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How to re-enable the "Clear Defaults" option for applications?
I'm not able to change the default application for voice recording on my Samsung Galaxy S (running the factory installed Android 2.2).
The current settings define the one that was provide with the device (called Voice Recorder) but the "Clear Defaults" button on the Applications Management list is disabled.
Is there a way to re-enable the button? I'd try uninstalling the Voice Recorder application but the corresponding button is also disabled. Could this kind of locking be set by the operator or is this the Galaxy S default behavior?

What action is it set as the default for, a hardware button? How does your phone open the Voice Recorder app?  I thought the only way to open the app was by clicking on the app, but in this case there would be no defaults to clear.  The only time there are defaults is if the Voice Recorder can be launched by some other means (eg. a hardware button, context menu, form field...).

A user needs to press the app icon, but an app can start an activity (such as voice recording) automatically. At this moment, Android was supposed to present a list of apps that could handle that voice recording intent (or call directly the app the user defined as the default one). In my case, no matter how many voice recording apps I have, the system always activate the bundled one.

Just curious, since it's just an app icon, what difference does it make what it brings up.  Can't you just put a shortcut of the app you want to launch on the home screen?  I realize that you shouldn't have to do that and I don't blame you for asking but I'm just trying to understand this crazy Samsung UI.

I should have said this in first place. I'm not starting the Voice Recorder from the Applications menu, but from inside another app. So if I start it programmatically, there is no way to force an specific app to handle the intent ("record audio"), that's supposedly up to the user to decide. Problem is, as a user I can't define which Voice Recorder should handle the "record audio" request.

This button is normally greyed out when there aren't any defaults set (and possibly when there are no other applications to change the defaults to).  If you install another voice recording app, you should be asked which you want to use the next time a voice recording event is triggered.  This normally doesn't get triggered when you start up the voice recorder manually, it has to be triggered.

This is exactly my problem. I have installed many other voice recorders and the button (for all of them) is still grayed...

Did you ever actually select a default app?  I'm not sure what triggers voice recording, so if it was never triggered (again as opposed to manually opening the app) then you never got the opportunity to select a default.

For example, it's possible to use GMail without it being the default "send mail" app.  Manually opening it doesn't set any defaults.  But the first time you click an email address in the Browser, it will ask you which email client to use and whether you want to set it as default.  At that point you could make GMail the default.

I've seen this dialog on other devices (Xperia X10, Droid 2) but this Samsung S never asked for a choice and just assumes that the pre-installed apps (for every category/intent) are the defaults. So I don't have to choose a different default or to reset the current ones.
I'm afraid this may have been set by the telephone operator and not by Samsung, and if that is the case is there a way to change this other than rooting the device? Thanks for the patience. :o)

Unfortunately you need root to remove a system app, I don't think there's an easy way to "hack" the defaults to change them either.  The good part is that the Galaxy S is really easy to root, unroot and install custom ROMs, and almost impossible to brick.


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Share memory access on SD card between a PC and an Android App
When you connect an Android Phone with an SD Flash card to a PC, with the Disk Drive option selected, it temporarily will be impossible to access the flash from the an Android App. What about phones with internal Flash?
I am looking for a way to share memory between an android phone and a pc.

If you have a wireless LAN and you just want to copy files around while the phone can still access the card then the simplest way is to install an FTP server on your phone like https://market.android.com/details?id=lutey.FTPServer
There are probably similar solutions using Bluetooth, 3G, etc.

I really need a usb solution.  My ultimate goal is to connect to a GPS USB host device, and pass info back to my android phone.

There is apparently an app in the Market that does this.  I do not know the name.  It probably requires root.
However, doing so is a terrible idea.  Two operating systems should NEVER access the same disk at the same time, because they do not know about each other's writes.  If you do this you will lose data, possibly everything on your card.  There is no advantage to this anyways unless you are doing something extremely bizarre.

I am doing something fairly odd.  I have a GPS device that acts as a USB host.  I currently connect to is via a WM 6.5 phone.  I create a USB serial port, and pass data/commands back and forth.  I just bought a Android phone, and the SDK does not support USB serial.  I thought that I might be able to pass data back and forth via the mass storage feature.  I don't have the option of using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

You'd probable need the phone in Media mode and a custom application on both Android and your PC to synchronize with each other and transfer the info.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Copying files from web to phone?
Is there a reliable way to move files from the web to my phone?
I am with Orange/T-Mobile (Everything Everywhere) and my 3g coverage is really patchy. When we had wifi in the office I used to use Astro to browse a share on my work computer and copy files that way. We have no wifi now.
I've also tried using Dropbox, but when I hold and download, the image doesn't seem to be anywhere on my phone. I thought it copied them into my gallery, but I can't seem to see them any more.
I've also tried emailing images to myself and then trying to download them on the phone.
All of these seem to fail for me, can this just be an issue with my diabolical mobile carrier? Or is there a better way to copy stuff onto the phone without cable or wifi?
Maybe I'll have to buy a cheap cable from ebay? Any suggests for solutions?
Ta

It ties you down, but can you use a USB connection?

Yeah my thoughts also, I purchased one for 99p from ebay :@)

You can get apps which will rescan you SD card to pickup any new files downloaded from DropBox. For example http://www.appbrain.com/app/sdrescan/com.bero.sdrescan

I am using Dropbox and it works fine for me. When you click on a file to see it, Dropbox downloads the content probably in a temp file and it will launch in the right viewer. If you long click an item and select download it will put the file in its own folder on the SD card (SDcard/dropbox) and the file will be available to a file manager such as Astro. If it is not already visible from the gallery application, you can add it by moving the file to the right folder.
I know you already used Dropbox but I would definitely give it another try.

This would be my preferred solution. I use Dropbox all the time.

Ah, yes, I'm halfway there. I will reinstall Astro, thanks!

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


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What limitations does rooting and/or installing a ROM put on my phone?
I have an Evo and I'm kind of frustrated at the space limitations on the internal memory, the crapware that came pre-installed (Blockbuster and Nascar, Really?) and some performance issues.  I was thinking that the right ROM might solve those problems.  It seems like I read somewhere a while back that rooting/ROMs cause some dealbreaker problems that I didn't want to have.  I can't find that article again, so I figured I'd ask you.
If I root my phone and install a custom ROM, can I:

Use the Android Market like normal?
Use the standard GMail, Google Maps, GTalk, and other social networking apps without a problem?
Use the Google Voice app fully integrated like I do on the stock ROM?

I know this will void the warranty.  Are there any other limitations I should be aware of?

UPDATE:  I rooted with Unrevoked3 and installed MikFroyo, and everything seems to be working just fine.  Google Voice, Android Market, Swype, and all of my other apps are working better than they were before.  My Evo is now running much better overall.

I can't speak for the Google Voice App being fully integrated - I only use it for the voicemail feature.  However I have a fully rooted Evo (Fresh Rom 3.5) and I still have access to the market and all the normal Google Android Apps.  In fact I find that rooting gives me more features like free wireless tether and with Fresh 3.5 the power manager is integrated into the notification drop down (which I find really cool).  Google Voice still works perfectly for voice mail.
As far as I know the only limitation is the one you have listed: it will void the warranty.  However if something goes wrong there is a huge community over at XDA to help you out or you can unroot and see what happens when you bring your device in to Sprint ( I haven't had to do this yet so I can't speak on that part).
Rooting (for me) has also made my battery life WAY better and gotten rid of those Sprint apps that I don't want.
Edit:
I can't comment on eldarerathis's post otherwise this would have gone there: I had forgotten about hardware limitations of using AOSP Roms like CM.  eldarerathis is correct though that with certain roms HDMI and 4G won't work.  When I had the HTC Hero and first loaded CM I think the Camera didn't work but in time this was fixed and this is why I have avoided the CM Rom so far for my Evo.
If you want the HTC Sense experience though don't go with CM or AOSP roms - these are essentially stock Android.
Hope this helps

Thanks for the info.  It helps a lot.  I've been researching it this morning and I think I'm going to try MikFroyo when I get home from work.  If the other stuff all works I don't see why the Google Voice dialer would not.

@J.W. Mosley You're Welcome. I agree about the GV - I don't see why not. Good luck with rooting and MikFroyo

You might be thinking of the limitations on ROMs that are based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) such as CyanogenMod. The difficulty for these developers is that they don't have access to the source code for some of the device drivers of the EVO, and use only code that is available from the AOSP (as well as home-built modifications and code, of course). These drivers are also closely coupled with HTC's proprietary Sense UI, which was a contributing factor to some of the difficulties.
The big dealbreakers for these have always been WiMax/4G and HDMI output. These have actually seen a lot of development as of late, however. For instance, you can get an alpha/test version of CM7 which supports WiMax now. I personally run this on my EVO and it has been very stable, albeit buggy in a few fairly trivial ways. It's definitely fine for daily use at this point, and I have been using it since it came out without any actual issues. It's also slated as a feature for the final release of CM7.
HDMI is a very different beast, and didn't see as much development from the start because there was seemingly less demand for it. However, a few pictures have been posted by devs recently that seem to indicate that progress might be gaining momentum. One such picture can be found here.
If you flash a custom ROM that is based on an HTC ROM, then these concerns essentially go away. The basic rule of thumb is that any Sense UI ROM will support both WiMax and HDMI out, and any AOSP ROM will not (excepting the recent test versions of CM7).
Also, CyanogenMod doesn't come with Google's applications pre-installed due to licensing issues. They are permitted to distribute a separate package, however, so you just have to flash them separately after you flash the ROM itself. Beyond that, everything else functions as normal, and many additional things become possible with root.

Thanks for this.  I'm not married to the idea of an open source rom, so I'm gonna try MikFroyo, which I understand is just a modified stock Evo ROM.

