I always buy batteries on eBay.  "But that's not reputable at all," you might say.  Indeed.  However, I find that as long as you search for the specific part number (e.g. BB99100 for the Nexus One / Desire battery) and ensure the posting contains pictures and guarantees it's genuine, then you'll be OK.  EBay sellers avoid lying about that sort of thing because their reputation will quickly be damaged.  Also ensure the seller has a good feedback rating (97%+).

Here's the cheapest new battery from a very reliable-looking seller that I could find.


How to free up more storage (upgrading to 4.2 made me lose 6GB)?

No, it will not duplicate your files. However, there are some files that will not be deleted, like system files and some other software data.


Mount /system and /data partition of an android phone in Windows/Linux

There is a method that I'm aware of which uses FTP on Android and a tool/software on Linux/Windows. I recently tested this method and it worked well.

Host an FTP server on your Android phone. (There are answers for it on this site; you may use search option.)
On GNU/Linux, download curlftpfs and issue the command:

curlftpfs ftp_server_url directory_path

where, ftp_server_url -> the URL of your FTP server, directory_path -> the directory in your PC where you want to mount this server
On Windows, I've heard that NetDrive can mount an FTP server on Windows. I haven't used it but got to know this from a ServerFault answer.
For Windows, if FTP doesn't work then host a WebDAV server on Android and mount it on Windows by using Windows native Map network drive feature.

Whether you would be able to write into /system and /data isn't my business here since you've not explicitly mentioned it, but my answer will definitely do the thins you asked in the question. :)

(Kindly let me know any fault in my answer rather than downvoting it, if you may. :) )


How to get fm radio back after Desire X was updated to Android 4.1?

Take a look at this forum: http://www.htcforums.com/desire-x/12477-updated-4-1-1-no-fm-radio.html. The only other way (I know) to get a fm radio on your device is to root it or install an .apk from outside the Play Store.


Yes, such apps are genuine.

I am not familiar with Kik, but assuming it is similar to way2sms, they gain advertising revenue from page views.

Kik mentions having over 120 million users and way2sms has 40 million+ users.

For example for the 40 million users of way2sms, assuming that the advertising rate is $0.01 per 1000 page views (I'm not sure about the actual rates). And assuming an average of 10 page views per user per week. Which gives 400 million page views a week.

Then the advertising earnings will be $4000 per week. (The above is just an example, I'm sure I made a lot of wrong assumptions)

  So the way2sms business model is to buy messages from network
  operators and give these messages free to the users, and recoup the
  cost from advertising revenue gained from page views.

I'm assuming kik does somethig similar.

A brief interview with the founder of way2sms can be found here.
And another article here.

Edit : I did some reading up on Kik, I didn't find much but I think they use a freemium model where their app and basic services are free but they charge for some additional services.

For example, they charge money for some stickers.


How do I edit/add a birthday in the `people` app Cyanogenmod 11?

On Cyanogenmod People, to see and edit the Events field (birthdays and anniversaries only available in this case), the People contact has to be in an Account, not on the phone only. I also do not use a cloud service for my own privacy reasons so I use MyPhoneExplorer app for PC synchronization and the associated but seperate MyLocalAccount app for Contacts storage, both on Play Store. If you decide to use MyPhoneExplorer/MyLocalAccount be sure to synchronize contacts into MyLocalAccount. When I realized this solution and installed MyLocalAccount (I had already been using MyPhoneExplorer) the older existing contacts did not synchronize with MyLocalAccount and I still had no Events field. I had to mass delete all contacts on the phone (easy with MyPhoneExplorer) and re-synchronize with MyLocalAccount. BTW, I use Outlook on my PC. Problem solved. Yes Android can be quirky but that's why we use it, right?!!


How can I see the history log of system updates

Most OEM doesn't keep a log of that on your device, but the recovery (a place for installing OTA updates) does keep a log of what you installed, when you wiped data, etc. That log should be in /cache/recovery/last_log


There is a great app called DocumentsToGo which lets you open MS Office files. If you want to be able to create new ones and edit them in your mobile phone, you need to buy a licence for their app, but otherwise you can use it for free.


SafetyNet vs MagiskHide: what's the status now in mid 2020?

(29 June 2020) It looks like Google is just being cautious, and preparing a new field in the SafetyNet response.
According to the SafetyNet API Clients Team

We have started rolling out a new feature that will provide developers with insight into the types of signals/measurements that have contributed to each individual SafetyNet Attestation API response.
Our JWS responses now have a new optional field named evaluationType.
The value of this field will be a list of comma-separated string tokens, where each token represents an enum-like value.
Currently, the following string tokens may be indicated::

BASIC  - When we use typical signals and measurements along with reference data during our evaluation.
HARDWARE_BACKED - When we use the available hardware-backed security features of the remote device (e.g. hardware-backed key attestation) to influence our evaluation.

Examples of field values that you may expect:

{“evaluationType”: “BASIC”}
{“evaluationType”: “BASIC,HARDWARE_BACKED”}

We’re currently evaluating and adjusting the eligibility criteria for devices where we will rely on hardware-backed security features. So please do not use the presence or value of this field as a signal by itself (for now).
Note that this feature has not been officially documented yet. Presently, we’re only communicating it to this announcement-list to collect feedback.
We encourage you to use our feedback form based on your experience with this new feature as well as the overall service.
Thanks & Regards,
SafetyNet API Clients team

So once testing for this new feature is completed, it looks like hardware-backed key attestation will be put in place. Which means, from then on, SafetyNet would be able to detect bootloader/verified boot status even with MagiskHide enabled.
John Wu is still fighting back
(updated on 29 June 2020)
John Wu is trying to persuade Google to not blindly apply SafetyNet hardware-backed attestation across the board. He tweeted:

I advocate
@AndroidDev
to restrict hardware-backed SafetyNet evaluation to "real" security sensitive apps. Developers should go through an application process to qualify this level of API access. It is ridiculous for McDonalds to refuse to run on a bootloader unlocked device.

Meanwhile, it appears that the SafetyNet checks will still fail even if the bootloader is re-locked, as we see here, tweeted 3 July 2020

Bad news: it is confirmed that for those who wants to re-lock their bootloader with self signed images (possible on Pixel devices), SafetyNet with HARDWARE-BACKED evaluation will still NOT pass CTS check.

(Updated on 13 Dec 2020) John Wu now tweets

Let me get this out of the way: since I have a full time job now, I don't have much time for Magisk; I need prioritization. HW based evaluation is impractical to "hack" (except tricks to make it fallback to basic), and I lost all interest in improving the current way of hiding.


I've found out that it occurs only when developpers options are enabled :/
As a developper, I need to enable those sometimes and the problem appear again.

So now I just disable them when I don't need it and it solve the issue.

If anyone can explain it I would be interrested.

Thx anyway


How to limit the synchronized contacts to "My Contacts" on a Galaxy Note?

After having tried anything I could think of and all the solutions in various group the only one which works was to use Bluetooth File Transfer to forcefully transfer the contacts I wanted to have on my car system.

This is not an optimal solution as

the contacts are just transferred, not synchronized
new contacts on my phone need to be transferred manually

but at least this gives me something similar to what I had with an iPhone, out of the box (all contacts transferred and synchronized, as expected)


How do you force the default mail app to resync it's folder list with exchange?

In the end, the only solution that I was able to find was to delete the account from the phone and recreate it. Also, after testing the phone had a number of other issues related to folders on that account so it appears as if the account had gotten corrupted in some fashion.


Root in Android is connecting to SoftLayer Technologies!

So for anyone who sees suspicious internet activity on his phone, here's how I figured it out:

I monitor my phone on random occasions (several times a day) using this amazing app called: SockStat (no conflict of interest).

When I just found this IP yesterday 108.168.176.245, I blocked everything on AFWall+ (Android open source firewall), this way, any app that tries to connect remotely will be logged (turn logging on if it's off).

In my case, I saw that WhatsApp+ tried to connect to the same IP that I'm investigating. Looked up the WhatsApp+ IP and yes, it's on SoftLayer network. Waited a bit, and finally captured what caused Root to connect! Same IP but this time, "(Kernel) - Linux kernel" is trying to connect to that IP.

From here, I'll email the developer* and ask how he got Root without requesting Root from Superuser app.

I still haven't figured out what is trying to connect to Baidu (180.76.3.151), but you get the idea from the first suspicious IP.

Hope this helps.

*WhatsApp+ is a third-party WhatsApp client. Not sure how it works under the hood though.


Wget should work, and can be installed to Android if it's not already there.
http://www.gnu.org/software/wget/manual/wget.html

Just use it in a terminal emulator.


Resizing Android partition from dual-boot Windows OS

Since it once ran Windows it must be based on Intel x86. Get a Windows again, preferrably a Windows To Go. Get AOMEI Partition Assistant Windows PE Edition. Move other partitions one by one so that the android-userdata partition (not android_data) is adjacent to the unallocated space. Turn to gparted and merge the partition with free space.


Why can't my phone find pictures or music files suddenly?

Ah, cripes. I don't know what on Earth put this .nomedia file on the root of my SD card. Problem fixed.


Switching between my profile on Google+ and a page I manage

In the Google+ app, tap the "hamburger" menu in the upper left. It should show your cover image, your profile image and name, and a menu of options: Home, People, Photos, etc.

Tap the downpointing arrow next to your name.

You will probably1 see an option to "Select Google+ page" with a right-pointing arrow. Tap that.

Now you should see your page(s) available in a menu. Tap it.

You are now using Google+ "as" that page.

To go back to your personal profile, follow the same steps, but choose your profile where before you chose your page.

1If you've done this before, then the page you used before will be listed here along with "Switch Google+ page" (if you have more than one page to manage). This also assumes that your Google+ account is set as a manager/owner of the page in question.


What does permission "MANAGE_ACCOUNTS" mean?

In short, GitHub is using the internal Account System manager to store your GitHub credentials. This works the exact same was as adding a Google account or an Exchange account. Essentially, you are logging in with your credentials and they are stored in the Account Manager, which prevents you from having to re-enter these credentials again in the future.

