text:
Prebuilt APK doesn't launch when preloaded but launches when installed on device
I am working to integrate a vendor's prebuilt APKs onto my AOSP build Android 10.
The earlier versions used to work fine. The prebuilt APK was made as certificate: platform and privileged: true, making it a system/priv-app module. Suddenly, after a version upgrade, when we flash the system and launch the app, it doesn't launch and is stuck on the splash screen with no exception/errors/ANR traces in the logs, freshly flashed the system so there is not much memory consumption.
When tried root, remount, rm the prebuilt APK from system/priv-app, and installing the prebuilt APK, it worked fine. The app launches and is working fine.
Can someone help me find the root cause of the issue?
Note: It is a vendor's APK, so the code is not available, have to debug from the AOSP side.

Are you sure the app works at all. What happens if you just install the app as regular user app? If also nothing happens the app is most likely defect.

The app works fine when installed. So it goes in the data/app and works well


text:
Microphone goes mute on Pocophone F1 when opening any game while in a phone call
Using Xiaomi Pocophone F1 (MIUI 11.0.8 Global). I abruptly go into mute when I boot up any games while in a normal phone call. This doesn't happen in other apps.
I tried denying microphone permissions for the game (Phone permission wasn't required in there). Experienced this issue in Call of Duty Mobile, Head Ball 2, etc.
Does Game Turbo have anything to do with this issue? I can still hear them while gaming, whereas I'm muted until I exit the app.

Yes, I too have that problem. I disabled Game Turbo and calls are working fine.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Downloading and installing WhatsApp for Android 2.2.1 Froyo
I have an old Android 2.2.1. It doesn't have Play Store, nor any application as Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram. I can't download Google Chrome either.
I'd like to download WhatsApp, but it isn't possible because when trying to install it, Google says: "there are no identifiant", but I'm connected.
How to download and install this app from another place (or make the identifiant work from Google)?

You can find old versions of WhatsApp here. Just navigate to the last (around the last) page to find versions compatible with Android 2.2.1.
BUT because those versions are too old, I am sure after you will be asked to update to a newer version. You should know that WhatsApp has stopped working on some versions of Android as stated here:

Come Saturday, February 1, 2020 (tomorrow), WhatsApp will no longer work on devices running Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread and older or iPhones running iOS 8 and older.

Specifically, as of February 1, 2020, WhatsApp will no longer support devices running Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread and older. After February 1, users will no longer be able to create new accounts or reverify existing accounts on these older Android versions.

As stated above, even if you install the old version, you will not be able to create an account or re-verify it.

Just get the older .apk file, then install it.
While registering, you will get like "This version has gone absolute on Some date", just change your phone's date and time before the given date and try to register.
I don't know whether that will work or not for registration, but it will surely work with already registered WhatsApp that has gone absolute.

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


text:
LG G5 stuck with screen showing a picture as if the battery is not attached
My LG G5 is stuck with a screen showing a picture as if the battery is not attached. I don't know what is the reason.

If I remove the battery for a while and reattach it, it works.
I tried to search about it online, but could not find any information.
What does this mean and how to fix it?

Have you tried Google translate for understanding the Korean symbols?

https://www.google.com/search?q=전원을+켜려면+모델에+맞는+정상+모듈을+장착해+주세요 brushing and cleaning contacts of module might help https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3425279&page=2


text:
Removing the Chinese text "未写入google key和tee key" watermark on the screen
After flashing a custom ROM, there is a watermark in the top-right of the screen saying

未写入google key和tee key

I've googled it and have tried several of the solutions suggested, but none have worked. Interestingly, most people get a slightly different variation of this message, in red.
I've removed "FactoryTest" from my phone, but do not have com.mediatek.factorymode as some have suggested. I've messed around with my IMEI keys, this did not help. The message also still appears even with the SIM card removed.
Where on the phone could this be stored? My phone is rooted, so if I could locate the file responsible, I could easily delete it.

Download Minimal ADB and Fastboot on the computer

Plug in the phone into the computer, but keep the phone on

On the computer, open the terminal/command prompt

Enter these commands
adb devices
adb shell
pm list packages
pm uninstall --user 0 com.mediatek.factorymode

Restart the phone and the watermark will be removed

Thanks, but this doesn't work unfortunately. Seems I don't have this package installed on my phone.

@KaptainKris The watermarks are gone!! For me it worked. You have to leave the cell phone on, not in stand-by mode. In addition, USB debugging and OEM (bootloader) must be allowed in developer mode. Confirm USB debugging again when prompted after connecting the mobile phone to the PC. If you follow this, then the given commands will be accepted. Otherwise errors are displayed. It is actually quite simple.

it might be package:com.mediatek.engineermode, which I didn't risk to uninstall (I don't really know what's that).
I did pm uninstall --user 0 com.android.watermark and so watermark is gone.
You might need to lookup for a solution to actually fix it instead of hiding. In this case you need SNWriter, which I couldn't really use.

I successfully removed the watermarks with "tee" and/or "google" words in Ulefone Armor 3WT.
Many sources suggested 2 possible solutions:

Kill the service name "sdrpmbFloat" from the Developer options (not work for me)
Using ADB, delete the package called com.mediatek.engineermode or com.mediatek.factorymode or com.android.watermark (again, it didn't work for me, I couldn't find the packages)

But, I found another solution.
I had to comment/delete the line ro.agui_tee=TRUSTKERNEL in the file /system/product/build.prop (need root) just in case that line does not exist in the file /system/build.prop.
So, to root Ulefone with MTKroot app: https://www.ayudaroot.com/root/ulfone/como-hacer-root-en-los-telefonos-moviles-ulefone-armor-3wt/ (Spanish)
And where I found a similar solution: https://www.phonandroid.com/forum/threads/ulefone-armor-9-imei-manquant-et-erreurs-tee-google-resolu.208178/ (French)

You can kill/uninstall the sdrpmbFloat view service with root permissions.
You should be able to go to Developer Options > Active Services to disable the service.
Source: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/ulefone-power-3s-problem.3794521/post-77513923


text:
How to install Android from Google on a Chinese Android phone?
I have Android v85a bought from China. It has FuntouchOS installed. I want to change that to some latest compatible version of Android from Google.
Is it possible?

Is the device Android Treble compatible (there are apps in PlayStore  that can test this)?

What Android Treble ?

Android Treble is an important technology required for using the AOSP Generic System Image provided by Google. As Android is not an device generic OS like Windows or Linux on a non-Treble device you need an Android version compiled exactly for your device.


text:
Fastboot commands doesn't work on Amazon Fire tablet
I've got an Amazon Fire 5th Generation tablet that I want to boot TWRP on, but when I do fastboot boot n:/twrp.img, I get this:
Sending 'boot.img' (7946 KB)
OKAY [  0.265s]
Booting
FAILED (remote: 'the command you input is restricted on locked hw')
fastboot : error: Command failed

Might be because I need to unlock the bootloader? If it is, how?

I'm getting the same error on an Amazon Fire HD 8 8th gen when trying to unlock the bootloader, so unlocking the bootloader isn't a way around it.


text:
Files app (com.android.documentsui) crashes on Recent tab
I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 with Android 9. There's this factory app called "Files" (which is com.android.documentsui) that's not working properly anymore.
I have some apps on my phone like AutomaTag to change the tags of my songs and Sticker Maker to make WhatsApp Stickers. Both of them use this Files app when I have to select an image. Unfortunately, the app is not opening, and when it's opening, it just crashes or doesn't respond at all after a few seconds.
I tried deleting data for that Files app and for both my apps, but it didn't work. So, the next thing I did was installing an app that created a shortcut to that Files app, and surprisingly, it opened and worked! Slow, but it worked, except when I try to open the "Recent" tab, that one crashes the app.
Okay, that's fine, so I just have to avoid that Recent thing. Except, every time "Files" opens, it opens on that Recent thing, so it crashes every time.
I also deleted the cache and when I open the app, it worked. But when I tried to select something, it crashed again.
What do I have to do? Can I delete that app? And how do I do it? Do I need to replace it?

Connect your phone via adb with a PC and start adb logcat. Usually if an app crashes there is an error message and a stack trace in the logcat output. Without the error message and the stack trace we can only guess the problem source. Additionally with that stack trace you could open an issue ticket at Xiaomi and/or Google if it is a general bug of the app.

Or just use another file explorer - many on Play Store. Solid Explorer is a good choice. Mixplorer from XDA is great

Enable Developer options. Go into Developer options > Running services > Cached processes. Stop  all Google service or process you see there.


text:
What is the URL of the bookmarks or favorites section in Chrome for Android?
I need to add my bookmarks window to the main page. For that, it asks me for a URL which I don't know what it is. I know that the URL for the history list is chrome://history.
I tried with the PC or desktop's chrome://bookmarks, but it didn't work.
What is the URL of bookmarks or favorites

There is no such URL for Chrome for Android as of version 80.0. All Chrome specific URLs are listed and can be accessed from chrome://chrome-urls. Bookmarks related URL is not listed there.
Second, for a user to access their Bookmarks a separate activity is launched named org.chromium.chrome.browser.bookmarks.BookmarkActivity, but this activity cannot be launched outside of Chrome.
In short, what you are after and specifically in the manner you are after is not possible on Chrome for Android.

If you're trying to set the home page URL, try this one (works fine for me in Android 11 Chrome):
chrome-native://bookmarks/
This will directly open your bookmarks when you launch Chrome (i.e. if there isn't already a tab open).


text:
Status bar icon that looks like a silhouette of a person with sound waves on the right
Today, I (very briefly) spotted a new icon in my status bar on Samsung Galaxy Note 9. It looked like a little person icon (head and shoulder, silhouette kind of thing) with sound waves on the right (like a WiFi signal but horizontal). It was only there for a second, so I wasn't able to get a screenshot but will definitely try if I see it again.
I haven't come across this icon in the 8 or so years that I've been using Android, and I can't think of any obvious app that it would be for. I haven't installed any apps in the last week or so either.
If it helps, I was on my Galaxy Note 9 on Oreo (8.1.0 / Samsung Experience 9.5), it is rooted (Magisk) and has Xposed installed.
Any help identifying this icon is greatly appreciated and I'll update if I manage to get a screenshot.

