text:
Pressing # before * clears all code in checkin
I want to dial *#*#2432546#*#* so aka *#*#checkin#*#* to check updates http://lifehacker.com/5719657/force-your-android-phone-to-check-for-a-system-update
but when I press # in this place *#*#2432546#  <- this place
it clears and can't type all code
Make: Goclever
Model: Quantum 350
android version: jelly bean 4.2.2

Wow, haven't heard of that one in years... that is from 2010 or so (December 2010 according to the article) so it is quite out of date, like 6 or 7 years old so you are talking about mid-Froyo (2.2) or early Gingerbread (2.3) days. Not all phones use the same dialer codes, although some are mostly universal not all are. My guess is that code isn't compatible with your device, or most likely most devices today. Most devices now have update checks embedded in Settings - About Phone

This is because when you type the # there, the dialpad thinks it as a secret code and try tp trigger the function. It is a bug
Once I had the same problem in my old device.
To type the number,
Try
1.*#*##*#* then add the number between them
Or
2.*#*#*#* then add the number and # between them

I have known I can't upgrade 4.2.2+ but I can use cyanogenmod

Did your problem solved? Can you type it now?

not work clears as I typed before and 2. not work too

What happen when you try 2.

ok I try again 2.

Did you try to type *#*#2432546#*#* completely?

3rd # clears all code

Which # , last one?

6# this hash do this

So it works and the issue is the code doesn't trigger anything. This issue I found on Some LG devices. The code has nothing to do with the phone.


text:
LineageOS with Goclever devices
Is it possible to have LineageOS on Goclever Quantum 350?
Are system requirements for LineageOS high? I mean can I run Android 6 or 7 on my device.
With CyanogenMod 12.1 it worked with Android 5.1.1
I saw the list of supported devices http://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/ but my device Goclever Quantum 350 is not flagship like Samsung Galaxy or Google Nexus and has 256MB RAM only.
Here are specs of this smartphone http://www.gsmchoice.com/en/catalogue/goclever/quantum350/Goclever-Quantum-350.html

If it's not listed there, you should probably search on xda-developers.com for ROMs and experiences if and how it runs...

No matter how hard you find, 256MB RAM is simply not enough for anything beyond KitKat. Trust me, even 512MB devices struggle.

You can try searching on xda, but 256mb doesn't work well even on kit-kat it could but it probably won't. So no, your device can't run android 6.0.x or 7.x, even if someone make custom rom you wouldn't be able to do much with it.

@Andy but I have 5.1.1 lollipop with Cyanogenmod 12.1 and works fast :) started with Jelly Bean 4.2.2

Depends on how you define "fast" - once you used some devices a tier above it, there's no turning back. Even though MT6572 is a dual-core SoC, it still is hampered by that amount of RAM. Anyway, as for the original question, if nothing turns up in search results, you're out of luck - development on MTK devices are scarce, not to mention MT6572 itself is very old.

source: Stack Exchange

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

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје

sort: votes


text:
Where I can find files with language on android custom rom
I have custom rom MIUI 4.7.23 default language is Chinese. I can't set to other language because I am on first setup. I don't know Chinese and can't skip this welcome screen. I want to change or add Polish language but this is not possible it can be English version I can't find this as global version of this rom.
The structure of .zip file is META-INF/, system/, boot.img, logo.bin
I suppose there is .xml file if it is?
The first I know this is welcome MIUI I click on the one button something like next by intuition
The 2nd is WLAN I switch it off click something like next in Chinese

which is your device? MIUI 4.7.23 means your trying to install MIUi 4 which is very old. I also wanted to know that, if you are trying to install a ported ROM on a non-xiaomi device.

yes this is non-xiaomi device Goclever quantum 350 with jelly bean 4.2.2 and MIUI version 4 because it works on under jelly bean base want to update to  MIUI v5

There's no such thing like a huge file with all of your ROM translated, OP. Any single APK package can have a number of strings.xml files inside its res directory, which define that app's available languages.

Own answer but no solution related to this question
Think too fast asked question
Ok I found it!!!
but this not the answer on this question because this isn't related to file with language but is very helpful I also changed language to English in settings by luck :)
I did this:
(I type in English because I changed the language on it)
Just remove SIM card and by intuition press next and turn off 2 switches and had something Chinese text with !

Clicked Settings blue gear icon
the tab on the right (this is general settings) there are 2 tabs
icon with keyboard is the language! press it
next press the first button and change to English for example :)

But I can't take screenshots of phone :|

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


text:
MMS images do not work in Google Messenger
I am using Google Messenger application as my default text messenger application. I am using a Samsung Galaxy S4.
When I get text messages that have images, the image stays frozen at "downloading..." and will not complete. After a period of time, the image just fails.
When I change to the Samsung Messaging application, text images will properly arrive.
I have tried clearing defaults, and doing a factory reset, the reinstalling Google Messenger.
EDIT:
This is the app I am referring to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging&hl=en

This is almost always an APN or carrier issue. Check APN settings regarding MMS. Most carrier subsidized phones have this hard coded in the app, you may need to enter the manual MMS APN information in Messenger's settings

there is no APN settings in Messenger

Then you will have to build a correct MMS APN in the system settings. What carrier (please don't say Verizon... please don't say Verizon...)

But why do other messaging applications work?

All other apps work, or just the app that was bundles with the phone.

The bundled samsung messenger and 3rd party textra work. Google messenger does not.

No clue... I installed it on my Moto X Pure and it worked fine, MMS send/received pictures with no issues.

Well I would assume MMS is not broken on google messenger across all devices and carriers LOL.


text:
Custom shutdown animation
first post here...
So I'm attempting to utilize a custom shutdown animation on my LG K7 that I use for dev purposes..
Ive made backups of the original shutdownanimation.zip, and using custom pictures (same .png format, resolution,color depth, etc) I've replaced the original picture files within the zip with the new ones.
Shutdown only displays a black screen.
So I push backup back to phone, displays LG logo again.
Deciding to experiment, I took my stock bootanimation.zip, renamed it to shutdownanimation.zip and overwrote the shutdownanimation.zip on my phone.
As expected, this gave me the stock boot up animation during shut down.
So I decided I would take a copy of the original shutdownanimation.zip file, and simply edit the existing pictures within it using an image editor.  I just opened each of the two original picture files within the zip and used a drawing tool to write 'custom' over the lg logo, then overwrote the new picture files back into shutdowanimation.zip and pushed to phone.
I though for sure I would see the altered LG logo, but instead I got a black screen.
Any ideas?
Update: Im wondering if some mechanism is in place to prevent alteration of the bootanimation or shutdown animation?  At first I was thinking it was some file format issue, so I took picture #150 from part0 in bootanimation.zip and replaced every odd picture with picture #150... i.e. part0 pic # 101,103,105... = pic #150 So that this way I didn't even alter any images.  Upon moving to phone and rebooting, the boot animation ignores part0 completely where I made the changes and only plays part1.

ANSWER:
So this took me some troubleshooting to fix.
During this process I was using the Linux Archive Manager GUI to work with my animation files.  This was my mistake.
At one point, as a test, I deleted folder part0 from the archive, and then added it right back in and pushed it back to the phone.
Black screen.  This was my "A-Ha!" moment.
My archive manager was automatically compressing everything I added to it.  Thus, after adding part0 back into the archive I noticed the compression ratio changed from 0.99 to 1.34...
Easy fix:  I created an uncompressed new bootanimation.zip file
zip -r -0 bootanimation.zip part0 part1 desc.txt
worked flawlessly. Custom animations now work.


text:
How can I ensure that files such as photos/videos are stored in the SD card in Android Marshmallow?
I have a Lenovo Vibe K4 Note phone with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. I have formatted my SD card as internal storage. As a result, when I view the file system either through my phone or my PC, both the real internal storage and the SD card appear logically combined under Internal Storage.
I have many apps installed, such as Google apps, that do not allow me to move them to the SD card portion of the logical internal storage, and hence reside in the "real" internal storage only (but that is not my question).
The problem is that when I take pictures or videos, they are also stored in the "real" internal storage. Now, my internal storage gets very quickly filled up, while my SD card is near empty. Moreover, as logically both appear in the file manager as one "Internal Storage" category combined, I am not able to figure out how to move out the images from the real internal storage to the SD Card.
My questions are:

When SD Card is formatted as internal storage in Marshmallow, how can I enforce that certain files are stored in the SD Card? How can I ensure that new photos are stored in the SD Card?
How can I move existing files from the real internal storage to the SD Card?

@beeshyams Could you please elaborate, maybe as an answer? Thanks.

@beeshyams Done

this is one option


text:
No ADB driver for medion e4001 (MD 98500) for remote debugging
For testing purposes I need to debug an older android device:
MEDION LIFE e4001 (MD 98500)
There are no drivers available online and I wrote to the MEDIUM guys receiving the following answer:

Thanks for your feedback. We are gladly share the following information with you: There are currently no plans to develop debug drivers for the  Medion smartphone e4001. If you want to transfer data they are not necessary - when connected to a pc the phone will appear as a usb storage device.

So no official ADB driver for that device. Is there any chance to get a working ADB driver for that device somehow?

Welcome to the site. Thanks for sharing your knowledge by answering your own question!

I found a solution (for windows):

Download the official MEDION ADB driver for some other tablets they offer
Unpack
Open the android_winusb.inf file in a texteditor
Add the following lines at the end of the two sections [Google.NTx86]up and [Google.NTamd64]
;
;MEDION Life E4001
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_109B&PID_911E
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_109B&PID_911E&MI_01

Go to the device manager, select the unknown driver (called generic in my case), update driver and select the folder.

Off you go!

