How dangerous is the fact that SELinux is in "Permissive" mode? What should I be wary of?

TL;DR: Feel free to jump directly to the conclusion at the bottom if you like :) !

SELinux goal is to prevent privilege escalation by enforcing a mandatory policy which restricts possible actions from both unprivileged and privileged users.

The term "users" here also includes any process running on the device, no matter if it is directly related to the physical user actions (the human, you ;) ), since every process is running using some system "user" account.

Historically, permissions on Unix-based systems are handled using what is called a Discretionary Access Control (DAC) system. In this model:

Resources like files have owners who can define access rights on the resources they own: this allows them to decide whether a particular resource should be private (only the owner can access it) or if it should be shared with some other users.
On top of this you have the super-user (called root on Unix-based systems) which is the administrative user and has access to everything on the system. This account can be used interactively by a human (typically a system administrator) to maintain or repair the device, but usually this account will mostly be used by background or low level services which require such privilege level: device drivers, network configuration services, services needing to access files from every users or handling internal inter-users communication.

This is very nice and already provides a good security. However, what about circumstances such as these:

What would happen if a bug in a service running as root is found which would allow an attacker to trick such service into running some arbitrary code? Such attacker would gain a complete access to the device. To give some concrete examples, such bug could be triggered by sending specially crafted network configuration information (DHCP) or a MMS to the phone.
What would happen if some user does not protect private resources correctly? Then these resources could be maliciously accessed (read, maybe even modified or deleted) by other unprivileged users. This is typically what you have when a malicious application is running on your phone (no matter if you have been tricked into installing it, or if it came here by-itself by using a bug in another unprivileged application, a browser or mail client for instance), and this malicious application tries to directly access other applications data or storage locations (it can do so to access normally unreachable data or to install itself in several places in order to make its removal harder).

Here comes SELinux.

SELinux is a Mandatory Access Control (MAC) system. While in the previously described DAC system users were responsible of setting appropriate right on their own resources, with a MAC system a system-wide policy (provided with the operating system) is enforced to both privileged and unprivileged users.

This solves the two issues mentioned above in the following ways:

As I said, this policy also applies to privileged users. This means that, with a properly designed policy, a service designed to handle the device's network configuration will be unable to do anything else: it will have no access to SMS for instance, and a service handling SMS will have no access to the network configuration, and neither of them will have access to the user's data, despite the fact that both are running using the super-user account.
Android recently included a multi-user feature which is enforced by SELinux, preventing any user from accessing other user's data. But beyond that, SELinux policy is also responsible from describing permitted applications behavior, and most likely even if some resources are not properly protected using the DAC system SELinux will come at the rescue and still prevent the malicious application from directly access them.

The DAC and MAC systems are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary the MAC system (SELinux) acts as a second layer of defense behind the DAC system (the traditional Unix-like permissions). The job of SELinux is to block any activity contrary to the policy which, given only the DAC system, would otherwise be accepted.

The tricky thing is that such policy can be very complex to write: it must indeed cover every device's components for every possible usage in every situation. In fact, no matter if some action may be legitimate in your situation: if it is not in the policy, it is forbidden. Poorly designed policies can therefore have random consequences, like application crashes, unusable functionality, and so on.

That's why the first versions of Android shipping SELinux included it in "Permissive" mode by default. In this mode, SELinux will log policy violations, but it will not attempt to block the associated activity. By analyzing the resulting log files, it becomes possible to correct and enhance the policy up to the point when the only remaining policy violation are indeed malicious or undesired behaviors. At this point, SELinux can be turned into "Enforcing" mode: it will now not only log but also block every offending action.

Conclusion

SELinux is a mitigation technique. It does not prevent attackers from entering into your phone, but it ensures that once there they can do as few things as possible, ideally nothing useful thus removing any interest of attacking the phone in the first place.

The older the ROM, the larger the number of security bugs which would open such access. SELinux would be an efficient way to keep a minimum of safety despite these known vulnerabilities, however to function properly SELinux relies on a complex policy.

If your ROM is provided with SELinux in "Permissive" mode by default, this likely means that the policy it contains is not reliable enough to be safely switched into "Enforcing" mode.

If you are techie enough and have access to the phone log (dmesg at least, but usually they are also copied into logcat: there are applications allowing to see the latter one but depending on your Android version they may require root access), you can check if you find "avc" entries: these are messages telling you that SELinux has just detected an action going against the policy.

Here is an example of such entry taken from CyanogenMod's website:

type=AVC msg=audit(1363289005.532:184): avc: denied { read } for pid=29199 comm="Trace"
name="online" dev="sysfs" ino=30 scontext=staff_u:staff_r:googletalk_plugin_t
tcontext=system_u:object_r:sysfs_t tclass=file

If there is none, just a few of them or for any reason you think they may not keep you from using the phone, you may try to switch SELinux into "Enforcing" mode. In older CyanogenMod ROMs, this was easy and possible simply using an hidden option in the GUI (no need to root the phone or install any specific application), I don't know if other ROMs offered the same feature but since you used the CyanogenMod tag I suppose you may be lucky ;).


no, you are pretty much out of luck. Once you update, you have that version and cannot go back.

I do not know your android knowledge, but, if you have the apk file for a previous version, you can "sideload" the application on to the device (unless you have at&t). But that is a bit more complicated if you never done it before. It requires the drivers for your PC, copy the file to the sdcard, and then "open" the apk file with an file manager, which will then launch the Package Installer.


As an alternative to default Contacts app, I found these apps namely Merge + and Simpler Contacts & Dialer
which allows merging duplicate phone contacts.

About Merge +

  Merge+ helps you easily find & merge duplicate contacts.
  With Merge+, you can join duplicate contacts in your Android phone & Tablet with only three clicks:

  LAUNCH Merge+ to find duplicate contacts
  REVIEW merge suggestions and mark who to merge
  MERGE your selected duplicate contacts

About Simpler Contacts & Dialer

  With Simpler you can easily merge all your duplicate contacts and quickly find the contacts your need.

  MAIN FEATURES

  Simply merge all duplicate contacts!
  Never lose your contacts again with Simpler Backup!
  T9 Dialer - quickly search by name & numbers
  Quickly call to your frequently used contacts
  Clean & intuitive design - Android Lollipop L Style

  SIMPLY MERGE DUPLICATE CONTACTS

  Merge all duplicate contacts with one tap!
  Find & merge contacts with similar names.
  Find & Merge contacts with duplicate phone or email.


Why phones with Android One don't get update to Q right now (2019)?

The updates are still required to be done by the OEM. And if you try flashing a GSI yourself, it will either not boot or be ridden with issues.
The underlying vendor partition also needs an update along with new and updated drivers and HALs from the component vendors to make the hardware work properly with the new OS version.
Hence, it takes time to merge, develop, test and then make the final market release. I wish updates were as easy as picking the Google system image and sending it to the phones. GSIs normally work ok if you're installing the version for which the installed vendor partition was built. But in my case they weren't fully smooth. For example, my Nokia 7 has a badly performing modem when on a GSI. And the Android 10 GSI just kept on bootlooping.


Finally, I've managed to do that:

You need to have a Xiaomi Designer Account, because MIUI 8 doen't allow installing custom themes unless you are a 'designer'
You should go to http://designer.xiaomi.com/, sign up and enter valid    data. After a day or so you will be able to import *.mtz files from the default MIUI theme manager.
Download an icon pack from MultiRom ROM. You can find them here:
https://multirom.me/read.php?tid=343 (download link is in first post, sorry for russian)
After that you should open a theme manager, go to themes and import downloaded file. The final step is to select these icons in 'components' menu in theme manager


How do I improve photograph quality on my HTC Desire?

have you seen this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=990596
Battery cover couses focus loss there is a youtube video on the post which makes a comparison, also sample pictures. hope this helps ;)


Lenovo Ideapad A1 , dead, not working, no charge led

Solved! Found the solution in Lenovo's forum, A1 and A1107 Unbrick fix/full factory restore:

  There have been several instances of people having problems with A1 and A1107 devices. This guide explains how to fix any software issue, including those that "brick" the device, or stop it booting up at all, by restoring the tablet to a completely stock factory state. It can also be used to safely upgrade a Gingerbread A1 to Ice Cream Sandwich, by using the A1107 image that corresponds to the storage space that your device has.


notification alert without unlocking screen on Lollipop

Than you have to change notification settings in your android phone.

GOTO :  Settings > Sounds & Notification > App Notification

In Settings > Sounds & Notification

you can set the all notification setting like , sound , notification light etc.

I hope this help you to solved your problem.


problem in updating CM12 nightly on Moto G XT1033

Here's a stopgap measure to keep your phone updated:

1) Nandroid backup. Necessary

2) Get latest CM12 falcon zip.

3) Copy zip to SD card.

4) Reboot to TWRP.

5) Wipe /cache and /system.

6) Dirty-flash ( common parlance for flashing without wiping userdata) the zip.

7) Cross your fingers and hope it works.

8) If it doesn't, there's your Nandroid backup. Now try a clean flash (in step 5, also wipe /data.

9) It should work (it's like installing a new ROM).

10) The next time onwards, download the OTA zip yourself, compare checksums of the files, copy the OTA zip to your SD card, flash the OTA zip without wiping anything.


How do I flash a modem for CyanogenMod / CM10.2?

I know this doesn't solve your problem of flashing a Modem via Odin, but have you had a look at the Collection of CWM modems, e.g. here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47234771&postcount=1220&nocache=1&z=1674485336989164

There is this hint:

  Originally Posted by lambstone
  Ok it worked.
  If anyone else is having issues with the baseband not changing, do this.

Use Odin v3.04
Untick Autoreboot
Flash modem
Reboot once again into Download Mode using (Vol Down plus Home button combi)
Flash Modem once more
Once done,unplug then reboot device manually.
If this doesn't work, try repeating the flash process again while rebooting manually and with auto-reboot option turned off.