@J.W.: I've never heard of anyone complaining about it not working on a custom ROM, so I'd imagine you're probably in the clear on that one. I use GV for my Voicemail on CyanogenMod 7 and it works just like it did on the Sense ROMs I tried, but I don't use it for calling.


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Several exchange accounts on one device
I'm thinking about replacing an iPhone with Android device, but before I do that I'd like to know which versions of Android support multiple Exchange accounts? Are all main features (Mail/Calendar/Contacts) supported when several accounts are set up?

I'd test it, but I don't have another Exchange account to connect to. I'm pretty sure it does though.

From Android 2.0 Exchange support was added and this included multiple exchange accounts.
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-2.0-highlights.html
The highlights there mention "Handset manufacturers can choose whether to include Exchange support in their devices." But all the the higher end devises (Galaxy S, Nexus One, HTC Desire etc) will most certainly support it.

Watch out - even when the Android version supports (multiple) Exchange accounts, device makers can cripple this functionality.  For example, in some HTC phones with the HTC Sense UI, HTC's email app only supports one Exchange account, even when multiple are supported by the underlying exchange version.

Worst case senario, there are 3rd party email clients for Android which will enable this facility if the devise makers have crippled it. For example https://market.android.com/details?id=com.qs.enhancedemail

Yes, at least on 2.1+.  I do have the Samung TouchWiz UI though, and the email app is subtly different.  I would expect it to be the same in this regard however.  Note that the Email app is terrible, though, and may not otherwise behave how you want.  I recommend a third-party app or forwarding your email to Gmail.


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Keyboard for developers
Recently I installed SL4A application with Python interpreter. Everything is cool, but a standard keyboard, installed on my system (HTC Sense) doesn't have some necessary characters, like [ and ], and some other. So it is impossible to write many things, and I have to use copy/paste from other text files.
Anyone knows about any keyboard with specific characters?

The default Android keyboard has those symbols, not sure if it's missing others you need however.

@matthew-read, you're right. I tried another flashware and found there needed characters! Thanks a lot.

Take a look at touchqode.  It comes with a virtual keyboard specifically for programming.

It works, thanks! Only cons is that there are no other languages to switch

Have you tried Hacker's keyboard application?

Try the graffiti handwriting app. There is a (surprisingly short) learning curve if you have not used a Palm PDA but it uses less screen estate than a keyboard, has "all" characters and, at least for me, allows faster typing.

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


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Is there "select all" functionality in the GMail app?
I've previously used the default Email app on my CyanogenMod 7 EVO because I had an Exchange account at work. However, I switched jobs recently and my new place just uses GMail corporate accounts (which I enjoy). Since I don't have the Exchange account anymore, I'd like to move over to the GMail app because I prefer the UI and whatnot, but I can't for the life of me find any kind of "Select All" functionality in it.
The Email app allows me to do this from the options menu (Menu->Select All selects everything in the current folder). In GMail I noticed that if I select one or more items, then "Deselect All" becomes available in the options menu, but not "Select All". I've also tried various forms of long-pressing on messages, accounts, and folders to no avail.
Is there any way to do this in the GMail app, or am I just stuck without it? I searched the issue tracker and didn't find anything relevant, which surprised me a bit, to be honest. Obviously I can do this from a computer if I need to empty a folder/label, but I'd kind of like to retain the functionality on my phone, too. Am I missing some non-obvious (or perhaps even obvious) menu item somewhere?

One thing to remember is Google's attitude to deleting mails. For a long time after GMail launched there was no way to delete, all you could do was "archive" mails. They believed that with huge, ever-expanding mailbox storage you'd never need to delete. After much shouting from users they did finally give us a permanent delete option, but they still don't really believe in it. On a side-note your spam and trash folders do automatically empty of old mails, and won't cause you problems with your size limit. You can just forget they exist and not worry about manually emmptying them.

@eldarerathis Could you please make your question body clearer, more focused and more general? There are now much content for the small thing.

I'm not sure exactly how you use the select all feature, but I think an effective way to mitigate your need for this is to go crazy with filters, labels, and the priority inbox.
Having your Gmail account sort your E-mail into highly specific labels for you and carefully tagging everything as either "important" or "not important" will keep the number of E-mails you see at any one time to a reasonable amount most of the time.
There are a ton of great tips in this article from LifeHacker that I've used both on the web interface and on my Gmail app.
Oh, and submit a feature request to Google. ;-)

I probably should be a little more diligent with my filtering and labeling. To be honest, though, one of the things I've had a tendency to do from my phone in the past  is simply deleting/trashing everything in my Spam folder (which Select All->Delete could accomplish). I can't figure out a way to do that via the GMail app, though :(

Incidentally, it doesn't appear to be possible to empty your Trash folder from the GMail app either. I don't recall if I could do that from the Email app, though...

@eldarerathis - Yeah, I can see how clearing your whole Spam folder would be handy with this functionality.  If you don't have a space issue in your Gmail account though it will automatically delete anything that's over a month old, so it's not like you have to worry about it getting ridiculously out of hand.  I can understand the compulsion to keep that folder clear, though... :)

@eldarerathis - Man, these are really amateur mistakes by Google.  I understand that they want to encourage people to archive everything so it can be searched later if necessary, but batch operations are such an entry-level feature that I'm honestly shocked that they were completely left out.

Nope, not as of v2.3.4.1 anyways.  I've been through all the settings / actions pretty thoroughly, in various contexts, with no luck.


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Spoof user-agent in Firefox 4 for android
Question: Is there a way to spoof your user-agent header in Firefox for Android?
Explanation: The thing that's kept me using Dolphin for Android for the longest time is the fact that it can spoof your user-agent header to quickly and easily avoid the mobile atrocities some people develop for their sites, still giving me the option to navigate there manually if I prefer it. I don't see this option for the latest release of Firefox for Android.
It seems to load much faster and I prefer the interface to all other browsers I've tried on Android, but that feature is the only thing making me keep dolphin on my phone. Am I missing it, is there an extension that allows it, maybe an option in the phone system, or is this just not in the cards for FF on Android? If not, I'll redirect this to the Mozilla devs as a feature request, but I figured I'd come here first to see if I'm just missing an option to do it.

To save space, you could just use Firefox+Stock instead of Firefox+Stock+Dolphin.  To change the user agent for the stock browser: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/6233/how-can-i-change-the-user-agent-for-the-stock-browser

I'd forgotten to check back with the stock browser in awhile, I think I'll do that. Thanks for the heads up Matthew!

There is indeed an extension which does this. It's called Phony and you should be able to find it if you use the addons search from within Firefox Mobile. After it's installed, you'll get a new drop-down entry in your preferences menu where you can choose your user agent (the most recent version actually has more choices than the picture below):

thank you so much! I kept searching for it but could never find the right search terms.

Mobile Firefox (and Chrome) now have a "Request desktop site" setting in their menus.


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Email multiple pictures in one email
When I take a picture with my android phone I can view it then goto "Share" and it will give me the option to email it to someone through gmail but it will only let me send 1 picture at a time. Is there a way to send multiple picture attachments?

Assuming you're using the Gmail app, simply start a new message, then choose Menu | Attach and select what you want to attach. You'll need to repeat for each file, but you can certainly add more than one.

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


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How can you restore the default icons after installing a home replacement like Open Home 6
I have installed Open Home 6 as a home replacement on my Archos 101 apad.
Is there a way to revert to the default icons for gmail / market / contacts and the like ?
Are icon sets a system wide setting ? Or are those sets specific to the software application which displays them.

AFAIK, OpenHome icons are specific to OpenHome. If you switched to another home scren app, the icons would revert to the default icons. If you want to keep OpenHome but not their icons, you would need to replace the icons through OpenHome.


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Phone doesn't respond to ping
I'm trying to develop an application that knows when I am home based on my phone being on my wifi network or not.  I'm running into a weird issue in that I can only ping the phone if I have recently (within the last minute or so) tried to access a web page on the machine I am pinging on.  I'm not even able to get an ARP reply unless I've tried to recently access the machine.
So, do Android phones have a very restrictive firewall by default?  Is there any way that I can change this?
I don't believe it to be a network issue, because I can ping the phone at any time from my router, it just doesn't respond to other clients on the network.

I believe this is simply because Android puts the Wifi to sleep to save power when the screen is turned off. You can try setting the Wifi Sleep Policy: Settings > Wireless & Network Setting > Wifi Settings > Press Menu button > Advanced > Wifi sleep policy to Never and see if your problem still persists.
Alternatively though, instead of having your server ping your phone, I think it will be easier for the phone to "ping" (or make a HTTP request or through other methods) the server when it is connecting to your Wifi network. Your application can register to the system to receive a broadcast Intent when certain Wifi events occurred.

Yes, that was it.  I was trying to avoid having an application running on the phone, because I really don't like writing code in Java.  It seems it may be necessary though.

You could use Tasker or Locale instead of writing your own app.   Both allow you considerable flexibility in setting up rules, which could include making an http request to your server when in range of your wireless network.

If you have Droidwall, allow access to "(kernel) - Linux Kernel".
On my phone this is definitely the reason why Android answers or not to a ping or tracert.

The fromer "Droidwall" App is now renamed or developed as AFWall.
And yes putting the check mark for WiFi column at "(kernel) - Linux Kernel" solved it also for me.

Solved: need to make the phone aware is on a lan network. Install a whatever network management app "Ip Tools" and click on "Lan scanner" you will see all the other devices connected in the network, and now check again ping will works!