This is most useful when the credentials are used across multiple applications as you only have to login once. For example, Google Chrome will access your account via the Account Manager instead of forcing you to login again (the yellow dialog that pops up at the bottom asking if you want to sign in with your locally held Account on your phone when visiting gmail or another Google website on your phone's Google Chrome browser).

    What does it mean they can create accounts?

They can created local accounts on your phone for their application (and only their application). Here's an example of a list on my phone:

Screenshot (Click image for larger variant)

    Why would Amazon (Kindle app) / GitHub even need this?

It simplifies credentials in Android. It's the recommended method to do this.

    Are there any risks?

There shouldn't be. If an app uses the AccountManager and say, wants to use your Google account, then it will have to explicitly ask you for permission as it needs an auth token to use that account. See more info on the SDK documentation.


Google Play is not tied up to phone numbers, but to Google accounts.

Just add/sync your existing Google account into your phone via System Settings > Accounts > Add Account. You will then be able to download / use the paid apps that you had in your other phone, assuming they are compatible with your second phone.

Then from Google Play, just select the account that you'd like to use.


How can I access a Mantis Bug Tracker from Android?

I have a Android app for Mantis Bug Tracker ready. I'll be releasing it soon. In case you want to have a preview, do send me a message. Soon I'll be posting an URL for android market.

UPDATE: The android app for mantis has been released and can be downloaded from - https://market.android.com/details?id=greatdevelopers.mantis

DISCLAIMER: I am not advertising my app. I am just informing you that something like that is available. For more details contact me. In case the community feels this is not correct, I'll


Permission to make and manage phone calls

Does seem very scary given permission to almost all apps requirements to agree to many requests such as to all questions an apps wants from a person .Fear not it's normal in companies software automatically .The requirement consist of few or many wanting phone ,SMS,contacts ect: Give consent some apps won't let install otherwise why !!we don't know Go to settings click on apps go through as many as wishes turn off what you don't want a company app having to many of your personal details that's it (Done ) no need to reset your devices it's inconvenient and will need to back up your files ,folders ,contacts in the meanwhile in doing so may loose  precious photo's and possibly some files .Just go to settings everytime you experience issues once you know how it's easy and less time consuming and save your sanity .


First off, currently only Hisense TVs have the rights to be powered by Android.  Other TV manufacturers will start using Android in the coming years.  At least thats what the sales assistant at JB Hi-Fi told me.

Secondly, I just searched the google play store on my TV and it doesn't have Cut the Rope.

Alternatives may be screen mirroring.  Eg, some Android phones can cast the screen to the Chromecast.

It all depends on the capabilities of the devices you have.


Is the CPU of Samsung Galaxy A10s 64 bit or 32 bit?

As suspected by OP, the hardware is 64 bit but it is running in 32 bit mode as mentioned in this reddit which in turn refers to geek bench for proof.

Apps like AIDA 64 can reveal this

Source

Also Antutu, if you have it installed, as it is removed from Play Store

As general info, see How to find ARM processor version on android device?


Nexus 7: Assert failed: device == grouper when trying to install some roms

Interestingly I had this exact same problem.

It seems to be an issue with the latest version of TWRP. I solved it by downgrading TWRP to 2.6.3.0 - I'm assuming there must be a bug with the 2.6.3.1 version.

That should work (as my scenario was the same: Nexus 7 (1), TWRP and the MIUI ROM).


Is back up to a network folder possible?

If you combine two apps, this is possible. Of course, root is required on your device to backup app data, as you certainly know.

Now the first app you will need is Titanium Backup. This app not only creates a backup of all apps, app data, and even system data on your SD-Card, contains several useful tools for maintenance, and can schedule its actions -- it also allows pushing the backups to Dropbox.

But yes, I read you didn't target the Cloud, so here comes number two: FolderSync can sync your files/directories (and thus also your backup folder on the SD card) with several cloud services as well as with your own servers, using e.g. FTP, FTPS, SFTP, WebDAV or Samba (Windows Share) for the latter.

While there's no real alternative to Titanium Backup, there are some to FolderSync: Titanium Media Sync from the same author as Titanium Backup supports Dropbox plus FTP, SFTP, and FTPS. And FTPSyncX supports FTP, FTPS (SSL), SFTP (SSH), Samba, and Dropbox. I use the Pro version of the latter, and so I can tell you first-hand it works nice via Wifi -- you can even tell it to only sync when connected to your home Wifi, and run in certain intervals.

I almost forgot there's a tool that could serve both purposes, backup and sync in one: rsync backup for Android. But it may be a little more complicated to setup, and it requires ssh on the remote side -- not a realy show-stopper if your PC runs Linux :)


How to take notes with keyboard input and drawings?

Use Xperia Notes App. This allows you to add texts, draw pictures and record audios as well. It also has a widget.

But the app may not be compatible with your device.


Resettng an android device with non-removable battery

I had to remove the battery from my O4X several times already, as it didn't respond to anything else – so I can see your concern: What to do if the battery cannot be removed then? As to my experiences, devices with a non-removable battery have a reset hole, which serves exactly this purpose: poking it with a needle (or tooth-stick, or something similar) disconnects the battery, as if you had removed it. So the only disadvantage left is you cannot replace the battery (say, with a backup you took along).


How to make Gallery to NOT to search photos in some folders?

Place in every directory, you want to be excluded by the media scanner, an empty file named ".nomedia". Then restart your phone and the 'marked' directories should not be indexed any more.


You can get to the hidden http proxy settings via the 'Proxy Settings' app.

This should work for http sites and services but Android doesn't currently allow https via proxy!?! (so no Gmail or app downloads).


CM10.1 now cannot record any inbound audio on phone calls

The issue is related to, as far as I know, Cyanogenmod policies.. In some countries call recording is illegal and therefore CM team hasn't implemented this feature. It's really annoying because the issue applies to certain (but not all) regions of the world.

I do hope that CM developers will come up with some sort of hack in the future. For now I am using Auto Call Recorder (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appstar.callrecorder) and using Mic as a source. The volume of inbound audio is very low unless the mic is turned on during the call.

Call recording is the only feature I lack in CM...


How to install Samsung (or other manufacturers) apps on Vanilla ROMs on Galaxy S3

Unfortunately, it's not possible. Those apps rely on parts of the TouchWiz framework to operate. No TouchWiz, no apps. The only way would be to install a custom TouchWiz based rom. It would give you some of the performance improvements of CyanogenMod but with access to the Samsung apps.


Have to answer myself (though this isn't a solution).
Android 5.0 Lollipop uses "Fuse" as file system which does not support SymLinks


Does LineageOS or OpenGApps have a GMS License and GMS Certification?

Google's stance is that GMS is granted to a device, which then stays with it regardless of any custom ROM the consumer may install. In other words, if you get a stock device that has GMS, then you're allowed to install OpenGApps on any third-party ROM you put on it. However, you're not allowed to install OpenGApps on a device that never had GMS.


If you have root you can do as suggested and use Titanium Backup to remove the stock email app.

If you aren't rooted you can remove the duplicate notification by going into the stock email app, settings, and then delete your email account from the app.

If you want to keep your account you can also go into your phone settings and find the application manager, swipe over to the all apps tab, find the stock email app and uncheck show notifications (if your android version is jelly bean).


How do I copy text from my Phone's inbox to my PC's text editor?

You may be able to achieve that using  tools like Clipsync, Uniclip etc. to share clipboards over local area connections.

Using ClipSync

Setup

You need both the client and server. The advantage of Clipsync is that it is very small in size compared to other tools in this category.

You can get the ClipSync Android client from playstore  (147K B size) and ClipSync server (desktop) (≈ 900KB size) from the main website.

Instructions

First, you need to install the android app on your mobile device, and a Windows program on your PC.
After ClipSync is set up, there will be a background service running on all your devices.
This background service will automatically keep your clipboards synchronized.

Copying text from Android to Windows

Long press any text on your Android device and select Copy then paste the text on your PC text editor program  with Right-click → Paste.

Client:

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)

Server (notification)

Credits: ClipSync: Synchronize your clipboards over LAN


How to re-activate android device (with another email address)

You need to do a factory reset via Menu -> Settings -> Privacy -> Factory Data Reset (this may be under a different menu on newer versions of Android.)  Factory reset formats your device, erasing all 3rd-party installed apps and their settings.  It also dis-associates your accounts (Google, or any others you may have added) from the device, removing any synced contacts.

You may also wish to format your SD Card if you are giving it along with the phone.

Apps, books, music and videos that you purchased via Google Play Store are tied to your Google account.  You will be able to re-download them to your new Android device after signing in with your Google account.


Google Hangouts v Hangouts Dialer v Voice : Which to download to call outbound?

Google Voice gives you a second phone number linked to your original. You can use it to call outbound from the app. Google voice can also recieve calls as well as send and receive texts.
Google Hangouts is a messaging app. On the web version, you can call outbound. I'm not sure about the app version. You can also use it to video call, both single person and group calls.
^^My Google Hangouts menu^^
Google Dialer (If I have the correct product) seems to be just a phone management app, just like the typical "Phone" app that comes preinstalled on most phones. It gives you a dialer screen and a Google Duos video call screen as well as spam protection and caller ID. However, it doesn't look like it comes with a phone number, it uses the one from your SIM. So it'll make outbound calls, but only if you have a SIM card installed.
EDIT: Hangouts Dialer (Not Google Phone, sorry, got that wrong the first time) is a dialer for Google Hangouts (hence the name). It's a way of making phone calls without using minutes. You can call any phone number, and it shows on the receiving end the verified number connected with your device. I believe it can also be used in combination with Google Voice, using that number as your verified number.


Is there any way to get Swype on my Moto Droid?

Check this out:

http://www.droid-life.com/2010/03/08/swype-beta-apk-file-for-those-who-missed-it/

There is a download link, and step-by-step instructions for installing the beta.


