text:
How do I send text messages multiple recipients on CyanogenMod 9?
How do I send text messages to multiple recipients on  CyanogenMod 9? I don't see any contacts icon in my messaging app i.e, ICS Messaging App. Is there any way to do it? I am using an HTC Wildfire S.

There isn't a contact picker per se.
After you type in one contact, type a comma and start typing the name of another. Separate multiple contacts by commas.

If you will not found any clue, Handset SMS do that, see Android store : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handcent.nextsms&hl=en

OP is asking about the stock messaging app @sputnick

POST edited accordingly. What mean OP Sparx ?

Original Poster - the author of the question.


text:
How to enable voice-activation of S Voice when in car?
I am only interested in using S Voice with voice activation (i.e. "Hi Galaxy!") when driving.
Is there any way to activate S Voice when I plug my Samsung Galaxy S3 into my car's charger?

Take a look at the app Tasker. Also the free app Llama may also be able to do this.
Tasker and Llama automate tasks on your phone. So you can have them say IF this condition (car charger plugged in) THEN do something (activate SVoice).

Could you be a bit more specific on how these apps solve the problem?

Tasker and llama automate tasks on your phone. So you can have them say IF this condition(car charger plugged in) THEN do something (activate SVoice)

I took the freedom to integrate this with your answer, so it is better recognized as part of it. Thanks for the update!

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Clear Default not enabled in 4.0
I'm trying to set Chrome as my default browser but cannot. I go to apps and the clear default button is not enabled and says no default is set.

Are you looking at the Clear Defaults button on Chrome or the built-in browser application? Chrome's button won't be enabled because it isn't the default, you have to find the button on your current default browser so that you can unset it.

You don't have to go via your browser (Chrome, or some other browser in this case) to reset your default app settings though, you can do this from Settings > Apps. Click the "settings" dots in the top right hand corner and then choose "Reset app preferences". Your phone will now reset all app preferences and start asking you again what browser to use.

I have this problem with Android 4.4 and Huawei's Emotional UI. Clear Defaults is disabled (greyed out) from built-in apps such as Browser and Music. I can change e.g. music player from Settings > Manage apps > Default app settings, but the default browser cannot be changed with that tool. I have a rooted phone, so I ended up removing /system/priv-app/browser.apk after installing Chrome.

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


text:
Show only new available and new updated apps in Google Play Store
Is there a way to show only new apps and games or new updated games and apps in the Play Store? I don't mean the top new games section because apps in there are mostly old (few days/weeks). A few month ago there was such a section but it was removed. I'd like to get this section back, maybe on another website or with an API if necessary.


text:
Do Samsung tablets have the same USB connector as Apple's iPad?
It seems that the USB cable for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (and other Samsung tablets) looks like the one used for Apple's iPad or iPhone.
Is it the same?

No.
Apple's older iOS lineup and Samsung's Android tablets have a similar looking but different connector.
You can't interchange them.
And besides this: Apple's new ligthning plug clearly only works with iOS devices (iPhone 5 and iPad 4/mini and better). The available lightning-adapters also only work with iOS devices.


text:
Monitoring phone usage and limits
I have 100 minutes of free talk every week, 25 free SMS every week and 2GB of Internet data usage in a month. Nothing alerts me when one of these thresholds has been exceeded.
Is there any way to keep track of my outgoing calls and messages, and then receive an alert when I'm going to exceed my limit? It would be preferable if the threshold would reset automatically every week and be configurable.

Please don't ask for "an app that does X". Not only does that skirt on being a shopping recommendation (which are off-topic) but you've also already chosen a solution. Instead, ask about the specific problem you're trying to solve.

DroidStats does this for calls, SMS, and data:

You can place widgets on your homescreen1 or, with the pro version, even inside your notification area2. Limits can of course be configured. It even shows data usage on a per-app basis. Statistics can show your most-called (and most-called-from) contacts, and more.
As for data, 3G Watchdog even can go a step further and, provided you have Apndroid installed, disable 3g data when a configured threshold is reached.

Some networks allow you to check how much you have used such as O2.  If you have ICS or Jelly Bean there is a Data Usage listing in settings.
Alternatively try apps like these
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/best-android-data-usage-apps-for-monitoring-3g2gwi-fi-usage/

My network have provided an app to check this, but is really slow, and usually crash. :(


text:
How do i recover my data on a Galaxy Tab after a factory reset?
I forgot my password to unlock my Samsung Galaxy Tab, so I did a factory reset to get into it. Now I would like to recover as much of my previous data that I can. Is this possible? If so, how do I go about recovering it?

You still got your SDcard contents
You still got synced data on Google cloud associated with your Google account and other cloud services.
Everything else is wiped out and cannot be restored

All you can do is log in with same Google account on your device and it will restore some data from cloud like Google Contacts, Calendar and, maybe, settings for some apps. Purchased apps are still available from Google Play and you don't need to buy them again. Install Dropbox, Google Drive and other apps which store their data outside your device.
In future, try to keep copy of everything important on other device such as your computer or in cloud. Nowadays you can get lots of free storage on many services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, Skydrive etc. You can avoid wiping your device in future but you cannot avoid losing it or breaking it, so backups is very important.

If everything could just be easily recovered after a data wipe/factory reset, that same data would be available to the finder (possessor) or any lost/stolen tablet (or smart-phone).  That said, there are forensic tools out there (if you can gain access to them) which may be able to recover ALL recent data and history.

@david6 which is only true when you have root access to the device in question. And even then only partly, as after the device is started up following a factory-reset, structures will be rebuilt (Dalvik Cache etc.), and new installed/configured apps write to the file system where other data might have been before. Plus, even with good forensic tools it's not "as easy as 1-2-3", but requires at least some, but more likely a lot of manual work.

I was referring to RAM/ROM-debug tools that (in theory) only LEO and Intelligence persons have access to.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S3 WiFi authentication error with A&TT U-Verse router
My Samsung Galaxy S3 won't connect to my AT&T U-Verse router. I've gone through AT&T help and they say it's the phone. I've gone through Sprint (phone & service provider) and they say nothing is wrong with the phone. Samsung support also says nothing wrong with the phone.
It connects to unsecured networks no problem. If I turn security "off" on my U-Verse router, it connects no problem.
With security "on", I get an "authentication error occurred" error message on the phone,  even though the status bar on the phone shows it sees my router at excellent strength. I have verified the password with correct upper and lower case.
I've connected to several unsecured WiFi without issue.  The only secured network I have connected to is at work.  I know they don't have U-Verse, but I have no idea what the WiFi brand is. It connects no problem with security on and my office password.
The phone is running Android 4.0.4.
I've changed router settings to use channel 11 and power level 400. I've rebooted the router and reset the phone.
I can also see the phone's MAC address on the router, so I know they are seeing each other.

What is the authentication on the Uverse router?

Additional hint to t0mm13b's question: Could it be WPA/WPA2 are both enabled simultaneously?

Default: WPA-PSK (TKIP) and WPA2-PSK (AES)

Easy fix.  Don't use your wi-fi password.  Use the Wireless Key #.  I have been trying over and over with my personal password and kept getting the same authentication errors everyone has been discussing with u-verse.  I pulled the paperwork that the installation guy gave me and just taking a last resort shot at it, I tried the Wireless Key # written on the paperwork.  It connected immediatley...
This reportedly also works with the Verizon branded Samsung Galaxy S III. Their 2nd level support only suggests factory resetting which won't help. Only the above mentioned technique does

I have AT&T U-Verse at home. My S3 connected to the gateway with no issues. Did you try to remove the saved network from the phone, factory reset the gateway and then try adding it. If that fails, try to manually add the SSID and key after you remove the network from the phone settings. Worst case ask them to send you a new gateway. If you changed the SSID at any point or added static IPs you might need to factory reset, add the phone and then add the statics to the gateway again.

I went around in circles with this by trying open and WPA security but nothing worked.  The phone was not even listed on the router's device list. The MAC address filter was the problem.  I fixed the issue by adding the phones mac address to the routers "white list" and now everything works well.  Check you router mac filters or turn them off.

Routers from Mikrotik with RouterOS has problems with 4.0.4 Androids as well. You have to upgrade to 5.22RC1. Contact Support@mikrotik.com to get this test version (In case if you are reading this the 5.22 isn't already released officialy =)

I had the same issue, autentication error. By accident I tried the default router password listed under  settings/lan/wifi  - scroll down to the user network section and there will be a default wifi network password which is different from the password plastered on the side of the router with a sticker.  Once I entered the 'default wifi password' the connection has been stable for as long as it took my fat fingers to type this message.  This problem really had me going and I do this crap for a living.  on the router page the default wifi password is in tiny little font but I'm still connected.  This is on a uverse router on a dsl connection.  I'm not sure why there are multiple passwords because all my other devices connect with the password on the label.  You can google how to connect with a uverse router, highlight the ip address and chrome will open a new window so you can see the router settings.  If you don't understand something, don't change it. Just try the new password.  still connected and I'm signing off now.


text:
Is it possible to clear the "Notifications" on Facebook for Android?
I have enabled notifications in the 'Inbox' section of my Facebook for Android program.
Does anyone know of a way to clear the 'Notifications' list ?
Reason I ask : Every time I start up Facebook , I get the message that I have 4 new notifications. Over and over again , the same notifications.
Under Windows, these are the same four as I can see when clcking the world icon on top of the screen. However, on Windows, the world icon only lights up when a new notification has arrived, as soon as you click (or view) the notification, no visual indication is present any more.
So, I would like these notifications only to alert me, when new arrive, not every time.
UPDATE:
As it was, I was talking about the Samsung version of FB/ Android (Facebook S! version 1). I downloaded and installed the one from the Market, and this is much better.

What version of the Facebook app do you have? My notifications bar is at the bottom of the screen.

