How to set custom dialer as default on Nexus 5?

This isn't hard.First,you need to disable phone by defaults.go to "manage app",select phone...clear defaults.then go to the menu,remove the phone icon and replace with the exdialer...then i think it should be easy from there on....any where you get a prompt select the exdialer


Can't send emails from huawei tablet using outlook address

You can check the SMTP server settings of your mail program. The SMTP server is the one used for sending E-Mails.

The recommended settings for the SMTP server for @outlook.com is:

Server: smtp-mail.outlook.com
SMTP port: 587
SMTP encryption method: STARTTLS

If it still does not work your network may be blocking port 587. But that would be a problem of the network and not a Android problem.


Yes, you can install new fonts, but it requires root on most devices.

To install a font, you just simply need to copy the font file (.ttf format only) into /system/fonts.  There are also numerous apps available on the Play store to do this automatically for you, such as the plainly named Font Installer.  Other apps also include functionality to find new fonts.

With the right app, it is also possible to install fonts without root on the Samsung Galaxy S3, S4, Note, and Note 2.


Shortcut to a specific folder using the "My Files" file manager

My bad, in fact the app My Files has this option already:


The 2 step verification process does not affect all the accounts in the mobile. It would only ask for the account which is registered with the 2 step verification process.


Exchange contacts don't show up in Contacts app

In the Contacts app go to the three dots and select Contacts to Display. Make sure the Exchange account is included in the contacts being displayed.


my computer is not recoginizing my phone but charging it

Depending on your computer os and your phone. After connection via usb, theres normally a popup in the notification bar where you are able to choose from various usb modes. If that won't work, it could be a driver issue. Samsung devices tend to have Samsung Kies installed, which ships the usb driver.


How about "OpenVPN for Android" made by schwabe.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.blinkt.openvpn
https://github.com/schwabe/ics-openvpn

It has per app connection setting by whitelist or blacklist, though it doesn't support second VPN or SOCKS proxy for the excepted apps.


How can I make chrome always display the address bar? It autohides when I scroll and then I need to scroll back to show it

No... It is not possible.

  The short answer is no. If you feel that this should be a feature then
  please file a bug on crbug.com/new. :) Hope that answers your
  question.

Source


How does one disable the media scanner? (obviously on a rooted device)

Via the command line:

$ su
# pm disable com.android.providers.media/com.android.providers.media.MediaScannerReceiver


How can I bypass the pattern lock screen of a Samsung Edge S7?

I got the answer. As per your question you have access to Android Device Manager which allows you to lock the device. Simply click on lock and enter the new password. It will replace the current password and you will be able to unlock the device via the password you added.As simple as that. There are more methods Here


How to remove parental control on Amazon Kindle

Look at this amazon help forum about this issue. I found this:

  This is a bug in the kindle. Don't reset your device people!!! Just go onto your amazon account and "manage your device" and deregister it. That resets the parental control password. Go to the device and hit resync. When thats done go into the settings gear, my account, and register it using your amazon account info. It will be as before, nothing lost. I just got off the chat with a helpful amazon tech rep who gave me this information.

Also take a look at this answer on a forum found at askville.amazon.com:

    If you forget your password, you can deregister your Kindle Fire from Manage Your Kindle (www.amazon.com/manageyourkindle) to reset the
    parental controls password. Deregistering your Kindle Fire will also
    allow you to keep any downloaded items on your device. Once your
    Kindle Fire has been deregistered, tap Sync from the Quick Settings
    menu on your device, tap More, then select My Account to reregister
    your device.

  If you're unable to deregister your Kindle Fire from Manage Your
  Kindle, you'll need to reset your device to the default factory
  settings to regain access. If you've added any personal documents,
  music, videos, or other content to your Kindle Fire, ensure it's been
  backed up prior to resetting your device. Resetting your Kindle Fire
  to the default factory settings will delete all content on your device
  and you'll need to register it again before downloading items from
  your Amazon account.

  To reset your device to the default factory settings:

  K6:

  Tap the Quick Settings icon in the top right corner of the screen, then tap More.
  Tap Device, then tap Reset to Factory Defaults.

  K9 / K9-HD / K10:

  Swipe down from the top of the screen, then tap More.
  Tap Device, then tap Reset to Factory Defaults.

  To ensure your Kindle Fire has the latest software update, visit:

  http://www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates

  Kindle Fire also supports Parental Controls for in-app items purchased
  through the Amazon Appstore.


Why file managers badly recognizes SD cards

This is done so that on a device without a removable SD Card 1 - you'd still be able to copy files to and from the device, and 2 - user's data can be stored separately from system and app data.

Regardless if a specific device has a removable SD Card, Android sets aside part of its internal memory that is reserved for user's media such as photos, music, movies, books etc.  That is the area that becomes visible to a computer when you connect the device via USB cable, and is commonly referred to as "internal SD Card" for the sake of simplicity.  If a device has a removable SD Card, you will have another area that is visible to a computer, and that is referred to as "external SD Card."

On older versions of Android internal SD Card was set up as a separate partition, and formatted as a variation of Fat/Fat32 type so that it could be accessible as a UMS device.  On newer Android versions there's some behind-the-scenes logic happening to expose internal SD Card to computers via MTP protocol instead.

Most Android file managers will show both internal memory, and the external card if one is present.


Recover contacts and images from stolen phone

if you had synced the device with your google account then you can find your contacts at google contacts and photos at google photos.


Are security patches only applied to the latest Android version?

Google provides security updates for older AOSP major versions, but they do not provide updates for Pixel phones.
You can see this easily in the list of available Firmware images for Pixel devices:
Take for example the Pixel 3a:

The available Android 9 releases are dated from March 2019 to August 2019
The available Android 10 releases are dated from September 2019 to August 2020
The available Android 11 releases are dated from September 2020 to October 2020 (now)

As these are all factory images available for the Pixel 3a you can see that there are no (security) updates for Android 9 based images after Android 10 has been released and the same is true for Android 10 which stops after Android 11 has been released.
The provided images are not OTA updates received by regular bootloader locked devices, but I would assume that Google does provide the same versions as full firmware images and OTA updates.


How to launch the hidden Sound Recorder on Froyo?

You could try launching it from the command line using the am command. Either from a terminal emulator or from an adb shell you can try:

am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.soundrecorder/com.android.soundrecorder.SoundRecorder

This works on my EVO and on my Xoom, and it's probably important to note that my Xoom does not display the Sound Recorder application in my app drawer (similar to your device).

Also, some custom launchers let you define shortcuts to either an activity or an intent. In ADW Launcher, for example, you can choose to set a shortcut to the Sound Recorder activity by long pressing your home screen and going to Custom Shortcut->Pick your activity and then finding it in the list (it lists every activity on the device).


Do ALL stock Verizon Droid RAZRs have the full Developer Optionc menu on System Settings?

Virtually all Android devices have the Developer options menu. This is stock Android; a carrier or device manufacturer would have to explicitly remove it. If they did, the hue and cry from actual Android developers would be very loud; some might even refuse to develop for such a device, which would have a negative impact on device sales.

In Ice Cream Sandwich, it's grown lots of extra options, as you've noticed.

The developer options are mostly useful to actual developers, though some of them are useful to power users. For instance, "USB Debugging" allows a user to control their Android from their PC with adb; that could be anything from side-loading an apk to rooting the device. Privacy fanatics will appreciate "Allow mock locations"; when this option is on they can use simple apps to generate false geolocation data. And my personal favorite is "Stay awake" which prevents the phone from sleeping or blanking the display while it's on the charger.

If you're having a problem with these options getting enabled while the device is in your pocket, as in your other question, consider using a screen lock.

In Jelly Bean, developer options must be enabled explicitly and a warning dialog appears if you try to enable developer options. This will help prevent you from enabling them accidentally in your pocket.


How do I stop getting reminders form a deleted Exchange account?

Try clearing your calendar data (Settings -> Applications -> Calendar -> Clear Data).

If that doesn't work then you might have to resort to a factory reset.

(If you have to go this route then there are lots of options for backing up your data before hand to minimize the pain)


Can't connect Samsung Galaxy S3 to my laptop

To access files from your phone on your computer, you need to have it hosted as a media device. Often these are found in your settings (in my case, when I plug the USB cable my phone asks me whether to charge phone only, or host as media device.) These are most likely found in your settings if it does not ask. Once you get that far, you need the drivers for your phone to be installed on the computer. Often they automatically install once your phone connects, but you may need to install them manually. Feel free to comment for anything you don't understand, but please try to make it understandable. They can be found here for your phone: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads


3D maps includes 3D models of some cities. London isn't included, yet, but New York is, as are Cardiff and Birmingham on the UK.  You don't need to do anything to view them other than select the map layer, zoom right in, and then swipe down with 2 fingers to angle the view.

(the 3D models appear if you're looking straight down, but it misses the point, somewhat...)


How to enable SD MSC mount in Jelly Bean?

Seems as if Google is evil¹ and removed that option from Jelly Bean to enforce their DRM schemes². I found however a tool which restores it: Automated Framework Kit

¹Like we didn’t already know that.

²I have no idea what was the rationale behind it, but remember it’s the company which has a mail service that’s immensely popular despite not properly working with any major mail client.


What are the differences between: LauncherPro "Keep in memory" and "Lock home in memory."

I keep them both enabled, but I have tried them each individually and the CM option works much better.  The fact that it "causes other apps to shut down" is the whole point.  Android keeps the memory filled at all times and ends tasks on demand when more memory is needed.  It is supposed to be pretty smart and know, based on your usage, which apps to give priority to but if you are multi-tasking and the phone needs more memory it may kill LauncherPro causing it to to reload from scratch when you hit the home button.  The option to keep it in memory gives it a higher priority so when Android tries to free up some memory it kills something else.


