What is the functionality concept behind Wi-Fi sharing (aka Wi-Fi Profile share)?

After a lot of digging the clue came from Wi-Fi Direct.

The concept explained

  Wi-Fi direct is a wireless standard that allows creation of a
  connection between any two devices without a wireless access point (or
  going through a router).

Wi-Fi direct uses a Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) protocol when connecting two devices.

Additional protocols have been created to make Wi-Fi direct more useful such as Universal Plug and Play, Zero Configuration and Device Profile for Web services.
More importantly when a p2p connection is formed over Wi-Fi, the device continues to maintain the uplink connection over any other network for internet connectivity on this device.
Wi-Fi direct uses a concept called software access points (Soft AP) which makes it possible for a device to act as both the access point that the Wi-Fi comes from and the
client that uses it".

  The Soft AP provides a version of Wi-Fi protected Setup with its push
  button or PIN based setup.

WiFi direct and IP address

In Android, the WiFiP2pMangerclass (provides the API for managing Wi-Fi peer-to-peer connectivity) assigns IP address to every Group Owner which is 192.168.49.1, and uses the
192.168.49.0/24 pool in DHCP to assign addresses to devices that join the Group Owner.

  Wi-Fi direct is a single hop radio communication, however supports
  multi-hop radio communications, with intermediate Wi-Fi nodes as
  packet relays.

There is a little backdraw with this setup, as traffic wont be routed over multiple hops as they do have the same IP space. Now here comes the implementation of a tunneling proxy
that allows passing requests and responses to the connected clients (which would foward the connection to connected clients)

Given my limited programming skills, this research has enlightened me, and allowed me to visualise how these great concepts have been incorporated into one of the the excellent application I have been looking for,
to ease the burden of trying to tether a "wi-fi connection over wi-fi".

The workaround

To cut the long story short, I ended up getting an application using a similar concept NetShare tethering (no root) application as  a solution to the problem addresed.

Apart from other "extra" features it offers, I was only interesting in this WLAN direct via proxy concept.

  Now this application uses a vpn proxy to route traffic from device
  connected to Wi-Fi network to another client via a p2p connectivity.

Essentially, it uses a HTTP proxy to route traffic to the client and configuring the connection is fairly easy:
Go to connection settings of any device e.g PC, Iphone etc (but in this case used a Symbian device)
Add the wireless acess point if not done already, and input the Wi-Fi direct Group password.
Under advanced settings change proxy settings:

Server: 192.168.49.1

Port: 8282

(remember to allow this port on firewall settings for other devices)

Remarks: While I couldn't get into whole detail of how Wi-Fi profile share in Samsung devices works, this research has helped me see a similar concept  impemented in other ways to achieve the ultimate goal (Sharing a Wi-Fi connection over Wi-Fi or at least over Wi-Fi Direct)

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with this application in any way, but it was an answer to my question hence why I explained my research.

References

Share internet by using WiFi-direct Android
How Wi-Fi Direct Works As A Gateway To The Internet Of Things
Assigning Wifi Direct Group Owner's IP address in Android
How to get each device's IP address in Wi-Fi Direct scenario?
Wi-Fi Direct
Multi-hop routing
Proxy Server


Visit the Google Dashboard, which details ALL data usage of your account. It includes a rundown about your Gmail converations, your synched Contacts, your connected Android Devices, usage and storage of Google Drive, Calendar, Photos, etc., in addition to the target of your question, how many books are in your Google Books.


Android Device Manager Ringing Wrong Device

I solved this problem by removing the device from Device Manager, restarting, then adding it back. Now each device rings appropriately. Hope this helps someone in the future.


alternative to android build in encryption?

You already indicated the possible use of an app. And indeed, next to the so-called "vault apps", there are several options for Encryption of Files and Folders which work transparently on the file system. For some, you still will need to use "specific folders" which you encrypt, though – while most of the others fall into the category of requiring root access.

Some example apps you might wish to take a closer look at include, but are not limited to:

Cryptonite (based on EncFS)
EDS (uses TrueCrypt containers)


Motorola Milestone is constantly firing touch events

There is a lengthy discussion about this on:

http://androidforums.com/droid-support-troubleshooting/87515-my-droids-touch-screen-going-crazy.html

The main point seems to relate to either oil and dirt covering the screen and/or heating up issues from dirt within internal components.

There are some suggested solutions such as carefully cleaning the screen and the speaker opening. It also seems to be strongly affected by moisture.


Here's a good one I found on Lifehacker a while back.

http://lifehacker.com/5611003/build-a-find-my-iphone-clone-for-android

I changed a few things when I did it, like allow the text to come from any phone and send the reply to that phone, and making the SOS text a passphrase so that nobody accidentally sent it to me.

I also made one that turned my ringer up and played a song for when I lose my phone around the house. I can just text my phone 123findme and it will play a song even if I left it on vibrate mode.


How do I determine which A2DP codecs my phone supports/is currently using?

On my Cyanogen 10.1 phone (AOSP 4.2.2), it is possible to enable a capture of bluetooth traffic. You can then load this capture into Wireshark and look at the negotiation phase to determine which codecs the paired audio output device supports. Not sure what OSes support this: when I first ran across this method it claimed support only from 4.4 onward, but clearly not the case with CM on a Doubleshot. :-)

Assuming you have the requisite setup (rooted ~ 4.2.2 or later), these are the steps:

pair your phone with the A2DP device of interest
disable bluetooth on your phone
edit this file:  /etc/bluetooth/bt_stack.conf, changing the BtSnoopLogOutput setting from its default value of false to true.  For this I use ES Note Editor, launched from ES File Explorer after enabling its "Root Browser" setting.
start CatLog, with all logging types enabled
enable bluetooth on your phone
after it pairs with the output device, play a snippet of audio
with your player of choice (I use Apollo). Ten seconds or so should
be plenty.
disable bluetooth again
stop CatLog's logging and save off its log file to your SD card
[IMPORTANT!] edit bt_stack.conf, changing BtSnoopLogOutput back to false.
copy the BT capture from your SD card (/sdcard/btsnoop_hci.log),
 along with the saved CatLog file, to a computer with a current copy
 of Wireshark installed.
load the capture file into Wireshark and set a Wireshark
 display filter of "btavdtp" (no quotes).  You'll now see a few
 packets only, look for the output device's reply to the AVDTP
 GetCapabilities query and you'll have your answer.

You can also line up the capture timestamps with the CatLog log's timestamps to look for suggestive log entries. I found a couple and cleverly forgot to include them in the notes upon which this post is based.

Once I have some more time am hoping to reduce this rather lengthy set of steps down to an app, but not sure if it's possible and won't have the time yet for a while anyway. Meanwhile, suggestions to improve on the above process are welcome.


Multiple Google Accounts contacts Syncing

I'm not fully understanding the request. You want your phone to display/sync @me contacts, but only display the work@ contacts without syncing them? That's not a distinction that exists. The only way to display them is to sync them to your phone. That's the method by which they reach your phone.

Are you asking for it to not sync changes back from the phone to the work@ account? The only way to ensure that is, simply, not to make any changes to the work@ account contacts. Don't add anything to them, and don't edit them. The only things that sync back up to the cloud are things you change.

Syncing two different accounts (me@ and work@) will not merge the contacts. It will merge your view of those contacts, so that locally on your phone you see only one list of contacts aggregated from both sources, but if you go onto your computer, or work@ Gmail web interface, it will not contain all the contacts you synced to your phone from your me@ account. They're kept entirely walled off from each other. I have easily five or six Google accounts at any one time on my device, some Gmail, some Google Apps, and NONE of the contacts cross-pollinate. In fact I wish there was a way to make them do so, as it would be useful for me to have all of my contacts in a couple of those accounts for various purposes. But the moment I log into the web interface for one of my less common ones, I have zero access to any of the contacts in my primary one, and vice versa. So there should be zero problem here, just possibly the perception of one.

The only way to get the contacts from one into the other would be to manually export them from one account and import them into another. Or, presumably, use some sort of third-party app that might produce the same result.

Assuming my answers above don't clear up the issue, and there's still a problem, can you clarify a couple things for me?

What specific phone do you have?
Are you using the built-in Android function for adding these Google accounts, and not some third-party app to manage them?
Do you have any sort of unusual backup apps you use on the phone for contacts?


fastboot flash bootloader = FAILED (remote: (InvalidState))

According to this XDA thread it's an issue with the bootloader file. You could try downloading a different factory image for your device and try the bootloader from there instead (the recent images have all had the same 4.23 version, although different files).

  Does anyone else get a "invalidState" and "signature mismatch" message
  when trying to flash the bootloader.img from the new JWR66Y factory
  image? Flashing the previous bootloader.img from JWR66V image or JDQ39
  image works just fine though.

Although the thread refers to a JellyBean issue I encountered the same problem when flashing my Nexus 7 to the Lollipop (LRX21P) factory image as well. As I already had v4.23 I did not flash a new bootloader, my Nexus 7 has booted ok so you could skip it all together.


How to remove Polaris Office on HTC phones?

From HTC Rezound (Verizon Wireless)'s FAQ (I know it's a different device, but it's same for most HTC phones),

What is Polaris Office?
Polaris Office comes pre-loaded on the phone and can be used to open and view office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) received in email as attachments or stored on the SD Card. [...]

(Emphasis mine)
In other words, it's a bloatware. You need to have root access to uninstall bloatware.
If not, you can still disable it. Since it's not installed as a normal application, it won't be listed as your installed apps. Instead, you have to select "All" tab to list all apps, including bloatware. Then you can find and disable the app from there.
Alternatively, long-press the app from the app drawer (not home screen). There should be "App Info" on the top of the screen. Drag to there and release, and it should open the app info where you can disable it.


App site with reliable ratings + comments?

We'll reliable is somewhat subjective. But I can recommend App Brain (Play Store App) and App Aware (Play Store App).

App Brain provides some additional features compared to the Play Store and App Aware allows you to follow app streams based on a topic (games, sw development, etc.). Both try to suggest you apps based on the apps that you have installed. And both are not a new app market, they just redirect you to the Play Store if you want to install a app.


Can downloaded Android emails be backed up?

Well for this thing you have to go through two methods:

1) Rooting your device

2) Backup your email [Need Root].

