How to connect your Nexus phone to a VGA projector?

This is at best a partial answer, but I believe I have collected some pertinent information. I'm the author of that other question you link to, and my goal is exactly the same as yours: use the Nexus 5 with a projector with VGA input only.

You distinguish between VGA adapter and converter, which is part of what I was asking for in my question, and from the answer I got I thought there is no such distinction. Especially after I noticed that this HDMI-to-VGA product, which in the description claims not to need an extra power supply, actually does have a Micro-USB port to get power, and many customers comment that it only works with extra power, I assumed that the difference is a matter of marketing. In the (German) product description it says at some point "Adapter" and at another point "Konverterkabel" (converter cable). I still don't know whether there is such a difference. If there is, I'd assume that an "adapter" merely makes an analog signal which is somehow hidden (?) in the HDMI available, while a "converter" actually contains D/A circuitry.

I had a look at the "SlimPort to VGA adapter" from Analogix but didn't buy it for the same reason you give; moreover, the description mentions "LG G2" and "LG Optimus G Pro", but not the Nexus 5. The Analogix website also shows an "HDMI/VGA Combo Adapter", which appears not be for sale yet. I sent an Email to Analogix requesting clarification, but they did not reply.

In the end I decided to buy the "HDMI Adapter" from Analogix and the HDMI-to-VGA thingy linked to above. The first works perfectly, but the second doesn't work at all, at least not in combination with the first. I tested it using a projector and two different monitors, and in all cases there wasn't even a sign that a signal was received – with or without extra power. I'll send it back, but I don't know which other product to try next.

A possible explanation why it doesn't work would be that the native resolution of the Nexus 5 of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) is too high for a VGA connection, or for the respective device. Since the Nexus 5 has no HDMI output settings, I used the app "Screen Settings" (needs root!) to change the resolution. This appears to work on the device screen (apparently scaled up again to the screen's size), but doesn't change the fact that VGA output isn't recognized. Strangely, if I connect to a monitor via HDMI, the monitor still reports an 1080p input signal. This might be a quirk of my monitor, but it might also indicate that the changed resolution only affects the software side but not the signal. I'm not sure whether HDMI supports arbitrary resolutions, but I think there should be at least 1080p and 720p.

Another possible explanation is that the HDMI output is "protected" by HDCP, and a "legal" HDMI-to-VGA converter won't simply strip the HDCP, thus just disabling output for an encrypted input. According to this thread on xda-developers, HDCP is activated by default and for all content on the Nexus 10, and the only way around it is to install a custom ROM. I suppose the same holds for the Nexus 5.

I made a post on Google's product forums about this, the chances for getting an answer might be slightly larger if more people favorite this and/or chime in.

Some additional information:

– CM11 allows to disable HDCP for HDMI output, but still many HDMI-to-VGA products don't work, so this does no longer appear to be a main obstacle.

– With CM11 on Nexus 5 on the one side and my Eizo FS2333, I tested six different "adapters" and "converters", and found that only one worked, namely the rather bulky Ligawo 6526619. I did not find any advertised features of these products that would have allowed to foretell whether one was going to work or not.

– CM11 on Nexus 5 does not provide any options to change the output signal resolution.

– "Screen resolution" apps do not allow to change the output signal resolution either, but only the "software resolution" – at least on Nexus 5 / CM11. If I set the resolution e.g. to 800x600, I get a 1080p signal in which the now lores screen content is scaled up. If a beamer or other presentation device cannot handle this signal resolution, the only solution is to buy extra expensive hardware that not just converts HDMI to VGA, but also scales down.


I did this for myself by navigating to Settings > Storage, tap on the Misc category, select the ~4 GB linux image and use the trash icon to delete it, but this will probably vary depending on what device you use.


Even if ProGuard was used you still can get some interesting insights. Here is a StackOverflow question with a detailed explanation: Android: Getting source code from an APK file. YouTube video with a detailed guide. And a blog entry about that: How to retrieve source code from an Android APK file.


Unable to connect to Spotify - phantom ad blocker?

Robert got it. My hosts file is full of URLs rerouted to 127.0.0.1. Thanks!


What is the round circle next to the "do not dispose in household waste" icon on my Moto Droid?

Perhaps it's a water damage sticker -- it might go more red if water gets on it, or something.


Why does Google Maps Display Routes/Waypoints Differently on Phone than on PC?

To answer the original question, according to Google's official post, Maps on the phone take real time traffic conditions into account when calculating directions.  This could explain the discrepancies between the directions you found via PC earlier.

The bug you are describing could be a side-effect of this, when Navigation is trying to be too smart for its own good, and the route from web is confusing the computation of real-time directions.  I would submit this as a bug report to Google.


How to downgrade an HTC Desire to stock version?

I finally succeeded !! (YOUHOU!! You can't believe how proud I am !)

First of all, I want to indicate that links on XDA (those that goes in multiupload.com, that redirect to lnx.lu), SUCKS! I can't believe it. You have to download a "download manager", with so many related ads and apps you must install. It's a shame. (I am very angry agains't them (lnx.lu) for wasting my time just because they are greedy).

Now, the real answer !

You need to downgrade your hboot version before running the RUU rom, for that, it's quite easy :

First, you choose your ROM on that page, and notice the ROM version

Then, you go here (if the link is down, you can download the source code here!) and define the CID and the ROM version.

For the CID, if you don't know it, just set to 11111111 or HTC__022.
If you want to try something more precise, you can try the one related to your carrier from this link.

Keep the download file to a specific directory (for this case, it will be /tmp/mtd0.img).

Now you need the flash_image tool, if you can't find one, here's a link. Download it to /tmp/flash_image

Now some command line. For that, you'll need the Android SDK and a correct USB driver (adb should return a device when connected, with debug on).

Do these commands :

// go to the sdk/platform-tools/ dir
adb push /tmp/flash_image /data/flash_image
adb push /tmp/mtd0.img /data/mtd0.img

// Make sure those files were updated with :
adb shell ls /data

// Then run
adb shell

// You will be in your terminal's shell, now do these commands :

chmod 755 /data/flash_image
/data/flash_image misc /data/mtd0.img

CTRL+C // To quit the terminal's shell and go back to your computer shell

// Now reboot to RUU mode
adb reboot oem-78

Once the phone is on RUU mode (showing a grey HTC logo), run the .exe rom you downloaded previously, wait for it to finish, and voilà! You're done ! :)

Here's the doc I followed for the commands.


See if Delayed Lock works for you. It's a 7-day trial app, with in-app purchase for license.

  Additionally, there is also an optional notification in the Android
  status bar and a widget to immediately reenable the lock screen, and
  free plugins to automatically keep the device unlocked while connected to a specific WiFi network / Bluetooth device or at certain
  locations.

Others have used a combination of Tasker and Secure Settings with this configuration:

Profile: State > Bluetooth Connected
Task > Plugin > Secure Settings > Password/Pin > Disabled

Exit Task:
Task > Plugin > Secure Settings > Password/Pin > Enabled (Set to my old
PIN number)


Where can I find stock Android apps that are not normally in the Market?

So I just looked at the firmware for my Samsung Vibrant, you don't actually need to mount the image -- I was thinking of the recovery image or a nandroid backup.  The firmware (ROM) should be in a zip file, which you can open up and go to /system/app/ and grab the camera.apk.  I'd put it on your phone's SD card, then use Root Explorer or similar to copy it into /system/app/ on your device and overwrite the current one (which you may want to back up first).

You can check out my answer to another question for info on mounting, but you shouldn't have to do that :)


The only way to remove the other Accounts from the Market is to unsync them from the phone.

Settings > Accounts & Sync > Click the google account > Press Remove Account

Perhaps remove all three, add your Account A, load the market. Then go and add the other two accounts through Accounts & Sync and not through the market.

This should leave Account A as the default.


How do I disable zooming on text input focus?

Unfortunately, the answer is that you can't.
That's confirmed pretty conclusively by this bug report/feature request thread in the Chrome development forum. The thread goes all the way back to last March, and posts as recent as a week and a half ago indicate that a means of disabling this behavior has not been implemented.
Sadly, recent indications are that the dev team is disinclined to implement such a setting in the future. Despite input from several people providing examples of how this feature can be an impediment, and requesting a setting to disable it, this response from a developer says that they avoid adding new settings, and they'd rather work on making it "less annoying":

#12: I haven't really noticed it zooming in on mobile sites.  When it does, we can consider that a bug, but I don't think a modal ban is the right approach.  I'd rather continuing tuning the policy so that it doesn't trigger when inappropriate.  Note also that the same code deals with animating the scroll position around when the on-screen-keyboard would cover the form field.  That behavior definitely desirable to preserve even on mobile sites.
#13: We generally try to avoid adding settings in Chrome; we'd rather tune this so it's less annoying for all users, not just the ones who discover the setting.  We already made a few improvements to make this trigger less frequently since the bug was originally filed; we might benefit from loosening it further to tolerate further zoom levels.

<rant>I think that's a terrible answer. What he's essentially saying is that they'd rather make Procrustean decisions for all users, based on the developers' subjective judgment and applying only to situations that they anticipate or have already been brought to their attention, than allow users to decide for themselves whether they want this behavior or not. And the argument that they'd "rather tune this so it's less annoying for all users, not just the ones who discover the setting" is a logical fallacy: there's absolutely no reason whatsoever why the two are mutually exclusive.
This "KISS principle", one-size-fits-all Cupertino mentality is why I hardly ever touch Chrome on any non-Google OS, and even on Android I use Firefox half the time. </rant>
But the bottom line is that it sounds like it's not possible and it's not going to be.
Or, the sarcastic but correct answer is: you can disable this behavior by using a browser other than Chrome, at least for any sites where you don't want automatic zooming on focus.