ADB pull error: remote object '/dev/block/mmcblk0p24' not a file or directory

adb pull is for files.  /dev/block/mmcblk0 is a block device.  user1133275's answer to that question doesn't work; try the other one, i.e. run adb shell and then:

$ su
# dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 of=/sdcard/something.bin

Then you can run adb pull /sdcard/something.bin.


some of my apps din't work including google play store after i rooted my galaxy s4

Reflash the ROM and the gapps (Reboot to custom recovery (install one if you haven't already) and select ROM flashable zip and then Gapps for your version of android.). (try rebooting and letting first-boot setup take place before flashing gapps. This is not required but may help). Also clear data, dalivik and cache again if required.

ROM: You need one for your phone model. Roms for different versions of same model i.e. International vs US Carrier vs Korean model, etc. wont work on each other.

GAPPS: gapps or google apps deffer based on your android version. i.e 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, etc. You can use same gapps on different phones as long as they have same android version as required by gapps downloaded.


When you are in recovery mode you should be able to use adb to get your data.


/system/bin/mediaserver and /system/bin/drmserver dont want these but Android disagrees

This is a really old question but I have an answer for anyone wondering.If you do not care about playing DRM-protected content, just replace /system/bin/drmserver with an executable file that does nothing (e.g. just sleeps forever). Example: File someone made for a Magisk module that disabled DRM


Can Anti-virus affect device performance?

All antivirus applications on all platforms will impact the performance of the device.
This is because they intercept your actions and check them for unwanted effects.

You say you have installed anti-viruses - plural.  If you install more than one such application on any device they will start to check upon each other.  This will have a significant cumulative affect which will be immediately noticeable.
If you have installed more than one, then uninstall in the reverse order of installation.


The folder is created by AppVirality SDK.
Before v1.1.18, the folder is not hidden, and can be read by gallery apps.

Version - 1.1.18
Major Changes:
Hidden androidlav folder from Android image gallery.

You can delete it. If it comes back, which it might if you open MakeMyTrip again, you should report it to them.


Screen turns off during call due to problem with proximity sensor - Xperia Z3 compact

I'm sure some of the solutions that were mentioned here will work for other people but unfortunately, the only solution that worked for me was a hardware solution. I took my phone to a lab and they pressed the screen to the back of the phone with some extra glue. After 24 hours the phone was good as new. As a programmer I was disappointed that no software solution could solve my problem, but I still feel obligated to share my solution.


System UI has stopped working Oneplus 2 running Paranoid Android 6.01

Hard reset the phone by pressing the volume button and the power and hold it down.
You will loose your data
click on the below youtube link to see how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Y1-2uUyO4


What is "srv_listen" permission used for?

I can't explain what 'srv_listen' really does but to find more info you can use the infobutton in Xprivacy next to the permission name.

There you will find that the actual permission is called ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION and you'll find a link to the Google documentation.

I'm sorry that I can't help more.


I have an AT&T Galaxy SIII.  I use BetterBatteryStats when I have battery issues.  Lately I've been having problems with the calendar sync service keeping the phone awake.  I cleared its data and resynced from scratch, and that helped, but a few hours ago I created a new calendar, and now it's going bonkers again.

Anyway, the best I've been able to get is about 3% per hour when not being actively used.  I might have seen 2.5% one time, but that was a few months ago.  Typically though, especially with this calendar sync problem, I see 4.5% per hour or worse.

So if your question is, "How long should the battery last?" my best answer from my experience is about 24-28 hours, considering an average 3% per hour drain while idle, and light usage.  If you make a few long phone calls, that will, of course, drain it much faster.

But any apps that go haywire and cause excess wakelocks will wreck it quick.  I love the freedom of Android compared to iOS, but I really want more control over apps background behavior.  Android 4.3 may provide this, but who knows if the SIII will ever get it.


How to make a backup from internal storage of my Galaxy S3 Neo while it stucks on Samsung logo screen?

If you have tried enough booting and it won't boot than all feasible option you have are

look if only flashing system partition is possible and if it doesnt remove your data
or if it is possible to root without loss of data, if possible do so and install recovery and extract your data to PC and reflash the firmware


How SElinux protects android from rooting

SELinux depends upon labels to match actions and policies. Labels determine what is allowed. Sockets, files, and processes all have labels in SELinux. SELinux decisions are based fundamentally on labels assigned to these objects and the policy defining how they may interact. In SELinux, a label takes the form: user:role:type:mls_level, where the type is the primary component of the access decisions, which may be modified by the other sections components which make up the label. The objects are mapped to classes and the different types of access for each class are represented by permissions.

The policy rules come in the form: allow domains types:classes permissions;, where:

Domain - A label for the process or set of processes. Also called a domain type as it is just a type for a process.
Type - A label for the object (e.g. file, socket) or set of objects.
Class - The kind of object (e.g. file, socket) being accessed.
Permission - The operation (e.g. read, write) being performed.
And so an example use of this would follow the structure:

  allow appdomain app_data_file:file rw_file_perms;

This says that all application domains are allowed to read and write files labeled app_data_file. Note that this rule relies upon macros defined in the global_macros file, and other helpful macros can also be found in the te_macros file, both of which can be found in the external/sepolicy directory in the AOSP source tree. Macros are provided for common groupings of classes, permissions and rules, and should be used whenever possible to help reduce the likelihood of failures due to denials on related permissions.

In addition to individually listing domains or types in a rule, one can also refer to a set of domains or types via an attribute. An attribute is simply a name for a set of domains or types. Each domain or type can be associated with any number of attributes. When a rule is written that specifies an attribute name, that name is automatically expanded to the list of domains or types associated with the attribute. For example, the domain attribute is associated with all process domains, and the file_type attribute is associated with all file types.

Use the syntax above to create avc rules that comprise the essence of an SELinux policy. A rule takes the form:

<rule variant> <source_types> <target_types> : <classes> <permissions>

The rule indicates what should happen when a subject labeled with any of the source_types attempts an action corresponding to any of the permissions on an object with any of the class classes which has any of the target_types label. The most common example of one of these rules is an allow rule, e.g.:

  allow domain null_device:chr_file { open };

This rule allows a process with any domain associated with the ‘domain’ attribute to take the action described by the permission ‘open’ on an object of class ‘chr_file’ (character device file) that has the target_type label of ‘null_device.’ In practice, this rule may be extended to include other permissions:

  allow domain null_device:chr_file { getattr open read ioctl lock
  append write};

When combined with the knowledge that ‘domain’ is an attribute assigned to all process domains and that null_device is the label for the character device /dev/null, this rule basically permits reading and writing to /dev/null.

A domain generally corresponds to a process and will have a label associated with it.

For example, a typical Android app is running in its own process and has the label of untrusted_app that grants it certain restricted permissions.

Platform apps built into the system run under a separate label and are granted a distinct set of permissions. System UID apps that are part of the core Android system run under the system_app label for yet another set of privileges.

Access to the following generic labels should never be directly allowed to domains; instead, a more specific type should be created for the object or objects:

socket_device
device
block_device
default_service
system_data_file
tmpfs

Source: SELinux concepts
For more details, see: Security-Enhanced Linux in Android
Implementing SELinux


Go to https://www.google.com/settings/dashboard in a web browser (on any device) and log in with your Google account details. You'll see a section called Android. If you expand it, you'll see a list of all the devices which have backed up data automatically to your Google account, and a list of all the apps with backup data and the time they last backed up.


Does play store filter out NFC apps for phones which do not have NFC?

That depends on the app. For using NFC in an app the developer has to declare that in the app's AndroidManifest.xml that is contained it the app (and used by the PlayStore to detect if an app is compatible at all).
When using a feature you can declare if it is required=true or not, if it is not required it is considered optional:
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.nfc" android:required="true"/>

Therefore for apps that declare the NFC feature as required=true PlayStore will not show you those apps on a non NFC phone. If it is set to optional (required=false) then you will be able to see this app.
See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/52695866/does-nfc-permission-result-in-an-error-when-the-device-has-no-support


No, you cannot set up an event to trigger when a Llama profile has changed. Changing a Llama profile is only an action, and unfortunately isn't available as a condition.

There also isn't a condition for Connected to Computer. But there is a Charging or Unplugged condition that you can use to trigger other events. If you are fine with the more broad event of activating a profile when the phone is plugged in (to anything), that's doable.


Will changing password of a Google account revoke access to it on a lost device?

Changing your password will require all devices to reauthorize (log in) before syncing any new data, however information already on the device, like bookmarks and such, will remain.
Locking the device with Android Device Manager would be the better option.


Opening Google Search results for music in PowerAMP?

That's two questions in one -- it would have been better to separate them.

If you execute an action which has multiple apps as options -- such as e.g. tapping on a music file in your file explorer when having multiple players installed, Andoid initially asks you for the app to use -- and lets you chose to make it the default. Worked fine for me with the Cubed player. This requires the "additional" app has a corresponding "listener" established as PowerAmp does, in your case.

After an app has been selected as the default, you can easily reverse that choice. Look under System Settings / Apps / All (sweep tabs to the left, if All is not visible).
Select the Clear defaults button (near the bottom) on the App info page for the Android stock music player (Google Play Music in my case, unsure if that one is your Android stock player).
If it asks for confirmation, confirm yes.
The next time you search for and select a local audio file, you will then be offered the opportunity to choose your preferred player app (enable the Use by default for this action checkbox, if you wish).

You can exclude locations from being scanned by the media scanner by placing a file named .nomedia within those directories. The media scanner will then exclude this directory from its scan, and thus contained files will not make it into the library. You still can chose manually to play them by e.g. looking them up with a file explorer.


How can I write in Tamil language with Google Handwriting Input?

By default, Google Handwriting Input uses current system language only. However, you can turn off this feature and select the languages you want to use manually.

