text:
Nexus 7 2013 screen won't come on. When to give up?
My Nexus 7 2013 is no longer working properly: I cannot get the screen to come on, and I don't see any evidence of back-lighting even in a dark room.  I believe the device starts up and shuts down properly because when it's connected to my computer via USB, I can browse the files on the tablet.
On two occasions, I was able to see the boot screen ("Google" logo with an open padlock at the bottom of the screen). The 2nd time it happened, there was an unusual white horizontal line (typically the background is solid black) crossing the screen. That was two days ago; nothing since.
I suspect it's a hardware issue, but I don't know how to test. So I have two questions:

What can I try to fix the problem? I'm open to using ADB, fastboot etc, but need detailed instructions (am noob).
If the problem can't be fixed, how can I safely clear all my info from the device before I dispose of it?

The Nexus is on Android 5.1.1, and is rooted with an unlocked bootloader. The device is also fully charged.
More info:
When I plug the device to my TV's HDMI, the Nexus outputs the Android UI to the television, and the tablet screen can sense my touch (I can navigate the touchscreen, although nothing is displayed on the tablet itself). So if any diagnostic or fix requires me to see what's on screen, it's doable

Did you have ADB activated before this occurred? If you can "pretend" to unlock the phone

@EthanZ not sure what you mean by "ADB activated", but I think the answer is yes: I've used ADB with this tablet before and I don't remember disabling it since.  How can I "pretend to unlock the phone"?

Turn the phone on and let it sit as if it was starting. Then, do what you'd do to unlock the screen. Plug it into the computer you used to root it and See if it shows up in the ADB device list

I updated my answer. Sorry about that.

This is hardware damage. Your local electronics repair shop can probably replace the screen if you would like. The manufacturer is a possibility too, but it will be expensive.
As for recovering data, most of what you will need to save is stored to the SD card (emulated most of the time), and you said you could view the internal storage. Save whatever you feel you want (always downloads folder and DCIM). Most other data is saved to the cloud by Google and can be automatically imported into a new device.
If you were able to access ADB, you can take a full system backup using the backup command. When it requests access, tap the bottom left corner of the screen after unlocking the screen as if it worked correctly. It's okay if this doesn't work, what you can already access should be sufficient.
You're lucky. Most people cannot access the internal storage when this occurs.
As for wiping the device, you have access to the screen! Navigate to Settings-> Privacy -> Factory Reset. This will delete all data on the phone.

Ethan I've added a bit of info to the OP. I'm trying to figure out how to get ADB working (I used it a couple of years ago with this tablet, and I use ADB to sideload apps frequently on another device). adb devices doesn't list the tablet while it's connected via USB. As for the data, you misunderstood my question. I was asking how can I securely clear my data from the tablet; given that it's still working behind the screen, someone who gets it can access my private data.

@BeetleJuice Since you can see the screen, you don't need ADB to wipe it anymore.

If you can see the files on a PC, perhaps try booting the PC with some kind of Linux LiveCD and then go through the phone that way.  You might be able to even do a total wipe.

@SDsolar that would probably hard brick the device. If he wants to have it repaired, that's not a good idea.

Valid point, but I am not qualified to speak to his point #1 so I commented on his point #2.  Besides, there is a lesson in life here:  Don't get to attached to individual devices.  They're inexpensive.  And if things are sync'd to Google (like they intended) it is a  piece of cake to restore apps and settings on a new one.  Anyway, I have since added an answer below that describes how I handled the identical situation.

@SDsolar completely agreed. We live in a world of electronic gadgets that are becoming more and more insanely expensive. You don't need that new $1000 iPad or iPhone. Get a cheaper device, use it while it lasts, and don't get too attached to it. I'm using a 4 year old Moto X I got for only $200 when it was 2 years old, and, with some TLC and CyanogenMod (RIP), is still chugging along.

I had this happen to a Nexus 8 (which is the same, basically), though mine would not show files from the PC.  I could see enough on my screen to know it was booting, with weird lines and shapes changing as it did so.
But I was able to see the screen output on the HDMI output.  So I connected a regular mouse to the USB port and went into the backup/restore section of settings and there is an option to reset it to factory.
Upon contacting the reseller, I found they would exchange the unit for $40 if I shipped it back to them.  That is more than half what I paid for it.
So then I decided to explore fixing it myself.  To replace the screen and/or digitizer is very intricate.  The digitizer alone was about $20 on Amazon.
There is a very detailed Youtube video on the process.  I suggest you watch it and decide for yourself what you want to do.
After watching that video, I canceled my order for the digitizer and never even looked up the price for a replacement display portion of the screen.  It wasn't really beyond my skill level, but I already didn't like the memory limit and decided to look around for other options.
My answer:
I put it in a junk box then bought a refurbished 10 inch RCA Viking Pro with 32GB and 1GB Ram, from Walmart, for about $80 or so, then a nice soft black carry case with a handle on Amazon for about $15, and have not looked back.
In the end I am glad my Nexus broke.  I could still use it with a mouse and HDMI if I wanted it, but at least I got my personal info erased from it, and all my personal apps and settings came right back from Google onto the new device.  I use my phone as my Google Authenticator for the 2FA security.
The Viking Pro (with the keyboard) is so nice it was worth going through all that.  It is 10 times the machine for just a few dollars more than trying to cobble together a fix for a broken one.  What really makes it shine is the full detachable keyboard.  It is not a cranky bluetooth keyboard, either.  It has a back button and a screen-off button, and it does copy/paste and all the other control characters just like my desktop - (and that makes it work much better for Lastpass - without the paste function you might as well not even try to use it, and there goes your security).
The carry case is what really makes it work out well.  I can still carry it to church and use it as my Bible.  One more thing:  superb battery life, and easy access to airplane mode when you want.
--EDIT:  More info based on comments:
Here is the video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2O5Dt1ITD0
Here is the Viking Pro:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/134784177
Here is the carry sleeve:  https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJCUBZ6
Another interesting development:  Since it has so much memory I was able to get my Google Voice running on it, and there is an app that allows it to make phone calls and do SMS messaging via WiFi with no voice or data plan.  All using my Voice number which rings on my home computer, the cellphone and the tablet.  That alone has saved more than the unit cost.
Plus, the sleeve has a pocket in which I carry my phone for authentication.
That 32 GB storage (plus the 32 GB SD Card) makes a huge difference.  It integrates well with Google Drive and with EF Explorer I can move things around however I want, including some fairly large videos, so I don't have to play them directly from Drive.  And Netflix allows you to download Netflix Originals onto the card, too.  All in all, it makes me wonder why I bothered with the Nexus in the first place.

Thanks for taking the time to share; links would have helped :-)  I'll look for that video, and try to get a price quote from the nearest repair shop if those are still around.  About the Viking Pro: if I get another tablet a 10in is too big for my taste. 7 is ideal, but 8in is acceptable.

You got it.  I just edited to include links.  The 10 inch is perfect, when carried in the case.  And there is no substitute for the keyboard, which is detachable.  It allows all the ctrl commands you use in Chrome and word processor on your desktop, for instance.  copy/paste, new tab, close tab, etc.  Love it.  Have a nice day.

Did you root the tablet? When was the last time it received a Google security update? (go to Settings -> About Tablet and look at Android security patch level)

Funny you should ask.  That's the reason I kept the Nexus in my junk box - so I might do that later.  But since it is not a phone I don't really see much point.  And I have adequate control over storage and such on the new one.  But one of these days I will try that out, hooked up to an HDMI monitor, just to see what changes.  Here is an article about that topic:  https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-easily-root-an-android-device/

As for updates, I don't remember about the Nexus.  The Viking (Lolipop 5) gets app updates regularly.  More than once a month.  But I don't think I have ever noticed a Kernel update.  By way of comparison, my cellphone is a Tracfone Sonic OneTouch - Alcatel A851L - $19.99 for a 5 inch screen,  triple minutes, and 4G data, 4GB memory, and it allows you to move apps to the 32GB SD card - Kit Kat 4.1.2, and it gets some app updates now and then.  Thanks for the tip about the security patch level - I'll check that out.

Please post  the patch level when you get a chance.  It will be a date. For instance, my phone's is 2016-08-01. I think Google releases a patch every month so my carrier is 4 months behind.


text:
How do I delete application sync data permanently?
Is there a way I can completely remove sync data for an app and thus prevent it from syncing with my google account? For example, I had Google Fit on my other mobile, I wasn't using it at all, but it is still listed in my account to sync on this new phone, even when I dont have Google Fit. Is there a way I could completely remove its association with my devices?

You can just go to google settings, delete all your Google Fit history and other App-data, remove google fit, and not worry about it showing up under your account sync settings.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Alldaymall A88s tablet popping up junk from PornClub. I have it rooted. Now what?
On eBay I picked up one of those cheap Chinese 7" Quad-Core AllDayMall A88s tablets for $25, WiFi-only.

When it comes on all is fine unless you try to open the browser.  Then things start popping up that are quite unsavory.  So I did a factory reset but it seems all that junk is built in.
I sure hope the kid's version doesn't have this firmware.  There are some things you simply cannot un-see.  Perhaps the pink ones are different.

Going into settings, apps, I was able to identify and stop a lot of it.  But as soon as I opened the browser it went nuts showing more.
I got the unit to tell me to sideload a file via the menu that comes up when you hold down-volume and power.  Cool.  Following somebody's advice I installed the Android SDK to do it.  But then found out that all I needed was the ADB Platform Tools with adb.exe.  (Don't need the SDK at all it turns out)
So I plugged it into my Win7 machine which installed an Alcatel driver for it.  I could see it in device manager.
Typing
adb device -l

gave me a long number then the word sideload (instead of the name of the device)
Pushing on, I found out for positive certain that it needs Alldaymall-A88X-android 4.4.2-bsf.rar and thought I was on a roll.
All I had to do was download the file, unRAR it to get the ROM image, then refresh the ROM with the command it was asking for:
adb sideload Alldaymall-A888x-etc-etc

-- But no, the download link is to a dropbox account that says not found.
It can easily be set to receive a sideload.  Driver installed and working. Daemon program installed and working on the PC to handle the work.   Necessary file identified.  Seemed like a slam dunk.  But no.  Not available.  Dead End.  <sigh>  Lots of smoke but no fire.

