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Is the Android desktop screen (on any version) a Dalvik executable?
I know that all Android apps, as far as I know, are compiled to Java bytecode, turned into dex code (for the Dalvik Virtual Machine), and then executed with respect to whatever ABI is compatible between the VM and its linking/exposure.
However, after booting Android, I always wondered if the desktop itself was also a Dalvik executable, or if it's not running on the virtual machine as all other apps do?
What do I mean by "desktop"? I mean the home screen:

Could anyone clarify this/does anyone know this? Not the widgets, backgrounds, etc., but the essence of the whole GUI/home screen/desktop. Is it an "app" that runs on Dalvik, like all others supposedly do, or is it a system process/separate process running outside of the virtual machine?

What you describe as "desktop", and the screenshot shows, is called by different names. Mostly it listens on the names Launcher and Homescreen, depending on the aspect referred to. And yes, it's an app that ships with its own .apk file, as all its "replacements" (e.g. Apex Launcher, GoLauncher, or Holo Launcher – to name some) do.


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How to preserve BTEP data when switching from Amazon App Store to Play Store?
I want to replace as many as possible of the apps that I got though the Amazon Appstore app (AAa) with apps from, say, Google's Play Store.1
Of these "Amazon-purveyed apps" the most important one (by a very wide margin) is Better Terminal Emulator Pro (BTEP), which I purchased from the Amazon Appstore many months ago, and have used extensively ever since.

Is there an easy way to save my current (Amazon) BTEP's data, and restore this data once I have installed a new (non-Amazon) BTEP?

Now, as it happens, I have Titanium backups ("app+data") of all these apps.

How can I restore the BTEP data alone from my BTEP Titanium backup?

(As far as have been able to find, Titanium offers the option of restoring the app alone, or restoring the apps data along with the app, but I have not found any option to restore the data alone.)
Thanks!
1Why?  Because the Amazon Appstore app (AAa) I have on my phone has to go.  I never use it anymore, and yet it starts on its own, and causes all manner of grief.

+1. This is a much broader question, I see BNEP just as an example here. Could you formulate your question more generic so that other user will find it even if they don't search for BNEP?

Make a backup
Uninstall the Amazon copy
Install BTEP from the Play Store
Open Titanium Backup and select your BTEP backup. As long as the app is installed at the time, it will give you the option to restore data only:

source: Stack Exchange

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Calendar Event Location: Diallable Conference call number with host/participant code
In attending/hosting conference calls, I'd like to be able to dial the conference call provider and enter the required PIN code directly from the entry in my calendar.
The process I currently use is:

When scheduling the call - create the calendar entry for the call, including in the field [Where - Event Location] the number and PIN to dial in the format +CCAAANNNNNNN,,PPPPPP#, where CC = country code, AAA = area code, NNNNNNN is the conference call telephone number, PPPPPP = the PIN code needed. The first two commas are to wait long enough, the third comma is to stop the # required to enter the PIN from not being recognised.
When setting up or dialling into the call: 1. Open the calendar entry, 2. Edit, 3. Select the text in the "Where- event location" field, 4. Copy, 5. Switch to the dialler, 6. Paste, and then 7. Dial.

Whilst this works, is is clearly not as efficient as clicking a link in the Calendar Event +CCAAANNNNNNN,,PPPPPP#,. Frustratingly, this even comes up as a hyperlink, but Android gives me the options Earth & Maps (as well as two other proprietary links - Radar which is part of the App "GPS Status", and ZVVFahrplan - part of the Zürich city public transports system's app).
I have tried all permutations that I can think of rfc3966.txt: The tel URI for Telephone Numbers. For example
tel:+442012345555,,123456#, or, tel:+442012345555","","123456"#""," or tel:+442012345555PP123456FP
If if put the number in the Notes field within the Calendar event, it turns into a diallable link, but chopped up. I can dial the number, but not the PIN.
Any thoughts or ideas?

Thanks to Doug Plenty for providing the answer to me directly. This is the subject of an Apple patent and over which they are suing HTC (amongst others) who customise Android in a way that the stock OS doesn't dare.
See for example http://mashable.com/2011/12/19/apple-patent-victory/

Why don't you just use an app for it? Try MeetingMogul, that's what I use.
It fills out all the bridge info for you by picking it up from your calendar. So you can dial in by just tapping the phone icon it gives next to each conference call. It's a totally free app and doesn't charge for anything unlike other apps I've tried.
Plus it gives you a lot of other features like being able to notify meeting participants with one tap by text or email, taking voice or text notes against an event with one tap, setting up new conference calls with just a few taps from the app, viewing details from your CRM related to an upcoming call or meeting like emails, proposals, quotes, team notes, LinkedIn profiles, etc.

I have an Android phone. Samsung Galaxy victory.
I tried this with calendar:
in the Description field, I pasted a phone number (with two waits and a hash symbol) copied and pasted from my phone contacts using clipboard.
A long touch on the resulting link resulted in a search of my phone contacts including the phone number both with and without the PIN.
I chose to dial with the PIN and confirmation after wait prompts, and I was in.

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Fast Roaming Protocols (802.11k, 802.11r, 802.11v)
Does Android support the 802.11 specifications that allow fast roaming, i.e. prevent dropouts as you move between access points? If so, on what hardware and in what version?
802.11k assists the device in its search for nearby APs that are available as roaming targets by creating an optimised list of channels. When the signal strength of the current AP weakens, device will scan for target APs from this list.
802.11r authenticates more quickly through Fast Basic Service Set Transition (FT).
802.11v allows the network’s control layer to influence client roaming behaviour by providing it the load information of nearby access points. Device takes this "BSS transition management" information into account when deciding among the possible roam targets.
Apple's iOS does, as documented here and here. Windows 10 does if the WiFi adapter supports it as documented here and here (suspect latter is currently out of date with respect to PSK & open networks).
Some Samsung models do, as documented here.
But I can't find anything on stock Android (Google Pixel).

Looks like at least Samsung supports that for several devices (listed there) as part of their Knox. Android Source Code at least mentions 802.11k, also R (#2296) and v (#1595) – so I'd guess the answer is "Yes" – if the hardware supports it.

I think regardless of whether Android supports this or not, the drivers/modules for the WiFi hardware, and the hardware itself, must be capable of supporting these standard protocols, and this is not just about the Android OS being capable.

Having now created 802.11r, k & v infrastructure firstly with Unifi and then OpenWRT, I can now say definitively that at least the Google Pixel 6 & 7 Pro running Android 12 & 13 do. I can walk from one side of my house to the other without dropping a WhatsApp/WiFi Calling/Teams/Skype call.
Based on my experience, OpenWRT is the best way to get to this point but have to say that it has been tricky. The advantage of open source vs. Ubiquiti shenanigans; not needing a controller; and having freedom of choice wrt cost-competitive equipment (BT Home Hub 5A, Xiaomi 4A Gigabit edition & TP-Link EAP235 & EAP615) and the control outweighs the more challenging & less guided learning curve.
The biggest benefit for me came from Fast Transition (802.11r) (Note that this now works for WPA3 too). And that WPA2-PSK allows Over the DS in addition to Over the Air, as each access point can derive the required required PMKR1 on its own (i.e. without non-standardised CAPWAP communication). Although Andrew McHale's 802.11k/r/v testing concludes Over the DS isn't as good as logic might suggest, as does my own (rather less rigorous) testing.
Neighbourhood Reporting (802.11k) must be helpful but I can't say that I really notice the additional benefit and does require some interAP communication or careful configuration to set up. I found https://github.com/simonyiszk/openwrt-rrm-nr-distributor very useful and instructive.
802.11v reports as working, but the benefit at least in my scenario is not at all clear.

Great answer! Which tutorial did you follow to implement all of that with openwrt?

I followed the OpenWRT installation guide for my devices. The only additional configuration was for 802.11k which involved the openwrt-rrm-nr-distributor Github instructions and either adding an option 80211k '1' line to /etc/config/wireless or using wpad[-mbedtls] over wpad-basic[-mbedtls] and choosing the options in the luci admin panel (I use -mbedtls to get WPA3/sae WiFi encryption, which is optional and other encryption provider choices are available).

Each of those amendments you listed above include a collection of methods/mechanisms/features that have been incorporated into the IEEE 802.11 standard to achieve particular goals/improvements. Whether or not these are supported on a device will depend on the following:

Specific feature/mechanism
Android version
Device vendor implementation and drivers

Also, keep in mind that in order for these features to work, they not only need to be supported on the client device but also supported and enabled at the infrastructure level (e.g. access points).
Another thing specific to 802.11r (FT) is that it will improve transition times when using 802.1X/EAP (WPA-Enterprise) security. On a preshared key (WPA-Personal) network, the difference will be negligible at best.
Last but not least, even if all those mechanisms are supported and enabled you could still experience roaming issues. That's because a wireless network needs to be designed at Layer 1 (RF) so as to provide for a good roaming experience, among other things.

These could be of help:
Crowdsourced client device 11v support list: https://clients.mikealbano.com/home
More info about WLAN roaming: https://community.ubnt.com/t5/UniFi-Wireless/Wireless-LAN-Roaming-FAQ/m-p/1825118

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Alarm Clock Plus says wrong temperature; wrong by 20 or more degrees
I enabled the "Say time before alarm" and "say weather before alarm" features on Alarm Clock Plus, but when alarm activates the wrong temperature is being said. Not by a few degrees, but by 20 or more. For example, the temperature is 30 C, and I hear "It is 2 C"! I did not have this problem with the free version.
I have Galaxy S2 and it seems that the temperature is read from Samsung's built in "News and Weather" app. I tried changing my location in "News and Weather" thinking that the data for my location may be corrupted, but it did not fix the issue. No matter which location I choose, it says the wrong temperature.
How can I fix this so that the correct temperature will be used? I'd really hate to rate this alarm app badly as it's really good except for this irritating bug.

Is it always off in the same direction -- i.e. always says a lower temperature? Could it have to do with units, e.g. using °F instead of °C, or even °R?