I have the same issue with my Android device that runs Android 11 only. I don't know if this is Android 11 issue or my new phone issue.
On other devices that runs Android 10, I never have problem.
I've to install PingTool to ping my PC first so that the PC will have the ARP entry of that device. I really don't like this.
Because of this, it gives extra step to connect Android Studio to that device through ADB.

I've been experiencing this still with Android Q still today (2019). I'm going to go with an IFTTT solution using webhooks to send the REST command I need sending. My original script was written such that I checked when my phone was "away" over the course of a minute. If it came back "home" within that time I wouldn't flip the security cameras on. Now, I'll have to shift that programming to a different type of device (Universal Devices ISY). The timer feature is important as a phone may need to be rebooted, etc.

Android doesn't accept connection from ip addresses missing in arp cache. I think that's a bug.

Can you provide more details please?

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


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Mount PC folder on my android, then serve audio/video through my Android to my TV via USB?
My plan would be to allow me to connect my Android to my TV by USB, and then be able to play videos/audio from my Computer that is mounted over wifi on my Android. Is this currently possible, or is there a better way that I can accomplish this task (using only a USB cable/wifi and not having to copy files to my Android)
Thanks for any advice :D

There are definitely Android DLNA clients and servers which will allow you to share or receive videos or other media over a wireless network, see these previous questions:
DLNA enabled media player?
What can I do with DLNA on an android smartphone?
Can I get DLNA on my Droid?
What is the Android Answer to Air Video Server?
If you have a TV with a USB port, you should definitely be able to mount your phone's SD card as a drive and play the files on it (assuming they're encoded with codecs that your TV understands).
Also if you have a phone with video or HDMI out functionality you can play videos direct to the TV over a video or HDMI cable.
But, I don't think you'll be able to do things quite the way you describe. I don't know of any TVs that will mount a USB device as anything other than a mass storage device (USB drive) or a network adapter (normally only specific manufacturer approved adaptors), and it sounds like you want to stream movies via your phone rather than just play them from its storage. One problem you're going to face is that on an unmodified Android phone the moment you mount your phone as mass storage to one device (eg your TV) it's no longer accessible to other apps on your phone (such as whatever's receiving it from your PC).
TL;DR three realistic options:

Plug phone into PC copy movies onto SD card, unplug phone, plug into TV play as files
If your phone has TV-out, video-out or HDMI-out, plug your phone into the TV that way instead of USB and then either play from its storage, or from a streaming video client
If your TV is network connectible, use a DLNA client on your phone (see above question links) to push the movie from a DLNA server on the PC (eg Windows Media Player on Win 7, or Twonky server) to a DLNA compatible, network attached TV (or media streamer box attached to TV).

Hmmm, currently my method is to copy to USB key and play on the TV so I've got that angle covered, I was simply hoping to cut out the copying part of the process :) Also no DLNA for me, thanks for trying :)

@Danh which phone have you got, a lot of the higher end phones have video out via an adaptor cable?

HTC Legend for the foreseeable future, which as far as I can tell isn't cool enough for video out :(

This is possible, if the phone is rooted.  And I suppose it might even be worth doing if you can get an old G1 off craebayslist, but probably not with the device that is your "phone".
Normally when you connect your android device to a computer (or the TV) and enable mounting, it mounts the SDHC card or non-removable equivelent.  But that's not the only possibility.  With some root level reconfiguration (replacing vold) the usb storage driver on the phone can actually be pointed at anything that looks sufficiently like a disk - ie, a physical disk, or a file containing a disk image.
Since there are also ways to get the linux underlying a (rooted) android device to mount a filesystem served over the network from your pc, you could now point the usb storage driver at a file on your pc containing a disk image of a FAT filesystem containing the media you want to serve.
(There are some potential shortcuts to merge the steps, but it will be easier to get the PC-to-android and android-to-tv parts working separately first)
You would still have to create disk image files on your pc much like you now copy things to usb sticks, but you could automate that and only eat up hard dive space having duplicate copies in the images, and you wouldn't have to physically move the USB stick.


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How can I tell which account contacts have synced from?
I've just noticed that I've suddenly had 7 contacts appear in my list all called "Me Mob" all with my mobile's phone number as the only entry. I don't know when they appeared, but I don't think they've been there for long.
When I open these contacts up, I can see a Joined Contacts section with a generic icon and no details, clicking that just says "Unknown" "Me Mob".

Is there any way that I can tell where all of these have come from?
Galaxy S, running stock Samsung 2.2.1 OS in case it matters.

In the Contacts app, under Menu | Display options I can select which of my accounts contacts' to display (and, in the case of Gmail contacts, which groups to display). Assuming Samsung hasn't monkeyed with that, you should be able to determine which account they're from by process of elimination.

Thanks, the process of elimination approach should have occurred to me! They seem to have arrived from Skype's contacts sync, quite why there's 7 of them I don't know but at least I know who's help and support to look through! Can't help feeling there should be a better way to identify where a contact comes from that that though, who knows how many accounts we'll be syncing in the future.


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How to set vibration ON when getting e-mail (Gmail)?
Using Android 2.1-update1
It seems there's no "vibration" settings in the menu regarding this!

Thanks for any answer!

Go to Menu > More > Settings, make sure that "Email Notifications" is checked then "Select Ringtone > Silent" and "Vibrate > For All Gmail notifications".

Tip: In the settings screen, you must click on your account's name


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What is the default clock known as?
What is the default clock (that appears at the top right corner, next to battery indicator) called?

In what context?  Are you trying to hide it?  Is it set incorrectly and you're trying to set it to the right time?  Do you just want to know what it's called?

I just want to know its name, am not trying to hide/set. This is because, by knowing the name I can search in forums wherein I can customize this clock.

The clock don't have a specific name, although if I do need to mention them specifically, since the top bar is usually called the notification bar or status bar, I'd probably call them notification bar clock or status bar clock.

Thanks Lie, this name should help me in getting the stuff I have been looking for customizing the clock.


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Does ConnectBot supports SSH tunnel /authenticating with pubkey/?
Can I connect with ConnectBot to an SSH server to SSH tunnel that doesn't uses passwords, because it's only using "ssh pubkey login"?

Thanks.

Yes, ConnectBot supports pubkey authentication and tunnels.


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What are the benefits of 2G+3G mode?
Some of the advanced power control widgets or 2G/3G switching widgets allow the following options for the radio mode:

2G
3G only
2G+3G

What are the benefits of 2G+3G over running 3G only? Are there any drawbacks?

If you choose 3G only, you have no connectivity if you are in an area where no 3G is available. With 2G+3G, the phone will fallback to 2G if it can't get a 3G connection.

2G+3G is not recommended if you're in an area with spotty 3G coverage, as a radio switching back and forth will drain the battery much quicker. This is the major reason this widget option exists, to allow users to switch between 2G and 2G+3G on the fly.

On the other hand, if you're more concerned about connectivity than battery then you want to leave it at 2G+3G in bad coverage areas to ensure that you always have a data connection whenever there's any type of connection available.

when traveling with trains in germany "2g+3g" does not work for www for my phone. when setting to "2g only" i have a much better chance to get the www altough its very slow then but enough to read text.


text:
How do you trace incoming/outgoing HTTP connections on a rooted Android?
I would like to get a trace of any incoming & outgoing requests over HTTP from my android phone over a period of time (like you can do with Fiddler on a PC) - is there tool apart from WhisperCore that can do something like this?
The reason i don't want WhisperCore is because it needs to encrypt your whole device before it lets you use the tracer

try tcpdump, netstat combination.

It probably depends on what specifically you're trying to achieve.  Are you trying to trace what calls an application is making, or just what the browser is doing?  Is the device rooted?

Shark/Sharkreader in market (tcpdump frontend)


text:
What kind of hardware can be used to speed up the writing on android phones?
This might be a border line question for this forum, but I will see and learn whether it is relevant. At least I do not believe that anyone here would feel that it is not interesting as it is very close to the interests of Android Enthusiasts.
Imagine the following scenario. You want to type 300 characters (something like three SMS) and you want to do this as fast as possible. Given my typing speed on the touch screen (even utilizing various speed up input software), I am still typing at something like the fourth of the speed as on a normal keyboard.
This scenario could arise in the following places:

As a passenger in a car/train/airplane
While walking (actually while biking in my case, but this is not recommended)
While sitting in a sofa/chair
While lying in bed

I have come across various wireless keyboards, which could be utilized. The problem is that if I need one hand to hold the phone (in order to read what I type) and one to hold the keyboard in most of the scenarios above, I am left with at best a few fingers to type on the keyboard, which would hardly be better than using the touch screen.
Therefore, I am thinking about a keyboard with a holder, which would need to be really tall in order to be close enough for me to actually read what I type. I imagine that the time it takes to set up something like this, would mean that it would not pay off for just typing the 300 characters.
My conclusion so far, is therefore, that there is no current solution to this problem, which would make me faster, apart from buying an android phone with a built in keyboard. Are there any alternatives I have missed?

"(actually while biking in my case, but this is not recommended)" and illegal in some jurisdictions!

As much as I personally like Swype, SlideIt or SwiftKey (or ThumbKeyboard on my tab), no VK can ever come even close to replacing a real hardware keyboard.  Accuracy issues because of screen issues (lack of true multitouch), poor prediction software (especially on slower phones) always make me spend more time correcting what I thought I typed than actually typing.
Unfortunately swapping the phone is usually not an option for most people. I did some googling I found a mini bluetooth keyboard with case that could potentially work for you.

The problem with this keyboard is that it only works partially when I sit at a proper table. I would then lay the phone down flat on the table and use both hands.

That was one of the first hits on my short Google search.  You are probably looking for a similarly small keyboard, but with a "snap-on" plastic case instead of the leather one.  I've seen a couple of keyboard like that that include a stand, but they weren't compact.