Unable to flash a recovery using Clockworkmod

It looks like the CyanogenMod installation instructions for M7 are missing a section for flashing ClockworkMod recovery onto the phone.  Right after you unlock the bootloader, you need to do the following:

Download and install Android SDK Tools from here (expand the "Download for Other Platforms", and it should be under the "SDK Tools Only" section.)
Download the latest version of ClockworkMod Recovery image from here.  Scroll down to "HTC One" and select either the regular or touch recovery.  Save the .img file somewhere on your computer.
Download and install USB drivers for the phone.
Restart your phone in bootloader mode by turning it off, and then turning it on while holding the Volume Down button.
Connect the phone to your PC via USB cable.  Your PC should recognize it.
Open Command Prompt (assuming Windows here) and navigate to the platform-tools subfolder of where you installed the SDK Tools (e.g. cd C:\android-sdk\platform-tools)
Ensure the connection works by issuing the following command: fastboot devices This should show you the serial number of your phone.  If this returned nothing or gave you an error, something went wrong during USB driver installation.
Flash the recovery by using the following syntax: fastboot flash recovery [path-to-recovery.img-file].  For example: fastboot flash recovery c:\recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.4.6-m7.img This sends the recovery image to your phone and flashes it.  Wait for the success message.
Issue the following commands: fastboot erase cache followed by fastboot reboot-bootloader

Your phone should reboot back into bootloader mode, and you should now be able to enter recovery and continue with flashing CM.


How does S Pen (Samsung) show cursor on screen?

Break it down-How does the S pen work? offers a nice explanation along with a link to video too

S pen pulls power from the device wirelessly

  Electromagnetic field that provides power to the pen can also be used to calculate its position relative to the screen. This, along with information from the S Pen button and the nib on the end are what is used to determine what the user it doing with the S Pen.

Pressure sensitivity is built in the stylus
To summarize

  An electromagnetic field is generated from a circuit behind the screen. The S Pen picks this up and uses it to power itself and figure out its position relative to the screen. It sends this, along with information from the S Pen button and the nib at the end, back to the Note.

Edit: Video in linked post makes it clear ascend easy to understand


How to restore cherry mobile quartz messing up the build prop

Reboot your phone to recovery.
Use adb to pull (read as copy) the build.prop from ROM/device

adb pull /system/build.prop c:\

Edit it back the way that it was.
Once edited save as normal
Use adb to push (read as paste) the build.prop to ROM/device

adb shell chmod 0644 /system/build.prop
adb remount

.....then

adb push c:\build.prop /system/

Reboot

adb reboot

Or

adb shell reboot


Notification icon that looks like "no entry" symbol

You've your phone on Total Silence (one of Do not Disturb modes).
In the section Turn sounds back on (turn off "Do not disturb") of the article Silence your device with "Do not disturb", Elena notes:

If your phone is in "Do not disturb" mode, you'll see an icon in the status bar at the top of your screen:
 Alarms only or Priority only
 Total silence

Here's further proof:
(Click image to enlarge)

Next time when you're in a similar situation, try these simple techniques I listed here.


My data is wiped out after a battery service

Sounds like they just replaced the device and gave you a new/refurbished one. Your original device will be fixed (if possible), and then it will be wiped and turned into a refurbished unit.

If you didn't back up any of your data, it is gone. Hopefully you did; I'm pretty sure anytime you send in a device for service, they warn you that it could be completely wiped.


ADB Device Unauthorized [Android 6.0.1 Nexus 6P]

You can reset the list of authorized devices by doing:

  Developer Options
  Under Debug Group select "Revoke USB Debug Authorization" (I'm translating from italian but should be something similar)
  Unplug your phone and go to your launcher
  Plug the cable to pc
  Check when you connect the cable that Data transfer is enabled (from the notification that appears)

Hope this can fix the issue


Unable to boot into recovery after flashing TWRP

Install adb-tools for your distribution. Check if it works with:

  fastboot devices

then install with:

  fastboot install recovery twrp*.img

For me the installation via twrp app did not work and I flashed it manually.


What happens if I factory reset the phone after upgrading to Lollipop?

A factory reset only clears the user data from the device, it doesn't touch the system partition which is where the update was applied.

So yes, the Lollipop upgrade remains.


My Galaxy S3 freezes and the screen goes black, what could be the problem?

I also have that problem. It starts when the battery goes really low.

So, keep it charged up. If you take the battery out for awhile, it will reset.

But, get another battery. Best Buy has them for as low as 8 bucks online.


Does flashing the stock ROM repartition the device internal memory?

A full firmware from the manufacturer can do that. You can see the flash sequence has a file similar to gpt_both or anything with GPT in the filename and is flashed to the partition partition. For example: fastboot flash partition gpt_both.bin

If there's no such file you can find, then the flash sequence is most likely not rebuilding the partition structure.


Is there a way to evaluate Android apps in a browser (like Pieceable for Android)?

Thanks for introducing Pieceable. After reading your question I learnt about it and when going beyond, I found Amazon's Test Drive seems to have a similar ability.  Thanks to @jcisio, I found this answer here.  Currently the Amazon Test drive is available in US only. Hence, I could not test and verify it.


I can't get my device supported by Google Play Services to get my Snapchat to work

This may be an authentication issue with your account and connecting to the Google Play servers. Go ahead and try removing your account from the device, and re-adding it. Make sure you remember the password!


how to view web video in media player instead of browser

Just download it with your Downloader and then use a File Explorer and search for that file.
It should be anywhere inside either:

Your usual Movies folder (very unlikely, though) or `Downloads'  folder (also unlikely, but possible)
A unique, created folder by the app itself (many downloaders do that)
The "external data" folder (Android/data/<package name of the app>) on your internal storage
A configured folder (some Downloader apps allow user preferences).

First look inside the settings, then try to find it on your phone's storage.
After that, just tap it and Android will ask you which app you'd like to open it with.


Titanium Backup PRO Key ★ root(available in the Google Play Store, by developer "Titanium Track") is the easiest way to back up your apps exactly as they are. The pay version ($5.99) should be pretty close to what you're looking for, Titanium Backup PRO Key ★ root.


How can I delay the screen's password lock on my Stratosphere?

On the RAZR, it's separate from the display timeout. It's in "Security->Automatically lock". Not sure if that is unique to the RAZR or not.

If you have the SDK installed, it might be possible to push an alternate property with "adb shell setprop", but it would not be persistent across reboots.


Does an android app show all permission it can access?

Android will prevent the app from accessing anything, which requires a permission not requested by the app.

That means if a permission is not displayed in the list, the app cannot access the information protected by it.


Can you somewhere on you phone view a list of all applications and who made them?

For applications installed from Market, you can go to Market > Downloads for application name and developer info; however built-in applications (e.g. Phone, Calendar, other applications installed by default) often are not shown in Market list (neither will they show in Manage Application either).


Turn the phone off the usual way
With it off, hold down the power button, volume down button and home key for around 20 seconds
It'll start up and show an icon. Press volume down, then a menu will appear
Use the volume keys up/down to highlight wipe data/factory reset and then use power button to select it
Confirm the same way (volume keys to highlight, power button to select)


Try deleting the /mnt/sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails folder and rebooting your phone.  You may need to clear data for Media Storage and possibly the Gallery app/anything related as well.


How to make phone boot automatically upon battery insertion (unlocked bootloader and root: yes)?

I soldered the pins of my Nexus 7 2012 Gen 1 and the device did start up. The soldering simulates a always pressed power on button.
However I tried the same with the Nexus 7 2013 Gen 2 and it turned itself off again, because the button was always pressed. So I needed to solder a capacitor and a resistor in series so simulate a short button press. This worked for me, but the software solution would be more elegant.
I could measure only a few uA when the battery is plugged in so I can't image a part of the bootloader is powering up on the mentioned devices. My idea is now to solder the power supply directly to the micro usb port as for data only 2 pins (USB2.0) are used. USB Pins: https://www.giga.de/downloads/microsoft-windows/tipps/usb-anschluss-farben-stecker-bedeutung-und-erklaerung/

Then the device will start up with the lpm script or the "Fastboot oem off-mode-charge 0" change.
An other solution would be really appreciated.
Thanks and Cheers


Home screens maxed out (oops)... now I can't edit?

Adding additional home screens is not a stock Android feature so I can't comment specifically, but clearing data for the launcher application should work.

Settings → Applications → Manage applications → Launcher (might be named differently) → Clear data

You will lose your current home screen configuration, of course, but this should take care of the crashes and allow rebuilding it.

Any method for fixing the actual problem without losing the data will necessarily be specific to that particular launcher application, and it sounds like you've tried to find that sort of thing already.


Pushed apps into device from google play web browser, install failed. How to find out what apps failed?

Your android version is lower version or, you must download the apps on your playstore tablet not on browser CMIIW


I've tested this solution on LG G2 running CM12.1.

Here you will find Xposed Framework for Android 5.1.
First, download and flash "xposed sdk 22", then install Xposed Installer from given link and reboot your device.

For complete details read given XDA thread.


AFAIK, no.

The fundamental reason is usage and the design that evolved based on it- mobile phone, as the name suggests, is meant to be used whenever and wherever, with periodic charging, unlike laptops, which are designed to work with/without being plugged into power.

It seems technically possible to work without a battery if you build an electric circuit that simulates a battery in all respects (including the battery health pin which is usually the third pin on battery) as you can see here. Whether such a circuit will work across OS versions and devices is not certain.

Android considers battery to be an integral part of the system rather than an accessory and OS evolves in safety, the longevity of the battery, user-friendly features, that support this - witness Battery Saver, automatic shutdown at low battery percentage as examples. If the electronics (SMBus) detects that it is not an actual battery source, this circuit may fail

Views expressed in comments are valid pointers, in addition to mine


Gboard not switching back to previous language

Apparently fixed as of the most recent update (6.7.15.175732024) on November 15th.


Confused about Nexus 7 failing system update to 4.2

I'm getting the same problem and have not encrypted my nexus 7's storage (but it is rooted). Any luck? I've attempted to update it several times with no success.

To reset the "check for updates" and allow you to attempt the update again, try the following:
In Settings > Apps > All (tab), search for Google Services Framework, clear it's data and kill it. Then go to Settings > About tablet > System Update, and it will find the update.


