How to deal with "short GSM IDs" in Tasker

I never used Tasker, so I can only guess, but mobile cells are usually identified with four numbers: mobile country code, mobile network code, local area code and cell ID. Given that these are the numbers that are available for mobile cells, Tasker has to somehow derive these numbers from the ones I mentioned. I have no idea how, because I don't know the cells around you (and around here most of the cell IDs and local area codes have 5 digits. You can check yours too, with some other app, I use OpenSignal, which can give me the LAC/CellID).

As far as I know that 4321 can't be the mobile country code (it would be 3 digits, 432 is Iran) or the mobile network code (3 digits at most, only 2 digits in most countries), so my guess it that it's your local area code. And the other number after the period your cell ID, maybe. If my assumption is true, then it could mean something like that the line with only your LAC makes the app detect the local area with the mobile cells visible from the given area. It would mean that if you include the line then the app would think that you are in that local area even if you don't see any of the cells that you usually do when you're at the location, but you see cells from the same local area. That could mean being miles away. The maximum range of a GSM cell can be as much as 35 km. And if removed it could mean that the app would detect that you are not in the local area in the moment it can't detect the nearby cells temporarily for some reason. (Which can often happen.)

But this is just a guess.

Another guess is that 4321 is indicating byte order for some identification number (maybe one of them mentioned above). But then I have no idea why would the app behave like it was described.


How do I silence a call with my Samsung Fascinate?

You can silence the call without rejecting it by pressing and/or holding the physical volume down button.

Note that some phones accept a single momentary press, whilst others require you to hold the button for a moment or two.  It seems Samsungs tend to fall into the latter group.


How can I set a custom ringtone for a contact when using Google Voice?

I would first test by adding a 1 to a number and having them call you.  Android should be smart enough to treat them identically but Google Voice might not play nicely.

I'm not sure of the specifics of how GVoice works, but keep in mind that your contacts are calling Google and Google is calling you.  Somehow they pass on your contact's number, but it's spoofed, and your phone is probably relying on the "real" number (i.e. Google's number) for choosing the ringtone.


randomly trying to call will not ring once, beep and hang up

As strange as it may be, I did find a solution to this problem.  I noticed that if I switch data / 3G, the call would immediately go through.  I've tried this a lot of times where I couldn't call, switch off 3G and it immediately works.

Also, I've recently switched to CyanogenMod from the native Samsung Android installation, and I don't recall this happening again.  Not sure if it is some kind of bug in Samsung's version of Android.  I'm also using a more recent version of Android, so that could also be the reason.


Asus zenfone selfie in boot loop. USB debugging off. Std recovery mode accessible. No data backup. Anyway to recover data?

I've had the same problem. I've installed TWRP using the instructions here (but the files I downloaded were others; pay attention to your phone version, model, etc).

After booting on TWRP your files can be accessed using your PC normally, so you can do your backup, reflash your boot.img (look for it online, follow instructions on the same website I sent) and do a factory reset via recovery mode.

Hope it helps you and other people online.


While using CWM recovery on my nook touch I foolishly used a tool that wiped my entire partition, how do I fix it?

I fixed my problem by downloading a tool called noogie. You burn it onto the sdcard and on bootup you connect your working nook to a computer; preferably a Linux environment like Ubuntu and go to a program called Disks.

You create a disk image file saved to your preferable location. After the image is complete you safely disconnect the nook and boot up onto noogie on the bricked nook and flash the image with the dd command. Using gparted or disk will pinpoint the location necessary for the text command. I would not recommend using the burn image option on the disk program as it will launch errors.

After the image is complete use the dd command to burn the image to the bricked nook's location.

sudo dd  if=/location/restore.img of=/dev/nook_location

The link below will give you the recovery tools needed.

https://code.google.com/archive/p/nst-recovery/downloads


What is the difference between nordic, global, etc. firmware versions?

Languages support I guess, plus the build number targets the specific SI numbers found underneath the battery hence the differences between them, however minor they may be, to target the region itself.


There are apps that disables the lock scren when you are connected to certain WiFi or when your phone cell is connected to certain tower or as per your requirement, on GPS.

I believe, but not sure, tasker can do it with GPS.

But why not use the WiFi address to disable unlock. I reckon it will be more useful than GPS.

Look at http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/automatically-disable-android-lockscreen-when-connected-to-home-wifi/ for automatically disabling locks creen on WiFi.

Also don't forget to check llama, awesome and free location based profile management. You can do tons of stuff based on what cell tower you are connected to.


Can't you just split the contact up in two? so if the account have two Google accounts it is just two contacts on your address book.
It looks to me that you are only able to choose between more numbers, so if your contacts have multiple phone numbers you can choose between them, but emails you aren't. (even when they are added as Hangout emails and is a verified Google+ account.)
The way i would do it is split them up in multiple contacts and then make a group chat with that person that have more then one Google account.


Using WhatsApp on emulator, how to scan the QR for WhatsApp web?

You have to have a camera. Try with an external webcam installed on the PC.
Or hope some root programmer shell guide. Keep on googling.


How to listen to Microsoft Media Stream (mms) on Android?

I know TuneIn can play MMS radio, but from what I see, only ones from a predefined set. ChuvRadio doesn't seem to be there yet. Maybe you can submit your station to them?


Google only keeps track of your Google contacts.  The Contacts app on Android allows other apps to provide data to it.  That's how you get your Skype etc. contacts on your phone but Google can't know what they will be and can't sync them.


What functionality is only available when syncing to Windows or OS X?

As Trampster said, currently Samsung are only pushing firmware updates through their Windows-only Kies software. Many manufacturers push out the updates wirelessly "OTA" (over-the-air) straight to the phone, so never go near a PC, and some provide a file that you download onto the phone's SD card and then boot the phone into a special update mode, none of these have any desktop OS requirements.

Other than that most of Android is designed to sync with "the cloud" so Mail, Calendar, Contacts, etc all sync with GMail, social networking sites, and some 3rd party mail/calendar/contacts providers straight from the phone to the server.

Music, pictures, videos etc live on the micro-SD card in your phone which can be mounted as a drive on any OS that can normally mount USB drives. See this SuperUser question about mounting a Galaxy S on Ubuntu where it turned out to be much easier than the questioner thought What is the mount point Samsung Galaxy S for Ubuntu Desktop?

Apps either save their data to the SD card, sync to a server on the web, or (in very rare cases, but I do have one app that does this) sync via WiFi to a PC on the local LAN.

So, in general Android phones really don't care what your desktop OS is, as you'll rarely need to do anything other than connect it as a USB drive.


Try opening the application by touching on the notification. If this doesn't help, touch and hold on the notification, this would pop up app info tab open app info and clear cache memory and  force stop the application also if you can clear the memory of the app that should definitely solve the problem (this step particularly can clear all of the data from the memory)


None of the carriers in the US support this that I know of. But according to the android supported codec page, AMR-WB (Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband) is supported by android devices. As long as the carrier is actually using the "spec" to transmit the "HD Voice" over the GSM/CMDA network, there is nothing special that needs to be done for android devices, it will support both Normal and HD calls.

To explain a little further. When an HD call comes in on a device that supports AMR-WB, and it is enabled (based on the comments below that some may not have support enabled), nothing has to be done on the device side. All that is sent to the device is an audio stream, the stream is in the AMR-WB format and the device decodes that automatically. Because it is an audio codec specification and the support for that exists on the device you are able to send/receive using this codec.


How to solve invalid IMEI problem in LG G3?

A solution for this problem has been given in multiple sources, such as: this, this, and this. However, in those cases either the phone model is different, or the Android version on the device is different.

Solving this problem requires couple of steps:

0) Setup description

1) Accessing the hidden menu for LG G3 on Android Marshmallow 6.0 & enable DIAG MODE

The solution for this is given in the following xda post

Basically, following steps 1-7 from that post was sufficient for me (given that I had installed the latest version of LG drivers: LGMobileDriver_WHQL_Ver_4.2.0.exe)

  Download LG United Mobile Driver or LG Mobile Driver. (I don't think it matters.
  Install it.
  Go to Device Manager on your Windows Machine.
  Physically Connect your phone to the computer and set it to CHARGE ONLY (This is necessary).
  , Then Go to your phone Dialer PAD and type in the code: *#546368#*855# (Replace 855 with the LG G3 model Number - 855 is the international model)

  It should automatically launch you to the hidden Menu.

  Navigate to USB > PORT CHECK TEST. (Not sure if this is necessary at all...but won't hurt to enable it anyway.. you may skip this or
  not..it depends..idk)

  Enable it

  Then Navigate back to USB > QMICMSet

  Click 'OK'. ( Immediately you should see TWO Notifications Display: "LGE Android Phone" Under "Other Devices" with a yellow exclamation.

2) Use QPST to modify the IMEI

For this you have to use the proper version of QPST, that is: 2.7.378. The required software can be found here: http://www.mediafire.com/file/figdbxb75j5kyry/package.rar

For the remaining steps you can follow everything after 06:00 from the afore-mentioned video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2lHFy7AciE), or steps 1-28 after this line:

  [After it you will have a 2G network but no 3G\4G network because of
  the imei of the device is 0.So you must restore it with QPST.

in this post: https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g3/general/service-disabled-current-version-t3403232

  Make sure you LG G3 is running the stock LG firmware [..] If your phone does not have official firmware
  installed on it, restore it to stock first. Install the latest LG USB
  drivers on your computer.
  Now download the IMEI converter tool and unzip it.
  Download QPST (Qualcomm Product Support Tools) and unzip it.
  Open the QPST_2.7_378 and run the setup file to install it on your computer.
  Enable USB debugging on your device. You can find this option under Settings> Developer options. Connect your device to the computer.
  Run QPST configuration and click on Ports tab. Click on Add new port option.
  Your current port should show as COM4/5.
  Select the port and click OK. The port should come up on active phones.
  Select the phone and click the Software Download option from Start clients menu.
  Now click on Backup tab. You should see your phone’s port.
  Click on Start to initiate backup.
  Now navigate to C:/ Program Files/ qualcomm/ qpst/bin folder.
  Run RF_NV_Manager.
  Click File> Read from phone. Your phone’s IMEI number should appear on number 550; NV_IMEI_I
  If you do not see item 550, do not panic.
  Click on File> Read supported RF NV items.
  Click on item 550. You would see 9 blank fields.
  Now run IMEI Converter.exe.
  Now type your phone’s IMEI in Enter IMEI field. You can find your IMEI on your phone’s bill or the box your device came in.
  Then click on  button.
  You should see 18 digits in groups of 9.
  In RF_NV_Manager program, click on Hex by Write NV button.
  In the 9 boxes, type in the numbers from IMEI converter starting from left. Type in first group of two numbers in the first field, then
  go to the next field and type in second 2 digits.
  When you are done with doing this, click on Write NV option.
  Then click File> Read from phone.
  Item number 550 should appear now.
  Disconnect the USB cable and reboot it.
  Open phone’s dialer and dial *#06#. You should see your phone’s IMEI now.

