text:
Force links to open in the app, not the default browser
For example, I get an email from Pinterest with interesting links for the week. When I click a pin, it opens in Chrome and not in the Pinterest app. This happens with a few apps and was wondering if there's a way to "open link with" type of feature.
Is it possible to force the links to open in their respective application and not in the default browser (e.g. Chrome)?

Apps can request that links be opened using the app, using an API called an "intent filter".
If the app has the correct intent filter, you will be prompted to open the link using that app, and the app will then do something with it.
This has to be coded in by the app developer, and there is no way to implement it yourself unless you decompile the app and add it in.
An example of an app that does this is the Google+ app.

More examples include: Twitter, Google Maps, Foursquare. So it completely depends on the app developers.

I find it strange that the Gmail app isn't doing that. For instance: on Chrome on Android, click on recent tab showing an email on Chrome desktop; it would make sense in that case to open that email in the Gmail app.

Please could you provide some documentation or further information regarding intent filter? Thanks a lot you'll probably get a lot more credit for this answer, very helpful.

This helper app makes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, GitHub, and Goodreads links open in their apps instead of the browser: Open Link in App
It doesn't yet support Pinterest, but if you're technical, it's easy to add new apps, and doesn't require writing code! Details in the GitHub repo.

I installed Open Link in App and it's working! I have a database app and added a field for URL in one of the tables and it always open on browser before. Thank you for sharing.

This doesn't work with Firefox in Android  though?

If the links were opening in Chrome by default, all I had to do was, go to Settings -> Apps -> Set as default, choose the Chrome app and hit Clear defaults.
Next time when I clicked the link, the phone asked me to Open with with only two options: Chrome & Samsung Internet Browser. When I choose Chrome then Just once, once again the Open with came up but this time with 3 options: Pinterest, Chrome & Samsung Internet Browser. I chose Pinterest followed by Always and that is it.
Not sure why but this worked.

I don't use Pinterest, but I might have a guess that the first link is a shortened/compact URL that is not recognized by the Pinterest app, then the browser redirects to the link that is now recognized by the Pinterest app, hence the additional option on the 2nd link. (further info on how this works is on existing answer)

If you can get the APK, then you can open it in JADX [1]:
jadx-gui com.pinterest-10098030.apk

and check the Androidmanifest.xml file:
<intent-filter android:autoVerify="true">
   <action android:name="android.nfc.action.NDEF_DISCOVERED"/>
   <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW"/>
   <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/>
   <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE"/>
   <data android:scheme="https"/>
   <data android:scheme="http"/>
   <data android:host="www.pinterest.com"/>
   <data android:host="post.pinterest.com"/>
   <data android:host="pin.it"/>
   <!-- ... -->
</intent-filter>

So only link with those host will get noticed by the app. In addition, some apps also filter on the path:
<intent-filter android:label="@string/app_name" android:autoVerify="true">
   <data android:scheme="https" android:host="www.pbs.org"/>
   <data android:pathPattern="/video/.*/"/>
</intent-filter>

Finally, if you have adb, you can use it like this:
adb shell am start -d https://www.pbs.org/video/american-horses-i5v309/

https://github.com/skylot/jadx

In general, you can't do it. The reason behind the links opening in a browser is that they use the same protocols of normal web links. So if the particular app is not a browser, the links have to be opened with a browser app.
But you may have seen some links (particularly links to Android apps on the market) can be opened with the Android Market/Google Play Store app. This is possible because those links use market:// in their links rather than typical http://
If you need to confirm it, try clearing the defaults of your Chrome browser. It will make you choose an app to open a link when you click them. This will give you an open link with option (of course, to use the browser apps)
To do this, go to Settings -> Apps and select the Chrome app. Scroll to the bottom and find a clear defaults button and click it.

This isn't actually true. An app can register an intent to open any URL, even if it uses http. For example, the Play Store app will handle http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=foo links, as well as market:// links.

This is false. To open http/https links directly you need to to verify ownership of the domain using a .well-known/assetlinks.json file. See https://developer.android.com/training/app-links
You can show the capability to open unverified domains, but the user needs to set your app as the default app themselves, otherwise it will open in the browser (this wasn't actually true until Android 12, where it would ask which registered app you wanted to use)

In my case Gmail messages containing links to Realtor.com stopped opening in the realtor.com app one day and instead started opening in Chrome.  On Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with Android 14 I found the solution here:

Substitute realtor.com with your app name

Settings/Apps/realtor.com

Under Defaults:
Select: Set as Default

Supported Links: Enable

Supported Web Addresses
Enable those matching the link URL which isn't opening in the app.  If Supported Web Addresses is greyed out, make sure the app is installed and able to open with links here:

Settings/Apps/Choose Default Apps/Opening Links

Find your app (again realtor.com for me), make sure Open Supported Links is enabled.

Tap Supported Web Addresses and enable the addresses you want to open in the app and not the browser.

This gives the option to select whether to open this app instead of the browser when you go to supported web addresses.

JUST REMOVE http:// or https:// bofore URL and Enjoy!

Is this specifically for Pinterest? Are you sure it will work? Browsers will usually add http:// automatically if the input looks like a URL, so it won't really change anything.

This won't work for a link - as the question requires - as that will already have the  protocol prefix included within it.


text:
What exactly does CalDAV-Sync do?
Android has a bug report Add support for external calendars via iCal / CalDav that prevents you from using a standard CalDAV application.
CalDAV-Sync corrects that bug:

CalDAV-Sync is a CalDAV client for Android to synchronize events. Due to its implementation as sync adapter it integrates seamlessly with the native calendar app and widgets.(Also check out CardDAV-Sync)
Important note for Jelly Bean users: To prevent the removal of your accounts on reboot install this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dmfs.jb.workaround.caldavsync
This app will create new calendars on your device (one for each calendar on your server account)

How exactly does it solve it?
Is it an alternative synchronisation? Or does it correct the bug?

According to the fix app, the actual bug it fixes is 34880.
Basically, Google Play Store installs paid apps to the wrong location, specifically to /mnt/asec instead of /data/app.  When the service cache is generated on boot, that location is not yet mounted, so the service and the associated accounts gets removed.
This works around that by using the same account on a non-paid app, which installs normally, get picked up by the service cache, and this prevents the account from getting removed.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Show email in 80-char width plain text on Gmail
As a programmer, I really despise any email not written in plain text (MIME type plain/text) and not wrapped at 80 chars width.
However, the default Gmail app only sends the emails I compose as text/html.
Is there any way, setting, and/or app to get my favourite formatting?

Kaiten Mail lets you send emails in these formats:

Plain text (images and formatting will be removed)
HTML (images and formatting are preserved)
Automatic (plain text unless replying to an HTML message)

I'm not sure about the the width though. I haven't seen any setting where I can set it to 80 (or any other value).
By the way, I sync my GMail and Yahoo mail with Kaiten.

Sorry for being a necromancer, but I also wanted plain text in Gmail and have been a long time Kaiten user since 2012 ... Kaiten still sucks big time when it comes to searching -- server-side IMAP search is still largely broken in Kaiten, despite it claiming it works. The Gmail app is heaps better in that regard.

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

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


text:
Are those dead pixels? "Dead Pixel Detect and Fix" apk did not work with them
I have a new LG L9 for about 2-3 days now (but it came to me without foil on the screen).
Today I've noticed that about 1-3 pixels near the middle of the screen are quite black. And they do not react to color changes like other pixels of the screens - whenever they should be black, red, white - they just stay the same color (they are easy to spot on white background and hard to detect on any other color).
When I change the viewing angle, they disappear gradually. So they react to angle a lot. When I have my phone in front of my eyes, I see them good. But when I look from the very low angle (screen is in the corner of my eyes, I look from far left/right side) - they are not visible on the screen.
Is that typical for dead pixels? Or they are not dead pixels at all?
Is it possible to fix them?
It's hard to make s photo of them, because my camera makes a bit too blured photos (so those pixels are not as visible as in real life) - those are the same, viewed from different angles:

I've downloaded and run the Dead Pixel Detect and Fix application, but it didn't fix them.
I use Android 4.

What's that "Dead Pixel Detect and Fix" thing? How could a piece of software possibly detect and fix a hardware failure?

@JanDvorak - from other questions and from Google I've found that many people suggest to use that apk. It's quite popular on Google Play - about 3.000 downloads and quite good score. I guess it's for some software-dependent pixel bugs only, anyway.

Games, toys, pranks etc. can also have high downloads and reasonable (at first sight) ratings. Things as a flashlight (turns your screen white), cracked screen (not really), fingerprint scanners (with footnotes), night vision goggles (actually just a really crappy green effect that reduces the worse-than-eyes camera sensitivity even further), heart rate monitors (place a finger on your wrist, then tap on the screen, and we'll measure the frequency), mind readers (maybe they can read voice expressions better than some people can, but probably not) ... can be quite popular.

Ok, I also thought that this apk has a limited usage, but can we focus on the main part of the question? You can just ignore I've used it (it was a fast & costless step, so I thought "why not give it a try?").

Changing a pixel rapidly between black and white (or subpixels between fully on and off, what this app does) may get it unstuck. It does not detect dead pixels itself, just sets the whole screen to the same color so you can detect it.

Dead pixel is a class of manufacturing defects on screens which causes a pixel or sub pixel to remain permanently on or permanently off. The actual cause of dead or stuck pixel varies, and while some may fix itself over time, but many are permanent. Basically, as long as the pixel are stuck on a color that it shouldn't be, it can be considered a dead pixel. So yes, you have a dead pixel.
Depending on the device, the number and type of dead pixel, the manufacturer, and the seller you buy the item from, dead pixel may be covered under warranty. Check your warranty information on how to get a warranty and also ask the store you buy your device from, and you might be able to get a replacement. If this is a brand new device, some stores may replace even when the warranty doesn't require them to (under store policy, not manufacturer's).