What is creating these gibberish files on my SD card?

Here is the answer to your problem: These files come from installing applications from developers Cheetah Mobile. Delete the Cheetah Mobile app that you have installed and then delete these bogus files. Problem solved!


Flashing English ROM on Korean Samsung Galaxy S3

I wouldn't advice this, you can see other questions on here about people asking if they can use different model numbers on their phone and everyone says no.

A suggestion to you would be the following, go on the XDA website here link and type in your phone AND model number into their search bar. From there you should be able to click on their forum for Android Development, from there you can select a Custom Rom to flash to your phone

As you said you are new it is required to firstly root your phone before flashing a new ROM, as you haven't provided your Phone Model I cannot give you a direct link on how to root your phone, if you can update this detail I could find you a link afterwards.

Also if you decide to root your phone flash a custom rom please note that it is your risk, doing so will void your warranty and if you end up with a bricked device(not working) I or anyone giving instructions in any links you use cannot be help responsible.

With regards to the problem with only Sending a SMS if it's 80 Char or less, I am not 100% sure as I haven't experimented with various different Custom ROMS but there may be a option that you can select to try and fix it, personally I would post another Question on this website just for that issue

All the best


How to upgrade Android API level on my device?

The API level is the technical corresponding number to your Android version – so e.g. saying your device is running on "API level 23" would at the same time mean it has Android 6 (Marshmallow) installed. Lifting it to API level 24 would mean upgrading to Android 7 (Nougat). With your device being on API level 17, it's running JellyBean (Android 4.2.*). That said:

No, impossible.
Yes if it's "newer" (but not limited to custom firmware; a newer "stock" one would do the same) – but an OTA upgrade could achive the same.


What is the length and breadth of ONLY the screen in the Nexus 7?

You can always use some mathematics to obtain screen size:

X = sqrt ( Z^2 / (1 + (VR/HR)^2) )

where:

  sqrt = Square Root √‾‾‾

  X = screen width

  Z = diagonal screen size (7" for Nexus 7)

  VR = vertical resolution

  HR = horizontal resolution

which for Nexus 7, we have:

Z = 7"
VR = 1280
HR = 800

so:

  X = sqrt ( 49 / 3.56)

  X = 3.71 inches ~ 94mm

  Y = (1280/800) * X = 1.6X

  Y = 5.936 inches ~ 151mm

so we have 151mm x 94mm which Peanut has linked to.


How to convert and send HD video via SMS?

This might not be the most efficient solution.
It is baffling that this functionality still isn't present on stock Android.

You could use this Video Converter app to convert your HD videos.


Disable link previews on Android Messages app

To disable link previews on Android/Google Messages app:

Tap the overflow menu (3 vertical dots) at the top-right corner
Select Settings
Select Automatic previews
Tap either Show all previews and/or Show only web link previews to disable


Moto G 3rd Gen - SD Card stopped working

Unfortunately I only have the answer for the first part of your question. There are many reasons why an SD Card can go corrupt. (e.d. Physical Damage, not removing it properly etc.) As far as the latter is considered, Android has the option to eject the SD Card in Settings before you physically remove it from the phone. This option exists only to serve this one purpose, to stop things like this from happening (e.d. getting your SD Card corrupted).

I don't think there is much you can do at this point but reformat it, which of course as you probably know deletes all of your files.

HOWEVER do NOT reformat it still only because I am not familiar with any options of restoring it to proper function. I have heard of different types of software that claim they can do the thing for you, BUT be careful! As they are many of them that come in a form of some malware.


Vital signs of unfamiliar software are present in safe mode: TopBuzz in Galaxy Note8

I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 and have the same problem as you with TopBuzz showing up in the storage clean but unable to find it anywhere in my phone.

I tried the SD Maid app but that did not help. However, I did try Clean Master which I have used in the past with my old phones becuse it does work better than the built in storage clean (but uninstall it when im done with it because im sure that it slows down the phone to make you use it from time to time) and that appears to have fixed the problem.

I ran Clean Master, then ran the system storage clean and did not see TopBuzz, ran Clean Master again for good measure and then uninstalled it. It has only been a few hours but I have ran the storage clean a couple times and have not seen TopBuzz at all. If you still have this problem try this out and let me know how it goes!


How dumb is it to try to remount /proc as w?

/proc is a pseudo-filesystem supplied by the Linux kernel, so as to provide an interface to applications to learn about system runtime information (running processes, mounts, memory, etc.). Therefore there's no way to "mount" it as R/W since that's meaningless.

Some entry points (NOT files), however, are writable by themselves, for example most entries under /proc/sys. Do note that by writing to these entries you're not writing any files, but actually changing system parameters.

If your program is trying to write to another non-writable entry in /proc, it's probably malformed and should be tweaked. Again, /proc is not a real filesystem and everything inside are interfaces from the Linux kernel.

Read more (related or similar):

deleting a 'file' under /proc or /dev
Which files are writable under /proc and why?
(programming-related)

Documentations (usually very long and complete and unsuitable for casual read):

proc(5)


Can Always-On Display on my Galaxy A5 (2017) cause screen burn-in?

I have been looking around phone shops and playing with the Samsung A5 as I am wanting to get it, and every shop that I went into there the A5 had really bad screen burn. The man explained it was because they were constantly playing in demo mode and never going off, but having the time and and constantly on could cause screen burn so be careful and maybe change the setting.


How to add new rows on a Google Docs spreadsheet?

Click on the row number in the first column.
Click the number again; a menu should pop-up.
Click 4th button; a menu should popup with the following options:

Insert above
Insert below


What is the difference between generic and branded flashtoolfirmwarefiles (.ftf)?

1. What is a generic firmware?

A generic firmware is the firmware for an android device published by the devices manufacturer.

2. What is a branded firmware?

A branded firmware is a firmware customized by cell phone providers to advertise themself by showing their logo, installing apps or adding bookmarks to the browser. Updates for branded phones getting released later then for generic phones, because the provider has to customize the new updates first. This is the reason why it is always better to have a generic firmware.

3. What is the difference between generic and branded firmware?

The difference depents on the changes a cell phone provider accomplishes.

4. What are the differences between the different generic .ftf's and the different branded .ftf's?

The difference between several branded .ftf's of the same Build Number depending on the changes a cell phone provider accomplishes.

The difference between several generic .ftf's of the same Build Number depending on customization the user of this firmware accomplishes before uploading it on the internet. In most cases this recognizable by the keyword customized in the name of the .ftf.

5. Now there are few more .ftf's for a specific Build Number so which one should I select?

In most cases the differences are minimal so it is more or less arbitrary which one to choose BUT there are several helpful indicators to choose a .ftf which fits the most:

Always choose a generic .ftf.
Choose region and country nearest to the phones residence.
If the .ftf is from a forum check user posts for issues.


Turn off syncronisation of contacts in LineageOS / CyanogenMod

In the syncronisation screen you have to turn Synchronisation on global. Only if that is on you have checkboxes next to each category inside the google account. you can uncheck the box at Contacts then.

If the global sync is OFF you don't have this option.

I think it is a bit dangerous the first time you enter that menu, because you have to be sure your internet connection is disconnected. Otherwise the first time, when all sync boxes are still ON it will start right away to sync everything before you have the chance to disable the sync-box for contacts.

If you are offline you can setup everything like you wish and then it's fine.


How can I dual boot Android and Windows Phone 8.1 or 10?

There are some options out there, to answer your question directly the LG G2 has dual-boot support thanks to savoca on XDA who developed this custom bootloader for the G2.

Here's a quotation of what it is:

  Autoboot is a custom bootloader that comes with many features not
  allowed by the stock LG bootloader, such as fastboot access and dual
  booting support. Autoboot does not replace your stock bootloader, it
  runs alongside at boot, and does not interfere with the bootloader
  structure that already exists on your phone. It can be installed over
  any ROM and can be uninstalled any time!

However, Windows phone OS compiled for the LG G2 is completely non-existent. That nullifies the point of using dual boot.

There are Windows+Android dual boot phones on the market, but they may be hard to find on ebay or Amazon. My best recommendation would be to hunt one of those things down and purchase.

Another angle to work from would be to install Bochs Emulator for Android and run VM images on your Android phone. I have used it and it works very well on Intel-based Android tablets. On the ARM-based G2 it will be very slow, not ideal for every day use. The other thing you'll have to finaggle with is getting a Windows Phone OS to run on Bochs. There are VMware images available to run Windows Phone (look here) but they are meant to run on PC. Ultimately I would not recommend this angle unless you enjoy tinkering and hacking things as a hobby and you just want to "see it be done".

Overall, your best choice would be to buy a dual-boot Windows Phone+Android device.


Accelerometer on Moto G is bad from factory?

From what I can see in the video, the fluctuations are within about 1° in the first app, and 0.5° in the second. That's not exactly "random numbers in a wide range".

Accuracy within 1° is acceptable for most intended use cases: Mobile games, screen orientation, gestures, etc. It's quite possible that Motorola decided to use a cheaper sensor since the phone itself is intended to be a very low-cost device.

I wouldn't say that it's defective. Possibly subpar, but not defective.


Upgrading Moto G to KitKat broke USB OTG

Nexus Media Importer can restore USB OTG support. Source.


I've formatted my SD card as internal on CM13 nightly and now it won't update


Nexus 5 Location has not updated for months?

Okay, just figured it out. For some reason I had Location set to "Device only" and the subtext below this says "Use GPS to determine your location." Seems like this should still update the location, but like I said in my question, it simply hadn't updated the current city for months.

SOLUTION:
Fixed it simply by switching to "Battery saving" mode. Obviously "High accuracy" would work too.

I'm not sure why the GPS feature under "Device only" wouldn't be able to find my location, maybe my GPS component is malfunctioning. Either way, it's fixed now.


Back when I had a Samsung Galaxy Ace and wanted to use CyanogenMod on it, it almost always had a Nightly build. Encountered a few bugs, but not major ones.

