Calling service intent fails with "not found"

The component name is specified as the package name, then a slash, then the name of the class. So in this case, the command you want is:-

am startservice --es toggle toggle com.urbandroid.lux/.TwilightService

For future reference, and to help avoid confusion: the intent is the name of the message you're sending to start the service. The thing that you want to start is a service, not a "service intent", and the thing you found in the manifest is a service, not an intent.


What does "loudness compensation" in the volume settings mean?

Loudness compensation boosts the volume on the high and low ends of the frequency band.  As you might expect, the higher you set it, the more it boosts.

It's mostly useful for balancing out the sound on cheap headphones, which tend to have poor response at the upper and lower bounds of their range.

If you're putting worthwhile sound equipment in/on/around your ears, you probably want to leave it disabled.


I have read, that even though the GT-i9000 claims to support 802.11n, it does not. I even read that if your router is set to 802.11n "only" mode, the SGS will not connect to the access point. This is why you see the device using 802.11g.

I don't think you can change the channel that is used with the "built in" tether, but some of the 3rd party apps look like they let you change the channel.


For anyone who's been in my situation , you'll find the sources of the phone service that are related to RIL under frameworks/opt/telephony/src/java/com/android/internal/telephony/RIL.java.


What does "Network interrupted; server closed" mean?

If you have the "File Expert with Clouds" application installed then it may be the culprit. I was having the same issue and suspected it may be that application because it seemed to start happening after I had started and then stopped the FTP server.
I removed the application and the messages stopped.
I then re-installed the application and everything was fine until I started and stopped the FTP server at which time the messages started to appear again.
I removed the application (permanently this time) and the messages have stopped again.
I didn't bother to check to see if I could connect to the FTP server when it was supposedly stopped but I may re-install the app one more time just to see if that's the case. I'll post the result here if I do get around to testing it... Paul


charging from power outlet or computer? to save battery lifetime

No, the battery doesn't care how it got charged in terms of a given charge. It just takes longer when using your PC because it's getting less current from the PC than the AC charger.

Here's a post on android forums which suggests that the current coming from the PC is significantly less than the AC charger. The forum posts list 100mA or 500mA for the PC's USB port vs. 1000mA from the AC charger; these numbers could be off but the point is correct. I also found this regarding the same phenomenon with the iPhone 4.

So using the AC charger is just a matter of whether you want the phone to charge quicker or not.


It sounds like you want to go into Settings->Wifi and then press the menu button to get to the "Advanced" menu, where you can then uncheck the "Network notification" option. This is the first option on the "Advanced Wi-Fi" settings page of my Galaxy Nexus, so a caveat here is that Motorola may have altered the settings menu.


Phone Stolen and want to know if it was erased or a google error

When you press on the erase option on the find my device, page, it tells you "If your device is offline, erasing will being when it next comes online" This is because Google cannot erase your device if it cannot connect to it.

The check mark you see, tells you that you put it into "erase mode" but it will only take place when it's online.

Had the device been online when you tried to erase it, it would have told you that it's online, and you would have seen the actual location.

I must conclude that the thief turned the phone off as soon as he got it. He could then put it through factory reset, or access your data while in airplane mode.

If you had a lock on your phone, the chances of him getting passed it, are very small. But If you did not have any lock on it, then he could have access to your data, and there's not much you can do about that.


How to get boot.Img from Samsung tab a 10.5 sm-t595

Thanks to alecxs for all the help. In the end this was possible with Magisk Manager and odin. I will try and list all the steps needed, but there was a lot of trial and error so I may miss somthing.

Get enable OEM reset then usb debugging (this will factory reset the
tablet)
Find the stock boot.img I found mine here
transfer the boot.img to your phone and install magisk manager apk
(you will have to enable installing from unknown sources)
click install magisk and choose the option to patch a boot file. Copy the
patched file back to your computer
rename the file back to
boot.img
download this tool to repackage it to a .tar.md5
file
copy the boot.img into the parts folder and try and make
the .tar file then try the .md5. if you have problems download the
latest version of cygwin64 and copy the contents from the
installation folder into the bin folder of the tar.md5 tool and try
again
now you should have a tar.md5 file containing your patched
boot.img that you can flash onto the ap partition with odin. restart
to boot loader ( hold down power and volume up or use adb command
adb reboot-bootloader and flash (there are other more detailed
tutorials on how to do this)
check to see if it succeeded. For me
it succeeded and then when rebooting it failed the integrity check
and factory reset itself. I reinstalled magisk manager and found
that it had worked. I let magisk install itself and update. I
installed a root checker and it showed i had root access

I hope this helps someone


The new version replaces the old version, just like upgrading to a new Windows version or a new version of Ubuntu on your PC.

Also, it's not the case that the kernel is the same for ICS and JB. ICS uses a Linux kernel based on the 3.0.1 release, whereas JB's kernel is based on 3.0.31. Android-specific patches to the kernel were also added between the two versions, to support new driver features. But you can downgrade a device to an older version if you have a ROM image to downgrade to, whatever kernel versions they use. The only difference the kernel version makes is that if a device wasn't designed to support a particular kernel version, the manufacturer would have to supply device drivers for the target kernel in order to make a suitable ROM.


It appears that Android MAC Spoofing can only be accomplished on "Open" access wifi networks. Try to change the last three sets of numbers from the original mac address. The first three sets identify the adapter/manufacturer, changing them may cause authentication issues.


Can I get Fire OS 6 running on a Fire HD 10(7th gen)?

Fire OS 6 for 7th generation tablets are not released yet, so it's not possible to install it yet. It is not sure whether Amazon will release it ever, or just keep maintaining the Lollipop Fire OS 5 version either. It might be best to just root it, you can install it later if they release it. (There is a way to go back to stock which will re-enable OTA updates. That will not leave any traces of rooting)

Even with root you won't be able to install a clean Android ROM, because the bootloader is locked. (No custom recovery either) But, you'll still be able to remove bloat apps, change launcher, install Google apps, speed it up considerably by adding a swap partition, install Xposed, etc.


Download mode disabled by kill switch on LG G3

This "issue" coused by McAffee (KillSwitch) which prevent hardreset or install a new rom on your phone.

So first, you have to boot up you device, open up McAffee app and disable it or just simply uninstall it if you can. After you will able to install the stock ROM.

Same issue is here.


How to enable "Disable HW overlays" at startup?

Source-reddit, which references Android documentation

to DISABLE the h/w composer:
adb shell service call SurfaceFlinger 1008 i32 1

to ENABLE the h/w composer:
adb shell service call SurfaceFlinger 1008 i32 0

These need to be run as root and can be in a script or using the Termux Boot app as described in wiki
For some reason, this works the opposite way for OP (command for enable disables and vice-versa ; maybe a case for a separate question)


How to disable notifications about phone being in DND mode?

This is usually caused by applications such as peel remote. As a solution try disabling the application.

Try disabling the app:

To disable an app, go to Settings √ Apps √ Applications √ Peel Smart remote then choose option.
Alternatively deactivate it in drawer; Go to the app drawer, tap Edit, you will see minus sign besides the given app at the top-right of the screen: When you select the minus sign, you will see the selected app no longer in the background. You will also stop receiving any updates which also stops unnecessary drain on resources.


What is the mysterious "CDC Serial" device and why do I needed it?

I've never found Windows to be very helpful in identifying drivers either. Here's some information for you on what USB CDC is. According to Wikipedia:

  USB communications device class (or USB CDC) is a composite Universal
  Serial Bus device class. The class may include more than one
  interface, such as a custom control interface, data interface, audio,
  or mass storage related interfaces.

Additionally, a resource called the USB Software Resource Center has this overview of CDC:

  There are three classes that make up the definition for communication
  devices: the Communication Device Class, Communication Interface Class
  and the Data Interface Class. The Communication Device Class is a
  device level definition and is used by the host to properly identify a
  communication device that may present several different types of
  interfaces.

All of that is developer-speak, but it really just means that a USB CDC driver helps your PC 1) understand what services your phone can provide it and 2) start talking to your phone to use those services. I don't know for sure what service the CDC Serial driver you see represents but I'm pretty confident that installing the official Samsung drivers for your phone would resolve the red X (the drivers that Windows installs automatically are sometimes generic and are often insufficient).

In its current state, with your phone connected as an MTP device, do you have any trouble transferring files or doing anything else you want to do with your phone from your PC? If you're not having trouble then it's possible the CDC Serial driver is only used for connecting your phone as a modem or serial device (as when communicating with your phone from the developer tool ADB). If you aren't planning to use your phone in this manner, you can safely ignore the failed installation of the CDC Serial driver.

I wouldn't stress too much over it and would install the Samsung drivers if you run into any trouble.


Communicating offline between different android devices

This is fairly simple actually. With "ssh server" (ice cold apps is a good one), you can install it on each android device, and then connect from one device to another across your Lan. Of course if you have no network connectivity you won't be able access the Web, but it should be possible to push pull data using rsync (you will need busy box and root to gain full functionality), but it is certainly very possible.

Although, depending on what you actually want to achieve, some easier options are available - eg for simple file sync, you can use bittorrent sync, even without an Internet connection


Is it possible to flash htc desire on linux (drivers concern)?

Yes. It is possible to flash android devices under linux. The fact is that Android does not need drivers - both adb and fastboot use libusb and talk to the devices directly. Your main concern should be finding compatible fastboot binary - some OEMs use proprietary fastboot extensions to handle certain functions.

Obviously you can not expect to be able to follow the windows tutorial under linux. Fortunately for you unrevoked (the tool used in the tutorial you linked) has a linux version as well.


Does using multiple gps tracker use much more battery?