This icon indicates that Google is sharing location.
The same icon can be seen in Google Maps by accessing the navigation drawer and the menu "Location Sharing".
Source: AndroidCentral Forum - Person icon in notification bar that quickly disappears

While the icon looks the same inside the Google Maps app, not sure if the notification is also shown like this, because the current version (11.148.0102) shows a map pin instead.

As per my findings, thanks to @Firelord, this icon is used for voice-over.

There may be multiple apps that use this icon but it seems the most common would be Google Voice (which I don't have).


text:
Where can I find documentation for icons used in the notification bar?
My WiFi icon on the notification bar is displaying an exclamation point and triangles (up/down arrows?). When I try to use Google to find what they mean, there's no clear place documenting notification icons.
I eventually found the exclamation point - can't connect to Google services - but the triangles just aren't searchable.
Where can I find documentation regarding what those sometimes-cryptic notification icons mean?

Generally, notification icons can be modified by manufacturers and carriers.  Even though they try to follow some standards (e.g. Wi-Fi icon looks similar everywhere,) they aren't required to do so.  Bottom line - manufacturer's website is usually the best bet to find information on their particular notifications.

Related: Complete list of Lollipop system icons shown in notification bar?

You can find a list material icons linked in Android Developers which is as official it can be.
But note that OEMs and carriers are free to add / modify their own icons so it's not possible to have all the icons listed on one site officially.

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


text:
Is there a way to tell when the battery is actually at 100%
I recently acquired an HTC Desire Z / G2, and installed Cyanogenmod 7 onto it. Something I've noticed though is that sometimes the battery drains very quickly, and sometimes it does not. Since I have a tendency to charge the battery very often, even when it has not discharged much, I get the feeling that the battery stats are not correct.
As I recall, before resetting battery stats, I should make sure the battery is at 100%. My question to that is, how can I tell if my battery is at 100%? Is it when the LED power indicator is constantly green? When Android reports as 100%?

"100%" isn't as straightforward a concept as you might think on Android. Have a read of this:
http://phandroid.com/2010/12/25/your-smartphones-battery-gauge-is-lying-to-you-and-its-not-such-a-bad-thing/

If the phone is on the charger, a lot of the lock screens will show the battery percentage or "Charged" if at 100%.

Try this app Battery Minder. It alerts the user if the battery is low or fully charged.

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


text:
Why do I have two notifications when I get emails from gmail?
I don't understand why I get two notifications on my phone every time I get an email. Is my phone running emails from two different apps? It's HTC One Mini, running Android 4.4.2.

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

You are running two email applications.
From your screenshot the one with the big "N" is the Gmail appliction the other is from the HTC Email application, called email.
You can remove your account from either, or disable the whole application if that suits better.
To remove the account from HTC Email.

Press the "Application Menu" button at the bottom of your HTC device's screen.
Scroll to the "Email" icon, then tap it once to launch the program. If the application opens to the inbox of one of your accounts, press the "Back" button at the bottom of the phone to return to the "Accounts" menu.
Touch and hold your finger on the account that you want to delete until a pop-up window opens on the screen.
Touch the "Remove Account" option.
Tap the "OK" button to remove the account.

Alternatively (since this doesn't seem to work on this device in particular):

Go to Settings
Click Applications
Click Mail
Click Clear Data

As another alternative if the mail application is 'mail' rather than 'email' there is a remove account option in the settings.

To remove a Google account
Go to Settings > Accounts and sync > Your Google Account Name
You can either untick Gmail in the synch settings, OR click the button Remove Account to completely remove your Google account (which you may not want to do for obvious reasons).

There is only an icon called "Mail", but when I open it and press back, it only takes me to the Application menu. And when I press and hold the icon, it just tries to add it to my home screen, not remove the account.

O...k... I have it here, that's a bit weird. Is there ANY settings in the Mail app? You could go to Settings > Applications > Mail > Clear Data and that may do it also? I've updated the answer.

Ah yeah, I was able to delete the account through Settings. Cheers.

@LeoKing that's great, if this helps please consider accepting it and/or upvoting as it may help others. I'll add more on the settings now.

I know how SE works, I'm just sending myself an email to make sure it doesn't give me double notifications :).

Cool! Just habit sometimes to be honest, was lazy and didn't check your account. HOPEFULLY it actually works now! :)

Well pewp, so far I'm not receiving a single thing :P. I don't know how long it takes for a notification to arrive. When it does and it's working, I'll accept the answer :).

Hmm, makes sure that your Gmail account is set to synch in the settings under your Google account!

Interesting, I only got the email notifications when I opened up gmail. In any case, only one notf. Thanks!

Aw damn. Now I'm getting two notifications again.

@LeoKing is there some HTC specific synch setting somewhere maybe? You could try deleting the mail data, and disabling the app?


text:
Disable low-battery warning, specifically on XOOM
I would like to disable the low-battery warning on my XOOM without rooting. It's a pretty obnoxious sound compared to other phones I have used.  By rooting, I can replace /system/media/audio/ui/lowbattery.ogg with an empty sound file, but I'd rather not take that route just yet.
Is there an Android app for replacing sounds or just forcing it to not play the existing sound?

the sound is in system, an app would have to be root to replace it, doing what you said is your best bet. Disabling the notification all together needs to be edited in the framework. You can not yet do this on the Xoom sorry.

No, there will not be an app that changes it since it is in the system. You have to have root to change system settings.  Once you root, there may be a developer who has a file you can flash that will do it for you. I am sure that if you thought it was annoying, so has a developer. It's only slightly easier than changing it yourself.


text:
Is It Possible To Backup Settings And All Customized Stuff I Made On Android Cellphone?
Which backup is that? Full backup that backs up whole system? Or is it only backup that backs up settings and customized stuff?

Use Titanium Backup, it'll fit your needs.

It needs rooted device.

there isn't any app which will do all that you have asked for w/o root privileges

If you're rooted and have a ROM that supports Recovery like ClockworkMod, a full Nandroid backup is akin to taking an image/snapshot of your device. When recovering from that image, your phone will be restored to exactly that same state when the backup was taken.

A bit offtopic, but out of curiousity: do you know if a Nandroid backup can be recovered onto a replacement device or does this mess up the individual device info (IMEI or such)?

It does mess things up. A Nandroid backup is recommended for one particular device alone. Not even another device that's the same model etc., AFAIK. However, I'm not 100% sure.


text:
Connecting tablet to VGA projector
Is it possible to connect an Android tablet to a VGA projector to make presentations of what's on its screen – and if so, how can this be done?
TL;DR:
I am searching the market for purchasing an Android tablet. The only feature that I want it to have is being able to be connected to VGA projectors for making presentations concerning my Android applications. So before buying any device, I need to know if this is possible (not looking for "device recommendations" explicitly here, but for the technical possibility).
I've searched similar question but I didn't find a definitive answer. I know I must also buy a converter but I've found out that is more difficult than it sounds. So I would like to hear some suggestions, better yet if you have achieved such a connection.

Yes, it's possible. Some devices even have an official (branded) adaptor for doing this, such as the Asus Transformer TF-101. As you surmise, though, if the tablet doesn't support it, external convertors are quite unwieldy and typically need their own power supply, as they typically have to buffer a whole frame at a time in order to work.
Newer data projectors support HDMI or even MHL input, which allows you to use any tablet or phone with micro-HDMI or MHL output, with the appropriate cable.
Using either method, the presentations don't have to be of what is on your screen. Android 4.1 and up provide a way for apps to send different visuals to the external display from the built-in screen, so (for example) presentation apps can show your slide on the big screen and notes and controls on the tablet itself.

you can simply go for a tablet that comes with a mini HDMI port then buy a HDMI TO VGA cable or converter to connect the tablet to your projector. you can follow the link here to get a list of six tablets that comes with an integrated HDMI port:
cnet.com/news/top-tablets-with-hdmi-connections
hope this helps, and that if its coming too late you already found a better solution.

The tablets listed in the article you linked to are very, VERY old (most if not all are older than this question itself)... Consider finding an up-to-date list.


text:
What differences are there nowadays between Chrome OS and the Android OS?
At some point, Chrome OS had no relationship with the Android OS.
Then several years later, there was some minimal integration.
After that years later once more the Chrome OS is capable of accessing the full Android Play Store and installing Android apps.
But the Chrome OS is not the Android OS.  I can't seem to get an understanding of what the relationship is with several articles that I was trying to read up on.  Does the Chrome OS just have the Android OS installed along-side it and it calls into the Android OS for handling all Android app interactions?
That is my assumption.  It likely doesn't even use the majority of the features on the Android OS (or shouldn't need to) in order to get tasks done. Does anyone have any input that could provide me with some clarity?

Android on Chrome OS (ARC++) is just one supported container flavor sitting on top of the Chromium/Chrome OS kernel. Not all features of Android are supported, the version of Android (Nougat) that Chrome OS is running depends upon the version of Chrome OS.
See: Running Custom Containers Under Chrome OS for more details regarding containers on Chrome OS.
So while Chrome OS has a high security reputation, getting Android to run on a Chromebook means some compromises:

Don't Android apps (ARC++) run in a container and not a VM?
Unfortunately, yes, Android apps currently run only in a container. We try to isolate them quite a bit (using namespaces, seccomp, alt syscall, SELinux, etc...), but at the end of the day, they have direct access to many syscalls and kernel interfaces, so a bug in there is reachable via code compiled with Android's NDK.

Additionally while Google is trying to promote Android on Chrome OS to developers: https://developer.android.com/chrome-os/ there were outstanding issues like getting Android on Chrome OS to see the SD card in your Chromebook [now resolved] which might be considered showstoppers by certain apps.
2021 Jun Update
ChromeOS devices that support Android 11+ are being migrated from ARC++ in a container to ARCVM.
2022 Update
Official ChromeOS.dev page on ARCVM
Google has created Chrome OS Flex as a OS distribution replacement for PCs and Macs. While models of Chromebook devices running Chrome OS can run Android and have the Google Play Store, Chrome OS Flex does not support Android.