Credit for the solution goes to the original authors in xda and yt, I just put together their stuff.


How to stop an app from draining the battery without uninstalling that app?

You can try Greenify it freezes the app when you are not explicitly using it. There is an experimental feature to make it work without root but I didn't try it since my phone is rooted.

There is also Disable Service that can disable single services. It requires root access.


You need to install the google search apk before the google now launcher


Unlock bootloader using fastboot using Ubuntu/Linux

Linux users: If you're stuck in "waiting for device", make sure you run fastboot as root, such as:

$ sudo ./fastboot oem get_identifier_token
...
(bootloader)
(bootloader) < Please cut following message >
(bootloader) <<<< Identifier Token Start >>>>
(bootloader) C8750A7847621A009AAC7949E9B41A52
...
(bootloader) 7206C18600834B50AB6FA9F4A9AFC71C
(bootloader) <<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>>
OKAY [  0.004s]
finished. total time: 0.005s


Android (Galaxy Tab 6) Will not reboot to bootloader

I resolved it. I discovered that its a problem that was quite common with the T580. I was mistaken about fastboot being on there. The issue is actually with the version of TWRP that was being used. It it for the T580, but does not work. This file must be used -- twrp_3.2.3-1_sm-t580_29918.tar . That version works flawlessly.


Music app overlay with control on volume level change

I have tried a number of media players and I don't think such a feature is offered by any of them. However, as a workaround, I offer this solution:

Whenever you would press a volume button, provided a music is playing, the status bar would automatically drop down, giving access to persistent notification of your music player along with its media controls.

Follow these instructions:

Install MacroDroid.
Go to Accessibility settings in your Settings app and enable both the accessibility services of MacroDroid.
Launch MacroDroid → Add Macro:

Trigger: Volume Button Pressed → Use Accessibility Service → Volume Up → Update Volume
Action: Expand/Collapse Status Bar → Expand Status Bar
Condition: Music Active → Music Playing

Make an another macro with same action, same condition, same action but choose Volume Down, instead of Volume Up.
Play a song, and test the volume buttons.


Try this: find the .android folder in your home directory, and replace the adb_usb.ini file with this one. this tells your computer to let adb work with a load of different usb devices. You may need to restart ADB via the command line:

adb kill-server
adb start-server

and now adb should show you your device

adb devices


Android Emulator using Hardware Keyboard has no "Umlauts"

Well, that turned out to be so easy that I didn't found any documentation about that. What you have to do is to long press the keyboard keys just as you do in a soft keyboard, it will show a popup with diacritics you can use for that letter (in the image you can see what happens when you long press letter "u"). Then click on the button corresponding to the character you want to use or the close button to exit.

(This image contains icons from Farm Fresh Icons by Fatcow Web Hosting)

Note that not all letters have this behavior, in which case at long pressing they repeat as normally do elsewhere.


I found one that does just this last week. Check out http://www.youmail.com. It's an app you download, but can manage it from their website. You can record different greetings for different people; family, business and the main reason I got it.... the number has been disconnected for people I REALLY don't want to talk to! I also have a msg just for Blocked Called IDs, telling them I dont accept them and to unblock their number. And...it's FREE :)


How to change font in Huawei Honor 3C without root

Without root you can not change fonts on adnroid phone. But if you want to view webpages with sinhala fonts download firefox for android and then get addon https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/android/addon/sinhala-fonts-package.  Now you can view all webpages in sinhala fonts without any complex procedure or root.


Problem with downloading files from play market and websites

It is possible that the Play Store is having some issues writing on your phone. However, given that your phone is new(ish) and that there is nothing that's going on a SD card, it makes me think that the Play Store is getting confused.

Depending on what GAPPS package you installed, there could be a variety of tweaks that are done to the package. I would double check with goo.im or XDA to see hat GAPPS to install with your rom/device. Perhaps removing the Play Store, then installing a GAPPS with the right play store app would fix the problem.

Additionally, it could be that you have your runtime on ART instead of Dalvik and the Play Store is glitching up. To check your runtime, go to Settings -> Developer Options -> Select runtime.


Transfer *.contact from PC to Samsung Galaxy S 2

If I'm understanding what you are saying, you synced all your iPhone contacts to Windows and have *.contact files in the Contacts folder.

So download Samsung Kies and you will be able to sync the contacts from PC to phone.

Alternatively, in Windows export your contacts as a CSV file and then import this into the Gmail/Google account you have linked to your phone. These contacts can then be synced from Google to your phone.


How to turn off red-dotted-underline spelling check when text-messaging?

You can use an alternative SMS app, e.g. Handcent. I think the spell checking feature is probably HTC specific (AFAIK, HTC has their own SMS app).


How do I change my default alarm clock app?

Say: "Okay Google, set a timer".
When it prompts you for the duration, there will be an option somewhere on the screen where you can click and select a different timer app.


Why external microphone doesnt work on some Androids (like LG G5)

tl:dr; Based on your observation that it works with Moto but not with LG, my guess is that it is due to conflicting TRRS standards -there are two standards. OMTP which is the older standard and CTIA/ AHJ which is the standard all newer Android devices are expected to follow

Details and solutions to overcome are listed

From TS/TRS/TRRS/TRRRS: Combating the misconnection epidemic by Allan Tépper - ProVideo Coalition which talks of this problem on Android phones

There are two TRRS standards - OMTP and CTI / AHJ

OMTP is the older standard

  The older OMTP wiring standard calls for Tip to be used for left audio, Ring 1 to be used for right audio, ring 2 to be used for microphone, and the sleeve to be used for ground. According to my research, this older OMTP standard is found in old Nokia (and also Lumia starting from the 2nd generation), old Samsung (2012 Chromebooks), old Sony Ericsson (2010 and 2011 Xperias), Sony (PlayStation Vita) and the OnePlus One I used to own before migrating to a Nexus 6 for use with Project Fi.

CTIA/AHJ is the newer standard, and is the standard to be followed for all Android devices, except where legal requirements mandate OMTP  ( see 3.5 mm Headset: Accessory Specification  |  Android Open Source Project)

  The newer CTIA/AHJ wiring standard reverses the last two mentioned, so it calls for Tip to be used for left audio, Ring 1 to be used for right audio, ring 2 to be used for ground, and the sleeve to be used for microphone. According to my research, this newer CTIA/AHJ wiring standard is used in products from Apple, HTC, latest Nokia, latest Samsung, Jolla, Sony (Dualshock 4), Microsoft (including Surface, Lumia, and XboxOne controller with chat adapter) and most Android phones.

From this, it appears that your devices are using different standards, though it's difficult to say which device is using which standard , but Moto being the older phone is probably using the older standard while LG is using newer standard.

Pictorial representation (see for discussion on more phones including Apple )

Problems in connection are around
Ground  - since mic and ground are different in both standards. See also from SE.Electronics Hacking a TRRS to TRS adapter

Solutions

HAND TO KEY: Converting an OMTP/CTIA headphone to a standard TRS audio connection explains the steps in DIY project
Use TRRS to 3.5mm Stereo & Microphone Adapter. Alternatively,
OMTP/CTIA adapter can bridge the gap between a stereo headset and the wrong brand of smartphone ( bi-directional TRRS Standards Adapter for going between CTIA and OMTP or vice/versa)

Samples of the last two options are linked at the end of blog here

Using a TRRS to RCA adaptor as explained Add an audio input to Android
. A similar approach worked , though in a different case How do I use an external microphone with my Galaxy Nexus?

Before you invest  money, you can possibly verify by swapping the ground and mic , see this example from SE.Electronics

Edit: Post your edit today , saw This you tube video suggests that Wireless TRRS microphone adaptor worked to fix the wireless problem on LG V 10. I don't have any details on that or why it works but maybe worth giving it a shot considering, it's not expensive


How much space do the data of apps take on the phone storage?

I'm pretty sure that the space shown for each app is the space used on the phone storage, and does not include space used on the SD card.  You can verify this by checking an app in Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications, then unmount and remove the SD card and check again.


Can I transfer google play data to another gmail account address?

No, you can't. However for games, based on this answer:

  the answer is it depends "on how the game data is saved by the developer"  For most games, no, you can't move their progress from one account to another.  But, some games do have that ability.

  You'll have to check with the developer of each game directly to see if they have coded that ability for their game.  Google doesn't have an overarching way to move data.


Android Chrome wifi “Sign into Wi-Fi network” how to disable redirect to www.Google.com

As I answered here, if you're rooted,

  Just execute su then settings put global captive_portal_server SERVER_YOU_WANT_TO_USE in a terminal emulator app or ADB shell.

However, not all servers respond properly to HTTP 204 requests, so CNN might not be feasible for example. A possible list of usable ones can be seen in this answer.


Why would a tablet not have Google Play?

The answer is most likely that your Polaroid tablet isn't licensed to use Google Play. There are a number of requirements that must be met before Google licenses its app store for use on a tablet. Some of it has to do with software compatibility tests that pass or fail for the device.

This is from the Polaroid tablet FAQ:

http://www.polaroid.com/faqs/tablet-faqs/i-cannot-use-google-play-store-why

It says: "Our tablets are not licenced with GooglePlay store as of yet..."

I'm not sure how old that FAQ message is, though, as it goes on to suggest that tablets don't need Google Play but smart phones do. Weird. It also says that you can use Amazon's app store.