The GPS itself probably won't use much more power – after all it doesn't matter if 1 or 100 apps ask for the location: it's obtained once and then handed to all. Actually there's even a "location cache": if you're now at e.g. Trafalgar Square in London, you're unlikely to be in Manhattan the next second (exaggerating a little) – so that's what subsequent requests within a short interval access. And that's also what's used when you e.g. enter a tunnel and temporarily have no location info.

A little more power of course will be required as the device is kept awake "more aggressively": one app probably would update the location once per second (or fewer times) – while multiple apps won't do that "unisono" (at the exact same time). But compared to the overall load while tracking (or navigating), that's most likely rather a little indeed.

Which reduces your question to: "Does using multiple apps use much more battery". The answer to that is "it depends". It certainly uses more – but how much depends on what those apps do, how well they are written, etc. Also think of ads they may draw, or data uploads they might perform.


Power management : Configuring Battery cutoff voltage

Yes. Using Xposed Framework. You can actually turnoff auto-shutoff of any android device on 0% battery. by using Disable critical battery shutdown and run your battery upto a voltage you want.
Notice : This will require root permission


Pin Keep Reminder to notification shade?

There's no native way in Android to do it unless the app itself implements it. However, some hacky ways to achieve it-

Using apps - Boomerang Notifications and Pin Notifications
Using Tasker - https://www.reddit.com/r/tasker/comments/4orcfg/make_notification_persistent/d5h8ln9/
Xposed Module - https://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/4-1-pinnotif-pin-notifications-to-avoid-t2765095 (Not updated in a while, will be incompatible with latest versions of Android)


Milestone outperforming Galaxy Nexus on mobile data connection speed

While this might not be the complete answer to your issue, it appears that the Galaxy Nexus is connected to an HSDPA:9 radio (10.1mb/s theoretical speed) while the Milestone is connected to an HSPA radio (14mb/s theoretical speed, not HSPA+ which can have a theoretical speed of between 21 and 42 depending on the network). While the theoretical capacities of the networks are similar, it does seem that they are using different radio tower connections, which could explain the difference in bandwidth that is being experienced.


Moto G3 Marshmallow SD card as Internal storage

This is intentional by the Android system. When you format a microSD card to be used as internal storage, 2 things basically happen:

The microSD card becomes locked-in to the device (as it is specifically encrypted for the device)
The real internal storage (eMMC) becomes invisible to non-root and non-system privileged users. You could still technically access it by rooting your device and using a Root Explorer app, but it's not properly mounted, but your PC still con't be able to detect the real internal storage over USB MTP.

  Notice that the space is not increased by the size of the sdcard, but to the size of the sdcard. You’re basically swapping out your internal storage (which is typically eMMC, which is fairly quick), with your sdcard (which is typically slower than the built-in storage chip). You’ll be trading speed for capacity.

You could use ADB as root to push/pull data, but doing that via the command line is cumbersome, and even using a GUI ADB client for this purpose seems like a waste of time.

As to what you can do, you can reformat the microSD to be used as portable storage, and then you will be able to use it as you did in previous versions of Android (but you won't be able to move apps to it).

The procedure:

  You can change it back by heading to Settings>Storage & USB, then selecting the card, hitting the top right menu and then select ‘Format as portable’.

Source: How does the "Format as internal storage" feature work in Android 6.0+? and links therein.


How do I set Google Latitude to auto-update with location regularly?

I found this from the Google Mobile Help forum after a little searching. It's from 8/15/09 so I actually see something a little different on my phone Settings > Location > Google Location Services. I haven't tested it but hope it helps.

Quoting the site:

  Hi everyone, Apologies for not
  updating this thread specifically
  sooner. There is a new version
  available in Android Market (version
  3.1.2). Just search for "Google Maps" if you have at least the 1.5 system
  update (Cupcake) and install this over
  your current version of Maps.

  Please let me know if you experience
  background location updating issues
  with this version. As long as you have
  enabled automatic location detection
  in the Latitude privacy menu and have
  enabled location detection (Settings >
  Security & location > Use wireless
  networks), Latitude should update your
  location while your phone is on. This
  means your location should never
  appear older than ~1 hour to any of
  your friends.

  Thank you all for your patience! Chris


Stop notifications from briefly lowering media volume

Updated Answer

I first thought that the OP was asking about modifying the behavior of the sources of the notifications which can be done in with finer levels than before using Notification Categories in Android 8.0 Oreo.

However via the comments, it appears that the OP wants to stop Audio Ducking
from happening in the media player. Unfortunately this is a feature of the
media app playing the music itself and requires the developer of the app to configure. See
similar question: Prevent music volume from being lowered when using turn-by-turn navigation

Original Answer

In Android 8.0 Oreo the App can now have Notification Categories

Check the notification setting screen in:

Settings->Apps & Notification->[App Name]->App Notifications

For the App(s) that are interrupting see if you can either disable sound or adjust the priority to one which suits your needs.


avdmanager hangs on "Loading local repository..." Linux

It happened because since version (6200805) Command Line Tools should be placed inside cmdline-tools directory. It should be created manually in ANDROID_HOME.

Please see this answer With the mentioned configuration everything works fine.


How to check how much battery the data network is using?

A bit of a hack, inconvenient and I'm not even sure if it would work: Download Juice Defender, set it to always keep data disabled and later check how much battery it claims to have saved you.

As for the Wifi, on my Phone (Xperia Neo V, 2.3.?), it's a separate entry on the battery usage panel. Maybe you used it so little that it isn't even displayed (probably <0.5%)?


Is there a way to forward online calls to cell network?

Unless you have a particular reason for wanting to route through a secondary device, a more direct approach would be to investigate apps that are available to you that use wifi-calling. These can be used even in airplane mode (with wifi subsequently turned back on) and behave the same way whether you are in your home country or abroad - ie no roaming charges.
These are often carrier specific (at least in my experience).


Samsung Galaxy S2 wifi - Connected but no internet

My solution was to change the front room wifi to WPA2 to match the backroom's wifi (WPA2) which I never had a problem with.

Don't know why this works I cannot believe the SGS2 has less than optimum support for WPA. Maybe it was buggy software ... although I am fully updated and have been since I got the phone. (September 11)

I should mention this was not a problem caused by ICS or fixed by the firmware upgrade as I had the problem pretty much as soon as I got the phone (September 11).


Neither device is supported by Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream

One of the requirements for Daydream certification is to have motion to photon latency of 22ms-25ms.

Curiously the Motorola Moto G6 is supported by Google ARCore which is expected to have sensors be calibrated in a similar fashion to Daydream

For everything else there is
Google Cardboard which takes advantage of accelerometer/gyroscope on phone. As the sensor measurements/screen latency aren't strictly calibrated the experiences are more static and for brief sessions to avoid motion sickness.


Google does not backup your whole Android device.
Only your apps, and, if you have a nexus device (< not sure), the app's data will be backed up. And if you turned on automatic camera backup in the Google Photos app, your photos are backed up, too

You can't download these backup from your PC or another device.
To restore it you have to login on a new/factory reset device. Then it will ask you to restore your apps.


Netffos X9 always starts each app / activity as new

Netffos X9 (and probably all other TP-LINK's phones) comes with a handy battery optimization functionality which actually kills all the applications that are in background 3 minutes after phone's screen turns off.

One need to go to: ⚙ > Battery > Off-screen cleanup and disable this feature for all applications that should stay in background (and eventually be turned off by system default process, i.e. after few hours).

All applications in question were listed and enabled on the above mentioned list. Turning off this feature for all those applications resolved the issue.


Does Google still offer free incoming/outgoing voice calls with any of their Android services?

"Most" calls to numbers in the US and Canada are free through Hangouts as long as you are also in the US/Canada. This is noted in Google's support pages and you can find all of the rates on this page. You need the Hangouts Dialer app in order to place a call.

There is no specific listing of the US/Canada numbers that incur a charge (it's $0.01 per minute), but you you can look up the rate for any number on the Google Voice calling credit page (requires signing into your Google account).


How can I get rid of text I have put on my lockscreen?

Go into the Settings app. Choose Security, then Owner info. Uncheck Show owner info on lock screen.


Short answer
Ad blockers do not work in Nougat until the developers make an update. A beta version of AdAway does the trick but requires to check the new "Systemless mode" in Preferences screen.
Other ad blockers will probably implement similar solutions
Long answer
This is marked Community Wiki for others to contribute. The explanation is not fully clear to me too!! Everything is well explained in #770
Root applications do not normally have access to /system partition, even as root. This because the system partition is readonly by design. However, with mount command you can easily remount a file system in read-write mode and do whatever you like. This is what ad blockers and most root apps used in the past.
But Google changed the way the command mount work, to keep it in simple words. In Android 6, there actually were two coexistent implementations of the mount command, so if you didn't support toybox you could fall back to toolbox.
That is the simple reason why Nougat requires all root apps to update themselves if they ever need (and why ever in the world do you need to be root if not?) to modify the system partition


Why Were My Timezone Definitions Updated?

See Android source for Time Zone Rules

Thanks to wbogacz who pointed out in comments the latest change (Morocco) which is likely the cause of this update or the IANA update of 23 Apr 2020

Update Mechanism

Time zone updates (Android 8.1–9)

APK-based mechanism to push updated time zone rules data to devices without requiring a system update.
Android core libraries team provides the necessary data files for updating time zone
OEMs can choose to use these data files when creating time zone updates for their devices or can create their own data files

Time zone updates (Android 10+)

Updates use the following process:

IANA
releases an update to the Time Zone Database releases an update in response to one or more governments changing a time zone rule in their countries.
Google or the Android partner prepares a Time Zone Data module update (APEX file) containing the updated time zones.
The end-user device downloads the update, reboots, then applies the changes, after which the device's time zone data contains the new time zone data from the update.


Data still in storage after factory reset

If it is an external storage try formatting the external SD card. You can do it in the computer or in Android it should be under Storage.


Possible to transfer songs from iTunes (on Mac) to Android phone?

