How to disable dm-verity on Android with "user" build type ROM?

I'm going to give a general overview of how dm-verity and related things work on Android according to my limited knowledge. Situation might differ on different devices and ROMs.

HOW IS DM-VERITY ENFORCED?

dm-verity (Verified Boot and AVB) as well as dm-crypt (FDE) are targets of device-mapper feature of Linux kernel. dm-verity verifies the integrity of each block as they are read from block device; enforced by init_first_stage as per fs_mgr_flags set in fstab (1). On system-as-root devices (A/B and non-A/B), kernel is patched to force verity while mounting /system and /vendor if verify/avb flags are found in fstab device tree (dtb).
dm-crypt decrypts/encrypts data transparently when read/written from/to block device. FBE is based on a different kernel framework fscrypt; but both are managed by vold (which runs as a native service) if fs_mgr_flags contain voldmanaged.

WHERE FSTAB IS?

fstab has traditionally been a file on Linux to specify filesystems to be mounted on boot. It's a core component of fs_mgr functionality on Android.

On pre-Oreo releases fstab was in ramdisk. With Treble it was moved to /vendor (or /system/vendor) while the fstab entries for system and vendor (and odm) are moved to Device Tree Blob (dtb). Kernel exports dtb fstab entries in device tree directory at /proc/device-tree/firmware/android.

Some OEMs also put fstab in odm or nvdata partitions.

Source: Android Storage Device Configuration

WHERE DTB IS?

Device Tree is a data structure for describing hardware which is not discoverable to kernel. Device Tree Source (dts) can be converted to dtb (binary blob of DT) and vice versa using dtc. DTB is loaded by bootloader at boot time and passed to kernel so that it can discover hardware and create device nodes accordingly.

DTB is either:

Appended to kernel zImage or Image.gz in boot.img (2). It can be split from gzip archive using split-appended-dtb (sadtb).
Or in dtbo partition as some OEMs do. This can be checked with:

~# ls -l /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/dtbo*
~# grep -C5 PARTNAME=dtbo /sys/dev/block/*/uevent | grep DEVNAME | sed 's/.*=//; s|^|/dev/block/&|'

Or at the end of boot.img after 2nd stage, or in odm partition (rare, some OEMs do).

Also if the device is non-A/B, dtb (from boot.img and/or dtbo partition) is also added to recovery.img in DTBO section after header, kernel, ramdisk and 2nd stage (3). However this doesn't matter for normal boot. But if the device is also system-as-root, Magisk needs to be installed in this recovery partition as the boot.img contains no ramdisk (4).

In case if DTB is not appended to kernel, dtb(s) are converted to dtb.img using mkdtimg. Same tool can dump back the image.

Source: Implementing DTO

HOW TO DISABLE DM-VERITY?

On userdebug ROMs, dm-verity can be disabled using adb. It modifies magic number of verity metadata block (5, 6) which is written after the last filesystem block on block device (system or vendor) (7). Quoted from here:

  the absence of this magic number will halt the verification process

In case of AVB, adb modifies vbmeta header to disable hashtree image verification (8, 9). Quoted from here:

  if the AVB_VBMETA_IMAGE_FLAGS_HASHTREE_DISABLED flag is set in the top-level vbmeta, then androidboot.veritymode is set to disabled

On user builds ro.debuggable is 0 and adbd isn't running as root. Also there are other differences like that of ALLOW_ADBD_DISABLE_VERITY, so adb won't disable dm-verity. Other approach is to remove verify or avb (10) flag from fstab. Quoted from here:

  To verify the partition...
  ...
      In the fstab for the relevant entry, add verify to the fs_mgr flags.

Similarly to remove encryption, forceencrypt=, forcefdeorfbe= or fileencryption= need to be replaced with encryptable=. However encryption cannot be removed without factory reset (FBE too?), so unchecking Preserve force encryption in Magisk app will do nothing.

Some OEMs also use support_scfs fs_mgr flag and ro.config.dmverity=true property on devices with dm-verity enabled.

There are also some exploits discovered in bootloader and adb implementation of some OEMs which can be used to disable dm-verity on affected devices. However such security flaws usually get fixed over time with updates from OEMs.

OPTION 1
Set options in configuration file before installing Magisk:

~# echo 'KEEPVERITY=false' >/cache/.magisk
~# echo 'KEEPFORCEENCRYPT=true' >>/cache/.magisk

If installed, after unchecking Preserve AVB v2.0/dm-verity in app, Magisk needs to be reinstalled. Quoted from here:

  in Magisk Manager, “Uninstall > Restore Images” to restore the images, check “Preserve AVB 2.0/dm-verity” box in Advanced Settings, then reinstall Magisk via the app.

OPTION 2
Use some dm-verity disabler zips like this.

OPTION 3
Figure out where the fstab entries of /system and /vendor are on your device.

If in ramdisk (pre-Treble):

Extract ramdisk, modify fstab and repack.
Or patch ramdisk directly:

~# magiskboot cpio ramdisk.cpio 'patch false true'

If in dtb:

If appended to kernel:

Extract boot.img
Split appended dtb(s)
Patch dtb(s).
Append dtb(s) to kernel
Repack boot.img

If in dtbo partition or in boot.img after 2nd stage, patch dtb.img and write back to partition or boot.img.

How to Unpack / Repack Boot or Recovery image and Ramdisk?
Use AIK or magiskboot.

How to Patch dtb?
Patch directly using magiskboot or manually convert dtb to dts, edit dts with any text editor to remove dm-verity flags, and convert dts back to dtb.

RELATED:

How Magisk works?
Android Device Partitions and Filesystems


How to delete my personal files retained by an app?

Apps store their data (including opened / downloaded / created files, databases, settings, caches etc.) in /data/data/<pkg_name>/ and /sdcard/Android/data/<pkg_name>/. It's not possible to delete files from former location without root access. So what you can do is either clear data of the app, or uninstall/reinstall the app in order to delete all files.


As you wrote you've modified a system file, it's safe to assume your device is rooted. There are several apps available promising to remap keys (see my list of key remapper apps), one of them might solve your issue. I have not tried any of them (had no need), but what sounds promising is Xposed Additions, see this screenshots:

Xposed Additions (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)

On the first screenshot (the module's main screen), the last item reads "Buttons". Tapping that leads to the second screenshot – again look at the very button, and you see it even includes hardware keys (here: the power button). The item just above that would be your back button (soft or hard). So no need to directly tamper with system files – just let Xposed deal with it :)


How can I trace which user account my kids dead phone had?

Is usb-debugging enabled at all? Then you definitely can. That's one of the things my little tool Adebar does:

adb shell dumpsys account

gives you all the account information (which accounts exist on the device), including the Google one. No root required.


Android permits only one VPN to be working on the phone and that is the problem since firewalls also usually create a VPN and you are forced to switch off the VPN to make the firewall work.

However, there is a workaround, at least in some cases. I use Adguard which is an Adblocker with an integrated firewall. It creates it's own VPN on the device locally to filter ads. I also use Keep Solid VPN which is set to always use in my settings (Pie) . Adguard has a proxy mode which permits both VPNs to be used and since your device is rooted, it is easier.

However, note :

All VPNs may not work in this fashion. Check the Adguard forums.
In proxy mode, the efficacy of Adguard firewall is reduced but in my case I have no problems in blocking internet access to apps.
If I want only the Firewall functions but not Keep Solid VPN, I simply disconnect it from the notification panel.

To sum up, it's possible but you need to invest time in checking and ensuring both work.


Nexus 4 GPS uses mobile data even when data is turned off

Most phones use data downloaded from the cell network to speed up the initial position fix when you turn on GPS: without these data, it can take several minutes to first get the position, as the GPS receiver has to download all the ephemeris data (i.e. the latest updates/corrections about the satellites' orbits) via the low-bandwidth GPS connection.

Using the cell network to download these data only takes a few seconds, and then you can get a GPS fix right away if you have good visibility. It doesn't actually use the internet at all, which is why it's not affected by the mobile data setting, but since it does download data over your cellular connection, some carriers choose to bill for this as mobile data.

See also What is assisted GPS? on this site.


What's maximum of bookmark and history in defaut browser in Android

It only limited to your phones internal memory


Are they any browsers without double-tap zoom feature?

I use Dolphin Broswer HD. It doesn't zooms on double clicking. You can try this.


How to use mobile data instead on wifi (while wifi is on) on Android Phone?

You are trying to connect to a local network from a public network..

Using WiFi allows the local connection as you've mentioned but using Internet is different because it is not a device on the same WiFi network ( local )

To connect to a public ip, the device should have a server... Try looking into making a simple http server for either the PC or Phone.


Nexus 7 2013 - Flash Recovery Image: Failed remote size too large?

Download the factory image and just extract the tgz and you will find a flash-all file,

Reboot to bootloader and connect your phone then just double click on the .bat file if you an Windows user or .sh if you a Mac or Linux user then follow the instructions!


So I found out why my new battery isn't working, it had a transparent sticker on the power pins (and only on the pins). It was virtually invisible in broad daylight and there was no indicator on the package anywhere that there is such a sticker there (much less that it needs to be removed). It was only when I looked on the battery at a certain angle with electric light that I noticed it.

I'm not an expert on mobile phones and I change phone batteries pretty much never, so maybe that sticker there is common knowledge for everybody else, but the funny thing is, the guy at the shop where I bought the new battery didn't notice it either (and he should have been an expert).


Had the exact same problem. It went away when I uninstalled the Facebook app.


What is the difference between aboot and boot?

The Application Bootloader ABOOT boots the Android kernel/Recovery kernel.

It is the mechanism to download images onto the device from a host machine (like Windows/Linux PC).

On Samsung devices it runs the ODIN protocol on the device.

The Primary Bootloader boot part is a computer program that loads the main operating system or runtime environment for the computer after completion of the self-tests.

The PBL acts as a communication engine to download the Secondary Boot Loader (SBL) into the internal RAM and then activates it.

The SBL adds functions for erase and programming of flash memory and EEPROM; it also handles the actual download of new or updated software. This allows a minimum ROM utilization by the PBL


Swipe animation during back/forward navigation? Where is it?