There's also this link which goes over how to install Google Play on a Polaroid tablet. I don't know how good it is, but it might work for you...

http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/04/07/how-to-install-google-apps-gplay-etc-on-polaroi-pmid701

I'm not sure why any Android device manufacturer wouldn't include Google Play. My guess is it requires a fee to license it from Google. But supposedly it costs nothing to run their open source compatibility test to prove their devices are compatible with Google Play. There may also be other legal issues, especially with regards to different regions, content distribution and encryption.


Unlocked bootloader but cant root. (Mac)

You should be able to download the latest SuperSU from Chainfire and push it to your SD card and reboot into recovery mode -> install zip from SD -> select SuperSU.zip and it should install the SU binaries.  You should be good from there.


What do you mean "do anything that is connected to a network"? Like access //mycomputername?

Connecting to a share on a computer connected to the same network is not part of wifi, it is another protocol called SMB or CIFS. Android does not support connecting to cifs out of the box. There are apps that allow you to browse for files on network shares, like Astro File Manager (with the SMB plugin).

There are Custom ROMs that do have built in support for CIFS, like CyanogenMod for example.


Is it possible to install an FM Radio application to get local frequencies?

That really depends on if there is an app to stream stations from your country, unless you are talking about a real FM radio receiver function in the phone.

My s10e doesn't have an FM radio function, so the only way for me to get 'FM stations' is by streaming the station over the Internet with an app. I assume yours is the same. If not, read below. Carriers like to disable the FM radio to force you to use your data.

So if some company has built an app to stream stations like 'Iheartradio' in the US, then you can use it. Also, some US stations have websites that allow you to stream their station using a web browser. You might try that.

If you are talking about an actual FM rađio receiver app that uses 88Mhz to 108Mhz and your country doesn't use those frequencies, all I can tell you is you can try to find an app for your country. But if the radio in the phone is the US format, changing the app probably won't change the frequency capability of the hardware radio inside the phone.

As far as I know, the only areas that haven't switched to the 88-108Mhz band is Japan and Eastern Europe so Samsung may not make hardware specifically for your region.


Check to see if Battery Saving Mode is ON.   By turning that function off on my phone, the Bluetooth issue was gone.


Google Voice : Your phone number couldn't be verified

You mentioned that you're not a US citizen, but do you live in the US and have a US phone number? If not, Google voice is not yet available outside US, and you just have to wait for them to expand the service.


How mount (or auto mount) an usb stick formated with ext4 and be visible or working with apps on Android 5 , Marshmallow and later versions

We still need root. First I need make a dir in /data/media/0/ (/sdcard)

mkdir /data/media/0/usb1/

which means usb is not detect as usb ever but I can read data from apps that it is what I want .

After I made a script with :

su -mm -c "mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /data/media/0/usb1/";
su -mm -c "mount -t ext4 /dev/block/sda1 /storage/emulated/0/usb1/"

and after with https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=os.tools.scriptmanager

I made a favorite script and with the add-on to create a launchers, I made a icon in home screen (shortcut I preferred instead widget) and on click it, it mount my ext4 USB pens.


Why root cannot access ".android_secure" directory on external SD card?

A quick search reveals that there exist similar unanswered questions (this, this and this). Let me try to demystify it, starting with brief history.

WHAT IS .android_secure DIRECTORY?

In order to solve the problem of space shortage in internal storage, app2sd (Move to SD Card) was Android's native feature up to Lollipop. With this method .apk files (or whole /data/app/<pkg>/ directories) are moved as encrypted .asec files to .android_secure folder on external SD card or internal sdcard partition (mounted at /mnt/sdcard/ or /mnt/media_rw/sdcard[N]/). On every boot .android_secure is bind mounted to /mnt/secure/asec/ and the (ext4) filesystem containers (.asec) are decrypted (using dm-crypt) and mounted to individual directories (named after package names) in a temporary filesystem mounted at /mnt/asec/ by vold. Symlinks from /data/app/<pkg>/ and possibly /data/data/<pkg>/lib/ are pointing towards /mnt/asec/<pkg>/ and /mnt/asec/<pkg>/lib/.

WHY ACCESS TO .android_secure IS RESTRICTED?

From the early days of Android, access to android_secure folder (which later became .android_secure) was restricted. The commit states:

  In order to protect the /android_secure directory on VFAT removable media from being mucked with by 3rd party applications on the device, we hide the directory with a read-only, zero-sized tmpfs mounted on-top.

Later in Android 4.4 when FUSE was started being used for emulating SD cards from original mount point (/mnt/media_rw/sdcard1) to user accessible path (/storage/sdcard1/), the zero-sized tmpfs functionality (Ignore attempts to access security sensitive files) was shifted to sdcard daemon which was used to mount FUSE. In Android 6 the app2sd method was abandoned in favor of Adoptable Storage (also filesystem UUID was included in mount points).

In Android 7 sdcardfs support was added in parallel to FUSE and the "Always block security-sensitive files" functionality was added to sdcardfs in kernel. In Android 9 FUSE was completely removed (from sdcard daemon) but the sdcardfs still blocks creation/deletion of .android_secure directories in the root of emulated filesystem. However as you noticed, it's possible to access the path through original non-emulated mount point i.e. /mnt/media_rw/[UUID]/.android_secure.

For details on filesystem emulation, see What is /storage/emulated/0/?

WHY ROOT CAN'T ACCESS A DIRECTORY?

  How is it ever possible to deny root the ability to list a directory entry?

root is nothing but kernel's dear user. Kernel doesn't stop UID 0 from doing any harm or good. But there are things which are dearer to kernel than root. It includes SELinux 1, Linux capabilities 2 and obviously the filesystem restrictions like we see with FUSE 3 and sdcardfs 4. And like root cannot delete a file with immutable attribute 5. It's possible to remove any such restriction or add more by modifying kernel source.

1 See explanation and example.
2 A simple demonstration:

~# setpriv --bounding-set -sys_admin -- sh -c 'id; mount -o ro,remount /'
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root)
mount: permission denied (are you root?)

3 FUSE documentation:

  "No other user (including root) can access the contents of the mounted filesystem"

4 UID 0 is checked after filename (.android_secure) is checked.
5 Why can't I delete this file as root?

RELATED:

Android's Storage Journey
How to save files to external SD card?


Can I use my Mobile's wifi adapter in Desktop PC

It is possible but for that you need to use reverse tethering and then create a wifi hotspot.You can view this XDA thread for more information
PS:- Do you have a laptop? If yes, then you can use wifi hotspot apps to create a hotspot from your laptop


You can add the credit card to your Google Wallet account while leaving it in your friend's account. (My wife and I have each others card under both of our accounts.)

As for the "no longer available" message; that refers to their account only.


"There is an internal problem with your device, and it might be unstable until you factory data reset."

You guessed correctly. It is a mismatch between the build fingerprint mentioned in the build.prop file in the system partition and the build.prop file in the vendor image, specifically the ro.vendor.build.fingerprint key.

As fas as I know, that happens when the vendor partition and system partition were built separately from different builds or versions.

There are several fixes for this issue, I'll specify two I've personally tried and successfully got rid of this annoying error message.

Runtime Fix

The first fix is in runtime and requires root access on adb. We'll mount the images and just make the fingerprint value match by copying it from one partition to the other.

adb root
mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /system
adb remount
adb pull /vendor/build.prop ./build.prop.vendor
adb pull /system/build.prop ./build.prop.system
copy the value from build.prop.system to build.prop.vendor for ro.vendor.build.fingerprint
adb push ./build.prop.vendor /vendor/build.prop
adb reboot

Compile Time Fix

The second fix I like more because it actually removes the check completely from the code. If you are building your own Android flavor, or at least compiling it yourself you can just change the code and disable this feature.

The code that checks the fingerprint and eventually raises that error is found in

/frameworks/base/core/java/android/os/Build.java.

Look for the following method:

public static boolean isBuildConsistent()

Simply comment out all the code in it and replace it with

return true;

This will make your build always "consistent" and no fingerprint problems will ever be raised.


what backup/sync app is recommended for android phones (without computer)?

I heard Dropbox is a good alternative, but I have not tried it myself.


Verify if apps are fully compatible to the intended Android version upgrade

I am looking for a way to list all apps (on my device) and compare with Play Store information to know which/ how many apps are upgraded to API 23 to take a call, whether to upgrade or not [to use doze feature.]

It would be interesting to have a solution for this, but it turned out that you don't have to bother about all of this when it comes to upgrading to Marshmallow. In the document Optimizing for Doze and App Standby, Google has noted:

  Doze and App Standby manage the behavior of all apps running on Android 6.0 or higher, regardless whether they are specifically targeting API level 23.

(Emphasis mine)


SOLVED: S7 Edge SM-G935S Soft-bricked: Unable to mount all partitions

The solution to this problem is as followed:

Following the guide here to flash the stock firmware and Repartition the device.

Here is a full write up of the Repartition process, taken straight from the Sammobile forum website by the member greenman. This is for in case of the website is not available.

"Here is how to install an S7 firmware

In the S7 firmware Samsung are now providing 5 files.

Phone preparation:
To avoid any issues with FRP (Factory Reset Protection) go to Settings > About device > build number > Tap 7 times to activate Developer options.
Now go to Developer options > OEM unlock

FRP LOCK and OEM LOCK are now both OFF.

1. Download and install Odin on your PC

    [Download Odin v3.11.1][http://dl.sammobile.com/Odin3-v3.11.1.zip]

2. Choose your FIRMWARE by putting in your phone Model version
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares

3. Download and unzip your firmware (do not use WinRAR as it can give errors)

4. From your download put these files into Odin:

BL
AP
CP
CSC (not HOME_CSC)

5. Now look at the Odin Settings (for this select Options)

F.reset time
Auto reboot

6. Installing another country CSC or a network CSC will need the system partition size changing.
For this select Options and add this setting

Re-partition

NOTE:
1. You will get a WARNING from Odin.
You can ignore this.

2. If you are installing a multi csc firmware, and your existing CSC is in that firmware, then DO NOT select Re-partition.
You can check if your firmware is multi-csc by installing this app:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.vndnguyen.phoneinfo&hl=en]

3. To receive OTA updates, after installing the firmware, put phone into Recovery Mode to wipe cache then wipe data/factory reset.