Switching gears, I used the Windows version of one-click KingoRoot which said it succeeded.  Went to the play store to get Kingo SuperUser and a good file explorer so I can seek and destroy.
During the process of setting up for Play Store it wants to log in, so I let it connect to WiFi.  Big mistake.  I never even got to the part of credentials with Google.  Pop-ups on every screen and unresponsive touch panel.  OK, reboot.
I installed a mouse via an adapter into the USB port but it worked the same as the screen.  Just fine.  Until it didn't.
Rebooted; Shut off WiFi then with the stock file explorer I went into the DCIM directory and under Camera there were a bunch of porn photos and a video, which I successfully deleted.
I am not sure how to find the built-in junkware so I can remove it.

I made some headway but this has taken hours.  So now I turn to Android Stack Exchange to get some expert opinions.  You can see that I have done my homework before asking for help.
Last thing to do tonight is to uninstall the SDK.
The question is in the title:  Now what?

Oh, this device. Oh no. As you guessed, the bloatware is preinstalled, but I don't remember getting adverts like that - I was getting adverts for Chinese dating sites, and occasionally some form of eBay alternative. Anywho, Kingroot comes with a bloatware remover, and root means you can go through and delete some things. If I still had mine, I'd walk you through it.

+1 for your homework. Now, can you try a different browser and see if it still downloads and shows all that crap? If it does, please follow my answer.

Yes, "this device," @Dan - I thought it made sense to get a cheap one first.  Now I have a RCA Viking Pro and really like it.  Yes, the junk is coming from "Porn Club" software which is linked to "Monkey Test" and others that do coupons.  Today I'll take a closer look into the file system using the built-in file manager.  Hopefully can find a directory of all the built-in stuff and get it all in one swell foop.

Thank you for that tip, @Firelord.  I like your instructions about how to use adb.  As for a different browser I don't know yet whether any others are  installed.  Will check that out this morning.  I don't yet know if I can get Play Store up and running.  Just that I can stop apps that I know are obviously bad.  The screen I found seems to be expecting just a adb sideload.  I haven't yet tried adb without that screen up.  Will try that, too.    One thing I did notice is that in the "downloaded" software section are three programs.  They appear to be more designed for phones than tablets.

I do see the Google browser is there, and no problems with it.  The three "downloaded" apps are dragonphone, dragonfire, videotest.  Once I uninstall them, I can stop the processes of porn club and love finder and they do not automatically relaunch.   Ah, this is progress.

Drat. It was looking really smooth until I launch Play Store.  Then a coupon came up and I was able to close it.  But then while putting in my google username a white band came up at the bottom and the screen quit responding.  The band says EXIT with an X.  When I hit the X it reboots.  This thing is looking like maybe it is just a lost cause.  I have a RCA Viking Pro that works great, so might just toss this one and stick with that one.

After rooting it and getting most of the software stopped it settled down a lot.
Google browser came up without incident.
A couple of coupons came on screen which closed when I clicked on the little x in the corner.
But then, as soon as I tried to get logged into Play Store it froze up and put a white low-res band across the bottom that said EXIT on the left, with a large low-res X on the right.  At first I just waited then tried again, but no mouse action would make it do anything.
When I hit the X on the bottom banner, it rebooted and restarted all the bloatware again...
After several rounds of this I tore it apart and removed the Lithium battery so I could just throw it in the trash.

Then, having learned about KingoRoot, I downloaded it into my good RCA Viking Pro, and rooted it successfully.
Downloaded the SuperUser browser which is nice, dual pane.
Then as I browsed around I wanted to see system text files so I downloaded QuickEdit for that.  It works well.
Then I downloaded the Qute SU Console and it would handle simple commands like pwd and ls and such.  It even included a bash editor which allowed simple scripts to work.  There was no sudo command so I couldn't change most of the system from read-only to writeable.  Maybe that is just the nature of ROM.
Manipulating things on the sd card is easy, of course.
Downloaded a VIM program which worked.
So this hasn't been a total waste.  It was a learning experience.
Meanwhile, the answer to "what now?" has turned out to be to use Google and learn all I can - and throw the darn thing away.  It is absolutely worthless.  I suppose I got $25 worth of learning out of the experience so it isn't a total  loss.  Chin up and all that.
Now I need to figure out how to dispose of the 2200ma Lithium battery.  I live out in the desert and am tempted to start a campfire and use it for fireworks, but perhaps the recycling center is better for the environment.
Thank you for the comments along the way.
Cheers!

What an adventure. It's got me all curious what exactly the point is of selling these. Do people really want to knowingly pay money for something that promotes this junk and isn't otherwise useful?

In the end they got my money.  I complained to them about the short battery life (not realizing it was because it was constantly downloading more and more porn, filling up the screens with icons for the Love Connection.   None of them worked, either, because it was so busy adding more until I did the factory reset and didn't give it a connection.)  They wrote back and assured me the battery was a 2200ma (which it is).  I should have pushed harder about getting a refund.  eBay would have forced them to do it.  Now it has been too long.

And no, @Twist, I certainly did not want to pay money for something that promotes this junk and isn't otherwise useful.  Hah!  Actually, since I'm a dad it worries me that kids might buy these.  The ad on eBay looked great and it was quite inexpensive.

I wasn't supposing you wanted to buy what you ended up with. It's a shame such a thing exists.

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


text:
Calendar and contacts sync using "Server" account type
Device: Galaxy S4
Android: 4.2.2
I have been looking through the Settings  > Accounts > Add account menu and found there is an entry called "Server" that seems to allow you to sync calendar and contacts from a private server. Does anyone know how this works? I have tried pointing it at my OwnCloud server but cannot seem to get it to work.

This is an account for syncing via SyncML, a protocol used by (e.g.) funambol.
In a test, I've already managed to sync some events using syncevolution as http-server, but currently I'm not sure, wether SSL connections work as well. (I've even started a question on that topic.)


text:
Use Samsung-type page swipe animation without installing launcher
I'm a new convert from iOS to Android.
I really like the Samsung type animations when you swipe left or right from one home screen to another (i.e. the 3D box rotate). But I don't have a Samsung, and was wondering if there was an app I can use to do that on my device without installing a launcher. I really like my phone's look so I don't want to use a launcher.

You're already using a launcher (the pre-installed one, probably) -- and a launcher is, basically, nothing but another app, so it would fit your description. Apart from that I agree with geffchang: as transition effects are done by the launcher, there's no other way to obtain them.

You can try to find a launcher similar to the stock one. You should know that the launcher only changes the look of the homescreens and app drawer. They can also be customized pretty much.

That doesn't seem to be possible. AFAIK, transition effects are tied to the launcher.


text:
Can 2 SIM cards be activated on one phone?
If I get a new T-Moble SIM and activate it on my Google Nexus 4, then put the old one back in, will the old one still work?

This is not an Android question, but more like a generic mobile question.
But to answer your question: YES, the old one will still work. SIM cards are not tied to cellphones. So, you can always transfer SIM cards to other phones that have SIM card slots, assuming that the phone allows the network your SIM card is for. i.e. If the phone is locked to a specific network, then only SIM cards for that network is allowed. Of course, you can remove this limitation by unlocking the phone.

Is there a "cellphone" stackexchange site?


text:
Is there a way to markup webpages on the S3?
In the stock browser or in Chrome, is there a way to markup webpages in different colours for notes etc.? It would be good if the marks show up everytime I open that webpage. If that's not possible, I could save it as an image.
OS: 4.1.1
Samsung Galaxy S3

You want to alter and adjust how your web page looks like, when the website is accessed from a mobile device (e.g. S3), correct?

@Sid He's probably looking for something like marker.to Unfortunately, I haven't seen any mobile browser with anything like that. Firefox and Chrome doesn't seem to support add-ons yet (in my case).

Saving as an image is probably the best bet for now.

@geffchang, I came across an app which seems fine. Hope this is what OP is looking for.

After giving thought to what geffchang said above, I came across with the app Skitch which can be used to highlight webpages as you wish.
Added advantage for this app is you can directly synchronize your work with Evernote, a widely used note-taking app.

I use Evernote too!! Can Skitch mark up webpages in real-time?

@verve, For the best of my knowledge, you have to take a snapshot first. The best thing is that you can share a web page directly from your browser.

Share a page directly from the browser?  How?

Which menu button?  In the Skitch app?

@verve Open the browser => Go to the web page => Click Menu button => Share => Select Skitch.

What is considered the menu button?  In the stock or Chrome?

This image shows what the menu button is

Don't. We all learnt at some point. Happy to help. :)


text:
How to make Android play music reliably, without chopping?
When I try to play music on Android 2.3 (using various players, including PowerAmp) on Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 I get not reliable sound. Music pauses for a short time, for example, when:

I press the power button (especially repeatedly) (request_suspend_state: sleep;request_suspend_state: wakeup in dmesg)
When I see messages like send sigkill to 15497 (ndroid.settings), adj 8, size 6428 in dmesg
When some program reacts to changed screen orientation.
When wifi connection gets established, when I force it to "reassociate"
When I go to/from application from home screen (AWDLauncher), except of to/from WidgetLocker screen.
When I enable/disable Airplane Mode.
When the display is off (the most annoying)

When only really stable way to play music is to use StayAwake to force display on, turn off Wi-Fi, turn on Airplane Mode and don't switch applications. Starting CPU hogs like while true; do true; done does not affect chopping.
And it was playing more or less fine on Android 2.1.
"mediaserv" process (that writes to /dev/msm_pcm_out) has realtime io and scheduling priority, but sound is choppy anyway. If I start playing from console with mplayer  -ao pcm:file=/dev/msm_pcm_out the sound chop less (notably it does not get interrupted by power button / loading bunches of heavy processes), but still behave not normally when screen is off (even ionice -c1 -p4 cat /dev/urandom > /dev/msm_pcm_out is choppy)
When I start music A by usual way and music B using mplayer to /dev/msm_pcm_out (getting them mixed) music A chops more than usual and I usually hear B when A is in chop. When I turn off screen, both A and B chops in sync (stopping B leads to relatively more fluent playback of A this way).
How to play music on Android reliably in presence of background load? Should I report a bug somewhere?
Update Found a way of playing music. Inconvenient, but without chopping:

Start WakeLock in "CPU on, Screen Off, Keyboard off" mode
Use mplayer to play music bypassing Android:

ionice -c1 -n4  \
  schedtool -R -p 3 -e \
  mplayer -really-quiet \
        -af volume=-26 -quiet \
        -ao pcm:file=/dev/msm_pcm_out,nowaveheader \
    /mnt/sdcard/music/something.ogg
# (created script to start it easily, of course)

Plays without chopping no matter how much applications I start, what do with Wifi, orientation and airplane modes. Even with "powersave" cpufreq governor (everything very slow, but music plays fine). So the hardware have enough resources to play it.
Update 2
Looks like doing
for i in `pgrep ''`; do schedtool -D $i; done

i.e. "Set Idle priority for all processes" makes music play fine even when I {start programs,lock screen,rotate screen;it reconnects to other mobile network stations} at expense of some input lag in games. Don't know exactly why it happens.