@ Al E.: Still learning my new phone (and first Android) : but I think it it 'Facebook D! version 1,  can I get some more specific version information ?

Either go to the "Downloads" section of the Market, find the app, and get the version number there, or go to "Settings | Applications | Manage applications | Facebook". (This latter is also where you would clear the cache.)

I updated my question - thanks for the answers.

No, there doesn't appear to be a way to clear the notifications short of visiting the item so it is no longer new.
The Android Facebook app has a lot of deficits. It's still head-and-shoulders better than the previous version, though.

@Al E.: Visiting them doesn't clear them. That's the point , I don't mind visiting them if they are new.

Then I suggest your Facebook app is defective. They clear for me. Have you tried clearing the app cache?

@ Al E.: How do you clear the cache ? But to be sure we are talking about the same thing here : pressing the inbox button, show a list of 6 possible notifications. I am talking about the last one in that list : this number remains the same, whether I click on them and visit the notification there or not. The others, as requests and Updates and so on, do clear fine.

Again, what version of the Facebook app are you using? I don't have an "Inbox" and I'm running the latest version (1.3.2).

@ Al E.: I think I have one made by Samsung (that's why it says Facebook S! vesion 1 - I mistyped before and said Facebook D!).

@ Al E.: I downloaded FB for Android just now - it's much better than the one I had. Thanks for your help.

Glad we got it straightened out.

"Facebook S! version 1" is Facebook for Samsung, available from the Samsung apps store on Samsung Android phones. This is their custom version of Facebook, not the standard Facebook for Android that's available from the Market, it is probably based on an older version of the Facebook app, and is definitely not the same as the current official Facebook app.
If you go to the Android Market, search for Facebook and download the app called "Facebook for Android" written by "Facebook" then you know that you have the latest official Facebook app. The notifications on that version go for me after I've visited them.
Also if for some reason you do prefer Samsung's app over Facebook's then you're running an older version of that, the current version (according to the Samsung Apps app on my Galaxy S) is 1.01 installing this updated version may fix some problems.

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


text:
Remove contacts from synced Exchange account, without removing them from the server
How can I remove contacts from accounts I don't sync with anymore? Without being afraid of removing them from the "source" exchange account now or in the future?
Background:
When installing the email synchronization with Exchange, I thought it was a good idea to also sync the contacts.
Now the internal memory of my phone is stuffed with thousands of contacts I don't really need. It seems I cannot move them to the SD card, so I want them gone.
When I stop the synchronization (only contacts) with exchange, the contacts are not automatically removed.
I'm a bit afraid that if I remove them manually, and click or accidentally enable the sync, the contact will also be removed from my exchange contacts list, that is linked to my companies contacts list.
BTW: I know some Java, so if necessary I can develop an app to do this.

There's 2 slightly different solutions.

Log onto your corporate mail account using Outlook Web Access. Go to the account settings, i.e. the options link. Under that, select Phone, and delete your phone profile from there.
Now delete & recreate the Exchange account on your phone, and this time don't choose to sync contacts.
Exchange has a corporate addressbook or directory, and a local addressbook for your own personal contacts. Get rid of the locally saved contacts in your Exchange addressbook, so that on the next sync they'll similarly be culled from the phone. You can always look them up in the corporate directory, and Android can also perform a lookup against the directory for contacts that aren't stored locally. This of course assumes that you don't actually need so many contacts on hand in your local addressbook, or that these are all company contacts and not external business contacts.

With Android 6, this is still an issue. You can remove the contacts by clearing the data from your "Contacts Storage" system app, but this will unfortunately also remove any locally stored contacts. If you use another account for your contacts sync that runs after deleting the contacts data, this might be a solution for you. I've written a blog post with detailed instructions.

Also notice that it'll remove the call logs

Step 1- Be sure sync is on for your other contacts (Google, for example) and that it has been synced so you don't delete contacts you've added to your phone as well!
Step 2- De-active contact sync for your Exchange account:

Settings > Accounts > Exchange > [Your Account] > Contacts to Off

Step 3- Clear the previously synced contacts by clearing the data of the "Contacts Storage" app:

Settings > Apps > All (select: Show System) > Contacts Storage > Clear
  Data

that worked for me. Still issue on 8.1

I faced the same problem when I configured the corporate account in my phone. Then I removed the account by going to Settings->Accounts and re added it. While re-adding I unchecked sync contacts, sync calendar, sync email and Activated the account. Now the problem is no more.

Another possibility is to hide the account in your address book/contacts on your phone. Disclaimer - not all contact apps support this though.
On my phone, when I go into contacts and click the menu button, one of the menus is Display Options. This then lets me hide or show contacts for specific accounts (ie. google, facebook, twitter, etc.). If i turn off a particular account in here, it does not show any of those contacts in my address book.

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


text:
what is my personal data storage as opposed to program storage  and how can I reduce it?
I am using Android 2.2, samsung galaxy tablet.
When I look at task manager, summary it list 4 types of storage
1. program    mine is 1.1 / 1.5 gb full
2. personal data      59.35 / 81.26 megabytes
3. internal sd storage 10 / 12.8 gb
3. external sd storage 13.7 / 14.83 gb
It is 2. personal data that is giving me trouble. For many weeks it was over 70 Mb / 81.26 mb and I was getting warnings about my database storage being nearly full. At times the phone would slow down or crash, mp3s would not play smoothly and SMS couldn't be received. Clearing phone logs and texts and programs I didn't use much etc only helped for a very short while.
When I look at main menu, applications,  manage applications, running -
it says my calendar storage is 180 kb
contacts storage  0.98 MB
maps 10.49 mb
facebook 5.7 mb
yahoo mail 4 mb   Are these figures relevant?
The big one in this list is
media storage 53.0 mb   (I have much more than that in my internal SD storage in many small files, but deleting 4000 of them didn't change my personal data storage even after a reboot).
For the last few days my personal data storage has stayed just under 60 mb and is not giving problems,  but I'm not sure what is different this week and What does the personal data storage consist of and where is/was the main part of my problem coming from?
I also note that when I reboot the phone the media scanner runs and takes forever and slows the phone.  This last week I have just noticed that when it is nearly finished my personal data storage jumps to over 70 and I get warnings again. But it goes back to about 59/81 after a few minutes.
Is the amount of personal data storage I am using higher than usual ?
Thanks for any help.

related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/2065/what-can-i-do-to-manage-my-phones-internal-storage

Program storage is the amount of space taken up by the actual app, i.e. the APK size, personal data storage is the space taken up by your personal data. I.e. if you have a to-do list program it would likely create a database and all the to-do are added to the database which would take up personal data storage space.
The only way to reduce personal data storage is to clear the app data, but this will delete all your personal data for the app, i.e. settings and based on the example above all of your to-do's.
What I tend to do is go to settings > applications > manage applications and then go to the all tab. Then on the menu go to sort by size and clear some of the apps near the top that take the most amount of size that aren't a big deal if I lose the data. Google Maps is usually one that takes a lot of personal data storage space.
Hope this helps


text:
Nexus S bootloops after trying to apply OTA update
I have a Samsung Nexus S which I bought off my friend. A system update popped up and I hit accept without even thinking about it but the phone said I had to charge it so I did and left it for an hour or two. When I came back and went to turn it on it just went midway through the reboot and turned off again, then without even touching it it would repeat this process over and over. I have absolutely no clue what to do - how can I get it booting again?

I'd suggest you start here:

GUIDE Factory Images (JB-ICS-GB) (XDA developers)

Requirements:
-Android SDK
  -Java JDK
-Platform-Tools
-Unlocked bootloader ("fastboot oem unlock" pay attention, wipes everything, also SD card)
-experience with adb and fastboot
NOTICE: If you never used the sdk, the jdk, fastboot and adb, before installing the factory image YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW this guide in order to get sdk and unlock bootloader.

The part that is relevant to you, assuming your device wasn't running a rooted custom ROM before, is 4B:

If you are coming from another stock rom (official older OTA unrooted), this doen't wipe your data/cache:

adb reboot bootloader
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-crespo-********.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio radio-crespo-********.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot update image-********.zip

if you want relock the bootloader (not necessary, only for warranty)
  do also these two step:

fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot oem lock

Tried to include as much as possible for posterity, but the files you need and so on are in the forum thread anyway so this doesn't really apply if the forum thread would go down.
If you have any questions, please comment and I'll update my answer.


text:
How can I get my MK808 mini Android PC to output to my TV?
I had this mini pc from a friend. But I cannot power it up.
When I connect it to TV with HDMI cable, the light is blue, but I got nothing show on the TV screen. I've tried some different HDMI cables, but it will not put a picture out to the TV.
Can anyone suggest what the problem might be?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. Did you check if the HDMI cable is ok (by connecting a different device to your TV)?

I've tried some different HDMI cables. But it will not put a picture out to the TV.

My MK802 defaults to 720p60 (an unusual choice) when it first starts up, so you may want to check that your TV supports whatever mode your MK808 defaults to. How long have you waited for it to boot? If you are expecting instant-on you may be disappointed. *8')

Its the resolution setting. That or your tv/monitor doesn't support the default setting. I was switching mine to all the different sizes and switched it to one my monitor didn't support. Was a total pain to switch back as I flipped it to some off size. Just try every tv/monitor you can find until it comes up. I have noted on a few occasions, it doesn't seem like its booting up right away, I had to unplug and wait a minute, then retry.


text:
Host not recognizing my USB devices
I bought a Romanian Android tablet, EvoTab3, with Android version 4.0.3 and kernel version 3.0.8+. I want to connect some devices such as a mouse and flash memory to this tablet that will be the host station, using an OTG cable (mini to USB A). I did the following steps:

USB debugging is ON
Download an app USB host controller that display the info: "S3C USB Host driver not found" " Root hub present, USB Host mode is active!"
I followed the steps from the post Android USB host and hidden devices.

I did not get any results, connected devices are not detected.
Please help me with this problem.

