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How to remove white circles around Android icons?
Can anyone tell me how to get rid of the white circle that appears around all the freeform app icons? It seems like a terrible design aesthetic in this case where there is no other solid white in the GUI. I am running an Xperia XZ1 with android 9.0 and there is a setting in the launcher for 'add white circular background' that does nothing when turned off. Maybe I need to downgrade my version of android to 8.0 in order for this setting to work?

by contrast, on a moto g 1st gen running lollipop, the homescreen appears beautiful with all the freeform icons intact. Why is Android taking this path of degrading design?

The "white circle" is just the current Android theme. From time to time Google invents a new "cool" style how icons should look. You can try to change the shape in developer options: https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/change-your-home-screen-icon-shapes-android-10-0194758/

well might as well try downgrading to oreo then ..

Android has a built in downgrade protection. Only on unlocked/rooted devices you can downgrade and of course only when there is a lower version for that device.


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How can I configure Android to prevent the apparition of epilepsy-prone flashing displays?
From time to time, some program or website has epilepsy-prone flashing displays (Example - do NOT click if you are prone to epilepsy). Is there any to configure Android to prevent such displays so that individuals with epilepsy can avoid epileptic seizures when using their phone?

Control over such websites would come from the browser, so there is nothing Android can do there per se. Don't know about apps though.

@Firelord I was hoping they could prevent it at the OS level.

While I don't have epilepsy, this looks like a very interesting topic. However, a genuine question: do you know some ways to avoid it so that, while not perfect, we can perhaps find alternative solutions? I found some on (Web) accessibility for seizures and physical reactions to think if some apps can do it (like reduce screen's FPS to less than 3). But... even with Android being more than 10 years old, with millions of users & developers but no solution until now, I'm afraid it's not that easy...

From what I just checked on a couple Android devices, the Android developers have provided multiple settings to help those with various health conditions, but I see none that will likely help those with epilepsy not suffer from consequences of the well-known flashing screen trigger.
It's definitely something that could be handled at the OS level, but from what I've seen, it has unfortunately not been prioritized by the Android developers or their for-profit corporate overlords.
BTW, Gammy is an open-source project for Linux, FreeBSD, and Windows (not Android) that implements techniques that could potentially be modified to help those with epilepsy.  Converting it to a proof-of-concept that software can be written to help persons with epilepsy would not be too difficult.

Bummer, thanks for checking!

You're welcome Franck.  I added another section to the answer that might be of interest to you and others.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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AOSP 7.1.2 - Firefox (Fennec and IceCat) result with just a white screen
I have installed a Custom ROM (AOSP 7.1.2) on a Samsung tablet. It is rooted, and also has gapps (pico).
Most everything works - except, when I installed both versions of Firefox for mobile - Fennec and IceCat (both via F-Droid), and the installation was successful (though neither of them asked for any permissions).
However, when I start either of them, they simply start as a white screen, and ... nothing happens (Fennec occasionally crashes after a few seconds of white screen, I have not seen IceCat crash so far, it just keeps at the white screen).
I captured a bit of logcat - first fennec is started, then icecat - it has been pasted here:
https://pastebin.com/ijGSr8X0
Would anyone have any idea as to why specifically these two Firefox apps start with nothing else but a white screen; and how to fix that?
(BTW, I use the same IceCat on an Android 4.x device; it works fine there.)

Posting the whole logcat is not useful at least truncate it and only post the log from the point on where you start one of the apps.

I'm voting to close this question because the concerned custom ROM in all likelihood is the cause of the problem. Firefox is actively supported for Android 5 and above. There is no reason it would suddenly go nuts for Android 7 alone. @sdaau, it is best if you ask the ROM maintainer to take a look at this and fix it. Probably a bug.

Sorry about the log being too verbose, I wasn't really sure what would have been most relevant. In any case, I did a bit of research, and the last Firefox Focus version that works on this device/OS for me is 8.0.19, anything above that has the blank screen problem. For F-droid Fennec, I tried going all the way down to 68.6.0 which did not work, and I stopped there.

Btw, one more this: the Firefox Focus 8.0.19 runs fine the first time, when it runs for the setup wizard, after that browsing works fine. But if you close it down and restart it, then it fails again (either crash, or blank screen). Workaround for this is: Settings / Apps / Firefox Focus / Storage / Clear Data & Clear Cache / (back) Force Stop ; then when starting it again, it will run the wizard again, and it will work.

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


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How many hours long "continuous video" can you shoot on Huawei P30 Lite 2019 model?
I want to shoot an extremely long video (almost 6-8 hours). Is the Huawei P30 Lite 2019 model BLE able to do it?
If not, for how many hours will it last?

Storage (including max allowed file size) and battery are two major limiting factors. Tune your camera app settings to whatever you like (FPS, resolution etc.) and record a video of a few minutes. Then estimate how much storage and battery it consumes. No answer here can be more realistic than this estimation.

Will the device be plugged in to a power source, or rely on its battery?

Note that if you can keep the screen off while shooting the video, the device will use significantly less power.

Also be aware some camera apps restrict video size //File system of device also plays a role (you can't record more than 4GB on ExFAT) // I would suggest do a trial run for as long as you want to actually record to avoid surprises

@beeshyams Is there a reason why "you can't record more than 4GB on ExFAT"? FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GB but ExFAt's file size limit is 16 exbibytes.

@ReddyLutonadio sorry, it was a typo - I meant FAT32


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Google Play, can i get past purchases on new tablet?
I am halfway through season 3 of Homeland and bought a new galaxy tablet. It was purchased from the Play Store on my old galaxy tab.
Since I have the same Google account associated with both tablets, is there a way to download the show to the new tablet?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts, Len! For generic info like this, be welcome to see our google-play-store tag-wiki – which tries to aggregate central questions on this.

When you download a paid or free app on Google Play, the app is connected to your Google Account. This means you can reinstall downloaded apps to new or reset devices without purchasing them again.
source : Reinstall apps & games
This is About Apk apps.but for Download this, if you can download this again in Old Device so you can Copy Downloading Link and Sign In With Purchased Device in New Device.
Also, as this link said : OIT HelpDesk - Knowledge Base

Your purchases are tied to your Google Account and can be installed an
  unlimited amount of times on any device. So, for example, if you
  remove "My Favorite Game" to save memory, you can reinstall it at a
  later date with no charge by simply visiting My Apps. You can also
  re-install apps from play.google.com from the My Android Apps section.

So, just Sign in With purchased Google Account in New Device, and Find what you want and Downloaded it.
Hope this helps.

Thanks. I'm actually trying to watch a tv series i purchased not an app. I don't have my old tablet with me so I'll try fooling around more with this tonight.

iknow this is not an app.(as i said).but for this, you need old Account password or download from other Sources.your welcome :).

The answer is simply yes. As long as you've added the same account the TV show was purchased from to the new device, you're good to go. Open the Play Movies & TV app, swipe in from the left and verify you're using the account that owns them, and tap My Library. And then everything you own will be visible.

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


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What happens if I uninstall the Google Settings app?
My android device frequently runs low on free memory space.
Can I delete the Google Settings app?
I want to install a game but it is not installing what should I do?

"Google Settings" app is actually a part of "Google Play Services". Uninstalling that may break most apps that rely on it, and it needs root access to do that (unless you meant "uninstall the updates, which is also not recommended)

I've just added the insufficient-memory tag to your question. I strongly recommend you reading its tag-wiki for better alternatives to your idea. Apart from that, your post is a classical XY problem: instead of asking what consequences your alleged solution might have, you'd better described your problem and asked for possible solutions ;) Good look, and I bet that tag-wiki really gets you started.

I don't think you CAN uninstall that App.  At a minimum, you would need ROOT to do it.
This probably wouldn't have any immediate effects, until you wanted to make any change to your settings (in which case, you wouldn't have the tool to do it).

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


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Screen mirroring with Chromecast on apps that disallow it
I currently have a Chromecast and a Sony Xperia Z3
The problem that I am having is using some apps with screen mirroring; 4od and Sky Go. If you are not from the UK then these are apps for watching television.
When I use the Chromecast app and try to mirror my screen whilst using these apps I get a message that these apps don't support screen mirroring.
I have done a bit of research and I have found that an app called #MirrorEnabler that I think would do the job, however it would require rooting my phone which I don't really want to do.
Does anyone know a work around for this? Maybe a different screen mirroring app that the 4od and Sky Go won't detect?

The only other method I know of is using Xposed modules, but obviously that requires rooting as well.


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Stock Android for Samsung Note 2
Where can I find stock Android for Samsung Galaxy Note 2?

Please see: Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

A great place to start would be on the ROM list for your device on XDA.
There are many options available, so which one you want to install comes down to user preference.
Please note that it will be required that you root your device, so proceed with caution as your warranty will be void.
Your other alternative is building it yourself from source.

Yep ! I have gone through these forums ! But the problem is i am not able to find the stock android version . So i need a link to get that rom . :)

I don't think a completely "stock android" ROM is available for your device. You could build your own if you are capable?

Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?
Also, if you like Lollipop, i suggest you use Nameless Rom.
this Custom rom (Nameless) availabe on XDA :
[ROM][5.0.2][Lollipop][Official][Nightlies] NamelessROM 2.0
Download Link :

http://sourceforge.net/projects/namelessrom/files/n-2.0/n7100/
the best and faster Rom for now for Galaxy Note 2.

also for Stock Rom :
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/GT-N7100/

Yea sure i will try this rom !! But can you get me link for stock android rom ! I need it very badly :)

Edit And updated.please see Sammobile link in my answer.

NO the one you gave me is the samsung's version . I need pure android like one in nexus !

this is your question before edit : Where can u find Stock Android for Samsung Note 2 . I Mean the google version which comes in Nexus , Motorolla . is not possible or your question isn't very clear.

Also, means about Stock, it means, Rom only availabe for Note 2 from samsung comapany and it's Stable for use.