Open Google Handwriting Input app
On the bottom, tap Configure languages
Turn off Use system language
Below that, select any languages you want to use (e.g. English and Tamil)
Tap Download languages to download the configured languages to use it.

(Click to enlarge screenshot)
Now you can choose Tamil (or any languages you previously selected) for Google Handwriting when inputting on a text box.

Based on Google Handwriting Input version 1.1.


Do Android phone apps run on Android tablets?

Short answer: It depends.

Long answer:

Android developers have the ability to specify requirements for their apps both in terms of software (minimum OS version, for example) and hardware.  For example, an app that does turn-by-turn navigation may require the Android device it's being installed on to have built-in GPS.  Such an app would be listed as "incompatible" with any tablet that doesn't have a GPS chip (the tablet reports its hardware features to the Play Store).  The same is true for a reverse situation, where an app that requires a minimum screen resolution may work fine on a tablet, but show as incompatible for phones that are below that limit.

Another example is Google TV. Since none of the current models have touch-screen support, any apps that require this feature would be listed as not compatible on the Play Store.

These limitations are only being enforced by the Google's Play Store.  This means that if you manage to side-load the app's APK file, it may work just fine on any device.  However, the lack of minimum requirements will mean that the app will be unstable.


How to access content of the google drive app backup?

This is a not complete answer to the above question, but just a helpful hint.
As it is stated on Android Backup Service help page

  Not all apps use Android Backup Service. Some apps may not back up and restore all data.

So you should at first check if GPSLogger utilize Android Backup Service and then try to extract backup data.

The most proved way to backup app's settings is to copy folder

/data/data/com.some_vendor.some_app

beforehand and then to restore it manually. Or use some professional tool like Titanium, of course.


forcing all calls to be dialed by hangouts

I have had the same problem before. I During setup, the Google Voice app (this is what you mean, right) asks whether you want all calls router, just international calls, or no calls routed through it. If you didn't select All calls during setup, it cannot be found in settings. But the solution is to use the Google Voice toggle widget (looks just like the Google voice all, 1x1). Place it on your home screen, then tap on it until you see the toast that says Route All Calls through Google Voice (or something like that).

Otherwise, if you want everything to be routed through Google Hangouts, you have two options. But note that this routes calls through your data plan, not your phone plan. Both solutions require use of the Google Hangouts Dialer app. Download it from the play store. The first method is simple. Replace your dialer with Google Hangouts Dialer. When you open the app, it takes you to a tab in Hangouts that contains a dialpad, or your call log. If you do not see the dial pad, click the dialpad button at the bottom. Then dial, like you normally would. The second is a little more complicated, but it allows you to use your existing dialer. Clear your app defaults for both Hangouts Dialer, and your native Dialer app. Then when you dial a phone number, your phone should prompt whether to call using your phone app, or Hangouts Dialer. Select Hangouts Dialer.

If this helped you, please select the green Check mark(✔✅) on the left of the answer, so the community knows this is the best answer. Thanks


Flashed a new firmware, now wifi won't turn on

Based on our chat, you did not do a "clean flash" ( Factory reset + wipe Dalvik cache + wipe, preferably format /system) of stock ROM using Odin.

Clean flash is always recommended if you are switching between ROMs from different sources for same Android Version or switching between versions. This is to ensure that /system does not have remanants of the earlier ROM.

What you did while switching ROM from Slimkat to stock is a "dirty flash", (see Clean flash Vs dirty flash  which could have resulted in your Wifi problem.

Suggest you first clean install stock ROM and check WiFi connectivity. In case that doesn't work suggest you update modem to the latest version from complete modem list for S3 either flashing by Odin or custom recovery


It'd make sense that accuracy of 16 means there is a 68% chance of being within the circle of 16m radius centered on the reported latitude and longitude, as that's what Android’s getAccuracy() method returns. Similarly, the vertical accuracy (which is often 2 for me as well) would make sense as 68% of ±2m (from getVerticalAccuracyMeters). There isn't any documentation that I can find of the format, so it's hard to be sure.

GPS is normally less reliable in altitude than latitude/longitude, but a lot of phones (mine included) have barometric altimeters, which can give much more precise altitude if calibrated (which Google may be able to do from e.g., weather stations).

All that is well in theory, but looking at own Google Takeout data, it appears altitude is off by ~30m (way more than the ±2m it'd be claiming). [Update This is probably the difference between WGS84 altitude and MSL; see http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0703/geoid1of3.html for an explanation and http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/gravitymod/egm96/intpt.html for a calculator.] And is updated infrequently (it's been showing the same value for me for hours over a bunch of records, and given I haven't traveled anywhere, but you'd expect random variation if it were raw GPS numbers).

I wouldn't assume the correctness of any of this data. Keep in mind what it was gathered for — mostly for statistical aggregation to show you relevant places, ads, etc. None of that requires any given point to be correct. Indeed, in my history, I've got a few points which are accuracy of 1524304 — so, errr, 68% confident which quarter of the globe I'm in?


Mobile internet doesn't work on browsers with VPN turned off, but it works in some apps, and works via Wi-Fi in all apps

Navigate to settings>system>reset options
click on "Reset Wi_fi, mobile & bluetooth.

This will however reset your your phone network settings

I had experienced a similar situation and this was the only solution that worked for me.

Did this work for you?


Delete the entry for yahoo in the host file. (It's most likely here it's happening)

Here's how:
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/edit-your-rooted-android-hosts-file-to-block-ad-servers/

Essentially:

Use a file manager like ES File Explorer
Locate the file /system/etc/hosts
Remove the line that says anything about yahoo
Save the file
Reboot

If it doesn't work make sure that the file has the correct permissions:

  Open ES File Manager
  Navigate to /system/etc
  Locate and long-press the hosts file
  Tap the menu button
  Select Properties
  Tap Change in the Permissions section
  Tap the check box for Group under the Write column (Figure B)
  Tap OK
  Tap Cancel
  Reboot device

(Quoted from techrepublic)


Try InstaCamera Pro from Google Play Store. It starts very fast and has preferences to start camera and takes photo just by a single touch from home screen of your phone:

  InstaCamera is the quickest way to take a photo with your phone.

  There's no long process: just press the widget and it takes a photo, then closes just as quickly.

The paid PRO version is supposed to be faster than the free version.


Which filesystems get overwritten when applying a ROM?

As Izzy has said, this entirely depends on the device and the particular image you are flashing.  Some might flash a new recovery, some not.  Some might flash only the system partition and leave your data alone.  There are even packages that will flash a new bootloader.

If you want to see what a ROM contains, you should open it up and have a look.  Here is a basic explanation of the structure of a kernel flash package.


(ROOT apps, tweaks, roms, scripts, hacks) cydia like app for android?

Xposed Framework is an alternative to Cydia on Android. but that doesn't work on Android 5.0 just yet. An Alpha-Version was just made available. The installation process is different though and it is still buggy. Only works on Arm7 chips so far.

http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer


Firstly and most important, the credits:

I made this following this great tutorial at XDA-Developers by user metalgearhathaway: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/development-derivatives/mod-partition-internal-memory-app-t2538947

I used PIT files (I'll explain what they are, don't worry) made from user ElGamal from XDA also, located here (comment number 509).

And a little bit of help from user CrackDaddy, also from XDA.

Second, what you'll need:

A machine running Windows. I used Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bits;
Odin 3.07. Careful when installing, it is full of optional AdWares. There's also a Linux and Mac version available called JOdin3, but I didn't try it;
Flashable ClockWorkMod 6 for Galaxy S II (it is a .tar file with a file named zImage inside);
PIT file with desired partition table configuration;
Samsung drivers for Galaxy S2. Usually you can install Samsung Kies but there's also a installer just with drivers available;
Your original stock unrooted Samsung Jellybean firmware. You can find it at sammobile.com;
Any ROM of your choice. I highly recommend the last nightly build of Cyanogenmod 11;
Optionally: GApps 20140606 or newer.

I made most of those available in the following bundle file:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxccpydIocBpd21FOE5MaGJiMkU&authuser=0

What is missing is GApps, CyanogenMod, and a stock Samsung JellyBean ROM (as it depends of country and carrier, and might not be legal to provide it here).

Third, the default warning:

  I am not responsible for anything that might go wrong with your
  device, neither any of the mentioned users nor anyone here at Stack
  Overflow or XDA-Developers. This procedure will root your phone if it
  isn't already and also void your warranty if it isn't already. If
  anything goes wrong, don't panic, it is most likely fixable by
  reflashing the stock ROM and starting over again.

Finally, how to:

This will only work with the 16GB International version (GT-I9100) of Samsung Galaxy S II

Firstly, copy CyanogenMod 11 .zip file (or your desired ROM) and optionally GApps .zip file to your external SD card;

Make a backup of everything inside your internal storage, copy it to your computer or somewhere else. It will be completelly erased. Don't worry about your external SD Card, it won't be touched.

Make a NAnd backup of your current ROM, you'll be able to restore it after the repartition. To do it, you must have ClockWorkMod recovery installed, then boot your phone into recovery mode (Volume UP + Home + Power), select backups and restore, then backup to /storage/sdcard1;

When backup finishes, reboot your phone into Download mode (Volume DOWN + Home + Power) and connect your phone to the computer. Let Windows install the drivers. If it fails, try to install Samsung Kies or just the drivers provided in the bundle I made available, and try again.

Open Odin3 as Administrator and connect the phone. It should detect your phone and show it under the label ID:COM, and also in the Message. If it didn't, try to restart your computer, phone, reinstall drivers, check your USB cable, etc., and try again.

Now you'll need to choose a PIT file. PIT means Partition Information Table and it is a Samsung-only thing. In the bundle file, I made available ElGamal's PIT file (I91001GB_6GB.pit) which also resizes /system partition to 1GB, /data to 6GB and the rest goes to internal storage. If you wish different sizes, check the thread at XDA-Developers as he made many different versions available. I also included a PIT file for the default configuration (I9100_2GB-STOCK.pit) if you wish to go back to as it was later.

