If you are are still experiencing difficulties with your device even after 5 factory resets, I would suggest your reinstall your firmware again. Just download it from your manufacturer website and install, be sure to back up your personal files.

During installation follow instructions carefully to avoid bricking your device.
After reinstalling firmware, restore your user data. You can re-root if needed.

As for how to install the firmware without a PC:

You have to unzip the firmware file if not already unzipped, then extract it to root of sd card directory. Now switch off the device. Press both volume buttons together with power button SIMULTANEOUSLY, and you should boot into recovery mode choose upgrade then scroll down/up to the firmware file. Wait until it finishes installation. It will reboot automatically, you may wish to wipe cache partition before restoring user files from backup.

Note: in some Android models it automatically detects firmware files such that you don't need to press the buttons earlier, but check if this works then try using first method. In addition you need to remove your sd card, just after it finishes firmware installation to avoid repeating the upgrade.


Is there a reliable way to detect the app responsible for an Airpush ad?

Two points,

Firstly if you just want to stop getting the AirPush ads, AirPush themselves offer two ways that you can opt your device out of receiving the ads. Either:

Install the AirPush Permanent Opt-out app,
or visit their opt-out page and follow the instructions to enter your IMEI to be opted out.

Secondly I don't think that AirPush is the only game in town doing this. I uninstalled an app a few months ago when I tracked down that it was the one spamming my notification bar. Its ads didn't look like AirPush's and it didn't show up with an AirPush detector. Didn't track down who was providing the ads framework the app was using, I was just happy to get that rubbish off my device, for an app I only opened once a month or so I didn't need that hassle. It may be that these aren't AirPush ads, but one of their competitors. That app I just tracked down by working out which apps I'd installed/updated recently, then glancing through the Market comments to see which one was full of users screaming to get rid of the notification ads.


Lineage OS : SD card as internal storage

After asking this question, I have installed two nightly on my device.

March_13 : lineage-14.1-20170313-nightly-armani-signed.zip
March_20 : lineage-14.1-20170320-nightly-armani-signed.zip

Now, I can finalize something about this.

You don't need to migrate data after each installation(nightly).

if it is a clean install(after factory reset), then you need to migrate data`.
if you are installing another ROM, then you need to setup as new by formatting sd card.(backup before installation to avoid data loss)

Storage size may increase due to application data usages, but, you don't need to migrate it again.

If you are flashing another ROM, don't format internal storage(format these partitions /boot, /data, /system and cache. This adoptable storage cannot be used on the newly installed ROM, but it will be available during installation [on recovery menu]).
Also, if you're backing up current ROM, Adopted SD card data is also get backed up, but the app that uses SD card as storage will loss data after restore (You need to install those apps again).

System decides which applications should save data on external sd card.(usually system apps and Gapps can use only internal storage, some user apps can be moved to external SD )
External SD card speed is slower than internal storage. Also, it may be the bug of TWRP recovery, which will be solved in future new releases.


To transfer any file/picture/etc.. between your phone and PC, you'll need to turn Developer Options on and enable USB Debugging.

Some Android devices already have Developer Options listed in the Settings menu. Most, however, need a certain "key combo" to bring it out of hiding

1) On your phone, navigate to Settings 》About Device (Phone) 》and tap your device's Build Number 7 consecutive times. A caption will display at the bottom of your screen, stating how many taps are still needed & when you're considered a "Developer".

2) Once Developer Options is turned on, navigate back to Settings 》Developer Options 》and enable USB Debugging.

Developer Options is located at the bottom of your Settings, above "About Phone"

3) After enabling USB Debugging, plug your device to your PC via USB cable.

4) Swipe down the notification bar on your phone 》tap USB Options  》and verify your device is set at MTP. If it isn't, change it to MTP.

WALA! You are now able to swap files, pictures, etc.. from your phone to your PC and vice versa.

Ensure proper connection between your phone and PC by clicking your PC's Start Menu, then navigating to the "Devices & Printers" section. Your phone will register as either an MTP Device or your phone's model number if properly connected. If not, it'll say a name you won't recognize and have a yellow triangle with an exclamation point (!) in the middle.


How do I display two different calendars exclusively on 2 different widget?

I don't think it is possible as mentioned in Google forum- though that's about two years old

You would need a third party widget for that- see Izzy's Calendar widgets collection. I tried Widget What and When Free and it works fine with two different calendars in two widgets


Samsung Galaxy Discover SCH-R740C running 4.0.4 fails the JB 4.1 update

Doing some searches to try and help some losts souls with this little phone, there is a download available on several other forums that will update this phone via Odin tar files to a 'stock' 4.1.2 firmware, it's a tool release directly from Samsung and it's available on their website.

XDA Developer thread for CWM on the SCH-R740c

Samsung download page for upgrade utility


How to find out what's going on

As this problem can have many causes, it's important to first figure out the real culprit. Without knowing that, attempted solutions are nothing but guesswork, and the process nothing but try-and-err. So here are a few steps:

Is it a hardware error on the card?
Put the card in a different device. It the same problems occur there, we can rule out your problem is with the device, and it's rather the card.
Is the card corrupted?
You can put the card in a card reader, attach it to your computer, and have it checked there. With a terminal app, you could try the same from within your device, using the /sbin/fsck.vfat tool – but on your computer, graphical tools might assist you.
Check the Android logs for related errors:
Our logging tag-wiki gives you some hints on how to do this. Especially useful might be our question on How can I view and examine the Android log?

The third step lead directly to the cultprit(s) in your case: corrupted files. Deleting those made the card usable again. So next, let's check a few possible causes:

What could be possible culprits?

the card could be physically corrupted.
In this case, the same errors should occur on other devices, and as well on your computer when using a card reader. Only solution for this is to replace the card with a new one, as a "physical repair" is not possible.
there might be problems with the contacts.
Here a few things could be tried, like cleaning the contacts of the card. If the same problem occurs with any card you put in your device, it's rather the device itself – in which case you'd have to send it in for service.
logical corruption of the cards file-system:
The file system can get corrupted. This e.g. happens when you disconnect the card without cleanly unmounting it first. While in such a case the same problems should show up in any device using the card, some might be "more tolerant" on errors than others. So it doesn't hurt to check the file-system for errors – see step 2 in "How to find out" for checking. If there are errors found, the same tools usually can solve them. Re-Formatting the card would be a last resort for this as well.
corrupted files on the card:
The card might be physically perfect, and have no issues in the file-system. But in some cases, corrupted files might led to problems as well – especially if occuring on "central files" Android is always looking for on the card when it's mounted (in the /Android subdirectory, or while scanning for media). If you can read the card using a card-reader on your PC, you can make a backup there and then format the card – copying the files back one-by-one until the error occurs again, and then skip those corrupted files. Easier approach is the one you've taken on my recommendation in the comments: check Androids logs (see step 3 on "How to find out"), and simply delete the culprits (again, via a card reader – as you cannot do so on the device itself, which doesn't correctly mount the card anymore).

Possible solutions

have already be mentioned along the lines, together with the related causes:

cleaning the contacts of the card
checking the card for file-system errors and, if there are any, have them repaired
formatting the card1
checking the Android logs for other hints (e.g. corrupted files, which then should be removed)

1: remark: switching to an alternative file-system type does not affect whether formatting helps, but rather might lead to additional issues – as not all file-system types are supported by Android. Which are, differs from device to device, and depends on the rom used: VFAT is the default shipping with most cards, and hence always supported. EXTFS is mostly supported as Android uses it internally (but might not be automatically detected, as it's not expected here). Other types such as NTFS or HFS are very unlikely to be supported


Calendar access from apps: only some calendars are displayed

So I've finally solved it using the update command (disable sync; restart; update; restart; enable sync) and ot seems to work well. The update command was like:

UPDATE Calendars SET sync_events=1, selected=1 WHERE _id > 3

I had tried compiling the Android Calendar from source, but I was getting sone errors about invalid NDK or SDK version.


Will deleting a photo on device, also delete the synced photos on Google?

Google Photos synchronize your photos to your online storage (your online storage is limited to 10Gb if you choose synchronizing the original size of the photos ,and unlimited if you choose the high quality upload size , this setting can be edited under Photos >> settings >> backup and sync >> upload size ) now when Photos app synchronize you photos you end up with two copies, one on your local storage (sdcard) and the other one on your google photo storage so deleting the local version of the photo will not delete the one on your google Photos online storage.
However if you had chosen the high quality option under the app's settings the app will not synchronize the original size of the photo
but it will re-size it and then upload it so in this case you have
two copies of the photos one with the original size on your SDcard
and one re-sized on the server deleting the local copy will make
you lose your original photo but your re-sized photo will still be on
the server.
Saving space on SD cards is one of the purpose of Google sync photo.


How much free storage space is necessary to stop receiving camera warning?

As camera needs memory to run as well as memory to store images. So if you can afford memory of 200 mb or more, your camera can run well. Every application you run takes some memory.


Is it possible to change the password for a WiFi network when it is not in range?

You can delete it ('Forget') and create it new again, here you can define the password. Write down the SSID (Routers name) and encryption way (e.g. WPA) before you delete it ;)

Without root you cannot view or edit the /data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf file (this is the path on Android CM13), where the network configs are saved. That means ssid, passwords (psk) etc.


Note: the solution is tested on a rooted OnePlus 6 running OxygenOS (Android 8, 9, 10).

The command I use is:
adb shell su -c 'setprop persist.sys.oem.otg_support true'

Some folks on some  forums suggested to toggle the value for the global settings key oneplus_otg_auto_disable, but it never worked out for me. My solution survives reboot and OTG would work even when decryption password is not supplied.
I automate the solution for fail-safe scenario (in case something disable the OTG)  using Tasker app. My task is:
Code → Run Shell:

setprop persist.sys.oem.otg_support true
enable Use Root

I then assign the task to a boot event profile so that the task runs during startup.