UC Browser is the only popular Android browser I've found to support swipe navigation (i.e. one-finger dragging from left or right side slides to previous/next page without refreshing). Swiping only works adequately in fit-to-screen mode, but even though it's not as smooth as Safari, it does the job. :)


How to USB tether on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A?

You can enable usb tethering through adb shell. Root is needed in order to execute these commands:

After adb setup on your machine (if you haven't already setup adb, please see detailed instructions here: Download Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool & Setup guide, perform these commands:

  The following commands call
  ConnectivityManager.setUsbTethering(boolean enable) in Android 4:

adb shell su -c service call connectivity 34 i32 1 turns on USB tethering.

adb shell su -c service call connectivity 34 i32 0 turns off USB tethering.

(For other Android versions replace 34 with the following setUsbTethering calling codes per Android version):

5.1.0: 30
6.0.1: 30
7.0.0: 33

Credits

Is it possible to USB tether an android device using adb through the terminal?


Create a folder on android A3 2016 6.0.1 marshmallow

Tested on my S7 Edge:

Open the App Drawer.
Press Edit in upper-right corner.
Press and hold an app, then drag it on top of another app to create a folder.


Titanium backup shortcut/widget to toggle app freeze

Titanium Backup itself offers the corresponding Widgets:

long-press on a free space on your homescreen
select to add a widget
select Titanium Backup
select Action
select one of

deactivate App
activate & execute App
toggle (de)activate App

select the app
tap the "create widget" button


Let me first say: Do not use task killers. You are only making the problem worse.  Why?  Let me explain how the Android OS works.

Unlike normal OSes, Android does not actually let you "close" an application.  You can leave the application, but that doesn't mean it has "closed" or "killed" it. This is because of multi-tasking: when you leave an application, you can come back to it as you were previously.

Instead, the Android OS handles the "killing" or "closing" of applications for you.  It keeps track of a) how much free memory there is and b) how long it has been since you've opened that app.  When memory is running low, Android will garbage collect and kill any unused applications.  Android's OS task killer is very smart and can handle these situations far better than an Android Task Killer app that just kills apps left and right without any "logic" behind it.

Now, when you leave an application via back button or home, this doesn't mean the app is necessarily still running, just that it remains in memory. The only time an app will run is a) it is in the foreground or b) it has a background service.

In your case, it sounds like you are trying to kill background services. When you do so, the app will just go "oh hey, my background service is running any more, let's start it back up!"  And you will then be playing a game of whack-a-mole.  You'll be wasting resources and battery life because applications will be re-starting themselves.  And if an application was writing to disk (your SD card) at the time you killed it, then you could end up with corrupted files and other issues.  Rare, but it could happen.

The only need for a task killer is to stop an erroneous application in one-time situations.  That's what force stop is for. You shouldn't need to force stop every X min.  ONY when the app is misbehaving in rare occasions.

If you don't want all those apps running background services, check to see if they have settings to disable them.  Look for things such as disabling background notifications or other "polling" for information/updates.  Otherwise, uninstall the app.

You can find even more info over here in this thread and this thread.


What bootloader/recovery firmware can it be?

As comment says, it is the factory test firmware of this specific model (wiko jerry 1). There is no documentation, or practically anything for it. It is used mostly by the manufacturer, to initially test/setup the device after production; although it is also an useful test tool in the case of mysterious hardware problems.


Charge older Samsung phone (with Quick Charge 1.0 technology) at full rate

Qualcomm marketing manager PJ Jacobowitz writes:

  Quick Charge 1.0 makes all this is available to the user with existing USB charging accessories — no new cables and wall chargers to buy.

OK, so I don't need a charger with a special Quick Charge logo or anything.  Good.

Still, surely an underpowered charger won't allow the phone to charge as quickly as possible.  OK; what charger do I need?

Android Authority contributor Rob Triggs adds:

  Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 1.0 technology was designed to maximise charging efficiency for up to 10 watts of power, by allowing for a maximum current draw of 2 amps through a standard USB adapter and port voltage of 5 volts.

Though Android.SE user "TurboFool" warns:

  Nearly all chargers that advertise themselves as 2.1A are optimized for iProducts, which require a different grounding scheme in the charger to reach their full speed, and that same scheme limits Android devices to 500mA. So counter-productively you'll find that most 1A chargers will charge your Android device faster than 2.1A chargers. [...] The way around this is to buy a charger that's specifically designed to adapt to whatever device you're using.

Ah. So I'll need a charger which is able to provide 2 amperes even to my device. (Related question: "How can I tell how many milliamps my phone is drawing from the attached charger? Preferably without having to use a multimeter.")


If the date of activation matches the date of adding your Google account to the device, there's an easy way to check (unless you did a factory-reset in the meantime, and had to re-add the account):

with your Google account's credentials, log in to the Google Dashboard
Scroll to the section labeled "Android" and expand it (by clicking its title / the LGM [little green man])
Check the entry for the device you want to know the date for

At this place you should find the date you registered your device. That doesn't reflect the first time a device was added, but the last time the Google account was activated on the device. So if you activate your Google account following a factory-reset, this field is updated and thus reflects this point-in-time.


how to display text on TWRP recovery screen using a sh file?

This piece of code is extracted from the ZIP package of SuperSU. It's working correctly on all devices I've ever had (displaying text to the TWRP terminal)

OUTFD=1
readlink /proc/$$/fd/$OUTFD 2>/dev/null | grep /tmp >/dev/null
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ]; then
  # rerouted to log file, we don't want our ui_print commands going there
  OUTFD=0

  # we are probably running in embedded mode, see if we can find the right fd
  # we know the fd is a pipe and that the parent updater may have been started as
  # 'update-binary 3 fd zipfile'
  for FD in `ls /proc/$$/fd`; do
    readlink /proc/$$/fd/$FD 2>/dev/null | grep pipe >/dev/null
    if [ "$?" -eq "0" ]; then
      ps | grep " 3 $FD " | grep -v grep >/dev/null
      if [ "$?" -eq "0" ]; then
        OUTFD=$FD
        break
      fi
    fi
  done
fi

ui_print_always() {
  echo -n -e "ui_print $1\n" >> /proc/self/fd/$OUTFD
  echo -n -e "ui_print\n" >> /proc/self/fd/$OUTFD
}

To display message, use ui_print_always "some message" instead of echo.


Is the Websocket protocol supported on Android?

Neither Gingerbread nor Honeycomb browsers support web sockets. However, Firefox Beta v.7 and Firefox Aurora (which is a nightly of v. 8) both support the current spec of web sockets off the box.


Can't authenticate account on the Google play store

Authentication Issues? This could be any number of things and topics:

Google Authenticator Issues:
Are the authentication codes the same on your phone and tablet (Do they show the same code and refresh together)?
YES:
Just try again
NO:
1. Make sure you have the correct time on you tablet and its best to enable Automatic date & time but for this to work make sure your tablet has internet

2. On the Google authenticator security settings Link page and select 'Authenticator' Then select 'Switch Devices' then scan the same barcode on both devices and setup the authenticator

Google Account Problem:
If it a problem with signing in to Gmail (Google Accounts) then there is literally millions of errors it could be, so please put a bit more info in your question


How to make android prefer mobile data when wifi signal is very weak

From Android 5 onwards, there's a setting in the Developer options called Aggressive WiFi to mobile handover.

Enabling this setting makes your phone switch to mobile connection when the WiFi signal is too weak.

You can also take a look at a tutorial with screenshots.


How to record two tracks of audio while recording video?

Is there a cable that will take a stereo output from one device and connect it to the TRRS input on an Android, enabling both audio tracks to be recorded?

No. The TRRS headset jack isn't for connecting a stero input. It's for connecting a mono input (the mic) and a stereo output (the headphones), along with some extra cleverness for inline volume and transport buttons.

I don't think the OS itself supports two audio tracks as input, but if it does, the only way will be with one of those mini-mixers that connects via USB, and a USB-On-the-Go adapter. Be sure to check with the vendor that the mixer supports Android before you buy.


Why can't I move apps to the external memory on Huwait P8 lite 2017?

It seems like they have removed that option, I am using the same device and had previously using Marshmallow device. I do not have a storage issue though. This is the trick that worked for me, I changed the default storage to SD Card before I installed and updated apps. The app package is stored on internal memory but the data is on SD Card. However, my internal storage is always a minimum of 3GB and note that I have lot of apps, including games.

I guess if you change the storage type late, it doesn't move the data of apps to SD Card.

My advice is, backup your apps then reset your phone. Thereafter, initially  change the the default storage to SD Card then you can reinstall your apps.


Android L Preview After device unlock Contacts app open

Is it possible that you are swiping sideways?
the contacts app is on the left of the lockscreen, the phone app on the right, and to unlock you must swipe up


Does every company have its own version of fast charging or is there pre-agreed protocols that are negotiated between phones / batteries & chargers.

Yes. See this answer How does fast-charge work?. This list is not exhaustive and doesn't cover all types but get the idea

  I do have this monitoring app "Ampere" installed & it shows 1630 mA ....

Yes. It's a fast charger, normal charger will not charge usually beyond 1100 mA

  Model C P49L SPN5967A

Google it. You will find listed on Amazon and in the supported phones, you will see that they ( I didn't verify all) support fast charging

  How do I know that a charger is a Turbo Charger for my Moto

It doesn't seem to be going by the list of supported phones. But be aware that some or most turbo chargers do fast charging and vice versa. But it's best to get one that specifically supports your device


What are the radio band present in the hidden phone menu?

The difference is in the range of frequencies that each carrier use. The usage of these frequencies is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

  The usage of the different frequency bands varies around the globe
  although there is a large degree of standardisation. The GSM
  frequencies available depend upon the regulatory requirements for the
  particular country and the ITU (International Telecommunications
  Union) region in which the country is located.

For instance, in North America the USA uses both 850 and 1900 MHz bands, the actual
 band used is determined by the regulatory authorities and is dependent
upon the area.