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

authors: Сергей Коротчик


text:
What does a single tap on the lock screen do?
The Swipe lock screen on my S4 running Jellybean and Kitkat has a number of actions.

Swipe left for camera
Swipe right for other widgets
Swipe down on the widget allows you to them click on the widget
Swipe anywhere in the middle unlocks
A single tap on a widget does...  I have no idea.

What does this mode do? It shrinks the widget and Iightens the bottom half of the screen with no apparent purpose.

It's telling you that you will have to unlock the device before you can access a widget tap's action.
Eg: If I tap on the clock widget on my lock screen, I will have to unlock the phone before it opens the clock screen. If I tap on a Google Now widget on my lock screen, I will have to unlock the phone before it opens Google Search/Now.
The dimming is trying to have you focus on the lock mechanism (where you swipe).


text:
how do I enable 180 degree screen rotation on Moto G (3rd gen)?
how do I enable 180 degree screen rotation on Moto G (3rd gen)?
Portrait is default
Landscape rotates the screen by 90 degrees
but is there a way to enable auto rotate for 180 degrees (upside down/reverse portrait) without root access

Use Rotation - Orientation Manager (7-day trial). It allows you to set the orientation per app or globally. "Reverse Portrait" is what you're looking for in terms of 180 degree.
(Click image to enlarge)

Alternatively, for my Paranoid ROM (AOSP; Android 5.1), using adb I can enter on PC:
adb shell settings put system user_rotation 2

It achieves the same goal.
On further search, I found some notable mentions:

Rotation Anywhere
Ultimate Rotation Control -- full 7-day trial
Screen Rotation Control
Rotation Control
Rotation Lock Adaptive (Free) (Source)
Set Orientation -- unsure about it

paid app. Is there a free one?

See my revised answer.

Rotation Anywhere is only for  Android 1.5 ~ Android 4.2, not lollipop.. I will try the others -- Rotation Control looks promising


text:
Regarding the "Error Downloading: insufficient space" error in the Google Play store
I've spent a long, long time searching for a viable, long-term fix for this problem; though I'm beginning to believe that Google Play (or Google Play Services) is to blame. I recently factory reset my phone running KitKat 4.4.2, which has both 16GB of Internal Storage (not an internal SD Card) and a 16GB external microSD card. Even with over 12GB of space remaining (after the factory reset, I was free to download apps from the store with no errors for a while, though it was visibly running a different version), it gives me this error. This is 12GB of Internal Storage, I have over 7GB more on the SD card.
I'm currently at a loss about this. I've attempted to rollback both the Store and the Services apps, and it only clears me to download apps for 5-10 minutes (if that) before giving me the same old error. “Error while downloading There is insufficient space on the device”.
Update: While writing this question up, yet again I attempted to download three apps. The first proceeded through the process without any issue (keep in mind that I had not changed anything since the last time an error was encountered - I simply unlocked the phone and clicked install on the already-open Play Store page for Facebook Messenger), while the second and third spat out the same old error.
I have attempted to clear my cache/move it to another partition, clear the data on both the Store and Services apps as well as the caches, and several other things. APK files never fail to install when attempting to install from an external source. This issue is also not local to this phone alone, my previous model did the exact same thing without the allowance for one download that I just experienced.
Edit regarding "duplicate question": Whether this is a duplicate question or not, I have found no valid solution for this, regardless of how many threads I have looked at and how many different methods I have tried. I've purchased a new cellphone to try and bypass this error ffs. It is not my home internet, as I have attempted to update apps and download new apps from both my mobile internet connection and from several (more than five) different internet sources; inclusive of a USB-tethered internet connection shared from both my computer and a friend's computer. I would like to state that this question is different in the light that I have tried and exhausted every method I have come across, without a single ounce of lasting success.
To put it bluntly, I think that Google needs to get off their asses and fix the problems that so many people are so blatantly reporting.

Using the insufficient-memory tag, have you checked its tag-wiki? Using our search-box reveals a bunch of related questions already, e.g. Google Play: Error downloading app - insufficient space and Out Of Space error, both describing the very same issue.

I have done so, and none of the solutions I've encountered are either effective for longer than a few minutes, if they work at all. I spent a good few hours checking as many of the related duplicate questions as I could.

I fixed my problem by uninstalling Google Play's updates. After that, all the apps will start to update.

"I'm currently at a loss about this. I've attempted to rollback both the Store and the Services apps, and it only clears me to download apps for 5-10 minutes (if that) before giving me the same old error." In most cases, this will not work at all, also the rollback is only effective once - it seems to be a random amount of time before either Services or the Store auto-update themselves again.

authors: مهدی سلیمانی


text:
How to drag apps to the task tray?
I am trying to drag icons to my task tray using my galaxy s3 v4.0.4.
However when I am dragging the icons down to the tray the task icons dissappear and a bunch of options appear like info and delete. How can I pin apps. I have looked everywhere and not found a solution for this problem. Please help.!!

You want to add apps to bottom task tray, where message, phone etc shortcuts are present?

Click on the applications icon, then select menu > edit. You can now drag-and-drop any application icon you want (except for the applications icon)

yea, but with the recent update, no option to do this, i thought that it was strange, so i got fed up and called samsung and they said with 4.0.4 that you actually can not place icons in the tray, fail samsung. all other previous versions allowed this, i would have assumed that this would be a standard thing, apparently not.

You can install a different launcher that does support changing the tray icons.


text:
Change language for one application (Google Now voice recognition, root available)
I normally run my phone in French. But unfortunately, Google Now will only support voice commands if I set the phone's language to US English.
I tried setting Google Now > Paramèters > Voix > Langue to anglias. This allowed me to perform Google searches using English. But I still couldn't use commands like "call…", "navigate to…" or "set an alarm…". These only seem to be available if I set the phone's overall language to English, which I don't want to do.
Is there any way to change the phone's language on a per-application basis? This would presumably require root access, which I have available. Basically, I'm looking for a root app which will chance the Unix locale for selected apps, or something like that. I want to make Google Now work without changing every other application to English. Thank you!

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

you need to be rooted
install "xposed framework" from xposed.info
within this app install a module "app settings"
within this module search for "quicksearchbox" (it's the google search app)
change its locale to "english-us"
enjoy

Unfortunately xposed framework stopped working with android 5.0 Lollipop... so enjoy it until your phone is hit with the update :(

It seems like they're working on Lollipop compatibility: https://github.com/rovo89/Xposed/issues/18. I wouldn't hold my breath, though...

Actually Xposed is already ported to Lollipop, both 5.0 and 5.1 working.

Currently Xposed works on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) through 8.1 (Oreo): https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/official-xposed-for-lollipop-marshmallow-nougat-oreo-v90-beta3-2018-01-29.3034811/

The locale of the app is based on the system wide locale, AFAIK, there is no way of setting each application to use a specific language regardless of how the system wide locale is set.
That is, the developers of such applications have taken for granted that, if the system wide locale is set, then the Android run-time will select the appropriate locale for the application, provided that the application has the necessary resource for that language built into the application.
If there is no locale for internationalization within the application, it will fall back on US English by default even if the system-wide setting is other than that.
I have not seen such an application where it prompts to select the language specifically within it at run-time and force it to use it regardless of system-wide setting.
Edit:
After a bit of google-fu, came across this site titled 'Google Now With Independent Locale: Google Now Tweaked For Use In Your Own Language [Root Only]'
So give that a shot and see if that would help you :)

I was just looking for the same thing to be able to run my phone in English, but my Navigation application in my native language (dutch). I found a program called localized apps program on XDA Developers: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1174443
It lets you create a shortcut for an app for a different language (it actually changes your phone language and returns it to normal when you close the program).
Credits to xda user thiagolr for creating this program.


text:
Samsung Galaxy S2 Join contact Conflict
I have joined my facebook, google, whatsapp and phone contacts. The problem starts when the display names are different.
Now the phone has its own mind which contact name to display. I tried un-joining them and leave the name i want to be displayed "in this case PHONE and join them back again.
This resolves the problem momentarily, but whenever I come back again, its the same.
This issue is also with Whatsapp, the contact name within wha
Can I choose which account's name is to be displayed by default?


text:
Google Nexus S won't turn on
My Samsung Nexus S is over a year old now. This morning I was doing a restart (just power down and back on) and it would not finish booting up. The word "Google" on the initial screen comes up, blinks and gets brighter and then just stays there.
I did the reboot sequence (hold power button and up volume) and got it to reboot but then needed to shut it down again and know it will not turn on.
Any help would be appreciated. I am running ICS 4.0.

Have you tried taking out the battery and holding the buttons to enter "download mode"? If you can there is a way to restore the OS.


text:
Update the Korean Galaxy S
I use a Korean version of Galaxy S (SHW - M110s) phone which runs on android 2.3.6., I want to update it to ICS or JB.
I have rooted the phone with major sufferings and flashed with Nakyup ROM. XDA dev people strongly advised me not to update the phone and that may cause a phone brick. But yet I have seen some videos of people in youtube has installed ICS on SHW M110s and they are reluctant to reply my queries.
I understand the hardware architecture may difference for mine and the international Galaxy S. If anybody is there to help me in order to update my phone ? Anyone done it before ?

ICS or Jelly Bean cannot work on this particular phone due to hardware limitations, and many ROMS like CyanogenMod etc. are designed for the international version, not the korean version, thus you will have some problems.
My recommendation to you is to use KIES to go back to the latest Samsung released Gingerbread, root, then use a custom kernel (Tegrak is my personal choice) to get a lagfix. It will hopefully breathe new life into your phone. Hope this helps.
Also note there're many apps for Gingerbread that give you the feel and performance of ICS, such as Gallery ICS, Camera ICS, and ICS Launcher. Aside from being unable to run Chrome, you may not notice any difference.


text:
Power button stopped on my Nexus S
My power button has stopped working on my Nexus S, everything else works but this!
How can i get my power button back?