What device do you have? Sounds like it's very resource constrained. Maybe a fast and light custom ROM would improve the performance.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. What does mean "resource constrained"? It should prioritise media over usual activities, allowing fluent playback independently on how much background load present. Also trying to cause load by explicitly using heavy applications hogging CPU and memory does not lead to choppy audio while just reassociating Wifi always produces chop. Also it played more or less fine on Android 2.1

Music plays the same even I force powersave cpufreq governor (and CPU non-nice load is about 20% in this case). What resources can be short?

From what I can read from your additional comments: none. And I also have never heard that the X10 has a general problem with audio playback.

Including after update to Android 2.3?

Maybe the issues you're experiencing are localized to your device model. I'm running Android 2.3.6 on a Samsung YP-G70 and I experience no interruptions or chopping whatsoever no matter what I'm doing.

I have a very similar issue to this on a Nexus S running Jelly Bean 4.1.2. In my case the cause seems to be any background network access.

I feel that this it too localized, as its only affecting the OP's handset, what the OP failed to provide is what background apps are there running? Sound is not exactly fluid enough for the latency in Android versions < Gingerbread... and that is acknowledged and known.

There are many background programs, but I don't feel that any of them are high priority enough to disrupt sound. Low-prio fuss with starting and stopping BG processes just should not bother high-prio music playing.

Also the main question is that updating from 2.1 to 2.3 broke the sound (with approximately the same programs). /* Actually I've begun getting used to stoically ignoring the music choppiness... */

Try turning off any applications or hardware that uses a lot of the phone's resources.  Turn off GPS, WIFI, Network Service, and dim the backlight.  Also shut down any other running applications than the ones you need for playing music.  If this still doesn't work your device may not have enough memory.

Looks like a general advice, not a solution/workaround to the bug. I tried various modes (described in question). OOM killer is only one of things that trigger the bug.

Increase your Audio Buffer size.
I use PlayerPro Music Player with its DSP pack. DSP pack allows me to adjust audio buffer size. I never needed to use this feature, but it will help you.
You can also find other music players to support this feature. The key is Audio Buffer.
Alternatively, you can reduce music quality as well as system load.

At least setting maximum buffer size in Mixzing player does not help.

"reduce music quality as well as system load" -> workaround, not fix. I already have hacky workarounds (see "Updates")


text:
Cancel All Market Updates/Downloads at Once
I just re-flashed CM 6.1 and when I opened up the market to download Titanium Backup, 27 apps started to automatically download, simultaneously. I'm not sure why they'd do that, and they never have done this before after flashing a fresh ROM.  Needless to say, is there any way to stop all downloads all at once, or prevent this from happening in the future?
Android 2.2.1, Moto Droid 1.

I think it is the result of a new synchronization option in 2.1 or 2.2. On the first boot it asks whether you want to store some information about your apps online. I found it quite confusingly worded and was surprised by this effect. IIRC you can prevent this from happening by refusing all the synchronization on the first boot. And I learned to only update when on wifi..

That's it. I was so quick to click I didn't notice that change. That would actually be very useful if I wasn't using Titanium Backup.

Interesting ... the Google backup has never worked for me!  Opposite problem :P

Try clearing you data and cache on the Download Manager... Menu button > Settings Applications > Manage Applications (wait 15-30 sec to load)> Download Manager clear cache and clear data.

wow  thanks i tried your way and it worked for me. it was easy now my phone is normal agn and it runs much faster than before thx

Maybe you're flashing an ancient ROM, where the built-in apps all are now outdated?
For a fast way to stop downloads, shut off the Wifi, 3G, and all connectivity?

No, the ROM was released 12 days ago. All the apps that started downloading were apps that were previously installed and had nothing to do with my new ROM.  I wonder if that's a new function of the market?  It basically backs up your app list and reinstalls them after a fresh install?  Anyway, thanks for the "unplug" solution.  I'm still hoping theres a cleaner method.

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


text:
Make notifications/messages fill the screen
Is there a way to have it so notifications/messages fill the screen, so I can't help but notice them when I pick my phone up?
Using an LG-Ally

If you're not in the habit of looking at the notification bar, are notifications really that important to you? :P

well I'm not used to looking at that from other phones

Android's notification bar are specifically designed to be non-obstrusive since it assumes that the current task is most important.

SMS Popup will create a modal dialog box on your screen when you receive a text message.  You can make it turn the screen on too if the phone's screen is off.
Handcent (full SMS replacement app) also has a similar feature built into it.

Is there any way to get a similar feature for all notifications?

@babonk so you want anything that shows up in the notification bar to be fully visible?  hmm...  I don't know of any off the top of my head

I see lots of apps that let you add things to the existing notification bar, but nothing that changes the notification bar to take up some/all of the screen.

+1 for SMS Popup, first app I recommend to new Android users. Something similar really should have been built into the OS by now.

If you click on the text message icon and go to your text message inbox, hit the settings button on youur phone and go to "settings."  Scroll down and you can select the box enabling the phone to provide a preview of the message text.

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


text:
Podcast app which supports old episodes well?
I am looking for a podcast player app which will let me subscribe to a podcast and listen to the earliest episodes first, eventually catching up to the current episodes.
I've tried Google Listen and PodCat, and neither one seemed to handle this case well. I don't want to install a paid app and start a 15-minute-trial until I know what to expect from it.
It should also be reliable at remembering the current position in a paused-and-ignored-for-a-while podcast, and download/delete automatically so I generally don't have to manage it except to actually listen.

BeyondPod ($7 but well worth it) will do everything you mentioned in your question.  I have tried DoggCatcher and a slew of free apps and I've found BeyondPod to be the best.
You sort you podcasts from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest, or longest to shortest, or shortest to longest.  You can also break them up into categories which I find helpful.
Also, it is very good at remembering you place.  I regularly start one podcast then switch to another, then another and find that I can always return to the unfinished shows without losing my place.
There are also numerous autoupdate and auto delete options.  You can set certain categories of feeds update on a certain schedule.  You can set the auto delete globally, on the category level or at the podcast level, telling it to delete podcasts of a certain age, or tell it to only keep so many podcasts, or delete after listening.  Its also easy to mass delete all "listened to" podcasts with just two clicks.

I’ve installed BeyondPod and it seems to be doing just what I want. The app is free to install; it appears that only automatic downloading of new podcasts is a paid feature, and there's a 7-day trial!

Personally, I use DoggCatcher and have had no problems with it.
It will always remember where you last were in the podcast, even if you went and played a different podcast instead and came back to that one.
It'll auto-delete based on how you set it up.  For me, it auto deletes after I've listened to it.  It usually happens pretty quickly too (15 min or so).
You can also tell it when to update and how many episodes of a podcast to download that you haven't listened to yet.


text:
Galaxy S4 outside Europe
I have a Galaxy S4 bought today in Europe. Also I have a SIM card from Orange and everything works fine here.
But I discovered that there could be a kind of lock if I try to use another SIM card from another country outside Europe.
More precisely, I live in South America and I'd like to know if that lock still remains or if Samsung changed the rules.
I'm going home in 3 months.
Has anybody here tried to use it with another SIM outside Europe?


text:
How to root my android device without losing data?
I want to root my android device but I have a lot of personal data stored in it. It also doesn't have a micro sd card slot. So I was wondering if there is any way to root my device without losing any data and without using a PC?

Can you connect your phone to PC and backup the personal datas

Sameer brother i don't have my PC. I've mentioned it now

You can! You just need to backup your data! Which phone are using? Brand? Sony devices have a app called "backup and restore", by backing up your data you can get back your data in case if you lose it! I think there is a way not losing data while rooting your phone.

I have Motorola Moto G

@Sarthak go to settings -> backup and restore then backup your data..

that's alright but i have big files also which takes too much time to download and my data/progress is saved in them. Will these files and the data/progress saved in these files will also be backed up?

@Sarthak it will show you which data you want to backup,  if you want back up internal storage or all the app data + contacts everything..

It's just showing 3 things namely backup my data, backup account and automatically restore

@Sarthak backup your data

Already done that, but beneath that option it's written 'backup app data, Wi-Fi password and Google server settings'

@Sarthak  yeah!!  It means your backup data has been done and Wi-Fi password and settings are also backed!!

Last query, the files I was talking about are PSP Games that I play on my device. Now I'm not sure will the data of the PSP games will also be backed up?

@Sarthak ya! It will backup your whole internal storage, btw which emulator are you using?  PPSSPP??  I'm using PPSSPP!

,Yeah me too!PPSSPP it's the best

@Sarthak yeah !!!

Thanks brother, you saved me. BTW when I was rooting my Samsung Galaxy S4 then I used Odin through which also no data loss was there. Isn't there any way to use Odin on Moto G

@Sarthak sorry brother no idea

@syed_sami the way you describe does not cover everything, but only backup parts. I know of no manufacturer including a backup app really doing a full backup (which can only be done by root-apps, or via ADB). See our backup tag-wiki for details, and follow its links for more details.

@Izzy i was just trying to keep it simple

I understand. But this way it doesn't fully comply with "without losing data": things are not covered by a backup cannot be restored after a wipe, and hence are lost. Will mostly affect app data, game levels, and the like (which would e.g. be covered by Helium Backup or adb backup, see Full Backup of non-rooted devices. Unfortunately, without root bein already in place, both require a PC, which Sarthak doesn't have at disposal currently.


text:
Change video quality of embedded YouTube video in Chrome for Android
Is there a way to change the video quality when playing embedded YouTube videos in Chrome for Android? I can only change the video quality in the YouTube application.