Since spectrum is a finite resource, the FCC distributes spectrum licenses geographically into a number of areas, and mobile operators must bid on each area individually. A license owner can use any technology within the licensed area and frequency range subject only to the band rules defining the limits.

Here are the  charts that includes the 3G, 4G (LTE) network technologies, bands, and frequencies of all five major U.S. carriers:

NB: bandwidth — refer to the range of frequencies that can be contained within a signal.

For more information read here and here

Acknowledgements

Smartphone bands explained


If you want to turn off cell data on specific apps, just uncheck the box that corresponds to  connectivity and you are all set. The Android apps that allow you to do this are as follows some firewall apps.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jianjia.firewall

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.googlecode.droidwall.free

find more app from playstore for firewall apps .


Play store uninstalled, Reinstalled not working

Depending on your device and ROM you can either reinstall your operating system (ROM) or you can reinstall the gApps (Google apps).

Normally the apps come in a flashable zip file that you can install (flash) via recovery (a secondary minimal operating system).

Depending on your device the ROM can come in a flashable zip file or a variety of other files (tar.gz, md5, etc...) so you will have to figure that one out.

You can download gapps for Android 4.4.4 here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2397942

When downloading gApps you will want to match the version up with your device so that they are compatible with it. E.G. You are running 4.1.2 so you will download the 4.1.x compatible gApps.

Hope this helps!


How can I view only one task list in Jorte?

In the application, click on the 'Tasks & Memos' area. There should be a Task list button; click on it.

There, you can select and deselect the lists you want to show. If you only wanted to show a single list, you can uncheck the rest of the lists and click Close.

Now, this isn't designed to be used to quickly show and hide lists. Rather, it seems more like a preference. If you want multiple lists and the ability to quickly load just one on demand, I would recommend an app designed specifically for lists, such as List Master.

I use Jorte, but only for my calendars. It isn't well suited for separate lists, but rather a simple todo list.


Copy full system and data partitions of Oneplus 3T to computer

Devices of system and data partitions on Oneplus 3T are the following:

/dev/block/dm-0
/dev/block/dm-1

To copy them to computer run (smartphone must be rooted):

adb pull /dev/block/dm-0 dm-0.img
adb pull /dev/block/dm-0 dm-1.img


Music players that can import M3U playlists?

OK, I'll answer my own question on this one because I just came across MortPlayer. It does EXACTLY what I want: it will load M3U files or just play all files in a directory.


I believe that feature was added with Android 2.2 as my Moto Droid recently got the ability to do that.  Unfortunately, I believe you are out of luck until AT&T pushes an update to your phone, unless you are willing to install a non-standard ROM.


From the sound of your question, it sounds like your earphone jack is faulty and isn't recognising that earphones are connected.

You would have to send your device for repair.


Installing the Xperia Keyboard on non-Xperia devices

Post #456
 in the link provided by @beeshyams gives the following download link to the modified Xperia keyboard that can be used with a Huawei phone.
When clicking on the download link, the download should start, and you simply install it as you would with any other apk package. However, always be careful when installing unauthorized packages.
I don't know much about how this package is created and drawbacks, bugs, etc., but it works for me without any problems.

If you had a previous version of Xperia keyboard installed

  delete everything from the previous version! library, dalvik cache, just everything. Its really important.


What do "NAND", "ROM" and "to flash" mean?

A Nandroid backup is a backup of your phone that is an exact image of the state of your phone. So you could make an exact copy of your current phone, then do major changes to it, and then restore to your previous backup by flashing the backup back to the phone. Flashing means to copy or to install.... you are essentially wiping the device and restoring a previous state (a backup) or you are flashing a new ROM (which is a custom version of Android).

More info: I've rooted my phone.  Now what?  What do I gain from rooting?, What is the difference between: Rooting, Jailbreak, ROM, Mod, etc.? , etc.


I need to do a factory reset on my phone

Back Up Applications:

Tap "Apps" while on the home screen.
Tap "Settings" and go to "Backup and reset".
You need to be logged in to your Google account to back up your apps, so if necessary tap "Backup account" > "Add account" and follow the on-screen prompts to sign in with, or create a new Google account.
Mark the "Back up my data" check box.

Restoring Apps:

Tap "Apps" from the home screen.
Tap "Settings" and go to "Backup and reset".
Sign in to the Google account you've used for backing up the apps. To do so, tap "Backup account" > "Add account" and follow the on-screen instructions.
Mark the "Automatic restore" check box.

Backing Up Contacts:

Tap "Apps" from the home screen.
Tap "Settings" and select the account to sync.
Mark the "Contacts" check box.
Press "Menu" and tap "Sync now".

NOTE: Contacts will automatically be restored the next time you sign in with your Google account.

Backing Up Media Files:

Open the apps drawer and launch the "Photos" app.
Press "Menu" and tap "Settings".
Tap "Auto Backup".
Tap the "Auto Backup" switch and set it to "ON".
You need to be logged in to a Google account, so if necessary, tap "Backup account" > "Add account" and follow the on-screen instructions to log in or create a Google backup account.
Set the "Backup Storage" preferences as you desire.
Set the "Backup Settings" preferences.
To learn more about backing up media files using this method, tap "About Auto Backup".

NOTE: Media files will be restored automatically after you sign in with the Google account used for the backup.

Alternatively, as Firelord correctly pointed out, you can use the Helium app or a MTP connection to back up your apps and data.

Factory Reset:

From the home screen, tap "Apps".
Swipe to "Personal" and tap "Backup & reset".
Scroll to "Personal Data" and tap "Factory data reset".
Tap "Reset phone" > "Erase everything".

Source


How to find books by title in Aldiko eBooks?

Apparently the catalog has to support it.  I never realized that the default catalogs with Aldiko didn't have a sorting by title as I always use the custom catalog Drinkmalk and it does have a "By Title/Series" alphabetical ordering of books.


How to create and use multiple partitions on external SD card with different filesystems (Ext4, exFAT, NTFS)?

A few points on four partitions:

  Dedicated first partition exFAT or NTFS or FAT32 (whichever Android permits and gives optimum performance) to store apps, photos and media.

For apps consider Application Class but that's expensive. Others will exert performance penalty more or less. On filesystem selection, the biggest downside with FAT32 is its 4GB maximum file size limit. Also it doesn't have some built-in phenomenon to deal with growing fragmentation which may reduce performance over time. You can find many online resources on pros and cons of FAT32 and exFAT. Also see the MS's official Filesystem Functionality Comparison.

  Is it necessary in Android that 1st partition should be FAT32?

Not necessary if your device supports other filesystems. FAT32 is Android's default for secondary external storage (SD cards and USB drives) since the start days. Since SDXC cards (32GB+) come pre-formatted with exFAT (though not a technical limit), many OEMs add exFAT support to their devices. However exFAT was closed-source until recently, so it's not part of stock Android (except some limited addition in Android 9). But now it's very likely to be added to Android's kernel source. See some relevant details in this answer.

So check if your kernel supports exFAT: grep exfat /proc/filesystems. NTFS is still closed-source and doesn't have a stable in-kernel open-source driver. However it's possible to mount exFAT and NTFS using FUSE drivers. In each case vold must support the filesystem.

  Or can we make it exFAT or NTFS to which Android Apps2SD and others apps can download?

Irrespective of filesystem, all apps don't have write access to external SD card unless you make some changes to ROM. See details in How to save files to external SD card? and Android's Storage Journey.
There are apps available to move unsupported apps to SD card. Or you can manually (bind) mount a SD card partition (or directory) inside /data. Surely you need ext4 (or f2fs on new devices) for this purpose (to enforce UNIX permissions). But it doesn't necessarily needs to be a partition, you can place a loop file on first partition.

Trying to modify app's manifest (or asking how to do so) can be considered unethical or illegal.
You don't need a dedicated partition to store backups. Instead first partition can be used.
If you want to use whole partition for swap, that doesn't need a filesystem (but mkswap). If you want to create swap file instead (which isn't a bad idea), again you can use first partition for that. However using external SD card for swap is not always a good idea. From zram commit to mainstream kernel:

  embedded systems normally are reluctant to use eMMC or SDCard as swap because there is wear-leveling.
  ...
  Although we have real storage as swap, it was a problem, too.  Because it sometime ends up making system very unresponsive caused by slow swap storage performance.

Android supports swap with zram back-end (which creates a compressed block device within RAM) since Android 4.4. Android's OOM killers (old in-kernel lowmemorykiller and new userspace lmkd) do take swap into account. If your kernel supports ZRAM, using external SD card for SWAP is not recommended. It can worsen the performance and will kill the SD card very soon due to increased I/O operations.

  If I format 1st partition with ext4, exFAT or NTFS, Android OS doesn't show it in SETTINGS > STORAGE> SDCARD > PARTITIONS and asks to mount or erase the partitions.

It can be due to unsupported filesystem (see explanation above) or multiple partitions (see explanation below). However if a partition is manually mounted with proper permissions, apps are able to read/write files there. You may use sdcardfs or FUSE to emulate the filesystem for fixed permissions. But this way Android framework is unaware of mounted filesystem and Android apps won't be notified of new storage. Neither you can manage the mounted storage from device Settings.

  Can SD card have 4 partitions and will Android and SD card support it?

Android kernel by-default supports GPT which can have up to 128 partitions. MBR also supports 4 primary (or more logical) partitions (inside extended partition). Generally there is no technical limit but Android's userspace may mount only first partition, or may not recognize multi-partitioned SD card at all e.g. due to unknown partition type including Linux (0x83). Though vold supports multiple partitions before Android 6 too, you need to define FUSE (sdcard) init services, add entries to fstab, configure storage in framework-res.apk etc. If mounting multiple partitions doesn't work without these changes, you need to mount (additional or all) partitions manually (or rebuild your ROM with modified code).

  Will this mounting show the partitions in Settings and device file manager?

No. See explanation above. Not sure what you mean by "device file manager".

  Or can we view these partitions through ES File Manager or Solid Explorer or Root Manager and take their backups too?

Yes and no; depends on how, where and with what filesystem permissions you mounted the filesystem. See explanation above. Not sure what you mean by "take their backups too".