Power button worn out?

You can remap either of the volume buttons to be a power button. I have remapped my volume up button to power button.
To remap, you should have rooted phone, with terminal emulator and busybox application you can edit the file /usr/system/keylayout/herring-keypad.kl
change the line
key 115 VOLUME_UP WAKE

to
key 115 POWER WAKE

And reboot your phone.

Here's a similar question: How can I boot my Nexus S with a broken power button? Can only boot to "Do not turn off target"
Best thing to do is get the power button replaced.  It is not too expensive.
You can also try the battery or bump tricks described in that chapter to try to get your Nexus S to boot while plugged into USB, but that seems like a short term solution.

Further to above, once you get the phone on by bump trick or fixing the button, remap power action to the search soft key and set awake on volume button press (available in CM and many other custom ROMs). I read about the power button when I got my Nexus S, and have done this as a precautionary measure since day one.

You can fix this issue by simply opening the phone up by removing the 6 screws on the back, and fixing the power button yourself. What is happening is there is a ribbon connector that goes from the power button to the circuit board and this becomes loose and disconnects itself.  You can simply press on it and reconnect it to the board to fix the power button issues.  This will only be a temporary fix, as the phone is a poor design and will become disconnect more and more frequently.  But this can at least let you use your phone.

There is no such ribbon connecting the power button to mother board, its soldered onto the board.


text:
How to instantly wipe an Android phone in case of arrest?
A Belarusian friend asked me this, but I can't find anything on my own. Protesters in Belarus are beaten once arrested until they give up the pin code to the phone.
So, if he could give a pin code that would immediately trigger phone reset to factory settings, or erase data, or even show a dummy profile, that would at least protect their family and contacts and limit the extent of accusations.
It would be nice if the phone could be used afterwords. Protesters may be given their belongings back after detention, and having a working phone is an advantage if they land in a hospital or just outside the detention center with none to pick them up.
So far I suspect that to have this functionality one has to fork Android or LineageOS. Is there already such a fork?
Why Android? Because back in Belarus, iPhone is much less popular than in the US or EU.

Does this answer your question? How to make a complete factory reset, without anyone being able to retrieve my data?

*2767*3855# if it works (given that all codes don't work on all devices). You could Google for your device specific codes. Phone will be usable but all data would be lost and you would need to set it up again//But this is not a PIN code as you are asking. This needs to be dialled from your key pad after opening the phone

https://coolblindtech.com/how-to-disable-fingerprint-and-facial-recognition-on-your-phone

maybe not very helpful but related, android has lockdown mode

in germany it is common sense to leave mobiles at home when participating protests (for tracking reasons)

One thing coming close to this is Ripple (also available at Play Store but only in an older version). It sends a "panic event" to all supporting apps which then act with what you configured there (deleting data, uninstalling themselves, whatever). In the past there were other apps which e.g. triggered a factory-reset when you entered the wrong pin more than X times, but they're all gone unfortunately.

Frame challenge: might it be easier to buy a "burner" and bring that to protests? That way you still have a phone if you need to call someone, but you can avoid putting any data on it that you'd be concerned about the authorities seeing.

@Kat On a burner phone, you need Telegram and a few channels and groups to follow the events, which is a red flag anyway.

i wonder how revolutions was possible before cell phone aeon


text:
Changing icon shape - Samsung Galaxy J7
I would like to change my icon shape on my Android 9 Pie - Samsung Galaxy J7 from the default to the circle.
How can I do that? (attach steps with images, if possible)
Home screen screenshot: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MVUtpkfkReZ-hc1ISQS9fHbTvzqcEkMi/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1McqRNbxOFZG98JMHbrqZ3pqXvvh49oaX/view?usp=drivesdk

The default icon is circle in Android 9 pie. Please have a screen shot of your home screen and device name, so that we can determine what was the real issue.

@RahulGopi I've now added screenshot links in the question. My default icon shape is a curved square, not a perfect circle like I want it.

Samsung uses squircle shape (curved edged square) which is the default for samsung devices. You need to change the launcher, to have adaptive icons. Install any launchers like Nova launcher, action launcher from play store, and apply adaptive icons from launcher's settings.

@RahulGopi Thank you!


text:
Unable to archive IMAP email with GMail app
I'm using the Gmail app on a Pixel 2 running Android 10. I'm connecting to a private IMAP server (despite the app name, "Gmail" is a general-purpose mail client, not just for Google Mail).
How can I get it to recognize my Archive folder?
My IMAP server (Dovecot) offers an Archive folder, which is honored by all other IMAP clients (Roundcube, Windows 10 Mail). The Andoid Gmail app, however, does not show an archive button when reading the mail, and swiping will delete—rather than archive—the message.
When I'm reading Google Mail, it works as expected; there's an archive button next to the trash, and swiping archives the message. With my Dovecot account, the archive button isn't shown, and swiping moves it to the Trash folder.
Here's what the IMAP server returns for available folders:
d list "" *
* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Archive) "." Archive
* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Sent) "." Sent
* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Drafts) "." Drafts
* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Junk) "." Junk
* LIST (\HasNoChildren \Trash) "." Trash
* LIST (\HasNoChildren) "." INBOX
d OK List completed (0.001 + 0.000 secs).

This is correct, and is honored by other clients.
In the Gmail app, if I click on the hamburger menu when viewing a message, I can select "Move to", and it shows an Archive folder there (in fact, Archive is the only folder listed there). Selecting this does move it to the Archive folder. This is unworkable, though; I need the Archive button while reading, and I need swiping to archive instead of deleting.

I need the Archive button while reading, and I need swiping to archive instead of deleting- since you are referring to a generic mail client, have a look at FairEmail, a privacy focused mail client that can do much, much more

I am not familiar with other parts of your question

Thanks for the pointer, @beeshyams. I like that alternative. I found a small bug in it, and the author already fixed it. The free version was good enough for me, but I'm buying it to support him.

At this point, after trying five different Android IMAP clients—all of which work fine—I can confidently say that the Gmail app is not fully implementing the folder specification. Perhaps it's intentionally crippled, but either way, it doesn't appear to be usable for my needs.

Glad it helped. Please self answer to help others in future :)


text:
Direct Music Player audio to Caller
Assume you have a call. I would like to play a piece of one song to the caller at one point of discussion, while keeping your voice too in the discussion.
I am using Android 6.0 CyanogenMod with Samsung Galaxy S4.
Edited: According to Media Playback's docs, the standard Android system does not allow the feature.
However, I am interested in how this restriction works.
If the feature works in non-rooted CyanogenMod, then it is not a restriction.
Also, I am not sure if Media Playback's manual applies to the whole system.
How can you direct Music Player's output into the ongoing discussion?

You cannot
Media Playback developer documentation says (emphasis added)

You can play back the audio data only to the standard output device. Currently, that is the mobile device speaker or a Bluetooth headset. You cannot play sound files in the conversation audio during a call

Edit
In response to your edited question:

I am not aware of Cyanogenmod permitting this- searching in their source code may give a clue
To enable this, I presumed would require programming, so searched Stack Overflow and found this Why it is not possible to play an audio file on a voice call in android. This gives a couple of reasons, in answers as to why it is not possible - security and prioritization of audio
It also suggests ways of  achieving which are in programmers domain


text:
Sony Xperia Z ear speaker is stop working during calls?
In my Sony Xperia Z the ear speaker stops working during calls. When I press the top of the phone where the ear speaker is placed, it starts working but after sometime it stops working again.
Can someone tell me what's wrong with my phone?

Sounds like a faulty speaker.

Is there any way I can fix that?


text:
I can't find certain files on my android that should be there
I've been trying to reach data/data/com.android.browser/webview.db after rooting my galaxy s4 but when I go to find this file I can't find the com.android.browser all there is is com.android.browser.provider which doesn't have anything else but a cache and fig file. Is the com.android.browser somewhere else? (I'm trying to find a Facebook password I forgot that I had entered in earlier on the stock browser)

The file you are searching does not exist. The stock browser does not use a WebView. Also the databases ate stored inside the databases folder.
The only database that should be there (and should not contain any passwords) is the browser2.db.


text:
Problem with adding google account
I'm using Huawei mate 8 with Android version 7.0 and I have a problem with adding Google account and other things. When I am trying to add my google account it immediately goes back to the last screen. I explain better: I'm going to setting and then press Accounts. Then I press on Add account and press on Google. Then the phone goes back to the screen after I click on Accounts. I don't  know if there is any connection, but I also have a problem with Google play app. When I clicking on it, it immediately closes itself without writing any message. This issue also happens on other local apps.


text:
Can anyone recommend a good email client?
I have found that the email client which came with my device (Droid X, stock motoblur email client) is lacking in several areas.  Some of my gripes are

Limited number of emails shown in the inbox and no way to change this - At any given time, no matter how many emails are in my Exchange inbox, I can only see the most recent 7.
No option for multiple signatures - with two different business email accounts and a personal email account, I want the option to have different signatures
Accessing exchange folders - Items are not shown in the folders viewed on the device even though there are items in these folders

I have tried k9mail in the past, but the last few updates seem to have broken it for my device (I reinstalled twice and I still get errors when sending email and new email is not showing up in a timely manner).  So are there any other options available?

UPDATE: I have been trying the TouchDown client out and it is pretty good.  The price is steep when compared to what is usually paid for an app ($20 after the 30 day trial) but I am willing to pay for something that works.

I've been using the TouchDown client for the past month and have been very pleased with how will it works with our Exchange server. Not free, but worth a look imho.

And they seem to have a free 30 day trial which makes this very tempting.

Try it out Touchdown is a great app, +1.

Touchdown works great.

I really like Enhanced Email. It is a paid app (though I got it free from one of the Amazon app of the day promotions), and I have used it as my main client for over a year. I really like all the options and customizations you can set, and it syncs with Exchange as well as standard POP and IMAP protocols.