An Android Central thread discusses this issue and has several things to try:

Force stop Google Play Music and clear its data before reopening it. This may lose some data such as playlists but hopefully not the music itself.
Uninstall and reinstall all the updates to Google Play Music.
Ensure that the folder that the music is stored in or any parent folders don't have .nomedia files in them. You may need to enable hidden files in your file manager to see these files.

Unfortunately, some of these solutions seem temporary but it may be worth a try.


DNS can be changed with apps like "Set DNS" and with the setprop command, however all fail on KitKat to modify resolvers ONLY IN CASE they were set by the mobile carrier.

An simple solutions was given at:
How to change mobile connections's DNS on Android KitKat?
(in brief: put imgur's IP's in /etc/hosts)

It will work, but myself, I'm still hunting a way to modify the carrier's resolvers.


Certificate Install without mandatory PIN lockscreen

I've described how to do exacly this on my page, "Installing CAcert certificates on Android as 'system' credentials without lockscreen - instructions" at http://wiki.pcprobleemloos.nl/android/cacert

I've also posted it on the cyanogenmod forum:
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/82875-installing-cacert-certificates-on-android-as-system-credentials-without-lockscreen/

Basically, the commands are:

openssl x509 -inform PEM -subject_hash_old -in root.crt | head -1

To get the correct filename, then convert the certificate:

cat root.crt > 5ed36f99.0
openssl x509 -inform PEM -text -in root.crt -out /dev/null >> 5ed36f99.0

Copy them to /system/etc/security/cacerts/ and chmod the new .0 files to '644'.
Reboot and verify. On your android device select 'Clear cerficates' and you are able to remove the pin (by entering the pin and changing your lockscreen to 'none' or 'wipe'

Here I used the CAcert root certificate, but you probably want the class3.crt certificate as well, or use your own certificates.


Why can't I install apps when I have enough storage?

Android devices actually have several different buckets of storage that can fill up independently, any one of them can cause an "insufficient storage" error.  This question:
Why is "insufficient storage" wrongly reported when installing an .apk via adb?
seems to cover the details and options best.


Smart e Machine tablet stuck on "Boot into recovery..." screen

I actually got this working again!!

After opening up the case and googling some of the different numbers printed on chips and the circuit board, I found out that this particular type of tablet can have its firmware flashed by putting the right files on the root of a micro sd card. When it boots up it will automatically check for said files and perform an update all by itself. When it finishes it asks you to remove the sd card and then automatically reboots itself.

It took me a few tries to get a good firmware with the majority of features working. Some were unstable, some wouldn't boot, some would boot but had no touch screen or soft button support, no camera, gyro, wifi etc. I finally found one that seems stable and has most features working, minus the camera. I have a few more left to try and see if I can get the camera working, but other than that it works great!


Can Material design be backported to older Android versions?

Yes is it possible. You can design your application with interactive material design using v7, v13 and v21 appcompat support libraries. These support libraries provide you backward compatibility of your material designs. For Backward compatibility read here https://developer.android.com/training/material/compatibility.html


How to make symlinks work inside /storage/emulated in 4.4.4

Android guards mount points since Android 4.2 came out. You already mentioned the debuggerd hack, so I assume you know about this restiction.

This might seem obvious, but you should first check if the file system that is used on the emulated external storage and on the real external storage both support symlinks. If your SD-card is formatted as FAT32, which doesn't support symlinks, nothing will happen and you'll need to format the external storage to something like ext2/3/4 or yaffs.

The 'cross device link' error might be fixed by using ln -s /data/media/0/somefolder /storage/sdcard1/somefolder instead of ln /data/media/0/somefolder /storage/sdcard1/somefolder. This will create a symbolic link instead of a hard link, so it can span across file systems and storage devices. You need to do this as root or else it won't work.

If permissions are a problem you might need to fix the 'external sdcard problem'. This problem causes the real external SD-card to be read-only on versions of Kitkat. The details are on this page. It comes down to editing /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml so that apps with the WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission can also write to the 'real' external storage. This can be done by installing this app or by doing the following:

  Launch your favorite file manager with enabled root access rights.
  You can use any app you prefer which can run elevated on your device.
  For example, the 'Root Explorer' app or 'Total Commander' or 'File Manager' from CyanogenMod will do.
  Navigate to the following file:

  /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml

  Find android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE and android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE lines. These are XML sections. You need to make them look exactly like the strings below:

<permission name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" >
<group gid="sdcard_r" />
<group gid="sdcard_rw" />
<group gid="media_rw" />
</permission>
<permission name="android.permission.WRITE_MEDIA_STORAGE" >
<group gid="sdcard_rw" />
<group gid="media_rw" />
</permission>

  Save the platform.xml file. It’s necessary to set the file permissions to  644 (rw-/r–/r–) before mobile restarting. Now reboot your Android device.

Credits go to poolmaker@XDA


Allow rotate into portrait mode but do not rotate external display

Try these instructions, using a computer with adb installed and your phone connected:

Android Jelly Bean (4.2) locks HDMI rotation by default. You can unlock by the instruction of this commit.

  Add special mirroring modes for demonstration purposes.
  Assume rotation of HDMI display is portrait.

adb shell setprop persist.demo.hdmirotation portrait

  Don't lock rotation while HDMI is plugged in.

adb shell setprop persist.demo.hdmirotationlock false

  Hide secondary displays from apps but continue mirroring to them.

adb shell setprop persist.demo.singledisplay true

Source: https://community.freescale.com/docs/DOC-97740


You are looking for FOTAKill.apk, it kills the Firmware Over The Air (FOTA).
"Prevents GoogleServicesFramework from downloading OTA updates"

It's a fairly standard apk used and provided with some gapps packages (google apps package, when you install a custom ROM you don't get the google apps, need to install a gapps package)..
It works for both stock and rooted ROMS

The XDA forums have more information about it and download links of the apk, it originated from the CM ROM (cyanogenmod) but works on stock as well as custom ROMs.

Source code:
https://github.com/zinx/FOTAKill

Download etc for example from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832496


HTC One Camera photos have "pink background"

It is not a software issue, it is a hardware issue. Most of the times, they are referred as pink spots or purple tint/haze

It happens because apparently the component called ZOE puts a lot of strain on the camera module, which causes it to heat, and it could even lead to burning down your motherboard (in extreme cases).

Reference: http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one/351874-htc-one-heres-skinny-infamous-purple-tint-thermal-defect.html

Better call HTC for a replacement/Fix before your Warranty runs out.


Are there any downsides or risks to limiting background processes?

Setting this option forces Android to stop each process as soon as it is empty (that is, when no services are started and no activities are on screen for that app).

To be clear: this option won't stop apps that would normally run in the background from doing so. Your mail client will still run periodically to check mail, if it's configured to do that. Apps that use Google Cloud Messaging to receive push messages from Internet servers (such as Gmail and Facebook) will still be able to do so. The option would be better named "Cached background process limit", since it limits apps that would otherwise show up with that label in the apps manager.

Next time each app needs to start, Android has to load the app from storage, from scratch. This uses more power and takes longer than running it again when the process was in memory. This doesn't just mean when you start an activity from that app deliberately; it also means the email client has to be loaded afresh each time it wants to check email. Over time this can build up to a huge battery drain.

Because this is a development option, it can also trigger rare bugs in certain apps, and those apps' developers may not be keen to fix them. One example is that, on Nexus devices running 4.2.2, when this option is on, the in-built Calendar app will keep restarting itself with this option set, because stopping the cached background process causes the calendar's content provider to be removed, which causes a loop of services restarting each other to check for calendar updates. If this happens, the loop will run down your battery very quickly.


You are probably not in the US, right? Seems that Google Maps 5.0 is not yet available in many countries (just like Google Reader for Android). Meanwhile, you can use a link to the .apk file here: http://thegadgets.net/technology-news/download-google-maps-5-0-apk/

Download the apk file, copy to the SD card, and open with e.g. Linda File Manager. Hope this helps.


Android on virtualbox can't move mouse pointer

As it was mentioned in the comments above, there is reference for Android X86 – mouse support in Oracle VirtualBox linked in this answer. AFAIK I had not to install additional packages like vbox-guest-utillities. As you can see the following list is empty:

$ dpkg -l | grep virtualbox-guest
$ dpkg -l | grep vbox-guest

I only had to change the "Pointing Device" under Settings > System > Motherboard to "PS/2 Mouse".


No sliding (gesture typing) feature in Google Keyboard for Ukrainian language

You can now download the latest version of Google keyboard (with sliding support) from the Google play store.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin


I'm on a rooted Samsung Spica running the stock Samsung 2.1 Eclair version.

Since my internal memory was limited to around 160 MB, I was hunting around for a simple enough solution and preferably freeware. I have an 8 GB card and IMO, allotting 1 GB would be more than adequate for all the games / apps that I'd want to keep for posterity but couldn't afford to occupy space within the limited internal memory that I had.

Enter Link2SD - it's freeware and works with Android 1.6 and above.

You will also need a partitioning tool - I used the excellent freeware Easeus Partition Manager (EPM) to ensure no data was erased during the repartitioning / resizing.

First, download and install EPM.
Pop your storage card into your card reader.
Start EPM
Your card should be visible amongst the other drives/partitions in your PC.
Select the partition on your card - it should cover the entire length by default. Right-click & choose RESIZE/MOVE and then REDUCE the Partition Size (this is what shows in Windows) until the Unallocated Space size is of a suitable size. (The Unallocated space will be allocated as the partition on which your apps will be stored.) Click OK.

An aside - even though Link2SD supports the usage of the second partition (in which your apps will reside) created in the FAT / FAT32 format, Windows only recognizes the first PRIMARY partition which is why this newly created partition won't show within Windows inspite of it being FAT / FAT32. We shall be using either ext2 / ext3 or ext4 as the file system in any case.

Onward...