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


text:
Nexus 7 Google Logo Boot-Loop
My stock Nexus 7 was working fine until I turned it on. The lock screen was frozen. I then hard reset the device and turned it back on. On boot the tablet gets stuck on the Google logo and never continues. Tried recovery mode, but it doesn't start. I also tried re-flashing stock from here but it hasn't made a difference. How can I fix this? Can I resolve this with fastboot?

I would reset the whole thing using Wugfresh's Nexus toolkit. It has saved me from a few panics with my Nexus 7.

Try clearing/formatting Cache partition from recovery and than flash a factory image.
If it doesn't work, flash a custom recovery and than format the Cache partition and try rebooting your Nexus 7.


text:
Regarding adb command: Error while loading shared libraries
aneesh@nb-14:~$ adb devices
adb: error while loading shared libraries: libncurses.so.5: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

I would like to understand the error above and correct it. This is just one instance, I get the same error on giving any adb command! Be it push, install, etc.
Any help is appreciated!

What distribution you are using? You might need to install the libncurses5 package, it looks like.

It's already installed and is the latest version. Mine is Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit os.

So is mine, and here it works. See PasteBin for details (updated). You probably lack the 32bit support, could that be?

@Izzy ,you are right.I hope this will solve the problem.
apt-get install ncurses-libs.i686 libstdc++.i686 libgcc.i686

There are no such packages on Ubuntu 13.10


text:
How to disable pin security from Samsing Tab 2
I have a Samsung tab2, and have added screen pin lock on my Tab few days back as I was going out. Now I don't want to use pin lock as security, but I am not able to disable it. I am going to
setting --> security --> screen lock

After entering my pin my options are to disable includes last the option None.
What should I do to remove the screen lock pin??

Which ROM are you using? Stock or Custom?

Under some circumstances Android forces you to have a PIN or password. This happens, e.g. if you install a custom trusted certificate. Therefore I would check Security settings and there the storage options if user certs are installed.

In my case, I installed my own certificate which even on removing was some where present don't know where so ultimately I cleared up every thing and again tried to remove pin and it got removed.
Proper way would be settings-->security-->clear credential Clear credentials is last option under security heading.
And now u can change your pin  setting-->security-->screen lock-->swipe/none whatever you feel comfortable with.
Enjoy :D

Not working for me.. I've Samsung S2

Go to Settings--> Profiles .
In the profile settings at the bottom is an entry for "System settings-->Lock screen mode".
You can choose several settings, one of which is disable.
You can disable Lock Screen by "disable" option or you can remove PIN by "insecure lock screen" option.
OR
Turned off the screen, turned it back on and clicked on Forgot in the right down corner. Give Google password and it will change Lock method automatically back to slide.
Just try it.

Thanx, but that's what I added that, None option is disable in my case!!!

If you already set a PIN , then there should be a prompt to enter PIN if you tried to change it. Was there any prompt pop-up when you tried so?

yup. As I mentioned in the question after entering pin NONE option is disable.

Answer edited with solution.

I also messed around with the lock screen, and only when i cleared all credentials it came to remove the pin protection.

authors: Стилиян Иванов


text:
Samsung galaxy S3 screenshot doesn't work
Yesterday I bought a brand new  samsung  galaxy s3. WHen I hold home button and lock button, it doesnt shot the screen. how to fix it?

at the same time?

yes... i know to use it , i had galaxy pocket before

The problem solved. it would meant to be "Home" +  "Back" + "Power".

Hold Volume Down button and Lock button!
You can't take screenshots like on Android 2+.
Using hand motion feature - For this enable Palm Swipe to Capture feature and swipe your hands above the phone to take a screenshot
Using swipe option

For reference look at the guide on How to take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini

You have to place your palm on the side of the screen and cross it to the other side.

I know this way but I want to use Home button + power button screenshot.

If you are using stovk ROM then you can try this.
From HOME
 1. Click the MENU button and select SETTINGS.
 2. Select MOTION.
 3. Under “Hand Motion” settings, check “Palm swipe to Capture” checkbox.
just swipe your palm horizontally(L-->R/R-->L) over your screen it will capture a screen shot.
OR
HOLD down the POWER button and the HOME button at the same time. (Remember timing is imporatant)


text:
Xperia V touchscreen doesn't respond
I ordered this brand new xperia V a few days ago and recieved it today. everything's working fine (the power key, volume buttons) the phone starts up good but the phone doesn't respond to touch inputs.
I've talked to the vendor and they asked me to send it to them for replacement but i really don't want to wait another week (maybe more) to use this device
Can it be a software related problem? If yes, What should i try? sony update or something else?

Since you said the phone is brand new there is nothing wrong with the software. It is most probably a defect with the screen. Get it replaced and use a proper phone.


text:
Clearing the notification about battery issues
My android doesn't understand why I carry my phone. It thinks that if Outlook and Skype are running all the time (so I can get push notifications) that it's a waste of my battery, and the thing to do is shut those down so that I can get more than 24 hour battery life. Thing is, with those shut down, carrying the phone is pointless.
Today it sprouted a notification on the Settings icon:

When I go in there, it wants to "fix" my "issues" by shutting down Outlook whenever I am not looking at it:

I don't consider this to be a drain. (It claims elsewhere Outlook is using 1% of my battery and that at this rate it will only last another 24 hours. That's fine by me.) I don't want this "fixed". I want Outlook and Skype to run all the time so I can get notified immediately if someone is trying to contact me. I want to clear that orange notification from my Settings tile. Yet none of this seems to be possible. Apparently the only option I have is to agree to have my phone turn off all the things I use it for, for my own good.
How can I get what I want?
This is a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android 7.0.

Please update your question with your device make, model, and Android version... That information is necessary to formulate a concise answer.

@acejavelin done

If it's essential to you to have those apps running 24/7, why not excluding them from "battery optimization" (Doze mode)? If you don't know how to do that, please take a look at Is there a way to exclude an app from Doze?

May I ask whether you have any battery saving or cleaner app installed?

I do not. I have very little installed and nothing "meta" like that.

Based on the comment by Izzy above, I looked further under the Battery settings. There is nothing about Doze, but there is a section called Unmonitored Apps which apparently means "unrestricted" apps. I was able to add Outlook (but not Skype) to this list. The phone now says it will let them use all the power they want. Good.
Doing so has cleared the orange dot, which is great, and should also mean that I will get my push notifications. I guess. I don't really understand how Android works and seem to be constantly trying to stop it helping me.


text:
Backup data with broken screen and empty system
Device details:

Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9300) with broken screen
No System (was running CM13.0 with GAPPS)
Currently flashed with TWRP 3.1 with Odin (was CWM)
/data | /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 | Size: 11622MB Used: 5540MB Free: 3440MB Backup Size: 5540MB

System details:

Windows 10
adb-1.0.39

I need to make a valid nandroid or adb backup for Titanium Backup Pro on my new device. What I've tried so far:

adb backup --twrp data (also with --compress option) to my laptop but it's currently unrestorable. #1011
adb backup without --twrp, results in 0KB file. Tried using adb-1.0.31 as described at question 83080 but didn't work (no password set)
backup with CM Recovery v6.0.4.6, but seems to fail on system (not sure). The backup folder only contains boot.img and recovery.img
adb uninstall package to create space/reduce backup size. /sbin/sh: pm: not found

Any other ways I can try without losing apps+data?

Restored system with what was running before by doing:

twrp wipe system (it was already empty, but for good measure)
twrp wipe cache
twrp install /sdcard/Download/cm-13.0-20160113-UNOFFICIAL-temasek-i9300-V2.9.zip
twrp install /sdcard/Download/open_gapps-arm-6.0-mini-20171004.zip
twrp install /sdcard/TWRP/SR4-SuperSU-v2.78-SYSTEMMODE.zip
twrp fixperms
twrp wipe cache
twrp wipe dalvik

Aftwards it got stuck in a bootloop. I had Android Studio open to watch the logcat and somehow managed to adb shell pm uninstall packages, just before the Fatal signal 11 (SIGSEGV) error, with the intention to fix the bootloop.
I uninstalled CM 13 themes first as they where appearing before the Fatal signal 11. It got to a point where it was unclear what was causing the bootloop and remembered I had activated a custom bootanimation with one of those themes. Deleted the /data/system/theme/bootanimation.zip, but did not help.
Tried adding debug.sf.nobootanimation=1 to the /system/build.prop, but did not help either.
Then I decided to uninstall packages I don't need backing up, as I was planning to try and create a backup again with CWM Recovery when enough space was available. To my surprise I was able to get out of the bootloop! Probably one or more apps were the cause of the bootloop after re-flashing the ROM.
I am now able to use Vysor to backup apps+data I need with Titanium Backup to transfer to my new device.
Alhamdulillah..
I hope this may be of use to someone else who may be experiencing a similar problem.
Options are:

Create nandroid or adb backup with TWRP or CWM Recovery, for Samsung Galaxy S2/S3/S4/S5 available here
Restore ROM without losing data

View device screen on Desktop (e.g. Vysor)
Create backup of apps (e.g. Titanium Backup)


text:
msa couldn't install error
I got a notification to install a system app msa update in my Redmi 4 Android Mobile. Whenever I'm trying to update the app it has been failing. I tried restarting my mobile as well but nothing worked.
What is the purpose of msa app and why it is not getting updated on my mobile.?

I got the same issue in my xiao mi max 2. I have read also this maybe this will help you:

On Mi Max 2 v9.5 MSA is not recognized as a system app for some reason. It is able to be uninstalled which is probably the reason for update error.
On another Xiaomi phone I have. MSA is a system app and succesfully updated.
MSA injects full screen advertisements into MIUI music player, themes + file explorer when you open them. I suggest you take advantage of this error by Xiaomi and uninstall MSA now then reboot your phone, full screen advertisements will be gone. If it updates you will be stuck with advertisements.


text:
Starting the Google calendar sync in Samsung Galaxy S Duos
I have Samsung Galaxy S Duos and had a issue of calendar sync. While trying to clear data, I mistakenly force-stopped the Google Calendar Sync app. Now, the calendar sync is not working. It gives an error: Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly.
How do I start the Google Calendar Sync app again?