Did you know that ChromeOS is actually based off of Gentoo Linux. Ironical that Chrome OS is targeted towards the non-technical....


text:
Connect with adb to device via network
I want to do some android theming, but I have a question on what the best way is to set up the system.
I have 2 computers here at home. So i was thinking of having the following setup if that is possible.
One one computer I want to set up the whole android SDK plus eclipse and run a device in an emulator. And on the other I want to set everything up so I can push and pull from the other pc. The pc's are connected via ethernet.
Is this type of setup even possible?

Yes.  On your second PC, set the environment variable ADBHOST to the IP address of the first PC and run the adb server and client.  Related steps (more detailed) are here.
Although you're not connecting to a physical device, it is apparently also possible to do so over the network without using USB.  Instructions for that are here.

+1 Sounds great! I'm going to check out the links, and read in a little bit. Ill except when its all set up. Thanks for helping me so far.

I'm not sure I understand the reason for the 2nd PC.  You can push and pull from/to multiple android devices (emulators and physical handsets/tablets) connected to one machine via adb.
Command "adb devices" will return all of the connected physical devices as well as emulated ones, e.g.:
List of devices attached
emulator-5554   device
HT035P90XXXXX    device

Where "emulator-5554" is the emulator, and the other is a physical handset.
From there on you can target a specific device with adb's "-s [serial_no]" switch.
For example:
adb -s emulator-5554 shell

or
adb -s HT035P90XXXXX pull /system/app/Music.apk c:\

or any other adb command.

That emulator lags up my whole pc, it's easier for me to just have it on a separate system.


text:
Why am I not allowed slashes in the proxy setting?
HTC/Android 4.4.2
I am trying to set up VPN at work, which requires me to define a proxy server. I can long-tap on the staff WiFi name and enable advanced options, which allows me to define the proxy and port – except that the Save button seems to grey-out or not depending on what I type. It seems to be validating the proxy address as I type.
My problem is that our work proxy server address contains slashes, which the validation doesn't accept.  So, if I enter proxy.pac then I can save it, however, I need to enter http://xxx.com/proxy.pac
Having looked around the forums, I think this must be a fairly rare problem - I see only a few references to this field not accepting a slash (in relation to adBlock). Although this does give me some assurance that its not just me, it doesn't really seem to offer a solution - those forums seem to find either a trailing space at the end of the proxy name, or that entering the form's fields in a reverse order then enables the save button.
So my questions are:

Is this a known problem? Can it be repeated elsewhere? Am I doing something stupid?
Can a 3rd party app offer a solution? I've tried some, eg "Proxy Settings" but it too doesn't allow the slash, also seeming to attempt to validate the hostname setting and refusing to accept what I need to enter.
Would rooting the phone help me? I see a lot of the available apps for setting proxies require that the phone has been rooted - I am reluctant to do this unless I know it will solve my problem.
I am aware there is a new release of Andriod around the corner... perhaps somebody with hands-on experience can see whether this problem still exists (simply try and enter a string with a slash in it for proxy settings, if you can press enter then I'll be first in the queue to upgrade when its available for me)

Any help/comments much appreciated!

As stated by Lie Ryan's answer, the proxy.pac file is a javascript file. In the Proxy Settings on your Android, you can only enter the address, port number, and sometimes a username and password.
What you can do is either ask your SysAdmin for the Proxy Server and Port Number, or just look at the file yourself. On a system that's already on the network, navigate to the address, and see what the file contains. Below is an example for my organization (some data modified):
function FindProxyForURL(url, host)
{
   if (isInNet(host, "192.168.0.1", "255.255.224.0")) {
      return "DIRECT";
   } else {
      if (shExpMatch(url, "http:*"))
         return "PROXY 192.168.0.1:3128" ;
      if (shExpMatch(url, "https:*"))
         return "PROXY 192.168.0.1:3128" ;
      if (shExpMatch(url, "ftp:*"))
         return "PROXY 192.168.0.1:3128" ;
     return "DIRECT";
   }
}

The important part is what it wants the proxy address to return; in my case, it's 192.168.0.1:3128. I can enter this into my Android, and all my data goes through my proxy. I can check my proxy logs (I use squid), and see the requests for pages going to my phone, without requiring an actual 'proxy.pac' file on my phone.

Your http://xxx.com/proxy.pac is not a proxy server, it is the address to a proxy automatic configuration (PAC) file. A PAC file contains a Javascript function that determines which proxy address to use and/or whether you're allowed to go direct when connecting to a particular URL.
ProxyDroid (requires root) claims to support proxy configuration using PAC file (I had never personally used it though).

Ah, thank you, this is very interesting.  Now I start to understand a little more.  As with many things, knowing what to search for is half the problem!  I will investigate further.


text:
Does `adb install` do APK signature verification?
When using adb install something.apk, does the Android Package Manager verify the signature of the APK? adb install seems to bring up nothing up on the phone's screen, so it's hard for me to know if it does.
I like the idea of using APK mirror websites to download APK files with a phone that does not have Google Play Services, but because I can't trust any of those APK mirror websites, I want to make sure that the app's data is not at risk if using adb install when upgrading to a new APK version.
A couple of questions:

If adb install does do signature verification, what does it do if the signature does not match? Does it fail the install, pop up a question on the phone's screen, or automatically erase the app's existing data?
What if using the -r option with adb install?
If I use adb uninstall -k before installing the app upgrade, does signature verification occur from the previous installation before the old app data will be shared with the new install?
Bonus: We have the option adb install -l, where -l stands for "forward-lock the app". What does this "forward-lock" mean, and does it have anything to do with signature verification and app data access?

You are correct adb install verifies the signature of the app.
If the app has not been installed on the device before the package manager can only verify that the app has been signed - who has signed the app can't be verified by the package manager.
Only if you install an update for an app that has already been installed before the package manager can check if the signature of the new app matches the already installed app. In case the "update.apk" to be installed has a different signature you will get an error message after executing adb install like

signatures do not match the previously installed version

I am not sure if this also happens in case you have installed the old app before using adb uninstall -k. I would assume (but have never tested it) that the signature is also checked and compared and only an apk with a matching signature can be installed. Otherwise you could get access to any app-private data on your phone by replacing the app with a custom app. This would be a serious security vulnerability.
If you additionally want to verify your downloaded apk files you can use apksigner which is included in the Android SDK. The necessary steps are described in this answer I wrote some time ago. Especially the verification of the publisher (check what other apps have been signed by the same entity) using androidobservatory.org and apkmirror.com may be of interest to you.
forward-lock in my understanding is if you want to pin an app to the current device firmware version, hence mark an app as potentially not compatible with future Android versions.


text:
How can one change the battery saver to dark mode in Android 9 (Samsung Galaxy S9)?
I use Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 9.
Screenshot from the Google Drive Android application, which seems to indicate that it is possible to change the theme in the battery saver:

How can one change the battery saver to dark mode in Android 9 (Samsung Galaxy S9)?

The "Set by Battery Saver" option only means that the app's theme is determined if Battery Saver is enabled or not.
The Battery Saver itself does not have its own theme, but apps can query if the setting is enabled or not for customizing its behavior, including the theme.
On Google Drive (and some other Google apps, and possibly 3rd-party apps), this setting means that if Battery Saver is enabled, then use the theme that saves battery (e.g. dark theme).
To summarize:

Dark: always use the dark theme
Light: always use the light theme
Set by Battery Saver:

If Battery Saver is off: use the light theme
If Battery Saver is on: use the dark theme


text:
Sending an application (apk) through NFC
Is it possible to install the application to another device using NFC? The application is not in Google Play store.
If it is possible, how can I do this?

If you're not fixed on NFC, you could share it e.g. via Bluetooth and then side-load it on the other device, provided you enabled "allow unknown sources" in that device's settings.

+1 to Izzy's comment, unless the app is small you'd probably want to send it via another medium as NFC's data rate is pretty slow. Still an interesting question though.

Assuming you have the app available as an apk file, you can use the app NFC Transfer to share it. It uses Android Beam to share any file (NFC is used to set up a Bluetooth connection to transfer the actual file).


text:
How to access phone internal storage during flashing?
I am flashing CM10 to my HTC One X.
I downloaded all necessary files and unlocked my boot loader.  I followed all steps on how to install this ROM, but I did one stupid thing.  I forgot to copy the CM10 zip file to my phone internal storage.
Below are the steps I followed, then I missed step 1.  How do I access my phone internal storage so that I can save the zip file, and continue flashing my phone?

Copy the CM10 ZIP file to your phone’s internal SD card.
On the PC, extract the Fasboot.zip. You will get a folder named Fastboot.
Extract the boot.img file from the cm10_endeavoru-ota-eng.noeri-028.zip file and place it into the
  Fastboot folder.
Turn your phone off.
Boot to Fastboot Mode. Hold down the Volume Down and the Power buttons until the screen turns on to enter Bootloader Mode.
In Bootloader Mode, highlight Fastboot Mode using the Volume keys and select it by using the Power button.
Connect your phone to your PC via USB cable.
Open a command prompt on your PC and navigate it to the Fastboot folder.
In the command prompt, type fastboot devices to check if your device has successfully connected to your PC. Your phone’s serial number
  should appear on the screen.
Flash the boot.img by typing the following in the command prompt: fastboot flash boot boot.img
Go back to your phone and select Bootloader to go back to the main Bootloader menu.
In Bootloader Mode, highlight Recovery using the Volume keys and select it by using the Power button to boot into ClockworkMod
  Recovery.
Select Wipe data/factory reset > Yes.
Select Install ZIP from SD card > Choose ZIP from SD card > select the cm10_endeavoru-ota-eng.noeri-028.zip file > Yes.
Select Go back > Reboot system now.

Do you have the adb executable available, and can you access the recovery mode? You might be able to adb push the file then. You don't need the entire SDK for that, just the adb binary (adb.exe plus some *.dll files if you're on Windows) are fine.