Right-click this new Unallocated Space and choose CREATE. Click YES on the warning that describes what I've said above.
Now, in the Partition Label, type in a label like "AndroidApps" or whatever suits you.
This is CRITICAL - the CREATE AS should be PRIMARY
Choose File System as EXT3 and click OK.
Click APPLY in the main window's TOP LEFT corner (big blue check mark icon). EPM will carry out the operations. Congrats! You've just re-partitioned your card and without any data loss too. (Hopefully!)

Assuming you've installed Link2SD in your phone and the SD card has been re-inserted.
11. Reboot your phone.

Start Link2SD and it should detect your partition.
A list of apps is now displayed. Click the app you want to move to the card and then click CREATE LINK.

That's it.


One nice alternative to the ones you already have is Group SMS by Tur Han available from Google Play Store.

It allows you to compose the message and:

add first and/or last name to the message text;
select the recipients individually.

Works pretty good, it's a free app (small publicity banner), with no bugs on my end. Shows the progress of each message being sent.

If you go to the PRO version, things just keep getting better and better:

  create groups of contacts for quick sending (friends, family, work...)
  History keeping & management
  enhance search bar
  select/deselect all your contacts with 1 touch
  template management
  history track of all messages with statistics
  add Free


WiFi is "saved secured" but won't conenct

If it shows only "Secured", then it will ask password. But it doesn't ask password because it was already " Saved". Just Forget that WiFi network, turn WiFi off and Turn on & Connect. Enter correct password. Else it doesn't connect. Your problem may be in putting wrong password


Disable in-app browsing on the Facebook Lite app

The new update (Version 200.0.0.8.117) now open links directly opened in the browser instead of in-app.


How to change tap sound of an Android device?

Yes

You cannot change it unless you have root access. But you can disable it if you don't like it. Go to Settings => Sounds => Deselect the Touch Sounds option.

Just in case you have root access, go to /System/media/audio/ui/ and replace the file named touch.ogg or tick.ogg or effec_tick.ogg or the one with a similar name.


List of apps I can delete/uninstall on my S4

As stated it may not be possible to build a complete list, due to carrier bloatware. You may need some of these for functioinality you need also. There is also variants of the S4, to confuse matters further. This is not a complete list, but trying to keep one exactly up to date is like trying to build your house beside a boat, before you get the foundation poured the boat has moved on down the river.

 XDA Bloatware List I must again emphasise that there can be roll on effects and you can lose functionality you MAY need on your device.

E.g.:  AllSharePlay15.apk Removing will impact Wifi-Direct function.  You CAN remove it, but you will lose WiDi and so on.

The alternative option is to find a Slim or Ultra-Slim ROM for your device. An example of this would be Echoe Illusion ROM for the S4 which has a SLIM and ULTRA SLIM variant of some of their ROMS. There is also the Google Edition 'Stock' ROM that you can use, which is 450 Mb approx, while Touchwiz Variant is about 1.6 Gb.  There is also the Echoe Debloater which can remove bloatware from recovery, but the caveat of losing functionality still applies. There are many other ROMs out there too so shop around if this option appeals.

 XDA Forum for S4

Note: Any mods/themes/firmeware must be for the EXACT variant of your device, such as GT-I9505, GT-I9505G, GT-I9500, GT-I9506 etc. Using the wrong ones can and most likely will brick your device.


You should call an operator to fix this kind of problem


What will I lose if I install Cyanogenmod?

The phone memory will be wiped by the Cyanogen install. Everything will be erased.

If you have a separate SD card, that should not be altered, so if you apps store data there, you may still have it after you reinstall each app on CM, or you may be able to manually copy over the old data and thus restore it.

Contacts and call logs are synced to your Google account so unless you disabled that, once you install CM and put in your account info, they should be restored.

WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber history: Depending on the app, this may be stored in phone memory, the SD card or your account with the app's vendor. I believe for the three you mention, all keep your data tied to your account in their own server, so you should be able to recover it once you install the app on CM and put in your account.

Photos will be saved if they were on the SD card.

SMS's will likely be lost.

When I flash ROMs, I eliminate the ambiguity by just manually backing up whatever is important, and wiping the phone clean. Much simpler, and does not rely on trusting some backup app developer to get everything right.


The cause is probably an antivirus software, device encryption or Google wallet. You can disable device administrators from settings/security/device administrators.


Honestly I doubt it will be able to do the activities you seek.

For example the IR grid sensor on Project Tango which does the depth sensing:

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Project+Tango+Tablet+Teardown/28148#s68068

Quoting IFixit:

  From Google: "The IR projector is from Mantis Vision, and designed specific to our specs for field of view and resolution. It is custom designed to work in partnership with the 4MP RGB-IR camera on the other side."

iFixit looks like there were able to independently run the IR projector to show off the field of dots:
https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Project+Tango+Teardown/23835#s62129

While the teardown for a Samsung Galaxy S8+

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S8%2B+Teardown/87086#s164374

[right most photo] notes an IR emitter, I'm incline to say that it would be tuned for iris scanning or other declared feature and work more like a IR flashlight than a grid.

For comparison iFixit shows off the front facing hardware of a Samsung Galaxy S9+ compared with a iPhone X:

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S9%2B+Teardown/104308#s195687

And you can note that the depth sensor assembly on the iPhone X is similar to the Project Tango tablet as a single assembly rather than a collection of separate cameras/projectors (probably for tolerance reasons during assembly).


How can I delete from my smartphone the images downloaded by Google Chrome from the internet, which I can't find anywhere?

In the folder /data/data/com.android.chrome and its subfolders, would be the place to look. You will need superuser permission to be able to access this folder. In Total Commander start File System Root.
For example /data/data/com.android.chrome/cache/image_cache Has picture files. Actually all the files in there are pics even though they have no extension.


Try Root Genius for PC.

Connect your Device with PC and enable USB Debugging.

Open Root Genius tools and Start Root.

It will take time to root but at last your device will be rooted and you will  see kinguser app will be installed on your device.

For Download : http://www.shuame.com/en/root/


The apk might be corrupted. Try to download it from a different source. Or if you tried to crack it try it with a new pattern(lucky patch).


Android 4.0.3 has virtual keyboard with Y key in wrong place?

Are the Y and Z keys switched?

It sounds as if you have the wrong language set for your keyboard (or your system, as it defaults to the systems language). Some European keyboard layouts, possibly German, have a QWERTZ layout instead.

Settings > Language & input > Android keyboard (Settings icon) > Input languages


Random headphone/icon bug? LG G3 running Sprint Android Lollipop 5.0.1

Basically, the Linux switch driver will raise the event to Android. I suspect that your headset jack insertion circuit failed.


How can I block unknown contacts from sending messages in Whatsapp?

When you receive an initial message from an unknown contact, you will have the option to Report Spam and Block.

If you just want to block the contact, simply tap on Menu Button > More > Block.

So, in other words, When you receive the message on WhatsApp from a number and that number is not yet in your contact, then WhatsApp will show BLOCK option at the top which should allows you to block that number from sending you FURTHER messages.

To block an existing contact on your Android phone, you can try below steps:

1.Open WhatsApp and go to your Chats screen.

2.Tap

Menu Button > Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked Contacts

.
(This page displays all contacts that you have blocked)

3.Tap the Add blocked contacts icon in the top right.

You may Want to check FAQ for more details.


Use custom lock screen on encrypted Jelly Bean device

Maybe:
lifehacker: Three Ways to Improve Your Android's Lock Screen Security
recommending:

Picture Password
Hidden Lock

Unfortunately, native Android solution, like proposed here via "vdc cryptfs changepw newpass" seem to work only on rooted devices.


Is it fully powered off currently? If not, there is luck.

METHOD 1: Requires screen lock to be None or Swipe.

Plug in USB cable to computer.
Find your phone in "This PC" in Windows, "Devices" in Linux, or download Android File Transfer (android.com/filetransfer/) for Mac.
Copy files. If your phone does not show any storage when found it does not have a None or Swipe screen lock. Try something else.

METHOD 2: Requires USB-OTG supported mouse and keyboard (can be Bluetooth if paired before accident).

Plug in a keyboard and mouse (requires USB-OTG splitter, but also means your kernel has to support multiple USB ports).
Press the "zzz" key on the keyboard to turn screen on.
Use the mouse as you would a touchscreen. Remember: hold down left mouse button to right click.
Use some sort of wireless transfer to copy your data to a computer.

METHOD 3: Requires USB debugging to be enabled for your computer.

Plug your phone into your computer.
For Windows or Mac, download ADB tools and unzip to your user folder. For Linux, run sudo apt-get install android-tools-fastboot android-tools-adb android-tools-adbd.
Open a terminal (or command prompt) and type adb devices. If your device is listed, continue. If not, retry or stop.
Type adb shell input keyevent 26 or adb shell input keyevent 224 to turn on the screen.
To "tap", run command adb shell input tap x y (x and y are coordinates to tap, replace them with numbers)
Once your phone is unlocked, use Method 1 to transfer files.


Change critical settings with ADB without root

No, you cannot change device settings with ADB unless you have root.

$ adb shell

$ settings put system test_variable test_value
Error while accessing settings provider
java.lang.SecurityException: Permission Denial

$ su
# settings put system test_variable test_value
# settings get system test_variable
test_value


According to this very well written document, this is NOT possible.


How do I change Android screen orientation via simulating acceleration?

I don't think you can do it via adb, but you can programmatically change the orientation using.setRequestedOrientation(ActivityInfo.SCREEN_ORIENTATION_LANDSCAPE);

You could link this up to a timer that would change the orientation every five minutes if that's what you want to do, or write it into unit tests to automatically check if everything goes ok when you change orientation.


Can I buy the Samsung official extended battery for the UK Galaxy Nexus?

Engadget has a great comparison shot of the battery differences between the HSPA+ and LTE versions in their review of the Verizon (LTE) Galaxy Nexus. The short answers seems to be 'no'; the link you provided is to an extended battery for the LTE Galaxy Nexus and therefore wouldn't be compatible with your HSPA+ version.