When you have chosen your PIT file, go to Odin and tick the following checkboxes: Re-Partition, Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time.
In the Re-Partition section, click on the PIT button and select your chosen PIT file.
In the Files (Download) section, click on the AP button and select Samsung's stock JellyBean ROM.
Double check everything and click Start. This can take a while, go grab a coffee.

After everything finishes, your phone will reboot into the stock Samsung JellyBean ROM. Two things can happen now, or it will work normally and if so you can use it and check if everything is as you want. Or it can ask you for a password to access the "encrypted volume", which is nothing but your internal storage that is not formatted. In both ways, unplug your phone (it it's still plugged) and reboot it into Download mode again.

It is interesting to close and reopen Odin3 to reset the settings. Plug your phone again and wait until Odin3 detects it. This time, leave checked just Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time and make sure Re-Partition is NOT checked. Click on AP button and select the ClockWorkMod Recovery .tar file, then click Start. This one is faster, but if you feel sleepy, go for another coffee ;)

When it finishes, you should have ClockWorkMod Recovery 6 installed in your phone, so go ahead and reboot into Recovery mode. Go to mounts and storage, select format /storage/sdcard0 and format it as exfat (if for some reason you have write problems in your internal storage later, come back here and select another format until it works, but exfat should do the trick).

When it finishes, still in Recovery mode, Wipe data/factory reset, Wipe cache and Wipe Dalvik cache. Let's be sure nothing remains from the previous ROMs.

Now, install zip -> choose zip from /storage/sdcard1 and select the CyanogenMod 11 .zip file (or of your desired ROM) and flash it. Optionally also flash GApps afterwards. Reboot your phone and check if everything is right.

If everything is right, reboot your phone into Recovery mode again, do a new wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and wipe Dalvik cache, and then recover your backed up ROM from the beginning. Reboot your phone.

Check again if everything works right. A few apps might need to be reinstalled (Spotify and Waze are examples) to work correctly again, but that's be only major issue.

Hope everything goes well.


Is there an internal algorithm for calculating UUIDs of a flash filesystem?

I have no idea how you managed to use tune2fs to change the UUID since it should only be able to manipulate ext2/3/4.

In any case, apparently exFAT have backup boot sector just like FAT(32). So my guess is you only managed to change the UUID in the primary boot sector but not the backup one. So when you unmount it the filesystem driver reverts the change according to the backup boot sector automatically.


How to setup a PPP connection between an Android smartphone and a Linux computer?

Try this:

adb ppp "shell:/system/bin/su -c 'pppd nodetach noauth noipdefault defaultroute /dev/tty'" nodetach noauth noipdefault notty 10.0.0.1:10.0.0.2


According to the review on Engadget, note-taking is laggy; up to a second between writing a letter and it appearing.


Function of back button after opening URL from (Twitter) application

Your problem touches a feature of Android that sets it apart from other mobile OSes and is a very powerful one (see below):

That's all about intents,  activities and the back stack that contains your path of visited activities in order for each app. Basically an activity is a single GUI fullscreen window you see, for example the main activity when you launch an app. If you navigate away from that, lets say to the settings view, the now inactive main view is put on the back stack and so forth.

However: This whole behaviour has many switches that are solely customizable by the app developers.

See this link for the basic information on those things:

http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals/tasks-and-back-stack.html

Regarding your specific problem:

It might be a difference if the browser was (1) already open, (2) had an active Twitter tab running (that got reactivated) and so forth. Try some of these combinations (use 'force stop' in the app settings to end browser instances and have an/no open Twitter tab in the browser active beforehand), and you will find:

If you have opened the max of four windows in your browser, then opening an URL from the Twitter app will "re-use" one of them. If you hit back in that browser window it will first go all the way back up the history, one history item at a time. Once the history is empty, hitting the back button once more will send you back to the Twitter app.
If you had not opened the max of four windows in your browser, then opening an URL from the Twitter app will create a new browser window. If you hit back in that browser window the history for that window will already be empty, and you will directly go back to the Twitter app.

Some more information:

The unique system are Android's intents. New views are launched by an intent that, for example says 'open this file in a file view' or 'select a picture in a gallery viewer' or 'authenticate a my app with Facebook' and so forth. Without saying which other app should handle it. You see this when you get a choice menu asking you to select a specific browser (native/Chrome/Dolphin/Opera) or one of many file explorers you might have installed.

This one of the very powerful Android features. Apple's iOS is very different to that, apps can't interact with others so closely and Facebook integration had to be done in iOS6 the hard way for that reason (directly integrated into iOS).


How do I back up (and restore) my phone before installing a custom ROM?

This is going to vary a bit by device and recovery system, but in general if you want to perform a full, 1-to-1 backup of your phone's internal memory you would need to:

Root your device and install a custom recovery. The most popular recovery is probably ClockworkMod. How you install it will vary widely by device, but ROM Manager can do it for you on most popular devices. You simply launch ROM Manager and select "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" from the main menu.
If using ClockworkMod, open ROM Manager and select "Backup current ROM". This should do all of the work for you.
If not using ROM Manager or if you use a recovery other than ClockworkMod:

Reboot your device into recovery mode. This again varies by device, but ROM Manager has a "Reboot into recovery" option that works regardless of what recovery you have installed. Another option is to issue adb reboot recovery from a connected PC with ADB configured and set up. There may be other requirements for getting into recovery depending on your device (e.g. the Kindle Fire is very different from others).
Navigate to the "Backup/Restore" or "Nandroid" menu (or similar).
Select "Backup" and (if needed) select which partitions you would like to back up. Some recoveries will also give you the option to compress the backup.
Select "Perform backup" (or similar) and wait for the process to finish.

Once the backup has been performed you should be able to use it to recover from many "soft" bricks. However, the two situations you would not be able to recover from with a backup alone would be:

Your bootloader is invalid/corrupted/etc
Your recovery partition is invalid/corrupted/etc

In both of thse scenarios, you would first need to fix the offending partition (bootloader or recovery) before being able to restore the backup. Basically, anything that prevents you from accessing your recovery partition will also prevent you from using your recovery to restore your backup. Such situations are, I would say, fairly rare. You can use a backup to recover a bad /boot or /system partition, so flashing a kernel or ROM should have an extremely small likelyhood of permanently bricking your device (unless it modifies your recovery or bootloader, as noted above).

You may be able to flash an uncompressed backup from fastboot but this would depend on what recovery you are using and how it performs its backups. As I recall, ClockworkMod simply uses dd to create the image and they actually will flash correctly on some devices. However, I would strongly advise researching this before trying as a bad fastboot write could soft brick you as well. Of course, as long as you don't try to overwite your bootloader you won't lose access to fastboot, so in some ways this could be a "nothing ventured, nothing gained" situation.

To actually restore a backup you can:

In ROM Manager select "Manage and Restore Backups", then select the backup you wish to restore from.
If not using ROM Manager or not using ClockworkMod:

Reboot into recovery
Select "Backup/Restore" or "Nandroid" (or similar)
Select "Restore"
Pick the backup you would like to restore from (if more than one)
Select the partitions you would like to restore (if givent the option)
Select "Restore" and wait for the process to finish

Nandroid backups are, by default, stored on your external storage device in pretty much every situation. Some exceptions may be devices with no separate external storage (e.g. devices like the Galaxy Nexus) where the /sdcard directory is actually on the physical internal storage. In any case, though, it will save to your /sdcard directory, which is readable from a PC as USB mass storage or adb. You can copy a nandroid backup off of your phone and onto a computer for safe-keeping, then copy it back over later if you need to restore.

To do this you can simply plug in your device and look for a path like /sdcard/nandroid (or /sdcard/TWRP for TeamWin recovery, possibly elsewhere for others). Then you can copy the contents of the folder over to your computer. Alternatively, you can pull it with adb by plugging in the device and issuing something akin to:

adb pull /path/to/backups

...from a PC shell.


How to sync contacts with Outlook, WITHOUT Exchange?

You can try Go Contact Sync, there are some mixed reviews on that site about it. On the other hand, I have read good things about gSyncIt, but it is not free. It will sync calendars, contacts, tasks, and notes.

These are not specific to android, as the information is actually syncing with Google Contacts, not your device.


Something went wrong and the data are damaged. Here are some steps to follow, try each one:

Try default PIN codes: 0000, 1234, 1111, etc
Reboot into the recovery then clear the phone cache. Either with adb command adb reboot recovery or by key combo.
Perform a factory reset from the recovery.
Flash the device with a fresh ROM.
You can get the firmware and the flashing guide from Huawei Support site. Unzip the zip and follow te instructions.


Installed LineageOs16 on oneplus5 but I get black due to wrong firmware update how I can fix it?

You are close to fix the issue and have the lineageOS in your device. The only thing left to do in order to fix the issue is to boot into the recovery once again ( As far as I understand the twrp v3.3.1 is installed and temporaly booted into the oldest one).

Please follow the following steps:

Boot into recovery mode via pressig Volume Down + Power
Then on twrp enable the sideload.
Run adb sideload lineage-16.0-20191220-nightly-cheeseburger-signed.zip (lineage-16.0-20191220-nightly-cheeseburger-signed.zip is the latest one for now please replace it with the build of lineageos you desire as long as it is the version 16 of it)

So in other words you just need to reflash the lineageos using the latest twrp version you installed.


Android File Transfer not working between El Capitan and Android 6

After struggling a lot and checking many solutions off the internet, my issue turned out to be related to "turning off and on again" the SIP (System Integrity Protection) on my Mac. I did the following and it magically works again:

csrutil disable (and then reboot) → ADB/Android File Transfer not working yet.
csrutil enable (and then reboot) → ADB/Android File Transfer already working up to this point.
csrutil enable --without debug → I've gotta do this because I'm using XtraFinder and want to make it work for El Capitan.