Of course, it's trivial to transfer the non-DRM music. There are lots of apps on Google Play that effectively sync iTunes with Android in an iTunes-iOS way. Personally, I really like iSyncr used together with Rocket Player. It can also be done manually via Android File Transfer. The problem, however, comes with the DRM music.

I've been in exactly the same situation as you. I made the move from iOS to Android, and had a bunch of old iTunes DRM music in my iTunes library that I wanted to sync to my Android devices.

There is absolutely no way to playback the iTunes DRM files on Android

I've tried this personally, and I can confirm that at the time of writing (October 2016) there is absolutely no way to do it. iTunes DRM music will only play on Apple software. The Apple Music Android app might stream your uploaded music, but only if you're a paid subscriber. Apple Music doesn't let you do anything unless you get a paid plan. That's the first thing the app asks you to do when you open it, and there's really no other functionality to the app unless you do that. And even if you were a paid subscriber, I'm not sure what sort of offline or internal storage functionality the app would give you. It's really a streaming app.

You need DRM-free files

Please note: These methods all have annoying flaws about them. I'm sorry, but I'm really not aware of any better ways. I have searched quite thoroughly.

Option1 : Burn to a virtual CD and reimport

This is probably the easiest and most reliable way to do it. (Unless you have dozens of albums, in which case, yes, it's a lot of manual work.) Emulate a burnable CD. Use iTunes to burn the songs do the virtual disk. The software will burn it very fast since it's virtual. It will instantly be mounted as a virtual CD on your macOS. You can then import the songs to iTunes again, DRM-free. This is also very fast. I used Apple Lossless format while reimporting, because I have OCD about not losing quality. I have tried this on Yosemite and it 100% works. Here's an alternative for Windows users (haven't tried it myself, though.) If, somehow, emulation doesn't work for you, then I guess you could use a rewriteable actual physical CD. That would be much slower, though.

Option 2: Delete and redownload from iTunes (may not always work.)

According to Apple, you can delete the DRM songs from your iTunes library and download them again from the iTunes store. This is supposed to give you non-DRM copies of the songs. However, I've found that this doesn't always work. I just tried it with one song that I bought 10 years ago, and the downloaded file was DRM. Also, it was 128 kbps even though I would have gotten twice that bitrate had I purchased the same song today. Thanks, Apple! Also, if trying this, make sure you have a backup of your songs before deleting them. Previously purchased items are not always available for redownload.

Option 3: Pay Apple to remove the DRM (ugh)

According to some of the answers to this question on Ask Different, you can pay Apple for some services to remove the DRM. I'm not sure if this works anymore, though. Also it just feels bad to have to pay again for music you've already bought and paid for.

Option 4: Remove DRM with (paid) app

There's another way that will (unfortunatley) cost you money too.

The app is called TunesKit, and can be purchased from here. I've tried the free trial version, and it worked fine. Unfortunately, the limitations with the free trial mean that you'll need the paid version for it to be of any real use.

In the past, there were free apps to do what that app does. I haven't been able to get any of those apps to work as of today. I haven't found any currently working free apps that remove iTunes DRM. If anyone knows of any, then please let me know.

Option 5: Download again from non-DRM source

One final option is to simply redownload your music from a non-DRM source and delete the old DRM music. For example, I had some music from General Fuzz, an artist who licenses his music under the Creative Commons license. I had already paid for his music through iTunes (as a way to support him), so I merely used BitTorrent to download his music again, legally. Of course, it's likely that the vast majority of your music is not licensed under such a license. However, you have already paid for the music. If your personal morals, the laws in your jurisdiction and your computer knowledge allows you to do this safely, then you may consider simply redownloading the music through BitTorrent. I personally wouldn't have any ethical objections to downloading music I'd already paid for in this fashion, but do consider the laws of your juridsiction.


Can I globally set all Android apps to prefer WiFi for data?

Android does this by default. If you have a connection to the internet via WiFi this will be used by all apps. Android Lollipop added the ability for it to revert to cellular data if the Wireless network you are connected to does not have a connection to the internet. This is signified by an exclamation mark (!) on the WiFi icon in the top right. More information on this can be found here


Using ADB shell, How I can disable hotspot / tethering on lollipop Nexus 5

adb shell input keyevent 3 # home

  adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.android.settings/.Settings

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 66 # enter

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 66 # enter

  adb shell input keyevent 20 # down

  adb shell input keyevent 66 # enter


My s3 wont boot, not even to the recovery!

I had that problem with my S3 and it was a faulty power switch that was stuck. My device was rebooting on its own very randomly.

This video did the trick for me. I found it laughable at first but it worked. Basically, it means that if you tap the device on a flat surface, power button side down, it may release the internal switch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLZFmhmBlc

The guy specifically says in the video "thumbs up if it works, and thumbs down if it doesn't" and it has more thumbs up than down, so... it is a known problem with some S3.

I had to do it 4-5 times in my Galaxy S3's lifetime


Rear camera and flash tourch is not working!!on Nokia 3.1

Seems like an hardware defect with the camera. If a restart doesn't fix it, then you can should bring it to a Nokia Care point.


Can you damage the proximity sensor if you keep it always on?

The sensor is always on, so there's no higher risk of damage if an app uses it.


How to write android shell history to file

mksh developer here.

We disabled persistent history for mksh on Android, in order to not tax the flash memory with too many write requests.

You can re-enable it in a custom ROM by setting -DHAVE_PERSISTENT_HISTORY=1 in LOCAL_CFLAGS in Android.mk. You can also recompile mksh like that and copy that onto your ROM, if it’s rooted and the base OS version is the same.

Furthermore, you can copy any statically-linked binary for the same architecture on the phone and use that. The mksh-static binaries in the Debian package, however, also exclude persistent history.

If you really think this feature is worthwhile, persuade Google to enable it; for that, they need to edit mkmf.sh and remove the following lines…

# even the idea of persistent history on a phone is funny
HAVE_PERSISTENT_HISTORY=0; export HAVE_PERSISTENT_HISTORY

… then rebuild Android.mk from it (which they do for every new version anyway).

Oh, and you could ask the Terminal Emulator for Android developer to bundle a version of mksh with history enabled. This is probably no bad idea anyway, as it’ll be newer than what you get in the stock ROMs, and it won’t overwrite the system shell /system/bin/sh, but be available to CLI users.

That all still won’t enable persistent history by default (I’m strictly opposed to it, as it’s a surveillance feature), but enables users to set $HISTFILE themselves to enable it.


Locating a stolen phone with Android Device Manager

No. Once it's factory-reset or even flashed, the Android Device Manager is no longer able to find it.

Background: Android Device Manager uses your Google account to communicate with the device. Moreover, you have to explicitly enable it on the device. Once factory-reset / wiped / flashed, all that is gone.


Whats app registration issue. Stuck on the 'Initializing' page

Please try to to make sure of the version of the messenger you have is (Version 2.11.169), and then try to download the application manually from whatsapp website (http://www.whatsapp.com/android/) and install it manually, while installing it it will ask for replacement, hit yes and continue installing, this will give you the previlage to avoid losing all previous data and to recover whatsapp's data.


how to install custom rom in xperia z ultra?

Follow these steps for installing custom rom :

1.Unlock bootloader from sony official website instructions.

2.Install custom recovery like TWRP or CWM recovery to ease your further process.

3.Download custom rom like LineageOS or Resurrection remix whichever you feel good.

4.Boot to your recovery , wipe System data and install custom rom with Gapps.

5.Reboot and enjoy.


How to get a rid from "Warning: Camera failed" error?

How to fix “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error on Galaxy J7
Step 1: Reboot your device
Step 2: Restart your J7 in safe mode
Step 3: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app and other related apps
Step 4: Factory reset your Galaxy J7


Is it possibile to extract individual files from a .ab backup file?

It looks like this tool might be able to do this. A search for 'android backup extractor' also returns a couple of alternatives


Based on avirk's hint, I found a way. First press the code *#0011#

GSM example:

GSM900: IDLE
T: 10, B: 10
Rx Pwr: -94, Rx ual: -
Rx Lev: 21, Tx Lev: 0-
Speech VER: AMR EFR FR
VOC: AdaptiveRate
TS: 0
Temp: 68 Batt: 71 LNA: 0
Service: Available

It is obvious that it's using 900MHz band, from the "GSM900".

UMTS WCDMA example:

WCDMA: Idle
Rx CH: 10612, R: -94
Tx CH: 9662, Tx Pwr: -
EdIo: -6, RSCP: -98
SpeechVER: AMR EFR FR
RF: Sleep2
L1: PCH_Sleep
Drx cycle: 64, PSC: 392
Temp: 67 Batt: 69 LNA: 0
Service: Available

UMTS can use two different physical layers (low level radio) UMTS-FDD and UMTS-TDD. Android just shows WCDMA, which I think is the same as UMTS-FDD, but perhaps it can refer to both of them. By looking up the channel number here you can tell the frequency bands and whether it is UMTS-FDD or UMTS-TDD.

In the above example it is using UMTS-FDD, the down-link channel (Rx) is in the 2100MHz band and the up-link channel (Tx) is in the 1900MHz band.


Navigation Buttons (Back, Home, Menu, etc.) in the Notification/Statusbar?

You may be talking about Button Savior, but even if not, this APP allows you to trigger click on your phone buttons:

  Relevant Features with or without root

  Simulates:

  Home key
  Power key
  Volume key
  Camera key
  Call key


You need a rooted phone for this.

Download FolderMount.
Create a new folder in the external memory where you want the media to be stored.
Open FolderMount and add a new entry. Give it any name you like. Whatsapp media here.
In the source, specify the path of default whatsapp folder of your internal memory.
In the destination, specify the the new folder you created in your external memory card.
Done. Also, select 'exclude from mediascan' if you don't want duplicate items to be seen in the gallery or music player.


