We all know that the matter concerning bricking a device is complex and often confusing, so let's make some clearance.
Meaning of bricking
Bricking, if considered literally, means "to have a device so unusable it could be a brick". This, on mobile devices, is an umbrella term for two different things:

soft brick: as a result of flashing or alternatively installing incompatible software, your device gets messed up. This can produce behaviours such as bootloops, but can generally be solved by flashing a new firmware, or restoring a working Nandroid backup (if any);

hard brick: this is the "bad" kind of brick. You messed up a component known as the bootloader, and now the device doesn't even know how to turn itself on.

Since all of the partitions on a mobile device are contained within the same physical medium (internal storage), in this case messing up with its partitions can lead to hard bricks.
On PCs and laptops
Those devices are physically different from mobile ones... yes, even inside. Their core software component, which does a job similar to the mobile bootloader, is called the BIOS (on old devices), or the UEFI (on newer devices).
This is what sends the signal that pings all of the hardware connected with a computer, and therefore the most important part. As such, it's contained within a small memory that's entirely dedicated to it. This memory was previously called ROM (Read-Only Memory), even if we now have EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). As you may guess, the only way to make a computer totally unusable would be to overwrite the content of this chip, for example when updating the BIOS.

So, can I brick my computer by altering the partition table?
No, you can't. All of your changes only affect the Hard Disk or Solid State Disk in question, so they may mess up your current operating system, but that's nothing that can't be fixed by simply reinstalling it.


Does the latest Android release is secure against the ADB vulnerabiliy?

Sorry but it seems Kevin Beaumont from Microsoft has no clue what he is talking about. Mythbusters would proof him wrong..

It is completely unauthenticated, meaning anybody can connect to a device

That is simply not true. Even on rooted android TV boxes (where the adb miner supposed to run) one still must have access to home network (which is not possible through NAT/Firewall)
Furthermore it requires at least one initial authorization of the RSA-Key from the host which is trying to connect - user must explicitly confirm this on tv screen with remote control (android tv box)
the analysis is based on open port scan where ~ 5000 devices in asia found open port 5555. But just open port means nothing. At least, according Hui Wang these adb miner did not succeed at all

Till now, zero coins have been paid, as can be seen in below


Recovery broken -> “adb devices” doesn't find my Xiaomi Mi3

I might have misinterpreted your question, but to enable ADB to list Xiaomi devices, you need to update adb_usb.ini and put Xiaomi vendor IDs there:

On windows go to c:/Users/{your-username}/.android
On Linux ~/.android
Open the file adb_usb.ini in a text editor and add these three lines:

0x8087
0x2080
0x2717
Save the file, open a CMD (or terminal) and enter the commands:

adb kill-server
adb start-server
Reconnect the device, type this in CMD, now it should be recognized.

adb devices

Source here.


I have this 64 gig microSD and it seems I can't utilize it

You can't move apps to memory card. It is possible only if sd card is adopted or via apps like link2sd (require root). Yes there is option move to sd card in app manager but that moves small amount of data to sd. So if you want more space for apps adopt your SD card and that's it. Some bare minimum is class 10 SD card or UHS I if you phone support it.


Whatsapp last seen versus blue double check for sent messages

There could be Two (or more)  possible reason for this:
 All the word "read" is in past tense

Read while Offline
Your friend was connected to net, but whatsapp was closed (not in foreground) and recieved your msg.
Then he got disconnected with internet, and while this, read your message.
Thus the Whatsapp application registered that the user has read the msg.
Then your friend got connected to internet, it is now when Whatsapp fires the "msg read by user" request to server.
But as the Whatsapp is closed, the last seen does'nt change.

Whatsapp Plus
The second possibility is that your friend is using a modded Whatsapp version called Whatsapp Plus (discontinued for now).
It has the ability and option to hide last seen of the user, even when the user is connected to internet and Whatsapp is running in foreground.
Thus, the user can chat with you in real time without changing his last seen!
Now the thing is that, Whatsapp Plus also has an option to Hide Blue Ticks and Hide second tick.
Thus, we can conclude that, it is possible, that your friend has Hide last seen enabled, and rest all disabled.
Leading to the situation in Question.


If I open a PDF from dropbox with Adobe Reader, where is it saved?

There is a folder on the sdcard where dropbox saves the files locally.

/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/


In Galaxy S7, cannot disable Samsung Reactivation Lock

Sounds like your bootloader is locked. Going from your model number I'm guessing you have the snapdragon variant with Verizon. If that is true just flash stock firmware through Odin. Stock meaning the last version your phone was running on before this happened. I'm not familiar with anyway to unlock the boot loader. Also I personally use Odin when I flash my s7.


Cross-device consistent symlink for internal storage

To answer all of that, one needs to know all (or at least most) of the devices available. So all I can give is an "educated guess".

Permissions should not be altered by symlinks. And yes, what's there varies across devices, Android versions and even ROMs used.

Find the "real one" using df or mount at the command prompt (either via a terminal app, or using adb shell). Starting with around Android 4.2, a few of your listed locations should be pretty much standard:

/storage/emulated/0
/storage/emulated/legacy

The others, as I wrote, may vary between devices, Android versions and ROMs.

Concerning read/write permissions: All of them have. Question is just: for whom? The average app, or root? This changed a lot between Android versions, especially since Kitkat, and again might be handled differently by device, Android version, and ROM. Before Kitkat, an app just needed the WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission. With Kitkat, on most ROMs it was restricted to its own directory in Android/data/, and with Lollipop that changed again.

For a reference, please also see Confused by the many locations of the virtual /sdcard/.


How can I disable Firefox for Android default URL suggestions?

It's impossible without disabling autocomplete completely and Mozilla maintainers refuse to change it, see this issue: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1267208


I'd assume since you were willing to do a factory reset, that you're also willing to forego all the data currently possessed on your phone.

You could hard reset your device through the following method.

Procedure

Switch your phone off.
Wait at least 15 seconds before simultaneously pressing the volume down key + power button until the device vibrates.
Through use of you're volume up and down keys, highlight factory reset and hit the power button.

  Ensure that you have enough battery charge to do this(recommended 40% and above; your battery shouldn't also drain fast). Failure to do so could result in soft bricking your phone rendering it useless.

This will reset your phone back to its original state.

Update
The following links provide methods used to hard reset the z2 that I have already outlined in my answer.
Hard reset z2 verizon
Hard Reset z2

As has been raised in the comments, that Sony devices do not support hard resetting. The above links provide those methods while I have indeed myself been able to reset sony xperia z4 and the c5. Attached is the method I used to hard reset those devices.


S4 won't boot into ClockworkMod Recovery

Have you tried flashing clockworkmod via fastboot?   I believe the Samsung devices use their own version of fastboot, the cyanogenmod site will give you more info on how to install  :
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_jfltecri

I have found that doing it manually is usually more effective than using some sort of automated program (I assume Loki is, never heard of it). It might look complicated at first, but Cyanogenmod is probably the easiest to install, taking into account its large user base and overall decent support. If you feel that the steps required are too involved or time consuming then you may want to consider why you are rooting - it is certainly not for the mainstream user that expects everything to work. Cyanogenmod do provide an automatic installer, but I don't know whether the s4 is supported. The main reason as to why you have to jump through so many hoops is that Samsung don't particularly want you to install a custom rom on your s4. On the Nexus 5 it takes 3 clicks.


Exchange and Coperate Account in android

Exchange refers to the Microsoft Exchange Server Email/Calendaring system also known as Exchange ActiveSync. Corporate usually is a generic term for business email and also usually referring to Exchange ActiveSync, but also can refer to IMAP or POP3 email access.

As far as setting up your work email on your Android phone, it depends on which way your work is using Outlook. Most likely you can open the "Mail" or "Email" (not Gmail) app and go through the steps of adding your work email. You will need to know either the Exchange server address or the POP3 or IMAP incoming server address and the SMTP outbound server address. In addition to server addresses you will need to know what ports the servers communicate on.

Once you have the server information, open the Email app and do the following:

At the first screen enter your username and password, then click "Next".

At the next screen select the appropriate type of email syncing for your account (Exchange, IMAP, or POP3).

Enter your Exchange server information or POP3 or IMAP server information and click "Next"
If you were setting up Exchange, select t he frequency you want your mail to sync. If you are setting up IMAP/POP3 enter your SMTP server information and click "Next".
Exchange setup should now be complete and IMAP/POP3 setup should now have syncing frequency options and then be complete.


How to run Android ICS on a PC (win7) inside a VM?

Recent versions of the SDK include a native x86 Android image. (http://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html)
http://android-x86.org offers a 4.0 image that can be run from VirtualBox.
http://androvm.org/blog/ offers a Jellybean (4.1) image for VirtualBox.

Note that performance may not be so great.


Capturing LTE(?) voice packets with Shark for Root

No, calls don't work that way. They don't go through the same network interface as internet data, and they're treated completely differently by the modem. Phone networks are circuit-switched, not packet-switched like IP, so there aren't any "packets" to examine.


Where does the standard Android Web Browser keep its history files?

I believe the history files will be in the .db file located at /data/data/com.android.browser/databases/browser.db

However, you will require root access to be able to work with the files.


What kind of charger do I need to get for my Galaxy Tab?

The original Galaxy Tab (GT-P1000) is a 7-inch device with one very distinguishing feature - the capacitive keys below the screen.

If this is indeed the one you have, you will need to find a charger or a USB cable with this flat connector on one end:

Given its age, it's quite cheap - sells for < $5 in my region. Usually just vaguely searching would give you reasonable results. You can just grab a cable and pair it with any modern USB charging adapter too.


Galaxy Tab Multi Device App Installation

Mobile Device Manager might be a solution for you. You can find an introduction with screenshots and more on AndroidTapp. Quoting:

  3CX Mobile Device Manager is a flexible and easy to implement service that allows a user to remotely manage, locate and administrate mobile devices. From the comfort of a web browser you can control multiple devices in a variety of ways. It’s a great option for network administrators who, in addition to swathes of desktop PCs and laptops to worry about, now also has to ensure the company’s smartphones and tablets are secure and up to date.