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


text:
User experience difference among Nexus S and Samsung Galaxy S
Currently, I am considering 1 out of the following 2 android phones.

Samsung Galaxy S
Nexus S (Not available in my country yet)

I was wondering, has anyone used the above 2 android phones before? What is the significant difference of these 2 phones, in term of software and hardware?
p/s Is there any online store where I can buy Nexus S from if I decide to have one? I am from Malaysia.

Hardware wise, they are almost identical (at least to some of the US versions of the Galaxy S) but there are some differences
Some of the differences are:

The Galaxy S has 3 hardware buttons (Menu, Home and Back), the Nexus S has 4 (Back, Menu, Search and Home). These are the buttons below the screen.
The Nexus S has slightly curved glass
The Nexus S has an NFC chip
The Nexus S DOES NOT have a microSD slot.
The Nexus S has a Flash for the rear 5MP camera
The Galaxy S supports Bluetooth 3.0, Nexus S, Bluetooth 2.1

In terms of Software:

The Galaxy S uses the Samsung RFS for a lot of the file system, the Nexus S uses EXT4

EXT4 performs a lot better then RFS does

The Galaxy S runs the Samsung TouchWiz 2.2 (Froyo) modified version of android, the Nexus S runs "Stock" Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)

Here is a screenshot of the i9000

My SGS Vibrant has 4 hardware buttons, and no d-pad.  I assume it's the Epic 4G that has the d-pad, since the others don't have physical keyboards.

the international SGS (i9000) has the d-pad. which i assumed what was meant by Galaxy S, because the the poster is from Malaysia.

Hmm, good to know.

May I know what do you mean by D-Pad? I thought D-Pad is a controller used in Video Game? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-pad

It's NOT a d-pad (on the international version at the very least). It's a single "home" button. (@Yan - a d-pad implies 4 directional buttons, so yes, like in a video game controller.)

@Ryan Conrad
If by D-PAD you mean that square-ish button in the center, to my knowledge it is not a D-PAD, but a single (home) button. The Canadian Bell Vibrant (which is the variant I own), is more or less identical to the International galaxy S (there may be a few differing internal components, based on the SD card failure rate in this version), and on it that center button most definitely is not a D-PAD...
Oh by the way, the touchwiz version is actually 3.0, because I guess previous samsung phones had older iterations of the interface or something.
But everything else you said stan

@Ryan Conrad: After the last update to Froyo 2.2.1, I think the performance issues of the Galaxy S are complete gone. At least, I don't notice any lag any more.

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


text:
How can I tell what "Internal error" in Google Mail app
For a couple of days now I've had error messages when viewing my mail in the Google Mail app.
In the beginning the error was displayed when loading mails further down the list.
By now I won't see any mails at all first entry is "Internal error"
Since these issues started the notifications of new mails has stopped working as well and I could not open certain mails (with and without attachments)
How can I get to the bottom of this?
Thanks, seb

It sounds like the database is corrupted.  I would go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications and clear the data for Gmail and Gmail Storage.  If that doesn't work, try clearing the data for everything Google (Talk, Google Framework Services, etc.).

I thought about doing that, thanks. Done and now I'm waiting for the mails to sync...

This is weird.  If you're using the wireless network, have you tried WiFi?  And vice-versa.  More than one WiFi network?  Have you tried logging in to your Gmail from the web?

Also note that Gmail 2.3.4 came out today, you may want update.

Hi, I did restart my phone and after that it was immediately available, email notifications as well!

Great, glad it's working :)

Glad your problem is resolved. However, to answer the question a little more directly, there are logs where additional information for things such as this often exist. You can download Android System Info from ElectricSheep and you can view the logs here. It's very unfriendly but is sometimes helpful.


text:
How to access files transferred to device using SimpleSSHD?
I am using SimpleSSHD and doing scp to transfer files from my computer to my Redmi phone.
My question is that after I have copied files to data/user/0/org.galexander.sshd/files, how do I access them, such as with a File Manager?

Don't copy files to /data/user/0/org.galexander.ssh but to external shared storage /sdcard. See similar question for Termux: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/218374/218526

@dhvcc, are you ok with my edit of your question if so please roll back to that revision. It's more straight forward and will be better indexed.  https://android.stackexchange.com/revisions/221967/3

@EvanCarroll hello Evan, I felt that your edit went beyond than fixing the question so I rolled back and made minor fixes. If OP reverts to your version of edit, I would be fine with that. :-)

@Firelord I know, I (respectfully) disagree with you. The op was clearly confused, having my answer chosen should greenlight me to clarify that. There is no reason to have a muddy question preserved on this site in perpetuity. We can do better for those searching for this, and for those that find it.

Don't ever copy files out of /sdcard/, for this task you should leave the files where they are. In order to copy files using SimpleSSHD, simply connect and copy: assuming you've left the default port of 2222 you can do this,
SCP File Transfer
host=192.168.1.228
scp -r "scp://root@${host}:2222//sdcard/DCIM/OpenCamera" .

RSYNC over SSH File Transfer
host=192.168.1.228
rsync --progress -ave 'ssh -p 2222' "root@${host}:/sdcard/DCIM/OpenCamera" .

On my phone the mountpoint of the external SD card is not /sdcard/, but /storage/XXXX-XXXX/.
e.g.:
HWVNS-H:/data/data/org.galexander.sshd/files $ ls -la /storage/C42F-10F5/
total 480
drwxrwx---   16 root     everybod     32768 Jan  1  1970 .
drwxr-xr-x    5 root     root           100 Feb 25 08:56 ..
drwxrwx---    5 root     everybod     32768 Dec 22  2020 Android
drwxrwx---    4 root     everybod     32768 Nov 22 16:36 DCIM
...

Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.

That looks like a path to an external SD card, not the internal storage.

yes, i was talking about my external SD card path. edited above. My phone's android mounts my external SD card to above specified path. i thought /sdcard always means external SD card?


text:
Redmi 4X stuck at boot loop
I removed some apps from my non-rooted Redmi 4X device with 'adb shell' because it was becoming very slow and unresponsive even for basic tasks. The packages I removed following this tutorial are:
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.glgm
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.music
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.videos
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.email
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.account
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mi_connect_service
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.payment
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mipay.wallet.id
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mipay.wallet.in
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mirecycle
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.cloudsync
Failure [not installed for 0]
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.micloudsync
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.apps.photos
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.hybrid
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.screenrecorder
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.scanner
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.securitycenter
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.thememanager
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.weather2
Success
santoni:/ $ pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.yellowpage
Success
santoni:/ $

After I try to reboot, it is now stuck in a boot loop. How do I rectify this?
I use Arch Linux so please don't suggest any Windows-only tools that are
not available for Linux.
This phone is close to 4 years old and its battery is quite swollen, hence the screen too has come loose. Other forum threads suggest that it might be a battery issue however I would like to first try out anything I can do to revive this phone.
This is my first question on any stack exchange site so please forgive any errors and give me suggestions on how I can improve.

Removing com.miui.securitycenter was the cause of the bootloop.

As described in this article the reason for a boot loop is corrupted software/corrupted ROM

Not really. Nothing was corrupted. You just removed a system app needed for boot. I agree this package shouldn't be a boot dependency but this unfortunately is the case.
Honestly, with a Xiaomi Redmi 4X, you'd better install an AOSP ROM. Xiaomi doesn't provide security updates anymore.
I suggest you to either install the official LineageOS version (Android 9) or the official crDroid ROM (Android 11)
In general, if you can unlock the bootloader of your phone, go for a custom ROM. If you can't, use the Universal Android Debloater. The nice thing about this debloater is that the packages are documented so you can see what you can delete or not.

Thank You so much! This was the answer I was looking for. I don't want to create an MI account just to install a custom ROM. Also it is my mother's phone and I can't risk any stability issues/risks of a bricked phone.

I reset my phone to factory settings by pressing the power and volume keys together which solved the problem of the boot loop, though it resulted in full data loss(obviously).
As described in this article the reason for a boot loop is corrupted software/corrupted ROM. Hence the best way to deal with this issue is to either reset to factory settings or install a custom ROM after 'rooting' it(as @Robert suggested).


text:
How can we avoid folders auto-creation?
There's a way to manage these system folders?
I am struggling with some folders that are automatically created at boot, by system on the SD card, but I don't want them!
The folders are especially the following: LazyList, LOST.DIR
Into the latter I have found several, also big, files, and I don't want to waste the storage, maybe, with duplicated or deleted files.
There's a way to better manage, or even better, completely avoid it?
Thank you... as always!

LOST.DIR is created by FAT family of filesystems when filesystem check performs a recovery. LazyList might be created by some apps for image caching. Both cannot be avoided.

EUREKA! I have found a way!
After some deep "Guru meditations" I have had a "flash of a genius"... and found the way!
It relates to the file system itself.
The rule is that where it is a file with a given name in a folder, there cannot coexist a folder with the same name, so, if you, after the deletion of the folder, create a file with the same name, that folder cannot be created anymore!
.
So, if you want to get rid of an auto creating folder, just create a file,
and if you want to get rid of an auto creating file, just create a folder,
with the same name, in the same path.
.
The file or folder will substitute one the other, and voilà, you could avoid the creation of the almost useless folders, even included LazyList and LOST.DIR, and whatever else you want!
Man vs Filesystem: 1-0

It's good that it worked for you. But the entity creating the file/folder may simply run rm -rf before creating the new one, unless you make the file/folder immutable some way.

It is possible, but why to literally format a card using that command and deleting Everything, since it happens in the root directory?

I meant rm -rf LOST.DIR or rm -rf LazyList, not deleting everything. I thought that's understood. And I'm not talking about a person deleting those directories. The app or the fileaystem driver which is creating a directory (by calling mkdir) can also simply delete that file (by calling unlink) before creating the new one, unless the file is made immutable.