Galaxy S5's screen only turns on after multiple presses, and the screen has these weird lines show up when turning off

The first part of this screams either a broken screen or much more likely, a broken screen driver (Software being corrupted). Backup your data and factory reset the device. Do not recover using the backup and just move your contacts back and pictures. You can always reinstall apps. If that doesn't fix it, you will likely need to replace the device or flash the stock software again.


Why is my battery low only a few hours after charging?

You almost certainly have a rogue app, which a reboot usually fixes. However, in the long run it would be best to discover the app(s) that cause your battery issues so it does not catch you off guard when you really need you device to retain it's charge.

First, you will need some idea of how apps use the battery. All apps use the battery (to varying degrees) while they are active (i.e. when you are actively using them), but some apps also consume your battery even when they are not active. There are many reasons for this, but the most common is that they need to perform some action, such are checking for new email. These tasks are performed by services (belonging to the app), which run in the background. In order to be able to do their tasks when the device is sleeping (i.e. when the screen is turned off), these services use "wakelocks". For background tasks, apps use "partial wakelocks"; which basically means the processor wakes up, but the screen remains off.

In a perfect world, an app would request a wakelock, perform it's task, and then release the wakelock; this happens quite frequently and only lasts for a very short period of time (milliseconds to seconds). The battery cost of these operations are generally quite low, and their benefits far outweigh this cost.

As for discovering your rogue app, the standard battery status provides a good starting point, but you will need to use a 3rd party app that can show you the wakelocks used by each app. In particular I find Wake lock detector very useful. It is free and can display both full and partial wakelocks. The app will basically show you the amount of time for which wakelocks have been active per application (or service). When you have a rogue app, it is usually very easy to spot as it will have unusually high usage compared to the others.

You mention that maps shows up in your battery usage; this happens because many applications that request your current location pass this request on to the maps app (it's location service), which performs the action and provides your location to the app requesting it. This is very normal, and usually nothing to be concerned with. Some apps can however issue the location request too frequently - which would have an adverse affect on your battery. Most decent apps provide a setting for the frequency they perform these update requests.


Can a 3rd party app *technically* take better pictures?

Yes, the interface that applications use to access the camera does offer the raw image data to the application, so a 3rd party app can offer more control over image compression, white balance, and so on.

In addition, many quality improvements are achievable through software alone, whether by controlling the camera better or post-processing. Examples commonly found on compact cameras include taking several frames in quick succession and automatically choosing the sharpest, better choosing autofocus targets, blending multiple exposures, filtering to remove artifacts of the lens construction, …


What is the best way to root a 2012 Nexus 7 running 5.1.1 Lollipop?

Use the Nexus Root Toolkit. It is the easiest method, and will walk you through all the steps (setting up drivers, etc.)

Here's a link: http://www.wugfresh.com/


LG G5 wont turn on and get flashing red light

the red flashing light could be just due to a battery problem. Try this first https://thedroidguy.com/2016/09/fix-lg-g5-wont-turn-troubleshooting-guide-1060702 However it could very well be a problem with software. Most phones shutdown before the battery gets completely drained. I don't know if such chargers are available where you live, but technicians use chargers with prongs that connect to your battery to jumpstart it (You should not do this yourself) Try using a charged battery. If that does not work, you should take it to a repair centre.


How to disable airplane mode switch when phone is locked

Note:

The following solution is tested on COS12 (Android 5.0.2) and Carbon ROM (Android 5.1.1).
For this answer, you would need ADB setup in your machine, USB debugging enabled in the device and connected to PC.  Alternatively, for rooted devices,  terminal app like  Terminal Emulator for Android can be used.
Root access is required (see exception at the bottom).

The tiles that you can toggle in the Quick Settings are assigned particular names and are stored as a value for the key sysui_qs_tiles under the table secure (both key and the table may differ for your ROM) of settings.db (Settings Storage app).

Note:

When using a terminal emulator app, enter su and then follow the commands without the prefix adb shell.
For each stage, two commands are mentioned. Both are alternatives to each other here.
For the usage of settings and content, enter adb shell settings and adb shell content respectively

To find out the value stored in the key sysui_qs_tiles, enter the command

adb shell settings get secure sysui_qs_tiles
adb shell content --query content://settings/secure --where "name='systeui_qs_tiles'"

The output would be like:

wifi,bt,cell,rotation,flashlight,hotspot,location,airplane

airplane is for Airplane mode. If you remove it from the value, the quick tile would instantaneously vanish.

Example,

adb shell settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles "wifi,bt,cell,rotation,flashlight,hotspot,location"
adb shell content update --url content://settings/secure value:s:"wifi,bt,cell,rotation,flashlight,hotspot,location" --where "name='sysui_qs_tiles'"

It must be noted that you should not use the aforesaid value but only the one which you got from your query.

As for hiding/removing the Airplane mode on the lock-screen and adding it back when the screen is unlocked you can use an automation tool, such as Tasker or MacroDroid.

Instructions for Tasker

Create a task named "Screen unlocked".
Add an action as Code → Run Shell, and add these details:

Command:

settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles "wifi,bt,cell,rotation,flashlight,hotspot,location,airplane"

Use the key-value relevant for your device. Also, as an alternative, you can use the content command, if you would like to. This info remains valid for further instructions as well.
Check Use Root

Create an another task named "Screen locked".
Note: If you configured lock-screen settings so that the screen doesn't lock right after the device gets to sleep, but after XY seconds (such as, 30 seconds), then create an action as Task → Wait and set those XY Seconds. Alternatively, sleep XY command can also be used.
Add an action as Code → Run Shell, and add these details:

Command:

settings put secure sysui_qs_tiles "wifi,bt,cell,rotation,flashlight,hotspot,location"
Check Use Root

Create a profile named "S-unlocked" under Event → Display → Display Unlocked, choose Highest Priority, and link the task "Screen unlocked".
Create an another profile named "S-locked" under Event → Display → Display Off, choose Highest Priority, and link the task "Screen locked".
Have the Tasker enabled and behold the desired action by locking/unlocking the screen.

Should you decide to use MacroDroid, install Secure Settings too because it is needed to run commands in MacroDroid's actions.

Relevant triggers in MacroDroid:

Screen On/Off → Screen Off
Screen Unlocked

Relevant actions in MacroDroid:

Secure Settings → Actions → Run Command

Use the commands learned in this solution. Follow instructions for Tasker for any guidance

Wait Before Next Action

Screenshots

Order of images as "All tiles available when screen is unlocked" →  "No Airplane tile when screen is locked"

(Click image to enlarge)

It is possible to use this solution without root access. You would need ADB running in wireless and loopback mode for that. It is not very convenient, however, it does work. For any guidance, see my answer for Lollipop hide quick settings on Lock screen.


Contact with 2 phone numbers - how to distinguish between them on WhatsApp?

Just save them as a separate contacts? Solves everything at minimal fuss.


What does "Keep wifi on during sleep" mean?

The device goes to sleep when the screen is off and no background services are doing anything (such as checking for mail). When this happens, the Wi-Fi chip in the phone can go into a low-power state. This saves power while the device is asleep, but has some costs:-

Next time the device wakes up it'll take an extra fraction of a second to turn the Wi-Fi back on, making the tablet less response when you turn the screen on.
If the device wakes up to perform a background task (such as checking for mail), that'll take slightly longer too, and use more power. That is, the device uses less power while asleep, but waking it up costs slightly more: like the trade-off between keeping the engine in your car running, or stopping it and using more fuel/battery to restart it later.
Any apps with "push" features (using Google Cloud Messaging or similar) won't work while the device is asleep. That is, you won't get Google Hangouts messages, or notifications from Gmail, while the device is asleep.

If those costs are fine for you, leave the setting off to allow the Wi-Fi chip to go to sleep when the rest of your phone does. Otherwise, turn the setting on to keep the Wi-Fi on all the time.


Open Viber.
Go to the group conversation screen.
Swipe the group you want to leave.
Select 'delete' then select 'delete and Leave group'.


How do I stop the home button from waking the device?

The setting was in Settings › Buttons – just toggle off Wake Device there. Duh!


How to set a tethered Wi-Fi connection (tethered to another phone via Android personal hotspot) as "metered" connection

There is a rather hidden feature, that will let you achieve this:

This option is found under Settings > Data usage (Wireless and Networks).

Tap on the three dots in the top right corner, and press "Mobile Hotspots." (In android 4.3) In later versions of android   the similar option is "Network restrictions" > Metered connections

Next you'll see  a list of saved wireless networks, and you can check the ones which are mobile hotspots.

Edit

I have included the screenshots for Android 7, since interface and options are different from Android 4.3 above:

Such that the options are found under Settings > Data usage (Wi-Fi) > Network restrictions > Metered connections

In this way Android applies the same data restrictions as it does with "Data connections" so no data hogging.

Update

Other devices like Huawei have this setting hidden but can be also enable using adb:

After setting up adb, follow this proceedure to set a metered wi-fi network.

  In a command prompt or terminal, execute the following command: adb
  shell
  Type the following command into the command prompt or terminal to get a list of all saved WiFi networks: cmd netpolicy list
  wifi-networks
  You’ll be given a list of saved WiFi networks with a true/false boolean value. True = metered & False = non-metered.
  So from here, you can enter the following command in a command prompt or terminal to change the setting: cmd netpolicy set
  metered-network Wireless true
     (In this case the SSID  is “Wireless”)
  You can always revert the setting to false if you want to switch it back to a non-metered network.

Hope this helps


Why doesn't my "Trusted Places" work anymore in my Samsung Galaxy s7?