Granted this is a different phone and CM version, point is you have to know which features/functionalities are working and not based on the wiki/release notes provided. Also which bugs are present. You may want to wait for those information to be available before flashing. But it's always good to have a Nandroid back up.

So, nightlys could be safe, could be not. Always refer to the documentation.


How to delete auto backup pictures on samsung s4

Please tap and hold one image to enable bulk selection. A trash icon will appear on the top right. That is, if you're talking about Google Photos.


To restore a nandroid backup, the device cannot be in "normal operation mode". You have to boot into your (custom) recovery (see our tag-wikis on: recovery-mode / clockworkmod / twrp), from where you can trigger a full restore. With ClockworkMod Recovery, it is e.g. found in the Backup & Restore sub-menu.

Stock recoveries don't offer taking/restoring Nandroid backups. But as you were able to create one, it's pretty safe to assume you've also got a custom recovery installed to your device.


Single SMS won't delete from Messaging app

You can install MyPhoneExplorer for PC and remote administrate your messages


How to get contact from stolen Android phone?

If you are seeing only few contacts its mean Mobile contacts were not fully sync with Google account.

Possibilities :

if he/she hard reset your phone already , there is no chance for
recovering   or retrieving contacts.
if he/she is near any known WiFi network for phone , Phone will get
connected with WiFi automatically and will get sync if sync is
enabled in phone.
Report police and try to get phone back and sync it manually with
google cloud and make sure all contacts available in cloud.


List all free application on google play

Basically no.
As +RyanConrad said there are far too many free apps, which change constantly, to be listed on a single page.  If there are ~600,000 apps and an html link to an app was around 150 characters, and each character is 8 bits, that's ~85 megs just to get the full listing.  I don't know for sure, but I don't think your web browser will like trying to render that page.


In this you have one option of sideload in recovery. In this case you need custom recovery. If you don't have a custom recovery them you need to flash it using odin in download.
Now boot in recovery mode. Go to install > Install from sideload (in cwm) or advance > sideload (in twrp).
Now when you open it, open terminal / command prompt. Type command
adb sideload your_rom.zip

It may seem that nothing is happening. You must have to wait and don't touch usb until work is done. Any interruption may hard brick your device. Even though it is safe.

  For this you must have required adb tools ( for this you can search ).


Upgrade mediastar x2 4k satellite receiver

You can fix it by USB :
You need to Download the Update MS-Diamond-Z2_V3.4.1_2018-10-24
And put it in USB Drive in Folder

Then Change both the name of Folder and the name of update File to

Folder : RomUpdate

File:      RomUpdate

Then turn On  your Mediastar Z2 while you are pressing the Power button in Front till reciver Screen Show update

Then keep your hands away
And Receiver will do the Update Automatically


Yeah, it seems that /system/usr/share/zoneinfo/zoneinfo.* files is tzdata in java format. I tried to use TimeZone Fixer - it replaced all those 3 files. After rebooting device and enable clock synchronization via GPS on system menu, I get right time. Messaging apps now show right time too.

So, using "TimeZone Fixer" app is likely solves my issue - but app description says it could cause unable-to-boot state for some Android versions.


In S4, Eye movements are tracked by Front Camera. In this principle, the Persons Eye focused within the front cam is taken into consideration. (This doesnt works when there is no light or  dim light). This works well based on the viewing angle  (around 45Degree or something) of persons eye and Device front camera. This makes the possibility of detecting, one persons eye. so the play/pause depends on the single user not the multiple people. This makes sense when there is lot of crowd behind the user who is watching the video.


Having Strangers' Names in Caller ID Display

I use Current Caller ID and it seems to work ok, better if you let it connect with Facebook. It is not perfect but it will help out.

I also use Reverse Lookup. It is after the fact, but it does a good job. it will google the number and quickly add it to your phone book if you want.

Neither are going to get you coverage all the time but it is the best I have found.


How do i install apps directly on SD card in Lollipop?

As pointed out by Can I install an app directly to my SD card? and our app2sd tag-wiki, what you want to achieve isn't possible for multiple reasons:

To install the app, Play Store first needs to download it. These downloads usually go to /data/local, which is in internal storage.
Not all apps allow to be installed on SD card. This is e.g. not possible for apps providing widgets or services – due to the fact the SD card is mounted only after the boot_completed broadcast, and thus apps installed there wouldn't receive that; resulting in services not started when they should be.
Even if an app could be installed on SD card, using the on-board methods (i.e. app2sd) it cannot be moved to SD card completely. There's always a "base" remaining in internal storage (below /data/data).

All the above is valid from Froyo (Android 2.2) to Lollipop (Android 5.x). It's slightly different with Marshmallow (Android 6.x) and up when using adoptable-storage, but I have no experience with the latter to tell exactly how it's different (see our adoptable-storage tag-wiki for a starter). As in that case, the SD card is "adopted" as internal storage, all apps you install should basically end up there. But what sounds "great" on a first look has some other "side-effects" you should consider first ;)


Stop application after set time - sleep timer

Have you looked at Music Off, I'm Sleeping! - seems to do what you're looking for.


How do RAM and processor speed affect overall performance on Android?

In the context of Android, more RAM means Android can keep more sleeping program in the RAM so they will be ready to be quickly resumed when you return back to the apps. More RAM means Android is going to spend less of its time killing and reloading apps from the internal memory/sd card, and instead spend more time doing actual work you care about. This means that more RAM usually give you better/faster task-switching. Also, more RAM means your homescreen is less likely to be killed; and you won't experience that 10-second-wait-that-feels-like-forever. Having more RAM also allows you to run complex apps that naturally requires a lot of memory, e.g. photo/video editor, complex games, etc.
A higher CPU is able to calculate things much faster, while this might look tempting at first, it is notable that most programs -- except for games and synthetic benchmark and possibly flash-heavy webpages -- are I/O-bound and not CPU-bound; in other word, most programs are waiting for network transmission, flash storage reads, DMA reads, touch event processing, etc to finish, instead of waiting for some calculations. In CPU-bound application, increasing CPU speed can mean less latency between touching the screen and the screen updating to reflect the touch event. However, up to a certain point, there will be no longer any noticeable benefit of adding even more CPU; beyond a certain point, the input turnaround will be much faster than our own brain's turnaround time (approx. 100-200ms) and we will not be able to perceive the benefit of adding even faster CPU. Also, note that input-to-output turnaround time depends on a large number of other factors, e.g. the latency of the cables, speed of the bus, etc. Second, having some extra CPU time to spare also means that Android can assign those spare CPU cycles to background processes, so background processes can run better.
Summary
More RAM:

better task-switching
can run more complicated apps or open larger/more complex files

More CPU:

faster turnaround between input and response (less lag) on CPU-bound apps
better background processing

In short, both are equally important; your own personal usage pattern will determine which is more valuable for you. If you generally stays in a single program and is sensitive to input-to-output latency then having faster CPU will be more valuable for you; if you constantly task switch between many different apps or if you need to run complex memory-hungry apps to open complex large files, then having extra RAM is going to be more valuable to you.


Are there any Android devices that cannot be rooted?

Wikipedia provides a few answers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_rooting

  In the past, many manufacturers have tried to make "unrootable" phones
  with harsher protections (like the Droid X), but they're usually still
  rootable in some way, shape, or form. There may be no root exploit
  available for new or recently updated phones, but one is usually
  available within a few months.

But that's the past.

  Only a minority of Android devices lock their bootloaders—and many
  vendors such as HTC, Sony, Asus and Google explicitly provide the
  ability to unlock devices, and even replace the operating system
  entirely.

So shortly speaking, no worries, if there's no root yet, surely there's one to come out soon.


Go to setting--> Location

Then you will see list of recent apps who requested location.
If you are still seeing apps there who is using location service then you can find which app is using your location service .


How can I mute the camera shutter on Motorola RAZR i (ICS, without rooting)

While I 100% agree with Liam's answer, there are still solutions for countries where that law doesn't apply (and to tell you a big secret: those solutions even work when the law is in effect -- but then you run the risk of punishment yourselves if you use such a solution where you shouldn't).

Searching the playstore for "shutter sound off" yields more than 100 results. As usual, not all of them are really hits: Most of the "spy cams" surely will disable the sound, but most likely you want to use your own camera app, and not one of those.

If you are rooted, you can simply delete the sound file for the camera shutter sound. Aside from this, an article on AndroidAdvices offers 3 different solutions:

Put your phone in Silent Mode

  By keeping the incoming calls ring volume to zero you can keep your phone in silent and thereby there will be no sound when you take a snap or record a video. This is the easiest way by which you can turn off the shutter sound. But mind you that you will not be notified of any incoming calls or any SMS or email that you receive. i.e., to stop shutter sound you need to put your phone in silent mode.

Use Uva Silent Widget Camera Android App (well, or one of the others from above search results)
Install CyanogenMod

  Once the CyanogenMod 7.1.0 up and installed on your rooted phone, you need to go through the Settings > CyanogenMod settings > Sound and then select Mute camera shutter.

On some devices with ICS, the camera app itself offers a feature to disable the shutter sound:


I just found out it happens only with HD videos. 480p and 320p videos play normally.
The problem is caused by the Hardware Decoder.
When I use a player like MX Video Player, that allows me to choose a SW decoder, the playback is normal.


OsmAnd+ change text foreground or background color

Solved! It's only working correctly in dark theme.


Adding account to android device running android version 2.3.6

The best solution seems to be to add an app password: https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords


Wipe /data/ but not /data/media/ through ADB shell or fastboot

Boot into your custom Recovery, mount the data partition either using command-line or via GUI, and choose any of the following method:

(Note that TWRP already has the option to clear /data without touching /data/media. It uses rm -rf commands1.)

Go Immune

Make /data/media immutable2 i.e. immune from any modification. You can do so by executing:

adb shell chattr +i /data/media

You can also use -R for recursive immunity, though it was not needed in my test case.