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Where have "predefined SMS messages" gone in Android 5?
I bought a Motorola smartphone two years ago with Android 4.4. Previously I had an HTC with Android 2.6. with which I could (and did) use predefined SMS messages (such as "Sorry, late, bla bla bla", "Hi, what's up?").
I couldn't find the option in 4.4 and in 5 either, now that I can upgrade my phone to Lollipop. Are those options gone?
For the sake of curiosity and thoroughness (and since the choice is offered to me) I tried selecting Hangouts as my "preferred" SMS app, in the hope another application, another set of options, maybe "predefined SMS messages" lie there... Not only did I not find what I was looking for but also selecting "Hangouts" as my favourite SMS app... disables SMS messages. Wtf? ( <-- that's me sounding perplexed). Go figure.
So have Google developers decided predefined messages were "so has been" or is there an option hidden somewhere?

I don't know that Android has ever had this. It may have been something HTC added.

I sought the internet and Android indeed did have such a feature at least once. So I am almost certain it was not bound to HTC only.

Also, regarding Hangout, SMS isn't gone at all. It's just that, by default, Hangout merges Hangout and SMS conversations into a single thread. This can be changed in the setting if you don't like the merged conversation.

@LieRyan it's not that SMS is gone; with Hangouts selected as the SMS application, all the options that relate to SMS are disabled (i.e. greyed and non-clickable). Hence my perplexity upon the relevance of Hangouts for SMS.

You should look in the Phone/Dialer app, not SMS/Hangout app. This is from stock Nexus 6 Lollipop:

Open the Phone app

Tap the overflow menu besides the search box and tap "Settings":

Tap "General"

Tap "Quick Responses":

Edit your quick responses editing the text box that pops up when you tap on the list view:

Aren't those quick responses for phone calls that you can't answer, not text messages that you can't answer?

As far as I can tell, stock Android never has canned message. That is probably HTC's addition.

Thanks for the tip LieRyan. However I cannot add any message to the list (I can see no option to do that, nothing that allows it in the menu). Moreover I have no hint to it when I want to compose a new SMS. Am I missing something?


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Can I play a game on a second device with the same profile with out starting over?
I have been playing boom beach on an android tablet. The tablet is no longer accessible to me. Can I play the game on another android tablet without starting over?

If you signed into you Google+ account while playing the game, then progress is synchronised across to the second device.
While playing the game, sign into your Google+ account on the second device. This will give you the option to load your existing progress.
If you didn't sign into to your Google+ account on the first device, then I'm afraid it isn't possible without access to the device.

When playing on the first device the Google play drop down  with the game controller drops down from the top with my name. Does that mean I have signed in?

Yes that's right. You can also check if you are signed in by going to "Settings" in the app. There should be a box that says "Google+ sign-in" which will say "Connected" if you are connected.


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SMS delivery on 4.4 kitkat
If I delete a message with a single tick, does it just get deleted from my local device, or does it stop the message from being delivered to the recipient?
I posted a message in a group and it just shows a single tick. I don't want a particular person in that group to see the message.

If the message has a single tick it means the message is sent and it's waiting to be seen by the user.
When the message has been seen by the user, the message will show a double tick.
For example : WhatsApp & Viber


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Android 5.1 on Samsung Galaxy S4
I have upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S4 to Android 5.0.1. It is full of bugs, but I don't wont to downgrade to Kitkat.
I have heard that Android 5.1 is available. Is it possible to get it for my S4?

Please see: When will my device get the Android 5.1 update (Lollipop)?

We are just Android Users, it means, you need to follow the Sites or below link for find any update you need it :
SamMobile - Firmware Search
also, if you need 5.1.0 you can use custom roms if this version availabe for your phone.
good day.


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Hard Reset to Factory Settings without USB access
I've got an Asus ZenPad 300C that is crashing constantly. Things I have tried:

Clearing cache. I am unable to access Settings to clear the cache but was able to run a clean-up app, which I think did some of that. No effect.
Factory Reset. If I use Power+Volume Up to access recovery mode I can see the options - FASTBOOT MODE and POWER OFF, but the power button doesn't work so there's no way to actually select FASTBOOT MODE. I tried connecting via USB to run ADB and do it that way but USB Debug mode is not enabled and I cannot get into Settings on the phone to allow it because Settings crashes.
Battery. I have removed the back and temporarily disconnected the battery but that made no difference.

Is there any other way to perform a hard reset or troubleshoot and fix this issue or is it done for?

You can still flash it though. Flash a stock firmware for your model number and your crashing should be fixed.

Can I flash it if I don't have access to Fastboot on the device or via ADB?

I completely forgot you don't need debugging and all things. On Windows/Mac/Linux:

Just open an internet browser and go to https://www.google.com/android/find
Enter your email ID and password (which one used in Asus Zenpad Z300C)
If you have multiple devices with the same ID, then selected Asus Zenpad Z300C carefully
If only one device is registered, then skip step 3. And on the left-hand side, select the option ERASE DEVICE.
Might be Google will confirm the password again. So enter it again.
Done.
Your device is now factory reset.

Note: Your device Asus Zenpad Z300C needs to be connected to the internet to perform this operation, prefer a WiFi connection.

I think this would work - but the device is not signed in so not listed under the Google account or Find My Device and it's impossible to sign in because of the crashing. So unfortunately, not successful.

Try this 27673855# or *#7780# this are universal code to format android   I not sure it will work on Asus tab. NOTE:- Perform  on your own risk.  I am not responsible for any damage.


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Change an app language without changing the system language nor rooting the phone
i have a phone the language of which is English. I also have a Mi Band 3 on which I have installed Arabic package to be able to see my friends' messages in Persian (using the same characters as Arabic). If I want the Mi Band 3 to use the Arabic language characters, the language of my phone must be changed to Arabic to make the language of Mi Fit application also Arabic, and I know for sure that I don't want such a thing. How do I change the language of a single application (Mi Fit here) without rooting the phone?!

What is that app? Please specify it.

Mi Fit which is used to connet the phone to Mi Band 3.

Your question seems strange to me. I am not familiar with Mi Band, but please see answer posted.

What you mention is strange.
I do not have Arabic, but what I have likely applies to it.
There are at least three different places where the language (and alphabet, if different) may be relevant:

System language/alphabet.
Input language/alphabet.
Displayed messages language/alphabet.

I have two language/alphabet combinations as input (Samsung Keyboard), but I do not have both languages for the system interface. That is fine, as the first two item are covered by completely different settings.
As for displayed messages, I found no problem in WhatsApp and Viber showing messages in a different alphabet.
It is not up to any configuration of my phone.
It is up to the sender to have that alphabet as an input choice.

The intelligent wrist band (mi band 3) adapts it's language with the language of the application Mi Fit with which it is paired. The Mi Fit application gets its language seeing directly from the display language of the phone. Therefore, if I set the phone language as English, the Mi Fit application and also the Mi Band 3 will be set English, and the messages in other languages (e.g., Persian) will not be shown on the band.


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Fingerprint sensor on Samsung Galaxy Wide 2
My phone, Galaxy Wide 2 (SM-J727S) is a device made for students in South Korea, and it blocks internet, wifi, mobile data, and stuff like that (maybe an irrelevant information, but anyway).
This "student" version of the Wide 2 is only sold in South Korea, and I'm not sure if you fellas could find any information about my device. (I live in South Korea, so my grammar might have some mistakes.. forgive me)
While I was researching about my device's specs on the web, I learned that it has a fingerprint sensor under the home button. But, I can't find any fingerprint unlocking option in the settings. I'm not sure why.
Did the software hide it? (The student version adds Knox Customization, and that's the part that disables the internet stuff. It doesn't show me Developer settings menu even after I did the revealing process of hammering the build number, but simply doesn't show up!)
I'm leaving some software information that might help you, and links of some spec pages that confuses me.
As far as i know, the South Korean version and US version are different in specs. Some sites says there is a finger print sensor, but some says there isn't.
SOFTWARE INFORMATION

Android 8.1.0 Oreo
Samsung Experience 9.5
Knox version 3.2 / knox api level 26 (?)

Links

https://droidchart.com/en/samsung/samsung-galaxy-wide-2-sm-j727s-3045
https://namu.wiki/w/%EA%B0%A4%EB%9F%AD%EC%8B%9C%20%EC%99%80%EC%9D%B4%EB%93%9C2 (use KR->Eng translation plz)
https://www.pdevice.com/product/samsung-galaxy-wide-2-j727s-price-specs


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How can I take a picture with the depth camera?
Many phones - such as my Nokia 7.1 - now come with depth cameras and other auxiliary cameras built-in.
For example, my Nokia 7.1 has a front & back facing camera as you might expect, but also has a depth camera listed in the specifications:

(link to full specs)
With this in mind, I'd like to be able to take a picture with the depth camera on my phone. Unfortunately though, it doesn't show up if I press the switch camera button in the default camera app - that just switches between the front and back facing cameras.
I've also tried a 3rd party camera app (Open Camera) to no effect.
How can I take a picture with the depth camera directly, and save it as a JPEG file?

Ah, I see @Robert. If nobody else answers, then I'm happy to accept that as the answer to my question for now. It's still a valid answer - even if it's saying that it's not possible....

While the Nokia 7.1 has a 'depth' camera. It is unclear if the 5MP camera has been exposed to developers (doubtful) or is part of the overall camera system for image enhancement (more likely).
On the other hand a phone like Samsung S10 5G does have a 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth) sensor accessible to Android app developers.
When referring to depth, its not an hi-res image that a user can look at, but a feature that a camera app developer can take advantage of when the hardware supports it.
For Android developers in the Camera2 API there is REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES_DEPTH_OUTPUT
Which uses DEPTH16 Android Image format.
For the more technically inclined there is a Medium post on Working with the 3D Camera on the Samsung S10 5G where the author goes into how to use the 3D camera data.
A key point from the article is that the resolution of the DOF is much lower than any visible light image.

The ToF Camera
The front-facing ToF sensor on the Samsung S10 5G is a Sony IMX316. It outputs frames in the DEPTH16 image format with a resolution of 240x180. It has a 75° field of view, which roughly matches the S10 5G’s front-facing camera’s field of view of 80°.