@Izzy unfortunately the issue is not with the Farads and Celsius

Maybe it's getting wrong data from its provider. I have two devices with AlarmDroid running, and noticed they give different temperatures for the same location even -- though not that far different.


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Meaning of purple blinking on Sony Ericsson Play (R800)?
The phone went off and I cannot turn it on. I tried pulling battery out, but it did not help. Cannot also connect it to SEUS since it does not detect a mobile connected.
Now, when I connect a mobile on USB charger and press the power button, the screen quickly blinks for less than 1s and then then purple light keeps blinking (flashing).
The purple light is coming from the LED on the power button. When I connect the charger the screen first turn to green, I think. And when I try to turn the mobile on, the screen turns to purple blinking light.
what is the meaning of the purple light? I cannot find the meaning on the Internet.

Where is the purple light coming from? The screen, or the notification led/light?

@geffchang Just edited the question explaining the location of the light.


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Solutions for connecting phone/tablet to a bigger monitor?
An ebook I purchased is locked to my device so I can't open it anywhere else. I'm having a hard time reading due to the small screen size of my phone.
Is there a way I can get it to display on my monitor? I don't have any special cables so I'll have to use any wireless means possible. Also to note: I'm not looking for emulation as the app has locked my ebook to the device.
Any creative solutions are welcome.

Not an aswer to your question but you can transfer an ebook if the other device is registered with the same ID: Content Portability http://www.adobe.com/solutions/ebook/digital-editions/faq.html

You need to use the MHL Adapter Cable.

From the MHL Adapter, you can connect to any TV that support HDMI.

Depending on the Android version, you may be able to "Miracast"  screen cast to an external Miracast receiver.
It's a wireless solution.
An introduction with a video.

Have you thought about sharing your phone's screen on computer? Lot of apps and tweaks are available on the Internet. Few such results I found quickly by searching are this and this video and a XDA page.  I am unable to provide more specific answer as I am not aware of your phone's software version and its hardware capabilities.  As @Jack said, if you have HDMI out it will be the best option.
By seeing your phone's screen on the computer, you would be running the eBook reader app in the phone but read the book in your monitor.


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All of my launchers keep crashing, my only fix is to factory reset. I need help for backing up valuable data
I have a Galaxy S2 running on ICS. It is not rooted.
Recently it keeps crashing. No app will start with the exception of lock screen and the notification curtain. My menu button does not work so during my research on this problem the "download GO Launcher and set as default > clear data" solution will not work. I want to keep this post as short as possible so here are some links on my first problem:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1417244
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1541223
(These two posters fixed their problems due to their menu buttons being able to function).
Looks like my only fix is to do a factory reset (though if anyone has a few suggestions, please post them!).
Unfortunately not being able to access any apps means I cannot do back ups. I want to restore my phone to the pre-crash state as much as possible. I have a valuable memo on the "Memo" app that comes with TouchWiz. Can this be done?
EDIT: Forgot to mention that it's best not to void my warranty by flashing or rooting. My S2 has some screen burn ins that I need to get fixed and they'll be checking.

If y'all came to Sprint you wouldn't have to worry about ROMs and rooting. They give support and repair regardless of root now. Jussayin ;)

Good to know, however: I only buy my phones unbranded for some time. SEMC (and others?) don't allow to unlock a bootloader if it's a branded phone (for fear of sim unlocking I guess)

Basic walkthrough for any phone:

Alternative 1:

Flash a CWM recovery
For Samsung, use Heimdall. download for 'Galaxy S2' or 'SGH-i777', depending on what you own
Heimdall also supports a dump command that can be used to backup all flash beforehand
Command to flash: heimdall flash --recovery CWM-recovery.img
Enter the newly installed CWM recovery
Do a backup in CWM to your external sdcard (be sure there's enough space left)
switch off & check the backup on your PC (it's located in /clockworkmod/backup/ on the sdcard)
If you're sure your backup is OK, enter CWM again and do a full wipe
Reboot your phone, do the first-time-init (Google Account and such)
Install Titanium Backup + its Pro key
in Titanium Backup: extract from nandroid backup

Alternative 2:

Applicable if your fastboot mode supports the extended command 'boot'
Compatible devices: Google's Nexus Line, HTC Desire with patched HBOOT loader and others

Steps:

Enter fastboot mode and load a recovery into RAM (without flashing): fastboot boot recovery.img
Continue with step 3 from 'Alternative 1'

Alternative 3 (Samsung only, but broken on Galaxy S i9000):
not tried yet, see this as an idea as for now. You're on your own with errors on extraction & restore
Heimdall implements a 'dump' and command and a means to print the partition table (PIT):
heimdall dump --chip-type NAND --chip-id 0 --output nanddump.out.img
heimdall print-pit or heimdall download-pit --output nand.out.pit
You may then cut the NAND dump into pieces (one for each partition) and name them accordingly. If successfull, you can then access your data and continue at Alternative 1, step 8 or 4

Thanks will try this when I get home. I didn't specify that I cannot flash but this seems like a last resort anyways (post updated with more info on that). There is absolutely no way I can back up app data without flashing/rooting? Not even through Kies?

If you want to wait, I have a chance to test with a  S2 tomorrow. But at least, the heimdall dump will work without any changes: 'heimdall[.exe] dump --chip-type NAND --chip-id 0 --output out.img' The stored data in the complete dump is however not easy to extract and generate a backup from it.

I can wait, no problem. Thanks a million for putting in the effort for me.

I added 2 more ways for getting your data back (2nd was in a comment I deleted)

@meiryo: had no chance to test on friday (it's a pool device). Do you still need those findings? (tomorrow is the next chance)

Very sorry for the late response (I lost my password for this account) but resorted to method 1 and it worked well. Thanks for your efforts :)

Nice! Thanks for letting me know. You can buy Triangle Away to reset the flash counter and revert to an orig. Recovery if you want to send it in for replacement under warranty

As you are running ICS, you might want to take a look at the question Full Backup of non-rooted devices. All you need for that is the Android SDK on your computer. Starting with ICS, full backups are supported this way even if you are not rooted. Details can be found in the linked question's answers.


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"Incompatible with other applications(s) using the same shared user ID" when installing Google Play service?
I need to run Google Plus, and Google Plus needs the Google Play service.
Every time I install google play service from the Google Play store it fails to install with this error:

Incompatible with other applications(s) using the same shared user ID

What could be the issue? How can I fix this?
UPDATE: I know almost nothing about android, so I dont know what ROM is, or such thing, I get my phone from local production and I guess, yes, it uses custom system, so I just know that I'm using Android Version 4.0.4. any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mind to add some details on your device? Which is it, what Android version is running, is it a custom ROM (and if so, which)? On a stock ROM, Google Apps should already come pre-installed.

Google Play Service is part of your Android OS. You don't need to install it separately. If you have custom ROM and you have done some modification then mention it so that others can help.

Reads like your "local production" hasn't set-up the custom system correct.

What is get my phone from local production?
Since you mentioned about custom system are you referring to a modded ROM like Cyanogenmod, Paranoid Android etc?
You have custom recovery in place? If so, grab the latest Google Apps from here appropriately for Android 4.0.4 aka ICS, more than likely, this version of gapps.
Reboot into Recovery, select:

Wipe Cache
Install from zip, select the gapps you downloaded
Then when install is done, reboot.

What worked for me was the suggestion I found here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1219029

In a nutshell:

Figure out the exact formal fully-qualified package name or *.apk name for the app you're trying to install. For Google Play Services, it's com.google.android.gsf or GoogleServicesFramework.apk.
Pull the /data/system/packages.xml file from the phone using adb
Open the xml file in a text editor and look for the <package> xml element that describes your app, using the names from step 1.
Get the value of the sharedUserId attribute for that element.
Remove the entire <shared-user> xml element with the userId attribute that matches the id you found for the package.
Push the modified packages.xml file back to same location on the phone using adb
Wipe the dalvik cache and reboot.

I don't understand how people can trust other solutions like wiping cache/data. Your instruction is clear and understandable! Help me to install MX player on top from modded ROM. Thanks!

Google Play services is used to update Google apps and apps from Google Play. This component gives you access to Google Settings and helps apps speed up offline searches, provide more immerse maps, and improve performance.
If you think there is an error of your OS, you can always go for a factory reset. You shall backup your data before you proceed. This should re-install the Google Play service. And if you are NOT asked to install Google Play Services, you don't have to. It is bundled with your OS. You must simply be able to download Google+ and use it on your phone.
You can find your device info from Settings => About Phone

I had the same problem. I uninstalled all app updates and this fixed the issue

You should know this first that Google play service is required by some apps which had implemented functionality provided by google play services. Like multi player, real time multi player, leader-boards, achievements in some games ans apps.
If you are having problem in downloading it there are many possible solutions there.
- Go to the application manager, remove all updates from google+ related apps. Then start play service after installing all the apps updates. This might get solved ur problem.


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Google+ not working with proxy server since last update
Google+ on my device has stopped working since the last update. Every time, I get the message: Can't load data. Check your connection. All apps other than Google+ work absolutely fine.
My device details are as follows:
Model: Google Nexus 7 (2012)
OS: Android 4.4.2
Google+ Build version: 4.2.3.56698342
Edit: I use a Wifi on a proxy server for connection, and that's when the problem arises. When on a direct connection, the app works fine. But on proxy server, it has stopped working since the last update. Prior to this update, the app worked fine even on a proxy server.

Can you uninstall the update on G+? Then update it again via Google Play?

If you use the proxy, can you even open G+ on a browser?

@geffchang - Yes, I have already uninstalled and the re-installed the update via Google Play, but no improvement. Also yes, I can open G+ on the browser. As I said earlier, even the app used to work fine over proxy before its last update. Other apps such as YouTube, Facebook also work fine on proxy.

I was just wondering if G+ was blocked by the  proxy server. That's why I asked about checking it on the browser with proxy.