Verizon uses LTE bands 2, 4, and 13.

Brazilian carriers appear to use 3, 7, 28, and 38.  As such, you should by default expect US Verizon phones not to work with LTE in Brazil since there are no overlapping bands.

However, the Verizon Z Force supports bands 2-5, 7, and 13.  So it's quite possible that it would work on some Brazilian carriers using bands 3 and 7.

(The same basic process of finding overlap applies for 3G bands, GSM voice, etc. if you don't care about LTE specifically.)

You should contact Motorola directly to find out whether the version they sell is locked, and (if so) whether it can be easily unlocked.


Contacts stuck in favourites widget on HTC Legend

Sounds like you need to delete the widget, clear the data and cache for Contacts Storage, re-sync, and re-add the widget.  That should get rid of bad data that is likely screwing things up.


How much RAM does a Huawei H868c Glory have?

The amount of RAM for the Huawei Glory (H868C) is 512MB (390MB available to apps). According to Terraria via the Play Store:

  Optimized for Android OS 3+ and requires 512MB RAM.

So, you should be able to run it. If you are able to install it from the Play Store, then you will most likely be able to run it. It doesn't hurt to try.


USB debugging - No device found after chrome update

I had the same issue. Got it working again using Chrome Canary:

https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/canary.html

Imho it's the DEV-Release - more Beta than Beta but finally i can debug my Xperia Z again.


How to limit DropBox Camera Upload to only Camera images?

Use FolderSync Lite and sync your default camera image folder on your Android. The folder path is: /storage/emulated/0/DCIM


Problems connecting to IMAP email account on 3G/4G

Running into the same problem....adding more info:

I just had my Droid 4 upgraded to 4.1.2.  When trying to configured IMAPS, I'm getting the same error.  I run the IMAP server I'm connecting to, so I can do some additional troubleshooting.

I'm running dovecot as an IMAP server.  Here are the log messages:

dovecot: imap-login: Disconnected: Inactivity (no auth attempts): rip=x.x.x.x, lip=x.x.x.x, TLS handshaking
dovecot: imap-login: Disconnected: Inactivity (no auth attempts): rip=x.x.x.x, lip=x.x.x.x, TLS handshaking
dovecot: imap-login: Disconnected: Inactivity (no auth attempts): rip=x.x.x.x, lip=x.x.x.x, TLS handshaking

I also ran a packet capture.  The phone goes through the TCP 3-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK), and then does nothing.  No packets after the last ACK.  That probably explains the inactivity message in the dovecot log.

In the configuration, I told the client to use TLS (Accept all certificates), use port 993.  I have tried multiple 'Authentication Methods' (auto, plain, etc).  Nothing worked.

These settings (IMAPS, 993, auto) worked fine on 4.0.4


Go to of your app drawer. Then search for the app Contacts. Open it. To edit the owner information you should go to the Me contact. It is at the very top.(not by the "m") there you can set all the information for the owner. When you are finished, tap save.
In Settings go to Lock Screen, then you will see an option Owner Info like in the screenshot below:

That is an option where you can type some text and it will be displayed on your Lock Screen like this:

Hope my answer helps. For any question just leave a comment below instead of down voting.


Android limited to 1 hour video recording?

Most video recording apps are IMHO limited to 1h non-stop recording, as you can find with a simple Google search, which is probably a safety measure to not let you run out of battery -- as video recording is the biggest consumer (see What can I do to increase battery life on my Android device?).

However, a developer can have his app overriding this limit (see Max duration for capture video on android on Stack Overflow) -- so you might just have to find a video recording app which has this setting increased (as e.g. One Eye Browser in this linked pro-version).


How to root a Huawei G330D (U8825D) phone?

There must be some Windows machine you could use for 10 minutes.
Follow this tutorial and you'll be good:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=31986973&postcount=21
Unlocking Bootloader
1) download the following file
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pfhdbykms3imxr4/G330D%20a%20key%20to%20unlock.rar

2) go to Settings>Application>Fast boot and "click off"

3) power off the phone (to make sure pull out the battery about 5 seconds after switch off)

4) enter to the fastboot mode by pressing (Volume Down + Power Button) about 15 seconds and connect cable to the computer

5) double click and open >> G330D一键解锁.exe file form unlock folder that you downloaded

6) type the unlock code that you got form Huawei official website and press
if you didn't yet, here is Huawei official website to unlock bootloader (it is easy to follow in English version) >>>http://www.huaweidevice.com/worldwide/servicePolicy.do?method=toApplyUnlock

7) it will automatically restart and your bootloader successfully unlocked

Install CWM
1) download the following file -
https://www.dropbox.com/s/61a0e0553cu7wwt/recovery6.0.1.2_AscendG330D.rar

2) power off and pull out battery about 5 second

3) enter to the fastboot mode by pressing Volume Down + Power Button about 15 seconds and connect cable to the computer

4) run this recovery6.0.1.2_AscendG330D.exe file that you got from downloaded zip file.

5) there will be see in China Lungaue in cmd. Actually, I don't know what  but type 1 and press enter

6) enter again

7) it will be reboot automatically and successfully installed CWM

8) to go to the CWM recovery, press Volume Up + Power Button after power off

ROOT
1) download the following file
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ytam587dakpdp9/Root%20Recovery.zip

2) copy the downloaded "Root Recovery.zip" file to the SD card

3) go to recovery and Install zip from SD card

4) after reboot system, successfully rooted your phone.


Samsung Galaxy S III mini - Cannot turn Bluetooth on

You can try to reboot / remove battery. Maybe resetting to factory settings will help. In addition, if everything else fails, you could try following (read somewhere about it):  turn it off and then back on (the one asking you about using wifi to localize you faster) the bluetooth and wifi are both 802.11 standards, therefore they are controlled by the same chip


Show battery percentage on Nexus 7 (Jelly Bean)

Jelly Bean

Unfortunately, there is no setting that you can enable to show battery percentage on the system icons tray. Without using an app, all you have is:

Battery indicator on the top right corner of your screen.
Access to the battery settings, level and usage details:

Go to: Settings > Device > Battery

App

Using the Battery app by MacroPinch available from Google Play Store, you are able to get the percentage on your status bar:


Accidently deleted the device calender? Can I recover or add new?

I guess you have to download a new calendar.

I recommend you get Google Calendar.

Check 12 of the best calendar apps available for your Android smartphone today, See if that helps.


As far as I know, you can't change the lock screen wallpaper.

If you want to turn off the ads, go to Manage Your Devices, and edit your special offers subscription status.


CM12.1 on Galaxy S5 in endless boot after encryption enabled, then pattern changed

Formatting data did help.
I'll stay away from Disk Encryption for now as it seems to me the Cyanogen ecosystem is not really there yet.


How do I enable DNS over HTTPS on Firefox for Android?

I try to complete Dale answer

Open Firefox and type: about:config
filter with: network.trr.* and set the following values:

network.trr.mode value 3

network.trr.bootstrapAddress and set value as one ip from this page
(mine value is currently 104.16.249.249)
now open a new tab to this page used to verify if everything is working. You should have all green except sni. To make all green you should
switch tab and go back to config page
change filter with: network.security.* and set:

network.security.esni.enabled value true
go back to previous tab and refresh. You should have all green.

credits/references:

Dale answer
Mozilla Wiki Page
u/SKITTLE_LA Reddit answer


Are there cases where Android would start an app/service other than due to Intents or explicit user start?

A raw native process can be created by any of the usual unix-like mechanisms.

An android activity or service is usually forked off by zygote (in response to an intent), but I think there's an obscure way to start a vm by hand using app_process.


Outlook contacts ALWAYS sync with my phone?

I stopped using the Corporate Email app that came with my Droid because of stability issues and reasons like this. I got TouchDown (AppBrain) for my work MS Exchange email and haven't looked back.

I realize this doesn't offer a solution to your problem's symptoms, but it would solve your main problem by avoiding the inferior Exchange app all together.


How to access Local PC drives in Bluestacks

You can easily share files between BlueStacks and Windows using shared folders. Just place your file inside it and you can access it from both Windows and BlueStacks.
Let's understand it:
The default shared folder in Windows is located in C:\ ProgramData\ BlueStacks\ UserData\ SharedFolder  (assuming C:\ is your Windows installation drive). In BlueStacks, the same folder is located in (Root)/ sdcard/ bstfolder/ BstSharedFolder.

BstsharedFolder is bluestacks shared folder with your pc contents and vice versa.
You have to put files into the above folder to make accessible from pc as well as from bluestacks itself.

Additionally, the default Windows Library folders are accessible from BlueStacks. They are located in /sdcard/bstfolder/ as Pictures, Documents, etc.
A file manager app is required to navigate folders inside BlueStacks. In this answer, i'm  using OI File Manager. To share a file, follow the steps below:

1.Download and install OI File Manager in BlueStacks.
2.On Windows, navigate to BlueStacks Shared Folder [C:\ ProgramData\ BlueStacks\ UserData\ SharedFolder] and place the files you want to use in BlueStacks (like photos, videos, downloaded APK files, etc.). You can also use the Windows Library Folders for this purpose.
3.In BlueStacks, launch OI File Manager and navigate to BlueStacks shared folder [(Root)/ sdcard/ bstfolder/ BstSharedFolder]. If you have placed files in your Windows Library, locate the respective folder from bstfolder directory in BlueStacks.

Similarly if you want to access BlueStacks files from your computer, copy the particular file to BstSharedFolder using OI File Manager and the same file will be available in Windows SharedFolder location.
Note: This article is originally written by David. Source


How to change the default action for when phone is plugged in to a computer?

When plugged into computer:

Pull down notification bar
Click on the USB connection notification
Choose either MTP (Recommend for daily use) or Camera mode

Done, you device will still charge, and now you are able to tansfer files between devices

Side Note: You are also able to use USB tethering(Under mobile hotspots settings) when connected to share your phone intenet data.