As you can see in the article, the author is using the depth of field image data for bokeh or background blur as each pixel is a depth value and a confidence level. The author also has to apply a variety of techniques to the DEPTH16 data as it appear to be quite noisy.
Those so inclined can get the author's source code here: https://github.com/plluke/tof


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Erase content of stolen phone, but thief has my PIN
My phone was stolen.
I tried to erase it but the only option was set up erase. The problem is I believe the person that has my phone also has my PIN which would give them access to the phone. I know the setup erase and erase are two different things but I'm not sure how they each function. I would like to erase the content so once they are in the phone there is nothing to see because I have a lot of sensitive information on it. If the information is revealed, it would be damaging. The phone is a TCL A2X.
Is this possible, or am I screwed?

https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager


text:
Is it possible to record MJPEG directly on Android?
Is it possible to record video from an android camera directly as MJPEG? I am interested in MJPEG for quality purposes. I don't want to record video via default android settings and then convert to MJPEG, but directly from the camera device as MJPEG. Is this possible? I can't find any information suggesting this is possible.

It's camera app developer's choice, not Android's. You can build a camera app of your own and apply whatever formatting you want while converting raw stream to a video file.

@IrfanLatif thanks. Can you provide any examples or tutorials on how to convert the raw stream to a video file? I've already tried initiating the camera with ffmpeg and changing parameters to MJPEG, but the quality of the recorded video makes me think it was recorded and compressed on the device and then my command then converted the already compressed version. How do I get direct access to the raw stream?

That's a more development related question: https://stackoverflow.com/a/45577505/9165920, off-topic here. Official documentation would be a good starting point: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media/camera.


text:
Recording calls reliably using pre-installed hidden functionality (Samsung Galaxy)
While poking around the activities available for the pre-installed apps on an older non-rooted Samsung Galaxy Android 7.0 phone, I noticed one for recording phone calls.  It was located in package com.android.phone, and the activity is com.android.phone.RecordCallsAutomaticallyActivity.
I created a shortcut for the activity and launched it.  Sure enough, it brought up a screen with an option to enable automatically recording phone calls.  I turned on that option and made a call.  I didn't find any new files in storage/emulated/0.  I have a hunch it didn't record, but I don't know how to determine that for sure.
Without breaking this question up into a bunch of separate Android SE questions, I'll simply state my objective: I want to be able to reliably record phone calls.  Currently, I use an app to do that, but it has failed to record a few recent important calls, and that's a big problem.
So what I'm wondering is:

Did I look in the right place to see if the call was recorded?  If not, where do you advise looking?
Is there any chance of getting this hidden functionality to work (it is not present in the standard UI) without root?  If so, is there anything else you advise that I try doing?
Will rooting the device make any difference?

Which Android device is it? Is it carrier locked? OEMs may keep some functionality disabled regionwise to comply with local laws. Is call recording (without informing the other party) permitted in your country?

@Firelord It's a Samsung Galaxy S6.  How do I tell if it's carrier locked?  It was purchased new at retail without a contract or even activating it, if that matters.  I popped in a GSM SIM, and it worked without issue. Call recording is definitely legal here regardless if you tell the other person.  I personally choose to tell the other person because I want them to know there is a record of the call.


text:
Uninstall app without deleting data
I am building an app that receives updates from a server. So at the beginning of the app, a download occurs. However, this thing is getting a bit annoying since whenever I want to test a new build, I would use:
adb -d uninstall com.mycompany.myapp

This command removes the app as well as its data/cache stored. Now, whenever I do this, I would have to go through the process of downloading the updates again and it takes time (a lot of it).
Is there an adb command that would uninstall the app without removing its data/cache? Eclipse ADT can do this but I don't want to fire up Eclipse everytime I build.
EDIT: I've tried using adb uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp but it always responds with this:
The -k option uninstalls the application while retaining the data/cache.
At the moment, there is no way to remove the remaining data.
You will have to reinstall the application with the same signature, and fully uninstall it.
If you truly wish to continue, execute 'adb shell pm uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp'

If I try adb shell pm uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp it just says Failed.

Why can't you just provision your revised app as an update which installs over the new app?

How do I exactly do that?

@LanceGray - update the version code in your AndroidManifest.xml

If you run adb with no arguments, the help text will tell you the answer to this question.
adb uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp

removes the app but leaves the data and cache directories. Similarly,
adb install -r myapp.apk

reinstalls an existing app with a new APK file, keeping its data intact.
As a side-note, I don't know if this affects you, but don't forget that Google Play's developer terms forbids apps from updating themselves (updating the APK file) through a non-Google-Play channel. This is to stop developers side-stepping the Google Play terms by building a 'stub' app that, once installed, replaces itself with an app that doesn't meet the Google Play terms. Updating data files and the like is perfectly fine.

Thanks. Whenever I try adb uninstall -k com.mycompany.myapp, I get an error saying that it's not supposed to be used and if I really want to use it I should use the adb shell pm counterpart, which doesn't work on me. The app I'm building is not for Google Play, so I guess it's fine? Can you provide a link so that I can look more into it?

The -r option works perfectly for me when I needed to update the apk of an app I have installed (with the same signature, mind you) without loosing all my data.


text:
Floating Ads Popping Up On Screen
As of a couple of days ago, I've been noticing a particular floating ad on my screen. It keeps popping up occasionally.
I've googled it and have removed the apps I've installed in the last couple of days as per the instructions, but it's still present.
Please find a screenshot below.

Any idea how to fix this?
Thanks in advance!

Try to hunt the cause using AppWatch

@beeshyams I'm using that right now but it's not working.

Look at what each app can do, permissions wise. Look for the ones that have permission to display things above other apps. This will narrow your search down. Then you just have to do a process of elimination to determine which app is the culprit. That is how I would go about it, anyway. You can block all the apps from doing that, then allow one app at a time to have that permission back, run it for a while, then allow the next.


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Accessing device with broken touch sensor and LCD using adb
After a drop, my phone's (Galaxy J3 6v) screen (both LCD and touch sensor) are completely unresponsive. I believe I have USB debugging turned on, but cannot be sure.
I have a Linux machine with android-tools installed, and am comfortable with the command line.
I've been trying to connect with adb, but it gives me the error:
error: device unauthorized.
This adb server's $ADB_VENDOR_KEYS is not set
Try 'adb kill-server' if that seems wrong.
Otherwise check for a confirmation dialog on your device.

I have already killed and restarted the server, added udev rules, and added the phones vendor id to .android/adb_usb.ini, as well as called Samsung support (they had no clue what I was going on about)
Am I SOL, or is there a way to bypass the confirmation dialogue?

Adb connection has to be authorized by the user in the phone. When a connection is to be established a dialog is shown to the user for approval in the phone, pending which adb would remain unauthorised.

so without a way to interact or even see what is going on on the phones side, I'm SOL?

You could try to use a usb mouse/keyboard for the approval dialog on the phone otherwise adb will only connect to approved PCs/Macs.

You are being prompted to accept the dialog on screen,
You obviously have no option to actually accept the dialog, so your chances of getting around this are low.
You may be able to swap between USB OTG mouse and USB cord to accept the dialog and then swap back to continue in ADB...
If you are serious about repairing the device or at least recovering the data, a last resort would be to just replace the digitizer and LCD ...
Cheap Digitizer & LCD on EBay


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Is it safe to flash dm-verity zip on S8 EXYNOS G905F?
Is it safe to flash the dm-verity zip?
I am asking due to, seeing/reading some cases when attempting to flash a ROM the phone will get to the ERASING stage, show dm-verity error, then reboot, and it will do that endlessly.
I have tried flashing TWRP but every time, my phone gets stuck in a bootloop no matter how I start TWRP and regardless of whether I wipe and format the data or not.
NOTE: The dm-verity zip was never flashed on any TWRP recovery installation attempt. Each time I flashed using a stock ROM.
1. Flash TWRP.
2. See if the phone can still boot into system.
    If boots into system
        3a. Attempt to confirm TWRP availability by booting into recovery and system OS various ways to ensure it is always available.
            If TWRP is not installed (eg stock recovery appears)
                If can boot into system successfully
                    4a. Goto 1.
                If boot loops
                    4a. Goto 3b.
            If TWRP in successful installed (TWRP always boots up)
                5. Undefined (possibly attempt to install Magisk or SuperSU? depends which one will be safer).
    If boot loops
        3b. Reflash stock ROM.
        4b. Boot into it and wait for initial setup screen to appear.
        5. Goto 1.

I am running Android 8.0, XSA carrier Samsung Galaxy S8 G950F (was very difficult to find a stock ROM for this model).
I DO NOT want to end up being unable to reflash the STOCK ROM should anything go wrong during attempting to root.
If I am unable to manually root, will a Custom ROM
offer root built-in to the ROM itself? And if so, if I end up flashing a ROM incorrectly will I still be able to flash the stock ROM and try again?


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Forgot password on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, trying to access for Google Authenticator
I never wrote my password down for my old S7 Edge and managed to forget it.  Overthinking the security and privacy, I also never signed up for Samsung's service and Google's Find My Phone only recognizes my current phone -- so I can't use those online services to reset the password.
I'm wondering if there's a super-user method to get into the phone (or extract data) without wiping the data with a hard-reset.
In the Android Recovery screen (volume-down, home, and power buttons held simultaneously), I have the "Apply update from ADB" option but sideload seems to be the only functionality and the handshaking seems wrong.  The resulting messages on the Android are:
    Finding update package...
    Opening update package...
    E:footer is wrong
    [...]
    E:signature verification failed

I found online somewhere that the password file for the phone model is in
/data/system/gesture.key and
rm /data/system/gesture.key
would be ideally what I'd like to bring about.  However, I can't use a command such as adb shell on it without the password.  I also haven't figured out a way to inject and run a script (particularly with the handshaking and with adequate privileges for the phone) with that rm command using adb sideload.
More details or seeming dead-ends:

The phone was not rooted.
I'm fairly certain I enabled USB debugging.
It's a SM-G935W8 (Canadian) model with hero21tebmc (firmware?).
Samsung's Smart Switch software is also not an option to transfer data (w/o knowing my old password).
The third-party software I've seen and tried on a friend's Winwoes laptop doesn't have the password-reset capability on the S7 Edge... it would work if it was an S6 or older unfortunately.
the Android Recovery screen has other options including: "Apply update from SD card", "Mount /system", "Wipe cache partition", and the dreaded "Wipe data/factory reset".
I'm using a Linux distribution (Ubuntu 18.04) and would use heimdall on the command line (instead of the Odin software).