Nexus 5X vibrates despite disabling in app settings

Your problem is similar to the question here Decrease default vibration length on notification?

Tweak that solution with following changes

Trigger - Notification received from all apps
Action-Volume change> system sounds slider value to zero


Use a bluetooth headset for media audio on a Nexus 7 running Android 4.2

There is an app called Mono for Bluetooth that allows you route the devices sound via mono bluetooth headset. I'm sure there are other apps, but this is the first one I found and it seems to work fine. It also does the following:

sound indication when routing is switched on
restores sound volume after switching off the routing
indication when routing is on in status bar
restores bluetooth routing after phone call

Supports Android 2.2 and higher.


How can I get the old Emojis or Kik-style Emojis on my updated GoSMS Pro?

I get Textra for better view of emoji and for keyboard i use Decoration Keyboard ... but there you haven't all of the emoji that's the ugly part

but is better than nothing


Motorola Moto G2: Unable to pick incoming calls most of the time

Try booting into "SAFE MODE" and see if the problem persists (long press the power off option and select 'OK' in the pop up to boot into safe mode). If you are able to Accept/Reject calls (while in Safe Mode) then the problem might be due to a third  party application installed on your phone, probably a screen filter app/ third party launcher. Reboot the phone to boot into normal mode and try uninstalling any application you suspect and see if your problem is solved.

If the above method doesn't work then it might be a bug which will probably be rectified by Google soon in the next update.

Else as a last resort you can "Factory Reset" your phone and hope that the problem is solved.


Bluetooth Speaker Controls Too Loud and in Too Few Steps

After a couple of hours of searching I found the fix:

Enable Developer options if you haven't yet (instructions can be found online).
Open Developer options.
Enable the Disable absolute volume option.
Enjoy listening to music at whatever volume you like.

Here are the details for this option:


CWM for unsupported device but with same specs

When unofficially modifying your phone, nothing is safe... But if others say it worked, give it a shot.  Just keep in mind that anything can go wrong, so back up your data and have a Plan B for recovering your system.

Edit:  Plan B (how to recover your phone):

Recovery Software:  http://www.archos.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=120&id=301

Stock ROM:  http://update.archos.com/AFMv1/storage//files/full/a40ti/20130922.101129/OTA972121_8916_V007049.zip


View live GPS tracking online during race

If I enable location sharing in Latitude, that comes with Google Maps, all my friends with whom I have enabled sharing can see me either from their phone or logging in to Google Maps.


Try screen streaming over HTTP, for that you can use an open-source Screen Stream application available on F-droid.The application allows viewing the device screen in your web browser.

  It uses MJPEG to encode screen images and send them through the
  network. So it works with any desktop or mobile browser which supports
  MJPEG (Chrome, Safari, EDGE, Firefox).

Depending on what you are trying to achieve, it is best suited  to show your device screen during presentations and demos but not ideal for streaming video, and does not even support sound (since MJPEG does not support sound).

  Expected delay is at least 0.5-1 second or more on slow devices, bad
  WiFi or on heavy CPU load by other apps.

The application works via Wi-Fi (and/or 3G/LTE network). Fast and stable Wi-Fi recommended because of high traffic and low network delay requirement. No Internet required, however, there must be a network connection between the client and the device.

The number of client connections is unlimited, but be aware that each of them requires some CPU resources and bandwidth to send data.

Note:  Some Wi-Fi networks (mostly public/guest) block connections between its clients for security reasons, so you may not be able to connect to the device via Wi-Fi  cell operators may block incoming connections to your device for security reasons, so you may not be able to connect to the device on using this IP address.


Developer Options were enabled in Settings. Disabling them fixed the issue.


How do I move all the files from a folder (and subfolders) using the command line in Android 7.1+?

Here's the answer I managed to figure out:

find /SourceDir -type f -exec mv -i {} /DestinationDir ';'


Moto G LTE (1st) gen - where are system version updates downloaded?

Location is /cache usually, but for explorers even with root enabled cannot browse certain locations (not sure if you are using systemless root, in which case ES doesn't get root permissions )

Booting into recovery and using TWRP file manager (Advanced tab) allows you to browse and delete the update file as confirmed by OP

Regarding the other problem of update installation messages popping up, one way is to identify and "freeze* those /system components responsible for searching updates. You would need to search for indicative names. On my device (Moto X Play), freezin
configupdater,SEpolicy update,Motorola update services did the trick. I use ROM Toolbox to freeze . Other alternatives like Titanium Backup should also work


How to switch screen unlock from Pattern to Slide

Try this:

Open your Settings.
Scroll down and select Security.
Clear Credentials.
Check the Screen Lock setting to see if the low-security options are now enabled.

If that doesn't work, you can revert your lockscreen security to Slide.

Set your lockscreen security to Pattern from Settings>Security>Screen Lock.
Click the power button on your phone to lock it.
Click the power button again, but don't unlock your phone. There should be a button labelled Forgot Password. Note: On some devices, you may need to incorrectly enter the password/pattern several times until that option appears.
Enter your Google account credentials.
Your lock settings should now be Slide. Note: With this method, the option for Slide security will still by disabled, but you should still have it as the lockscreen security on your phone.


How can I unlock my phone? I locked it using Android Device Manager, but it claims I entered a wrong password

I tested this on a Nexus 5 (v5.0.1) running UK English. I locked the device with Device Manager then, without unlocking it, I used Device Manager to lock it a second time. I then used the second password to unlock the device. So, you should be able to change the lock password using Device Manager - it seems that only the last lock password is required to unlock it.

You can use a one character password to lock the device. Perhaps give that a try?

Another thing you could try (assuming you are using the web page to lock your phone) is to use Device Manager on a different Android device to lock your phone. Perhaps there is something wrong with the translation between the characters in the language entered into the web page and those entered into your phone.

Hopefully someone else might have a better answer than this. :(


How can I load a Video Player App on my Nook Color without google play?

Download/get the .apk file of desired application.

(Example: MoboPlayer from this link.)
Pass it to the android device.
Use any file explorer to open this .apk file.
Install the application.


Google calendar force closing after OTA update (SM-G930A)

Ended-up flashing the old firmware (links on xda) and redoing the OTA upgrade. Worked fine this time, which makes me think the first OTA file was munged. Doesn't AT&The have any error-checking built-in to their upgrade script?!


Android tethering via bluetooth keeps disconnecting

I'm doing the exact same thing, except with my Captivate, and I ran into the same problems. To solve them, I use three apps across the two devices. On my N7, I use Tasker to detect when I lose wifi connection and use Bluetooth Auto Connect as a Tasker plugin to automatically connect to my phone. On my phone, I use Bluetooth Auto Tethering, which automatically turns on Bluetooth tethering when you start your phone.

As a bonus here is a link to my Tasker profile/tasks which does all this stuff. I think you can just import it into your Tasker.


How do I completely mute the sound in phone calls?

Indeed there is a minimum output volume for the audio coming from the call.
There might be a hidden settings, although it might be difficult to find or to apply to some phone models or Android verions.
There is also an option that is probably applicable to all phones: you can plug any headphones using the audio jack (assuming your phone has an audio jack, which perhaps all Android phones still have).  This redirects the audio to the headphones, and if you don't wear the headphones you will not hear it.  Which is what you were asking for, isn't it?
Notice: if you plug a headset (headphones with included microphone), your phone will most certainly use the headset's microphone, which may or may not be what you want.  If you plug headphones (without microphone) your phone will continue to use its internal microphone.


Is it safe to Factory Reset my tablet to improve performance? Will I lose the uninstallable apps?

Is it safe to erase the system data of my android tablet (not rooted)?

Yes, it's safe to Factory Reset your tablet.

  If I restore the factory setting of my Android, will the uninstallable
  apps be also removed or only those that can be uninstalled?

Only those that can be uninstalled will be removed. Doing a Factory Reset is like making your phone brand new. You will lose all your installed apps and all your data, but you will still have the stock / default apps that your phone came with.

Once the phone reboots after a Factory Reset, you start from scratch. You will log-in to your Google account, and have the option of restoring the apps you installed and bought before from Google Play.

Related questions:

Factory reset to restore performance? What are the disadvantages?
Should i do the factory reset? If yes, what will i lose?
Will factory resetting my device remove the Android upgrade?


Just found the setting in Chrome.  If you go to Settings -> Accessibility and then tick the option "Force enable zoom" then you should be able to zoom in on any site.  (I have read a few sites still manage to stop you, but the vast majority should then work).


A comparable issue happened to me twice. The first time my audio files database was empty after a synchronization that went wrong. The second time my pictures application was never able to load the thumbnails. Each time the solution has been the same: clear the multimedia database.

To do so, go in "Settings" -> "Applications" -> "Manage applications". Then make sure you set the filter to see all applications. Find "Media Storage" in the list and then press "clear data". After that, you will need to wait a little bit for the database to regenerate, you may even have to reboot the phone to trigger the database generation.

This should correct your issue, and many more issues related to the multimedia database under Android.


Deleted .nomedia file but still photos in that folder not visible in gallery

After photos are added, they need to be scanned by the media-scanner before they'll show up in Gallery and other apps. Normally, the app that creates the photo asks the media scanner directly to add the new photo, but in this case, because you've removed the .nomedia yourself, nothing has yet triggered the file to be scanned.

You can find apps to trigger the rescan on Google Play, but be careful if your phone has KitKat or later: Android changed the way media rescanning works, to save battery, so apps written for earlier Android versions simply won't work on KitKat. Alternatively, if the folder in question is on removable storage, simply remove it and then add it again, and Android will re-scan the whole filesystem.


The signature mismatch indicates that the package you've installed (the mediatek-res.apk) isn't from the same source as the rest of the OS. It's from a different ROM, probably one made for a different device, by a different OEM. You need to find the APK file that matches the rest of your ROM, from the same device as yours.


Do this:

Boot into Recovery
Wipe cache
Wipe Dalvik cache
Wipe them again
Install your ROM

The first successful boot afterwards is going to take a while, as it is rebuilding Dalvik cache.