A video guide here
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SK3IMprKVQ]
In the video guide the csc is not being changed and so Re-partition is not selected

Hope that helps."


Can't uninstall app says already uninstalled

This may be a simple glitch! Try some troubleshooting...

Turn off developer settings.
Install ES file explorer. Go to App manager in the Es file explorer.
Try to uninstall the app from that app manager.
IF u still cant do that?
Delete the app directory(your own app) & restart the phone.


/storage/emulated/0 is the path your device uses to reference your storage space. So if you are browsing the storage/SD card, you can simply look for the gosms folder directly.


Does "Visited " shown on Google's My Activity mean that the app has been installed?

No, Google's My Activity showing "Visited <name of app>" on Google Play Store doesn't mean that the app has been installed. It literally just means that the app detail has been seen on the Google Play Store app, regardless if it's installed or not. In fact, My Activity doesn't even add any entry for app installation, so there's no way to know if an app is installed from there.
Alternative ways to know are:

Searching for "Used <name of app>" in My Activity instead
Browsing Google Play Store's My Apps. It lists apps that have been installed at one time unless the entry has been manually removed by the user from the Play Store app


If you have Android 6 or higher the PC cant harm your phone if:

Your phone hasnt USB-debugging enabled or the PC isnt trusted
The phone IS NOT in sideload or download mode
You didnt allowed MTP or any stuff like that


CWM - Can I make CWM mount a different External SD Card Partition - LG e400f

The answer is yes,no,maybe. You might hit a snag with the fat/ext/fat scheme on your card but here goes,

I have a debian chroot <ext4> set up in

/dev/block/mmcblk1p2 --> my extSdCard 2nd partition.

So i edit the following in my recovery ramdisk --> Philz Adv CWM

init.rc --> add a directory export

under the on init section

export DEBIAN_ROOT /debian

in etc/recovery.fstab of recovery ramdisk

/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.2/by-num/p2              /debian      ext4    rw,errors=panic    wait

Remember this is cwm fstab format, adjust for twrp if needed! Your own device in regular operation will show you the right layout. Remember to set correct <type>for partition.

After you have all that done and have repacked and reflashed your recovery,

root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb reboot recovery
root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell mount /debian && adb shell mount | grep debian
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.2/by-num/p2 on /debian type ext4 (rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered)

    root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell
    ~ # uname -a
    Linux localhost 3.4.0-Carmilla-mb74- #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Dec 27 22:41:40 EST 2014 armv7l GNU/Linux
    ~ # ls /debian
    AIK         etc         lost+found  policy-k    sbin        t-src
    bin         home        media       proc        selinux     tmp
    boot        images      mnt         root        srv         usr
    dev         lib         opt         run         sys         var
    ~ #

I won't be going into the unpacking/repacking part of the procedure as i am sure that is covered elsewhere.

For a treat, i am still in recovery but exit back out to linux term because it's easier to mount system,

root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell mount /system
root@kali:/storage/tempus# adb shell
~ # go-deb
root@localhost:/# ls
AIK   dev   images      media  policy-k  run      srv    tmp
bin   etc   lib         mnt    proc      sbin     sys    usr
boot  home  lost+found  opt    root      selinux  t-src  var
root@localhost:/#

And after running my go-deb script after mounting /system i am now in my chroot while in recovery. No wifi though, i forgot to square away the modules.


Chrome shows black screen when playing video, but performs well when full screen

If every video behaves this way, it could be a bug in the display driver for your TV stick. When a video plays full-screen, the video decoder writes the decoded video directly into the framebuffer, a special part of memory that holds the image being displayed. When a video is played inside another window, it instead uses an overlay, which is a way of combining the video output and the rest of the screen.

If playing videos works fullscreen but not inside another window, this could be a symptom of a error in the part of the display driver that handles overlays. You could check with the manufacturer to see if an updated ROM fixes the error.


Why are calls auto-routing via sipDroid?

There's an option in the sipDroid settings (that appears automatically the first time you start it) saying whether it should be the default dialer or not. You'll need to change that setting.


Motorola Fire XT on boot loop - flash/recover without powering on?

your phone is bootlooping, I don't know what kind of app you've installed on your phone.
about recovery mode, that's it, you're in recovery mode, after presing vol up + vol down when you turn on the phone, after a while you'll find your screen blank with "enter Recovery mode" on screen, it's normal you've seen white triangle with android mark, just touch home softpad to enter the real recovery mode, try to reset factory from it.
if your phone still won't boot to the system, so the only way I can suggest you is by flashing with sbf ROM via RSD Lite.


Can I disable the default calendar app notifications?

I don't know how to make the setting stick, but if you are using ICS you can easily disable the Samsung calendar app - so it will act as if it is uninstalled.

You can disable it by clicking the Disable button on the App settings page - just above the disable notifications checkbox.

Once this is done, reboot your device and it will act as if that app is no longer installed!


How can I securely store my private key I use for logging into my home PC

I use ssh in a terminal.

$ ls -l .ssh
-rw-------    1 10106    10106          427 Jan  8 07:39 id_rsa
-rw-rw-rw-    1 10106    10106          319 Jan  8 07:39 id_rsa.pub
...
$ pwd
/data/data/com.magicandroidapps.bettertermpro/home

So the private key is protected simply by the unix filesystem and Android's user-per-app design: only Better Terminal Emulator Pro can read id_rsa, and only ssh and other programs I'm aware of run under it.

Whatever your app is, it need only do this to enjoy the same security from other apps.  Full-sdcard encryption, unless it comes packaged with a filesystem having a comparable system of permissions, will not protect your data from other apps.


Manually set a hostname for IP address (i.e. /etc/hosts equiv.?)

Firefox Mobile supports HTTP proxies, so whilst it's a different rendering engine you should at least be able to get a feel for how your UI performs on a small touchscreen.  Here's how to get to the secret config section - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/758279

The default browser includes proxy support in Gingerbread (although that doesn't help you and your unrooted Desire right now, HTC should be offering an OTA update to Gingerbread soon, or it may spur you into rooting and re-flashing your phone).

(For both of these, you'd need to configure a proxy on your network so that it can serve up your foo.xyz domain)

Finally, you could always use the Android SDK's emulator.  Performance will be painfully slow, but you would at least be running the same rendering engine.

Edit: As GAThrawn mentions in the comments above, you could also possibly achieve what you want using DNS entries on your network's default DNS server or a development DNS server.  Your phone will pick up your wifi network's default DNS server, or you can change it to something specific via Settings > Wireless & networks > Wi-Fi settings > Menu softkey > Advanced.


How can I determine if my device supports MHL?

Perhaps you should try checking here first: MHL Devices

Another way is using a third party tool: Checker for MHL (HDMI)


Android ignore the hosts (etc/hosts) when it's in LTE network?

As already suggested by OP, the issue was caused by proxy in APN settings.

Disabling proxy in APN settings (which interferes with host blocking usually by ignoring the hosts file) solved the issue.


Trying to uninstall a keyboard, 'uninstall' grayed out, no root

Most pre-installed keyboards are system apps.  System apps can't be uninstalled without root access.


where are the free books the kindle app offers?

The majority of books on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and the like, are definitly payed for. All of them offer some free books to get you in, but you end up in a "closed ecosystem": you can read them only with their dedicated readers, as they often use their own formats (Amazon) or at least some DRM.

If you want to go for free content, you're much better of chosing an eBook reader app supporting the open ePub format (some exemples include, but are not restricted to: Moon+ Reader, FBReader, and Aldiko. At least the first two already ship with a load of free libraries pre-configured, which they can access directly from inside the app.


Is it possible to improve word suggestions?

Swiftkey have an article on this although it's a little vague, it's seems more like they are describing how to use entirely different keyboards here:

  I want to use a different keyboard, how do I switch?

  Press and hold in any text field to bring up the pop-up text menu and
  choose Input Method. Here you can choose other keyboard types,
  including the default Android Keyboard.

  On devices running Android 4.0 and later, whenever the keyboard is on
  screen you should see a notification in the notification bar that will
  take you to the input method selection screen when clicked.


is more battery-dispendious shutting down or leave 3g on?

Turning off 3g and reactivate it later would consume less power, as all the data can be fetched once the 3g radio is in the high power state

When it is left idle, even for the most trivial data transfers, like checking the weather, the same cycle has to be repeated. Because of the long tail time that holds the device in a power mode, transmitting data as a series of small data bursts takes much longer and requires much more battery power than it does to send a single bigger burst.


Why is the global mobile data usage higher than the sum over all the applications?

Many Samsung S10/Note10 users are affected by this issue as this can be seen in this thread. So, this is a bug, and there's nothing one can do, except waiting.


Does the IP address over a mobile data connection (gprs, 3g/4g) change every time on new connection?

The answer is this varies by carrier and can vary for any number of other circumstances such as market, locale, and traffic density... Both answers you referenced are correct for certain situations. I have also seen DHCP leases in crowded mobile network areas be under 4 hours... So does your IP address change every time you connect? Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't, there is no definite answer that encompasses all/most situations.


Can I recover Android for Galaxy S4 after installing other operation system?

You must make a nandroid backup of your android before making any changes to it. If you made a nandroid backup, then yes.. You can recover android later anytime you want.


That means something's wrong with the package setup. For your reference, here are a few links with more detailed information:

android duplicate provider authority - Stack Overflow
Android duplicate provider authority problem - Stack Overflow
Angry Birds Seasons Summer Pignic Now Available | AngryBirdsNest (search for "duplicate provider" on this page, should appear around the middle)
Duplicate provider authority error when installing K-9 mail - Google Groups

Recommendation: Contact developer (for security reasons both developers, in case somebody faked the signature). It's most likely a copy-and-paste error during the packaging process, so the developer might release a fixed update soon.


The solution to my problem was that somehow my phone couldn't access the Samsung Account site over my home network. I've switched to a hotspot of my other phone, and now everything is working as it should. I was lead to this solution because I've seen other people having problems with accessing the Samsung Account site. Perhaps some providers have problems with this.


My songs will not play on my galaxy tab 3

Try to clean cache of the app you were using. If that doesnt help then clean data of the app also and also of the default  media players.
Lastly you can try to clean cache/ dalvik cache of the device.
That should be enough in most cases.