From the steps above, I think you already flash a clockworkmod recovery (boot.img)

HOLD volume down until the recovery shows up
Use the volume keys to select Mount
Select mount USB storage
Connect your phone to your PC
Copy the CM10 ZIP file to your phone’s internal SD card
Eject phone from PC and unmount USB storage
Select Wipe data/factory reset > Yes.
Select Install ZIP from SD card > Choose ZIP from SD card > select the cm10_endeavoru-ota-eng.noeri-028.zip file > Yes.
Select Go back > Reboot system now.

It's not working... nothing happens. The bootloader says it has entered USB mode, but nothing happens on the PC. Tried on 2 computers.

I had same issue on a TAB4 10.1 SM-T535. It seems the network operator Vodacom had changed the id of the tablet to be a wifi model (matissewifi) to throw off someone trying to flash a ROM to it. Anyway, to get it to boot into TWRP I just had to install the TWRP app from the play store, which has an option to boot into TWRP, the key combinations never worked for me. I also flashed CF-Auto-Root to the device to install SuperSU, which might have allowed the TWRP app with ROot access to boot into recovery mode.


text:
Galaxy S2 does not see MP3 files in any player
I transferred several MP3 files to the Samsung Galaxy S2. But, the player does not see the MP3 files, only the DCT files. I installed several different players, and had the same result.
How do I fix the problem?

How did you transfer the files? Has the Media Scanner been running afterwards? See e.g.: Force Media Update?

also try to reset/reboot your phone. Sometimes, android does not properly mount the sdcard when it is unmounted from the computer. It will also run media scanner on startup.


text:
"cannot write file in SD card" when taking a screenshot
I have an Optimus Black.
When I try to take a screenshot, it makes a noise. Then, it says cannot write file in SD card.
How do I fix that?

Don't know. Maybe inserting a SDCard? Or setting the camera to save to internal storage? You will need to provide some more details for better answers :)


text:
Connect Android phone to PC network via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi
I use a USB dongle to use the internet, which I connect to my laptop. Then, I share the internet via Adhoc Wi-Fi network, but the network is not searchable on my pone.
I searched Google and found some software like Connectify. With this software, the network appears on my phone, but it keeps on scanning and never gets connected. Also, the network which I have created does not share it with other laptops.
Is there a free software through which I can connect with the laptop internet through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? I don't like the internet pass through because I was unable to move my phone on my apartment with that option.

Android does, by default, not support ad-hoc-networks -- which is what Connectify creates. What you are obviously looking for is reverse-tether -- again not supported by default. Both would require rooting your device.

What android version are you referring to?

Please check if any of the methods described here: Share WIFI from PC over USB work for you. Also if you are having problems with Connectify check if this resolves the issues: Connectify doesn't work with Android

Here I am going to share a way to connect Android to PC. Believe me it very simple trick connect.
http://agatton.com/control-your-pc-using-android-device/

You can give this a try:

If you are on a Windows machine, download MyPublicWiFi and install
Set desired network name (SSID) and Network key i.e password. Let Enable Internet sharing check box be checked in, and select the appropriate network connection from which you are accessing the internet on your PC or laptop.
Press “Set up and Start Hotspot“, this makes your PC a hotspot.
Now try connecting from your Android device

You can follow this steps:

Open Settings.
Click Tethering and Portable hotspot.
Configure as desired.
Switch on the portable hotspot.
Follow steps for connecting to PC with Wi-Fi.
NOTE: You cannot use Wi-Fi client and Wi-Fi hotspot simultaneous or use USB tethering method, follow steps:
Connect Android phone to computer using USB cable,
Open settings, then click Tethering and Portable Hotspot.
Click USB Tethering.
Activate Wi-Fi client (for USB tethering only).
Open the browser and type www.google.com to make connection.

Only operate this method if you cannot install apps.


text:
Weird phonebook entries!
I had my HTC Pico phone with android 2.3 repaired because a shattered glass.
On getting it back, I found out that there are no contacts in my phone as well as in the SIM, but there are some contacts with my Google account. Upon selecting this option, my phone book displayed a few contacts, which I never synced to my Google account. How did these random contacts get associated with my Google account?

Easiest explanation: If you sent your device to repair with even the SIM card included, and not factory-resetted, some service guy may have played with it. Not to blame somebody, but that's the easiest explanation to it.


text:
Xposed module for expanded volume panel
I own a Nexus 5, running stock Android 5. I'm looking for an Xposed module which allows me to adjust all types of volumes (ringtone/media/alarm) when I press the volume keys.
I've seen an extended notifcation panel in other ROMs where you could exactly do this.
Is there something similar available as a module?

Not really an answer since you asked specifically about Xposed module, but related question in general: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9815/how-can-i-change-media-volume-when-no-media-is-being-played

The feature you have requested (Expandable Volume Control) is present in GravityBox (Lollipop).
You can find it at the Xposed Repository .
You can download it directly here (3.54 MB).
However, do note that the Xposed Framework is still in Alpha, so some features of the module might not work properly. If you find any, do report them at the official XDA thread for this module. Any discussions can be done there too.


text:
Can you block URLs with Tasker?
Is it possible to block URLs with Tasker?
I'd like to block different sites from 9-5 everyday.

You can if your device is rooted. You need to add the URLs in the hosts file (/etc/hosts) like:
127.0.0.1 facecrook.com
127.0.0.1 liveminmin.com

and so on.
Note that you'll have to remount (as rw) your /system first using the commands:
adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw /system

Use a file editor to do the editing and then remount the system in ro mode. Also, before editing, copy the default hosts file at some location say /sdcard/host_files/original/hosts and the modified hosts file at /sdcard/host_files/modified/hosts
Now with the Tasker:

Create a time based profile as + → Time and select your timing when you want URLs to be blocked.
Create a task under the above profile and the action inside it should be + → Code → Run Shell:

Type mount -o remount,rw /system in Command
Check Use Root

Create a new action through + → File → Copy File:

Tap the lens icon corresponding to From and select /sdcard/host_files/modified/hosts
Tap the lens icon corresponding to To and select /etc folder by holding it.

Create another new action through + → Code → Run Shell:

Type mount -o remount,ro /system in Command
Check Use Root

Create this last action through + → System → Reboot → select Normal in Type.
Create another profile for the time you don't want URLs to be blocked using step1.
Copy steps 2-5 and choose /sdcard/host_files/original/hosts in step 3 under From.
Make Tasker an exception in any app (if you have) that disables Tasker from startup.

Enjoy!

In general, no. Tasker can't know when a URL is launched (my testing with the "Receive Intent" event had no success), nor does it have the necessary control over the browser to stop the page from loading.
That said, if I could find the time to get DolphinTasker published, then yes, you could do this with Dolphin Browser. But that's not an option at the moment.


text:
Add applications to the original Android ROM
How can I add applications to the original Android ROM installed by manufacturer, and not lose them after a factory reset?

yes you can do it. but you have to root.

NarenderNishad (via comments) is correct. If you have root access, you can convert the apps to system apps (using an app like Titanium Backup). They will be moved to the /system folder. When you do a factory reset, the apps will not be deleted.


text:
Does having CWM mean bootloader is unlocked?
I flashed CWM using Rom Manager. Does this mean that my Galaxy S4 bootloader is unlocked?
I'm using Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGH-I337M) (Canadian Telus)

Not per se. You can flash any recovery you like without unlocking the bootloader, but you need to unlock it to boot the recovery. If you flashed CWM and you can boot it, it shows that the bootloader is unlocked.

what do you mean that I can boot it?  I press power volume down and home button and go to cwm recovery(the black page) then I can do Nandroid backup and restore factory reset ...  so I guess it means that I have booted into cwm right?

its weird because I didn't try to unlock bootloader I used odin and CF-Auto-Root-jfltecan-jfltevl-sghi337m to root my phone. it didn't ask me if I want to unlock it or not.

Your first comment is exactly what Dan meant: booting into recovery brings you to CWM – so yes, your bootloader seems to be unlocked.


text:
Does InBrowser have a separate clipboard it copies to by default?
I'm old and trying to learn how use an LG smartphone. InBrowser is telling me I'm copying to a clipboard. How do I see what I am copying? Do I actually have a clipboard?
Sorry if this is a dumb question. Never asked a question online before. So, I don't know if anybody is even out there. Please remember that I'm probably an idiot. So, be gentle.

I have not used InBrowser, but most likely it is the same clipboard that every app uses, and it is probably not InBrowser telling you that either but the Android system or the phone itself. The "clipboard" is just a space/memory where the text you copy are temporarily saved. The contents disappear when you restart your phone. They also get replaced when you copy another set of text.
Anyway, you can install a third-party clipboard app like aNdClip Free (just search at Google Play for more apps) to see what you copied. Or if you don't want to install anything, just open any app that has a textbox (like your Messaging/SMS app) and paste whatever you copied. You probably have to long-press on the text box, and a menu that says "Paste" will appear.


text:
Could I use my phone to scan or image myself?
Could I use my phone or tablet to create an image rendering of my body that I could use to quantify body metrics like waist size, inseam, etc?

Sure, you can "image" yourself by taking a photo. If that's not what you're trying to achieve, your question needs to be more specific.

Got it sorry about that. Could I use my phone or tablet to create an image rendering of my body that I could use to quantify body metrics like waist size, inseam, etc?

You would have to have relational masking with quantative markings. A big PIA!!

No. Even humans, who are much better at vision and understanding pictures than computers are, can't determine accurate dimensions just by looking at a photo.
The closest you can get is apps like in Is there any app that measures the distance using the camera?, but they can only answer simple questions using trigonometry: if you know how far an object is from the camera, it can measure how big it is, or if you know how big it is, it can work out how far away from the camera. Even then, they can only give very approximate answers. An app like that wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a 30" or 34" waist, for instance.
The only way to use your phone to "create an image rendering" with this data would be to use a drawing or 3d modelling app to make the picture and then add labels for measurements you took with a tape measure.


text:
Sync the position / page of sideloaded EPUB books between Android device and Nook Touch?
Is it possible to sync the current position / page of an EPUB book between two devices?

