy 2 but now I can't use the apps because it says:
"to open Facebook, you need more free storage on your phone. Please uninstall applications or remove other media from your phone to free up additional space"
I literally have deleted everything in my phone to try free up space... apps, messages, media
About to throw this phone against the wall...
What are my options here to try and get apps?

never getting an android again if this can't be fixed..

Have you looked at the Storage screen in Settings?  What does it say?

Using the same steps you applied, Set default  InstallLocation to 0 which means the apps will be defaultly installed whether to phone memory or external SD card or set it to 1 to install apps to phone memory, but honestly I don't believe It's effective way since I didn't notice a big difference after applying that, but
If you root your phone you will be able to use Link2SD Plus app. (they call it Life Saver for those phones that come with small phone memory built in) which incredibly move the whole installed apps to SD using Linking method which makes the system thinks that the files of app you installed are still stored on phone memory but in fact they're in External SD memory saving for you so much memory of your phone. also you can set the default install location so easily through this app or other app requires root "except for some root apps even if you set the installation location to external they will be installed to phone memory eg. "BetterBatteryState" you will have to move them manually :) Or you can force apps to be moved to External using This app or Titanium Backup pro that both need Root privilges to work but Just a part of the app will be moved In other words, Link2SD is your best choice if you want to save a big size of your precious phone memory which obviously cannot be increased.


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mobile rooting problem
I am using Samsung GT-S6312. I just rooted my mobile with frama root. I haven't installed any custom firmware, nor a custom recovery. I've got some problem. If I install some apps like Whatsapp, way2sms, it's notifying me that I don't have any space, however I still have 400Mb in my internal memory.  I can install some other apps, including Facebook, Hike etc.
I have tried to unroot my phone without success. So if I reset my mobile, does it unroot my mobile successfully?

You jump pretty quick to the conclusion that rooting was the cause for the installation problems. The problem could be completely unrelated to rooting. See for example http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/27083/google-play-error-downloading-app-insufficient-space

Well, in order to unroot your device you need to flash the stock ROM again over to your device. For getting the stock ROM for your device try heading over to the sammobile/firmware section and get the appropriate stock ROM available for your Samsung GT-S6312, once you get the stock ROM use the ODIN which can be easily searched over the Google, download and use it to flash the stock ROM over your device. Once the flashing process completes your device will get unrooted.


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How to use Google Text-to-Speech?
Today, I got the update of Google Text-to-Speech on my HTC One X. I was able to configure it and even listen to an example. But how do I use it? The Play Store description states that it can be used with Google Play Books, Google Translate, and many other applications in Play Store.
But what if I have a page on my Firefox or Pocket app which I want to read it out? How do I use Google Text-to-Speech with that? Also, this app does not show up in my app drawer. Any reason why?

Because Google Text-to-Speech isn't really an app: it's a library app. That is, it doesn't have a user interface for you to interact with; rather, it offers an interface to other apps to use its functionality. Other apps on the phone can give text to Google Text-to-Speech for it to speak out loud.
It's up to the author of the app in question to use the facility offered by Google Text-to-Speech: only apps that have been written to use it can do so. So if you want Firefox to use Google Text-to-Speech to read out web pages, you need to file a feature request with Mozilla (the organization that develops Firefox) asking them to support this.
For the same reason, the way you use it in an app that does support it, such as Google Play Books, is different from app to app. There might be a button or menu item to read text out, or there might be a setting to make the app read things out automatically.


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Is there an app that associates a certain action to an arbitrary NFC tag?
I'm using the NFC Task Launcher for launching actions stored on my own tags. This works fine.
What I'm searching for is an app that associates a certain action with an arbitrary tag. An example: my company ID card has an NFC tag. This tag cannot be changed by me. But I want to activate the "At Work" profile when I scan that tag.
So, the actual action is NOT stored on the tag but on the phone and gets triggered by reading that tag.
Is there an app that I could use for that?

Old question, but Automate allows you to trigger actions based on a tag id. Note that it recommends against it due to some tags randomly generating ids - so if your tag is one of these them you might struggle regardless of what app you use.

@stripybadger hi, your comment looks like an answer. Would you consider posting it as a proper answer?

I've been looking at Llama. You can set actions based on conditions, and one of the selectable conditions is NFC tag detected. I haven't tried this myself yet, but the program is pretty well thought out. Highly recommended!

whoa! great! must have been introduced in the short past. Aside of the NFC functionality, it seems like Llama was the app I was actually looking for! You get the accept for this!