I learned today from Samsung via the Smart Tutor app that Smart Lock trusted places can have trouble inside buildings if the location service is set to high accuracy using GPS. If the GPS signal is not found it causes a delay of 10 seconds which is too much for unlock to work.
To get it working I should set the location method to battery saving via:

Android Quick Settings menu (pull down one finger from top)
-> location symbol (slide one finger to the left)
-> long press the location symbol for a few seconds to open the Location menu
-> Location method -> Battery saving

However, Smart Lock still doesn't unlock sometimes. Adding more trusted places which differ only at the last digit seems to have improved the situation a bit. However, it is also still not working well for me.


How can I programmatically backup Android phone's settings?

The easiest way availaboe to you is using a third party app. I found My Backup Pro (there is a free version as well) which seemed promising.

You can also search he market for settings backup.

I use an system app provided by the manufacturer which is called backup and restore. I'll give them if the mentioned solution does not work for you. The reason im asking you to go with the first app is that the manufacturer's system app is highly unlikely to work properly ina device other than the one is originally made for.


Moving App to SD Card in Android 10 (LineageOS 17.1)

As it turns out; reformatting the SD card as internal storage activates this feature.
I can now move some apps to the SD card rather than the phone's internal storage.


Nexus 4 shows up empty on Windows Explorer

Here are 2 methods to access your phone

Method 1: Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
You will need:Your device, Access to a PC
This method has proved to be the most helpful for users in terms of their feedback after completion. However, this method will only work if you have USB debugging enabled on your Android phone. If you don’t have this option enabled, move on to the second method on the list.
The ADB is used to create a bridge between your PC and your Android device. This bridge can be used to unlock the device and to access your files.
Download the Android SDK package on your PC. You can download it here. Make sure that you download the correct version for your PC. Once downloaded, extract the zip file on your PC.
Download the relevant USB drivers for your phone. You can get the USB drivers for your device from your manufacturer’s website.
Launch the Command Prompt on your PC and change the directory to where the ADB file is located. Type in the following command in Command Prompt.
cd C:/android/platform-tools
Connect your Android phone to your PC using a micro USB cable and enter the following command. If your phone is recognized, you’ll see some numbers in the Command Prompt message.
adb device
Type in the following two commands. You’ll need to type in the second command immediately after the first one. Replace 1234 in the first command with your actual password.
adb shell input text 1234
shell input keyevent 66
If the process is successful, your phone should be unlocked. You can now backup your important files and contacts.

Method 2: USB On the Go Mouse Method
You will need: Your device An OTG adaptor, A USB mouse
If you can’t access USB debugging , you can try
the USB mouse method. This involves connecting your phone to a USB
mouse with an OTG adaptor. Here’s a full list of compatible devices
where you check to see if your device is covered. If not, users have
reported that a USB keyboard can be used to unlock a device locked
behind a passcode when a mouse hasn’t worked, so it’s worth giving the
cable a try.
You can find the adaptor cable online, and it’s reasonably
inexpensive. If it lets you access your device, than it’s definitely
worth the price.
Once connected, the mouse will drain your battery, and some devices,
(such as the Galaxy S3 Mini) will also be unable to charge during the
process, so make sure your battery is sufficiently charged beforehand.
Once you have the wire to hand, the process itself is reasonably easy
to complete.
Connect the micro USB side of the OTG cable in your Android tablet or
phone and plug in the USB mouse in the OTG adapter.
As soon as you connect the mouse, you should see a pointer on your
screen. You can now use the mouse to unlock the pattern or use it to
press the keys of the on-screen keyboard if you have a password lock.

Source


Accordingly to the answer to this question, Samsung devices do not support fastboot.
This thread on XDA Forums states the same.


soft-bricked intex aqua young usb debugging disabled

Since you have a pac file, you can use the factory tool called Research Download or Upgrade Download to flash the firmware and you don't even need USB debugging to do that.


Android showing battery at 100% even when left for straight 10 hours in night

You could try some apps like Battery Monitor to check the usage of all apps.
But your let's say "problem" is not so unusual. If you want to be 100% sure about that, try it this way.
Completely drain the battery out, sou your phone turns off. Then plug it in to the charger for 8 hours. (That's enough to charge it to 100%). After it has been charged plug it off and leave it for 10 hours. But! Don't install any new apps on it. Just to be clear, apps like Viber , Whatsapp,Messenger,Facebook... even if you closed them they are still running, because if not you would not get messages. Besides display and games these apps drain most of your memory (RAM) and battery.
I hope this helps.


How do I get rid of the "Battery fully charged, unplug charger" popup screen?

Here's an option to try:

Go to Settings> Sound> Battery Full Notification. Un-check this option and see if that fixes the issue the next time you charge your Note.


"invalid download uri" from Play Store on a Huawei phone


Can I play 1080p HD video on a phone which supports only 720p videos?

Your sound problem is most likely caused by missing the codec needed to play the sound. Try VLC player app.


Is there a way to enter a line break into a long node name in Thinking Space?

You have to enable "Multiline text entry" in the options und "look" (roughly translation from german Localisation). After that you can youst hit enter in the node name.

To confirm the node name then, you have to tap outside of the writing area of the node.


Exporting call records with phone call recordings from Mega Call Recorder Advanced app

The application keeps a copy of the database with calls logs in the folder where the call recordings are stored (/sdcard/CallRecorder/.db/callRecorder).
Prerequisites:

Python3 installed
ADB
USB debugging enabled on the phone

Steps:

Dump the folder /sdcard/CallRecorder using ADB from the

 adb pull /sdcard/CallRecorder

Create a new Python file, "export.py", in the dumped folder, "callRecorder", with the following content:

import sqlite3
import os
from shutil import copyfile

con = sqlite3.connect(".db/callRecorder")

for filename in os.listdir("."):
   if ".mp3" not in filename:
      continue

   row = con.execute("Select * from calls where instr(filePath, "+ filename.replace('.mp3', '') +")").fetchone()
   phone_nbr = row[1]
   contact_name = row[2]
   date_time = filename.replace(".mp3", "")
   copyfile(filename, f"{phone_nbr}_{contact_name}_{date_time}.mp3")

Execute the Python file using Notepad++ Python interpreter or using CMD:
> python PATH\TO\callRecord\export.py

That will copy each record to the format "phoneNumber_contactName_datetime.mp3"


Please take a look at Google Japanese Input: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.japanese

Swype keyboard has Japanese language built in as well: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nuance.swype.dtc


How to Read marshmallow encrypted memory card?

The SD Card will only be read from the device you set it to.
I believe if you to a hard reset but keep the data where the key is stored intact, you can still use it regularly.
Take a look at this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-e/general/trick-switching-roms-loosing-adopted-sd-t3314647


Process "irq/288-wcd9xxx" draining battery, how to stop it?

irq looks something about hardware interrupts and wcd9xxx is a series of Qualcomm Aqstic audio codecs. So apparently irq/288-wcd9xxx process is running to support audio functionality on your device. The executable must be closed source binary blob, so there's nothing you can do to fix it, except (if already fixed by somebody, or) upgrading / downgrading the ROM or stopping the service.

  As kill or kill -9 has absolutely no effect on it (it seems to work when running the command, but the process is still there afterwards), does anyone have any idea about what it is, and how to kill it, or stop it?

The process must be running as a native service defined by hardware / SoC vendor in some init's .rc file. So it will keep on restarting if killed. In order to properly stop the service you need to find its name. First get executable path from PID and then find service by searching through all .rc files:

~# grep -rI $(readlink /proc/$(pgrep -f irq/288-wcd9xxx)/exe) /*/etc/init/ /init.*.rc

You can confirm the same service name by looking at running status in getprop | grep init.svc. command. To stop the service use any of these commands:

~# stop <service_name>
~# setprop ctl.stop <service_name>

This needs to be repeated on every reboot. Or you may edit the related .rc file to remove the service.

If it results in something not working, another possibility is to try controlling its CPU usage by applying some limitation e.g. cgroups (if kernel supports).

EDIT:

I just noticed that a file name cannot have a slash (/). So irq/288-wcd9xxx must be a kernel thread for interrupt handling. It's not evident but you can check its parent PID (ppid must be 2) and also no memory allocation (0K) indicates that it's not a userspace process. So the problem is with your audio hardware or in-kernel driver (see this answer). In latter case again an updated kernel from OEM would fix the problem.

A workaround can be to control CPU usage of real-time process using chrt: chrt -r -p 1 $(pgrep -f irq/288-wcd9xxx) or chrt -f -p 1 $(pgrep -f irq/288-wcd9xxx) or renice or cgroups (if kernel supports): cpu or cpuset.


A question about bricked phone (moto g xt1032)

Well okay instead of using recovery, I just followed the command line instructions in the rom zip file which goes as

 <step operation="getvar" var="max-sparse-size" />
<step operation="oem" var="fb_mode_set" />
<step operation="flash" partition="aboot" filename="emmc_appsboot.mbn" MD5="7ab4571da9966ecbe0455984ebe5d277" />
<step operation="reboot-bootloader" />
<step operation="flash" partition="partition" filename="gpt.bin" MD5="7778bf62e78dd8ed152e2234ba818fb1" />
<step operation="flash" partition="motoboot" filename="motoboot.img" MD5="b4cb31c6b875dbb13ae2a155ae44e305" />
<step operation="flash" partition="logo" filename="logo.bin" MD5="187908e994f5b42710d13dbb5126d6d2" />
<step operation="flash" partition="boot" filename="boot.img" MD5="2a0134f7dca00ab28ca3644febbe6bc7" />
<step operation="flash" partition="recovery" filename="recovery.img" MD5="25989942e94890fa2ab6e48fc488d569" />
<step operation="flash" partition="system" filename="" MD5="f6ea25745eab9f8368d5b276811ffa82" />
<step operation="flash" partition="system" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.1" MD5="d776d764c00627bcb7d0313657297ab4" />
<step operation="flash" partition="system" filename="system.img_sparsechunk.2" MD5="a17ebd36c45389a139e8f30e56241fa2" />
<step operation="flash" partition="modem" filename="NON-HLOS.bin" MD5="a964128abc6fa5ac4a253bd105ed6748" />
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst1" />
<step operation="erase" partition="modemst2" />
<step operation="flash" partition="fsg" filename="fsg.mbn" MD5="03d822a8e01a8edee85e12286dcc81ed" />
<step operation="erase" partition="cache" />
<step operation="erase" partition="userdata" />
<step operation="oem" var="fb_mode_clear" />
<step operation="reboot-bootloader" />

And the new system was installed suprisingly.