  Examples of commands to partition in Android; fdisk or parted or the best one.

Partitioning works alike on all OSes. There's a long list of CLI and GUI tools and you'll find hundreds of tutorials online. Assuming that your SD card is enumerated as mmcblk1 and you want to create first partition of 32GB while leaving the rest for second, a one liner on Android can be:

~# sgdisk -Z -n 0:0:+32G -n 0:0:0 -p /dev/block/mmcblk1

See sgdisk manpage for explanation and more options. If needed use partx -uv /dev/block/mmcblk1 to update kernel of partition table changes, or simply reinsert SD card.

After partitioning use mkfs.fat/mkfs.exfat/mkfs.ntfs/mkfs.ext4 to create filesystem. All tools are available for Linux and work on Android as well.

  Can we force mount command in some startup boot init file to mount all four partitions?

Yes. Create an init service or init.d script. See details in How to run an executable on boot?


Keep Samsung apps/"features" after rooting?

Rooting your phone (standard rooting procedure; not from flashing a custom ROM) will not make you lose Samsung features.

If you flash CyanogenMod (which is a custom ROM that also has root pre-installed), you will no longer be able to use Samsung's features. Samsung is Touchwhiz-based (TW), and CyanogenMod is AOSP-based. Apps developed only for TW-based ROMs are not compatible with AOSP-based ROMs.


What are the Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich Easter Eggs?

Go to Settings->About Phone (this is the last menu item in the settings menu) and find the version number menu item in the menu.

1. Find the android

Quickly tap the android version number several times and an android will appear on your screen:

2. Find the nyan-droid

Press and hold the android n the screen and it will grow. Keep holding it and at the end a set of androids wearing ice cream sandwiches will fly across your screen, like so:

Enjoy!!


WhatsApp Settings in Samsung S3 - Where do I find it?

Apps on Android don't change their icon to show that there are new notifications, the notifications appear in the Notification Bar at the top of the screen instead, so that they're always available at a glance, even when you're running other apps.

In Android apps manage their own notifications, so to change WhatsApp's notification settings you need to open the WhatsApp app, and then press your device's Menu button (or press the ... ellipses icon in the top right of the screen)

Then select Settings

And then select Notifications, you can then see the various options that WhatsApp has for alerting you about different types of messages.


Securely wiping a phone with a broken screen

If you did a factory reset, you should be able to connect it to the computer and it should allow you to delete files from the internal storage. MTP is limiting though in the fact that you can't use a secure erase program (one that overwrites the file multiple times with random data). This will be quite difficult to do with a broken screen.

The other option is to use Odin to restore it to stock. Odin overwrites all the partitions including the full /data partition which will wipe the internal storage. Just follow any of the guides on how to return to stock or unbrick the device, like this one for the international S3. If you have one of the LTE or carrier versions you will need an appropriate guide for that version. You can do everything blind in Odin, just follow the directions carefully.


How To Selectively Update Applications On Google Play?

You could check-mark for automatic updates those apps which you care about or just update each application individually.


Locked out of my phone as the touchscreen isn't working

You say USB debugging is on. Is your phone is already "paired" with certain computers - that is, it it set to automatically allow USB debugging from certain computers? Usually the answer is yes for your personal computer(s).

Assuming this is the situation, you can easily ADB shell to tar/gz any folder(s) you want and "ADB pull" the tar/gz file to your computer.

Another option that you might want to explore is the Vysor application (currently for Chrome), that allows remote control via ADB.


Why would the Netflix App want to "read sensitive log data" on my device?

Some apps use this to retrieve debug information and send it to the company to help improve the app (eg. Evernote [source]). Couldn't find any information on how Netflix uses the data and can't test but maybe there's a "Send debug information" button or something similar. This, of course, is pure speculation, so you'll have to think "Do I trust this company with my data?"

As to what information is made available by this, you can check this by using aLogcat or the Android SDK and logcat. There's a public Google+ post which describes an example of logcat information.


Different notification tones for multiple Gmail accounts

The GMail app already appears to do this on a per-account basis. Simply open an account, then navigate to (Menu button)->More->Settings->Select Ringtone. This works fine on my version (2.3.4.1) and allows me to set a different ringtone for each account.

You can also use this to cause some accounts to provide vibrate/audible notifications while others do not. For example, my work account is set to vibrate "for all notifications", but my other accounts have their vibration set to "Never".


How do I do a completely clean installation?

When you do a factory reset/data wipe, it does not put anything back from the stock firmware. When you install a new ROM, doing the reset just puts it in the "new" state for that ROM.

To restore back to stock, you will need to download the stock ROM for your device from SamFirmware (or another place if you know of one). Then you can use ODIN or Heimdall to restore the device back to its original state.

These are the steps that I took when I initially reverted my device back to stock (keep in mind this was about a year ago, so the files (version) used probably changed, but steps should be the same.

I couldn't give you downloads for everything because you did not say what device you have. Samsung made like 8 different versions of the Galaxy S.

You will need the USB drivers for your device if you don't have them installed

Download ODIN
Download 512 PIT
Download JFD tar

Note that all 3 of those are from the same thread. It also wouldn't hurt for your to read that post too.

Open Odin, plug in your phone, then put it into download mode.

To expand on this because a lot of people were asking "how to put in download mode". The easiest way I found to actually do it, if you can can connect via ADB is to do the following:
# reboot download
If you can't get that to work, try how i mention below (phone off, battery out, hold vol+ & vol-), or try searching these forums for "vibrant download mode" you will find other things that "work" for people

load the PIT file in appropriate area.
load the .tar file in the PDA area.
DO NOT check 're-partition'.
Click start, let it finish.

Hopefully ODIN doesn't fail for you here, but it did for me, dont panic

At this point ODIN failed on me. and I got the "mobile-!-pc" image.
Now, pull your battery and unplug USB
I also took out the SIM and sdcard at this point.
bring the phone to download mode again

plug the USB back in (the phone should be off)
Hold down vol+ & vol-
Put battery back in
press power
re-run ODIN as mentioned above (if needed)


How do I backup media, game data (internal storage) using TWRP?

There's an app that's just been released (tested on Moto X Play) that bridges the gap between Nandroid and full backup and backs up photos, videos, game data etc, which wasn't possible earlier
Tipatch (Play Store) and quoting from developers XDA thread

Tipatch patches TWRP to backup contents of internal storage (emulated SD card) as part of Data, thus preventing data loss. Internal storage typically includes items such as photos, videos, downloads, game data, and other assorted files.
A side effect is that wiping "Data" will also wipe internal storage. This cannot be fixed.

Programs (instead of using app) for all OS's available on Github
I am not affiliated in any way with the app or developer and wanted to share a tip-off from a friend
Edit: Also now tracker free version available in Izzy's F-droid repo
Edit 2 User alecxs who is a regular contributor here has a universal bind mount enabler, for the same functionality. You can download it from XDA. There is also a Magisk module "TWRP helper" that claims to do the same (not tested by me).


Based from an article on Wikipedia regarding to Electronic Serial Number (ESN),

  ESNs are currently mainly used with CDMA phones (and were previously used by AMPS and TDMA phones), compared to International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers used by all GSM phones.

(Emphasis mine)

So, if there is IMEI, then it's GSM. Otherwise, it's CDMA.

Alternatively, theTuxRacer suggested on the comment

  Remove the back cover on the chin. Under the "Made in China" sticker, there should be a small box which should mention something like HTC One V T320e... They are called as Primou U and Primou C for the GSM and CDMA version respectively!


Question on installation of android-x86-8.1-r2.x86_64.rpm on Ubuntu 18.04

I determined that grub was actually configured with an option to boot Android, but I wasn't seeing this option because grub was configured to automatically boot Ubuntu. I added the # to the beginning of the following lines in /etc/default/grub, ran "sudo update-grub", and now my computer gives me the option to boot Android.

#GRUB_TIMEOUT_STYLE=hidden
#GRUB_TIMEOUT=0

I also determined the menu entry I added to 40_custom wasn't necessary as it resulted in a redundant option to boot Android in the grub boot menu, so I deleted this menu entry (which I had manually added as described in my question above) from my 40_custom file.


com.google.android.apps.gsa.binaries.velvet.app.velvet root application keeps stopping

I was facing the same problem until I updated the google (not chrome) to the latest version.
Try updating the google app once.


PIN screen and PIN have changed on Huawei P8 Lite with Android 7

PIN does not change automatically. And to remove pin, you need old pin.
You are able to access phone. So first take backup of the phone and restore phone. This will remove pin from phone. After that you can set pin. If you are not able to access phone then you may loss data.
Some application and software can recover lost pin.


Change Android USB Device Name for Windows Explorer

It is just a name for the device that the manufacture put there. Change the name, call it what you like, it does not matter.

The pop up is part of Windows and will call on the device's real name (what the manufacturer called it). This device name is embedded into the your mobile device and can not be changed without going down to a low level of programming.

In your phone spec on GSMarena, you will notice that your phone has multiple names.


Massive battery drain after factory restore

How old is the phone? It sounds like the battery is getting on in age, which typically leads to rapid battery life loss under heavy load.
Greenify helped me squeeze extra battery life out of my phone, it may help you too. Keep doing tests on how quickly is loses charge in different apps. Try using MX Player or your web browser to play the youtube video instead of the youtube app. The only other suggestion I have for increasing battery life would be switching to a custom ROM more suited for battery life preservation. Anything else either consider replacing the battery, or getting a 2nd external backup battery/case


Use Transformer Prime instead of virtual emulator

The Prime uses a proprietary cable, but it supports a USB connection to a computer via that cable (which you can see in this image from Engadget which I posted in another question). The fact that the connector isn't a micro USB port has no bearing on whether or not you can connect over USB (see: every Samsung tablet).


At the moment (Marshmallow) it's not possible. I usually get it using apps which require root permissions.

Another way could be to use an iptables trick, but it requires root, too.


How to configure a Bluetooth keyboard to open and close a specific app?