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Different user interface than usual on Facebook app
Whenever I download the Facebook app for my Android phone (Motorola Razr D3) it shows up normal for the first time but then changes to a strange interface and then stays that way.

 (Click picture for larger variant)
I've tried deleting it and then downloading it again and again but it keeps changing back, what is this? What should I do?

I would say you are very lucky to have that UI (user interface). I've been waiting to get that version, to no avail.
What you have is the Holo-fied UI of Facebook, which I think was initially available to selected alpha testers of the Facebook app. A group would get the Holo version, while the rest would get the regular version. This concept is called A/B testing. Eventually, if there are no more issues, everybody will that that UI. Have you, by any chance, applied as an alpha / beta tester?
Holo, as described in WikiPedia, is the Google recommended theme for the design of Android apps, introduced with Android version 4.0.
Is there a way to change the interface? NO, because the UI is determined by Facebook's servers. If you attempted to download and install (by sideloading) a Holo-fied version of Facebook, and you were not given the rights to have this UI, you would be reverted to the regular UI. This is the reason why Holofication Nation cannot make a custom Holo-fied version of Facebook. To date, they have already released a Holo-fied UI for Grooveshark, Steam, and Instagram. (and I think for CNN too!)

Thanks! I was getting worried it was some kind of virus or something, no wonder why this version is all full of glitches and bugs


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How does update.zip work?
update.zips are packages containing replacements for parts of an Android system. The packages contain all the files the update is intended to replace and a script that will do the replacement when it's run.
update.zips can come from OTA updates, but in some cases, it is necessary to manually download and put an update.zip in some special folder. However, the update.zip is still detected and applied in the same manner.
What part of Android detects and handles update.zips?

update.zip are never touched by Android.
Inside that archive is a script that is parsed and interpreted by the Recovery runtime.
The Recovery, at execution, opens the archive by unzipping into a temporary directory, reads the script, aptly named update-script, analyzes it, and based on the syntax, executes a function known to Recovery, that function may do the following, to name but a few:

mount /system and other filesystems, and perform read/write file operations  including, copying the kernel, or, an apk or even formatting a partition etc
check the build.prop for certain properties, such as device, manufacturer, etc
print display to the screen, progress information etc

It is pretty much a de-facto standard incorporated into Android Open Source Project (AOSP)
ClockworkMod, TWRP are derivatives of the barebones version that resides in AOSP with additional enhancements, such as touchscreen input.

+1 very interesting. So the recovery isn't part of android itself? What does it fall under? Part of Linux, a separate entity?

@RossC The proper Recovery environment, resides on a separate /recovery partition (some manufacturers do not do this for some unknown reason, pseudo recovery) barebones limited Android, depending if stock recovery,  limited shell vs CWM/TWRP which packs more, besides, root privileges. A real modder's delight is a device that has the separate partition for recovery.

/recovery doesn't look like a partition. In Linux that's just a directory. It could be a mounted partition - but it's still just a directory. I say this because it's a common misconception I've noticed in Android users.

@yannbane - try this,cat /proc/mtd or look at /proc/partitions, its how the bootloader works, if vol dwn is pressed, bootloader reads kernel from /recovery and chain loads it bringing up either stock or custom recovery.  It is not linux....


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What does "adb shell ime list" commands do?
What do the following two commands mean?
adb shell ime list -s
adb shell ime list

and why don't they return anything at all? See code below:
aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb shell ime list -s
aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb shell ime list
aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb shell ime list -a
jp.co.omronsoft.openwnn/.OpenWnnJAJP:
  mId=jp.co.omronsoft.openwnn/.OpenWnnJAJP mSettingsActivityName=jp.co.omronsoft.openwnn.OpenWnnControlPanelJAJP
  mIsDefaultResId=0x0
  Service:
...
... etc.

I found no manual entry for these commands. It suggested that I did mandb to update the manual entries list. Googled too! But these efforts were in vain.
Any help is appreciated!

You won't find anything about this in the man page on your desktop, nor the usage information for adb because this isn't an adb command. Remember that adb shell foo starts a shell on the device and runs the command foo there. It would be like looking in the ssh man page to find out what ssh myserver rm -rf * does.
The command you want help with is ime list, and it only exists on the device, not your desktop. Running adb shell ime (with no further arguments) prints out the usage information for this command.
usage: ime list [-a] [-s]
       ime enable ID
       ime disable ID
       ime set ID

The list command prints all enabled input methods.  Use
the -a option to see all input methods.  Use
the -s option to see only a single summary line of each.

