text:
SamsungWidget_ProgramMonitor is not listed on Widgets selection screen
On my Samsung Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) with the latest stock ROM there are following files present in /system/app:

SamsungWidget_ProgramMonitor.apk (484 kb -rw-r-r--)
SamsungWidget_ProgramMonitor.odex (5829 kb -rw-r-r--)

but the widget is not listed in "Apps and widgets", so I can't add it to the home screen.
How to add it?
Below is a picture of the widget. This is not a screenshot of my phone.


text:
Can I update my Redmi 5 beta to Stable manually?
Can I update my Redmi 5 beta to Stable manually by going to
About phone > system update > choose update packages.
N select the stable zip file n flash.
Can I do that ?

Definitely. You can install zip file from your updater from settings. I tried switching from chinese to global, beta to stable on my Redmi 1s several times. Keep in mind that device get into factory while switching. Backup recommended before any operations.

@RahulGopi Okk. Thank you.  Device get into factory. Means my data will be erased ?

If you're installing stable zip over beta version, then your data will be erased. Also, the same for switching from chinese to global. If you're trying  stable zip over stable zip, then there's no data loss.

@RahulGopi Okk Thanks

Should I download Fastboot ROM or Recovery ROM ????

If you download recovery rom, you can install it from updater app in miui, for faatboot, you need to go-to faatboot mode and install

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Prevent application from gaining root access
I'm developing a device management application on a rooted device and I'm looking for a solution to the problem that any application can access the su commands a get access to change things on the device. I want to restrict that and only let my app use the su commands and block it to the other applications including applications that will be installed by the user(if the user installs an application it will be blocked from root access automatically). Any solutions?

Are you looking for a programmatical solution or an end-user solution?

preferably programmatic , but maybe end-user solution would fit too. I'm looking for all options available

Magisk Hide does what you need, by making use of bind mounts and mount namespaces.

what are those "bind mounts" and "bind namespaces" ? can I do the same thing Magisk do in my application ? I prefer for some reasons to not install any other application on the device unless it's totally necessary

As I understand you would need to make app that deals with what app is granted root access because you can't force one app to do what other app said, anyway you would need to force users to use that app which manages root and app you were making in first place.. I think it would be more appropriate to post this question to programming related community, here they don't do software development questions.

@OfekRegev magiskhide, bind mount, mount namespace

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје

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


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How to install Split APK as system app?
I have copied it's APK to /system/app, but it crashes after a restart and also tried using Lucky patcher to move to system, but failed.
Android 7.0
Rooted with SuperSU.

Why do you want to use a split apk?

Some apps in playstore are split

Magisk provides a way for this systemlessly. https://android.stackexchange.com/a/208090/96277. I however do not think split apk would work.

It won't work with systemizer


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Boot Loop with old CyanogenMod: Unable to stat various files
My old One Plus One suddenly refuses to boot without any changes from my side. OS is CyanogenMod 11. The device is rooted and there is TWRP 2.8.0.1 installed on it and debugging is active. The symptoms are as follows:

Once turned on the 1+ logo is briefly displayed as usual
Then the CM logo which looks like a turning bolt is shown indefinitely

I can boot to TWRP recovery mode. However, before attempting a factory reset I would like to do a backup with TWRP. This goes well for /system but fails for the /data partition. There are error messages  Unable to stat 3 files.    /data/data/com.android.providers.settings,
/data/data/com.android.settings/databases/google_analytics_v2.db-journal
and /data/data/com.android.settings/files.
When I try to make a backup with adb, I get stuck at the stage where I am supposed to confirm the backup on the phone itself.
Is there any possibility to enforce the adb backup and skip the confirmation? Any other means of making a backup od App date prior to attempting factory reset? Are there any other forms of backup which I could use?
I am also thinking about pulling the entire /data/data directory to my computer via adb. Would this be a viable option for restoring data later?
Thanks for any help!

The CyanogenMod 11 may not even touch DATA/ however that is obviously what is causing the issue... corruption.  Try flashing the stock Cyanogen Zip you used to update... and then Do Not Wipe Data... Just Dalvik Cache & Cache ... Try the system repair first... Then see if it is actually DATA or SYSTEM causing problems....

Also try JUST WIPE DALVIK Cache & Cache... With no reinstall


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VPN troubles on Galaxy S8
I have an ipsec/l2tp VPN server setup on a debian box back home, and it works very well. I can use it any time from any where on both my laptop and my ipad. But when it comes to my S8, it doesn't work for some reason. I've deleted and reconfigured it countless times, and I've tried looking through logs with a terminal emulator. It just seems to time out on the connection every time. I've also tried to use other VPN apps to connect to my server and they all have the same issue. What could this be?
Thanks,
Emanuel

Do you connect your S8 and your iPad via Wifi and/or via mobile network?

I use both wifi and LTE on both of them. The ipad doesn't seem to care. My phone works on neither of them.


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Enabling File-Based Encryption/Direct Boot Android 9 OP3T
I am trying to figure out how to enable file-based encryption on my OnePlus 3T with Android 9 Pie. The developer options from Android 7 Nougat are not present on my phone.
I have a custom ROM (Pixel Experience) installed.
I understand that I will have to wipe my data.
How do I enable the file-based encryption method/Direct Boot?


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Fingerprint sensor on Nexus 6P stopped working
As I was using my Nexus 6P phone today, the fingerprint sensor was working just fine. However, just a few hours ago today, it stopped working, and I can no longer unlock my device using the fingerprint sensor.
Whenever I put my finger on the sensor, the phone would not respond. When I manually woke up my phone using the power button, it showed me a message "Fingerprint hardware not available".
I tried rebooting my phone, but now the phone doesn't seem to be aware at all that the fingerprint sensor exists. There's no longer even an option to configure it in the device settings.
How can I get the sensor to work again? I have the latest updates installed (Android 8.1 Oreo, with December 2018 patches).

Sounds more like a hardware defect. The only thing you can do is perform a factory reset. If the fingerprint sensor still does not work it is a hardware defect for sure.


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TWRP loop after factory reset from stock android on moto m
I just used the factory reset from the android backup and reset option to reset my moto m. But there seems to be a problem.
It automatically restarted into TWRP, so I did a factory reset from there from the wipe section. But after all this, I cannot boot into the OS. I have stuck in the twrp loop.
What I have understood is that the OS is looking for a return code from the recovery after which it can boot up but the custom recovery is not able to return that code which could earlier be returned by stock recovery.
And the phone does not even power off now!
Please help me
Thanks in advanced.

it loops because it does not supports TWRP as the default android recovery of mobile. so try to flash the stock recovery image of your mobile after if you want to restore anything. and don't do any factory reset after flashing.


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SSH client for Android with scp and sftp features
I have tried SSHjuice and Termius and neither of these have the scp features ( I couldn't find it in the free/trial version ).
So can anybody tell me is there any SSH client (free version) for Android that have scp (secure copy ) or sftp features.
I couldn't find it in Google. thanks .

Install openssh on Termux

Related: How to run SSH/SFTP server for multiple user logins with password authentication.

For ssh and scp, use Termux. It's a full-feature Linux-type terminal for Android. Use it like a normal Linux terminal.
Sftp, scp, and ssh are all included in the OpenSSH package.
It's also free and open-source

Download Termux.

apt update && apt upgrade

To install OpenSSH run pkg install openssh

thanks for the suggestion. Is it possible to install the SSH server as well in termux ?

@JustKhaithang I do not think so, not without root it won't work

I just installed tmux and SSH client and I want to copy a file to my android from my Linux server. what would be the command for that ?

Standard Linux usage. See scp --help

in tmux my home directory is
/data/data/com.termux/files/home . So do I have specify this path for the target destination? that's what I wanted to know.

@JustKhaithang if termux has storage permission just push to /sdcard


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Huawei hotspot killing internet
have a Huawei mobile phone. When I turn on the hotspot, I no longer have an internet connection on the phone itself. I've never had this problem on any other phone. I tried changing service providers and that didn't help. Is it specific to Huawei?

Probably you need to root your device and remove the crap.

Remove what crap?

Sorry, I've tried to say that it is clearly not an ordinary function of your phone. It is either a hardware problem, or you have some buggy apps. Android apps can manipulate your internet connections if you give them permission to do that; rooting or a factory reset could guarantee their elimination. I suspect, you can also first try a factory reset. I hope, maybe others might give you a hardware-specific and maybe better option as an answer.


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Moto g4 play is not eligible for bootloader unlock
I have a Moto g4 play bought from Amazon (no ads version) and was attempting to open bootloader by finding the device code and plugging it into the site. It is not eligible for bootloader unlock and I am curious why, and if possible, are there any work-arounds? Thanks in advance!

Is it a full retail version, or an Amazon version? Look in Settings - About Phone and tell us the Software Channel of your device, and I can likely provide an answer to your question.

The software channel is "retus". Thanks for your help!

Actually, that's not what I expected... You will need to contact Motorola then if you want to unlock. There are still no work-around or bypass, unlocking can only be done via official methods.

Thank you! Is that all I need to do? Only call Motorola and request an unlock code?

No, I never said call... The only way they support unlocking issues is via the office forums. Register and go to your device forum, there should be some pinned post about unlocking issues and follow it's instructions. I wish you luck, 95% if people get no response, most because to they don't read and follow the directions. Motorola under Lenovo is kind of a joke in this area, the reality is you probably will never get this unlocked.

Ahh I'll try but I thank you alot for this. I hope this does work!