Have you tried restarting your phone, and starting the sync again?

yes. but didn't solve the issue.

Download and install the Google Calendar from the Market.
Source.

i already had the Google calendar app installed earlier. i uninstall and re installed the Google calendar app but the same error pops up.. :(

@Rifky After you uninstall, and re-install it, make sure you clear the data before you start the sync. Settings > Applications > All > Calendar (or calendar storage) > Clear data.

:-( no success. still the same error when trying to sync in Settings->Account and Sync. no calenders are listed in Google calendar app.

now it started syncing. we need to clear the cache before we re install the google calendar app.

@Rifky Glad it finally worked for you. :) So Clear data was all you had to do? Or did you do something else?

i uninstalled the Google Calendar app first, then cleared data. then it started working. after that i installed Google Calnedar app and that's also syncing fine. :-)


text:
Installing the official Froyo for Nook Color on a rooted device
Last week I installed Honeycomb on my Nook Color, and today I found out that B&N released an official Froyo build for it, which I would like to try. I downloaded the update from here, and put the zip on my MicroSD already installed with ClockworkMod Recovery v3.0.1.0.
I started the Nook, formatted Data, System & Boot (in this order), and tried to install nookcolor_1_2_update.zip from the SD. The installer said "Can't open /sdcard/nookcolor_1_2_update.zip (bad)". I coped the file again to make sure it's not related to the unmount of the SD from my PC, and I also opened the file in WinRAR on my PC to verify that it's valid (it is).
What am I missing? I'm very new to Android and try to learn what I can from the web, so sorry if this is a super-newbie question...

I believe that the official 1.2 update will only install on top of an official firmware (1.0, 1.0.1, 1.1.0,) and only with the stock recovery, not ClockworkMod.
You will need to revert your Nook Color to one of these "stock" firmware versions before trying to upgrade to 1.2.  Alternatively, there are a few Clockwork Recovery-friendly versions of the 1.2 upgrade that will not require going back to stock first.


text:
Display screen keeps waking up when locked
When I lock my Samsung Galaxy Nexus by pushing the power button, my phone's screen darkens for a few seconds, then keeps staying awake with the lock screen displayed. This keeps eating away at my battery life. This started happening only recently. Why does it happen?

It seems like others have had this problem as well:

http://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyNexus/comments/19y0a9/galaxy_nexus_screen_turn_on_durring_lock_screen/
http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/mobile/PA5JZH-Oj4o
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=39625

It is a bug in Android 4.2, specifically with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I imagine you recently updated your phone, which is why it has only been occurring as of late.
It looks like the cause is from app notifications being pushed to the device and waking it up. Here are some common apps that have been known to cause this problem:

WeChat
Sleep Mode apps
MX Player
DropSync

Disabling auto-sync has also been known to solve this problem:

settings> data usage> and disable auto sync and restrict background data

Some people have also had success just doing a factory reset.
A lot of people have had a lot of success getting rid of this problem by reverting back to 4.1.2.
Others have followed this approach and had a lot of success:

I had this same problem and I tried disabling apps, uninstalling apps, and factory resetting all with no success.  What fixed it for me was taking a very small flat-head screwdriver and gently bending the pins of the micro USB connector up (towards the screen side).
  Over time and through usage, those pins got bent downward, away from the screen side.  I think this created some kind of electrical short.  I tried this because when the phone was plugged in, the screen stayed asleep.
  My GNex is now working perfectly again.  I hope this helps someone!

HOW TO FIX PROBLEM
  The problem is that the hooks inside your charging port are too close to the bottom. Therefore with a small knife or needle, life the middle part up nearer to the screen and Voila! Your problem should be fixed. Its not the software. Its the hardware .

This seems to be a very weird problem with a lot of different causes. Some people have had success with removing or modifying the software, other people think that it's the pin problem. If you get any of these solutions to work, let me know. Hope this helps!
John

Bending the pins upward fixed my problem. Thanks!

I had the opposite issue of the quoted text: my Note 3 would activate the screen every few seconds when it was plugged into the charger. Sure enough, bending the MicroUSB tongue upwards resolved the issue. It seems that the tongue was bent too low, and was therefore making intermittent contact with the charger. Every time contact was reestablished, the screen would activate.

@John Removing the suggestions that didn't work from your answer is a good idea for keeping things neat, but let's keep the information here in case it helps future visitors. Feel free to rearrange things if you think your answer needs it; just remember that we want to help everybody, not just the OP.


text:
What determines whether something requires wifi vs network internet traffic?
Most tasks can be done using the network's internet connection (3g for me) like uploading photo to facebook or downloading a new app. But sometimes I end up having to wait to find a wifi connection to say, upload a video to youtube or download a game for my Xperia Play.  Why do these tasks require wifi?  Are these software restrictions placed by my provider?

Most apps do this now to protect the user's mobile data usage. Knowing that most data plans are limited (200 MB a month, in the case of my roommate), developers prevent users from, say downloading a 45 MB game from the Play Store/Amazon App Store via mobile network, as this would not be beneficial, seeing as it would take almost 1/4 of your data and would take a significant amount of time and battery. Same goes with uploading.
Most apps do this as an option, though some (in the case of the Amazon App Store) will block you completely from performing these actions without Wi-Fi. But no, this is not an issue with your carrier. I have Sprint (and unlimited data) and I am still forced to download certain apps and upload pictures through various services only through Wi-Fi.
NOTE: I have found that some apps that prevent Wi-Fi-less downloads (i.e. Amazon App Store) allow me to do these on my network as long as it is over 4G. If you have this option, try it and see if it works for you as well!


text:
Will Droid Bionic with Extended Battery Fit Inside the Otterbox Defender Case?
I have a Droid Bionic and I keep it in an Otterbox Defender case.  I would like to get the extended battery but am concerned that my Bionic might no longer fit within my Otterbox.  Has anyone tried this?

No.
My friend got an extended battery so I tried my case with his phone -- the extended battery is really large, so it won't work.  Which is a shame, because the Otterbox Defender case is so large that a hypothetical extended battery Otterbox Defender wouldn't be significantly bulkier than the current Otterbox Defender (regular battery).
If Otterbox made a Defender case specifically for the Bionic with the extended battery, I would buy both that case and an extended battery.  I guess that the market for that specific case is just too small.


text:
Get iPhone contacts into Gmail
I have an Android phone and imported all my contacts from Gmail. Most of my old contacts weren't in Gmail, but on the iPhone 3GS.  Now getting the iPhone contacts into Gmail is proving to be a huge pain, there is a ton of information about this on the web but a lot of it must be outdated and none of the methods have worked for me yet.
How can I get contacts of iOS 5 iphone 3GS, and into Gmail so that they can be visible on my new Android phone (Galaxy Nexus)?
I've been trying for 4 hours and it's very frustrating.


text:
Why do single apps override launcher setting to not show statusbar and how to avoid this?
Using GO LAUNCHER EX I disabled statusbar, but when starting Firefox the statusbar shows up again, dolpin hd doesn't csuse this behavior. Is there any hack or app to generally not show the statusbar?

Sorry, but you cant prevent this.
The developer can set in the AndroidManifest.xml if the Activity (the screen you see) hide the statusbar or not. This is the setting, if you are interested in: @android:style/Theme.NoTitleBar

Thx, just saw dolphin hd offeres a menu setting for (not) showing statusbar. Is there no way to request in Android, if statusbar is on/off in android general menu settings?

No, there is no setting like this.


text:
Video Streamer that can connect via proxy
Hello I connect my phone to the internet via wifi, using connectify, my internet is via a proxy. I've managed to set wifi proxy, but this works for only the Internet app, my video players fail to stream, probably because they're going direct and not passing through the proxy.
My question is ; Is there a video player that works via proxy?
I'm not rooted.

Is rooting an option for you?

@MichaelK I've used a lot of tutorials to attempt rooting, but Wildfire S seems it can't be rooted.

Make sure your proxy server is not blocking video streaming. If connectify is broadcasting an internet connection which is already established thru proxy, Android has got system-wide proxy connection. So, there's no need to setup proxy in particular player.
Sometimes, proxy servers limit the speed of video streaming & even block it. So, get this info first if proxy server is not managed by you.
Then, try using Real Player & let me know..

had the same problem, seems like the app tries to use ports other than HTTP specific ones, so your proxy server might be blocking them, that's why you probably might get connection errors, so simple way, try using Firefox browser it directs video stream via HTTP proxy. so how it works out for you Mob.


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Can't check 'Phone Audio' setting for a Bluetooth headset
Somehow, suddenly I can't hear phone calls with my Bluetooth headset - I don't know what happened.
I tried to check the Phone Audio option under the device's 'Use for' settings, but it is impossible! It can't be checked.

I found this fix/workaround: Go to Settings, then Bluetooth. Turn off the Bluetooth and the screen should show a link for the scanner settings. Click the link to turn off "Bluetooth scanning." Then it works...
I copied it from here: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/forums/v3_1/forumtopicpage/board-id/MotoG4thGen/thread-id/16482/page/4

I would upvote you a million times if I could. Been struggling with this but found nothing online.

You can also get to this setting directly by going to Settings > Location > Menu > Scanning > Bluetooth scanning

I have to go to Settings and search for "bluetooth" to find it, on my Pixel 2 running Android 9.  Big surprise to find screens that I can find no other way to reach!  Regardless, just turning Bluetooth off and on again fixed this for me.