The enable command allows the given input method ID to be used.

The disable command disallows the given input method ID from use.

The set command switches to the given input method ID.

"Enabled" in this description doesn't refer to the "enabled" field in the manifest (that is, the one printed out under ServiceInfo), but rather whether the IME is turned on in the settings. It might be a little confusing to have two different things called "enabled", but don't forget that adb is a debugging tool for programmers, who are expected to understand such things. End-users shouldn't need to run this command, since the list of IMEs is accessible through the device settings.
From this description, if you get output with ime list -a but not ime list, that tells you that no input methods are currently enabled in the settings.

Some devices also support a ime reset which resets the ime to the default input for the input, as if it was restored to factory settings.


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Is there a way to navigate back after an inter-page jump in a PDF reader?
Say I am reading a paper with a PDF reader on a tablet and I get to

... the second inequality follows from Lemma 3.2 ...

and I click on the text "Lemma 3.2" to jump to Lemma 3.2. Now that I reminded myself of what Lemma 3.2 was, I need to go back to the page I was reading before the jump.
In case of Adobe Reader which I am using on my phone, the physical back button (which I believe corresponds to the system back button) simply gets me to the recent files list.
Is there a way to navigate back after an inter-page jump in a PDF reader?

ezPDF Reader (free trial, pro) supports this.
Assuming you have a table of contents (TOC), clicking on a chapter link will take you to a page far from the TOC. If you click on the button with "a page and left arrow" icon (encircled below), it will take you back to the TOC.

From the (now deleted) OP's comment,

I found that Adobe Reader on Android actually has "go back" feature; after I jump to Lemma 3.2, the reader displays a new button which is for "go back". I guess I didn't try jump before because I was not expecting such a button to be created on the fly like that.


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Prevent LED flashing when tablet is on standby
My Xperia Z tablet has a really bright LED that flashes when it is in standby (that is when the screen is blank). In fact, I am not sure it does it all the time, but it is very annoying if it is in the room at night. Is there any way to stop this from happening?

Perhaps the app Notification Light Widget will help you. It gives you a widget to manually enable/disable the light. Can't get a lot simpler than that!
Note that tweaking the notification LED is often a hit-or-miss operation with some devices. There's no promise that it'll work perfectly. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes!


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Insufficent space for downloading APP from Play store
I am using a Micromax Canvas HD, which has an internal memory of 2Gb and the free memory is 1.3 Gb
I also have an 8Gb memory card on which the free memory is about 3.2 Gb and I'm am still getting the error: no sufficient Storage for downloading.

Does your phone support moving applications to SD card? and what is the size of the application you're downloading?

as mani says, what is the size of the application you are downloading?

"Downloading" always goes to internal storage, never to any SDCard – regardless of where the app might end up. And that's what the "insufficient storage" error points to always, see its tag-wiki.


text:
how to stop auto login on Skype for Android
Please help me to stop auto login in Skype. There is an account that is always login again and again, although I chose to logout and sign in with another Skype name. I tried on Settings/applications/Skype to kill the account and to quit synchronise, but still whenever I open Skype again, I'm logging in automatically.

possible duplicate of How to quit Skype on Android?

In the current version (5.7) you need to follow these steps:

Sign out (click on your avatar and then choose "sign out")
Go to the Android application manager, find Skype, then click "Force Stop".

Of course this works, but it's far from optimal.

On the latest version of Skype (5.0.x as of this writing), if you log in using the offending account, click the menu button and choose Settings, there is a "Sign In Automatically" option under General settings:

[click for larger version]
Make sure that is unchecked.

The latest version (5.7) doesn't have this option.

Have you tried clearing data and reinstalling?
If so try using greenify (play store) to greenish the app (will prevent it from running), if that isn't your problem, try deleting the offending Skype account (from the web)


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Samsung Galaxy I9000 not detected by Odin in download mode
Samsung Galaxy GT-i9000 not detected by Odin in download mode.
I have Windows Vista and Kies is also installed on the P.C

You have to stop kies.
It has a thread in the background, so seach this in the taskmanager and stop the process.

Yep, Kies is usally the issue. However, it's worth adding that if you reboot into Download mode from the 4 way reboot menu there can be a lot of issues. It is better to switch the device off and boot into download mode with the Volume Down and Power combo.