They would then still require me to sit at a proper table, or else I could only use one hand and the whole thing would share so I probably could not read what I was typing...

I realise that this isn't an answer to your hardware requirement, but are you sure you need new hardware?
I believe that the current Guinness World Record speed texting record holder used the Swype keyboard on an Android phone, so it's not exactly slow.
Swype is pre-installed on a number of Android phones (primarily Samsung models) but unfortunately is otherwise in a limited beta that you'll need to register for. There are some similar soft keyboards like SlideIt that are available in the Market

This is exactly what I was going to post, +1 for the Swype record.

I like the answer. Unfortunately, I regularly text in four different languages and last time I checked it was really inconvenient to switch languages.

@David Ahhh ok, that does complicate matters for any soft keyboards, as you won't be able to take advantage of the predictive abilities without a lot of hassle.

Yes, and sometimes one email (if that is what I am writing), contains text from two different languages. I have to say that I have gained a lot by using those soft keyboards, but still I am not quite up to speed of that girl in the video. I would be close, though, with a proper keyboard.

If you truly want to speed up the typing speed, there are certain factors you have to take in account:

Screen size
Touchscreen type (number of simultaneously recognized distinctive touch points, latency, etc.)
OS (how fast can it recognize the touches, etc.)
Underlying base hardware (how fast can it run the OS itself, and how fast can it process the raw touch information into usable digital data)

If you want to truly speed things up, you will have to get a new phone, preferably some flagship device (these tend to have the latest, "most innovative" specs, including touchscreen, plus the latest OS). I understand that you would rather not do this, but otherwise you cannot speed things up (you could try replacing the touchscreen, its controller, etc., but it is all risky, and software support would be lacking).


text:
Deleting phone update file
A new system update was downloading to an asus tablet but then wi-fi was turned off half-way. Where is the half-downloaded update file? I want to delete it or prevent update process somehow before turning on wi-fi again.
I think DMcient was downloading the update.

If the update is saved to the cache partition as Bo indicates, you could reboot into Recovery mode and wipe the cache partition from there.  You can look up the key combo to get into Recovery, or if you have USB Debugging enabled and adb installed on your PC, you can connect the device and run adb reboot recovery.

It might not end well but the folder you are looking for is /cache/fota.

But the folder /cache/ is empty.

@user92613 do you have elevated root access?

no the tablet is not rooted.

That would cause the folders to be hidden but I went to double check since I have not gone exploring and devices are different. Yep naturally it is in different locations between nexus 4 and S6. The S6 is not rooted I doubt it's the OTA but there might be a chance. Use like FX explorer go to system then search for Fota because sometimes those apps can show folders when directly searched.

I don't know if this is helpful. But I had the same problem on my hauwei p9 lite and used a "firmware finder" app to get get an update earlier. Turns out the update wasnt the right one so I went into APPS open the options on "UPDATER" app itself, and cleared all data on the app and it cancelled the update.


text:
Registering Viber in a Virtualbox Android
I have Android installed in Vistual Hard Disk and I run it in VirtualBox. Everything works fine. But I cannot register a Viber account in it. In fact, it was registered in my first trial but after a few minutes a message appeared saying this registeration is no longer valid:

and I could no longer sign into the account. And I could no longer register with the same phone number in the virtual android because viber thinks it is not run in a phone:

Is there a way to solve this problem?

After a lot of searching and contacting Viber, I found out that, such version of android does what is regarded as unusual activity by Viber. This results in blocking all phone numbers used in such version of Android.
To unlock my phone number, I insisted sending messages to Open a Ticket, explaining the situation. They sent an email and I had to explain again as a reply to that email. Their first answer was a template answer:

Our system has identified your account as a source of spam messaging
  due to an increased activity on Viber. The account has been
  automatically added to a block list and can not be unblocked.
No further information is available at this time. Please do not reply
  to this e-mail.

And I opened another ticket explaining that I could not be a spammer only in a few minutes. This time they had a non-template answer:

Your numbers seems to be blocked at this time due to unusual activity
  on Viber. We have unblocked them and you should be able to register to
  Viber again.
Please note that if your numbers are blocked again after being removed
  from our block list, we will not be able to unblock them in the
  future.
Best regards,  Orlando  Viber Support Team

So the answer is that such widely used virtual versions of android are in Viber black list and may result in clocking your phone number in Viber.

Your "username" on apps like whatsapp, viber is your cellphone number, so when running an emulated android device you don't have a phone number assigned so the service won't work.

I have phone number but viber cannot be installed on it.

Have you tried checking your connections settings on your virtual android device? Have you tried with similar software like whatsapp, line?

No I didn't try whatsapp but telegram works. I wonder why viber canceled my registration.

Can you login on their website? Have you checked if indeed the canceled your registration?

I have checked. it is no longer valid.


text:
fastboot oem unlock: hangs with `...'
First of all, I am a newbie to Android. I am using Ubuntu Gnome 14.10 to run all the commads.
I am trying to unlock the bootloader of my Lenovo A536 (stock Android 4.4.2 aka KitKat). Here is what I am trying to do:
$ adb devices              # lists the devices, apparently working
 List of devices attached
 0123456789ABCDEF   device
$ adb reboot bootloader    # no terminal output; phone enters fastboot
                              (there is written '=> FASTBOOT mode...' in the
                              bottom-left corner
$ fastboot oem unlock      # and here it stops without exiting; I have to force quit
 ...                          the fastboot by holding the phone power button for over
                              10s and then the command in terminal ends'
Before doing this I checked the USB debugging in the Developer’s menu.
Update #1
lsusb output (part of it) while the phone is connected to pc and booted in fastboot:
$ lsusb
Bus 002 Device 064: ID 0bb4:0c01 HTC (High Tech Computer Corp.) Dream / ADP1 / G1 / Magic / Tattoo
Update #2
I found out that after installing a USB VCOM Driver on a Windows machine I was able to flash TWRP 2.7.1. I think Linux somehow does not recognise my phone.
Here is the link with tutorial to flash TWRP 2.7.1 using Windows. Note that before running SP Flash Tool, you must connect phone without battery to the computer, and after selecting the scatter file, you must insert battery into phone, otherwise SP Flash Tool would not flash anything.

Does lsusb show the device connected while it's in fastboot mode?  Do you have the appropriate entries in /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules?  You might also have better luck running the command as the superuser.

@MatthewRead – I have just appended the lsusb output to the question. And I have not such file as /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules – should I create one? what should I contain? And running the command as superuser has same results.

Step 3: http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html#setting-up

I just created the file with sudo sh -exec "echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="17ef", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev"' > /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules" && sudo chmod a+r /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules (using 17ef for the phone is a Lenovo), but still it hangs with the elipsis …

I tried even sudo sh -exec "echo 'SUBSYSTEM=="usb|usb_device", ATTR{idVendor}=="17ef", ATTRS{idVendor}=="17ef", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev, OWNER="ts", SYMLINK+="android_adb"\nSUBSYSTEM=="usb|usb_device", ATTR{idVendor}=="17ef", ATTRS{idVendor}=="17ef", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev, OWNER="ts", SYMLINK+="android_fastboot"' > /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules" && sudo chmod a+r /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules && udevadm control --reload-rules, and then adb reboot bootloader && fastboot oem unlock, but the result is still the same.

Alright, I think we can probably rule out your OS/tools being the issue (although it wouldn't hurt to try Windows if you are able).  I can't find very much information on this device.  Are you sure the bootloader is locked / have you tried flashing a recovery image?

I tried to flash TWRP prior to unlocking the bootloader, but it would not let me do it (I just cannot remember the error). And yes, it is difficult to find any valuable information on this device about unlocking, rooting, and flashing :). I will try the m$ window$, but wanted to do it  without it—well, it should be easier to do it on Linux machine for android is basically a heavily modified Linux, but I do not know how.

I have the same problem. The symptoms show a Linux problem, what is really sad.

I don't have enough reputation on 'android' to answer the question, but see this answer I posted to XDA Forums: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/all-fastboot-commands-hang-except-fastboot-devices-bad-hardware.4184331/
TLDR this works:  /usr/lib/android-sdk/platform-tools/fastboot oem get_unlock_data


text:
Twitter app that also posts to Facebook, intelligently
Is there a twitter app that also posts to facebook, but does it intelligently? Like instead of posting the link with the post, it attaches the link to the post (while posting to facebook). And Uploads pic to the wall instead of just posting the tweetpic link.

You can also get an app on Facebook that will grab your Twitter feed.  That's what I do and it does a pretty good job.

Seesmic and TweetDeck are good for spamming updates. If you use Foursquare or PicPlz these both post the "intelligent" version of the checkin or picture to Facebook while doing the normal text + link with Twitter.

PicPlz is shutting down as of July 3.

Seesmic
Well designed, good for Facebook, Twitter and Buzz.


text:
Repligo RGO file
Is there any app to open Repligo .RGO files?
It seems that Cerience doesn't support it anymore.
Thanks.

There is a Repligo Reader for Android available... If you want some alternatives you should take a look at RepliGo Reader Alternatives for Android

Thank you but none of the mentioned apps support .RGO file type. They just open pdf files.

I would convert .RGO files to more portable ones like PDF, Mobi and ePub

What to do if there is thousands of them?

Bulk conversion tools maybe...

Do you know any?

http://www.pdfpdf.com/batch.html

Doesn't support .RGO, sorry!

No idea, sorry... :(

i use "Autoit" make script and auto convert(print) to pdf.