Is there a way to grant myself MANAGE_USERS permission while inside the adb shell?

I solved my problem with a little help from Google and XDA Forums. Though this doesn't answer the exact title question, I found an alternative way to disable OEM bloatware on Android M+ without requiring MANAGE_USERS permission or root:

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.micromax.trendingapps

(you may use or not the -k option, which is to keep the data and cache directories)


No, there is no trivial way to do this. You would have to write a custom bootloader for your phone.

If your intention is to protect your data, a viable option would be to use full disk encryption, which does not even require root.


Can Emoticons in Google Messenger be Moved or Rearranged

First of all, emojis are added from your keyboard, not Messenger, meaning that it all depends on the keyboard app which you are using.

Secondly, most keyboards do not support rearranging the emoticons. You can check out the Frequently used tab, though. Most keyboards have that.


Rooted device with superuser but terminal emulator denied permission

Make sure you have SuperSU installed from playstore.
You mentioned root checker said not proper root access, means it didn't ask access to check. I highly recommend SuperSU instead of Superuser etc.


Install application in SD card or external USB drive without root?

Yes. See: Can I install apps on phone without using the Android Market?
You can't install directly to the SD card. In many cases you can move much of the app and its data to the SD card, but the OS and the app have to support it. Even then, you need to install normally and then move it, and you can't move 100%.
Not without a custom ROM, and maybe not even then.


Why isn't Xposed framework available on Google Play?

From XDA - Xposed FAQ,

  Why isn't the Xposed Installer available via Play Store?

  I [read: the developer] have several reasons for that. I wrote about it in this post. And as I learned, Google does indeed sometimes remove apps which interfere with other apps.

  From my point of view, you are free to publish the modules you develop on Play Store (at your own risk - Google might remove them). However, be careful if you plan to get money from them. Paid apps are stored in encrypted containers, which means Xposed can't load them at boot time.

From "this post", which explains a number of reasons,

  Currently, I don't plan to release the framework elsewhere. I had some vague plans to release it on Play Store, but there are some reasons for me not to do it:

  The rudeness in comments and ratings is unacceptable. This isn't for single apps, it's the overall feeling I have. I spend much time on Xposed and everything around, I don't want someone to insult me for it.
  Limited supporting capabilities. I think you can reply to comments now, but a dialog with the affected user would be required to fix bugs that may occur.
  Unexperienced users. In the best case, you just need to install the Xposed Installer, click the button, install a module and activate it. Restart and you're done. But problems do occur, sometimes resulting in bootloops. I hope that most users here will be able to make their phone boot again (if only by restoring a nandroid backup). I don't expect that from the average Android user, even if the description says "ROOT" and "BE CAREFUL!!!". I recommend these users stay off from risky modifications like this one.
  When somebody writes a module and publishes on the Play Store as well, their users might have trouble using it. Then these users will need to communicate with the developer of the module, but they might also contact me directly. Or if the developer doesn't know the answer, he might contact me. I would have to expect more support requests on different channels. More time spent on support => less time for private life and coding => less fun.
  Not sure what Google thinks about apps which interfere on such a deep level with their baby.


How can I remotely start an application on my android phone?

You can try AndroidLost app, the premium version of which has this facility.


How can I turn OFF encryption on a Honeycomb tablet?

Did some research on this myself before I turned on encryption on my Iconia... the only way to decrypt the tablet is to do a factory data wipe. The UI should have gave you this warning when you chose "Encrypt tablet" (the Iconia sure did). If you back your stuff up, wipe, and restore your backup, you should be fine. (That's where root + Titanium Backup + ClockWorkMod + Nandroid comes in handy)

This Engadget post shows the UI and it's warning about the inability to decrypt.


Google Search uses Chrome Custom Tabs since April 27, 2016. From 9to5Google,

After its most recent update, the Google app now opens search results as Chrome Custom Tabs. [...]
[...]. By default, links from search results now open as a Custom Tab that features a blue action bar with options to Share, Copy link, Find in page, and Open in Chrome.

To change its behavior,
open Google app's setting by e.g. tapping Google app from app launcher to navigate to Google Now screen, tap hamburger icon (3 horizontal bars) on top-left to open navigation drawer, then,

Users can go to Settings > Accounts & privacy to toggle off the new ‘Open web pages in app' option if they prefer opening all links the old way.

Related: Prevent apps opening links in Chrome Custom Tabs (i.e. open in default browser directly)


Problem playing large MP4 (500 MB) video files in Android 2.1

Does the .mp4 play as a video on a desktop OS? Can you 'vouch' for the source?

.mp4 is a container format and may well only contain audio, or is corrupt and the player can only salvage the audio...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4_Part_14


Archos deals with a special USB host cable for USB OTG. Perhaps you need it.


Almost all memory is used up by files symply classified as "Other". How do I fix it?

.thumbdata is nothing but the thumbnails of the images in your gallery. They are cached into the .thumbdata file.

Other than that, most of the space will be occupied by Apps installed in your phone.

Try clearing the cache of every app that you use and uninstall the apps that you don't need.

Try using ES File Explorer to analyse the files in your phone and get a detailed view of large files, duplicate files, junk files, etc.


New owner of phone and I need to get admin access!

Is that an Exchange email? Then YES, removing it will trigger a Factory Reset. This is standard operating procedure, for security purposes (of the company).

As dotVezz said, you should back-up all your data (pictures, documents, downloaded files, etc). To back-up your apps and its data, you can use Titanium Backup; needs ROOT. Just to be on the safe side, also copy the Titanium folder (contains apps and data) to your PC. After doing a Factory Reset, just restore the files with Titanium Backup (which you'd need to download from Google Play after the Factory Reset).


Activate Android app by pressing thumb on timeout / locked screen for few seconds

There are several shutdown apps on the market, they all needed root. You can combine them with WidgetLocker and put their icons on your lockscreen for quick shutdown.


How can I prevent unwanted pre-installed apps from automatically running on Android?

For apps that sync, any app with an ounce of politeness will have any entry on the Accounts & Sync page in Settings where you can disable syncing. This is certainly true of the official Facebook and Twitter apps.


Super Backup and Restore application creates a folder named SMScontactsbackup on internal storage. The application is used to backup and restore contacts, call logs, sms, apps etc.
Each items are kept in separate folders.
The app also saves  each  app's previous apk's which are updated through play store.
You can delete this folder by these methods.

By removing Super Backup and Restore application from your device, it will also ask permission whether to delete folder and it's contents.
Using any file manager app (here Samsung file manager for Samsung devices),you can delete that folder from internal storage. (N.B if Super Backup and Restore application is not removed, then folder will be created again ).

Note: You need to make sure that, you've restored everything before removing app/ deleting folder.


How do I turn off the "suggested news" stories on Chrome's homepage in v70?

Flags solution works but with a different flag

Chrome://flags
Disable enable-ntp-remote-suggestions

(Click to enlarge)


How to replace system font of a Galaxy Tab 7.7?

The app Font Installer will allow you to install a font and set it as the system font. As with anything that modifies a system file, you will need to be rooted to do this.


Android v7: Import close to 8000 complex contacts in one shot

Unfortunately most of the apps I tried expected one large VCF file and/or rejected VCF files with a lot of additional information, such as multiple "note" fields for one contact, too long "company" field, multiple phones with various attributes (primary/private mobile/business mobile/etc.) and so on.

After some searching and trying a few apps I found the following solution:

I have imported the VCF files to old Nokia Symbian based phone - Symbian has excellent VCF importer.
I used this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.madajevi.android.phonebook.transfer to transfer the contacts directly via bluetooth.

App advantages:

imports all contacts, even the most complex ones without skipping user defined attributes nor multiple repeated fields

App disadvantages:

very slow (it took the whole night to transfer nearly 8000 contacts)
asks for strange, unnecessary permissions (I kept refusing, forgot exactly which ones)
synchronizes NOT with the local address book but with Google Contacts which means that your contacts actually are seen on the Internet - important security breach, do NOT use the app for confidential data
full-screen user interface with no exit button - after finish you need to kill the app via task manager


'Failed to access device' when trying to root Samsung Galaxy S 2.3.3 with Heimdall

See the following page for downloading the required files:
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/how-to-root-xwjvh-android-2-3-3-rom-for-galaxy-s-i9000/

Install Samsung Kies but dont keep it running while flashing as it will interfere with the process. Required only for the drivers.
Download CF-Root kernel. File name – CF-Root-XW_NEE_JVH-v3.2-CWM3RFS.zip.
Unzip the above file. You will get the .tar file – “CF-Root-XW_NEE_JVH-v3.2-CWM3RFS.tar”.
Download Odin. File name – Odin3 v1.7. Extract the zip file to get Odin3 1.7.exe. Run Odin by double clicking on it.
Switch Off your phone. Wait for vibration to confirm complete switch off.
Boot your phone in Download Mode — Press and hold “VolumeDOWN + HOME key + POWER button” together.
Connect your phone to PC now. You’ll notice “Added! !” message in the message box.
On Odin, click the “PDA” box and select the .tar file you got in step 2 — CF-Root-XW_NEE_JVH-v3.2-CWM3RFS.tar
Do NOT select any “.pit” file in the “PIT” box, and make sure “Repartition” button is NOT checked.
Leave the “Auto Reboot” and “F. Reset Time” buttons checked.
Click the Start button on Odin to begin installing the CF Root kernel.
After the CF Root is installed, phone will restart.
Your phone is rooted now. Note that surperuser app is there.


I accidentally uninstalled one of my Factory App. What would I do to restore it?

I'd say your friend is making fun with you. If it's a system app (and there's usually a camera pre-installed that way), it cannot be uninstalled without root access (so you cannot have "accidentally uninstalled" those apps). He most likely disabled camera and gallery.

Go to Settings → Apps
Select the "All" tab (to list pre-installed apps as well)
Scroll the list to find your camera app. Check whether it is marked "disabled".

if so: tap that entry, hit the "Enable" button, done.