Are you talking about changing the video quality on the fly during playback of a video?

I interpret this to mean the video quality of the youtube viewer in a browser.

A workaround would be to trigger the desktop version of the site you're looking at. After the page refreshes, you should see more options for the YouTube video.


text:
How do I delete a desktop home screen on Nexus 7 2013?
Device: Nexus 7 2013
Android: 4.3
How do I delete a desktop home screen on Nexus 7 2013? I tried everything: pinch zooming, double tap, etc. Nothing seems to work.

What page are you talking about? Browser page?

Sorry, I meant just an empty home screen' with no icons

Try a different launcher?

Rephrased the question. This can be reopened now.

When I had the original Nexus 7 (now dead), there was no way to delete a page from the homescreen. So, I'm not surprised the Nexus 7 v2 still doesn't have this feature.
On the original Nexus 7, I flashed the CyanogenMod ROM, which uses the Trebuchet launcher. This launcher had the feature to delete a page from the homescreen.
If flashing a new ROM is overkill, you can install a new launcher, as t0mm13b suggested. I personally use Nova Launcher on my Samsung Galaxy S4, which lets me delete a home screen by launching Nova Settings from the home screen (via left soft key), and going to Desktop > Home Screens.

I've switched to Nova Launcher on my devices so that I can have more control over the layout and number of screens.
ADW, Apex and Nova (and others) have free versions you can try. Nova will even import your current layout so you don't have to reconfigure. I think Apex may offer that option as well.


text:
Unable to run su in adb shell on an Ubuntu machine
Device: Unbranded Android tablet
Android: 2.2
I was trying to root my tablet using my Ubuntu 11.10 machine.
I followed the following instructions from a site:
1. adb Install Superuser.apk
2. adb push busybox /sdcard/
3. adb push su /sdcard/

In the same terminal, now we open adb:
adb shell

Enter the command for superuser
su

Now, you will copy and paste these commands:
1. mount -o remount,rw /system
2. mv /system/xbin/su /system/xbin/oldsu
3. cp /sdcard/busybox /system/bin/busybox
4. cp /sdcard/su /system/bin/su
5. chmod 06755 /system/bin/su
6. chmod 0755 /system/bin/busybox
7. ln -s /system/bin/su /system/xbin/su
8. exit su (may say something about a bad number
9. exit
10. adb reboot

I could not run the first mount command, but still continued with rest of the 9 commands. Then, I ran a root checker app after reboot to check whether my device was rooted. It indicated no root access.
I then again ran adb shell, and then on running su, it gave an error:
su: 1: Syntax error: "(" unexpected

Now, I am not even able to delete this file. I am stuck and since it's my first time trying to root an Android device. I have no idea what should be done now to resolve this problem and successfully root my device.

Off topic, this is a common shell scripting problem and not Android-related at all. Step 8 is not a command but a comment, you probably forgot the '#' in front of it. Or just omit step 8. Even if you try to execute step 8, step 9 will run anyway. No problem here.

@ce4 But he's not able to run the first mount command. What could be the problem with that?

If he cannot run the first command, the following ones should fail as well. Besides, how should that work? Immediately after adb shell he issues su – which is not yet there. Not being root, mount cannot work, so the stuff cannot be copied to the /system partition. What confuses me a little is step 2 – which implies there is a su available already before rooting. I never checked that; is that the case? So one could get root permissions via ADB on a not-rooted device? I doubt that, since why then do we need exploits to root devices?

It could be one of those pre-rooted tablets, but why would be there a guide to root an already rooted device...?

Before doing this all, when i ran su in adb shell, # was coming. But now an error is coming. Is there any way that i can do something about that file?

And if initially # was coming, did that mean that it was already rooted ? Because when i ran a terminal app, it was not taking the su command.

A # at the shell means you are root, exactly. So, as Shywim already wondered, why did you want to root a rooted device? Makes no sense. To undo your changes, you need to become root first – which you just broke. Try oldsu instead of su to become root, it might well be it's just the "new su" being incompatible somehow.

To close-voters: Why should this be an "Android independent phone question"? OP broke root on his device, and this question is about how to restore it. A perfectly fine Android question IMHO, and also on-topic. Has nothing to do with Ubuntu, the problem is on the Android device.

@Izzy I tried running oldsu. It shows #. Thanks for the tip:) What should i do next?I want to upgrade my tablet from 2.2 to a newer version...

Obviously the su binary you installed does not work well with your system. As you luckily created a backup of the original su executable, recommendation is to revert the incompatible changes first:
adb shell
$ oldsu
# mount -o remount,rw /system
# rm /system/xbin/su /system/bin/su
# cp /system/xbin/oldsu /system/xbin/su
# exit
$ exit
adb reboot

Explanation: Start adb shell and become root (using the working oldsu executable). Delete /system/xbin/su (which is only a symlink now) and the incompatible /system/bin/su, then copy the working su back to where it belongs. Then exit the root shell and finally adb shell. The reboot is optional, and should not be needed. Also optionally you could remove busybox (or keep it if it works). Before exiting adb shell you might wish to test whether su works again, just to be sure (which is why I wrote cp for this: if anything goes wrong, you still have your oldsu available).
With those steps, you should at least have everything in working order again, and this issue is solved. Updating to a newer Android version is a separate issue: Please check the update tag, as corresponding questions already exist. Same for the ROM you might need (check the rom tag for that, and in also check the tag-wikis for update and rom).


text:
Does Nexus 7 2013 have 3G support?
Nexus 7 2013 has 4G support, but I can't find any information on 3G support. If I get a Nexus 7 4G model, can I use 3G?

The current New Nexus 7's only support wifi. They do not support any mobile data yet. But once they are released with mobile data support, you can count on them supporting older networks, like 3g (HSPA/HSPA+) as well as supporting 4g (LTE). LTE coverage is not wide enough for them to only support 4g.

At this very moment, Google offer nexus 7 4g model. Is it support old 3g network?

@mef_ NO, it doesn't.

I'm just guessing, but I'd be astonished if it didn't support 3g, and 2g, and Edge.  I've never heard of a phone that didn't support the older, slower protocols.

Seems to support ONLY 4G.
Comparison of Nexus 7 2012 and 2013 versions.

Yes, it does support 2G (GSM/EDGE) and 3G (UMTS/HSPA+).
Source: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/3248332

Nexus 7 (2013) Tech Specs (LTE)
North America and Japan:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSPA+: 850/900/1900/2100/AWS (1700/2100) MHz (Bands: 1/2/4/5/8)
LTE: 700/850/1700/1800/1900/2100 MHZ (Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/13/17)
Rest of World:
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
HSPA+: 850/900/1900/2100/AWS (1700/2100) MHz (Bands: 1/2/4/5/8)
LTE: 800/850/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 MHz (Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/20)

Note that it appears that there are two Nexus 7 2013 LTE models, which differ in LTE bands, but UMTS and GSM bands appear the same.


text:
How to display touch points on screen
My Galaxy Note with stock ROM had an option via Settings > Developer > Show touch points (or something like that). Now, I updated to CyanogenMod, based on Android 4.3 but I can't find an option similar to that anywhere.
My screen was damaged once. Since then, I needed to see the detected touch points on screen at all times, so I can see when the touchscreen gets stuck.
Is there an option (or even an app) for that? I Googled around and looked at the Play Store, but only found multi-touch tester apps. I need something that shows the touch points at all times and in all apps.

Looking a bit further I discovered that I have to click 7 times on Build number on phone details to enable the Developer settings.

I will, but I can only do it tomorrow (2 days after the question).


text:
Availability of security patches for Meltdown and Spectre on Pixel
The security vulnerabilities Meltdown and Spectre are referenced as CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5715 and CVE-2017-5754. Those three variants can be gathered under the more general case CVE-2017-13218 (source).
It is said in the Android security bulletin from January, 2018 that the security patch level 2018-01-05 contains the fix for CVE-2017-13218. According to it, this has been dealt with in the Kernel components, which are binaries. For those, the bulletin says: "The update for that issue is generally contained in the latest binary drivers for Nexus devices available from the Google Developer site". The Kernel is distributed as a binary, and consequently it is not possible to check if the security patch is actually contained in it. On the Google Developer site, the last release available for Pixel Android 7.1.1 (because that's what interests me here) is NOF27D. However this release is already dated from April, 2017. Moreover, the code name of the release (NOF27D) had already been set way before that in platform/build (February, that would be the release 35 of Android 7.1.1).
Hence my question: is the security patch level for Meltdown and Spectre included into the last release of Pixel Android 7.1.1 available currently (NOF27D)?
If yes, does that mean Google has had a patch ready for those issues more than a year ago? If no, where can I find the security patch?

As end users, those two vulnerabilities is really something to be safely ignored.

@iBug Why would you ignore a vulnerability that lets any ad read your account login credentials or credit card numbers out of memory?

@DanHulme You certainly underestimated the difficulty to practice this vulnerability.


text:
Is there a way that lets you lock your screen during YouTube
My son likes to watch a specific YouTube video in the car sometimes, and he always touches the screen and stops the video. Is there any way to prevent this while keeping the screen on?

I've found that loading a different browser such as Firefox, then pressing the play button on a pair of headphones once the screen locks works.

You may want to install the Touch blocking App such as Touch Blocker.
How this works?

Touch Blocker prevents unintentional touch interaction with the touch
  screen of your device by blocking touch input. When you disable touch
  input while watching a movie you don't have to worry not to skip
  scenes by accidentally touching the screen.