Is it possible to clone a Phone then flash image on other phones?

Short answer. TWRP. Long answer. Team Win Recovery Project, the custom recovery.

Now bad jokes aside, I really wanted to stress how this is the thing you'd like. Using TWRP you can create an image of the entire phone and using it you can restore it to another (or the same) phone. It is very easy to use. You can install it using fastboot/ODIN. It works on non-rooted devices too.

If you don't want to use fastboot/ODIN then you'll need to root the phone and use an app like Flashify to install TWRP, which you can then use to restore the images.

Another option is Titanium Backup. It is effective but I have never used it for the entire phone back up therefore I can't give personal recommendation but I haven't met anyone who talks negative about it yet. It is a well-praised application. Here are the instructions for backing up with Titanium Backup. Please note that Titanium Backup will also require root.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Far as I know there is something that must be taken care of cautiously about Samsungs when flashing/restoring/backing up ROMs that are EFS files. EFS files are the files that include your IMEI number and they are strictly device-specific. Therefore I can't tell for sure but predict that flashing a back-up with EFS files of another phone can be problematic. I would suggest asking about it on Stack Overflow since they'll know better about it.


I found two apps
one free - Auto speaker here
Try the free one first

second Tasker - Paid here

It has lots of automating features beside your need.
Before paying for App Read the tutorial first.
To use tasker use this tutorial link

Both apps uses sensors. Try on you device.


It seems that the script at https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/development/tool-deuces-bootloop-recovery-flashing-t3704761 was able to apply a system update.


Driodcam works fine for mine Lenovo tablet- skype and all video programs now recognize it as camera, therwise, i havent found anything that works, tried vysor, but that didnt work....


You have to replace the phone screen, Amoled is famous for not being able to fully recover, in most cases, from burning


Is it possible to preserve the Device ID while doing a factory reset?

It is possible to restore the Device ID with Titanium Backup (root required). If you have this app installed before you wipe, you can make backups of your apps and data, as well as the Device ID.

When you factory reset your device or install a new Rom, you get a new Device ID. Install Titanium Backup and make sure it has access to its backups (usually the external SD card; internal memory will usually get wiped on a factory reset).

It will automatically detect that the Device ID has changed and ask if you want to restore it.

There may be other apps that can do this. The main requirement is that you save the previous Device ID before wiping. If you don't do that, you can't reset the new Device ID to the old one.


Windows 7 file sharing , not accessible in Android phone using ES File Explorer

I had an issue connecting with ESFE to a Win7 PC.
This did the trick for me:
Go to Network adapter configuration -> Tcp IP 4 settins -> WINS -> Enable NetBios over TCP/IP.

ESFE is looking for NetBios over tcp/ip because android probably doesn't natively run NetBios protocol.


Stream audio from a smartphone to another smartphone over a Hot-spot based network

After a couple of hours of additional research, I found the solution myself. From everything that I've tried, SoundSeeder (mobile application) seems to be the best. It's super advanced (including delay compensation).


This is the download firmware mode.

It can be used to upgrade official firmware via Samsung's own Odin software (or the 3rd party heimdall (also here)). It's also used to install a custom aftermarket firmware like CyanogenMod. Actually it allows more but installing firmware is the most common use.


Hi and thanks for your question on

How to Retrieve Lost Contacts from Google

I hope this screenshot I grabbed from Google will help you:

And here's a written summary of the steps:

Go to your device settings and choose 'Google'.
Under 'Services,' select 'Restore Contacts' (tap 'From Account' if you have more than one account and need to specify which you want to restore)
Then tap the device with the contacts to copy and select which contacts specifically you would like to copy
Lastly just hit "Restore" and wait til you see the "Contacts Restored!" message.  These will sync automatically.

For contacts in other apps like Outlook, you will need to re-download those apps and follow their procedures.

Again, I hope this helps!  Have a great day!


What is the minimum battery level required to start Android encryption?

80%

// Minimum battery charge level (in percent) to launch encryption.  If the battery charge is
// lower than this, encryption should not be activated.
private static final int MIN_BATTERY_LEVEL = 80;

Source: https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Settings/+/master/src/com/android/settings/security/CryptKeeperSettings.java#56 (as of android10-release branch)


Direct Answer

You got an ac adapter meant for a different part of the globe as wbogacz stated, but if you still have the adapter from the Nexus or well any device just about you should be able to use it with no problems.  You may be able to look in the packaging and many ac adapters sent these days can be converted (usually the plug face slides away and you can grab another plug face (meant for that charger not another) and slide the US plug face on to it if they shipped it with your device and it just has a different plug adapter connected to it.

Possible Immediate Solution

I use my Nexus 7 tablet ac adapters to charge my Battery backup pack, my phone, my ps4 controller and a good number of other USB devices.  If you look at the label of an adapter you have as long as it says it does an Output of no more than 2 amps than the vast majority of devices will be OK with using it (some newer devices have fast charge and their chargers may read up to 5v while devices and the charger should be able to handle that if you want to be safer I do not use USB AC Adapters on devices that do not fast charge (when plugged in the lock screen will read charging, charging rapidly, or charging slowly (rare)) that have outputs above 2A.

Easiest solution (though slower charge)

If totally unsure you can always connect the USB cable to a computer USB port and that will almost never cause any issues (though it will only slowly charge most devices).

Tech Notes

I can plug my fast charging phone in to a 2amp charger and it will still read charging quickly this does not mean the charger is unsafe for use with other devices just that the device is still capable of fast charging when connected to it.

How to be absolutely sure a charger is safe for a bettery

You can also be detailed and look at your physical battery (or documentation if it is sealed and you can not see the actual battery) and there will be a label mentioning input Volts if the charger label OUTPUT voltage is equal to or less than the stated INPUT voltage on the battery label you are definitely SAFE to use that charger with that device


Where can I get the QR code for an app on the Play Store?

The QR codes are not provided on the play store. You can create the QR code yourself by pasting the url to the app in a generator like goqr.me.


Have you done the process via DevHTC ? ...

Htc offers a original unlock method here official unlock at HTC site for developers


Android wifi says "Connected, no internet" but internet works just fine

Perhaps this seems likely to be a problem connecting to Google servers (captive portal server) not the browser configured captive portal login you seem to be refering to in your post.

(Sometime since Lollipop (5.1+)) When connected to networks (especially Wi-Fi networks), android system  checks if there is an active internet connection by perfoming checks on certain pre-defined URLs belonging to Google servers. If it fails, there'll be an exclamation mark on the Wi-Fi signal icon and a  “Connected, no internet” notification is shown (even though you can access other websites and the internet is up an running) so it may be a temporary problem with connectivity to that specific URL:

  Android tries to reach a file named generate_204 on one of the Google
  servers and if there is no positive response, it means that there is
  no connection to the internet, and notification is generated also, the detection url differs between
  different Android versions.

clients3.google.com/generate_204 check (kitkat)
connectivitycheck.gstatic.com/generate_204 (marshmallow)

It seems that google has changed the captive portal
detection on recent  versions of android e.g oreo.

looks like google now checks for both a generate_204 on both
connectivitycheck.gstatic.com and a gen_204 on
www.google.com.

Again is a problem on its own esp in regions where access to google services is blocked. This answer however explains well how to bypass such and you make take a look at it.

A chunk of information has been extracted from this discussion.

Based on this you have some options to bypass this:

Changing captive portal server

Install a terminal app alternatively these  commands can also be run via the adb shell.
Open the terminal app and run su.
Run settings get global captive_portal_server. This will show the current captive portal server. A "null" reply is usually the default.
Run settings put global captive_portal_server YOUR_SERVER_ADDRESS. You can  add google.com as the captive portal server, i.e settings put global captive_portal_server google.com.
Run exit once to exit from su, then exit one more time to close the terminal.
Reboot the Android device. Will not work without a reboot.

Disabling captive portal

  Since the culprit is a method isCaptivePortal() which access clients3.google.com/generate_204 to test if a connection is deemed
  "usable". The page, as its name suggest, is designed to always return
  a HTTP 204 status code. Based on this you have a couple options:

i. Kill isCaptivePortal() completely

with adb set, run adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0" (Android 7.1+)
or using adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_mode 0"

Note:  The down side is that isCaptivePortal() is actually useful to detect for example when a WiFi network requires login. If the request to the 204 page gets redirected to a login page (not a 204), the system will understand and display the exclamation mark as intended.

ii. Change the target of isCaptivePortal()

another workaround is replacing the Google host with a host that is accessible within the specific region. This host should also be returning 204 every time /generate_204 is accessed.

i.e adb shell su -c "settings put global captive_portal_server {alternate_host} "

Using hosts

You can edit hosts to block the captive portal detection url thus bypassing the sending of the requests to captive portal server.

Why Linux and Windows connect with no issues?

As you mentioned in your post that this seems to be Android specific, indeed the above discussion highlights that. The reason is that for those devices (Linux and Windows) the mechanism of connection is completely different.

These devices won't need to connect to Google servers to first detect if an internet is active.


Remove minimum number of points from pattern unlock

A quick google search for android custom lock screen presents me with a list of lock screen apps (for example this one: https://www.androidpit.com/best-android-lock-screen-apps). I don't think these apps need root access to function.

Many of these apps support "slide to unlock". Which is basically the same as a pattern consisting of a straight line, which is what I assume you want.
Most apps I saw require you to swipe from left to right on the bottom of the screen. This is a specific direction starting from a specific location on the screen, yet the pattern is incredibly fast and easy.
This prevents most cases of "butt-dialing" without giving up speed of unlocking your phone.

Take your pick from the many lockscreen apps that support this and enjoy! :)


Speaking with experiance with a galaxy S4.

  Try deleting the cache, from the storage menu.
  Goto Storage->Internal Storage-> Delete Cache

Should empty up a lot of space by now, for more storage,

  Goto Storage->Internal Storage-> Explore

Delete files named,

.thumbnails
.profigos
.faces

These are temporary files created, you can delete them, it won't harm any of your data.