How to switch my SGS3 to a 'google play' edition phone?

Is rooting the only option available for me?

Yes.

  Shouldn't Samsung allow me just point my phone update link (?) to
  whatever I want, as my contract expires?

No.

The manufacturers do not have a legal or moral obligation to do so. They can provide the sources to the kernel on their site, that is about how far they can go.

This is where the community comes in, have a look at this titled "Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?"

Google Nexus line of devices are free from carrier related slow-downs in rolling out updates and fixes to Android, which is why you pay the odds over for a Google Nexus device.

Not all devices are deprived of the pure Google experience, i.e. no carrier bloatware, touchwiz, etc. It can be done by selected few talented developers, depending on the community and popularity of device in question.

You are free once the contract expires and do whatever you want without violating terms and conditions.

You can:

SIM unlock/Network Unlock
root the device
modify it
flash a custom ROM on it (refer to the linky above)


Android Update Results in "Hash of data does not match digest in descriptor" error

I realise this isn't maybe the most helpful of answers, but I thought I'd post it anyway in case someone else finds it useful.

The phone was under warranty, so took it to the local Samsung store. The support assistants commented that they'd "never seen this error before". It went in for repair and emerged fully working again.

When I asked what the problem one, I got a vague "they replaced some hardware component".

Again, not the most helpful, but enough to say that it looks like something beyond the help of a software re-install.


Which Android version/phone can control per-app access permission?

No, App Ops is not available on Android any more since Android v4.4.2 and probably won't be reintroduced with Android L but might be resurrected some time later. It was apparently dropped as some apps would stop functioning so the user experience would suffer.

Some optimal solutions:

Find a device that is supported by a Custom ROM like Cyanogenmod. This aftermarket firmware includes a feature called Privacy Guard that works similar to App Ops.
My preferred solution: Buy a phone that is rootable and use the 3rd party solution called Xprivacy. It is an Xposed module that has the most advanced permission control with a very dedicated developer. As long as your device is rooted you will be able to use that tool on any ROM > Android v4.0. Downside: Not easy to handle.
Use one of the other optional methods for permission management listed and compared by the Xprivacy developer here.


Music Player with a smart Shuffle option

There's an App called "Just Playlists" that states the "none repeating shuffle" as one of its features:

http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/media_and_video/just-playlists_byqz.html


app installed to /system/priv-app won't run

Moving an application from one space to another on Marshmallow and more superior will almost always result in that. The best way use the cp command, after that delete the source. An application at data has it's own set permissions which persist to the system and though even if you change them, since there's no new instance of file creation, the system just doesn't take care to trigger preparation of the app. The best way is

cp /data/app/[package.name]-1/app-name.apk /system/app/[app-folder-name]/app-name.apk

Repeat this for the libs in the app folder to the app folder. The folder should look like:

APPNAME containing .apk and LIB folder
LIB folder containing type of lib like ARM folder
ARM folder with all libraries eg libexample.so

set permission of all folders to chmod 0755
and all files to permission chmod 0644

They will work. To make life easier, stop using the shell commands. Look for a file manager to simplify your work but always remember of you're using TWRP or Terminal on a boot device always copy and delete source. Moving for many ROMs will actually lead to that

NOTE: The oat folder in that folder at /data/app/package.name/ is of no use. Dalvik will create it's new classes.dex at /data/dalvik-cache on install as system application


Can Google Pixel C tablet Android OS update every version?

In practice an Android device can only be updated by an update provided by the device manufacturer. This is not the same as an iOS update.

An update provided by the manufacturer contains a great deal of device specific code and data which the android version provided by Google does not. Each new version of Android has minimum hardware requirements which older hardware may not meet. Manufacturers receive the update in source form and add the code needed to interface with their hardware. They may also need to customize the Android code according to their own requirements.

In some cases it may be possible to update from other than the manufacturers update but this is for experts only and would require a great deal of time and effort.

This is one of the unfortunate realities of the Android market. Manufacturers would much prefer to sell you a new device than update your old one.


You should select your operator's internet APN from the APN list to enable the mobile data network. If you don't see it, check the settings from your operator and insert it manually from that menu.


Replacing my default phone application with other one

Bro I'm trying to do it .. But there is only one way I found .. Just download some system app installer apk and install it ..
Then get phone.apk and contact.apk from any custom ROM which is for your device and install them using system app installer ... That's all you can do .. I've tried a lot to find the way but it didn't work ..
Good luck


Okay, I am admittedly not an Apple guy, but it looks like you might need a third-party solution.

According to some comments I found here, non-support of birthdays is a known thorn. To get around it, the commenter used Spanning Sync but also mentioned SyncMan.

Spanning Sync offers a 15-day trial, after which it costs $25 for a one-year subscription or a $65 one-time purchase. The commenter referenced above did mention that he chose this because birthdays were not being sync'd.

SyncMan offers a 30-day trial, after which you can purchase it for $14.99. On the support page it specifically mentions birthdays as one of the things it syncs that the native Google sync in Address Book doesn't.


I think it's probably with the phone.The problem doesn't persist whenever I go to the settings and firstly unmounts  SD card and then restarts.It's a solution I discovered and as a precaution I have to take before restarting the Os.Take note also that-After restarting I then heads to the settings and re-mounts back- However,you asked if I have tried another SD card.Well I have two handsets and each has the card and I have verify.Huawei doesn't exhibits what I see with this Samsung Duos.Another thing that tends to overwhelms me recently is that;pictures from my gallery doesn't uploads either through android browser or within individual applications.Thanks for your great concern.


Sounds like you are in a bootloop.  If you've enabled android debugging, you can probably use logcat via adb logcat on your computer to read what's happening during the boot and figure out where/why it's crashing.  You'll usually see a crash message, and if you're in a boot loop, you'll frequently see a repeated cycle of text.

If googling samples of the log doesn't help come up with an explanation/solution, you might copy/paste that text, and (after verifying that it has no private information you don't want shared), paste it to a site such as pastebin.com or gist.github.com so that it can be easily shared.

Next, visit IRC (you can do this from the web and try one of the android support channels such as #android to see if you can find someone to help "live".  You can show them the link to your bootloop log, and they will hopefully have a suggestion for you or redirect you to more information.

You can also update this question with a link to the logcat and maybe someone can help you as well.

As a last resort, you can always boot into recovery mode and do a factory wipe (or merely wipe the cache), which may help as well.


Is there anyway to connect to a WPA Enterprise Wi-Fi network with version 1.5 on a Motorola Backflip?

http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1386

Short story; Android uses wpa_supplicant for its WPA support, so it can connect to WPA Enterprise, however the configuration app lacks the UI to configure wpa_supplicant for WPA Enterprise.

As a workaround, you can configure wpa_supplicant configuration files manually, try this: http://waipeng.blogspot.com/2009/08/howto-wpa-enterprise-on-android-htc.html


Try to remember how You used to connect it before and touch the areas of touch screen that were used back when phone responded. Perhaps it is just display that went off. This might be cheked by charging - if during charging display is dead then it is dead (obv). But if it responds - problem might be in a touchscreen or the power button.

But for best solution try to take your device to a service centre.


I had the same problem (I think) with the play store Osmand 3.5.5 and android 8.1. Here's what I did:

wait for Osmand 3.6 to be released.
start a new route
go to options -> Navigation settings
tap on "voice prompts" even though it is already "on". Tap on the text not the switch!
You can see a bunch of options now such as "voice guidance" which maybe defaults to "Don't use". Make sure it is set to some language.


How do I wipe the data from a hard bricked phone

The very definition of bricked is that the phone is totally inoperable.  But on the off chance that it is just a screen problem there are a couple of possibilities.

Try the HDMI output.  See if there is any sign of life.  If so, then either using the screen digitizer or an external USB mouse, do the normal Settings, Backup/Restore/Set to Factory thing.

Another idea is to try booting up a PC with a Linux LiveCD of your choice and see if you can access the phone at all.  If so, then go about deleting what you can.

If it is truly bricked, then perhaps it is time to go shopping.  Walmart Online has some good deals.


Why my Nokia 7.1 makes a sound every 30 seconds until I view the notification?

This is no longer an issue since the last Android P update - the setting in question that wasn't working no longer exists.


How to disable default calendar notification on Samsung Watch Active 2

I opened the Samsung Calendar app on my phone. Not through device manager but the Default Calendar that comes with Samsung phones. From there you can see all calendars and un-check the calenders you do or do not want to be synced.


Remove Whatsapp backup from Google account that is no longer used

WhatsApp has a nice FAQ article about their Google Drive backup functionality, so I'll refer to that below.

How can I move the new backups to my normal account? Will deleting the old account suffice?

No, you will need to configure WhatsApp to store backups in the new Google account you intend to use from now on. See the section called "Change to which account you want to back up your chat history".

How can I remove the old backups from the old account?

Please view the section called "Deleting your backup file from your Google account". Aside from clicking "Delete hidden app data", I'd also advise clicking "Disconnect from Drive" afterwards so the link between WhatsApp and that Google account is also broken on Google's side.

Could someone else with access to the old account restore my entire Whatsapp history?

Yes, provided that they also have access to the phone number associated with that WhatsApp backup. If they only have access to your Google account, then no, that's not enough: "After verifying your number, you will be prompted to restore your messages and media from Google Drive."


How to have a custom table of contents in Google Play Books?

You could edit the pdf changing the table of contents, either using adobe acrobat or some other, free, software.


How do I change my Google Account in Beyondpod?

From the feeds screen click menu > more > import and export feeds.  Once you are in there you should see the option to change the email.


Android default browser crashes on accessing specific page (no error message)

I have the same on my Desire S. Seems to be a bug in Skia font metrics calculation.

All I could get from the crash was that it is in:

SkPaint::getFontMetrics(SkPaint::FontMetrics*, float) const


Can I recharge my Android smartphone at any USB port?