Play RTSP stream from stock Android video player?

You can simply place one of the url from the .xpf fileand run it in browser.It opts you to choose media players from device and selects one of them.The stream runs smoothly.


Reset battery history after unplugging charger?

One thing that comes with Android is the dialer. Try to "call" *#*#4636#*#*. On most devices, this gives you the choice between "since boot", "since last unplugged", and more. Admittedly, the graphics is not that nice as with your screenshot :)


Android on wifi - only local network, no internet

if your phone is working on outside wifi connections, and your office computers are working fine then its probably the proxy. Ask your IT department they should give you a manual proxy address and port to get round the proxy and you should be good to go.


Whatsapp suddenly crashed and device got unresponsive

Press and hold the power button until something happens. When my S4 becomes unresponsive, a long-press of about 10 seconds eventually gets the phone off.


OK, I found out what's wrong. I had USB Debugging enabled at the same time so I had to turn that off and now it works.

Menu > Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging


Running a tasker task via SSHDroid (or adb shell)

This was solved thanks to Bossman's awesome proxy APK. Install it and then run via SSH:

am broadcast -a pl.bossman.taskerproxy.ACTION_TASK --es task_name TASKER_TASK_NAME_GOES_HERE

It works flawlessly :)


Receive push notification when a user I'm following tweets specific hashtag

I don't know about the Twitter app, but if you're willing to use this site: https://ifttt.com/

then yes, it's possible.

At this point IFTTT does not appear to let you push tweets by a user other than yourself, so will not accomplish what is being asked.


1,5gb of data in internal (system data) - how can I delete?

The internal-storage partition is formatted when you execute a factory reset.


What is the difference between Opera Mini and Opera mobile?

Opera Mobile is a "full" browser performing all rendering activities on your Android device.
Opera Mini passes your requests through Opera's servers to render/scale/"tweak" for your device.

Opera Mini tends to be faster.
Opera Mobile tends to hit your device's resources harder.

Security folk cringe about Opera Mini and your traffic going through 3rd party (yet Opera) servers. Think about that before doing your online banking with Mini...

Read more in the comparison chart here: http://www.opera.com/mobile/features/


Stuck at "Verifying Information" when updating to ICS

Found a solution myself. The problem was that the adb and fastboot tools in the HTC Sync program didn't work. I solved it by downloading the Android SDK, installing platform-tools, removing HTC Sync from the path variable and adding the platform-tools directory in its place.


Does NFC enabled phone means the phone has an NFC tag inside?

Can my phone write NFC tags?

Your phone can read and write NFC tags, but only if the tags are writable. Many are read-only, or are write-once.

Is my phone an NFC chip itself?

Yes, your has an NFC chip, in a sense. It is merely a much more advanced one, as it uses the phones processor to do logic and respond.

All unpowered NFC tags have a tiny chip that responds when powered (the scan itself provides enough electric energy to power a standalone NFC chip). There is nothing particularly special about it, other than the very limited capabilities and very low power requirements. Some NFC chips even do a secure handshake, such as credit card chips; They don't just respond with a preprogrammed response.

Your phone is just as much of an NFC tag as any other. However, you can actually control the response it sends, and you can even disable the NFC sensor to prevent scans.

One big difference is that the phone must be powered on to respond. Unlike NFC tags you are familiar with, a phone does not have a low powered processor capable of responding using the energy solely provided by the scanner. So, in that sense, your phone does not have an NFC tag.

But if a phone has an NFC scanner, it by definition can also take on the role of an NFC receiver (aka tag). It is the same frequency and technology, and all that matters is which end initiates the scan. An NFC tag can only respond; your phone can do both roles.

Why are some NFC tags not supported?

Not all NFC tags run on the same frequency. There are competing standards, and some phones can read certain sets others can't.


Why is a Google account required when installing applications from the Market?

Because the applications that you download are tied to that Google Account.  That way, if you buy any paid applications, and your phone is wiped, or you buy a new phone, all you need to do is make sure that account is logged in on that phone, and you can re-download any of those paid apps without having to pay for them again.

It also enables you to go the Google Play store with your PC, and choose apps to be directly installed onto your phone without even touching your phone.  I do it all the time and it works great.


Make my external SD card as my internal memory for apps

It seems this problem have been issued by other member in this thread:

Android Devices: use external storage as a default storage

I'm following the steps myself, as I have the same problem.


You can leave the phone plugged in. Modern phones have advanced charging electronics, that should prevent overcharging and similar problems.

But when the battery is swelling, you should not continue using the phone. It may start to burn or explode. When you still have seller's warranty, use it. Otherwise I would still buy a new one as soon as possible. Defect batteries can be dangerous.


How can I import sms from iphone 4s / IOS6 with Samsung Kies

I got an answer from Samsung - was instructed to 'Update Drivers' or some such from the Window or Tools menu.

So, this worked for me - got the text components of my SMS history, then uninstalled Kies due to a conflict with Android File transfer on OSX 10.8.


See also: How can I stop applications and services from running?

When you free the memory you're just killing the apps using it or that Android has stopped and put in the background.  The only real solution is to not use apps, or to accept that every time you switch apps your position in the old one will be forgotten.  You'd probably need a custom-built ROM that entirely altered the way Android does memory management in order to get around this; having something auto-clear the RAM would end up killing the app you're currently using.  Another alternative is creating a swap partition, though how to do so is a different question.


Regression plan upgrading OS from Froyo on GT-P1010

If you have a custom recovery already, where Clockwork Mod Recovery is the most popular one, there's an option there to do a complete backup, sometimes called a "nandroid". As long as you have this backup folder lying around (it won't disappear when doing wipes from CWM) and you can enter CWM, you can restore that backup as well. Since the backup includes everything it also includes things like the kernel, the ROM, apps and all that. It basically creates an image of your entire device that you can later return to.

The tricky part is getting a custom recovery on your tab, but when you have that you should be reasonably safe as long as you remember to always backup. It doesn't hurt to put your backups somewhere else as well for safekeeping (like your computer).

I highly recommend you start reading the Samsung Galaxy Tab forums on xda-developers. The Q&A section probably already has all your questions listed, and the "Android Development" section has a ton of different ROMs you can choose from. As long as you have a backup lying around, don't be scared to try a couple of them out :)

(Remember that rooting your device and/or unlocking the bootloader will void the warranty, so if you can't re-lock it before sending it to Samsung they will not replace it)


If I recall correctly, for Navigation directions over BT you need A2DP (just like music).  I just checked the specs on Plantronics' website for the Discovery 975 and it doesn't mention having this.

There's also a setting somewhere in Navigation to route it over the speaker or the headset; I remember turning it off on mine because it was interrupting conversations when I was trying to listen.  Unfortunately I can't recall exactly where the setting is; I'll update this later if I find it again.


DISCLAIMER: ROOTING YOUR PHONE WILL PROBABLY VOID YOUR WARRANTY FROM BOTH THE CARRIER AND THE MANUFACTURER. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO ACCEPT FAULT FOR ANY ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ROOTING, THEN DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. HERE BE DRAGONS.

For more information, and other devices see How do I root my Android device.

PurpleDrake is a set of scripts that will root your LG G3 device and optionally install TWRP recovery by TeamWin.

It works with just about all variants of the LG G3. You can see the PurpleDrake supported devices in their spreadsheet on Google Docs.

TWRP will allow you to easily apply new ROMs to your device. Which is especially helpful, since it is recommended that after you root you should disable OTAs.

You will need the USB drivers if you are on Windows:

Verizon
All other models

Download PurpleDrake Scripts (currently R03)
Extract the files to a folder you can easily get to.
Open the folder
Run PurpleDrake

a. OSX: Doubleclick purpledrake_osx
b. Linux: In a terminal.

chmod +x purpledrake_linux.sh
./purpledrake_linux.sh

c. Windows: Doubleclick purpledrake_windows

Follow the instructions from within PurpleDrake.
After running PurpleDrake, you will still have to install an app like SuperSU, as PurpleDrake does not include one.
Disable OTA [Source]

You will probably want to disable the OTA's. From here on out, if you get an update Over-The-Air, you may lose root, or worse, your unlocked bootloader.
From Dialer: 3845#*851# [Replace 851 with your device model number, 850, 855, 990]
Go to WLAN Test => OTA Setting => OFF

If you install TWRP, then you must be aware, you may run in to issues if you do not disable OTAs.

Some "patches" that come down from the carrier will still notify you even if OTAs is disabled. DO NOT INSTALL OTAs IF YOU INSTALL TWRP, YOU WILL GET STUCK IN A RECOVERY LOOP.

If you get stuck in a Recovery Loop because of an OTA, do not panic, these things always have a fix.

From the TWRP recovery terminal commands enter the following:

  dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/fota
  PRESS ENTER, THEN TYPE
  dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc
  PRESS ENTER

  REBOOT


Buy Android phone, install Android from source, have Nexus S -like experience?

In short, you can't just install a stock image from the Google source on any phone because to produce an image, you need all the drivers for the individual phone's hardware. If you can get hold of these, then it is possible to build a stock image but a lot of manufacturers don't release them.

For simpler solution (if you don't want a Nexus S or Nexus One) get a phone that can run Cyanogen and flash the Cyanogen image to the phone. This is pretty close to the pure Google experience, in that it doesn't have carrier or manufacturer modifications on it, but does have some Cyanogen extras included.