For Rooting Your Device:

1) Download Framaroot app from Play Store and Install it on your device.
2) Open the app -> In Specify Execute type-> Install Super SU.
3) You will see some exploit character will appeared, click any of the exploit.
4) You will see a message popup- "Success, SuperSu and su binary is install". Reboot your device. That's all your device is rooted.

Source : http://menonjats.com/root-or-unroot-android-using-framaroot/

OR incase above method not work.

1) Search "Root Genius Software for PC", Download this software and Install it on your PC.

2) Connect your phone with PC using USB Debugging.

If you don't know how to open USB debugging below link will help you :

http://www.samsungsfour.com/tutorials/how-to-enable-usb-debugging-on-galaxy-smartphone-on-kitkat-4-4-2-or-higher.html

3) Open Root Genius Software and Press - Root.

Source : http://androidxda.com/download-root-genius

For Email Backup :

You can use adb for this:

adb backup -noapk -noshared -f gmail.ab com.google.android.gm

would backup all data of the GMail app to your PC, storing it in a file named gmail.ab in the current working directory. A restore of that snapshot then is as easy as running

 adb restore gmail.ab

Note that this will include all the settings of the GMail app.

If you prefer doing the same via an app on your device, take a look at Helium Backup.

Without root, it's not possible to access the corresponding folder on your device directly (which would be found below /data/data/com.google.android.gm and be owned by the GMail app, which forbids access for other apps/users, including the shell user).

Original Source : Backup gmail emails offline


What's the easiest way to sync music to my phone?

You could use Bittorrent Sync to copy the music folder on your computer to your phone. The whole thing will complete on your local network (as long as you don't leave it!). I recommend Bittorrent Sync assuming your local network's speed isn't an issue.


Install the official dailymotion app from play store.

Click the download button as seen on the picture below. (left of HD)


Issuing adb shell commands with arguments

"-c" switch of sh command requires (and uses) a single argument which is the full shell command as a string.

This should do the trick:

adb shell run-as com.steenriver.littlecrane 'sh -c "ls files"'

In the original example, "files" is interpreted as an extra argument of the "sh" command (simply discarded when using the "-c" switch) , not of the "ls" command.


How do you eject the samsung device when the device is currently being used for testing using the Android-ADT

From command prompt you can enter the following command

adb kill-server

and then try ejecting.


Can Google Daydream View function as a Cardboard for unsupported phones?

Surprised this hasn't been answered - but yes, Cardboard is just to hold your phone and have basic lenses to view the split screen. Daydream VR is a superset of that functionality, so Cardboard apps should work fine with it.


"Charging paused. Voltage too high" on Samsung Galaxy S2 after upgrading to ICS

Short answer:

That's no doubt a software issue, reported across forums after an upgrade to ICS 4.0.x.

Some users reporting this can be found here:

Galaxy s2 charging port problem - xda-developers
Re: ICS 4.0.3 Charging Paused, Voltage Too High an... - Vodafone eForum

Don't know with certainty if you've upgraded the firmware to ICS 4.0 or any other variant, being the latest ones 4.0.3 or 4.0.4

Nonetheless, you either roll back and wait for a new version that doesn't cause that issue or you can try some of the suggestions provided below (all reported to have worked without problems by other owners of a Samsung Galaxy S2).

Extending the answer:

First and above all

Backup all personal data on your phone to make sure you are not going to lose anything either by rolling back or trying a new/different firmware.

e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, etc...

You can go with one of these suggestions:

Once the backup is concluded, the following solutions are documented as to have solved that particular issue on your phone. Solutions ordered from the simplest to the most complicated:

Clearing cache data

The problem you're facing can be related to old files still in cache. Follow these steps to clear your cache and see if it solves it:

Boot your phone in recovery mode, to do that press and hold VOLUME UP and MIDDLE KEY, while holding both press POWER ON;
You will see your phone booted in recovery mode , in recovery mode touch screen will not work so use Volume UP and Volume Down to navigate through options and MIDDLE KEY to confirm;
Choose “wipe cache partition” from menu;
It will clear the cache data;
Now select reboot system now;

Factory Reset

Samsung has a master reset code used to factory reset your phone. You can try this as to cleanup your phone and wait for a better ICS version, or try another ICS version (see suggestion n.º 3):

Make sure you have a backup of your personal data (e.g., contacts, SMS, MMS, Internet settings, Wi-Fi passwords, etc).
Take your SIM and memory card out of your phone
Turn your phone back on, and wait for the dial pad
Dial the factory reset code: *2767*3855#

This will wipe, reset and then correctly format the internal storage. After the process is completed, place your SIM and memory cards back on the phone.

Firmware Flash (Odin)

Download the Latest Samsung Odin here, and install either one of the latest ICS versions or a previous one that can be found on the links at the very end of this answer.

3.1. flash your firmware to the Android 4.0:

XXLPQ — Update Galaxy S2 to Android 4.0 Official Firmware Manually

  This firmware and the guide below is compatible only and only with Galaxy S2, model number i9100. It’s not compatible with any other device, including US variants of S2, the Epic 4G Touch, T-mobile Galaxy S2 and AT&T Galaxy S2 along with Skyrocket. Check your device’s model number in Settings » About phone.

3.2. Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware Update:

Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S2 GT I9100

  Here is another tutorial how to Install Android ICS 4.0.3 XXLPJ Firmware Update on Samsung Galaxy S2 GT i9100. Samsung Galaxy II got the Official XXLPQ Firmware update recently. But the Firmware had some bugs and users reported it. Samsung revived the Android 4.0.3 and added some other latest features

3.3. flash your firmware to the Android 4.0.4:

XXLQ5 - Download & Install Official Android 4.0.4 ICS Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S2

  Finally, you can download and install latest official Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich Firmware on Samsung Galaxy S II now. Yup, there is a leaked official Android 4.0.4 ICS Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S2 ~ XXLQ5 Firmware (Europe region).

Update Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 to Android 4.0.4 ICS XXLQ5 Leaked Firmware

  Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 has been running on the Android 4.0.3 firmware and recently there were rumors that said that it won’t receive the Android 4.0.4 ICS update. However, all these rumors were shattered today because there is a new leaked firmware for I9100 that is based on Android 4.0.4 ICS and with XXLQ5 firmware, which means that Samsung should eventually launch the new update in the near future.

Useful and related links:

The official Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) website.
A very extensive list with Official i9100 Firmwares LPE/Q/7/2/F/S/4/7/G/9/W/D/F to Download and an how-to guide to flash your firmware with Odin.
Android Firmwares.NET - Samsung Galaxy S II Firmwares.


Block all connections except a single host server ? (block by server not by app)

If you're rooted, you can configure Firewall rules to block all except Facebook, but I don't think your problem is that complex:

  when I open my 3G connection the mobile automatically connects to unknown servers.

Unable to understand what that mean as I can't OPEN my 3G connection. Seems to me, either you are talking about opening web browser or Background Data is screwing you. In the first case, make your homepage Facebook. In the second case, turn off Background Data from Settings ~> Accounts and Sync. Done!

If you want to do it with Firewall way, open Terminal Emulator. Switch to root by su command (your device must be rooted for that). Now, execute following commands in sequence:

iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp -d facebook.com -j ALLOW

iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp -d * -j DROP

(Do it on your own risk after proper backups. Some devices become unstable after it.)


Android: An app failed to download/install - what do I do?

Can you get any app to install? First thing to always try is to reboot the phone.

If that doesnt work, try downloading aLogCat from the market (if you can install it). If it installs, then go to the market and try to download the app you're having issues with. If it STILL wont download, then open aLogCat and look at the system log entries. Then you should be able to glean a little bit of info of why its not installing. I know this is not a 100% answer of what you're looking for, but it does help and has helped me before.


Do the apps purchased via SlideME.org give you notifications about available updates?

SlideME Application Manager (SAM) will notify you if there's an update to the apps purchased from SlideME.

  SAM supports SlideME's Storage Locker. This allows you to re-download or upgrade Android applications you have previously purchased in case you lost or reset device.


Are there a way to scan Android smartphone from outside the phone?

Try to reset the device, hopefully it should work. If not, then try doing hard reset by clearing emmc cache. To hard reset the device press the volume down and power button at once - this works on most devices.


Least harmful way to disable APN temporarily?

I really like APNdroid and haven't had problems with it at all. However, I've got an HTC Dream that's unlocked and running on AT&T so it is pretty much guaranteed that I'm not getting OTA updates.

You can always access your APN settings directly, so even if an update broke your APN settings, you should have been able to go in through Settings >  Wireless controls > Mobile networks > Access point names -- I have the option of manually adding one or more APNs and a "reset to defaults" button that will restore the T-Mobile APNs my phone shipped with.


How do I get rid of the "shut the screen off" animation on Droid 4?

Try Settings > Display > Animation. I turned mine off and did not see the "old style tube tv" animation any more.


android keeps on restarting with optimizing apps

I had a similar issue not that long ago: the culprit seems to be some app ART cannot compile for some reason. As you successfully applied my solution and confirmed, let me sum up the facts from the comments in an answer:

1. figure which app is the culprit.

On each of those crashes, the Android system sets a "tombstone" on the "grave" of the dying process – something known on Unix/Linux systems as Core Dump. Those core dumps are placed into /data/tombstones, with at maximum 10 files kept (after that, the oldest one will be overwritten on the next occasion). So we need to look to those tombstones to see whats written on them. As you have a custom recovery which offers adb access, the easiest way is:

adb pull /data/tombstones tombstones (will copy the entire directory to your computer)
use a viewer/editor of your choice (best one you are familiar with) to open and investigate each of the tombstones, starting with the newest and walking back.
look into the "stack trace" to see if an app (or it's path in /data/data) is mentioned there. If so, note it. If it's the same app in the next tombstone and the one after, you can be pretty sure this is the case we're describing here.

2. put the "obstacle" out of ART's way

Having identified the app, we need to remove it so art doesn't get stuck with it. For this, again we need adb shell with its root prompt – and the directory name from our tombstones:

rm -rf /data/data/<whateveritwas>

Note this removes all the data of the app as well – so having a backup in advance might be a good idea (in the current state: either adb pull the directory, or do a nandroid backup you can analyze later).

That done, reboot. Now "optimizing apps" should finish successfully.

Alternatives to the command-line approach

Some custom recoveries ship with an integrated file manager, usually called "Aroma". Above steps could also be perfomed with that:

navigate to /data/tombstones
view the tombstones
navigate to /data/data and remove the offender


I swear this was the first thing I tried but my 2nd attempt seemed to fix it.  Simply change the display option.  Save it.  Then change it back.