There're two flavors of USB ports - powered and unpowered. Unpowered ports can't supply power to the devices and are rather rare. You identify them easily - connect the smartphone to them and see if it starts charging. If it starts charging the port is powered and you're okay.


Apps storing data in non-existent SD Card

As I do not know your phone model and features, so tried to explain it with my phone's system (Micromax A089). In my phone there is two internal memories. One called "System Storage" and the other called "Phone Storage or SD Card" (Not the external SD card inserted by me). I think your apps data is storing in the "Inbuilt Phone Storage/SD Card" of you phone. Otherwise there is no explanation for this problem.


Security tags on library book interfere with phone operation

After trying out other related searches, I've discovered that turning off NFC (Settings > Wireless & networks > More) will solve this particular problem.


How to run 2 shell scripts from ramdisk?

This appears to do the trick

# Check Properties
on property:dp.early_init.done=1
    start dp_early_init
    start dpu_early_init

on property:dp.init.done=1
    start dp_init
    start dpu_init

on property:dp.late_init.done=1
    start dp_late_init
    start dpu_late_init

on property:dp.post_fs.done=1
    start dp_post_fs
    start dpu_post_fs

on property:dp.post_fs_data.done=1
    start dp_post_fs_data
    start dpu_post_fs_data

on property:dp.boot.done=1
    start dp_boot
    start dpu_boot

on property:sys.boot_completed=1
    export PATH /sbin:/system/bin
    start dp_post_boot
    start dpu_post_boot

on property:sys.shutdown.requested=1
    start dp_shutdown
    start dpu_shutdown

# DP User Services
service dpu_early_init /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onearlyinit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_init /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/oninit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_late_init /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onlateinit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_post_fs /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onpostfs.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_post_fs_data /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onpostfsdata.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_boot /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onboot.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_post_boot /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onpostboot.sh
    class late_start
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dpu_shutdown /sbin/bash /data/dp_scripts/onshutdown.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

# DP Services
service dp_early_init /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onearlyinit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_init /sbin/bash /sbin/0/oninit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_late_init /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onlateinit.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_post_fs /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onpostfs.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_post_fs_data /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onpostfsdata.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_boot /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onboot.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_post_boot /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onpostboot.sh
    class late_start
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot

service dp_shutdown /sbin/bash /sbin/0/onshutdown.sh
    user root
    disabled
    oneshot


How to install a web certificate on an Android device?

For Android 2.2, the certificates (without renaming or converting) can be placed at the root of the sd card.

To install:

Go to the Settings/Security menu, Credential storage section.
Activate Use secure credentials.
Click Install from SD card.
A menu will appear with the available certificates.
Click on each certificate to install.

Those certificates will then be available to the wifi system.


https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.app2sd

Download it...Enjoy moving apps to SD cards.

Note: moving apps to SD will not FULLY move the file - It simply allocates the majority of the file size to the SD card and leaves behind a trace amount (not entirely sure why) - so even if you move EVERYTHING to the SD card, you will notice that your phone memory is still lower than it would be if you have no apps..but still leaving much more than if the apps were on your phone memory :)

edit

For clarity...I have no association with that app or its developer(s), it's just simply the app I selected to use many moons ago and often recommend it, there may be better or sleeker options, but I am far too lazy to look when this one does the job just fine! :D


how to remove password lock when Google keyboard is uninstalled

Try connecting a usb keyboard to your phone.


How to block certain devices for my hotspot

When device connects, in menu where set up hotspot option is there, long press the device and click on: block.
Use the traditional method: set up password


How to troubleshoot overheating and high battery drain in an Android Device?

BBS is more confusing than GSAM battery companion. It provides more detail, but GSAM + root can tell you a lot. If you could provide screenshots of full charge, to fully dead we can point you in right direction; if this happens in 7 hours with the screen off and no interaction all the better it should be very trivial to find.

From there, you could use Xposed App Opps module to disable apps with excessive spyware.

I don't really help people (relatives, friends) with this stuff unless they're willing to understand 'why' themselves, easier to just recommend iPhone.

There's almost certainly a rogue app running around doing something. A picture would be worth a thousand words


How to import contacts from  Samsung Omnia II i8000?

I had a similar problem withe my Ace 3, this article helped me a bit. What I had to do was :

go to "contacts"
tap on "settings"
"import from SIM card"
If it did not work (like erase the numbers in your case) try erasing them from the phone and starting again, some bugs can happen. If it still does not work, you will have to ask each person to send you back there number !

Have a nice day


I had the One Touch before the phone I have now. It am sad to say that thr phome itself causes the problem. I could barely install an app. Every app would install on internal storage.
You have to try install a app on internal and than move to your SD card


Nearly every app I open directly crashes

Alike the asker, uninstalling / removing updates of Android System WebView app fixed the problem for me too.


As with any app:  look at the permissions it requests and think about whether the app legitimately needs those permissions.  There's nothing inherently unsafe about using a custom launcher, but if it requests permissions that shouldn't be needed just to display a home screen, it may have hidden malicious functionality.  (Or it may use them for legitimate purposes:  for example, some popular launchers request permission to "directly call phone numbers" so that they can provide the ability to put direct-dial icons on your home screen.)

To see the permissions of an app you've already installed, go to Settings -> Apps, find the app, and scroll down to the bottom of its info page.  You can also see an app's permissions in the Play store before you install it:  scroll down to the bottom of the app's page in the Play store and tap on "Permission details".

Note that a launcher app will (naturally) know which other apps you launch with it.  That's generally not a problem, but if the launcher app has Internet permission, it could potentially send information about which apps you use to a third party, which would be a privacy violation.

When you uninstall an app, any data stored with the app itself is removed; this generally includes things like customization settings.  But if the app has "modify USB storage" permission, it may have also created files in your phone's shared storage area — the files you see when you plug the phone into your computer with a USB cable.  Those aren't deleted when you uninstall an app, but you can delete them yourself, either with a USB connection or a file-manager app on the phone itself.

A custom launcher doesn't "override the native OS" in any unsafe way.  It's really just a normal app that happens to respond to the phone's Home button.


TalkAndroid.com has this list of the top 5 RSS readers for andoid here.

gReader (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
FeedR (costs 1.99)
FastReader (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
FeedSquares (3rd party app requires your google credentials)
NewsRob (3rd party app requires your google credentials)


Not yet available in India.
Here you can see most of the countries are in pending list for OTA update.
If you are impatient for the update, you can grab the Asia or Germany version and manually install using the Odin method.


Phone soft reboots when making or receiving a call [Nexus 6][CM13]

The issue is the current build of gapps - quick workaround is to manually set the Phone/Dialer app as the default Phone App in Settings -> Apps ->  -> Default Apps -> Phone App.

Source: https://forum.cyanogenmod.org/topic/124381-dialer-crashes/?do=findComment&comment=590388


Do you have background data restricted? If not then try clearing cache & data of the following Apps:

Download Manager,
Google Account Manager,
Google Services Framework

Then reboot & open play store it will ask you to log in with your Google Account, after logging in try installing something it should be working now.


Is it possible to disable vibration for the notifications only (Android 6.0)?

Yes, but only on an individual application basis.

Got to the application settings and turn this option on.

Click image for larger version


In a bluetooth connection between Android phone and health device which one is the master device?

Android's documentations only mention client and server relationship so it's more important to determine which device is the client and which is the server. The device that initiates the connection is the client while the other is server.

Someone says that the master is usually the client while the slave is the server but I'm not sure if that applies for all cases.


How do I transfer my phone numbers to an Android phone?

Your aim needs to be to get the contacts in to the Google account that it is associated with the phone. Once the contacts are in Google, they should automatically synchronise to the phone.

The first step is to create a CSV from your Outlook contacts:

From Outlook, do the following:
File -> Import and Export...
Choose Export to a file
Choose Comma separated values (DOS)
Select the Contacts folder
Choose a filename to export to and OK it
Hit Next and then Finish and let Outlook create the file

Now that you have your file, you need to import the CSV file in to Google Mail.

Log in to Google Mail in the normal way
Select Contacts from the left navigation bar
From the top right, choose Import
Choose the CSV that you just saved from Outlook
Hit the Import button

Once that has finished uploading, your contacts should be available in Google Mail. They should automatically sync up to your phone within a few minutes.


How do I find the Mac address of a paired device?

if your Bluetooth Headphone Paired with Device, you can find Mac Address with this Apps :

Bluetooth Finder

or

Bluetooth Address Finder


Is it possible to root an android phone while a specific application is running?

I hope I understood the question right, you have an app and you wish to detect if the phone is rooted, and if it is, than you stop your app from running?

If that's the case I am not sure. Simply because, what code can you write in your app that checks if your phone is rooted or not? Since the user is the king in that case, and your app is not system app but rather a third party if you will, you have a limited set of permissions you can ask from the user to give you. None of these permissions will help you however to determine if the phone is rooted or not. Hence, as far as I know, not possible. However if you ever stumble across some hack that let's you do it, please let me know :)


Battery life cut in half recently - DrReadUsbStatus issue?

The error seems like something regular. A Google Search reveals many places it is mentioned (with a logcat), but almost nowhere it is commented on -- except for GALAXY W Constant Error in Logcat (XDA).

A shame they removed the wakelock stats from *#*#4636#*#* service menu (which would have offered you a quick way to check) with Gingerbread and up. You might want to look for some monitor app on the market (there's e.g. SystemPanel which might prove helpful) to figure out what keeps your device awake.

In case this app doesn't provide the required information (I already mentioned Wakelocks being the most probable cause), there's another useful app: BetterBatteryStats (also mentioned in the XDA-Link) seems to bring back Wake-Lock stats. As a short and eased-up explanation: An app might request the CPU not going to sleep, but still not actually use the CPU, though - the Android PowerManager API provides an interface for this). So BetterBatteryStats should help you find the responsible app:

For reference, here's the link to the BetterBatteryStats Thread on XDA, including the App (and its Changelog) as well as some closer explanation, especially on Wake-Locks.