Check out PageTurner on Google Play. It's supposed to do what you want, although there are some mixed reviews. It's worth a try though.

PageTurner is an open-source e-book reader that allows you to sync
  your reading progress across devices, without needing a DropBox or
  Google Drive account... just enter your e-mail address and it works!

I tried it but it's ugly as sin

@Ze'ev There are probably similar apps around.

Well that's what I'm asking!


text:
Will a Factory Reset lock my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) if it is unlocked, but factory locked?
I know that formatting the SD card will not lock my phone again.
But if I Factory Reset my phone, will it re-lock the phone or not?

What do you mean by "format my phone"? Do you mean "Factory Reset"?

yes factory Reset

A factory reset will not change the status of the phone with regards to "device lock" (Can I connect to other networks?) or to "bootloader lock" (Can I use custom ROMs?).

It is still kind of unclear what you exactly mean.
In general: a factory resets formats the whole userdata(data) partition. The data partitions contains your installed apps, databases where your customized settings for the android system are stored(for example if you changed your homescreen; added some shortcuts/widgets etc.). Also the cache of the virtual machine resides on this partition....as the name already says it's mainly used for userdata.
If you are talking about a rooted phone(windows term: administrator): a factory reset usually does never remove your root access. Normally rooting procedures install a "su" binary in /system/xbin/su or /system/bin/su, this is obviously stored on the system partition which is never touched by a factory reset.
As already mentioned the bootloader is shipped unlocked and won't be locked again.

Samsung Galaxy S2 is shipped with an unlocked bootloader, so it won't be locked when you Factory Reset it. If it's rooted, it will not be unrooted, but SuperSU or Superuser app itself may be removed (If it's not installed in system partition), so you'll just have to reinstall it. And if it's a factory unlocked carrier specific version of the phone like i777 (AT&T), then it may get carrier/network locked again (Booting up the first time after a factory reset it may ask you to enter the Network Unlock Code if you use a non-AT&T SIM), although in most cases this won't happen.


text:
Can I use a Canadian Google Play gift card on an American account and vice versa?
Can I use a Canadian Google Play gift card on an American account and vice versa?

NO, as per Google Play balance restrictions:

Can only be used for purchases on Google Play.
Can only be used to purchase or rent content sold in the same currency.

If you redeemed an Australian Google Play gift card or promotional
  code and then travel to Germany, you won't be able to redeem your
  Google Play balance since paid content in Germany is sold in Euros.

Google Play balance can't be used to purchase devices on Google Play. Google Play balance can be used to pay for subscriptions on Google Play Music and Google Play Newsstand but can't be used to pay for other types of subscriptions.


text:
Will I keep the credits that I redeemed from a Google Play voucher if I get a new phone?
I bought a new phone, and I have redeemed a £25 Google Play voucher on my Play Store account.
I need to take back my phone. If I get a new phone, will I still have the £25 on my Google Play account?

Probably, but I'm sure this depends on the contract with whomever sold you the phone, and their return policy.

Yes, the credits / load is tied to your account. So, it will still be there, as long as you use the same Google account.


text:
Bricked phone due to cut-pasting of apk files
I accidentally cut all the .apk and .odex files from /system/apps/ and pasted onto the SD card instead of copying and pasting them. My phone is totally bricked. Stuck in a boot-loop and factory reset doesn't work (as I had assumed it wouldn't). I cannot connect ADB to it because Android OS never actually loads (hence the boot-loop). I know there's a way to fix this I just dont know how to do it yet. PLEASE HELP ME DO THIS! This is a learning experience for me (good and bad).
The phone in question is a Kyocera Hydro C5171 from Cricket. It has Android 4.0.4 ICS. It is rooted (that's how I was able to accomplish this horrible act of murder to my precious phone). I need to figure this out please and will do all the homework on the subject myself if only I could get pointed in the right direction! I just don't know where to begin. I believe that I have only one option (this is just an assumption, please don't judge me):
I have to flash the stock ROM onto the phone. If, indeed, that is the case I require a copy of the stock ROM first (I may not be searching for it right, but I can't seem to find it anywhere on the web. Any help on where I can find this is GREATLY appreciated!!).
Second, From what I've been reading Kyocera has locked the bootloader on this particular device and flashing the ROM is extremely difficult for seasoned veterans of this game (If this is true I will definitely need an instructor to properly guide me through the process).
Third, I have no effing idea how to even begin flashing ROMs, so, here also, I will require some form of instruction or at least be pointed to a URL that contains a decent guide to accomplish what I'm trying to do.

Updates (from the comments):

I've got neither custom recovery nor a Nandroid backup
I can boot into stock recovery (wipe cache, wipe data, or reboot, see this screenshot), but my device is not discovered in this mode by ADB (latest drivers installed on my PC)

I've not tried that, and different stock recoveries deal differently with that, but it's worth a try: Boot into recovery, then adb shell to the device, make yourself root (su), and see if you can access both places (SDCard and /system). If so, try mounting /system read-write, and then cp the packages back to /system/apps (e.g. cp /sdcard/folder/*.apk /system/apps if you moved them to /sdcard/folder before).

With the Kyocera Hydro C5171, unfortunately, that does not work. I manually installed the drivers for the phone also - you know, just in case you were going to ask me if I did that next. I believe I still have root, however I have no way to enable USB debugging. This is actually a pic of the particular Recovery installed...

Rather than launching into stock recovery, launch into download mode and reinstall your entire stock ROM. Find some tutorials on how to use Odin3 (flashing software) online.

I went to a Cricket retailer (not an official store) for an unrelated issue with my new phone and, interestingly enough, they can, and will, flash the stock ROM back onto my phone. So, problem solved and lesson learned!


text:
Get the size of the navigation bar using ADB
I want to know what is the size of the navigation bar in pixel using ADB.
Using adb shell wm size gives the complete screen size instead of only the navigation bar.
Is there any way to get it?

Enter this one-liner:
adb shell dumpsys window windows| sed -n '/Window .*NavigationBar.*:/,/Window .*:/p'| grep 'Requested'

Alternatively, if you don't have Linux/Mac, try this:

adb shell
dumpsys window windows | toybox sed -n '/Window .*NavigationBar.*:/,/Window .*:/p'| grep 'Requested'

What's happening in that one liner is this:

we use dumpsys to output all the details of all the windows displayed on the screen (irrespective of the screen on or off)

we filter the content using sed to show only those lines which have information about Navigation Bar

we grep the information we need.
You can alternatively try grepping for grep mSystemDecorRect. I don't know which one is more reliable in all circumstances.

Expected output example:

Requested w=1080 h=126 mLayoutSeq=10835

# if 'mSystemDecorRect' was grepped, then:

mSystemDecorRect=[0,0][1080,126] mLastClipRect=[0,0][1080,126]

w: width, h: height, of your navigation bar respectively.
Note: for some reason if the one-liner fails to work or gives unexpected output, filter it like this. Get the dump using that first dumpsys command, then find the entry for your NavigationBar, and within that, look for the size.
Tested on OnePlus 6 running Android 10.
Credits: Fiximan of Unix & Linux for sed command.

Thanks. Also possible to get using:
adb shell dumpsys SurfaceFlinger | grep -i “Navigation”

On OnePlus 3 running Android 9, replace NavigationBar with StatusBar instead.
adb shell dumpsys window windows| sed -n '/Window .*StatusBar.*:/,/Window .*:/p'| grep 'Requested'

It will return this
Requested w=1080 h=63 mLayoutSeq=3640

This will return the size of the status/notification bar at the top instead, not the navigation bar at the bottom.


text:
Does Gboard have a key to switch keyboard apps?
I am looking for a way to quickly switch between keyboard apps while using Gboard. My phone is a Redmi 5.
For example, if I am writing a message, I prefer Gboard. But when I have to write code, I want to quickly switch to Hacker's Keyboard app.
Incidentally on the latter, I have the option to jump back to Gboard.
I want to be sure that there is no option on Gboard to do the same.

Try long-pressing the spacebar?

@Andrew T. Not OP, but that's failing for me on 8.1.0 with Gboard + Hacker's Keyboard installed. There is a notification (from Android System) that pops up while focused in a text input when there's more than one keyboard enabled that allows switching between them easily though.

@AndrewT. That helped. Not complaining. But I think this should be a separate question on its own. The question linked to by the close-vote only deals with switching languages - not the keyboard app as such. But I would want to close this for accepting answers...

Hmm, fair enough, though as a long-time Gboard user, the globe icon and long-pressing spacebar will also show other keyboard apps, in addition to switching languages.

You can press and hold the spacebar while using Gboard to switch languages and keyboards.

Funny.  This was not what I tried... I thought you were referring to the globe like icon left of spacebar...

Oops. I think you can also press and hold your keyboard? I'll have to try Hacker's keyboard once and see how can I switch keyboards.

if someone wonder, you can switch from hacker keyboard by long pressing the round key (the one used to open the settings)

I was wondering the same thing, because I don't like going into my settings all the time, so I searched and downloaded Keyboard Switcher app from F-droid.
You actually don't even need an app to switch keyboards though. You should have a small keyboard logo in the bottom right of your keyboard terminal. Just tap on it and see a drop down list of the options you have enabled for alternative keyboards


text:
Bulk word import into Gboard
I moved from my Redmi to Mi Mix 2 now and used the Mi Mover app but unfortunately, the words in my used keyboard Gboard weren't restored. Neither does the internal synchronization work, it says something like "sync is not available for devices with G suite accounts or Android for work profile".
Couldn't yet find a working solution for this issue, so I'm thinking about re-adding all words but don't want to do this one by one. I have a wordlist as a text file that would cover at least 80% of my custom words. Any way of adding this at once to Gboard dictionary?
Apart from Gboard dictionary, there seems to be a common Central Android custom word dictionary. Is Gboard also considering words from there? In case it is, maybe there's some API/interface to this Central place so I could add those words at least there, so they could be used by Gboard (and also by other keyboard apps should I ever decide to switch).
I don't mind which way to go in case at least one of both could be achieved.