Settings > Display and wallpaper > Screen mode

A few things I also did while messing with it that might have had an impact:

turned Game Launcher app off an on
installed Google's Play Games app which seemed to force some other updates
rebooted the phone


How can I open files that have Japanese filenames?

You are facing this issue because (as @liamwli said) you lack the required font and also possibly because of lack of sufficient libraries in your present ROM.
Due to this reason, it is unable to display the file name properly and as a ramification of this issue, different apps behave differently based on how the developer handled this situation.

What can be done?
This depends on few factors:
If your phone is rooted, extract DroidSansFallBack.ttf from /system/fonts folder to your computer and examine whether it has the required characters in Japanese. I assume you can read Japanese. This is to ensure the first part of the reason explained in "why" section.
If you do not have Japanese character displayed, please try finding a suitable TrueType Font (TTF) which displays Japanese characters in PC. Copy this file to the above said folder with DroidSansFallBack.ttf, replacing the existing file (after backup). After a reboot you may be able to see characters properly. Then the apps might be able to open the file.
In case if you are still unable to open such files, please revert back the backed up TTF file.


Xperia x10i complaining "no network connection" in some apps, but not others

Try this:

Menu > Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Data Enabled (that should be checked).

Menu > Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names, hit menu, tap on 'Reset to default' :)


Stop vibrate for incoming calls and text messages from certain contacts

Automation is the preferred option. Many apps are available. I prefer using MacroDroid , since it is free (upto 5 macros) and easy to learn. To understand how MacroDroid works and required settings,  my answer here

Your macros would look like this

Macro 1: Kill Vibration (name of macro )

Triggers:

Call incoming → Select contact →Choose from contacts
SMS received → Select contact →Choose from contacts

Actions:

Vibrate Enable/ Disable →  Set Vibrate and set Normal (Vibrate off). Click OK

Constraints: None (leave blank)

Macro 2: Enable Vibration for others (name of macro )

Triggers:

Call incoming → Select contact →Choose from contacts
SMS received → Select contact →Choose from contacts

Actions:

Vibrate Enable/ Disable →  Set Vibrate and set Silent (Vibrate on). Click OK

Constraints: None (leave blank)

Explanation

Your question explicitly asks only for vibration to be silenced (but ring tone would be heard)
Macro 1 does that for both incoming calls and SMS for selected contacts
Macro 2 does the opposite for contacts other than selected in Macro 1 (you have to choose others- if you don't reverse Macro 1 action, vibration would be off for all)
Tested on Moto X Play Marshmallow (6.0.1)


What are the hurdles that prevent upgradability?

http://m.androidcentral.com/why-you-ll-never-have-latest-version-android
-Manufacturer don't want to update "older" phone's because they want to sell new ones
-provider's/network-operators
They have to check everything again
Civil safety against bad mobile phone radiation


After formatting SD card "as internal", can the partitions be downsized?

I'm abandoning the project, since the card I was going to do this with is counterfeit and apparently unsalvageable (or at least not in the way I envisioned). To quote Robert: "because of wear-leveling algorithm the sd-card [can] reallocate the sectors at any time (and of course it can reallocate it into the non-existent flash part)".

Anyway, for people trying to find out how to work with these Android SD partitions, here's a few links from my research:

http://blog.sam.liddicott.com/2016/02/android-6-semi-adopted-storage.html

I want to split one MicroSD card into two parts: part adoptable storage, and part normal storage. How can I do this?

One of the tools used in the above posts is adb shell sm (or just sm). It can manipulate the partitions on the SD card. I didn't look into it further, but if I wanted to go through with this, the sm command is what I'd investigate next.

Of course, one of the things to know about working with Android's adoptable storage partitions is that one of them is encrypted, so unless you decrypt it, you can only manage it with the phone that encrypted it.


You can't transfer apps like that. app2sd only moves parts of the apps to free some "internal storage" – and no, not all apps support this (if they offer widgets or run services, they cannot be moved this way).

So as you never get the full .apk file moved-over this way, it obviously doesn't work for your purpose. What are your alternatives?

You can install them from Playstore (or some other market place)
You can restore them from a backup taken
You can use some "APK Catcher" (see my list of apps to Backup your apps for possible candidates)

Note however that if you want to transfer the apps' data along, you either need root – or have to use adb backup (see our adb tag-wiki for a starter).


Seems to have been a common problem with Plantronics Pro Voyager series headsets, not specific to Android.


From logical point of view if you create an app with SDK 1.5 it should run on devices with OS version 1.5 and higher. But reality is a bit different.

The same application that works on Samsung device with 1.5 may not work on HTC with the same os version and vice versa. Also there is no 100% guarantee that it will work on other devices with newer OS versions.

Why?

There is no strict standard on hardware/software implementation among all Android manufacturers. Every manufacturer makes his own device and makes his own version of Android OS for the device which complies to the relevant SDK version, but has some additions/differences.

And these differences lead to the fragmentation.


Let Android believe it is connected to internet

You haven't specified if you have wireless capability in your computer. Assuming you have one or can manage wireless in your computer then you can take the following steps to share the computer's Internet via ad-hoc wireless connection.

First create an ad-hoc connection in your computer so that your phone can connect to it. You can follow this guide for that.

After that you have to enable Internet connection sharing in your computer. Follwo this guide for that.

Now from your Android phone search for the ad-hoc network you created and connect to it. Internet should work fine.

One more thing I should mention is that when I tried the same for my cousin it didn't work. The phone couldn't see the ad-hoc network. She had Windows 7 in her computer. But after little Googling and using 3rd party software for ad-hoc connection in the computer, everything worked.


What are the benefits of Lollipop? [Features]

The lockscreen and notifications are easily the most dramatic change.
Notifications on the lockscreen are more powerful. You're able to read and clear notifications without unlocking the phone. Double tapping a notification will bring you directly into an app.

Quicksettings are available from the lockscreen. A 2 finger swipe down from the top in the lockscreen (as well as from any screen in the OS) will reveal quicksettings. You can make limited changes, such as turning on and off wifi, without unlocking the phone.

Smart lock is a number of security settings that allow your phone to automatically unlocked in different situations, depending on location or proximity to another device such as a smart watch or bluetooth keyboard. Face unlock has been folded into Smart Lock. They also added a setting called on-body detection that does pretty much what it sounds like. The main draw to these types of features is to cut down on the times you have to punch in your passcode, even when you are in a secure place.

Another security feature is the ability to put your device in a kind of kiosk mode. Lollipop calls it pinning apps and it basically allows you to lock the phone into a single app so that another user can use that app, but you won't have to worry about them snooping around elsewhere. Phones also now have support for multiple accounts, though that was available previously on tablets.

Recent Apps feature has been redesigned. In addition to the Rolodex-like animation, you can now have it split up your chrome tabs into separate tasks. This has been controversial, but can be turned off.


My Huawei u8160(Vodafone 858) supports usb-host although not working?

I've found it,

I needed a Y-Cable and I needed to activate the usb host mode by using this command in the terminal emulator :

su
insmod /system/lib/modules/ehci-hcd.ko

that activates the usb host mode.

and the phone doesn't mount the flash drives so I have to mount it manually :

cd /dev/block
ls

the terminal emulator should turn out something like uba,uba1 then create a folder in your sdcard called data (or whatever you like) and then type the one ending with 1 (i.e uba1) like this :

mount /dev/block/ub*1 /mnt/sdcard/data

(*) stands for the changed letter because it always starts with ub and ends in 1 but the third character changes between a,b,c,....

then open any file explorer and do whatever you want with data folder in your sdcard and then just unplug it, no need to unmount safely.


How to enter recovery mode in a watch with one button (power)?

It seems that OP got an answer from Xda-developers for Microwear H5.

  You can enter recovery mode via adb command or installing a reboot to recovery app from play store.

The adb command is the usual one for rebooting to recovery:

adb reboot recovery

The answer also applies for Kingwear KW98.


Yes. The command is pm disable <package name>. You must be root in order to do this:

Open shell and get root:

PC> adb shell
shell@hammerhead:/ $ su

List all enabled apps, filter by "calculator":

root@hammerhead:/ # pm list packages -e | grep 'calculator'
package:com.android.calculator2

Disable app:

root@hammerhead:/ # pm disable com.android.calculator2
Package com.android.calculator2 new state: disabled

List all disabled apps:

root@hammerhead:/ # pm list packages -d
package:com.android.calculator2
package:com.google.android.apps.inputmethod.hindi
package:jp.co.omronsoft.iwnnime.ml
package:com.google.android.inputmethod.pinyin
package:com.google.android.inputmethod.korean
package:com.google.earth
root@hammerhead:/ #

Some other things worth noting:

In my testing, apps disabled in this manner disappear completely from the Settings > Apps list. They do not even seem to be displayed in the "Disabled" tab
You can re-enable apps with pm enable <package name>. In fact, this seems to be the only way to re-enable them, in my experience.


I have a similar setup with iPod Classic (160 GB) and Asus Transformer TF300T. I have yet to find a direct method to connect iPod to the tablet and sync via an app. As of now, the only way is via a computer.

If you want to go the PC way, you can use iSyncr for PC and sync playlists. iSyncr also has an app for Mac.
However, I am not sure of pictures being synced via iSyncr.

Another option is to export all the music via programs like Floola to your computer and later transfer to the tablet.


IP address is not the problem here. reason is your phone is unrooted therefore the wireless app is unable to start adbd. so you have to plug in usb cable each time and switch to wireless regardless of IP address. This is fixed in android 11
however, regarding your IP issue you can use hostname instead (it is hard-coded here in %device%)

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set device=android-6cf1b33d5e54da8d

for /F "delims=[] tokens=2" %%f in ('ping -n 1 -w 1000 -4 !device!') do (
  set client=%%f
  echo %%f | findstr /r /c:"\<[0-9][0-9]*\.[0-9][0-9]*\.[0-9][0-9]*\.[0-9][0-9]*\>" > NUL 2>&1 && goto connect
)
echo !device! device not found
pause
goto end
:connect
adb connect !client!:5555
scrcpy -s !client!:5555
:end


are there any lag fixes for Samsung Galaxy S that don't require rooting the phone?

Yes

You can lagfix without rooting by flashing a kernel like Voodoo through Odin.