Why wouldn't Project Treble work on Android phones that weren't originally shipped with Oreo once updated to 8.0?

Yes, project treble is a software architecture update but there are few things to consider.

Q. What is the real reason for Android fragmentation?

A. One word answer is silicon vendor's kernel source.

They start developing the hardware almost 2 years before the commercial launch so the source is based on an Old Linux kernel version. As the silicon company is interested in developing new chips instead of supporting 2-year-old chips, they do not update the source for new Android release. Hence no device OEM can update it to the new version.

Google has done many efforts to resolve this issue. One is extended long-term support releases of Linux kernel (6 years instead of 2). Another effort is to provide silicon manufacturers a Vendor Test Suite (VTS) similar to CTS(Compatibility Test Suite). Now silicon vendors only have to develop source once which is compatible with VTS guidelines and Google will ensure that it will work with further updates. So vendors will not update previous chips according to VTS but upcoming all of the chips will be treble supported (hopefully).

So fragmentation is solved this way?

Wrong. Because this is only one of the cause of fragmentation. There is one more that is modifications done by device OEM and carriers. Treble is not a solution for these problems. The only solution is to stick to a pure stock android but no OEM is doing so. OEMs are not interested in porting their changes to every device because it needs a lot of work so they only work for their flagship devices. In the case of one plus, Snapdragon 835 is treble supported but I think they lack the workforce to port oxygen OS to next releases for old devices.

In a nutshell, Google has done the part to fight fragmentation now it depends on device OEMS.

I hope the answer helps.

EDIT(One Plus):

For One Plus refer this post

  However, because partitions were not required of Android N and previous versions of Android, all of our current devices do not feature a partition. According to our tests, if we were to modify the partition layout via OTA there is a risk that devices will brick during the partitioning.

In a nutshell, The main problem for one plus is that project treble requires different partitions for modularity of OS which was not the case before Oreo. As One Plus 5 as well as 5T were originally shipped with Nougat, they are not partitioned according to treble. Partitioning via OTA update can brick the device so they are not doing it.

Normal users want all the apps and data saved while updating which is very risky while partitioning via incremental update. You can do it with clean wipe but no OEM will do this as average user does not want treble at the expense of losing all the saved apps and data.

TL;DR

Phones shipped with nougat has only one partition i.e. system but for treble, vendor partition must be different from system and partitioning from ota update is not a good idea for companies.


You can't.  RIM's PIN system and BBM are proprietary.  You can only communicate with a BlackBerry user via PIN messages or BBM if you have a BlackBerry.

Get a new Bold 9900 / 9930, they're great! Full disclosure: I work for RIM. This is not an official statement from RIM either, this is me speaking as a user in my off time at home. I honestly think the new Bold is the best BB yet.


OK got it sorted... just writing this down incase anyone stumbles across the same issue...

Deleted both accounts and recreated them, now it works :)


How can I see how "Internal" storage is used

For the first question (and the 3rd If I'm understanding you correctly), since you're presumably rooted, a simple method for getting a look at things would be to install busybox (if you haven't already) and a terminal emulator and use the du utility.
For example, if I want to look at how much space each app's own data is taking up, I would use du -d 1 -h /data/data, which gives me the contents of /data/data (where all the apps' data is stored) to 1 level deep (just the directories directly below /data/data, which are all named after the apps' package names) and give me the sizes in human readable format (Kilobytes, megabytes, etc.).  This will tell you exactly how much data every app on your device is storing.  You can point this wherever you like.  For the 3rd question, you'd simply point it at wherever Link2SD mounts its storage.
For persistent storage, just look at /data/app, which is where the apks themselves are stored.

For further info on the usage of du, refer to the busybox manual.


In 4.2.1 (maybe in 4.2.0) there was an option added to the MMS application to support multiple recipients.

While you may have been able to see them all the way that William stated, i've never seen that option.

In 4.2.1 you click on the menu and select "Group Participants". This shows everyone that is included in the conversation. When you reply to a group now, it sends the messages to all participants, not just the person that sent you the message.

I know this doesn't relate directly to your question as you are not asking about 4.2, but I do not know of a way that this can be done in anything pre-4.2. This feature was discussed a bit because it was the first time android supported this feature.

While you could always "start" a group conversation in any version of android, you could not "participate" in a group conversation with anyone other than the original sender.


Is there a maximum number of devices allowed on a Google Play Account?

This applies to Music, but seems it also might generally apply to all Google accounts regardless if they use Google Music or not.

  Any user can associate up to 10 devices to his or her account.
  ...
  We limit the number of times you can swap out new devices at the request of some of our music partners in an effort to limit abuse.

But you may also run into an issue if there is a credit card associated with the account used to purchase apps - any student could purchase whatever from the market.

If you're serious about doing this, and you didn't make it very clear what you're actually wanting, you might want to consider contact a device manufacturer and setup a contract to create tablets specifically for your needs.


theme chooser for cm 12 broken/disappeared after update?

After using adb to remove the data for the packages org.cyanogenmod.theme.chooser and org.cyanogenmod.themes.provider, as suggested above and elsewhere, and also after cleaning the data in trebuchet on the phone (by way of trial and error), the only thing that really made the Theme Chooser work again was a clean flash:

download the latest cyanogenmod (and Google Apps if you want) to your sd card (remove /system/* too if you are switching to Open GApps from another GApps)
reboot into recovery (on an Xperia Z1 Compact by repeatedly pressing volume-up at boot)
choose wipe data / factory reset and empty cache
do install update for both the CM and GApps ZIP files
reboot

After reboot, my apps were re-installed via my Google account and the data (images, documents) from before flashing were all still there.

The custom wallpapers and (in my case no) sounds needed to be set anew.


Does Android Jelly Bean supports NTFS SD card formatting?

Honestly speaking, It depends on the manufacturer. As far as I am aware, the company has to get some license from Microsoft to include NTFS support. Speaking from experience, most (high-end) Samsung and HTC phones do while custom roms typically do not.

The only sure-shot method to confirm is by trying it out with an extra sd card...


How can I install custom fonts on Android?

In general, no. Some apps will let you add extra fonts to your SD card and search for then there, but that's app-specific.

If your device is rooted, you could replace the built in fonts with those of your choosing, but that's a system-wide change.


Here is a solid workaround which requires a bit of work if you are not accustomed with the subject:
Edit BOOT partition.

In the BOOT partition (boot.img) are stored all the files that will be loaded in / at boot.
I added a symlink in it:

.ssh -> /data/.ssh

Here are two very helpful tutorials that will get you going:
HOWTO: Unpack, Edit, and Repack Boot Images
Android boot.img manipulation

a little hint:
Do edit the ramdisk in your Android device.
I spent three days in frustration trying to do so in my pc, I guess is a matter of "endianness".


Working root method for myTouch 4G Slide?

Since you've already unlocked your bootloader, you should be able to flash a recovery from fastboot and then use that to root. This will get you root on your stock ROM (but not S-OFF):

Download ClockworkMod recovery for the doubleshot from this link
Download the Superuser/su zip file from this link
Reboot into fastboot mode. To do this, remove power off the phone, remove the battery, then hold volume down while you re-insert the battery and press power. When the bootloader menu appears, press power again to select "Fastboot".
Flash the custom recovery image: fastboot flash recovery /path/to/clockworkmod.img.
Reboot into recovery (reboot and hold volume down, I believe, otherwise use #3 above to boot into the bootloader then press volume down to select "Recovery" and press the power button).
Copy the Superuser/su zip file onto your device and install it from recovery. It may be easier to get the zip onto your device if you first reboot normally and then use Android's mass storage feature to just copy it over.


Only devices with NVIDIA Tegra chips in them can be completely restored to factory conditions.

When you root your phone, the warranty is void, and there is no sending it back.

You can Back-Up a ROM and before booting, wipe the phone's ROM and restore one of the backed up ROMs.
Backing up and restoring is very time consuming, though.
You would only want to do that so you could perhaps have an AOSP ROM, a TouchWhiz ROM, and perhaps a CM9 or AOKP ROM as well--
Trust me, you'll be too busy flashing new updates to worry about switching between backups.

Head over to http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1346 for the low down on the rest. You can never read enough, really--

The different ROMs will be under the Development section.


Is copying an .apk into /{system, data}/app sufficient to install an Android application?

Yes, I believe apps can be installed just by placing them in the appropriate directory.  I'm not sure what the app installer does beyond this copying, if anything.  The Market does update the system's list of apps "linked" to the Market however, so that the Market can check for updates and such.  Apps installed by other means won't show up in the Market's list.


How to disable cellular when WiFi is present?

You can give a try to an app developed by a XDA Developers Forum user gyagapen that essentialy the app intelligently manages switching between both your WiFi and 3G data connections as you move about:
CleverConnectivity

CleverConnectivity is an application that helps you to manage your data and wifi connection in order to save battery.
How does CleverConnectivity work?
This application will automatically turn on and off connectivity (data/wifi/sync) while screen is OFF.
For example if the user chooses below configuration:
Time On: 2min
Time On Next Check: 1min
Time Off: 10m
Usage check Interval: 3s
Once the screen is OFF, CleverConnectivity will keep connectivity alive for 2min. Then it will check if data is used during a period of 3s.
If data is used, connectivity will be kept for 1 minute (Time On Next Check).
If data is NOT used, connectivity will be desactivated for 10min. After this, the connectivity will be re-activated and Time On will kick in.
Once screen is ON, connectivity will be automatically re-enabled.