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T9 TV box missing android features
The T9 TV box with android 8.1.0 came with a TV box focus. It has issues with a USB mouse and keyboard. The device came rooted.
installed Null Keyboard to kill virtual keyboard
installed Simple Control to provide a nav bar
no long touch for mouse left click
cannot see notifications, even with Simple Control mapping
cannot see status bar, but can do without
installed Tincore, but cannot see configuration icon because no notifications view
If I can get this box to work I'll order several more to replace existent android boxes. Not having issues with many previous android boxes, I purchased all the boxes I need at one time, from the same vendor, so they would all be the same. Because of issues I sent them all back. The vendor asked me to please remove the bad review. I said I would do that if a free box would be sent for experimentation. After changing the review to say it works excellent as a TV box, which it does, I did receive a free box. So I want to make this work and buy the others I need. I use the boxes as Windows thin clients and TV streaming.

Too much is wanted from the design of the box. More research must be done to find a box having correct firmware. The fact android is highly configurable does not mean deficiency in firmware, or purpose the box was designed, can be circumvented.


text:
Any reliable method for transferring files between Android-based device and Windows-based computer?
From at least Android 4.0 to at least Android 8.0 (most likely Pie as well) we are forced by Google-Microsoft trust into using MTP as the only (?) files transportation method between Android-based device and Windows-based computer (if not count as pity, sad and dully methods as attaching files to e-mail messages).
For at least five years billions of users around the world are forced into using solution that is:

extremely slow (transferring large files collections or huge files takes hours even on USB 3.1),
extremely unreliable (device can stop responding even after sending just a few files),
not working at all most of the time (device that stoped working may not "restart" and may not allow you to copy files even after dozens of unplug cable-plug it again  sequences).

(I can see above message after each and every file that I copy; I have to unplug and plug the USB cable again after copying each single file)
Questions:

Supporting, OT and philosophic one: What am I missing? Why we are forced into using this madness? Why nothing had been done for five years to resolve it?
Main and real one: Is there any other way? Any fast, reliable method of transferring files from Android-based device to Windows-based PC?

Described problem was tested on Windows 7 and Android 8.0, so not the newest ones, but still very widely used. And on the quite modern phone -- Motorola Moto Z2 Play -- but of course happnes on dozen other Android-based devices that I own and billions of Android-based devices other uses.
And, as stated in links given in first sentence, absolutely nothing had been done into resolving this problem for at least five past years. Is this some kind of sadistic way of understanding market and treating its customers, developed by Microsoft and Google or what?

Would transfers via [tag:adb] be an option? I use nothing else (MTP is a pain in the a**). There are also some GUIs available if you prefer.

@Izzy: I need to install ADB on any PC to which I want to transfer files from my Android-based devices. If there is no other alternative to sh*ful MTP then I have no other option like this. BTW: Is there any reasonable source to explain why we are still forced to that dumb MTP? Some weird business agreement between Google and Microsoft that pains users a*es?

@Firelord The linked question: (a) is 3+ years old, (b) targets Windows XP mainly (while I need solution for Windows 7/10) and (c) targets ICS as "the newest Android version" (while I need solution for 8/9 | Oreo/Pie). I would have serious problems calling such thing a duplicate. I would rather call that linked question a very, very out-dated solution that has nothing to do with current situation on the market. And my question directly linked to current situation on the market and asks for up-to-date options.

You can find some minimal installation stuff here (my site). And the dumb decision was because with UMS the card became unavailable to the Android system when mounted. Though I still don't get why the card must be available to the system. I'd prefer to have a choice at least. I don't install apps on the card, so that reason is gone for me. But as usual: don't overstrain a dumb user…


text:
why does my pixel 3 still have the old gmail app?
Recently I got a pixel 3. A very nice phone and it is nice to know you are always among the firsts to receive a new version of android and the google apps. So I am confused why the gmail app still looks like the old gmail, where gmail on my one plus has the new interface.

What is the version of  the  gmail app?

8.12.30.230564275. Release

Is this a brand new phone? Have you opened/logged in on the Play Store to allow updates on existing apps? Or, to make it to the point: did you mean there's no update for Gmail on Play Store?

Just like @SiXandSeven8ths says, the phone is brand new, andoid is new, but gmail is old.

Oh joy, this morning Google decided to make the update available for my phone!


text:
Can I connect a Samsung Galaxy A9 by an ethernet cable (no wifi)?
Has any other member been able to do this? I believe that you go to Settings - Developer Options - USB/Internet/Ethernet. If this last option is not there then it will not connect. I must confirm this before I purchase the phone as I need to open the box to check. Thanks.

You can't connect your device to an Ethernet cable, but using the function "USB tethering" there is the possibility to get network access via USB and a connected PC: https://screentimelabs.com/help/connect-to-the-internet-through-usb/

No. you can't connect an ethernet cable to phone directly. It is possible if you connect with cable(USB type C to Ethernet receiver) OR USB Type C OTG(USB port to Ethernet receiver). Example shown in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uisnj8Xufp0


text:
Unusual Decrease in Charging Amps
I got to know about the Ampere app, which basically tells you how much amps does your phone draw while charging. I have noticed that my charger keeps on decreasing from 680 mA to 0 mA in 5 minutes and then my phone does not charge. I assumed that the problem is due to the charger and I replaced 2 chargers but couldn't catch what causes this problem. Can someone tell me is this a problem of my device or inputs in the charger or something else!!
P.S.- I am using properly matched chargers.

Did you try checking the USB connector? Try cleaning it and see what happens

The USB connector is fine. When I charge the device using the same USB cable through my laptop, I get a stable current.

Not sure what wrong with the wall charger may be the current is not strong enough to power your phone. Check your phone specs and the charger too. 680 mA is a bit low. You probably need from 1A > 2.1 A

I has this problem with my Nexus 6. In my case, it was a faulty USB port (not originally, but at one time it fell perpendicualr on the ground when connected with USB). You can consider having it fixed.

I identified the problem. All the chargers are good but the problem occurs in the data cable. Now I'm wondering why data cables face such problems. Although the cable is not charging but it is transferring the data.


text:
Is it possible to create shortcut in Android file system without root?
Android system doesn't provide ways to  create shortcut in file system.
I have tried using termux to create shortcut in my file system, but I don't have the authority.
Is there a way to create shortcut of files and directories in Android file system without root?

As much as I know, the Android OS supports symlinks by which it exposes the /data/media directory as /storage/emulated/0 directory. So, creating symlinks inside another symlinked file system is not possible. If you can access the /data/media directory, you can create a symlink, but accessing that directory requires root access.

@NiaBie by shortcut you mean symlink? From where to where you want to create shortcut? @Puspam Adak /storage/emulated/0 is not a symlink but emulated filesystem which doesn't support symlinks.

Thanks for correcting me !

Possible duplicate of How can I make a symlink (or equivalent) inside /storage/emulated/0?


text:
Ads on my android phone
How can I stop ads from running on my phone. I tried stopping in the Google ads settings but still it is running on my fone.

Please explain what kind of ads do you want to stop: in-browser ads? in-app ads? YouTube ads? Push ads? Also, Google never provides a setting to disable ads, it just disables the personalized ads (you'll still get ads, but not personalized based on your preference/history).

Enough information is provided based the current methods of blocking.

Many Ad's support developer's and creator's on the Android platform...
Because Android is open sourced, even the Android platform is partly supported by Ads...
You either need a kernal that supports a hosts file to block on a per-host basis or you can use traffic redirection and blocking based on packets using a VPN Ad blocker...
The first option ( Hosts File ) requires root Access to modify the system/etc/hosts file and block advertising company's hosts or IP Addresses.
The second option is less obtrusive, you do not need root access to use a VPN Ad Blocker.. .
Please have a look around at the different options and find one that suits you best ..
Combination of hosts files after using many ad block programs +2mb on Google Drive ... Ad-hosts.txt
Ads come in 3 or 4 ways
• Internet Browser Ads
• Built-in Ads by Developers
• Ads served by Google Play Services ( Also Built-in to a degree )
You can block each type of ad in different ways depending the way it is served..
For example, built-in ads can be removed by resizing the ads code to 0.0dip in height..
Or the Ad system can be disabled by disabling Mobile Data whenever you use offline apps that have online ads within them ...
The most common methods used on Android for dismantling ads or blocking ads are in my opinion as follows...
• Mobile Data switch ( Stock )
• ABP - ( Ad Block Plus )
• VPN Ad Blockers ( Used to be heaps, however all i can find now is paid VPN Host apps )
• NO ROOT Firewall  - For forcing apps offline
• Editing the Hosts file manually
ADVANCED HACKS
Smali editing and recompilation ( reverse engineering )
• APK Tool  - Rebuild XML without Ad Code
• Lucky Patcher
Lucky Patcher will work if you know what you are doing... All apps are available on Androids... Apk tool, Lucky Patcher etc...
You can grab a safer App called
• APK Editor
on the play store and manually edit the XML files also ... It is only safer because it compiles with Googles Terms of Service etc... Lucky Patcher will NOT comply with the Play Store so you need to look around online .
P.S
Lucky Patcher also includes a MOCK Purchase system that can allow FREE Purchase's for almost ALL IN-APP Purchases..  IN-App Purchases are easy to MOCK by another Application by redirecting the Purchase Intent sent to the Play Store... By Wise with such a program... Shady to say the least ....
Conclusion
• Hosts files in system/etc/hosts is the safest method that requires no Third-party extension or additions...
VPN Blockers are also a safer method of using Ad Blockers...
Hacking is Hacking... so be careful and check your area's laws for any possible problems etc...
Android has specific terms about blocking Ads, so please look into everything appropriately.


text:
Does buying thousands of apps (but not installing them) cause bloat in Android?
A few years ago, Google added the ability for app developers to place their apps "on sale".  They included the ability for developers to temporarily offer their apps for free.
I started "buying" these free apps via Android's Google Play store, but not actually installing most of them.  Over the years, I have now "purchased" thousands of paid apps that were offered for free.
Ignoring space occupied by apps actually installed, will continuing this habit cause bloat or slowdowns within Android?
Is the history of all those purchases being stored locally in Android as well as on Google's servers?  Does it affect application memory (RAM) available on the Android device?