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samsung galaxy s duos about system data card problem

The phone memory (system data card data like images, videos, contacts) is stored on server or not?
After hard reset data is gone so that is stored someone else or in databases?

No, the phone memory isn't stored on a server, but there are some easy-to-use (and built-in) ways of backing up different kinds of data.
If you save contacts to "Google contacts" instead of "Phone contacts" when you create them, they're synced with your Google account, so they'll automatically be synced to your new phone, or after a factory reset, when you sign into the same Google account. The same applies to calendar events, if you add them to a Google calendar.
Android phones have a built-in backup system, which backs up apps' data to Google's servers. All you need to do is turn it on in the phone settings, and make sure the "Restore my data" checkbox is checked when you sign into the same Google account on the new phone, or after a factory reset. This only backs up data from apps that support it. Check with the developer of each app! It doesn't back up photos, music, &c. from the SD card.
To back up photos, use an app with a "photo upload" feature, such as Google+ or Dropbox. Once you've turned the feature on, it'll automatically upload each photo or video as soon as you take it.
If you don't do any of these things, then when you factory-reset your phone, everything on it is gone.

No, it is not stored anywhere.
You should create your own backup manually.
After hard reset, even the game data would be deleted.
The only data you can have left with you is the data you have already synchronized with google.

authors: Альонка Кишинська Викторивна


text:
Many problem on Mega 6.3 GT-i9205 after rooting
After rooting my phone, (Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 GT-I9205), I can't turn my WiFi back on but the important part of it is that my device storage is totally empty. It causes some apps/games to force close because all the files are gone, however, my rooting succeed...
Look at this image, it shows that my memory suddenly becoming very low after rooting!

What exactly did you do to root it?

I just follow the instruction here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2355680

From the thread you linked to (highlighting my own):

The root via vcore doesn't work any more. Please get it looked up. Lots of people online are getting this problem as they flash the root. Problems are all of the internal storage are gone, left with 8gb and all apps in storage wont work.

Which seems to be the issue you are having. This appears to be that this root method does not work with the newer, Knox enabled bootloaders.
This method is the new way to root the device.
Right now, your best bet is to go to SamMobile and get the stock ROM for your device, restore back to stock VIA Odin, and try re-rooting, once you confirm your WiFi is working and your internal storage is back to normal.
It's always worth reading into a thread on XDA before attempting anything, to get a feel for what issues people might be having, and if there are any work arounds. I always put a big "READ, READ, READ" in my advice for rooting, as it can (and indeed does) go wrong and is not a nice feeling. Restoring to stock appears to work, and is mentioned in the thread you provided. Good luck fixing it and we'll be here to help if you need it.

I went to SamMobile and found out there is this firmware that suit me but the country is from portugal,but I from Malaysia. ..so should I flash it or...Is there another way?

@Alexander No, go to Firmware, then "Check your firmware" (http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/2/) then select your Country and Carrier from the list and it will give you your EXACT carrier's ROM for the device. Example I9205XXUCNA3 is the latest for XME in Malaysia.

I got it now! you're the best!^_^!

Brilliant! Glad to have helped, let me know if you need anything else.


text:
Does the Grand Neo GT i9060 have USB OTG?
Does the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo GT-i9060 have USB OTG (usb-on-the-go)? Can I instantly watch movies directly from OTG without copying files into my phone? If not, is there any other way to get OTG working?

The Galaxy Grand Neo from my reading does not support USB OTG.
You could just stream videos onto your phone from your PC / Desktop, and there are plenty of apps to do that.
There is some great further reading in this question "How can I determine if my device has USB host mode & USB OTG Support."

That guide is to how make an USB OTG cable (you can buy it for 1$) but it's not going to work anyway if it's not supported by the phone.

Yep, moment of madness there. Deleted, cheers @crayon


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My mobile doesn't read my sd card
My Sony Xperia Play doesn't read the memory card. It only says unavailable. Trying to format it didn't help either. I have tried many methods but the same problem occurs, so what to do?

Have you tried formatting it on a Mac or PC? Seems to work better than trying to format it in Android for some reason


text:
Where is the apk file stored in android phones?
Where is the apk file stored when it is downloaded from 9apps? I can't find it.

See: Where in the file system are applications installed? / Where are the .apk files of currently installed apps stored on my Android device? when talking about installed apps.

apks are stored in /data/apps/ when its installed in your system.