Links:

Google Play Store - 1,00€ No Ads
Google Play Store - Free Version (with ads)

You can give a try to an app available from Google Play Store that automatically controls your WiFi status:
Smart WiFi Toggler

Description
Smart WiFi Toggler is an application designed to control your phone's WiFi using location based rules. Its aim is to conserve battery and minimize data charges by turning WiFi off when not connected to a network, and turning it on when a known hotspot is present. It constantly learns where your hotspots are located to make its decisions.
It's a very useful application if you frequently forget to turn WiFi off when leaving a hotspot, or if you want to automatically switch from mobile data to WiFi to conserve battery whenever you're back into a hotspot.
Here are some of cool features Smart WiFi Toggler has to offer:

Automatically learns your WiFi hotspot locations.
Turns WiFi off when disconnected from WiFi network.
Automatically turns WiFi on when near a known hotspot.
Uses your network location. No GPS battery drain.
Provides the ability to control "auto-connect" behavior for each hotspot.
Ability to lock WiFi to a disabled state.
Warning notification and auto-locking WiFi when a hotspot is down.
History, logging, and a troubleshooting screen in case you face any problems.


Play Store crashes when menu or back button are tapped

If you root your phone then you can safely install Xposed and this module that should fix the problem.


Upgrade FreeLander PD80 Vogue QuadCore 9.7 inch Android 4.0 tablet to Jelly Bean

Unfortunately it is a common policy for resellers to cancel the warranty if the buyer upgrades the ROM. Several manufactures though allow upgrading for their official ROMs, but I am afraid this is not the case for Freelander, for which unfortunately I have not found any official ROM (at least not in Chinese). I am not sure what are the legal aspects of such policies. In any case there is a risk involved when upgrading a device that the device may be 'bricked', ie be rendered unusable if something goes wrong.

Now regarding the ROMs for the particular device, I believe I have found mainly two alternatives.

The first is to use a ROM from a similar Ainol device. The link for the ROM is http://pan.baidu.com/share/link?shareid=352175935&uk=420337580 (use Google translate to identify the download button which should be the second at the right hand side).

The update procedure along with some testimonials can be found on:
http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/82866-android-422-on-freelander-pd80-wise/

According to those testimonials, the only thing not working properly after the upgrade is the front camera.

The second alternative is to use one of the Cyanogenmod ROMs (10.2 or 11) for Allwinner A31 device. In the above links you can find all relevant information, along with whatever may go wrong.

I have not yet evaluated any of these but I will eventually as I own such a device and the existing ROM is nonsense. Please provide any feedback when available.


Conf call passcode repeats in skype application

I figured out that dial pad in certain mobiles echoes very badly. Workaround was, when I dial in the access code, I have to put on mute. Only then it works. Surprise is, this works fine on other apps like viber, google call. Only skype dial pad is having this issue.


How to connect to multiple hosts through SSH, with the "same ip", with "Better Terminal Emulator Pro"?

Well, generally most of the SSH clients I have used work fine (e.g. JuiceSSH / SSH droid) so I would really recommend changing.

If you are really determined to do this then you could use a separate ssh program in a terminal (not sure if this will work) or you could try setting up multiple IP addresses on the linux laptop.

Let's say you have an IP address like 192.168.0.7/24

Then (if you own the network or have permission to use the other addresses) you could login as root and do

ip address add 192.168.0.8/24 dev eth0

then you will be able to login to the same laptop on a different address.  You'll find plenty of tutorials on the web for setting up IP addresses on Linux so I won't go into the full details.

I should probably also mention solutions such as the linux programs screen and dtach which allow you to have multiple shell sessions on one terminal.  Those are probably in many ways better for you.


Getting a list of applications with SMS permission

There is a FREE app called Permission Explorer. Check the MESSAGES category in that app.


Wouldn't you have to chmod rwx-rx-rx? (IE: 755, execute permissions for all users) so that Android can actually run the DSPManager APK/app? Or is this not the case on Android?


difference between ninesky and ninesky cn

The screenshots of the CN version are all in Chinese, also the language code for Chinese Simplified is "CN".


Does Airplane Mode allow GPS location to pass through?

GPS is a receive-only technology. There are satellites in orbit around the planet and these satellites transmit. Your device receives these signals, but does not communicate back to the satellites. Using your device with GPS is no more dangerous than using it without GPS.

Airplane mode is basically equivalent to "turn off transmitters", though you can also reenable WiFi and Bluetooth. Using GPS is completely consistent with transmitters being disabled.

Assisted GPS is a way of improving the time to first fix. Your device communicates to local non-satellite infrastructure (a cell tower) and receives information about what satellites are currently in view for the local area and orbit corrections. Satellites also communicate this information, but it is much faster to receive this from a local data connection. Without assisted GPS, your time to first fix may be ~12.5 minutes (obviously longer if you cannot receive a good signal). With assisted GPS, this can be reduced to seconds. Once you have a fix, assisted GPS is equivalent to unassisted GPS.

With airplane mode enabled, your device will not use assisted GPS because it cannot communicate with the assisted GPS infrastructure. It will use the standalone mode. This is why people may suggest to acquire a GPS fix on the ground before you start your flight; it's easier for your device to acquire a fix with a data connection and preserve a state where you get location updates than it is to cold start in-flight.


That's rather a shell scripting question to be asked at Super User. Your answer can be found here: Extract filename and extension in bash:

for file1 in $SYSAPP*.apk.odex; do
    mv "${file1}" "${file1%.*}.odex"
done
for file2 in $SYSPRIVAPP*.apk.odex; do
    mv "${file2}" "${file2%.*}.odex"
done

should work on most shells, supposedly.

Update:

You can even omit half of your script by adapting this to your original statements: dexopt-wrapper $i1 ${i1%.*}.odex should create the file with the correct naming, so no need to rename it later. To make your script real short and handy:

#!/bin/sh
SYSAPP=/mnt/extSdCard/FilesToOdex/system/app/
SYSPRIVAPP=/mnt/extSdCard/FilesToOdex/system/priv-app/

for i1 in $SYSAPP*.apk $SYSPRIVAPP*.apk; do
    echo "Odexing $i1..."
    dexopt-wrapper $i1 ${i1%.*}.odex
done

That's all you should need :)


How can I take a screenshot of a specific portion of my screen?

There is no tool with this feature. But it is possible to crop the picture in the gallery.


How to fix the infamous Nook Color / Nook Tablet charging USB cable for good?

I fixed the cable early before it was too late.

The problem zone is the hard transition from the connector to the cable. Shear force due to moving/bending the cable is very strong there when the cable is inserted into the Nook. This is the place where it starts to break and that needs to be fixed.

I consider this solution permanent as it hasn't broken in 18 months:

Add another coating to this transition to reduce shear force.

Used components:

superglue
2 pieces of heat shrink tube (different diameter)

Before:

Fixed:


Does Chrome Mobile on ICS support extensions?

It does not, and Flash is also not supported as of now. Information Week reports (and I can personally corroborate):

  Web apps and extensions, including Adobe Flash Player, are not
  supported in the initial release of Chrome for Android Beta.

Trying to visit the extensions Web Store page on my Xoom results in a page which simply says the following:

  Sorry, your operating system is not supported just yet. The Chrome Web
  Store is available on Windows, Mac and Linux. Why don't you send a
  reminder to yourself to try it out later?


My Android phone does not start - how to isolate hardware issue?

If your device received update recently which was already scheduled waiting on reboot, the instruction is placed in /cache/recovery/command TWRP may stuck on that instruction. this can be cleared by formatting cache partition
TWRP Commandline Guide
If device stuck on TWRP splash screen you still might have command line access via adb. Note daemon has 30 second delay on start, adbd is not ready when TWRP is boot-looping
adb shell format cache

or manually if partition is not in fstab
adb shell
find /dev/block -name by-name
mke2fs /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/cache

If bootloader is unlocked you can also format from fastboot
fastboot format:ext4 cache

For further analyzing boot-loop usb-debugging is required. On unlocked device you can enable by modifying default.prop

download ROM according to your version
unpack boot.img and extract with AIK
modify ramdisk/default.prop and repack
flash image-new.img into boot partition

(you can read how it works here)
Why "adb root" does nothing?
  ro.adb.secure=0
  ro.secure=0
  ro.debuggable=1
  persist.service.adb.enable=1
  persist.service.debuggable=1
  persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb

If your device is booting far enough you should be able to capture some log during boot. For details and more information on debugging refer to the logcat wiki
Reading and Writing Logs


How can  I disable screen lock feature temporarily?

One way to prevent this is to create an extra guest profile with help from SwitchMe:

Get root, install SwitchMe, create an guest profile, protect your profile with an password and enable SwitchMe's login manager feature. This allows you to recover the tablet by rebooting into your profile and resetting or deleting the guest profile.

Note that SwitchMe may not work with your ROM.


The maximum number of users is defined in a resource overlay defined by device manufacturer. The resource is named config_multiuserMaximumUsers. Check in Device Administration doc: Multi User. This is manageable via APIs.


Yes. File Short cut App will help you to create short cut for files.

It is an app to create a shortcut to open the file.
You can choose any files such as images, videos, or PDF.
Note
- You need a separate application that corresponds to the format so you can open the file.
For example, PDF files can not be opened without PDF readers such as Adobe Reader.

Supports
mp3, mp4, jpg, png, gif, html, pdf, txt, doc, xls, ppt


How do I sign my SG4 out of google play?

Log into it from another device's Web browser, change the password on that account, and go to https://mail.google.com and scroll to the bottom and select Details then Sight out other sessions.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/gmail/zIVuCmZ-tuA


how to stop auto login on Skype for Android

In the current version (5.7) you need to follow these steps:

Sign out (click on your avatar and then choose "sign out")
Go to the Android application manager, find Skype, then click "Force Stop".


Don't forget to check for water damage.

  Every phone that is sold by a reputable retailer
  (T-Mobile, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, etc.) should contain a tiny
  indicator that clearly shows if water has attacked your phone. This
  little item is typically called the liquid damage indicator, or LDI
  for short. In almost every case, a red or pink indicator means that
  there is water damage. A white indicator means that there is no water
  damage.

Here is the detail.


How to Run a script or get adb devices from machine 1 to mobile device which is connected machine 2?

Yes, you can do that using adb connect REMOTE_MACHINE_IP:XXXX .

where XXXX is the port of the remote machine.