But

This will void your warranty anyways.

If it helps, the SGS phones are very easy to unroot and revert to stock to hide what you did.


Traffic of Opera Mini vs Mobile with Turbo

I have found some numbers on Opera's website: They claim that Mini compresses webpages by "up to" 90%, Turbo compresses them by 80%.


Can you charge a Qualcomm Quick Charge device without a supported charger?

Quick charging is not just about Voltage or current in isolation. It is about varying both to deliver the right amount of power ( = product of voltage and current ) as required. Read more here Fast Charging by Qualcomm 3.0- impact on battery?

Besides, the device detects if the charger is quick charge or not. If it is not, then it acts as of it is connected to a normal charger, which is rated 5V, 2A , far lower than the one you want to try

To answer your question - NO, not advised


Empty texts are being sent periodically to specific contact?

I figured it out. I also have Avast Anti-theft set up, and for some reason all of the messages I send or receive are being forwarded to this contact via binary which is why the messages are empty and why the contact's iPhone is ignoring them.

In short, a bug with avast is the cause. Going to have to give their support a piece of my mind for driving me crazy for two weeks.


Does Titanium Backup break 'Sleep As Android?

This appears to be because you can schedule backups within Titanium Backup, and when backing up the 'Sleep As Android' app Titanium Backup may/will kill the application in order to perform the backup. By doing this the app will no longer track you sleep or wake you up at the required time. I don't think that simply having Titanium Backup installed will break the sleep tracking.


It's impossible, because FS has huge corruptions at different places. You can to use file repare utilities to try repare some data, but mostly it's broken by write to FS at the same moment, as dump process.


I have since found that this is neither a push message nor a cell broadcast. I disabled both, yet still received these. One of the two was already disabled by default, can't remember which.

Apparently by inserting the SIM card, I got an "app" called "MTS Menu". This is the app that shows the messages. Using App Master, I found that this app comes from /system/app/Stk.apk:

"STK" appears to stand for SIM Application Toolkit, basically a feature of SIM cards that enables operators to bundle "value added services", aka bundleware/crapware.

It is really stupid that Android comes not only with this feature enabled, but also makes the source of these pop-ups very difficult to trace.


You can't ssh from your phone to your Mac when using mobile data because you are no longer on the same network, and thus can't use the internal (RFC1918) address to reach it.

When you're using WiFi, it works because you are on the same network.

In order to reach your computer when using mobile data on your phone, you must do BOTH of:

ssh to your computer's public IP address; and
Forward port 22 from your home router to the computer you want it to reach.


When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)?

This community wiki will list all of the known and rumored dates for devices. If you have an update make sure to follow the format that's been established, and the following guidelines:

Keep phones in alphabetical order listing the manufacturer and model
Specify if the date is confirmed or rumored and link to the source
If there is an unofficial release, link to the site where it can be downloaded

Note that devices that do not meet Google's Compatibility Definition will not receive a Google-sanctioned update. In the case of the major manufacturers and many others, that means they won't release an update at all since Google's certification is important to their business.
Phones
Asus
Padfone

Official: 2013-03-25 (confirmed)

Google
Nexus S

Official: mid-July (confirmed)

HTC
Desire C

Official: Never (confirmed)

One S

Official: unknown date (confirmed)

One V

Official: Never (confirmed)

One VX

AT&T: 2013-08-02 (announced)

One X

Official: 2013-03-07 (confirmed)

One XL

Official: unknown date (confirmed)

LG
Optimux 4X HD (P880)

Official: 2013-04-07 MyLGPhones.Com

Optimus G

Sprint: 2013-March (confirmed)

Micromax
A110 Canvas 2

Official: 2013-March (confirmed)

Motorola
DROID 4

Released to Verizon customers March 19, 2013 (confirmed)

DROID BIONIC

Official: 2013-04-16 (confirmed)

DROID RAZR

Official: 2012-03-07 (confirmed)

DROID RAZR HD

Official: 2012-12 (confirmed)

DROID RAZR MAXX

Official: 2012-03-07 (confirmed)

RAZR MAXX HD

Official: 2012-12 (confirmed)

Pantech
Discover

Official: 2013-07-31 (confirmed)

Samsung
Epic 4G Touch

Official (via Samsung Kies): 2013-03-28 (confirmed)

Galaxy Ace 2

available: 2013-05-15 (SamMobile)

Galaxy Nexus

HSPA+

yakju, takju

Official: 10-July-2012 (officially confirmed)
Unofficial: 28-June-2012 RootzWiki, XDA

yakjuxw, yakjukr etc...

Official: Unknown
Unofficial: 30-June-2012 XDA

CDMA

Sprint:

Official: 2012-09-06 (confirmed)
Unofficial: 2012-06-28 ACSyndicate

Verizon Wireless:

Official: 2012-09-21 (confirmed)
Unofficial: 28-June-2012 RootzWiki (ROM 1, ROM 2)

Galaxy Note N7000

Official: Unknown date
Unofficial: 2012-08-10

Galaxy S II

Official (Sweden, Norway and Denmark): November 2012 (facebook post via GSMArena)

Galaxy S III

Official (Verizon Wireless) 15-Dec-2012 (confirmed)
"Confirmed" 29-August-2012 (international models specifically)
Official (Sweden, Norway and Denmark): October 2012 (facebook post via GSMArena)
Official (Bell, Rogers, Sasktel, Telus, and associated brands in Canada): December 3, 2012 (twitter post)
Official (Mobilicity, Vidéotron and Wind Mobile in Canada) - December 14, 2012 (twitter post)

Galaxy Stellar

Official: March 2, 2013 (source)

Sony
2011 line up (Xperia Arc S, Ray, Mini (pro), Neo (V), ...)

Declined by Sony UK for the top model Arc S (source)

Xperia T, TX, V

Official:Feb-March 2013 (confirmed)

Xperia P, J, Go)

Official: End of March 2013 (confirmed)

Xperia S, SL, ion, acro S

Official:After March 2013 (confirmed)

Xperia U, Miro, Tipo, Sola

Official: Declined (source)

Xperia TL

Official: 1-Mar-2013 (confirmed)

Tablets
Acer
Iconia Tab A500

Unofficial: 30-Jun-2012 (confirmed)

ASUS
Transformer TF101 + SL101

Official: unknown date (confirmed)

Transformer TF201 + TF300T + TF700T

Official, unknown date (source)  (source, English)

Transformer Pad TF300

Official: 18-August-2012 (confirmed)

Lenovo
Thinkpad Tablet

Official: Never (staff post)

Motorola
Xoom

Official (Wi-Fi variant): 23-July-2012 (confirmed)
Official (3G/LTE variant): Q4 2012 (Motorola blog post)


How do I reactivate Swype on a Motorola Atrix HD?


Can I download folders from Google Drive to my Android device

Okay I have found a third party app that lets me copy everything from Google drive in one easy step - Astro File Manager - it's a free app on play store, works brilliantly for this as you can select everything in the drive and simply copy it over to your SD Card.

This app will also work with dropbox and other cloud services.


Installing app from Market when it was previously installed

You could cheat and change the package name for the uploaded app to the market. That way you won't have to instruct your beta users' to do anything differently.

In the future whilst in beta:

 <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  package="com.your.app.beta"

Then once you want to release just do a little refactor:

 <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  package="com.your.app"


Samsung i9300 touchscreen not working, stuck at welcome screen/language selection

I bought a new display and replaced the old one. The procedure is more or less difficult, requires about 20 minutes time. Here's the tutorial I recommend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt8bl7oAPVU


Any way to remove the 512 character limit on Nook Touch notes?

As the title of this question begins with 'Any' this answer is fully valid:

There is no way to do this, as that value will (most likely) be hard coded into the application source code. This means the only way to change it would be to download the app source and edit the value.


When clearing my androids cache should I go into my settings and do it manually myself or can I rely on an app to to clear it properly?

Clearing cache is not something you need to do regularly. You do that when some app is misbehaving.

As a thumb rule it's better to do things manually rather than using apps - ads, malware, unreliability are some of the reasons.

If at all you want to install a phone clearing app make sure it is from a reliable source and doesn't infect your device. Google about the app in question !


How do I set a default application that gets used without enquiry?

While it cannot switch the default app for something, Tasker can still do this.
Llama may be able to do it also, but you'll have to set it up like this:

Set the Stock Dialer as default.

Make a tasker profile that enables when you are connected to WiFi and triggers when you open the dialer-- the triggered action could then be to open your WiFi calling app.

I hope that works--


can you "voice to text" without using wifi or data

For the most part, sure.

I just put my Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.2.2) into Airplane mode and tried to compose an email message with speech-to-text.

It worked, but it was slo-o-o-o-w. And not as accurate as I'd like.

If you go into Settings > Language & input > Google voice typing (settings) you can set which languages are downloaded to your device for speech-to-text. English is my default (and is already downloaded) but I see about 20 other files I can download.

However, whether you can do this or how well it works depends a lot (I think) on your device and the version of the OS you're running.


Getting screen dimensions in a shell script

you nearly answered your question already. wm size shows you the current resolution.

Saving the output of the screen reoslution into a shell variable: A=$(wm size | busybox cut -c16-)


Out of the box, No.

LG 768 User Manual

LG devices don't have the Full Device Encryption capability with the stock ROM, but you can always install an app to deal with that:

SSE - Universal Encryption

  Secret Space Encryptor (S.S.E.)

  Password Manager, Message (Text) Encryption and File Encryption integrated in the all-in-one solution.
  Store and manage all your passwords in one secure place protected with one Master Password.
  Keep your messages, notes and other texts safe from unintended readers.
  Securely encrypt your private and confidential files or whole folders.  Wiping (secure delete) feature is included.
  Everything is encrypted using strong encryption algorithm: AES(Rijndael) 256bit, RC6 256bit, Serpent 256bit, Blowfish 256bit/448bit, Twofish 256bit and GOST 256bit ciphers are available.
  Other Utils: Password Generator, Clipboard Cleaner, Algorithm Benchmark, ...
  Minimal Permissions. No ads.
  Cross-Platform (Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, ...) GUI Version and Command Line Version of the File Encryptor is available on the application home page (download section).
  This software is Open Source project – we have nothing to hide, so you can have securely hidden everything you need.
  (as Open Source, this software is published under TSU - §740.13(e) encryption export license exception)


I was never able to make any of the "top" calendar widgets, including those recommended here, show my Outlook calendar. They just showed my empty Gmail calendar or Google calendar or whatever.