I had exactly the same problem, actually I've come here for the solution.
Clearing Data & Cache didn't help so I've decided to uninstall latest update. It worked for the original software so I gave a try and installed update once again. Now it works properly, so perhaps you could try to reinstall your update and see what happens?

tried it, but didn't help.

Does it work for you for the original software?

the app used to work fine prior to the last update.

Try Settings --> Apps --> Google+ -->Clear Data & Cache
It will solve most of the issues.

already tried that. no change in status.


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Dismissing an upcoming alarm when a Calendar notification is present
I had my Nexus 5 updated to Android 5.0 recently. I notice the following "interesting" behavior of the new notification system in Android 5.0.
As you know, when there is an upcoming alarm the stock Alarm app displays an advance notification, offering the opportunity to dismiss the alarm before it happens. The notification is a rectangle, saying "Upcoming alarm" and stating the next alarm time and name. It normally has a "DISMISS NOW" link at the bottom.
The stock Calendar application also displays Android notifications for upcoming evens, if an advance pop-up notification is requested in event settings.
However, if the Alarm notification comes up together with a Calendar notification (i.e. they are stacked one above the other in the notification screen), the "DISMISS NOW" option is always missing from Alarm notification. The upcoming alarm notification looks as usual (a rectangle with future alarm time and name), but there's no "DISMISS NOW" link at the bottom.
Calendar is the only app I discovered so far, whose notifications have this effect on Alarm notifications. For example, GMail notifications can co-exist with Alarm notifications: they do not make the "DISMISS NOW" option to disappear from Alarm notifications.
So, what exactly is the idea behind this strange user interface behavior? Is this a bug? Or is this by design? Is there a trick for dismissing upcoming alarms in a situation when the Alarm notification shows no "DISMISS NOW" option?

Swipe down from the alarm notification itself to expand it (not from the top of the screen to get to quick settings). It will expand other notifications, too, to see the body of an email, or the contents of a chat message. For pending alarms, it will show the dismiss button.
I was seeing far more sporadic behavior as to when it showed up and when it didn't.


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How can I merge SMS and Hangouts messages within Hangouts?
It made sense to me to merge SMS, WhatsApp style messaging and video calls into one app to save resources and switching between apps so I set up Hangouts to be the SMS app.
I just had one problem - how to send SMS messages from Hangouts? (If I know the person has a problem with data reception, then I do specifically want to send an SMS at that time, for instance.)
According to Google:
"Choose a contact from your conversations list. Touch someone's name at the top. You can then choose SMS from the drop-down menu."
But that is not true in practice. It appears the reason I couldn't do that was because I was in the "hangout" for Hangout messages (I will call it MoIP - Message over IP - in the following) and video calls for that person, not the SMS "hangout" for that person.
Integrating the two in one app and then separating them seems to be going half a step backwards again, so does anybody know if I can merge those two hangouts and do SMS, MoIP and video calls to a person from the same "hangout"?
My phone is a Moto G 1st generation without 4G (XT1032) with Android 5.0 "Lollipop".

Is the person in reference merged with a contact that has their phone number associated with it? I've found that if I have different contacts for the same person for some reason, or initiate a Hangout in a way that doesn't draw from my contacts, I don't get the option in the corner to switch. But if the contact has both the email address associated with their Hangout conversation AND their phone number in it, I can switch at will, which I do regularly.

That was probably the problem. I was going to invite for video calls on the SMS hangout and the delete the original video one, but merging hangouts seemed to fix it.

If you long press on either hangout (MOIP or SMS), then press on the other one you should get an option to merge them. This should then give you the option to send either from the same hangout.
There is also a setting within Settings > SMS to Enable merged conversations which needs to be enabled.

When you click on a conversation in Hangouts, click on the icon to the left of the text field. That'll give you an option to switch between SMS and hangouts.

I was hoping I could have something like that - my problem was that there was no SMS option, only MoIP.

That can be solved by enabling merged conversations.

And - critically - merging them, once I knew how!

You need to enable the settings > SMS > Enable merged conversations in order for this option to appear.

Go to settings /sms/default sms account and Change it to your Gmail account


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Setting/finding Android 7 encryption password
With some hassle I updated the 2016 firmware on my Lenovo P2 to Android 7 (I think my carrier decided that their own app was more important than security updates).
Now that I wanted to put the TWRP recovery onto the phone instead of the stock one, I find out that the phone is encrypted, which it wasn't before. I have not asked for it (it appears Google does this by default now for Android 7) and I have never entered a password explicitly for encryption.
However, TWRP asks for a password for decryption purposes, I believe.
I use fingerprint/PIN as screen lock. This answer and others suggest it should be the PIN, however while that works fine for a normal startup of the phone, that doesn't work in TWRP.
How would I find or set the right password to use (doubting there is a default password!)?

See https://android.stackexchange.com/a/230055

It turns out that there either is a bug in TWRP in that it won't accept a blank password (or that there is a default password in Android 7).
In either case, if I set the password under
Settings -> Security -> Screen lock -> [PIN] -> Password -> Require password to start device

(which I have never set before), then this password can be used in TWRP and must then also be used to unlock the phone instead of the PIN.

Sorry but that didn't work.

There’s also a default password, often even “default_password”, but some manufacturers use a different one or even a completely different mechanism, so that the above doesn’t work and TWRP cannot decrypt.


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Will I need to move app updates to SD card in Android 4.3?
If I move a certain app to SD card (from App Info page), what happens when Play Store installs that app's update? Will the update automatically go to SD card, or will it go to internal storage and I'll have to move it to SD card again?

The Google Play error -18 indicates an app update fails to write to SD (due to some left-overs from a previous installation of the same app; see e.g. in the app description of VitalPlayer, this post on XDA, or try this customized Google-search for 11.900 XDA-results on the same topic). The recommended solution is to move the app to internal storage, trigger the update again, and then optionally move the app back to SD.
From this I conclude: the app gets updated in the selected storage.

From my experience with my Droid after this functionality was added to Android, updates "go" to where the app is. That is, I did not need to re-move the app to the SD card after an update. As far as I know the functionality for that has not regressed. (Actually, I don't think much work has been done on it at all. Google would like for phones to just have internal storage.)
That said, there's probably more chance of something going wrong with an update in that scenario. You may find occasionally that you have to move an app back to internal storage to update and then move it back to the SD card. Or possibly re-install. But it's probably rare.
I don't currently have a device with 4.3 and an SD card, so this is a bit of conjecture based on my experience with an older version of the OS. Caveat emptor.


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Unlock Motorola Droid Razr Maxx (Verizon)
I have a Motorola Droid Razr Maxx on Verizon in the US. I want to take it to Straight Talk, a MVNO that uses Verizon's network. I bought the Straight Talk SIM card, but I get an error that the phone needs to be unlocked.
How can I unlock the phone to use it with another provider (same CDMA network type)?

In my country (France) a MVNO that uses the same network as the operator that sold you your phone does not need the phone to be unlocked...

If this is the new Droid Maxx (2013 model,  MOTXT1080M), then it is already unlocked out of the box.   Just pop your Sim card in and it will work.   Just be aware that the data will be HSPA+ and not LTE.

It was purchased new in February 2012, so it's probably not the newest model. It's a Droid Razr Maxx.


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My Gmail is signed in through the app on ex-boyfriend's phone
I had my email signed in on the Gmail app on my boyfriend's phone who is now on the other side of the country.  I've asked him a couple times to disconnect it but recently checked out Google Play and there's a bunch of new apps connected to my account. (I don't have a smart  phone.) Is there a way to disconnect it remotely without access to his phone?
Second, I've recently been flooded with spam mail, which is unusual for me.  Could this be because of that connection?

should activate 2-step authentication on your account, and ensure that the verification code is always sent to your phone via SMS. The gmail service should fail automatically on his phone then.

If you ever get stalking urges (or just want to be horrified at how much data smartphones "leak"), just have a look at your own location history...

@Basic What has stalking got to do with your own location history, unless you're stalking yourself?

@t0mm13b Well... If your google account is tied to someone else's phone (As per the OP's question) then it applies. That said, I'd hope most people realise I was being tongue-in-cheek.

Update:  There's one new application associated with my account.  My old email that I signed into on his phone once or twice (through a web browser, not the app) has had sign ins in ontario, bc and alberta.  I've changed the password on that multiple times as well.
his entire email account was just recently deleted.  I'm guessing it's more a breach of security on his phone.  Other than destroying his phone and setting up two step verification (I don't have a phone at the moment) I've done everything suggested. Guess I'll wait and see if my email has the same fate as his?

Go to:
https://accounts.google.com/b/0/EditPasswd
and change your password, then go to:
https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions
and revoke access to everything.

Looking at the permissions site, you might be able to just revoke the permissions from your phone without needing to change your password. I'd advise doing both anyway just to be sure though.

@bmdixon I assume the password changing, is so that he can not just log back in again. Else it would render the second part useless.

Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to add two step verification to your account. Once you have that setup you can add and remove phones to your account.

In a comment to @geffchang's answer, she states she has already changed password and it didn't work, so she definitely has to removed the linked apps.

The second step is the key: apps use authentication and session tokens, not password, to authenticate. This include google apps (gmail, hangouts and of course play). You have to revoke the token, so the app cannot access your data and behave on your behalf anymore.

If Android Device Manager was enabled, and you HATE your ex, you can Lock and/or Erase that phone. Refer to the official guide for more details.

Lock. Lock your device with a new password.
Erase. Permanently delete all of your data.

Of course, as others suggested, changing your password is sufficient.

Yikes!  That would be some strong hate.
I changed my password the day we split (just changed it again now anyways).  The apps associated are obviously new and completely useless to me, Toronto transit apps where he moved, I stayed in BC.  Probably something simple I'm missing?  I've been away from computers/internet for over a year.  A lot has changed.

@jordan Just observe if you're still getting new apps. Then, come back here and keep us updated if changing the password wasn't enough.