If you are not boot looping here, just let it go for a long while. If it boots a while and reboots, wait some more.


I wrote a simple app specifically for this task: https://github.com/whitequark/SIPCaller


Is there a way to use bit.ly account when shortening links in Twitter app?

I don't think there is a way in the Twitter app, but if you really want that functionality, Seesmic has it.


Resume an open application on Android Wear

I discovered the PinAnApp app for android which provides a nifty swipe gesture to keep the current app open and/or the screen on. Fills the current hole until app vendors take advantage of the new Android Wear "always on" functionality directly. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trigonesoft.pinanapp&hl=en


Sounds like the USB port is broken, though it should be fixable with soldering or something.  Take a look outside to see if the pins were snapped off or anything, and inside if not.


How to know on which Google account text messages (SMS) are saved?

Currently, text messages are not saved to your Google account (however useful that would be...). However, Hangouts are saved to your Google account, and you can check which account is active in the Hangouts app by swiping from the left and checking which profile is shown at the top of the navigation drawer.


How do I find a list of open applications / switch to open applications

Long pressing on the home button will bring up the six most recently accessed apps and you can switch them. How many stay in the memory depends on your phone and the size off the app. Android keeps all opened apps in the memory until it needs space.  There are countless apps that show what apps are running in your memory. Search the market for "app manager" or "task manager".  One I particularly like is Smart Bar.


Android 11 supports creation time (crtime/btime) for local folders and files?

This problem exists since the first Android version. I can confirm on Android 11 there is no such support. I asked Google a few years ago why they can't add it. I think it is a problem with Android system design. On Linux itself it is possible and there are already Linux distributions that show it by default in their file managers. By the end of 2021, all Linux distributions with GNOME (Nautilus) should display it. That means Ubuntu will soon display created date by default.
Android needs root rights or something similar for this to work (without root) and Google developers would have to do a lot of customization in Android system to use Linux kernel functions for user space programs. I think in the future Android system will support this and Google developers will add it. Maybe in Android 12 or Android 13.
Windows XP (2001) for example supports created date in Windows File Explorer for a long time and displays it by default e.g. by right click action on a file.
Just like Apple desktop systems. I know myself the System 6 (Macintosh System Software 6) from year 1988 the "Finder" (standard file manager on Mac devices) supports created date. Most likely the predecessor version of System 6 already support this.
Since iOS 11 (2017) the Files app has been integrated and shows created date for files and folders by default for users.
If you want a Linux smartphone that already supports created date then you can use a PinePhone. It uses Plasma Mobile (mobile version of the KDE Plasma Desktop) and since 2019, Dolphin (standard file manager of KDE) shows the created date.


Sorry, now I see the small microphone icon and globe icon for setting the speech language (keeping the globe pressed allows you to choose which languages to toggle back and forth between) on the soft keyboard that comes up.


formatted tab 3 10.1 and cant install android from twrp

already found the problem guys, after the format  it sayd you best reboot the bootloader  so i did that and then it could read and write, it's up and running without the latest offcial update that crashed a lot.
rooted and deodexed whatever that means.
grtz


Aggregating two 4G/3G data links from 2 different sims?

As far as i know, the modem only exist one 4G.
You can use it in both SIM (switch it) but you can't use both at the same time.
Even if you're thinking using the first one is 4G and the last one is 3G, it won't work. It's dual-band not dual channel, and beside it will make your phone a lot thirstier than before and i'm pretty sure you don't want that.


How do I search for .gif image on my S3?

GOOGLE GOGGLE app can Help to upload a image
Google Search By Image APP

Open Google image in your Default or Chrome browser

1st Method

type filetype:gif [your query] or inurl:gif [your query] then Tap Search

result will be in .gif format

2nd Method

Open Google image in your Default or Chrome browser

then Tap More > Type > choose Animated


How to know if phone has been connected via USB? (connection log on the phone?)

Preferably without turning on the debug mode?

Sorry! I don't have a solution that doesn't require USB debugging as of now. A workaround is to use a rooted device and run ssh server on Wi-Fi.

Anyhow, if the device has been connected to PC using USB, then it must have drawn some power, miniscule and momentarily it may be.

Setup adb in PC, turn on USB debugging on phone or use the workaround, and enter the command:

For Lollipop 5.0.2:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:"

or, to get the most relevant details only:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently"

The output could be like:

Statistics since last unplugged:
  Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) realtime, 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) uptime
  Time on battery screen off: 22m 13s 363ms (95.7%) realtime, 22m 13s 362ms (95.7%) uptime
  Total run time: 23m 13s 868ms realtime, 23m 13s 868ms uptime
  Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16
  Screen on: 1m 0s 505ms (4.3%) 0x, Interactive: 1m 0s 758ms (4.4%)
  Screen brightnesses:
  dark 1m 0s 505ms (100.0%)
  Total partial wakelock time: 22m 13s 363ms
  Mobile total received: 0B, sent: 0B (packets received 0, sent 0)
  Phone signal levels:
  moderate 22m 35s 311ms (97.2%) 1x
  good 38s 557ms (2.8%) 0x
  Signal scanning time: 0ms
  Radio types:
  none 23m 13s 868ms (100.0%) 0x
  ...
  Device is currently unplugged

I've removed some output denoted by ... since it's not relevant here.

Now, the latest unplugged detail highlights:

Start clock time: 2015-08-09-06-50-16 -- On Aug 9, 2015 at 06:50:16 AM, my device was unplugged from USB
Time on battery: 23m 13s 868ms -- time for which the device has been running on battery since last unplugged

You can do the calculation now, based on your case.

Note that this info has nothing to do with full charge details. It simply tells us the details for the event when the device was connected to a source that supplied it power.
For Android 4.4.2:

dumpsys batterystats | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged:" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

For Android 4.2.1:

dumpsys batteryinfo | grep -A30 "Statistics since last unplugged" | grep -B30 "Device is currently*"

Note: In the last two cases, Start clock time isn't available but Time on battery among other things.

All of this info would be helpful if only you have not plugged the device into charger or PC since the above battery-stats doesn't differentiate between the two.

Nonetheless, it is still a good lead!


how to really permanently delete everything on samsung s4 active?

Here are the steps -

1) Power off your device completely.

2) Press and hold Volume Up, Home and Power buttons simultaneously.

3) Select wipe data/factory reset and Wipe cache

Here's a Video for further help - www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNfRb13i7vI


Android keep saying "SD Card is mounted, do you want to change your default storage"

do u still have this problem.? Did you get solution for this.?

If yes, just share how you solved it.

If no, then this following FAQ page 21th question will help you to find the solution.

They have said try to update your Link2SD app. That will solve your problem.

http://www.link2sd.info/faq


Is it possible to change the background automatically when charging battery?

Yes, using Tasker.

See "Set Wallpaper" action and "Power" state. It even looks like it'd be rather easy to configure that event.

For your related notes, also see "Airplane Mode" state and %SILENT variable.


Can I make the weather widget depend on wifi rather than location?

Check Settings->Privacy and Security->Location->Search method->Select WiFi and mobile networks.
It's there, just named differently because you don't need GPS for location and may choose to disable that feature completely.


Is there any way to give phone rating according to its ram and processor data ? except benchmarks

If the amount of RAM and the CPU's specs (no. of cores, clock rate) is about the same (+/-200MHz for clock rate) then you can assume they perform about the same.
Some manufacturers have inbuilt "Benchmark detection" that boosts up the CPU for instance to gain higher listings but practically you are unable to notice and use that.

  Conclusion: As long as the amount of RAM and the CPU power is about the same, they all perform the same. Currently there is no major performance boost by other architectures, CPU models etc.
  Look out for different storage rates. A faster internal storage makes a phone perform way better in normal use.


Simple answer: Android does not support Ad-Hoc networks by default (see also the ad-hoc-networks tag-wiki, which tells you this and more). This means, you will need to root your devices, and use an app for this specific task, which is known as reverse-tether.

Some solutions are summed up in the following questions (or rather in their answers):

How to share internet among 2 android devices?
Enable Adhoc on Jelly Bean
Connect android phones through adhoc wifi network
How can I establish an AD-HOC Wi-Fi connection on my tablet?

As I did not use this method (had no need for it), I'm not sure what "easy solutions" really do. But if I remember correctly, OpenGarden's WiFi Tethering supports this, as does MANET Manager.


Why I should I care about "knox" warranty can I still root my S5?

Knox warranty void has been discussed for a long time but I can't find consistent results on what it actually means.

Some sources say, that it only covers data security, a warranty that makes sure your data is safe and private, so tripping the Knox warranty void flag doesn't void your hardware warranty.
(where I live there is a law that hardware warranty is independent from software warranty, so they have to repair your device even if the software has been modified, given that the software was not responsible for the damage ie. cracked screen, blown up battery etc.)

Other sources say, that it completely voids your warranty and if you break your phone, you are left with an expensive paperweight.

All of them say, that tripping the Knox warranty void flag is permanent because it's written into the bootloader, though, some devs found a way to not trigger that flag while rooting and found a way to force the system to overwrite the memory using a modified bootloader that is larger than the original one.
All of those methods have a higher risk of bricking your device than thousands of root attempts. Rooting is kind of secure given that you only modify a few files to give yourself full control over your phone.


How do I change temperature units in Android wear weather app?

I contacted Fossil who said that the temperature units on the watch are based on the language setting you select when you set up the watch. If you select US English, then it will be Fahrenheit (probably the only language setting that uses Fahrenheit).

I am Canadian and there is not usually a Canadian English option and UK English has caused strange anomalies for me in the past. Plus I live in the USA, I just want Celsius and I don't think I'm the only one. I informed them that their solution for units is not adequate.

I will edit this answer if they get back to me with anything more useful or if they fix the issue and make it configurable.

I am using the accuweather app which I paid for years ago and I like it. But their android wear app is broken right now on my watch and they are aware of the issue and working on it, but it has been some time (plus their latest material design update took ALL of their flexibility out of unit selection so that is quickly becoming an issue).