What is this CyanogenMod 13 icon symbolising

The widget in question is Power Control, one of Android's default widgets. The icon you're asking about is Sync. As described in the page I linked to:

  Press the Sync icon, second to the right, to cut the power to your Droid's Sync functionality. Sync keeps your contacts, email, calendar and other features readily available and constantly updated, which saves you time and effort when you're using your phone.


Why are there multiple versions of "Phone" installed under all apps in Android Lollipop?

These are not different versions, these are different apps. An app can have any name regardless of other apps' names. It is possible to have hundreds of apps with the same name on one phone because the name you see as a user has nothing to do with the name which sees Android (for example the system name for Shazam is com.shazam.android).

I have two "Camera" in my phone. One was pre-installed and the second is Google Camera whose visible name is also "Camera".


How to choose my SD card type based on transfer speed?

You will likely not find an SD card which will outperform the flash in your phone, however there are substantial differences between memory cards.

Generally memory cards are labeled with a "Class" - which equates to the minimum speeds of the cards - Class 4 cards can handle 4 MB/Sec, Class 10 = 10 MB/s, UHS Speed 1 10 MB/s and USB Speed 3 30 MB/Sec.

Even within the classes though, there are huge difference in read and write speeds, and a good Class 6 card could outperform a bad class 10 card.   There is a good section on speed ratings in the Secure_Digital Wikipedia article.


Go to the apps list in settings, slide to see all apps (including system ones), open Download, clear data and cache of it, reboot and try again. If it doesn't work, try doing the same with Play Store app (you'll need to login again to your Google account).


The Facebook app does not have this feature (and several other features that are available on the web app). However, you can create a new list with a 3rd-party app like Fast Pro for Facebook.


Ah after more reading it seems that aria2  does not support segmented DASH.


On Android can I write scripts (similar to Win .bat files) to combine several command line commands?

Android's shell will support a limited amount of Unix-style shell scripting. It specifically should have a shell at /system/bin/sh that you can use, however:

The shell provided with Android has a severely restricted set of commands available to it. If you want to do anything even remotely complex you'll need a busybox install (or another shell).
It's generally pretty rare for Android apps to provide any kind of command line interface or binaries. I very much doubt that Sugarsync, for example, allows you to perform a sync from the command line.

If you want a bit of a GUI you may want to look at something like GScript.


Increase internal memory of Samsung J2 prime

Try formatting the sd card as ext2, default sd card storage type is fat32 i think?, the android may not recognize it as a usable sd card, now a notification may appear saying : (SD CARD NAME) is not recognizable, it need to format or something close to that, a option may appear: Format as INTERNAL STORAGE and Format as PORTABLE STORAGE, pick the "Format as INTERNAL STORAGE"

EDIT: I think your android was flashed because of bootloops, i dunno?, It remove the option to format as internal storage


How to completely save large chat history of WhatsApp in Android phone

There is a limit which is imposed because of the maximum sizes of emails

see the WhatsApp FAQ section of their website

  If you choose to attach media, the most recent media sent will be
  added as attachments. When sending with media, you can send up to
  10,000 latest messages. Without media, you can send 40,000 messages.
  These constraints are due to maximum email sizes.

whatsApp FAQ Android


Dan Hulme was correct. I did indeed have an application called "Foreca Weather" and it created the logs. It's been several days since I'd uninstalled the app, and the problem haven't showed up again. Previously I had this application for a year and didn't see any such issue till the recent update they had.


Lost access to drawer icon for center button on CyanogenMod 7

It sounds like you just dragged the tray shortcut off the action bar accidentally. Try doing the following:

Long press on an empty space on any home screen
Select "Launcher Actions" from the menu that appears
Select "Open/Close App Drawer"
Drag the new shortcut back onto middle button of the Action Bar


Does "fastboot oem lock" prompt to confirm?

I cannot speak for other devices but Motorola Nexus 6 will show you a warning that userdata would be destroyed. The warning is shown both on the shell and on the device's screen. See screenshots:

It is to be noted that the warning would show up only when OEM unlock setting is enabled under Developer options. If it is disabled and you attempt to re-lock the bootloader, you would get an error on shell and an instruction to enable that option.
It should be further noted that not all the devices which support flashing through fastboot protocol have their bootloader programmed smartly. An example: How to re-unlock bootloader for OnePlus One?
Furthermore, it is very much possible that your device's bootloader is programmed to go straight with a reset instead of showing a warning.
A bit more info. Google on Factory Images for Nexus Devices has noted:

Locking bootloader will wipe the data on some devices. After locking the bootloader, if you want to flash the device again, you must run fastboot oem unlock again, which will wipe the data.

Google in the document Verifying Boot explains:

Changing device state
State changes are performed using the fastboot flashing [unlock | lock] command. And to protect user data, all state transitions require a data wipe. Note the user must be asked for confirmation before data is deleted.

The UNLOCKED to LOCKED transition is anticipated when a user buys a used development device. As a result of locking the device, the user should have confidence that it is in a state produced by the OEM.
The LOCKED to UNLOCKED transition is expected in the case where a developer wishes to disable verification on the device.

(Emphasis mine)


[...] Sadly there is no workaround just yet. 1 week no reboot is useless if you are on Bootloader 7 (Android 10 or latest android 9 update)
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-a6/help/official-released-binaries-allowed-to-t4102447
:(


Does Magisk Hide provide protection against malicious apps?

Taken from the Magisk site here:

  Magisk Hide is the feature which is available in the Magisk Manager
  application and if you want to hide the root permission for the
  particular banking application.

  You can turn the Magisk hide option from the settings of the magisk
  application then you can easily enjoy your favorite app without any
  issues.

This means that you have to turn this feature on, then select the app from your list of installed applications that you want Magisk Hide to work for.  In the example on the site, they list banking apps, Pokemon Go, etc.  To answer your question, Magisk Hide would not prevent a malicious app installed on your system from "seeing" or accessing root unless you enabled it on that particular malicious app specifically.


I downloaded the App Contacts+ from Play store which, eventhough it has ads which are a bit annyoing, did allow me to select the 'sources' of contacts from both my personal and professional Google accounts.
You can research articles on the best Android contacts apps, in my case this one suited me. Still have my eyes open for a better solution though...


Is there a way to completely disable all Bixby functionality without rooting the S9+?

This article has a useful guide to disabling bixby.

Disable Bixby Voice
Go to Bixby home. Click the three vertical dots then settings. Uncheck Bixby Voice
Disable Bixby Button
Go to Bixby home. Click the cog. Uncheck Bixby Key
Remove Bixby from Home screen
From home screen, hold down on empty space. Swipe right until you see Bixby home screen. Uncheck Bixby Home.

This other article covers remapping Bixby button. You will have to keep the button enabled. Skip step two in the previous article.
This one is longer, but basically you download an app that will remap the key to what ever action that can be done.
EDIT
As of Android Pie (9.0), this guide is no longer accurate to disable Bixby. The Bixby button can still be remapped using bxActions(free) or Tasker beta(paid)(thanks beeshyams) and Bixby Home can be removed from the home screen. However, disabling Bixby completely will most likely require removing via ADB or possibly using Package Disabler Pro+(Paid app).


Kidz-Star tablet that won't save photos onto external sd card

There are some options. They all most likely start with making some room first by moving the pictures/videos already present on internal storage/internal SD to the external SD. Then:

use a 3rd party camera app supporting to save on external SD. Most of them do. My personal recommendation (very subjective of course) would be ProCapture Free (and if you like it, go Pro).
Try some "advanced App2SD" app from the playstore, which might be able to move (more) apps to the external card. This might require rooting.
for some devices, there are hacks to "switch" storage locations, i.e. making the device think the external SD card is the internal, and vice versa. They for sure require root.

I would go with the first option. It's the most easy to realize, does not require root, and for sure doesn't have that much potential to "mess things up". You even can make the "new camera app" the default one, or switch back to the stock one anytime.


Enable Landscape rotation quick settings toggle on unrootable Moto G (maybe using ADB?)

This app can lock your screen in landscape: Rotation Locker - Google Play and doesn't require root. I recommend this app because it has no permissions, is <100KB (no ads), and if you use Tasker, this app also has Tasker integration.

The explanation for your problem is that carriers and phone brands often decide "you don't need this feature" and just disable it on the front-end. But they don't actually spend the time to really disable that feature. The app works without root because Android provides an API to lock rotation, that's just part of Android.

Hope this helps solve your problem!


Yes, just go to:  Contacts -> Menu -> Import/Export -> From SIM to Phone

Or you can view this more detailed article to help you:
http://androidadvices.com/import-sim-contacts-android-phone/


How to connect Samsung J7 via USB but disable charging?

You can try these solutions, which directly address what you are trying to achieve (may not work on all devices)

adb commands from ADB Useful Commands

Adb shell echo 0 > /sys/class/power_supply/battery/charging_enabled (1 to disable; 0 to enable)

adb setprop-persist

Disable USB charging

If these methods don't work or you want to explore more possibilities, see methods below, which can offer you  clues

On your Device:

As suggested by Firelord. Be aware that you would need time in identifying the right file to change values to fool the system. Naming of files related to this is apparently not standardised. One of the answers in the link is mine so I am talking from experience.

You could also see this for another way it has been done https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11698979/how-to-change-android-usb-connect-mode-to-charge-only

On your PC: You have not mentioned your PC configuration, but these have been successfully tried add may give you pointers

https://serverfault.com/questions/8130/configure-usb-port-to-only-act-as-power-source-charger

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11698979/how-to-change-android-usb-connect-mode-to-charge-only

Modifying the connector hardware (recommended since earlier two options ate Android and Windows version dependent but you would need to try doing the opposite these methods are opposite to your need)

http://www.instructables.com/id/VGA-to-USB-power/
http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Condom


How do you restart the download manager service?