Is "Disabling" apps with Android 4 similar to "Freezing" in Titanium backup?

Yes, they achieve the same thing. Not only the app would not be available in the app drawer but the app cannot be launched using am start too. The only difference is that default mechanism allows you to disable specific pre-installed apps while Titanium Backup would allow you to disable any app.

For Android version like 4.2.1, when you disable a pre-installed app from Android "Settings", this line would show up in /data/system/users/0/package-restrictions.xml:

<pkg name="PKG_NAME" enabled="3" />

For Android 4.4 or 5.x, it would be:

<pkg name="PKG_NAME" enabled="3" enabledCaller="com.android.settings" />

where PKG_NAME → package name of an app, such as for Calculator it is com.android.calculator2.

However, when you disable aka freeze an app using Titanium Backup, the enabledCaller gets the value shell:0, i.e.:

<pkg name="PKG_NAME" enabled="3" enabledCaller="shell:0" />

In both the cases, if the app is a pre-installed app then it would only show "Enable" option under Settings → Apps → your_app.
If it is a user installed app then Android would not show "Enable" option but the app would still be labelled "Disabled".

(Click image to enlarge)

pm is different

pm disable PKG_NAME also disables an app but the app then wouldn't be visible even under Settings → Apps.

Also, when you disable an app using pm disable a different value for enabled is recorded.

For Android 4.2.1:

<pkg name="PKG_NAME" enabled="2" />

For Android 4.4 and 5.x:

<pkg name="PKG_NAME" enabled="2" enabledCaller="shell:0" />

You can disable any app using pm provided that you've root access.


How to turn off vibration during a factory reset?

I'm assuming you are using the menu found under settings when the phone is fully booted.
Doing a factory reset from clockworkmod recovery shouldn't make the phone vibrate. Boot to recovery and choose wipe data/factory reset. The effect is the same as the menu in the settings.


How many times must I set default application?

There are several types of Youtube links. So as long as the types differ the intent chooser will popup asking to choose the default. I suggest just keep ticking the "Use as Default" check box and select YouTube Application.


memory card is not show in recovery mode

In recovery, go to mounts and make sure ext_sdcard or similar is check-marked.

Also try disabling/enabling MTP Mode (if you are on twrp) in mounts if it still doesn't mount along with above step. Cant say how is that related, but this did the trick once for me.


shadow notification on right side of the screen

The Moto G4 has an issue with screen retention. Basically when something is on the screen in the same place for a long time, it will "burn in" and leave an after-image for a few minutes.

It seems that Motorola shipped the G4 with a screen that doesn't deal with screen retention very well, and it especially happens when the screen is warm.

In the end I had to flash a custom kernel (ElementalX) to the phone and use CF.Lumen to reduce the "Daytime color filter" settings to R=0.769,G=0.769,B=0.769 with the KCAL driver. This reduced the chance of screen retention significantly for me in exchange for screen brightness, but it still happens when the screen gets really hot.


How to turn Gmail notifications back on after uninstalling Google Inbox?

Settings - Accounts - select Google - make sure sync for Gmail is turned on.


There is a cross-platform version of Odin called JOdin. It can run in a web browser, or locally after downloading the JAR file. Either one requires Oracle Java 8 to be installed first.

Web version: https://builds.casual-dev.com/jodin3/
Offline version: https://builds.casual-dev.com/index.php?dir=JOdin3%2F  '

The offline version is started with $ java -jar /path/to/JAR/JOdin3CASUAL-r1035-dist.jar.

Both versions work well - but now I run into the next problem which is that the PIT file can't be obtained.


How to load URLs in a separate browser from within Samsung Messenger?

I was also looking for the same but literally there is no such option.
However, what Samsung's Official site suggests to do it, is:

  If you would prefer to use another browser as default from the messaging app - you can try searching the Google Play Store to download another messaging application. The Android Messages app, for example, defaults to open links in the Chrome browser.

Source: https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/about-the-new-in-app-browser/


You can update your home address whenever you want, including changing to a different country. If you're representing a company, enter your business address.

Sign into your Google Payments account at payments.google.com and click the Settings icon in the top corner. See screenshot: here How to change Country or region on Google Play Store
Click Edit next to the "Home Address" listed and update the address (please note this is different from the "Address Book" which holds shipping addresses).
Open the Play Store and navigate to any item available for download.
Click to begin a download until you reach the "Accept and buy" screen (no need to complete the purchase)
Close the Play Store, force stop and then clear data for the Google Play Store application (Settings > Apps > Google Play Store > Force Stop then Clear Data) or clear your browser cache
Re-open the Play Store. You should now see the Play Store that matches your default payment method’s billing country.

Note that if you don't immediately see the Play Store that matches your default payment method's billing country, it may take a few hours for this to take effect.

If you haven't yet added a payment method to your account for the first time, add a card directly from the Play Store with a billing address that matches your intended country location. Then, follow steps 3 through 6 to show your intended country's Play Store.

Some things to note...

For legal reasons, you'll need to sign new Terms of Service if you change your home country.
If your Google Play balance is higher than these amounts, you won't be able to change your home country. If it's under those amounts and you change to a country with a different currency, you won't be able to see or use your remaining balance until you switch back to a country where that currency is used.
If you have a Payments Balance higher than USD $10, or a Checkout Merchant account, you won't be able to change your country.


How can I access Transport for London from my device?

This is the highest rated app I found Appbrain: http://www.appbrain.com/app/pubtran-london/cz.fhejl.pubtran.london

Here's the search I used: http://www.appbrain.com/search?q=tfl&sort=highest-rated


What is USB debugging? Can I keep it ON forever?

Enabling USB debugging essentially starts up the adb daemon on your device, which allows it to communicate with adb on another device to enable debugging commands. It's used when developing and debugging applications, and allows you (primarily) to:

Transfer data between a computer and your device (both ways)
Read log data easily from logcat
Debug applications, including breakpoints and heap monitoring
Install and uninstall applications
Access a stripped-down shell on the device, for command-line interaction.

Leaving it enabled all the time will have a negligible impact on battery, if any at all. Some other things to consider about leaving it on (or not):

PRO: If your device has a hardware problem that prevents you from accessing the screen, USB debugging could be helpful in recovering data (especially on a rooted device).
PRO: You can install applications, reboot your device, and generally do some other convenient things without having to actually interact with your device physically, even with the screen locked/off.
PRO: On a rooted device it may be possible to regain entry if you have forgotten the screen lock password/pin/pattern (also a potential CON, see below).
PRO: You can take advantage of port forwarding over USB debugging to use tethering apps like PDANet (I believe that's how it's implemented since it does require it).
CON: If your device is lost or stolen, an unscrupulous individual could attempt to steal data from the device regardless of whether or not you've got a screen lock. If you're rooted, they can get pretty much everything.
CON: I recall reading that some devices can have trouble with accessing the SD card as a mass storage device when USB debugging is enabled. I've personally never seen this issue, but I have seen people allege that it was a problem.

See also: Using Hardware Devices from the Android SDK documentation which discusses debugging applications on physical devices (rather than the emulator). There is also a documentation page regarding the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) which explains its purpose and its commands.


You can make use of Google Takeouts. Just unselect everything except Play books and download your data. You can then view your books. If the books you uploaded were in epub format, you may have to rename the extension of the downloaded books to epub from pdf.


LED not turning off even after there are no unread WhatsApp messages

For what its worth, the issue stopped occurring after I changed the Whatsapp notification light color to white. I think it might have something to do with the fact that Whatsapp and Hangouts both had the notification light color set to green. If this happens to you try providing a distinct notification light color to all the apps.


Modifying Samsung ROM and flashing it on a device

Try looking at this Removing files from & repackaging CyanogenMod ROM zip files. It doesnt deal with Odin, but provides you with valuable working  information. You should be able to use an archive program on PC and recompress to .tar, .gz, and others. Dont forget to re-sign the archive. Keep a copy of your untouched ROM until you have the modified ROM tested and running.

The ROMs are signed with a signature. When repacking if they don't get signed they will fail in flashing. This link will help explain it.

So basically after downloading the firmware you have to rename it so  you can extract the files, change them as you need, recompress them again and re-sign them, so you can flash them using Odin. Its as simple as that.


MMS uses data
The Multimedia Messaging Service uses data. Without data you can't receive or send MMS's. MMS's include photos, videos, audio, or sometimes group texting.
I am also a Trac phone user.


how to run binary on non-rooted android phone?

You can download termux, copy your binary to the termux home folder and run it

cp /storage/emulated/0/mybinary .
chmod +x mybinary
./mybinary

I haven't actually managed to run something because I don't have an android binary handy and a quick google doesn't bring up any android hello world binaries, but it should work.


Why does Kies tell me that my Galaxy S has no updates?

If by "downloads available" you mean a OS upgrade, that is because those are not official releases, and since Kies is an official Samsung application they do not provide unofficial releases.

Currently, the last official release for the Samsung Galaxy S is Android 2.2 Froyo.

If you are referring to "official releases" and your OS is < 2.2, then you can have some variant system, for which there is no firmware upgrade, or you can have some problems with a not-up-to-date Kies version.

Also, check this thread out!


How do I automatically back up my photos from my phone to Google?

Actually Google Photos app does allow Auto backup of your photos onto Google, and the best part is that there is no Storage limit on it, i.e. you can upload unlimited images and videos.

All you need to do is,
Open Photos app and slide the navigation drawer from the left.
Select Assistant and you will be able to see that your photos are being backed up.


Fingerprint Scanner Problem with Samsung C5

The solution to this problem is really simple. This model comes with a front end fingerprint scanner that doesn`t cover up the area of your thumb. So while scanning for biometric registration, you have to slide your thumb from top to bottom to get it done rightly. As a tip, try to clean your thumb before biometric registration.


WhatsApp messages disappeared without having been deleted

If you have enabled Google Backup in Whatsapp. You can have your messages back. For this you have to start Whatsapp from beginning and re verify your phone number and if you have any Whatsapp backup in your google Drive Whatsapp will automatically restore it for you.


Finally figured it out by browsing and reviewing all available settings.