No, they are not installed on the device... Your device doesn't even "know" you purchased the app. It has absolutely no effect on your device at all and your purchase history is stored on Google servers, not your device itself.
Your device has nothing to do with the "purchasing" of the application if you don't actually install it. You don't even need a phone to buy a free app, you can just go on any computer, log in with your Google credentials, and go to the Play Store and have the free app added to your Google account.


text:
How to access an encrypted external SD card with all apps?
I have encrypted both the device and the external SD card of a previously unencrypted Samsung phone running Android 6.0.1.
After encrypting the SD card, apparently some apps can not access the files on the SD card unencrypted.
Specifically, image viewers, media players, some stock document viewers and MTP transfer work, i.e. they can acces the files decrypted. Howevery, a text editor, K9 mail, the Signal messenger, Open Keychain and some cloud sync apps can only acces the encrypted file content. This means I can not send the original, unencrypted file via email or messenger, and I can not edit local text files.
Expected behaviour would be that Android transparently decrypts and encrypts local file contents when an applications wants to read and write these.

Is that a known problem? Maybe specific to Samsung?
Do apps have to implement some special logic or functions to gain acces the unencrypted file contents via Android, i.e. is that a bug that the respective developers can fix?
And is there a way I can provide the unencrypted file contents to any app?


text:
Paid app on computer (via google play store) but installed on phone as 'unknown sources' (not via the play store)
I just paid for 2 apps on my computer logging into the play store.
But I installed them on my phone as .APKs so how to have the free versions turn into paid?

you're telling that you have purchased two apps from play store. Then why don't you install it officially from play store?

Answering this myself.
I downloaded the respective PRO versions. I guess these versions have access to the "play store receipts" and so both apps booted the Pro versions properly.

Perfect, good to hear ! Don't forget to remove the old unused .APK apps to avoid conflicts ;)


text:
How to force voice recognition into writing out numbers or just printing numerals?
One edge case I've found when transcribing notes is that, if I say 1, 2, 4 or 8, it's never clear if they will come up as numbers or as one, two, four, eight or one of their homophones.
Using Dragon NaturallySpeaking I could always rely on saying "numeral (number)," and while I understand voice recognition on Android doesn't bring in the cash, I'd still like to know if there's a command I can put before this, because having "1 do this 2 on the other hand, this 3 summary" allows me to sort my notes a bit better e.g. if something matches the ^1.*\b2\b regex.
Now I have a workaround where I say "zero one" or "zero two," and while that is acceptable, I was wondering if anyone found anything more precise.

I have a workaround where I say "zero one" or "zero two," and while that is acceptable, I was wondering if anyone found anything more precise.

There currently exists no better workaround as far as I know. Google's  voice typing is very limited in features,  much more limited than Dragon.
Currently, as a general rule, Google's voice typing spells out numbers as digits if more than nine or if preceded by another number.


text:
Contacts from removed Google account still appear in Phone app - Android 9
I am currently using a Xiaomi Mi A2 (andoid one) with Android 9.
At some point I added another google account to the phone, just to view some mails.
After removing this account, the contacts saved to it were removed from the Contacts app, but still appear in the Phone app.
I have tried force stopping the Phone app, and clearing the cashe and the storage and also resetting the permissions.
Does anyone know what I can do?
Is there a way to find out if any contacts are stored in the internal storage do that I can mass delete them?

Ok so, moments after I posted this I found the answer and I am posting it in case someone else struggles for some days like I did. I went to the Contacts app, and on the menu I selected All contacts. This way everything appeared and I could just select all that I didn't need and delete them.


text:
How do I figure out which version of Android is supported on my device?
I am a Pixel 2 that is running Android version 9.
I also have a much older Nexus tablet.  I get an update on my tablet almost every day but it is only for Androids version 5.1++.
Why can't I upgrade to version 9 on my tablet too?
Is there some sort of hardware limitation and if so, how do I figure out what the latest supported version for my device is?

Why is this? What is imposing this limitation?

@SiXandSeven8ths define older it is not the case for all devices. Take flagship phones they are more than capable of running the newer software after the OEM update policy ends. However, OEMs new device release schedule spreads out The corporations resources. Some OEMs also release more than one device  Samsungs flagship device has a 10 month release schedule as an example.. Also adding samsung releases several models that all need resources allocated to them. Updating a device software involves a lot work that is just not worth it When the finacial gain does not support the resources expended

It is not a hardware issue but rather a resource management issue in maintaining a device. Which is evident through custom ROM's they are able to maintain updating Android devices to the current Android version.
Since your device's are maintain by Google you have you recieve the most dependable update schedule with a straightforward device update policy.
Nexus policy:

Nexus devices get the latest version of Android directly from Google.
If you bought your device from the Google Store, updates will typically reach your device within 2 weeks. If you bought your device elsewhere, updates can take longer.
Nexus devices get Android version updates for at least 2 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store. After 2 years, we can't guarantee more updates.
Security updates
  Nexus devices get updates for security issues documented in our Public Android Security Bulletins.
Nexus devices get security updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store, or at least 18 months from when the Google Store last sold the device, whichever is longer. After that, we can't guarantee more updates.

({Device then end of update guarantee date}
The first date is:
No guaranteed Android version updates after.
The second date is:
No guaranteed security updates after.
The third date is:
No guaranteed telephone or online support after)

Nexus 6P
September 2017 -
  November 2018 -
  November 2018
Nexus 5X
September 2018 -
November 2018 -
  November 2018
Nexus 9
October 2016 -
  October 2017 -
  October 2017
Nexus 6
October 2016 -
  October 2016 -
  October 2017
Nexus 5
October 2015 -
  October 2016 -
  October 2016
Nexus 7 (2013)
July 2015 -
  August 2016 -
  August 2016
Nexus 4
November 2014 -
  November 2015 -
  November 2015
Nexus 10
November 2014 -
  November 2015 -
  November 2015
Nexus 7 (2012)
June 2014 -
  June 2015 -
  June 2015

How do I figure out which version of Android is supported on my device?
One of the benefits of owning a Nexus and/or Pixel is the fact that it is maintained by Google and all firmware is freely available. You can verify what official Android version you device can be updated too by simply go to Googles developer factory image repository.
Why can't I upgrade to version 9 on my tablet too?
After your nexus stops recieving official Android updates it does not mean your device cannot be upgraded to a newer android version. The great thing about open source is anyone can utilize the the source code to develope updated Android version devices that are no longer officially supported by the OEM.
The Nexus is a very developer friendly device. The possibility of getting the up to date Android version are higher through a custom ROM.
For example I have a nexus 7 (2013) Flo. I am running a custom Android 8.1 ROM. Iin the process compiling and  updating things. Trying getting things to hopefully work with android 9 pie for my nexus.


text:
Clone userdata from xcover-3 to xcover-3ve g388f -> g389f
I have some very special questions for you.
My friend gave me a broken xcover-3 g388f.
He wants the data on it, so I "Chip off" the internal memory and read it out with a  chip reader. Now he came to me with a newer Xcover-3 model, the g389f and want his data on it. Is there a way to copy the userdata like phonecalls, adressbook and aps from the imagefile of the userdata area on the new model?
I´ve made a backup from the newer phone with twrp an if I compare the two userdata partitions the newer has a smaller size than the older g388f.
Is there a way to mount the backup from the g389f in linux and copy files into it from the chip-off image and write it back to the phone?
Thanks in advice, hope someone can give a good answer.


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My locations on my google timeline are showing places i never been,and now my bf thinks im cheating
My bf went on my locations timeline and its showing I been to places when I never left the house and it says i drove this long and how long it took and shows a map of the streets I took but I never left the house and they are all in different cities. How is this possible also my ex and I had our emails hooked up so I thought that could be a reason but then seeing it was my house as the start location or the end kocationt I was so confused because once again I never left the house to go anywhere. Someone please help Im sick and tired of telling him I went nowhere.

It maybe cause because your Gmail account is signed into the multiple devices may person from those who have logged in with your account cause for this misunderstanding that he went  somewhere and his device is tracked with it or it might be some misunderstanding that he had seen someone likes you and followed her as he was thinking that she was you in relationship their are lot of factors like this and it might not technical questions.

Is there a way u can see what device was going to these locations?

Login with your gmail account on gmail.com and see which devices are logged in with your account.


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is eMMC dead?Cant fix encryprion unsuccessful
After seeing encryption unsuccessful error I tried to wipe, format but nothing changed.Then tried to flash firmware with sp flash tool.First error was "to format code are is forbidden in this phone".Then disabled preloader and flash again.Now error was "sddmmc_read_failed ,err code 3148".When I tried to emmc test on memory test tab, it was giving me error again.So probably my emmc is dead.
My question is it a certain death of emmc, or can it be repaired or replaced?If it cant be recovered, what should I do, what are the options?Thank you.

Easy way is to get eMMC replaced if it's possible. Otherwise try booting from external sdcard, but it's not easy way. See this what I did.

@IrfanLatif i already saw that but it looks too complicated, i really dont know where to start.There are almost no tutorials for booting from sd card.

What device is affected? Some old Samsung devices are known to end up with defect eMMC because of a bug in the eMMC firmware.

mtk based huawei ascend phone is the device.


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How to disable camera → Google Photos sync on Android 9?
Similar to this, but Google has somehow wormed their way around my settings:

Photos → Settings → Backup & sync is off.
Photos → Device folders → Camera → Back up (sic) & sync is off.
Camera → Settings → Data storage is set to "Save picture to phone."

Even so, this morning I got a creepy reminder that Google Photos has my image, and that they have "helpfully" post-processed it. Short of breaking my phone in half (or rooting it), how do I stop this from happening?