These links, Official TWRP for Galaxy S7 edge (hero2lte) or Flashing Firmware on Linux/Ubuntu using Heimdall, are likely to be the instructions I'd follow with due care.
If I persist and try to use TWRP or some sort of program to "recover" my data it seems highly likely to wipe it (even if I don't proceed to root it).
Along the same line, I suspect installing LineageOS would wipe the data in the process and there's probably no way to sift through the wreckage of the data (which is probably without pointers/inodes but presumably not outright erased) in some kind of brute-computational-force way either.
Is there any way to get at the data (instead of waiting every hour to try to re-discover a strong and essentially gibberish password)?

You have two problems:
First, when the bootloader is locked, you can not use fastboot. Unlocking will wipe your data. If the bootloader is unlocked, you can just boot twrp without flashing (fastboot boot twrp.img).
Second, the data partition is encrypted, and even if TWRP should be able to manage decryption, the pin is reqired.
You have no other option than brute force. If USB-OTG is working and it is a 4 digit pin, this can be done with Teensy or any other microcontroller. But this may wipe your data after 10 attempts, depending on gatekeeper settings (afaik not for S7).

Some Samsung devices have a bug in the MTP protocol that allows to access files on the sdcard, see comment from Robert https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/210051


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Android Rotation issue
I am a complete noob with Android so please forgive me.
I am tasked with installing Android on a Custom Board from China. Its InsydeH20 BIOS and something called "BayTrail".
Basically, the board is installed inside a Hand Dryer (dont ask). The concept is to install an APP (which is already available), that links to a website, users can play Advertisements through the screen by creating them on the website, the playlist syncs to the app, voila ads play on the Android Board, nifty concept, in reality its a nightmare to get working.
I have tried numerous versions of Android, the App best works on 4.4 but I have it working on 7.1 Nougat.
The main issues I have are:
Teamviewer Host (needs to be installed for future support of the units. This, I have only got working on 1 version of Android (Prime OS)
Screen Orientation - this is my main issue, the screen is 1080x1920 resolution. using a screen rotation app (on Phoenix OS v1.5.0) I can get the screen to display in LANDSCAPE at 1920x108 - great, App works, screen is landscape, Teamviewer DOES NOT work, bummer!
On Prime OS - the rotation app just does not work, it sort of goes in landscape, but in portrait view? The screen is 1080x1920 across the MIDDLE of the screen, with black bars at the top and bottom. Please see this link for screen shot.

But TeamViewer works, and the unit seems more stable on Prime OS, so I think once I have the screen sorted, it will work fine, hopefully?
Things I have already tried.
ADB Build Prop adding these lines, and rebooting - does absolutely nothing!
ro.sf.hwrotation=0

ADB Shell - adding these lines
 1. adb shell root
 2. adb shell remount
 3. adb shell setprop persist.demo.hdmirotation portrait
 4. adb shell setprop persist.demo.hdmirotationlock false
 5. adb shell setprop persist.demo.singledisplay true
 6. adb reboot
 7. adb shell wm size 1920x1080

This is how I have got it to where it is now, but the thing will just not rotate and use LANDSCAPE and FULL SCREEN, like it does on Phoenix OS.
Sorry, if I have repeated myself, hopefully the screen shot will give you a better idea of where I am at, what I need.
And hopefully someone can help?
Currently running Prime OS Standard at this link -
Prime OS Link

Try setting the default offset using hwrotation= ...
HW Rotation props are not intelligent, it will not understand that by 0 you mean landscape...
You need to actually set it to a value of rotation out of 360 degrees.
So...
ro.sf.hwrotation=270

OR
ro.sf.hwrotation=180

OR
ro.sf.hwrotation=90

OR
ro.sf.hwrotation=0

If that still is not fixing the issue, then please let me know...
It is most likely being set by default.prop as part of the boot.img   -   Default.prop properties take priority over Build.prop properties.

Is this achieved by adding the line to build.prop?

Yes... However if it has been set in default.prop, the value in default.prop will be used.... Default.prop is part of the boot.img

Yeah I've tried all those numbers in build.prop and it does nothing at all.

Try in default.prop... You need to extract boot.img and edit defult.prop under the ramdisk folder...

Thanks, I have extracted "ramdisk.img". I get a file called ramdisk, which I can open in notepad. The first 20 lines are readable, and look like default.prep. There is no mention in there for rotation. So I have added the line.

The question is, if there is no mention of rotation in that file or build.prep, where is it getting its default rotation, and why do rotation apps work on Phoenix OS Android 5.1 and not Prime OS, or any version of stock ROMS that are on the Android X86 website.
I have no idea what I am doing, but out of all the websites/forums I have asked this same question, you are the only one that has helped, so I am eternally grateful.

Nothing seems to work.

Hmmm... May be the problem is because you've already set a persistent prop for portrait using Adb shell... persist.demo.hdmirotation portrait try persist.demo.hdmirotation landscape


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Why aren't my songs dowloading?
I use an Android phone, and I usually download songs by converting them from YouTube to mp3 through websites. This time, when I hit the download button, the downloading didn't start. It said "download paused", and when I hit resume, it disappeared. How can I fix it?
This is what it looks like:

Try using a different internet browser like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, but I must remember you that this kind of YouTube video downloading method isn't legal and you shouldn't use it, you may be downloading viruses and other harmful components in your device.
If it didn't solve your problem, then leave a comment in my answer and I'll find a way to help you better.

After few days reseach, finally I found an app can download Youtube videos (up to 1080p), download mp3 from Youtube ( up to 180 kbps). It's named HBTube. You can download full version at HBTube Online
Youtube while lock screen

Download Youtube videos all format

Good luck!


text:
Have I been blocked?
My Whatsapp is showing a "Last seen" date for one of my friends, but my message didn't get delivered, as it's only showing one tick. Does this mean I've been blocked?

According to the Whatsapp FAQ:

There are a couple of indicators that you may be blocked:

You can no longer see a contact's last seen or online in the chat
  window.
You do not see updates to a contact's profile photo.
Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will always show
  one check mark (message sent), and never show a second check mark
  (message delivered).
Any calls you attempt to place will not go through.

If you see all of the indicators above for a contact, this could mean
  that the user is blocking you. However, there are other possibilities.
  We have made this intentionally ambiguous in order to protect your
  privacy when you block someone. Thus, we cannot tell you if you are
  being blocked by someone else.

I believe the fact that you can see a "last seen" status is an indicator that you have not been blocked.
Update: Per my own testing with a friend I have verified that once you are blocked, the "last seen" text completely disappears. It seems the person you are contacting did not block you and has simply stopped using whatsapp for the time being, since you can see they haven't been on since the 11th but your message hasn't reached them.


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ADB Access in TWRP recovery mode - samsung A3, Linux
I can access my Samsung A3 (a3xelte) in "normal" mode in Linux using adb.
Today I installed the TWRP 3.2.3-0 recovery mode and entered it. According to this DroidWiki article(the article is in German), I should be able to use adb commands in this mode as well. However, "adb devices" shows me nothing. Any ideas or is the information wrong for this phone?
Reason I am asking: After resetting the phone to factory settings, some valuable Memo-Notes seem to be deleted. I would like to copy an image of the partition to my computer (as described in this answer from StackOverflow), and then use testdisk to potentially still find the relevant deleted file. The phone is not rooted which seems to make things a lot more complicated...

Sounds like you don't have the correct drivers installed... The ones used for the device when the OS is running may not be the same as when in TWRP, which are the generic Android ADB drivers. The link you gave in your question even mentions this. Unless you use Linux, then you don't need any drivers.

I am using linux (even in topic). So shall I install different drivers?

No, Linux doesn't use "drivers" fir this, the modules are built in the kernel. I would contact your maintainer (likely via the XDA forums official post for TWRP for this device) and determine the issue. They may have had to implement it differently due to device constraints.


text:
Is it safe to delete logcat.txt files or the whole psysinfo folder to make more space on my Android phone?
I have an android phone and the space on the sdcard is getting scarce...
(I don't understand how android functions - just a simple user.)
In the following directory: mnt > sdcard
There is a psysinfo folder, which is 3.02 GB ...
And in this folder there are subfolders like log6, log5
and so on.
In these subfolders, there are a few logcat.txt files and three of them are like 1GB large.
Will my android phone function OK if I just delete these files and free some space (3.02 GB)?
I view the folders with 'ES File Explorer' and am thinking of deleting these files using the same app. This app says the above folder and logcat.txt files are the largest in my phone. My Android version is 4.1.2.
I searched online to find what the [ ...> psysinfo ] folder in Android is, but I couldn't find any info about it and then searched about deleting logcat.txt files but the info available seems to be for folks like developers. I couldn't really understand it.
THANK YOU!

It shouldn't be a problem to delete them if there are only .txt or .log files. If you are not sure, delete a few files with smaller to medium sizes. Restart your phone, and check if all apps are working normally. If they are, then proceed with deleting the others.
Log files are used mainly for debugging purposes. Deleting them should not bring chaos onto your phone.


text:
Running PC emulators
I have a problem running any PC emulator on my tablet. I've tried both Limbo and Bochs. When trying to run Limbo, I get the message:

Unfortunately, Limbo x86 PC Emulator has stopped

Trying to run Bochs results in no action - it just doesn't start. In both cases the applications appears as black, static windows when swiching between running applications (ALT+Shift).
My specs:
Lenovo TAB 2 A7-10F (4core 1.3 GHz, 1GB RAM)
Android v.4.4.2
PS.
The same problems occur when running the emulators on my Samsung A7 (2017), Android 8.0.0.

1GB Ram is very little for a tablet - even if you just execute only the system without any additional emulator. The Samsung should have 3GB RAM. I would suggest you to only perform tests on this device.


text:
Mobile data turns on automatically
I am using Moto One power mobile and android version is 9.0 pie. I have two sim cards in my device, and one is used for data. The other one's data switches on automatically, and there is no active data pack on that sim; so it deducts from my main account balance. How can I stop that?