Go to Settings > Apps then scroll to the right.

You'll see a few tabs:

Downloaded
Running,
All
Disabled (if any of your apps are disabled)

In the Disabled tab find the Download Manager and enable it.


How to flash firmware from XperiFirm? Can Newflasher save user data?

I couldn't get the XperiFirm integrated into Flashtool to work. Even with the stand alone, it didn't have the firmware I was looking for. I ended up just Google searching the the firmware with "ftf". Flashing it with Flashtools worked fine.
TL;DR download the desired firmware as an FTF found through a Google Search. Flash it with Flashtool.


How and when is Android's default browser updated?

You are correct. The built-in browser is only updated when a full new ROM is installed. If there is an exploit, the only thing to do is wait for a new version of the OS to be released. Alternatively, you can use a third-party browser such as Opera or Google Chrome. Those are installed as apps and can receive updates independently.

As far as I know, there is no documented version history for the native browser. The best you could do is look at the GIT revision history for the browser.


Unix utilities (cat, grep, ls etc.) for Android?

Busybox is a single utility that contains the functionality of many of the basic Unix tools. It's used on most embedded-Linux systems instead of having separate executables for each utility, which wastes space owing to code duplication.

There are several Busybox installers available on Google Play, and one on F-Droid. Custom ROMs often have Busybox built-in.

In addition, grep and cat (and a few more) are already built into Android. Android has its own Busybox-like called Toolbox, but it's a lot smaller (i.e. more limited) than the full Busybox.

You can access Toolbox commands (or Busybox commands once you've installed it) from a terminal emulator, in just the same way as any Unix system.


That file is in the /system partition, which is mounted read-only, and even if you make it writable (which also requires you to be root), by default it's only writable by root. So it's not possible without rooting your device. The steps you have to take to be able to change your boot animation:

Root your device. The rooting method is device-specific, so I can't help you how; it's usually easy to find a  tutorial using Google.
Turn on root mode in ES File explorer (left side menu, root explorer).
Click on that menu item once more. It brings up a menu in which you can remount the /system partition in read/write mode.


What is the process for reformatting SD Card without breaking the current applications on my HTC Incredible?

Unless you have apps installed on the SD card, nothing on it should be permanent/critical.  Any app that always relies on SD data being present is written badly.

There may be some data you want to keep backed up, but that's up to you.  It's impossible to say what will happen if you format the card and stick it back in empty, since it depends on every individual app.  But generally speaking the apps should continue as if they'd never written anything to the card in the first place.  If an app misbehaves then clearing the data should fix it.


I found the solution in another form and will post it here.
https://productforums.google.com/d/msg/android-wear/gHxkMCzX-q8/Ju9ciHIICgAJ

  Joe Ellett said:
  On the watch:
  Settings, Unpair with phone.
  Do not set up the watch yet.

  On the phone:
  In Android Wear use the Disconnect... option.

  In Android Wear, use Settings, Device settings and touch the watch name, Touch UNPAIR WATCH.

  Settings, Bluetooth. If you still see the watch, touch Forget... the watch so it no longer appears in the list of paired devices.

  Settings, Device, Apps, select Google Play Services, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Uninstall updates.

  Settings, Device, Apps, select Google App, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Also Uninstall updates.

  Settings, Device, Apps, select Android Wear, Storage, Clear cache and Clear data. Also Uninstall updates.

  Play Store, Apps, My apps, touch the Update all button.

  Let all updates complete. This may take several hours. The best thing to do is to put your phone on its charger overnight, with the phone having a steady WiFi Internet connection. Double check the next morning by going to My Apps again.
  Reboot.

  Now set up the watch as if you had just unboxed it. Do NOT try to pair the watch manually, let the AW setup process do it for you.

  Let all updates complete. This may take an hour or so. If your watch is one or more major releases behind it may take several hours. The best thing to do is to put your watch on its charger next to your phone on its charger, with the phone having a steady WiFi Internet connection.

  Reboot watch and phone.

I had to tweak these instructions slightly on my LG G5. Instead of uninstalling updates on Android Wear, I had to uninstall and re-install, since it did not come with my phone. I skipped the step to clear Google App, so that may be an unnecessary step. I also skipped rebooting my phone and watch as the last step, since it was already working by that point.

Also fair warning, uninstalling updates to Google Play Services caused some of my other Google apps (calendar, inbox, etc) to start crashing and throwing errors. To be expected but when I updated Google Play Services again it lost my chrome bookmarks somehow.


Why does my Samsung Galaxy S3 with 4.3 run so slow?

This is because of the update not being done on a clean install. Also Samsung phones have TouchWiz overlay on android which is a bit heavy.

To make your phone fast do a full factory reset after taking a full data backup so that you can restore everything! Doing this would clean up any mess left behind by the update process.
Always try and do a clean install for a major update.


So, what type of process is Android Keyboard?

Some time ego I have written custom android keyboard, and finally Keybaord extend android Service class.
I.e I think We can say - android is a Hidden Application - a  Service.


Chinese in the quick settings Flyme 8.0.0.0A Stable (SystemUI.apk)

I think that you are doing the similar stuff as I do.
I have Meizu 16Xs (Same CPU as Note 9) and I'm trying to mod actually the: Flyme 8.20.1.7 beta (chinese firmware)- which is by the way IMHO more stable, at least for my device, than 8.0.0.0A.
What I found out, is, that you can in some way partially "convert" the "Chinese" version of firmware to the "Global" by changing the single parameter in /system/build.prop file.

This is the original setting:
ro.product.locale=zh-CN

Try to change it to:
ro.product.locale=en-US

After restarting your device, this will give you "Global look", which means:

In the quick settings on the top-right, there won't be "notification setting" icon anymore, but will be changed to "cog-wheel" -> which means it's link to the "Settings"
In top left (where you are now seeing the chinese characters), you will see network carrier info and current date
You will be able to change the "Region" from the Settings->Language and Time
This also unfortunatelly will disable some options of the chinese rom, which means:

no Dark(night) mode (doesn't work even if found by app "quickshortcut maker" and tried to turn it on)
No advanced notification settings available (you won't be able to set priority of notifications anymore)
no Driving mode
Aicy link will dissappear from the settings menu (this I don't know why, will stay dissappeared also after changing the setting back to the "zh-CN", and will remain like this until you do the "factory reset", but other mentioned stuff will return back after changing to "zh-CN"...)
Digital health link won't work
chinese theme app won't work (can be partially solved by using the CustomizeCenter.apk from the Global firmware, but there will be only wallpapers loaded then, no themes) as I found out, that theme app's functionality relies on the setting "zh-CN" or "en-US".
you won't be able to change the lock screen wallpaper by swiping to the right on the lockscreen anymore
And I think there are also some other things but I won't be listing everything

For the above mentioned reasons I'm rather staying with the option "zh-CN" (as I would like to use these options, which are disabled in the "Global" rom) and I'm trying to ignore the above mentioned chinese characters in the quick settings.

But what I can tell you (hopefully might help), I found out what these characters actually probably are:
It's probably the chinese "Lunar Calendar", because, when you go to the settings-> Notification & status bar, there is an option "Lockscreen Lunar Calendar" which you can enable and disable.
When you enable it, the same chinese characters which are shown in the quick settings will be shown on the lock screen.

However, I would like to ask you if you can help me:

Which apktool or tool to compile / decompile the APKs are you using for modding Flyme roms? I tried to decompile and compile the Settings.apk, but all the times without success, there is still some "Failed resolving ResTable_map" error during compiling, and after pushing the modded apk to the device, the settings application won't start. I was reading somewhere on the net, that there is needed some special apktool designed for Xiaomi and some Flyme roms, but I didn't found it. And of course I tried with the different apktool.jar versions - 2.3.4 / 2.4.1 and so...)
Which Flyme framework apks are you using?
I used only "flyme-res.apk" and "framework-res.apk" from the /system/framework folder in the device

Can you please let me know?
Thanks.
@boinare


Android Emulator on MacOS 10.14 has internet only after restarting machine

It's most likely a bug with IPv6 name resolution, removing any IPv6 nameserver in /etc/resolv.confg fixes the issue, see https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/155686508#comment3


I know this is old and you may have already found a solution but I ran into something like this today (on my BB Keyone) and solved it by simply un-checking and re-checking the relevant calendar account. Doing so caused the greyed out calendars to begin to sync to my phone.


How to change default keyboard on Android N?

It appears that some keyboards offer something under their keyboards (e.g. a special key) to switch keyboards.  However others, such as the Google Keyboard do not.

However, what I have discovered is that whenever the on-screen keyboard is up, no matter which keyboard it is, there is a new virtual button at the bottom right of the screen with the icon of a keyboard.  When I tap this icon a dialog box pops up to change the keyboard.


"Call not sent" when adding a call on Samsung Galaxy S6

Unfortunately the update "broke" Google Voice on Note 4 and Galaxy phones (T-Mobile 5.1.1 update).

You can see information on this here:

We're all hoping that someone (Google, T-Mobile, Samsung) will care enough to fix it.


Can I install non-market apps on my AT&T phone directly (without a PC)?

Turns out I was right to suspect that this has been done before. The fix I was looking for was  Super One Click. It has a fix to allow non market apps. I think what it does is to change the config file that the settings dialog ("Allow Non Market Apps") normally sets. My guess its that AT&T just took out the UI for the option.

Anyway, works perfectly and I strongly recommend it for anybody stuck under AT&T'S thumb!


BackupManager causing my phone to reboot

Googles Backup-API uses the directory /data/backup to queue outstanding backups (which are not yet transferred). So if your device is rooted, you could investigate this directory for any files contained, and probably remove them if they cause trouble (I'm not sure if/how it then will be handled to figure out which backups it has to repeat, though -- so it's your own risk).