What's AutoIt? Please provide a link, especially since not everybody is familiar with it. Do you also have the script that will convert it to PDF? Please improve your answer. :)


text:
How can I uninstall Alkido 1.1 when both Alkido 2.0 and Alkido 1.1 are installed on my Samsung Galaxy S
After installing my Archos 101 tablet, I noticed that the Alkido version I installed on it was version 2, when the version installed on my Galaxy S was still version 1.1.
The market when run on the Galaxy never told me there was an update.
I just installed version 2.0 of Alkido on my Galaxy, resulting in both versions being installed.
However, I find no place where I can install version 1.1 !

Settings - Applications - Running applications show both version 1.1 and version 2.0 ( cause I just started both programs ).
Pressing version 1.1 does not give me an option to uninstall (e.g. the Uninstall button is greyed out)
Settings - Applications - All show both version 1.1 and version 2.0
Settings - Applications - Third-party only show version 2.0

Both programs have their own data folder so it seems, as I don't see the books visible in version 1.1 being displayed in version 2.0.
The market, as I said, only shows version 2.0.
Any other place I can start an uninstall ?

Grammar nazi, I may be...but isn't the app called Aldiko?

It sounds to me like Alkido 1.1 was bundled on your device as a system app.  To remove a system app, you need root.
There are two ways to address this easily, I would prefer #1 myself.
Method 1

Uninstall Alkido 2.0.
Install Titanium Backup.
Run Titanium and wait for it to load your app list.
Go to the app list and long-press on Alkido 1.1.
Choose "Integrate with Market" or similar.
Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, find the Market, and clear the data for it.
Open the Market, go to your apps, and update Alkido.

If that doesn't work or you don't want to bother keeping Alkido as a system app:
Method 2

Install Titanium.
Run Titanium, long-press on Alkido 1.1.
Choose "Uninstall" or similar.  You shouldn't need the "hack" version of uninstalling that it mentions, but you can try that if the regular uninstall doesn't work.

Alkido 2.0 will be unaffected if you didn't uninstall it in Method 1.


text:
How do I prevent "No Internet calling account" error?
I'm running 2.3-Gingerbread.
Calling was working fine over the telephone network.
I set up the internet calling feature by adding an account to test the featuire out.
Then I removed the account.
Every time I dial a number I get this error:
No Internet calling account
There are no Internet calling accounts on this phone. Add one now?

If I click cancel, it doesn't dial using the telephone network it just returns to the home screen.
I've cleared the defaults for the Dialer application but still the problem persists.
Does anyone know how I can prevent this error?

Do you have an app called "Voice Changer" installed? I've read that it can cause this. Also if you have google voice installed, do you have it set to "Never Dial with Google Voice"?
If those are not the cause, do you have any other "Phone Linking" apps or "Sip Dialers" etc, remove them and see if your issue stops.

Had a SIP app. Disabling it seemed to do the trick. Thanks.

I've had the same problem. Try this: go to Settings; Call; Use Internet Calling; and select the middle option: Only for Internet calls. I haven't encountered the problem since I did this. Good luck!

While I don't have the Nexus S, so can't say for sure, but my guess is that you've accidentally made Internet Calling the default action for dialing a number. Go to settings> applications> manage applications and clear defaults on the Internet calling application, not the dialer.

Actually running on HTC Magic! Thanks for your suggestion. I tried it but there is no 'Internet calling' application.

Ok.. so heres the poop.
Settings >> Call >> Use Internet Calling
Change this setting to  " Only for Internet Calls"
Also Change
WI-Fi Calling to Disabled
For some reason if you use internet calling it defaults these settings to use it all the time even when you dont want it.

I had Voice Changer installed and the second I uninstalled that it worked. Also go to Settings -> Call and go to the bottom and hit "Only for Internet Calls".


text:
How do I grant su rights to the File Manager app?
I'm digging around trying to find a Angry Birds save files but File Manager is lying about what's in each folder. How can I give that app su rights? Can I launch it from the command line after typing su or something?

I'm not sure how you'd do that with the built-in file manager, but there are several file managers that will work.  I use Root Explorer, and I've heard many other recommend Astro File Manager (which has a free version, I believe).  They should work if you have the Superuser app installed (I would assume it comes with CM, but it's in the Market if not).

The only Root Explorer on the market costs $4. Is that right?

Yes, I believe so.  I've bought it because I personally can't stand Astro.

You cannot grant su to any normal file manager. The application has to "request" su. That is where applications like Root Explorer come in.
AFAIK, Astro File Manager doesn't even make use of su. If it does, some one tell me how because I like that file manager, and will use it for my "root" tasks.


text:
Video out over USB?
I'm starting to regret not getting an Atrix - the whole docking scheme seems so cool. Unfortunately, it seems that I can't even do much of a DIY thing to output a video stream with the device's screen over USB. I have a rooted G2.
The G1 could do video-out, but only because it had the hardware for it (although it was never implemented). There's apps out there for VNC and for screenshots, although not for screen recording (from which it would be a small step to output to USB).
The most frustrating thing is that this is an area with very sparse documentation. Stuff like this hasn't much been done before, and I can't find any existing software to do this sort of thing.
Is there anything that you guys know of that I could follow for developing an app to do this via software since the hardware for video-out isn't there? Even better yet, is there any software that can record the screen? If I was on a Linux desktop, how could I tap into the monitor's video stream?
Thanks,
-Trey

Development questions belong on StackOverflow, though they'll need you to ask a specific question (not "How can I develop an app").  Please see the FAQ.

I don't think that this is necessarily a question for Stack Overflow. "How can I capture the video output of my device?" seems like a valid question for here, although I'm not sure there's going to be a solution.

This is indeed a question to StackOverflow. I asked a very similar question about a week ago, and basically, the answer is no, to implement that you'll have to dig very deep into the code. See here for more. Hope it fits your question.


text:
Figure out why the "System" process on Android is using a lot of CPU
I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 with Android Lollipop.  My phone was feeling sluggish.  Using an app called "OS Monitor", I see that the "System" process (not to be confused with "Android System") is using a lot of CPU time.  The CPU percentage goes as high as 50% on a quad-core processor.
I looked at the Battery screen in settings and it says the "System" process  is using the most of the battery.  How do I figure out what inside "System" is consuming so much CPU time?  What app will reveal what is going on inside?
Rebooting the phone temporarily fixes the problem.
Note: The app or solution has to work on a non-rooted phone.


text:
Programmatically Set Minimum Width in Developer Options
How do I programmatically set the Minimum Width in Android's Developer Options from Llamalab's Automate app?
I use Your Phone on Windows 10 to view my phone's screen.  I maximize the window to get the full size of my monitor. With a minimum width of 1500, the phone is kind of like a tablet.  I would like to set the Minimum Width to 1500 when viewing the screen on my monitor and 486 (the default?) when viewing the screen on my phone.
Using the "Settings finder" flow from the Community, it told me the following:
Category: secure
Name: display_density_forced
Value: 188

I then used a System setting set block in Automate.  This threw an exception because Automate does not write permissions.
I connected my phone to my PC via USB and ran the following command to grant write permissions to Automate:
adb shell pm grant com.llamalab.automate android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Now the System setting set block does not throw an exception.  However, changing the setting via the block does nothing to the UI.
If I run the following command on my PC, then the UI changes.
adb shell wm density 188

Did you ever get anywhere with this?

@muistooshort I switched to using Samsung Dex.  It is much more powerful.

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


text:
I forgot the lock screen PIN on my Moto G second gen XT-1068
I forgot the PIN number of the lock screen.
I'm unable to do anything to get into my device as both data connection and Wi-Fi are off and USB debugging is disabled.
Is there any way to enable them?
Otherwise suggest a way to root the device in this state and delete PIN and also to un-root it after the problem is solved.
I don't want to factory reset as I have important data on my phone's internal memory.
My device is un-rooted and runs on Android 4.4.4.

Try 1000 PINs a day and you're done in ten days. You can shorten that if you omit all primes or other numbers that don't apply to you (like 1337 etc).

Hmm..Thats a solution but it'll take time and also eat up my patience..

Rooting will not solve your problem. Root is not some magical thing. Really, if you don't have a data connection, which you would need to do a "reset password" after pin limit reached, your only solution is to factory reset. Sorry, but that's it.

I understand but I'll keep waiting for someone to come up with a solution..

I just need to somehow switch on wi-fi/data connection...It'll solve my problem!

Did you set up and activate either Google's Android Device Manager or Motorola Device Policy (Settings/Security/Device Administrators)? Both allow you to set a new password remotely (which would clear the forgotten PIN), via either https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager or the Moto Support Site respectively.
If so it might be worth giving it a try although if you did manage to Factory Reset the phone that should have removed your Google account. I'm surprised that the PIN survived a Factory Reset.


text:
Switching HTC ONE M8 into PTP mode
I was wondering is it possible to enable PTP mode on the HTC ONE M8. I want it to work with photo software like iPhoto so I want to enable PTP MODE. I have looked in the setting but can't find anything. I am running Lollipop with HTC Sense.
UPDATE: We still have no solution to this problem, so if anyone knows how to do this please share.

After researching on Google, I'm afraid there's no PTP mode on HTC One M8, and possibly most of HTC One series, which I also find it strange.

There's support for PTP in HTC One M8.
I just checked the Device Tree
There's no usb.config for ptp mode.
The only way is to edit the ramdisk and modify init.qcom.usb.rc ..
But I don't think even that'll help, since it requires corresponding modifications to the kernel..

Have you enabled dev menu? Settings > about phone > press on build number 7 times. If it's not in that menu on your device, try Settings > storage > more options.

I have but where is the option to enable PTP?

This works on my samsung but now I see not on my sony - apologies for that. When searching the sony sites (yes, I know you have an HTC), I see their help desk people saying "I'm afraid i don't know of any way to set PTP-mode in the phone". More digging revealed MSC mode, rather than PTP.  Connecting the phone to my mac in MSC got me an error message that the media was unreadable (meaning the sd card) and did I want to initialize it.