It has been fixed in the Feb patch Update,
just Go Settings -> About phone -> System updates -> Now update


text:
How to turn off offering to turn on Google Assistant?
I know how to turn off google assistant. But many times when I make some move at the bottom of phone screen it show me the dialog to turn on Google Assistant. I do not want to turn in Google assistant. Never ever. I do not want to see that screen asking me if I want to turn on Google assistant on my phone. Is there a way how to stop that?

What worked for me on Android Version 12 was to set the default digital assistant app from Google to None.
This is under Settings >> Apps >> Choose default apps >> Digital Assistant App >> Device Assistant app >> Default digital assistant app
Set to None and the prompts should stop coming up.

Yes! Thank you. It is non obvious you can change the choice "Google".

On Android Version 13, if the prompt comes after long-pressing the home button, go to Settings >> Home screen >> System navigation >> Button shortcuts. Set the option for 'Long press the Home button' to 'none'

In Settings, select Apps and notifications. Click Google Assistant, then click Disable.

I have it disabled already. I am sorry but I think you do not understand my problem.

See image in edit please

@boucekv See edit.

Go to Settings >> Apps >> Settings gear or 3 dotted menu on top right >> Default Apps >> Assist and Voice Input or Device Assistance app>> Assist App or Device assistance app >> Choose Assist App (none)
source:
https://support.google.com/assistant/thread/273692/stop-google-assistant-from-asking-to-be-turned-on?hl=en

CHOOSING ASSIST APP TO NONE doesn't help either.


text:
proxy settings after latest update
I'm using an S8+ and recently we got a "security update". Before this update, I was able to go into my wifi settings > advance > set proxy to manual and add IP address plus port.
Now every-time I do this, my phone fails to change the settings. It is almost like the "save" button is not working. As soon as I leave the page, my proxy settings get reset to "none".
I saw a post about possible apps that could mess with it, but I haven't installed any new apps or updated old ones. This issue started right after the latest update.


text:
What is the little icon in the top left
The icon disappears when I'm using the phone.

Sorry, Reddy. What is your answer?

Giffgaff (stylised "giffgaff") is a mobile telephone network running as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator using O2's British network. Owned by O2's owners Telefónica, Giffgaff was launched on 25 November 2009.
It is the Branding logo from your Mobile Telephone Network
From Wikipedia

Thank you for the reply. It only appeared today though and I've used giffgaff for several years. My hubby also has it and hasnt got the icon?

That seems strange... You can individually go through the notifications and identify the app inside settings.


text:
How can I delete all mail from gmail stored on my Android device?
There seems to be quite a lot of similar questions but I haven't found one which covers my situation.
I have an android device on loan to do some development testing and at some point I opened the standard Mail account and connected to my Gmail account.
Obviously all my mail was synced.
Now I need to return the device and I have set Aeroplane mode to avoid any further access to my WiFi.
However, when I run the Mail app all my previously synced emails are there, obviously stored somewhere on the device.
I need a way of deleting all those emails from the device only.
Maybe deleting a file somewhere on the device or something else ?

Have you already tried to delete the cache and data of the Mail app? Also remove the Gmail account from the Settings. Settings -> Accounts. You could also reset the phone to factory default if possible

1st check if your device is encrypted: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/188948/2241 If yes, remove all accounts in the Android settings, delete all folders on the sd-card section, perform a factory reset and you are done.

Gmail account is directly linked to the internet and stores few bits of data onto the device. Even if you are not connected to the internet, the data will stay on your device. Logging out of the Google device will remove your preferences or settings, but the data can on your device is still visible. To remove the data, you need to do a factory reset, which will wipe out the entire data (including your internal memory file).
This can be done in two ways, reboot from settings, Settings --> system or about phone --> reset --> factory reset.
Or manually by switching off the phone, and then pressing power and volume down button simultaneously. You can find more information here https://www.androidcentral.com/how-factory-reset-android-phone


text:
Android keep saying "SD Card is mounted, do you want to change your default storage"
About two days ago, I received this notification. At first, I just click on "Change",and in setup, set default storage to SD Card. I'm using Android 4.2.2.
But, this is happening in every half hour... I rooted my phone about 2 mounts ago,installed link2sd,and created second partition on my 16Gb SD Card. Both partitions are marked as Primary and both are FAT32. It's worked very well until 2 days ago. When I receive notification about SD Storage, my whole second partition stop working. Every apps on second partition is "unreachable" and I must restart my phone.
Do you know how to "fix" this, because, my SD Card is ok,it's seems that android unmount and mount SD Card and show this notification automaticly.
EDIT:
I forgot to mention, when I format whole SD Card,and delete second partition, this notification is not showing,but,again,when I create second partition, notification is shown on my home screen,and keep asking me to change default storage.

do u still have this problem.? Did you get solution for this.?
If yes, just share how you solved it.
If no, then this following FAQ page 21th question will help you to find the solution.
They have said try to update your Link2SD app. That will solve your problem.
http://www.link2sd.info/faq

I have temporary solution, WakeLock keeps processor to minimum,and this message is not showing. But,every time when I reboot phone, and forgot to start wakelock app, every app on sdext2 is not working. Im trying to find permanent solution.

Do you update Link2SD to its latest version.?

Yes,it's on automatic updates list. But I'll try to reinstall the app. When i check FAQ last time,this question was not exist. I have this problem for more than 8 mounts. I'll try with reinstall,maybe the newer version will finally fix this.

Hope that will solve your problem and make my answer accepted. If still have the problem, reply me.

Try to set your SD card second partition as Non-FAT (ext2, ext3, ext4 or f2fs) file system. Because you mentioned FAT32 as your file system in question that dose not supported in UNIX (POSIX compilant) file system permissions. That will cause security breakdown of apps private data.


text:
Unable to overwrite CWM with TWRP
I'm trying to get TWRP running instead of CWM on my HTX One X.
When flashing the recovery through fastboot, and rebooting the phone - the bootloader choice for "recovery" goes straight to CWM.
I tried flashing TWRP through GooManager, and the same thing happens.
It kinda seems like the files doesn't get overwritten...
This all started because I wanted to swap the custom rom running (at the moment it's Cyanogen 10.2.0). But even overwriting the boot.img file seems impossible, since all other ROMs just throws the phone in to a bootloop.
The same happens when trying to update to Cyanogen 10.2.1.. (As I've seen many have to manually flash a new boot.img through fastboot)
Any thoughts on how to solve such a case?
Edit 1 ->
Commands ran in fastboot:
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot reboot

Started phone in bootloader and selected "Recovery" from the menu. CWM shows up and no sign of TWRP.
When trying to flash the new Roms (not cyanogen), I flashed the accompanying boot.img through fastboot.
fastboot flash boot boot.img

No luck, and it get stuck on the HTC-Screen..

Have you tried flashing using Flashify?

I have not tried using Flashify no. I'll have a look at that.

Added more information as you asked for @Chahk

@xstnc Try different release of TWRP for Your device.

I found, that in my case flashing with heimdall did the deal. In my case, the CM recovery was in the KERNEL partition, so reflashing that partition with an apropriate zImage did the trick for me. The command I used:
sudo heimdall flash --KERNEL zImage


text:
Authenticator app is not working
I'm choosing option to add MFA in the Google accounts, scanning barcode, secret is added. Name of the account in the Authenticator is correct. However, when I try to enter the generated code - Google says it's incorrect. The same on all attempts.
Ideas?
UPD I've tried syncing time from the Authenticator - still getting errors
UPD2 Can it be the reason that I previously had Authenticator installed on another phone with different email?

I'm having the same issue. I synced the time and that didn't help. I uninstalled, reinstalled and reconnected the app, and that didn't work either. The device time is correct. I'm not sure what else can be done.

Have you tried the following (taken from Google Authenticator site:

My Google Authenticator codes aren’t working (Android)
This might be because the time on your Google Authenticator app is not
  synced correctly.
To make sure that you have the correct time:

Go to the main menu on the Google Authenticator app
Click Settings
Click Time correction for codes
Click Sync now

On the next screen, the app will confirm that the time has been synced, and you should now be able to use your verification codes to sign in. The sync will only affect the internal time of your Google Authenticator app, and will not change your device’s Date & Time settings.

Yes, I have. No results.

ah. just seen you've updated your answer to say you've tried this. I'll leave it here but update it if I find anything else that might help.

Have you checked your device time to ensure it is correct (even a few minutes may affect it). Can you try using authy and see if that works. It's another app that does the same as the Google Authenticator app (Should work exactly the same)

time is absolutely precise. Is it safe to use this 3rd part application?

It is a popular alternative to the Google authenticator app, it has between 100,000-500,000 installs and has good reviews. I don't use it myself but it appears to be a good app. I can't promise that it's 100% safe though in the same way I can't guarantee any app is safe.

Authy doesn't work too

Your codes are most likely TOTP codes meaning they are time based. The simple fix is to to make sure all your devices are using the correct timezone (time is setup correctly). If the time on your devices are correct, but you are still having problems its most likely the browser.

I had similar trouble when I got a new phone. The app was installed on the new device (because apps were synced with the cloud) and it created codes but they were rejected by the google services on a PC. This helped:

on the PC: log in to google once with a different method
go to account settings > security > login to google > 2-step-verification > Authenticator App > change smartphone > android => a QR code is shown.
on the smartphone: open Google Authenticator > click on "+" button > scan barcode
scan the QR code from the PC

this created a new account in the authenticator app, creating different (correct) codes


text:
Redmi note 8 - black screen won't turn on
I bought a cheap and broken Redmi note 8, the previous owner told me it won't charge. When I got it in my hands I tried turning it on and it vibrates, turn the led on for a second but no image. (this looked weird as usually phones shows a dead battery logo or something in the screen)
I left it charging for a while to see if something happens. The led light turned on as if it was charging so now I doubt it is a charging board issue.
I saw some videos of a trick of factory reset pressing volume up and down and power buttons for 12 seconds, others mention different combination of buttons but neither of them seemed to work. The phone vibrates a few random times, I can't tell if it's turning on or anything.
Now I think it's either the screen or some problem in the logic board. What do you think? Am I missing something? Is there any way to diagnose either of these things without buying a screen replacement?
Thanks for the help.

connect to linux PC and check which mode is detected with lsusb from terminal. regardless display is broken you should still be able to enter fastboot mode. if display is working the phone might be in diagnostic or emergency download mode. if you are talking about Pro model SP Flash Tool might detect preloader mode

You can clean battery connector point. Try another battery.
Check display connection.
Connect mobile to computer use USB cable for 20 minutes.
Disconnect mobile and again connect computer. If you see battery icon. then mobile is charging.
Use power and volume button to start mobile in recovery mode. Then select safe mode.


text:
Are these files safe to delete on Android?
Whilst I was deleting files on my Android to clear up some space; I came across two strange files. One was PubmetricinstalledList and the other was PubmetricmoreApps. The first file contained two separate files which were a .str file and a .tss file. The second file had many folders with all titled with three number ranging from 500 to 900 and inside of them were folders with more random numbers, and inside those folders were two files which were a .ibm file and an .jsn file.
Does anyone know what these files are, and if so are they safe to delete? Sorry for my bad explanation I am mostly curious on what these files are since I couldn't find anything online about them. Thanks!