However I eventually discovered, way down at the bottom of the widgets list, that there was already an Outlook widget installed and waiting for me:

Putting the Outlook Agenda on my "desktop" does exactly what I want:


How can I download entire folders/albums or songs from my PC (over wifi, BT, or USB) to my phone to take on the go

Best variant, combining most of your wishes: FolderSync. I'm using it myself (Pro version after having tested it one day), and I'm very fond of it. You can setup multiple folder pairs (which folder on your device should be synchronized with which folder on the "other end") for multiple "accounts", where an "account" simply identifies "the other end". That can be a cloud service such as Dropbox, but as well your Windows PC via Samba (Windows Share), or your Linux machine via SFTP (SSH), some FTP server, ... FolderSync supports a lot of protocols.

Moreover, the full version has support for tasker, giving you a load of options for when to sync. I use it e.g. to sync my backups: "when charging, and it's 4am, (optionally more conditions), then call the task named 'SyncBackups'" (the latter then tells FolderSync to sync multiple backup locations with my Linux machine). Well, if you don't have Tasker: FolderSync also has a time-based scheduler included.

Remark: My suggestion lacks the "remote management" on your PC. I'm not aware of any all-in solution here, especially for "offline queuing". When you're at your PC, that's not a big deal: simply copy the files to your sync location on the PC's end. For other cases, I might be able to add some "online management" using your data connection (or WiFi hotspot), depending on the OS your PC is running.


Factory-reset your Galaxy Tab. Then, log-in using the Google account your Nexus is using. It should ask you if you want to download or synchronize the apps that you have installed on your Galaxy Nexus.


Can my Andoid access an external SD card connected by USB C?

I tried this on a Pixel 3 with a VAVA Usb C hub and it did not work for me, even though other USB devices were recognized correctly through the hub.


These codes are just Samsung's own version codes, and as far as I know, they have no logic, except that they increase alphabetically and numerically with each new release. You'll have to either install and check the version they correspond to, or search for news of new firmware releases for your device to see what they upgrade.

As for the PDA/Phone/CSC, PDA is the OS itself, Phone means the Radio firmware (GSM/CDMA/UMTS/LTE radio chip) and CSC stands for Country Specific Customization (or Carrier Specific Customization), which provides regional customizations such as carrier APNs, available languages etc.


"App Updates is running" warning happening very often

Open the LG Update Center (on the V20 it's under the Common tab in "About Phone") and set notification interval to Never.  If that doesn't do it, reopen Update Center and install every app listed.  Then uninstall the ones you don't want.

I'm guessing the update center initially tries to install these apps and isn't satisfied until it's done.


As stated here:

  Cross-user interactions are blocked using the everybody GID.

Android reserves UIDs / GIDs ranging from 10000 to 19999 for apps. AID_EVERYBODY is one of the special groups, which is used to control app's read / write ability to external storage (/sdcard). This group has GID 9997 for device owner. If there are profiles or multiple users, GID takes form XX09997, where XX is UserID. So u11_everybody resolves to UID 1109997 and u11_a500 to 1110500.

Starting with Android 6, every app has it's own view of /sdcard, which is controlled by exposing /data/media/[UserID] with different permissions. This is achieved by making use of an emulated filesystem (previously FUSE, now sdcardfs) and mount namespaces. For device owner i.e. UserId 0, /sdcard appears with following three VIEWs of permission sets:

For processes running in root mount namespace such as init, netd, vold etc., permissions appear as 0.1015, 0771.
For processes having android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, permissions appear as 0.9997, 0750.
For processes having android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, permissions appear as 0.9997, 0770.

Screenshot shows three emulated VIEWs with different gid and mask values to get different permissions sets:

* Files never have executable permission i.e. mask=6 becomes mask=7 for files.
* mask=23 is appearing wrong, may be a bug? In actual it's mask=27.

Considering three distinct VIEWs, we come with four situations:

Processes running with root privileges i.e. UID 0 have always R/W access to /sdcard. However if a non-privileged process running in root mount namespace wants R/W access to /sdcard, that would be controlled by group AID_SDCARD_RW (GID 1015). An example is ADB daemon which runs with UID / GID 2000 but 1015 in its supplementarry groups.

Since every app runs with its unique UID in a separate mount namespace:

Apps without READ/WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions won't be able to read or write to /sdcard.

Since every app is a member of everybody (9997) group:

Apps with READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission will be able to read the /sdcard.
Apps with WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission will be able to write to /sdcard. So the app has full R/W access to shared / external Public Storage including other apps' Private Storage.

There's an exception to above rules for apps; every app has always R/W access to its own External Private Storage. Let's take example of app com.xyz with UID 10500. Apart from internal data directory /data/data/com.xyz, app has a Private Storage directory /sdcard/Android/data/com.xyz with owner UID 10500. So this directory is always readable / writable by the app.
 Please note that /sdcard/Android/data is traversable for all apps, but no R/W access.

In the same way it works for other user accounts / profiles.

Opaque Binary Blobs: (OBB)

Some apps need additional storage to save large files which can't be included in .apk file due to 100MB maximum size limit. There are two possible obb locations where these files are saved: /data/media/obb/ and /sdcard/Android/obb/. The former was introduced before multi-users concept, so it's only available to device owner. Later is available to apps in multi-user accounts / profiles as well.
Access to former is controlled the same way as to /sdcard, while later is always accessible by an app as is the private external storage.

RELATED:

What is /storage/emulated/0/?
Public and Private files on External Storage
Why is the 'storage/emulated/' directory inaccessible?
How Android's permissions mapping with UIDs/GIDs works?
Are multiple-users protected from each other differently than apps?
How disk space is used on Android device? (see directories occupied by an app under APPS SPACE USAGE).


How do I get 2 way photo syncing with dropbox?

This is not possible. Dropbox says:

  Dropbox will not delete files from your mobile device after they are uploaded. The files on your camera, phone, tablet, or SD Card will remain on your device until you remove them manually.

To do this, you will need a third-party app, like Dropsync.


Drawer button to toggle enable/disable lock screen

Finally! Someone developed an app which enables you to lock the screen by tapping a notification drawer entry or in several other ways. The app can be found on the play store. Here it is:

Screen Lock

Screen Lock Pro

Regards.


Preventing charging while USB debugging - One X

As far as I know, batteries won't fry on constant charging. They chips in them that control overcharging and low charge. So they won't die easyly. I am using my desire just like you explained for almost 2 years and it is just like the first day, I need to charge it every day :)


Blank Text Message from random number - is it a virus?

Is it possible that this is a virus?

Of course it is possible. Technology is beat. But what actually matters is whether if it is probable or not.

A text message (if it is an SMS) has to travel through the cellular network of your service provider and therefore the file types you can send are object to their limitations. Such messages can include media files(MMS) but not apps or executables. Instead, it might contain a link which'll lead you to download a malware. But an empty SMS on its own to infect a phone, sounds pretty NSA.

  How can I check to see if my phone has a virus?

You can use antivirus apps but their reliability is up for discussion.

  Is there a way to detect an intrusion attempt so that my phone will tell me if something is happening that shouldn't be?

Again, some antivirus apps like Avast warn you whenever an app that is malicious is being installed. But there are ways to outsmart it too.

Nonetheless, for your specific case, relax. I really don't think you are at risk.


Is it possible to install the Nexus One Calendar app on the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate?

You'd have to find someone who's extracted it to an APK file, and side-load it onto your Galaxy. This link gives a nice tutorial on how to side-load an app.

Probably the best place to start to find it extracted would be in the forums on XDA.


Can applications be downloaded without a Google Account and without disabling security features?

Use ADB to install the applications.

Install the Android sdk ( https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html ).

Enable USB debugging in Settings>Applications>Development.
This process can be done even without enabling side-loading of apps. Open a command prompt window and type:

adb install app_name.apk


Would Apple EarPods work on my Android phone?

Firstly because they use the 3.5mm standard they will transmit sound to Android just as you would expect on the iPhone. All the controls work fine with the exception of the volume up and down. The microphone works currently on Android as well.

Source:
http://www.androidcentral.com/earpods-ear-holes-android


You might be able to uninstall and disable updates in settings > application manager > all.  As chrome is a system app in Samsung,  to completely uninstall it you would probably need root permission and "uninstall system apps" from Google Play.


Deleted Stock Dialer App, Not Receiving Call Notifications

You'll have to reinstall it, I'm afraid. If another app provided such a function, this would cause conflict and even possible device crashes.


Distinguishing between placed received and non-received calls

You can use a new dialer which supports this. I have tried Swipe Dialer Free and it does this (You get the same icon for all outgoing calls whether they were answered or not but for the un-answered call, you will have "Not Answered" mentioned"

P.S. - If your dialer shows the duration of call then I think for Non-Answered outgoing calls, it will show "0m 0s". All other calls will have different durations. So, you can differentiate between them (if this is what your purpose is).


How to download all photos to one folder like in iPhone

Photo saving location is up to the individual apps.  Stock Android camera app, for example, always writes to SD Card's DCIM\Camera folder.  Other photo taking apps may have a different default location, but you should be able to change that in those apps' settings.

Various photo managing apps will try to scan your entire SD Card for images, and may pull in folders that belong to various other apps, not necessarily Camera/Camcorder.  Such apps usually have setting to specify which folders to include or exclude during such scans.


Fully control Android phone from another Android phone over the Internet

You can try RemoDroid. Install it on both system and I believe instructions are in the app.


How is Verizon suddenly tracking my hot-spot usage on Android and how do I disable this tracking?

Your phone uses a different type of connection (DUN) to send tethered data but you can make the provider treat all traffic as if it is non-tethered:
adb shell settings put global tether_dun_required 0

When enabling tethering on Android, the OS will first do a provisioning check with the carrier to determine if your plan allows tethering. You can remove this check:
adb shell su
mount -o rw,remount /system_root
cd /system_root/system/
echo net.tethering.noprovisioning=true >> /system_root/system/build.prop

However it will not be enough because carriers often spot tethering by looking at the TTL of your IP packages.

Time to live (TTL) refers to the amount of time or “hops” that a packet is set to exist inside a network before being discarded by a router. It is decremented for each hop. A hop is any intermediate router the packet passes through.