Does your keyboard have media buttons by any chance? If so you can use something like Tasker or Automate (Free) to programatically set actions. I happen to have Automate on my phone and just checked you can use media buttons as a trigger e.g. pause, play, next, previous, eject etc. Then you can hook this up to start apps and voice searches easily - the interface is pretty straightforward if you haven't used one of these apps before.

If your keyboard doesn't have media buttons a generic bluetooth remote of some sort could work (try ebay/aliexpress etc.)

Quick google search says Tasker can't capture generic keypresses but that might've changed since 2015.


Forgot screen lock PIN on Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Follow this simple steps to unlock forgotten password/pattern lock on android

It is mostly seen that when you type wrong password few times, your phone will give you message “Try Again in 30 Seconds”. Apart from this it will also gives you an option: Forgot Password or Pattern.

Step #1: Tap on this option.

Step #2: When you click on Forgot Password option, you will get two options: Unlock with security question OR Unlock with Google account.

Step #3: Tap on Google account option.

Step #4: Login with Google account to get connected.

Step #5: Now you can select a new pattern or type in a new password.

Step #6: Type new password and access your android device easily without losing any data.

Disclosure: I'm the author of the linked article.


How can you open a URI from the command line?

As shown here, you can use these commands:

am start -a com.llamalab.automate.intent.action.START_FLOW -d content://com.llamalab.automate.provider/flows/13/statements/1

or

am start -a com.llamalab.automate.intent.action.START_FLOW -d content://com.llamalab.automate.provider/flows/13/statements/1 -n com.llamalab.automate/.StartServiceReceiver

Replace content://com.llamalab.automate.provider/flows/13/statements/1 with your flow URI.

The first command worked for me while the second was giving an error in Termux and result=0 in Terminal Emulator.


Is there a way to project and control a android screen on PC using USB connection

Unless you had USB debugging enabled, you are unlikely to be able to access your phone's screen over USB (as far as I know).

If you have an external keyboard, you could try plugging it in with a USB OTG cable and using that to type the password, or if you had USB debugging enabled you could try using Vysor.


My Galaxy y s5360 is not detecting the sd card?

Did you check if you card in working on your computer. If your card is detected on your computer without any messages then there must be something wrong with your mobile.

Else if your computer detects your sd card and gives you any message to scan/format before using it...then consider running scandisk on your card once your computer detects it...

Hope this helps...


Restore local WhatsApp backup after factory reset

The only available options at this point are restoring any last backup from google drive or rooting(which needs unlocked bootloader) your phone to recover files.


Why does my EVO 3D think I am talking to it?

The connector must be a bit loose (or incorrectly sized) and as it wiggles around in the socket, it hits the connectors in a way that makes the phone think it's equipped with a mic (that is, a TRRS plug instead of TRS). Try another pair of headphones or try twisting and aligning the plug/cord so that there no pull or twist in the root of the cord.


how could I know if my phone's been hacked

Check for the whatsapp web feature , from menu select "whatsapp web" , probably they got it authorized in your absence . And they can continue to access unless you log out or cookies are cleared.

you can logout from mobile app itself. choose "log out from all computers"

from home screen of whatsapp , click on the "more" menu "(three dots)" in the top right corner of screen. The drop down menu appears, there select "whatsapp web",
then there is list of sessions running, just choose "logout from all computers" under that list.


Disable "DeX on PC" notification each time S10 connected to PC

If you would rather remove Dex from your phone instead of disabling it, and you have ADB and USB debugging setup, you can remove it with this command:

adb shell "pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.sec.android.app.dexonpc"


Your security is the reason

This is to prevent Tapjacking . See bmdixon's answer here Screen overlay detected, what is the problem? for details

So, VPN is not permitted but if you don't have a Cancel option to go back ( and disable the screen app, normally option for this is available in app settings) - how do you go back ? You can't, therefore, Cancel option is NOT greyed out


TWRP unable to wipe or format `Failed to mount '/system' (Device or resource busy)`

I fixed this by using an older version of TWRP (3.2.3.1), then I downloaded GAPPs from a different source and installed using adb sideload now all is working.


Yes. There are many applications available in Google Play Store.

The most powerful automation app is Tasker, which I use and recommend to others. You can also try battery saver applications like Juice defender, and Deep Sleep Battery Saver.

In Tasker, define the context as Display off with task Disable net. Then you are done!

If you are in need of more tasker profiles, go here.


Does the space used by app increase on updating?

If you are asking about the apps that came pre-installed with your device: Yes, their updates definitely will consume additional space, for a simple reason: The pre-installed apps are stored on the /system partition, which is read-only during normal operations¹ – so the update cannot be written there. Instead, it goes to the user /data partition. So with an update applied, there are always 2 copies of the app on your device.

You can easily tell affected apps when going to Settings › Apps and checking their entry. If it shows a button labeled "uninstall updates", that's a clear indicator.

All you can do in such cases is "disabling" the app – that is, if you don't use it anyway. Disabled apps are not updated, and already installed updates will be removed when disabling them. If at a later point you decide to enable them again, updates will be applied again as well.

¹ That usually means: always, except when applying system updates


"Cannot Move App Not Enough Storage Space" Error Message

I think this is the first time you have added a SD card ?.
Open Settings - Storage and check if you can see the the storage space details. If not ,you must Mount your SD card by a button there, after that you can move files or apps to SD card without error.

Another issue could be that your SD card was not recognised (always showing 0Mb) because android or user settings are wrong. Hopefully this helped you


Missing notification bar and navigation bar on an Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet

I don't know exactly what caused it, but it seems related to Gmail notifications.  Going to Settings > Apps & Games > Manage All Applications, choosing Gmail, and unchecking the "Show notifications" checkbox caused my notification and navigation bar to return.  Re-enabling "Show notifications" did not cause the problem to recur.


android what is the minimum software that must be present in my PC to detect my android phone

maybe you forget install the android usb driver, look this:

http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html

and

http://developer.android.com/sdk/oem-usb.html#InstallingDriver

when you finish this work, if it also dont work, please try get your device specialized driver.


Change default account in "Add new contact"

I'm not very sure but perhaps it would be help be for you go to Settings->Accounts->Google->(turn off) contacts.


Can I pull the emails off my Android phone?

Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this. Here is the method I found...

Open an email on your phone and find where you can "save email as file". It is usually in the upper right dropdown. After saving, go to your phone's storage and find the Saved Email folder. The email will be saved as an *.eml file. Since the file is relatively small, you can do this for multiple emails. (It is a little time consuming to open emails and save as files but once you get the hang of it you can go pretty fast.) All you are doing is opening emails and saving them to that Saved Email folder.

Next, using an email account, email the *.eml file(s) to the email address you want to place the emails in. Remember you can attach multiple files in one email since they are small files. Now open the email account on your computer with the attachments and select an *.eml file. When you open the attachment it will appear as an open email. Move the open email to the folder you want it to appear in.

The email will now be in that folder and appear just as it was on your phone. Unfortunately you now have to spend time opening each *.eml file as an email and moving it to the desired folder. At least now the emails will be saved where you want them in the order (date and time) as they appeared on your phone.


how to stop motorola moto G5 from automatically rebooting?

Assuming you have keep a stock ROM on your phone (don't have root it), the cause can be both hardware and/or software.

I explain myself: either the cause is material, or a heat problem putting the temperature sensor(s) on alert or even the components themselves overheating thus obliging them at a given moment to stop. In this case, you would already feel a significant increase in warmth with your bare hand when picking up your phone.
The last possible cause of this scenario would be a design flaw, it seems to me that this phone is recent, perhaps reason why this kind of trouble starts to make edge effects and therefore untimely restarts.
The battery may also be involved, voltage variations that would no longer power the phone enough for a few seconds, forcing Android to turn off.

The second hypothesis, namely the software, therefore in this case Android, could be the cause, in this case, the diagnosis could become more complicated than for a material cause.
Indeed, it could be that a system or user application poses a problem. If the last words i quoted don't scare you, then you might find an anomaly in the system log files, namely in the logcat, an explanatory tutorial has been written very well on XDA, i let you read it:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1726238

Always in a software case, the problem could simply come from an old application, not updated for a certain time that you would use to perform a very precise task in a very precise way.

I would suggest you to make a complete backup of your data on your phone before anything else, and this in a separate way (a backup of each type of data such as SMS MMS and call log on one side and photos, videos, music on the other side). Then a simple cleanup of the data partition, cache, as well as the dalvik cache through your reovery menu, followed by a reboot to test your phone.

By hoping you find this information useful.


The service is not available yet for Android devices:

  Voice and video in Gmail only works with the newer version of Gmail in supported browsers: FF 2.0+, IE 6.0+, Safari 3.0+, and Google Chrome.

However, it's likely they have something in the works. In the meantime, there are alternative services like Fring and QiK.


Nexus 4 not recognised by Windows 7 machine after KitKat update

Turns out that uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers solves the issue. The strange part is that before I uninstalled the drivers, the name on the driver said it was for a Samsung Galaxy device, which the Nexus 4 clearly is not.


first of all you've gotta unlock the bootloader on the HTC dev (you've gotta sign up first it's free) and you need to use the fastboot oem unlock command if they still support that model of phone. but the sad news is that phone is not a very well know phone at all so there is not root at the moment. so you stuck on a non rooted phone. theres no recovery like cwm or trwp.


China phone after factory restart in recovery mode stuck on formating data

Please flash stock rom using smart phone flash tool stock rom for your device is here http://androidxda.com/download-lenovo-stock-rom-models

and direct link is here https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B3H1waZx5Veqa3ItOG1xZWM4U28

please refer http://androidxda.com/flash-stock-rom-using-smart-phone-flash-tool for flashing stock rom


Not sure this counts as an answer. But I prefer to summarise what I learnt from the long comment thread. Note these are lessons learnt from flashing 4 Android Phones in the last 3 months:

Check your usb-cable before starting. If it doesn't connect to the laptop where your adb is installed, get a new one!
If you install want to unofficial builds, try to have at least another alternative ready for installation. Best try to have at least one alternative stable build ready for installation.
Unofficial builds may not support ADB as @alecxs pointed out in the comments
Have an OTG cable ready! I didnt have one ready, but ordered one and left the phone in TWRP for the days until it arrived. With the OTG I managed to install without issues

If 1-4 do not work for you, then I suggest rebooting into bootloader. Thanks @Evan Carroll for the link: Is it possible to boot into a different recovery from TWRP?