See if this resolves yours :)


How to restore previous android id from titanium backup?

Android ID can be found in the database settings.db of Settings Storage/Providers app. It is located under /data/data/com.android.providers.settings/databases.

There are multiple ways of restoring Android ID.

Through Titanium Backup

In Titanium Backup (TiBu), go to Menu → Manage Android ID → Restore Android ID from a backup. If one or multiple backups of Settings Storage/Providers app exists then TiBu would list the ID. You can then select the ID and begin restoration of it.

(Click image to enlarge)

However, if no such backup of that app exists, then you would get this dialog:

Using command-line

If you already know which ID has to be restored then you can do this:

Setup adb in PC and execute:

(The lines starting with echo are only for the purpose of explaining what I'm going to do in consecutive command. Avoid executing them.)

You can also edit settings.db using an SQLite database manager such as sqlite3, but why bother this much?

Interestingly, the hostname of your device would be nothing more than android-ANDROID_ID where ANDROID_ID is the Android ID. You can check it using:

adb shell getprop net.hostname

Note: the whole solution is tested on Android 4.2.1 and 6.0.1.


Will the Android M developer preview get an OTA update to the stable release version?

No, you need to flash it since Google only provides the stable release as downloadable image on Factory Images for Nexus Devices.

From Official Android Developer site,

  Note: Developer Preview 3 includes final APIs and near-final system images available by both download and OTA. At the full public release of Android M later in Q3, final system images will be available by download only, so you'll need to flash manually to your test devices.


No, there's no setting for the sensitivity. The touchscreen controller already filters the input it gets from the screen itself, so probably you wouldn't be able to filter out the faulty touches without also filtering out real touches.

What you describe sounds like a hardware problem. I'd recommend giving the screen a wipe with a damp, soapy cloth, then a rinse with a damp cloth, then drying it. It might or might not improve matters, but it's worth a try. If that doesn't help, you probably need to replace the screen completely.


How can I add a custom search engine to Chrome (beta, stable...)?

As of chrome v39, this still can't easily be done; however, you can hack it. From  the XDA post SomeNickName referenced:

Install a Terminal emulator or use adb shell if you're familiar with it.
Change the "last_known_google_url" and "last_prompted_google_url" settings support having a search&q=added to the end. For example, duckduckgo would work with, https://www.duckduckgo.com& -- where the extra ampersand at the end is for converting the "search" text into an additional query sting param.

Here's a shell command for setting the duckduckgo url:

    p='/data/data/com.chrome.beta/app_chrome/Default/Preferences'
    awk '/last_known_google_url/ {sub(/google.com\//,"duckduckgo.com/\\&")}; {print}' ${p} > $p.bak
    awk '/last_prompted_google_url/ {sub(/google.com\//,"duckduckgo.com/\\&")}; {print}' ${p}.bak > ${p}


still a mystery . thumbdata3 file space & performance hog

in my case creating an Empty file with the same name works and this problem as since then disappeared.
so a trick is to create thumbnails file after you delete the folder by the same name


To add checkboxes: open the note, click on the + symbol at the bottom left corner and click "Checkboxes""

To remove checkboxes: open the note, click on the 3 vertical dots on the top right corner and click "Hide Checkboxes"


Where does the system saves wallpapers in (official) Kit Kat?

If my understanding of your question is correct, your current system-cropped wallpaper is located at /data/system/users/0 under a filename of wallpaper.


How to make your own CWM flashable stock ROM from "SP Flash Tool" Flashable Stock ROM ?

There are stock firmware images available for download here that can be flashed with the SP Flash Tool.

In terms of creating your own ROM (CWM-based or otherwise), that is beyond the scope of this site.


The password is unlikely to be touched by this. For a few additional details, see e.g. ACCESS_WIFI_STATE:

  This could be requested by any application that uses internet access. The application may check the state of your connection before trying to access the internet. It's comparable to ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE, just for WiFi.

Following up the reference:

  Allows applications to access information about networks, including if a network is available (or just connecting), what type of network the device is connected to, if any (WiFi, 3G, LTE), if it's in Roaming, and also reasons for a failed connection attempt (if any).Good use: The application may check the state of your connection before trying to access the internet, and e.g. restrict itself to WiFi for some actions.Bad use: Only in combination with other permissions (e.g. data collection for profiling).

So summed up, this would see things like

whether WiFi is active (if inactive, nothing else)
which network is connected (SSID, MAC)
which networks are available (SSID, MAC)

This permission alone cannot send anything anywhere. But the mentioned data collected may be "sent to the mothership" if the app also requested the INTERNET permission, or can make use of another app that has access to the network (e.g. send a mail, SMS, or use the browser).

Next to above two links to my site (other permissions are explained there as well), you might also wish to see What do the permissions that applications require mean? on this site here.


Unlocking the Bootloader is required in some process including unofficial ROM, Kernel,Recovery, etc to avoid Hardbrick or Softbrick caused by non-manufacturer file or data (not integrated with bootloader default information)

It is required if you want to Root your phone by unlocking the OEM in the Developer Settings


Is it possible to replace the dock (but just the dock)?

Unfortunately, No. The "dock" is part of the entire launcher and "home screens". They are, all the "same application". But there are widgets like most of the widgets that HTC Sense has. If you really don't like it that much, you should be able to find replacement widgets for the ones you like that work with other launchers like Launcher Pro, GO Launcher, or ADW Launcher, for example.


See this answer at Unix.SE. Instead of the setuid bit, the binary has some capabilities set via file's extended attributes. The particular caps are of interest are CAP_SETUID and CAP_SETGID.


How to set CPU Affinity for android tasks

No, I suspect that there isn't any app that can do the job. You could write it yourself, it shouldn't be too hard. It seems that the best way to do it is using the NDK but it should be possible even in Java.


What is the meaning of the SAT/SIG/TTF GPS status info?

Android developers defines the standard parameters
GPS Status to be used by apps.
Apps can obviously provide more than the minimum information, as in the case of GPS Status & Toolbox, whose help page
and Android documentation put together help decipher.

SAT 0/2  Number of satellites: GPS in use [+ GLONASS in use] / Total visible. So your phone could detect 2 Satellites but none were used to get a fix (indoors or yet to acquire fix?). This likely corresponds to getMaxSatellites in the documentation.
SIG 19/∞ Average signal to noise ratio (0-40dB). This corresponds to getsnr
in the documentation. The second value is the Dilution of Precision value
. You were surely indoors  or fix just started, so without fix the error of the position is ∞. Linked wiki says readings having value  >20 should be discarded.
TTF 27s is getTimeToFirstFix meaning the time required to receive the first fix since the most recent restart of the GPS engine.


Disable power-off menu when screen is locked

This feature is in Cerberus Anti Theft and also in some custom android Roms (Such as Exodous). It doesn't require root but like any anti-theft software there is a paid version as the free one is limited to 30 days.
But you could try the Smart Screen Protector App which is also mentioned in one of the other answers.


InstaFetch (Lite / Pro) is a InstaPaper client that has both the ability to download the webpages for offline use, and to read them aloud with the text to speech engine. There is both a free and a pay version. (BTW: For text to speech I use Ivona - it is free for now and produces amazing quality.)


"Unfortunately, the process com.sec.ims.android has stopped." What does this error message mean?

Call your provider, they have a patch to fix the issue. After they download the patch you will just have to remove your battery and sim card for one minute. After about five minutes of use, the problem is solved.


Why is the connection between the Android emulator and a PC so slow?

Because the emulator is buggy and slow and should be avoided if possible when developing. I'm assuming its because of the general problem with emulators, it is trying to mimic hardware functions on a software level which is extremely inefficient.


Get contacts off sim card phone with broken screen

Assuming you are now moving to a smartphone from the flip phone (presumably Android, as this exchange is for Android), you would need a new, smaller SIM card from your provider or you would have to manually cut the SIM to the right size, which I wouldn't advise. There's a good likelihood of breaking it. However, if you put the card you have now in another device with the same size SIM, you can manually copy over the contacts.

If you don't have another phone to do this with and don't want to cut the current SIM, you can probably bring the SIM to a store of your cellular provider and they will assist you.

If you are able to fit the old SIM into the phone, which is incredibly unlikely, open the default contact app. In the top right corner, there are 3 vertical dots. A drop down menu will open and one of the options will be import/export contacts. In the next menu, there will be an option that says Import from SIM.


android apps not getting dowloaded from playstore

Maybe simply there isnt enough storage as stated in the error.

Apps are installed in data patition not your internal sd card. Dont be misleaded by that. There are /cache /data /system partitions .Preinstalled system applications are in read only /system partition. When you install app from play store it will be installed in /data partition and its limited. My 16 GB phone has only 2GB data partition

Try to clear some other applications data


The answer to your question is no, the Google Play Store does not include a built in bug report feature.

In order to submit a bug report, you should first check the developer website to see if such a function is provided.  If not, your best option is to email the developer or, if the issue concerns other users, post a public comment.


Don't worry. Try to download whatsapp apk directly from whatsapp official site. For that here is link.


How can I play .DAT files (VideoCD format) in Android?

Try Dolphin Player.
It can play MPEG1 file format (= VCD), but cannot choose audio channel if the file is bilingual.


Technically you don't "run Linux on Android". In fact, every Android device runs "under" Linux (That is, Android uses the Linux Kernel). What happens when you install a Linux distribution (I think that is what you meant by refering to Linux) on Android is that the Android OS and the Linux dsitribution share the same Kernel. Even if you replace the Android installation with a pure (GNU/)Linux one, the used Kernel is "the same".

Therefore the HW API calls are identical, and you can access the hardware from e.g. Python without any difference.