So, as soon as you begin to watch YouTube video, Enable touch blocker: Just need to touch notification icon to enable it.
And when you are done with Video watching, you can disable the touch blocking. The Touch Blocker app which is mentioned in above link has many different ways of unblocking the touch, such as pressing Volume Up button on the device.


text:
Vibration stopped working on Galaxy S2
I can't work out why, but it seems the vibrate and haptic feedback functionality on my SGS2 stopped working recently. First time it failed it seemed to come back after a reboot, but it's since died for good. I've checked all the settings, and they all show as enabled. I've tried using *#0*# and *#0842# test codes to run the vibrate functionality, but they have no effect either. I'm running stock firmware (3.0.15-I9100XXLPQ) and am rooted.
I've ran dmesg | grep -i max8997 to find any references to the MAX8997 IC / driver for the motor, and discovered the following messages repeated many times:
<6> max-8997 5-0066: max8997_irq_thread: irq:359, irq_src:0x2
<6> max-8997-rtc max8998-rtc: max8998_rtc_alarm_irq:irq(437)
<6> max-8997 5-0066: max8997_irq_thread: irq:359, irq_src:0x0
<4> max-8997 5-0066: Unused interrupt source: 0x0
<6> max-8997-rtc max8998-rtc: max8998_rtc_set_alarm: 2013-04-23 00:04:40

I can't figure out whether these are just normal notices, or if they're symptoms of a wider failure. Other searches for generic motor and I2C driver failures didn't return anything interesting.
Is this potentially a software issue, or am I almost certainly looking at broken hardware?

This turned out to be a hardware fault which is pretty common on the SGS2 units. The vibration device is mounted next to the audio jack, meaning that it sometimes fails if the jack has been stressed. There's a short video (warning: nsfw language) that describes the issues and how to fix them.
Essentially it works as following:

Insert a cable into the headphone jack.
Lightly press on the jack, in the direction of the front-facing camera (left, if looking at the phone from the front)
Whilst lightly pressing in this direction, remove the jack.
Vibration should be restored... for now.

The long term fix is to get the vibration motor re-mounted by a qualified repair technician.


text:
Detect when an app crashes with tasker and force close it and finally launch it again
On my phone the app Bluetooth Share crashes randomly. With Tasker I want to be able to detect that crash, and then force close Bluetooth Share and finally launch Bluetooth Share again. (Or turn on Bluetooth again)

PS: I already have tasker and I am rooted on CM12.1.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

I could've tried posting an answer but I don't have any such app which crashes randomly. I would suggest watching logcat to see if the crashes has some intent or broadcast related info. If the crash doesn't relaunch the app then you may take a bit of help from this answer (hint: mFocusedActivity)

Could Tasker Process Running (KC) allow you to detect when the app closes? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.kc.tasker.processes

@LJD200 that app only checks if an app is running or not, it can't detect an app crash.

@SuperThomasLab Does this Bluetooth Share relaunches itself after crash or you have to manually do it again including enabling the on/off? Also, does this crash happen when it's running in background (when you're  doing something else) or when it's in foreground? // Do you have any other app that behaves alike or do you want strictly a solution for Bluetooth Share only. (I can't test or create a solution unless I have such app)?

@SuperThomasLab Do Android apps not close when they crash though?

To be able to turn on Bluetooth again, I first need to force stop it and then manually launch it again and I want to automate it with tasker. @Firelord

@Firelord Bluetooth Share does not fully close.

@SuperThomasLab Oh OK, sorrry. My mistake.

You can try keeping Bluetooth share resident in memory so that it never crashes.

Unfortunately, it's quite not possible. Tasker cannot detect an app crash.
However, we can still do something about it.
Let's first make a profile that does the killing job. It will be executed when the bluetooth goes off.

Profile (name): BTrern

State (Context): BlueTooth Status [ Status:Off ]    (Profile triggers when BT  goes off)
Task:                                               (You can give task a name)

A1: Kill App [ App:Bluetooth Share Use Root:On ]       (Click the + to add these actions)
A2: Wait [ MS:0 Seconds:5 Minutes:0 Hours:0 Days:0 ]       (Wait for 5 seconds)
A3 (optional): [X] Launch App [ App:Bluetooth Share]       (If you need to launch it)
A4: Bluetooth [ Set:On ]     (Turns ON blutooth)`

Note: If killing even with root is not working (there could be some problem with your Tasker or root), you can try the following shell command:
am force-stop packagename

E.g.:
am force-stop com.google.android.apps.maps

Or if that doesn't work:

pm disable
Wait  3 seconds
pm enable

Now, the next question is how to turn off Bluetooth without executing the instructions noted above?
It's quite simple. Make another task.

Profile Status: BTrern → Off
Wait 5 seconds
Bluetooth → Off

Name this task (like BTOFF) and make a shortcut to your home screen.
Now whenever you want to turn off your BT use this shortcut.
Let's make another task that turns on BT as well as the BTrern

Bluetooth → ON
Wait 5 sec
Profile Status → BTrern : ON

Again, use the above two task shortcuts to turn BT ON or OFF.
You can also use a scene or a widget to make it even easier once you have acquired enough knowledge with Tasker..

OLD

I do not quite understand what you mean by Bluetooth share, but I would presume you mean the activity opened by Share → Bluetooth. May be a pic or two would help.
Instead of finding a way around, first try fixing it by:

Using a Log tool like catlog. (Open catlog → set it on Error, let the crash occur and then open catlog again and save the log.)
Searching for it. You haven't provided any info about your Android model so you might have to do it yourself.

In case those doesn't work, we can use Tasker. I believe the crash will occur within few seconds of opening the activity. We can use this to our advantage.

TRIGGER ON: (When Bluetooth Share activity opens)

If (Bluetooth Share activity close) AND (qtime < 5 sec)

start (Bluetooth Share activity)

else (goto 1)`

Here, qtime is a local variable which stores for how many seconds the task is running. You can find that in Help section of Tasker.
Also you can use Tasker Process Running (KC) for the required process.
Second Method:
Instead of that, it's much more easier to make a  Scene instead of that.

Just make a small box with one button in it which will execute the activity.  Keep it non - intrusive.
Scene1:

Kill Bluetooth Share process
Start Bluetooth Share process

TRIGGER ON: (When Bluetooth Share activity opens)

Create Scene1

If (Bluetooth Share activity close)

wait 5 seconds
destroy scene1

With this, there will be a small overlay when you open Bluetooth Share. If it crashes you can easily execute your kill and start command. And if it doesn't crash, the scene will get automatically destroyed after 5 seconds.
May be Bluetooth File transfer can help.

Great answer, however ''Bluetooth Share'' crashes randomly. So not when I open an activity, share a file etc. I am going to try the logcat

To simply put, use a Scene to force-stop and relaunch Bluetooth Share.
Btw, can you please be more clear what you mean by "Bluetooth share"? A Pic can say 1000 words!

Heres how to use logcat

yes, and this is the "Bluetooth (share)" app: http://imgur.com/peB7kV7

Bluetooth share is not only the sharing part, but the whole bluetooth app. It doesn't crash when I try to share a file, but it occurs randomly. And it is very annoying because I have an Android Wear device. I've got a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Cyanogenmod 12.1 and also look at my question on the Cyanogenmod forum here: http://forum.cyanogenmod.org/topic/110131-cm121-bluetooth-share-randomly-crashesstops-working/

Here's the logcat: http://pastebin.com/jHPLxPGt

Not the data, I only have to force close it.

Ok, now i can understand it clearly
As it says, its a nightly problem so you cannot fix it. so logcat wont work.
As you have stated in your post, the only way except rebooting is to clear data and turn on bluetooth.
Thus, in tasker instead of killing, use data clear and tuning bluetooth on.
This should work now.

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Hello! Thanks for the detailed answer, but I don't understand this step Enter: Anon (43). Could you explain me what to do here?

I have edited to make it bit more human friendly. The Enter means that the task is an entry task. After Enter: is the name of the task. If i have named the task BTTSK it would show Entry: BTTSK. If you donot name it anything the default name Anon is used, which represents Anonymous.

Tasker "detects" the crash successfully, however it fails when turning on Bluetooth, so there is still a problem with force closing Bluetooth.

When Bluetooth crashes, it keeps repeating the task indefinitely until I disable tasker. Please help

It does successfully "detects" the crash and turn Bluetooth on again, but it repeats the task and it will start again, and again, again...

Awesome, at-least we solved the main big problem! Now you can easily solve the tiny mini problems: Try

am force-stop packagename

eg. am force-stop com.google.android.apps.maps

Or if that doesnt work
pm disable
Wait 3 seconds
pm enable

I dont recommend the "or" one as i havent tried it yet, i just noted it down in case i need. Anyways test with Wait 3 sec, first try without this command if that doesnt work add the wait command.

Oh btw you can also use the Secure Settings Plugin, it will give a whole lot more freedom. Off topic: Just look at this TODOOOOOOOO LIST!

It works now, thanks for helping me. The bounty is yours now!

I don't want to sound rude but your sense of formatting is horrible. You abused backticks to evade formatting your answer according to the structure the site understands. I have corrected the formatting but please, do not abuse the backticks (`). Also, is there still a genuine need for the older answer here?

Profile context App: Bluetooth Share
Enter Task

A1:  Stop

Exit Task

A1: Bluetooth Share

Is this what you want?

Doesn't that only detect when Bluetooth is turned off. Maybe I should explain my reason why I want to detect a crash. On my phone Bluetooth crashes randomly. I want tasker to be able to force stop Bluetooth and then launch it again. I want to detect a crash because if I manually turn off Bluetooth that it stays of and doesn't turn on again. Is this detailed enough?

Understood, you could make rule only trigger when bluetooth is on

But still, if you add a rule if Bluetooth is on. When I turn Bluetooth off then it will also get past the rule, won't it?

I don't think so, try it out and tell me if it worked

OK, but can you make a detailed answer with the steps. I am new to tasker. Only got it for a week or so. For example I halve know what "A1" is. Thanks


text:
Forgotten Swipe Pattern lock for Nexus 6P (but fingerprint works!)
I have a Google Nexus 6P with Copperhead OS installed on it. I forgot the pattern to unlock the screen. Is there any way I can recover (a part) of the data on my phone? I am pretty sure that the answer is going to be "no way", but I just want to ask to make sure, before I wipe the phone.
I DO have a fingerprint in the phone, which works. Unfortunately - for some security reason - it wants the pattern as well.
Maybe I can add, that I kind of remember the swipe pattern. I am sure about a middle part, but not about the beginning and the end. Unfortutely I have tried so many combinations by now (even keeping a book), that I have to wait 240 seconds now until I am allowed to enter the next try. (First I had to wait 20, then 30, 60, 120 seconds, now 240.) I had about 55 tries by now.