This is not the kind of behaviour to advocate on SE. It's also likely illegal, depending on laws where you live, and could end up at the very least with a civil suit if not criminal charges. Do not do this.

@Bob: We are not to decide. It is an answer, and it is valid. If the guy is an a-hole enough to keep the account logged in even after getting asked several times not to do so... I think it's a well-deserved counter-step. But again, we are not to judge. If someone writes a fork-bomb on Stackoverflow, people won't ban him because it could be used for malicious things.

@Bob Nothing to see here, sir. Move along. Thank you. :-P

@Shiki I don't mind the answer (though it's not really necessary/correct for this question) - my problem is with the tone of the answer. There's some difference between "this is a fork-bomb" and "if you really hate this person and want revenge, you should set off a fork-bomb on his computer!". Don't bring emotions in where they are not needed.

@Bob I'm curious how this could be illegal.

@dspyz I think it could be considered hacking. After all, it's not her phone.

Well, in light of his non-cooperation, it might be necessary for you to take steps to remotely purge your gmail account from his phone.., in the course of doing so, it could accidentally happen that his phone gets locked or erased =)

@geffchang well, it's her account, and he knows he's using it with her account. It's in her full moral right to do so IMAO. No clue about if it's also legal by law, but (again IMAO) it should. He could switch to his own account if he wanted to avoid such a thing.

Elaborating this answer, technically she could also just lock the phone with a password, and ask him a ransom in order to unlock it. This is also legally and morally gray area at best. Just pointing it out, not suggesting to do it.

@jordan Changing password will not be sufficient. See my comment to Eerendil answer

Login to Gmail on a browser. At the end of the page, in the bottom right-hand corner, you have a small hyperlink to see the sessions where your account is being used called "Details".  Click that link, and then click on the "Sign Out" for all the sessions. Voila! All of your logged in sessions (except the current browser login) will be logged out.

This is the best way to solve the question in the title. The OP is unclear as to whether the boyfriend has the password and how he is buying apps with her account.

he doesn't have my password, I accidentally left my email signed in through gmails application when we split ways.
As far as I've seen, email sessions logged in through the application don't show up under your account activity.  I don't have access to a phone to verify that right now though.

You could just change your Google password? That way when his phone does the regular check, authentication will fail and the phone will effectively be cut off from your account.

Changing your password is not enough.  Many apps don't use your password after the first login.  When you have authenticated for the first time a special authorization token just for that application is stored in your Google account, and used by the phone.

We're talking about the Google password though, the main account of the device, iirc it does poll the Google servers to authenticate the password regularly..

@Le3ky Nope not even vaguely regularly. When I changed my google password, an old phone of mine kept working for over a year before its auth tokens expired and it finally got around to asking for a password.


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How to fix Google Play Store Update Error in Android 4.0.4?
I hope this question is not a duplicate of other related questions. In my Samsung Galaxy S duos mobile (Android 4.0.4 OS) I received frequent notification to update my software. Though I updated(Re-booted) it after receiving that notification I hate that notification so I disabled that. After disabling that when I tried to open Google Maps App its showing me an error “Google Play Store Update Error” and I was not able to open Map App as well as other Apps. I thought this error happens only because I disabled that software notification and I tried to enable that notification but I’m not able to enable that one.  So how to fix Google Play Store Update Error and how to enable that software notification?

It'll be easier to help you if you can give some more details: the exact text of all the messages, and what exact steps you took when you "updated(Re-booted)" the phone and disabled the notification.

It could be an issue with Google Play Services. Have you changed anything there? It's hard to tell what you changed, and what exactly is happening.

Since this app is a Google native app which handles its own updates by itself, maybe the update went wrong. At the moment you could clear its cache, data (you will have to reenter the credentials later again and configure the playstore including notifications and update handling), or uninstall the updates, so it will go to the initial version (can be done by going in Settings -> Applications -> All -> Google Play Store). It should update later automatically.
In case you have a rooted phone, make sure you haven't done any changes in the system lately, or other apps are not interfering (any "freezers", "killers", or similar ones). Also, check if you haven't forbidden mobile network access (Settings -> Data usage, there you can click each app and check/uncheck "Restrict background data"), but even if this was checked, it should work on WiFi.


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Printing documents from secure online system w/ controlled page breaks?
We use an online system where you can log in with a username and password and gain access to printable documents. The online system uses CSS rules, so that if you are viewing it on the screen it has certain features that are not included in the printout. Also, it has page break rules so that it can repeat the logo on every page and say Page 2 of 3, etc.
This works great on a laptop, but I want to use Android.
I've seen tablet multiple print solutions.

Some of them ignore the print styling, which is bad because then the page breaks based on the length of the content instead of the instructions of the online system.
Some of them use an outside app which separately fetches the content, which doesn't work because like I said it is behind a login, and the cookies are not transferred to the other app. (for good reason)

Is there a print solution for Android that does not suffer these types of problems? Can you outline

What Android versions would be necessary?
What types of printers would be needed?

Also, keep in mind this is a mobile solution. I can either physically plug in the printer or connect the printer to the same WiFi hot spot, or Bluetooth, or something else you suggest.

Android 4.4 (KitKat) has a built-in printing system. It uses "Cloud Print", which can print to a "Cloud Print ready" printer, or to a normal printer accessible from an Internet-connected PC running Google Chrome. In either case, the target printer doesn't even have to be on the same network, if both the printer and your tablet are connected to Internet. You can also use this system to generate a PDF from the content you're trying to print.
I haven't tried using Chrome to print a web page with CSS rules as you describe, so I can't say for sure that you'll get exactly the results you'd get on desktop, but I'd expect it to work the same way.

Thanks. I still need to know whether the CSS rules work. I created a test page. I'd appreciate someone testing it. If test 1 and 2 are successful, that answers the CSS question. It doesn't answer the login page question, so I also need to know if it works on a page where login is required.


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How to make Android GMail app to show my picture next to my email messages?
I have a user profile picture selected for my own Google profile. This picture is visible in my GMail settings and works fine with web versions of GMail:

This profile picture shows successfully next to all my email messages on GMail web site, i.e. when I open my GMail account through desktop web browser (Chrome).
This profile picture also shows successfully when I open mobile version of GMail web site using mobile Chrome on my Nexus 5.

However, when I use the stock Android GMail app to read my emails on Nexus 5, my profile picture refuses to show. Profile pictures of other people show successfully next to their message titles, but my messages are displayed with the "default" profile icon - a large "A" in a square. Meanwhile, GMail app correctly recognizes these messages as posted by me: it explicitly says "me" in place of sender's name.
So, is there some sort of trick to make GMail app behave consistently with GMail web site in that regard, i.e. make it display my profile picture next to me messages in GMail?

I totally agree with you and this is really an annoying bug. One question thou, do you use Chrome and does it show image for that profile, at my PC Chrome is also not showing correct image.


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Determining which app keeps asking me to choose a SIM card
I have a dual-SIM version of Sony Xperia XZ Premium (G8142) running Android 9. In my "Dual SIM" settings I have explicitly asked the phone to use one of the two SIM cards for "Cellular Data", "Calls" and "SMS messages"

However, every time I reboot this phone, Android suddenly starts popping up a white box in the center of the launcher screen, listing both of my SIMs and asking me to select a SIM card for SMS.

Regardless of what I select, the box disappears for a few minutes, but then pops up again. And again... This happens a couple of times after each reboot, until eventually it stops. From that moment on everything behaves normally.
I would like to determine what is triggering this. I suspect that this is some background app installed on my phone that causes this to happen for some [indirect] reason after each reboot. Is there any Android software tool that would tell me what app (if any) is responsible for popping up such dialog boxes on the screen? The issue is 100% reproducible, meaning I'll have no trouble causing this box to appear.

I don't know if this would work but I would consider these three steps in series (require [tag:adb]): 1) when that dialog appears, run adb shell dumpsys activity recents > recents.txt. 2) After that, run adb shell dumpsys window windows > windows.txt. 3) Finally, I would reboot the device and also run adb logcat -v long > logcat.txt until you unlock the device and get to see the dialog. One of these logs might be able to show what is calling that dialog.


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What GPU is the Touchmate MID TM-MID777 Tablet?
Can anyone tell me the specifications of a tablet called MID TM-MID777 Touchmate?
Is their chipset:

Adreno
Mali
Tegra or
PowerVR?

Try my answer below, I'm assuming that you meant MID777 (and you just missed a "7" on the end), I coudn't find GPU anywhere in the specs so  I posted a more general answer below.

From this That the model - ARM Cortex processor, would hedge bets its either Adreno or PowerVR as usually goes hand in hand with each other. Tegra/Mali would be more seen with Texas Instruments chips.

Since I cannot find any reference online to the GPU in the TM-MID777, I thought I'd post this as a general link for any model instead.
Install CPU Z from the Google Play Store and run it. It will display all hardware information on your current device.

This is a sample screenshot, and can be very useful if you are buying a device, or doubt that a device is legitimate. There are a lot of clones out there and this is a great tool for that also.


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Reinstall uninstalled Google Play Store
How do I tackle my problem as I have mentioned in the title?
I tried to check many times but I could not install Google Play Store.
I have a Micromax a77 Canvas.

You may be able to side load the apk for the Google Play Store, http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/12/05/download-latest-google-play-store-4-5-10-with-shared-play-store-activity-iap-indicators-and-more/  get it from here. You may need to flash "gapps" for Jelly Bean from recovery if this doesn't work for you as I'm assuming you are rooted to delete the play store: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1796675

Maybe check How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

It's a default application so simply reset Android.
Go to Settings > Backup and reset > Factory data reset

This would be a last resort, rather than reset the device it is easier to try apk, then flash gapps zip then maybe do a factory reset / reinstall ROM. If the OP has a nandroid backup that is recent that would also be a handy solution.

I agree with @RossC; this nuclear option should only be used as a last resort when all other methods fail. Additionally, it might not even work because a factory reset will only erase /data and /cache partitions, it typically won't restore the /system partition.