Is there a way to put upcoming Google Calendar events on the lockscreen?

It seems the feature to display calendar events on lockscreen has at least become obsolete since lollipop:

  With Android Kitkat and earlier, you could install apps that would display your calendar or other info on the lockscreen. With Lollipop or later, Android removed that feature.

However with a plethora of 3rd party lockscreen apps it is possible to get this working.

For such functionality please refer to this list of potential lockscreen candidates that allow one to view upcoming calendar events.

From that list and ones suggested in comments, I personally find these useful:

Hi locker

  Hi Locker's offers a CyanogenMod-style quick launcher that works by
  holding and swiping over to one of your favorite apps to quickly open
  it from the lock screen. It has 3 styles of lock screen: classic,
  Lollipop and iOS, and a separate screen dedicated to your calendar,
  where you can quickly view upcoming events.

Next Lock Screen

  Next Lock Screen looks elegant and simple, but beneath the surface
  it's cleverly calculating which apps you're most likely to use based
  on your location (home, work and so on), then presenting you said
  apps. You don't need to use this feature of course, but Next is still
  worth using for its neat presentation of notifications, calendars and
  other key phone functions.


How can I make Android 6 quick settings show up in the same layout when the screen is locked?

The elements that have been hidden from your lock screen are hidden for a purpose. Sensitive toggles are not displayed in order to increase the lock screen security.

Due to this, your phone, in unlocked condition shows more toggles than in locked condition. This changes the position of certain toggles and hence your flashlight toggle is moved.

It can be a little inconvenient but you need to live with it since it is making your device safer. Safety by design.


In short try booting into recovery, by pressing and holding home, power and volume down. Wipe user data. Then use Odin to reflash. The OEM firmware can be downloaded from Samsung.

Follow the guide on this link. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-recover-a-bricked-samsung-galaxy-s2/


What's the best way to restart Android via command line (remotely)?

What is the device doing exactly when I'm pushing the (hardware) power button? I guess that's the most friendly way.

You get to see a dialog with an option to power off the device (stock Android doesn't offer reboot). It appears that ShutdownActivity is called upon when you long press Power button.
Anyhow, this is what you can try, remotely or locally, but only with root access:
su -c 'am start -a android.intent.action.REBOOT'

It will do a graceful shutdown followed by the reboot. I was looking for an intent when I noticed it here.
Method is tested on Android 4.2.1, 5.0.2 and 6.0.1 and should work for Android 4.1.1 as well
Update
Tested on stock Android 5.0 and 6.0.1:
su -c 'svc power reboot'

Per the source code here, KitKat builds should also support the command.


System update notification but system already up-to-date

Does Android put out security updates with the same version #?

Yes. Version number changes generally correspond with new features or new APIs. Occasionally it will also be incremented for major bugfixes, but this has been somewhat less common now that Google has tried to increase their release cadence (around Android 6.0-ish or so). Security updates will change the build number, but not the version number. See the list of factory images for your device for an example of this (note all the repeated version numbers, followed by build IDs).

If you go to Settings > System > About phone you can find the "Android version" (circled blue below) and the "Build number" (circled red) of your current system. You can also check the "Android security patch level" on this screen to determine which security update you've received. They generally occur during the first week or so of each month, and they are outlined in the monthly security bulletins. Most likely you're receiving a notification for the January security update.

Picture from https://wccftech.com/android-oreo-for-verizon-pixel/


How do I convert a NANDroid backup into an update.zip file that works in the stock recovery mode?

Most stock recovery modes require proper, officially signed update.zip files. There are ways to convert NANdroid backups to update.zip files or even directly back them up as such but the hard part is actually signing the update file (there are a handful of tutorials for doing these on the Internet, and in part in the official Android documentation). The signing requires official keys which can only be generated by the manufacturers. Getting them is nigh impossible unless you have inside access or very very cooperative support.


In my case the problem was the same and happened after downgrading from the really slow lollipop to kitkat and rooting again. Formatting or factory reset did not help.
The solution was to boot into recovery (TWRP) after flashing a ROM and rooting, and there change the file system type. For example I switched from the recognized 8GB ext4 to FAT (this switched the capacity to 32GB) and then back again to ext4. This obviously deletes all apps & data.

Model: Nexus 7 (2012) WiFi, TWRP version 2.8.6.0

Detailed procedure:
On the TWRP home, choose the option "Wipe", then "Advanced Wipe". Now from the available partitions select only Data and tap "Repair or Change File System". The next screen shows the current file system info, where you can tap "Change File System", then choose the desired one and swipe to apply this change. According to my previous instructions you may repeat this procedure twice, once to switch to FAT, then again to ext4.


Cant exit twrp (reboot system doesn't work)

This only happens when the android phone doesn't have any ROM or the system itself so it redirects you to the recovery. One way for this is to wipe all out and re-flash everything OR wipe all out and re-flash a different ROM. And a question, Don't you have any backup of you're stock ROM before flashing a new one? It would be better to restore it.


STAMINA / Ultra STAMINA mode on Marshmallow?

Stamina Mode removed in Marshmallow

Sony announced in their beta rollout for Marshmallow

  The Marshmallow version of Android has its own smart solution for managing power consumption (Doze and App Standby). These functions are integrated directly into Android 6.0, which made Stamina mode redundant. In other words, Stamina mode was removed from M.

However, Stamina Mode is considered better than Doze mode ( for details see earlier link) :

  Doze mode requires your phone to be geographically stationary (ie. sitting on a desk and not in your pocket).
  Doze mode can only be interrupted by high priority GCM messages. Your favorite app’s developer didn’t set a notification as high priority? Too bad, you have to wait until the next maintanence window to be notified.
  Doze mode’s white-list does not truly exempt an app from all restrictions.
  Doze mode cannot be disabled. Having issues with notifications on Android 6.0? Too bad.

Stamina and Ultra Stamina Mode Return

Stamina Mode users resentment at this perhaps forced Sony to reconsider and Stamina Mode and Ultra Stamina Mode have been announced as below:

Xperia Z5 series
Xperia Z2, Z3 series

Not as good as original Modes

But the Stamina Mode is said to be a watered down version and is more akin to stock Android Power Saving mode ( mainly because whitelisting of apps isn't possible):

  Presumably, Sony felt immense pressure from customers who wanted STAMINA back, but also did not want to break Google’s terms and conditions for using Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Quite where Sony will go now with their device software remains to be seen, but as it stands, the new STAMINA mode is simply not as effective or as usable as the old way.

As of now I haven't come across any mention of Stamina or Ultra Stamina Mode in Android 7


Why do apps on the Google Play Store have com. at the start?

The naming convention is derived from the Java standards, and is comparable to an URL, but in reverse. The key here is that it has to be unique, that's why it's so specific.

In you example, com is the main category which is comparable to a Top Level Domain, which can also be com. Next is the company name king, which can be compared to a domain name, and finally candycrushsaga, which could be a subdomain. Since the names have to be unique, this naming schema is quite usual, but can sometimes be divided even further by adding a subproject name to the end. For example King could separate games from other apps they've created by using the name com.king.games.candycrushsaga.

According to Java standards, the first component has to be a valid top level domain (com, net, edu, gov, country-specific), but I remember also seeing package names that didn't respect the standard.


About Extracting & Replacing files in a Custom ROM

Replacing will probably work. However adding or removing files might not, Flashable Zip's need to contain a script which tells them what to do (in this case: installing, moving, copying files) You need to change these scripts to your desire, I don't know much abou that but XDA-Developers has a lot information about it.

Another Problem might be some sort of checksum which verifies integrity. You can make a Nandroid-Backup and test it yourself ;)


how to batch update one's market application?

This question has already been asked and answered: Is there a good app that lets me to the app updates in one go?


Is it a good idea/useful to use two Anti-virus apps on Android?

No. I'll even go to the extent of saying using an Antivirus is of no use if you only install apps from Google Play.

But if you install apps from third party sources (i.e APKs, etc.), using an antivirus might actually make sense. But using 2 AVs doesn't make sense in any scenario imho.


I removed Facebook and it seemed to have helped my phone run better. Before I was getting flooded with invites from the same person and my phone was constantly freezing.


How can I "split" the virtual keyboard when typing on a large display in landscape mode?

Thumb Keyboard allows for this, as well as many other handy features which make it well worth the money

Paid Version

7 Day Trial Version


How to backup/restore specific apps for factory reset?

Though you don't want to make a full backup, you might still wish to take a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices to get an idea what is possible. That page also mentions some helpers for your issue:

Simple Backup runs from your computer and, as the screenshots indicate, can also be used to backup a single app (so you could use it for each app you want to backup)
Helium Backup (formerly known as Carbon Backup) is an app you can install to your device. Select the apps you want to backup, start the process – and it creates a separate backup file for each app. Which means, you can restore them separately/selectively.
It's also possible to do this via the command-line, which might be a little non-intuitive.
Not on that page, but making the latter a little more easy: Adebar is a tool I wrote (and am still on it – it's far from being complete yet). It creates you scripts for backup/restore (where you simply can comment-out/remove those apps you don't wish to take care for), plus more. Possible drawback: Adebar is written for Bash, so you will need an OS that has this (Linux, and possibly also Mac should do).

There's one thing all those have in common: they require ADB-tools to be available. For that part, you can take a look at Is there a minimal installation of ADB? to avoid installing too much with too much hassle ;)

EDIT: WARNING!

If you find another app promising easy backups without requiring root or ADB, be aware it might leave your apps' data out! To my knowledge, before Android 4.0 only root-apps were able to backup app data, and with 4.0 only the option via ADB became available. Make sure to read the description of such an app very carefully.

To pick an example (experience of the OP, sadly): There's an app called App Backup & Restore. On a quick view it sounds like a perfect match. But looking deeper into the description you will find:

  App Backup cannot backup data or settings of apps for you, but it only backup the apk files.