One option I'm not sure you like probably is disabling that app. As you're short of rooting, installing LineageOS with F-Droid instead of GApps… OK OK, I won't go any further :) Works fine for me many years now, but YMMV.

Thanks, I've disabled it and taken away its storage privileges :) Do you mind posting that as an answer? I did go down the alternative OS a couple times, but the pain was excruciating.

Sure – done with additional details for those who don't know where to do so. // No pain for me at all with LOS, and the battery lasts much longer without GApps. Not sure what hit you as excruciating; be welcome to talk in our chat room, I'll see that I can respond (even if asynchronously). Maybe that can be tackled, too.

The easiest option (and maybe hence easiest overlooked) is disabling the Google Photos app altogether (in Settings › Apps make sure you show "all apps", scroll to Google Photos and tap the "disable" button).
Revoking storage permissions from this app cannot hurt (who knows what might still invoke one of its intents; still in Settings › Apps tap the "wheel" icon in the upper-right corner, select "Permissions", then "Storage", scroll to the app, and toggle it off; you might have to do that before disabling the app as afterwards it might no longer show up here).


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How does init knows when to relaunch a process?
I know the Zygote listens to a socket in /dev/socket/zygote in order to know when to fork a new process. I want to know how init usually does it.
I have a persistent process (not service) X whose PPID=1 which corresponds to init and everytime I kill it init relaunches it. Is it normal for init to start processes instead of services? If so how does it usually knows the process needs to be relaunched?

Init only re-launches services started from its *.rc files. Init starts its child processes in foreground, so when a process is killed, being the parent process init has to handle its exit status. Its also the duty of init to reap all zombie processes.

nice! Do you know what happens if init does not handle that exit status? (For example if init exited before it). In this case is the process re-launched or don't even exits?

init can't exit when the OS is running. It has to take care of processes unless the device is fully shutdown. It's the first process launched at boot and last process killed at shutdown. Init has special protections against being killed, but if you somehow manage to kill it, it will cause kernel panic and device will reboot.

yes, but imagine a random parent process is exited before it's child then you try to kill the child, do you know what happens? (init is an exception)

Any process whose parent is killed or exits deliberately, is owned by init. This is programming related question. Read how fork, exec etc. work in C language.

oh yeah i didn't update: init simply creates an UNIX socket after the SIGTERM that connects to the system server and after a bunch of system calls it clones another process


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Disable/pause audio when active playback device changes
Is there a way to enable a system-wide disable/mute switch for audio when the playback device changes (i.e. on an Android phone). Sometimes on the bus, my Bluetooth headset will disconnect from the phone, and VLC continues to play music loudly through the built-in speakers, which is embarassing for the user and annoying to other passengers.
Similarly, using "Smart Audiobook Player", if the same thing happens, the family gets to listen to whatever I'm listening to during a Bluetooth disconnect until I manually unlock and stop playback 30 seconds later. Is there any reliable mechanism built into the OS to clamp down on this "feature"?

Would a solution be okay if it provides lowering the volume of speakers to a certain level, say 0, when a BT or headphone is connected? In this this way, even if the BT gets disconnected automatically or manually, the sound would not emit from speakers or to an extent you had pre-selected.

@Firelord Unfortunately, no: I'd like to disable the audio playback outright (i.e. s/w mute), or be able to suspend any applications that attempt to play audio.

You can achieve it with Macrodroid by creating macros to pause apps such as VLC.

Open the app, select Add Macro.
Under the Connectivity section, select Headset Insert/Remove, then choose Headphones Removed. Click OK.
Go to Actions tab, under the Media section, select Control Media, select Simulate Media Button, click OK, then select Pause. Click OK and select the app you want to mute/pause. Click check the check mark button on the bottom right, give the macro a name.

When completed, the macro will look like the image below (there are 2 Media Pause because 2 apps where selected).

A solution to disable sound only for VLC if you are unable to use the steps described above:

Open VLC, go to Settings, then to Extra settings, click on Audio.
Go to Headset section, enable Detect headset.

Note: I didn't test it with a Bluetooth headset.


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Android Studios Adb server problems

I formatted the desktop and i'm try to install the Android Studios version 3.2.1 installation setup was completed but when try to run the project .It show error log like this Unable to detect adb version, adb output:I try to install the SDK manager manually. i try to update the tool with stable latest version 3.3.2 when run this project again show like this . So kindly help out from this issuse

Hardly It takes 2 days to find the answer and fixed.
Error Reasons happened  for me
**OS some .dll files missing*
*Os get erupted**
I faced this type of error in my PC .So check and download the images file properly and install it.
Now i currently working on the Android studios for the project. I do no the exact reason for the error . But tired this way to Solve this error .
If you want to install the Android studios you have to check  the Android Debug-Bridge is running or not .
It has two methods
Method 1:
ABD is part of the Android SDK and is made up of three components: a client, a daemon, and a server.  Daemon is the server establishing the bridge for Emulator and USB type .
You have to download the Latest SDK manager from the developer.android.com in that there is a folder called platform-tools go inside the folder and see the adb.exe file.
Now open the Command prompt and make the directory where the SDk manager you download.
Example refer the screenshot below
D:cd sdk-tools-windows-4333796\platform-tools(this example)
then u see like this
D:\sdk-tools-windows-4333796\platform-tools>
then u check for the ADB server is running or not
D:\sdk-tools-windows-4333796\platform-tools>  adb start-server (enter into cmd prompt just hit enter)
after few second  it will be display i like this

daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
daemon started successfully

above message say about the server is starting .
simply go to the Task manager in the you able to see the adb.exe in the process
then Install the Android studios it will work fine.
Method 2:
Directly you install the Android Studios .After the completion of installation process.
Go to the terminal inside the Android studios just type the command  adb start-server
After few second  it will be display i like this

daemon not running; starting now at tcp:5037
daemon started successfully


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Android for Work or Custom Rom?
We are attempting to present our progressive web application inside android for our end users who are seniors and would like to have special requirements met that I am not sure which approach we should move forward with. Help from the community would be much appreciated!
We have developed a web application that we would like to run on top of in a sort of advanced kiosk mode on an android OS in a tablet device. Additionally we need to offer our users an interface to modify their wifi settings. These are our rough requirements and wonder if we can reach them using Android for Work or if the community has recommended solutions such as if a custom ROM is necessary:

boot into kiosk mode
initial boot screen is branded or customizable
remove the android header bar
expose via our interface connectivity settings like wifi, bluetooth, and cellular data
access to the device camera
access to power off function
access battery levels

My research into current EMM provider solutions on the market shows that these solutions can really do a lot with the Android OS with the Device Owner permission. We are testing one option now. I'm just not sure if this would be the right approach. Your help is appreciated.

You could try the Android Management API, it allows to manage a device the same way an EMM provider would do.


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Cannot download through a link
I have google play and app gallery (from Huawei). but whenever i need to download an app through a link it brings me directly to the Huawei Gallery and of course it is telling me the app is not available in my region. how can I solve the problem, I have a google account on my phone and the Huawei cloud account.

when I try to download it is asking if i want huawei app gallery or play store, even if i select play store it still brings me to huawei app gallery

Can you add on the question the phone model (what Huawei model) and Android version?

Huawei mate 20 X Android version 9

Try the following:

Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Apps -> App Gallery -> Open by default, select "Ask every time" (or "Don't open in this app").
Settings -> Apps & notifications -> Apps -> Google Play Store -> Open by default, select "Always allow".

You find "play.google.com" in Other defaults or Supported links of App Gallery, remove it also (just in case).

I have a Huawei phone andthe settings are different:I have Apps < app launch.when i google under play store i cannot select open by default, it says that I have chosen to open this app by default sometimes


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Android status bar symbols
Why has Android not made available the meaning of all the relevant status bar symbols?  Why can I not find this complete list?  I try to find out and post it, now Android is stopping me from doing this because I cannot find a ""TAG"" ???  What is going on?

It is mostly because status bar icons vary from OEM to OEM. Each one has a slightly modified icon set to go with their overall skin/UI. And then icons will depend a lot on the features incorporated within a device. So, developing a full list of icon sets seems like a tough task. Because you'll eventually miss at least something used on a phone.
Other than that, 3rd party apps also show their icons up the status bar. And it's impossible to keep a track of each and every app.


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Yet another how to bypass "verify your account this device was reset"
On my phone (Alcatel mt6737m aka Optus X Spirit, android 6.0) I had screen lock set up, and also had "require PIN on startup" (when it asks for pin on every reboot, even before showing unlock screen). And I had google account, which I only set up because it's required for google play. I don't remember username or password for the google account. I still remember the old PIN for the phone.
I did a factory reset via boot menu. Now I got this "verify your account this device was reset" message.
I managed to open settings using one of the exploits I found here, but even if I do factory reset via settings menu, it still asks me to "verify your account". I also tried to set PIN to my old PIN and then disable PIN and do factory reset from settings - no change.
I can start Chrome or almost any other app (if i place shortcut on the lock screen), can modify settings, can start file browser, install apk from sdcard. I can not create a new google account - it shows me the same  "verify your account" screen. I can not enble developer options.
Any ideas?

phone is not rooted

from the settings: android security patch level 5 nov 2017

I have written many articles covering FRP Unlocking.. it eventually lead me to write a guide on XDA Forums...
Here.. FRP Lock Removal Methods for All Androids..
..
I still need to format the post, but main information is up...
One addition i didn't add is a new discovery...
• Build prop contains the path to FRP Partition and removing the build prop line will remove FRP Locks...
So edit system/build.prop and remove the prop ro.frp.pst=/dev/... ---
Or Comment it out with #   # ro.frp.pst=....
Please read it all to understand FRP ...
Hope this helps to get an Answer for your specific device.
Here's example.
Method 2 - MTK Device's ( Old Method, Use New .)