You have to request the correct driver from Evolio for your device, i think this is a pure driver issue.
http://evolio.ro/en/tablet-pc/evotab-3-tablet-pc.html


text:
Can't tell if HTC One V is GSM or CDMA
I recently won an HTC One V and I want to sell it, but I'm not sure what carriers it supports. I won it from an HTC stand I went to, and all they said was that the phone was unlocked so that it could be used with any carrier. How can I tell if it's CDMA or GSM? I can't remove the cover to see an ESN or HEX number, and I don't see any spot for a SIM slot. On the label of the phone it has an IMEI number, an S/N number and a P/N number. Any ideas?
I see listings on ebay that say GSM and other listing that say GSM/HSPA. How do I tell?

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited the network for more than 5 years, and no existing answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

Based from an article on Wikipedia regarding to Electronic Serial Number (ESN),

ESNs are currently mainly used with CDMA phones (and were previously used by AMPS and TDMA phones), compared to International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers used by all GSM phones.

(Emphasis mine)
So, if there is IMEI, then it's GSM. Otherwise, it's CDMA.
Alternatively, theTuxRacer suggested on the comment

Remove the back cover on the chin. Under the "Made in China" sticker, there should be a small box which should mention something like HTC One V T320e... They are called as Primou U and Primou C for the GSM and CDMA version respectively!

GSM arena provides full description and features of most phones, you can search it.
OR
Just search for the device specification on google.


text:
Android OS update with out active service
I have an HTC device which we use for development currently running Android 2.2.1. While trying to update it from:
Settings > Software update > Check new

it shows the following for quite some time and then goes to an error message:

Software Update
Checking for new Software available now.

This phone doesn't have active service right now though I am connected to WiFi. Does this matter? Does Android prevent you from updating the OS if your device is not activated on a cellular carrier?

I think that check is for OTAs, which come from the provider, so it's not so much being prevented as just not possible.  Have you tried using HTC Sync and an update installer from their website?

No Android doesn't block if you are not on a cellular network. Did a OTA update of my Galaxy Nexus a couple of weeks back without inserting a SIM.
I think HTC has released no more newer builds for your phone hence you don't see it.


text:
Google Nexus 4 on Verizon?
I currently own a Motorola Droid 3 on Verizon.
I wish to purchase a LG Nexus 4 directly from Google - will it work on my Verizon Network? Or would it be a waste of time?

As per our FAQ, shopping suggestions are off-topic on this site.

See also Can I use my device on a different carrier?

It would be a wast of time (and money). The phone is not compatible with Verizon's network.
Verizon is a CDMA network, and the Nexus 4 from Google is GSM phone.
In the past Google has met-in-the-middle with Verizon and released the CDMA compatible Galaxy Nexus - this time there appear to be no plans on releasing a CDMA compatible Nexus 4 (possibly due to the slow turnaround time Verizon had on releasing updates to the Galaxy Nexus).


text:
Matlab on Android
I know matlab mobile was just released for android.
Nowadays several mobiles got hardware enough to run some decent calculations...
So question is: Is there a way to run matlab offline on a emulator (like octave does) or another workaround?
Thanks!

Be careful with the term 'emulator'. Octave uses a terminal emulator, so that's software running in Android. On this site the term emulator usually refers to software running a version of Android so you don't need a phone. Could you please elaborate on what exactly you mean by 'run offline on an emulator'?

@THelper Ok youre right. Running offline would be making the calculations on the phones hw. But matlab mobile requires you to send data to your server (or cloud) so you get the results done.

A MATLAB Android port is now available on Google Play. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mathworks.matlabmobile
Also worth to mention is Addi, an open source "mathematical computing environment like Matlab and Octave" aviliable on F-Droid, at https://f-droid.org/wiki/page/com.addi


text:
Can prolonged use of the GPS cause adverse affects?
What happens when the GPS runs continuously (more than 5 hours) in an Android device? Can it cause the battery or GPS receiver to overheat? Will it be able to keep determining my location correctly the entire time?

Unless you have your phone hooked up to a car battery, your phone will run out of charge.

If you turn on GPS, Android will use it every once in a while to get a position. If you use an app that will request a GPS location continuously then the only thing that will probably happen is that you run out of battery soon. Heating should not be a problem.

Mainly there should not be any hardware problems if the unit was tested correctly.
For other information you can use this application that has also power monitoring for GPS.


text:
Wi-Fi Direct on Galaxy Mini
I have already Googled a bit, but I haven't found a list specifying the supported devices.
Is it possible to use Wi-Fi Direct on Samsung Galaxy Mini (GT-S5570B with Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread)? Is there a hardware limitation?

Questions about how to develop/write apps are expressly off topic on this site (see our [FAQ] for more). However, a question simply asking whether or not the Mini supports this seems fine, and I have rephrased your question as such.

WiFi Direct can be used on all Android devices. Android 4.0 and higher comes with this feature pre-installed.
If your device runs an older version of Android, you can find many apps in the Google Playstore to enable direct file sharing service over WiFi. Go for SuperBeam, Fast File Transfer, WiFi File Transfer, etc.

Hotspot is not WiFi Direct. While the latter clearly is a 1:1 connection, Hotspot is 1:n, as multiple WiFi-enabled devices can connect to the Hotspot simultaneously.

@Izzy actually WiFi direct supports more than 1:1. But it is uncommon. After 5-6 nodes it becomes impractical as they all have to be in range of the "AP" device. But you are right that hotspot is not the same.


text:
How to write Pinyin using default keyboard languages?
I need to be able to make one of the tone marks in Pinyin, specifically the one that looks like a little U over the vowels. (example: ǎ )
I have tested various languages, but can't find one to add that allows me to do this accent on all vowels (a, e, i, o, u) on my Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. Is there a way to do this?


text:
How can I get a list of all my paid (only) apps in the Play Store?
I'm interested to know all of my apps that I paid for in the Google Play Store. Is there an easy way to retrieve this list filtering only paid applications?

On the Play Store website or the app (or both)?

If you use Google Wallet only for Play Store, you can list them up after login to wallet.google.com.

See also How to see all the purchased apps in google play store , particularly https://play.google.com/store/account?purchaseFilter=apps

(1) Check out Legacy Play Store. You can get the list on UNINSTALLED PAID apps. INSTALLED list includes both PAID and UNPAID.
If you decide to install it, you may need to:

use Root Explorer (I had troubles with Astro and File Expert)
copy the apk to /system/app
chmod the apk to 644

NOTE: It works on my Samsung Galaxy S2, running CyanogenMod9.
EDIT: Hmm. Website is currently unavailable. Post a comment if you can't access it. I could probably upload the apk somewhere. [Or you could search for the app elsewhere]
(2) AndroidPolice just featured a GreaseMonkey script that allows you to separate your paid apps in Google Play. You might also want to check it out.

If you want this list on browser then you can go for the Greasemonkey Artem script which can show your paid and free apps in different lists.
Check out full detail and installation guide here Greasemonkey Artem script

Right now, you can do the following:

Open the play store app.
Open the options by swiping in from the left of the screen.
Select my account", then scroll down to see your order history.
Tap " more" and you'll see a list of everything you've paid for on the play store.
Success!

This worked as of November 2015 with Android 6.0. I'm sure Google will change it soon enough.

Another method (if you only use Google wallet for Google play purchases) is to simply look at your Google wallet purchase history. If you only use it for Google play app purchases, they will all be listed here.
To keep things organised in the future, if you wish, you could always create a folder on your home screen containing all your paid apps and drop in any additions as you go.


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Why does my app crash when I download it through 3G?
I have developed an application and published it on the Play Store.
My problem is that when I download it from the Play Sore via 3G, the application crashes. However, when I download it via wifi it runs without problem.
Also, after downloading (via wifi), if I disable wifi and enable 3G, the application can be launched and works fine without crash/problem.
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

This seems like something you're going to need to debug on your own, at least to some extent. You should be able to "report" the problem to the Play Store when the application crashes - that will give you a stack trace and other useful information. Otherwise I don't think there's enough information to go on. You could also try using logcat at the time of the crash (and also note that this could very well be a programming issue, which would really be off topic for this site, although I guess that's not immediately evident at this point).

Thanks eldarerathis, I thought its not related to programming. That's why asked it here rather than Stack-overflow. I'll check it in log of eclipse .

Bad network connection causing corruption?  Very weird behavior.


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Convert Tablet into idiot-proof PC monitor
I'm working on a new classroom space at a small college. The goal is to have a fully wireless lecturn for the instructor. That includes power cables: everything must be battery powered. This means sticking all the powered A/V equipment (especially the PC) off to the side, where it can be plugged in, and only including what is effectively a terminal on the podium.
What does that have to do with Android? I'm glad you asked. I still need a display for the lecturn. I need a small-ish screen that can run on a battery for several hours at a time that I can connect over wireless to a PC. I'd prefer a dedicated monitor product, but since I can't find that anywhere, an Android tablet sounds perfect.
So here's the question: how can I set up an android tablet to do this?
I know there are a number of apps out there that support this at a basic level, but just the app alone is not enough. I need the result to be really idiot-proof. If at all possible, I want people to be fooled into thinking that the tablet is nothing more than a monitor: they wake up the tablet and the PC screen comes up with no additional touches, even if no one is logged into the PC yet. This also needs to function as (in some instances) the only monitor for the PC. Kiosk support of some type would be ideal, as well.
For what it's worth, I'm also exploring using a UPS (with the alarm disabled) with a traditional display and wireless dongle, but the android solution just seems much more elegant.

I am aware that this is partially a product recommendation, which would be off-topic, because a specific app or tablet make/model recommendation may come out of this question. However, I believe this question goes beyond the typical product recommendation, in that I'm also looking for instructions on how to set things up, and would accept and encourage answers that support several of the various screen apps and several tablet makes/models.