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


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Symbolic link permission denied
I'm trying to create a symbolic link on my Android N phone, so that my photos are accessible from the Pictures folder. I want to be able to sync all my pictures in a single folder using Syncthing.
My phone isn't rooted, so I booted into a TWRP image using fastboot boot twrp.img, where I have root access to the filesystem. I was then able to log in using adb shell, create the symlink and change its owner.
cd /data/media/0/DCIM
mv Camera Camera.bak
ln -s ../Pictures/Camera Camera
chown -h media_rw:media_rw Camera

Unfortunately the camera app fails to open, with an error message saying No storage found. Attempting to navigate to the symlink results in a Permission denied error.
Is there a way to get this working properly?
Note that in Android /data/media is mounted to /storage/emulated. The filesystem of /data is ext4, which supports symlinks, and the link works correctly from within TWRP.

sdcard usually uses a filesystem that doesn't support permission/symlinking.

I should have noted that my phone (a Nexus 5) doesn't have a physical SD card. /sdcard is just a confusing mount point used by TWRP. I've updated my question to be clearer.

That's not the point; FUSE and the filesystem behind it is usually the culprit. See this I wrote earlier, and this from the TWRP crew.

Thanks for the clarification. I found this article useful to help in understanding. https://www.xda-developers.com/diving-into-sdcardfs-how-googles-fuse-replacement-will-reduce-io-overhead/


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Is the external micro SD card path the same for all devices?
I am using a Samsung Tab 2.
There is a path: /mnt/external_sdcard/myfile. Here, I can save, read, or write my file to the external micro SD card.
I'm just wondering if this path is the same for all devices, or if it may be different.

Simple answer: No.
On my device (LG P990 Optimus 2X) the path changed after upgrading from 2.3 to 4.0. Currently the path on my device is /mnt/sdcard/external_sd.
So this is highly dependent on the device provider or on the version.

Same path here on my Cat tablets running JB (4.1.1). I'd almost say it might depend on the Android version (so 4.x is very likely to have this path), but as we saw so many different manufacturer-specific implementations in the past, I'm not sure if they now decided to agree on a common path...

Izzy you are getting this path /mnt/external_sdcard or what Uwe told that path.

MY old HTC Incredible S (running ICS) had it as /mnt/sdcard for the external (no internal) SD card.  My Galaxy S3 (updated to 4.1) has the external SD card at /mnt/extSdCard


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What data is included in Auto Backup?
On my Android 7.0 phone, I see that I can set auto backups for the phone data.

(click image for larger variant)
For apps, it says that it will back up app data. I see that Android apps have both cache data and app data.
Android/data/com.myapp.app/cache
Android/data/com.myapp.app/files
Is cache included in the auto back up data?

Related: What info does Google backup? (details might have changed since then)

Backup will never contain cache data.
Cache data is CPU specific and instance specific. For the same app, different CPU may create different cache depending on what part of the app is running as a process. Moreover, even the same CPU running at different instances may have different app cache. If you open an app, keep it running in the background, but never open it in foreground, the cache created will be different from the one created if the app has been running in foreground. Moreover, once the app has been closed and its process has been killed, then cache space for that data is allowed to be overwritten by new incoming data. So, cache data is never constant.


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Xperia Neo V not able to load OS
My Sony Xperia Neo V mobile cannot load the desktop screen, menus and all. The mobile gets started and shows the "SONY" and "XPERIA" splash screens. After that, again the phone gets restarted and displays the splash screens again.
Can anyone please tell me if there is any problem occuring in the OS or in the hardware? Before it happens I kept my phone in my pocket which is in slightly wet.
SPECS:

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V (MT11i)
Build number / version - Android 4.1.B.0.587
OS - ICS

Did you install anything new recently?

Yesterday I installed a game. but that didn't make any changes in my device, Izzy.

Before that installation everything worked fine? In that case I wouldn't be too sure that it didn't make any changes. Though it's unlikely to have affected boot at that stage, being a game.

A boot-loop can have different reasons. Though in most cases this happens after flashing a new ROM, other things might affect it as well: e.g. some system related apps which have services or the like started quite early. But those special cases usually rather result in a force-close-loop than in a boot-loop.
Things you can try:
Safe mode
See whether you can boot your device into safe mode (according to an XDA post, this should be achieved by keeping Vol- and Power pressed simultaneously until the phone is booted up, and shows the string "safe mode" in the lower left corner). If that works, it is one of the apps you lately installed which causes this problem. Go and remove the app (via Settings→Apps→Manage Apps), reboot, and you should be fine. In case you get problems leaving safe mode: Power down, take out the battery for 30s, insert it again, power up.
Recovery mode
If safe mode is not reachable either, you can try booting to recovery mode (should be Vol++Vol-+Power). In the menu appearing there, select to "Wipe Cache". Reboot.
If the problem still persists, and you have no custom recovery, all that's left to you to try is a factory reset. This will wipe all your data and the apps you've installed. You can do so from the very same recovery menu by chosing "Wipe data" or "Factory reset" (it is labeled either the one or the other).
In case you have a custom recovery, you can try first to only "Wipe Dalvik Cache".


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Creating partitions through script in init.rc
Context/Resume:

I'm changing the android platform to create two partitions in a SD Card. I need to do this as early as possible. I'm currently trying in init.rc
It would be nice to obfuscate the access to one of the partitions. If I could keep it hidden would be better

And...the long story:
I'm trying to create new partitions on an SD card in a
device, and I need to be done as early as possible.
 I thought that the init.rc should be the best location for this, so I
tried to add a script call to perform the task, but I'm unable to
create these partitions (or get the reason it fails).
 First of all, is this premise valid? Should I be able to do this?
I call the script by:
service myscript /system/bin/logwrapper /system/bin/myscript.sh
   disabled
   oneshot

at init-time.  And the content´s of the .sh file is
fdisk /dev/sdcard < mykeys.input

where "mykeys.input" is the sequence of commands used to perform the task
of creating the partitions.
Is this the recommended way of doing this?

Why not format the SD card using a computer?

Hy. The hardware i have have a little twist. This card is hardwired in the device< i know i know...it sucks but i must work with what i got  >
ps: It´s actually soldered in the board.

Oh, I see. Is it a Galaxy or Nexus S? My Vibrant has "internal SD" that isn't actually an SD card, but often referred to as such.  It's treated as if it were a card, though; downloads go there, for example. Anyways, just curious: Why are you trying to format it?

I need to create two partitions:
-One of them will be available to the user
-Another one will be used to store downloaded data from a custom store. It will have some specific permission, and may contain some restricted information ( the app will handle this )

service myscript /system/bin/logwrapper /system/bin/myscript.sh
   disabled
   oneshot

If you declare the service as disabled, it wont run unless you later explicitly start it.
But do you really want to repartition the card every time you boot the system? I would think you would want to partition it once, and then perhaps mount the partitions in the init script.

Hy Chris. Thanks for the tip. Lame mistake, but still i could not execute the commands in the script. ( At least they had no effect at all ).
And, yes, i will make some logic to prevent the re-partitioning.
If you have an advice to do this ( once ) in any other way i would appreciate.
Thanks!

Is /dev/sdcard the correct device name?   What happens if you run the script commands manually, after boot - do they work then?   Also don't forget to format (make a filesystem)

Chris ,i´ll try this. But do you know if a should be able to access the fdisk in the script?

Hmm, maybe you need to specify the full path for the fdisk binary?  You seem to be doing so for everything else.  Another thing - some of the stuff that runs in init like adbd is statically linked; I haven't looked into if that is a requirement, or just a precaution to make debugging still work if the dynamic libraries aren't available in a broken install.

Answering our question: I have no permission to execute the script. The device is not rooted. I suppose that it will not be a problem when running it through init.rc.

If you can change the flash device, ie install a new init.rc, the device is effectively "more than rooted" - you can change init.rc to make ro.secure 0 to temporarily make the adb shell run as root, then change it back after the experiment.  You ARE changing the init.rc in the compressed ramdisk image in flash, right?  Because just remounting the ramdisk writable and changing it won't let you do anything that survives a reboot.

Oh, BTW, many versions of the adb shell use "permission denied" as a generic error message for everything, including not finding the file you've tried to run...

Chris, i think that i found the problem.
I will confirm that everything is ok and post the answer for those who may have the same problem.
Unfortunately i dont have enough reputation < for now, i hope > to vote you up, but i am really thankful for your help and is because of people like you that this a great place for developers.
Thanks!


text:
Do apps that claim to increase SD card performance really work? Strain on card?
I was recommended an app today that supposedly increases the r/w cache on the SD card. By default it's set to 128kb.
I'd imagine this works in a similar fashion to a BufferedReader (in java).
My questions are:

Does this really work as advertised? Will I see increased I/O performance?
What effect, if any, does this have on the SD card? Can it cause premature failure?

Below is the Android Market description for SD Speed Increase
:

SD Speed Increase
This application allows you to make more powerful the using of SD Card. This is changing a parameter in a file system (thus the need of Root access) that manages the size of the cache on the memory card. By default, this value is set to 128 (kb) but it was found that changing this value in 2048 (kb), the performances are optimized, making read-write on our external memory faster. Many thanks to brainmaster, XDA Member that discover this.
  Note that if you reboot/turn off your device, you lose the setting that you did, so you can click on the dedicated box to allow this app to set on every boot the value that you choose.
This function may be not work.

Device: ZTE Blade. Rooted and running CyanogenMod 7.0

Here's the original XDA thread.
Basically, it shows a fairly significant improvement for some devices.  2048 kB might not be the best setting for your particular device, so you might want to experiment.  I'm running it on my device and noticed a minor improvement; it certainly wasn't harmful.  I'm not 100% sure but I would think it would not increase wear.