Download FRP Destroyer.zip
Extract FRP Destroyer.zip
Open Android_Scatter File.
Edit FRP isDownload to True
Save Android_scatter.txt.
Open new Scatter in SP Flash Tool
Unselect all partitions.
Select only FRP location
Choose blank_frp.img  from FRP Destroyer folder.
DOWNLOAD ONLY The FRP Partition.
Reboot device.

Alternatively,
• Use SP Flash Tool & Wipe the FRP Partition Manually as per your scatter file information for FRP.p


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Is there any way to return the AM/PM to my status bar?
This is specific to a carrier-locked (VZW) Samsung Galaxy Note 9 running v9.0 Pie. Samsung decided to take away the AM/PM indication in the status bar clock, likely to save space for the "hole punch". They didn't even see fit to make it an optional toggle. My web searches have returned no result apart that people other than just myself rely on it being there. Does anyone here have a solution of any kind? The key here is the ability to note the meridiem at a glance from any screen
Also: Yes, I know the "Always On" screen has faces that include AM/PM. That doesn't quite work for what I need.
And please, don't respond with "why can't you just look out the window?" like somebody in every other forum I've searched. Some of us don't have windows or operate on a normal human schedule.

Don't see a "AM/PM" indicator on the status bar clock on my Pixel 2 running Android 9.0. Personally use 24 hr clock format. Did find: https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/112787369#comment17 which makes it seem like an existing issue with Android 9.


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Will clearing image cache delete images from gallery?
I have an OPPO A3s where there is an option to clear image cache approx. 900 mb. size.
I want to know if clearing it will delete my pictures or not?

No. Just backup before trying if you don't trust the app.

The device should only clear the thumbnail cache which is used to show the images faster in the gallery when you scroll. It is also used in other places such as file manager.
The cache will be rebuild again unless you reduce the number of images on your device. So, deleting it adds very less practical benefit.
Also, it is a good idea to take a backup of your photos before touching them. Do not risk your data just in case the app has some bug.

If you are deleting the image cache and not the images, then your images are safe. The image cache consists of thumbnails created by different apps not the real image themselves.


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Difference between Android sensors (acceleration, gyroscope, rotation vector)
I have an Android 7 phone and I have written an Android application for recording the following sensor values:
Accelerometer (Sensor.TYPE_ACCELEROMETER)
Linear acceleration (Sensor.TYPE_LINEAR_ACCELERATION)
Gravity (Sensor.TYPE_GRAVITY)
Gyroscope (Sensor.TYPE_GYROSCOPE)
Magnetic Field (Sensor.TYPE_MAGNETIC_FIELD)
Rotation Vector (Sensor.TYPE_ROTATION_VECTOR)
Game Rotation Vector (Sensor.TYPE_GAME_ROTATION_VECTOR)

I think the linear acceleration is the accelerometer minus gravity.
Can somebody explain what the difference between accelerometer, gyroscope, rotation vector and game rotation vector is? I've read the description in the Android documentation but it is not clear to me.
Moreover, can I use the magnetic field recordings to calculate some motion or position measurements which I'm not getting from the other listed sensor measurements?

A gyroscope is a proper gyroscope, it finds the ground... Accelerometer reads gforces and finds the acceleration.... Gravity sensor must measure weight changes from say, jumping.. Magnetic Field messures the grounds magnetic energy ( for GPS Coordinates & Compass ) .... Rotation vector is a metal ball that falls to the side for landscape or to the bottom for portrait orientation recognition... Game Rotation Vector may be the gyroscope... Many older sensors are only available because a gyroscope wasn't available... Now heaps of devices have gyroscopes, you don't need a rotation sensor..

@Zillinium Thank you for the explanations. So what I understand is that I just need gyroscope and accelerometer, right? But what about linear acceleration (accelerometer minus gravity)? And is the magnetic field measures of any use for motion and position?

Each Land Mass or Area on earth has a different magnetic frequency, This is like a signature... So yes the magnetic readings are uses for position with the GPS ... If you use high accuracy GPS, The magnetic readings, i think it is call magnetic frequency, is used for calculating the real time position...

@Zillinium Alright, but just for orientation and motion of phone on same place the magnetic field readings are not of any use?

I can't think of many uses for it to do with orientation, however it could help with rotation ( Compass ) .


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Does mount /system in stock recovery work to root the Android system?
I have an Alcatel Pixi 4 (5) 5040 on Android 6.0. I rebooted into the stock recovery for the first time, and to my surprise I found a Mount /system option available. Now my question is: Can this option be used to push the SU file into the /system partition to gain root access for my Android? If not, then what is the Mount /system option used for?

As far as I know just pushing an su did only work in the early times of Android. Now with SELinux and other protection mechanism it is way more complicated.

So, the first question is no. What about the second?

There are devices with two system partitions (since Android N) for installing system updates in background. I assume on devices with two system partitions you have two options to mount different /system partitions.


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Turn off automatic microphone muting
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab E 9.6, which I used with the built-in Android 4. Now I updated to 6 (CyanogenMod 13) and since then the microphone is behaving really perplexing.
No matter which voice recording application I use (I tried some of them), it is muting whenever I don't speak for a split second. Of course it turns on again, when I speak again, but nevertheless, this sounds quite weird, is there a way to turn this "feature" off?
Thank you very much!

How can you understand when the microphone is turning on or off ?

When I am speaking, I hear the background noise on the recording. When I am not, there is no noise. During replay, I hear constantly switching on and off.

Have you installed custom ROM of Android 6 ?

Yes, I did, exactly as I wrote in the question: CyanogenMod 13 is a custom ROM, as far as I know.

Then it might be the work of that OS to save battery power. Try changing some settings in the OS or communicate with the developer of the OS about this issue.

Thank you for the idea, I tried it and indeed found an option to turn off battery saving for specific application, but unfortunately, it did not help. Now I removed the custom ROM and reinstalled the factory firmware.


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Changing default behaviour of the Contacts app in Oreo
When you open up the Contacts app second or the following time, it always shows last view (i.e. where I left it), i.e. the most recent contact search.
I am using this app purely for searching the contacts, so the need of tapping Back to go back to recent search results list and then tapping X to clear the last query each time I want to search for another contact simply kills me. This is as stupid UX approach as it can be.
Is there any way to change the default view, in which Contacts app opens by default each time?
My stack:

Motorola Moto Z2 Play,
Android 8.0 Oreo.

I am using the default, system Contacts app. No 3rd party solution.

On my Sony XA2 (Android 8) the contact app works exactly the way you want.

it occurs because you didn't clear it from the recent apps, next time clear the contacts app and relaunch it.


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How to take screenshot, when app does not allow to do it?
My education app does not app me to take screenshot when I play video on it. So can you please tell me , there is any to take out the screenshot.

Video Frame Grabbers...

Without changing the Screenshot Security, a solution would be Video Frame Grabbers ... I use PhotoEditor   GooglePlay Link
Steps to grab that Video Frame ( Screenshot )

Open Photo Editor App

Go To Tools

Go To Video Capture

Open The Video

Capture Frame

If it is a protected video from Google Play or online, you need to use a different method.

Online

ADM ( Advanced Download Manager )

Google Play

Requires root access to pull the video from /data/data/


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Unable to install custom ROM, missing options in recovery menu

In recovery, perform a full factory reset, wipe cache, dalvik cache
  and wipe data/factory reset. (source: https://www.naldotech.com/how-to-install-custom-roms-on-nexus-6p-with-custom-recovery/)

But in my Android Recovery I can only see following options:

Apply update from ADB (or SD card)
Wipe data/factory reset
Wipe cache partition
Mount /system
View recovery logs
Run graphics test

No such thing as full factory reset, wipe cache, dalvik cache. There is also no "install" option.
My Recovery screen says:
Android Recovery,
google/angler/angler,
8.1.0/OPM6. ...(long version),
user/release-keys

Prior to that I have installed custom recovery (TWRP) from Play Store. Perhaps TWRP should be installed differently?

Twrp can't get installed from play store. You need to unlock bootloader and then enter to bootloader mode and install twrp through adb commands.

@RahulGopi when you are in fastboot mode, adb commands don't work. Only fastboot commands work. overdrive, as suggested above, you need to flash a compatible Twrp image in your device. You cannot flash a custom ROM using stock recovery (not permitted).

@Firelord Thanks. I forgot about fastboot during commenting. Only adb is remembering at that time.  some commands example: https://handsetgeek.com/adb-fastboot-commands.html

@overdriven this link may help you https://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6p/general/guides-how-to-guides-beginners-t3206928


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Does Android keep deleted photos and images from the phone?
I heard from a friend that android phones can trace deleted photos and images and videos back even after deleting.  Is that true?
If so, how can it keep things there unseen until a technician finds out in service centre?
Thanks in advance.

This question isn't simple to answer. There are a number of factors; where the photos were saved, which app you used to delete files, what's the underlying filesystem, how much free space is available on the filesystem, how long it has been since you deleted photos, how much data you saved/deleted afterwards, if the device is rooted or not, and possibly some other parameters too. And it's applicable to every OS in the world, not only Android. And there are ways to make sure that data is deleted from device, and is no more recoverable. Online backups (intentional or hidden) are exception.