Raw idea: Kiosk-Mode (I've just added that tag to your question, so you can check related content) together with some remote-desktop app?

@Izzy I researched this some before posting, and all the Kiosk-mode instructions I've seen is that it's not built into android itself: you have make low-level changes to the OS, and even then you still need to include support for it in the App. If one of the existing apps has support for this, I'd love to hear more details about it. If there is better kiosk support in a newer version of android, then pointing me to a tablet that ships with that version and is closer to the $200 price point than $500 would be great, too.

While shopping reco's... you know that part. As for "Is there an app for X" (also off-topic), you could check with Software Recs. As for "how can I achieve this generally", your question is still fine here IMHO. I didn't dive into this topic, so all I can give are the hints I gave, sorry. Good luck, though!

@Izzy Thanks. Personally, I think the whole "shopping recommendation" ban is a mistake made by the community early... the ban might make sense on Stack Overflow itself, and maybe Super User (imagine all the PC builds). Aside from that, I think the SE engine and people would be great at this. The only real problem is one that's already addressed: duplicates. Aggressively close shopping dupes, and I think there's some value to be had in opening this up... especially in smaller sites that are looking to grow the audience.

Nope. The real problem with shopping recos is: a device fine and up-to-date today is completely outaged a year later, especially when it comes to tech (you wouldn't buy a 2012 Android device today, would you?). While solutions we try to give are usually valid for several years at least. But that has been discussed elsewhere, and we shouldn't discuss it here in the comments (feel free to drop into chat for that instead).


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How do I change my email address on Play Store as the one I have is no longer in use
The email address I have on Play Store is no longer verified and I wish to change to my current provider as I do not seem to be able to download apps

What do you mean "change my provider"? Its not going to change the content you can get from the play store. Just get yourself a new email address and add that into settings>account>…youll have the choice of what email address to use when you enter the play store.………are you sure that is the reason why you can't download? Did you try clearing the data/cache? Search through Stack Exchange for "non-working play store" ( I'm not at my computer now, otherwise I'd provide a link for you).

Go to settings->accounts->add account->and add another Google account with the new email. Then go into the play store and there will be your email with a drop down arrow. Tap it and select the new email.

What Google page should I be on when I click "Settings>Account"...? Every (or nearly every) Google service has a "Settings" gear and probably a lot of them have some settings for "account". I tried this by going to play.google.com, then I clicked: "gear"->"settings". I don't see any place to add a new email address (or edit existing).


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Connecting Sony Xperia U with my Windows XP laptop
I am unable to link my phone with my laptop. When I connect the USB it says st25i camera connected. I use a Sony Xperia U model and my laptop has Windows XP OS. What can be the issue?

Sounds like a driver issue. See if you can find the correct drivers for you phone on the Sony website.

maybe this help: link

When connected via USB, pull down your notification bar and check whether it has an "USB" entry. You might be able here to select the connection mode from e.g. "charge only", "MTP", "USB mass storage". If it's not there, check in the common Settings menu (usually Settings->Connections->USB connection) what is available.

Most probably driver issue, following resources may help you

http://talk.sonymobile.com/thread/42763?start=0&tstart=0
http://www.priceandspecification.in/sony-xperia-u-pc-suite-pc-companion-software-download.html
http://developer.sonymobile.com/downloads/drivers/

first of all you need to install a Sony Pc Companions in your pc and then connect the device through it. after this u can share, transfer the pic and docs. you can download it from sony xperia site which is easily available.
Rao Saahil Umar

Why would you need a companion suite to connect a device and share its storage? How would users on Linux/MacOS and other systems do that then (as most of those "suites" are Windows-only)?

Right click on My Computer icon (on desktop) then Click "Manage"
Click on Device Manager, and select "Portable Devices" from the list. Double click on Device Manager and select ST25i (Your phone Device) from the list.
Right click on ST25i (Your phone Device) and click "Update Driver..." from the list (which will open a Hardware Update Wizard)
Click "Install the software automatically (Recommended)", then Next and
the wizard will search for correct Update automatically.
Click on Finish.


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Sony Xperia U with my Windows XP laptop
I have Windows XP and every time I connect my Xperia U, the computer thinks it a camera. I think it's a driver problem so I found the drivers on the Sony Website, but I'm not sure how to install them?
I installed the drivers, but my computer still thinks it's a camera. Any help?

It there any USB connectivity setting? Normally phones have settings like connect to PC as: Camera, Storage, Android phone, etc. Can you just verify these settings?

There is problem with the MTP driver in Windows XP. It will connect in PTP mode thats why it is showing as camera. You can search in Microsoft forum for enabling MTP but still not sure whether it will work or not. Change the os or install Sony PC companion

You probably have the phone set to connect in PTP mode.  When you connect, there should be a notification that you've connected to a computer.
Open that notification and it should allow you to select a different mode, usually either MSC (mass storage, used on pre-4.0) or MTP (media transfer, 4.0 and newer).
Alternatively, look in the settings for a USB connection mode option.

If you've upgraded from gingerbread, Android 4.0 does not allow for direct mounting of the phone memory/sd. This means that your phone will show up as either a media player or camera.


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Can't Factory Reset My Device
I have a Chinese MID9000 tablet, and when I tried to install an app it took forever. I checked why and the device said that internal storage had 00.00 bytes when I hadn't even installed anything yet. Everything else functions perfectly except for app installation and the fact that it always acts like it's the first time opening it when I restart it.
So I tried to factory reset it from the settings menu to see if it would fix the issue, but all I saw was an Android laying on its back with light blue circuits running through it for a second, then it flashed to a red exclamation mark. Now I have a 150 dollar piece of tech that is useless.
I don't want to send it back to Newegg because I want to see if there is any way to get it working first to avoid the hassle. I have tried searching for solutions, but everything I found required a Windows computer and I use Ubuntu. Are there any solutions that don't require using a Windows computer?


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Water damaged Nexus S turns on and runs but has unresponsive touchscreen
I dropped my Nexus S in water. I dried it out for a few days and the phone turns on to the home screen, and it seems to get the latest notifications although I cannot slide the phone and the touchscreen doesn't work.
Is there anything I can do from my computer, while phone is plugged in to get the touchscreen working again?

How'd you dry it out? Your work might not be done...

The Nexus S is rather easy to open and take apart (iFixit howto here). I'd suggest you do this or leave it for some more days. If that all doesn't help, you can get a replacement for the (EU) lcd (i9023) or (US) amoled (i9020) model on ebay (the pure panel+touch is cheaper but harder to reassemble (glue needed), they also sell the whole frontpanel (touch+screen+plastic-bordering+magnesium-chassis) as a whole (harder to find, more expensive but very easy to fix (2mins maybe)))

Simplest Method.
Place moisture-damaged device in zip-lock bag, with at least two tablespoons of white rice.
Store in warm place (hot water cupboard, or sunny nook), but out of direct sunlight, for two to three days.
Then all moisture will now be in rice, which you should discard (rather than consume).

Note: Any attempt to use device, prior to complete removal of moisture, may have permanently damaged the device.

If the hardware is water damaged, then no sorry.
It is quite possible that the device still has a small amount of liquid inside it - I suggest crushing some chalk, and placing the entire device into the crushed chalk (it absorbs moisture).
Otherwise, I am sorry to say that you would be quite stuck and would have to go to a repair shop.


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I rooted my phone. Now apps cannot connect to the internet but browsers work fine
I have a Samsung Galaxy Y and rooted it a few days ago. After that I set up a few apps and granted them access to root permissions (via the Superuser app). I allowed root to all apps that requested it.
Now I cannot connect to the internet via any app except browser apps - Gmail cannot receive emails, and Google Play is not loading.
I tried a factory reset and unrooted the phone, but it is still not working.
How can I fix this issue?

what rooted apps did you use?

Don't have enough rep to post this as an answer, but this may be resolved by disabling any proxy settings on your WiFi connection: http://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/2ofhsn/rooted_with_stump_root_now_no_data_connections/

Is background data enabled?
You can enable it in Settings->Accounts and Sync->Background Data or System Settings->Data Use->Menu Button->Auto-sync data checked.

If it's specific to your Google accounts, check the general Google synce settings.
Settings->Accounts/Google->YourEmail@gmail.com Last synced MM/DD/YYYY 12:00 PM->List of Google Sync Settings.

Some apps may indicate sync is turned off, like the Gmail app:
Gmail App->Menu/Settings->YourEmail@gmail.com->DATA USAGE/Gmail sync is OFF

I was facing the similar issue with whatsapp, finally found out the simple solution
Settings -> Accounts & sync -> ENABLE this


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Google Nexus 7 not recognized via USB
I'm trying to connect my Google Nexus 7 to my PC for Android development but so far I've been unsuccessful.
I've tried connecting to my PC using different cables. When I connected the device to my Windows 7 PC, I didn't get any notification on Android or my PC that a device was connected. In "Other devices" my PC shows an Unknown device. I tried using MTP and PTP, as well as disabling and enabling USB debugging. I've used Nexus Root Toolkit, Universal Naked Driver, Nexus 7 toolkit, and I've tried this tutorial and many others and nothing has helped me.
I don't understand why there aren't any notifications on Android. Could it be a hardware problem? How can I check it?

Are using the USB cable supplied (with device), or an OTG type USB cable?

Can you see "Google Nexus 7 ADB Interface" in your device manager when you connect your device? I too had this issue and tried cleaning USB entries using the toolkit and installing driver from Asus support page.

Make sure that:

Your device is in USB Debugging mode
You have the device drivers installed
With the device connected, delete any 'Android' devices in the device manager. Do this by highlighting it and pressing the delete key.
Disconnect then connect the device.

Yes, i enable USB debugging and install drivers. I can't understood why device didn't show any messages when i connect it.

@YuriyBugryn See edit

Doesn't help. My Windows 7 then looks (online) for the driver, but doesn't find any.