If you could get them out into a text file (maybe) it could be transferred to the device, and opened. Maybe then each of the words could be highlighted for inclusion? Saves the 50% of typing work, at least. If it requires typing, perhaps a great big copy/paste from the source into a clean document could induce the action?

I have them already in a text file, each word per line. But it's annoying to select and add them one by one, especially because gboard does sometimes only really add them after a few typings.

Why one-by-one? Can't you open the text document, or copy a big list of them into any text field? Even a Messenger text field should allow a copy, especially a few hundred words at time (I don't know the upper bound).

Select every word one by one for inclusion, wasn't that what you suggested in your first comment? Understood it like this. A simple copy of all the words will not include them in the dictionary unfortunately.

I was responding to the idea you were copy and pasting one at a time. The inclusion has to be singular, certainly.

I believe an import/export is possible, are you still looking for a solution to this question?

@ChagaiFriedlander I would love a solution, if you're able to share one. I've been looking for an ability to bulk import/export custom dictionaries such as this, and it'd be highly useful being able to do (without having to manually do it word by word).

I have just managed to move my Swype dictionary to Gboard and would like to share my technique. Please bear in mind that I am not able to program, so this technique is aimed at novices like myself. I used Android 9 on a Samsung Note 8.
I know it looks like a long and complicated process, but that's just because I've broken it down into small steps: if you have less than a thousand personal words in your vocabulary the whole thing shouldn't take more than about half an hour. At the end of the process, I uninstalled the two apps which I had installed, but that of course is up to you.

Open Swype and go to Edit My Dictionary.
Install and open Universal Copy: I found it on the notification bar
Tap the top-right icon which is a dotted square surrounding a solid rectangle. This will select everything on the screen. Then press the Copy icon which is two overlapping rectangles
Because I have Word on Android, I opened a new Word document and pasted into it the words that Universal Copy had copied. (It would probably have been quicker to use ES File Explorer to create a plain-text .txt file, but I did not think of this until too late).
Press Enter after the last word pasted so the cursor will be on a new line
Go back to Edit My Dictionary and scroll up until the words you have already copied have disappeared at the top of the screen
Go back to Universal Copy, which means going back to the notification bar at the top of the screen, and repeat steps 3 to 6 however many times you need to copy all the words from your Swype dictionary. (I have more than 700)
Optionally, go through the Word or .txt document you have just created, cutting out all the repetitions of "Personal Dictionary" which Universal Copy has faithfully copied each time it saw it on the screen. Also, remove any unwanted words on that list.
If you created a .txt document, call it wordlist.txt. If you created a Word document, you will need to Save As wordlist.txt. I had to do this and the next step on the PC but  I'm sure it's possible to do it on the phone.
Whichever way you created this wordlist.txt file, move it to the root of the SD card
Install and open User Dictionary Manager to import this file into your Android Personal Dictionary.
The most difficult part for me was finding the path to the root of my SD card. In the end, I found it on a Google app called Files, by selecting the file and then tapping the Information icon on the drop-down menu. My path was /storage/14B5–E887/wordlist.txt. Obviously your SD card will not be called 14B5–E887, and depending on your version of Android and your phone, you may have a different path altogether.
The most satisfying part was checking this had worked by going TG board, choosing Settings, Dictionary Personal Dictionary, English (UK) and seeing all your Swype words appear… For some reason in duplicate :-( but this does not seem to matter.

I updated Gboard to a test version and I noticed that there is now an import/export option when you press the three dots on the top right next to the plus button to add a word to the dictionary. This might have been there before as well. Unfortunately, you will have to import every language separately and the "all languages" separately as well.
The easiest way is to export from the app of your old device and then import the same zip file/s to your new device. However, if you want to go the hard way or if you don't have the old phone any more, you can also just see how the text file in the zip file is structured and use that structure, then zip the text file and you can import that as well.

This didn't work for me on xiaomi

Step 1 - Pay attention to the format
Format your personal-dictionary.txt file following the provided sample/template. Copy and paste if you need to. The only thing(s) you are changing is adding one tab after each category, or 4 spaces. But don't mix tabs with spaces and vice versa.
The format is as follows:
word_shortcut    your_word
Example of EXACTLY how the file format should look.
# Gboard Dictionary version:1
drug    Degarelix   en-US
ruski   Ruskinaya   en-US
den dendog1 en-US
motha    motha#@*$#    en-US
nigh    night   en-US
til tiller  en-US

Also, the file encoding MUST be ASCII text.
Step 2 - Compress your document
Do not use any other zip format other than the universal basic .zip format.
Gboard will not recognize any other archive type e.g. .7zip, .tar.gz, etc. Also, Gboard will not recognize any type of file format.
So, put your newly created and made-up word list in a blank folder. The only file that should be in that folder is the .txt file. Compress the folder. Name the folder and the file whatever you like. You can even use one of those made-up words you made up.
Tips: Do not compress the .txt file first and then compress the folder on top of that. Either just compress the file (a folder gets created automatically)
Step 3 - Import the file
Open Gboard > Personal dictionary > Import > find your .zip file > tap/click one time > Gboard will do the rest.

It's December 2023, and I found I didn't even need to zip the text file now!

The closest workaround I got perhaps is installing some third-party application (like User Dictionary Plus by Alessandro Paolino).
This application essentially, lets you personalize your personal dictionary with words you usually use. It learns words you’ve used on Social Networks, Messaging Apps etc. to text files.
Some of its feature include:

Backup/Restore your Personal Dictionary (Premium Feature). Premium Version will allow you to get Premium features and to import more
  words than the Free version.

User Dictionary Plus also allows importing of words from Text File but this is a premium feature:

Note from author: The App works correctly with keyboards that access to Android User Dictionary (for example: GBoard from Google).

This program doesn't exist anymore


text:
Stop Google Maps from spinning the map
I used to be able to keep north up on Google Maps. Now, not only does the north move, but sometimes the map will spin. Usually, this happens when I try to zoom in (at least, this is when I notice it). Even when it does not spin, the map rotates to put the direction of travel up. This is confusing: I feel that I never know where I am.
Is there a way to force north to stay up? How do I activate it?
This is important to me, because last night I had to stop for 5 minutes, to figure out where I was, and which way to go next. (the spinning made me lost)

Related: How to disable rotation during zooming in the Google Maps app?

In Google Maps (Android version 10.49.2, also tested on version 14). Enter maps' and access the Settings menu by pressing the profile icon at the top-right corner. Scroll down and press the Navigation settings, then scroll down to Map display section, and switch on Keep map north up.

Confirmed to work on android 8.1

Does not work. Even with this setting enabled, a 2-finger rotation gesture (deliberate or accidental) still rotates the map away from North=up. Android 14.

Re-tested on Android 14. It's true that with "Navigation settings, Map display, Keep map north up" you can still rotate the map by using 2-finger rotation. However "Google" no longer spin the map, it stay rotated in the direction you set it last.


text:
How can an Android user know which Project Mainline modules their device supports?
Project Mainline (officially "Modular System Components") introduced a set of OS components that Google can update via Google Play system updates.
Some of these modules are mandatory for OEMs to support depending on the version of Android that the phone ships with, but some of these modules are optional. OEMs can choose to add support for more modules when updating to a new version of Android, as well.
As the title states, how can an Android user determine which of these modular system components their phone actually supports?

Modules mounted in /apex/ (from /system or /vendor) are currently supported modules. OEMs can add any new modules with new OTAs or through GMS. Btw this is not something an end user should be concerned with (or at least it's of no use). It relates to ROM developers and particularly OEMs.

@IrfanLatif If you would like to rewrite this comment as a full answer, I will accept it as the solution. This worked for me - my OnePlus 7 Pro (launched on Android 9) has 7 modules in /system/apex/.

Note: user IrfanLatif answered this question in a comment under the original post.
Each "Modular System Component" is stored as a single .apex file in system/apex/ or vendor/apex. The name of each file in this directory indicates which module it is. For instance, system/apex/com.google.android.tzdata.apex is the time zone data module (https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/modular-system/timezone).
I was able to see these files using a file explorer app, no root access necessary.

Try this app of mine: Mainline Module Info/Updater
Screenshot of the app:


text:
Google's Messages app says text message sent by SMS
Pixel 4a, Android 11
As in the title, why does Google's Messages
app says sent by SMS? (Text messages are sent by SMS anyway, why emphasize?).
See below OK in the screenshot.

This is a self answered question, to share a new feature. Also, to answer questions that may be asked about this in the future (mark them duplicates).

Today morning, I got a prompt asking me if I wanted to enable chat features on messages app. I did that and saw the info on the SMS sent yesterday. Dug, to know more, and here's the summary from the Google FAQ on chat features :

You need the messages app as default SMS app.

Chat features are support is region/country/carrier specific.

When using chat features, your messages are sent using the Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol over Wi-Fi and mobile data.

Show you when someone is typing
Offer read receipts (show when someone has read or received your message, as well as showing your contact when you read their message)
Send messages over mobile data and Wi-Fi
Lets you share files and high-resolution photos

Sending over Wi-Fi doesn't cost, over mobile data will be as per mobile data plan.

To answer the question, recipient doesn't have this feature enabled on their app and therefore SMS was not sent over Wi-Fi or mobile data and sent as normal SMS. It is only highlighting this aspect. Similarly, if you were to send MMS content in the same situation (feature not enabled, data not used), it would show as

If chat feature is enabled and sent by data, it would show mobile or Wi-Fi as the case may be.


text:
How do I turn off the sound of Zoom on Android? (not the mic)
I'm joining a Zoom call on my laptop, but I also want to join the same call on my Android device in order to share my Android device's screen and to use my Android device's camera. I don't want to hear other people's voices coming from both my laptop and my phone, I only want to hear their voices coming from my laptop. So I need to turn off the volume on my Android phone.
If I press the Volume down button, Zoom won't let me decrease the volume all the way to zero. I expected they developed the app this way to help users who don't realise that the volume on their device is set to zero. However, in my use-case, this is proving annoying, as I'm now hearing the same voices coming from my phone and from my laptop.
How do I turn off sound on an Android device when on a Zoom call?