It is very basic when you try to understand the current digital storage techniques.
Deletion is not actually deletion on any OS, it would be far to demanding on the CPU if a full change from 1 to 0 was made on every single sector, therefore the computer just registers the area as reusable..
The next operation to copy onto that area will technically do the deletion ( sort of )

Think in all 1's & 0's with me for a second here >_<
Let's just say hypothetically your image looked like this in binary ( computer language )
1001001001001001001001001

To erase the image, your CPU would need to write 0 over all the sectors ( Secure Delete )... Let's say that each change from either a 1 or a 0 to a 0 will take 1 second... that's 25 seconds to delete that image..
Now let's look at how a computer handles this consumption...
Instead of taking 25 seconds to write nothing over the sectors, it could just mark these sectors as writeable...
Instead of 25 seconds to wite nothing + 25 seconds to wite a new same size file to the same area... It could just skip the first write ( 25 seconds ) and half the time by just overwriting instead of rewriting...
A full ( Double Cycle ) rewrite would consume twice the CPU for every single delete and write...
Therefore, computers do not "DELETE" so-to-speak.
The idea is all based on older Computers, The founding machines if you want ..
The founding machines are alot slower than modern computers and maybe some time soon this will be addressed...
To, Un Delete is not to UnDelete, As Delete is not to Delete...
Un Deleting is marking that area on the storage as Used again.. Meaning the computer knows the file exisrs their and it is not replaceable.
...
Dispite all of this, Android ( since 5.0+ ) now actually keeps your picture's in a hidden folder after deleting, you don't need to do a Sector Scan to find the files marked for replacement... Instead you can see the deleted image's very easily...
This is partly in my opinion due to Law Enforcement Agencies wanting easier access to deleted photos for the obvious reasons...
Ok so want to test what is findable on your phone ?
Run this program called Disk Digger from Google Play...
Disk Digger - Photo Edition Non Root (folder scan) - FREE
Disk Digger - Root ( full sector scan ) - PAID


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Mirror Android Tablet to VGA monitor via Cable- NO DiSPLAY
Specs:  Samsung Monitor S222B300B,
        Samsung GalaxyTab 2 (micro usb slot),
        Monitor cable,
        Male micro usb to Female HDMI w/usb power slot,
        Male HDMI to Female VGA port
notes: all connections has been connected, power was switched on the monitor, power on the male micro usb to female hdmi cable was plugged, monitor tested with laptop to display screen and working fine
problem: monitor does not mirror tablet's screen which should easily be detected but it does not.
question: i bought the 2 sets of conectoon cables thinking there might be a defect 2nd one - same thing. does my monitor have a problem or does all monitors works for this kind of set up? is there anyhting that i should have done to make it work?
hoping for someone's help. getting me crazy. iwanted to watch on a bigger screen dont like wireless options for the meantime.

If you have a computer hooked up to that monitor, and can hook up your phone via USB to the computer, I recommend Vysor. It's available as a chrome or windows app. Works great for screen mirroring, and the free version only uses USB
Note that there is a pro version of it, but basic functionality is free. You may also need USB debugging and ADB working


text:
How to stop ads showing up on screen

The phone is showing ads on the bottom of screen as well as on the top of whole screen
I tried deleting the recent apps i installed
I also tried disabling "show app on top"
Is there any third party app that can scan the phone

Have you tried booting in Safe Mode to determine if the Ads still appear? In which case, you can be assured that no installed app is responsible for those Ads.

That must be some app with Display over other apps (SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW) permission. Review all apps with this permission granted. Is your phone rooted?

When you found the culprit, and it's an app you've installed from Playstore, don't forget to report it. It's definitely violating the rules there (ads are only allowed to be shown in the app itself, not outside it).

Possible reasons:
• Checkout Games that you installed recently.
• Check if you installed any app related to Wallpapers or lock screen category.
Because as far as i know Samsung doesn't have internal settings to show these horrible ads which covers the screen and affect their User Experience.
In previous cases 'Games' are at top which is causing these types of ads.

Free games and frees apps are responsible

There was an APP called Applock i have been using it since 2years

I think if you found the app and problem is resolved, you should answer yourself and accept it. Or lemme know to edit my answer to make it acceptable. So that coming members can be assured.


text:
Some games force use of gamepad controls instead of touch controls
I recently bought a new smartphone, it's a LG Q7 and it's running Android 8.1
With it I tried running various games, of which, two of them are gear.club and Implosion - Never Lose Hope. Although I wasn't able to play gear.club on my previous smartphone, I was able to play Implosion albeit a bit slowly and I know I can control the character via touch. In regards to gear.club, my brother played it on his phone and he was able to use touch but on my phone, those two games, when doing the tutorial, they show the buttons for a gamepad/controller and won't respond to any touch input I give them. I haven't yet connected any device to this smartphone.
What I tried:

Going into settings and search for an options about controllers, couldn't find anything.
Disabling the LG Gaming Extension but it does nothing ( it's used to change resolution and framerate)
Contacting gear.club and implosion support to no avail

This question might be similar but both in gear.club and Implosion there is no option to change from gamepad to touch controls.

K. Try looking into the web View application. Is the Q7 using Chrome as web View or Google's web View from the play store?
They are different. You could be stuck in the web View or you've got an overlay app that you have to manually find by uninstalling one app at a time, checking to the if it works after each time. The update on Nov. 1, 2019 should have probably solved the issue. I like the increase to 9.0 system. Good luck. PS These phones are tanks! But, the framework leaves much to be desired.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. I'm curious why you mention the web view and overlay app. Did you experience a similar issue with a game forcing to use gamepad due to the web view and/or overlay app? AFAIK, these games don't use web view (i.e. not browser games), but a game engine utilizing graphic tech.


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How to uninstall Google/Samsung apps properly?
I have a Galaxy A5 2016 and I would like to remove all Google apps for the sake of privacy. I have a rooted phone and it's running Samsung firmware.
I've tried simply uninstalling the apps with an uninstaller app, but when I had removed Google Play Store and Google Play Services some features such as WiFi and 4G stopped working. I know I can disable the apps in settings, but that doesn't achieve the goal of privacy that I have in mind, as the apps still continue to run in the background.
Is there a way to remove these Google apps and keep the phone in working condition?

I don't think Wi-Fi or 4G has any direct ties with GApps, though they are deeply rooted in AOSP. But disabling an app also stop its processes in background too. No dalvik virtual machine instance is launched for disabled apps. If you want really clean solution, go for a custom ROM.

Install a custom ROM from the relevant XDA forum https://forum.xda-developers.com/samsung-a-series. Make sure you choose one that doesn't have GApps installed by default e.g. lite edition of this one. Then you can install microG (open source reimplementation) selectively as you require for apps that do need Play Services.
I'm sure you could wrestle around with adb etc to get it working with your current setup but probably easier to start with a clean slate and make sure nothing is left behind if you are concerned about privacy.


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Files share in BlueStacks 4 is not working
I am trying to drop files from my PC into the BlueStacks 4 Android emulator. I put them in: C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\Engine\UserData\SharedFolder.
I see some of them in sdcard/DCIM/SharedFolder.
However, I only see three (random?) documents. All the maps are not transferred, all the other documents in those maps are not transferred either.
I have plenty of storage left in BlueStacks.
Please help!

I solved this!
I had a similar problem. My shared folder is this same thing.
I'm using Bluestacks 4, build 4.180.0.9002 and Windows 10 Ver.1909, build 18363.657.
My media manager open... but I get stuck in a gray screen with no icons at all (it must the main screen of the app)
None os the searches I did worked =(
However found 1 tip that help: a folder named mnt (/ -> mnt) that have a path /sdcard/windows/bstsharedfolder...
I made some tests... I put 1 picture in the C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\UserData\SharedFolder\ and found it in the bluestacks file search. But when I see the FULL path... Surprise MTF: it was in mnt\windows\bstsharedfolder (NOT IN mnt\sdcard\windows\bstsharedfolder)!
With the app EZ File Explorer I found in this 'mnt' folder, this another WINDOWS folder  (before the sdcard folder of the tip above).
SURPRISE! All the folders (bstsharedfolder, documents, pictures...) was there, WITH MY WINDOWS FILES!
So, all I did was copy and past in this bstsharedfolder. Now C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\UserData\SharedFolder\ has all my BST files that I need!
Summing up: the 2 folders that share files between BST and Windows are:
Windows: C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\UserData\SharedFolder\
Bluestacks: mnt\windows\bstsharedfolder
Note: I tried copy to the pictures folder (out: mnt\windows\pictures; in: C:\Users\YourUser\Pictures\BlueStacks) but it asked permitions. So the bstsharedfolder worked with no problems.

If anyone is still struggling with this and needs a quick, non-permanent solution, you can also go into the "Media Manager" application in BlueStacks and select "Import from Windows". That seemed to grab everything and update the media cache without issue.

Go to the sdcard/windows/bstsharedfolder, thats where your files should be,and use the built in Media manager, third party app dont seem to be working.

The problem is that the built-in Media Manager doesn't actually let you do anything with the files, like move them to where you need them to be... you can only browse and look. Tapping a file tries to open it in another app which, again, will fail because the /sdcard/windows folder shows empty to any app but Media Manager. It seems you need a third-party root file explorer and open /mnt/windows instead.


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I'm looking to buy a smartwatch. How can I tell if an app in the Play Store is compatible with it before buying the device?
I want to buy a smartwatch, but I am trying to research whether apps will will work with it before buying. Is there any way to do that?

The easiest way to check is to make sure it is labeled either "Wear OS", "Wear OS by Google" or "Android Wear".
Another way to check is if the watch supports the Google Assistant, it most likely is running Wear OS and should be supported as well.
Finally, if you want to be absolutely positive, you can always check the Wear OS website

I see that perhaps I asked my question too vaguely. I wanted to be able to look at an app to see if it would be compatible with Wear OS, without having a Wear OS device, (that is, before I make my smartwatch purchase). The Wear OS website provides absolutely nothing of functional value, for anything at all, let alone finding out what apps are compatible with Wear OS

Ah, I see. On the play store, there is generally a icon that looks like a little watch near the description. Apps that support Wear OS also usually have screenshots of the watch app.