Which means: It only cares for the apps themselves (which you always could re-install from their respective sources anyway – with the added work of looking them all up separately, and maybe some of them disappeared, or are no longer available in a specific version you might want for some reason – so this app still has a good reason to exist), but doesn't cover their data.


Can Android 4.1 Jelly Bean open MS-office and PDF files?

No, you can't open MS-Office and PDF files directly from Android.

You have to install a third party app.

A few nice apps available in market for this:

WPS
Microsoft Office Mobile


Can't find Wifi Direct option in settings

Actually there isn't any option like that. Its missing. There were lots of complaints about 4.0.4 Update for Live with Walkman that Wifi Direct is missing.

look at here.
Also look at this review of update..:

First of all thanks for the wonderful update and congratulations.
Few things i would like to share with sony:
1. We cannot uninstall Appextra from the phone at all and should have that option
2. Phone dialer is laggy it takes almost 3-5 sec to open the dialer plz fix that
3. really time to update the kernel to 3.0 as i have ssen the ICS running on kernel 3.0 with same hardware specification as Xperia 2011 portfolio has and the phone runs better than it is currently running on 2.6.32.9-pref version
4. Wifi Direct option is missing as its a feature of ICS 4.0.X fix that in next update so that we get that option as well
5. please provide us option to move some of the internal app to sd card as it will save more space on phone memory.
6. when tried to update the inbuilt application such as liveware manger Error Unable to do that it says “An existing package by the same name with a conflicting signature is already installed.
7. Google talk application sometimes says we are offline even though we are not.
8.live wallpaper gets force close all of a sudden many times.
9.screen shot option is complicated and should be in the same way as it was in GB
10.photos when viewed from xperia gallery should provide more detail info for the photos and videos as it shows in galary app.
11. A normal sound recorder application should be their to record voices or conversation
12. A file manger application should be their.

May be sony will fix it in next update.


Can I set up Wi-Fi and USB tethering on the Galaxy Nexus without rooting it?

ClockworkMod Tether does USB tethering without root and Bluetooth tethering is planned (it's still in alpha).  Unfortunately, from what I understand only Windows, Linux & Mac OS will be supported, but who knows what will happen in the future (maybe Wi-Fi support).  Koush's apps are great.


Multi window supported Android devices (without root)

I'm not absolutely sure, but I believe that that is a feature of Samsung's TouchWiz (proprietary build of Android) and only works select Samsung tablets/phones, among them the Galaxy S5/4, Note 3. The LG G Flex also boasts to have "Dual Window", and LG G Pro 2 has QSlide for limited multitasking.

Other aftermarket Android projects are working on it (OmniROM, ParanoidAndroid) but that still requires a rooted device.

The next best thing are "floating" apps, like Floating Apps (free, $1.99) or Tiny Apps (free, $2.03). These apps create smaller windows that float over all other applications allowing you to interact with multiple apps simultaneously.


Busybox installation on emulator[Error:/system/xbin/busybox: not executable: magic 7F45]

You can't run x86_64 binaries on an x86 system, regardless of whether it's real or emulated. You need to install an x86 binary of busybox.


I have not seen any setting to change the font size. However, you can pinch-in and pinch-out to zoom.


Why is ART not available on Nexus 7 (2012) or Nexus 10 running Android 4.4?

I just submitted a bug report to Android issue tracker. Maybe we'll receive some feedback from developers: https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=62375


Process com.android.systemui has stopped

I think I figured it out. It was that Kingo Superuser app that was causing  it. Was trying to think what else could it be and noticed it was still around. Disabled it and now everything is normal so far.


Most Android sounds are in .apk files and are a pain to edit. You have to find a way to open them, then you can remove or edit the sound, finally you have to package them up and sign them.

It's much easier to use NFC Task Launcher.


Since this is a Samsung Galaxy, evident from the screenshot, I would look first to the "Home Screen Mode" in the Device section of Settings.

Settings > Device > Home Screen Mode

See if the setting is not "Starter Mode", which gives a simplified home screen with large icons.

If so, switch the setting back to "Standard Mode" and click Apply button. You may have to bring your icons back manually when you do so, to configure the home screen to your liking again.


How to put a ROM on read-only /sdcard, while adb shell not working (HTC One X)

If your version of CWM recovery has the “install zip from sideload” option in the main menu (looks like such recovery version for HTC One X exists), you can use this option to install from a zip file which is stored on your computer without copying it to the SD card:

Select the “install zip from sideload” option in the recovery menu.
Run the following command on your computer:

adb sideload UPDATE.zip

where UPDATE.zip is the zip file you want to install.

You may need to update your ADB executable if it does not understand the sideload subcommand.

Note that currently there is no confirmation when the “install zip from sideload” command is selected, and also no way to abort the sideload mode once it is entered, therefore if you enter the sideload installation mode without a way to give the adb sideload UPDATE.zip command, the only way out would be to pull the battery (on some phones holding the power button for 10–15 seconds to force a reboot also works). Or, if you entered the sideload mode, but do not actually want to install a zip package, run something like adb sideload /dev/null, or use any small file which is not a zip package.

The sideload option is primarily made for phones which do not have internal FAT32-formatted storage, but should also work on other models. One important limitation is that the zip file is temporarily downloaded into the phone RAM (it is placed into /tmp/update.zip, which is in ramfs), therefore, depending on RAM size of your phone, you may not be able to install large packages this way.


Determining how particular SwiftKey suggestions are generated

An answer to this question is very implementation specific, and can in fact only be answered for sure by a SwiftKey developer, eventually. In general, word suggestions are based on algorithms that are fed by n-gram dictionaries that predict possibilities for the next word you're likely to type.

See Wikipedia's n-gram entry to get more insight.

2-gram or 3-gram dictionaries are likely to be used with SwiftKey, amongst other techniques.

Regarding the strange sentence you auto-typed in: This reflects common use of probable 2/3-grams, so blame your fellow users on the poor spelling, it's just what they actually use.


How to create Android EC2 AMI from scratch?

To save compile times of the entire Android OS (see: Requirements and Building of Android OS) and your custom ROM builds from hours, it is possible to use Android Open Source Project AMI as a starting point for building the entire AOSP build environment which is pre-configured and completely synced with the repo on this app and ready to go.

Once the instance is ready, run these commands to compile the Android OS:

$ cd aosp && . build/envsetup.sh
$ lunch aosp_arm-BUILDTYPE
$ make -j4

The BUILDTYPE is one of the following:

user: limited access; suited for production,
userdebug: like "user", but with root access,
eng: development configuration with additional debugging tools.

See: Preparing to build.

The solution above eliminates the need to host a build environment on the local machine, or require the Linux OS.


How do I separate contacts from work and personal Google accounts?

You can download Google Contacts app.

When you want to switch accounts, just tap the profile picture thumbnail on the top right, and select the desired account.

You can select either Google account, or view an unified list (for whatever reason, or if you later change your mind)

When adding a new contact, make sure that you are selecting the correct account. (you can view it at the top as Save to)

Of course, both accounts need to be connected to the device, and sync should be enabled.

And if you mixed up your contacts...

From your comment:

  [...] it seems that the phone's contacts are syncing to both accounts. [...]

You can switch accounts to confirm, and if it happened, you may want to delete the duplicated contacts, and then switch to the other account and move your contacts to the right place.

Select the contacts you want to move (tap and hold)
Press the menu button (or the three dot menu at the top)
Select your desired action:

Select all
Delete
Move to another account
Add label (Group using tags)

For more details, you can visit the google contacts support site.


How to remove this annoying mobile data pop up?

You could use a package disabler app, find out the name of the package(some apps will show the packages, use adb, or by Google Search) and then disable that message. Most package disabler apps require root but some don't.


Volume bar blocking parts of the screen shot

If you are familiar with the android development tools, you can connect it to a PC and use
adb shell screencap -p /your/path/screenshot.png
to take a screenshot and store it on the device. If needed, it can be transmitted to your PC using
adb pull /source/path/on/device/screenshot.png /target/path/on/PC/screenshot.png.

But if you want to keep it simple, the best way is to first press the volume-down butten and immediately afterwards also press power. Keep both pressed until the screenshot is taken. It requires a few tries, but if you manage to find the right timing, your screenshots will be perfect from that time on ;-)


Disable the Google OTA updates completely

Sometimes it's put in

settings > about phone > software updates > turn to manual updates only


When you flash a custom rom and you are coming from different version of android, restoring app data may cause some problems. If you restore your Whatsapp's data may cause crashing that App. So its better not to backup data,backup just that Application. If you are flashing same android version it may not cause issues. And you don't need to re-register.


When you are in the Gesture Settings you need to click on the tab that says "Dolphin Sonar Settings" in the bottom right hand corner.  There you'll have the option to "Enable bottom left button."  This puts the new "dual purpose" Gesture & Sonar button in the bottom left hand corner.

FWIW, I think the whole Sonar thing is annoying and I don't understand why they reduced the customization options.  I prefer my gesture button on the right!


Handle private/company wiki from an Android phone

I am falling in love with ikiwiki. ikiwiki uses MarkDown which means you can use any text editor to edit your pages.  You can push changes to your server using SVN or git (many other options are also available).

Check out ikiwiki and see if it may be able to provide you with the solution for which you are looking.


How do I verify that the USB debugging key fingerprint is correct?

Per this answer:
awk '{print $1}' < ~/.android/adbkey.pub | base64 --decode | md5sum


HTC Hero - How to delete all calendar entries?

Since the Calendar App syncs with Google Calendar - why don't you create a "Test" calendar, add events to that calendar and then delete the calendar from a web browser on your computer?

I just did this myself and it worked fine.


Depending on your mobile network operator one solution could be to change the APN of your mobile network connection to an invalid value. On most mobile networks you don't get a data connection without a valid APN - however on some you always get a connection independently of the APN name.