I just opened the Device Manager and updated the driver. It looked for it online, and I just unplugged the Nexus and plugged it back in and it worked.

My Windows 7 doesn't find the driver or updates.

I turned off my tablet and turned it on!Worked for me


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SuperOneClick freezes at "Running psneuter" while rooting. What can I do?
I tried to root my new Samsung Galaxy S II today using the instructions in the CF-Root thread and in the videos provided by this guy on YouTube.
I was nearly across the finish line, but when I click the big "Root" button on SuperOneClick, it freezes at "Running psneuter" and won't go any further or shut down (without Task Manager intervention).
I've tried leaving it for > 10 mins, turning off all antivirus and I've tried 2 different SuperOneClick versions (1.9.1 and 1.7) to no avail.
Because of this, I'm pretty sure my root isn't going through properly. Mainly because when I check if my phone is rooted properly I can't get su access in shell.
Any ideas/thoughts about what to do?

According to an answer I got a thread I made at XDA Developers, it looks like the phone actually is rooted because the whole idea with the CF-Root Kernel I used is that it comes pre rooted (which makes me feel slightly sheepish!).

Looks like someone patched the security vulnerability psneuter uses. :)

disable antivirus in your system before extracting superoneclick and while running it

The OP specifically said he's already tried turning off his anti-virus software. Besides, this question already has an accepted answer: the phone was already rooted.


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What does Android 2.2.1 bring?
Compared to 2.2, what does 2.2.1 bring that's new please?
Thank you.

I'm not aware of an official changelog anywhere, but you can look at the commit log on the git repository here. Anything between the 2.2_r1.3 tag and the 2.2.1_r1 tag was a change added in 2.2.1.
The summary: it's basically just bugfixes, hence why it's a smaller increment (as opposed to 2.2->2.3, for example).
Note: If you're getting a 2.2.1 update from a carrier then they may have added other changes to their own software, so the above applies to the Android OS itself and not any additional components.

Only for Samsung Galaxy S ( but nevertheless very, very important ):  speed, speed, speed.
My Galaxy is much, much quicker in handling all things - the lag that was present in previous versions up and including 2.2 is completely gone.
Update: maybe not only for Samsung Galaxy S ( come to think of it ) , but I have only the Samsung Galaxy S at my disposal.

How did you get this update?  Did you get it officially?  I'm just wondering because I have a Galaxy S Captivate that is still on 2.2.

@Chance It came down to i9000 (International) Galaxy S's through Kies back in February/early March (depending on your channel/network). I think just like the initial Froyo, it was released in Europe first.

@Chance: I got it using the regular KIES. One day I ( a few weeks back ), I opened KIES and it reported an update to 2.2.1 to be ready. I upgraded and as they say: never looked back. It really, really, really ..... really does make a big difference. My phone, which I was happy with before, mind you, is not just ideal. I can't compare with other devices, of course, but as it is now, my Samsung Galaxy S phone is a 'hell of a device'. I a living in Belgium, by the way.

yeah, I forgot that people outside the U.S. have been getting updates to their phone.  Thanks.


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WhatsApp re-registration after backup
I want to flash a custom rom on my S3. I was wondering if I take a Titanium Backup of all the applications and data on my phone, would I need to re-register (sim verification) for applications like WhatsApp, Tango, Viber etc. even after I restore the data?

I wouldn't put my hands in the fire for that -- but as TB backs up all the apps data, I'd say a proper restore would look to the app as if nothing happened, so you would not need to re-register. At least not if IMEI/IMSI/... stay unchanged (I don't know what they check) and your Google Account etc. stays the same.

I played with fire and went ahead and backed up my data with TB, flashed a custom rom (ParanoidAndroid 3.0) and restored the backup! Well, this is how it went:

WhatsApp - restored the data without re-registration
Tango - re-register
Viber - restored
Google+ - log in required and configure the settings
Facebook - already logged in (but re-sync contacts)
Path - already logged in

When you flash a custom rom and you are coming from different version of android, restoring app data may cause some problems. If you restore your Whatsapp's data may cause crashing that App. So its better not to backup data,backup just that Application. If you are flashing same android version it may not cause issues. And you don't need to re-register.


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View which apps have accessed location data recently
I've heard that Android 5.0 (Lollipop) provides a way that users can view which apps have recently accessed location data.  I'd like to list all apps that have collected my location information recently, so I can keep an eye on them.  How do you do that?  Where in the user interface is this available?  What screen is this information on?  Is this available on any version before Lollipop?
(Alas, I don't have a phone with Lollipop handy to test it myself, or I'd look for it myself.)

Ah-hah: looks to be answered here: http://android.stackexchange.com/a/75112/7401


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Flash update.img using flash_image
I want to flash a new ROM using the shell. (Need this later to do per app so there is no other way than shell). Here is what I tried
connected to 192.168.1.9:5555
Pauls-MacBook-Pro:~$ adb shell
root@android:/ # su
root@android:/ # flash_image
usage: flash_image partition file.img
root@android:/ # flash_image boot /mnt/sdcard/_updateboot.img
error opening /mnt/sdcard/_updateboot.img: No such file or directory
1|root@android:/ # flash_image boot /mnt/sdcard/_update/boot.img
root@android:/ # flash_image misc /mnt/sdcard/_update/misc.img
root@android:/ # flash_image kernel /mnt/sdcard/_update/kernel.img
root@android:/ # flash_image recovery /mnt/sdcard/_update/recovery.img
root@android:/ # flash_image system /mnt/sdcard/_update/system.img
mtd: write error (No space left on device)
error writing system: No space left on device
1|root@android:/ # flash_image system /mnt/sdcard/_update/system.img
mtd: write error (No space left on device)
error writing system: No space left on device
1|root@android:/ # reboot

Even if I don't get the No space error it just wouldn't boot (it is a TV dongle, so no HDMI output). Has anyone an idea how to flash ROMs from an ROM?

To avoid the "no space left" problem, you could re-pack your image file as described in Removing files from & repackaging CyanogenMod ROM zip files. Though that might not solve your final issue ("not booting"), it should at least help a bit.

These aren't zips. There are only .img like boot, kernel, recovery, system ... But I will try to modify them maybe it will work.

Might be Yaffs images, in which case you might want to look out for the yaffs2utils or yaffs_tools to handle them.


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Can you factory reset an Android device but not wipe away info on the SD card?
I am looking into factory resetting my 2.2 Android tablet. Is there a way to do this without wiping the contents of the SD card?

If you remove the SD card, it will surely leave it untouched :D For more details, just click the "factory-reset" tag below your question -- or follow this link to 28 relevant answers.

Also back up your data prior to wiping, better safe than sorry.

Factory resets do not normally affect the external SD card, e.g., /sdcard/external_sd.  Some devices will wipe everything else under /sdcard (like the ASUS Transformer) while others will not (like the Samsung Galaxy S).  So it depends on your device and which "SD card" you're referring to, and also the filesystem layout — some devices will mount internal/external SD storage in different places than what I mentioned above.


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Samsung Galaxy S No Unlock Screen
I have a Samsung Galaxy S (with DMB).
It's running Gingerbread and it doesn't have an unlock screen. I have tried to set it up through the settings but it doesn't work. Any idea why?

I am not familiar with DMB, what is that?  What happens when you access the security settings? Does it appear to work, but then when you test it out it does not?

DMB is DAB and Online TV, it lets me set the lock but it just dosent work when i wake the galaxy up.

Have you changed the lock timeout in the security settings?

Could you provide some screenshots showing your lock settings?

I dont need help anymore, i did a factory reset and it started working. I guess someone had changed something before  i got it! :)


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How to find pid of Battery Service?
I am able to find the pid of System server using ps. And I can find info about the system server process through /proc/pidof system_server. But I dont see (or unable to find) the pid of the other Android System Services like Battery Service, etc..
Is there any way to find the pid of Android System Services ?


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How can I set up additional email folders on my Galaxy S3?
On my Samsung Galaxy S3 I can see the standard folders: inbox, drafts, outbox, sent, recycle.
How do I set up additional folders?

Please specify the email app you refer to -- otherwise it's hard to tell. If you don't know it, at least give some more details on your device, e.g. manufacturer and Android version. Not everybody knows what an S111 is (I don't, for example).

Thanks for the edit, eldarerathis! I thought the OP could have meant the Galaxy S3 but wasn't sure. One should refrain from using "fancy writing" when looking for help (little hint to the Captain :)


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Nexus 7 won't boot up - could it be due to cell phone sitting on top of it?
I've had my Nexus 7 for about 4 months and it's been working well until about a couple days ago. It ran out of battery so I plugged in the charger. It began charging but something weird happened when it turned on. It started having static lines across the screen and it would work for about 3 min and then the static lines would appear. After that it would turn off.
I left it charging for about 6 hrs and now it won't boot up at all. Could this be due to a cell phone sitting on top of the Nexus 7 cover for a couple days? Could it be that the radio frequency from the cell phone messed up the Nexus 7? I'd appreciate some help getting this booting again.

It could very well be due to your mobile sitting on top of it.
There may have been an electrostatic discharge from your phone, that was sent through the Nexus 7, breaking/harming some components.
If you can, I would suggest you take it to the repair center - it would be the only way if this is what has happened.


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Galaxy Note 10.1 recurring tasks in Exchange: sync problem
I'm syncing email and calendar with my corporate Exchange server on my Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Problem is when I mark a recurring task as done on my PC the tablet puts it back. This only happens when the tablet is online, so definitely caused by the tablet. I've noticed that yearly re-occuring tasks that originally started for instance in 2003 are put back starting again in 2003 but the reminder date is 2013. When I mark it as complete the dates move to 2004 and 2014. I have to actually delete the task on the tablet and recreate it on the PC to get it right.