The original Nexus 7 does support screen mirroring to Chromecast. This feature was added in Android 4.4, so if you're still using an old Android version on your Nexus 7, you'll need to do a system update. From the Settings app, go to Display then Cast screen. Don't bother with the Chromecast app at all.

The option's in a different place on the S3, and it's designed primarily for Samsung's competitor to the Chromecast, but I expect it would work with both. From the Settings app, at the bottom of the Connections page, click Screen Mirroring. The phone will start looking for devices it can cast to.


If you have root, you move the app to /system/priv-app; privileged system apps can't be disabled through normal user methods.

Otherwise, it's up to the application to support Device Administration.  Apps like Norton App Lock should be implementing this if they don't already, since this kind of thing is exactly what it's designed for.  Registered and activated device administrators can't be disabled or uninstalled until they are deactivated.


I used memory card as adoptable storage in Android Marshmallow

Check if your pc is showing the sd card content. If it is then copy the whole storage into pc and format the card and copy back everything into card.If it is not , then format the card and use data recovery software like diskgetor to get back the lost data.


Sometimes the download manager won't clear its cache, goto settings/apps/download manager and clear data (cache will be cleared as well). It won't erase any already downloaded items, but the items trying to download. If you can, run a logcat, to get an idea of what is going wrong. Good luck!!


Still shaking my head over this.  Turns out the little balloons that rise up in the app list (and only on certain apps) are IN ADDITION to being able to move the icon to the main screen, via a long press.  After having lunch and calming down, I tried repopulating the main screen and it worked.  Sigh.


Changing default view mode in Firefox to Desktop

Have you looked at this extension?

Description:

  About this Add-on

  This add-on enables desktop mode by default; that is, "Request Desktop
  Site" is always checked whenever opening a new tab. This is designed
  for users with larger screens (primarily tablet users).

  NOTE: Make sure "Request Desktop Site" and/or Phony are disabled when
  viewing this page; otherwise, you may not be able to see the install
  button.

EDIT: Take this tutorial you can:

In the Firefox address bar, type "about:config" and press Enter.
Tap the "Add a New Setting" button, then select "String" as the type.
For name, enter "general.useragent.override."
For value, enter the browser user agent string you want to use. You can do a Google search for the user agent strings of your preferred browser and OS. In this example, we're using the user agent string for the desktop version of Firefox 17 on Windows 7.

  Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:17.0) Gecko/20100101
  Firefox/17.0

Restart Firefox and confirm that Web sites are loading the desktop versions.
That's it. If you want to change the user agent later, go back to about:config and search for "general.useragent.override." Hit the Modify button to change the user agent or the Reset button to remove it.


I've made it!
In order to not create duplicates, I post here the link to my working solution:
Use sd card as internal storage and stop writing to internal memory for good


How do I unlock the bootloader on an LG K120 (K4 LTE 2016)?

LG has agreed to provide bootloader unlocks for a certain few models.  Google  bootloader unlock. Is an  officia LG site. Good luck!


How do I prevent usb mount while the the mobile is OFF

volume button + the power button boots the phone either to fastboot mode or recovery mode. One way to do it is to flash a recovery that does not support USB mounting. However, the thief may still flash a new recovery to access your files. At least it would be way more complicated.
I'm afraid there is no absolute way to prevent USB mount.


Have an entry in 'Contacts' for each one of your friends (Contact -> Add new contact, then enter their number and details) and then enter SMS chat with them any time by entering into their respective 'Contacts' profile and clicking on the 'Send Message' icon to begin SMS chat.

Or just use an Chatting app like WhatsApp which has native support for all modern mobile OS's (Android, Blackberry, iOS..) so you could avoid retyping the same number again and again.

Or just stop mistyping those area codes.


Other than portability, are there any other advantages (or disadvantages) to storing apps on external storage?

taken straight from android developer site

There is no effect on the application performance so long as the external storage is mounted on the device.

The .apk file is saved on the external storage, but all private user data, databases, optimized .dex files, and extracted native code are saved on the internal device memory.
The unique container in which your application is stored is encrypted with a randomly generated key that can be decrypted only by the device that originally installed it. Thus, an application installed on an SD card works for only one device.
The user can move your application to the internal storage through the system settings.

Also -> Applications That Should NOT Install on External Storage (more details on android developer site)

Services
Alarm Services
Live Wallpapers
Live Folders
App Widgets
Account Managers
Sync Adapters
Device Administrators
Broadcast Receivers listening for "boot completed"


The only surefire fix I can suggest is factory reset. But I know it should be your last resort so maybe it can also be fixed by resetting the settings to defaults, without losing data. This method sometimes work with broken wifi, issues with force close, some lagging issue and some others.

First, if you have Titanium Backup or other similar apps, backup your system data (Settings, ApplicationSettings, Settings Storage) because you will be wiping it clean. 2nd, Go to Settings -> Applications -> All, and scroll down until you find Settings. Select it, now you will see some info, scroll down until so see Clear data. Note that clearing data will set your Wifi, Wallpaper, Sound, Network, but not your password and google login, to defaults.
Now after clearing Settings, go back to Applications -> All, and check if you also have VPNservice, and Network Provider there, clear its data too to be sure.

Try to login your VPN now, it should probably work. If not, use whatever last resort you have. But remember to backup first :P


How can I free some disk space without deleting my apps?

The only way that I am aware of is if you don't want to remove apps from your device, you could remove the app data associated with them. Certain apps take up quite a large amount of space, Google Maps is an example of this if you use it regularly.

To delete the app data go to settings > Applications > Manage Applications and click on a app name and then click on the All Tab. You may want to click on Menu > Sort by size so it will show you what apps are using the most space from the top of the screen.

To clear the app data click on the app name and then click on the clear data button.

Do this for a couple of apps and the low storage space warning should eventually disappear, you may have to go through quite a few apps though. This is what I have to do on quite a regular basis unfortunately.

Another tip, the browser tends to store a lot of data, but if you click on clear data for the browser you will lose everything including bookmarks. Instead from the browser press menu > more > settings  and then clear things like history and cookies etc.

Hope this helps


Use this form to submit a refund request from google - https://support.google.com/googleplay/contact/play_request_refund_apps?ctx=about_refunds_on_google_play&rd=1

In most cases google does give you your money back but you need to explain them about the accident, the best is to clearly state the issue and letting them know the act was done by a kid so that you can actually make a point.

I got the same situation quite sometimes back, it took about 30 days to get a reply from google support but eventually i got the refund. :)


"Erase SD card" formats it. Back up data before formatting, because all of the files are deleted. You can format from the PC aswell, by mounting as Mass Storage, and formatting it like an regular USB.


This app has no inbuilt GUI link on many builds. You can use the app Sound Recorder Shortcut by KN Inc to access it through a shortcut though. The app needs no permission. The recordings are saved on the SD card in path /sdcard/. The files names are recording*.3gpp. The recording was just ok though with some amount of background noise.


Calendar app on Desire - Can I get Stock Android Calendar?

You probably have the HTC Sense calendar, which is different from the regular calendar.  To replace it:

Root your phone.
Use a file manager like Root Explorer to back up any files you replace and to copy in new ones.  You'll need to browse to /system/app and mount it as R/W.
Use an AOSP (android-open-source-project) calendar like this one from XDA (has instructions).  It's for 2.1, it might work for 2.2 but if not just search XDA for another.


How to back up android note 4 that won't boot up?

take the battery out, hold the power button on for 1 min to drain all residual power. Replace battery and power up normally. This has worked with mine but am not game to power it off anymore.


Don't worry, you should be able to get out of it. It can commonly happen among Android users when a certain key combination is pressed on accident. You can refer to this link for causes and fixes.


Is the save data for Angry Birds still there even if the app isn't?

I believe you backed up from Recovery, correct?  If that is the case, then the backup should contain everything that was on your phone before the backup -- apps, saved games, etc.  So restoring the backup should have restored Angry Birds and its save data, as long as that was present before the backup.

Titanium can back up the app, the app's data, or both.  It does require root.  Non-root users have to deal with Recovery backups, which are not as flexible since you can't restore only bits and pieces -- it's all or nothing.  Of course, the SD card is easy to back up (plug it into a computer) and some apps may allow you to export data.

You'd have to ask Rovio why they chose not to use a database, but I'd guess it's because the save data is so simple.  If you open the file it's almost human-readable text.  Even easier to back up than a database.


Is it possible to stop the GPS from 'jumping' on a MT6592 phone?

Within 30 metres is sadly within the specification of GPS, so legally your phone works perfectly fine and does not qualify for warranty (refund or repair).

The issue seems to be common with your chip, and a software fix is known for rooted devices: http://www.chinasmartphonereview.com/gps-test-and-fix-for-mt6592-octa-core/. I don't know however if this is any different from the fix you tried, but it sure is worth a shot.

Ensure your device is rooted
Download Mobileuncle Mtk Tools
Launch the app and go to "Power GPS Search". Tap "GPS Set" and reboot.
Ensure you are connected to the internet and have all location settings enabled.
Launch the app again and go to "Engineer Model (MTK)" –> "Location Base Service". Tick GPS ON.


Add multiple Gmail accounts in Gmail app

There's nothing special you need to do within Gmail. (In fact, there's nothing you can do in Gmail.)

Simply add the Google account(s) to your device under Settings > Accounts > Add account. (It will then appear there listed under "Google Account".)

After that make sure you're syncing Gmail plus whatever other Google services you want (or not).


if my device has logged into someones gmail, will it still show on device list after being factory reset?

Your question is a little unclear so let me know if i got this right.

You were logged in as abc@gmail.com on your tablet/tablets and your friend, being that he had access to this email address, went ahead and deleted everything in your phone, and now you are wondering if he's able to do the same again?

The answer is no, he's not able to wipe your phone again, because when he erased it in the first time, that cleared everything, including all accounts. And as long as you don't add that account back, he won't be able to do any harm.