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Unable to modify file permissions.xml, get error Read-only file system
I have a rooted Galaxy S5 SM-G900V, lineage_klte, ARMv7 Processor rev 1 (v71), Kernel: 3.4.113-lineageos #1 SMP, Oreo 8.1 that a friend asked me to modify.
I need to modify the platform.xml file to allow the system to write data to the external sd card. I need the ability to modify this file. The current permissions are:
rw-r--r-- 1 root root, however I am unable to save any modifications.
I am unable to modify the file permissions and would like to know how to do so. Note, I am looking how to change the file permissions and not how to or what syntax to use in the xml file, or if it will allow me to have the system recognize the external sd card for saving data. I am perplexed on why I am unable to modify this file.
> adb devices  <-- verify I have the device
> adb shell    <-- enter shell
> su           <-- super user
# ls -l
drwxr-xr-x  17 root   root      4096 2019-03-20 10:26     system
# cd system
#ls -l
drwxr-xr-x 20 root root     4096 2019-03-20 10:25 etc
# cd etc
 # ls -l
 > drwxr-xr-x  2 root root     560 2013-12-31 21:23 permissions
 # cd permissions
 # ls -l
 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  9116 2008-12-31 18:00 platform.xml
 # chmod 755 platform.xml
 >> chmod: chmod 'platform.xml' to 100755: Read-only file system

So, how do I change the file attributes for platform.xml allowing it to be modified? I thought that there was a hidden immutable attribute on the file but there is not(at least that I can determine).
Related question, is there any other website to post this question? Any help is most appreciated.

Try remounting /system with mount -o rw,remount /system

I get: mount: '/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system' not user mountable in fstab

Try installing a file manager that can get root access (MiXplorer, Root Explorer, ES File manager, etc), then check if the file manager can access read/write /system

@Nora you must be trying without root. mount works only with root access. And don't chmod any system files, you can brick your device. With root, you can edit files without chmoding or chowning too.

I've tried that route before, I use Root Explorer and after being granted root access I try to change the permissions and I get a error "Changing permissions was not successful. Please note...," I definitely have root, I can verify using Root Checker Pro.

Yeah I deleted that post, it was not specific enough. The bigger issue that I need to understand is the file permissions.

By root I mean root user, not Root Explorer. You should execute mount command when UID is 0 (check with id -u).

Try su -c before the command...

Also... It sounds like you have a root user ID, but not a su file in /system/bin   ... Als

@Zillinium, I am sorry for the slow reply, I had a family emergency. You are correct I do not have a su file in /system/bin. I am using Magisk. I tried using su -c as in: su -c chmod 777 platform.xml however the error I get is: chmod: chmod 'platform.xml' to 100777: Read-only file system

Please start adb shell and verify root. Please copy and paste the response to you typing 'id' at the prompt. Then enter this at the prompt: > mount | grep system Then paste that into your reply as well.

I was only able to remount rw after
- removing addonsu (by sideloading in TWRP "su removal" from https://download.lineageos.org/extras)
- installing Magisk (easy, sideloading current release from https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases)
I was under the impression that addonsu does not fully grants permissions -- after all I found myself heading down this road when attempting to configure Titanium Backup.
By the way, TWRP has a commandline guide at https://twrp.me/faq/openrecoveryscript.html , all the above is as easy as adb reboot recovery, then adb shell twrp sideload which makes TWRP waiting for a file, so just serve it by e.g. adb shell twrp sideload ~/Downloads/Magisk-v19.3.zip

This issue relates to the fact that /system is absolutely read-only and the mount -o,rw is no longer allowed on recent versions of Android.
To modify anything in /system you need to use Magisk ability to replace files by creating a magisk module.


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Android verified boot and custom ROMs
I'm trying to figure out how exactly works the Android Verified Boot process and its usage with custom ROMs. The documentation I found on it is unclear (or outdated) as there seems to be several ways to do it.
What I understood (please correct me if I'm wrong) is listed below.
Before flashing :

The bootloasder is initially locked, and has to be unlocked through the fastboot command (and a physical confirmation from the end user).
The user data are totally wiped in order to prevent unauthorized access through rooting process (e.g. if a device is theft and the thief tries to access private data).
The custom ROM public key is stored in the user-settable root of trust (alongside with the manufacturer's one) when the OS is flashed.

Boot process (after flashing) :

The systems is powered on (physical button)
The device embedded BIOS reads the public keys stored in the root of trust (manufacturer and user-settable) and verifies that the kernel image has not been tampered.
If the public key used to check kernel tampering is the user-stable one, then a 10 seconds warning is displayed in order to warn the end-user that the pub. key used to perform these checks is not the manufacturer's one.
Once the kernel integrity is confirmed, the initial ram image is loaded and the init process is called.
The dm-verity kernel module ensures that the boot process is not tampered through cryptographically signature checks, using a public key.

As I write these lines, several steps are still unclear to me :

Why are warnings displayed during boot if integrity checks pass ? I mean, even if the user-settable root of trust is used (instead of the manufacturer's one), integrity checks are still OK, don't they ?
Is the UNLOCKED state needed in order to set the user-settable root of trust, or is it needed to bypass Android Verified Boot ?
How is handled the "tamper evident" feature for the user-settable root of trust ? I mean : the user-settable root of trust should only be set by the end user (and not the manufacturer) but how can we be sure that It did not set one anyway ? Moreover, if the system is rooted, how can we be sure that the "new" OS has not reset the tamper evident flag ? Are one-time programmable memory used ?
What public key is used by the dm-verity kernel module in order to perform integrity checks ?

Thanks in advance !


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Cant move apps to my sd card. Please help me with this as i have 29 gb available and i cannot shift
I have a tablet with less space. I have an sd card with 29 gb available but I can't move all apps to sd. I downloaded phone2sd but it said no movable objects. If root is the only way please tell me how to root myself. Thank u

Typically this will require root to accomplish. However depending on your tablet, on the newer version of android there is a capability to format the sd to the type for your tablet and will combine it with your internal memory.


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Installing downloaded APK after accidentally denying
I was trying to install a downloaded APK onto my Pixel 3.  During the initial install attempt I was presented with a screen that looked approximately like this one (without the added emphasis on the correct 'Install anyway' option):

I took one quick glance of this screen before concluding "big green button, that must be what I want here!".  Which was a substantial error, because the big, green button in fact denies the app install.  Oops.
And now what's happening is when I go back to the APK and try the install process again, I'm no longer prompted about whether or not I want to 'Install anyway'.  Instead it just goes straight to the "App not installed" screen.  The one with the gray triangle on it.
How do I get the device to forget that I denied installation to this APK, so that I can successfully install it?

You can disable Play Protect.

But that could be a security risk if you consider Google a life saver :)


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Kodi plays a completely different file
tl;dr: After 2+ months of using my Kodi 18.1 started to get a complete wako, by playing different movie than description, image, scoring etc. says. For example, it plays "The Hunt for the Red October" when I select "Zootopia".
Tried everything (rebuilding library, removing and adding the source), all for nothing.

My SMB/FTP server structure:

Movies:

Animated
Drama
Political
...

I have added two sources to my Kodi 18.1:

"Animated" --> SMB/Movies/Animated,
"Movies" --> SMB/Movies.

So, in fact, all animated movies can be listed / accessible through both sources (if that matters).
Now, in Kodi I am selecting first source ("Animated") and browse to the end of list ("Zootopia"). I see everything perfectly: description, movie poster, ratings, year, actors everything is correct.
The only problem is that when I start playing it, "The Hunt for the Red October" plays.
This problem occurs for most of the database entries in the "Animated" source (but not for all). For example "Jason Bourne" places when "Shrek" is excepted etc.
"Animated" folder in SMB/FTP is accessible both through "Animated" and "Movies" source in Kodi, but not the otherwise. I.e., if you open up the "Animated" source in Kodi, no movies from i.e. "Drama", "Political", "Action" etc. folders in SMB/FTP are accessible AFAIK.
And yet, Kodi gets wako and plays movies from different source than use is actually browsing.
Filenames are "purified" manually by me and files are named matching patterns "English title (Year)" exactly. So there is no way Kodi can get confused:

it claims that it is going to play movie "Zootopia (2006)" in "Animated",
it actually plays file SMB/Political/The Hunt for the Red October (1992).mp4.

I have tried everything that came to my mind. I have cleared the database (but this seems to be only deleting references to non-existing files, it does not recreate / verify references to existing files). I have removed "Animated" source and added it again. I have used "Look for a new content"-like options. All for nothing.
I have noticed that after removing the source and adding it back, Kodi still keeps information on what was watch and upon which time watching of given movie stop, i.e. still offers to "restart" watching from given position. So, it clearly suggests that removing and adding the same source again does not clear any cache or stuff like this.
Any idea what I can do in this situation except for throwing Kodi to hell and start looking for some alternative player for my Android-TV home player?


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Detach a paid app from play store
I have the APK of the last good version of ROM Toolbox Pro, which had the app manager, and so far I've had to disable auto update to prevent it from being replaced by the newer version.
This is an app I purchased back in the day when it didn't have its features truncated, so deleting it from my play store library isn't an option. I've tried the Magisk detach module, but that messed up play store and I had to reset my phone.
How does one manually delink  the app? The phone is obviously rooted, using Magisk systemless root.

AFAIK not possible. Even if you unlink it (Titanium Backup has an option for that), Playstore App will re-link it within 24h.

The Magisk module works but inconsistently, at one time it ended up permanently crashing play store. So I'm looking for the general principle behind detaching apps.

By delink the app, do you mean stop it from updating.

Yes, and beyond simply disabling the 'enable auto update' option on its page, because it still ignores the setting and gets updated anyway once in a while. I don't want to see it in the list of pending updates at all.

Only option is to rebuild the application package with a different package name or to change the version to a newer one than is available online...  I use APK Editor to do repackaging and version changes... No matter what you do otherwise, Google Play will recognise the Application by the package name and then check the version in the application manifest to calculate if you need an update...

Doesn't it need a signing certificate if you repackage it?