All files under /sdcard aka Internal Storage are fully disposable without a risk to system stability.


text:
Can I move an app's data to another phone?
I have a game running on an old phone and since the game doesn't save any data in a cloud and neither does google play, I wanted to transfer the data from my old phone's storage to my current one, or just save it on an external drive for when I uninstall the game. Where do I find the data folder, and where do I have to put it on the drive/other phone?
(both are Android just to clarify)
The link to the game is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ironhorsegames.idlewasteland
Thanks in advance.

some manufacturers provide app to migrate phone like samsung smart switch, huawei phone clone, etc...


text:
Is there an application or a method to test the positioning on Android only by wi-fi access points?
I need to test positioning  only by wi-fi access points.But when I turn on geolocation on my Android device the position is calculated by GPS+ GSM + Wi-fi. My device  doesn't   give the option to save it and only determine by the wi-fi networks.
So is there some way or application that will give such an opportunity to use only Wi-Fi  access points for positioning?

Use an app that only requests permission to get "coarse location", then activate Air Plane mode and reactivate Wifi. Then GPS and mobile network/Bluetooth triangulation is disabled and only Wifi is left to get the position.

Can it work with Google maps? And do you know  such apps that  only request "coarse location".. can you suggest any?

Depending on the Android versions and models, there is a Location settings to choose "Location mode". On Nexus 5 (Lineage OS 14.1/Android 7.1.2), it's possible to choose "Battery saving" that only uses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular network. On Pixel 3a (Android 11) though, there's only an option to enable Wi-Fi scanning without turning off GPS.

As you speak of "testing": Would it suffice to see where which location provider does position you? Then take a look at SatStat, which can show you the position for each location provider separately (see the 4th and 5th screenshot on the linked page).

@Izzy I need to test  what geolocation datas are getting our device and approprietly the third party apps

Isn't that exactly what SatStat shows in those screenshots? Or are you rather asking of testing it directly with your apps?


text:
Which Virtual machine is used in Android 11?
Every Android application runs in a virtual machine. We know that Dalvik virtual machine \was the one that is used by Android.  Next, they changed to ART (Android Runtime machine). Just correct me if I am wrong. Android 11 uses which virtual machine, Dalvik or ART?

ART replaced Dalvik in Android 5. Dalvik VM is no more used.

Android 11 uses ART.  Android 4.x KitKat were the last Android releases to use Dalvik.

@Mdshammi111 You're welcome.  Glad to help.  BTW, Wikipedia has good articles on both Dalvik and ART, and the transition from one to the other.

Can u suggest to me some textbooks regarding the android source?

I'm sorry, but I do not currently know of any.  The source is available online, but I'm not aware of any textbooks that walk you through it.  Perhaps someone else will know of one.


text:
How to handle hidden files and folders (which begin with a period/dot) when backing up Android to a Windows NTFS volume?
Over on Superuser, I asked about whether or not it's okay to have filenames and/or folder names that begin with a period (dot) on a Windows NTFS volume.
The immediate response I received was to avoid doing this.  Update: The author of that answer graciously changed his answer, and is now indicating that it is no problem.  So I think my question is now moot, but I'll leave it up for a few days to see if there are any more updates or commentary here.
What's an effective way to backup Android hidden files and folders (which begin with a period) onto a Windows NTFS volume?
The person answering my question on Superuser recommended renaming the files on Android, if possible.  Well, that's certainly possible.  It involves these steps:

Finding every file/folder that begins with a period
Making a copy of each file/folder found
Renaming each file/folder copied to a unique name that does not begin with a period
Backing up the copies (most likely via FTP)
Deleting all the copies

Ugh.  Is there a better way to accomplish this task?  And if not, is there a way to automate all this work?

I am sorry but the answer you got is nonsense. Windows does not care if a file starts with a dot. File extensions are nowadays just a visual gimmick. Just select in Windows Explorer to show all file extensions. Besides that creating a backup to a tar file on device is still a good idea as it improves backup speed. Just search this site for adb exec-out tar.

@Robert Thanks Robert.  What about transferring Android folders that each begin with a period to a Windows NTFS volume?  Is that okay?  Regarding creating a tar on Android, I considered that, but I have over 20GB to backup with only 800MB free! ;)

Agreed with Robert. Windows or NTFS have no problem with an extension-only files or folders except if they conflict with Windows reserved file names. // You can stream 20GB tar archive directly to PC without saving on Android.

@IrfanLatif Thanks Irfan.  I hope to hear back from Robert as well regarding the folders (as opposed to files).  //  I had no idea you could stream tar files from Android without saving them first.  Wow... that's spiffy.  I'm going to do some searching on that... if you know of a good QA or link for that topic, I'll read it for sure.

@RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket If you want to make a backup use adb. Do not use MTP if you want a reliable copy operation this my recommendation. MTP is buggy and slow. Try adb or for example adb-sync for reliable file copy.

https://android.stackexchange.com/q/226573

@Robert I concur about MTP!  Buggy and slow!  I typically use FTP, but I'll have to take a second look at adb for backups.  I like FTP because my backup program supports it, so I can perform incremental backups based on what I've already backup up, instead of having to backup everything from scratch.  Can adb do anything like that?  Also, do you concur with Irfan that it's fine to have folders in NTFS (on Windows) that begin with a period?

Third-party libre software out there can provide support for creating and mounting a file as an EXT4 drive in Windows. You can create a reasonable size file for EXT4 partition to hold free space and use that to move content between it and the Android.

@Firelord Interesting.  If I post a question on Software Recommendations SE for such software, do you think you could provide a recommendation?

afaik sdcardfs already take care about fat compatible file names itself, no need for ext4 on windows. you simply can't create incompatible file names within /storage/emulated/0


text:
Mobile Legends takes total of 2.2 Gb in my internal storage, but I can't locate where the other 1.4 Gb is
Mobile Legends takes total of 2.2 Gb in my internal storage

I want to know where that 2.2 Gb is located.
I went to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.mobile.legends but only 600+ MB is in there

Went to /storage/emulated/0/Android/obb/com.mobile.legends - nothing there, just a mobile legends folder that is empty.

Where is the other 1.4 GB located?

I don't know the app, so I won't write a comprehensive answer, but I suspect, it's in /data/data/com.mobile.legends/. All user data is usually confined to /data/data/ unless explicitly (by the developer) written to external storage.

@GiantTree There's no /data folder inside the parent /data. All folder starts with "com." , "org." , etc. (https://i.imgur.com/MkW23Yi.png)

@yalpsid The /data/data folder exists on every Android folder I know. However you don't have access to list it's content. And every app has only access to it's app-specific subfolder. If you want to see the content of /data/data folder you must be root.


text:
Phone does not detect SIM after a few minutes
I have a Moto G (Falcon). I have flashed some custom ROMs on it over the past few years, but there is one problem which always persists. When I restart the phone or turn off the airplane mode, the phone detects the SIM for a few minutes and everything works perfectly.
After some time, it shows the message
"invalid card" . I tried multiple SIMS in either of the slots, but the problem persists. The problem wasn't there with the stock ROM.
Did I mess up with something while flashing the ROMs? If not,  does anyone have an idea why is this happening ?


text:
adb device doesn't listed on cmd {Lenovo K8 Plus}
I am trying to root my Lenovo K8 Plus after unlocking bootloader. I try to install TWRP and somehow the TWRP recovery doesn't open and the phone is struck in the bootloop.
I then fastboot the device and connect to PC and open minimal fastboot cmd. The phone wasn't listed in adb device, but listed in fastboot devices.
I think usb debugging is not turned on because the system doesn't restart (maybe there is no ROM).
What should I do?

don't mix up adb with fastboot

Hi, I try to make your post more clearer. This requires me to edit your sentences and add more words, which may not be your intention. Please check and see if I understand you correctly.

Common mistake these days people do not read the instructions.
Here is a example Warning from TWRP site:

This device uses dm-verity!
This means that swiping to allow system modifications will prevent you from being able to boot if you are using the stock kernel. In order to bypass dm-verity's boot prevention, you will have to install a kernel that has dm-verity disabled in the fstab.

Go back to the Tutorial where you have downloaded TWRP and read, i am pretty sure there is something you forgot to flash.
Universal DM-Verity ForceEncrypt Disk Quota Disabler
Another common mistake after flashing TWRP you must not boot into android. Reboot straightforward into recovery right after flashing, otherwise your custom recovery will be replaced with stock recovery
/system/recovery-from-boot.p

Universal Disable_Dm-Verity_ForceEncrypt.zip has issues with encryption, no-verity-opt-encrypt.zip is recommended instead


text:
Finding lost bluetooth device
I was traveling from NY to Cleveland and I misplaced my Sennheiser Momentum TW's.
I used Google My Activity to help see my phone activity, and I see Spotify was opened at 3:21pm which would suggest I still had them after my stopover at 3:03pm (according to Maps timeline). Is there anyway I can view the last time they were connected to my device?
All help is greatly appreciated!
More than welcome to some out of the box solutions!

try the notifications history widget https://nexus7.gadgethacks.com/how-to/unlock-hidden-notification-history-feature-your-nexus-7-tablet-0150162

Thanks for your response, I couldnt find that widget (using an s10)

this work for android 7.0 nougat: install QuickShortcutMaker, navigate to activity Settings - com.android.settings.Settings$NotificationStationActivity - Create shortcut


text:
How to remove a system app from the Play Store updates list
I wonder how I can remove SwiftKey Keyboard form the updates list.