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What are the consequences of installing CWM?
I installed CWM sometime back and switched back to a stock ROM. When I installed CWM I lost my userdata, by which I mean the phone started as it would for the first time after opening the box. I used fastboot oem unlock to unlock the bootloader so I could install CWM.
I want to root my phone, but I don't want to lose all my userdata this time. Is CWM is a must for rooting?

It depends, what device are you using?

What do you mean by userdata? Has you device gone in factory reset status or you lost data from SD card?

Sorry, but what model of you device? I'm firstly hear about lost data, but it may be because of script error or fastboot oem unlock command, where it already unneeded (it needed first time, and it format userdata for security reason).

live with walkman sony...(wt19i)

yes..I lost all contacts and apps etc...I lost my personal words keyboard learnt sofar..that was most painful

@Penguinolog I think that answers my question...I did fastboot oem unlock then installed CWM..

i have 2 android phones.. I have never seen this case "After installing CWM I lost data!" . Check if you tried to do Factory reset via CWM! if you did Factory reset that might have caused you to loose userdata.

As Liam's answer makes clear, the factory-reset came from fastboot oem unlock, not from installing CWM. Moreover, flashing stock ROM does not necessarily mean CWM is gone: /recovery is a separate partition. So unless stock recovery was flashed, CWM should still be there.

fastboot oem unlock always deletes userdata for security reasons, so it must be used only once (until you lock again manually).
CWM is needed if you want to flash a root package (you can't push it via fastboot), but that is not usually the only way to root a device.  The CWM install needs only the fastboot flash recovery recovery_name command, which does not affect user data.

Root application not flash - it realy put into flashed system.

The only reason you lost your user data was because of the oem unlock command - the documentation says this will erase all user data for security.
You can install cwm using fastboot fastboot flash recovery <path to recovery image>, and to will not erase userdata.
Recovery isn't a must for root - but it is recommended.


text:
Prevent update prompt
Is there a way without rooting to prevent galaxy nexus devices from prompting that there is an update available. We have several devices at work that we would like to keep on a particular android version for development reasons and it is somewhat of an annoyance being informed  repeatedly of the same update.

You are looking for FOTAKill.apk, it kills the Firmware Over The Air (FOTA).
"Prevents GoogleServicesFramework from downloading OTA updates"
It's a fairly standard apk used and provided with some gapps packages (google apps package, when you install a custom ROM you don't get the google apps, need to install a gapps package)..
It works for both stock and rooted ROMS
The XDA forums have more information about it and download links of the apk, it originated from the CM ROM (cyanogenmod) but works on stock as well as custom ROMs.
Source code:
https://github.com/zinx/FOTAKill
Download etc for example from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832496

Can you give more information on just the name of the apk, how do you use it?

Fair enough, updated the answer

I would have upvoted, but clearly FOTAKill is based on CM, we do not know exactly if the OP is using a stock ROM or custom ROM... but being a Google Nexus  handset, it is probably stock ROM, based on the tag that the OP included in their question... and also, the github source is referring to Froyo, API 8 (look at the AndroidManifest.xml) that's CM/Froyo specific and not stock, plus its two years old and has not been updated since... :)

Your analysis is off, it is not based on CM, it originated from the CM project and works just fine on stock and custom ROMs. It works by preventing the "GoogleServicesFramework from downloading OTA updates" as stated in the answer, not anything custom made in the android system. Here is a link of people using and recommedning this on both stock and rooted ROMs recently. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832496

Fair enough - when I stated "based on CM", I actually did meant its a CM thing, however, I stand corrected. Another solution, install droidwall if rooted and block off GoogleServicesFramework.... but then again that could prevent receiving any Google services such as sync and play store app updates :)


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Will factory resetting wipe/clear away pre-installed apps?
I linked my Gmail account to my tablet and I longer want it linked.
I have read that it is permanently linked, and I must factory reset the device to unlink the account - is this true?
Will factory resetting my device delete everything including pre-installed app, or will it be like new with my pre-installed apps intact?

I have read over other peoples questions and happened to stumble upon someone who 's device had turned to Gingerbread instead of Android will that happen to my tablet?

Gingerbread is Android (version 2.3.x). And no, a factory reset won't change the installed system.

What is factory reset?
First, the word "factory reset" might be a bit misleading -- as one can easily tell by your first comment to your question: If the device ships with Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x) pre-installed, and after a while offers an update to e.g. Ice Cream Sandwhich (Android 4.0.x) which you perform -- a factory-reset thereafter will not reset it to Gingerbread.
To understand what happens at a factory reset, you need to know some of the way Android's file system works. To make that easier to understand, I will abstract (and simplify) this a bit:
There are multiple partitions created on the storage of the device. A few examples include:

/system, which normally is "read-only". Here the Android System incl. its pre-installed apps reside
/data, which is "read/write". Here go all the user's data, incl. the apps (s)he installs

There are some more partitions, which I will ignore for this example. With a new device, /system contains the Android system plus pre-installed apps, as stated above -- while /data is empty. That's the "factory state", we could say. Now you switch your device on, and go through the wizard: creating/configuring your account etc. These data are stored in /data. So will the apps you download from the playstore, etc.
A factory reset now will return your device to "factory state": it will wipe all data it can.

As /data is read/write, it will get wiped.
/system is read-only, so it won't get wiped. This includes the pre-installed apps.
Your Google Account data have been stored in /data, so they will get wiped
Apps you have installed from the playstore were stored in /data, including their settings and data -- so they will be gone as well.

The Google Account linked
As you can see from above description, a factory-reset will "unlink" the connected Google Account. In my eyes, that's like I want to delete a file: sure, when I format the entire disk the file is gone... So there must be other ways which keep your data intact.
At least in earlier versions of Android, there was a different approach (not sure if that still works, though). As a factory-reset as the "last ressort" would either delete all your personal data, it does no harm to try the following in advance: If it still works, great -- if it doesn't, you still can do the reset:

from your homescreen, open Settings → Apps → Manage Apps
one after the other, open all Google apps you can find (GMail, Playstore, GTalk, Google storage...) and press the "Delete Cache" plus "Delete Data" buttons. If they are greyed out, you might need to "force stop" the app first (there's another button for that)
reboot your device

If this trick still works, your account should be gone by now; maybe even the wizard will pop-up again automatically.
Side effects
One thing to keep in mind when changing the linked Google Account are your payed apps. They are bound to the account you've bought them with -- so they might stop working when that account is no longer there, and most will do so. If you no longer want to use your old account, you need to buy them again.

You're welcome, @anne! As said on the other answer: Consider upvoting the answers you found helpful, and accept the one that helped you best ;)

@Izzy: Don't forget that you need 15 rep to upvote, though.

Oh -- even on answers to your own question? Wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the hint!

By pre-installed do you mean system apps, or do you mean apps that you downloaded of Google Play?
It is true that you have to reset your device to get rid of the first Google account you added.
System apps (that came with the phone) will not be erased, but their data will.
Custom downloaded apps (that you downloaded off Google Play and installed) will be erased.

Yes,i meant system apps.

Thanx for your help

@anne If you find an answer useful, consider clicking the "up" arrow. This "upvotes" the answer -- and as a reward the one who made it gets additional reputation. If the answer solved your problem, hit the check-mark to accept it -- so others can see the solution more easily.

It needs factory reset to get it off, is it true?

A factory reset will clear all personal data liked with your Google account and all other data, settings, and apps that you have downloaded.

Will factory reset delete everything including pre-installed app?

Your pre-installed apps will NOT be deleted. However, your data for those apps will be deleted! So the pre-installed apps will still be there, it will be like you are using them for the first time.
Factory reset is simply resetting your device to the original image of the current ROM.
This YouTube video is a good resource to learn more about factory reset.

@anne You are welcome! At Android Enthusiasts, we thank by voting up... And accepting the answer that best answers your question. :)

@anne: Note, though, that you'll need 15 reputation before you can upvote posts (accepting answers can be done at any reputation level, however).


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Reducing upper volume level
My 3 year old son is making his first steps with our Android tablet (Nexus 7). He hasn't mastered the correct usage of the volume slider so he pulls the volume to the max whenever he is using it. Is there any way to configure the maximum volume setting?

There is currently no way to limit the maximum volume.
This has been asked on XDA Developers and there was only the one response since the beginning of August.

Viperaudio can lower max gain and output pevels.

Welcome to [android.se]! Could you mention the download link to make this answer more complete? And also if possible, write the step to lower max gain & output levels.


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Communicating with micro USB to Ethernet
I am trying to communicate with an ethernet enabled devices from my Android phone. My phone has Android 2.3.6 and the device I am trying to communicate with has a mini web server running on it. The device has a single RJ45 port for communication with the outside word. Is it possible for me to connect my Android phone using a  micro usb to Ethernet adapter and talk to the mini web server? If so, could you kindly show me how to go about this.
I have connected my Nexus One  and tried to enable USB tethering but it doesn't work. I was reading an article on ADB but it doesn't show how to establish connection and assign address to an adapter.

Does your Nexus One recognize the ethernet adapter? Do you have a wired router? Could you plug the mini web server and phone into a router? (This would allow DHCP to assign IPs and then you would have a way to communicate.)

The Nexus One does not seem to be recognizing the ethernet adapter. Is there any other Andriod Phone that allows this? For my class design project, we need to only communicate via wire directly with the phone. One of the constrains is that, no wifi or cellular connection can be used. So, in short, we can only use the micro usb to ethernet adapter and connect directly to the device. If there is any other android base device that I can use, please let me know. For now, I already had a Nexus One so we decided to use it

Is your device rooted? With a terminal emulator you could set a static ip for the ethernet adapter that is in the same subnet as the server.

Yes the phone is rooted. I tried ifconfig usb0 192.168.x.x  but it didn't work. I was able to log into the shell using adb when I connected the micro usb to USB cable directly to my laptop. Is there another way you recommend?

It's more likely to be eth0 instead of usb0. Give that a try.