Sorry for my misunderstanding, sir. I'm a newbie here, accept my apologies.
Please help me to better understand: if that entity calls, in order: chattr -i name --- rm -rf name --- mkdir name, we have lost our battle for sure? Thanks!

No need to apologize, everyone is learning here. No. The correct statement is: "if that entity calls, in order: rm -rf name; mkdir name, we have lost our battle for sure". If we have set immutable flag by running chattr +i name, then rm -rf name won't succeed. Instead chattr -i name; rm -rf name; mkdir name would be required to create new file/directory.

Giuseppe Uranya Di Terlizzi ᎓ I'm a bit surprised that the solution you proposed satisfies your needs, because in the end it pretty much amounts to the same thing, in the sense that you still have the same number of undesirable entries in your root folder (regardless of whether they're files or folders). A lot of people don't carecare (or even know, lol — lots don't) exactly what's in their root folder


text:
A script to get a random file
Dear developers,
I have an issue with my script switching from Android 9 to 10 (devices from a Umidigi S3 Pro to a Umidigi F2).
I have installed Bosybox App on the first and Busybox Magisk module on the latter.
Now the script does not work because the command:
list=(`busybox find "$dirs" -type f -name *.$ext`)

returns an empty array.
This is the complete script:
#!/system/bin/sh
echo
if test "$1" = ""; then
     echo "Randomfile script by Uranya <@uranya7x> v1.4 01.01.2021"
     echo "Usage:"
     echo "sh randomfile.sh <sourcedir> <extension> <destdir>"
     exit 1
fi
dirs=$1
ext=$2
dird=$3'/'
dest=$dird'random'
delim1=""
delim2=""
last='last.txt'
# create filename's array
IFS=$'\n'

list=(`busybox find "$dirs" -type f -name *.$ext`)

# count number of files
num=${#list[@]}
# generate random number in range 1-NUM
let "ran=(${RANDOM} % ${num})+ 1"
echo Random from $num files is $ran
sour=${list[ran]}
sourn=${sour#$dirs}
sourn=${sourn:1:${#sourn}}
date=$(date +"%Y.%m.%d %H:%M")
day=$(date +"%d")
hour=$(date +"%H")
minute=$(date +"%M")
message='---------------------------------------\n'$date' - '$num' >>> '$ran'\n'$delim1$sourn$delim2
if ([ "$day" = "01" ] && [[ "$minute" < "29" ]]) || [ ! -f $dird$last ]; then
    echo >$dird$last $message
else
    sed -i '1i'$message $dird$last
fi
echo $delim1$sourn$delim2
# rename the old file
cp $dest.$ext $dest'_back.'$ext
# copy the file
cat "$sour" >$dest.$ext
echo File copied as $delim1$dest.$ext$delim2

Can you please help me to understand why this happens, and how to fix it?
Thank you very much for your attention!

Having done some tests I have found this:
opening a root privileged terminal and executing
echo find /storage/7BC3-1805/Music/MP3/Abba -type f -name *.mp3
it returns two strings containing the names of files inside that folder, but putting it in my script continues to return an empty array, so the issue is not in the access to the folder, but in the syntax, I guess
(the code find is inside backticks) so it is as: echo find.... *.mp3

what shell you are running the script? android default is mksh (MirBSD korn shell). only bash support arrays, set shebang to something like #!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash

@alecxs Thank you for pointing it!

Dear friends,
after a couple of hours debugging the script, finally, I have found the mistake!
The line to be used is:
list=( find "$dirs" -type f -name "*.$ext" )
it is a very subtle difference: the space after and before the parenthesis!
(even, the word busybox is useless)
Oddly in the Busybox app (I have had on my S3 Pro) the spaces are not mandatory, whilst in the Busybox Magisk module those spaces ARE mandatory!
I'm using this script for almost 8 years to have an every day different music for my wake up.
I'm using Tasker to call it just before my alarm get off, so the same file contains every day, a different song.
I have done a change also in the array index that did not began by 0
So, here it is the right script:
#!/system/bin/sh
echo
if test "$1" = ""; then
    echo "Randomfile script by Uranya <@uranya7x> v1.5 (26.03.2021)"
    echo "Usage:"
    echo "sh randomfile.sh <sourcedir> <extension> <destdir>"
    exit 1
fi
dirs=$1
ext=$2
dird=$3'/'
dest=$dird'random'
delim1=""
delim2=""
last='last.txt'
# create filename's array
IFS=$'\n'
list=( `find "$dirs" -type f -name "*.$ext"` )
# count number of files
num=${#list[@]}
# generate random number in range 1-NUM
let "ran=(${RANDOM} % ${num})+ 1"
echo Random from $num files is $ran
sour=${list[$ran-1]}
sourn=${sour#$dirs}
sourn=${sourn:1:${#sourn}}
date=$(date +"%Y.%m.%d %H:%M")
day=$(date +"%d")
hour=$(date +"%H")
minute=$(date +"%M")
message='---------------------------------------\n'$date' - '$num' >>> '$ran'\n'$delim1$sourn$delim2
if ([ "$day" = "01" ] && [[ "$minute" < "29" ]]) || [ ! -f $dird$last ]; then
    echo >$dird$last $message
else
    sed -i '1i'$message $dird$last
fi
echo $delim1$sourn$delim2
# rename the old file
cp $dest.$ext $dest'_back.'$ext
# copy the file
cat "$sour" >$dest.$ext
echo File copied as $delim1$dest.$ext

I hope it will be useful to someone else that loves to be waked up by music.
Peace everywhere!


text:
OpenVPN is asking for client certificate where it shouldn't
I have imported the client config file to official OpenVPN client for Android.
The config file contains CA cert but no client cert or key. That's fine because i have auth-user-pass directive in it.
But when I try to connect, a window pops up saying:

Select Certificate
This profile doesn't include a client certificate. Continue connecting
  without a certificate or select one from the Android keychain?

If I choose to continue, it connects but this window appears every time I want to connect.
The same profile works fine on Windows (official OpenVPN GUI) and VPN Client Pro (unofficial client from Play Store).
Why it is looking for client certificate when the authentication method is user+pass?
Thanks.
EDIT for JW0914:
Since you are providing wrong information I did a little bit of search and found the answer:
As it is described here the key is to add "--verify-client-cert none" to the server config file.

Ditch that generic OpenVPN app for OpenVPN for Android, which actually allows full functionality as a client.  As to your question, the certificate must be imported to the Android KeyChain in [Android] Settings (this is a security feature for Android - all certs must be imported into the KeyChain - DO NOT store unencrypted certificate keys on internal/external Android storage).  If you install the OpenVPN for Android app, it'll be more clear, as it allows you to do so from within the app.

I am happy with VPN Client Pro but my question remains that why I should import the certificate into Android keychain when the authentication method does not need it?

Your question states your using OpenVPN Connect, not VPN Client Pro.  Please update question with the correct app being used.  As to certificates, all OpenVPN connections require certificates as an authentication method (you can add other authentication methods on top of certificates, but certificates are always required).

I have switched to VPN Client Pro because OpenVPN Connect is not working. The question is about OpenVPN Connect.
As for the certificate, the OpenVPN default config says:
###############################################################################
Client certificate and key.

A pair of client certificate and private key is required in case you want to
use the certificate authentication.
I don't want to use certificate authentication.

I've addressed what the issue is in my prior two comments - you must import the certificate and key into the Android keychain.  If you do not have a client cert and key, and this is your personal OpenVPN server, you must generate a client cert and key either via EasyRSA or openssl and have it signed via the VPN's CA/ICA..  OpenVPN is an SSL VPN and certificates are required, they are not optional, as using an OpenVPN server without certificates compromises the security of the VPN tunnel.  If this is a 3rd party VPN, they've provided you with the cert and key signed by the VPN's CA/ICA

I updated my original post.

You're fundamentally misunderstanding what you're trying to accomplish. You're configuring a VPN to protect the information flowing through its tunnel, but w/o PKI client & server certificates there is no way to encrypt that data... i.e. the VPN is useless. How exactly do you believe OpenVPN encrypts the data in the tunnel if certificates & keys aren't utilized? (See lines 877 - 923 in this openssl.cnf to see how RSA & ECDSA encryption occurs, as well as KUs/EKUs.)

@jw0914 you don't need client certs for encryption. See also every https enabled website

@robertmain A client cert encrypts information between the client & server, as well as decrypts information between the server & client. KUs of the client & server cert control types of encryption used, with EKUs clientAuth [client] & serverAuth [server] required to prevent MITM attacks. Please refer to OpenVPN's wikis for additional info, as you have a fundamental misunderstanding of encryption within an SSL VPN (while only a PSK can be used, it isn't secure, thereby defeating the purpose of a VPN).

@JW0914 that's actually still not correct - but I've decided I don't care anymore.

@robertmain Everything in my comment comes from OpenVPN's and OpenSSL's man pages (portions of the KU link also came from the RFC), something that would be known had the man page links provided been referenced.

Hi, looks like you've found the solution by yourself, which is great! Consider posting it as a proper answer since self-answering is not only allowed but even encouraged. Thanks!


text:
How to mute ads?
Even when the phone is on silent mode, some apps show audible video ads.
How can I mute such ads?

Well, I've never seen this happening... If I put my phone in DND (Do not Disturb), only alarms will have sound... How are you putting it to silent mode?