There is an entry Notifications and status bar under System & Devices menu.
There is an entry App notifications and I have enabled everything for aCalendar+ there. Now notifications come with sound finally.

Those settings are quite complicated especially for former Windows Phone users where such stuff worked out of the box.

A good article about the problem is here.


retrieving contacts from my Google account

If they are in your Google account, once you log into Google via your phone it should sync your Contacts.  You may want to check to make sure that Contacts is checked under Settings - Accounts - your Google account.


what uses up less battery, reading an EPUB or reading a PDF?

Theoretically ePub should have the advantage over PDF as it is a smaller file that is basially HTML, CSS and image files with a few XML files for defining the books metadata, chapter order and table of contents navigation zipped into 'ePub' format. It is in many ways like a website. The PDF files will often be larger as they have embedded fonts, image optimisation and their own encryption to deal with as overheads.

However, while ePub will reflow text easily it is not very good for more technical things like code and mathematical equations etc, so really what format to have the book in will depend on your need rather than an impact on the battery.

Also the more optimised the eBook reader the less overhead on your battery. The screen is the biggest drain on nearly all mobile devices and will consume far more battery than any eBook reader.

Conversely, an ePub with a LOT of markup and very, very large unoptimised image files could be a bigger overhead to render than a slimmed down, lower image quality PDF.

As per @Chahk 's comments below, the actual saving for a black background is quite low for an AMOLED screen where black is unpowered, and non existant on LCD based technologies.  This XDA user did an experiment  which should be taken as anecdotal evidence and his finding was basically after 1 hour of screen on time he had saved around 6% battery life.

 How to Geek article on black wallpaper and battery which states:

  On most computer displays, such as the computer screen you’re probably reading this article on, using a black background won’t save you any battery life. No matter what color a pixel is – whether it’s dark black or blinding white – there’s a backlight at the back of your screen and it’s constantly outputting light. The black pixels block more of the backlight, but it’s still behind the black pixel, using power.


Netflix keeps disappearing from the status/notification bar (S5)

I have a GS7, and I was looking for this answer when I ended up figuring it out myself. Go into your phone settings and to notifications and make sure they are turned on for Netflix. Then the app will be able to show in your notification bar.


Android In-App Purchase Costs More In My Country

Pricing is market specific

From Google Developer help targetting app developers :

  We'll use the price you enter as the base for calculating market-specific prices. We'll convert your price to the local currency, add tax (in select countries), and apply locally relevant pricing patterns.

Though this is mentioned in context of pricing of apps, logically it should hold for in app purchases too


1.go to settings
2.click on wi-fi
3.click on wi-fi  manager
4. Click on box if check mark on
I had same problems did all advise giving but , this
One thing I did helped now connects and stays connected. At home and everywhere else.


How can I disable auto-updating of Market apps?

Yes, change the notification settings in Market -> (Menu button/Action Bar Button depending on device) Settings.


Unpatching (Disable .APK Signature Verification & Signature verification status always true) in Lucky Patcher?

This occurs because it has been applied to Xposed settings

You can do like so, to restore this setting to its default:

Go to Toolbox >> Xposed settings and untick:

(1) .apk Signature Verification,
(2) Signature Verification status always True and then click apply.

Your device may reboot or not but after that it should show that the patch is not applied on respective options.

Alternatively just disable ALL patches already applied in Android via the Lucky Patcher:

Toolbox >> Untick;

(1) Remove all patches from core.jar and
(2) Remove all patches from services.jar


Will flashing a custom ROM on my Galaxy Nexus device wipe my data?

Flashing a CustomROM (usually any ROM different to the one you're currently running) requires you to do a complete Wipe (well, at least it is strongly recommended for stability reasons) -- so the answer is probably: Yes. Data on an external SD card usually is not affected -- but as far as I remember, the GN has no such thing.

You might wish to consult the following Q&As for more information:

How can I keep settings after flashing a ROM?
Do I need to revert to stock firmware and/or wipe data before installing a custom ROM?
Manually upgrade Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4 (yakjuxw) to 4.1

EDIT:

Just to be more clear: Data on (external|internal) SD-Card (the Nexus uses an internal eMMC instead of the external SD, if I'm correct) -- that is the place where you store your photos, videos, music files, etc. -- are not affected by the wipe. Just all "internal memory" -- i.e. the apps you installed, and all settings plus app data -- will be erased.


Support Help! Warning!! A custom OS can cause critical problems

I had the same problem with my S4. Whenever the phone goes off and I try to turn it back on the annoying 'Warning' Custom os comes on and I couldn't turn my phone on.

I read a few articles and discovered that it has to do with your volume button. I dropped my phone a few days ago and read that if the volume button is stuck that this happens. So I went to the kitchen and go a sharp knife, put the blade to the side of the volume button and pulled it up on both ends, to my amazement, the phone turned on!!! (make sure its plugged in because whilst that warning is on the phone doesn't charge)

Now I have to go and get my volume button looked at because it is a stuck volume key that causes this. It must be a secret sequence that the phone companies use to change an os. I also read that Knox program can cause it, nevertheless, the volume button release worked.

Hope that helps.


ro.adb.secure=0 device still shows as unauthorized over adb Windows 10

I don't think ro.adb.secure is the reason why your phones shows up as unauthorized.

ro.adb.secure is a switch to allow adb to launch at boot (or not). relevant discussion.

Your problem sounds more like a local problem with your adb setup on your laptop. You should try the following steps:

download/install correct adb drivers for your linux/windows machine, which are released for this specific chipset (allwinner a33), possibly you won't find much, but something that is compatible hopefully
try lsusb (linux) to find the USB vendor/product ID for the tablet and search for compatible adb drivers
having the vendor and product ID you should be able to understand whether the USB mode for adb is actually enabled on the phone, i.e. if the phone runs USB with mtp,adb / ptp,adb or with just ptp etc.

example with a Moto G4 Play (msm8916):

shell@harpia:/ $ getprop sys.usb.config
mtp,adb

pi@pi:~ $ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 22b8:2e76 Motorola PCS
................
shell@harpia:/ $ getprop sys.usb.config
ptp,adb

pi@pi:~ $ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 009: ID 22b8:2e84 Motorola PCS

depending on the USB mode selected on the android phone, the USB product ID is different.

All that is closely related to udev rules (link to relevant discussion), although setting up or manipulating udev rules never solved my problems (and my Raspbian 9 doesn't even have the file /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules).


google services has stopped wont stop long enough for me to fix the problem cant even get into my settings

This happened to me also and here is how I got past it. I also used this to recover my friends phone.
The high frequency of the app failures makes it very hard to access the settings menu and make your selections. Even so, tap the failure messages to get them to close. In between tap or try pulling the settings menu down from the top of the screen. After several tries it seemed there was very slight pause in the failure cascade. I used that slight pause to make my settings menu selections. Either way, after pulling down the settings menu I selected Back up / Reset. You have to keep closing the failure messages and try flicking the menu down to the option you want but it is possible if you are quick and persistent. I just factory reset mine, but I've read suggestions to clear the caches of several apps central to the phone's operation. Tomorrow I have another to do and I'll try clearing caches then return to update on how that worked.  Best of luck.


Yes, it will be compatible. Google has already mentioned that it will be compatible with over 200 networks worldwide. That includes Airtel India as well.

I have bunch of friends who are using Galaxy Nexus in India. Voice calls and 3G/2G works smoothly. The same should be true about Nexus 4 as it is also an unlocked device like the Galaxy Nexus.


How do I get my Clock & Weather widget on my homescreen?

Try to :

Press Home button followed by Menu button. Select Add -> Widgets ->
Clock & Weather.

Or :

Press Home button to show the home screen. Tap and hold your finger
on any available space, select Widgets -> Clock & Weather.

Hope it will help.


What is the Enable lock screen notification in my Micromax a064

Lock screen notifications are only available since Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
However you can use 3rd party apps - such as "NiLS - Lock screen notifications" from Google Play to be able to get notifications on top of your stock lock screen without replacing your lock screen app.


Simulate a keypress on Android tablet without a keyboard

In addition to my comments
ADB CONTROL INPUT COMMANDS

adb devices
adb wait-for-device
adb shell input keyevent 141
adb kill-server

check devices

wait for device to be found

run the key event of F11 "141"

kill the adb server

I know this wont help, but i hope it can help someone actually running android !


Nexus 4 screen goes blank while there is an incoming call

Exact solution for this issue was not found. This is not happening after I have updated my phone to Lollipop.


SD card cannot be mounted as /storage/sdcard0

The internal storage is present as 'storage/emulated/0'. There is no way you can "load" the internal storage as 'storage/sdcard0' or anything else. Internal storage is always present as 'storage/emulated/0', you cannot change it.

Even with rooting I think you cannot reload the internal storage as sd card. Default storage location cannot be set like that. If your phone doesn't have that option, it's a pity and I believe there are apps which allow you to do so (caution: I haven't checked any).


You can do this easily by pairing the devices and enabling data on the first device. Steps are listed below.

Enable bluetooth on both the devices. (Obvious!)

Then, pair them up by clicking “Search for devices” on one of the devices and clicking on the name of other device. You’ll be asked to verify a PIN number. It doesn’t matter what the PIN number is, as long as it’s the same PIN number on both devices.

Go to Settings, choose More then choose Tethering & Portable Hotspot. In there, you have tick Bluetooth tethering. If you don’t, the tether will not work!

On the second device, go to Settings, then click on the word Bluetooth (not the toggle – the word). Finally, click on the name of your second device you paired earlier. To get it all working, choose Internet Access.

Now you should be able to use the data connection of your first device.


Similar questions have been asked here:

Can an android phone connect to both Wi-Fi and mobile data network at the same time?
How to enable dual networking in Android shell?
and
How do I connect to a wifi ap and 3g network simultaneously?

However due to the bounty description I will try to aggregate these facts and expand a bit since the answers were not marked as accepted.

Short answer it is possible to have dual networking but workarounds differ slightly.

From this source : Switch seamlessly between WiFi and Cellular with Multipath-TCP You can make use of Multi-TCP.

Multipath TCP (MPTCP) is Multipath-TCP is an extension to TCP that allows the parallel usage of multiple Internet connections.
Multipath-TCP is already implemented for the Linux Kernel, but not yet integrated into the official upstream kernel.