The specs on the NFC Controller chip in the Nexus S are the following:
http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_download2/literature/9397/75016890.pdf

To answer your first question, as advertised in the above PDF, the NFC Controller chip inside the Nexus S has an operating distance of about 10 centimeters.
However, in practice (specific to the NFC controller in the Nexus S that is), it's limited to about 4 centimeters. You practically have to hold the card to the back of the phone in order for it to be able to read the card. 10 centimeters is massively over-exaggerated, 4 centimeters is the farthest I could go with any card. Distance is greatly dependant on the quality of the RF transmitter, and receiver on the other end, so this distance may very well increase under different conditions. If you have specialized equipment, it's possible to pick up any NFC RF communication up to a distance of about 10 meters, but don't expect NFC implementations in phones to go any farther then 10 centimeters.

For your second question. Again, as advertised in the above PDF, card emulation (the ability to present oneself as a NFC tag) is supported for the following standards: ISO 14443 –A-B-B’, MIFARE, FeliCa RF.
To my knowledge, these are all the standards one should (currently) care about.

However, card emulation is not supported by the Android SDK, and I'm not sure whether or not it will be supported in future versions, or even if Android Devs are working on such functionality. It would, however, be the logical next step for the Android SDK to support.


Synchronize a folder in an Android device with a server folder

Use FolderSync (Free lite version is also available with some limitations). It supports FTP, SFTP, FTPS, FTPES, WebDAVs etc. protocols to connect with server. It has many sync options: Two-way sync, One-way sync (up or down).


Short disturbance during calls with my Galaxy S3 LTE SHV E210s

Update you phone to 4.4.4 kitkat version from wifi and then type on phone keybad *#9090# and press call. This will show the hidden menu of your SHV-E210S.

Got to Network Mode Set -> GSM_Enable. This will turn your phone to work for GSM networks. Return to main screen and restart your phone.


Looking at this CyanogenMod source code (which, according to the file history, does not actually have any CyanogenMod-specific changes), I see that the initial dot in proxy bypass list elements is just ignored, and an initial wildcard is implied — that is, you can write either example.com or .example.com in the list, and this entry will match example.com, a.example.com, a.b.example.com, … (note that any number of subdomain levels can be matched, unlike, e.g., with *.example.com in an SSL certificate).

If your phone does not actually work this way (e.g., you add example.com to the proxy bypass list, but www.example.com still goes through the proxy), either this code was modified by the phone vendor, or a particular app is using its own implementation of bypass list matching instead of the system-provided code.


If you cannot find a reference to one on the Asus website, then Asus does not make one. Also, longer cables cause loss of current and hence your phone will charge slower.

Most companies these days don't even sell their chargers and cables in open market. They are only bundled with the products and available via authorized service points. So, if you have an Asus point nearby, go check in there.


Is there any (open) standard for importing/exporting contact from/to any mobile phone?

That format most likely is VCard (Versitcard), which even has its own mimetype (text/vcard). According to the linked Wikipedia page, it became a standard around 1996 (and since it was proposed 1995 for the first time, older devices won't know it).

Android's contacts app uses this format when directly exporting your contacts from it. To my knowledge, this format is also used when transferring contacts via Bluetooth (even to/with older devices not necessarily running Android or being "smart phones"). Mail clients support it as well. So if you're looking for any standard here, this most likely is it.


Stopping Dolphin Browser Mini from reloading (Question about memory and cache)

Off in the world of real computers, with very fast memory and orders of magnitude slower storage--hard disks--there is the concept of virtual memory.  Basically, each application gets what seems like a very large amount of memory, an address space.  Behind the scenes, this address space is broken up into pages that are transfered between real, fast, memory and a part of the hard disk called swap space (i.e. slow memory) by the operating system and as needed.  In Linux, this swap space can be one or more specially formatted partitions and/or one or more files, or swap files.  The operating system is smart enough to keep track of where it's storing what.  It also ensures that before a program tries to read/write from a place in memory, that the page being accessed is first moved to real memory.

For example, if you're using your word processor and open 10,000 documents, exhausting main memory, some of the less recently accessed documents may be transfered the swap space to give way for the ones you just opened.  If you switch over to your browser, perhaps all of the memory used by the word processor will be shunted to the swap, replaced by the working-state of the browser.

Again, this is done automatically by the operating system, with no real involvement from programs.  According to your programs, they're running on a machine with a very large amount of memory.  According to the user, when this swapping occurs, there will be brief delays as the operating system moves data between the two types of memory.  Back in the Windows 95 days, it was pretty clear when the swapping was occurring as the hard disk light would be pretty much solid for a few seconds.

So, fast forward to phones.  On a phone running Android, there is usually no hard disk.  Instead, you have main memory--RAM, or that fast memory mentioned above--and some form of non-volatile storage.  It turns out that type of memory is slower than RAM, but not nearly as slow as a hard disk.  Although it would be tempting to use some or all of this non-volatile storage as swap space, I suspect manufacturers and Google, observed that one property of this non-volatile storage is that it degrades with repeated writes, and so opted not to use it.  This means that instead of having seemingly limitless memory, activities on Android only have access to RAM.  When the Android framework tries to start an activity and the operating system says sorry, out of memory, Android responds by killing activities until it has reclaimed enough memory.  This is why you notice Dolphin Browser actually reloading pages when you switch from and then back to it:  Whatever you switched to tried to use so much memory that Android had to start killing activities.

So, Swapper.  What swapper does is dig into the operating system and re-enable virtual memory by creating a swap file on your SD card and telling the OS about it.  The OS then makes all programs (including the Android framework) feel that they each have a lot of memory, and handles moving data between real memory and the swap file.  This is why Dolphin doesn't get killed as frequently with Swapper enabled.

As the Swapper page on Google Play explains, this could have a detrimental effect on whatever non-volatile memory the swap file is placed on.  If you're using an SD card, when you start getting write/read errors, you can just swap it out.  If you're using a phone with built-in non-volatile memory, it's a different story.  I'm not 100% sure what sort of impact repeated writes has to this sort of memory, but it's a risk you should be aware of.


How do I bridge Android guest network traffic?

you can see my answer to this post:

How to use -net-tap with android sdk emulator?

and some resulting issues that I have found:

Connect android emulator to lan


How can a complete web page be saved and viewed on an Android device?

In chrome for mobile, you can save the opened web page as a PDF. To do that, you have to install the Google Cloud Print application to do this.

Once you have installed it, first open a desired web page in the chrome.

Then click on the menu icon and select on Print option. There you can select the Save As PDF option.

Select the location and click on the save button. This should save a PDF of the current web page which you can read by using any PDF viewer that came with your smart phone.

Hope this helps.


Android 5.0+ multi-user feature: how detailed can you set user restrictions?

When any app is installed on your android device, the app is visible to all the users. However, the data of each is user will be different (private to each user).


I got it. After doing a simple restart "DCIM" appeares as a normal folder. I still don't know what was causing this problem.


Samsung Galaxy Ace Internet showing network problem

Don't worry as the device is new you have warranty, do a factory reset and see.


Install Google Play Store on ROM without Google apps

To install gapps, flash them from the recovery (the same way you installed the ROM), you shouldn't open the .zip file since it is automatically processed by the recovery.


When an app is uninstalled, is its SharedPreferences database cleared?

SharedPreferences are actually saved in a file in the app private directory:
/data/data/package_name/shared_prefs/somefilename.xml
When an app is installed this directory and file are automatically created. When an app is uninstalled this directory is deleted along with its parent /data/data/package_name UNLESS the app is uninstalled in order to update it.
From command line this is done using the flag -k or -r that is
adb uninstall -k package_name  - Keep the data and cache directories around after removal
adb install -r package_name  - Replace existing application (effectively reinstall an existing app, keeping its data)


stuck at "updating partition details" while installing magisk

As u mention: if the "Updating partition details..." take more than 4 hours: You have a problem.

As it's noted on the XDA OP, have u flash the "no-verity-opt-encrypt.zip" file ? Apparently it's necessary to completly disabling the forced encryption on your phone.

Try to flash directly the Magisk uninstaller zip, reboot in TWRP, and try again to flash Magisk v16.


How to update apps on Android from Playstore?

There is no way to push the update out from the play store when done from the PC. Sometimes if you click "install" for the app, it may allow you to select the android device as the target, even though it is already installed, but this is rare.

There are ways to download the APK using the PC then sideload onto the device.

The best way to update apps is to start the play store on the device, choose "my apps", then perform whatever updates are presented.


Manually backup and restore all partitions

The reason for warning regarding backup is, that dd just copies block wise everything, not caring about content. It clones the partition. Of course you can use dd also for backup the /system or /data partitions in recovery mode.
But in normal mode you should not use dd for mounted partitions, because content may change during progress (Android is running) and you probably get inconsistent/unreadable result. Unmount the partition first.
Another way is to create a tarball archive. That is what nandroid backup does. But with the same warning - better to do this "offline" in recovery mode, and not in normal mode.


Are there good resources for comparing performance of Stock Motorola ROMs vs. CM7.1?

One baseline for measuring phone performance is the Quadrant Score.

Here is the quadrant score for Droid X with FroYo and Gingerbread.

This site shows various quadrant scores for the Droid X with CM7, as well as unofficial versions of Gingerbread and FroYo.

There are some debates about the usefulness of the Quadrant Score - hopefully since these are comparisons with the same model of phone, they would be useful.


Nexus 4 auto dialing extension does not work

I had the same problem. I changed in the google voice settings to only use it for international calls, which fixed the problem.
When dialing out using Google Voice, I can't get the auto extension feature to work, unfortunately


creating new folder hangs current window on pc?

I was having a similar problem. Just wait for a minute or so and that folder does get created eventually. Of course the workaround is to either:

Create Folder on a local Windows Drive and then copy it onto the phone
OR
Install Custom Recovery and reboot into it and activate USB Mass Storage


Are the original cyanogen downloads for old devices still available?