When tethering, your phone acts as a router and your TTL is decreased by 1 before reaching your ISP, which is what betrays you.
By default, Android and iOS have a TTL of 64 so you only need to set the TTL on your PC to 65.
On GNU/Linux :
net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl=65

# persistent change
echo 'net.ipv4.ip_default_ttl=65' | sudo tee /usr/lib64/sysctl.d/70-ttl.conf

On Windows:
netsh int ipv4 set glob defaultcurhoplimit=65 netsh int ipv6 set glob
defaultcurhoplimit=65

On MacOS:
sudo sysctl -w net.inet.ip.ttl=65

For now it seems to be enough but keep in mind that your carrier has other ways to detect tethering (see here) and will most likely use them in the future.


Automatically enable USB tethering when device is plugged into a PC

Having tried multiple answers to this question and never getting it to work, I noticed on my Xiami phone running MUI 11 (Android 9) that turning on "Developer Options" now has an option for the default USB setting - one of which is USB tethering. This works flawlessly for me.


Interpretting the output of dumpsys telephony.registry

From the sources, it looks like it's printing out the contents of the SignalStrength object:

private SignalStrength mSignalStrength = new SignalStrength();

...

        pw.println("last known state:");
        ...
        pw.println("  mSignalStrength=" + mSignalStrength);
        ...

This object is described in detail on the Android Developers reference here.  The string representation of the SignalStrength class is defined here (search for "toString" function):

public String toString() {
    return ("SignalStrength:"
            + " " + mGsmSignalStrength
            + " " + mGsmBitErrorRate
            + " " + mCdmaDbm
            + " " + mCdmaEcio
            + " " + mEvdoDbm
            + " " + mEvdoEcio
            + " " + mEvdoSnr
            + " " + mLteSignalStrength
            + " " + mLteRsrp
            + " " + mLteRsrq
            + " " + mLteRssnr
            + " " + mLteCqi
            + " " + (isGsm ? "gsm|lte" : "cdma"));
}

This basically tells you the columns in the dumpsys output.


What is preventing my Android phone from going to sleep? It is eating through the battery quickly

I got an answer on another forum. The part keeping the phone awake was shown here:

mLocks.size=1:
  PARTIAL_WAKE_LOCK              'com.commonsware.cwac.locpoll.LocationPoller' a
ctivated (minState=0, uid=10069, pid=14026)

and by grepping the process id like so:

ps | grep 14026

I found the name of the app that was causing the problem.


Nexus One overheats/restarts when connected to car dock or car charger

Can you check with the GPS turned off for a while?
I've heard reports of heating and restarts most of which refer to multiple things being active increasing current demands from the dock.
Here are a few references,

N1 heat issue while charging + GPS? at the nexusoneforum
Nexus One is overheating in car dock, becoming unresponsive (google android forum)

here is a quote from the second link,

have use car dock overheat problem before, But I solved the problem now! The car dock 12V to 5V adaptor it can provide max. 2A current maximum, the phone voltage is 3.7V, when you use this adaptor direct connect to the Phone Car Dock, the phone begin charging, the charging current supplied by car adaptor, if you at same time your phone operating like navigation (GPS, Data) or video streaming and just not the screen off , this time the phone's power provided by car adaptor through the phone itself, therefore the current = charging current + operatin current provided by car adaptor.
This probelm very easy to solve, you just need to buy USB car adaptor  from car accessories shop, the USB car adaptor maximum supply current not more than 1A or less, and then buy a micro USB cable connnect to the car dock body, the overheat problem have been solved.


Why does Speedo On app does not show on Galaxy Store?

I contacted Samsung and they said this app is not supported on the Gear Fit2 Pro.


Wintouch Q75S - Removed wpa_supplicant on accident

If you're only missing that one file, you could try using my copy of it:

http://www.freesoft.org/bbaccala/wpa_supplicant

I'm running 4.1.2, but I'll bet it'll work.


What Trusted Root CAs are included in Android by default?

On ICS or later you can check this in your settings. Go to Settings->Security->Trusted Credentials to see a list of all your trusted CAs, separated by whether they were included with the system or installed by the user.

Earlier versions of Android keep their certs under /system/etc/security in an encrypted bundle named cacerts.bks which you can extract using Bouncy Castle and the keytool program. The summary is to first pull the bundle using adb (you need a root shell) then you can use Bouncy Castle to list the contents of the bundle:

shell~$ adb pull /system/etc/security/cacerts.bks`
shell~$ keytool -keystore cacerts.bks -storetype BKS -provider org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.BouncyCastleProvider -storepass changeit -v -list

There's also at least one app that you can try if you'd prefer not to use the shell: CACertMan (requires root to modify the list, but should allow you to view the list without root). I believe it came about due to the DigiNotar fiasco since there were no particularly easy ways for a user to revoke the cert at the time. Since the certs are stored differently on ICS and later this app will only work on devices running Gingerbread (or earlier), but it is obsolete on ICS/JB anyway.


Export Firefox Android Bookmarks to html file

As of 2019, Firefox for Android has no built-in support for exporting bookmarks.

However there are some workarounds/alternatives:

According to the "Chosen Solution" on the Firefox Support Forum, use Firefox Sync for Android to transparently move bookmarks across devices.
Find an add-on (like EverSync).
If your phone is rooted, you can directly query your profile's database.


Did factory reset, attempted to flash CWM using SP Flash Tools and fastboot but to no avail. How to unbrick Lenovo A316i than?

I spent another few hours trying things, and ended up going to a friend who had Windows on PC, with this guide: Lenovo A316i Stock Firmware - xdafirmware on this site placed archive which had everything needed in it:

Unmodified stock firmware which doesn't require modified Recovery
Lenovo USB Driver executable
Smart Phone Flash Tool 3.x (probably 3.1336 I didn't watch concrete version)

And guess what? I managed to install driver and flash firmware in matter of minutes, and got phone booting fixed!

P.S. So, the solution is to use 3.x SP Flash Tool and right firmware, but since 3.x isn't runnable on GNU/Linux, well you have to install windows first!


Build kernel module on locked bootloader

To shortcut your two questions: you can't load a module you've compiled yourself without unlocking the bootloader.

Technically you can compile a kernel module without compiling the kernel yourself, if you have the kernel sources and you know what options were used to compile the kernel; it's just easier to compile the kernel and modules at the same time. But that doesn't matter anyway, because you need to be able to sign the kernel and/or sign a system image containing your kernel module, in order for that module to load. You need to unlock the bootloader to avoid the signature check.


Can I know location of a phone if it doesn't have AGPS?

There is assisted GPS, which as I got it figures out your location only by distance from antennas.

I am sorry but this sentence is wrong. What you describe is not "assisted" GPS /AGPS.
AGPS or "Assistend GPS" is mechanism for GPS to minimize the initial starting phase until the first GPS "fix" (the first calculated GPS location).
For doing so AGPS uses a small data (downloaded via mobile network) set which contains the info which GPS satellite uses what frequency and where in the sky it should be located roughly.
What you describe is the "Location Estimation of Mobile using cell towers." For doing so GPS is not used at all. You only use the exact geo location data transmitted by each cell phone tower plus the recipient strength for each signal.
On Android you can not enable the cell tower localization individually. It is always combined with the same, Wifi based location system and builds Android's "coarse" location system (in difference to "fine" which uses GPS assistend or not).
If you have activated it on modern Android devices all apps can make use of it. But each app has to request permission to access the location from the user.


It is a Froyo ROM, according to comments I've read around XDA.

A custom Froyo ROM based on JPA
Blog entry detailing the European Froyo update rollout, references JPA


Create, edit, and sync-with-PC txt file on Android

Give Standard Notes a try. Works on multi platform, syncs across all platforms, permits tagging, encrypted, and open source. Don't be discouraged by Beta in the description. It's perfectly stable and I have been using it for nearly two years.

Pro version (expensive) does much more. Sync to Google Drive (also Dropbox if I am not mistaken is a pro feature) but you may not really want that once you see the way app does things.


How to install apps by connecting to the desktop

Actually, it shouldn't be necessary to connect the tablet to your desktop. All you need to do is to log into Google Play on your desktop with the same account that's registered on the tablet. Then navigate to an app and press the Install button (or Installed if it's already installed on one of your other devices):

Once you click Install, a dialog will appear which allows you to select the device to install to:

After clicking Install, click OK on the next dialog that pops up. Then connect your tablet via WiFi, wait a bit, and the app will be installed!


Install custom system, on unlocked bootloader

I got it to work with install another system on the phone !

Model phone MT6570

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

Hope the helps other :)

It works for me !


How do I manually enter Clockwork ROM Recovery?

These are the steps to boot your Droid 2 phone into Recovery Mode should you need to.

Turn Droid 2 Off
Press 'X' on the physical keyboard and then Press and HOLD Power button until the Exclamation Point/Android picture shows(after motorola symbol).
To access menu options Press the "Search" button depicted by the Magnifying glass on the Keyboard and the menu items will show up.
Browse options with the Volume Up and Volume Down keys and select option with the Camera button all on side.
Select first option of "Reboot phone" or risk messing up your brand new Droid 2!

EDIT:- the link to XDA forum that explains you problems

And one more thing if its android recovery that is loading then it means that the CWM recovery is yet not installed

Hence this is the video link on how to install it(CWM)


Connection Time Out error while accessing Google Play Store in Samsung I9070 Galaxy S advance

I had the same problem after upgrading my Android version. I fixed it by clearing the Google Play store cache and data. Go to Menu Settings > Applications > Google Play Store and click  the Clear cache button and Clear data button.


Font on my AMOLED display has white border

If i adjust brightness and saturation on your first image:

White border is visible!
It's really hard to say. I think this occurs because the adjustments is very different in each display mode.
Which mode have you used in second image?


How to disable virtual keyboard when in landscape mode?

There is a way but not an easy way. You can use keyboards like Null keyboard.

  A keyboard that does nothing.
  Yes, really.
  This keyboard is useful if you have an external bluetooth keyboard paired with your phone and you want to stop the on-screen keyboard from popping up all the time.

The problem is every time you change mode you have to change the input method.


Transformer Primetouch screen response: is this normal?

THIS IS the ASUS answer I received!  Really, sweep it under the carpet.  I cannot return this unit, is already over the return period time....

I own a TF 201, I installed SketchBook Pro.

I also have an Ipad 2 (from work) with the same same software.