When you're joining a meeting, you can find an option "Call via Device Audio" under the button menu "Join Audio".  If you don't enable it, you can't hear the participants' voice.

Or You may disconnect the audio from the more options present at the right- bottom (the dots)

The only solution I have found for this so far is to plug in some headphones into the phone, without wearing the headphones. That way, I don't hear the sound output by the Zoom app on the phone.


text:
Android Verified Boot and generation of vbmeta image
I'm in the process of unofficial device bring up, and I'm stuck unable to progress due to Android Verified Boot.
As per specification, Android Verified Boot can be disabled with the --disable-verity and --disable-verification flags. The device I'm working with does not conform to specifications and hence is unable to disable Android Verified Boot. One of the solutions is to build a vbmeta image myself which will then be used to verify my custom generated boot image.
The question at hand is how to properly generate such an image. The documentation on the topic is exceedingly scarce and looking up similar community-made files with a hex editor yields little in terms of information for me. As mentioned here, I should be able to generate one with the avbtool, which I did, very likely wrongly, as it still refuses to even flash it via fastboot. The only way I've found of allowing such a thing is to flash a blank vbmeta image, which in terms fails to verify the kernel and fails.

from my understanding the flags you mentioned are only used during fastboot to allow flash modified partition, not for disable
fastboot flash --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta vbmeta.bin
github.com

In this page there is a section called 'Disabling verified boot' that mentions a commands to create an empty vbmeta.img that can be used to disable verified boot : https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Android_Verified_Boot_(AVB)
That command is,
$ avbtool make_vbmeta_image --flags 2 --padding_size 4096 --output vbmeta_disabled.img

To ensure this, I searched for 'make_vbmeta_image' in AOSP repositories and found a similar command in here.
I have an Android Q AOSP source tree with me. So I used avbtool from it to create an empty vbmeta image by issuing following commands.
$ cd <aosp_root_dir>
$ ./external/avb/avbtool make_vbmeta_image --flag 2 --padding_size 4096 --output ./vbmeta_disabled.img
$ ls -l ./vbmeta_disabled.img

As instructed here, to flash vbmeta image you can first boot your device to fastboot mode, unlock device's bootloader, and use following command.
$ fastboot --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta_disabled.img

Accepted as correct answer as it answers the main question "How to generate vbmeta image". The secondary question of my device not implementing the disable flags still remains but I guess I'll open a new question for it specifically. Thanks

Is this img device platform related? what if I use  other one created img, without build aosp myself.

@yurenchen afaik it doesn't matter but it may differ on device model

@alecxs thanks, I use the  avbtool.py (choice tool version according to device android version),
it works well.
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/external/avb/+/master/avbtool.py


text:
What does the "2 arrows inside a broken triangle" notification icon mean on Samsung devices?
Since yesterday, I am seeing the below icon on my Samsung Galaxy M30s that looks like 2 arrows inside a broken triangle.

I have gone through the official user manual and found nothing related to this.
What does this icon mean?

It is the data saver
 icon - switch it off from your settings and it will vanish (Thanks to OP for the link of Data saver)
Source: Personal experience

You need to go to settings and then
Connection >data usage> data saver
and turn off the data saver if you would like to remove the sign


text:
How to force the locale/language of a specific app?
I'm looking for the functionality of MoreLocales2 but only applying the changes to certain apps. In this case, I'm trying to force German on TypoClock 0.51 but have the rest of my phone left in English.
Any apps out there that could do this? Or any suggestions for how to accomplish this? Specific advice to get TypoClock to show in German would be good too.
The device is Samsung Galaxy S2, if it helps.

You may need to request this from the developer, as the app needs to explicitly ship with support for the language(s) you want. I saw several apps already offering to either auto-select the language ("system default"), or let the user force it to some language (usually to English).

TypoClock and TypoClock Free both use the system language as one can see on the app features:

Multilanguage (widget uses your system language to display day name and month name).

There's no solution for situations like this, as you can only manipulate the application i18n feature if it was developed with such an option.
You can, as mentioned by Izzy on the comments, email the developer and see if this can be a feature a for future release.

There is a way of forcing a certain app to be in different locale / language than your general phone settings!

your device need to be rooted
install "Xposed framework" from xposed.info
within this app, install a module "App Settings"
within this module, search for your app
change its locale to "english-us"
enjoy


text:
How to have app names be spoken aloud on a new notification?
How can app names be spoken aloud on a new notification? For example: if I receive an email, I'd like to hear the word "Gmail" spoken aloud.
I could use TalkBack for this, but then the entire notification is read aloud (including parts of the email's content). I want to hear just the app's name. Also, I'd like it to work even when TalkBack is off (I use TalkBack intermittently because of my visual impairment).
Is there a way to do this?
I'm on Android 13 if it matters.

MacroDroid is a free ( upto 5 macros) automation app
Create a macro as below (name it whatever and save  it)

If you want to vary the speed or pitch of reading out, change it here

Be warned that it may get to be annoying if you get many notifications or it's bothering those around you. In that case, go to the three dot menu at top right and Disable macro or decrease volume level.
You can also create a short cut to this macro from your launcher settings and select MacroDroid short cut.
Tested on Pixel 6a, Android 13.

Edit in response to comments (now deleted), but self-explanatory

The shortcut as mentioned earlier in to only easily access the macro if you wish to toggle it on/off.

You can create another macro and add it as a shortcut on your home screen to enable/disable the macro. I named it simple toggle with a reason. You can add IF conditions to flash a text message and read out if the macro is enabled or disabled state (home work for you, if you want)

It (the first macro) will NOT override DND. If you do not wish this in the constraints section of the first macro add Priority mode/ DND → Not in mode

To exclude apps like Twilight etc which are constantly in monitoring mode and are announced because of this macro - in the first macro trigger section instead of selecting all Apps choose only those you wish to be notified for. Similarly in the While/do loop select the apps you wish instead of all apps

Thanks! Experimenting with this now. Could you please explain why the While/do loop is needed at all?

Simple-as long as a notification from the selected app is present, read out the apps name. IF loop can also be used, but this is more elegant and gives you more configurations if you look closely when you set up a while loop

In other words actions are performed conditionally. While loop describes those conditions

I see! In my case, I don't need the loop - I just want to have the app name spoken once - when the notification first appears. Seems to work well so far, so I'm marking it accepted :)


text:
How do I hide the network name from the notification bar on Fairphone?
I recently switched my phone carrier and the new one has a network with a pretty long name. It shows in the top left of the screen, in the status bar. Since the name is long, it pushes other notifications to the right and they get cropped (my phone has a notch for the front camera).
The best solution for me would be to limit the size of the mobile network name (using ellipsis ... if it's too long), but it seems to not be possible. As a second-best solution, how can I hide the network name?
I use Android 12 on a Fairphone 4, so it's pretty close to stock Android.

On Fairphone 4 (Android 12), the network name can be hidden in Settings | Display | Other display controls. You can toggle the setting Network name to control the visibility of the network name in the notification bar / status bar.
Please note however that this setting may be non standard according to comments. It may not be available on all phones.

On Android 13, that setting doesnt exist, so I  cant verify your answer to vote. If you included a screenshot of it  then everyone would know at a glance that this was the correct answer

@RohitGupta Thank you for the feedback, I included a screenshot. Your comment gets me slightly worried: I hope that configuring this setting will still be possible on Android 13.

@Demurgos Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. Appreciate the self-Q&A, though looks like this is a customization done by Fairphone (/e/OS ?), not a common setting in Android. Just for the info, there's no such option on Google Pixel 3a (Android 12) and Samsung Galaxy M12 (Android 13).

Thank you for the precision. I assumed Fairphone did not apply any customization, but I am no expert. Thanks for editing the title to mention Fairphone explicitly; I also updated the answer to mention that it's not standard.


text:
Close current tab on Chrome for Android without showing all tabs first
When I'm browsing on my computer, I can press CTRL-W or click the X on a tab to close it. That's convenient. But it seems Chrome for Android has no similar function.
To close the current tab on Android, I need to click the "tabs" icon which brings up all tabs. This often takes 10-60 seconds on my phone because there is anything between 100-3000 tabs open/cached there, and it seems very unnecessary.
Is there another way to close the current tab without first loading all the tabs?

Obviously this is not the answer to your question, but I would suggest closing some tabs. If you have 3000 of them, there's no time-efficient way you could get to tabs far off in the stack (not to mention having to visually find them!), so there's no point in having them.

@NonnyMoose There is a time-efficient way. See the most recent answer to this other question https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/155955/how-many-tabs-are-open-in-chrome-browser-above-100

Long press the tab number next to the 3 vertical dot, a menu will appear. Select Close tab.

Install a keyboard that has a control key. Here is one such keyboard.
To close the active tab without displaying all tabs, tap the address bar to invoke the keyboard, then press Ctrl+W (the keyboard should let you tap the two keys separately in the order Ctrl,W). The tab will close and the next older tab will become active.
To change the active tab without displaying all tabs, swipe the address bar left or right. This is useful if you need to skip over a tab you don't want to close.
To open a new tab without displaying all tabs, tap the three dot menu icon and choose "New tab."
Using these three methods, you should be able to completely avoid displaying all tabs. I believe the only function you need to show all tabs to access is "close all tabs." Even that might be possible with something like Ctrl+Shift+W but I don't want to try it because I too have an embarrassing amount of tabs I need to sort through.

tested on Chrome for Android version 74.0.3729.136


text:
com.android.systemui rapid battery drain
I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 that is approximately six months old. My OS version is 4.4.2, and my provider is AT&T.
The battery in my S5 will usually last me 2-4 days without charging, depending on use, but two or three days ago the battery started dying very quickly despite minimal use. The battery will no longer even last 24 hours without use. I checked my phone's battery usage, and com.android.systemui seems to be causing the excess battery drain.
What's causing com.android.systemui to drain so much battery, and what can I do to fix it?

Battery usage (click image for larger variant)

Never seen SystemUI in that place. Usually I'd suggest to check for Wakelocks (see: How to deal with (orphaned) WakeLocks?), or relate a question like How can I tell what is really draining my battery? – as cases where "Android System" is listed on top, but the real issue being "something different" are not that rare. No idea what could stand behind SystemUI here; maybe the two links can shed a light nevertheless.