You can see the immune attribute (i) in the output of

adb shell lsattr /data/

Time to go berserk

adb shell rm -rf /data/*

All the files and their holding directories inside /data/ should now be purged except the ones inside media, for which you would get the error (non-critical) Permission denied for every file inside that directory.
Now revoke the immunity using

adb shell chattr -i /data/media

Use -R if you used it previously.

If-Else

Manually pick each directory under /data and use rm -rf on it. Could be tiresome, so you may consider  Izzy's shell-fu

adb shell for dir in /data/*; do if [[ "$dir" = "/data/media" ]]; then continue; else rm -rf "$dir"; fi; done;

Replace rm -rf with echo for a dry run.

The command  picks up each file-path3 under /data, then  checks against whether the file-path is for media folder: if yes, then pass; else nuke the file.

1: TWRP FAQ: What is a data/media device?
2: Wikipedia: chattr
3: General overview of the Linux file system: Sorts of files


How do I make a chart in Microsoft Word?

Short Answer

No, you cannot create a Chart using Microsoft Word for Android.
However, You can create Chart using Microsoft Excel for Android.

Long Answer

If there was any, it should have been under Insert menu which does not have Charts currently

Click to enlarge

There is no option to create charts in Microsoft Word. Without any Office 365 subscription, Office for free - can render if you have a file which has customized chart (which has been created earlier using Microsoft Word on PC). Basic operations like Copy,Paste and delete works on charts.
See screenshot for more understanding

Blue tint in Status bar is Microsoft Word, green implies Microsoft Excel

Possible Workaround

You can however use Microsoft Excel for android to create Charts.

Click to enlarge

About Playstore desciption

Microsoft has a unusual way of putting things about the apps in Google Play.
If you see Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel Google play links and scroll down to the
What's New section
You'll see that they are literally identical and talks about the other i.e in Microsoft Word page they have mentioned about Excel's new features and in Microsoft Excel page they have mentioned about Word's new features too.

Office 365 subscription

Premium feature related to Charts

  Advanced editing of charts: precise control over chart display options that allow you to change elements of the chart such as data labels and the legend are paid features. If you use Office for free and receive a workbook which contains as customized chart, it will render in your Excel app. However, you will not be able to change chart elements unless you purchase a subscription.
  Source


Broke front camera on Nexus 5 and can't use any camera app

It was an issue with the default camera app being out of date after an OS update, this inhibited it the rear camera working on any camera app problem resolved itself once the default camera app had updated


Looking for a Lightweight gallery to replace the stock gallery

I'm a big fan of QuickPic: it's simple and truly fast :)


backup got corrupted somehow dont worry
you just have to install whatsapp in your new phone and login with that old number you will get your old groups as it is dont worry just install whatsapp (its happen with me many times :)


Change adopted storage to a larger storage?

I tried the dd method as described by Izzy and it worked, the new sd card is recognized as the same adopted storage and all the apps and data is available.

However there are two big caveats:

the dd command creates an exact copy so even if your new card is larger than the old you will still get the same size for your drive and some empty space after that. Say you go from 16GB to 32GB, on the new card you will get 16GB adopted storage and 16GB free space.
It took ages to complete, especially the second step. Much longer that would have taken doing a manual backup/restore.

So even if your mileage may vary, I wouldn't recommend cloning in any case.


Android 9.0 x86 apps keep crashing - no native bridge

I think you have installed Android x86 on NTFS file system try with other Android x86 old more stable version like Android x86 7.1
With latest stable release or Remix OS or Prime OS


Passwords do not work: Verizon Ellipsis 7 4G LTE Tablet

It turned out she was trying to get into her accounts via a web browser rather than apps.   She needed to include an "m" in the URL to get the mobile version of her sites.

Thanks for the input everyone.


How to Set the default storage of apps in my samsung galaxy young?

You first priority is probably to clean-up downloaded files, cached files, old APF (installation) files to give yourself more room and operate more efficiently.   You can clear cache individual applications through settings > applications > clear cache.

Use any File Explorer to remove files no longer needed or no longer wanted from your
downloads.  Each browser normally has its own downloads folder.  "SD Maid" includes a File Explorer if you don't already have a separate application.

You can clear cache files much quicker by installing

"Clean Master"

get rid of "Junk Files" such as cached files

"SD Maid".  Some items within  are

"Overview"  help to see what you are working with.
"CorpsleFinder"  find and delete files SD Maid believes belong to your old/deleted applications
"AppCleaner"  is a premium feature so you can use "Clean Master" to get rid of cached files, would need to mount your removable SD card, and once mounted, you would have to unmount the card before you physically  remove your card.
Settings > Storage > External SD Card > Mount/Unmount SD card.

You have to set default storage individually per application.  Some applications would slow down everything if they used your removable SD Card storage, such as "play store", and applications that start at startup.

To move an application to your SD card:
Settings > Applications > choose application > "Move to SD card"

To choose applications:
Settings > Applications > on SD card

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1772970/set-default-download-location-card.html
http://forums.androidcentral.com/t-mobile-galaxy-s-ii/137116-can-i-set-external-sd-card-default-media-storage.html


There's no reason to defragment flash media. It serves no purpose, because access to any flash cell is going to take the same amount of time as access to any other flash cell. The reason defragmenting is beneficial to mechanical hard drives is because it makes related data blocks contiguous, so that they can all be read in order as the disk is spinning and minimizing the amount of movement needed from the drive heads. Flash media has none of these moving parts, and therefore does not suffer from the same problems as mechanical drives.

In fact, defragmenting flash media could potentially be detrimental, because it will wear the memory faster while not providing any benefit. Flash memory firmwares will actually fragment data intentionally, in a practice known as wear-leveling, which helps to prevent specific cells from being overused and wearing out more than others.

Flash-based devices generally benefit from TRIMing, but Android 4.3 or higher will do this for you automatically. Apps that claim to perform defragmentation are suspicious at best. Even if they "work", there is no reason to use them.


Reboot
Message may have been converted to MMS, requiring a Data connection. Turn off Wifi, make sure Data connection is on, and retry.

Could memory or storage be an issue?
Close unneeded apps, run something like Norton Clean and retry sending message.


Screen permanently black with broken proximity sensor and Proximity Sensor Accelerometer App

The app settings are reset after the phone is restarted so I did this: power button + volume up.

Press it at the same time for a few seconds to turn off the screen without needing to use touch. Then start the phone and the app is reset.


How to copy apk and data from old device to new device

There is an app called Helium, which sounds like what you're looking for. Supposedly, it moves app and app data between devices, which should include the recognition that you have the premium upgrade. It does, however, require a desktop to complete the transfer. There are other options like oandbackup and Migrate - Requires TWRP, depending on your level of experience and whether you can make certain modifications to both/either phone.


Android 5.0 Lollipop provides this feature by default:

Enable Developer mode (by tapping build number within Settings > About phone multiple times)
Go to Developer Options and turn it on.
Under Hardware accelerated rendering you will see option called Simulate color space, click it and set it to Monochromacy.


How to reset "wm size" changes from recovery or unlock android phone with graphic key via keyboard/mouse?

I found a solution. Type in console:

wm size reset


Sync _all_ music in Google Play Music to local storage

If I have well understood your question, I will recommend you to have a look at this question where I have explained how to do what you want : sync your music on your local storage.


How to start a hotspot automatically on device boot

Use MacroDroid instead of Tasker, as it is more user friendly and the  UI is good.

Here are the steps:-

Open MacroDroid, click on the button "Add Macro", then select the trigger "Boot completed".
In the next screen, select the action "Turn hotspot on", then save the macro.
Reboot your phone.

You will see hotspot will be activated automatically after a reboot.

I used this method for an old 3g phone to create my own WiFi hotspot.


Android Email application dropping profile

This happened repeatedly to me, I'm not entirely sure why.

What worked for me was to do a "Clear data" (in the Applications screen) on the Email app. When I recreated the profile the next time, it stuck. It may not work for you, but it's worth a shot.


How can I determine what URL an app is accessing?

Ah, tcpdump. Why didn't I think of that before?


Creating universal APK form multiple APKs without having *.aab (Android App Bundle) file

Split APK file formats
Various app download sites were confronted with the same problem. They solved by defining custom file formats and installer for apps that consist of multiple APKs files:

There is the APKS file format which is is just a ZIP file containing the APK files. They can be installed using the APK Split installer app. Optionally APKS files can contain JSON based meta data (see linked file format spec).
ApkPure uses the XAPK file format. Basically an XAPK file is just a ZIP file containing the APK files plus a manifest.json file.
ApkMirror uses the proprietary APKM file format which can be installed using their installer app. Not sure how to build apkm youself

Manual installation of split APK files
You don't need to pack the downloaded split APK files to e.g. an Android Bundle file. adb is capable to install them again as one app, just use the install-multiple command and specify all the APK files that belong to your saved app:
adb install-multiple apk1 apk2 ...

Re-Building an universal APK
On the Internet you can find a tool named "SAP (Split APKs Packer)" which seems to allow to combine multiple split APK files into one universal APK file (if you have all the necessary split APK files)
This "SAP" tool is available for Linux and Windows, however it is closed source and contains a lot of binaries. I am not sure if it is really trustworthy - I would not recommend to execute it outside of a protected environment (e.g. a virtual machine).
The following blog post describes the SAP tool and provides download links.
For more details see also this forum post How to turn a split APK into a normal non-split APK


Ways to retain nonexistent WhatsApp number

Directly from the Whatsapp FAQ:

Requirements:

The number you wish to use (the number you will change your account to) must be able to receive SMS and/or calls and have an active data connection.

On the old phone:

Open WhatsApp.
Go to Menu Button > Settings > Account > Change number.
Enter the number currently verified on WhatsApp in the old phone number box.
Enter the number you want to use in the new phone number box.
Complete the verification process.
Create a manual backup by going to WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Backup.

On the new phone:

Transfer your chat history from your old to your new phone.
Open WhatsApp.
Verify the number you want to use with WhatsApp

Important Notes:

Your old WhatsApp account associated with the old phone number will be deleted.
Be aware that the Change Number process does not automatically transfer your chat history or media to your new phone. (How to manually transfer your chat history to your new Android phone).