@ShihabSoft : But the question is about where it is downloaded not Installed? Unless the location is same for 9Apps. But that's good you mentioned it.

If you downloaded the apk from the internet like it sounds it would most likely be stored in your download folder.


text:
Apps Startup on Power Up
When I turn my phone on, many apps also turn on in the background. This slows down my phone. How do I shut them down? Why is the OS built this way? Doesn't make sense to me.

Re: "Why is the OS built this way", it's the same as startup on other OSes like Windows, so it makes sense. The only "nonsense" is why the OS doesn't provide startup configuration, which might be valid to some users. But then, how do you know that "many apps start-up on boot"? And how do you know which are important and which are not?

There are valid reasons why some apps need to start at bootup, but the honest answer why many apps do this is that the developers don't think that maybe you have 100 other apps installed that also want to run at bootup.  You're right, it slows everything down.
The most valid reason to run at boot time is to execute a process that always needs to be running, such as an antivirus program.
The not-so-wonderful reasons are to track your habits for marketing or to display advertisements.  Another unfortunate reason is to pre-load some part of the app so that it appears to load faster the first time; the reality, of course, is that the device still needs to spend time performing this operation and thus it can make bootups take an unreasonable amount of time (especially if more than one app is performing this undesirable practice).
The easiest way to stop apps from running on boot is to use a program like Autostarts available on F-Droid and on the Play Store (to help support the development), or Startup Manager available on the Play Store.
The trouble with blocking an app from running on boot is that you don't know what it was really doing.  It might be nothing, or it could be database maintenance that, if never performed, could result in a corrupt or bloated database for that application.  There is always a little gamble involved.
Another option is to use a program like Greenify available on the Play Store which can be configured to temporarily hibernate applications when they are not in immediate use.  Support for Greenify is available on xda-developers.
The best practice for developers is to never have their application start on bootup unless it is essential.  A second choice is to make it a user-configurable option.  In either case, the developer should publicly document exactly why the app needs to start at boot and exactly what the consequences are of disabling that option.
Users can voice their concerns directly to the company that developed the app that starts on boot and by choosing to not support applications that unnecessarily start on boot.

The apps which start automatically with your phone have it in their permissions to start together. Apps like Messengers need to start with your phone so as to be able to run in the background and show latest messages received etc.
You can try an app called Greenify(which can hibernate apps in the background or permanently). Give this a read.


text:
How do I install an apk on PC
I am having trouble installing apk files on my PC which has Windows 7 OS .The apk files are backups from my android mobile. After double clicking the apk files it starts initializing and automatically opens the Google Play Store.

Are you trying to install an android application directly onto a Windows machine? You can't do that. Are you running the android emulator or are you just trying to use apps on a PC?

i m just trying to use app on pc

It can't be done, they are written and developed for an entirely different operating system. You can't install Android apps on Windows, iOS, Linux, UNIX, AIX or any other OS. Much like you can't install Windows apps on Android (or iOS etc).

what can i do now to run android apps on windows??

You could install the Android SDK, boot up the emulator and try to run the APK that way. Or, you could use BlueStacks (http://www.bluestacks.com/) and see if that suits your needs.

i have downloaded bluestack but it doesn't works.After double clicking the apk file,bluestack start initializing and opens play store.

Nope, you can't install apk file over the desktop, what are going to require is the emulator to do that !

what is emulator?

i have got it..

You are first going to need to install an emulator like BlueStacks, GenyMotion, or AVD (from the Android SDK).
With any of these emulators, the most universal way is from the ADB tool. This tool can be found in the Android SDK or from a program like Minimal ADB and Fastboot.
In the ADB directory, run the following code after connecting your device to the computer:
adb install app.apk

replacing app.apk with the full path to the .apk you are trying to install.


text:
Getting into the trending list
What are the criteria being used to decide which apps go into the trending apps lists on Google Play?
When I look on the trending lists, I don't see a lot of consistency. I see apps with as little as a 1000-5000 downloads and others with 500K-1M downloads.
I guess the real question is, any idea what Google takes into consideration when deciding what's trending?