From the source listed below, there were backups made at archive.com of snapshots and nightly builds of CyanogenMod. There are many models, but I am not sure about yours.

Snapshots: https://archive.org/details/cmarchive_snapshots OR https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_nighlies
Nightlies: https://archive.org/details/cmarchive_nighlies OR https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_nighlies

Source: Complete CM Snapshots and Nightlies archive (xpost from /r/android)


How to check if a device can be made root-able

Rooting is not something endorsed by vendors (otherwise they would provide official instructions for doing this, or even ship the phones already rooted). Sony provides instructions to turn your device into a developer tool by unlocking the boot loader and changing the OS to a custom build. Motorola once offered the same. Also Nexus devices are friendly to rooting.

But in general there's no simple way to answer your question. Every user is on his own with this problem. Yes, I know this is disappointing.


flash the rom again preferably a previous build which was working perfect.

Dirty flash will do the work but if it doesn't then clean flash it.


The BEST way to unbrick an Android device is to use Odin. This exe program has saved many android users from having to buy another phone. Although I am not a pro with Odin, try looking up on Google about how to flash with Odin. Odin supports both Windows and MAC but windows is better.

Did you ever make a backup of your ROM? Unless you didn't have a custom recovery, making a Nandroid backup is extremely important.

If your device is hard-bricked with no backup, then you will need to download your original STOCK ROM (which can be found on the internet), and flash it through odin.

Also you will need a PIT file for your phone. PIT files tell Odin where to correctly place the files when flashing.

You can obtain the correct PIT file by looking up your phone model and then add "PIT file" along with the model.

I hope this helps!


open_gapps-arm-7.1-aroma-20170405 is broken, I repeat this build is broken. I used stock version and it worked. Also this build of Lineage OS has connectivity issues, you may face extremely slow downloads on WiFi (tested on Nexus 6 shamu).


SGS2 I9100G keeps disconnecting from WIFI after installing firmware XXLPQ

Well occasionally when you update firmware, your router at home will have problems with the new firmware on your phone (due to out-of-date drivers, old firmware on the router, router is unsupported by new firmware, etc.) So if it works everywhere else pretty well, this might be your issue.

My recommendation: try downloading a different kernel (there are plenty out there for the S2), your best bet looking on the XDA-Forums, maybe start here?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=665


You can use the "Google Contact Sync", an built-in synchronization-mechanism and some of the basic-functionality of android.

More here: http://www.google.com/sync/index.html


These are availabe for free use :

KidLogger (Download Page)

or Xposed :

Use a Keylogger to Record What Friends Do on Your Android


My Galaxy S4 shows a black screen with clock. What is this?

This is the S-View cover mode. That's a cover with a piece of glass in it. Are you holding magnets by your phone? If there is no way to get out of it, you should restart your phone, or you can hold a magnet near your phone like the red dot:

Hope my answer helps!


"Check Your Connection And Try Again" repeated toasts

Based on your assertion that your issue is not Play Store-related, I believe it is a malfunctioning app.

The Toaster app will help you track down the source of these "toast " notifications.

The app description reads:

  Records every toast message including the sender package. May be helpful if you get messages and don't know which app sends it.

Update: As confirmed by OP, the Toaster app worked and the app responsible for the repeated notifications (as determined by Toaster) is NYTVR, the VR app of New York Times. Interestingly, there is one  user review there which complains of the same problem faced by you!

Update 2: I tried downloading the NYTVR app to see if the same problem would arise (I am also on same OS, though I have a Moto X Play); however, I did not encounter any such notifications, which makes me think that this may not be purely OS-related, but rather a general bug in the NYTVR app that only occurs on certain devices.

If Toaster indicates that a certain app is sending the notification, make sure that app is updated and has settings set in a standard way. If you can't stop the notifications, contact the developer of the app or uninstall it.

Hope this helps!


Galaxy tab 2 10.1 (GT-P5113) stuck on samsung starting screen after update

Force shut down the tablet then boot in recovery and delete cache, reboot. should pass now.


Can tablets differentiate between regular wi-fi and mobile hot spot?

If your tablet (or phone) devices are Android version 4.1 (or newer) then you can tell them that a particular wifi connection is a hotspot rather than broadband, which will let apps know that they should limit the traffic they use.

On the Android 4.1+ devices, if you go into Settings -> Data Usage and then press Menu (or press the "..." overflow button) you should see an option called "Mobile Hotspots".

In here should be a list of all the wifi networks that the device has connected to recently, with a tickbox alongside that you can select to say that the network is actually a mobile hotspot. This tells your phone to treat that wifi network as if it is a mobile data (eg 3G) network instead of a broadband connection.


Just flash the system.img(one from 4.2.1) over your current system, also make sure you're running the corresponding recovery, radio, kernel, and bootloader that came with your takju/yakju factory image.
Do that and and try the OTA again, should work.
"Flashing system.img didn't wipe data/app"(Just backup if you are worried about losing data/app)
NOTE:You will lose root

or else try flashing 4.2.2 manually from here


Latency spikes regularly spaced on a OnePlus5 phone, reproducible on both ATT & TMobile

Root cause identified: Having two sims in the phone causes the problem. When I removed the 2nd sim, no reboot even needed, the problem disappeared. Wow OnePlus, wow.


How can I disable automatic Facebook photo sync?

Open the Facebook app and tap the top right (hamburger) menu item in your sidebar. Scroll to the bottom and select Account > App Settings > Sync Photos. Choose Don't sync my photos.

Source.


How Do I Get Rid of Apps from Play Store Update List?

Try going to "Settings > Apps > Google Play" and then pressing the "Clear Data" button. Then go back into Google Play Store. You may have to sign in again but I doubt it.


As this behavior occurs with every app on your system most likely the configuration of the "Default Application" for http and https links has been changed.

You can configure all default Applications in the Android Settings. The exact path to the Default Applications settings depends on your Android version and device vendor (some vendors modify the Settings menu).

For example on Android 7 you have to open the Apps section and then the gear icon in the top right corner. Select the Browser App and you can choose which app to use as web browser.

On Android 8 there is in Settings the entry Apps & Notifications -> Extended -> Default-Apps where you can configure the default Browser app for example.


Unable to send and receive calls in Galaxy Grand 2 after kitkat update

when you say you "updated your phone" I'm not sure exactly what you're referring to. If you got an OTA (over-the-air) update from the settings menu in your phone (direct update from your mobile carrier), then you'll need to call the customer support for your carrier. They can usually reset your network settings remotely or walk you through troubleshooting the issue. If you updated it by rooting your phone and flashing a custom rom (you'll know if you did because it's a complex process that takes at least an hour) then you should try to flash a different rom. I've personally had problems with several roms not being able to place calls. Hope this helps!


How to turn off ultra power saving mode that was enabled for Huawei Android while it was on low power?

Simple restart of the phone automatically brought me back to the normal power saving mode. It was that simple. That is why, possibly, no further explanation is given on the net about turn of the ultra power saving mode.


Try hard resetting it, works in many cases of soft brick.

Force close your phone, hold power button + volume down for 10 seconds. Phone should power off.

Now hold volume up + power button, phone should boot in recovery. From there select Delete data and cache then reboot.

You'll lose all your data stored in the phone memory but phone should work normally.


Update:

Confirmed that permissions of /dev/fuse probably just needs to be updated.  It is initially set to 700 by default for some reason which would only allow root to execute. It doesn't matter from where or how you chmod it, just chmod it to 770 or 777 if necessary.

sudo chmod 777 /dev/fuse

Also doesn't hurt to do it properly and setup a fuse group if one doesn't already exist and add users to it as needed.

/Update

Was having a similar problem, will document what I did exactly.  This is assuming you've setup your install as a directory.

Download FX File Manager + it's root extension companion app from Play Store.
Navigate using the root explorer option to the roots of your Debian install(by default /data/user/linux deploy.package.name.or.similar/0/env
Find /dev/fuse of your Debian install with FX.  Long press on the folder, swipe over to / tap security.
Tap all the squares so /dev/fuse is set to 777 access
Stop and start your image, try accessing mounted directories.

Now I suppose you could try simply chmodding /dev/fuse to 777 from within Debian or whatever access you deem necessary, but I didn't try that.  Most likely that will work too -intuitively sounds fine, but not what I did.

It was.kind of odd that /dev/fuse was set to 700 in the first place, but whatever.

Oh also, I had to add in a fuse group prior to that, and add users to it.  All though my guess is that if you set /dev/fuse to 777 it would make this step unnecessary.  Perhaps a 770 would necessitate the fuse group?


Sync contacts between different account types

After doing some research it seems it's impossible to do this using stock Android software.

Sync can be done with Contacts Optimizer. This should transfer basic contact information between account types, however leaves out picture information (at least I've found it to copy low-res photos only).

So I've tried apps like Sync.ME and CoSy for pictures (at least to get the latest info from social media sites). The former was a miss - it doesn't actually store the downloaded FB information as part of the existing contacts. The latter seemed to work much better, and actually stored high-res photos as part of the contact information.


Creating copy of phone (apps, settings etc.)

It can be done using many ways,

if you use the same Google account on both devices then just a simple cloud restore from the initial setup screen would setup everything just the same. (when I was switching roms frequently which are all based upon lineage, or same feature sets, I noticed even personal settings appeared to be restored along with all apps, messages and other data) So I think It'd be the easiest.
Mentioning root You could also use apps like titanium backup etc (btw I faced lot of after restore stuff like setting up permissions for each app and its just for the apps) also do note that new apps for doing the same are also available.
Assuming you are rooted on both of your devices with a working twrp recovery(as with most cases) and every config of both phones being the same then you can do a nandroid backup (backup from twrp menu) to your sd card transfer the backup folder to your other phone and then restore it there.
ps.
(tl;dr I don't recommend this to you by any means but It can work taking your case.)
I haven't tried it on two phones and would have a high chance of breaking your phone if things doesn't match well (nandroid backups can break even on cases where the new roms doesn't match older ones)


Power button fails to work consistently on Motorola Droid. Workarounds?