But from your LogCat I'd say BackupManager already cleared that directory (the second black line reads clearing pending backups, followed by beginning backup of 3 targets) -- so I rather assume there's some faulty implementation with one of those 3 apps. I'm not a developer, though, so I cannot say.

You can check your history of installed apps (the App Appmonster IMHO offers to see the installation date; I'm not sure where to find this information with stock apps) to see, which ones you installed last, and "roll back" until the problem disappers (or you left the "probable time frame").

EDIT: Do you have some more lines of that LogCat? It stops just when it's becoming interesting. I'd follow those lines belonging to PID 181 here, so you probably can figure out which app is causing the problem. Fifth line from the bottom up e.g. shows a wallpaper being backed up, along with the wallpaper's API call (android.app.backup.WallpaperBackupHelper -- I guess that's rather some Android internal to backup wallpaper settings, but again: I'm not a developer, I can only make guesses). There might be more lines like this, giving clues.


How can I get Google Play on my Kindle Fire 5th gen?

This would be the part where a lot of stuff would need to be done. However, there is a tool, SuperTool. You will need Fire OS 5.1.2 (BE AWARE! it may not tell you the full version in system>about device.)

To be brief, Supertool allows users to install ADB, (Android Debug Bridge) Root their devices, block OTA updates (which kills off root access, among other things) and, it lets you install Google Play.

Let us know how it goes! And I will say it again: you must be on Fire OS 5.1.2. Downgrading results in a hard-brick, and all other versions have a secured bootloader. Its like homebrew, but the war between the big companies and the modders almost never moves.


Giffgaff (stylised "giffgaff") is a mobile telephone network running as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator using O2's British network. Owned by O2's owners Telefónica, Giffgaff was launched on 25 November 2009.

It is the Branding logo from your Mobile Telephone Network

From Wikipedia


How do you turn off all cellular communication but leave things like bluetooth and wifi enabled?

You actually can enable both of those features while in airplane mode. They get turned off automatically when you first enable airplane mode, but there's nothing that prevents you from re-enabling them:


Display contacts birthdays on stock Samsung calendar app

You probably figured it out by now, but the calendar of birthdays only syncs with the Samsung account.

The fastest way to link a different account to the Samsung account I could find without re adding contacts was by adding a relationship to the contacts you want to set up.

I did this by going to my  Contacts app, clicking on my own profile, and under the relationships section adding a relationship. I did it with my family members and they started showing up right away.


Android Studio Emulator with both the Google Play Store and Root?

I think thing the best course of action would be to download and install a third-party Android Emulator. If you are on Windows, I would recommend  Bluestacks. As it can be easily rooted with this tutorial  here. If you need any help, feel free to reply to this message.

Hope this helps you out!

Red Prez


One thing I noticed not mentioned in what you have tried that will make your device invisible. Have you enabled USB debugging  on your Nexus 5. USB debugging helps operating systems communicate with each other and without it things get lost in translation. To enable USB debugging

Go into Android settings menu and scroll down to the about phone menu next go towards the bottom and hit the build number 7 times.
settings/about phone/build number
This will reveal a new menu within the main Android settings called developers options and scrolled to USB debugging and enable it.

That should get you up and running but if not then scrap the the driver you modified. Go to SDK redownload Google drivers and install them. That issue  was reported in 2013 and the drivers in SDK have been updated since.


Purchased music from Google Play - they are nowhere to be found

They will be in Google's Play Music app. You can listen or download them from that app.


How do I retrieve my contacts from my google account to my phone!

As MemCtrl mentioned, go to http://contacts.google.com and see if your contacts (with the new numbers) are there. If not, you can restore them using "Restore contacts..." option (hit the "More..." button to see it), provided they weren't deleted more than 30 days ago.


Picture Gallery Slow & Won't Refresh on HTC G2 w Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Sounds like the contents of your SD Card have not been scanned since taking the photos.  Try the SDrescan app from Market.  This should help in such situations.

Alternatively, you can manually un-mount the SD Card (via Menu -> Settings -> Storage -> Unmount SD Card) and re-mount it again.  This should trigger the media scanner to refresh the card's contents.


No.  Android does not really have a commandline environment intended for use by Apps.  There is to a limited extent one available for development, and launching subprocesses from an App is highly discouraged but technically possible, however applications run under highly restricted user accounts which cannot do much on their own, and most systems services are only provided by Java APIs that make requests through interprocess communication.

So you'll basically have to do this in the Java-level code of an application.

A little web searching will find you examples for how to interact with bluetooth devices from Android application code.  Do note that there are many varieties of
bluetooth target, so that aspect of your question would be too broad, but additionally stack exchange sites are not a code writing or code finding service - you will have to do your own research there.

Android does often utilize a principle of delegating tasks to something else, but the utilized mechanism is not invoking a subprocess as a terminal command would, but rather sending an "Intent" - an Android-unique mechanism for making a request for a particular action, which Application components can either make, or register their ability to handle if made by other components.  There are no standard Intents for doing what you want to do, but it would be possible to create a component which sends bluetooth messages upon receiving an Intent request to do so, and then utilize that either within the same Application or in a different one.


Programmatically enable data connection every 30 minutes?

If you dont want to pay for Tasker, use the free alternative Automate. It has similar functionality and can automate the same things.


How to get driver for Sony C3 dual d2502?

You can try

Sony PCCompanion this will install the driver for your device.

or

Flashtool after installing you will find the driver in the path you installed flashtool. Mostly C:\Flashtool\Drivers

Note : Enable debugging mode in Xperia and connect in MSC mode.


If the device has been taken or lost and is off, there's not much you can do.

If you think it may have been switched on, there is a section on your Google Account that will allow you to track/lock/call/sign out of your phone. More options can be explored on Google's help page for lost devices.

There's also a setting to Ring the device when you select Locate from the last link, which will ring the device at full volume for five minutes, even if it was set to silent.


Can't reinstall Calendar Storage not via phone, adb nor Reflashing

Well, since this app is a system app, pre-installed by the vendor, there is no way to get it back other than by flashing the ROM file. You can't  install it through ADB since you are not rooted and trying to sideload would end up with errors because your recovery would not permit it.

Now only the flashing option left. Since it is a Mediatek device, flashing should be easy. All you need is SP Flashtool and a compatible ROM file with scatter, this maps your memory and tells the flashing software where each files should go, etc... (generally found at the manufacturer support website).

Also, download Mediatek VCOM drivers this is important to make your decision be detected by the computer.(On Windows 8 and earlier, you need to disable the drivers signature verification otherwise the drivers won't be installed).

Launch SP Flashtool, load the scatter file ( inside the ROM file archive). Now on SP Flashtool, click on Download, connect the phone while switched off. The flashing process should start (Read bar, Purple bar and then Yellow bar which can take some time to finish).
Done (Big green check mark).

Power on your device. Note that the first boot takes several minutes to complete as the system is putting everything in places, just be patient and wait.  Android should now begin installing default apps. And your don. All back to normal.


Yes you can back up your Angry Birds data, without rooting your phone! It takes a few steps, and it's a manual process, but pretty easy nonetheless. This works with my Samsung Android 2 phone.

Install the Android SDK onto your computer from http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html. You will be using the ADB program, part of the SDK's Platform-Tools.
Connect your Android device to your computer in debugging mode. On my Galaxy S Android 2 phone, I had to go to Settings / Applications / Development and turn on USB Debugging before connecting the cable.
On your computer, start a Command Prompt and run these commands:

    cd "C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools"
    adb pull /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/highscores.lua C:\MyBackup\ab_highscores.lua
    adb pull /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/settings.lua C:\MyBackup\ab_settings.lua

Of course, supply your own directory names depending on where you installed the Android SDK, and where you want the files saved.

To restore the files later:

Reinstall Angry Birds and complete at least one level. (This ensures the device has the appropriate directories.)
Connect your device in debugging mode and start a Command Prompt, as done above. Run these commands:

    cd "C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools"
    adb push C:\MyBackup\ab_highscores.lua /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/highscores.lua
    adb push C:\MyBackup\ab_settings.lua /data/data/com.rovio.angrybirds/files/settings.lua

Q: Is it safe?A: Yes! The Android SDK is provided by Google, the developers of Android, for use by software developers that write applications for Android devices. ADB, its Android Debugging Bridge is the official way that Google wants developers to interact with their Android devices. As long as you are careful with what files you push/pull, it's fine.

Q: How about Angry Birds Seasons?A: Same as above, but type "angrybirdsseasons" instead of "angrybirds" (and of course change the name of the local backup file!).


Is flashing a new ROM enough after phone was stolen?

I think this is more than enough. Flashing your ROM again should be more than sufficient. This not only allows fresh installations of any old apps to prevent spyware, but also dormant any other app data from existing apps to be largely overwritten or deemed as corpses. You can also perform a cleanup using SD Maid just to be sure.


How can I know which Android phones support multiple users profiles?

Many new phones that appear support this feature. the function is valid since android 5 but of course, it also depends on the device you have. All the new phones that appear like Samsung, Lenovo, Apple,.. support these functions. If you wanna be 100% sure go online and search for the phone you want to see the specifications.
Good luck!


Is there a way to turn off translation in Google Play

Three methods available, depending from where are you accessing Google:

Google Play app usually uses the language defined on your device settings:

Tap your device "home";
Tap "settings";
Locate "Language & keyboard" and tap;
Under "Select language" you can define the language for your device that is also used by the Google Play App as to present you the information on your language.

Accessing from a browser: The Google Play Store sets the language by your IP address, you can update that definition by changing it at the footer (it will persist):

For all Google Products: From Gmail, you can access your account settings and set the language that you prefer for Google Products:

Login to your Gmail account;
On the top right corner, click "account";
On the left vertical menu, click "language".


Make the photos taken by Android Camera app and Google Camera app smaller when created?