Notes

It's a system app.
Its Disable button is grayed out.

Disable automatic update in Google Play settings, the apps won't automatically update

@esQmo_: Then I'll have to manually get updates for each app separately, right?

Indeed. That's the only way as far as I know


text:
Samsung Note8 wifi issue (connectivity.samsung.com.cn)
I captured this screen when using WiFi with web authentication
First it goes to the connectivity.Samsung.com.cn
Then to the  wifi login screen
This is weird, does my wifi info exposing?
*I bought this phone in Hong Kong.

The domain samsung.com.cn is just an alias of samsung.com/cn. It is the Samsung domain for China. The fact that you bought the phone when you were in Hong Kong validates it.
connectivity.samsung.com.cn is a subdomain that your phone checks when you're connected to WiFi or mobile data to know if it is able to "talk" to the mothership (in this case Samsung servers). Type the URL in your browser and you will get Ok if the link is established.
So when you are connected, your phone establishes a link with Samsung servers (just as it does with Google if you have Play services installed). Your phone has not been exposed to hackers but is calling home possibly to check if there are updates from Samsung for your phone.


text:
How can I emulate pressing another application's Quick Settings tile?
I'd like to programatically press another application's Quick Settings Tile, e.g. from the shell or Tasker.

In this particular case, I'd like to press ProtonVPN's tile in order to automate connecting and disconnecting.
After tearing apart the app, I found that I could reliably disconnect the VPN with:
su root -c am start-foreground-service -n com.protonvpn.android/org.strongswan.android.logic.CharonVpnService -a android.net.VpnService.DISCONNECT

I can sometimes connect with:
su root -c am start-foreground-service -n com.protonvpn.android/org.strongswan.android.logic.CharonVpnService -a android.net.VpnService

However, this is not very reliable as it's an internal mechanism that bypasses much of what the app does in the process of properly establishing a Quick Connect connection.
If there's an intent that will simulate what occurs when an app's tile is pressed, it should provide a much cleaner solution.
In this instance, the app has the service com.protonvpn.android.components.QuickTileService and an intent action filter of android.service.quicksettings.action.QS_TILE however I'm at a loss for where to go from there.

In brief
Automating an already visible Quick Settings tile
# Click on a TileService of the specified component
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent

# You may need to expand the status bar to show the quick settings
# before it'll apply.  Not sure why.
cmd statusbar expand-settings
sleep 0.25 # 250 ms or shorter may be enough
cmd statusbar collapse

Adding a Quick Settings tile and removing it after clicking
# Expand, add tile, wait for it to initialize
cmd statusbar expand-settings
cmd statusbar add-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.20

# Click tile, wait for it to react
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.35

# Remove tile, collapse
cmd statusbar remove-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
cmd statusbar collapse

Guided walkthrough
Finding package name and component
Skip this if you already know how to find the QuickSettings Tile service.

Install an application like apps_Packages Info [F-Droid] to browse through the list of installed apps and all services.

Find the application whose tile you want to toggle and open the application details by tapping on it

Example: Digital Wellbeing is com.google.android.apps.wellbeing

Expand the Services dropdown in the application detail page

Find the tile service, which will have the permission android.permission.BIND_QUICK_SETTINGS_TILE, then note down the component name

Example: Bedtime mode (formerly Grayscale) QS tile is .screen.ui.GrayscaleTileService

Make note of the full package name and component name, and fill out the command below:

cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent

Example 1: to toggle Digital Wellbeing's Bedtime mode (formerly Grayscale) QS tile…
cmd statusbar click-tile com.google.android.apps.wellbeing/.screen.ui.GrayscaleTileService

Example 2: to toggle Digital Wellbeing's Focus Mode QS tile…
cmd statusbar click-tile com.google.android.apps.wellbeing/.focusmode.quicksettings.FocusModeTileService

Automating the Quick Settings tile
On some versions of Android, toggling the Quick Settings tile via click-tile won't apply until the Quick Settings section is expanded.  As soon as the Quick Settings section is revealed, it'll work, even if the tile itself is placed on a secondary page of quick settings tiles (e.g. page 2).
This works even when the screen is locked if the QS tile doesn't require unlocking to toggle.  However, the display must be on.
Try without expanding the Quick Settings section first, and if that doesn't work, try the expanding method instead.
General steps
If the Quick Settings tile is already added…

Turn on screen if it's off
Expand Quick Settings via cmd statusbar expand-settings

This might not be needed for you - try without first

Run cmd statusbar click-tile [component] command discovered above
Wait a short delay, e.g. 250 ms
Optionally, close status bar via cmd statusbar collapse
Optionally, turn screen off if it wasn't already on

If you don't want to keep the Quick Settings tile around…

Turn on screen if it's off
Expand Quick Settings via cmd statusbar expand-settings

As before, this might not be needed - try without first

Add the Quick Settings tile via cmd statusbar add-tile [component]
Wait a short delay, e.g. 200 ms
Run cmd statusbar click-tile [component] command discovered above
Wait a short delay, e.g. 350 ms
Run cmd statusbar remove-tile [component]
Optionally, close status bar via cmd statusbar collapse
Optionally, turn screen off if it wasn't already on

Example shell script (with Tasker counterpart)
If the Quick Settings tile is already added…
# Wake up device
input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn On

# Expand the Quick Settings section of the status bar
cmd statusbar expand-settings
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Click on a TileService of the specified component
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above, check "Use Root"

# Wait for click to register, 350 ms or shorter may be enough
sleep 0.35
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Task -> Wait, then set delay to 350 ms

# Optional: collapse status bar
# This won't work when on the lockscreen, but turning the screen off
# also collapses the status bar for you.
cmd statusbar collapse
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Optional: put device to sleep
# (Up to you: only turn off if the screen wasn't already on.)
input keyevent KEYCODE_POWER
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn Off, enabling "Lock"

If you don't want to keep the Quick Settings tile around…
# Wake up device
input keyevent KEYCODE_WAKEUP
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn On

# Expand the Quick Settings section of the status bar
cmd statusbar expand-settings
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Add the TileService of the specified component, click on it, then
# remove it
# 'sleep' gives time for the tile to initialize and the click to
# register, 200 ms or shorter may be enough
cmd statusbar add-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.20
cmd statusbar click-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
sleep 0.35
cmd statusbar remove-tile com.package.name/.service.QuickSettingsTileComponent
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above, check "Use Root"

# No need to wait for click to register, waiting was done above

# Optional: collapse status bar
# This won't work when on the lockscreen, but turning the screen off
# also collapses the status bar for you.
cmd statusbar collapse
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Code -> Run Shell, copy above

# Optional: put device to sleep
# (Up to you: only turn off if the screen wasn't already on.)
input keyevent KEYCODE_POWER
#
# Tasker: Add Action -> Display -> Turn Off, enabling "Lock"

NOTE: root or ADB is required!
If you are using an automation app rather than adb shell, cmd statusbar add-tile/click-tile/remove-tile must be run with root or via e.g. ADB WiFi actions.
The other cmd statusbar commands may be run without root.
Tasker/etc have non-root options for waking the screen and putting it to sleep.
Other details
cmd statusbar click-tile appears to have been added with Android 7.0, so this should work ever since custom quick setting tiles were officially added to Android.
I've not found any way to read the Quick Settings tile state, e.g. active/on or inactive/off.  To work around this, I've checked logcat and app notifications via dumpsys notification to see what's running or paused.
I've also not found out how to toggle the built-in Android System Quick Settings tiles; fortunately, most of them appear to be achievable via other means (secure settings, service calls, etc).

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone with this one, but seeing as no one else has had any input, I thought I may as well mention it for you to test:

Go to G Play Market and install Nova Launcher.
Skip all the setup and go straight to the Home screen with Nova as the default launcher (since you're just testing functionality at this point)
Long press your background and select Widgets, then scroll down to Nova Launcher and find the "Activity" widget (for me it's the second widget); long-press then drag to an empty space on Home Screen
Once you let go to set the widget, an overlay prompt will come into focus and start loading.  Depending on your device and the number of apps installed, this may take a minute or two, so don't be alarmed.  Once it finishes loading, scroll down to your app and locate the activity thread you're looking for and select it (you can long-press them one by one to test the function as well, it will return you back to the previous overlay prompt if the thread didn't cause a crash...if it does, you'll have to restart from step 3.

I always thought it was a neat function but never got around to testing what it was capable of doing.  Hope this works out for you!
NOTE: I am enrolled in the Beta and have the Prime (paid) version, so I'm not sure if that might affect this specific function or not.  You can likely purchase for testing and request a refund if necessary.


text:
Half dead screen, trying to recover data (device not showing in file explorer)
I have a somewhat old Samsung S7 Edge phone which (strangely enough) has only the lower half of the screen not working. This is, the whole screen lights up and displays everything, but ONLY the lower half is unresponsive to touching. As such, I cannot unlock it and turn usb debugging on.
It is not rooted nor do I know how to do it; I don't really know a thing about coding.
I have seen many previous threads and web pages about this, but at most I am very confused and don't want to brick it.
It doesn't have any really important files, but very old GBA roms I would really like to keep, as well as some photos and pictures I may have. Any help appreciated!

Interesting.  I had a Samsung S6 that suddenly did exactly the same thing.  I didn't know it was a common problem with Samsung devices.  Do you have any good links regarding this problem?  To "fix" it, I recall letting the phone sit for a couple hours in a climate-controlled environment while it was turned off.  When I turned it back on, it magically worked again.  Maybe I just got lucky.

No, it just happened out of nowhere, after i left it charging overnight. As far as i remember, i found nothing regarding only half of the screen dying. Also, the phone was given to me by a familiar who constantly used a texting app, so the lower part of the screen has a "ghost" keyboard, like a slightly always visible mark of a keyboard on  screen. Even that part worked fine before. But regarding turning it off, the only current way to do so is by letting it slowly die out of battery since the turn off option requires password, and it has been sitting in my drawer for the past year already...