Found the HTC sync app: http://www.htc.com/us/support/software/htc-sync-manager.aspx which works on a Mac.

Yeah I have seen that app but it doesn't fit what I need. As I need the phone to be in PTP to be recognised as a camera or at least so that the photo software treats it as a camera. I thought that all androids could do that. Is there any way I can make it do that. Maybe an app or tweak?

Ah, again at the mercy of my lack of an HTC.  The sony version of this app lets you dump right into iphoto.  I made the mistaken assumption that the HTC did too as a stock work around for devices without PTP.  Worst case, dropbox or pushbullet could be used.  Use ITTT to send the images automatically to dropbox or pushbullet (or set up dropbox to automatically upload all your photos). Then an automator script to grab them and stuff them into iphoto? Bit Rube Goldbergish but it's a start...

Hi, I'd suggest to delete this answer since it's wrong (after researching, I think there's no PTP mode for HTC One M8, and possibly HTC One series, which is strange), or otherwise, update your answer based on the comments.


text:
Is my Samsung Galaxy Tab using wireless or 3G?
I recently got a Galaxy Tab #G from Verizon, but I'm cheap so I only got the 1GB data-plan.
How do I know if the Tab is using the wireless connection I'm connected to, or if it's still trying to use 3G to load data?
Is there a setting, or maybe a free app that I can get to tell me what apps are using what connection?
I haven't explored much on the device itself, so there may be something built-in that I just haven't found yet...

If you are connected to a wifi network you can be sure 3G will not be used. Only one data connection can be active at a time.

Thanks everybody for the answers! I'll get back to mark the most helpful once I try some of these apps...

I also agree with Nanne but will two suggest two other ways of monitoring your data connection...

You can add the Power Control widget to the home screen.  It comes stock with Android and it will lets you easily toggle the Wifi among other things.  When Wifi is on, 3G will be off and you'll have a visual representation right there.  There are 3rd party version of this widget that actually let you toggle the 3G connection specifically.
If you have a limited data plan as you do, beside just being diligent about monitoring your data connection, you can automate the monitoring process with something like PhoneUsage Pro.  This app allows you to set daily, weekly or monthly limits for Data usage and it will notify you when you hit those limits.  Since theres sometimes a lag in registering data you could set up a notification to let you know when you've used 750 mb of 3G data in a month and then you'll know it's time to start using Wifi more frequently.

You could just check the logo on the top bar? On the right you have time, battery, signal and either g/3g/h or the wifi logo.
this image (random googled) shows the tab with the wifi logo
while this rather bad (also random google) image shows it with 3g

In addition to Nanne's answer, I believe Android also defaults to using WiFi when both connections are enabled.  So if you have a WiFi network saved, your phone will use it when you return so you don't need to keep checking.  (This assumes WiFi is enabled and there are no network problems, of course).
You can also shut off data use by going to Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks and un-checking Use packet data or similar.

Nanne is correct: your status bar should show you any network connections. If you really want to ensure that you're conserving your 3G bits, install APNdroid and keep data disabled except when you really need it. APNdroid gives you a nice screen widget.
You might also find this question on tracking data usage helpful.


text:
Why do some Android apps need access to my SD card and fine location?
I understand why apps like Maps need to know my specific location, but is it safe to allow any application to access these things? Are there any clues as to which apps are safe and which aren't?
Also, when I take pictures does it save my longitude and latitude at the time the picture was taken? How can I get to this setting?

Depending on your phone / software, there should be an option somehwere in the camera app, something about geotagging or storing location data (being the same thing).
(Just open the camera app, click menu and scroll through the settings)
As far as app permissions are concerned:
Does your app really need your location?
Most likely not. Maps, navigation, GPS tools, geocaching tools, foursquare and pretty much any app that is designed to and downloaded because of their handling of location data all need the fine location (well, to be fair, foursquare doesn't as long as you don't use it as a substitute for google places).
Just ask yourself: Does the new version of Angry Birds really need to know where I am? Nah. From then on it's just one of two things:
Either you ignore the permissions since your really like that app, or you stick by your principles and don't download the app.
However, to be safe, simply disable GPS when you're not really using it anyway (for navigation or something), once GPS is disabled, apps won't get your fine location, only your estimated location based on last know location or wifi triangulation or whatever is used to get your estimated location via wifi.

There is a setting in the camera for geo location. Go into the camera settings and there should be an option in there.
As for apps that use fine location and whether it is safe, its not always safe. It depends on the developer. Some developers choose to enable the fine location for location based advertising even if the actual app doesn't require it. You can't really tell if it is safe or not or whether it is necessary it mainly comes down to common sense and whether or not you trust the developer.
A way to stop the app using location is to disable the phones GPS which an be found in the settings.
Hope this helps

is it safe to allow any application to access these things?

No.  There are malicious apps.

Are there any clues as to which apps are safe and which aren't?

Not really, unless you look at the source code.  Generally, you can trust popular, well-rated apps to not be malicious.  They might be collecting your info for use in ads, though, and so on.  If any info is ever sent from an app to a company's servers, they can use and abuse that data.  If you don't trust a company (including trusting their internal security protocols and ability to maintain security, etc.) then don't trust their app.
You can use an app like DroidWall to ensure that apps that don't need it cannot access the network; that doesn't guarantee that they won't delete data on your phone and that sort of thing, but it will guarantee that your data stays private (unless DroidWall is malicious or defective, which I don't think it is, or can be worked around).

Wanted to add that DroidWall will only work on rooted devices, and makes use of some kernel-level libraries that might not be available on some stock ROMs.  While on the subject of custom ROMs, CyanogenMod 7.1 has a feature that allows you to deny any app any permission straight from the management page. Just tap the permission and it will get crossed out, signifying the denial (tap again to undo.)  Keep in mind that while most apps handle denial of Internet or GPS permissions well, denying them other more general permissions (e.g. writing to SD Card) might cause instability or even crashes.


text:
Android Backup and Restore
I have rooted android phone. I backed up a application, uninstalled the application from the phone and restored it back the way it was there in the phone(using backup including changes to packages.list and packages.xml). The restored application is not showing up immediately but shows up after reboot of the phone.
Is there any service that has to be restarted to recognize the presence of the app immediately?

Which phone do you have?  You might have to kill/restart the launcher in order to see new apps in the app drawer.

Oh, great! I've posted that as an answer, then.

If it'll help, an app like Titanium Backup (sounds like you're probably already rooted) handles pretty much everything for you.

You might have to kill/restart the launcher in order to see new apps in the app drawer.

You want Titanium Backup.  Just backup the user apps and not the system.
Titanium Backup in Market


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Cannot install from market applications I used to have
I changed my ROM to cyangenmod 7, and I cannot install some of the applications I used to have (like skype for instance).
Here's what I got so far:
When I'm downloading it from the market it starts to download and than it disappears, and thats it.
When I am using root explorer, looking for files with the name "skype" in them I find a skype classes.dex file in sd-ext/dalvik-cache/.
So here are the questions:

Does anyone know this problem and has any idea how to fix it?
I'm thinking that deleting the dalvik-cache will fix it, but I'm not sure, and I don't know what it means (its consequences on the device and other apps).

Thanks a lot for your help! :-)

Deleting the cache shouldn't do anything.  The only thing I can think of is that CM doesn't have your proper device string, so the Market thinks you don't have a phone supported by Skype.

Thanks :-)
But how do I check my device ID?

I'm not sure if there's an app to easily edit/view it, but it's in the build.prop file.  See http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5078/is-there-a-way-to-trick-the-android-market-into-thinking-im-using-a-different-de/5080#5080

Fixed it.
I'm writing my fix if other people will encounter the same problem.
Also, that I must stress that this fix will work only for Cyangenmod users!
The problem is that there is not enough space in /cache/, so when the market wants to download a "too large app", it throws an exception saying "there is not enough free space".
You can see that error if you have the android SDK and you run "adb logcat", and try to download an app (you will get "not enough free space in internal download storage").
So how to fix it?
The easiest way I found is to download an app called "S2E". You can try to download it from the market. If you can't, look for the APK, and install it from the SDCard.
Once you installed it, you can choose directories that will be moved to the sd-ext instead of the phone's internal memory. Check "Download cache Location: /sd-ext/download". Than click on "menu" and than "Reboot".
That is it! :-)

+1. Many thanks for that ! S2E didn't worked for me, but I figured out another "simpler" way to make it work, thanks to your answer. (See my answer below)

Thanks to @strDisplayName, I figured out how to make it work:
If S2E doesn't work for you either, you can launch an adb shell and type the following commands:
# cd /cache
# mv download download.old
# mkdir -p /sdcard/cache/download
# ln -s /sdcard/cache/download download

And it should just work :)


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Methods to trigger a gallery/music player refresh?
I've search around the internet for details regarding this, and the only way I found was to remount the SD card..
But I have a lot of apps (virtually, all) installed on my SDcard and this is probably what is causing me enormous time to unmount and remount the sd card. Furthermore, just unmounting the sdcard itself takes almost an eternity. (I dont know if this is a bug or if its due to my large no of apps; i have around 90 apps).. So this method is really inconvenient for me
So I wanted to know if there are other methods to refresh my gallery items and music player. Is there any small app that would do this?

You probably haven't been asking the right question in your research.
Have you tried searching 'rescan media' in the android market? A multitude of apps will be returned.
Personally the great app Widgetsoid has this function amongst a multitude of options/settings.