For the Google Camera app:

Drag from the left screen edge to show the menu
Select the settings "gear" icon in the lower right
Select "resolution & quality"
Select which camera you want to change the resolution and select a smaller size


Does uninstalling apps leave any traces?

On an unrooted phone, apps run as distinct users, and don't have access to any files created by other users or system files, i.e. they are 'sandboxed'.  Since they can't make any such changes, I would say the only thing they can leave behind is a little detritus on your SD card.

On a rooted phone, an app which has been granted root access can do pretty much anything that is possible in the hardware. Apps that have root permissions can write on non-read-only storage media (including modifying the bootloader), modify other programs' private data, modify system settings, modify system files, etc. A rooted app can also hide itself from the system, and pretend to be uninstalled while being perfectly well and alive.

Basically, rooted apps can do anything that the hardware allows

Updated to include Lie Ryan's info on rooted apps.


How to Securely Delete Data from Phone and Card

Erasing your phone internal memory

I have not tried it but using Android fastboot or an recovery ROM it should be possible to overwrite each partition on your device. Fastboot also supports an erase command - I assume that this erase can not be considered a secure erase.

Therefore a secure way would be to overwrite to the two partitions userdata and cache (and may be others depending on your device). The image used for overwriting should be as large as the partition.

Erasing the SD-Card

SD-cards can easily be "undelete" using a card reader and a common PC. Therefore it is strongly recommended to wipe it.

Best way would be to use an SD-Card reader on your PC and then use a tool like WipeDisk.


Tasker profile with state doesn't activate

I do have such profiles runnning just fine. When you define the context for the profile, you need to set an event and not a state for a certain variable set or variable clear.


YouTube app on Android "signing in" forever

I recommend you to use a VPN Client to mask your original IP and circumvent lockout from youtube.

VPN clients I personally use are:

HotSpot Shield
Droid VPN
One Click VPN

All of it are Free but with some downsides. Hotspot shield gives you a US IP but will put small ads when you are browsing. DROIDVPN free version is limited to 100MB a day and requires to registration. One click VPN free has no ads and no limit, but you cannot choose your preferred country IP, it will be randomly chosen.


There are several proxy apps available to accomplish something like that. Though most of them require root access to the device, not all do (I have not tested any of them, so I cannot tell in detail).

However, a different approach might be checking into VPN apps, as that's pretty much what you targeting: a Virtual Private Network, where your server acts as a "checkpoint". Many of those VPN apps do not require root access, but many also use a dedicated VPN provider. Still, the linked lists should contain a working solution for you.

Disclosure: the linked lists are maintained by me, to provide you good "jump-points".


Hangouts Error on Android Phone: Cannot connect to the server

It turns out that this issue is due to the restricted background data setting.

Navigate to Settings -> Data Usage

Find the following apps and make sure "Restrict Background Data" is switched off:

Hangouts app
Google Services
Google Play Store


How can I zoom without multitouch in Adobe PDF Reader?

You can only zoom without multitouch in Reflow Text mode, sadly.  Menu -> View Mode -> Reflow Text and then hit the T+ button that pops up when you tap the screen.


If your device is rooted, you could give Wireless Tether for Root Users a try. According to an article on e-how.com, this app also features a mac-filter, allowing you to exactly define which devices are permitted on your hotspot:

  Wireless Tether provides WPA encryption, the latest wireless security standard, and allows for MAC address filtering, letting you screen devices without having to constantly monitor your phone.

(EDIT: According to the app's own description, WPA/WPA2 is available on supported devices only, whatever those "supported devices" may be)

For the default hotspot shipping with Android, you might want to star this issue at google code, which requests exactly the feature you are looking for (mac filtering).


How can I group duplicate contacts from different sources (Google, WhatsApp, etc)?

Please try the following:

Select the duplicate contact Edit the contact
Access the menu for the edit contact page, and select the Join action
Select the contact you want to merge with from the suggested list, or search for
the appropriate one.

Doing this will link the contacts.


Battery stats always lists consumers. If the mentioned entry would refer to "fm radio", it had listed the corresponding app as consumer.

You must be aware that the term "radio" is ambiguous here. It stands as an abbreviation for "radio waves", which in fact are used by "fm radio" – but also for communications using the cellular network. The latter is what you're seeing references as "radio" in the battery stats on some devices. Different devices might use different terms here, so a screenshot helps identifying the "item" by its associated symbol/icon, see e.g. What is Cell standby and how can I keep it from eating my battery?

With that link, I've also named how other devices might refer to this ("cell standby"). If your symbol looks similar to the one shown in the screenshot there, that would confirm what I've written here (note that it might look a little different on your device, not only due to a different manufacturer – but also due to the fact the screenshot on the linked question was taken with Android 2.3 ;)


Does adb pull verify files automatically?

From what I have seen so far (and I use adb pull very often), there is no verification process going on.
If a file, that has been pulled, is corrupted, you will get no notification about it whatsoever.


How to limit Google account access to selected apps?

There are two ways to do it.
Method 1 - Ugly
If your phone supports multiple sessions (I mean this), then disable GApps except Google Photos in the new user session.
Method 2 - Better
Use Parallel Space and just run the Google Photos A.P.K. in it
I'm not sure here but I think if you are a privileged user you can direct the sign in to a webview.
As suggested by @chx, Shelter is good, I just tested it, makes clone for these apps when I tried to do it for Google Photos.


How do I turn on battery percentage in Android Lollipop?

This website has a good page on the information:

http://nexus7.wonderhowto.com/how-to/unlock-android-ls-hidden-battery-percentage-icon-status-bar-0155876/

But if you want a quick and dirty way to enable this, you can just use:

adb shell content insert --uri content://settings/system --bind name:s:status_bar_show_battery_percent --bind value:i:1

followed by

adb reboot


How to fix Google Play Store Update Error in Android 4.0.4?

Since this app is a Google native app which handles its own updates by itself, maybe the update went wrong. At the moment you could clear its cache, data (you will have to reenter the credentials later again and configure the playstore including notifications and update handling), or uninstall the updates, so it will go to the initial version (can be done by going in Settings -> Applications -> All -> Google Play Store). It should update later automatically.

In case you have a rooted phone, make sure you haven't done any changes in the system lately, or other apps are not interfering (any "freezers", "killers", or similar ones). Also, check if you haven't forbidden mobile network access (Settings -> Data usage, there you can click each app and check/uncheck "Restrict background data"), but even if this was checked, it should work on WiFi.


You can try and use Language Enabler

Download and open the app. Type the language you want and check mark it. Then press on that "3 dot" button on top right and select Enable Languages. See if this works. Ofcourse there are other ways too, but try the simplest one first. You need to be rooted if you are above android 4.2.


How do I get Android 2.3 on my Verizon Droid 2?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1124744

It's not finalized, so make sure you read everything.


What does "H" mean in the signal indicator?

Let's state all the possible letters in the signal indicator, in descending speed (indicated speeds are roughly theoretical maximum):

5G = 20 Gbps
LTE+ = 300 Mbps
LTE = Long Term Evolution (commonly and falsely known as 4G), 100 Mbps
H+ = HSDPA Plus, 10 Mbps
H = either HSDPA (3.5G) or HSPA+ (3.95G), depending on your network provider, 2 Mbps
3G = UMTS (3G), 384 kbps
E = EDGE (2.5G), 40 kbps
G = GPRS (2G), 14 kbps
(no letter) = voice only, no data connection, 2.4 kbps

and also:

R = roaming (this means you're not on your home network)

(source for some of this.)


The simple answer is no.  You'd have to re-skin that part of the ROM and also dig into the code and remove whatever's doing that, most likely.  If it bothers you enough you should just switch ROMs.


Problem connecting Nexus 7 as mass storage device on Windows 7

Although I'm surprised it didn't work in Windows 7 out of the box (it worked on my PC) there is a way to fix it.

Please open C:\Windows\inf\wpdmtp.inf in Notepad and add following

; Nexus 7
%GenericMTP.DeviceDesc%=MTP, USB\MS_COMP_MTP
%GenericMTP.DeviceDesc%=MTP, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E42&MI_00

In two places - at the end of sections [Generic.NTx86] and [Generic.NTamd64]

This method will also work on Windows 7 after installing Windows Media Player 11.


You could simply unplug the keyboard and plug it back in. Works for me every time.


SD card unmounted when HTC Desire is being charged (even with a "wall charger")

Strange. I have an HT Desire running 2.2 and don't have that problem. It might be the cable of the charger that is incorrectly registering as being a USB connection (faulty, cheap knockoff that is incorrectly wired?) Try another charger. Blackberrys also use micro USB so ask a buddy to use their charger


Why do phones need an OTA update to support VoLTE for certain carriers but they work out of the box for other VoLTE carriers?

VOLTE is a standard. And like all standards the devil lies in details of implementation. Carriers may choose different implementation for various reasons

Section 2.2.1 of PDF document here
offers reasons as to why implementation differs and hence updates are needed

  ....VoLTE interoperability issues might be related to EPS bearer set up, proprietary simplification of SIP call flows, operator specific IP headers, different security configurations IPsec, AKA etc.

You have detailed technical reasons explained subsequently in the document


My phone keeps converting SMS to MMS even when messages are under 20 characters?

I had problems with my texting immediately after leaving the Cricket store. This may not be your problem with the conversion, but as far as people not receiving MMS, try fixing your APN. You will have to research how to do it on your phone and get the correct APNs for your phone carrier, as I do not have access to that specific phone. This may at least help you with people not getting MMS from you.


How to use text-to-speech to read out text on Google Books

When you're in the app:
Settings button > Read aloud.

Make sure to keep the volume high enough to be heard


GPS battery usage as a function of how often it is pinged for data

It won't make a noticeable difference. The GPS receiver has to be powered up continuously either way, but the receiver itself isn't a huge part of the battery use of most location-based apps. In general, this kind of app can be a battery drain because it's running, computing data, and saving data continuously. For example, if it's saving a log of your route, it has to get the GPS locations, filter and process those locations, and save them to the storage, continuously. All the time it's doing this, the phone's CPU is still running at high power, when normally it would be asleep (in a low-power state) in your bag or pocket.