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Correct TWRP Build for Samsung J7 (SM-J727U)
I have a boot loop issue similar to this post, and would like to try to flash TWRP on to my device with Odin. The TWRP site has four variations of the J7. I'm pretty sure that based on this specs data I have an Exynos processor, which narrows it down to two TWRP options:
1. Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016 Exynos) (j7xelte) TWRP page
This one has a link to XDA that indicates it is only for various SM-J710xx models.
2. Samsung Galaxy J7 Exynos SM-J700 (j7elte) TWRP page
The changelog on that one references exynos7580 which doesn't match the processor number specified on that specs link I found for my phone.
My current recovery screen shows:
Android Recovery
samsung/j7popelteue/j7popelteue
7.0/NRD90M/J727UUEU3ARB1

Does anyone know what the correct TWRP build would be for this model of phone?

Neither. There simply is none for your device (not even unofficial).

I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Thank you for responding though @andy. Any other methods of getting out of boot loop and recovering data?

here is the solution , this link https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j7/development/recovery-twrp-3-1-1-x-galaxy-j727p-t3692663 , have the codename as you shown. and you model is not J727U, it is J727P.

My model is J727P? The message from my recovery has 'J727U', and the label under my battery says "Model: SM-J727U"

Thank you for your help @Mukund - what is the codename you are referring to?

@Mukund NO - J727P is the Sprint variant with Qualcomm chips. Won't work like that.


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Phone not charging
My phone doesn't charge at all, even when is charging while switched off.
And I have tried it with many chargers and battery.
But same thing keeps happening

Do you see any charging indication in your phone when you plug in?

Based on your description there is one very likely reason for your problem:
The USB port of your phone is defect. It is loose and has lost connection to the circuit board it is placed on, therefore no (or very little) power can flow through it. This usually happens by too many movements of the USB plug while inserted into the USB port (the USB plug works as a lever and the longer the plug is the more force it can put on the USB port of your phone - this is called "principle of the lever").
Depending on your phone and how large the hardware defect is, often it can be fixed by re-soldering the USB-port to the circuit board. However this require soldering experience and the right soldering equipment.
In some devices the USB port is located on an small extra circuit board that can easily be replaced with a new board.

May be worth measuring your battery terminals with a DVM and seeing if its greater than 3.6V. If your phone is on charge but is in some form of a charge loop you can take out the battery and manually charge it up to >3.6V using a TP4056 circuit and some test probes (with steady hands, patience and a lot of care). I've only had a charge loop once before but i'm guessing its probably not what your experiencing.
If you want to see if your charger is active then you can plug in a USB charger doctor inline with your USB lead and that may tell you a lot.
Note - If your battery measures <3V, you may want to purchase a replacement (for safety reasons).


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Google photos uploads everything from DCIM folder
So in my Redmi Note 7 Pro, the screenshots and screen recordings all go in a subfolder inside DCIM folder. Photos (app by Google) simply uploads everything in the DCIM folder. I have tried this, but it did not work (hence asking a new question).

You should be able to configure the folders you want to sync: https://www.androidcentral.com/how-set-google-photos

It doesn't contain DCIM folder (and DCIM subfolders).

There seems to be no clear solution to this.
I have had to manually move the sub folders within DCIM to outside the DCIM folder using a file explorer so that I can later individually choose which folders should get backed up in Google Photos.

- Settings
- Backup & Restore
- Select Account
- Unselect Sync Photos

Now in each app...

Open Photos ( The app by Google )
Go into settings
locate sync or Save Storage features
Disable sync

Look around for any other apps using synchronization and disable it...
I think Google Drive does this for Photos as well as other apps.


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What happens under the hood when a network request is made by an application
I'm interested in knowing what happens at the kernel level when an application makes a network request. While playing with strace I was hoping to find system calls like connect() to make a connection with an IP socket but instead, I found connections to local Unix sockets. From what I understand these connections may be for logging or any other system service. A lot of ioctl calls were also made which I'm guessing were for binder communication.
If the application is not servicing the request, is it being passed on to a system service using IPC which then sends back the response to the application? I was wondering if these requests could be captured at the system level using ptrace in order to monitor/block them.
I'm using a rooted device running Android 7.1.2


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How to stop embarassing images showing on my phone's screen when I try to tweet?
I have downloaded some images of an adult nature onto my phone. My problem is, they show up as preview images whenever I try to compose a new tweet in the official Twitter app. I can't find any setting to turn this behaviour off.

Create an empty file with the name "".nomedia" in that folder and new previews will be generated.

Your best bet is probably to use an app like Keep Safe to hide "adult" photos/files. This keeps other apps from being able to see/interact with them, so they won't show up in the preview section of any apps.


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Developer Options screen opens for a second, then closes
I'm using an LG4c Android v5.0.2.  I have enabled Developer Options - it is in the menu where I can tap it to open it.
When I tap it, it opens for a split second - long to enough to see that it is on (blue button is on) and but turns off almost instantly so that in effect I cannot access it.
How can I get it to stay on?  Why does it not stay on?

try it by going on safe mode(hold the power off option and click ok), after that use the developer options and by the same procedure , reboot into normal mode.

Hi.Thanks. I tried it but it didn't work either.  Same behaviour.  Screen opens for a split second and disappears before I can do anything.


text:
Copy files from Linux to Android without any OS
I'm trying to install lineage 15.1 on my old Sony Xperia V LT25i, which has had a couple of other OS's since the original. When I started the process I could not access the internal memory at all, neither from the phone itself or from my laptop.
I downloaded the OS zip file and the Open Gapps zip I want and started to follow this tutorial. I managed to run the $ fastboot flash boot boot.img command using sudo but now I need to copy the zip files to the phone memory which no longer has a running OS.
I tried using the adb push command but I get an error saying that the device is unauthorized. Running adb devices confirms this:
List of devices attached
CB5A1MMV58  unauthorized

I then tried to find a way to change it from unauthorized to recovery and found a
YouTube tutorial which is supposed to solve it, however when I put the phone in recovery mode and run the cd ~/.android && adb push adbkey.pub /data/misc/adb/adb_keys I get this:
adb: error: connect failed: device unauthorized.
This adb server's $ADB_VENDOR_KEYS is not set
Try 'adb kill-server' if that seems wrong.
Otherwise check for a confirmation dialog on your device.

I tried running adb kill-server and then running the above command but I still get the same result. As I do not currently have a running OS on the phone I can not enable ADB directly on the phone.
Any ideas on how I can solve this?

You need to use fastboot to flash more of the system first, for example recovery

@ChrisStratton, How do you mean? The boot.img already installed recovery on my phone.

Boot does not necessarily include recovery, it depends on the device.  Clearly you are not in recovery.  What you are talking to with adb is an old system image.

It clearly says recovery on the screen, with the options of reboot, apply update, factory reset and advanced. And it is not the old version of recovery that I had with my previous OS.

That should have been in your question.  Sounds like whatever you flashed is broken and you need to start over with good images.  Or just use fastboit to install all the partition images as developers normally do.  That is literally copying files without an OS - recovery is an OS.

OK. Then the issue is that trying to fastboot the whole zip says won't fit on the partition but I can't find a way to re-partition it. I feel like this could be because the internal memory is split into internal memory and sdcard. Could that be the case?

Of course, you can't fastboot zips, only partition images.  The zipfile may contain them, or it may be intended only to make minor updates, in which case it would not work in your situation anyway.  Most of the key information about your situation is missing.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.


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How to copy apk and data from old device to new device
I purchased an app via Google's play store about a year and half ago.
Basically, I got a new phone, transferred data from my old phone to the new one. The app I'm referring to is there but as the "free version" without unlocked features.
The app isn't available in play store anymore, so I can't purchase it again.
Is there a way to transfer apk and data from the old phone, or am I out of luck?

There is an app called Helium, which sounds like what you're looking for. Supposedly, it moves app and app data between devices, which should include the recognition that you have the premium upgrade. It does, however, require a desktop to complete the transfer. There are other options like oandbackup and Migrate - Requires TWRP, depending on your level of experience and whether you can make certain modifications to both/either phone.

Yes, if you only just want to copy over an .apk, that's certainly possible and shouldn't require root (except for certain settings or user app data that may be saved to a system directory).  The simplest method would be to use a file-browser that also includes an app management function.  These are typically free, and simple to use (I use X-plore).  With this app in particular, there is a function you can enable that will list all applications installed.  Simply navigate on the opposite viewing pane to a device internal storage directory (e.g., /sdcard/documents/), then return to the app manager.

Long-press on the app you want and copy it (not move); this will copy over the .apk file (and automatically appends the version to the filename) and also avoid any permission errors.  From there you can then share it to another device or external/network directory.
EDIT: You can also try searching F-Droid repository to see if the app might be there.
EDIT 2: Oh!  Apologies, I wasn't careful enough with reading the OP, for some reason I thought you were referring to the free version.  In that case, I'd suggest reaching out to the developer directly, as even if you do find a way to transfer it I don't think it would be wise to post such a method up, since others might abuse that knowledge.  For this particular app, it's almost as if they don't want to be found!  I've had some difficulty tracking it down (looked at the Play market archived page, then had a chat with Amazon and found this link as well).  There's two separate e-mails for you to try, good luck!  Oh, and here's a Twitter account.

If the app has been developed "correctly" (according to the Google recommendation) it connects to the PlayStore and checks if it really has been purchased on the current account. It only enables the "purchased" mode if the data received from PlayStore is correct. I don't know what happens if the app has been removed from PlayStore.

Well, after copying the apk from the old phone and installing on the new, I still had the same issue (app was in "free version mode"). I found that the app is available on Amazon, so had to download Amazon App Store and purchase it from there. Didn't want to do that, but I use that app a lot so to me it was worth the hassle. By the way, the app is called PitchLab Pro.