You can double check this, by going to settings>accounts>Google, and see if "abc@gmail.com" is still there.


Does "clear data" of a running app also "force stop"?

Yes, you are correct.  Any running app will be stopped if you clear its data, which you can verify pretty easily by selecting an app from the Running list in Settings → Apps and clearing its data; it will disappear from the list.  I verified this myself quite a while ago out of curiosity.  It is, of course, expected for the reason you mention — getting rid of the data that the app was working with will almost certainly make its state invalid or could cause partial (i.e., corrupt) data to be saved later.


Youmail visual voicemail in a foreign country?

No, this isn't feasable.

I take it you now have an Israel cell phone now, and you are trying to get Youmail on that. Youmail is a U.S. based service, so even if you got forwarding to work for voicemail, it would eat up into your balance like nothing else. It would be the same as you calling the U.S. based number every time someone left a voicemail; I'm sure Israel to U.S. calls are not free.

However, if your U.S. friends still call your old U.S. cell phone, those will still get directed to youmail (assuming the cell phone account is still active). You would simply check the messages via the internet.


How can I force a website to provide its mobile page?

I recently had a problem with gmail.com trying to get the desktop site to display (setting rules anđ labels requires the desktop site).  Somehow, the act of typing gmail.com into the browser does not show the desktop site but following the link from google.com works. I know this is backwards from your problem, but the presence or absence of extra data in the link or cookie can cause this behavior on certain sites. You can try deleting cookies for this site and try différent links from other sources.

I'm a web developer too and there are libraries like bootstrap that can switch to a mobile format that depends solely on the width of the page. It completely ignores the desktop checkbox and uses CSS and js to reformat the page even on a desktop computer if the window is resized. In this case, there really is no 'mobile site'. Viewing with your phone in portrait mode should work but landscape may or may not.

Facebook's browser may be a different size window, or may not be standardized to detect screen size with bootstrap, You could also have a chrome plugin that is causing an issue.
If I had to guess, I'd say that you need to delete the cookies (which will delete some login info) and try again.
Just keep in minđ that not every site responds to the checkbox in chrome. That only works if there are separate pages for mobile and desktop which is not the way that bootstrap works.

BTW, I just saw your link and tried it. I can use the checkbox on chrome on my s10e and I can switch from mobile to `desktop without issue.


No you don't.... There's actually no problem, if you don't feel very comfortable with the new IMEI, you can always change it yourself using the engineering mode.


Possible to estimate the number of users for an Android app?

On AppBrain, you can find the number of installs right at the beginning of the page for the app:

On Google Play, you will have to scroll a little further down, as with the relaunch the summary has moved to a less ideal position:

It's just a raw number of installs done via Google Play, and does not include other sources (such as AndroidPIT, Pdassi, or Amazon). I don't know how is dealt with users who installed an app and later uninstalled it, but that number should at least give you a raw idea.


Maybe Android Device Manager could be helpful.

I hope it can help you.


How to debug inetd server on rooted Android phone?

You seem to mix up inetd and xinetd configuration and paths - use a config for one or the other. You may also want to consider to specify the service as type "unlisted" to avoid the need of it being added to /etc/services - as you didn't mention you did add your service, I suppose you didn't.


Instantly transfer a picture taken to PC

You can do this using the FolderSync app (it is a paid app).

The app allows you to setup local folder(s) on your device which can be synced to various cloud services, a shared folder, or even FTP (see below for a full list). When setting up a "folder pair" you can choose to "delete source files after sync".

There is also a lite version available if you want to test it out first.

Full list of supported cloud services/protocols:

Cloud providers
- Amazon S3 Simple Storage Service
- Box
- CloudMe (using WebDAV)
- Copy.com
- Cubby (using WebDAV)
- Digitalbucket.net (using WebDAV)
- Dropbox
- Dump Truck (using WebDAV)
- GoDaddy (using WebDAV)
- Google Docs
- Google Drive
- HiDrive (using WebDAV)
- Livedrive (using WebDAV)
- MyDrive.ch (using WebDAV)
- NetDocuments (using WebDAV)
- Skydrive
- SugarSync
- Ubuntu One
- WEB.DE (using WebDAV)
- Yandex Disk (using WebDAV)

Supported protocols
- FTP
- FTPS (SSL/TLS implicit)
- FTPES (SSL/TLS explicit)
- SFTP (SSH File Transfer)
- Samba/CIFS/Windows Share
- WebDAV (HTTP/HTTPS)


Android device stuck in a bootloop and there's nothing I can do about it

I had a similar problem with a Samsung Galaxy Tab A.  From the Internet I got the idea to disconnect the battery, then let the unit's memory discharrge overnight.

This was not as a recommendation from the Internet, just my idea.  Of course this involves opening the back cover and fiddling with the interior battery connector.  Both tasks are not for the timid craftsman (sorry person).  But with due care it is manageable.  Although it was just a trail, it did work.

When reassembled and booted into the service mode, it did not go into the auto boot loop.  It let me select the factory reset from the menu.  Good luck.


I just got back from a two week family roadtrip, and we used the Android maps and GPS nearly every day.

The simplest solution I found was to use Google Navigation. It kept the GPS active, even if I put the app in the background, powered off the screen, or locked the screen.


How can I increase the max windows for the stock browser?

From looking at some posts on Android Forums (1), (2) I think it's just not possible - to get more windows/tabs you'll need to use another browser like Dolphin HD/Mini.

Edit: Looks from this post on XDA that it's hard-coded into the browser; it can be changed, but not easily.


How can applications be installed on SIM and how do I view and disable them?

No, apps cannot be installed on SIM. What you describe are rather SIM services. AFAIK you can use those with the "SIM Toolkit" app only (which is where you also should find your <operator-name-here>, and where you should be able to see what's installed there).

As long as you did not actively subscribe to any of those services, they should simply stay dormant and never bother you. Last time I've checked for those must be 10 years ago, on my old Nokia. I never encountered them afterwards, though not (un)installing anything on/from SIM.

Neither I ever heard about "automatic SMS". Even service SMS must be approved by the user before being executed. But as many of those services are rather a kind of "SMS mailing lists", could it be that should mean "please subscribe to one of them"?


How to make a full backup and restore (including ROM) using Windows PC via USB?

Flash (or temporarily boot) a custom recovery like TWRP, and you'll be able to make a Nandroid backup. It typically includes the boot image, the system image and your internal data (excluding Pictures, Musics, Downloads etc.).

When you restore a Nandroid backup, everything goes back to the exact state before the backup.

You won't be able to back up the boot image and the system image easily otherwise.

You can read more at the tag wiki of our nandroid tag.

Note: Even booting temporarily into TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader (if it's previously locked). If you haven't previously unlocked it, be aware that doing so wipes out all data on your phone, including your internal storage where your pictures, musics and downloads reside.


Nexus 4: Can't get phone into vibrate only mode

Try holding the volume-down button as you do now, and then after the volume slider reaches the bottom, tap the volume-down button once more. This goes into silent (not vibrate) mode on my Nexus 7 running 4.3, but I think that's because it can't vibrate.

Alternatively, hold down the power button as if you're going to turn the device off. The power-off menu has on-screen buttons for noisy, vibrate, and silent modes.


Stay connected to WiFi that requires sign-in

You could disable captive portal detection altogether. On Android <= 7.1.1 that is done by:

settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0

For later versions:

settings put global captive_portal_mode 0

For more details please see: Captive Portal parameters.


No USB connection mode available; PC shows the error: "USB device not recognized"

Update Device Driver

If Windows is not able to recognize the device, you may also see in Device Manager that the device shows up as an “Unknown Device”. You can get to Device Manager by clicking on Start and typing in devmgmt.msc or by going to Control Panel and clicking on Device Manager.

In that case, you should right-click on Unknown Device, click on Properties, then the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.

If this doesn’t work, you can also try to download the driver for your device from the manufacturer’s website. If the USB device is just a flash drive, then it’s probably not a driver issue. However, if you are installing a USB printer, drawing pad, etc, then it might be worth downloading the driver for that specific device.


How can I update the fastboot driver for my Sony Xperia device

Use the fastboot drivers bundled with Flashtool.

Additionally, those drivers aren't properly signed. Disable Windows driver signature enforcement as shown here, reboot, then install the driver. Note that you are also advised to turn it back on after you're done.


yes, It is safe. the first one code is about to validation on user: name as 'true', the others starts Login and jump it..

about the codes its ok. but if you use another one soft, it might be not safe.


How to backup app in adb without using "backup"?

Copying data/data did work. But it seems that copying the files to my new phone caused some permission issues. I fixed this by backing up and then restoring in Titanium Backup.


Reconfiguring volume up and down buttons?

For Android 4.3 and above, I would recommend using Auto-Input by joaomgcd.

  It allows you to
  create a series of input actions, including physical button presses
  and various taps and swipes, to emulate some sort of macro sequence
  that can be executed inside any app of your choosing. And if you
  happen to be rooted, AutoInput has a Root feature that can literally
  simulate any input on your phone. "Android Police"

So in essence you can use the Volume up and Down buttons to do anything you want and to also make them do different things within different apps.

Here are some links to help you get going:

AutoInput

Autoinput App Projects

Examples of Use of Volume Buttons:

Double Click Volume Up in Chrome To Share Page -
Learn how to react to the volume keys so that you can share your currently opened web page in Chrome

Volumecomboskip - Tasker Profile that Incorporates The Volume up and Down Button To skip songs


How do I add Android user (linux level) to a group?

I don't have an android phone in front of me, but I imagine you could just edit /etc/group and add the user to a group. Find the group you want to add them to and insert a comma, then the user name.

Example :

sambashare:x:115:sam,sally,yourNewUser

Where the first column is the group name, then the second column is group passwd (leave it an x), groupID and then the users.


I use an Xbox 360 USB gamepad and it maps the Xbox and Back buttons to Android Home and Back. I wish it wouldn't, it's very annoying to have Chrome back-navigate when you're trying to play a game! That said, it sounds like it would work perfectly for your case.