What you can do since you have such an open phone is unlock the bootloader temporarily and flash a custom recovery to remove the password related files. Here's how:

Unlock your bootloader - 1
Install a custom recovery - 1
Use the custom recovery's "File Manager" feature to remove the following files - 2:

/data/system/password.key
/data/system/pattern.key
/data/system/locksettings.db
/data/system/locksettings.db-shm
/data/system/locksettings.db-wal

Reboot your device
It should now have no password/pattern, enjoy your device
Reinstall stock recovery (should be automatically reinstalled when you reboot) and relocking bootloader - 3 (Optional)

"This will erase all user data from the device!" have you read the instructions you shared?

He have Copperhead OS, he have his bootloader unlocked.

main purpose of CopperheadOS is Security therefore the last step in official install instructions is locking bootloader

even on unlocked bootloader this method would cause data loss (for FBE file-based encryption in general) but in this case even for FDE full disk encryption, because CopperheadOS generates separate disk encryption keys for each user profile based on login credentials which get unrecoverable on deleted locksettings.db (besides this TWRP might not work on fingerprint but asking for pattern instead)

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


text:
How to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET on an Android tablet?
What I notice:
I can't connect on my tablet to the Internet in applications (Android Chrome, Youtube app, Facebook, etc.) My tablet says it is connected to the Wireless router. The router seems to be OK, my phone can connect to and get access to the Internet, my tablet fails to go online, Chrome reports DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET, other apps say that my device is offline.
I have set up a webserver on my computer connected to the same network and my tablet can connect to it via the IP address and port number of the http server, which makes me conclude that my tablet has some DNS related problem.
If I try to access some website via its IP address e.g. 23.21.146.13 (wdl.org, World Digital Library) the Chrome browser reports ERR_ADDRESS_UNREACHABLE.
Steps I have already taken:

Restarted the tablet
Shutdown for longer than 10mins as a recommended way for flushing DNS
Chrome Cache cleared
Removed the Wifi-Network from the list of Wireless networks and reconnected
Tried connecting to the router with a manually set static IP, made no difference (but with DHCP the tablet was not showing an IP)
rebooted router

Some device info:
Model: Asus ME173X
Android version: 4.2.2
Kernel version: 3.4.5
Chrome version: 55.0.2883.91

My desktop computer and my smartphone have no problem connecting the Internet via the same router.


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Is 'Spy Phone App' safe to use?
I am thinking of using 'Spy Phone App' for tracking different whatsapp accounts. Is it good and safe to use? Have anyone used it? Kindly advice me.
Note: It isn't available in google play but you can find it in google search.

'Spy Phone App' is a safe app. There are many people that use it. You can check the reviews here - https://www.capterra.com/p/195854/Spapp-Monitoring/. You can now find it under the name Spapp Monitoring. The website is https://www.spappmonitoring.com.

The best way to assess this tool is to read the Terms of Service, which is publicly available here.
A relevant part is this subsection of "Installation and use of software" on the tracked users' devices:

You can only install and use this app on a device which is your
  property, or for which you have written permission to install the app,
  from the owner. You must make anyone who uses a device on which this
  app is installed, aware of the fact that their internet and phone
  activity is being monitored and archived. Failure to do the above
  might be considered breaking of federal and state laws. If you install
  our software onto a device which you do not own, or don’t have proper
  consent to do so, we will fully cooperate with all relevant
  institutions. Spy phone app is not to be used to ‘Stalk’ or ‘Harass’
  anyone. Spy phone app software must not be used to monitor the
  smartphone and private life of a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, child
  over 18 without their written consent. Please read all relevant
  legislation before purchasing and using this app.

Considering the possibility you are asking whether it is safe for you (as the tracker), this is the relevant subsection from the "Privacy policy":

Our app does not collect any additional info from your device than the
  ones required for its successful operation. Your data is in safe
  hands.

And this further down:

The data collected includes but it is not limited to phone calls, gps
  logs, sms logs, system logs. We do not collect passwords or credit
  card numbers.

So, the conclusion: You can only feel safe about this app if you lower your defenses and those of the "friends"/"active voluntary participants" in your scheme.
Unsolicited personal opinion - it's probably a good idea to evaluate why this app is not distributed via Google Play Store.

What could be the reason for the app not being distributed via Google Play Store?

@JavedAhmed On Google play tracking apps have more restrictions. For example you can not access sms or phone logs. Many apps are removed from Google play, not just monitoring apps. For example some call recording apps have an unchained version that is not available on Google Play.

Spy Phone App is basically a tiny application which allows people to monitor activity that is operated on the particular smartphone. All the activities logs that are performed on the particular smartphone are delivered to your personal online account.
Yes, I used  spy WhatsApp application once. You will have to follow these steps to spy any software:-

Install the software on the phone that you wish to track.
Log in to your account and check the activities.
Customize your setting and activities that you wish to track.

It's also important to know the purpose of cell phone spy software. These are some important things that you track with the help of spy tools:-

You can monitor all text messages.
Monitor all online chats such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Snapchat's chat.
Track GPS location at present time.
You can easily read email and messages remotely.
Controls all applications and programs.

Nowadays most of the people think cellphone application software is a scam, but according to me, it basically allows for proper tracking of a smartphone without any physical access.
I will this article will help you to know about spy software.

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


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Disbale charging of phone by outlet
Is there any way I can disable charging by outlet in my phone by some software.
Kids keep making toy of my phone and I better have excuse that phone is discharged and not charging.I have android 7.
My phone has fixed battery it is one plus 3T.

Possible duplicate of How to connect Samsung J7 via USB but disable charging?

you can remove battery from that.. and can show your phone is not charging :p

The question marked duplicate talks of a particular phone but the answer has generic approaches

It not duplicate that question is from PC to phone charging, mine is from OUTLET POWER

Adb command is still an option as mentioned in answer. There are also data only no power cables but I have never used them or studied

Or use apps like fake battery low


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Properly migrate to larger SD card on Android 6.0?
I've got a Samsung S5 (T-Mobile SM-G900T)that's rooted on Android 6.0.1 and I want to upgrade my 64GB card to a 128GB one.
There are a few reasons I don't think a simple copy and paste will work:
The SD card itself has a unique name now (6CAB-391A). Any new SD card I put in will have a different name.
I've used the built-in feature of moving apps to external storage in Android. I have quite a few apps that have been moved off of "Internal Storage" and into "UsbStorage" using Application Manager > [app name] > Storage.
My SD card has not been adopted as internal storage. It's still labeled as an "external SD card" and has not been encrypted. There is also no option to migrate.
I suspect that a simple copy and paste will break a LOT of links and my apps will no longer work.
So what's the proper procedure on Android Marshmallow to migrate to a larger card?

Possible duplicate of How can I move data from an adopted SD card to a new SD card?

Move App to External Storage is a feature of [tag:adoptable-storage], hence marked it as duplicate.

My SD card has not been adopted. It's still an "external SD card" and has not been encrypted. There is also no option to migrate.

Ok. Retracted close vote but you mentioned in your Q that you moved app to external storage using inbuilt feature- strange, since that is not a Marshmallow feature AFAIK except for adoptable-storage. Anyway, you can follow the steps in that answer or if your internal storage didn't have space, use Titanium Backup and restore data of those apps on external SD

I did. I have quite a few apps that have been moved off of "Internal Storage" and into "UsbStorage" using Application Manager > [app name] > Storage. I'm using Marshmallow 6.0.1. But my microUSB has definitely not been adopted as local storage.

Well, I am also on same version (Moto X Play) and pretty sure that option disappeared from Lollipop. Please mention your device also in question and hope you get an answer soon

Looks like it is Samsung specific- see this http://android.stackexchange.com/q/138356/131553


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Galaxy S2 GPS not starting
A while ago my GPS was annoying me with a lot of 'searching for GPS'. I had to wait at least 10 minutes every time and it holds for just 2 minutes. Then it starts for searching again.
I searched for fixes and tried one. It was done in recovery mode by flashing a zip (lost the source of the site). Since then the GPS isn't even responding! It doesn't matter if I press GPS on or off, it stays off.
I've tried to clear cache, full wipe, factory reset, nothing worked. Tried a lot of apps in the market like: GPS status and toolbox, GPS fix etc. I even rooted my phone with a new kernel, this also didn't work.
What can I do to make my GPS work?
edit: I have a Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) rooted 4.1.2 XWLSD
Siyah kernel v6.0b5

Hopefully you have at least kept the ZIP, so you could give some additional information on that (filename, characteristical contents)? This might enable us to guess what that ZIP did; without closer information we are almost completely left to wild speculations, which would be off-topic on this site :)

No man, I have nothing from the original zip file, nor the site. Big fail, i know, but i was in a rush. But I know this: after i flashed my gps-thing, i discovered it was not for the galaxy s9100 but for the s9000. I am the smartest right? :((

You might have some look if you find the correct (compatible) ZIP and flash that over; that should cure it.

Got the answer:
I installed a fresh ROM (rootbox) and it helped. Weird that it didn't help before. Now I need to search a solution for faster GPS fixing.

This is an impractical solution for most users.


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Moving Robinson game files/user profile from one android to another
http://www.forumforpages.com/facebook/robinson-mobile/useful-tips/798367174/0
I tried the above but cannot find the below mentioned file which sound like what one needs to continue on playing the game at the level achieved on the old phone.  I so do not want to lose the levels and enjoyment and hard work put in on this!! :)
"UserProfile.json"
The file path suggested is there, but the Userprofile.json file is not there!

Related: How does one copy all the data AND apps from one Asus tablet to another? / Cloning an application with its full data store between devices. There were some more similar questions, but I currently cannot find them... For a more specific answer: is your device rooted?

I have just done a quick read of device rooted and probably not..I have not much understanding of this and don't know how to go about it!  Maybe that's why I can't see the file, is it a hidden one??

Yes it does exist on the SD card! as mentioned in the edited version of the question now!!

My idea:
If you don't see the file, try to use another File manager which has the option to show hidden files. (sometimes it is impossible without root privilege)
And save the App to the SD Card rather than the phone memory, then try to copy everything. After moving, try to re-copy everything.
(server sync not exists? game support doesn't recommend anything for you?)