Yes, I set it to the (Do not Disturb) mode. Maybe the ad audio plays on media channel

@Abdulrahman yes you definitely have to put media on silent, putting ringtone on silent won't help in this case

Video ads use Android media stream to play sound
Muting the phone media mutes ads as well

Get "Sound Assistant" or other apps that can manage sound settings "per app" (as it's for Samsung and I'm not sure it will be compatible with other brands).
Find Google Play Movies or whatever it's named in your language. Mute this app.


text:
How to install apps directly to the external sd card on the samsung galaxy y?
Everytime while downloading apps from play store an error message occurs saying:"error while downloading insufficient space".what should i do to overcome this type of problem..can anyone help me out.I have already tried by installing "Android SDK" trick but it does'nt be helpfull because..... i think it works on windows 7 and i have windows 8.


text:
How can I prevent myself from powering down my phone while "Alarmy (Sleep If U Can)" is trying to wake me up?
How can I make the phone impossible to turn off. I use an alarm clock which make a task I must complete before the ringing alarm turns off.
My problem is that I can simply turn off the phone and then I don't need to complete any task for the alarm to go away. So my question is that can I in some way make the phone impossible to turn off when the alarm is ringing? So then I would be forced to make the tasks(math problems, barcode scanner...) before I can turn off the phone.
Any idea is highly appreciated and If you know some app that will do this or if I can do this by rooting my phone so let me know. No solution is to hard for me, I will try anything suggested.

The power button is hardware.  You're not going to find an app to prevent the button from being pressable.

I saw that they updated Alarmy (Sleep If U Can) to ver.7.3 on the 3rd of january with a new option called Preventing phone switch off. I wounder where they read about this idea;)

There is an app called Alarm Clock Xtreme on the Play Store. I used it a year ago and it worked great, but I tried it a month ago and it was draining my battery. Try it out and see if it works for you.

I tried that app and I Can't Wake Up. But this app doesn't solve my problem they are just alarm clock apps(not that they are bad on what they do) but they don't block me from shutting of my phone which is the problem. I think you need to read my post again or ask me if that I wrote was unclear.


text:
Delay in sending messages
I'm Using G3 rom v8 by bountyman334 on LG e980. Message sending is taking a lot of time, delay in sending of about 5-10 minutes and sometimes fails. Tried to update Rom but nothing worked. need help.

This is About your Network, Not android.

Network Busy or other reasons...

Contact with Network-Operator,
they can help you.

Other people using Same rom are facing this problem.

try this Simcart on another phone and check the problem still exist or not and tell us ...

authors: محمدالعبدليے


text:
Where do I find Recent Apps?
I am trying to map my Recent Apps to a gesture, instead of home button long-press.  However, I can't seem to find the location of the Recent Apps function.  Before Lollipop I think I found in Activities > Settings; now I don't see it anywhere there.  Anyone know perchance where Recent Apps is located?
I'm using Android 5.0.1 on a Samsung Galaxy s4.

Which launcher are you using? I think this may be launcher dependent, but I can't be sure

Also, what's your device model and Android version? There's never such setting on vanilla Android (Nexus 4~5, KitKat~Marshmallow).

@1990clb The launcher is Lightning Launcher.  I used to use Nova for a while, I think both Nova and LL used to have Recent Apps in the same place, in the Activities > Settings section.

@AndrewT. It's a Samsung Galaxy s4.  The Android version is 5.0.1 (Lollipop).


text:
Show SIM Card contacts only
Does anyone know if Android 8 has an option on the Contacts app to show SIM Card contacts only? I'm gonna buy a new phone soon, and I almost forgot about this part. So I wanted to be sure before I decide to buy anything.
The explanation for what you're probably gonna ask is that I don't want the contacts in the phone itself, because if it'll be like my first smartphone, if I had the contacts on it, I'd have killed myself infinite times (the same times I formatted it). Having them on my account is out of question. No mixing contacts. What a mess. Plus having all my Gmail contacts on the Contacts app on which I want ONLY phone contacts. Nope.
An idea a person told me hours ago was to create an account specifically for that. Actually never had thought on that one. Though, I'd still like to have the contacts on my SIM card and see them through it. No copying to the phone, or I'll forget to copy some or create some in the phone without realizing and then when I format it hoping everything is on the SIM, I've just lost some new contacts. No.... So either showing all SIM contacts, or a specific Google account only for phone contacts (which is a bit stupid, but it's the best solution I've got without being able to see SIM contacts directly).
In any case. Does anyone know if the option exists on Android 8? (the phone I'm wanting comes with Oreo) At most I know it exists at least up to Lollipop 5.1, which is the one I have now - OnePlus X, so basically almost AOSP ROM with Google original apps, so Google didn't remove the feature on 5.1. Next I'm gonna buy is a Blackview, which I think it's basically AOSP too, so Samsung phones I'm not sure if they count on this because Samsung mods infinitely their phones.
PS: Because of what I just said, if you answer, please say your phone brand (model too?). Preferably would be phones with ROMs very near to AOSP. I got to know hours ago that Samsung doesn't have the option on Android 9 and 10, but Huawei does on 9 (no idea about other brands/versions).
Thanks in advance!
How I do it in my current phone, as a reference, is (resolution reduced to take less space here):

AFAIK, it doesn't exist. Your friend's suggestion of a new account is good

May be you are asking thew wrong question. The ability to show SIM-contacts only is AFAIK not part of Android, but is a modification by the manufacturer of your device. Hence you should ask specific if the phone model you want to buy has this feature.

Wait, the option is not from Google?? I thought it was Google's decision to include that option or not on the Contacts apps! (Then manufacturers could remove it or not, depending if they wanted or not) All the 3 phones I've had so far (ZTE, Huawei and OnePlus) have had the option there. Then I hear there are phones without it and that they're newer, so I thought it was related to Google dropping that to force us to use an account. If it's manufacturer specific, I'll have to be asking about it to random people who have the phone. Not an awful idea, at least. Could be worse... Thank you.


text:
Is it possible to set a customizable mode of "Do not disturb" for Outlook?
In this article, it is described how to set Outlook to e.g. do not disturb during weekends.
In addition to this, I would like to add the criteria to not disturb after work hours (i.e. 5 PM to 8 AM).
From my understanding, this is not possible? Could we persuade Microsoft to add this feature somehow?
EDIT: I found that several others also want this feture.

The latest versions of the Outlook app actually already have this new DND option "During evenings" wherein you can configure your after-work routine. By default, it is set to 5PM to 8AM schedule as you want in your question. But it can also be modified to fit a different routine. Here's the screenshot:

I just updated the app to version 4.0.94. But I don't have that function. Maybe the version patched to Google Play varies depending on the region. I live in Finland. Perhaps Google's server for apps in Europe is not as up to date as other places in the world.

@tomatoeshift I'm on the version 4.0.94, last updates on 20th December. Which one are you at?

Now I got a second update on the same day. Now I have the DOD settings as in your screenshot


text:
How to install TWRP or root device
I'm trying to install TWRP but it says (boot image with correct signature or disable verified boot)
My device is (Umidigi power)
Or root my device
I have try with this:
UniversalAndroot
Framaroot
Magisk Manager
Magisk v20
KingoRoot

Can someone help me with this?
Note 24/1-2020 17:31
step 1: adb reboot bootloader
step 2: fastboot flashing unlock
step 3: Volume Up

Follow the guide here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79819558&postcount=8
SP_Flash_Tool for magisk_patched_boot.img in boot sector in SP_FLash_Tool
Install Magisk Manager V20.3 new version. and here we go. thanks for all imput :)

enable oem unlocking in developer options and start with unlocking bootloader from fastboot

Thanks i use (fastboot flashing unlock) works for me

Follow these steps carefully (It's almost same for every android devices):

Install ADB in your PC. Update the drivers of your device.
Boot your phone into recovery mode. (Make sure you turned on USB Debugging and OEM from developer options).
Open the ADB in your PC and check your phone is connected by USB or
  not. If it shows your phone in terminal then proceed further.
Reboot into fastboot.
Then unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock).
After unlocking the bootloader flash the TWRP recovery's img file (Be careful becuase TWRP recovery isn't same for every phone. You've
  to go tho their website and find your phone's. If it's not available
  in their website then don't worry you'll find it in unofficial
  websites).
Now boot your phone into recovery mode. This will open TWRP recovery now.
Now you should use ADB sideload method or use your phones internal or external memory to store magisk zip and flash it using TWRP.

You don't need to use KingoRoot to root. Magisk is an amazing tool to root any device.

I know nothing about this device myself but, I have managed to find a thread over on XDA that contains a very beginner oriented guide on how to root the Umidigi power.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=79819558&postcount=8
This post is actually part of a thread on installing TWRP on the phone, however, after a quick read I couldn't easily see instructions for installing TWRP itself.

I know that it is convention to post a detailed guide here, or at least an outline of the guide I have linked to but, this is an extensive walk through of the steps involved and I didn't want to take any credit away from the OP on XDA by passing it off as my own.

Giving a brief description of required steps is recommended. If the target post gets deleted or modified, your answer would become useless.


text:
Install custom system, on unlocked bootloader
I have buy a china device. and i will install custom ROM / system
Name of Phone:
MYCELL i11 pro
ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/i11Pro-6-1-8GB-128GB-Smartphone-Android-9-1-Dual-SIM-Mobile-Cell-Phone-Unlocked/402019064450?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=671879680646&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I have unlocked the boot-loader
And i have take backup of ROM/Firmware.
I use (SP_Flash_Tool-5.1916_Linux) to flash new system.img.
But then i do that i got stuck on boot logo, then i flash back to official ROM, so i can run the phone again.
My question is how i can install another firmware to the phone.
Any one can help me ?
Thanks for your time

For starters, please see our rom tag wiki. Make sure the ROM you want to flash matches your device (see: Can I install a ROM made for a different device?). Also see: Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device.