Download the firmware from this site: http://pan.baidu.com/s/1c06Hrck

et-86v2g-a23-v1.5
2014.10.13

Then download PhoenixSuit and use the .img file to flash the tablet.
Make sure you follow the instructions perfectly because entering into download mode can be hard.


That site you have linked to explains the build number of Android Open Source project (AOSP). AOSP is the base of all Android versions, however (except for the Google Pixel devices) AOSP is not used directly on Android phones. Instead each manufacturer adapts AOSP to each device and additionally usually a lot of manufacturer specific modifications are applied.
Therefore most Android builds you can find on real phones don't follow the build number scheme proposed by Google in AOSP.
As long as the built Android OS in the end passes the Google Android compatibility test it can be sold as Android phone with pre installed Google Android Apps (especially Play store).


Keyboard Switcher-Does Not Display on Navigation Bar

things have changed a bit in Lollipop. On the Nexus 6, for example, there's a new softkey you can use to change keyboards.


Do I need to root ( unlock boot loader) to flash Factory image for Nexus 5

Yes you need to unlock the bootloader to flash the factory image.

Yes it will void your warranty but you can lock your bootloader again and reset the tamper flag to get the warranty back

No unlocking bootloader is not rooting.

Here is the useful link.

Unlocking bootloader
Flashing factory image


Is there a direct repo for various Android Build Numbers' update.zip

Some questions, and hopefully some answers:

So you are currently rooted, running one of the earlier leaks of Froyo for the Droid?
You are willing to switch to a mod CM6?
Or do you want to go back to plain vanilla stock without root?

If you are currently rooted and willing to try out a mod like CM6, then go to the Market and downlaod ROM Manager.  Make a Nandroid backup of your phone before you do anything.  Then download and install CM6 via "Download Rom" -> CyanogenMod.  You want 6.0, not the RC version.  When you download and install it, make sure you include Google Apps and wipe your data and cache.

If you are wanting to go back to plain vanilla stock, be noted that apps like EasyRoot (one click root access) will not work for the latest version of Froyo for the Droid.  You'll have to downgrade to 2.1 to get root access back if you go this route.

With that said, if you are rooted, go get ROM Manager.  Under Download Rom are "Stock Images".  One of those options is 2.2 FRG01B with the option of root/unrooted.  This should put you on the right path of plain vanilla stock.

Hope this helps, let me know if I misunderstood you and I'll try to clarify.


What are the technical reasons of updating SuperSU?

It is not necessary to update. But, it is always a good habit to keep your device up to date.

If you do not want to download so frequently, then see the change log of the updates, and decide whether you want to update or not.


How to avoid Clash of Clans update and go right into the application?

Bad news: For some apps, especially games, you are not allowed to play without updating it -- especially if it is connected to the net.

You will not be able to legally bypass this restriction.


S2 randomly restarting / draining the battery

Should be an hardware issue.
In my case was the oxidation of the motherboard cause by the sweat cuase i kept the phone on my arms while I was running.


After hours of researching I am pleased to inform you that I have found a way to clear the recent apps lists in Tasker

Prerequisites:

Autoinput plugin
Root

Open tasker and head to Task tab: You can name it Clear recent apps

A1: AutoInput Global Action [ Configuration:Action: Recent Apps Timeout (Seconds):20 ]
A2: Task Wait Value: 250 MS
A3: Code → Run shell → Command input tap 405.3 1198.5 and use root ( this is the x,y co-oordinates of the point on screen which will be simulated by a tap event - my device is 720x1280.
You can obtain  your x,y coordinates by enabling show pointer location/cursor position in developer options )
A4: AutoInput Global Action [ Configuration:Action: Home Timeout (Seconds):20 ]
A5: Flash [ Text:Apps cleared Long:Off ] (You may need this flash notification to know what took place)

Now for the profile;

Go to Profiles tab and choose Application (The list of "secure apps" )
Now for entry task just create Task Wait action and choose any waiting period e.g. 2 seconds
For the exit task choose the previously created task ( Clear recent apps)

Note: Try not to test this profile when Tasker is running in foreground/included in recent apps because it may crash or go into a loop. But once the profile is set it runs smoothly as required.

Credits:

how to create close recent app list
Tasker: clear recent apps command


unknown notification icon on HTC One M9 Android 7

It's the Peel notification. Its a remote app that comes pre installed on some devices. The notification lets you power off, change volume and go to the app.


What kinds of memory does an Android device have?

Android devices are very similar to computers, they consist of a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), an OS (Operating System) and then Applications and Data.

The BIOS would be stored in EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or rather a sub-type called Flash Memory. (Wikipedia)
When the BIOS loads the OS then it is moved into RAM Memory. RAM memory stores all currently running applications (including the OS). (Wikipedia)
The Operating System software, and application software are stored in storage; which is usually an internal SD card, or SD card like storage. (Wikipedia)

You can have additional storage, such as an external SD card.

So you would have

EEPROM (Flash Memory)
RAM (System Memory)
SD Card (Storage)


I have the same exact issue. Literally same exact issue. I got mine to work for a little while after setting my WiFi to broadcast B&G only. I really hope someone finds out how to fix this issue soon. Btw I'm running XDAbbeb's ROM and have tried 3 or 4 others.

Edit: People on the G3 reddit are reporting this issue as well. One user said that replacing the battery fixes the issue.


Can I root my Cube Talk7x (U51GT-C8) without installing new ROM?

ern0, there is a website that has a download to root this device and it looks like you can do it from the device itself.

If you download http://www.jellydroid.com/framaroot-1-9-0-apk/Framaroot-1.9.0.apk and install it then select install “SuperSU“ and select an exploit in list to potentially root your device as “Barahir” and proceed further.

You should see a success message and then reboot. Hope this works for you.


OP5t - Decrypt an encrypted data folder from a second user after reset

Once you do a factory reset encryption PIN is also reset and you cannot decrypt  anything be it on primary or secondary user by that PIN

It's practically impossible to recover data


You're looking for the Device Art Generator.


I had saved my important photos and videos in NQ Vault App but unfortunately deleted data

You must have applied for their own cloud backup, take it from there. Else use any Android media recovery tool. You can search for any of them on Google. It would work, as I faced this too.


Get the charging rate without external hardware (e.g. multimeter.)

You can try Ampere (I didn't test it), which should show you the current (dis)charge rate:

Quoted from a rating:

  I appreciate that this app displays which of my available charging devices delivers the most milliamps. It's useful because I know which charger to swap out for maximum power. Also, it may indicate if a known charger may be under performing based on available specs.


Nexus 5 screen no working, how do i recover data

If you have adb working, you could just pull everything from the /sdcard directory which is either your internal storage if no actual SD card is installed or the actual SD card that is installed (/sdcard is an alias)

Anyways you can use adb and the pull command:

adb pull /sdcard .

That will pull everything on the /sdcard which could be a lot.

Some common file locations:

Screenshots

adb pull /sdcard/Pictures/Screenshots .

Pictures & videos taken with the camera:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera .

Downloads folder:

adb pull /sdcard/Download

Also you could create a backup of your device, but you'd need to enter some information and tap a button to continue:

adb backup -apk -shared -all

So that's probably not for you...


"App_Name" Could not be downloaded due to an error (500)?

The app works on other devices according to the user reviews. Perform a factory reset on your device and see if the error occurs while installing


The app's author himself explains how it works at the top of the second page of that thread you linked to:

  It's the same idea as FaceNiff (I'm a developer of it also), basically
  it sends ARP Reply's to all of the devices in the network fooling them
  to think that your mobile is router. And then all of the devices try
  connecting to network THROUGH your device... and you just drop every
  single packet from them. In this version it's just dropping packets
  but maybe later I'll try adding some sort of primitive REJECT target.

And slightly more on page 5

    Originally Posted by Jufjufjuf

    Is this using an arpspoofing attack? Just wondering if there was anyway to send out de-auth packets through android like airdrop-ng?

  Yes, it's using arp spoofing. I suppose there is a way to send deauth
  packets but it would require modifying kernel drivers for wifi card.
  AFAIK it won't work out-of-the-box because most of android wifi
  drivers don't allow packet injections and even changing the mac
  address of the NIC is super-difficult in a lot of devices.

As far as tools for desktop OSs go, there are a few that will do this kind of thing, MDK3 seems to be a popular one for doing this kind of thing.


Sync two gmail accounts, but only one account's contacts

Go to Settings-> Accounts -> Google -> Select Account(whose contacts you want to Sync) -> Select Applications which you want to Sync(Contacts)


I flashed recoveries with Odin, why doesn't my phone boot bow?

Since the phone can still boot into Odin mode the best thing to do here is to flash a stock firmware and start all over again. You could have flashed a wrong recovery hence the boot failure; it happens. Just get and flash a full stock firmware in Odin. Make sure the firmware is for your device model and network/region. Samsung phones  have a tendency to require you flash the exact same firmware for your region/ network.


How can I installer the Google dialer (phone app) on any phone without root?

Download this APK: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/google-phone/google-phone-2-05-07_rc4-release/google-phone-2-05-07_rc4-android-apk-download/

It's an official APK Google released by mistake that does not limit which phone it can be installed on. Unlike the other versions that can only be installed on Nexus phones.


Listen which URLs an app tries to connect

OS Monitor lists network connections by app:

OS Monitor and Connection Tracker listing connections (source: Google Play; click image to enlarge)

As you can see, OS Monitor lists up all connections, and lists the corresponding app "owning" this connection along. This should enable you to see all servers your suspicious app connects to. There are other apps available with the same feature as well, as e.g. Connection Tracker shown in the second screenshot.

If you really need the full URL, the above won't bring you there (both apps use methods similar to netstat, which only reveals the hosts). Instead, you might want to take a look at e.g. tPacketCapture, which "sniffs" your network traffic (without requiring root), and saves the protocol in so called .pcap files. These again can be read then by e.g. Shark Reader.