The source code (and some precompiled kernels, including Android builds) can be found here: http://multipath-tcp.org

Extra source with reference to Samsung device: MPTCP on Android Devices , and MultiPath TCP - Linux Kernel implementation.

In another source,  enable wireless and 4g at the same time  Users claim they were able to enable dual networking with the following workaround (quoted):

Turn off wifi in the normal way (from the phone's user interface) if it's not already off.

All the following steps done in a root shell:

load the drivers

busybox insmod /system/lib/modules/cfg80211.ko
busybox insmod /system/lib/modules/wlan.ko
start wpa_supplicant to connect to the first available wireless network. The wpa_supplicant.conf file I list below is the one maintained automatically by the phone as you join new networks. If you want more control (e.g. connect to only a specific network), copy the wpa_supplicant.conf file somewhere, modify it as needed, and specify it on the command line.

wpa_supplicant -B -Dnl80211 -iwlan0 -c/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf

dhcpcd

busybox pkill dhcpcd
 rm /data/misc/dhcp/*
 dhcpcd wlan0

verify route

busybox route

For me this is showing the original default first on the list (goes through rmnet_usb0) followed by the new one configured for the wireless lan wlan0. Traceroute shows the traffic going out the first one.

Now, at this point if you try to enable wifi normally from the phone it will not work. To make it work:

ifconfig wlan0 down
 ifconfig wlan0 unplumb
 rmmod wlan
 rmmod cfg80211

And you can turn on wireless again

Alternatively with script:

# enable dual-networking:
pkill dhcpcd
svc wifi disable
svc data enable
netcfg wlan0 up
cd /data/misc/wifi/.
wpa_supplicant -B -Dnl80211 -iwlan0 -c/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.conf
dhcpcd wlan0
ip route add x.x.x.x via x.x.x.y # add any desired local route

# disable dual-networking:
ip route del x.x.x.x/x via x.x.x.y
pkill dhcpcd
pkill wpa_supplicant
rm -rf /data/misc/wifi/wlan0
netcfg wlan0 down
svc wifi disable
svc data disable

(A script runner is needed to run these scripts and root; you can get one here: SH Script Runner

And they noted:

It works perfectly but note that you don't actually see the wifi icon turning on, but if you run netcfg | grep UP you will see that the wlan0 interface is up and running (as well as the rmnet_usb0 mobile data interface, both of them will be up and will have the expected IP addresses) and you can access your local LAN while your mobile data 3g/4g whatever provides your default route to the outside world.

Other workarounds:

Using Super Download Lite

The developers of the app claim that it has the ability to perfom dual networking on android devices by combing 3G/4G and Wi-Fi networks.

Modifying the routing table

Another source: http://ironings4.rssing.com/chan-3701516/all_p2.html.

Provided details on creating a bash script in order to modify roting table to allow both 3G/4G work with Wi-Fi. Here is the script:

pkill com.android.phone sleep 30 route add -net 10.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0 dev ppp0 route add -net 15.0.0.0 netmask 255.0.0.0 dev ppp0

The above is an example for a couple of address ranges to redirect to 3G connection  to the routing table via linux shell for using INTRANET via ppp0 for a few address ranges, while all the other destination addresses normally go via Wi-Fi.

The trick here is to force an application on the phone (or maybe it is a service, called com.android.phone) probably related to 3G radio interface to crash while you are connected to wifi, the 3G signal indicator will go down for a few seconds and soon after it will return to normal but this time with both H(SDPA) and Wifi icons showing on the notification area on the upper right of the screen.

In another article: Let WiFi and 3G connection work together by hacking ConnectivityService.java   (migrated to XDA forums)
The offered how to accomplish the task by hacking connectivity service:

Fully quoted:

“The goal of COIN project is to use WiFi and 3G connections simultaneously. So it conflicts with the policy of Connectivity Service, but there is no configuration to edit the policy, and it is hard coded. You can find the clue in ConnectivityService.java:handleConnect function.

Our current solution is quite brutal, which is to mask the eyes of Connectivity Service by modifying its message handler entry like the following:

// must be stateless – things change under us.
 private class MyHandler extends Handler {
 @Override
 public void handleMessage(Message msg) {
 NetworkInfo info;
 //added by COIN to disable Connectivity Service
 int networkState = 8; //not any following state
 /*use static google dns server for wifi and 3g*/
 if (msg.what == NetworkStateTracker.EVENT_STATE_CHANGED) {
 SystemProperties.set(“net.dns1″, “8.8.8.8″);
 SystemProperties.set(“net.dns2″, “8.8.4.4″);
 bumpDns();
 }
 //////////////////////////////////////////////
 //switch (msg.what) {
 switch (networkState) {
 case NetworkStateTracker.EVENT_STATE_CHANGED:
 info = (NetworkInfo) msg.obj;
 int type = info.getType();

…..

And then compile the modified ConnectivityService.java in the android source code tree, you can get an new services.jar file in framework directory. Replace the existing services.jar on the cell phone with the following adb commands, then reboot the phone

 adb shell “mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system”
adb shell “chmod 0777 /system/framework”
adb push services.jar /system/framework
 adb shell “chmod 0644 /system/framework/services.jar”
adb shell “chmod 0755 /system/framework”
.”

Conclusion

While I couldn’t test some of the workarounds myself, I have learnt most of these might have worked in earlier android builds (based on the evidence) so I am not   sure if the same is applicable in android 6. This feature seems likely to be implemented with emerging technologies evidenced by Multipath TCP technology described. For all the workarounds require root.

Hope this brings some light.

References

(Included in body text)


Jelly bean voice search not talking back

Have you made sure that your "Music volume" is actually turned up? Only then you'll be able to hear the talk-back.

To make sure it is, go to the stock music app, hit the "Volume up" key on your phone a few times, then go back to Google Voice Search and try again.


How to schedule downloads in Advance Download manager?

For you to download on schedule, ADM requires a running service program. Make sure you do not close the service after you have enabled your scheduler
You can do this by:

Giving ADM a higher memory priority (so that it will not be killed when system memory is low)
Whitelisting ADM in phone's power saving features, task killers or hibenation programs
Enabling a persistent notification to keep the program's services running in the background.


Your calculation is based on some misconceptions:

ram is no storage. It's the memory used to run active apps (see our ram tag-wiki for details)
ROM is a misleading term here (and in many other places). What's actually meant in this context ist storage. So these 4 GB is what you're looking for.

Now, storage on Android devices is devided into multiple partitions. Typical partitions are /data for the user data, and the read-only /system partition for the actual OS files. The latter is usually not included in "storage summaries". I don't know your device, but from the data given can assume:

1 GB "internal SD-Card"
1.42 GB "internal storage (/data)"
remaining storage devided into:

/system: probably about 1 GB
/boot: files for system start
/recovery: for the recovery-menu
and maybe some more small partitions

So there's nothing wrong; specifications have just not been given in a way clearly understandable by the end-user.
Recommendations for further reading:

Android Folder Hierarchy
our file-system tag-wiki
our partition tag-wiki
our storage tag-wiki

And always: Check the links in the "linked" and "related" section of questions, they might (and in most times do) lead to more useful information. Same for the "related" section, and the tags and links (just hover your mouse over a tag to reveal additional information/links).


Prevent user to uninstall application from android phone

When a user tries to uninstall an app through the home launcher, Settings app, or through any third-party app, the system app Package Installer is invoked and user is asked to confirm the uninstallation. So the solution for you is to either disable that Package Installer app (or at least its component which is invoked for user confirmation) or find an app locker which can lock this system app.

I tried some app locker apps and found that AppLock - Fingerprint can lock down Package Installer app. It even recommends it. From then on, anyone trying to uninstall an app would need to authenticate  with your preferred choice of authentication before proceeding to uninstall. At the risk of redundancy, this does take care  of uninstallation via Settings app too, as I explained the reason for it in the beginning.

Note: app locker apps alike many privacy protector apps are notorious for floundering a user's privacy and shoving ads down the user's throat.


Galaxy S3 keeps switching wifi settings to use a manual proxy

There's either an app that's controlling this setting, or malware. On Windows behavior like this is caused by malware 9 out of 10 times, but on Android I'd suspect that some app is the likely culprit.

For a list of apps with permissions to monkey around with your settings, go to Settings→Security→Device Administrators. Anything listed there that has a checked box on the right has permissions to control settings on your device. See if there is anything in the list that stands out, such as security software or network-related software. Try to isolate which one is the culprit by unchecking the enabled device administrators one at a time and then checking whether changes you make to the proxy settings stick.

I did a quick search on this and I'm seeing that Kaspersky Mobile Security comes up frequently as an app that makes changes to the WiFi proxy settings revert to "Manual" with a localhost IP address (127.0.0.1). Is that the IP address you're seeing, and do you have Kaspersky Mobile Security installed?

According to this thread in the Kaspersky support forums, there was a known bug related to this issue in version 10.4.45. A Kaspersky rep said it would be fixed in the next version in June 2013, but according to this thread in the Vodafone forums there was still an issue with this in a later version:

  Thanks for your suggestions guys, I think I have solved this one.  I found other people were having the same issue who were using Kaspersky Mobile Security.  I've just uninstalled it  (version 10.4.47) and not only has this issue completely gone, another weird issue I was having where the WiFi connection took 3 - 4 attempts before it settled on a connection has also gone. Happy bunny.

  I need an internet security app though so I may try that Lookout app you mentioned.

I'm not familiar with Kaspersky Mobile Security, so I can't tell you whether that means that the behavior of changing proxy settings is itself a bug that has not been fixed, or that there used to be a more specific bug with this feature but the behavior in general is part of the functionality of the app. However, I can tell you that I've been using Lookout for about a year and haven't had this or any other problem with it.


Believe it or not, the device is already rooted, and it's not documented anywhere.

I don't think that starting it in recovery mode for an odd number of times activates/deactivates root, so I just believe the system carries su on its own.

If my unit of measure of "rooting" is ad-freeness then I simply tried to run AdFree from the device. No superuser warning appeared but AdFree not even didn't complain about absence of root, but updated the hosts file!! And the device was completely ad-free.