I hope it helped you. When you were able to solve your issue, please consider to answer your own question – which might help others in a similar situation ;)

I got it to work with install another system on the phone !
Model phone MT6570
step 1:
Download: https://www.needrom.com/download/blu-studio-j2-s590q-2/
step 2:
Format the hole phone (with MT6570_Android_scatter) from step 1
step 3:
Load the new (MT6570_Android_scatter.txt) from the step 1
step 4:
From the real Firmware (https://www.needrom.com/download/i11-pro/)
step 5:
Change the real preloader, lk, boot, recovery, logo, md1img, secro, cahce, userdata
step 6:
Load the system.img from step 1
step 7:
Wait for boot up

Hope the helps other :)
It works for me !


text:
Add WhatsApp images to Google Photo album in the cloud
I have a HUAWEI P20 phone and I am using the native Google Photos app to organize my photos on this device. Only the Camera folder is set for automatic upload to the cloud.
I am using Viber and WhatsApp on this phone. Their image folders are not uploaded automatically to Google Photos in the cloud and I do not need this, so that automatic uploading for this folders is turned off.
I also have a couple of albums in Google Photos to which I add particular photos from the Camera, Viber Images and WhatsApp Images folders. The problem is that only photos from the Camera and Viber Images folders I added to my albums on my HUAWEI device appear in the cloud (when I view them online at https://photos.google.com/). The images from the WhatsApp Images folder I add to the albums never appear online.
Does anybody know how to solve this problem?

P.S. I've looked at full image paths in Viber Images and WhatsApp Images folders to find any difference that may lead to this effect. It seems, paths for Viber and WhatsApp images have the same structure and this is not the source of the problem:
/storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Images/IMG-20200108-WA0000.jpg

/storage/emulated/0/viber/media/Viber Images/IMG-9104f1a4b3f873e1d9c8806bb9a8bd25-V.jpg

And sure, I am using the latest official firmware on my phone.

You have to manually change the settings for it to be backed up.
In the Google Photos app:

go to the Albums tab
locate the PHOTOS ON DEVICE section
scroll to find the WhatsApp Images folder
when you click to open it, on top, right after the title, there is a Back up & sync switch -> click to activate it.

If you also want to back up the videos, there's a separate folder for that, you have to activate the switch for it too - and for any other local folder you might want to have in the cloud.

Guys and girls, please, do not tell me how to enable automatic upload of WhatsApp or Viber images into the cloud. I KNOW HOW TO DO THAT AND I DO NOT NEED THIS! I receive a lot of images in Viber and WhatsApp, but I want to store only SOME OF THEM in my albums online. This works as expected for Viber but not for WhatsApp. I am trying to understand why.


text:
How can I disable recovery mode?
Is there a way to disable recovery mode so it won't be possible to factory reset your phone?
Basically what I am trying to do, is that it should be impossible to factory reset the phone as there is no recovery partition.
(Example format the recovery partition, or hide the option of factory reset on the recovery menu, build a custom recovery etc.)
P.S.. I was thinking of maybe removing a system app (example package installer) and making it a user app, and therefore when you factory reset the phone it won't start cause the system app is missing, but when I tried that, the phone wouldn't start even without resetting it, as the system needs the system app to start, ( I thought that maybe even though I removed the app from being a system app, the phone would still start as it's still there as a user app, and only after resetting the phone - that the user apps get deleted, the phone won't start as it's missing the app).
Thanks in advance

Is there a way to Modify Recovery Menu Options?

this app can disable recovery (and even download mode) but it's a paid solution for companies only https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manageengine.mdm.android (source)

@alecxs I don't think it'd be possible - at least on every device - to disable recovery mode by enforcing work profile policy.

OrangeFox Recovery allows option to lock Recovery with a Pattern or PIN
It will prevent normal youtube users from reseting your phone
but their is a catch people with deep knowledge will flash
Fastboot ROM or Qfil ROM and make device useable again but all data will be lost  .
Best option is to use Phones in which bootloader unlock is not possible because of missing adb and fastboot devices like Honor
Regardless of what you do with some difficulty it is possible to fACTORY reset with proper tools by Government Agencies and then recover deleted data.


text:
Where can I run a .sh script on Android without root?
Lately I've been playing around with .sh scripting in Android. At first I used BusyBox and it's integrated scripting utility, though I quickly realised that coding on the phone isn't the best, so I switched over to my desktop and started using ADB to push my scripts to my device. It all worked well for about two weeks, until recently the exact same scripts that used to work perfectly, tell me some : not found[0]: syntax error: '{ Error. I've copied the exact same code from my script and used BusyBox to create it for me, and that way it works just fine. So the code is fine.
After some digging, I think it's either because of permissions, because of encoding possibly, or also because of the location of the scripts. I've tried many different locations (because I want to be able to run the scripts without root), and ended up choosing /storage/emulated/0. If I understood correctly, this is a symlink to the internal storage, which is read/write-able without root. But maybe sometimes executable and sometimes not? I don't know.
So my question is as following: What is the best location on an Android Device to run scripts without root from? Preferably a path that works on any android device.
Info:

Rooted Samsung S7 SM-G930F
Android 8.0.0
I'm using #!/system/bin/sh inside the .sh files
I'm running the scripts with sh script.sh
When trying to run it as an executable ./script.sh, I get a Permission denied error. With or without root.

PS: And if anyone has a clue to why the exact same scripts stopped working out of nowhere, I'd be happy to know!
UPDATE: Thanks to @IrfanLatif, I've managed to fix the : not found[0]: syntax error: '{ Error! I was using Visual Studio Code as my editor for the scripts, which was saving them with the End of Line Sequence CRLF, which Android doesn't like. For an easy fix, just change your Line Endings to LF, problem solved. Check the comments out for more info.

@IrfanLatif Yup, that was exactly the case. Thank you so much! I was using VSCode and I had to change the End of Line Sequence from CRLF to LF. Thank you so much, really!

Without root you don't have too many choices to run a script from. If you want to run from adb shell, it can be either /sdcard or /data/local/tmp. If you want to run from a terminal emulator app, it can be either /sdcard or app's private directory in /data/data. There is no criteria to decide the best location. It depends on your specific requirements or comfort level.

Try termux from Play Store

@IrfanLatif Don't forget that you can't call a script directly (using ./myscript.sh) if it resides on a FAT32 file system, as it does not support file permissions. (SD cards are always formatted to FAT32) However, you can still use the format sh myscript.sh

/storage/emulated/0 is usually mounted in a way that prevents execution of programs from this location.
Therefore even with a set executable bit for your script you won't be able to execute it directly. Of course you can still execute it via sh:
/system/bin/sh /storage/emulated/0/test.sh

Alternatively there is the directory /data/local/tmp which is writable without root (e.g. via adb). There you can place a script and execute it directly.
Note: Listing the content of /data and /data/local is denied for non-root users, but in /data/local/tmp you have permissions again.

Thank you for your answer! I've tried /data/local/tmp already, and unfortunately it didn't work. But I do see that its permissions are set to executable so the answer to my question might be just that!
I've always executed my scripts with sh script.sh. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying running sh /storage/emulated/0/script.sh should work? Because that's what used to work, and suddenly stopped working.

@Zebiano /system/bin/sh /storage/emulated/0/script.sh definitely works on my Android 9 system (non-rooted). May be you accidentally installed a second sh executable that is now used instead of /system/bin/sh?

I just tried it on my system again and unfortunately had no luck. I doubt I installed a second one because I don't even know how to. I haven't installed anything on my phone besides BusyBox. Could switching between Mac and Windows with adb affect something?

@Zebiano No switching between Mac/Windows can not cause this effect. Adb is just a remote connector just like an ssh client.

Now that I've managed to get my scripts to run again, and after deciding that I want to execute my scripts (rather than sourcing them) by reading this, would you still recommend /data/local/tmp as a directory? Or should I pick another one?

@Zebiano With root permissions you have the free choice where to save the script (except the sdcard section). Just use the location you prefer on the user-data partition.

I am using a Samsung A52 (SM-A525F/DS) with Termux installed from Google Play. The home directory, where you can write scripts and set the execute bit, is:

/data/data /com.termux/files/home

You cannot browse this directory from a file manager on the phone, so a workaround is required to put your scripts there. I have created sub-directories from the home Termux directory, so it looks like this:

/data/data /com.termux/files/home/myname/scripts

This is the only place where you can execute scripts directly using:
./myscript.sh

although you can call bash in a new shell and feed its commands from a text file, which does not need to be executable, as in:
bash myscript.sh

The first line of the scripts must be
#!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash

Termux provides links to the standard directories DCIM, Download, Movies, Music, Pictures and one to the parent directory of all of the above, which is:

$HOME/storage/shared

However, from here, you can access all the standard directories with read and write permissions (as well as create your own, of course). Here is the output from the tree command run from the home directory on my phone, which explains it better than words:
$HOME
├── myname
│   └── scripts
└── storage
    ├── dcim -> /storage/emulated/0/DCIM
    ├── downloads -> /storage/emulated/0/Download
    ├── movies -> /storage/emulated/0/Movies
    ├── music -> /storage/emulated/0/Music
    ├── pictures -> /storage/emulated/0/Pictures
    └── shared -> /storage/emulated/0
        ├── Alarms
        ├── Android
        ├── Audiobooks
        ├── DCIM
        │   ├── Camera
        │   ├── Screenshots
        │   └── mei
        ├── Dashcam
        ├── Documents
        │   ├── Termux
        │   └── 2024-02-02_scripts
        ├── Download
        │   └── .scripts (Latest versions go here using get.sh/put.sh)
        ├── GIFs
        ├── Movies
        │   ├── Whatsapp
        │   └── Downloaded_Videos
        ├── Music
        │   └── Downloaded_MP3s
        ├── Notes
        ├── Notifications
        ├── Podcasts
        ├── Recordings
        └── Ringtones
27 directories

From my scripts directory I have written scripts called get.sh and put.sh to help move files between my PC and the phone, as it's easier to script on a PC's big screen. I use a hidden directory in the Download directory called ".scripts" as the point to access files on both my cable-connected PC and from Termux. All I have to do is make them executable once they are in the scripts directory.
In Documents, I transfer copies of the current scripts, the Termux setup files and my $HOME/.profile in directories called Termux and scripts. This is how I maintain back up files.
I hope this helps someone.