How can I create a custom popup message when I open an app?

Use an automation app to accomplish it. Here is how to do it with MacroDroid:

In the Triggers tab, in the Applications section, select "Application Launched/Closed, choose Application Launched and enable Force legacy mechanism, click OK. Select an app on the list, then click OK.
In the Actions tab, in the Notifications section, select "Display Dialog". Enter a title and the message to display.
Give the macro a name and save it. It will look like the image below.

Whenever you launched the selected app, a message with the title and message you set will be displayed.


Enable Google assistant ("Okay Google") on oneplus 3t

You can try this to resolve "OK Google" detection problems:

Possible fixes

Language Pack settings

Make sure you are using the latest supported language pack. Check your Language settings

  In previous iterations of the Google voice search feature, it was only
  able to respond to US English. ( More languages have been added since
  then although many languages are still not supported). However, this
  feature needs to be enabled, so if you don’t speak English as a first
  language, this may be the issue. In order to enable other languages,
  you should first ensure you have the latest feature of the Google
  Search App. Then go to:

  Settings
  Voice
  Languages
  This will open a list of languages. Check the boxes next to the languages you want OK Google to recognize.
  You can select up to five languages that OK Google will recognize a search request in.

Updating your language pack may also solve your problem. Go to Voice > Search Language Settings > Offline Speech Recognition > English (US) > Update Available

Whitelist from Battery optimisation

Make sure that "OK Google enrollment" is disabled in battery optimisation

Retrain OK Google voice model

Sometimes, for reasons unknown, Google Now doesn't retain the commands you have given it. In order to do this, you'll need to go to the Google Settings App,

  locate the Search & Now option, followed by Voice then OK Google
  detection. Select Retrain Voice Model and say "OK Google" three times,
  as you did when you initially set it up.

Check the hardware

Few a times small bits of dust and debris can clog up the tiny hole that leads to your microphones. Use a safety pin or needle to investigate and dislodge anything that may be preventing good auditory reception.

Disabling and renabling OK Google

Go into Assistant settings, turn Ok Google detection off and then on, and check if  it starts working again.

Rebooting device

Try clearing cache of Google apps and reboot.

Update Google play services and Google App

Make sure your Google App is updated to the latest version . If not, just go to Google Play Store and update the Google App an Google play services

Acknowledgements

Okay Google not working
Okay Google isn't working
Okay Google not working
How To Fix Android “Ok Google” Not Working Problem


Hebrew is supported in Android 4.0 (it's there since Android 2.2 Froyo).
You can use it as:
- System language
- Keyboard input language (you can set more than one keyboard to quickly toggle it during use by long pressing 'space' when more than one keyboard setting is active)

Actually, this question has been asked before some time ago:

Is Hebrew support built into Android?


Stop a mailbox syncing between 9am and 5pm

That sounds like a perfect job for tasker (see the tasker tag-wiki for some background). Example profile in "Pseudo-Code":

Condition: Time, start: 9am, end: 5pm
Task: Sync off
Exit-Task: Sync On

Notes:

"Exit-Task" is optional. If not defined, Tasker restores the state from before the Task started.
"Sync Off" applies to more than just mail (includes e.g. contacts, calendars, etc.). If you want to only pause mail sync, you need a mail app with Tasker support, e.g. K-9 Mail, maybe with some additional plugin. I know that's possible with K-9, and it's more than likely there are some other supported Email Apps. If using such a client, replace the "Sync off" / "Sync on" with the corresponding plugin action.


Talk back access to phone when switched on

That is how Talkback works.

Single tap to select an item in the screen, double tap to achieve actual tap action (double tap corresponds to single tap when Talkback is enabled.) Also, double finger touch scrolling will let you scroll list views. By this way you can reach to Talkback settings and disable it.


How can I disable the notification sounds while playing music?

First install Quick Settings: http://www.appbrain.com/app/quick-settings/com.bwx.bequick

With that under volume control you can control the following volumes seperately:

ringer
notification
media (this would control the music)
alarm
voice
system

On top of that you can install Quick Profiles

...which will let you create a sound profile with the settings you want and easily activate it with one click.


Xperia M4 Aqua loop-crashes infinitely when trying to connect to my wifi network

Intuitively, I'd think dropping the xperia might have unconnected some hardware inside, most likely hardware linked to the wifi.

I watched the following videos to get more knowledge about what is inside that sealed water resistant phone.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=xperia+m4+disassembly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvllLIefxcac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QRcGrUK8M

From those videos, I planned I'd open my phone with an airdryer and small screw drivers. It's more sketch than what is suggested in the videos, but the phone is 2 years old already and I don't plan on keeping it many years longer.

So, I opened the phone and it was a scary experience. Hopefully, I managed not to screw up much of the glue setup. Like in the videos, I disassembled the battery and the bottom part of the phone in order to get to unplug and replug several components to make sure they are properly plugged.

I put the cover back on the phone and it sticked ok... From now on, I won't put it into water anymore, I can live with that.

Booted it back up and set it up. It works just as new.


Is there any trick to set ADBD to work on TCP/IP on a non-rooted device?

You can try this command, it restarts adbd on the android device after setting the tcp/ip port to the value you want (5555/tcp is a default) :

$ adb tcpip 5555


How much (Idle) time is needed for "Doze" to get activated ? (Android 6- Marshmallow)

First part of your question "Firstly, let's assume its locked, how much time is required for Doze, working to save power?"

Idle time is not specified by Google and I guess this is implemented differently by OEMs
Quoting from Google documentation  Optimising for Doze and stand by  (emphasis added)

If a user leaves a device unplugged and stationary for a period of time, with the screen off, the device enters Doze mode. In Doze mode, the system attempts to conserve battery by restricting apps' access to network and CPU-intensive services. It also prevents apps from accessing the network and defers their jobs, syncs, and standard alarms.
Periodically, the system exits Doze for a brief time to let apps complete their deferred activities. During this maintenance window, the system runs all pending syncs, jobs, and alarms, and lets apps access the network.

Edit : This may answer from a user perspective as this is what developers are apparently planning 9 minute interval
Source https://plus.google.com/+AndroidDevelopers/posts/94jCkmG4jff

Dianne Hackborn17 Nov 2015
+Petr Nalevka Sorry scheduling alarms so frequently is currently not supported in doze....For what it's worth, the minimum time between while idle alarms will be changing to 9 minutes at some point relatively soon (even on devices running the current Marshmallow builds).

Second part of your question ".... if the smart lock is acting (like by geographic location), keeping device unlocked for several hours (is six the limit, right?), how will this affect "Doze" functionality? (and a related question of yours How Doze (marshmallow feature) work during playback?)

It is difficult to answer this correctly as

As can be seen from the answer to first part of question, developers seem to be improving / modifying the behaviour of "Doze" functionality and only once it is matured and implemented, one can reach a conclusion.

As can be seen in this post https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33018306/doze-mode-and-foreground-service, thanks to Firelord for highlighting this
, documentation by Google is lacking in details and developers/ OEM may implement varying behaviors, so nothing can be said at this point of time with certainty.


Why do some earphones work but some have garbled audio on my phone?

The pin layout between the working and not working head phones might be different and hence this behaviour.  Though it appears to be simple there is no one standard to which all these manufactures seems to stick with. For instance my LG P500's stock ear phones exhibit this issue with Sony Ericsson SK17i, while Sony's head set played well in my LG P500.

The same problem exhibits when I use my LGP500 head phones in my desktop computer. While doing so, I just pull out the head phone slightly out to solve this issue.


Yes, websites can use the WebRTC extension to access the phone's camera, with the user's permission. Not all browsers support this extension, but Chrome for Android does.


How to enable international (roaming) data, but disable international calls?`

You can block the calls, but I dont know if there's a way to disable them.

Avast has one such built in tool to block calls by pattern i.e. wildcard characters.
e.g. block all calls with +1800* ( i.e. block all calls starting with +1800)


The filesystem support is device-specific, and in fact many devices using Android 2.3 support ext3 in the kernel (or ext4, which can also mount ext3 and ext2 filesystems).

Usually the difference in filesystem support is due to different hardware. Older devices often used raw NAND flash chips and MTD drivers in Linux, which did not support conventional filesystems such as ext4; only special filesystems such as YAFFS or JFFS2 could be used on such devices. In this case having ext3 or ext4 support in the kernel was not necessary, and it could be omitted to save some memory; to get ext3/4 support on such device you will need to flash a custom kernel (or, in some cases, an external module could be compiled instead of replacing the whole kernel).

More recent devices usually use eMMC storage, which provides a block device instead of raw flash; such devices mostly use ext4 for their filesystems, and therefore should have support for mounting ext3 filesystems (although actually using it to mount a custom filesystem, e.g., on a separate SD card partition, will require root access).


WiFi is disabled when I enable WiFi Direct

Very possibly my solution has nothing to do with the real problem of this person, but the topic is the same, so I consider this answer may help someone:

It is very common nowadays for AP's (access points) to have dual-band frequency 2,4Ghz and 5Ghz and to assign same SSID for both bands. Not all devices have 5Ghz support and, even having it, they may choose the 2,4Ghz band, since they may have bad signal at their current spot for the 5Ghz. The point is that if you are accessing your LAN from a different AP, or using different bands in the same AP with each device, your devices won't be able to use wifi-direct without engaging an adhoc connection between them,  thus they will disable the wifi connection to your AP. The simple solution is to use different SSIDs for each band, and connect with both devices to the same SSID (if both can connect to 5Ghz, go for it).

Different combinations:

A) different AP's same local network - wifi turned off to adhoc
between devices
B) same AP different band - wifi turned off to adhoc
between devices
C) same AP same band - bingo! wifi stays on in
infraestructure with my AP


Mine was doing the same thing. I did a factory reset and that seems to have fixed it.