To refresh the list of your music you do following:
Go into settings->manage apps->ALL services. Scroll down and select "Media Storage." Then hit the "Clear Data" icon.
Source: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-4-general-discussion/220965-players-dont-detect-music-my-sd-card-after-ics-update.html

Good to know from the same source: You must then reboot your phone, and at boot the phone runs the media update service in the background. It could take up to an hour for this database to be populated and updated. At that point, you'll see your music again in your players, and your photos and movies in the gallery.


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Failure -12 error when installing an apk file
When I try to install this app (http://ziyang.eecs.umich.edu/projects/powertutor/UMLogger-release-signed.apk) on G1 phone I'm getting this error message:
Failure [-12]

What's the problem?

The -12 failure code indicates INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK, meaning that the app was built for - and requires - a version of Android that is newer than the version you have on your device (source). For example, you should get this error if you had an Android 1.6 device and tried to install an app which required Android 2.1 (or higher). You would need to either:

Update your device to a newer version of Android somehow, OR
Ask the app developer if it's possible to build the app for an older version of Android.


text:
extract files HTC rom
I have installed cyanogenmod in my htc wildfire recently. I made a nand backup of the previous ROM and I need some stuff that I didnt back up. Is there any way to extract files from the ROM without reinstalling it on my phone? I tried to mount it on a linux machine but I dont know which filesystem it uses.
In case it is useful, what I need are some pictures that I thought that were in the sd card and apparently they were in the internal memory.

As far as I know, Nandroid uses the yaffs2 file system for storing backups inside the .img files.
A quick search on Google points to these instructions on extracting files from a Nandroid backup:
First you will need to download and build the "unyaffs" module:
svn checkout http://unyaffs.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ unyaffs
cd unyaffs
gcc -o unyaffs unyaffs.c

Then copy the image file off your phone's Nandroid directory and extract it:
mkdir data && cd data
~/src/android/unyaffs/unyaffs /[path-to-backup-folder]/data.img

the svn is not working so I downloaded the files from browser. Still unyaffs worked without problems


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unmounting USB CM12?
I'm using CM12 on a rooted Nexus 7 2012 (grouper). When I plug in my USB through OTG cable, I can access it using the default file manager, but an "umount USB" option is nowhere to ne seen!
Please help me

Open "storage" (or "memory") in settings, and on the list there will be USB storage and the option to unmount it

there is no list, just the usage of my internal storage

http://imgur.com/isiEY7A

Is this with USB storage connected? It doesn't show up in that place, under internal storage?

No. Only in file manager under "storage/usb" path

http://imgur.com/LQYn2gw

And everytime I disconnect it, I get warned that I didn't securely eject it


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How to disable data roaming notification? ('solved')
Is there a way to disable data roaming notifications?
I get them every few minutes when I'm working abroad. And it happens on every acceptable roaming setting (off/national), international roaming setting is no option.
Also, long press > App info (Phone app) > uncheck 'Show notifications' doesn't solve anything.
Android: 4.4.4 & 5.0
Phones: Sony Xperia Z1 compact and Z3 compact (but was also a problem on my previous phone on Android 4.1)

Screenshot with notification (click image for larger variant)
Edit: This issue has solved itself as there's no extra charge anymore roaming within the EU.

Might be a carrier setting or app (like Sprint's Connection Optimiser). Some people seem to have been able to resolve it by accessing the carrier menu (##25327## or ##25327#)

Thanks for the advice. I'm with KPN in The Netherlands and the code doesn't work. But if it's something the carrier can resolve, I'll contact them and come back here with their answer.

I assume you are not using data, then?  Have you tried toggling data off entirely?

Temporary solution:

Change APN to anything out of thin air.
Set phone to use it.
Enable all data and roaming; national and international.

This solved my problem with annoying notifications. Don't forget to revert to normal APN after returning to original country.

That's a dangerous idea. I've heard of at least one carrier that reroutes your traffic from an invalid APN address to an APN for WAP with crazy prices. They dare to call it customer care.


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Can you install Android TV onto other devices?
I was wondering if it is possible to install Android TV on either the GameStick, Ouya, Mad Catz M.O.J.O, or any other device like that in order to breathe new life into these devices.

Or old smartphones, etc.


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Additional device "Nexus 7" in list of my devices
I went to list of my devices and I see always one non my device "Nexus 7".
It was strange, I immediately changed password and activated verifying with using mobile phone.
After that I login with my devices and Nexus 7 appeared again.
I made some investigations and I found that Nexus 7 appear only when I login on my tablet "Pipo M6". (Pipo M6 device also is in list of devices). Time (the last login) is a little different between Nexus 7 and Pipo M6.
It's a little strange, could you please explain me why I see this additional device.
It is possible that this situation related with SuperSU or other applications, which have root access ?

I think you may have malware on your Pipo tablet. Logout from tablet. Change password, delete from list Nexus and Pipo, finally per few days don't login on your tablet to make sure you're right ;-)

Start thinking on root your device and install CM http://forum.cyanogenmod.org/topic/82431-pipo-m6-pro/

@piotrek1543 I already did these actions. Only after I login on my pipo appears Nexus,

like i said you need to clean your android device. Check for popular Malware clean software for Android or root and install on it custom ROM like CyanogenMod

Ok, I will check malware.

Just to get the facts. Where is it that your seeing the "nexus 7"? Is it on the PC, Google account, WiFi network, or ???? There could be many reasons. We need further details, speculation isn't going to help fix your dilemma.


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My phone has a touch/pointing bug
I bought a new phone the other day and I noticed I can't deactivate an alarm from the Clock app, when I pressed the pink checkbox, it would not check. But this happens only for the top alarm, the other ones that are below the first one, work fine.
I started searching Google for a "touch" bug and the only thing that was a little helpful in my situation was finding the option to show the pointing circle on each touch. This allowed me to provide the next screenshot:

click screenshot for larger variant
So, when I try to press on something, say the checkbox on the first alarm, the device actually thinks I'm pointing in 2 directions at one, one above and one below.
Can somebody, please, provide me with some clearance on this issue? It's really annoying, given that the phone is brand new.

What is your phone? This isn't a problem with the clock app, you might have a faulty touchscreen. Take it to a service centre or ask for a replacement from wherever you bought it.


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I can't get my device supported by Google Play Services to get my Snapchat to work
I recently updated my phone, before updating Snapchat was working fine but now it logged me out and I can't log back in as it says " Google Play Services which most applications rely on, is not supported by your device. Please contact your manufacturer for assistance."
I have downloaded Google Play Services onto my phone but it says it need to be updated otherwise it will not work. When I go to Google Play Services it says "Authentication is required.You need to sign in to your Google Account", which under Settings → Accounts I am signed in. But I cant access the app.

Have you login to the Play Store?

Yep, but It says authentication is required

This may be an authentication issue with your account and connecting to the Google Play servers. Go ahead and try removing your account from the device, and re-adding it. Make sure you remember the password!


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Downgrade Galaxy Ace to stock rom without Odin
I' install the CM7.2 on it using the CWM v5.0.2.6 Well now I'd like to retun to stock rom I found that I cannot connect my phone to the computer(I have a damaged micro usb on the phone) to use Odin Well is there any way to return to stock rom without odin, by using the SD card? Thank's

Did you make nandroid backup of stock ROM after installing CWM? Or do you have recovery flashable stock ROM zip?

I downloded the original firmware for my ace; but I dont have any backups


text:
Galaxy Core Prime: Gallery warns about low space, but fails to delete
When I try and look at my pictures in gallery, there's a warning "There is not enough space (-1751 MB) in your device memory. Delete some files". So, I hit "okay" and it takes me to my files, and pictures. I try to delete the pictures and it says "deletion failed", why?

Take out the memory chip from your device and plug into a pc using a memory card reader....and then delete the files


text:
How to set google now to use the media volume instead of system volume?
For a long time I thought something is wrong with Google now that it doesn't say anything when I ask it questions.
Now I've finally found out the reason - it uses the system volume instead of the media volume (the one that is usually used in games). Since I've set the system volume to be mute and I sometimes set the ringtones to be quite, it makes Google now itself to be quite.
My question:
Why does it use it? what is the system volume used for?
According to what i've found , system sound is used for key typing ,lock screen sounds, and camera shutter sound
Can I set google now to use the media volume instead?

hi, did you ever solve this? I see ppl using tasker but love a simpler way.

@TiloBunt I've forgotten about this, so I now wrote an answer...

Not sure from which version of Android it has changed, but on my Pixel 2 with Android P, it uses media volume.
So it doesn't matter anymore.


text:
One WhatsApp account, 2 phone numbers
Let's say I have a number in my country and WhatsApp account associated with it. I want to travel far away, where roaming would be ridiculously expensive. Is it possible that I can buy a SIM card local to that country I choose to travel to, and still be able to use my home country's WhatsApp number?

If you want to use both numbers on the same phone, use the answer here to set that up. Otherwise the answer below is the correct answer, there is no problem using ur old WhatsApp number as long as you don't uninstall.

Yes, you will be able to use Whatsapp with another SIM card and your old account, but do not reset or reinstall the app to not provoke number verification.
Source: personal experience; https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/30028016/.


text:
Is there a workaround to use of bash via adb on LineageOS17?
I try to login in my device directly vith
adb shell bash -i

It kind of partially works, because I'm logged with bash, but the terminal loose completion.
The error I get:
$ adb shell bash -i
bash: cannot set terminal process group (-1): Not a typewriter
bash: no job control in this shell
mydevice / #

Is there something possible to do it properly without errors ? I don't have su installed.

do you mean bash -l because bash -i doesn't make sense to me without any cmd

-i stands for interactive, that's the wanted behavior

... and -l is for login shell. are you saying bash without -i is not interactive?