As long as your phone is rooted, you can use the excellent Button Remapper app by appelflap as a convenient workaround. What the app will let you do is remap the camera button to work as the power button.

After installing the app, find the entry for "(Camera)" and set its Action to "Power" and its State to "WAKE_DROPPED". (WAKE tells the key to register even when the screen is off; WAKE_DROPPED does the same but drops the key before it is sent to the running application.) Optionally, remap the "(Power)" button to something innocuous like "Home" and set its state to "NONE" — that way, in case the real power button becomes active in a jammed state, the button input shouldn't mess up anything you are trying to do on the phone. After you are satisfied with your changes, click "Apply" to reboot the phone for the changes to take effect. In case you messed up, there will be a notification from Button Remapper in the status bar, which will let you reset any changes you have made.

Note that even when using Button Remapper to remap the hardware buttons, the remapping will not take effect when the phone is off (or you are booted into recovery mode). If your power button doesn't work, you will still have to use a workaround like plugging your phone into a charger in order to get the phone to power on from a shutdown state.

Seeing as how the power button design on the Motorola Droid appears to be partially defective (I know of at least a handful of Droid owners who have had the power button fail), on my replacement Droid I made the point of remapping the Camera button pre-emptively, in an attempt to minimize wear and tear on the power button. It's something to consider.


Equivalent of CTRL + C (break) in android console

Vol Down + C is functionally equivalent to Ctrl + C.


I assume that you used adb push for uploading your executable to the sd-card. Unfortunately the sd-card is always mounted with "noexec" which means that you can't execute anything from here.

Therefore you have to copy the executable to the local filesystem, e.g. to /data/local. In case the device is not rooted or you don't have BusyBox installed there will be no "cp" command. You can simply use cat: cat /sdcard/myprog > /data/local/myprog.

Then you have to set the executable permission on the executable. Chmod on android usually does not support the "u+x" syntax. Therefore you have to call chmod 555 /data/local/myprog.

Afterwards you can execute your executable: /data/local/myprog.


unable to connect laptop to cisco vpn when laptop is using tablet internet connection

The problem is that whereas the bluetooth connection functions as a bridge network device, Wifi tethering creates a NAT which may prevent some functionality. See if enabling Transparent Tunneling or IPSEC over UDP on the client help. Since tethering doesn't support port forwarding, you can't use PAT on the device.


Samsung Note 4 power saving mode problem

I use NOTE4 N910C. I notice the same issue (and many more) in MM 6.0.1. The workaround I use is to install Avast Battery Saver and other apps from Avast (for free). It is possible to define profiles (like "Night profile") and it reduce battery consumption dramatically. And wait for bug fixing from $amsung


Open links in corresponding app instead of browser

open your Android settings and search for "default"...this should open App Permissions; near the top, under the Default heading, tap on "Opening links."  near the top of the page should be a toggle for "Open links in apps" - set this to on/yes, and restart both the browser and YouTube to reset with the new setting (you may need to reboot your device, i'm not sure).

basically the option in YouTube tells it to watch for those links so it can open them when it sees you click on one, but the Android system settings are what give it permission to actually open them.  you can scroll down through the list of apps on that screen to the bottom and tap on YouTube to see exactly what links it will look for and open.

[note: these steps are based on a tablet (Lenovo Tab 4 10 Plus) running Android 7, so they may be slightly different on a phone or a different tablet.  you should be able to get to this setting via the Apps menu though in Settings, just it might be kinda buried and hard to find, which is why i use the search function.]


Can the WhatsApp group icon or title be locked?

No. It is impossible using the standard app.


Too much is wanted from the design of the box. More research must be done to find a box having correct firmware. The fact android is highly configurable does not mean deficiency in firmware, or purpose the box was designed, can be circumvented.


Is the kernel flashed automatically from CWM?

What does the developer say?

Seriously every single rom that I've ever seen contained detailed instructions and more often than not a faq of some sorts for this reason exactly.

Anyway, if the zip file contains a boot.img file than it's safe to assume that it will be flashed. The updater-script that handles the copying of files is generated automatically when the rom is compiled so unless someone removes it, the kernel will be flashed.


Why is zygote asking for superuser permissions?

Do you have Xposed Installer and various modules installed? As I understand it, several xposed modules will use the zygote root process and most likely benign.


Can I set my HTC Desire into sync-mode without using touch screen

If the device itself works as you suggest you might be able to access the recovery mode, enable USB and then download the files you need. However this will not be a USB sync access, instead it can be a fastboot or ADB access.

To do so take your Desire which have to powered off and press and hold Volume Down. Now start it up by pressing Power.

In the recovery mode you are able to enable USB access via ADB. As the recovery mode uses only Volume Down, Volume Up and Power it can be controlled even without seeing anything.

You only have to know which keys have to be pressed in which order. This is of course the complicated part. I don't have an unrooted device with the original recovery here for giving you the orders which keys to press. May be you find an Youtube video showing it or a very detailed manual.


The wpa_supplicat's command line interface (wpa_cli) is not installed as default on most, Android devices. My Galaxy S running CM10 contains it though. I guess you have to manually (compile and) install it.


Power Saving Option in Samsung Galaxy S3

Well, Samsung's Power Saving Mode consists of 4 features:

CPU Power Saving: Limits the maximum performance of the processor (may also disable some cores).

Screen Power Saving: Uses a low power level for the screen.

Background Color: Uses a dark background color for some apps, which might reduce power consumption on some screens (see here).

Turn off haptic feedback: It's the vibrating if you use the hardware keys or type something on the virtual keyboard.

JuiceDefender consists of several other features which might save some battery, if correctly configured:

It lets you control when to use WLAN/2G/3G connection, so you don't need to change them manually (It can be configured to disable all 3G and WLAN at night for example).

It has location aware WLAN control, so it can automatically enable/disable WLAN when it's available in this location.

It can also do CPU-Scaling, limiting your CPU power when your phone is in idle state.
* Some features might not work because they need a specific ROM.

So JuiceDefender can save a lot of battery life if properly configured and will only slow down your phone when it's not in use (only if configured properly). (CPU) Power Saving will definitely reduce your performance.


Sorry to hear about that. Could you please refine your mobile model? If it supports OTG, you can use OTG Cable(would cost you around $1) to connect an external mouse or a keyboard to mobile to complete the setup.


Use ADB.

Connect your device to PC/Mac in Recovery mode.
Test connection. Type ./adb devices (MAC) OR adb devices (WINDOWS).
Assuming you want to download DCIM folder, type ./adb pull sdcard/DCIM <optional_dir>

Use ./adb on Mac and adb on Windows.

You can also download the complete /sdcard folder as a full backup.


Is it "safe" to provide users with the apk file?

There is nothing dangerous about it, and this is done occasionally when the store isn't accessible.

In response to your second question, apks are not unique - and can be easily transferred to another device, or the internet. This is the base of android app piracy.

When you upload the APK to Google Play, GPlay does nothing to it. It is up to the developer to obfuscate the code, to prevent decompilation.


Applied Pin Lock screen to Galaxy S6 Edge, forgot password, need to get photos from phone

You can use your Google account to unlock the phone.

Here's the steps from Google:

After you've tried multiple times to unlock your device, you'll see "Forgot pattern" on your lock screen. Touch Forgot pattern.
When prompted, enter the Google Account username and password you previously added to your device.
Reset your device's screen lock.


Some files are missing after doing backup and factory reset on Android Lollipop

Google backup is unreliable and won't back up everything, however it should be fairly easy to make a backup yourself next time.

You can use ADB to make a full backup. You'll need to install ADB first: on Linux sudo apt-get install adb usually works, on Windows you'll need to download it from somewhere.

Turn on USB debugging (in developer options, to access go to settings > about phone and tap build number 7 times) and connect to a computer via USB. Then open a terminal/console window and do adb devices to check the phone's connected, and then adb backup -all -f C:\backup.ab (where backup.ab is the absolute path to where you want it backed up from).

Source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-nexus/general/guide-phone-backup-unlock-root-t1420351


What versions of Youtube for Android support fast-forward and rewind?

Actually, the latest version of YouTube app (tested on v11.27.53) has fast-forward and rewind features, but unfortunately it's not active by default.

As hinted by the string resources,

<string name="accessibility_rewind">Rewind</string>
<string name="accessibility_fast_forward">Fast forward</string>

the features only work on Accessibility mode.

Try enabling Switch Access (or TalkBack, but it's a lot noisier) from Accessibility on Android's Settings. The next time you use YouTube app, fast-forward and rewind buttons are shown beside the play button on the center.


Can't get Nexus 4 to be recognized by computer

I had a similar problem. My LG Nexus 4 wasn't listed in adb devices.

Make sure USB debugging is enabled from device, and do the following on your PC:

Update Android SDK (Google USB drivers updated)
From PC Control Panel, System -> Device manager -> Nexus 4 -> Install driver.
Set Android SDK as path to search, include subfolders checked.

After that, adb devices list will include Nexus 4.


download the SuperSU-UPDATE File

----commands-----

fastboot oem unlock

fastboot flash "SUPERSUFILE"

fastboot reboot


SMS messages won't delete no matter what

You could always download Handcent and use its "Force Deletion" feature. I've seen that work for many others. But depending on how many SMS you have, you will need to let it sit for a while.


Nextbit robin recognised on fastboot but not adb shell

If fastboot devices shows your device, adb cannot work (and vice versa).

You need to boot to recovery (TWRP). Then you can push the ZIP via adb push and flash it using TWRP's menu (but fastboot devices then will show nothing, which is fully normal).

If ADB doesn't work when booted into TWRP, check TWRP's settings whether ADB is disabled. It might also be that, while booted into recovery, your Robin presents a different ID then when in fastboot, so you'd need to configure that (or, in case of Windows, need another reboot for the corresponding driver to update/activate).


How do I increase the resolution of BlueStacks?