<cynical>

To me, it sounds like one of the many voodoo tweaks for every OS.
You'll find that a loud few % of users will proclaim it's effectiveness.
The silent majority won't
If there was an effective way to improve SD card speed then I'm sure the clever engineers at HTC or wherever would have implemented it.
Some of the "improvements" posted appear bogus: you can get 66MB/s read from an SD card? No: you can read from the cache at that speed. Non-cached access will be normal SD speed of course
For example, post 588
</cynical>

Also from XDA (actual title, BTW): Increasing readahead in a not completely retarded manner

I really agree with you on this, I feel that on the majority of cases you might end up wasting resources doing useless readaheads. And, as you mentioned, the engineers at Google, HTC, Samsung, et al are not stupid.


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Apps' update status in Market app not always reliable?
So this is kind of a two fold question but it all falls under the same umbrella of update status reliability and might even be caused by the same factor.
First, this morning I saw that my Logitech Revue remote App had an update, as indicated by the 'Update' label when viewing list of apps. However when I clicked it, the only options were 'Open' and 'Uninstall'
I attempted to clear Market's cache and force close it, but still the same thing. 4 Hours later. it worked normally (i.e., providing the update button).
What causes this and how can I fix it immediately, rather than just checking back every few hours to see if it was fixed.
Second part/example:
A couple weeks ago the same issue happened with the system app 'Youtube.' Under my main google app that I use on my phone and all my non-system apps are associated to,  I saw the update label, but again same issue as above. When I switched to my other account that I only use for email, I could update Youtube just fine.
There seems to be some sort of synchronization problem. The Youtube example lasted for days (with the daily update notifications) before I thought to switch accounts and try it on my secondary google account. The exact same thing happened with Google Maps.
I have a stock Droid 3 using stock Market.

I've experienced both issues myself.  I think the app updates are being rolled out in batches as to not overload Google's servers, while notifications go out immediately.  I don't know for sure that this is the cause, just pure speculation on my part

I've never experienced this myself, but I do think Google has some sync problems with the Market. When I push an update for my app, I can generally open the Market on my phone in ~10min and will see the update. But it can take hours for the info (new description, version number etc) to appear

This no longer seem to happen? Market ver 3.4..

@Power-Inside not that I've noticed. knocks on wood

@Power-Inside Go figure, yesterday this issue did occur with Tasker, but resolved itself when I checked my app list again about 12 hours later.

As with @Jonathan, this issue still exists. I use Market 3.4.4.

I have noticed that I sometimes get a notification that an update is available, but when I go in there, I am unable to update. I, at first, thought that it was some type of syncing issue like you describe, but I have realized ( at least in my situation ) that I have the apps set to update automatically. So I get the notification, but the market actually has already updated the application in the background.
Based on your comments, and if you eventually go in to the market and there is actually an update available for an app that you previously were notified about, then I would say it has to do with how google rolls out the updates. As Chahk discussed, the notifications seem to go before the apps, in some cases. Google does this with just about everything they roll out. Updated in batches.

I specifically turn off all the auto-updates on those apps. I generally don't like it when things change without me telling them to, just as a matter of preference.

I have updated my answer.


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Android app size showing different on play store app than from play store website
I have my app on play store. When I check the listing from the desktop my app size is shown as 8 MB, while if I check the same on the device's play store app, it is shown as 6.75 MB. I checked this on multiple devices and on each it is showing the same. I googled about the same but couldn't found anything relevant. Can someone please provide some information about this?
Update: This question has been marked as duplicate. Just to clarify, I am not talking about difference in sizes of installed app and the actual apk size. I am saying when I check google playstore on desktop, there my app size is displayed as 8 MB, while, when I check the same listing on playstore app in devices phone there it shows as 6.75 MB. I am not getting why google play store is showing two different size on desktop and in google play app.

Is your app installed on the device from whence you check at it via the Play Store?

@DeathMaskSalesman When my app was installed it was not showing its size on play store app, then I uninstalled it and retried, then it showed the app size.

Are you using same Google account on both website and Play Store app?

@Firelord Yes I am using same account

This generally happens due to syncing issues. We have noticed this phenomenon on several occassions. In our experience this gets rectified automatically after a while and both play store app and the web version will show the same size.


text:
Majority of apps deleted themselves (including Google Play services) on a Samsung device
My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has developed an interesting fault.
It happened one evening, after the phone shut down due to low power. Its symptoms:

It has deleted (or appears to have deleted) most of the applications - including system applications. For example, I had at least 3 browsers installed, I now have none.
The majority of other applications do not work, for example:
 Messages still appears, and I can view a listing, but as soon as I try to access a message it says "Unfortunately, Messages has stopped". Less than a second later, that dialog also disappears, without me having to press OK. The Google Play Store app shows a blank white screen, then crashes - this time, without the dialog. Apps that were received through Amazon Underground (those that still appear) complain that Amazon is not installed and logged in.
I have a notification in the notification area that says "Get Google Play services / Google Play Music won't run without Google Play services, which are missing from your phone" - and again, when I press it, it transitions to a blank white screen which then promptly crashes, dialog-less.
Phone now takes at least 5mins to boot, every single time.

So my question is: what could cause this? I've resisted rooting this phone, so I never (theoretically) had the capability to delete these files.
I intend to try and reflash GApps etc, then probably install a cynogen or something - if my phone is imploding even with a stock rom, I may as well have fun. And I have backups of most of the important stuff. So I can rectify the situation - the question is purely what could cause this.
Would a Google Play service update during the phone shutdown be enough? (I guess no...)
Maybe registry corruption of some sort? (My best guess for the extended boot time)
And has anyone ever succeeded in doing this through some intentional action?

[Edited]: Small update: Firstly, I forgot to mention, a large portion of my contacts seem to have disappeared too. So I can see the phone numbers in my Messages, rather than their names, for probably about 80% of people. I guess this might be because it cannot access Google for some reason?
Secondly, I have now tried reinstalling Google Play Services (installed using adb install) and nothing seems any better. Have looked at the logcat, and I suspect that chromium webview is the real cause of many of the above symptoms. Downloading now.
[Edit 2] Also, forgot to mention, most of my contacts disappeared. They were mostly synced with Google though, so when I installed a new rom, they mostly reappeared - I guess with the exception of recent contacts that hadn't synced.
But yes, crisis averted (more or less). I now have a Samsung Note 3 pretending to be a rooted Samsung Note 5 and am pretty happy, but still curious about what went wrong.

If you're willing to say good-bye to any data possibly still saved on the device, I'd recommend a factory-reset. My guess here would be a corrupted package list, which would be cured by that. No guarantees, though.

@Izzy: I'll be doing a factory reset too, though other posts seem to indicate that if any of the apps truly have been deleted, then this will not fix it as /system is assumed to be incorruptible :) Feel free to put your guess as an answer, also, do you know of any way of forcing Android to rebuild the package list?

Not sure. If your device were rooted, and you'd have a custom recovery, I'd tried clearing the Dalvik/ART cache and renaming the package list (to keep a backup) – in the hope this would force Android to recreate it. I'd also wait for some other answer/suggestion before performing a factory reset, so maybe your data can be saved (if any are needed and you don't have a recent backup). Ping me if there's no better suggestion within a few days, I'll expand my suggestion to an answer then.

The same thing has happened to me.
The fact I also have a Note 3 with exactly the same symptoms makes me believe it is a faulty system update or other service installation/upgrade error.
Google Play Services v7.3 (according to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gms but maybe it's 9.0.82 or 83 or something) rolled out from May 16, I reckon this is the culprit.
I woke up to my phone complaining the same error: "Get Google Play services / Google Play Music won't run without Google Play services, which are missing from your phone".
I managed to install Samsung Internet for Android via Samsung Galaxy Apps.
I then downloaded a Google Play Services apk after searching Google for one and installed it.
That kinda got Google stuff working again, but I had to reinstall a lot of my apps. Authenticator still works thank god.
Boot still takes ages, and every time Google Play Services is gone again.

I failed to look at the comments for that update, I'm guessing this is the problem.  Lots of people seem to be complaining in the comments about this package update breaking their phone, though it sounds like this happens with every update, and lots of Google-hater noise. I rooted my phone and installed a phronesis rom, as I didn't want to continue with a crippled phone - but thank you, my worst fear was that my flash had developed a fault, and that seems more unlikely now


text:
Why has my SD Card suddenly stopped working? It is not visible on phone and I cannot format it on PC
In the morning, I tried to start my Android 4.4.2 phone. There was no response from the phone for some time, which was unusual. Then it started suddenly, and I noticed that there was a notification- 'Preparing SD Card, Checking For error'. All my apps and data installed on the SD card were missing.
After some time, the notification vanished, with the problem persisting. I tried to shutdown my phone, but in the middle of the shutdown process, the phone hanged. I waited and after some minutes removed the battery and restarted. No progress. Now, whenever I shutdown the phone with the SD card on, it hangs in the middle of the process, and I have to remove the battery. Without the SD card, the phone runs fine.
I then tried backing up the data and formatting the SD card on PC. It would not get formatted, and show the message- 'Windows was unable to complete the format'. I tried formatting with quick format on and off. Also, if I manually delete the files from my SD card, they come back after a while. Though the backup version of the data that I have saved in my PC behaves normally and gets permanently deleted if I delete it.
I scanned my SD card with two antiviruses with no result. I also tried easeUS Partition Master to format the SD Card on PC, with no result. I also tried formatting via Disk management on PC.
I would like to know the cause of this random error. The card could not have been damaged because it was securely installed in my phone when this happened. Also, I downloaded some songs from a known website the last evening, and virus could have infected my phone then, although I have previously used the website with no problem.
Please explain any possible reason why this could have happened, and a solution if possible.
I also notice that when SD card is in the phone, the battery gets consumed very fast.
Also, i tried formatting it using command prompt, and got an error message-'invalid media or track 0 bad - disk unusable'.