I also tried to install ES File Manager, and found this magic file: /system/xbin/su


Normally you should have to install the driver of the tablet to have ADB working with it. On the opposite, mass storage usually work out-of-the-box because any PC recognize this standard.

After some search on Google I found some info that may work with your tablet here:
http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/70585-adb-drivers/page_p_805857


HTC One Messages app extremely slow, but just when I text one person!

Might be a small bug because it is specific to only one contact. Hoping you've saved all the stuff you want from that thread, delete the thread/whole conversation. If you don't mind delete the contact also by writing his number somewhere. Now start fresh again by creating the contact again and see what happens. Comment.


How can I disable annoying Xperia application on Windows?

Since the Xperia Control Panel automatically appears every time you connect the device, it seems a default action is set on Windows AutoPlay.

Usually, Windows will ask the user what to do when a device is connected to the PC (e.g. open folder to view files, take no action, etc.), and the user can set it as default action (which removes this pop-up and directly run the action automatically).

To change/disable this:

Open AutoPlay by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type autoplay, and then click AutoPlay.
In the list next to the device or type of media, click the new action you want to use.

For the new action, you can choose Take no action so that Windows won't do anything when you connect the device.


I created a new Google account. How can I migrate my android device to use this new account?

You can have multiple Android devices signed in to your Google account, as observed in Play Store's Device Manager:

You can also easily remove your account from your friends phone from Settings -> Accounts & Sync, where you can also instruct the phone not to synchronize your sensitive data with his phone (ex. sync Family Calendar but not App Data or Contacts!)

In this screenshot, the "Remove" button is on the top-right after you hit your menu key.

Hope this clears up your concerns!


Google Play Music - Error while retrieving information from server

Clear data and cache of the app and then try.If it doesn't work then you can wipe dalvik cache in recovery and reboot.


my phone hit a pavement and 3g/4g stopped working. next step?

In the HTC Dream (G1) the UMTS radio (3G) is a separate board from the rest of the phone. While this is a Desire Z and I haven't had the opportunity to take one apart, it's probably very similar.

The 3G/4G daughterboard (or if it's connected, antenna) could have failed, cracked, disconnected or sustained damage in some other way. Software won't fix it. You have damaged hardware.


Block unknown callers at work, but let them through if they try again

Have you tried browsing the Tasker's wiki? There are some good pre-made profiles there you can use.

The easy way to block calls with Tasker is described here:

  Open Tasker, create a new Profile and name it "Blockr". Select the "State"
  context menu and the "Incoming Call" context from that menu. Keep this
  screen open and follow the instructions below to indicate which calls
  you would like to block on your phone.

  Programming the Blocked Telephone Numbers

  You have the option to enter a single number, multiple telephone
  numbers, any number that is not listed in your contacts, or any number
  that is not listed as a favorite in your contacts.  Any combination of
  the above options can be included in the blocked call list.  Multiple
  numbers are separated by the / symbol which indicates "or" in
  Tasker’s pattern match.  You can also use the * symbol to indicate a
  match with any number of characters in the telephone number to create
  area code (or country code) call blocks.  Here are examples of what
  you need to enter in the Caller field of the Incoming Call context
  dialog box in order to create each type of call block list:

  To block a single caller with the number 123-456-7890 enter:

  1234567890

  To block two telephone numbers, enter the telephone numbers with a / symbol between them:

  1234567890/1234567891

  To block three telephone numbers, enter all three telephone numbers with the / between them:

  1234567890/1234567890/1234567892

  To block calls from individuals who are using a caller ID blocking feature enter the number zero:

  0

  To block calls from individuals who are not in your contact list, a pre-configured variable that matches all numbers in your contact list
  is used (C:ANY) with the exclamation point.  The ! indicates "not" and
  is literally interpreted as all callers that are not the number that
  you enter.  In this case, all numbers that are not part of your
  contact list:

  !C:ANY

  To block calls from both callers with caller ID blocked and those who are not listed as your contacts enter:

  0/!C:ANY

  To block a number of a specific caller and individuals with caller ID blocked enter the number, the / separator, and zero:

  1234567890/0

  To block calls from all numbers except for one caller, enter an exclamation point before the number of the caller that you want to
  allow.

  !1234567890

  To block calls from all callers except those who are in your favorite list, enter:

  !C:FAV

  To block all calls from an area code, use the * symbol to indicate that any number of characters can be matched following the first three
  digits (US area code) that you enter.  In the following example, any
  telephone number from the 123 area code would be blocked:

  123*

  Block all calls from two area codes.  Simply use the / symbol to combine the area code match in example 10.  In the following example,
  all calls from numbers with area codes 123 or 321 will be blocked:

  123*/321*

  Attach the Call Blocking Action

  Click Done on the "Incoming Call" context window. Select "New Task" from
  the top of the "Task" selection window that is displayed. Name the task
  "CallBlock". Click the (+) button at the bottom left hand of the screen
  to add a new action.  Select the "Phone" action menu.  Select the "Take Call"
  action from the Phone action menu. Click Done Click the (+) button at
  the bottom left hand of the screen to add a new action. Select the
  "Phone" action menu.  Select the "End Call" action from the "Phone" action
  menu.  Click Done. Click Done again on the "Task Edit" window. Make sure
  that the green check mark is displayed next to the "Blockr" profile on
  the "Profile" screen. Click Apply.

  Tasker will close and "Blockr" will begin
  to actively watch your incoming calls for those numbers in your call
  block list.  When an incoming call with one of the matched numbers is
  detected, the call is disconnected and your ringer is silenced.  You
  set the actions up to briefly answer and immediately disconnect the
  call so it is not sent to your voicemail.

You can modify these instructions to add another condition which checks the WiFi network you are connected to.


HTC One M8 doesn't boot up completely after Lollipop update

I had the exact problem after going back to stock then applying the OTA.  I had to reinstall TWRP (I used "fastboot flash recovery twrp.img" according to the instructions here).

Then I just flashed another ROM from the SD card, which have gotten beeter since I last checked. I recommend Viper or Adrenaline 2.4 androidrevolutions.com/neo/ADRENALINE/m8/


Route Application through Mobile Data when on Wifi

By default, as soon as WiFi gets connected, the mobile network shuts down -- so you cannot use both simultaneously. Which means: no, even a proxy allowing for exceptions would not do, as the other network simply is no longer available.

Quoting from CyanogenMod Tracker:

  Each time you activate WiFi you'll lose 3g connection. That's normal behaviour of Android network manager.

There were attempts on "hacking" that, as you can e.g. find here. This source from the Stanford university also makes clear on the standard behaviour:

  Given WiFI is connected, then turn on  3G data connection. 3G connection will be automatically torn down by Connectivity Service.
  Given 3G is connected, then turn on WiFi connection. Connectivity Service will tear down the existing 3G connection.

Except from "hacking attempts" as described by the Stanford example, I know of no solution to the issue.


If she is rooted, try the following here.

Otherwise, does long pressing on the download --> cancel, then re-starting the install work?


Should I charge phone overnight or let battery down to a minimum?

Never let it run down below 10% if you can help it. Running down to "absolute zero" harms your battery (and might even render it inoperable – which is why most devices shut-down before reaching that point). Modern LiIo batteries don't suffer from "memory effect", so ideally you'd plug-in a charger whenever possible: "trickle-charging" doesn't hurt them, low charge (less than 5% definitely) shortens their life-span.

For details, please check with...

our battery-life tag-wiki
What can I do to increase battery life on my Android device?
Does constant charging harm my Android cellphone?
Wikipedia: Lithium Ion batteries
our battery tag-wiki
When should I start charging my Lithium battery?
How frequently is it okay to let the battery discharge fully or as low as possible?


How big is Gingerbread 2.3.5 on internal 8GB memory?

This seems pretty normal. The 8GB iPod Touch is similar - iOS takes a significant portion of its storage.

The device itself has 8GB of storage, but any OS takes space - particularly Samsung's flavor of Android, which has a lot of stuff added (Which, unfortunately, they don't want you to be able to remove).


Is it bad to kill tasks in android, by using things such as holding down the home key and selectign "close all"?

Short answer is: "That's Ok for device, don't worry"

Long answer is: killing task is the only way to speed up your system. When you kill an app by task killer, you close the app itself and all services or receivers bounded to it. That action would be harmful for the application, if it's downloading some data from the internet (some content update for example). Or application will stop sending notifications about new events. Almost all core apps will raise again in a few minutes. That's Ok for device, don't worry.


I had this problem too for a long time but have found that the key to stopping this glitch is to turn off the predictive text option in the keyboard settings every time you experience the 1st character input only problem. Personally, I like the predictive text being on 99% of the time, but some web pages (email providers mainly) aren't configured for predictive text to be used, so I keep predictive text on & just turn it off whenever I come across a web page where I experience the 1st character input only problem. To turn it on/off simply hit the cog button on the keyboard & where it says predictive text, just swipe the slider to the left, to the off position. This will allow whole words to be typed instead of just 1 character at a time. Then, once you've finished typing, you can hit the cog again & turn predictive text back on.


Will the WWE region RUU version work for my region?

Yes it is true. It also removes all the crap the carriers put on there as well.


You should try flashing the phone using a computer.

Download any firmware from this link. - all are for model Y5010a, since you didn't mention which model.
Unzip it and you'll find drivers,  flash files and the flashing instructions.
Install drivers then follow the instructions for flashing.

Your phone should work fine now.

UPDATE:

I thought it would help if I reproduce all flashing steps here

First download the Firmware, Flash tool and driver from above link
Extract the file  (zip files) to desktop (You need to  install winrar software or 7zip to Extract)
Open Driver folder and install Qualcomm_USB_Driver_Setup.exe file and wait until finish installation.
Open QPST.WIN.2.7_Installer-00430.1 folder,  install setup.exe
Now open QFIL from the "C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\QPST\bin" path.
Tick on Flat Build option
Go to Programmer Path and click on Browse.. button and choose prog_emmc_firehose_8916.mbn file
Click on Load XML... button and choose rawprogram_unsparse.xml file and then choose patch0.xml file from the Firmware folder
Now connect USB cable to the phone while holding  volume up + volume down buttons.
Drivers should be installed. Just Click on Download button on the programm and wait until finish procedure.