There are plenty of tools that simplify APN setting/removing/changing - some examples:

APN On/Off
APN Manager
APNDroid


There are several possibilities, depending on your sources:

use one of the alternative-markets1 as source (recommendation: F-Droid with its pre-configured main repo plus some of the additional repositories accessible with their app), and get information about available updates via the corresponding market's app
use an alternative "update checker" such as App Watcher - Updates notifier (you can find some more in my App Markets listing)
use an application on your PC to check for updates (see the same listing2 for candidates). For example, Raccoon is planning such a feature for its new version (not sure about its release, though – the author was quite busy with its "graduation" and just finished his university degree recently).

1: Also see the alternative-markets tag-wiki and follow its links
2: I won't list all the candidates here, as they might be subject to change. The linked lists however will be kept up-to-date.

Disclaimer: For those not aware, and in case I didn't make it obvious enough: those listings reside on my own website.


Force browser to use only mobile data regardless of WiFi is connected?

Simply NO

Because it is not a feature comes with the browser.

It is a general feature.

When the device is connected to Wi-Fi, the device automatically disconnect from mobile data even if the data is turned on


Exchange 2010 calendar synchronization problem

Since I have currently the same problem, I found out that it is related to the import of a pst file.

The error occurs if a pst file is exported from an MS Exchange 2003 Server and afterwards imported on an Exchange 2010 Server. (e.g. in order to migrate from one version to another)
Everything works fine when using OWA or Outlook to access the data. The error you described shows up only on mobile devices so far. (In my case it is a Symbian phone with Dataviz roadsync on it)

Except editing all items, which makes them available again, I found no other solution so far. But I am curious to know if there is anything else.


Why my phone does not need to update the password?

Your phone doesn't store the password, it has some kind of session key.  I would have expected it to be invalidated when you changed the password, but apparently Google doesn't do that.  You'd have to ask them why.


full backup for deployment and reproduction

What I ended up doing was adding a packed debian image into an android image, which then gets included into the system on the first boot up by a setup application.


Simplest of all, by downloading one of the many filemanagers from the Google Play Store or from your favorite Android app store. These would allow you to show files there.
For files downloaded via Android´s built-in download tool, you can access the ´Downloads´ app on your Nexus as well. However, that will limit you only to starting an associated app for the download (if one is available).

One good example of a filemanager I use myself is FileCommander, which can be downloaded from the Google Playstore here


incoming call ring volume ( sound - silent - vibrate )

I don't think the Audible Touch Tones menu item is actually related, since that controls whether or not you hear dial pad tones when dialing a number.

The setting you want should be CyanogenMod Settings->Sound->Silent State, and you'll just need to make sure that it's checked. I have Audible Touch Tones disabled as well, but it doesn't interfere with my ability to enable/disable the Silent State option.


Is there a way to switch Android users from the command line?

Yes there is.
When the community discovered this feature in android 4.1 (the code was exist but has not been declared yet so Google did not open the feature in Settings), I remember playing with this in my Nexus 4.

So, here are some commands that I remember for the android Terminal:

Create new user: pm create-user User_Name
To switch between users: am switch-user User_ID
To get the list of all the users: pm list users
To delete a user: pm remove-user User_ID

Hope this helps.


Hangouts Notification - SMS no longer supported

I think you are getting this message again and again because Hangout is still registered as the default app to handle SMS messages (which it doesn't support anymore).

Therefore have to make a different app the default SMS app. To do so open the Android Settings app (the gear icon) and select the Apps and Notifications section (might be named a little different on your device depending on the Android version and manufacturer).

There you will find an entry that allows you to select the Default SMS app. If you can't choose the app your device may be missing an app that can handle SMS. In such a case search the Google PlayStore for an new SMS app.


You connect device to computer running samsung kies and do the damage with official gingerbread
All settings and databases will be lost or erased, so take care to make backup (if you know how to root then with titanium is best)

There is aftermarket Ice Cream Sandwich in development http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=807


How to flash a ROM to the Android emulator

In theory you could used yaffs2 image of the system and use that following the steps on the link you posted, but you will probably run in to driver issues with the "hardware"


The only place I've seen mentions of something like this: XDA-Developers

From the names of other items, it looks like it's indeed the interrupt request (IRQ) from various hardware (you can see flip cover, sensor, NFC, power management IC (pmic), etc.), but there are ones with similar cryptic numbers whose purpose is unknown to me.

My advice? Just ignore it.


My Android phone shows insufficient memory even after deleting all the apps on internal storage

32GB internal memory! I envy you!

Anyways, it might be because of the android is,  which is perhaps taking up too much space.

Moreover, built in apps like Google apps and chrome cannot be moved.

Lastly, if problem persists, take your phone to an authorized service centre and explain the issue. Be sure to take a backup before going there.


Your "Invalid Bootloader State" is because your device is already unlocked. You cannot unlock it again.

Moto devices do not support downgrading officially. Preflash Validation is an error that means the images you attempting to flash is older than what is already installed. You need to flash an image that is at least version NPJS25.93-14-4 or newer. A good source for Moto firmware images is firmware.center at https://firmware.center/firmware/Motorola/

Inside the image is a file called flashfile.xml which will contain the steps necessary to properly flash the image with fastboot.


It seems that the magisk folder is just a link. Not sure about the misc_ce folder.
I copied WifiConfigStore.xml, changed properties and owners and renamed the checksum file. After reboot the checksum was recreated and the xml gets valid...


Unlock android pattern after changing Gmail Password

On older Android devices, if you lock your phone using Google's find my device you'll be able to choose a new password, and you'll then be able to access your phone.

Go to android.com/devicemanager enter your email address and password. Now, press on lock. You will now see an option to put in a password to lock your phone with. After filling it out and pressing lock, You should be able to unlock your device with the password you chose.


How to preview all UI elements/widgets and dialogs

You should take a look at the Android API Samples.

The APIDemos application is exactly what you are looking for:
http://developer.android.com/resources/samples/ApiDemos/index.html


How to configure smartphone/tablet to have no data connection?

Airplane mode should do what you want.  If you want to turn off just the mobile or just the wifi, you can do that in CyanogenMod anyway from the pull-down notification-- just click on the wifi icon to turn wifi off, or the mobile icon (usually labeled with your carrier) to turn mobile functions off too.  You can always pull your SIMcard to be absolutely sure you're not using your mobile network.  If by the way, you want to use mast-based positioning/triangulation without using your mobile connection-- that may be a bit more difficult.  Try using an app like llama which I believe uses cell towers signal strength to triangulate your position.


What does "moving" mean in Google Location

if location is modified in any way. it will say moving. ie if u change location name or time. any modifications made means moving...try it!


S7 Edge: Internet randomly stops working until reboot

I had a similar issue with my s7 (non-edge) when I had data saver turned on.  Turning this off solved the issue for me.  If it is restricted to certain applications, you may be able to add them to the exception list and try.

The data saver setting is under settings -> Connections -> Data usage -> Data Saver.


Syncing Facebook contacts to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean

No, they are run completely separate and exclusive from each other, not something that'll completely replace the data within your existing contacts... Although they can be merged so that it displays one contact instead of two (again, it still won't physically combine the data). That way, you can have their profile pic as a contact icon and even their birthday, phone number, email in one place if they have it on their profile. It'll try to merge automatically if the name + phone number or email from your Google contact matches what they have in Facebook, but it'll have to be manually merged if it doesn't.


As per your comment that the persistent search bar is not available on GO launcher makes your initial "regardless of launcher" comment invalid.

It is highly likely that GO Ex does not have an option to show the persistent search bar, as observed in a forum post. You might want to revert to using Nova (which I personally use) or Apex.

UPDATE 2014-01-27 17:10 For Nova launcher, you can configure the persistent search bar here:


what does "auto-fit pages" do in the browser

Auto-fit is supposed to force the text to wrap based on the size of your screen when you zoom in on a web page.  I think.

As long as I'm connecting the right term with the right action, it has limits.  For instance, the page width doesn't actually change, and images and side bars won't change position, shape, or size.  Basically it's designed to keep you from scrolling sideways to read the text of an article.


How to add Android StackExchange RSS feed to HTC news reader app

I would recommend another way of fetching RSS feeds to your cell phone:

Synchronize News Reader to your Google Account (to read news from Google Reader - it should be available there)
From your 'big' computer add this URL (http://android.stackexchange.com/feeds) to your subscription in Google Reader.
You should see news from Android.SE in your News Reader after its next sync with Google Reader.


How come some apps can't be written to the SD card?

Here is an excellent list of characteristics of apps which should not be installed on SD card, with reasons, from the Android developer site. Hope it helps.


I got the phone unlocked at a local mobile phone dealer for € 20. This worked.

Generally I'd say it is interesting how this network SIM lock comes from, because my phone never has been locked or branded by a provider. The stock firmware worked with different providers. The problem only appeared for the custom ROMs.

And be aware when changing your SIM card! I broke mine 2-times only by exchanging it (probably scratching the chip's surface) and had to buy a new one and get the old number transferred to the new.


If your internet provider supports tethering, you can connect your phone over USB with your PC.
Then enable tethering at Settings > More > Tethering.

You are now using your phone's internet on your computer.
If you download a file, it will be downloaded through your phone.

If your carrier doesn't support tethering directly with your data plan, you can use this app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxfi


Galaxy S7 - How to back-up stored email mailboxes with ADB?

What you want to do is simply impossible. The app Samsung Email (com.samsung.android.email.provider) contains the entry android:allowBackup="false" in it's AndroidManifest.xml.

This entry totally disables adb backup for all of it's app data. What ever you do the adb backup will therefore never contain the email data.

Of the app has no integrated bulk backup/export function for the whole mailbox you can not gain access to it's app data unless you have a rooted device or you use a root exploit.