Repeat previous step for your gallery app


How to set personal interval to check data usage?

Unfortunately I don't have enough reputation in this sub-stackexchange, so I will answer instead of commenting.

This options is not available in Android (up to this date), but there is an issue (which you can star*), which has unfortunately been marked obsolete with no reason whatsoever. Maybe it can be rediscovered if enough people star it.

P.s.: Here is a similar issue which has not been marked obsolete (yet).

Edit: Another trick (which does not really give you the desired effect) might be to use an app from your provider (these often show you how much data you have left).

*Makes it more likely that it might be implemented at some point.


This is not possible without a third-party application.

A quick search on Google Play shows several apps which should allow you to do what you want.


Why are apk files are kept in system folder?

APK files aren't unpacked when you install the app. The APK file is the only copy of the executable code and static assets belonging to the app. Deleting the APK file would delete the app.

Unpacking the APK files would just take up more storage and take longer to access when you run the app.


Why does only the German (Switzerland) Gboard layout have umlauts?

As of the latest version (8.0.5), Gboard supports dedicated keys for umlauts on all German keyboards.

However, they will only show on the German variant of the keyboard, instead of the default QWERTZ variant on some locales (e.g. Germany, Austria), excluding the exclusive Swiss variant on the Switzerland locale.


Can I still get caller ID in Gingerbread without having it as a service from my provider?

That option doesn't give or take the ability to see other people callerID, it only let's you choose whether the people you're calling see your callerID or not.


Use Virtual and Physical Keyboard at same time

As far as I know adding a keyboard will edit a setting. The keyboard doesnt show up instantly when you put your cursor into an input field, but when you press more often (at least at my s3) the regular keyboard pops up on my screen.
I hope this works for you.


This installs the old version without removing the new one:
adb install -r -d /path/to/old.apk

The -d flag is to allow a downgrade. -t allows test packages.

You can also uninstall the application, then install the old apk. This may be necessary, for example, if the application data has changed format in the new version and is not backwards compatible.


How to prevent an app from being uninstalled?

You will have to root your device and move the app using any application to the system folder. This will enable your app to be on device even after you have formatted your device.

Here is the link of application which provides this administrative feature:

/system/app mover ★ ROOT ★

This app moves apps from and to the /system/app folder, making them a system app or a user app. System apps can get more priviledges, so some apps get more functionality when installed as a system app.
On the other hand, system apps can not be uninstalled. So this app can also be used to convert system apps to normal user apps by moving them from the /system/app directory to /data/app directory.

WARNING: Uninstalling important system apps might result in a unusable device! Use this function at your own risk and only if you know what you're doing! Make a NANDroid backup first! I won't give any kind of support if something goes wrong - don't install this app if you're not okay with that.


How can I make Dolphin open bookmarks in the current tab?

In the current version of Dolphin:
Menu Button > Settings (ship's wheel) > Customize > Open links in > By default

Default will open in the page is set up to open the link into (normally the same page), other choices are Open in background tab (current tab remains the active tab), and Open in new tab.

Older versions of Dolphin had option under Labs instead of under Customize.

Optional:

I find it best to stick with the default open in the same tab, but will often use a bookmarklet to force tabs to open in a new tab when I want to make sure I don't fail to use the context menu to open a link in a new tab, for which I assign a gesture written as "nt" in Dolphin, or a keyword shortcut of "nt:" in Firefox (where : is not hard to type on a keyboard).

Name:     NT:  New Tab
Address:  javascript:(function(){var%20a=document.getElementsByTagName('a');document.title='||'+document.title+'||';for(var%20i=0,j=a.length;i<j;i++){a[i].setAttribute('target','_blank');}})();

When creating the bookmarklet in Dolphin, create by replacing content of a newly created bookmarklet with the above content, typing a space instead of  %20 and  and suggest changing the folder to one you have created as "bookmarklets" within your bookmarks.

see my page on Dolphin Gestures


Rooting an RCA, RCT6303W87M7 Android 6.0 Tablet

I have the same tablet and I tried all the root apps and nothing worked only one that gave me 75% it's called (one-click root) but it's not the same as the one holding the same name it's different you can try it who knows might work for you you can find it at the aptoide site


K9 stores mails with its own app data, so you cannot access them without root except through the app. However, you can indirectly get hold on that creating an ADB backup (without password!) and converting that into a tar archive:

adb backup -f k9mail.ab com.fsck.k9
ab2tar k9mail.ab

ab2tar is a small helper script you can find in the tools/ directory of my little program Adebar (free, open-source; based on Bash and ADB). Alternative approaches for this conversion can also be found at XDA: What is an android adb backup?.

That done, extract the tarball and navigate into its apps/com.fsck.k9/db/ directory. Here you will find one or more .db files (one per mail account), which are SQLite files you can explore with apps like SQLiteman or SQLiteBrowser.

Mail headers and contents are spread across multiple tables and columns, so I cannot offer you an easy way to convert them into e.g. mbox format. On a "quick duck" (a search with DuckDuckGo) I found that question asked multiple times – but the closest and most precise answer was "you could to that in Python" (of course, without instructions). Still, as requested by you, the first steps as answer: At least you can browse your mails that way using a proper SQLite browser ;)


Custom ring tone for callers who block their caller ID?

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

Edit:   I overlooked a correct set of actions, my fault.  The earlier option of set ringtone  reacts at the point where the phone rings, at which point the phone has already started ringing - deleted that option. Sorry for that

What you could do is reduce the ringer volume to zero, increase the music volume and use the play sound action on the music stream for unknown callers with the incoming call trigger.

And add a corresponding macro to reverse the ringer volume for any caller other than unknown

Your macros would look like this

Unknown caller macro (name of macro )

Trigger: Call incoming → Select contact →Unknown Caller

Actions:

Volume Change →

Select Ringer (check the box) and set Volume to zero using the sliding scale
Select Music (check the box) and set Volume to say 80 using the sliding scale ( can be adjusted to comfortable level later )
Click OK

Play Stop/Sound →

Choose Sound - The problem with choosing a sound option from the app choices is that it plays only for a short time and you may miss it (optionally you could repeat this action multiple times, having a wait X seconds between these actions-without wait, they would all play nearly at same time)

(OR)
Choose File - You can save a  sound clipping of your choice  and length on your phone, say in your internal memory and navigate to it by /storage /sdcard0 /soundfile_saved location.
Click OK

Constraints: None

Reverse for other callers macro ( for reverting to existing setup for other callers, meaning those who haven't blocked caller ID)

Trigger: Call incoming → Select contact →Any number ( By specifying this, it is applicable to contacts and non-contacts who haven't barred their caller ID )

Only one action in this macro is that of Volume Change as above but with opposite settings of muting music and reverting ringer to original

Constraints: None

Note

For reverting the changes made in the first macro, we have two options:

a)  Reverting after a time period of choice

b)  Reverting based on caller identity

Second option is chosen and implemented since time based option can produce unwanted results like successive caller ID barred calls, with the second  one ( if ) outside the time limit would be wrongly treated

Since I cannot verify with blocked ID calls (not being allowed in my country ), I set the first macro for known mobile contact (and predefined sound instead of saved clip ) and second macro for known landline and it worked. Do let me know if any clarifications or problems arise
Edit: I am running KitKat and you are on Lollipop. There is a difference in how  sounds are treated (example below)

Google Voice Recognition functionality that creates the "ding" sound when activated was streamed as notification stream  in KitKat. In Lollipop this is switched to music  stream.

Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/21701432/continues-speech-recognition-beep-sound-after-google-search-update

I am not aware if Ringer sounds also changed, though unlikely. If the macros don't work because of such a change, you may need to change system sounds option similar to music in both macro actions


What might be causing this:

The issue is with the new ROM. What company it is of? For example, I tried Cyanogen 10.1 in HTC HD2, and it was running perfect. But had a little speed issue, as when I started GPRS connection by sim card, the phone started to hang out. But that's not the subject. The main issue here is the Internet connection.

Or the Data Connection (Access Point) error. You might be setting access point  which are not correct. Try to get some help from the Network provider or read some blogs online, to check what settings would work for your phone. Android phones have same settings all around, so that means a setting for Sony Xperia would work in Samsung Galaxy too.

What you should do:

I tried another ROM in my current phone, Qmobile noir A8. It was letting me use Internet before the ROM update, so I was worried what to do? As I was also able to use WiFi, but not the data connection. So I first tried to do a factory reset. But all in vain, as I was having the ROM that has been installed, and my Stock ROM was no more in memory. So I tried to get help from there site, INCPak, No help! Then I tried to check my phone's settings. In settings I saw that there is no Access Point set. So I entered the configurations of my SIM card's grps there, and restarted the Data Connections. Bravo! I was able to get the Internet now! :)
Try to get some help from the people who created this ROM, if this is a ROM created by someone who said: "I will not be responsible if you brick your device." then you have no idea what mess you are in to now. Go find a new ROM for your phone as this aint gonna work. But if you got a ROM from someone like Cyanogen then you can get some help by contacting them. Or you try the first method I posted. I am sure, you will get set by that one. If not, then try to edit the settings. That's all what an Android phone can get issues with.


Is there Malware on LineageOS that causes to receive SMS Spam

Beware of post hoc, ergo hoc : it's not because you started getting spammed after installing LineageOS (+ apps) that it DID cause the spam.

Since LineageOS (any many if not all the apps you cite) is open-course, it's highly doubtful that it's infected (that's the point of open source software !). Also, have you asked on the LineageOS community channels (Reddit, IRC, of XDA forum) if anyone has the same symptoms ?

I've set up a Galaxy S4 Mini with pretty much the same apps as you, and did not get such a spam.

My take is that for some reason, your phone number got leaked to a spammer during the time of your LineageOS transition. I think the cause lies elsewhere.


Camera Firmware not installed on GT-I9515L

Unfortunately, I could not find a software solution, so I took it to the warranty and they fixed it by replacing the camera.