The difference between how much other work the two apps are doing, and how efficient they are at that, is going to dwarf any difference caused by location sampling rates. In fact the difference between the apps themselves might even be more than the total power consumption of the GPS receiver.


I recently performed a factory data reset on my device and now the play store is not working. No app is being downloaded

I'll take a shot in the dark....

IF Google apps (including google settings, WhatsApp, youtube, etc.) in general, are not working/are missing (perhaps you are even trying to re-acquire these),

and/or IF settings > accounts and sync no longer shows your Google account & you can't just add it.

THEN
    I may know what's going on (from personal experience, also in GB)....

Your problem may be that Google doesn't recognize your phone without the Google apps and *especially* without the Google account it expects to be on/associated with that phone. This despite that your device's ID #s haven't changed.  (pretty sure this is a safeguard against 1) spoofed device-id numbers, 2) the fact that the usual reason to factory-reset a phone is that the phone is going to be returned/sold to someone else)
Your solution (in only the case I have guessed) would be to acquire a "gaaps" package (yes, that's short for 'google apps') from a release date, platform appropriate to your device. (i.e. don't try to install the current lollipop apps on your GB device). This should include Google's sync and account settings background app and one-time-init (for initial set up upon purchase).
 If this sounds like your situation, just search for gapps or gaaps.zip.
 If this **doesn't** sound like your situation, just follow the advice above and provide more details. (did you just root/switch ROMs would also be relevant)
    good luck
    **-R**


How to link chrome html files together on android

AFAIK on the latest Android, apps no longer can access internal storage. Which is Chrome will say access denied. Even if you try to open it by yourself with html viewer, it can only access just what you open excluding other files are linked.
Try to use HTTP server.

AWebServer
KSWeb
or use Termux and install apache server


My Nexus 4 says it's charging but it's actually discharging

Either the battery is damaged or it's a software issue. You should first try to reboot the phone. If it doesn't fix it, try a factory reset.


Installing apk files on Kyocera Dura XE (flipphone running android)

You'll get more information about your problem by using:

adb logcat -v * > mylog.txt

you'll find the file mylog.txt in the directory where you've executed the adb command. (you can share it to help you figure out what's the problem)
The problem is:
The same package name (APK) exists on Android device with different signature.
When you try to install the same package (APK) again signed with a different signature:

Example:
The first APK was signed with Debug keys, then the APK you're trying to install is signed with Release keys

The solution is:

Uninstall the old package (APK) manually from Settings> Apps

or from the CMD shell, run:

adb uninstall your.package.name


Can i restore more than one msgstore.db.crypt7 file in whatsapp?

As you can read in the wahtsapp faq,

  Current chat history will be lost upon restoration.

Anyway, you could follow these steps.
For every older conversation:

1)Use the "email conversation" function:

  To export a copy of the history of an individual chat or group, you
  can use the Email Chat History feature:

  Tap and hold on the conversation or group. Select Email conversation
  Choose whether to Attach Media or not. An email will be composed with
  your chat history attached as a .txt document.

  If you choose to attach media, the most recent media sent will be
  added as attachments.

2) Send the composed email to yourself.

After you did that for every older chat, restore the newer ones using your backup.
This way:

You will be able to read your newer messages on whatsapp normally.
You will be able to read your older messages opening the attached .txt file in the emails that were composed


The battery of my Galaxy S 2 is draining very quickly...including on plane mode

The Android Authority has a great article on ways to extend your battery life on the S2.

In my experience:

Live Wallpaper is a huge battery eater
When I'm at work my 3G signal is very weak inside the building, which completely kills my battery in about 4 hours.  I've found that if I leave the Wi-Fi connected at work and at home, the phone won't constantly look for a 3G signal, thus saving my battery.
Turning down the screen brightness is also a big help

If you've tried all these suggestions with no improvement, you might consider trying  JuiceDefender.


This sounds a lot like the bug introduced in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean that (probably due to DRM and encryption) will install any paid application to /mnt/asec, even if it contains an account service.  This has a side-effect of having all accounts associated with such apps being removed on every reboot.  This Google Code issue has more details.

As of Android 4.2.1, it looks like the issue has not been resolved.  Many developers resort to creating a second "JB work-around" app that is free, and therefore can be properly installed and is able prevent the accounts of the main app from disappearing on reboot.


If the owner installs an app can a secondary profile use it?

Yes, as long as the user is a Restricted User.  When you first create the user, you must choose "Restricted User".  Then you can choose what apps the user can access (4.2 style).


Why is there "/proc/net/snmp" file on my device? Could it be due to a malware?

There is no piece of software that has zero probability of being infected by some kind of malware. But in general, Windows by design is more prone to infections as compared to Linux and other UNIX based operating systems. Android is also based on Linux kernel, plus it has additional security mechanisms related to booting part, such as locked bootloader and Verified Boot. So generally we don't see Android devices hijacked by bootkits.

That said, init is the very first userspace process started by kernel with PID 1. It's a generic piece of AOSP, developed by Google and not modified by phone OEMs or network operaters (AFAIK). However its configuration files *.rc can be modified / added / removed easily to start / stop services and daemons on boot.

Presence of /proc/[PID]/net/snmp indicates that your kernel has ability to support an SNMP agent if run on your device. This is common, modern kernels are built so. Alarming is if there is an agent running in background on your device, something listening on UDP port 161 from an SNMP management console. You can analyze all listening ports using netstat or ss. Both are shipped with Android.


How can I type special symbols on my Android device like ☺ or ♥ as a regular character?

These are actually Unicode characters you can easily reproduce on your computer:
How can I get “WHITE SMILING FACE (U+263A)” with the keyboard?

The Android platform supports unicode and all its characters, however the soft keyboard that comes with your Android ROM probably won't carry all your desired symbols.

When long clicking on some symbols/characters on your soft keyboard you will see the key pop-up expanding to give you an additional choice of symbols, then drag and release your finger to print them.

Installing some 3rd party keyboards (such as GO-Keyboard) will give you access to more symbols.


What all does ADB backup and how do I restore part of it?

For what ADB backup does, you might wish to see our backup tag-wiki. Basically, depending on the command line switches used, it backs up apps (.apk) and their data. For a full list of options see this.

As for the second part of your question, you might wish to see Is there a way to look inside and modify an adb backup created file? Yes, it's possible extracting parts of it, and yes, Titanium Backup is one of the apps capable of this. Other ways are described in the linked question.

Also worth a look:

How do you extract an App's data from a full backup made through “adb backup”?
Partial adb restore
Backup and restore Android Settings and Application through ADB


Why is "Android OS" uploading so much data?

The list of applications with backups as well as how much space each backup uses is on your Google Account Dashboard under "Android Devices".

Unfortunately, there isn't, I believe, any way to control it other than turning it on or off entirely.


Upload fails when destination storage limit exceeded, which is most likely not related to your storage. Anyway, there is no way to increase flash memory.

Without root permissions you can "clear cache" from app settings. youtube and chrome are good candidates.

With root access you can do a little more, but at least external MicroSD Card is required


How can I only have sound when being called (phone)?

You can try this:

Go to System settings->Notifications->Select WhatsApp->Choose Block all and/or Show silently according to your need.

Do the same for Facebook.


Once you purchase an app you don't have to purchase it again unless you switch Google accounts.


No WhatsApp notification on Xperia S after updating to JellyBean

From OP's self-comment,

  In Settings>Apps>Whatsapp. There is a check box right below the Icon which says "Show notifications" Check it and it is solved.


adb restore across different devices, android versions

Don't know if you figured this out or not, but Titanium Backup has a feature where you can import an ADB backup and then from there restore individual apps or all apps. Only down side, Titanium Backup does need root. That being said, I think it's worth it.

For details:
http://www.titaniumtrack.com/kb/titanium-backup-kb/titanium-backup-howtos.html#backup-without-root

In case that link goes away:

Connect your device and make sure its listed with the following
command:

adb devices
Run a FULL backup with the following command:

adb backup -f FullBackup.ab -apk -all
This will create a “package” called “FullBackup.ab” on the current location in your command prompt. This is your backup package.
Now you can root your phone.
Once finished rooting, insert the “FullBackup.ab” package on your sdcard
Hit the menu button and look for “Extract from ADB backup” option. This will prompt you to search for the file. Use the file manager that you installed earlier and navigate to the directory and select the FullBackup.ab file.
Now restore like as if the backup was made with Titanium Backup. Don’t forget to make a fresh copy of the backup using Titanium Backup. You’re Done!


Multi-window "Pop up view action" not working even if enabled

Finally I can see it works, but unlike shown in the visual guide, the dragging needs to start at the very corner of the display (either top left or top right), or (ideally) outside the display, enter the display in the corner and then continue to the center of the display. Then the functionality works as expected.

The effect is also achievable using the S-pen.


Does InBrowser have a separate clipboard it copies to by default?

I have not used InBrowser, but most likely it is the same clipboard that every app uses, and it is probably not InBrowser telling you that either but the Android system or the phone itself. The "clipboard" is just a space/memory where the text you copy are temporarily saved. The contents disappear when you restart your phone. They also get replaced when you copy another set of text.

Anyway, you can install a third-party clipboard app like aNdClip Free (just search at Google Play for more apps) to see what you copied. Or if you don't want to install anything, just open any app that has a textbox (like your Messaging/SMS app) and paste whatever you copied. You probably have to long-press on the text box, and a menu that says "Paste" will appear.


Do people in your circles/contacts see your downloaded apps in their recommendations?