It's just a call for a "new SD card". Remember to buy a original product if you don't want this to happen. (Talking From My Experiences)

It sounds like the SD card went bad, things like that happen.  I would recommend getting a replacement SD card.


text:
Wipe data on wrong password inputs
I've found several obsolete answers, but this question about situation nowadays:
What's the most robust solution to have the device (Android 4.2-based) protected?

Turn on device encryption (there is only built-in storage, no SD-cards)
Set up password

But it's all makes not much sense without wiping the data after 10 (or so) wrong password inputs (like iOS does).
So any solutions to wipe after brute-force attempts nowadays?
UPD:
I've found there is a method in the API setMaximumFailedPasswordsForWipe() but is there a User Interface that calls that method?
UPD 2:
Hm, I'm surprised that people don't care of security much, hmmm. That's curious

You might want to take a look at Autowipe for that:

Use Autowipe to automatically and PERMANENTLY WIPE your internal and external data by doing a factory reset. Enterprise and business users should find this useful! This is meant to be used in case your device gets stolen, misplaced, or lost.
Automatically wipes for: failed passwords to unlock screen, SMS password received, subscriber ID changed (SIM card). Use the new integrated test mode to test all these cases. Locks the screen while wiping.

The app does not require root, according to its Playstore description.

(click to enlarge)

Yeah, actually that's the only app I've seen that does what I want. But it's not supported anymore, this makes me worry a bit. Haven't you personally thought of some app like that?

Not only me (but I'm not a programmer). In his book "Android Forensics and mobile security", forensics specialist (and chief investigator) Andrew Hoog even requests to have such features implemented into the core system, where it clearly belongs (though it should be the user deciding whether to enable it, he should have the possibility). And yes, this is also the only app I have found so far implementing this feature. Mightbe some of the Anti-Theft apps have it as well.


text:
Sync DuckDuckGo bookmarks between devices?
Is it possible to sync DuckDuckGo bookmarks between devices?
I wonder if the reason I haven't found anything is it defeats the main purpose of DDG, being a privacy browser?

You can import and export the bookmarks, as per the instructions below: Import/Export Bookmarks, Export Bookmarks, Import Bookmarks. They are basic import and export, like old browsers had before syncing was created. Yes, no cloud storage action due to security concerns, as the poster mentioned.

Since 14 Feb 2024, DuckDuckGo now offers bookmarks and password sync on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone: https://spreadprivacy.com/password-sync-backup/

Now live: Sync bookmarks, passwords, and Email Protection settings between DuckDuckGo browsers on phones, tablets, and computers, privately and securely.


text:
How do I import my contacts from broken Galaxy S7 to new S7?
My Galaxy S7 got water under the cracked screen and now the screen is completely blank but the phone still works. My contacts are not backed up on Google or SD or SIM card.
All PC programs that can retrieve my contacts require me to turn on USB debugging, which I can't do because I can't see what's on the screen.
How do I move my contacts over to my replacement S7?

Please start with checking out broken-screen tag-wiki and the questions using that tag. You're certainly not the first one with this issue. If it's only the contacts: had you synced them somewhere (by default they are synced with Google)?

I found the solution! No USB debugging or root required! Use the Connect program on Windows 10 and watch this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42yvWG-w49s. The video shows the option as "Screen Sharing" but that's only for LG phones. On Samsung the option is in the notification drop down and is called "Smart View." Works the exact same way.


text:
Does moving apps to SD card make launcher load time longer?
I've been experiencing longer and longer times for the launcher to load when removing my phone (Moto Droid, 2.2.1) from the car dock or media dock, or when running the clock application for a long time (overnight).   I understand from other questions on this site that the delay is related to memory management time to re-load the launcher, but the time seems to be getting longer and longer.
I've been moving more apps to the SD card over time and was wondering if the launcher is requiring more startup time to fetch icons from the SD card?    If so, would it help to put SD apps in a folder or remove them from the home screens in order to speed up the load time for the launcher?
I have not added any new widgets for quite a while, but I do have a couple Tasker profiles, although I don't think the additional slowdown corresponds to changes in the Tasker setup.

I think the issue is not really with loading the launcherbut remounting the sdcard.  You say it happens when you take it out of the dock?  Does the dock connect to your computer? If so does it put your phone into USB transfer mode?

No, the dock just connects it to the charger and causes the clock app to load.  It doesn't connect to a computer.

When you remove your phone from the dock do you see an icon like the one in this picture?  http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/CasetB/device1.png

@CaseyB - no, I don't.

Hmmm.  Then I don't know what the issue may be.  The problem I'm having is that I don't understand why the launcher would need to be reloaded after being docked.

In the case of either dock, the launcher goes unused for extended periods of time -- typically overnight in the media dock, 30+ minutes in the car dock -- so it would seem reasonable for the memory management logic to remove it from memory.

It would only remove it from memory if something else needed it.  That would make sense inthe car if you're listening to music or getting directions but it shouldn't happen at night.

It seems the lag may have been related to being low on internal storage.    After deleting some seldom-used apps (all the could be moved to SD already had been), the overall phone performance is much better, including the launcher.


text:
Why won't Jawbone headset invoke Voice Search/Dialing?
I have an Aliph Jawbone (original) which worked fine with Sony Ericsson dumb-phones (K750, K810) but on my HTC Desire S (Gingerbread, 2.3.3) I can't figure out how to use it for voice dialing.
The phone can find the headset, pair with it and connect to it.
If I double tap on the Jawbone's call button, it triggers the phone's last number redial and calls a contact; but a single press (which should invoke voice dialing on the phone somehow), has no effect.
With dumb-phones, I would just press the headset button, hear a low-pitched beep, then a higher pitched beep a second later when the phone responds, prompting me to speak. Then the phone would receive the noise I make, and go and do its thing.
With this Android phone, I don't hear that 2nd beep, so apparently the phone isn't responding to the Jawbone.
Am I going about this in the wrong way? Should I be using the Car Panel's Voice Dialer instead?
* Update *
I've tried the Voice Dialer, and it almost does what I need, but to use it I need the phone out and visible, with the screen on, and I have to tap on the screen to trigger the dialer.
I didn't have to do this with phones from five years ago.
Note
I am looking for a hands-free solution, so any advice that involves unlocking the phone, staring at it, and stabbing at the screen simply isn't an answer. It would also be illegal under English driving law.
I am considering buying Cyberon's Voice Speed Dial, because that seems to work the way I'd like it to (without needing a data connection to an online speech-to-text service); but I want to check that I'm not missing some daft configuration setting.

Do you have the Voice Dialer or Voice Search app installed?

@terry1769: I have Voice Search and Voice Dialer, but they both require me to look at the phone and tap on the screen to get started - they don't respond to Bluetooth input.

This link is a discussion of this issue on the Android Open Handset Alliance Project site.  Users on this page talk about the problem in detail and discuss some possible solutions. I would recommend you star this issue.  If the enhancement is implemented or there is a status change you will be notified and can try again on your phone.


text:
Update Android on ASUS
I have an Asus T00J, "ZenFone 5" with android 4.4.2 and the manufacturer did not post updates. Can I force the update to a newer version of Android?

Check out XDA-Developers.
(Sorry for the last mistaken comment)

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Starting point to find the answer would be our updates tag-wiki – and most likely Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Zenfone 5(T00J) is a old device now, Asus wont be pushing any updates officially after the latest Lollipop(5.0) update.
I would suggest staying with Kitkat as its better than Lollipop for Zenfone 5.
If you still want to update your zenfone 5 to latest update just follow this link: How to update ZF5 to latest LP from KK


text:
How can I change the order of local bookmarks in the stock browser
The local bookmarks on my stock Browser are in an inconvenient order. The first is one I added recently, then there are a dozen which came with the Android OS, then come the bookmarks I added over the course of a year using this device.
How can I change the order of these bookmarks?  Ideally, I'd like them to be in some order of most recent use. Or, I'd be happy to be able to move the bookmarks around so that I can choose the order myself.
By "local bookmark" I mean the bookmarks I get in stock Browser -- menu -- Bookmarks -- pulldown "Local".
I'm running Android 4.0.3 "Ice Cream Sandwich", which is an over-the-air upgrade from the "Gingerbread" version which came installed on the device. The device is a Samsung Nexus S, unlocked, and used mostly in Canada.

The bookmarks are kept in an SQLite database. There is no stock tool to modify them directly. I did, however, find an app that can rearrange the order of your local bookmarks: Bookmark Sort & Backup
An issue has been opened about this in Allow User To Arrange Bookmarks In ICS Stock Web Browser.

+1 for the info and the issue report link. The Bookmarks SB app did not work for me,  on my Samsung Nexus S running the stock browser and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android v. 4.0.3). It didn't display any bookmarks, though it did display three empty folders.

As of Android 4.1.2, and BookmarkSB (Sort & Backup) app version 2.39, BookmarkSB can now sort my local bookmarks. Note: when I create a bookmark in the Browser, it will by default use my Google account in the "account" field of the bookmark. If I accept that, I won't be able to control the bookmark's order, even if I later change the bookmark's "account" field to be "Local". However, if I set the "account" field to "Local" when I create it, then I can control the bookmark's position in the order using the BookmarkSB app.


text:
What are my most frequently used apps?
As I want to optimize my workflow, how do I determine my most frequently used apps?, so I can put them on start screen. Of course I guess the 3-5 most frequently used apps by myself, but as there space for upto 16 icons on the first screen, it's hard to tell whether some apps are frequently used or not. As for SMS, MMS there are apps generating statistics, is there someway I can determine the most frequently or often used app?

Related: Android SE: How can I track app usage?