I am using the Pydroid3 app over the same device configuration.
sh script.sh seems to work in it.


text:
Playstore not downloading or updating anything
My playstore is not working from my device. Whenever trying to download or update, it just shows 'waiting for downalod' and that loading bar spins forever around the app logo. No i do not have any connection issues. My internet is strong enough, and to check, I have used other wifi and also cellular data. I have tried already clearing data, disabling and enabling, restarting, reset settings etc. Please help!

If you tried clearing the app data and restarting yet it's not working. Perhaps did you check 'App download preference' in the setting? Once I set it to 'Over Wi-Fi only'. And later even after changing it back to 'Over any network' it kept saying 'waiting for download'.
And if it's regional issue, try checking it with a VPN. But before trying it with VPN, force close Play Store and clear the data.

well yes currently i managed to get it working with vpn. It is a regional issue. Hopefully they will fix it

I had the exact same problem (which happened suddenly and without me changing anything) after a Google Libraries update. It persisted for some time and after a couple of Google Libraries updates it was fixed and now everything is updating normally.
I had tried to clear caches, reset Google Play etc. but nothing had worked. I suppose this is a bug in Google services.

so, should I just wait for another update? Nothing is updating anyways

When I am moving with my car, I usually put the phone in airplane mode. I had seen that if I had put the phone in airplane mode for quite a while (say half an hour) the problem stopped and I could update for some reason (I know it sounds crazy but it happened). And the problem started happening again after I turned off my phone at night and turned it on again in the morning. You could do that experiment.

Google Libraries are automatically updated so maybe a future update will solve your problem. For me it took quite a while (2 months). In the meantime I did the workaround in my previous comment (which I accidentally discovered)

yeah I'll try that thanks

Please make a comment if the workaround works for you!

It seems to be a regional problem. Now, nobody from my country is being able to do the same. So I guess it will be fixed automatically in a while


text:
Why can I view files from "Internal Storage" WITHOUT entering password either in OrangeFox recovery or via USB cable on PC?
I was under impression that all user files are encrypted by default in Android using FDE.  It was to my surprise that I can just run, for example, OrangeFox recovery and when it asks me for a password to decrypt data partition, I can simply cancel entering it and then still view /sdcard directory.  If I then open some text file (from that /sdcard) in a built-in (OrangeFox) text editor, it would show me all the text properly without any scrambling.  The same would obviously apply to all other files such as photos, videos, and etc.  Similarly if I enable MTP in OrangeFox, I can also view all of that via USB on PC.  At the same time, when booted to Android ROM, in Settings and Encrypt phone, it says Encrypted.
I would imagine that only after entering user password/pattern should it be possible to even mount that partition in OrangeFox.  Viewing through USB again should only work if I'm either logged into Android ROM and unlocked the user or if through OrangeFox, when partition is unlocked and mounted.
Do I miss something?  How to ensure proper encryption on all of the user data?

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

The newly flashed ROM was xiaomi.eu 12.0.4.  I then tried various modifications of it, but all of them expose the same issue over and over again.  After I flashed Lineage OS, the behavior was as expected: no way to see any files on "Internal Storage" (/sdcard or /data/media/0).  In fact, as I expected in my original post, even though /sdcard is viewable in OrangeFox, the only directory there is Fox, where it puts recovery logs and other volatile data, but there are no files from user even visible whatsoever.  Accordingly the "Data" partition is not even treated as mounted, and going to "Mount" option reveals that the checkbox of it is unchecked and one cannot even check it until one explicitly decrypts it.  Interestingly, I would have expected such mount-related behavior only with FDE, but I can confirm that this installation has FBE.  So this looks good now, but it's a pity that latest MIUI ROMs are that broken, what a mess...  :(


text:
“Error while retrieving information from server [DF-DFERH-01]” on Play Store
I have a Storex eZee Tab 702 tablet. My Google Play Store was working very well until a few weeks ago, when it started saying,

Error while retrieving information from server [DF-DFERH-01]

I tried to clear the cache, clear the data, force stop, and downloading another Google Play Store, but I'm still having the same problem.
How can I fix this issue?

Please take a look: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12812822/google-play-error-error-while-retrieving-information-from-server-df-dferh-01
and: http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/590061-error-while-retrieving-information-server-df-dferh-01-help.html.

for android 5.0

Go to "SETTINGS"
Click "GENERAL TAB"
Scroll down and click "Application Manager"
Scroll across to "ALL"
Scroll down to and click "Google Play Store"
Click "CLEAR DATA"
Go back and now open "PLAY STORE"


text:
Xperia Play MTP driver fails to install
When trying to update my Xperia Play with PC Companion, it fails to install the drivers for my device. I plug it in, it tries up until it says a problem has occurred installing the hardware.
I've tried its recommended diagnostic advice, null.

Edit: Just installed the update on another computer. It seems to work fine. If you don't have a spare, try a VM.

Remove the usb drivers and try rebooting the machine again?


text:
How do I force the 'showing' of an onscreen keyboard (soft-keyboard) when already 'paired' with a bluetooth keyboard?
My question is the exact inverse of this question.
Motivating use-case. I've paired and am using my Bluetooth apple keyboard. Just happy. I'm running ICS, on an HTC- Evo 4G LTE. Then, 7-8 mins later (timeout not yet engaged by default of course), I'm downstairs, and a call comes in. I need to type 2-3 letters to look up something (an email address, etc). and huh?!
How the heck do I in the moment on-the-call type?
At that moment don't remember where I exactly left that apple keyboard (which I could  go back to power off, and only then get a keyboard to show)  Or if I turn off Bluetooth entirely: 'Fail' as that often means I can't then continue to use the darn headset I've got on, or if driving, I'd be illegal (in CA need to have a headset).
If I unpair, seems to get that keyboard (the external Bluetooth apple one) working, I have to re-pair (which, in reality, is really futzy annoying, compared to, e.g. if ignored and the time-out engages, when I then, say a day, or two later, type on that apple keyboard it works instantly instead? not paired).
Regarding the app: "null keyboard" I tried it, and close, but no cigar, meaning: when I'm in a 'text field', in the notifications list, there will appear an 'input method notification' clicking on that and you get a list, and while that list should include something that offers a 'show on-screen keyboard' override, it does not.
The closest thing I've been able to find is developer-centric code examples showing an (apparent) workaround to force this.. but seems to be no app ( yet?!?) that exposes that functionality into the 'inputs methods' drop-down menu. Example.
Update:
it looks like Tomas's answer is 'the answer', though I'm currently unable to test to be sure. This does strongly suggest that there is no answer available without a rooted phone.

I don't have a bluetooth keyboard, but I have had times when I wanted to force the onscreen keyboard to show up. Have you tried holding down the 'Menu' button? When I do that, the keyboard pops up even when no text field is selected. In the same way, it can be used to force the keyboard to hide when in a text field.

certainly, as far as I can tell, with a bluetooth keyboard paired, it does seem to override/prevent that from working

I'm afraid I don't have an answer, but I can see the code example you link to isn't what you're looking for. It's for enabling the keyboard in general, not for overriding how the keyboard displays when a Bluetooth keyboard is connected.

Hi, I rolled back the edit because we don't close questions just because the asker no longer has the problem. Just a reminder, Q&A on Stack Exchange is for everyone, not only the asker. You don't need to test each new answer and can even ignore it if it's not relevant to you, but everyone else is always allowed to post and vote on the answers. Thanks for your understanding.

My answer is specific to the Pixel 5, Android 14. I am assuming your phone is already paired with the blutooth keyboard.
When trying to input into a text dialog in any app (WhatsApp or Keep, for example), you will see the very small keyboard icon at the bottom of the screen.

Click on the icon, and the following dialog should open up:

Use the "Show virtual keyboard" option to either enable/disable the virtual keyboard.

You can use Secure Settings Hardware Keyboard Action to toggle the hardware keyboard. Interestingly, you can still use the hardware keyboard, but the on-screen keyboard still appears.
This is especially useful when you connect a mouse (and no keyboard) and it causes the keyboard to go into hardware keyboard mode.
The simplest way to do this is to create a shortcut on your homescreen. Select the Secure Settings shortcut/widget. Then it will prompt you to select the action. Select Actions > Hardware Keyboard. Then it brings you to a screen with three options: On, Off, Toggle.
On means you go into hardware keyboard mode and no on-screen keyboard will appear. Note, this only works if you actually have physical keyboard connected. It will simply give you an error toast if you don't.
Off means turn off hardware keyboard mode, and an on-screen keyboard will appear when you select text boxes.
Toggle means it will switch from whichever hardware keyboard mode it's currently on.
There are other ways to hook up to Secure Settings Hardware Keyboard Action, which you can learn about in the documentation, and using your imagination and research.

@Izzy Secure Settings is an app for rooted devices. You can find it on the play store.

I know that – the OP might not. We prefer "complete" answers instead of "look-there-and search". Even with the app found: How to do that? Haven't you forgotten it requires Tasker, and a word on the budget? Tasker = USD 5

@Tomas - thank you for the answer. It's a bit hard for me to test - my phone isn't rooted (fixable), and my bluetooth stopped working (not clearly fixable). At some point I'll be able to remedy that (new phone) and test this. Until then, I'll update my question to point to your answer

If you are using a custom ROM, such as Cyanogenmod, you can 'wire' hardware keys to certain function.
One thing you can do, is set it up so that a long press on the menu button will show the soft keyboard.
If not, then there is no way to do this, although in theory an app could be produced that would place a notification in the taskbar when enabled and bring up the soft keyboard when clicked! I am now off to make this app.

You can modify the settings .db — under the secure table — show_ime_with_hard_keyboard key with value 1 (you may need root, or have setedit granted additional permissions via ADB).

Buzz launcher, as well as other launchers, I imagine, allows you to program gestures to preform certain actions. The issue though is that that gesture will only perform that action from the home screen if you use Buzz launcher gestures... The good thing though is you don't have to root to do it. In addition, of course, if you root the phone you can assign gestures more freely and make them universal so that the gesture performs the action from any app, not just the home screen.