ES File Manager is such a tool that allows to show hidden files.

Could you just clarify for me, do I install this to the phone or to my computer as a file manager and do the copying and transferring via the computer??


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Override sender address in GMail app for non-Google mailbox
There's a popular 3rd-party mail provider and for some time they don't provide OAuth2 auth scheme and resort to regular password. This mail provider was known to authors of Gmail when OAuth2 was still working and for that reason when you try to setup a new email account in the gmail app it redirects to the non-existent OAuth2 web page (even in flight mode).
I thought I found a good workaround: at the beginning enter the wrong domain name and later change it to the correct one. It did help me start receiving emails, but when I try to send some it fails. Presumably I get the "non-local sender" error from the SMTP server (GMail app doesn't display the error details).
In the composition dialog there's the dropdown at the top where you select the sender account and there the domain is still wrong. I was unable to find where the account could be renamed. In GMail app itself in "Settings" -> (account name) there's the "Account name" text input, but changing the value there has no effect on email composition: in the dropdown the domain name is still wrong and the emails sending still fails.
I think GMail is just designed to use the account name from "accounts on device". From GMail app settings you can navigate to "accounts on device" and there there's no UI to rename the account. Only to delete or to disable sync.
Since account renaming isn't possible with built-in UI I want to find an app to do that or help with setting the correct account name from the start, but skipping OAuth2.
OnePlus 10t (cph2415), Android 14, GMail 2024.06.23

Maybe I am not understanding the problem, but why wouldn't you just use a different email client like Blue Mail or Nine for that account if the Gmail app doesn't work?


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Can't access internet through wirtual hotspot
I have rooted  phone with Android 4.0 and laptop with Windows 8.
I have made wirtual hotspot with:
netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow name=** key=**
netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Than I shared my default connection to newly created, phone have found this network, but couldn't connect to it (claimed 'avoided poor internet connection').
After googling around I figured out that I should set static IP, and phone finally connected to network, but without working internet. I have absolutely no idea what to do next.
Here is output of ipconfig /all: (PC internet connection - Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2; hotspot connection - Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 12)
http://paste.ubuntu.com/5925983/
Android device configuration:
IP - 169.254.179.101
Gateway - 169.254.179.10
Network prefix length - 16
DNS 1 - 169.254.179.10
DNS 2 - 8.8.4.4

UPD: Wifi analyser on Android side shows
Server IP: 0.0.0.0

This question appears to be off-topic because it is more about Windows than Android.

@roxan Actually, I am pretty sure that the problem lies in wrong configuration of static IP on Android side, so I suppose, it is not.

I'd say that this is okay here. Did you look through the other [tag:wifi-hotspot] questions we have here?

Just for clarification: Is the created hotspot by any chance an ad-hoc network -- or is it truly "infrastructure" mode? Because if it's ad-hoc, it's not supported out-of-the-box by Android.

Are you sure the Windows box is set up to act as a router? That's not the usual configuration, so if you haven't done anything to enable that on your laptop, you won't be able to access its internet connection from other devices via W-Fi.

@Kriattiffer IMHO, if you didn't know how to put static IP in Android then it would have been Android question.   To figure out the correct static IP you need to do it in your Windows computer. To fix anything like incorrect routing settings or Wi-Fi properties you've to do it in Windows. You shared Internet doesn't work on Android phone and won't work in any other device until you fix it in Windows computer.

@AlEverett have read'em all (both here and on SuperUser), there are some relevant things, but nothing to solve this problem.

@Izzy I suppose that I if created AP, it couldn't be ad-hoc, could it?

@Dan Honestly, I don't understand. What shoud be enabled on laptop in this case?

@Kriattiffer there are a lot of solutions for Windows creating ad-hoc "hotspots". I do not say you did, I just wanted to definitly rule that out. Otherwise we work on symptoms never reaching anywhere if it turns out it was ad-hoc.


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smartphone as a USB ramdisk
Is it possible to use an Android device (like a smartphone) as an USB ramdisk?
Basically i'd like to have the PC accessing a tmpfs on the smartphone as a (virtual) USB mass storage device, so data gets written on the smartphone RAM instead of the flash memory.
This could have many use cases:

emergency swap space for PCs with low RAM
temporary storage for privacy sensitive-data
fast storage for temporary files (alternative to a native ramdisk wasting PC RAM)
PC USB interface benchmarking

if you think you can do it, just embed your android storage onto the pc: but note: if you use usb (currently usb 3.1 supports only 10gibs minus bad transfer,....), I don't expect you have an USB 3.1 android phone and a corresponding pc, so your theoretical maximal data rate would be 60mbps, which is slower than most hard drives.

It still looks interesting to me despite the USB 2.0 bottleneck. Side note: i've found this commercial app that could do the trick by mounting /tmp. I'm going to try it asap.

by the way there is also a free version.... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=os.devwom.usbsharereval

How to boot an .iso file in PC using Android device?

I wouldn't do it as the data rate is far more slower then RAM speed.

USB Share does the trick by creating a virtual usb image in /mnt/secure (which is mounted as tmpfs on my Android 4.2 OS). Then, mount and share the image with RW permissions.
Side note:
i've found my OS also mounts a tmpfs on /sdcard/.android_secure but when connected as USB mass storage the files get written on the flash memory instead of the tmpfs.
If you know a better solution not requiring any commercial app please let me know!


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how to check DKIM signatures in emails
I'm looking for a gmail-compatible app that can check DKIM signatures on incoming emails.
Also, i'd like my outgoing emails to be signed correctly, so they are less likely to be filtered as spam...
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/180707


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Hide Whatapp message preview on the front screen
On new Samsung A3 2017, I want to hide Whatapp message preview on the front screen but keep the sound.  Is this no longer possible?
Thanks

Do you mean the lock screen?

Or is this what you're talking about?

Did you check at Settings >  Lock Screen & Security > Notification on Lock Screen? There you can hide notification for specific apps.


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How to a use android debug bridge on my frozen phone without usb debugging
My AZUMI IRO A4Q crashed. I tried to access the recovery menu  using the volume up/down/power button combinations but non of them work. It goes directly to the Digicel screen and freezes there. Is there anyway to access the recovery menu using adb without USB debugging, which I didn't enable prior to the crash?

This site mentions this procedure for getting into recovery:

Volume Up + Power button (or)
Home button + Volume Up + Power button(or)
Volume Down + Power button (or)
Volume Up + Volume Down + Power button

Once you get into recovery, you should be able to use ADB in I remeber correctly, and if not you can easily factory reset

I've accessed the recovery menu but factory reset doesn't work


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Recommended steps for securing a lost phone
According to Android Device Manager you have several options when it comes to a lost or stolen phone.
However it's not clear to me if you are supposed to select just one of them (lock your phone or erase the phone's data for example) or you can select both.
If you select one, there's no doubt about the expected behavior.
However, it's not clear what to expect if one first selects erase phone's data, and then selects lock the phone, or viceversa. Does the second option interrupt the first one? Or do they both remain active?
To complicate things a little more, what would happen, if additionally, you changed your google password in the process? In a logical attempt to prevent any further unauthorized access to any of your google products ...
So, in the simpler case of just telling ADM to delete everything, what would happen if:

you changed the google password "before" confirming the deletion process? Would a password change at this stage interfere with google's ability to contact the phone before it had a chance to receive the deletion trigger?
you changed the google password "after" confirming the deletion process?
Would a password change at this stage interfere with google's ability to contact the phone before it had a chance to receive the deletion trigger?

If anyone has had any experience with ADM I'll appreciate your feedback.
Thank you.

This may be better served at Android.SE. If you don't get useful answers here, flag it for migration and I'll send it over.

After selecting "Erase phone's data" , the phone wipes off the data as soon as it gets spotted so selecting "Lock the phone" won't take effect.
And regarding the password changing, I once erased my phone and after a day changed my google password. The password was changed without any issue.

If the phone is offline when you issue the erase phone data, the order is actually queued somewhere. If you give it another order, it may very well replace the pending order with the new one (or not). It doesn't say anything, anywhere, about which one google honors first. Your second answer, regarding the password change, has also nothing to do with what I asked. I'm asking if a password change before the phone is actually contacted/erased would interfere in google's ability to contact it/delete it afterwards.

My second answer is the reply to your question in Point  2
you changed the google password "after" confirming the deletion process? Would a password change at this stage interfere with google's ability to contact the phone before it had a chance to receive the deletion trigger?

The scenario refers to "After" confirming the deletion process and "Before" the phone has been yet contacted (because it was offline). Otherwise the question "Would a password change at this stage interfere with google's ability to contact the phone before it had a chance to receive the deletion trigger?" would make no sense, since the phone had already been contacted. Thanks for sharing your experience anyways.

I understood your scenario and answered for the same. I had changed my password before the phone was contacted and was able to do so.


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Installing any APP hardboots phone and bootloops
I have a Oneplus 1 running CM11 44s Kitkat 4.4.4
I did a clean flash of CM11 and now I am unable to install any app from playstore.
As soon as an app finishes installing, the phone hardboots and enters bootloop or I get continuous error messages Trebuchet stops working, Play Store stopped working
I have to goto Safe Mode and unistall app to recover phone.
Apps which I have tried to install and have been unsuccessful
Greenify
Nova Launcher
Facebook
Gboard
Microsoft SMS Organiser
Basically, I am unable to install anything at all! All these were running fine before, now dont understand whats wrong!
I cleaned whole phone, formatted all with fastboot and reinstalled CM11, but the problem remains.
Please help!!