From the terminal using netcfg, eth0 doesn't show up. however, i did try and nothing seem to happen as eth0 wasn't present. Meanwhile, I just tried rebooting the phone and it is no longer powering on. I have tried fastboot but it states that the device is offline

You might be able to connect a router with USB port to the rj45 on the web server then connect the phone to the USB port on the router.

See also: How to use an USB-attached wired Ethernet adapter through USB-OtG on an Android smartphone?

How to make Ethernet work on Android over OTG?


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Is it possible to improve the following GUI in Samsung Galaxy S
I was wondering, is it possible for me to perform modification for the following GUI in Samsung Galaxy S? What software I should use to do so? (I use a white rectangle to highlight them)
1) Possible for me to remove button 1,2,3 numbering.
2) I do not want a square icon. Is it possible to have icon background same as wallpaper background?

Use an alternative homescreen launcher like LauncherPro or dxTop or ADW.Launcher or GoLauncher.
Lots of customizations and options. You'll need to explore each one's features and see which is best for you.

+1 for LauncherPro, there are even custom skins/builds of LauncherPro to further customize the homescreen.

Here's a link to LauncherPro for the search-engine-inept.

or Zeam.

If you want those home screen indicators but just don't want the numbers in them then download ADW.Launcher.  It comes pre-installed on CyanogenMod 6.2.1 and I've really enjoyed using it.
As far as that icon, it is what it is.  In order to change it you're going to need to alter the app directly, or install an app that allows you to change the icons for your apps with image files you have installed on your SDCard.

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


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Nexus One User's Guide Printed Book?
Does the Nexus One come with a printed (i.e. real paper, not PDF) User's Guide?
Note: I know that the N1's User's Guide PDF can be downloaded from here, but I would hate to use my poor printer to print 334 pages...

No.  It comes with a couple small booklets (see this AndroidSpin post for example images) but not the full user guide.  (Also see this HowardForums post answering your question).

Thanks, +1 and... ouch! (my eyes hurt staring at the screen all they long)

Might be time to invest in a decent e-reader ;) though I also prefer paper books myself.

you probably mean an e-ink e-reader (monochrome). Because the color nook, kobo, iPad use the same "photon bombarding technology" as my LCD screen...

Yes, exactly :)


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Samsung Galaxy S3 requesting network security key when tethering
My S3 (Jellybean) was suddenly no longer recognised by my PC when plugged in via USB.  I solved that by debugging using Developer Options as advised in another thread, which allowed the driver to be installed... again (thank you).
But now if I try to use it as a hot-spot via USB tethering, I'm prompted to enter a network security key.
Previously it just connected without the need for this and furthermore, I don't know where I would find such a key since I didn't set it up in the first place.
Help anyone?

Go to setting > more settings > tethering now enable tethering. On same screen tap tethering again, not to turn off, so tap to the left of the tether on switch. A screen opens, go to bottom left corner and tap configure.  Scroll down you will see a password field, tap the show password then copy and paste the password to notepad or write it down. When your laptop asks for a security key enter password. I did this for the first time in ten minutes.

Once you have activated tethering you can select the "Portable Wifi hotspot" row on the left side in the tethering menu to get an information page. From the information page there is a configuration menu to add specific allowed devices to connect, and to configure the SSID and password of the tethering Wifi Hotspot.
I find this is confusing/misleading because in the same row there is also the tethering activation/deactivation button on the right side so to me it is counter-intuitive that other elements in the same row would also have actions associated with them.

I don't think you can use hotspot through USB. May be it is asking for your wifi hotspot password. Which you can find in 'Tethering and Portable hotspot' settings.

You definitely can, because I was doing it up until today!  Like with my old iPhone 3GS, I just plugged it in and it was available in the Network and Sharing Center.  However, whereas the iPhone automatically became a hotspot when tethered, with the S3 each time you go to settings and switch on the 'Tethering and portable hotspot' & it warns you that the Wifi will then be turned off.  It's only today that it needed a password.  I can't see any settings in 'Tethering and portable hotspot' apart from the slider to switch it on, USB or Bluetooth tethering and Help (which isn't).

Well, I am sorry about my earlier answer. Since I didn't use USB tethering I didn't know about it. Since I am on a custom ROM, I couldn't figure the exact problem of yours in my mobile as well. So, I thought of giving you some alternatives, Try this PdaNet, http://junefabrics.com/android/ The thing is, if you are depending on your mobile's data connection it will be a tough task for you because you have to download a PC application for this. Meanwhile, I will try to figure out your problem soon.

Also, this ClockWorkMod Tether looks promising. He is a well known developer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.tether&feature=search_result For this, you don't have to have an internet connection in your PC. so give try on this first. Read its description for more information on how to do.

Thanks for the help but it all seems quite complicated when it was 'plug and play' originally and just stopped working for no reason. Mind you, my PC started shutting down every night and when I investigated, the Windows update setting had been changed to automatic, instead of letting me decide to install. How??? I hadn't touched it! Chances are an update has screwed something up.

And I do have an internet connection on my PC - most of the time.  NZ broadband is a bit unreliable and so when it goes offline, I like to be able to use my mobile to connect so I don't have to stop working.

Okay, try my suggestions for now.

Thanks for your help.  It righted itself with no action on my part.  Go figure!


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Error when trying to use adb shell in recovery mode
I have a Chinese phone which I've been unable to install ClockworkMod on. I decided to try booting into recovery mode to manually backup/restore the system partition.
However, if I plug my phone into my PC while it's in recovery mode and issue the command
adb shell

it says:
exec '/system/bin/sh' failed: No such file or directory (2)

I can only do very limited tasks, like adb ls / to see the filesystem, but nothing else.
How can I get adb shell working in recovery mode?

In mounts and storage, mount /system.

This answer needs more detail to be useful.


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Web Page Not Available on StraightTalk Android ZTE
I have a StraightTalk ZTE Merit, and the browser keeps on saying "web page not available".
Data enabled and Data roaming are both checked under Mobile network settings. For some reason, it will not let me edit the APN settings.
I cannot use any internet-based apps.
This is the third day it has been like this.
Any help would be great.
Some troubleshooting results:

Cellular network is AT&T, MVNO is StraightTalk.
Voice/Text still works.
No installation of apps prior to the issue
Have cleared the Browser's cookies and cache
It has worked on previous occasion
Disabling data roaming did not seem to help
Does not work over Wifi
APN is set to:

Name is WAP.

APN is att.mnvo
Proxy is proxy.mnvo.tracfone.com
Port is 80
MMSC is mmsc.cingular.com
MMMS proxy is proxy.tracfone.com
MMS port is 80
MCC is 310
MNC is 410
Authentication type is none
APN type is default,mms,supl

Am suspecting the proxy within the APN setting, could be the fault, or that the service provider has changed something somewhere.

OP was advised to check with their cellular network's web-site to see if there's a page somewhere, (it would require registering details such as name/email/number) and perhaps a button to send the APN details via SMS.

Proxy.mvno.tracfone.com  make sure that the letter P is on upper case
and this is an old apn settings
your internet is slow on this kind of apn
use the current LTE one

Hostnames are not case sensitive. Can you suggest the specific APN settings the OP should be using?


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Configuring ADB for Nexus 4 on Ubuntu 11.10
I'm trying to deploy and test an Android app on my Nexus 4 from my Ubuntu 11.10 computer, but ADB doesn't recognize it. I think I need the Google USB drivers, but I cannot find instructions on how to install them on Ubuntu.
How can I install the drivers on Ubuntu 11.10 so that ADB will recognize my N4?

You don't need any special drivers -- all you need is to make your device known. A few simple steps can accomplish this when your device is connected via USB:
sudo lsusb
[...]
Bus 002 Device 054: ID 18d1:4e22 Google Inc. Nexus S (debug)

See the two hex values separated by a colon: 18d1:4e22 This is the manufacturerID:deviceID you need to tell the system to handle. So as root:
sudo su -
cd /etc/udev/rules.d
vi 51-android.rules

In this file, add a line (you can use the editor of your choice, of course -- my example uses vi)
# MyDeviceName
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTRS{idProduct}=="4e22", MODE="0666" GROUP="androiddev", SYMLINK+="android%n"

This example uses the values from above lsusb output -- you need to replace them by yours. Now, to let your changes take effect:
sudo service udev reload

Final step: Disconnect your device, and reconnect it. It should be recognized now.

As explained at Enable developer options in Android 4.2 on Nexus 4 and Galaxy Nexus you need to activate developer mode.

Step 1: Pull down the notifications panel on your device’s interface and tap on Settings.
Step 2: Next, scroll all the way down and tap on About Phone, and you will notice a segment detailing your device’s build number.
Step 3: Repeatedly tap on Build Number (seven taps should do the trick) until you’re met with a message that reads: “you are now a developer!”


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always-on Dictaphone
I know there is an app named Dictaphone. I need a feature like that, but it should be on all day long. Because when it's time to turn it on, I always forget to start this app. And so I can't record important dialog. It must be kind an audioregistrator from the pocket.
I know apps that register video. I need the same thing but only that it records audio without video. For example it must record every hour and save records on flash card with names like 2013-02-15_08-09. That means recording on 15 February 2013 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. And for example if there is no more space on flash card it must erase several recordings to continue recording.

efr, questions of the kind Can you suggest an app that does X? are off topic here according to our [FAQ]. I rephrased your question a little to avoid it being closed (asking for a solution to your problem instead of asking for an app with special features). I cannot answer your question, though -- but wish you good luck!

I don't see how such an app would work unless it prevents the phone from sleeping, and then it's going to run out of battery long before the day is over. You're going to be better off with a device designed for such a purpose.