This explanation is inferred from Android Developer's 3rd tab: Distribute. In that section, it is clearly taught how Google gets an app in Trending portion.
The main factors are: ratings, downloads and great apps that users are providing a great feedback with are mainly on the top of the Trending Apps, but there are two type of trending app sections, Free and Paid. So make sure you are viewing the section that is mainly for you.
That's all what Google would use:

Feedback
Ratings
Downloads
Content


text:
A way to quickly toggle proxy settings on non-rooted Android phones?
I am on a WiFi network in China and occasionally wish to connect to an HTTP proxy I have set up on a shared computer to bypass the Great Firewall.
As my computer isn't always on/with me, I wish to easily switch on and off the proxy settings.
Unfortunately:
System settings/WiFi: When setting proxy settings to manual, old settings are removed. Have to re-enter, which is annoying. Also hard to access.
Many apps (e.g. ProxyDroid) I've seen require root for some reason and do not work on a non-rooted device.
Is there a simple way to toggle proxy settings for the current WiFi AP?

require root for some reason

It requires root because the global proxy setting is a secure system setting; on non-rooted devices, only system apps (like the Settings app) can modify secure system settings. Imagine if just any app can modify your global proxy setting, you can inadvertently be redirecting all your internet traffic to some shady server somewhere across the globe.
Your alternative is to set up two browsers, one that uses normal internet and another that can have per-app proxy configuration. You can set Firefox for Android to use a proxy by changing the network.proxy.http and network.proxy.http_port settings from within about:config. More details: How to change proxy settings on my firefox 4 beta for android.

You can use browser extension like FoxyProxy or Proxy SwitchyOmega. But only in browser, of course. For others application VPN can be switched on/off fast enough.

Hi. Could you edit your answer and provide links for these extensions, and also tell us in which browsers can these extensions be used?


text:
Bought a Samsung Galaxy S4 that has a locked sim
I'm trying to find out what cell company this cell phones from? If anybody has any idea please let me know? I have a fido SIM card and it fits into the Samsung but has that lock icon on it.

How could we possibly know what provider the device is locked to when you have provided no information at all?  You should ask the seller.

The following sim-unlock procedure works for the Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-9505 Model):

Dial *#0011#

This will take you to the following screen
2. Press Menu button then tap "BACK"

Tap on the Menu button again, but this time press Key Input.

Enter 1 and Press OK

Your are now in the SERVICE MODE MAIN MENU: Press 1 UMTS

Press 1 DEBUG SCREEN

Press 6 Phone Control

Press 6NETWORK LOCK

Then tap 3PERSO SHA256 OFF

Go back to the UMTS MAIN MENU by pressing Menu then Back then tap 6COMMON

Then select 6NV REBUILD

Then tap 4RESTORE BACK UP

The Galaxy S4 will freeze, black screen, Blue LED Light, Menu and Back key ON. Wait for it to reboot (takes about a minute). Afterwards your device should be sim-unlocked.

This only works on the oldest bootloader/Android version.. If the OP has updated at all this will not work. I've run into this issue myself, contacting the carrier fixed it easily. Alternatively if the above answer doesn't work you can buy unlock codes online and certain stores will do it for you.

@RossC - The great thing about the Galaxy S4, its bootloader is not locked from the factory. So you can reflash the device with the oldest firmware (including the bootloader) using odin. The firmware and odin can be found at www.sammobile.com/firmwares/

Not as much as you would think! You can't revert certain versions of the bootloader and knox makes it worse. Once you are post 4.3 bootloader, going back is nigh on impossible for most users.(I'm assuming most users don't have a JTAG to hand)

@RossC, Yeah you're right. Most users do not have a JTAG on hand. I sincerely just assumed it was worth a shot because he didn't state anything in the question regarding: Firmware Version, Model Number, Provider etc. Sorry for all the turmoil.

authors: فديوهات منوعه


text:
How Do I Change Keyboard Layout
My keyboard can plug into my phone through USB. It has an American key layout.
How can I switch its layout to another layout (like using Alt+Shift in Windows)?
Changing the layout of the on screen keyboard doesn't help.

Worst case, there's an app for that. Several, actually, but apedroid is well-reviewed, currently being maintained, and has a free demo version if you want to make sure it works for your set-up.  $2-ish for the full version so "worst case" might be an overstatement.


text:
How do you turn off the message indicator in Hangouts?
I don't want people to know when I saw their texts. Is there a way to turn the message indicator off?

From google's site:
"Hangouts:
When chatting with someone who is using Hangouts, please keep in mind that you can't appear invisible on Hangouts.
When you set your Google Chat status to invisible, Hangouts users will see your profile picture without a green dot in their contact list, meaning that you may be idle or unavailable on your computer.
If you are signed in to Hangouts, you won’t be able to set your status to invisible."