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Unable to reach Google Play does not recognize my device
I have the HUAWEI G520-5000 mobile phone which was bought in April 2013 from China during a business trip. The device, despite of being locked for China Mobile carrier, is working properly for my carrier (Cosmote) in Greece. I don't have problems with talking or accessing the internet. My problem is that my Google account does not recognize my device and I can not use the Google Play store and it is impossible to install even the simpliest application. I suppose that the problem is the Android OS on my device which seems to be modified by China Mobile and Huawei (only Chinese apps are accepted by the device and the s/n of the OS is also pretty strange (something like 123456ABCD).
I would appreciate if somebody could help me out with my problem. Thanks

Google play services are blocked in China, you may have to root to lift the regional restrictions in the firmware. Check out the how to root my device thread: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/1184/how-do-i-root-my-android-device

No, rooting will not help. The OP will need to wipe the firmware and install another into the device. This is because pretty much all mobile devices made for China market primarily work with Chinese apps - thus, instead of Google Play, they get their equivalent Chinese market app. They are a paranoid bunch over there!

Is there a some way to find new firmware and fix my problem by myself  or should I find someone to have this job done? Are there any risks for my smartphone?

Is the Google Play Store app available on that device? Can you create a Google account on it, or are the appropriate settings missing as well?

No. Unfortunately the Google play store is not available on my device and this is the main problem I have.

Did you find any solution?!

The following worked for me, but requires root:

install Total Commander
open it
browse to /system/etc
look for a file named hosts
long-press the file, then chose to edit it via the CMD editor
comment out the second line (place a # in front of the digit)
save the file (approve superuser request for Total Commander when asked for)

Now the problem should be solved!

you've just damaged all our ears! Please, do not use ALL CAPS – that's considered screaming and impolite. Apart from that, it makes your post harder to read.

Besides bad formatting, this is a wrong answer.


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Trying to install KitKat on xperia Ray
My Phone is SonyErcisson Xperia Ray ST18i
I have Super Jelly Bean http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2135918 ROM installed, with kernel (from Status after I tried installing KK) 2.6.32.0-SuperFusioN-kk
I tried to install KitKat AORP http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2579054
I flashed boot.img from KitKat from zip,
When I tried to install KitKat ROM from recovery, I got this message:

this package is for "ST18i,ST18a,urushi" devices; this is a "haida"

The Urushi is the codename for the Xperia Ray ST18i and ST18a, the Haida is the code name for the Sony Xperia neo V – MT11i, MT11a. It makes no sense that it would display the wrong phone model at this stage. Was the boot image the correct one for the Ray? Have you changed anything else that could cause this mismatch? Have you tried re-downloading the ROM and boot and starting from scratch? This seems to be the installer script detecting a different model of phone and I dont' know where it gets that data. Anyone know?

The reason for the error is, you have downloaded the wrong package. The downloaded package is not compatible for ray.
To download the original package and detailed installation tutorial, read my article given below:
How To Install KitKat 4.4.2 On Sony Xperia Ray
Hope this helps.

Try to install Xperia Ray patch from
http://www.androidizer.com/update-sony-xperia-ray-to-jelly-bean-4-1-2-latest-rom-version-8-0/
after doing it, flash boot.img. i recomend this nightly Cyanogenmod 11 for xperia Ray:
http://legacyxperia.basketbuild.com/index.php?dir=main/urushi/cm-11.0/nightlies/


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Can I send text using S-voice through Google Voice?
I have a Galaxy S 3. Can I send an SMS using Google Voice using S-voice (like I can natively)?

Yes you will be able to send a SMS with S-Voice.


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Home shortcut key to my designated webpage?
I was wondering if there is an android shortcut to make things more efficient.

That one is quite easy:

Make a bookmark to the desired target in your web browser
Create a shortcut to that bookmark on your desktop

The second step is sometimes offered by the browser itself, but always possible using the bookmark widget shipping with Android itself.


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Using OTG cables when connecting to PC
Can an OTG cable, micro B male to USB A female, be used with the cell phone if connecting to a PC either with a USB A Male to Male lead or with a standard A Male to Female lead plus a standard A Femal to Female adapter?

This really isn't an Android question.

no, the OTG marks to the phone it's OTG and not normal cable
the easy way is just to use a normal cable


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Apps do not exist on moving them to SD card on Tab-1030
I have a Tab-1030 Android tablet (Tab-1030) with Android 4.0.4
Whatever apps I move into the SD Card get deleted. The first occurrence happened when for some reason my tablet couldn't connect to the wi-fi and I couldn't access Google Play.
After that I restarted my tablet (it also took longer than usual to start up again) and when I tapped on one of my games, it announced that the app didn't exist. Looking deeper into it, all the apps (5 of them) that I moved into the SD card had no data. They were deleted!
The blank apps showed that they had cached data which was a lifesaver because after I re-downloaded the apps some memory of what I had done was saved.
From there I tried to not move any important apps to the SD card, but a few months later the same thing happened. This time it was because I mounted my phone's microSD card (16 GB). After I unmounted the microSD card, the few apps that I moved to the SD card had again been deleted.
Can someone, anyone help me out and explain to me why this happens?

You pretty much answered yourself: you move your apps to your SD card, then you unmount your SD card.
No SD card -> the apps in it are not there anymore -> Android considers they have been deleted.

But the thing is that I'm moving them to the internal SD Card. And whenever I mount a microSD card or use USB the apps that were in the devices internal sd card are delete. The cached data is still there but the app isn't.

@Marty: Well, you didn't said you moved to the internal SD Card. But on recent devices, the internal SD Card storage is shared between the SD Card content, and the apps (also system, etc...) so moving apps to the internal SD Card should change nothing to your storage space and just make your system less stable.


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What makes the Polar Bear and Black Hole color palettes dynamic?
When using the Polar Clock live wallpaper, there are two color palettes labelled "(dynamic)": Polar Bear and Black Hole. What's dynamic about them? How long does it take to see it?

The colors of the rings will change gradually as they move around the clock. If you have seconds enabled you can see it pretty easily over the course of the minute.
Specifically, the color of the ring seems to progress through the spectrum of visible light in order from lowest frequency to highest. That is, it goes in the same pattern as a rainbow's colors: Red->Orange->Yellow->Green->Blue->Indigo->Violet (ROYGBIV). Then the cycle starts over again near the top of the clock.
That's how it looks on my phone, anyway. I'm not 100% positive if the other rings follow the same color pattern or if it's just the seconds ring, but the inner rings seem to be properly colored for their lengths (as in, at the point where the seconds ring reaches the end of one of the inner rings, they are both the same color).

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


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Quickly send file from phone to PC via internet?
Is there a service/app that provide this functionality? I imagine the inversion of Awesome Drop.

A service like Dropbox should be able to do this for you. It'll sync the files up to the web, and then your PC (with Dropbox installed) should pull them down.

The usual caveat applies: "you are copying your files who-knows-where into the cloud, do you trust the file-sync provider?"

GTalkSMS is able to send, browse and download files from your android phone via XMPP (gTalk). It's also a remote SMS notifier and has various other features.
Note: According to the FAQ I have to disclose that I am involved in GTalkSMS. GTalkSMS is an open source GPL licensed Android app. Everyone can contribute.

Via email
Well of course this works, but I hope there is a quicker, better, more straightforward way.

With so many alternatives this days, the best options tends to be an application that allows us to work with multiple solutions.
FolderSync and the free version FolderSync Lite, both by Tacit Dynamics available from Google Play Store, allows us to do just that:

FolderSync enables easy sync of files between cloud storage and Android devices.
FolderSync is a application that enables simple sync to cloud based storage to and from local folders on the device memory card. It currently support multiple SkyDrive, Dropbox, SugarSync, Ubuntu One, Box.net, LiveDrive, HiDrive, Google Drive, Google Docs, NetDocuments, Amazon S3, FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV or windows share (Samba/CIFS) accounts, and support for more platforms are planned.

MAXS (Modular Android XMPP Suite) is able to exchange files over XMPP.
Note: According to the FAQ I have to disclose that I am involved into MAXS. MAXS is an open source GPLv3 licensed Android app. Everyone can contribute.

If your Android device and the PC are in the same local network, e.g. connected to the same Wi-Fi access point or the same router/switch, and you have Total Commander installed + WiFi/WLAN plugin, then you simply long tap the > Send To > Send via Wi-Fi (Total Commander), and then enter the displayed URL in your browser. Or use the QR code if you want to share to another mobile device with a camera.

the easiest way is this little software named Sego for me : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nex.sego

Could you explain why? And how to send files with this to a Mac or Linux PC?

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


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How do I find a list of open applications / switch to open applications
Where can I find a list of open applications ? Is it possible to switch to them using that ?

Long pressing on the home button will bring up the six most recently accessed apps and you can switch them. How many stay in the memory depends on your phone and the size off the app. Android keeps all opened apps in the memory until it needs space.  There are countless apps that show what apps are running in your memory. Search the market for "app manager" or "task manager".  One I particularly like is Smart Bar.

I've tried the long press home key, but that shows recently accessed apps, not recently open apps. Will have a look at @gary's suggestions as well. Thanks

@Sathya I mentioned a couple potentially helpful apps... @matt makes a good point to just search "app manager" & "task manager". You may try some other ones out that end up working better for you. Post back what you find.

See this similar question. Lots of good suggestions and discussion: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2018/can-you-get-a-list-of-the-running-applicaiton-on-adroid-for-the-purpose-of-activa  Sorry for being short. I'm typing on my droid.

@Matt thanks for that link, I'll explore those apps.

@Matt Smart Taskbar works great. I'll accept this, please edit your answer.. to include Smart Taskbar.

And the list of apps isn't always accurate; when I access gmail from the notication bar, switch to another app, and bring up recent apps to go back to gmail.... it's not there. Aaaaargh! I can't believe I actually think something from WinXP works better!