Stop screen from dimming while on charger

I achieved this using Tasker. I created a Profile that, when plugged in, activates a task that sets the display timeout to a huge value. I accompanied it with an exit task that sets a normal-length display timeout.


Is it possible to install two instances of a same app?

No, you cannot. Every application in a device has a unique identifier named as application package. You cannot have two applications with the same package name installed in a device. Even if you try to install, it will replace the first one.


When enabling Bluetooth, is there a way to prevent it from attempting to connect to the two most recently used devices?

If you are using ICS or Jelly Bean, there are free apps called Bluetooth Auto Connect and Auto Bluetooth that will automatically connect to devices you specify. From the looks of it, it was designed because some devices don't auto connect to any Bluetooth devices (let alone two). It will likely work for your phone as well, if you are running Android 4.


How do I determine which calendar entry is breaking my Android calendar sync?

I know it's typically frowned upon to answer your own question, but I have. This was a total PEBKAC. I use a different calendar app than the default, so I disabled the pre-installed Samsung calendar in the Application settings in order to stop it appearing in my application list. This is fine and doesn't affect anything, but I apparently got a little trigger happy and also quite stupidly disabled the Calendar Storage process. Yeah, that'll mess up calendar sync something fierce.


Is it somehow possible to change MANUALLY the format of a telephone number?

This is a function of your dialer and contact-saving/editing application. Various ROMs use various applications (be it AOSP Dialer, Motoblur, Sense, Touch Wiz, etc.).

You can install third-party dialers. I've never used it but this dialer supposedly supports what you're asking for. I suggest you browse around the Market for third-party dialers.


Changing custom ROM to another one or to stock rom

If you want to switch to other custom ROM just go to TWRP/CWM and perform the wipes and flash it, no need to install stock ROM. If you want to go to stock ROM than you'll need pc with software to flash firmware or via download mode on phone.


My Camera on my android tablet isn't letting me take any pictures. help?

Same problem here, but I use AVG free antivirus privacy options to wipe out (format) my sd card, then restart my tablet. Problem solved (can take pictures again)


USB-C port not working as a host to use with USB OTG or HDMI adapter

It turns out that my device is not HDMI-compatible and will not transmit over that adapter (or any other, apparently).
Props to Robert for finding a (generic?) listing over here:
https://en.everybodywiki.com/List_of_devices_with_video_output_over_USB-C
(In case anybody else is googling this and can't find a solution, I highly recommend checking your device against the list above.)
Whereas at first I was a little skeptic of this insight, buying a USB-C to USB-A adapter and testing out with other devices like a USB mouse or keyboard confirmed that the port itself has no issue - it's the HDMI output that has a problem.
I'll look into alternatives on how to cast my screen in another way.


Can not swipe touchscreen in micromax bolt a064 model

No, using a 3rd party software is not a problem. It can be due to poor touch screen offered by Micromax which doesn't have long life. Or it can also be happened due to any accident with your phone. You can get a new Touch Screen from any Local shop or from the Micromax Service Center.


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


0.0.0.0 is not a valid IP. Mobile carriers don't expose IP addresses for external connection.

Instead, connect to a WiFi network which your PC is also connected to. Then turn on the option, after which you should see a valid local IP address. On your PC, run adb connect your.local.ip.address:5555, and provided that the network is properly set up (e.g. no firewall rules blocking access), you will be wirelessly connected to the device via ADB. Use adb disconnect when you're done with it.

More general info about adb (and how to do it wirelessly even if your device doesn't have that option in Developer Options) is available here.


This sounds like a case of a vital hidden folder that you're missing - when apps are moved to the SD-Card, a hidden folder called .android_secure is created which is where the apps are stored in!

This is a common mistake to make, when replacing a SD-Card for a bigger one, so the moral is to ensure, when transferring to a bigger SD-Card, do not forget the hidden directories including .android_secure. Upon restart after inserting the bigger SD-Card, Android will re-scan the card and proceed to look in that specific hidden folder, for any apps that are moved to external storage and loads/caches the shortcuts for those respective apps.


How to keep the phone screen on while charging?

There's a checkbox exactly for that in the developer options, you'll just have to enable them to show up.

To do so, locate the about/version information in the Settings app and tap the build number repeatedly until you get the confirmation.

Then go back and look for the Developer Settings. Make sure to not touch any option you don't understand. Wrong values might make your device unresponsive or unusable, they could also compromise your data's security.


Gingerbread phone only queries for AAAA records?

You could report the bug to the Android developers, or vote on an existing bug, if there already is one open. This one looks a bit like the issue you are talking about.

Make sure you explain exactly what is happening, and how they can reproduce the issue.


How to get mobile site in Firefox to be displayed as in Chrome for Android if spoofing doesn't help?

Note that both iOS browser (safari) and Chrome (desktop or for Android) are based on WebKit engine. That's why they are so similar in what they render.

Firefox browser uses a much different engine: Gecko.

As an answer for what you want to do, I think that given the CSS and javascript the mobile site loads is different depending on the rendering engine, currently it is not possible to an end user to achieve that. A better design must be done by web developers who made the website, in order to avoid this kind of awkward situations.

If what you need is to open that mobile site with a browser different to Chrome for Android, but that it be rendered the same way as Chrome for Android does, I recommend you to use Opera Mobile or Opera Mini (based on Presto engine), here is a screenshot of how it looks there:


why there are so many tty files in the dev directory?

That's because there are so many devices available. Entries in /dev are not restricted to physical devices, but also include logical ones. You just named one: TTY. You don't really think you've got 63 "connectors" somewhere to attach keyboards etc. to? Also, /dev/random is nothing physical, but rather "software" (a random-number generator provided by the system itself). Same applies to things like /dev/null, /dev/zero, and several others.

For more/deeper details, you might refer to following articles:

Linux Filesystem Hierarchy
Device file (Wikipedia) -- recommended for this topic, as it explicitly included Pseudo-devices
Linux System Administrator's Guide - The / dev directory


How can I stop whatsapp message to get deliver to my device?

Your question is unclear, please try reframing it.

If you want that WhatsApp should not work, then you should uninstall it.

If you want to still keep it and see that it does not use data on background, you better turn off background data for the app in settings.

If you want to only send message and not receive,  that is not possible.


Thumbnail image different to actual image

I had the same problem with my OP5T running android 8.1. While you don't seem to be able to obtain the original images, the thumbnails can be found as low-res jpgs at:

  storage/interrnal storage/DCIM/.thumbnails

Depending on what you need them for, you might still be able to use the images.
I hope my answer was helpful.


If I format my SD card or replace with a new SD card, what will I lose?

Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> SD Card to see what apps are on the SD card.  Other things that might be on it include pictures and videos.  There aren't a lot of things that default to the SD card, but it depends on your device and software.  The easiest way to find out what's there is just to look!


Mx player says unsupported android version for 4.3

You need to wait until they release a version that's compatible with Android 4.3.

For the mean time, you can try other players like BSPlayer or VPlayer. They're working with 4.3.

Update #1: As of 2013-08-07, based on GAThrawn's comments, MX Player now works with Android 4.3


Does Ice Cream Sandwich support native screen capture?

The Power+Vol- combo isn't instant, you have to hold it for a couple of seconds. And, as you noted, press the Power button first or you'll get the volume control and power off your phone.


How to root Samsun Galaxy Tab S running Android 5.0.2?

Okay, I rooted it.
I don't remember the precise process, but there are two important things I used:

Odin, the external rooting tool
The knowledge that the "code name" for the SM-T700 is klimtwifi. Look that up instead of Samsung SM-T700 and you'll get a lot more stuff.


Google Now voice calling feature only searching local contacts, not businesses

I don't know whether or not this is going to help in your case, but a friend told me that if you set your language to English US (as opposed to English GB, CA, AU, NZ etc.), you get a different/better voice recognition engine.


If I buy a tablet with Honeycomb 3.1, will I be able to upgrade it to 3.2? How about 4.0, 5.0, ...?

There's really no way to answer this question. There are devices out there that got to version 1.6 and are at the end of the line. I have a DROID with Froyo (2.2) and don't expect to get any more OS updates.

It all depends on the hardware and, most importantly, how much effort the manufacturers and/or carriers want to put in to update the device. If the past is any indication, the answer there is "not much". They seem much more interested in selling their new phones. While Google and the manufacturers recently met and said that there will be more of an effort to support and update devices for at least 18 months, we've not seen the results of that. While they occasionally backpedal on announcements of "no more updates" it hasn't been very frequent.

If past performance is any indication, I think you can expect a few point releases, and perhaps a full release (to version 4.0) but beyond that I don't think is going to happen.

This is, of course, speculation, and this is now a fairly long non-answer answer to an unanswerable question.


Galaxy S2 - Unable to perform a hard reset

Have you tried starting it in Safe Mode?

Press and hold the Power key to boot up your Samsung GT-I9100 Galaxy S II.
After the start-up animation begins to display, press and hold the Volume down key.
When the lock screen is displayed Safe mode is displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen. To boot your Samsung GT-I9100 Galaxy S II in normal mode again restart your device.

If you've installed / updated something recently, try removing it and see...

If that doesn't work, you might need to effectively re-install the OS by flashing a ROM of choice

If you can boot to recovery, flash a new ROM (or a new version of the stock Samsung ROM). Check out the relevant forum on XDA-Developers. Else, use ODIN to flash via your PC and USB cable.

Be mindful of the model and variant - the international i9100 differs from other US based variants.


On Ubuntu 18.04

sudo apt install android-sdk-platform-tools-common fastboot
fastboot continue

Got me back to LineageOS.

It also seems to have fixed TWRP.


POP3 is meant to mark the server copy as read once it's been downloaded Completely. The default setting in the stock Email app is 2kb of the email is downloaded. If changed to one of the higher options, you risk completely downloading the email, and the server will mark it read at that point. (It's not a bug, it's a feature, see an old Superuser question):

  POP is working as designed, here. If you access a mailbox via the Post Office Protocol, you are expected to be transferring it off the server to storage of your own. (RFCs 1081 and 1939 both make this point explicit in their introductions.) From the server's point of view a message that has been RETRieved but not yet DELEted is indeed "read" by the POP client.