After sitting for the past year, is the battery still charged?

No, it dies out after a week or so, maybe half a month on full charge. I periodically charge it and turn it on in hopes of it returning, but nothing so far.

Hmmm... well, then, unfortunately besides a physical repair, I'm out of ideas of how to get the screen working again.  Sorry.  To get the data off the device, there are many good answers here on Android SE to get data off a device with a broken screen.

Thanks, i will try with some of the methods over here! If anything, is it relatively easy to undo a mistake when using adb? I never tried it before and if anything, i dont want to end up messing the OS or something along those lines.

Good question.  adb is often scary for people at first, as it's a powerful tool.  Yes, you can mess things up with it, but personally, I never have experienced a problem.  You may look at performing a backup image of the device before trying to extract specific files.  I'm sure there are good QAs for that here too.  Keep in mind that you are only extracting data, so your use of adb commands should be limited to those that read data and not write data.

I just thought of 2 "last ditch" things you can try.  They are unlikely to help, but they shouldn't hurt, and do have a small chance of working.  The first thing you can try is shaking the device vigorously at different angles.  If that doesn't help, you can try squeezing the phone and pressing fairly hard all over the device.  Just be sure not to break the glass (wear glass-proof gloves if you think there's a chance of the glass shattering).  If there's a connection that is loose, one of these procedures has a tiny chance of resolving the issue.  I once fixed a device doing this.

Oh, that sounds strange but the logic behind it completely makes sense. I will try that as well, thank you!

Have you considered using an OTG cable and a mouse to unlock your device?

Does this answer your question? Enable ADB and/or change USB connection mode on Galaxy S7 w/ broken screen

If one half of the screen is still responsive you could try to use your device upside down or in landscape mode. Then you should be able to e.g. press OK on the dialog that appears when connecting via adb.

@Robert That's darn clever. :) Hopefully screen rotation is enabled or can be enabled (and works on that particular screen).

... even if not, OTG usb mouse or usb keyboard still can be used to add bluetooth keyboard (which can be used for confirmation of adb)


text:
Exporting call records with phone call recordings from Mega Call Recorder Advanced app
This is a long-shot, but I really hope someone can help.
I was using the Mega Call Recorder Advanced Android app to record phone calls for quite some time.  Its official package name was com.callrecorder.procallrecorder and the developer's name was MEGA Clip.
Although I still have the app installed, it disappeared from the Play Store a while back.  I'm not sure why, as it worked quite well.  I did notice that its UI is very similar to many other call recording apps, and so I wonder if perhaps it was based on another project.
At this point, I have many GB of recorded calls stored by this now-defunct app.  The calls are stored in standard MP3 format, and the filename of each is the timestamp of the call.  So far so good.  The big issue is that the filenames do not indicate the phone number (or contact name)  of the caller (for incoming calls) / call recipient (for outgoing calls).  That data is visible in the app's UI, but I don't see any export function.
I want to backup all of this app's data and have the backups in a usable format.  To do that, I need to somehow have a record of which contact (or at least phone number) each recording is associated with.  Ideally, I would like the MP3 filenames themselves to include that essential information.
I'm hoping someone will have a good idea of how to proceed, or perhaps recognize the UI and know of another app that can perhaps export the data.
I have a strong hunch that there are other call recorder apps out there that are based on the same code.  Someone even wrote a review on the Google Play store noticing the same thing (see last screenshot below).  Perhaps one of those apps has a good export function and could read the data files from this app.
Here is what the app looks like (screenshots courtesy of the Google Play store), as well as other relevant screenshots:

Does the share button allow to save to Google Drive? if yes, does it save the file(s) with the contact name?

Can you provide an example of a filename? Can you read/copy the app's database?

@ReddyLutonadio Thank you for your interest, Reddy.  I don't have Google Drive installed, but the share button opens the standard share UI, so I think it would allow sharing with Google Drive.  But, unless I'm missing something (always possible!), it would require going to each recording and sharing it.  But maybe you know of a workaround for that?

@ReddyLutonadio An example of a filename is 20191002154123.mp3.  The first 8 digits look like the date and the last 6 look like the time.  Reading all the mp3 files is no problem at all.  I think I can also read/copy the app's database, but I haven't yet concluded if it is the entire database, or just some of the metadata that is stored by the app.

I am thinking you could try to share one or two files to your own Dropbox. Google Drive, etc and check if they are saved as with the same filename or not. Speaking about mp3, try to verify if the files' metadata don't contain any details related to your contacts.

@ReddyLutonadio Thanks. Those are both great ideas, and I can't believe I didn't check the latter.  I'll check both and report back.

The application keeps a copy of the database with calls logs in the folder where the call recordings are stored (/sdcard/CallRecorder/.db/callRecorder).
Prerequisites:

Python3 installed
ADB
USB debugging enabled on the phone

Steps:

Dump the folder /sdcard/CallRecorder using ADB from the

 adb pull /sdcard/CallRecorder

Create a new Python file, "export.py", in the dumped folder, "callRecorder", with the following content:

import sqlite3
import os
from shutil import copyfile

con = sqlite3.connect(".db/callRecorder")

for filename in os.listdir("."):
   if ".mp3" not in filename:
      continue

   row = con.execute("Select * from calls where instr(filePath, "+ filename.replace('.mp3', '') +")").fetchone()
   phone_nbr = row[1]
   contact_name = row[2]
   date_time = filename.replace(".mp3", "")
   copyfile(filename, f"{phone_nbr}_{contact_name}_{date_time}.mp3")

Execute the Python file using Notepad++ Python interpreter or using CMD:
> python PATH\TO\callRecord\export.py

That will copy each record to the format "phoneNumber_contactName_datetime.mp3"

Oh my goodness... thank you so much! Wow, I am almost speechless with gratitude.  I'm definitely going to give this a try this weekend.  The only Python I currently have set up is a Python interpreter within Notepad++.  Do you have any idea if that will work?  If not, is there a portable version of Python I can quickly set up?  Are there any additional Python libraries I will need to get to make this work?  Thank you again for this amazingly helpful answer!

Glad if it can help! Yes it works using Notepad++ Python interpreter. No, the script does not need any additional libraries.

Thanks!  Did you test it with the current release version of the Notepad++ Python interpreter (v1.5.4) or the new v3.x alpha releases?

I followed the steps described in the post: https://stackoverflow.com/a/1702605 to configure Notepad++ with Python. Notepad++ v7.9.3 and Python 3.9.2.

Ah! I'm glad I asked.  That's very different from what I was thinking.  Just FYI, Notepad++ has its own Python interpreter as a plugin: https://github.com/bruderstein/PythonScript/releases  Since you didn't use that, I'll set up a full Python interpreter... it's probably about time I did that anyway.  Especially since I hang out around @SteveBarnes (I you want to make a pizza, Steve will figure out a way to write an amazing Python script to do it). :)

I didn't have enough time this past weekend to try this out, but I'm hoping to have a spare hour or two soon.  Regardless, I'm awarding you the bounty because you've been so helpful, and I'm very grateful!  I also have a feeling that your solution will work as is, or that we can make it work together with a little minor tweaking.

Many thanks for the bounty. Please don't hesitate if you have questions or any.

You're welcome.  I'm working on it now!

I ran into an issue, but I'm pretty sure it's entirely on my end.  Instead of creating a lot of noise in the comments here, will you join me in chat? https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/info/120033/lizard-in-a-st0rm


text:
How to solve problem in APK Tools
I'm trying to decompile an apk with the apk tools and I'm not getting it. When I run apktool -d myapp.apk it displays this error to me:
 Exception in thread "main" brut.androlib.AndrolibException: Invalid chunk type: expected=0x00000200, got=0x00000203
    at brut.androlib.res.decoder.ARSCDecoder.checkChunkType(ARSCDecoder.java:542)
    at brut.androlib.res.decoder.ARSCDecoder.readTablePackage(ARSCDecoder.java:88)
    at brut.androlib.res.decoder.ARSCDecoder.readTableHeader(ARSCDecoder.java:82)
    at brut.androlib.res.decoder.ARSCDecoder.decode(ARSCDecoder.java:48)
    at brut.androlib.res.AndrolibResources.getResPackagesFromApk(AndrolibResources.java:786)
    at brut.androlib.res.AndrolibResources.loadMainPkg(AndrolibResources.java:67)
    at brut.androlib.res.AndrolibResources.getResTable(AndrolibResources.java:59)
    at brut.androlib.Androlib.getResTable(Androlib.java:66)
    at brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.setTargetSdkVersion(ApkDecoder.java:236)
    at brut.androlib.ApkDecoder.decode(ApkDecoder.java:118)
    at brut.apktool.Main.cmdDecode(Main.java:170)
    at brut.apktool.Main.main(Main.java:76)

Can anyone help me with that? I would offer more reward does not yet

Known issue with APK Tools: Issue #2099 Invalid chunk type

Thanks, i resolved with `apktool d -f -r netflix.apk (my apk test).

@Dakota -f -r may not be the best way. Now, you can build from the latest source.

Please use Apktool v2.5.1-0a7b84-SNAPSHOT to decompile the apk.
This will be fixed in v2.5.1, which is not released yet to the public
here is the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RmHwBD4DnDHt6RIN1Ua2gHE6F8sPqJ0O/view?usp=sharing

Based on the comment, looks like this will be fixed in v2.5.1, which is not released yet to the public. That said, I got access denied to Google Drive (though, why is it on Google Drive?).

Hi Andrew - Please check the link again. It should work. It is on google drive as I found it earlier somewhere to decompile an apk , can't locate that place on the internet. I have it on my c://windows location.

Here is my powerful tool  Decompiles almost every apk!
https://github.com/kikfox/kikfox

If you might be a bit suspicious of using a jar from

a not-so-well-known fork of apktool (kikfox) ; or
a Google Drive link

You may be pleased to know that you can build it yourself rather easily from the official APKtool github site, following the easy-to-follow official instructions. It just takes a few minutes.
I tried with an apk that had been giving this error.
Using apktool_2.5.0.jar (the most recent release, Dec 2020), from Apktool release site, the error was seen.
Building apktool from the source, and trying on the same apk, it worked perfectly without the error.