@MichaelPaulukonis Yeah, it's my experience too that the "recently accessed" list doesn't always show the app I just accessed. Really weird behaviour! Do you know if it's that it shows only the apps that I've actually launched via their own shortcuts, or what's the deal?

As Matt mentions, you can long-press the home button to see the 6 or 8 most recent apps.
I've also seen Itching Thumb suggested here before.
As Matt also mentions, there are task manager apps. One is Advanced Task Killer (or Advanced Task Killer Froyo even) which can be configured to switch to the open app rather than killing it.

BTW, if you search for whether you should use ATK to kill apps, you'll see a lot of advice telling you it's not needed for Froyo. I had not heard of ATK Froyo until now, so I don't know what makes it different than the original ATK.

I'm on Gingerbread, Nexus S if that matters @Matt.


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Android music player keeps switching on party shuffle when brought to front
Since last week, every time I bring the standard Android music player to the front, it switches to party shuffle mode and skips away from the current tune, continuing to change tune every few 10s of seconds until I switch to normal shuffle or no shuffle.
It also drops the play history, so I cannot easily get back to the piece of music it interrupted this way.
Afterwards, if I do something else, for instance use the browser, when I switch back to the player, it switches party shuffle on again and starts skipping around as before.
I have tried clearing settings for the music player and restarting it after forcing it to stop, but it has no effect. I have heard that various bluetooth and network enabled stereo devices can do this sort of thing, but both are switched off. If I take it to a different place and additionally turn off the radio transmitter under *#*#INFO#*#*, it still does it, so I am inclined to believe it is not another device interfering.
As far as I am aware, it is a sudden change and I haven't updated the OS for a while or installed any apps - I have only a couple (Android version is 2.3.6 on a Nexus One).
If anybody has an idea about how to stop this sudden forcing of party shuffle upon me, I would be greatful.

One workaround is to go to the home screen, pan right, where there is a music player "applet" (mini control panel or whatever it is called). Clicking that brings the player to the front without turning on party shuffle. This does not solve the main problem that using the list of running apps brought up by holding down the home button to bring the music player to the front switches on party shuffle, though.

I thought this sort of thing was limited to Windows, but a reboot helped. It now always goes to the "Songs" tab rather than "Now Playing" after being brought to front, but at least the party shuffle stays off.


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How can I reset WiFi without rebooting the phone?
Sometimes WiFi networks are not picked up on my Moto G. Switching WiFi or flight mode on and off does not solve the problem, however a phone reboot does.
Does anybody know of a way I can reset the WiFi completely without rebooting the phone?
For example, with 3G issues I would go to the testing menu (*#*#4636#*#*) and switch the radio on and off, or switch flight mode on and off, which would typically cure the problem. Anything similar for WiFi? Thank you.

Is it rooted? You could flash a newer / different radio. Have you tried any wifi fixer applications from the play store? Has this always happened or just started? Have you done anything with the device lately: updated firmware, rooted, flashed a rom or mod, dropped it?

This phone is not rooted and has the standard 4.4.2 software. This is an issue that has started with a particular network after working fine a few days. I have only updated things like Chrome, Chrome beta & the Google music player. I have not tried WiFi fixer apps, any recommendations?

I'm afraid I don't know which are good. I'd say try something highly rated in the store. It's worth a shot. Is it a specific network, or ALL WiFi? There could be a compatability issue with the router, or just a dodgy internet connection. It's hard to narrow down.

There's an option in WiFi settings that makes Android ignore networks with weak signal.  You may want yo confirm this option is off.

Go to Settings > Backup & reset > Network settings reset
It will reset the WiFi, but it will also delete your APNs and all your WiFi passwords. So, be careful.

This feature was not introduced until Android Lollipop (5.0), previous Android versions did not have a Network Settings Reset option, as the OP stated, this question is specific to Android KitKat, which does not have this option. (Just noticed this question was from 3 years ago... Will remove down vote but leave comment)


text:
How do I get more immediate word suggestions in Android 4.4 Kitkat?
On my previous phone with the Android 2 stock keyboard, when typing, above the soft keys there was a list of word suggestions as long as the screen allowed.
In Android 4.4, there seems to be a maximum of 2 or 3. I know that you can press and hold one of the two suggestions on either side to get a few more, but this does not help speedy typing, as you may view these in vain, type a few more characters, try again, etc.
Does anybody know if/how I can get more suggestions to display immediately on the bar above the keyboard as the older Android versions helpfully did?

You can always install other keyboard apps from Playstore.

I may have to do that, but just find it hard to understand that Google would release such a regression, it would seem more likely I had missed a setting somewhere, they seem more hidden away under Android 4, there is a fear of text and menus, it seems.

"Smart" technology seems to involve an increasing reliance on the automation of these things i.e. they keyboard "should" predict everything right fist time. The execution of this... not so much to be honest. Your best bet is probably another Keybaord until Google update their one and maybe restore functionality. The first app I ever paid for was SwiftKey and I've never looked back, it just dwarfs the Google one. There's a 1 month free trial and that's worth a shot. It takes time to learn, but it is very good. Swype is great too as an alternative. Not ideal, but maybe easier.


text:
How can I join a Hangouts call with Hangouts Meet?
(The links provided by the Hangouts program do not work in Hangouts Meet - it appears I cannot enter the final character in the link, in either case it says "No such meeting.".)
Alternatively the answer to a different question could solve my issue.

It's quite hard to see what the problem is. Could you [edit] your question and describe more fully what steps you take in what apps, what you expect to happen, and what actually happens?

OK, I will see if I can schedule a meeting with myself to get some screen shots.


text:
Problems installing Lineage OS 14.1 on Lenovo P2 (black screen/blue LED)
I have a Lenovo P2 (42a) with Android 6, which I tried switching to Lineage 14.1, as my carrier hasn't provided any security/OS updates since 2016. I have previously done this with my old Motorola Moto G from Android 5.
I took a backup with adb (under linux mint), using the -system and -all options.
I unlocked the bootloader.
I flashed/booted TWRP 3.2.1.0 for this phone ("kuntao").
I transferred zip files. At one point the phone switched off while transferring with TWRP having mounted the "Internal Storage" partition, but it appears I got all things over on second attempt. It seems that sometimes TWRP gets stuck if the screen switches off while it is doing something, but the timeout can be increased if that is really the case.
I flashed the Lineage OS 14.1 file for the P2 ("kuntao").
I tried flashing the stock GApps zip, it let me know this was the version for 14.0 and I needed a different GApps file.
I then started over, flashing the Lineage OS 14.1 file and the GApps zip for 14.1 (Android 7.1).
This would stop in various places, at least 3 different ones.
I then started over with the Lineage OS 14.1 file and the micro GApps zip for 14.1.
This completed, but when booting I get a black screen, a single long vibration and a continuously blue LED.
The phone cannot switch off, only restart into bootloader or recovery, which at least isn't the worst news.
My adb backup does not restore - if I try this under TWRP, it seems to react to it, but get stuck, although with the screen on. When the command line process finishes, the result is the same as above.
Only issue I know of is that the provider can have added a few features, so that the flashing of the 14.1 file doesn't work exactly as intended. That would mean I need a complete image for Lineage OS or an image to restore to the "standard" Lenovo P2 state, as indicated here and here.
Any good ideas/procedures? Thank you.

OK, fixed - in the end I did this:
Tried "flashback" to stock android 6 with this zip file.
That didn't just work, so I tried with the automated script "flashall" in the zip.
That failed for the partition/image prov/prov32.mbn with the error message:
FAILED (remote: Do not allow to flash Bootloader image on Unlock device)
I then went into the
PRODUCT_CONFIGURATION_KUNTAO_ROW.xml file and looked at the command list.
I then executed all remaining steps except the ones to delete partitions, for instance
<KUNTAO_ROW_IFLASH>
...
<step operation="flash" filename="prov32.mbn" partition="prov"/>
(first failure in script)

<step operation="flash" filename="sbl1.mbn" partition="sbl1"/>

became

fastboot flash sbl1 sbl1.mbn (failed with same error)

<step operation="flash" filename="sbl1.mbn" partition="sbl1bak"/>

became

fastboot flash sbl1bak sbl1.mbn (worked)

and so on all the way through, but skipping the instructions to erase (although I would have done it if the phone didn't start up). It did and I now have ROW (Rest Of World or normal) firmware rather than a carrier-specific version blocking OTA updates due to compatibility with one of their own apps.
I could then pick up a series of normal OTA updates from Lenovo, including Android 7, so I now don't need Lineage OS to get an upgrade for this device (at least not before they do an official Android 8 ROM for it :) ).
<step operation="flash" filename="rpm.mbn" partition="rpm"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="rpm.mbn" partition="rpmbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="devcfg.mbn" partition="devcfg"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="devcfg.mbn" partition="devcfgbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="lksecapp.mbn" partition="lksecapp"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="lksecapp.mbn" partition="lksecappbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="tz.mbn" partition="tz"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="tz.mbn" partition="tzbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="keymaster.mbn" partition="keymaster"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="cmnlib.mbn" partition="cmnlib"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="cmnlib.mbn" partition="cmnlibbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="cmnlib64.mbn" partition="cmnlib64"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="cmnlib64.mbn" partition="cmnlib64bak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="emmc_appsboot.mbn" partition="aboot"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="emmc_appsboot.mbn" partition="abootbak"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="logo.bin" partition="logo"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="NON-HLOS.bin" partition="modem"/> - didn't work
<step operation="flash" filename="fsg.mbn" partition="fsg"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst1"/> - skipped
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst2"/> - skipped
<step operation="flash" filename="adspso.bin" partition="dsp"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="boot.img" partition="boot"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="recovery.img" partition="recovery"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk0.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk1.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk2.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk3.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk4.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk5.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk6.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk7.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk8.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk9.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk10.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk11.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="systemchunk12.img" partition="system"/>
<step operation="flash" filename="cache.img" partition="cache"/>
<step operation="erase" partition="userdata"/> - skipped
<step var="config bootmode factory" operation="oem"/> - skipped

EDIT: On the plus side, I just got the newly released Lineage 15.1 ROM to work for this phone.

i am getting the same error but not getting how to fix it. black screen with blue led. Please help me. I didnt understand your fix for the error you have posted.