It's becouse appt2 someone posted about it in google's issue tracker here : https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/64434571#comment22 and they say they would release an update to appt2 to fix the problem it happens to all CyanogenMod/LineageOS Rom and they descriped the bug in detail too here is it :-
CyanogenMod has this function getPkgName (https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_frameworks_base/blob/cm-13.0/libs/androidfw/AssetManager.cpp).  It creates a ResXMLTree on the stack and points it at a buffer from an asset without making a copy.  Then it closes the asset before the ResXMLTree is destroyed.
For apps built by aapt, this is benign.  However, aapt2 produces UTF-8 string pools, which cause the ResXMLTree's ResStringPool(mStrings)'s mCache to become non-null in ResStringPool::stringAt (https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_frameworks_base/blob/cm-13.0/libs/androidfw/ResourceTypes.cpp).  Then ResStringPool::uninit dereferences mHeader (which is now dangling), and a crash ensues.
This crash shows up in different ways.  On one Cyanogen OS device, the launcher crashes when an app built with aapt2 has been installed, but only if the manifest is large (probably due to how deallocation happens for small vs large blobs).  On another device, system_server crashes at boot if an aapt2-built app is installed.
We're attempting to work around this with a custom build of aapt2 that always produces a UTF-16 string pool for the manifest.  Results so far are promising.

For me it is the FaceBook app that causes the bootloop. I have CM11 on a Nexus 7. I used the Play store to update a few apps last week and when I came back to it, it was looping. I did several factory resets and found it was the latest FB app. I get an instant bootloop on installing. I just decided not to use it :)  Of course whatever the issue is (maybe some issue Android Studio is introducing that CM11 does not like) may affect other apps.


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how to add / sync google calendar?
I have a Xaomi Redmi Note 4G and have installed PAC-ROM-asrupesh-UNOFFICIAL-PORT.zip from XDA - [ROM][PORT] PAC ROM UNOFFICIAL for Redmi Note 4G Single Sim. I followed the steps from the forum to install the ROM.
Now I do not have my Gmail Calendar. If I go to Calendar -> Settings I can see my Gmail account but no other calendar. If I hit Add Account there is no Gmail account.
If I go to Settings -> Accounts -> Google Account and click my Gmail account I want the calendar to be in my mobile, but I cannot see an option to sync calendar. It is not there.
Any idea how to add the Gmail Calender to my current ROM?

So what I did is to install Google Calendar and it did all that needed to be done so I can see my gmail calendar in android (or is that CM) native calendar application.

Have you checked calendar app is installed in your phone or not? I mean have you checked calendar app under Settings → App → Application? Search there and  if you find it there then start its service. You can than access it.
Read this Google support article: Sync problems with the Google Calendar app

That's what is interesting. If I go to Play and search for Google Calendar then I am able to install it. But then what app do I use then? CM calendar?


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Contacts in circles are invisible in Phone
I have a Moto G ver1 running Android 4.4.4
After the last update I noticed that any contact that is also added to  G+ circles is NOT searchable on the phone. If I search by phone number the contacts appear. If I search by name they do not. This problem affects only contacts that are added in circles. Does anybody have a solution? Thanks!
[update]
I just noticed that the problem with those contacts is the contact's name (on my phone) being different than the name of the google+ profile. If I search the profile name the contacts display correctly.


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Whatsapp images shows up in file browser since today
The media folder is hidden in the gallery since I created a .nomedia
 file. Since today the whatsapp filebrowser started browsing other
 chats as well and shows files from other chats to me.
How can I choose the gallery as the default location for whatsapp media I am about to send OR to hide the media from other chats from the whatsapp file browser?

whatsapp filebrowser started browsing other chats What do you mean by other chats?

Images I've sent to other whatsapp contacts are shown as entry in a gallery.


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WhatsApp away from Wi Fi?
When I am away from WiFi, I do not want to receive nor send messages or media on WhatsApp.  Where on my Moto G can I make this setting?  Thanks !!

It is possible to restrict background data usage for certain apps. Here, "data" or "mobile data" means the Internet connection you get through 4G or 3G, and not what you get through Wi-fi. (I don't know how to restrict foreground data usage for certain apps, so you would have to also avoid opening WhatsApp if you don't want it to use data.)

Go to "Settings", "Connections", "Data usage".
Tap "Mobile data usage"
Scroll down and tap "WhatsApp", or whatever app you want to restrict
Turn off "Allow background data usage"

There is no standard way, on Whatsapp, to disable send/receive messages. When I want to save my internet, I just go to the phone's configuration and disable all internet conections (leaving just Wifi on, since it is "free") - but it would affect all apps.
The best you could do on Whatsapp is to not download media - go to Configuration -> Storage Data and disable all automatic media download.


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Android Preloaded apps - Does Google Play take them into account to compute total number of installs?
I would like to know whether or not preloaded apps are taken into account by Google Play to compute the total number of installs of an app.
I read many articles, among which this one, but I did not find yet a clear answer to this question.
Can someone provide an answer to this question? Hopefully a link to some official Google Play / Android Developer Documentation page.. ;-)
Thanks.
PS:
I sent a question to Google using contact form on Google Play Console, but did not receive an answer yet.
And, of course, I also read many documentation pages on Google Play Console portal.

@beeshyams I am sorry, but do not follow. Can you explain more and hopefully give me some links / urls? I am searching for certainty about that. Thanks

Sorry can't share anything concrete that can help. What I was saying was that it won't count as install as a best guess

I cannot say for sure, but I'd say the download/install counter is triggered only when accessed via Playstore. Preinstalled apps get on devices a different way (to my knowledge, OEMs get one package and install that on as many devices as needed), so Playstore most likely couldn't even know the numbers. As said, my assumptions – I cannot tell for sure.

@Izzy thanks for the info. But what if a user go to the Play store app and update the preloaded app? Will it then be taken into account?

That I cannot tell. The question then must read: "Do updates count as Installs for an app's 'number of installs'?" Logic would say: No. Because even if I installed an app from there, I should still be just "one user" of that app, regardless of how many versions I tried.

@Izzy No, the question about "updates" you mentioned is not what I mean. I think my initial question is clear enough. Anyway, thanks for your time trying to help ;-)

Then the fact that preloaded apps are not installed from/via Playstore should answer your question?

I'd suggest programming this into the application, If you truly want to total number of installations then have your app access a website when opening, the website can count the different devices that have accessed it and Viola


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How to video call
Hi im new to ask a question. I have 7 inch tab with 1GB ram 4G volte android 6.0. And i want to make the video call without any 3rd party app. There is no icon only sms icon shown. How can i make a video call. Can we have some app which can enable the feature to call directly. or if any additional app added and make the feature directly call without using other 3rd party app (skype, whatsapp, etc.) Any help or suggestion. Thanks

What makes an app 3rd party?

I've done this for a G903F with CSC Options to enable IP and video calls and the needed menus.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ma.wanam.cscexpert

Can you share a screenshot of your native dialer?

i do not have samsung tablet. The app works with samsung mobile only.  i have iball its not working in my tablet any other method

Is there something similar?

@lemrm i did not get what you mean.. I said i have iball 4G tab and i want to make direct calling without any 3rd party app. Can you plz explain me now after installing its asking for search what should i search for?. Plz explain in detail. Thanks

I'm not sure if you have CSC on iball. Could you see this folder /system/csc/feature.xml with ADB


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Battery drainage is pretty high
Ok so, my screen battery draining stats is 122%, Android system 52%, Android OS 27%, Media Servers 25%, and suprising ly my games 25% or below. How to fix this? Cause if you combine all the percentages in my Android Lollipop 5.0.2 tablet,(It is a Samsung Tab 4, and it is NOT rooted). it would be over 300% battery drain stats. So... again, how do I fix this?
Edit: Every minute a play: -3% battery percentage on average.

It looks like Android mess up. Suggest flash  ROM again after taking backup. Also add to your question details of device, Android version and root status

If you watch closely you will see it states: Use since full charge. This means it counts from the time the battery was at 100%. Charge your device to 100% and the numbers will be fine...


text:
How to extract data from an .APK file?
I want to extract or copy every detail that .apk contain, like for example extracting data from whatsapp.apk or linked-in.apk or twitter.apk.
Please note that I dont want to extract my personal data from any installed app on my phone instead I want extract the data and images which the app developer had added while making the app.

An APK is the same as a JAR file which is the same as a ZIP file.
Rename the .APK to a .ZIP and then extract the .ZIP

As suggested earlier, Apktool is a good option,
Requirements:

Java Runtime Environment
Windows wrapper script (Right click, Save Link As apktool.bat)
Apktool.jar

(For Linux and Mac OS the files and installation instructions are also available:  Installation for Apktool)
Usage
Copy the apktool.bat and apktool.jar files to a folder preferably with no spaces eg inside the  C:\ directory. (e.g C:\Apktool)

Open command prompt by pressing shift and right click simultaneously.
In the command prompt type apktool d [apkname.apk] (e.g apktool d WhatsApp)
Find the extracted apk in the folder with the apk name (in this case (C:\Apktool\WhatsApp)
You can now browse through the folder to find all resources of the app e.g manifest.xml and PNG images in res folder or doing a search.

Acknowledgements:
Apktool a tool for reverse engineering


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Why is zygote asking for superuser permissions?
I have a OnePlus One running the latest version of OxygenOS which is rooted for the sole purpose of running CF lumen. I have not installed any other root apps, and only use the Play Store for downloading apps.
Recently, I got two superuser requests in quick succession from an app called Zygote.
As another answer had suggested, I checked for any rogue apps with adb shell ps | grep zygote but only one process was listed. So there doesn't seem to be any malware masquerading as zygote.

Scans from Malwarebytes and Kaspersky didn't turn up anything either.
I haven't got any other superuser requests from zygote since this first happened about a day ago.
What's going on?

Possible duplicate of Why are Zygote and Whatsapp asking for root?

Do you have Xposed Installer and various modules installed? As I understand it, several xposed modules will use the zygote root process and most likely benign.

"Zygote" is the root process of all app processes in Android.
When you start an app, Android forks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(system_call)#Overview) this process instead of creating an entirely new process for this app.
There is often a "soft reboot" option in custom ROMs, which doesn't do anything else than killing and restarting the Zygote process and therefore killing all other processes as they are only forks of the zygote process.
To come back to your question: I don't know which super user app you use, but maybe it contains a bug or has been unproperly configured, because zygote should normally get root access without confirmation.

I use SuperSU. When I first got the Zygote request, I first suspected malware, but now I think that it may be an isolated bug in the SuperSU app that pops up very rarely. Since that one time I haven't got any other superuser requests from Zygote. Is it possible that this is just a bug?

It is possible that this is a bug. But it's possible that this is malware, too. It's hard to say. I would revoke the Root request of Zygote and update SuperSU to the latest version.