App Recommendations in Play Store are based on different criteria. But, overall one can say that the following are some of the things which google takes into account when showing the recommendations to you or your friends,

You/Your friend +1'ed an item on the Playstore.
You/Your friend rated an item.
Some recommendations are based on locality.
Items that you have already installed/bought with your google account.
Items that are top rated in different categories like Games, Apps, Movies, Music, Books etc.


Local media players won't play audio on movies

Android ,mx player ,vlc do not have a full codec compatibility due to licensing problem ,I think the audio on your movies is an ac3 or dts codec it's a 5.1 audio system so it doesn't play natively on Android because Android use 2.0 stereo as I said it can't be played natively but there is a codec for MX player that can play such audio format  follow those steps :

Go to this thread on XDA
Download the codec that matches your device's processor type (if you don't now which one to choose search for an app called phone info on the play store it will give you your device's type download the right codec )
Put the downloaded zip somewhere on your device in this example it's /sdcard/download/codec_arm_V7_neon
Open MX player and go to setting >> Decoder scroll all the way down and click custom Codec ,navigate to the downloaded zip location and choose it.
You may be asked to close and then reopen the MX player ,do so
You are good to go now your device can read AC3 and dts sound format.


What happens if I flash an Android 4.4.4 system.img?

You can just download the lastest system image for your device and flash it right to lollipop if is avaible to your device of course.

I think Nexus devices have their system image avaible directly from google so google for it download and follow their steps and done your nexus is now lollipop.

If not find the system image in google site try xda-developers forum and you find it there it all the steps + the image.

When you flash a new system image you just replace the older ROM you can flash any system image to any phone if of course your device supports it.

If happen to you flash an wrong ROM for your device you will only soft brick it and you need to reflash again with an supported ROM.

This erase all your data so make an backup before.

It is strongly recommended to do an factory reset and wipe cache data after every change/upgrade of ROMs to avoid all kind of problems.


Phone keeps restarting / shutting down randomly is there any logging to help debugging

You can install "Log Collector" from the android market, it's free. It can email the logcat to an email address. I am not sure whether the log clears or not if there is a reboot though. You should be able to see something in there regardless.


As seen on Android Police

You've probably heard of quick charging, turbo charging, adaptive fast charging, rapid charging, and Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 before - or at least one or two of these things. What you may not know is that all of them are actually basically the same thing, based on the same licensed technology from Qualcomm known as Quick Charge.

How does Quick Charge work?
How do the batteries work? Will they have a shorter life span?
Will the Quick Charge quality get worse over a period of time?
It's already explained in depth by @beeshyams. It basically works by drawing more power, safely.

To summarise, normal charging is done at 0.5 to 0.8 C (C is charge rate) and fast charging done at 1 to 3 C. Please note that the exact or indicative charging rate is not revealed in any OEM documentation despite extensive search and it is unlikely that OEMs will reveal such details, deeming it "proprietary"

It affects the battery in two ways:

A common feature while using fast chargers is raise in temperature of battery (since more current is being pumped in and power (read heat) is proportional to square of current) and this is inimical to good health of battery, which is extensively  covered here.

Short Term (Battery capacity after charging) Battery is not really fully charged as it does not undergo charging spending enough time in all stages, compared to conventional charging. In simple words battery may deliver typically 85% of performance compared to regular charging. Details on this are available here
Long Term (Battery life span) Battery life is specified in Cycles or discharge cycles. OEMs/ Battery resellers may specify this number, for example, it is 550 Cycles for Samsung Note 2

Quoting from BU-501: Basics About Discharging

Why aren't there companies using this technology?
There are several smartphone OEMs including ASUS, BlackBerry, Fujitsu, Samsung, HTC, Panasonic, Motorola that borrows this technology from Qualcomm.
What about Apple?
Here's a list of features Apple left out even in their latest iPhone 6S. They don't support Quick Charge yet.
--
See also:
Qualcomm Quick Charge FAQ
,
Samsung Fast Charge FAQ


Nexus 7 won't boot after installing twrp

Partial answer
On-device fastboot controls means using the hardware buttons as explained in How to enter Google Nexus 7 Fastboot Mode.

Power off the device completely.To enter Fastboot mode, hold down Volume Down and Power.

Release the buttons only after the Fastboot screen appears, which shows the green robot on its back with its cover open.


Asus Fonepad 7 Tablet stuck on boot logo, and can't be booted into Recovery mode

Can you enter the droidboot mode by pressing the volume up and  power key, simultaneously. If yes, than you can install the firmware by using either   asus flashtool or adb command or using IntelAndroid- launcher.bat.

If you are unable to enter the droidboot mode, than you need to used the xfstk tool.


Samsung Galaxy S2 i9100 keeps getting Status 7 when installing CyanogenMod

Here is a FIX I found for you. Read thoroughly. This will solve your problem.

The first mistake that most people make is flashing incorrect/old/outdated version of recovery.

The second mistake is not matching the correct/proper ROM/firmware to the device hardware.

Incompatibilities when flashing account for the majority of failed installations.

Always make backups/nandroids


Add manually installed android apps to Google Play account

Sideloaded apps are not linked to Google Play. You will have to update them manually (i.e. sideloading)

What you could do is install Titanium Backup (needs root), and use its Attach to Market feature.

Another solution would be to use AppBrain instead of Google Play, because AppBrain scans the apps in your phone, and informs you of any updates.


apps close automatically while using and back button stops to work meanwhile

Try finding out, how many apps currently running when this problem occurs, as this problem can occur when an application is taking too much processing or your temporary memory is full. Try clearing apps from background by hitting the left most button below the screen.


how to unlink google account from oneplus two without access to the phone

it's like explained here

  Go to Google's security manager page, find the phone you logged in on and click "deauthorize".


Nexus I9250 - Got stuck with updating android 4.3 update

Building on Onik's comment, make sure that Wi-Fi only is not checked. In the Samsung Galaxy S4, this can be found in: System settings > More > About device > Software update > Wi-Fi only. So, check the About device section of your phone.


What does "Voice Command" "Unexpected server error occurred. Please try again." mean?

I was getting this error constantly today, so I went to Settings → Applications → All → Voice Command. From there I clicked Force Stop → OK then Clear Data → OK. Then I relaunched the voice command by tapping the microphone button on my Google search widget.

The Voice Command worked perfectly, and I haven't seen the error message in about an hour.


Hold on an icon and drag it over another icon should give you your the ability to create a folder. You can then drag other icons into this folder.

You could create various folders - one for games, one for apps, one for social, tools, etc.

If you've got duplicates, you should be able to hold the icon and drag it to an area of the screen that allows you to remove that particular icon. I'm not 100% sure where it is on a Transformer, but generally it's at the top of the screen.


What does the random "ding" in Google Maps Navigation signify?

It sounds like you might be getting the "ding" noise discussed on this Google groups post:

  Thanks for the question. The alert chime you here indicates is a
  prompt for an upcoming driving maneuver. It plays in places where the
  Text-to-Speech engine is either unsupported or unavailable, but it
  also may play if the data connection becomes flaky during guidance and
  Navigation isn't able to process a road name in time.


On Nexus 7 2013, Settings > Storage > Hamburger icon (top-right) > USB computer connection.


How can I get Google Voice to forward texts only when I'm not using Google Voice?

I think you might be misunderstanding how GV handles messages.

Receiving Messages:

When someone sends an SMS to your GV number it is received by Google and placed in your GV inbox - the setting you mention doesn't change that functionality, so either way you choose to have the app configured your GV SMS messages will still be available in the GV app (and, of course, your GV inbox in the cloud).

If you don't have a data connection then you'll get GV SMS messages delivered to your phone as soon as you have a data/wifi connection and your inbox is synced. Even if you set the GV app to Receive text messages > Also via the messaging app you'll still only receive the messages when your GV inbox is synced - you'll just also get the messages duplicated in your default SMS app.

Confusingly, you can also have your GV inbox setup to send SMS copy of the messages your GV number receives to your mobile's number using your carrier's SMS system. This isn't necessary if you have the GV app on your Android phone and want to use data/wifi to receive messages. I advise turning this setting off in your GV inbox web interface: Settings > Phones > [Mobile Phone] then uncheck Receive text messages on this phone. You will still receive texts sent to your GV number on your phone, just via the GV app using data/wifi and not your default SMS app using your carrier's SMS.

Sending Messages:

First, the easier stuff:

To send a text message from your GV number using data/wifi make
sure to use the GV app on your phone to compose and send messages.
To send a text message from your mobile number using your carrier's
SMS make sure to use the default SMS app on your phone.

Now, the harder stuff:

If you have Receive text messages > Also via the messaging app set in the GV app, you'll see the same text messages in both your GV app and your default SMS app. Please note that this is a slightly different condition than having Receive text messages on this phone set for your mobile phone in your GV inbox, even though the end result looks the same. Given this condition:

If you reply using the GV app you will reply from your GV number over data/wifi.
If you reply using the default SMS app you will reply from your GV number over your carrier's SMS (this is just as if GV sent your mobile an SMS copy and you replied to it on a non-smart phone).

I suspect some combination of the above settings and usage scenarios is causing your problem, and that by simply changing some settings or your habits (or both) will result in the behavior you're looking for.

EDIT: To help with confusion I've drawn a quick flowchart:


Can Android phones be set to automatically wipe all data after a certain amount of failed logins without an app?

The problem is that wiping data requires to overwrite it. On todays devices with lots of in-device flash memory and large SD-cards this can take a while - up to several hours. This leaves a lot for the attacker to interrupt this process and try again. Therefore wiping triggered by false login attempts is only reasonable if your data is encrypted. Then you wipe the device by simply erase the key from memory that is required to read/write your data.

Since Android Honeycomb (3.0) you have the possibility to encrypt all your data and to erase the device if the wrong password/pin has been entered several times. Therefore what you want to achieve is only possible with android tablets at the moment. For smartphones you have to wait for Android (4.0) Ice Cream Sandwich.