Lenovo P2 and which starting and ending Android/Lineage version, please? I dare only give advice if it is the same case as there is a risk of damaging the phone firmware.


text:
Oreo's "Autofill with Google" tries to "autofill" the SMS entry field in Messages
In Oreo, every time the message entry field in Google's Messages app receives focus, it immediately pops up an annoying "autofill" suggestion listing my phone numbers. (I use a dual-SIM phone, so it lists two numbers in my case).
Apparently "Autofill with Google" service believes for some reason that message entry field in Messages is somehow intended for entering phone numbers. This does not make any sense, of course.
Is there any existing workaround for this bug? Does it behave the same way in single-SIM phones?

Were you able to solve this? I have the same issue, and it's very annoying... Updated to Android 9, but this bug is still there... Thanks!

This isn't a bug. People use to enter phone numbers too while sending messages sometimes that's why it pops up as per me. I use single sim card and this does not pops up here. Worth to mention that I use beta version of Google app. You can turn the service off. Go to Settings/System/Languages & input. Tap the Advanced tab to reveal more options. Now choose Autofill service and select "none".

Yes, this is a bug. People enter many things, like their names and birthdays. However, this is not an excuse to pop up this information for every text entry field. Phone numbers are supposed to pop up only for the fields that are explicitly marked as fields intended for entering current user's phone number. That's how Autofill works. That's how Autofill  has always worked. In this case we observe a bug, either in Autofill or in Messages.

And no, I don't want to disable Autofill service entirely: I want it to autofill passwords for me.

I supposed that may be a bug then. Why don't you try updating Google app to beta to see if bug is fixed? I am using beta it doesn't happens with me.


text:
Change android Jelly Bean google account with no data loss
How to do it?
What I'm doing:

add new account in phone settings
sync new account
remove old one

Is that correct?
Android Jelly Bean version.

That should be correct. If unsure, you can simply leave the old account and make the new one the default. You will want to do that especially if you're using apps you've bought with the old one, as those are bound to it. Also see: How to change the account for Android Market?

@Izzy Why not make your comment an answer? Seems about right to me.

@Ankush because I'm not 100% sure about #3 (or how to put it precisely). Though I don't thing OP will still be on Android 2.x (where account removal would remove associated calendar/contact data), and with 4.x+ it should work that way, I've not verified it myself (my devices are de-googlified) or have a source to rely on. But alright, I could state that in an answer :) This way OK?

That should be the correct steps. Up to step #2 I can say so with certainty, while I don't want to give guarantees for step #3:

on Android 2.x, removing a Google account also removed associated calendar/contact data. You didn't specify which Android version you're asking about, but assuming Android 4.x or higher this no longer should happen. However, I've not verified that myself (my devices run without Google apps, so I cannot verify even).
if you've used that account to buy apps, those apps might no longer run with the account removed (they are bound to the account), and you definitely can no longer update them.

So instead of removing the old account, you might wish to simply make the new one the "default account". For that, please refer to How to change the account for Android Market?


text:
Receiving a call downgrades to 3G/H permanently?
Some background
I'm using my Nexus 5X running Android 7.1.2 as a wifi access point for my computers. I'm subscribed to an unlimited 4G plan, no upper limits. I got the phone last Fall, which is also when I switched from a wired ADSL connection, and this has been a consistent problem.
The problem itself
Whenever I receive a phone call, the mobile signal downgrades from 4G to H and speeds drop significantly (as one would expect). This isn't a problem in itself; 4G is exclusively for mobile data. But after the call has ended, the phone can't reacquire 4G until I restart it or turn off tethering for a long time. Turning mobile data on/off to reacquire the connection does not work.
What now
Obviously having to reboot the phone every time I receive a phone call is bad, so what can I do about it? I don't use my phone or Android a lot so I might just be missing something obvious here.
Not working

Toggling airplane mode does not restore 4G
Toggling mobile data does not restore 4G

It's not permanent... it's until the connections are closed. Android isn't going to switch it's HSPA/LTE connection while network connections are active to prevent loss of information, this is normal behavior. When you toggle off hotspot all your open connections are closed and the device sees the network as idle and switches back to LTE without interruption. At least that is how all of our devices work.

...but it happily switches down to HSPA from LTE while connections are active..?


text:
adb command to search the filesystem
Is there an adb command similar to "locate" or "grep" that would help me find a file on my Android device?
I'm curious about adb specifically, not a search app.
EDIT: "find" has been suggested, but on my ICS device:
hydrangea@turnsole:~$ adb shell find / -name *maps*
/system/bin/sh: find: not found

On my Gingerbread device it works, though. (Except I haven't rooted that device so it lacks permission.)
hydrangea@turnsole:~$ adb shell find / -name *maps*
find: permission denied

Busybox will provide grep but not locate (AFAIK).

find is available on stock devices I believe too.

On ICS at least it tells me "find: not found". :(

The find command works well in adb shell. The syntax is find /path -name file_name. For searching read only areas you will need root. If the find command is not available on your particular device, you might need to install BusyBox (search the Market.)
For example,
adb shell find / -name *maps*
will find all files that contain word "maps" across the entire file system.

If this command spams you with /somedir/: Permission denied append 2>/dev/null to the command to mute error messages.

find -> /system/bin/sh: find: not found — out of luck.
How do I install find onto a borked device which manufacturer decided to not include find into firmware?

@DisplayName did you find a way to install find ???

No I didn't. I've been through some devices dying and some OS upgrades since then. Now it comes preinstalled with the latest LineageOS builds.

find utility come with BusyBox or another 3rd parts.
To use native capabilities try (ls -R on android, grep on PC):
adb shell ls -lR / | grep 'REGEX'

"find" is a command line application which might be normally installed as:
1. a binary executable (most desktop machines)
or
2. something small doing many things where one of them is "find"
or
3. might be not available as phone manufacturers don't like users to have too much control over their phones
Most likely you have one branded (ex. samsung) ICS device - manufacturers want to have more control on the device than owner does.
Gain root there, then install busybox.
Device is most likely something called "/system/bin/toolbox" - you could execute "/system/bin/toolbox find" but it is likely to return "no such tool" since manufacturer intentionally removed it from the device.
It is however possible that your device has the feature within its bundled toolbox - but just not "symlinked"... if "/system/bin/toolbox find" would execute the feature then you might use "ln /system/bin/find toolbox" command (I might have messed the order of params). Before executing "ln ..." you must remount device in read-write mode (either by using "adb root" or "su;mount -o remount,rw /system"


text:
How To Install/Root Vegan-Tab GingerEdition on Viewsonic gTablet
I recently purchased a Viewsonic gTabet and want to root the device with the Vegan-Tab Ginger Edition.  I'm an absolute newbie when it comes to Android, I've been a Windows guy my whole life.
I'm looking for some instructions for "dummies" on how to get this OS installed on the tablet.  I found this site here, but I'm not sure if this is enough detail.  It looks like some of these steps assume prior knowledge of Android.
Does anyone have any detailed, step by step instructions on how to do this?
Thanks for the help, looking forward to exploring this new world.

Per your second question: Gingerbread is the "codename" for Android 2.3.x, Honeycomb is (so far) Android 3.0/3.1. They are different versions of Android.

Okay, I've separated the questions, sorry about that. So is VEGAn-TAB GingerEdition, actually Gingerbread? I know you're probably saying Hellloooo, Ginger!!! Starting from scratch here, so bare with me

Not a problem, I just didn't know the answer to the first part so I didn't want to post an actual answer. But yes, it appears to be based on Android 2.3 ("Gingerbread"). The source code for 3.x has not yet been publicly released by Google, so even on tablets most custom ROMs are using 2.3 (or 2.2 sometimes).

Thanks for explaining @eldarerathis, so do you know if any other site that provides step by step instructions on how to install Ginger on the gTablet? Or is what I provided the standard? Thanks again for your time.

I actually found this site http://viewsonic-gtablet-for-dummies.webs.com/, reading through it, its great! Just what I need.

Slight disclaimer: I don't own a gTab, so I'm not particularly familiar with it. That being said, rooting devices and installing custom ROMs is at least somewhat similar across devices.
I would start by taking a look at this thread over on XDA. It has links to a bunch of other threads with instructions on how to get a custom recovery (ClockworkMod) on your device, how to flash a ROM, and a bunch of other useful things. In particular, there is a pretty good guide for installing ClockworkMod v08, which would essentially get you to a point where you could follow the Vegan-Tab installation instructions.
Be advised that doing this will wipe all of the data on your device, so make a copy of anything you don't want to lose.


text:
How to make Line save pictures & videos to the SD card?
Line is the application taking up most place of my internal storage ; this is because it saves many profile pictures and chat videos, to the internal storage.
How can I tell it to save them to my SD card instead?

Head into the Settings menu.
Scroll down to find “Apps“. Tap on it.
Now, you will observe the list of applications installed on your device.
Tap on any of the apps that you want to store on SD Card. ...
Scroll down, and you will find “Move to SD Card” option.

Unfortunately, this does not move the saved pictures and videos from internal storage to the SD card.


text:
Find what is creating folders on SD card
I got two useless folders on /sdcard/ (baidu and baiduMapSDK) and even though I delete them, they will generate automatically. How can I know which application or which process created these two folders?

@Leng The only way to know is delete the folder and use app one by one and see each time which app is creating it. If any app is doing so you don't have to worry as its a general rule for that app which need this empty folder to work on.

Baidu is the Chinese competitor of Google. I can't but notice your nickname Leng sounds Chinese as well!
So my bet goes to your phone having Chinese apps, including one related to the Baidu search engine.
These folders are definitely being made by this app.
These folders also might not be empty; content which starts with a .dotBeforeName is hidden, and won't show in most file navigators.
My recommendation is to leave those folders be. If you want to get rid of them, you'll also have to uninstall these Baidu apps.