My issue, is the Transformer Prime, does not respond very well compare to the Ipad.

I truly wonder if this is a problem with the Transformer since all application even Skitch do not produce very smooth response be it with finger or capacitive stylus. Rendering drawings on the prime, results in broken lines, circles which are not complete and always feel like the line has to "catch up" to your finger or stylus. This is not a problem I experience on the Ipad.

Can you please advise if this is "working" as designed or is this a case of a screen not working to par (and how to resolve or exchange)? This is truly proving to be a disappointment has drawing is a very important feature to me. More so since this works flawlessly on the Ipad.

My unit, has the latest firware updates;
IML74K.WW_epad - 9.4.2.15-20120221
Touch Panel : MXT- 2.0 build -170

  Thank you for choosing ASUS products.

  We apologize for the late response. It is only till your email sent to
  Satisfaction-CA, I have picked up the case. Regarding to the problem
  that you were/are having, I ams afraid ASUS will be limited to support
  your product since this is a third party software, and you might have
  to contact the vendor for technical support. Given the fact that iPad
  and Prime are equipped with different OS, it is possible that the
  experience of using a complete identical software might varies. We are
  very sorry for the inconvenience induced in this matter. Please let us
  know if further questions and concerns raised. Your kind understanding
  is greatly appreciated.

  Tom Wang

  ASUS Canada 802 Cochrane drive, unit 2 Markham, Ontario, L3R 8C9
  Canada Fax: 905-489-2717

Tom, are you kidding?

This is the same with ANY drawing apps, or note taking application.  The ASUS screen is not as responsive and not responsive enough.

I'm using Android designed software for ICS, other users are doing the same and having the same issue.

You cannot really tell me this is working as designed?

Even user with the original Transformer are saying their older screen was more responsive compared to the new one!

Come on ASUS be responsible and add this to the list of must have fixes!

Thanks,


As I feared, Google is against letting people tweak SELinux. This is stated explicitely in the Android Compatibility Definition Document:

  SELinux or any other security features implemented below the Android
  framework:

  [...]
  SHOULD NOT be user or developer configurable.

However, the good news is that there is indeed a FOSS project porting SELinux tools to Android: setools-android. This tools ports the usual seinfo and sesearch commands as can be found in the upstream SELinux Tools project, but it also adds the sepolicy-inject command which allows to modify the current policy or set a domain in permissive mode.

This however suffer from a big issue: unlike on standard computers, modifications made to the /sepolicy file which stores SELinux policy are not persistent and will be lost upon device restart.

In fact, this file as part of the root directory is stored in a RAM disk image which, in turn, is stored in the device's boot image and extracted during the device's boot sequence. To apply permanent modification to this file it is therefore necessary to modify the version stored within the device's boot image.

While the operation may still be possible from the device itself (as far as I know SuperSU for instance updates the boot image as part of its installation procedure), for my use-case I find it more convenient to do the operation from an external computer connected to the phone (here is my detailed procedure). Tools running on the device still remain useful though when frequent checks and updates of the SELinux policy are required (typically during development stages) and for automation (if a project needs a SuperSU-like installer for instance).


How to refresh a web page in Chrome (Ctrl+F5 analogue) on a device without menu button?

I found it !!!!!!

On the left side of the URL there is an info icon (i) or a lock icon. Click the icon and then  [web site configuration].

You will find a trash icon to clear cache of the current site, and alternatively a "restore preferences" button.

Working on Android Chrome 71.


From my understanding each device listing in the Play Store is referenced to a Unique ID. By removing the device you have removed this ID. You should be able to sign out of your Google account on your device, then sign back in, making sure all of the sync features are turned on, this should create a new UID for your device, putting an entry in devices once again.


What is the earliest version that suppprts iPhone Wifi Assist equivalent for Android?

So apparently Google implemented it in 2014 in Android, and you couldn't properly disable it. Not even today.

I believe this feature is baked into Android.

Windows 8.1 definitely had it in 2014 according to this https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10652/windows-phone-cellular-and-sim-settings I'm pretty sure Windows Phones predating this also had it although documentation seems lacking.

Wi-fi assist was introduced in iOS 9(2015). https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205296

There are apps for Android that do this but at least this one is 3rd party. No sources says it predates 2015. I have not experimented enough with this on Android. https://www.guidingtech.com/54831/get-ios-like-wi-fi-assist-android-using-speedify/


I'll agree with Al Everett and say that the amount of playing with the new toy is certainly a factor early on.

I also did not notice any intrinsic changes in the systems battery management over time.  I did however notice a massive increase in battery life by turning off auto-sync, and even mobile on occasion.  With those two on, I'd see a significant drop in battery when I slept overnight, but it doesn't budge with those two off.

I use two power control widgets, the HTC data dashboard and the Android power control widget. Between the two, it's a piece of cake to tweak power settings to make sure I get the most out of the battery.


In Twrp recovery mode touch screen is not working on redmi y2

Orange fox recovery should be flashed in case if you are using MIUI 11. Link to that can be found here. For MIUI 9 and 10 users this TWRP is working fine.


Using ADB, what command can I use to break/permanently destroy a Galaxy S5?

Requires root access

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/mmcblk0

It won't complete through the whole disk, but will proceed to a point where the device flashes black and falls irresponsive. All data are not erased, but the system is gone and it's very hard to recover.

For the same effect:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/mmcblk0 bs=4096 count=256
# Only erases the first 1MB, where the GPT table lies

Alternatively (for Galaxy S5 and other "modern" phones):

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/by-name/aboot

An aftersale service can recover the device without breaking it open, which is what you wanted. I'm not going to post any details about recovery, only the fact that it can be recovered.


My google play store keeps saying its stopped

Try going in the general settings, app settings, Google Play settings and clearing all cache data and uninstalling updates.


Why I Must Type Password Every Time To Reconnect To Home Wi-Fi Hotspot

Here is the solution which worked for my rooted Nexus 5 (Android 5.0.1)

make a backup of wpa_suppliciant.conf file and DHCP folder. Just in case.

Copy wpa_suppliciant.conf file from /data/misc/wifi/ to your PC
Open with any text editor (I used wordpad) and delete all entries with you problematic wifi name on it.
Choose one of the Wifi in the list which you remember has worked before and change SSID and passkey according to you router. Press SAVE.
Copy/replace this modified file into /data/misc/wifi
Delete DHCP folder in /data/misc/
Reboot your phone.
Your phone should now connect to your new wifi :)


How do I download videos from my phone (or card) to my PC?

Lisa, when you say download I assume that you mean transfer. I apologize, I cannot add comments.

The easiest method I would suggest is that you first go into your File Manager (or download one), and find the path to your videos, e.g. DCIM > 100Media and confirm that your videos are there (or wherever they are). Once achieved, connect your phone and set the USB type to Transfer (or whatever it is called on your device), then navigate to this path on your PC. You should then be able to copy the videos.

Alternatively, let's say your video is called 'video1.mp4', you should then be able to search on your PC for this file. From there, right click and open file location. From there it should just be a matter of copying and pasting. Hope that helps!


How can I stop the Music app from launching when headphone is plugged in?

It's been reported as a known issue on code.google.com. There's a long list of 79 comments which seem to indicate that rooting and adding a program called "Autostarts" fixes the problem. This is obviously not something everyone is going to want to do... be careful if you go that route.


How can I load a Project Gutenberg book on my phone's Kindle app?

I figured out one fairly unsatisfactory way to do it:

Using phone browser (Chrome), go to Gutenberg mobile site.
Find book (for example) and download Kindle version.
Go to Downloads (under Apps) where you should find the mobi file listed (e.g. pg174.mobi).
Long touch the file until menu bar appears at top with Share icon.
Click Share Icon which will present pop-up menu which should include Send to Kindle option.
Choose Send to Kindle option, which will list the wrong title and author for the book. Edit title and author, checkmark the devices you wish to send it to as well as Archive in your Kindle Library, and press send.

The book didn't show up on my device immediately, but within 5 minutes it appeared in the app's home view.

I'm not sure what if any combination of events was required to get it downloaded to my device. I received an email from Amazon informing me that my document had been prepared and providing a link. I clicked that link from my phone. I also visited the store within the Kindle app. I'm not sure whether either of these acts was necessary or sufficient for finally accessing the book from my app.


The media scanner scans everything on your S.D. card. Adding a .nomedia to any of the subdirectories will allow the media scanner to skip everything in that sub-tree.

Your S.D. card will be F.A.T.-formatted so there are no permission restrictions. If you are receiving access denied on the S.D. card then it may be locked read-only due to damage to the card, or worse some malware you have installed. There isn't enough information to say for certain. You can scan the card properly by connecting it to a computer and running fsck (Linux and other *nix) or chkdsk (Windows). Remember to back up any important files before doing so.

Applications can access a directory on the S.D. called Android, and sometimes just data. Add a .nomedia file to those directories to stop those directories from being scanned.

The command for doing so in a terminal emulator would be:

touch /path/to/SD/Android/.nomedia
touch /path/to/SD/data/.nomedia

where /path/to/SD/ varies depending on your version of Android. To do the same under Windows would be something along the lines of "Create new blank file" from within Explorer.


Can I turn off autocomplete/autocorrect for Google Maps?

Ok, I found a workaround. I am calmer now.

Use Spiffy Search from the Market. You can use it to search, then have it set to maps. It doesn't use your internet connection.

Then,  edit maps settings so that the navigation icon appears whenever you find a location.

My deliveries just became a little easier!

Btw, I use a Droid X on Page Plus, which uses Verizon's network. For 30 dollars, I have vzw coverage, which is essential on my job, 1200 minutes and 3000 texts, but only 100 mb of data, which is why I am so obsessed with conserving it. Now with this work around, I can email, websurf with opera mini, and navigate without going over my limit. It is a brilliant way to milk the big V for all they are worth!


Long press home button and power button both showing power menu?

As your device is rooted, Button Remapper might provide a solution. It allows you to re-assing actions triggered by buttons, so you should be able to re-map the home key accordingly.


How to unlock a "network sim" in order to use a Android phone?

You'll need to purchase an unlock code.

You will probably find a number of companies via google a I have used a couple, which I'm not sure I'm allowed to post here so I recommend you visit Modaco, the site run by Paul O'Brien of custom rom and rooting fame.

Click the Android part of the site and at the bottom of the site or via a web banner to the right, you'll see one of their official sponsors that does HTC codes for $20.