Is it on specific times that you have to start recording? Otherwise I think you would be better of using an app like Tasker to schedule when it should start recording. Battery drain and out of memory will otherwise be some problems. ("Privacy" pops in my head too btw)


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Google authenticator app says that this version is no longer supported
I'm a bit concerned about the message this app is giving me.  It is saying that my currently installed version is no longer supported.  Why am I getting this message directly from the app, shouldn't the play store be telling me that an update is available to update this app?

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/20899/why-does-the-google-authentication-app-have-obsolete-in-its-title-on-play-stor

For some reason Google have created a whole new app for the new version of the Authenticator app:

New version
Old version

See also Why does the Google authentication app have “obsolete” in its title on Play Store? and in the news Android Police: PSA: Google's Authenticator Updated To v2, Except It's A Brand New App, And You Need To Install It To Get Future Updates (Old One Is Dead)
It is worth noting that as long as you still have the old version installed when you install and first open the new version, it will offer to import your old settings and accounts. If you remove the old version before running the new one you'll need to re-add your accounts, which may involve an annoying process of first turning off two step auth, and then re-enabling it on those accounts.


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How to use XMPP/Jabber while switching between networks?
When running a Jabber client what happens (or what should happen) when switching networks (or when losing connectivity and the GSM/UMTS modem reconnects)?
Can a mobile Android Jabber client (e.g. Jabiru) be smart about such situations?
Worst case scenario I can imagine: Client does not care, TCP (over TLS) connection to the Jabber server is lost, the Jabber status (displayed remotely) is bogus and there is a time window where messages (from buddies) are lost.
I observed such a worst case for example with a stock Jabber client on a Laptop using an unreliable UMTS connection.
When using a Laptop I can easily shield my Jabber session like this:

connect via autossh to a system with a stable network connection and directly run screen -Rd
start a console Jabber client inside screen

Thus, when losing the mobile internet connection the connection to the Jabber server is still fine. And autossh automatically reconnects and re-attaches to the running screen session when a new mobile connection is up.
Is a setup similar to this necessary when using Jabber on an Android device?
Or are there Jabber protocol extensions for mobile clients that actually help to avoid losing messages etc. in network on/off situation (while being connected to a Jabber server)?

Not sure if this question is on-topic on Android Enthusiasts. But I work with XMPP and Android, so here is my answer:
As Lie Ryan already stated, a handover from one mobile cell to another is almost always transparent to the TCP stack on Android devices. But there are situations where the IP of your Android device will change. This are typically GSM/UMTS <-> WiFi switches, which will cause the TCP connection to become unusable by the XMPP client.
On Android the standard XMPP library that most clients use - besides having their own proprietary one - is (a)Smack: Clients that use (a)Smack with the default configuration will not notice a connection change in a timely manner. But there is hope: XMPP Ping support is in Smack trunk and will be shipped with the 3.3 release. Most aSmack apps already use an aSmack version that has support for it, and just need to implement according measures.
On the other side it's the XMPP servers job to set your presence to unavailable (offline) after a (server defined) timeout for reaching the last client of the JID in question.
So it is not necessary to build workarounds if you are using a proper XMPP client, but you may have to live with ghost status situations that should resolve after a few minutes.
There is a nice XEP (XMPP Extension) that would be the silver bullet for mobile XMPP Connections: XEP-0198 - Stream Management. You can read about it in Ge0rg's Blog.
It's being worked on for (a)Smack. But it will take a while until it's stable and you need also server support for XEP-0198.

I'm not an expert in mobile networking, but AFAIK the TCP stack should handle mobile handover transparently, application programs should not need to be aware that the mobile network layer are switching from cell tower to cell tower. From the application program's perspective, there is just one continuous connection.
The only reason I can think of about what you're seeing in the laptop jabber client is that it did not use keepalive when opening a long running TCP connection. When there is a long period of no transmission, one of the intermediary nodes in the network (usually the firewall) may decide to terminate the connection (usually to save resources to serve other active connections) and the server therefore didn't have the chance to tell the client to terminate cleanly. Not using keepalive for a long running connection will make it impossible for the client to detect that the connection has been dropped because the only way for a client to detect a dropped connection is if it tried to send a packet and failed permanently.
Keepalive will cause the TCP stack to periodically ping the server with zero length ACK packets, therefore intermediary nodes will consider your long running connection to still be active and not terminate it.


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Why does Windows think my phone has 52 GiB of internal disk space whereas my phone sees 64 GB?
From my phone:

From Windows 7 SP1 x64 Ultimate:

because Android is wrong. it mixes up phone storage (64 GiB) with Internal Storage (52 GiB)

The phone flash storage is divided into several partitions. One partition is read-only and reserved for Android OS itself and other system data. On Windows you only see the user data partition where apps and app data is stored on. And this partition is smaller than the full flash chip as the other space is occupied by the system.

Your phone is showing you the total amount of storage inside your device.  This includes a bunch of partitions containing the operating system, radio image, preloaded apps, bootloader, recovery, etc.  These partitions are read-only, and many aren't even accessible within the Android OS, so they aren't exposed when connected to Windows—there wouldn't be any way to say "actually there's more space but you can't use it."  What Windows sees is the user-accessible space it can read from and write to, which is smaller than the total storage in the device.

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


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S Memo permissions
So, I wanted to see install S Memo on an Android 8 device and, for some reason, S Memo asked for permission to read my contacts, messages, phone journal and location. Why does it need this stuff?

I accidentally spelled see

You can edit your question at any time to fix typos or add new information.

S Memo can be used to share your notes with the contacts. You can text it to them, amongst other things.
On Android 8, if you deny these permissions, the app may not work properly, or may not work at all.  On apos written for the latest Android, you can deny selected permissions and the app is still supposed to work, albeit in a limited fashion.


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Can I rename the external storage mount point on Android10 with root access
System: rooted Samsung Galaxy S10 with Android10
I have replaced my old external sdcard (128GB) with a new and bigger one (512GB). The old card was automaticly mounted to /storage/6639-3031. The new card is mounted to: /storage/9C33-6BBD. Since I have a lot of configured appz that use custom paths pointed to /storage/6639-3031/somesubfolder I would like to change the new id: 9C33-6BBD back to the old one 6639-3031 system wide.
Since there is no fstab in Android responsible for this and I cannot find where this id's are stored in Android, maybe some experts here can help me? It seems like a simple problem but I did not find the solution yet.
Some clues I already found:

Android equivalent of /etc/fstab?
Remount FUSE partition

Once I have found where this external sdcard id is stored, can I just change the id (I have root)?
Will it be stay changed after reboot?

As far as I remember the mount point name is taken from the volume serial number of the SD-card (which is generated when the volume is formatted).
This means you don't have to make changes to your Android system at all. You should be able to edit this ID e.g. using a hex editor on a PC or a rooted Android phone. There are also special editor for changing the volume serial number.
The Volume serial number is stored as little-endian integer value on the header of the volume (that means the four nibbles of the number are stored in reversed order).
Directly modifying it using a hex editor is theoretically possible, but the problem is that the contained sector is protected by a checksum. There is a Python script that seems to allow to calculate the correct checksum (more info can be found here).
Additionally the volume serial number is contained twice in the volume, first in the master boot sector directly at the beginning and then a second time some KB afterwards.
If you just modify the volume serial number of the master and the backup sector the volume becomes defect and can't be mounted anymore. Also Windows chkdsk can not correct the error.
For Windows there is the Sysinternals utility program VolumeId, which can modify the VolumeID of a volume. Unfortunately it does not work with not exFAT volumes, it can only handle FAT16/32 and NTFS volumes.
For Windows there are some tools available which can modify the volume serial number of an exFAT volume:

AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro (commercial)
KRyLack Volume Serial Number Editor (commercial)

I found a HEX editor on Windows, I right clicked on the sdcard also mounted in Windows and are now performing a search for 'BD6B339C'. The search is taking a long time so I guess the editor is searching the whole volume and not just the header. Any hints on doing this the right way?

@Kleajmp Make sure the volume serial number is correct. Windows also shows the serial when you execute dir on the sdcard volume (assuming the file-system is mountable by Windows like FAT32 for exFAT). The volume serial number should be in the first ~1KB of the volume. I used HxD for checking.

ok now I see I have to reverse the pairs of HEX numbers from the volume label, like you showed correctly in your example, I found: 'BD 6B 33 9C' and changed it to: '31 30 39 66'. I will switch the sdcard later to my phone and keep u informed. thanks a lot I think it will succeed.

This worked liked a charm! Thanks a million.

very strange after Android reboot the mount point changed back tobthe original one. How can I make this permanent?

@Kleajmp Have you checked what volume serial number is now saved on the SD card? I do remember that FAT file systems do store attributes twice for security. May be on reboot a file-syste!m check was performed and a second now inconsistent volume serial number was discovered and  thus restored?

I guess this was the situation. When I returned to my country I inserted the card in a Windows computer and the header was changed back to the old one with the original volume serial number. When I changed it again, unmounted and mounted again in Windows it needed to perform a chkdsk so I guess it detects the "volume serial number" is corrupt. I did not perform this chkdsk and inserted the card back into Android and the changed volume number appeared again as i want it. But how can I change the "volume serial number" permanently? So also the security backup?

@Kleajmp The backups sectors isn't the actual problem. There is also a checksum which is invalidated by modifying the volume serial number. I found the info that "AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro" on Windows has the feature to modify the volume serial number: https://gist.github.com/dreamer2908/59066658df2844746e5feadba7a589a2 Ian a MS forum there is some C code posted to modify the serial and update the checksum: https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsdesktop/en-US/9468e325-49fc-41eb-b6ca-6cfc8b5ecf1d/how-to-change-a-disk-serial-number-about-filesystem-of-exfat?forum=vcgeneral

AOMEI Partition Assistant Pro did the trick! Now even after Android reboot the volume serial number stays to the modified value. Thank you for the tip. Should I make a new answer or will you add this info to yours? Problem solved now.

@Kleajmp Good to hear it finally worked in a stable way. I have added the AOMEI info to my post.