Gamepad->keycode mappings on Android are configured in .kl files. It looks like Android doesn't have a mapping for DragonRise 0079:0006 so maybe you just need to create one. Here's the file for the Xbox 360 USB:

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/frameworks/base/+/master/data/keyboards/Vendor_045e_Product_028e.kl


All connections dropping down after a while

I had this kind of troubles before(not screen flicker).

You could try to factory reset and make fresh clean install of stock firmware.
Edit: Remember to backup your data.

If you are using some custom rom flash it after doing stock and make sure to check from xda if anyone is experiencing similar issues.

Issue could be related to some sort of corruption which could happen if flashing went wrong or tweaking while rooted.

Normally when flashing orginal stock firmware this fixes issue.

You could also try to check SIM card(take off put back) and take battery off for few minutes(this preforms soft reset and sometimes could fix some problems).

This brand is not familiar to me but i hope this helps to your problem.


How to add StackExchange podcast to Google Listen (on Android)?

I think: if you can find an RSS feed for it, you can add it to Google Reader, and put it in the "Listen Podcasts" folder.  That should make it magically sync on your phone.  I think.


Is it possible to mirror Android screen to PC over Bluetooth?

Bluetooth isn't fast enough to be able to cast your screen on a laptop. It would be possible using WiFi, a USB cable, mobile data or a Chromecast which again uses WiFi.
Short answer: it's not possible using Bluetooth.
If you still need to do this, there are several options available using WiFi. Try Screen Stream Mirroring app.


How Install Google Play Store In Samsung J3 Pro Korean Set?

The google play store comes pre-installed in all the Samsung Phones.

However, phones locked to some network operators will have the Google Play app stored in a folder named Google.

To move Google Play out of the Google folder, simply touch the folder to open it, press and hold on Google Play and then drag Google Play out of the folder on to the home screen.

If you still can't find the Play Store you might have disabled it mistakenly while deleting trash data.

Follow the below steps to check whether the Play Store has been disabled, and enable it:

Go to the "Settings"
Scroll down and tap on "Application Manager"
Choose DISABLED OR All apps, followed by Disabled
Scroll down to find Google Play Store and tap on it.
Tap Enable

This would resolve your problem.


After updating to Android 2.3, the radio keeps running in the background

Firmware is a bit of a loose term.  With Android you can assume that all firmware updates are Android updates, even if it's only a minor version update.  It's rare that a new bootloader or something would be pushed out with no changes to the OS.

Anyways, Android has lots of services running in the background all the time.  Unless it's consuming your battery — it's probably idle and not using any — it's not a problem.  Running task killers is a great way to make your battery life worse and destabilize your phone, so definitely don't do that.

Finally, Android is customized to varying extent by the manufacturers.  Most of them at least change the launcher, which can make the homescreen look different.  The fact that it looks different from the stock Android homescreen isn't surprising :)


As discussed in the comments above, You can modify the Captions by opening the video in chrome (or Firefox), ticking 'request desktop site' in their menus, and edit as normal.


How to assign Mobile Data's public IP to host connected on hotspot?

Have a look at this thread about using open VPN. Here you can give public IPs to devices using Open VPN, I think.

Or you could find another tethering app which supports this such as PdaNet+ which may have more control.


3.5 Gb of data storage used by apps only is a serious issue. you should clean your device on regular basis (not physically, clear the junk files i mean).

On any device the first thing I do is disable the unnecessary applications in settings. Bloatwares eat a lot of space in storage plus if you have good Internet connection they go on updating themselves over time thus reducing our precious space. you can disable them in Settings -> Apps -> all. then from list click on any app you want to disable. just be careful while disabling unknown apps as it may lead to unstable system so do it on your own risk. you can also use uninstall helpers from play store. click on Clear data button before disabling. it will remove the data of that application.

Next, try to clean the app cache. Its not usually more than few megabytes but still it can help. And cleaning cache will not wipe the application data or uninstall the updates so you can go for it. use apps like Clean master or similar to keep cache clean on regular basis.

Lastly try to uninstall the app updates which you don't use or use very less. and keep the "auto update over WiFi" feature of play store 'off' so that you can choose which apps to update and save space.


Find my mobile but on a different or second mobile

At the top left there are icons for each device, and you can tap on one to select a different device.
This may include older devices if you haven't removed them from your account yet, but they'll fail to work if you're not signed into the device.
For example I have a tablet listed that I no longer own and removed my account from and it eventually fails to connect with the message "Can't reach device".
Best to let the sound play for a moment before pressing the power button as it may not be detected on first press otherwise.
Note that this is a website-layout-dependent answer and the moment they change it this will be invalidated.


Google Now is not able to call one of my Google contacts

I have several contacts that act the same way. Sometimes when I append the contact's number's label to the end of my spoken command it helps; something like, "Call John Smith, mobile" or "Call John Smith, home."


The SA Contacts Lite application, which can import and export contacts more generally, can be used specifically for this purpose:

Download & install SA Contacts Lite application; it is available on places where you don't need an account, e.g. via APKPure.com.
Remove all columns from your the file except for the names/name components and the group associations (i.e. remove all the columns you don't want to import)
Save the whittled-down file to the root of your phone's storage hierarchy
In SA Contacts Lite, click Import.
Choose SD Card as the location in which to search for the import file (or someplace else, if you put your file on Box/DropBox/Google Drive and have that configured in SA Contacts Lite; I didn't do this); press Next.
Select the .xls file in the dialog which comes up; press Next.

That's basically it. Your existing contacts will now also have the group associations.
Notes:

I've tried this with an Excel file: .xls, not .xlsx. Not sure if it also works with .csv files.


Moving apps from android phone to nobis tablet

Possible by copying APKs from Huawei to Nobus.

Download one of the many apk extractors on the Google play and extract the APK of the apps you want to transfer.

Connect the Huawei device into the computer through MTP Mass Storage and copy the extracted APK to the computer then to the Nobus.


What you're trying to do is not possible. Android has its own windowing system, not X11, so X forwarding won't do anything on Android.

There are other screen-sharing systems (such as VNC) which might be more suitable for what you're trying to do. This answer talks about a Samsung-specific app, and this question has a couple of options. The remote-access and remote-control tags have a lot more information.


How to notice a phone is ringing when left in a bag?

I could think off two possible alerting devices like:

A Bluetooth enabled watch - which when paired with the phone can display incoming call alerts and can even vibrate. Being a watch on our hand its vibrations can't go unnoticed. Casio has one; Amazon has few bracelets; Sony's LiveView are few options.
To wear a Bluetooth headset always so that the ring can be heard. If that looks like working for FBI :) there are jewel kind of BT devices like this one.


You've done your research right, bro. Another recommended way is using the commandline fastboot which can be easily followed-through here. I'm using the same custom ROM as you are, though, I can't utilize the bootloader interface on the phone as I already cut off the flex of its volume rockers(yields nonbooting issues for me already).
It'll work just like it did on mine. Not an official WWE(international) radio, though.
The latest WWE applicable is 12.65.xxxx but GPS will not function already when using JellyTime R30(which is based on the latest pull from CM10).
Since you already have flashed a custom ROM I believe it's safe to say you don't have to deal with issues regarding S-OFF


Beginner's questions on tweaking non-branded Android phone (rooting, update recovery, update rom)

1 : Yes , Android does have many partitions as mentioned Here

2 : By default it's locked unless you unlock it as mentioned Here

3 : Yes , it must be unlocked as mentioned in XDA-Developers's Flashing Guide

4:

A: No you don't have to

B:It depends on your vendor.

5:Yes, It can as mentioned in XDA-Developers's Root I9100G

6:it might brick your phone but for me it stopped in the middle and it didn't brick.


Can the Android YouTube app display annotations?

Annotations are unfortunately not supported on Android at this time:

Notes

Annotations appear on standard YouTube players and embedded players.
Annotations do not appear on custom YouTube chromeless players.
Annotations do not appear in video playbacks taking place on mobile, tablet and TV devices.

Someone from Google has evidently acknowledged this feature request, but I don't believe there's any kind of timeline for its implementation (or official word that it, in fact, will be implemented).


Why am I getting multiple Gmail Notifications?

It sounds like maybe you added your GMail account to the regular Mail app.  So you are probably receiving notifications from both apps.

If you are only using the "GMail" app then find the "Mail" (not "GMail") app in your app drawer and run it and see if your mail is in there too.  If it is just delete the account from there and then you should only get notifications from GMail not Mail.


Plug physical keyboard to Samsung Galaxy SII

There are free apps that enable Bluetooth connectivity of keyboards like BlueKeyboard JP, Bluetooth Keyboard Easyconnect. There is also a paid app Bluetooth (Null) Keyboard. Try one of these for connecting your keyboard with your phone.


The problem with root is that you remove all safety belts from you phone. At the moment it is hard to tell what exactly happened but my guess it that you deleted something else than you think you deleted.

Rooting your phone is for very advanced users (I'm personally long term Android user and I never rooted my phone because I think it is not safe).

My suggestion is: re-flash your phone with original firmware and stop using root. In 99.9% of use cases you don't need it.


Can I change the gmail account associated with google play store?

Google has this to say on transferring data between accounts.

It lists certain types of data that CAN be transferred and certain types of data that CAN NOT be transferred. Unfortunately Google Play Apps falls into the NOT category.

It's conveniently titled Moving Product Data.


Securing power off menu options when phone screen is locked or customizing power-off menu options?

Use this app. It does exactly what you want : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nezdroid.lockscreenprotector


Forcing an Android tablet to connect to a wifi from PC

You didn't write anything about the Android version running on your device. Assuming it is capable of acting as OTG host (if unsure, you can find out using some OTG Checker), you could try attaching some USB keyboard (and mouse) to it in order to control input. This would allow you to not only activate WiFi and chose the network, but also to enter the credentials when needed.


How do you move an app from the internal sd card to the external sd card

Moving applications to your external SD card is not possible anymore because Android has changed i's way of managing storage. Your internal storage is now your SD card and your external one is a different, second SD card.

If you'd like to move apps to your external SD card then you have to manually change your external SD's mount point and swap it with the internal one.
Of course this requires you to root your phone.