The Exynos variant of S4 doesn't have official LOS yet. Assuming you're talking about the unofficial one here.

Update to the latest recovery possible, e.g. TWRP here, or this one as suggested in the XDA thread.

Do a nandroid backup of what you have now for falling back when needed.

Factory reset - don't think about dirty flashing between major Android versions.

Flash the ROM of choice.


I don't know about apps, but you could buy a gps jammer. But remember to check the law. In Britain it's legal to own one, but it's a crime to actually turn it on (don't ask).

Also there's a very broad price range, so you'll have to do a bit of research to find out whether what you'd need is affordable.


Downloading certain apps on CM 12.1/13 causes it to bootloop

In my case (Nexus 4 (Mako)), I have it running only on CM 10. WhatsApp then started to cause the boot loop on CM >= 11. Since I need a custom ROM for 4.4+/KitKat or up, I ended up in flashing LineageOS 14.1 (Nougat) and so far it's been working fine for me. (ツ)


Data Recovery on non-rooted Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v

This might or might not work. Insert an SD Card, preferably more than 4GB.

Boot into android stock recovery.

Power + Home + Vol. Up

Scroll down to backup internal data.

Remove the SD card.

Go through the steps of unlocking the boot loader but don't flash a custom recovery yet.

Reboot into recovery(stock) after unlocking the boot loader. Restore user data.

Flash a custom recovery. Root your device. Then go about what you we're trying to do.


How can I change media volume when no media is being played?

You can go to Settings > Sound > Volume and turn down the Media volume all the way to 0.
I used AutomateIt to Mute Media sound unless the earphone is plugged.
A hack that I used to do is to just cover up the speaker hole until I can turn down the volume.


There are a ton of keyboard apps out there -- check out the market for both free and paid.

I hate tapping and tapping, and there are at least two slide-the-finger virtual keyboards available:

Swype is my favorite -- but that's only been out in a limited beta for Android, so far. Maybe again....

ShapeWriter is a good substitute... but that's off the market due to a post-merger company re-org  (kids, THIS is why FLOS is a Good Idea). Hit up google, and you'll find a few people that have the .apk available, though. Here's one (as of Sept 2, 2010).

JetKeys is one of the weirdest that I've seen. Not a glider -- touch in the center of key, then slide in a direction to select alternate characters. Great idea, weird to use.

I have some more notes in a blog post.


Factory reset (Software repair) Sony Xperia XCompact (and all other Xperia smartphones) that have software issues like a boot loop

Sony has gotten really good with their software suppport for their Xperia line up. Their software actually works to get bricked phones alive again.

The method I describe below doesn't require an unlocked bootloader and doesn't unlock it as well. Which is a good thing since you keep your warranty and you won't loose DRM rights that are for example used for the noise reduction software of your Xperia camera.

Your phone should be charged at least 80%.
Keep your smartphone turned off and disconnected until I say so! Otherwise it won't work.
Get the Xperia Companion: https://support.sonymobile.com/de/xperia-companion/

Now you can connect your smartphone to your computer while pressing volume down:


Possible to access Chrome Incognito session data?

No.

The incognito mode is designed in a way such that no trails shall be left locally, so there should be little to no chance you can pull it from the device.

Maybe you can get some information via network data, but that's more complex and not guaranteed.


Galaxy Tab - How to keep alerts visible until the screen is unlocked?

The Samsung flavor of Android (and possibly others?) keeps the alerts accesible, but very well-hidden. Click on the section of the bottom menu bar with the time, then slide up where it reads "Settings". The alerts are visible there.


Can the android keyboard input be forced to display on the screen?

ScummVM (2.0.0) in particular has its own keyboard which you can access by tapping the button in the top left corner.


I activated that phone with a prepaid plan and didn't pay anything and successfully able to use it in wifi.


Is it possible to recover deleted text messages after a factory reset on LG Optimus One 2.2.1?

Alas, the SMS are all gone, they're part of the data that gets wiped along with the factory reset.

There's no way to get them back (if you haven't backed them up at some time)


Your phone's WiFi capabilities might not meet the supported range of your school WiFi networks. For example I have a 2.4ghz wifi network and a 5ghz wifi network from my router. The 5ghz frequency can only be seen on iPhones and not my android device personally, as iPhones tend to support higher wifi frequencies than most androids.


Determining support for Bluetooth Low Energy

As of now, the checking for BLE support has to be done manually by studying specifications and searching on Google (as far as I know).

See this question on Stackoverflow: Bluetooth Smart (4.0) / GATT support in Android 4.0?

It states that Android does not support Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) out of the box up to Android-4.0 (maybe with Jelly Bean 4.1 onwards, the Nexus 7 tab suggests that). Manufacturers have to add their own API to allow access to BT LE (e.g. this app is limited to Motorola). That's why your mileage may vary with different phones up to 4.0. Casio's Bluetooth LE enabled watch is also an example of limited (official) compatibility (not even the iPhone 4S is mentioned, by the way).

My best guess is that with more devices having 4.1 the issue will solve by itself and you can find apps showing it.

Here are lists by manufacturers:

Motorola
HTC: good listing not found yet
Google: Galaxy Nexus (not with 4.0), Nexus 7 Tab


Samsung Galaxy S disconnected during Kies firmware download

From the comments it sounds like you've gotten back to Download Mode, so that's good.  If not, try different button combinations in conjunction with battery removes and being plugged/unplugged into USB.  Something should get you there.

Once you're in Download Mode you're probably going to need Odin to fix your device.  You can use my instructions here for Odin.


Android: how to increase system partition and decrease data partition?

I have follow this method,shrink data,and recreate system partition, is not too "kind" but works.
Warning: this method is ok from a fresh installation from 0, you will loose all data, so follow it only if expert user, I'm not responsible for loose data,brick device,etc you are warned.
You must have twrp installed, a usb connected smartphone and adb,fastboot on pc

a)Get parted and gdisk from here

b)Reboot in recovery mode

adb reboot recovery

c)Push gdisk and parted

adb push parted /
adb push gdisk /

d)With parted resize the data partition,in my case is 28 and we resize from 30G to 27G

    adb shell
    umount /data
    parted /dev/block/mmc0blk0
    resizepart 28 27G

e)Now exit from parted and open gdisk

umount /system
gdisk  /dev/block/mmc0blk0
d #delete, select the system partition, in my case is 25
n #new,I select the new size of 3G for my system partition and 0700 as fsid
w #write

f)Now reopen with parted and rename the partition 25 as system

g)Reboot in recovery mode from twrp or adb

adb reboot recovery

h)The command
fdisk -l /dev/block/mmc0blk0
must report correct sizes

i)Now create the ext4fs

make_ext4fs /dev/block/mmc0blk0p25

l)resize the fs

umount /system||echo ok
e2fsck -f /dev/block/mmcblk0p25
resize2fs /dev/block/mmcblk0p25

m)Eventually correct /etc/fstab
the command mount /system must complete successfully.
With twrp try to wipe the partitions data,system,etc
the command must complete successfully.

m)Install android rom or recover from a backup.

n)I see my lineageos image resize automatically the partition to 1G(sic!)
so I'm tryng this workaround

1)install lineage
2)reboot and wait for Android OS
3)reboot in twrp
4)then resize the partition as explained on l)
5)then install the other zips


To solve this boot loop issue, start by flashing this kernel via FlashTool, switching your phone into fastboot mode. The best is to follow the original guide I guess.

Then, you can follow this tutorial to install a custom .zip file ROM again, allowing your phone to boot again. You might need to upload the .zip file directly onto your SD card.

I hope this helps.


Some Samsungs have a bug in their "download mode" which will let you flash a custom recovery without even having to root or unlock the bootloader. With custom recovery you can then do whatever you want with the phone.


Run a Titanium Backup schedule from ADW Launcher's drawer

Its not possible. App Drawer is designed to keep default shortcut of apps.. not custom shortcuts!
You can always use Homescreen to place custom shortcuts. I recommend you to use TB's widget. As ADW Launcher provides option to add multiple homescreens, space shouldn't be a problem.


Can you charge a Galaxy Tab 2 7" with a charger from Galaxy Tab 10.1?

You only need to make sure that the chargers produce the same about of voltage and current. There shouldn't be any issues with that.


You can flash directly to Marshmallow using the 6.0.1 (MMB29K) factory image. Follow the flashing instructions, which includes unlocking your bootloader.

I highly recommend then installing a custom recovery such as TWRP using the fastboot method. Having the custom recovery will enable you to flash other zip updates like SuperSU to get permanent root.

Note that Google's flash-all process replaces your custom recovery with the stock recovery, so make sure to reflash whatever custom recovery you choose right after. You can avoid this by flashing each partition manually instead of using flash-all.


Where does Android keep app permissions?

App permissions are defined in the code of the application (the manifest to be exact) and cannot be changed without actually "un-building", changing and then rebuilding the apk again.
the solution you're looking for is using permissions controlling/restricting applications.

Here are some examples for these kind of apps:

LBE Privacy Guard

PDroid

App Ops - Permission Manager


The files (if they are considered as such) to which logs are written by the device are not in /system but in /dev/log.

These "files" are reset at every boot, so unless the device you have has a boot-time script that automatically saves logs to a file in, say, /sdcard, there is sadly no way to retrieve the logs you want while in recovery.


How to use GPS to remind me to shop for something?

Google Keep is a free application that allows you to take notes, and create location or temporal reminders that will trigger the notes.


android 4.1.2 apps shortcut disapperead from home screen

I found fix for this, just visit xda-developers and dowload the file "fixdatatoggle.apk",   install it and enjoy. It will show your missing mobile data icon in quick setting panel notification bar.


My friend has a Gear VR headset and I have wanted to do this for a while. I eventually just made it myself with google cardboard.

Dan Hulme has a good point. The gear VR does incorporate multiple other sensors the communicate with the phone. HOWEVER, the phones compatible immediately with Gear VR all have a gyroscope in them so you don't really need the extra sensors!

You should be able to use the Trinus VR app but with only the built in gyro, it might drift or lag a tad bit...

Hope this helps!


Which apps cannot be disabled (without root)?

I think you cannot disable "system apps". A layman definition of system apps can be ones those are installed when you install the ROM.

there can be a few in custom ROMs and UIs that companies provide because they think it is useful.

if you have something like ESExplorer, I think you can see which apps are system apps and which are user apps.