My issue was that I changed the Limit Retrieval Size option in Sync Settings for that account to No Limit (including attachments). The names of the options vary between Android and manufacturer versions.

By switching to a smaller size or header only, I get the new emails in the app still, while not marking them as read on the server/web-mail until it has been read. At 10 or 20kb, some emails still get marked read, but not the majority of them.


From the Developer's FAQ for Google TV:

  Can I download Google TV? When will it be open sourced?

  You can't download Google TV itself, but Google TV hardware
  manufacturers provide over-the-air (OTA) updates. We are working hard
  to open source the code for the Google TV project.

So, as it hasn't been open sourced (yet), and Google specifically say that you can't download it, it looks like you're going to have to negotiate directly with them.


How can I make my android device think I am somewhere else in the world

Go to settings> About Phone.
Click on build number seven times to activate developer options.
Go to Settings>Developer Options.
Enable Mock Location.
Download any mock location app such as "Fake GPS" from the play store.
Go to the developer options again.
Select Mock location app and choose the app you downloaded.
turn off GPS. Open the app and select your new location.

If it does not work, probably the content provider is using your IP address to check your location. In that case, use a VPN service to spoof your location.


Any way to sync Bookmarks between Android and Blackberry?

Answer copied from Drake in Can I sync Firefox bookmarks with Android?

  Xmarks Premium allows to synchronize all bookmarks between
  different PCs (supports Chrome, Firefox and more) and different mobile
  phones/tablet (Android, iPhone, Blackberry) for 12$/year.

Edit #1: If you're looking for a FREE alternative, you can try Dolphin browser (it's available for both Android and Blackberry). Dolphin lets you sync bookmarks.


In that case, you'd better keep your passwords on plain paper in a heavy metal safe only – and never ever use a desktop OS to maintain/enter them. All desktop OSes known to me have "root access": it's called "root" with Linux/Unix, "Administrator" with Windows, and so on.

And like on all those: you should make sure what has access to "root powers" – and like on those you need to explicitly grant access. On Android, it's a core app often referred to as "SuperUser" managing that: as soon as a (new) app requests root access, you'll see a pop-up asking you whether you confirm (you can then chose yes/no and whether to always apply that decision when this app asks again).

Yes, like on all those, an application with "root powers" can (at least theoretically) access all your stored passwords, as any other data. That is why a properly coded application never stores your passwords in "plain text", but rather encrypts (or at least hashes) them.

Not rooting your device only takes that decision from you at the cost of not being able to "fully use your device". But yes, you should always be careful deciding what permissions you grant to an app – and in the first place, what apps you install.


Make images automatically accessible to chrome in PC

One option would be Dropbox. The Dropbox app for Android includes an option to auto-upload photos to your Dropbox storage in the cloud. Then, if you also have Dropbox installed on your PC, they'll be automatically synced to the Dropbox folder on your PC. You can select them from the file upload dialog in Chrome, or drag-and-drop them from an Explorer window into Chrome.


As soon as the check mark is appeared on the message text body, it means it delivered the message.

If you want a confirmation then you can use mysms SMS app. This could deliver the status message.

If you want to track the time when the SMS delivered then try SMS Scheduler. It keeps track of all your previous messages also.


How to delete a message from WhatsApp Group Chat

The only way to delete a message before it reaches the recipient is to delete it before it reaches the server.

    Turn off the data connection and delete the message while it still has the clock icon beside it.

If the message is submitted to server, people in group will be able to see the message.


When the battery is low, the phone will turnoff services/processes, like sync, to save energy. It may help if the phone is kept charged.


Screen goes off during call and does not come back in Micromax A89

I faced the same problem but I found a simple and perfectly working solution:

Dial *#*#7769#*#* (Proximity sensor calibrator)
You will see 2 options Start and Exit
Click on Start.
Move your finger over the proximity sensor 3-4 times and try to change the value on screen.
If values are changing after 3-4 tries then your problem is solved.

Thanks to nighil g


Well, that one is solved!

The problem was not the SD cards, but the fact that rooting etc. the Desire caused it to USB-brick. Never heard that before.

As Spezi77 advises in the presentation of his CM11-for-Desire link, I switched to the 4ext recovery, which has a special USB-unbrick function. Some sources also name fastboot commands that should do the same, but they did not work for me.

Long story short, I'm running Spezi77's version of CM11 on my Desire now!


How can i transfer APK files from my old SD card to a new micro SD card?

Connect your x10 to your computer with the old 8gb car installed and enable usb debugging
With your PCs file manager copy the entire contents of your x10's SD card to a temporary folder.
Change the cards so the 32gb is installed.
Copy the entire contents of the temp folder onto the new microSD.

It will be an exact mirror of what you had before.


As this comes up a lot I would recommend an app to check this, like this one

The GT-I8262 (Galaxy Core) does not support OTG. I cannot locate any custom Kernels that support it either.

There is no mention of it in the specs for the device either.


try to remove the battery and leave for 10minutes before replacing. This will allow any residual memory in your phone to leak and give a cleaner network link.


Try to go to your settings, find "Storage", then set your default storage to "SD Card", if you still have problems download a new version of Google Play from


How to turn off mobile-data/3G for each SIM card separately in Samsung Galaxy Mega Duos?

I had the same issue. Found this solution on another site:

Open "Settings" App
Go to "SIM Card Manager"
Tap on "Data Service Network"
Choose the SIM as the Data SIM

Note that only the first SIM slot supports 3G Internet. So if you want to use 3G you must plug your 3G SIM in the first slot.


Is there any way to do a Facebook video chat on Android devices?

Us the messenger app. It now supports HD video calling

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca


Android supports of Interactive whiteboard

Just having a USB port isn't enough: the host device also needs to understand what protocol the whiteboard uses to communicate; in other words, the language the whiteboard speaks. There are a number of standard protocols, or profiles, for common devices such as keyboards and mice, but a whiteboard is not one of these. If the whiteboard works by pretending to be a mouse, then it might work as a mouse in Android just by plugging it in. The specs for the whiteboard should say "USB HID profile" or something like that, in that case; or if you've used it with a PC, you might already have noticed something similar.

If the whiteboard doesn't act as one of the standard profiles, you'll need the manufacturer of the device to provide drivers and user software for Android. A driver for Windows or Linux won't do. Depending on how the driver works, it might be in the form of an app you can just install the usual way, but more likely, there'll be a kernel module, and you will need to compile your own custom ROM for your device (which may not be possible for your device anyway, if other drivers for the device aren't available).


Samsung Galaxy Grand Running Slowly After Upgrading to Android 4.2.2

I'm thinking a factory reset could do the trick for you. Make sure do backup your things with something like Titanium Backup.


S5 required to enter Google pw for factory reset. Only allowing me to input 15 characters. Pw is 32 char

If you are sure it's asking for Google password, then you can change your Google password online for now to something shorter.

But, i believe that it doesn't ask for Google password, rather it wants your lock screen password or a special password, that you have set up under settings>security>factory reset data password.

Another option is to do a factory reset using hard keys but if you do decide to go with that option, then don't change your Google password before doing it, otherwise you might be locked out of your device.


If your device is rooted, Tasker can do that (there's a free trial available at their website for you to check first). While you don't need to boot your device daily (I don't boot it more often than once a month usually, if at all), I also thought about a weekly reboot on a device having problems otherwise (my old Wildfire started behaving oddly with calls after about 10 days uptime).
So here we go, assuming a weekly reboot at Monday morning 3am for a fresh week:
Condition:

Day → Day-of-week: pick "Monday"
Time: Set both, From and To time to 3am

Task:

Reboot

I have to include a warning here from the Tasker UserGuide on Reboot:

Unfortunately, this is not a 'clean' shutdown. Neither Android nor running applications are informed that the device is rebooting, so be prepared for possible data corruption.
On the other hand, every other app that allows reboot does it the same way.

So this warning does not apply to Tasker alone, but obviously to all other solutions as well.


the update fails because you have modified the system partition with your root. I don't know what you can do to revert these changes, but you can simply install cyanogenmod on your phone


The wifi proxy settings are still configured under the advanced options for your wifi network.

The reason you can't find them is just bad Android UX. They're in a scrollable area that doesn't look scrollable (it looks like it just says 'metered'). If you try scrolling down in the wifi settings window you'll see it immediately.


How do I create a shortcut to another file or folder inside a folder?

For the benefit of future visitors, Android's /sdcard is an emulated storage, not the real filesystem. It doesn't support symlinks (what you call shortcut).

See this answer for details.


Is there anyway to increase 'App Storage' space on a HTC One X?

You can try :
How I expanded my app storage (repartitioning)

or developing a rom with your requirement.

(delete the unused or etc apps/files from rom)


I can't send a picture attachment within a text message - using NET10 (Motorola ATRIX 2)

For some reason Net10 is famous for this issue - happened to me too. I ended up using a free third party messaging app (Handcent works for me) and I can send and receive picture messages now with no problems. Download one of these messaging apps, and you will not really tell that it is not the messaging app that came with the phone originally; they work and integrate that well.


I found! There is an excellent program called Send to SD card which does exactly what I was looking for. Free program with source available, GPLv3.


Lost internal storage space on my Xperia Z1 Compact

Android's internal storage is made up of many symbolic links. They point towards different locations of your phone's storage.

/mnt/sdcard internally links to /data/media. This directory just contains your user data but no applications or application data.
/data/ contains multiple directories containing the apps (/data/app) or the app data (/data/data) that all contribute to the used storage.

What you see using df is the total storage statistics of the whole partition, even though you run it on /mnt/sdcard.
Citing the Linux manual: df - report file system disk space usage.
This means it takes into account all files and folders on that partition even though you are using a directory of the partition as the parameter.