If I understand correctly, you are facing signal loss when inside a building?

If so then that is normal. Indoor areas suffer from lower signal reception due to the having to pass through the walls. Whilst modern signal transmitters and phones are usually only marginally affected, all sorts of factors can affect this including how "deep" into a building you are, distance from transmitter, building materials etc.

If you are only facing this issue inside a particular room then perhaps the room is specially screened? You may also be in a signal dead-spot where you just have little signal.

Whilst WiFi and other common wireless systems are on frequencies that should not interfere with your phone signal, you may have some specialist kit in your office however this is very unlikely.

If you'd like to track your signal strength as you move between locations you can use the phone status option in settings.


Samsung Galaxy Tab: Cannot download from Google Play

By your reference, you are using android market, not Google play store. This then, suggest that you need to update the store, otherwise you are not downloading anything. The store has been as Google play store for a bit over a yes now, so anyone using android market are severely outdated. You may have to download the apk, and install it, force updating it.


How can I take a log snapshot of device information?

This can be accomplished several ways.

Since you sound very interested in your tech - but maybe not all-about-the-coding - my thought is to grab something like zooper widgets and build a widget with all of the data you want. It can easily grab most of what you're looking for with no coding required, plus you get to learn a little something about your OS and gear.

With that homemade widget on your screen of choice, do a screenshot and you've got your info all in one place.


Download the app called CatLog - LogCAt reader it can read all your logs and it's open source


How to recover apps from a factory reset?

If you have a 4.x device, the automatic backup/restore found under Settings -> Backup & reset -> Back up my data and Automatic restore options work fine.  It uses Google's own servers to save a list of apps installed on your phone.  After a factory reset once you sign in with the same Google account, it gives you an option to restore those apps.  Keep in mind that if the goal of factory reset is to change the default Google account, you'll need to first add that account to the phone, and change the Backup account to the secondary one you've just added.

On older Android versions the automatic backup/restore was not very reliable, but there are some 3rd-party apps in the Market that can help depending on what exactly your goal is.  If you want to simply re-install apps, then AppBrain along with Fast Web Installer are great.  AppBrain allows you to save the list of your installed apps to their online site, and after a factory reset you would only need to re-install these two apps, sign in, pick the list you created earlier, and it allows you to kick off a process that automatically installs the "missing" apps directly from Market.

If you also need to restore the settings and data associated with those apps, Titanium backup (rooting required) is a better choice.  This app backs up all installed apps and their settings/data to your SD Card.  After a factory reset you install Titanium from Market, and then do a restore.  It can also backup/restore system apps and settings, which can help after a factory reset, but it's generally not recommended to do so, especially if you are planning to install a custom ROM.


Switched off device is kept charging for a long time? Is this okay?

It is not altogether harmful, because once the battery is fully charged, it stops receiving more current automatically. This is true because most laptops can be use plugged in while fully charged to save the juice.
But however, its good practice to unplug your device once its full because some non-li-ion batteries tend to decrease in efficiency due to contactly being plugged in while full.
Hope this answered your question...


Is there a way to enter recovery mode without using home and volume keys?

If your device boots fully, adb reboot recovery should take you there. However, if your device is rooted, then you can use Quick Reboot in the Play Store will get the job done.

UPDATE: Due to a change in the question, the answer would be that this is not possible without root access or being able to use the buttons on the phone.


VZW OTA, right? Well, as per the XDA page in question, I'm supposed to taunt you for not reading the red large writing, but the page says clearly, twice, that 'using this WILL NOT set the "Knox Warranty Void" flag.' It sets the "custom" flag; don't worry about that now. Later on,

  Resetting the "Custom" and open padlock indication during boot can be worked around using the Xposed Framwork and Wanam Xposed. Get those two from the Play Store. In Wanam, tick "Security Hacks", "Fake System Status".

So you're not unlocking that phone any further than it already is; and you're not installing a custom recovery. You can install Safestrap recovery (unless you have encryption enabled; SS will bootloop if encryption is enabled). SS is a modified TWRP for your rooted-but-unlocked S3; that's the only recovery we OTA Jellybean users have got right now.

Note: you can only use ROMs based on 4.3 modified for a rooted but locked SGS3 (there are a few). Any ROM you install with SS is going to sit on top of the stock ROM that we can't (yet) get access to, and all of that goes in internal memory, so keep ROM size in mind when shopping ROMs.

Last thing: before Safestrap, if you want wifi, you need to flash the kernel modules. All that info is in the SS thread which I highly suggest reading. (I can only post 2 links since I'm new here; I chose carefully, but please read the SS page.)


Maximum ring volume for one contact, vibrate for others (SMS)

There are SMS apps in the market that allow you to customize notifications by sender.     Handcent SMS is the one that I've used.


Does Google Photos allow for "Hidden" albums or photos?

I have seen no indication anywhere, from every setting within the site or app to deep searches, that indicates any such feature exists. The last mention of it I see dates back to Picasa. It seems the feature died there.

I personally have entirely separate Google accounts for different needs, and I keep my photos in those locations that don't belong in my general collection. Not optimal, but the only solution I've found.


Which apps are placing icons on statusbar?

Notification History displays a list of all notifications originating from apps and you can compare the app icon to that in your status bar to track down the app. You can even see the time stamp of each notification app to help you. As you can see from the pic , it shows notifications from System UI also ; that may help you identify the culprit for your battery charging icons

Once you track the app, you can try revoke it's permissions to show up in status bar. If these icons don't show up in safe mode, it is app based and of they do perhaps you are better off searching for a solution in your device / ROM forums


Galaxy SIII is displaying small-size low-quality pictures for contacts

Google contacts supports max. resolution of 98x98 apparently.
Hope they will fix this soon.
Anyway if you set high res. photos in the phone they will be displayed accordingly until you restore again your contacts from google servers.


You can ask Google Assistant to "change the song". It works perfectly.
Start a random song on Spotify.
Say "Ok Google" and wait for Assistant to pop up.
Say "Play the next song"
And she does it.
Works like a charm, as long as your phone's microphone works properly.


These are the steps to Cancel or change a subscription on Google Play

  Cancel a subscription

  Uninstalling the app will not cancel your subscription.

  On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Play Store Google Play.
  2.Check if you’re signed in to the correct Google Account.
  Tap Menu Menuand then Subscriptions.
  Select the subscription you want to cancel.
  Tap Cancel subscription.
  Follow the instructions.

  If you have a subscription with an app and the app gets removed from Google Play, your future subscription will be canceled. Your past subscriptions will not be refunded.

  What happens after you cancel

  When you cancel a subscription you’ll still be able to use your subscription for the time you’ve already paid.

  For example, if you buy a one-year subscription on Jan. 1 for $10 and decide to cancel your subscription on July 1:

  You’ll have access to the subscription until Dec. 31.
  You won’t be charged another yearly subscription of $10 the following Jan.


With the Android 4.2 camera app, how can I tell if I have a GPS lock?

You can press the right soft-key (switch application soft-key). The application switcher in Android 4.2 includes the notification bar, which shows if there´s a GPS fix. You can press the right soft-key again to return to the camera app.


I do not have your phone model on hand to try, but you can give this link a shot.

Generally, just go to Settings > Security > check Make passwords visible. This is true for my phone (HTC Desire, BCM 4.0.4).

Hope it works for you.


Location for custom Ringtones/Alarms/Notifications that hides them from Play Music?

Just create a new folder/directory in internal storage of your phone with name 'Notifications' and place all your notification tones that you have downloaded in this folder.

Finally go to settings > sound > notifications > you'll find your tones there, select and enjoy.


Insufficient storage popping up when transferring app to SD card

It's very possible you bought a fake SD card.
The markets are filled with unscrupulous people and businesses selling fake cards (bad eBay sellers are notorious for this).  They take 2GB-4GB cards, and make them look like much larger cards using illegal tricks.
See this link for even more details:
https://www.rmprepusb.com/tutorials/-fake-usb-flash-memory-drives
Update: In the comments, the OP indicated that they have good reason to believe their SD card is good (it previously held 25GB of data).  As such, I think it's likely their card is legit, but I'll leave this answer up, as it might help others in the future.


As you didn't root or install any custom Rom, this leaves one the apps you've installed as a possible cause. If you contacted Samsung support, they probably would recommend a factory-reset to rule out software issues as well, so this is a working approach.

Yes, a factory-reset would delete all data and the apps you've installed. You might wish to take a look at our factory-reset tag-wiki and its most frequented questions for details. If a factory-reset indeed solves your issue, start re-installing your apps one-by-one with enough time to check in between.

See also our backuptag-wiki for hints on how to save your data. Helium - App Sync and Backup might come in handy here, as it allows you to backup apps and their data, and even restore them separately (one-by-one) in an easy way.

Of course, if you can live with the current state a little longer, you might want to wait for alternative answers first, so maybe a factory-reset is avoidable after all. If you want to use this approach, you find an appropriate item in your device's settings, as well as in the recovery menu. Again, you'll find more dtails via the mentioned tag-wiki.


How do I select a non-OEM charger for my device?

When you are switching to a different charger from What is OEM supplied, things to bear in mind:

Type of battery (not really relevant these days as most batteries are Li-Ion or Li-PO . Both have sane charging characteristics. Your battery is Li-PO). Battery type dictates charging / charger features
Voltage  This is critical and never use higher rated voltage than
what is specified for your device. For instance do not use 9V tablet charger for your mobile rated at 5V (vice versa is safe but charging will be slower )
Current  This does not matter much since the circuitry inside your phone / battery caters for this and draws as much current as required. Quoting from this

  Each device has a regulator or charge controller, known as a Power Management IC, or PMIC. This device protects the battery from charging too fast, or too slow.

Nexus 5 charging specifications listed at Charge your Nexus device  and as confirmed by OP in his comments as same for his device

  The input voltage range between the wall outlet and this travel adapter is AC 100V– 240V, and the travel adapter’s output voltage is DC 5V, 1.2A

The rating of LG chargers are 1.2 A and 1.8 A and  should be 5V (which is the standard USB charger rating

Having said that, it is playing safer by choosing current rating closest too original-which is 1.2A in your case.