How do I upgrade my rooted Nexus One using OTA updates?

OTA updates can only be applied to a completely stock, non-rooted phones, using the stock recovery.

If you really want a completely stock Gingerbread, you will need to un-root your Nexus One and revert to Froyo's stock recovery.  See instructions here.

Alternatively, you can flash one of the custom Gingerbread ROMs.  Some are very close to "stock" (only pre-rooted) while others like CyanogenMod offer other tweaks on top of the original.


This a solution to bring your device to a stable, stock, factory default state.

NOTE: this will wipe your device (not the SD card) and return it to stock, unrooted factory defaults.

Download one of these two files:

This file if you want to restore to Gingerbread
and this zip file if you want to restore to the OTA 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) latest update.

Extract the file you downloaded to your computer, in a location you remember.
On your phone, enable debugging

this is usually found by going to the home screen, then pressing Menu and choosing Settings->Applications->Development and check the USB debugging option

Plug your phone into your computer
Locate the run.bat file in the location where you extracted the .zip file
Run this file and wait for the process to finish.
You're done! Reboot and enjoy!


A week ago or so I started using Gravity Screen Off.


For Lollipop do adb shell dumpsys activity recents. For some earlier Android version, run adb shell dumpsys activity activities.

Alternatively, you may run adb shell dumpsys activity | grep -i run as noted by loeschg here.

You would get a list of recent apps' package name, component (activity) name, flags among other things.

In Lollipop, if you've root access, you can browse to /data/system/recent_tasks/. You'll find some XML files with numeral names, such as 317.xml. Each of them consists of the same aforesaid details, but each XML file is created for an individual app.

You can also get some info from adb shell dumpsys usagestats.


copy folder structure from internal memory to sd-card

If you use mv on a directory containing files and subdirectories, it will move all of them. But in this case you may not want to move the amazonmp3 directory itself, so the command would be mv internalmemory/amazonmp3/* /sdcard/music/, assuming the internalmemory directory is correct.

The actual names for the internal memory and sd-card depend on the device, for example on my old Galaxy S they were /sdcard and /sdcard/external_sd/.


"SIM Tool Kit: Error in application" pop-up always shows on Lenovo Vibe K5

Check if both SIMs are activated or not. If not, kindly recharge and activate it. The pop up will not come.

Ex. I got this error due to Airtel SIM and my SIM's incoming outgoing was already stopped. I also got the same error, also tried all things posted on internet and YouTube. I recharged RC 35 and it automatically resolved.


How can I make the Galaxy S3 detect media on my sdcard?

My S4 wouldn't recognize music on my external SD-card. You can fix this on your S3 by going to settings> more > storage > remove SD-card. Wait till it says 'You can now safely remove your SD-Card' then remove the card out your phone. Clean your RAM and then put it back in again. Wait a few seconds till it's succesfully installed and your card will be visible. I.E for music open your music player and it'll all be there. Make sure the files aren't in too many subfolders or your phone will not find it and show it in your music player.

Have a nice day,


Is it possible to list all files on SD card created by a certain application?

Your first request (ownership) won't work on SD card, as the file system (VFAT) does not support that. The second approach however should work:

As we are talking about your SD card, you could of course mount it to your PC for easier work. Steps I describe here should work for Linux systems, and probably Macs as well. To execute them directly on your device without the help of a PC, you can use a terminal app (e.g. Android Terminal Emulator).

# for easier handling, create two files with the timestamps between which to search
touch --date "2012-05-21" /tmp/start
touch --date "2012-05-22" /tmp/end
# now execute the find command to find all files (-type f) in the set time frame
find /mnt/sdcard -type f -newer /tmp/start -not -newer /tmp/end

If you expect a longer list of files, redirect the output of the last command to a file, e.g.:

find /mnt/sdcard -type f -newer /tmp/start -not -newer /tmp/end > /tmp/myfiles.txt

Now you can inspect the generated file.

Of course you can adapt above statements to your needs, e.g. using a different location for the "timestamp files". Once you're done, you can remove those:

rm -f /tmp/start /tmp/end


Disable Carrier Phone Number for Google Voice Number

Since Google Voice just comes in as a normal carrier call, there is no simple way to separate those calls. It doesn't pass any identifying information that the phone could use to identify it is a Google Voice call versus a carrier call.

You can, however, change your Google Voice settings (on the website, not the app) so that it always shows your Google Voice number as the caller ID on incoming calls. This means you could just whitelist your Google Voice number and block everything else. Then you will receive only GV calls, but you will lose the ability to see who is calling since all calls coming to GV will just display as your GV number. You could then use the call screening features of GV to identify unknown callers.

It really isn't an elegant solution and the loss of caller ID is a big inconvenience, but if you absolutely have to do this, it is about your only option.


Syncing music without iTunes...or can you?

I would try out Google Music. It will be the most native with your device, and gets relatively close to syncing, in theory.

The first thing you will have to do is go to the Google Music Homepage and download the Music Manager tool. Once downloaded, you tell the Music Manager where your music is on your computer, and it uploads it all to the cloud!

This music becomes visible as soon as you log into Play Music on your phone with the Gmail account that you used to set up Google music on your computer.

Then whatever music is placed on your computer in your music folders is accessible at music.google.com and on all of your Android devices.

The difference is, your music does not actually sync to your phone, but is streamed when you choose it on your mobile device.

This can be slightly modified by selecting an album or such on your device, clicking the little expansion arrow (usually at the bottom right of the item), and choosing the Offline music option (it has a picture of a pin next to it). Your phone will then download this music so it does not have to be streamed to play later.

You would have to do this with all of the music you do not wish to stream, but if you have a decent internet connection, streaming is very much a viable option. And saves TONS of space on your phone!

Hope this helps!


...
The APK I used was for the OnePlus One and had a MD5 of 2fd1a3e8f5a6ef44d1f14752b4caa5c9.
I installed another APK, coming from this ROM, and everything fixed itself (the MD5 was different: 3f465ccbfe8566479f863582671575c2)

The two APK had the same version number (1.0) and OnePlus One's was 1.97 MB while the working one was 1.9 MB o_0

Akward


How about just creating a new Google account for this purpose and adding it to the phone. You will obviously not need a payments profile to download the free apps. But I believe you can still create a payments profile and use your existing card (German, Canadian) in the new account. Or better just buy Google Play gift cards (the offline scratchable ones).
It is very easy to switch the account within Play Store. So, that won't hurt much.
That's the only solution I can think of. I have already had a lot of pain to revert my account country from Canada to India. Because a lot of my apps were showing as unavailable.


What is your laptop running for OS? Is your phone unlocked when you plug it in?

I've had to reinstall USB port drivers on my laptop before. Follow these instructions:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/817900


Tasker: How to trigger recheck of state context?

Add a time context to your profile. There is a repeat option (check box).


Better to keep frequently used apps on the Android device or move them to an external microSD card?

It depends on how you use your phone, but under normal circumstances (no task killer apps, small to medium sized memory consumer, etc.) category 1 apps are typically held in RAM. So I guess reading from SD card you will only notice when the app is started for the first time. But beware, that SD cards can outperform internal memory performance: General difference in read/write speeds for internal memory vs SD card

Best advise I can give: just try and use what is best for you. If you experience performance drawbacks, just put the app back to internal storage, if not, than you can leave it on SD card.

Regarding the life time of SD cards, I guess, unless they do not perform to much IO to the card but operate on network and RAM it does not matter. Personally I just put every app I can to SD card, to have more internal memory for apps I cannot move to SD.


How do I load an unsigned Kernel Module to my signature enforcing Kernel?

Building out-of-tree kernel modules is not usually recommended for newbies like me so that to avoid problems like vermagic mismatch:

  config MODVERSIONS
  ...
  Usually, you have to use modules compiled with your kernel. Saying Y here makes it sometimes possible to use modules compiled for different kernels, by adding enough information to the modules to (hopefully) spot any changes which would make them incompatible with the kernel you are running.

Also the warning:

  loading out-of-tree module taints kernel

Forced module loading may lead to situations like undefined symbols / references (functions / variables exported and available at /proc/kallsyms).

  I researched and found out that you need to sign the module to load it
  ...
  But it also doesn't make sense when I think about how any developer would be able to extend the kernel by writing modules if this barrier is in place.

It's the intended behavior:

  Module signing increases security by making it harder to load a malicious module into the kernel.

And that's why MODULE_SIG_FORCE is there. On PCs UEFI Secure Boot necessarily requires kernel and modules to be signed as a part of secure boot chain. Android's Verified Boot signs whole boot partition though, which then - using dm-verity - secures /system and /vendor; the partitions which may possibly include kernel's loadable modules. So signing modules doesn't seem necessary:

  Module signing isn't mandatory and isn't tested against

Quoted from Loadable Kernel Modules.

  I assume there is no way of obtaining the private key which the kernel used originally while compiling.

You are right. Public / private key pair is generated (using openssl) when building kernel. Public key is built into the kernel and can be viewed in /proc/keys or by:

~# keyctl list %:.system_keyring

If kernel was built with IKCONFIG_PROC, hash algorithm can be seen by:

~# zcat /proc/config.gz | grep MODULE_SIG_HASH

A perl script is also part of kernel source tree which can be used to sign modules:

~$ sign-file <algorithm> <priv_key_file> <pub_key_file> <module>.ko

  Is there a way to disable signature enforcement of the kernel and load the module that I created?

No.

  Alternatively, can I somehow sign my module and load it?

Ask the kernel developer to provide the same private key (if possible), otherwise only option is to rebuild whole kernel. Get configuration of running kernel from /proc/config.gz if available and required. Don't forget to unset CONFIG_MODULE_SIG or set CONFIG_MODULE_SIG_ALL.

SOURCE: Building External Modules