The error is expected. adb shell by default doesn't allocate a TTY (terminal) which is required for interactive session. Instead use:
adb shell -t bash -i

Found myself before: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/232537/20417 but thanks, that's the way I use


text:
Play Store not updating some apps
On my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 running LineageOS 16 with Opengapps, some apps are not being updated to the latest versions. In particular there is Google Meet and Sheets. Meet is stuck on a version dated August 2020 whereas my phone offers a version dated November.
I tried installing Aptoide apk store and it offered updates to both of these apps (and some other too). I installed them and they work, so it is not a question of incompatibility with my system. However, I would like to stick to the Play Store.
Why is this happening? And what could be done to get the latest versions?

What happens when you open the page for "Google meet" in PlayStore app? Is an "Update" button available?

No. I tried unistalling and re-installing to no avail.

May be the app has been modified and repackaged and therefore the update is not available. You should check the signature of the downloaded APK if it matches the other Google apps: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9312/how-can-i-verify-the-authenticity-of-an-apk-file-i-downloaded/218161#218161

I installed it from the Play Store and the app is offered by Google LLC. The Store on the tablet shows version 45.0.328626805 whereas on my phone, also running Android 9, it shows version 2020.11.29.345116913.Release

Different platforms (tablet/smartphone, armv7/arm64) can get different versions of an app. That is nothing unusual on Android.

On Android the app developer can upload different app versions for different platforms.
Therefore it can happen that on your smartphone you have an Google Meet version from Dec. 2020 but on your tablet the latest version is still Aug. 2020.
This can even happen if both device are using the same Android versions. Just the fact that the one device is a tablet and the other a smartphone is enough so that they get different versions of an app.
If you open the page of an app in Google Play Store app and there is no "update" button then you already have installed the latest version that has been released for your current device.
Other criteria that may lead to a different version are:

Android version
Supported ABI of the CPU and OS (armv7 = 32bit and/or armv8 = 64bit)
Screen size
Country
Mobile network provider
Device name
Installed libraries (some manufacturer add special libraries that are required for certain apps)
Available hardware features such as NFC, fingerprint sensor, ...


text:
Can default alarms be accessed as audio files?
For a Pixel 2 with Android 11, are the default alarms stored locally as audio files? If yes, can the files be accessed through a file browser?

The default audio files that come with Android are encoded using the OGG Vorbis encoder and therefore you can find them in file-.system as .ogg files.
On Pixel phones the audio files are located in the path /product/media/audio/alarms/ respectively /system/product/media/audio/alarms/ (visible in this path in file manager apps like Amaze File Manager).
Use a file manager app or adb to access those files. the path is a bit different.


text:
How to hide cookie warnings in Chrome for Android?
On Chrome for desktop I use the extension "I Don't Care About Cookies" to hide cookie warnings that I personally don't care for.
I'd like to do something similar in Chrome for Android.
I've tried searching around for a way to do it, but nothing has come up so far.
I have root and Xposed Framework so I wonder if some adblocker that uses those may have some list I can add to block at least some of the most widespread templates for cookie warnings.
Or there may be some other way to do it.
My phone runs Nougat and the latest stable version of Chrome.

I know this is an old thread, but posting an answer for other people's info.
I use Kiwi Browser - it's Chromium based so works just like Chrome, but unlike Chrome for Android it allows you to install Chrome desktop extensions.

Are you serious? I will try this out for sure. You will be getting a bounty if this is legit.


text:
Deleting Hardware files leads sometimes to brick the phone
I started recently to look up for a way to permanently disable my wifi, bluetooth, NFS, Network and GPS. Unfortunately I didnt find a proper method to do that. There was the option to physically break the hardwares, but I didnt want to risk that, if I get something wrong there I wouldnt have a 2nd chance. Except of that, there was only some ways to disable the wifi but it was easy to re-enable it again.
Anyways I figured out, that I need to root my device in order to remove hardware files, but the problem is I dont know WHICH files would be okay to remove.
I'm using a samsung galaxy s8 with Android 9 Pie
Till now I rooted my device twice and deleted hardware files,
the first time I deleted wifi hardware files from the system/etc/permissions folder. That lead to brick my phone.
The second time I deleted hardware files of bluetooth and nfc from:
system/lib
system/lib64
system/vendor/etc/init
system/vendor/etc
system/vendor/lib64
system/vendor/permessions
surprisingly it worked, I totally disabled bluetooth and nfc.
Then I wanted to proceed to remove gps (I figured out S8 aint using gps but gnss) so I removed the gnss files and folders. But this time, it bricked my phone, so I had to reinstall the samsung firmware again and now I rooted my device again.
Before I start trying again, I would like to ask you, if any of you have some knowledge about this and if there is any no-go files, which I should never remove or smth.
I dont really just want to try out over and over, it is taking much time to do all this... I hope somebody can help me out.
Additionally, do any of you know how the network hardware is called? basically the hardware which lets you call people or just the hardware which connects to a network provider.

The reason why I want to do this shouldnt be important right? but if you want to know why:
I want to keep my privacy. I want to be able to connect to the internet only via ethernet cable and also I want to use my device more as a map to plan routes, camera, calc etc.
ALOT of other people want to do this too, but nobody (after searching for over 20 hours) had the right solution. Every way I found, it was possible to reenable it easily.
Thank you for taking your time and reading my issue! I hope you can help!!
I will give an update about this anyways!

There are various dependencies between the drivers, services, and so on. Just deleting everything is not a good solution as Android is very complex and references to services are scattered among the whole system. The correct way would be to develop an own custom ROM. Then you could disable those features before building the ROM and leave out drivers, services and other parts you don't want. Note that question on ROM development are off-topic here.

I see, thank you for the tip. I will try to learn how to do that.

An even easier and safer approach is to disable the HAL native service related to the functionality you want to disable. Android doesn't interact with the hardware directly but depends on vendor provided HALs (binary blobs) which mostly run as native init services. You can simply run stop or setprop ctl.stop to stop a service and then test if the feature still works. If it doesn't you can edit the related .rc file to disable the service permanently. In case of legacy HALs, though, you need to delete (or just rename) the files. Because they are shared libraries, not executable files.

why not just run automation app for toggle airplane mode

I'm using a samsung galaxy s8 with Android 9 Pie
Model: SM-G950F
Update:

I found a way to disable the following hardware:
(disclaimer: there is probably tons of methods to permanently disable hardware, but this is how it worked for me)
Ofc you need to root you device, I used TWRP as boot loader.
MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR DEVICE
you could loose your data forever!! and dont do the same mistake I did, not backing up the contacts.
Contacts are NOT in the internal storage, therefore you need to do a back up while rooted!!!
Tip: every file you edit or delete, make a backup of the original one and name it differently. If your android bricked, then you can use TWRP and delete the modified file and rename the backup again to the original name. This would help you to prevent wasting much time.
Bluetooth:
Delete the following file:
/system/vendor/lib64/hw/android.hardware.bluetooth@1.0-impl.so
WiFi:
Delete the following file:
/system/vendor/lib64/vendor.samsung.frameworks.ucm.wifi@1.0.so
GPS:
Delete the following file:
/system/vendor/etc/gnss/gps.xml
Some files I just edited them, these are permissions file, if you delete them completely, android wont work anymore.
You need to delete everything between <permissions></permissions>
You can edit the files using text editor
GPS:
Edit the following file:
/system/vendor/etc/permissions/android.hardware.location.gps.xml
NFC:
Edit the following file:
/system/vendor/etc/permissions/android.hardware.nfc.xml
Telephony:
I tried to dial emergency numbers, which should be actually possible with or without a sim card, but it didnt work.
Edit the following file:
/system/vendor/etc/permissions/android.hardware.telephony.gsm.xml
And that's it, now just restart your android and it should work with no problems.
I would recommend to download everything you want to have on your phone, before you get rid of wifi.
WARNING:
Most google applications like google map wont work, after you get rid of the gnss/gps. Google doesnt like it, if you turn off your location lol
The network data (LTE, 4G ...etc) is not tested and I am not sure if it is even disabled, I have the feeling that Telephony is not the same. I dont use a sim card anyways, so yeah. But if I found out a solution for that too, I will post it here for sure!
have fun!!


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MI A3 DPI issue
I recently got a new phone, a Xiaomi Mi A3 that runs android one (10). The default DPI is "too big", so I changed the DPI from the developer settings from the default one (380 IIRC) to 411 image. But now, I'm having an issue. When I lock my phone, and unlock it, after pressing the power button, or the volume button, the icons will be too big, just like on the screenshot above. Sometimes, the battery indicators font changes too, and becomes very big. I found a forum post on XDA and Reddit, and they have the same issue with me. Is this a bug/issue with the phone, or android 10? Is there anything I can do? Any solution? Maybe ADB can fix this issue?

You have the following options :

Disabling your fingerprint will solve the issue (permanent fix ).
resetting your DPI to 480 will fix this issue (sometimes works).
you can just turn on and off dark mode will fix this for some time.
Reset your phone and don't mess with DPI ever (don't do this).
Get a custom ROM or a new phone.

I installed a custom rom. I finally got rid of all these weird bugs


text:
Chrome Tab Grid Layout can no longer be disabled via chrome://flags, is there another way?
I used to be able to disable Google Chrome on android from having the Tabs Grid, by disabling the flag.
That no longer seems to have any effect. Is there another way to change this setting?

Doing some more research, I find that this is no longer enough
Update: That used to be it, but with the most recent update Google broke this fix, but never fear there is a temporary solution to make it work again.

Type chrome://flags/#temporary-unexpire-flags-m88 into the address bar
Tap on the drop-down menu in the Tab Grid Layout entry
Select "Enabled"
Tap the Relaunch button at the bottom of the screen

I suspect that will only be a temporary solution though.