See How do I know when an app was used in Android?

Spare Parts does this. It's included in CyanogenMod and some other custom ROMs, but the Market version should work as well, I think. One of the menu options on the main page is "Usage statistics" which  you can then order by launch count, time used, and app name:

This doesn't work on Samsung Alpha after upgrade to lollipop. Used to work before

There is the app called "Frequency".
But for me, a better solution was to have launchers for only the ~10 most frequently used app and to launch the rest using Google Gesture App

A link to the app you're recommending would be useful.


text:
Is it possible to hack android phone by contacting the target over Gmail or Skype, if the target does not downloads suspicious files sent over?
In other words, how safe is having Gmail or Skype conversations with complete strangers on android? Suppose the target is wise enough to not open any suspicious files sent to him. How else could his phone be hacked?
I have heard that it is possible to know the ip address of the sender on Skype. But a cyber criminal knowing your ip address is the same as a burglar knowing your address. The information is necessary but not immediately sufficient.
Also, which, between Skype and Gmail is safer for the user in these cases? I guess Gmail is safer, but don't know why and by what amount. Also, how exactly does the danger increas for users using old version of the android- like 5.1 or 4.4.2, let's say? I guess the older the version, more the risks.
Sorry for sounding paranoid, but one is afraid of things one does not understands, they say. Thanks for helping...

You might wanna check with [security.se] (but please do not repost). They have a user base more inclined toward issues on information security.

Android Apps are sandboxed. If someone can "hack" skype, they may be able to get data from the skype app, possibly including contact list, login credentials and chatlogs. Further they may get everything, what the skype app can access, which probably includes the phone's address book as well.
If your phone has a remotely accessible flaw, which would be a reason for the fear that somebody could get your ip address, you have bigger problems than your skype contacts and should upgrade your android ASAP. Further, modern skype isn't peer to peer anymore but a skype server is used. Finally your phone will be most the time firewalled in your LAN or in cellular networks because of CGNAT. Which may be false security, i.e. if somebody is in the same WLAN like you.
I am not aware of any remote security flaws in android, but there are many local ones in older android versions, including ones triggered by special image files (which could be sent via skype) and similiar attack vectors.


text:
Is there a way to disable notification for WhatsApp except from specific people?
Someone told me there's a way to disable all notifications from WhatsApp except for messages from specific people.
How can I do this? (I own a Pixel 3)

If you want to receive everything from this group of people and ignore others, then turn on "Do not disturb" mode & just include your desired people as exceptions.

The only way to achieve it is the following:

Open WhatsApp
On the main screen, long-press to select a contact
After the first contact is selected, tap on all the contacts you don't want to receive notifications from. You will have to select the contacts one by one because there is no "Select all contacts" button (if there are hundreds or thousands, then good luck selecting them)
Press the muted speaker icon. A pop-up will appear asking for how long the contacts should be muted. Select the time (don't enable "Show notifications" just in case).

The selected contacts will be muted, their notifications won't be shown except only those that were not selected. Note that if a muted contact calls, you will still receive the notification.

Not very practical for what I wanted, but I realize there probably doesn't exist a more practical way. Thanks!

In 2022 it's possible to select all contacts after selecting the first. Then you can unselect those that you don't want to mute.

One workaround only to not hear sounds from all contacts except from a specific contact is to set the notification tone as "None" in whatsapp notification settings. Now go to the specific contact on whatsapp and change their notification sound from default (none) to a required sound. This will not stop showing notifications on your display though.

If you want to disable notifications for specific group except from specific people:

Navigate to a group or person.
Select group/person by long-press.
Press three dots menu.
Press Group info (if you have selected group) or View contact (if you have selected person).
Press Custom notifications.
Tick the Use custom notifications checkbox and start customising the notifications for this specific group/person.

You should set None sound for Notification tone for the group to effectively disable notifications for the group and then you should set custom sound for all persons in the group whom you want to receive notifications for.

I also think this should work, but may take more steps than another answer.

This works perfectly, and it works both ways: you can disable notifications for a single contact (or group), or, if you've disabled all group notifications, you can enable notifications for a single contact (or group).

This does not work. It seems that Notification tone for the group has higher priority than Notification tone for particular contact(s).

Unfortunately, this is not possible.
The basic M.O. of any "social media" including WhatsApp is that you are not supposed to be free to choose when and with whom you want to communicate even if you get the illusion of that.

Clearly incorrect.  The accepted answer gives one way of doing it and I can think of others.  Besides, any social medium forcing crap upon you is violating GDPR.

Actually this is answer is correct because the accepted answer specifies how to disable notifications from specific contacts - not to disable by default and enable only specific ones.


text:
How does WhatsApp use my mobile fingerprint in their app?
How does WhatsApp access my fingerprint?
WhatsApp did not ask permission to use my fingerprint.
Then how do they use my fingerprint for unlocking?

I just updated WhatsApp to 2.20.64 to check. WhatsApp does need fingerprint permission, under "Use Fingerprint Hardware" and "Use Biometric Hardware". You can check under permissions in Play Store - see "others"
If you are wondering why the app doesn't ask you explicitly for permission, the reason is simple - both the permissions quoted above are normal permissions for which user approval is not required. Also see Permissions Overview.

If an app declares in its manifest that it needs a normal permission, the system automatically grants the app that permission at install time. The system doesn't prompt the user to grant normal permissions, and users cannot revoke these permissions

(Emphasis supplied)
See this Stack Overflow Question - Android Nougat USE_FINGERPRINT permissions, which states the same

Any app including WhatsApp cannot read/access your fingerprint data.

Your fingerprint data isn't shared with Google or any apps on your device. Apps are notified only whether your fingerprint was verified.

Source - Pixel Phone Help - Understand fingerprint security
Android OS might be doing the moderation here. An app might access/store this data only when you register your fingerprint with the app directly.


text:
Huawei phone playing sound "I am here"
My old phone Huawei G8 (RIO-L02) with Android 5.1 is only used to play music. No SIM card installed and it only has a WiFi connection. The phone frequently plays sound "I am here".
After factory resetting the phone, the sound comes back after a while (about one month). I also have already disabled the location service. The only app I installed is a music player, though I don't think it is related.
Any ideas about which apps play this sound?

This is a feature of Huawei's Android devices known as "Find me" function.
For video demonstration: Huawei P8: Find Your Phone
The feature works by calling the name of the phone then saying "where are you?", then the device will turn on its display, turn on the flashlight, play music, and saying "I'm here".
When the phone is paired to Huawei HONOR Band, it can also be triggered by accessing the "Find my phone" feature from the band (thanks to user Bangyou for additional info).
Depending on the model, the setting may be found on:

Settings - Speech Awareness - Wake Up
Settings - Smart Assistant - Voice Control - Voice Wakeup
Settings - Smart control - Wake Up

Additional sources:

Reddit - Random "I'm here" alert
Reddit - Interesting "I am here" function

Thanks. It looks like this is the problem, but cannot find the setting in the old Huawei phone.

@Bangyou I'm afraid I can't help further without having the same model on hand, sorry... perhaps there are 3rd-party that may reveal this setting on old model, but I'm not sure...

Very appreciate it for your help. You give me the right direction. I will try to figure out which app cause the sound. It sound the specific song (keywords) cause it.

Figure out the source of sound. It is coming from the Honer Band. My kid accidentally click "find my phone".

@Bangyou thanks for letting me know about the HONOR Band, I've added to the answer.


text:
Do virtual space apps in Android provide a fully virtual environment?
There are virtual space apps for Android, such as Parallel Space or Dual Space. I know that we can't access outside files in a virtual environment, but I was able to access them in Dual Space's virtual environment.
Do such virtual space apps provide a fully virtual environment?

What do you mean with "fully virtual environment"?

Yes man. You got it right.

If virtual space apps are acting like Parallel Space then they are virtualizing the app runtime environment. Accessing external storage would not be a problem.
Commonsware put up a blogpost explaining what is going on under the hood with this virtualization with a caveat:

However, this sort of virtualization technique – Android apps running inside other Android apps, for an Inception-style experience – requires that you trust the virtualization engine. After all, by definition, it can see all I/O between the app and Android, as it proxies all of that I/O. It is a [Man-In-The-Middle] MITM attack on the app.

So if you trust the makers of Parallel Space (or don't care) it is an option to consider.
From my answer: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/169048/3573

Because it is hosting the virtualized app, can it also see the raw memory processes from the app and/or perform memory injection? I'm wondering if there are any separate security/privacy risks besides I/O

@ETL You can find the original Boxify papers/presentations online, to my understanding the authors were focused on isolating untrusted apps. While altering the app is possible(?), I wonder if in modern Android such a container runs into the W^X problem or problems with ART runtime optimization.

ParallelSpace and DualSpace use the same technology if I get their description correctly and this technology has nothing to do with virtualization: they use app cloning
App cloning means that an app is renamed (not the visible name but the app package name such as com.whatsapp). Therefore the app is unpacked, modified at certain points to use the new name and then packed and signed with a new signature and afterwards installed.
As Android separates each app a renamed app can be installed side-by-side with the original app. The actual separation is done by the Android OS in exactly the same way it is done for every app.
And just like any other app if the repackaged app stores data in the sd-card section you can access this data.

Do you have any references for app cloning process?

@MorrisonChang The general process is not that complicated: https://stackoverflow.com/a/54032434/150978 However I would assume that certain apps require more modifications even on code level.

Great, the 3rd point answer in your reference is basically my answer. (I knew it was doable but felt brittle as app devs can do various code checks which would result in arms race for detection).

Thanks man for explaining me the basics behind these apps.