I haven't figured out what was causing the problem, but I did manage to fix it. I restarted my S5, and the process that was consuming all of the battery seems to have stopped. com.android.systemui is only responsible for 4% of the battery drain after restarting and recharging.

com.android.systemui is the GUI for android every thing you do on your phone like typing or browsing the web will use this so it will drain your battery the most.
yo can try not using your phone for a day (put it on standby for 24 hours and see if it lasts) if it doesn't your battery maybe degraded and need replace.
Hoped this helped

com.android.systemui doesn't typically use as much power as Android System, Screen, or Android OS. Also, if this were a problem with the battery itself, it wouldn't have occurred suddenly and wouldn't be attributing all of the excess drain to one software process.

authors: Юра Слободянюк


text:
Alternatives to a hard reset when screen is frozen on Android Froyo?
My Nexus One has been freezing up a lot lately, particularly in Settings. Are there any good alternatives to pulling the battery when this happens?

As mentioned below, try nailing down what process(es) cause the freeze(s).

Watchdog Task Manager (and the Light edition) is good at highlighting apps which peg the CPU.

This may not apply to the Nexus One but when this happens to me on my droid I turn the screen off wait a couple seconds and turn it back on. Sometimes it comes back fine other times it comes back with an option to force close the hanging program. Either way I never have to pull the battery just force close the process.

Yeah, I can't turn the screen off at all when this happens. Sometimes the option to force-close pops up, which usually solves the problem.

Wow, turning the screen off is one thing that always works for me. I wish I had some more advice for you. What process is hanging when you do get the force close option?

I've gotten the force close option when I was switching wireless networks. Even then, sometimes it takes on the order of a minute or so to get the force close option. As for totally locked up, Angry Birds is one app that has done that a couple of times to me.

Try pressing the home button, on unrooted devices, the Home button can only be overriden by Home Screen apps so unless your Home Screen is freezing as well, it usually can bring you back to the home screen so you can force close the freezing app from the application manager (Settings > Manage applications > "app name" > Force stop).

None of the 4 buttons shows any response that I can elicit when this happens, unless there's some combination or holding of a button for a period of time that can interrupt the freeze.

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


text:
Android browser's about:debug, what do those settings do?
I have just found this hidden setting:

Open Stock browser (Not Chrome on ICS. about:debug doesn't work in Chrome. Use remote debugging instead.)
In the address bar, type about:debug, nothing should happen, there will be no confirmation screen or flashing green box telling you that you've done anything.
However, there should now be a few new options in the browser's Settings page.

(Click image to enlarge)
In Menu > More > Settings:

(Click image to enlarge)
In Menu > More, there is also:

(Click image to enlarge)
probably there are other new menus showing up that I haven't noted and the menus are very likely to be version specific.
While, I understand some of these settings, there are many of these settings that I don't understand, like where can I find the Javascript Console, what is being traced, what light touch and nav cache dump does, where do the dump files being saved to, what are the valid JS (Javascript?) flags, etc.
I find it difficult to Google what these setting do. I'd like help from others to play/experiment/Google with about:debug and write up what these settings do. Any bits of info you can gather is helpful.
Please have one answer per setting, unless you're describing interrelated settings.

V8 is part of WebM video, isn't it?

@Al Everett: as far as I know, V8 is the javascript engine used in Chrome and by Android's Browser since Froyo(?) and above.

I'm misremembering something, then. Happening a lot today.

@Al Everett: You're probably referring to VP8 Codec, which is part of WebM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VP8

"Use remote debugging instead."  Nobody seems to get this.  Remote debugging requires a PC to debug.  This is unacceptable. There are situations where you need to debug and all you have is a tablet with the power of a PC but without the software to actually debug

Javascript Console is this thing:

For some reason, the "Show JavaScript console" bar will only show up in android.com website. Not sure whether the Syntax Error triggers the console or if there is another reason why it shows in android.com and none of the other sites I've been checking.

I can confirm that the console option shows up only when a JS error is triggered. Here's a simple jsbin that triggers an error (and loads a lot faster): http://jsbin.com/owecey

I am unable to see the console on my HTC thunderbolt after doing about:debug and going to http://jsbin.com/owecey .
Does anyone have any suggestions?
My Android Version is 2.3.4,
and my HTC Sense Version (if it matteres) is 2.1

The about:debug menu on the HTC Desire HD has an option under Menu > More > Settings called "Enable GEP Zoom". This turns off HTC's Text reflow feature and uses the default Google zoom.

Single Column Rendering causes Browser to use a different layouting algorithm.
I'm not exactly sure what the algorithm's logic is, but it seems to be an attempt to force a website that were not designed for mobile to render in a single column for easier viewing on small screens. Not sure if that's the case though, since enabling single-column view breaks the layout of android.stackexchange.com and disables text reflow, which makes reading much more painful than when using the default layouting. It seems this feature is not used for a reason, I cannot find a single web page that looks better when rendered in Single column rendering mode; even pages optimized for mobile views looks better in default than in Single-column mode.
The following are some screenshots comparing default and single-column rendering, the screenshot on the left are in no-single-column the screenshot on the right are the same page with single-column:
android.stackexchange.com

android.com

Wikipedia today's front page Mobile View:

Wikipedia today's front page disable Mobile View:

The word and the picture overlap one another. Is this website specific or browser specific settings? Can word wrap make the page look better?

UAString will change the User Agent String that Browser sends when requesting page. User Agent String is a short string (text) that the Browser sends to identify itself to the server. Many websites tries to detect the browser that is connecting to the website, and will serve different pages that is optimized for the browser. One of the most common method for such browser detection is by checking the UAString. The UAString setting basically spoofs the UAString and makes the server believes that Android Browser is really another browser.
There are three options for UAString:

Android (default)
Desktop
iPhone

The Android UAString is the default UAString that is sent by Android, websites may serve a mobile version of their site when detecting this UAString. Desktop can be used to force the server to serve the Desktop version of the site instead of serving up mobile-friendly version. On the other hand, iPhone UAString can be used if you know that the server have a mobile friendly version optimized for iPhone, but is not detecting Android as a mobile phone and so is falsely serving a desktop version.
For example, this is what http://www.useragentstring.com detects when my Samsung Spica used the various settings:

when using Android: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.2; en-au; GT-I5700 Build/Froyo) AppleWebkit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
when using Desktop: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10_5_7; en-us) AppleWebkit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Safari/530.17
when using iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebkit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16

On the Desire HD you can also choose from "iPad" and "Manual". Manual pops up a text box so you can pretend to be any browser you like.

You can access this setting directly by entering about:useragent in the url bar. On my Smsung Galaxy S I have a choice of Android, Iphone, Desktop, Lismore, Custom

CyanogenMod 7 has quite a few options for UAString, but it's available from the menus & you don't need about:debug.

There are more than just those three user agents. The box that displays them, in horizontal mode, only shows 3, but in vertical mode, shows many more. The box does not have scroll bars :/ atleast on 2.2.3 Webkit based stock browser.

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


text:
Apps cannot be installed due to low memory, although plenty is there
A friend of mine has a Samsung Galaxy S2 with 16 GB of internal memory and a 8 GB SD card. I have installed Cyanogen Mode 10.1.3 (Android 4.2.2) a while ago with the Google Mobile Services.
It seems that the internal memory is fragmented into two parts:

I scrolled down here:

I do not see how this adds up to him having to more free memory to install new apps. How can this be fixed?

One of our most frequent questions. May I suggest you first check with our insufficient-memory tag-wiki for first-aid, and then return here either answering your (solved) question – or [edit] it with some details of what you've found out, tried, and where you're stuck? Thanks!

The issue seemed to be the accumulation of log files in /data/log. I deleted them all and it seems to work again. Thanks for having this helpful tag wiki!

You're welcome! Thanks (+1) for placing the solution along in an answer :)

There were around 1300 files with 1 MB file size each in /data/log. I have deleted them using root access and a file manager. Now the apps can be installed again.

I can't see any /data/log nor /data/app-lib folders, and I also have around 2GB of free space in the internal storage. What can I do? InsuFixer is saying that there are no bad folders.
I've tried everything, I'm one step from resetting everything and reinstalling CM11

@JonathanPerry Did you use root access to look for these folders?

Indeed I had root access, but in the end I just factory reset my phone and reinstalled CyanogenMod. Everything is working fine now


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Where are the downloads from the Browser stored and how to I get to downloads from the browser?
Using a Galaxy Nexus I download an apk and it showed up in the notifications bar when it was done downloading. I went to install but I didn't set option to allow external apps so I did that and I went back to the browser to install the apk and couldn't find it. It wasn't in the notifications anymore and there didn't seem to be a "downloads" option anywhere in the browser. I ended up having to download it again just so it would be in the notifications so I could then get to the apk to install it. And I downloaded it AGAIN to show a friend the issue. Now I'd like to delete all three and know where to go next time.

There should be a "Downloads" app in your app drawer. Open it to view your downloads. Previous versions of Android (up to Gingerbread, AFAIK, possibly Honeycomb) had a "Downloads" option in the Browser itself under Menu->More->Downloads, but it's possible this no longer exists on ICS.
Alternatively, if you have a file manager they should be in /sdcard/download, I believe (on ICS this actually appears to have changed to /sdcard/Download with a capital 'D'). It can vary by device a bit, but generally it should be /<whatever_your_"sdcard"_path_is>/download.

On my stock Galaxy Nexus, my downloaded files are in /sdcard/Download

@Malachi: Hm, weird that they decided to change the casing like that, but good to know!


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Can you install custom kernels on DroidX running CyanogenMod?
Can you install custom kernels on DroidX running CyanogenMod?
Or does the locked bootloader prevent that?

No, The DroidX can not run custom kernels.
"It is still impossible to flash custom kernels on the Droid X, but the ROM developer community has matured to a point where they’re able to make great things happen on this phone without having to rely on changes to the kernel."