Conclusion: df returns the statistics for the complete partition, but you are just looking at one directory inside of it.


Problem to uninstall AirDroid: Unfortunately, Settings has stopped

The disabling Find Phone this has solved the problem! You must disable it within the AirDroid app.


Is it possible to Boot into Safe Mode on an Android Device as a Precautionary Measure If Required?

This depends a little on the device and what version of Android you have.

On versions of Android later than 4.1 you can access safe mode by bringing up the power down menu (i.e. hold the power button) and long pressing the "Power off" option. This will bring up a little dialog box that will ask if you want to reboot into safe mode. The addition is noted on the Android web site under "System" changes.

On some older phones - though not all will necessarily support this - there may be a button combination that you can hold at boot to get into safe mode instead. For example, the Galaxy S2 used to allow you to hold down the hard menu button during the boot process to start up in safe mode. Others have used (I believe) holding both volume up and volume down. Check your user manual (or Google) for your specific device to find more information, including whether or not the device supports safe mode at all.

As to what "safe mode" means - it generally disables third party apps and widgets, to help you recover from a bad app install, give you a chance to remove a possibly rogue/malicious app, or simply determine what apps may be causing problems in your system.


Revenant folders on my Nexus 7 (flo) - how to track down the culprit?

I have now been able to confirm without doubt that indeed Moon+ Reader is responsible for the folders reappearing after deletion.

The problem is that I've come up empty-handed when looking for a database or text file related to Moon+ Reader which contains the names of those folders.

Meanwhile I have moved my books into the Books folder instead of leaving it in a subfolder of Download, but now the whole folder hierarchy inside Download which was used by Moon+ Reader keeps reappearing.

Unfortunately even rating the app requires a Google+ account which I will not create and there is no support contact given. So no way to report this issue back. But I am thinking about extracting the app and trying to find the offending code to add more details here.


How to set default download location to ext SD card in Galaxy Grand

Without Root access, there is no way possible to change the default install location of apps. You need to have root access in order to make such changes.


I think I got it. This is what I did:

System settings > Security > Device managers
Disable Kaspersky as device manager
System settings > Screen lock: swipe (or what you want)
Enable Kaspersky as device manager

Now I can unlock the phone with one swipe. I use App Protector to lock certain apps plus system settings with a different code.

NB: the above names (like device manager) may not be 100% accurate as I'm not using an English version of Android...


How do I access `$HOME/storage` outside of Termux (with a file explorer)?

If you did termux-setup-storage previously, create random_file.txt file in $HOME/storage/shared. That'll be created on /sdcard/. But you don't need to do that hassle. Just grant Termux Storage permission and save directly to /sdcard/ e.g.

echo xyz >/sdcard/random_file.txt

$HOME/storage is actually /data/data/com.termux/files/home/storage which is not accessible to other apps without root access. That's how Android's security is designed.

  Where is this /data/ directory?

It's a partition named userdata mounted in rootfs at /data. For details see How disk space is used on Android device?

  where is the root /storage/ directory?

It's also a directory in rootfs where tmpfs is mounted. Contents of this directory look different to different apps because of mount namespaces and filesystem emulation.

  Where is the root /emulated/ directory?

It's at following three locations:

/mnt/runtime/default/emulated
/mnt/runtime/read/emulated
/mnt/runtime/write/emulated

  Where are any of these directories and why cant I access any of them?

These directories are what you see when you open a file explorer app. Emulated filesystem path is /sdcard.

On Android 6+, /data/media is emulated to three VIEWS mentioned above. One of those is bind-mounted to /storage/emulated depending on app's Storage permission status. emulated directory contains User_ID's of all users (if there are multiple users or profiles). Device owner is always 0. So /sdcard points to /storage/emulated/0. It's the storage which apps can read and write.

Additionally apps can read and write to their private data directory in /data/user/<User_ID>/ (which is /data/data/ for device owner). For details see What is /storage/emulated/0/? and What is the “u#_everybody” UID?.

From your comment:

  Can Termux write to the actual SD card physically inserted into my phone? If so, how?

Apps don't have filesystem level write access to external SD card except those using SAF APIs. Quote from official documentation, Termux doesn't have support for SAF:

  Why does Termux have read-only access to the external SD card?

  On recent Android versions, the write access to the external SD card is done over Storage Access Framework. It is not possible to provide it's API to the command line programs.

However apps can always (with and without Storage permission) read and write to their private directories in shared storage i.e. in Android/data/ directory (and some others) on /sdcard/ and external SD card. For details see How to move files to external SD card on a non-rooted Android?

From your comment:

  So basically I don't have access to my own devices root directory, without rooting the device? I can only start at the third level? That's frustrating.

/data partition also contains system settings including sensitive data like password databases (though not saved as plain text). So /data isn't accessible without root in order to:

Protect apps' private data from other apps (every app is a UNIX user with unique UID)
Protect system data and settings from bad apps and malware
Isolate users/profiles from other users/profiles
Not let apps access shared storage without Storage permission granted
Enforce APIs by Android framework so that apps can't use system resources and read/manipulate device information and settings without proper permissions

And possibly there are other reasons. For details see Are multiple-users protected from each other differently than apps?


Does the Android specification include minimum sensor parameters?

Google has an Android Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) (see http://source.android.com/compatibility/overview.html) that specifies the minimum (and suggested guidelines) for what a device must physically support to be allowed to use the Android branding (and to get the Google Market and Google's android apps).

The latest CCD in section 7.3 lists the minimum requirements of the sensors.  The temperature sensor (section 7.3.7) is actually listed as something that Android devices should not include.  There are not specs for this sensor's sensitivity.


Removed profile photo still appears on my contacts WhatsApp

This almost always happens with me. Your contact's WhatsApp hasn't refreshed the changed profile photo from the Server and hence it is displaying the low resolution cache version of the old photo.

There's nothing you need to do on your phone. Try to refresh the contacts list on your friend's phone. That's best you can try as the problem is not on your side.


What does Android rooting imply in terms of user accounts?

As you might have expected from the "Linux user perspective", item #3 is the correct answer. With a little adjustments: apps that come with "root features" can use the "root functionality" as well. When they try it the first time, you'll have to approve that, though:

Basically, a "clean rooting" brings in two things: a su binary and a kind of "supervisor app" (SuperUser/SuperSU). The former you can use e.g. at the shell to obtain root access – and the latter controls whom superuser powers are granted. The first time an app tries to obtain those powers, you will see a popup on the device asking you whether you confirm or deny. A check-box lets you store your decision permanently, if you wish; leaving that unchecked, the popup will re-appear the next time.


There are some available from Google Play Store. Excluding the ones you've mentioned, this two I've used, and they worked very well:

Music Pump DAAP Player by Android Music Pump:

  Music Pump is a feature rich Android DAAP Client that lets you to stream and sync music from your PC or NAS to your android device. All you need is a DAAP Server.

Remote for SoundBridge by Martin Kompf:

  Connect to different music servers including UPnP, DAAP, and Internet radio.
  Browse playlists, artists, composers, albums, songs, genres, and folders at music server.


Can't receive text messages; everything else about phone works fine

Quick Answer:

Put the SIM card in another phone for a few minutes to reset the network registration and then move it back.

Things that I tried that did not fix this problem:

Restarting the phone
Removing and reinserting the sim card
Uninstalling the Skype app
Calling AT&T support (611) and asking for them to reset the network registration of my phone
Restarting my phone in safe mode
Booting my phone into system recovery mode and wiping the cache partition

Full Answer:

AT&T indicated that it was a problem with the network registration, given every piece of my phone's communication worked except for receiving SMS.  This turned out to be true.  The solution was to put the sim card in another phone, which overrode the network registration for my number.  After about a minute, the second phone received all of the texts that the first had not been able to get, and then I could move the sim card back into my regular phone and receive texts as normal.


If it's opening uber app directly in the app store, it must be an adware(malware that displays ads without your permission). Similar to the Google ads you see in different apps. These ads have to be called by an app. Think of it like their host. You can refference more from here
So probabilities are:

Your running a custom OS which was altered to have these hidden behaviours.
There's a funny app installed on your phone that starts when your phone starts. It's trained to listen in when apps are called to open and sends you to Playstore instead.

To get rid of this you could,

If you have a custom OS confirm the authenticity of the build.
Still with a custom OS as superuser prevent any unofficial app from starring when the phone starts. If the behaviour is still persistent repeat the procedure until you find the app causing you this fault.
Go through your phone for any apps that aren't default and uninstall each of the apps while restarting your phone to ensure that all its files are deleted.
Simplest of these all: download adware from the google playstore.
If all these fails, then you might have no other option other than to factory reset your phone to its original state.

Also be very careful when installing apps. If you find something you don't know don't install it. I normally check through comments before installing any unpopular apps to avoid nasty surprises.


How to remove "Bing" sign from Microsoft Launcher?

The icon is there because the wallpapers from the Microsoft Launcher is being pulled from Bing, so it has a watermark on it. You can't remove it unless you place your own custom wallpaper.


A second Boot Loop, any underlying causes?

You could try connecting the phone to PC and reboot. After powering down, start  adb logcat on computer. In this way you could see system logs during booting and may find what's wrong with the phone.


What does "Battery Use" tell and how is it implemented?

If you click on each one, it will give you more info.  I don't know the answer to all your questions but I'll share what I do know...

  (1) Does "Cell standby" indicate the
  energy used by the radio communication
  with the towers when there is no
  voice/data communication?

Yes.

  (2) What does "Phone idle" indicate?

It's the power your device uses to stay on when you are not using it.  The CPU is still going and the memory is kept powered up...

  (3) What does "Android System" indicate, energy used by the OS code execution?

There is a separate option for Android OS which refers to the execution of apps.  The Android System is the energy used to run certain background services like AutoSync and the software side of communicating with cell towers...

  (4) What does "Mediaserver" indicate?

I believe this is all audio and video processing.  I don't think it'll reflect the total time you played music, but instead, the total processing time the CPU used to decode it.