Parallel Space FAQs page states:  "07.Does Parallel Space reinstall an app?
Nope, we run and store the app in a virtualization engine.". So it seems they are running the apps in their own virtual machine, not modifying the app. Haven't investigated myself but this guy has: https://stackoverflow.com/a/41702482/9165920


text:
Why does Google Pay require location permission?
Google Pay uses mobile numbers and UPI to transact money.
Why does it require location permissions?

One thing that I want to know, but can't since Google Pay is not supported in my country: can you do a transaction with location service disabled?

no.. we cannot!

Apparently, Google Pay is more than just for payments. One of its features (or bloat) is that it can find jobs for you based on your profile and location, et al.
Per Google Pay Help:

How do I find specific types of jobs?
We recommend jobs for you based on your profile info, location, preferences and your activity in the app.
To find specific types of jobs, make sure that you update your profile info, location and preferences to reflect the sort of jobs that you’re interested in.

does that make location permission necessary for payments?

It seems to require it under the pretense of detecting suspicious activity.

This is yet another reason I choose to avoid Google products whenever possible (which is pretty much always).  Too many intrusive permissions by a data hoarding mega-corporation.  See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/231091/google-pay-scanning-credit-card-without-camera-permission


text:
Block PUBG completely from working in Android mobile
My relative's child is addicted to PUBG. She needs to block PUBG completely. Is there a way to block it from getting connected to PUBG servers, or crashing the app every time it opens?
Please note: My relative is not very tech-savvy. The simpler method, the more helpful it would be.

What about just forfeiting the phone?

https://www.wikihow.com/Block-Apps-on-Android

Cannot leave him without phone as we both travel

Either use the Parental Control in the PlayStore or simply remove the Network access in the App Settings.
If possible, ask them to spend some time with that kid. This addiction is not a serious issue if you can spend some good time with kid.

This adds nothing to the existing answer.

There are some methods that actually work for me.

Lock the game/app with an app or from the android if you have that function.
Go to Google Play-->Settings--->Parental controls. Once opened, you will be able to set up the restrictions you want.
Restrict the internet access to the game. You can do it from your system if you have this feature. Otherwise, just get an application from Google Play, search for "app internet restriction" for example.


text:
Can I retrieve files from old phone that screen is damaged?
My old rooted phone has a smashed screen but can still turn on. It's not worth the cost to repair it.
I can get to the lock screen but can't enter the lock due to the damaged screen. As such, it doesn't actually appear as a mounted drive when connected to a PC.
Can I retrieve files from inside it or even run a backup to get the latest text messages?

If you can still use adb (since you put 'adb' tag in this question), you may try vysor (https://www.vysor.io/download/)  so that you can redirect your Android screen to a window on your PC.   That means you can use mouse-click instead of finger-touch to operate your phone.
After that, try to backup your old phone to the network (since now you have the PC as your new screen to operate your phone), and retrieve your backup from your new phone.
There should be some similar android to PC screen (alternative to vysor) software.
Disclaimer:  I do not stand for vysor software.  Please use it at your own risk: i.e. I am not liable to any damage, identity theft, hacked phone, any charges on the use of the software, to name a few.


text:
YouTube link preview not showing up in WhatsApp
Using WhatsApp version 2.20.207.12, YouTube version 15.47.36 on my Samsung Galaxy A30s with Android 10.
Previously (I remember this working in November) when I shared a link from YouTube in WhatsApp I'd get a preview containing an option to play the video

and clicking play would just play the video there

Recently, anytime I share a link from YouTube in WhatsApp, the message sent will only contain a link. This also happens if I use WhatsApp Web

I'm ok with not being able to play directly in WhatsApp, but how could I get a preview with at least a title pointing that the message is a video and showing its title?

FYI, this also happens on WhatsApp Web and Desktop. I guess YouTube did something that made WhatsApp failed to parse the link/meta-content (trying to understand under the hood of WhatsApp Web, but the code is obfuscated).

@AndrewT. I cannot recall exactly if by playing in WhatsApp the video ads would still show up (could it be somehow related with that?).

The best solution I could find was to adapt the URL copied in the share button

https://youtu.be/bDPczGUovzE

to

https://youtube.com/embed/bDPczGUovzE

This is basically substituting youtu.be with youtube.com/embed leaving the last part (in this video, bDPczGUovzE) untouched.
So now we can see already a preview before even sending

Once sending it we'll see

Edit
As of today this issue is already fixed and Beta users of WhatsApp can already take advantage of it.

I actually asked this to their support team since this happens for last 3-4 weeks.
Their reply was this

Hi,
Thanks for your message.
We're aware of the issue and are working on fixing it in a future update of WhatsApp.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We'll be happy to help!

My assumption is it's something related to some disagreement between Google and Facebook regarding to watching content from preview.

Created a preview generator for this purpose , here is a link  (only works for youtu.be links) :
boxcubegames.github.io/ytpgen

Hi, I appreciate the creativity, but can you show how it works? I tried it and it only shows a preview with YouTube (www.youtube.com), but no info about the video itself.

@andrew I have made a video to demonstrate , have a look and let me know if it solves your query  https://youtu.be/JB4BPsYh0mo

Kudos for @Tiago Martins Peres's answer.
Optionally, on computer, you can right-click / save the YouTube video thumbnail / drag it into Whatsapp Web (which will include it as a figure) and paste the original link in the figure description.

Alternatively (saving a few steps), right-click and copy the image directly, then paste it on WhatsApp Web/Desktop. It will recognize the image.


text:
Couldn't communicate with Google servers
Does anybody know how to fix this error? My Android device is a tablet running 4.4 KitKat. I have Google Play Services but for some reason I still can't login or even add a new account. The app giving the error is Google Account Manager, and this all started when I deleted Chrome.Here is what the problem looks like... Except I don't know how to add images....

What app is giving this error?  When did it start happening?  What version of Android do you have, and what device?

Hey Matthew,how ya doing? Just more info is this all started when I deleted chrome because I only needed it to download Minecraft apk, then the dreaded com.Google.gapps started popping up

Hey, I didn't see your comment -- you have to use @name to notify someone (so @Matthew) -- but fortunately I stumbled across it again.  Thank you for adding the information.  A specific make/model for your device would be helpful.  In the meantime, check this out: http://android.stackexchange.com/q/106494/1465

@Matthew dude, I've seen that one before, I've literally checked almost EVERY forum I could find this is my LAST HOPE. My device is Maxwest and also I can't download anything from play store, it just keeps saying authentication required and I need to sign in, also I made a new account (before that ) but was having probs with that as well so I removed it and  i can't add a new because of the error and I don't want to remove my account cuz I won't be able to re-add it from the looks of things... And this ALL started because of deleting chrome..........WHYYYYYYYY?!

This is a common issue n there are many possibilities to what could be causing it:

The date may be incorrect in the settings, causing syncing issues.
You can install the last version of play store from mirror siteweb

Here is a short easy tutorial I wrote:
Solutions for most major Playstore problems

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! While it's fine to link your own resources as reference, you must disclose your affiliation. I'll do this now for you, please do so yourself next time. Thanks!

First of all, check of internet connection is reliable and stable.
Try re-logging in to your google account.
Try restarting your device.
If none of the above help, upload a screenshot, so ig is visible, what exactly the problem looks like. (A screenshot can be captured, by swiping the edge of your palm across the screen, right to left).

Please note that "swiping the edge across the screen" is only applicable to Samsung devices. On most devices, you have to hold volume down+power.

Sorry, I will know it from now on:)


text:
Nandroid Backup Fails with extractTarFork() error
Long story short, I tried to install MultiROM on my Nexus 6P, and it failed.  So I tried to restore my backup using TWRP 3.0.2.0, and it keeps failing at exactly 7800MB with the error E:extractTarFork() process ended with ERROR=255.  I have seen posts talking about checking the log when this happens, but I'm not sure exactly how to do that.
What exactly do I need to do to restore my backup?
I guess I should add some detail.  I first tried booting to recovery and restoring the backup.  The phone rebooted into a boot loop part of the way through the restore process every time I tried that.  Then, I tried flashing the phone completely back to the stock image, and then restoring.  I got the error 255 above.  Then, I tried flashing back to stock completely, wiping Dalvik/cache, and restoring the backup.  I still get the same error message.  I tried restoring everything except userdata, and the phone reboots part of the way through the restore.
I could easily reroot, reinstall Xposed, and reflash TWRP if for some reason my system backup partition is corrupted.  However, I don't want to lose my data partition at all.  That was the whole reason I made the backup in the first place.


text:
How can I bypass Android FRP?
My child has transferred phones. I now have his old phone and want to repurpose it, sell it, donate it, give it to a co-worker, use it myself, etc.
The FRP protection prevents me from doing that. I understand the point of FRP but the logic behind it is somewhat flawed and doesn't cover a multitude of legitimate scenarios. I own this phone, not my child!
My child is not present to provide credentials to bypass this feature. How do I reset this essentially bricked device without having to use hacking software?

Note: this question does look a bit like a duplicate of this question, but none of the answers there are acceptable or work.

If none of the solutions work, it's advised that you supply more info, e.g. the device's model, Android version, how the given solution fails.

Have you actually factory-reset the device yet?


text:
How can I install a system app that I uninstalled?
I used a backup app to first make a backup of the .apk file of the system app, and then uninstalled it. When I try installing it again, I get "application not installed".
How can I go about that? I don't know in which place the .apk was stored originally.

Usually, you put the APK back to where you deleted it from. As in your case you didn't check that (but used a backup app to extract it), that "original place" usually is /system/priv-app. Check the structure in that directory (it differs between Android versions), then place your .apk accordingly. After that, don't forget to reboot – as only after that the APK will be loaded.
Note (you know that but others might miss it): in order to write to /system you need to mount it read-write first:
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
# do the copy here
mount -o remount,ro /system

As you have to reboot anyway, you can skip the last step as the boot process then takes care for it.