Sources:

http://www.41post.com/5003/programming/android-adb-remote-emulator-access

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13278429/how-to-set-up-adb-for-remote-machine-development-and-local-device-deployment


Yes, some web pages do not let you zoom in. However, this can be overridden in Chrome.

Go to Settings -> Accessibility and tick mark Force enable zoom.

This overrides a web page's request to prevent zooming in. So then you can zoom into pages without trouble.

Hope this helps.


Options:

Auto Reboot
F. Reset Time

Files [Download]

PDA: .tar file

Source: AndroidCentral


The best way to assess this tool is to read the Terms of Service, which is publicly available here.

A relevant part is this subsection of "Installation and use of software" on the tracked users' devices:

  You can only install and use this app on a device which is your
  property, or for which you have written permission to install the app,
  from the owner. You must make anyone who uses a device on which this
  app is installed, aware of the fact that their internet and phone
  activity is being monitored and archived. Failure to do the above
  might be considered breaking of federal and state laws. If you install
  our software onto a device which you do not own, or don’t have proper
  consent to do so, we will fully cooperate with all relevant
  institutions. Spy phone app is not to be used to ‘Stalk’ or ‘Harass’
  anyone. Spy phone app software must not be used to monitor the
  smartphone and private life of a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, child
  over 18 without their written consent. Please read all relevant
  legislation before purchasing and using this app.

Considering the possibility you are asking whether it is safe for you (as the tracker), this is the relevant subsection from the "Privacy policy":

  Our app does not collect any additional info from your device than the
  ones required for its successful operation. Your data is in safe
  hands.

And this further down:

  The data collected includes but it is not limited to phone calls, gps
  logs, sms logs, system logs. We do not collect passwords or credit
  card numbers.

So, the conclusion: You can only feel safe about this app if you lower your defenses and those of the "friends"/"active voluntary participants" in your scheme.

Unsolicited personal opinion - it's probably a good idea to evaluate why this app is not distributed via Google Play Store.


How do I move the clock back to the right in Android Pie?

This is a problem encountered by many that has upgraded into Android Pie or bought a new one with Android Pie. Luckily, this could be fixed but rooting the phone is necessary. Someone I know tried this and it worked. May this also help you,
https://www.xda-developers.com/status-bar-clock-tweaks-android-p-root/


Acer Iconia B1-710 connecting to TV using HDMI

In order to use a USB to HDMI cable the device needs to support Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL), which, unfortunately, the Iconia B1-710 does not.

Some devices have their own proprietary cables for connecting, but, according to this Acer forum thread:

  We do not support connecting the B1-710 tablet to a television via USB. There are no products that I am aware of that would facilitate this connectivity.


What happens to my WhatsApp account if my carrier sells my number to someone else?

Simple answer No you can't use that account anymore

Reason being that WhatsApp is linked to your number. If the carrier sells that number and new owner activates WhatsApp , they will be prompted to authenticate and a new account is created for them. If they don't install WhatsApp you are good to go to the next time Whatsapp asks for authentication

Actions to be taken for change of number before changing number are mentioned in WhatsApp FAQ


Play Store gone from my Cyanogenmod 7 Galaxy Ace. How can I get it back?

Format the system Partition and reflash Cyanogenmod and Gapps in recovery. Unfortunately you will have to reinstall all apps (even ones on the SD card).

Note: Sometimes, bizarrely, it can wipe part of a SD card. I lost photos and videos and also appdata (which was ext4) but all my downloads and recovery zips remained. Not sure if that it a problem with the OS, my phone or the recovery system I use. Just thought I would mention it as a warning, just in case.


Unlock full Developer options on Philips PFK5500/12

After an update they are were just there.


How can I tell if I need to replace my battery?

Li Ion or Li Po batteries don't die suddenly - their performance degrades in terms of :
a) Short Term: Ability to hold charge and deliver expected performance
b) Long Term:: Deliver upto 80%  capacity upon being charged / discharged over a period of time (in other words life of battery). The battery is considered to be technically dead if it delivers less
There is no sure way of determining and saying this battery has gone bad, but there are a couple of things you could try:

Spin Test: Since your phone has user removable battery try this. For details, see this nice answer with embedded video.

Vbatt: This app should give a fairly good indication, since it simulates discharging under screen on condition . When you charge your battery to 100% (irrespective of the reading it shows on disconnecting ), activate this app widget and it will tell you the voltage level and how long it should last under screen on condition. Let it ruin till the battery nearly runs out and compare the predicted Vs actual. Simple. From app description

Vbatt is a simple battery widget for Android smartphones and tablets. It displays the current battery voltage (Vbatt) and  the remaining battery capacity (percentage) and optionally logs these values to a CSV-file.

The main reason for developing Vbatt was the differing behaviour of replacement batteries while discharging them in daily use ... For a better estimation of the remaining phone runtime the Vbatt widget displays in addition to the remaining capacity (percentage) the battery voltage

While battery voltage is arguably not the best indicator of health of battery, running this app can help you in a couple of ways
a) Giving you the current performance which you can compare with earlier performance as you recall or from Screen On Time (SoT) which you can gather from internet or forums
b)  If you can lay your hands on a new or properly performing battery from your friends, running this app on both batteries, you can easily judge for yourself. You can even ask your friend having the same phone to install this app, run it and compare.
Since your phone is refurbished, there could be another factor at play for deterioration in performance- date of manufacture of battery. Li Ion batteries (for that matter all batteries) suffer from Self Discharge At the rate of 4% every month, which means if your battery, even if it is original, but kept on the store shelf for say an year before being sold, it had already affected the longevity of battery and it shows up in performance
IMO, looking at the battery figures shared, I would recommend battery replacement (assuming no other reason like hardware issues). It would help you to decide by running tests mentioned


Move apps to SD card in Marshmallow without using internal SD Card storage?

Without root and a 3rd party app like Link2SD, it is not possible in Marshmallow because Google removed that capability from Android. If you accept an OTA from Lollipop to Marshmallow, Apps currently on SD will remain there but no additional apps can be moved to the SD card under Marshmallow.


Yup, HTC Desire 530 can be rooted. Check out:

http://www.androidinfotech.com/2016/12/root-htc-desire-530-marshmallow-twrp.html

https://rootthat.blogspot.in/2016/06/how-to-root-htc-desire-530.html

The PC version of Kingo Root works as well.


Disable Notification Vibration for Specific Apps

Via https://www.xda-developers.com/stop-vibrations-android-apps/ :

Vibration can be disabled per-app with an adb command:

adb shell
cmd appops set [package] VIBRATE ignore

The [package] is usually something like "com.somecompany.someappname". There are a various programs that will let you see the name of apps (the page there suggests one), but

adb shell 'pm list packages -f'

should do it as well.

More detailed info about installing and using adb is listed at the top link or in other answers on SE.


Combine/merge/concatenate/unsplit long SMS/text messages?

SMS message concatenation seems to be a function of your phone's network technology (CDMA/GSM), the SMS application's support for the standard, and the message's origination/destination carrier combination.

Some carriers don't like long messages (over 160 characters) coming from other carriers and will not allow the correct message headers through to your phone, meaning your phone can't piece things together. A quick pulse of opinion  on the issue also seems to indicate that CDMA networks are worse at transmitting concatenated messages, although the facts look to lean more toward the idea that CDMA was just behind the standards adoption curve. Your phone, of course, also has to know what to do with a long message when it sees one; mileage will vary.

Personally, when my dinc was stock it was very obviously up to Verizon to decide to give me a long message in one big piece - long messages from friends on other carriers were the only ones not concatenated. Now that I'm on MIUI the built-in SMS app seems to do better at it, but I don't text like I used to so I can't say for sure. I recommend trying various SMS apps, but you may be stuck under forces you can't control.

tl;dr - Many factors play into how long SMS messages are displayed on your phone.

(Info gathered from Wikipedia, research, blogs, and forum posts, among other places)


It's really that simple. :)

And you wouldn't even have to do step 4 (because your NANDROID backup is like taking an image of your phone, that includes all installed apps and data too).

If you wanted to do a quick test, you could try installing one app, then restoring to your NANDROID backup.  When it's done, it should no longer have that one app  you installed.  And it'll also show that your backup is good.


Can I use ext4 on my SD card in a non-rooted phone?

ext4 should be supported if you have an upgrade to 2.3 or 3.0 Android (I see that your post is from just before the 2.3 & 3.0 releases...).

...and when btrFS is added to Android, it has a nice mount-option ",ssd" with wear-levelling etc that ext4 doesn't have... and more speed than ext4 now, esp if you use ",compress=lzo" OR ",space_cache" in fstab (but don't use compression WITH the space_cache option, only use 1 or the other or else it slows to a crawl in some benchmarks) -- and that speed comes despite btrFS checksumming of all data (not only of the journals, as ext4 does). :-)


Which one is the 4G sim slot in Redmi 3s prime?

The Redmi 3S Prime uses a hybrid SIM slot which means it accepts one Micro-SIM and another Nano-SIM or microSD card for storage.

Unfortunately, this means that users will have to choose between a second SIM and a microSD card.

Coming to your question : Use any slot for 4G. It is recommended from my side, use the micro-sim slot for the primary sim.


List of special Android SD card folders?

The information below is from a developer website, it is the closest I could find to a definitive answer.

From website:

If you're using API Level 7 or lower, use getExternalStorageDirectory() to open a File that represents the root of the external storage, then save your shared files in one of the following directories:

* Music/ - Media scanner classifies all media found here as user music.
* Podcasts/ - Media scanner classifies all media found here as a podcast.
* Ringtones/ - Media scanner classifies all media found here as a ringtone.
* Alarms/ - Media scanner classifies all media found here as an alarm sound.
* Notifications/ - Media scanner classifies all media found here as a notification sound.
* Pictures/ - All photos (excluding those taken with the camera).
* Movies/ - All movies (excluding those taken with the camcorder).
* Download/ - Miscellaneous downloads.