So you can go in for either LG charger as long rated 5V, but given a choice go in for 1.2 A

Edit

See Complete Guide to Using the Correct Charger or Power Adapter (and What Happens If You Don’t) for similar explanation
To make it easier to understand how Voltage and Current affect charger selection and interpret it in layman terms , adding this example from Basic Electricity

  In some neighborhoods you'll see a water tank raised high above the ground on strong legs. The water in this tank has been raised up there to create pressure in the system. A series of pipes carry the water down from the tank, under ground, into your house, and then to each sink, bathtub, and toilet. The water in your pipes is under pressure because the water in the tank is pushing down on it. This pressure is similar to Voltage. Voltage is the pressure pushing on the electrons in a circuit.

  If all of the faucets in your house are closed, no water flows through the pipes. If you open one faucet, some water flows. If you open all of the faucets, a lot of water flows. This flow of water is similar to electrical Current. Current is the flow rate of electrons through the circuit.

Correlation of this example and charger selection criteria

Voltage:  If the voltage is too high, the pipes in your home (read device hardware) may burst since they just are not designed to handle
Current:   The flow of water (read Current handling hardware)- if it is too low, you will increase by opening the tap outlet to allow more water and vice versa. This doesn't harm the plumbing of the house


What happens if I remove my dropbox account from my phone so I can add another account?

Logging out will not delete your photos or other content. You will still be able to access all content in the old account via re-logging in on that device, another device, or in browser.

However if you have multiple accounts, you may want to be sure that you are using each account in accordance with the terms and conditions of service of Dropbox.


This is overly long, and something is most likely wrong.

I would say pull the battery, and then wipe the userdata. You may not need to wipe the userdata, but if the encryption has failed at some point then it will be necessary.


Where whats app stored thumbnails of media in android phone?

Go to Explorer/ file manager of your mobile, and scroll down to Whatsapp folder. Open it and go to Whatsapp Media.Then activate Show hidden files option ( Usually a 3 dots symbol at top right corner ).So you can see the .sent folder and open it,search for your photo


Can I connect Android device (Galaxy Tab) to my iPhone to use its 3G data plan?

MyWi for iphone will do it but may need to install wpa_supplicant.adhocfix on galaxy to accept adhoc network.  I did this on my nook color and it works really well.


what app/script is responsible for video media?

There isn't a single app or script that runs for all videos. Some video support is built into the Android framework, and each app also have its own logic for playing videos.


So I fixed it the way it was suggested me by @rom1v scrcpy --turn-screen-off and works better than what I was expecting!


First, try to decrypt the encrypted vault on your PC/Mac using other encryption software (presuming, you've its password & encryption key). The encrypted vaults are generally universally compatible, but not necessarily.

If it doesn't work for you, setup an Android Emulator (virtual Android phone) using Android SDK. Enable Android Market in it. Install SuperVault & Dropbox using Market. Use Dropbox to download vault file in its virtual sdcard. Decrypt files & withdraw them using Dropbox.


I ended up just installing CyanogenMod. They have features that stock Android should have had from the beginning, and support pretty much every Android device on the market for many years after Google and the various device manufacturers abandon it.


Google Voice Upgrade: Get a new number from Google or use my mobile number?

Take a look at the Choosing your Google number page in their help section. Specifically, have a look at the "Learn more about the difference between the two options" expandable link.

The gist is that unless you have Sprint, choosing to use your mobile number will simply allow you to port your mobile number and turn it into your GVoice number or continue using GVoice Lite. This means you lose your mobile number for your cell plan, which is probably not what you want in most cases.

If you have Sprint then you can choose to have your GVoice number be a copy of your actual mobile number, allowing GVoice communication to essentially appear as though it originated from your mobile phone (among other things, explained more at About Google Voice on Sprint).


WiFi never shuts off on Nexus 5 running Lollipop

I have a nexus 5 and had the same problem. I found an app called Power Toggles and it seemed to do the trick.


Possible to flash factory ROMs on an encrypted phone using fastboot?

For the record: this works fine, so long as you are careful not to flash the userdata partition. I was able to follow the instructions from AndroidPolice for flashing the factory image, including removing the "-w" option from the "fastboot update ..." command (this prevents the update from wiping the userdata partition).


So I've discovered there is a way of doing this.
I found this answer on Quora:

https://www.quora.com/Where-is-the-call-waiting-option-on-Android-7

There's a video there and the answer is essentially :

Open the phone app Press the Menu button (3 dots top right)
Press   Settings
Press Calling Accounts
Press on your call Operator (Was EE in my case)
Press Additional Settings
Slide Call   Waiting to disabled


Apps whitelisted in AFWall+ without my knowledge

Guess you didn't read this explanation by developer regarding system apps. You need to consciously blacklist them if you want, by default they are white listed.

Google Partner Setup

  No one seems to know what this does and what data it transmits/receives
  Rec: Block

Market Feedback agent

  If blocked, cannot use Google to submit feedback to app developers when apps crashes.
  Rec: Block if not using the Google Play store, otherwise allow for all connection types except LAN

Other two are not covered in this list so you could ask developer on his XDA thread. If you aren't using Print services, it should be safe to disable IMO


SD Maid on Rooted Roger's Galaxy S3 hanging on "System Cleanup" and "Duplicate"

Do you have an external sdcard in your device? If so, remove it and try again.
When sdcards start throwing errors and have to remap sectors it kills their performance. As this is usually an indicator for a dying sdcard i would suggest to backup any important data you have on it.


Can you use the Nexus 4 without a SIM card?

Yes - all android devices will work without a SIM card, and can be connected to wifi for an internet connection.

EDIT: Just so people know, there is a setting in the build.prop file that determines whether or the not the device can be used without a SIM or not.

Most of the time this is set to allow it, however in rare cases it may be disallowed.


How to spawn "sign-in to network" page for a captive portal?

It depends upon the firewalls vendor and how they implement it. If you're using a Cisco, such as one of the Meraki devices- the captive portal spawns best under Firefox versus Chrome/ium or Opera. And also another way to catch it, is to

Disconnect from the access point
Clear any saved credentials
Re-log in

Take care to notice the notifications you're likely to get a prompt. Follow the prompts. If your AP is as I have mine set up, it is likely a click through walled garden, these pages include a check box radio form entry field, You need to fill the check, then click 'continue' .

Also, iOS has to always be the Marsha Brady of the tech bunch, be sure that in the firewall settings of the AP, you have the correct ports available for iOS to get through otherwise if you're on and iPhone or pad, you won't get the chance to sign in, it will just auto-deny your request without much time to stop it.


How to trigger task when Play/Pause button is pressed on Podcast Addict widget or notification?

You can't do it this way. Buttons on widgets are signalled via intents, that's true, but the intent is delivered only to the app that owns the widget - in this case, Podcast Addict.

Instead, you should create a button widget through Tasker, and have it trigger a profile which does the other stuff you want and sends the same intent to Podcast Addict that its own widget would send.


Does the default email app support IMAP?

Default email app on my G2 supports IMAP, including encryption. I personally use K-9, which is free.


Black rectangle on CyanogenMod (AOSP) browser with Quick Controls enabled

This problem has known. You must disable all accessibility service in accessibility setting. But this is bad because the developer didn't fix this bug till now


"Please sign in using one of the owner's previous accounts for this device."

If for sure you have forgotten your primary mail, for as far as I know, there's no guaranteed way of knowing the mail, you should rather prefer bypassing the lock instead of trying to get to remember the mail, here:

At the very beginning from the Welcome panel choose appropriate language.

Afterwards connect your device to one of the available wifi networks.From the Verifying your account panel active the keyboard to input the email.

In the next step press and hold the icon from the left-down corner of keyboard.

 As soon as Huawei Swype menu appears on the screen choose the Help.

After that tap Version and the select Swype.

From the text in front of you click the first link and choose Browser.

You can now use the Internet browser. Type in the following phrase in the searcher: download.hardreset.info

Next choose Huawei folder and download Huawei Bypass Google file.

 Open the menu of the browser by tapping the Middle key.

Then select Download options.

In the next step open the Bypass application.

When the Install blocked screen appears on the screen choose Unblock.

Afterwards tap Install and accept necessary conditions.

Tap Open icon and Cancel for the Delete installation package.

Excellent! You are right now in the Main screen of your phone.From the main menu choose Settings .

In the next step tap Backup & Reset and select Factory data reset.

Then choose Reset phone, and confirm the whole operation tapping Reset phone again.

Good job! Wait to accomplish the process! This operation removes your Factory Restet Protection.

If incase you switched to another input method. Hard reset the phone again as below:

First of all, hold down the Power key in order to turn off the device.

Next, press and hold the Volume Up + Power button at the same time for a few seconds.

Let go of held keys as soon as the Huawei logo appears on the screen.Then select by using Volume buttons option "wipe data/factory reset", and confirm that with Power button.

Once more choose "wipe data/factory reset"  from the menu, and accept it with Power key.

When the Recovery Menu pops up accept option "reboot system now" by using Power button.

Congratulations! You have just performed the hard reset operation

Boot it up and try again the previous procedure to bypass the verification


Will fastboot not proceed with flashing if battery level is below certain percentage?

Turns out I was not in fastboot mode :| (yes, terrible mistake). I was able to flash after getting into fastboot mode.


How to check HTC desire is off without turning it on?

This is for the HTC 1.  You'll have to see if it works for you.  The charge light is red when the phone is off, and orange when it's on.  Obviously, that's with the charger connected.


Encryt a single user, not the whole device

Afraid not. We're talking about "device encryption" here, which – as the name suggests – encrypts the "device" (in this context, the "storage device"). All users have their data on the same storage device – so either you encrypt it or not.

While it's not possible to "encrypt a single user", there are possibilities to encrypt selected files and directories, which might be an acceptable alternative for you.