To change the Resolution of BlueStack:

Open ‘regedit': Start->Run->regedit
Navigate to: 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/BlueStacks/Guests/Android/FrameBuffer/0/’
Double click the value ‘GuestHeight’
Change Base to Decimal
Input your desired Height resolution
Double click the value ‘GuestWidth’
Change Base to Decimal
Input your desired Height resolution
Restart your PC, Open BlueStack [It will open up with New Resolution.]

Check this Link to work Around :

http://www.techcrises.com/how-to/how-to-change-bluestacks-resolution-in-windows-fixed/


Is Microsoft charging for its patent from each Android device sold?

The list includes 73 standard-essential patents, but there’s also 127
  patents that Microsoft claims are implemented in Android. Some on the
  list, as Ars Technica notes, include patents that Microsoft acquired
  as part of the Rockstar Consortium to bid on patents from Nortel.
  ...
  Microsoft is estimated to earn as much as $1 billion a year from
  Android-related licensing revenue.

ref : http://www.theverge.com/2014/6/16/5813710/microsoft-android-patents-list


If you didn't done this way then try it:
Put this script in file and save it in system/bin/ (let's say you name it script1) and set permissions to 755, than make file in system/etc/init.d/ (name it whatever you want) and in file write:

#!/system/bin/sh
script1

And also set permissions to 755. Reboot and see if it has any effect.
Also you can try enabling su during boot, you have that option in super su.


Google Japanese Input/Simeji warning about inserted data

Basically, it's saying that the app could potentially steal your information, as it's a keyboard and therefore processes what you type. For instance, if you typed your password in and it was malicious, it could potentially record that (and everything else you type). Of course, you could trust Google wouldn't do that...Android is simply reminding you of the risk.

Further reading: The FAQ for the Hacker's Keyboard

The warning can be found in the Android source (see line ~2687).


When you charge your wallet with a fixed amount, you are charged once, then all the future purchases are paid with the credit that you already have.

If you have an issue with an app and ask for a refund, then the money goes back to your available credit.


Get into fastboot mode without root or hardware buttons

If you've had problems flashing your phone through adb, you should really consider the Windows XP installation route. I've had to look around for some compatible  drivers,as I've been experimenting using Windows XP and even Windows 8.1 with success using SP Flash tool. As one of the the answer given before in this thread, you don't need ADB to flash files to your phone SP Flash tools; just the required drivers and connect the phone to the computer with the battery removed.

You could try VMWARElinux to install Windows XP on with with required drivers/ files, etc. I can confirm VMWARE windows allows USB devices to connect to it, including this phone. I've flashed through it with success. Don't know if the Linux version does, though.

After lots of research and headaches I've finally managed to fully root my phone. I've posted my files so you can try it out here:

http://www.needrom.com/download/cubot-gt72-rooted-rom-twrp-recivery/

Best and luck and regards.


Xperia Arc Social Phonebook Add Contact Problem

Typical case where an app, in this case socialphonebook (package com.sonyericsson.android.socialphonebook), has messed up (or lost) its configuration and seems unable to recover from this.

Without root you can only try to delete the apps data (Settings -> Manage Applications). But be careful, since this is the phonebook app on the xeperia, you will lose all your contact data. Be sure to have a (cloud-based) backup.


The (Samsung modified) default Music Player app on the Galaxy S puts the player controls in the Notification Shade (the pull-down part of the Notification bar) while the Music Player is playing in the background. This lets you Play, Pause, Next Track, Previous Track while you're in another app. Doesn't the default Android player do this?

Screenshot of the player controls with the notification bar pulled down:


Missing notification sounds in android 5

Well, I finally resorted to factory reset. Happy it worked. Sad that nobody knew how to fix it.


How to restore WhatsApp data from SD card or internal memory and not from Google Drive?

I had problems with this too, and today finally it worked.  Unfortunately I'm not sure which of the following additional steps did the trick, but maybe it helps others:

I copied the entire WhatsApp folder over from the old phone to the new one (zipped it using Total Commander, copied it to a PC via USB, copied it to the new phone also via USB, unzipped it also using Total Commander).
After installing WhatsApp, I gave the app all possible permissions before running it: under Settings/Apps, select WhatsApp, tap Permissions, and then select all permissions listed under "denied" and tap "allow" (you can revoke the permissions again after the backup is succesfully restored).

After doing this, running WhatsApp and confirming my phone number, I was finally prompted to restore the local backup. Before that, WhatsApp asked me for some permissions and then asked me to select a Google Drive backup (which I hadn't done), when I selected "skip" at this step it apparently also skipped the local backup.


How do I save an address in Google Navigate?

If you are referring to the Google Maps Android application (aka maps), the star option is available from within the location details:

Open the "maps" app;
Search or navigate to the desired location;
Tap over the balloon with the location name;
After the location options page opens, you'll find on the top/right corner a star;
Tap the star and that location is now starred by you.

Access The Starred locations

Navigation app
In the Navigation app, swipe left to see your "Starred" locations. Tap the one you want to get your Navigation directions.

Maps app
Tap the top/left app icon, just before the search box and select "My Places".


How can I configure a separate MMS APN on LineageOS

Firstly configure the mobile data APN through the UI and verify that is working.

Next, we will need to configure to MMS APN without using the API. To do this, you will need access to the phone through adb, and you will need a rooted phone (see other posts on how to do this if you don't already have that). All of the commands could alternatively be performed on the device itself through a shell.

In Android, the different networks that can be configured are identified by a 'subscriber ID' or subId. The first step is to find the correct subId to use.

If you haven't already, restart adb as root using adb root.

Now find the subId already in use for data with:

adb shell content query --uri content://telephony/carriers/preferapn

Look for the part of the line that looks like sub_id=3, - you may have a different number in place of 3. That is the subId for mobile data - not the one we want to use, but useful for elimination. Also make a note of the _id number and the numeric from the response - you will need those in another step.

Run adb logcat -d -e "matching subId" and look at the subIds that come back. If you only have one SIM enabled, but you need to enable a separate network for MMS, you should see two different numbers in the results. Eliminate the one that matches the mobile data subId. This is the subId you will need to configure (in my case, it is 2).

Now list the options with

adb shell content query --uri content://telephony/carriers/ --where "numeric='50502'"

(replacing 50502 with the numeric you recorded from the earlier query). In the results, find the row that matches the APN you want to configure. In the Optus case, the row will like something like

Row: 5 _id=2912, name=Optus MMS, numeric=50502, mcc=505, mnc=02, apn=mms, user=*,
server=*, password=*, proxy=202.139.83.152, port=8070, mmsproxy=61.88.190.10, mmsport=8070,
mmsc=http://mmsc.optus.com.au:8002/, authtype=-1, type=mms, current=1, protocol=IP,
roaming_protocol=IP, carrier_enabled=1, bearer=0, bearer_bitmask=0, mvno_type=,
mvno_match_data=, sub_id=3, profile_id=0, modem_cognitive=0, max_conns=0, wait_time=0,
max_conns_time=0, mtu=0, edited=0, user_visible=1, user_editable=1

If there are several options and you are not sure which one, you could try each one in turn using the following steps. Note the number after _id= - that is your APN ID you need to configure.

To configure the MMS APN, use the command

adb shell content insert --uri content://telephony/carriers/preferapn/subId/2 --bind apn_id:l:2912

Replace the 2 with the subId you worked out you needed to configure (i.e. the one that is not the mobile data subId). Replace the 2912 in the above with the apn_id from the above command.

If you configured the APN successfully, you should now be able to send MMS and use mobile data at the same time.


As you have access to the recovery partition, you should find an update zip that you can flash to it.

Most likely you will have one on your SD card still, if you updated using the CyanogenMod updater.

Using the recovery menu, navigate to Install ZIP from SDCard and select it. You will then have to find the update .zip file. It may be in a folder called cmupdater or something similar. If you have a folder like that, find a zip in that folder and select it to flash. Erase your data, and try and reboot the device.

If that doesn't work, then I am afraid I don't have any more ideas sorry.


How can I know if my Asus Nexus 7 is 1st or 2nd gen?

The easiest way to tell is by checking the front and rear camera.

The first gen has front camera only and there is no rear camera. The second generation has both front and rear camera.


How do you remove flash from Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Why don't you try using browsers like Dolphin Browser or Opera which have an option called Flash on Demand, wherein flash objects are loaded only if you want them to.


Can I disable the camera sound in the new ICS camera app (in silent mode)?

Alright, I went through the sourcecode and the answer is surprisingly obvious:

Yes, this can often be muted by simply using the volume keys while using the app or adjusting the volume of the media audio channel in the preferences. The media volume is used, regardless if the device is in normal, silent or vibrate mode. But it depends on where you bought your device if this works (I guess), some devices enforce audio over a channel that can't be muted.

More (technical) details:
The camera app checks the device configuration (system property ro.camera.sound.forced) whether it should play the camera sounds over a system-enforced audio channel that can't be muted. If this setting is off, it uses the media and music channel instead.

In case that it uses the music channel, it ignores when the device is in silent mode though. This might be a bug/small oversight by the authors. This is why you have to adjust the channel volume instead.

I guess the property mentioned above is set depending on where you buy your device, since the sound is required by law in some places/countries as explained by eldarerathis in the comments.


My phone also has this feature. It is called one-handed operation. Go to Settings → Advanced Features. There you will find this option. Alternatively, you can search in settings.


Updating Android without Manufacturer support (Not with a custom ROM but with a different approach)

Hot flashing is certainly possible, though harder than it's worth.

  AFAIK all data on the phone, including the drivers get deleted if I flash a custom ROM (eg. Stock Android 7.0 or LineageOS)

That's not correct.  Data only gets wiped if the flashing script does so or if the device is encrypted.  Likewise, firmware only gets overrwritten/wiped if the flashing script does so.

If you're not flashing a stock ROM from the manufacturer (or vanilla Android on a Nexus/Pixel phone), then you're flashing a custom ROM.  This approach is not going to gain you anything really, except on a device with a very very tightly locked bootloader.