Rather than being the Chinese version of Google, they're a Chinese competitor to Google. Google China is the Chinese version of Google.

Yeah, by version I meant clone. These chinese guys have censored everything and then made clones of it.

I didn't install any baidu related apps and these two folders are empty. I hate baidu, so I want to get rid of them, but I do not want to uninstall all the apps in my phone to test which app create these two folders.

Do you have any chinese apps installed?


text:
My galaxy S2 stuck on SAMSUNG logo
yesterday i was trying to recharge my galaxy S2 - i9100 which has JB 4.1.2, suddenly the phone stuck on the SAMSUNG logo for a long time. i tried to remove the battery but it didn't work. i can get to recovery and download mode but the problem is i don't want to wipe my device since i have more than 2000 photo on it and i don't want to lose them ( + i don't have any backup for them ) :(
so is there any solution to fix this problem without using the hard reset ? ( install the firmware again or make root or something ) Please help me :(((

Some recoveries allow you to navigate your phone with a file browser.
Does your phone have an external SD card?
I have Team Win Recovery Project installed on my phone and it lets me copy stuff around, it even has a terminal to do whatever you please.
So you could copy your photos to SD card using that recovery and then to computer.
Installing TWRP was very easy for me, I remember just putting a .zip in the external card and hitting install from the android recovery selecting from menu. Everything else was automatic.
But be tread carefully here; do a false move and you can potentially brick your phone.
http://teamw.in/project/twrp2

using odin root the phone . .after rooting the phone will enter  into cwm download mode .. u will get extra option specifically the mount usb whilst  the phone is connected to the pc. .the memory will appear on your pc. . and u can backup ur stuff. . .ALTERNATIVELY . . .just flash a working rom. . i did that and i passed the logo stage and got all my stuff back with no changes to the apps and their data just a reset of my phone software as if it was new


text:
USB charge in android 4.2.2
I have an android 4.2.2 phone. When I connect it to my desktop PC, it is not charging (Showing as charging and disconnected repeatedly). Checked by changing USB cable, connecting to different PC, connecting to different phones with same cable etc. Using same cable I can charge other mobiles like lumia, android 4.1 phones. Also I can charge my phone with same cable through charger. When I google it, I found that USB charge only option is removed in 4.2.2 (It was der in earlier versions). My model is XOLO Q1000 Opus and android version is 4.2.2. Please help me

You're saying the phone continually goes into and out of charge mode, no matter what cable or computer you use? Since you say it works fine with AC. I suspect that perhaps USB just doesn't provide enough power to charge the device.

Have you installed the USB drivers for your phone? Without the phone can only retrieve 100 mA => 0.5 Watt.

@Robert do you have any further info or links on this, sounds useful to know about!

@RossC That is written in the USB standard. Before the device is initialized the maximum power the device is allowed to use is limited to 100mA. Only when a charger is detected it can use as much power as it can get.


text:
Unix utilities (cat, grep, ls etc.) for Android?
I'm transitioning to one folder with many (txt-)files, adapting (letters instead of symbols, lowercase only, no spaces) Merlin Manns txt-setup. With cat, grep, head and other Unix-utilities, it's better than a folder structure.
I use this on Ubuntu, storing the files in my Dropbox-folder. I'd like to have the same functionality on Android, but have come up empty handed. They don't have to be the same tools, and if I can only cover part of the functionality, that's a great start.
How can I get this (or similar) functionality?

Busybox is a single utility that contains the functionality of many of the basic Unix tools. It's used on most embedded-Linux systems instead of having separate executables for each utility, which wastes space owing to code duplication.
There are several Busybox installers available on Google Play, and one on F-Droid. Custom ROMs often have Busybox built-in.
In addition, grep and cat (and a few more) are already built into Android. Android has its own Busybox-like called Toolbox, but it's a lot smaller (i.e. more limited) than the full Busybox.
You can access Toolbox commands (or Busybox commands once you've installed it) from a terminal emulator, in just the same way as any Unix system.

+1. Busybox brings everything OP seems to want and a lot more.

Android toolbox is a small set of utilities taken from NetBSD, whereas BusyBox provides a lot of most-used "almost fully" functional programs.

Busybox is not a full replacement. For example, i'm missing --binary-files in Busybox grep.
Alternatively, there's GNU CoreUtils on XDA-Developers.

Go get Termux if you want full grep and something else.


text:
Secure Galaxy Star GT-S5282 using simcard change alert
How can I secure my Samsung Galaxy Star GT-S5282 using the simcard change alert option. In other words, when a simcard is inserted in my phone a notification SMS is sent to other phones.


text:
Slow Charging Battery!
I have a Samsung galaxyS3 the battery has been charging really slow. It can take up yo 10 hours to charge 100%. I have tried every thing I can think of. I've tried a new charger, new battery, shut down all apps running in the backgrond, taken out the battery and held down the power, volume and home screen button, deleted junk apps. I've thought about reseting my phone but idk if that would help or just make more work for me. Also I put both my old and new battery in a friends phone and both batteries worked fine. Any ideas?

It might be worthwhile to invest in a charge only cable. I use one for my tablet at home and in my car.
The quality of the usb cable will also make a difference. Cables do go bad. It sounds like you have ruled out all the other options so this might be worth trying.

Also, make sure the charger is the right one for the phone. Things are still a bit fuzzy in how the chargers identify themselves to the devices, and if you've grabbed (for instance) an iPhone charger, the phone might not know it can charge at a faster rate.

Charging is a simple process and can be represented by the below (simplified) equation:
Rate of Charge = Rate of Electricity Flow - Rate of Depletion
To maximize the rate at which your phone charges at, you want to reduce the rate it's using up your battery as far as possible, and increase the speed at which current is flowing into your phone as much as possible.
Reducing Battery Usage
This is pretty standard stuff, turn off all unnecessary toggles and apps. Disable WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and any constantly running apps. If you happen to be charging your phone in an area with poor or no cellular signal, the constant searching for mobile networks could be a significant contributing factor.
Go to Settings->Battery Usage (or something similar, I don't own a Samsung device so I can't be sure), and look at what's using up your battery.
If possible, consider turning on airplane mode, or even turning your phone off completely to minimise battery usage.
Increasing Speed of Current Flow
Look at the thing you're plugging your USB cable into. If you're charging it via your computer, chances are the current flow is around 1A or lower. That's okay, but not great. Look around your house, or see if you can get your hands on a tablet charger. Those often provide current at 1.5A or even 2A at times. That's twice the speed of a 1A charger.
Also, look at where you're plugging your charger into. If the socket is already heavily overloaded, consider plugging it in somewhere else, for safety's sake at least
Still very slow...
If at this stage, it's still charging very slowly, your battery may be the issue. Since it seems to work fine in your friend's phone, it may simply be your phone providing inaccurate information. Try calibrating your phone's battery and see if that helps.

Thanks for the suggestions :) I also forgot to mention if I use my phone while it is on the carger the battery still dies.. :p

Take a tooth brush and clean off the battery connector points in the battery casing of your phone.

Using a 5v-2A charger will reduce the charging time. It works for me.

i just checked charging details of my phone through this app :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playfulgeeks.chargingreport

And? How did that prove useful? What did the app tell you?


text:
Blocking people nexus 5
How do I block an unknown number on nexus 5 who keeps calling me . I have looked everywhere but I can't find the option

There isn't an option that allows you to do it on stock android, you'd have to use an app. I've used BlackList before.

Suggestion for an app to use? This is a poor answer at the moment.

Well i have only used an app that does this once, it's called BlackList but i certainly won't recommend it without having used other apps of this kind

If you found the app useful then that's all you need to recommend it, even if there are better ones. Thanks for getting back as well, all too rare with most posters.

I'm just gonna link to it so op can check it out if he wants. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.baole.app.blacklist it worked when I used it, that's all i can recall (get it? )

Use Truecaller app! You can even block a number from sending you texts!

You can try using the phone warrior app. It helps to block unwanted calls and sms


text:
How do I enable the Android 6 System UI Tuner?
I read here that there are some hidden settings in addition to the Developer Options on Android 6. These are also mentioned in various reviews and referred to on this site also. Apparently they can be accessed after doing certain gestures to make the cog in the quick settings menu spin.
Unfortunately it does not spin for me (and others), even if not disabling animations in developer settings as has been suggested.
Does anybody know any other secrets about how to enable that menu?

How long did you hold it? Have you tried it multiple times? What's your device model?

It worked for me a couple of days ago, this way, which I read somewhere and quoting from memory , it sure sounds funny pull down notification bar with two fingers and slide on the cog with one finger and then tap and hold it. It didn't work first time but when i held the cog in a way i could see it (partially), for about 30 seconds, it spun and i finally got the UI. IMO, nothing much in it for all hoops to reach there

What do you mean by "slide on the cog"? Thank you.

@SuperThomasLab I have tried several times, and tried holding it 30 seconds once. Phone model is Ulefone Power. Thanks.

@nsandersen Holding the Gear Icon (Settings shortcut) for like 3-4 seconds worked for me, though the double finger swipe didn't work for me.

Using one finger to slide down on the cog wheel followed by holding it as described

@beeshyams - OK, so select it (giving a light grey circle highlight), slide the finger down again (so the circle goes?) and hold for a while? Or does the highlight circle need to be there at all times? Thank you.

It worked on Nexus 5, Android 6.0.1, I just needed to open the quick setting panel, then press and hold the Setting (cog) icon until it started spinning in about just 1 second, then released the finger and it would prompt about System UI Tuner. However, I don't know if it works on other device, especially with customized/vendor UI.

The highlight circle needs to be there all the while. Sliding with one finger is before this step

OK, if it should be easy and not require finger contortions, then it is probably safe to assume it has been disabled for this 6.0 ROM, even if it appears to be fairly plain stock. Thank you.