  (5) What does "Android Core Apps" indicate?

I don't have this on my phone.  I wonder if this is what is labeled "Android OS" for me.

  (6) It also lists energy consumed by
  individual apps. I'm wondering if
  those items only include the energy
  consumed by CPU+RAM+Flash, because the
  energy used by display+wifi+cell is
  already listed separately without
  breakdown to apps.

Great question.  I don't know.


What does "staged" mean in the context of dictionary download?

My guess is that it refers to a staged rollout, which means that it is available only to a few users not all. Since you are unable to download, you are being told that the dictionary is available but not yet for you (or people in your region)


How to mirror your android phone to android tablet?

There is an app on the Google Play Store that does exactly what your looking for.
AirMirror: Remote support & Remote control devices

Remote Control AirMirror fulfills the goal to control one Android
phone with another phone.
*This feature needs AirDroid installed on the other end, and log in with the same email account.
You can apply AirMirror with the following features:
Remote Control Directly control another phone/tablet, do whatever you
like, no matter where this device is.
*If the controlled device is not rooted, it is required to process Non-Root setting through AirDroid PC beforehand.
Remote Camera Access another phone's view from either front camera or
rear camera. You can put this phone as a family security camera,
guarding your family's safety.
Screen Mirroring Check your device's screen anytime in real-time.
*If you want to control Android devices through PC, you can use AirDroid PC client.
Remote Support You can easily assist your friend or family to solve
mobile device issues through Remote Support.
*This function needs AirDroid Remote Support installed on the other end.
Overview:
Quick Connection by 9-digit Connection Code No account is required,
your friend or family can connect to you simply by their 9-digit
Connection Code.
Screen Sharing Send the screen sharing request with one tap, and you
can see the device screen in real-time.
Voice Call AirMirror provides clear voice communication, you can
simply call and talk, saving time for texting.
Tutorial Gesture Swipe or tap on the shared screen, the Tutorial
Gesture will show on your friend or familyˇs device. Follow to easily
solve the problem.
Voice Message and Text If you are under a surrounding not suitable for
making a call, you can still communicate through sending texts,
pictures and voice messages.
AirMirror facilitates your life. If there is any problem during your
experience in AirMirror, feel free to give us feedback anytime. Thank
you very much for your support of AirMirror!


Can I use ADB wirelessly on an unrooted phone via SSH without a USB connection?

You could use wireless ADB if your ROM has it, but you'd still need a wired connection for fastboot. So your only hope of rooting would rely on some hack over ADB, not the traditional unlock bootloader, flash recovery.

Unlock the developer setting: go to about phone in settings and tap the build number 7 times. Then go in there and look for an option for ADB over network.

You can also open up a terminal on the device, like you were talking about doing with SSH, but it would have even less ability to do anything useful (as far as rooting your phone,) than ADB.

If you do get it rooted, you might be able to install a custom recovery from the rooted system, at which point you'll be home free. You can download files and flash them from internal storage.


Droid X - is Blur home running when you use Launcher Pro?

Yes, that's an accurate observation.

I don't have a Motorola phone myself, but from what I understand Blur is embedded pretty tightly into the ROM.  Trying to remove it would be painful at best, and probably just cause your phone to start crashing.  I'd recommend flashing a custom ROM that either never had Blur (e.g. something built largely from the AOSP like CyanogenMOD) or a heavily customized version of your ROM that has had Blur thoroughly rooted out and replaced with stock apps.


Contacts sync stuck updating on Moto E 2G

Well, I had to reset the phone to its factory state, and reinstall all from scratch. I've seen this question asked on several forums, with no satisfactory answer.

If you come across one in the future, ping me, and I'll reopen the question. Until then, just restore your phone. Tons of work for (what I'm sure is) a very simple sync bug :(.


Init is one of the first processes that is loaded when the Bootloader starts in Unix.
So, technically init is the first process that starts and all other processes are either children or the grandchildren of init.
Now, when a process say Ystarts execution, it is usually forked from its parent process, say X when X dies(finished executing) the process Y now has no parent, and it becomes an Orphan Process at this time init takes over the ownership of the process and becomes the parent of Y.
Like this, there are so many processes running at a given instant in the OS, everything has to be taken care by init.
Since Android being a flavor of Linux, and Linux being a derivative of Unix, it is for the same reason that init doesn't die,unitll the system shuts down.


How does Android get the coarse location?

It is really up to the developer as to how to implement the location service.  The full description is available on the Android Developers official site (as captured on 24 Sep 2010)

The graph about 1/3rd down the page is pretty useful to see what a typical app might do, but again, it is completely up to the app developer.  The location service types are:

Cached Fix
Cell-ID
WiFi
GPS
Mock Location

If the app requests permission for coarse location only, it will not use the GPS to determine location.

To answer your questions:

It is up to the individual app developer, but in most cases, the sequence will be Cached Fix, Cell-ID, WiFi, GPS, in that order.
Yes, after acquiring the tower IDs or SSIDs of the WiFi signals, that data is transmitted to Google to determine a rough location.
No, Google has done something really clever here.  Google has their own database of cell tower locations and does not require an interaction with the carrier to determine the location of the tower.

An article by Francisco Kattan on "Dynamic Cell-ID" has some of the detail. The short version is that, when you use an app like Google Maps, the app will send the current Cell-ID information back along with your current GPS fix.  In this way, Google gets a very good sampling of the signal strengths in various locations and is able to build a very rich database.


How to share Internet from Android via Ethernet

I'd suggest using iptables. You can find more about theme here - definitely take a look into simple usage example. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Internet/ConnectionSharing

The only one problem is that iptables binary isn't really built-in into Android.
But hey, they came up with solution already http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=444004

So you can even use the example from Ubuntu help now!


Find My Device says "can't reach device", but I can make it ring

Managed to figure it out. Apparently this happens when location services are turned on, but fail to produce a location.

In my case, the tablet's location mode was set to GPS only, but the GPS sensors are busted and don't work. Switching to battery saving mode in Settings → Location solved this issue.


Galaxy S5 Active home button - weird long press behavior

The good news: you're not losing your mind.  The even-better news: there seems to be a solution.

Head on over to ifixit and take a look at their thread.


Anyone having the same problem with Facebook/Android not showing photo's uploaded from the phone

From a couple of days a noticed too, that some pictures from Facebook are not shown. If I login later they will show up, but other pictures will not.

I saw a news that they made some changes to photos infrastructure so it's possible to be a temporary outage until they consolidate the new changes on all servers.


I have a Galaxy S4 and use ConnectBot to connect to my SSH server and setup a port forward via the client to port 8080. Then setup Firefox to use the SOCKS proxy by just going to About:Config and entering the following:

network.proxy.socks: 127.0.0.1
network.proxy.socks_port: 8080 (or whatever port you chose to forward in ConnectBot)
network.proxy.socks_remote_dns: true
network.proxy.type: 1 (this tells Firefox to use your manual proxy settings)

Hope this helps!


Which application generates the "S" notification icon?

This most likely comes from the running game "Subway Surfers". The S from your notification resembles the font used in the game's name.


Why do apps get smaller when they are moved to the SD card?

Like Bryan says (I can't comment so had to add another answer...), it doesn't move the whole app. The size given after the move is the bit still on the internal storage - it doesn't give any size for the elements that have beend moved to SD.

So in answer to your question, the app doesn't get smaller, just amount of internal storage used gets smaller.


j5 cant open after updating to marshemallow

It mostly happens when an incompatible ROM or KERNEL is installed on the phone. It is known as boot-loop, the phone never leaves the booting screen. To fix this issue in most cases, you have to change to a different ROM or KERNEL.
In your case it is the problem with the ROM as you mentioned that you updated to Marshmallow. It happens mostly when you try to update it yourself and not from OTA updates, if you really did update it yourself just flash a different ROM insuring that ROM is compatible with your device model.


You should. That is a "clean flash" and is normally recommended in installation instructions. This ensures that the ROM is written on a clean slate

At times, like in the case of "nightly" ROMs or some mods to ROM, /system is not wiped but written over the existing system called "dirty flash" (not even /data  or cache is wiped)

As a thumb rule, switching over from stock to custom ROM or from one custom ROM to another, clean flash is recommended. ROM chefs clearly mention this in instructions. Also, if you are upgrading to a higher version of ROM by clean flashing it (Thanks to Izzy who pointed this in comments)


Your phone does have clock if there's that app inside system/app as you told. Its not necessary that it must be shown on launcher, though normally clock apps are shown. I suggest you give a try to some third party launcher on store and see if that does some trick. On contrary, you should be able to access clock by tapping the clock in notification panel.

Also, if there's some app inside system/app, its already installed. And apps inside this folder are called system apps. You cant install them like normal apps by simply tapping and pressing on install (or rather they dont need to be installed like normal). You install them by simply pushing their apk file to system/app or system/priv-app depending on type of app and then setting their permission to 755 or rw-r-r with some file manager. So that "install failed" is justified. In other words, app is already installed.


how can i get back vold.fstab ,i accidently deleted it due to usbox was not responding after i edited it,plz help

Ask for the the vold.fatab file of the same phone model to someone who has it. Then copy the file to your /system/etc/ and set the correct permissions.


unable to free up space on samsung s3 mini

It might help to get a better look at your internal usage.

An app like Disk Map has a function to view disk usage. You may be able to use this to identify large files and delete them.

In this particular app, select 'Internal storage' and press the 'Disk map' button to see something like this:

And you can even long press items in this map to see options to delete them:


Use WiFi Tether app to create Wi-Fi hotspot. It features Access Control using which you can allow/deny clients to use mobile data.


Android has a concept called "device administrators" to allow for this kind of control. A device administrator is a special app given extra permissions that normal apps don't have, such as controlling what other apps are allowed to be installed, enforcing security policies, and remote-wiping the device.

You can learn more about how this works under-the-hood on the Android Developers website.

This feature is built into the Android permission model, so it doesn't need the phone to be rooted.