com.qualcomm.embms keeps popping up every few minutes

A new widespread vulnerability that affects millions of Android devices around the world could allow hackers to read your SMS text messages, phone records, and perform any capabilities the radio allows.

This hack involves the netd daemon, which is the network interface in Android. The problem arose when Qualcomm released new Application Program Interfaces (APIs) as part of the network_manager system service, which also involved the netd daemon. These APIs allowed additional tethering capabilities.This vulnerability is labeled as CVE-2016-2060 with a medium risk.

Devices ranging from Gingerbread to Lollipop are likely affected. So, if you can upgrade your android that would be the best option.

Also, The FireEye Mobile Security app will detect the Qualcomm vulnerability, but it’s only for enterprise customers. If you have a corporate phone, check with your administrator to find out if your company subscribes to the service.

The good news is that FireEye has been monitoring the use of the API, and hasn’t found any occurrences of it being exploited. However, that could change as hackers learn of the flaw.

Looking at the big picture, it’s still more unlikely than likely that you will fall victim to an attack.

You can read more about this issue in this blog.


Google Maps show location history where I've never even been

There are many possible reasons that places could show up inaccurately in the Google Maps tracking.

If your device is indoors, it will not have a good GPS signal (or possibly have no GPS signal at all) and will have to use less accurate location methods. Each of those methods has problems, some of which are discussed below.
If your device is trying to locate itself using WiFi networks (now called "WiFi Positioning System" or "WiPS" for short), it looks for nearby WiFi networks that Google knows about and then uses the locations that Google has on record for those networks as a way to determine your approximate location.  However, that means that if someone from a particular area moved into your area and Google has not updated their database, then Google's database will think that you are in the area where that person's WiFi network used to be.
If your device is trying to locate itself by searching for nearby cellphone towers, it could determine that it is anywhere in a large area in which those towers can be detected. The effective range of a cell phone tower could be anything between 1 and 45 miles, depending on how dense your area is.  That means that the numbers could be up to that far off if they only came from cell tower data.
Even if you do have a good GPS signal, Google will sometimes "snap" your location to a nearby "point of interest" if you drive by.  I don't know exactly how far away this snapping can happen, but I have seen it make some pretty bad guesses.

Here's one extreme example that I just read about: People keep going to this home looking for their lost phones and nobody knows why.

In the end, the fact is that the location-tracking systems available on consumer devices today are not that accurate.  I worked from home today because of the "Snowzilla" blizzard on the US East Coast, and left home twice to go to the library and run one errand, but my location history shows me being up to a mile further away from home than any of the locations which I visited. (I am actually working next door to a research group at the University of Maryland that is working on more-accurate location technologies, but it will be a while before any of them are on the market.)


There is currently no way of doing it. You can download apps again to the same userid account on different devices, but you cannot transfer those licenses to other userids. So you'll have to rebuy the apps on one account which you wish to keep if you want to stop using both accounts.


Just put *31# before the number you're calling.

More information: Enabling Caller ID.

  Depending on the operator and country, there are a number of prefix
  codes that can unblock Caller ID.

  Australia: 1832 (landline and mobile phones)
  Czech Republic: 31 (landline)
  Denmark: 31
  Germany: *31# (Some mobile providers)
  India: *31#
  Ireland: *31# (dialling from mobile) 142 (dialling from landlines)
  Japan: 186
  Hong Kong: 1357
  New Zealand: 0196 (Telecom/Spark)
  North America: *82 (*UB, UnBlock), 1182 (rotary phone)
  Switzerland: #31#
  United Kingdom: 1470

  On GSM mobile networks, callers may dial *31# before the number
  they wish to call to enable caller ID.


How do I mount an external disk drive formatted in ext4 via USB Host?

You have a couple of options. The easiest way is to buy nexus media importer - it was $4 last I checked. You can use the nexus photo viewer app to make sure it will work. I used it with a flash drive on my nexus 10 and it worked great.

The alternative is to root and use stickmount. I prefer to root my devices, so I would recommend that way, but is does come with some security issues. It is pretty straightforward on the nexus 10, but if you are uncomfortable with the idea, nexus media importer is worth the $4.

Note that that drives like that need to be externally powered or they will not work - I don't think tablets can put out enough juice by themselves.

If you would like to root I'd be happy to walk you through it, but it'll probably take enough time that it is worth just buying the app, unless you are interested in learning more about this kind of stuff.


Galaxy S II GT-I9100G USB connectivity problem

Worked for me:

Unplug the USB cable
On the cell phone, dial the following number: *#7284# Once the last # is hit, the PhoneUtil application is launched. Choose USB -> Modem and then USB -> PDA mode. The good mode should be PDA. Even if the mode is PDA, switch to Modem and then back to PDA.
Plug the USB cable.

Note:

Repair USB connection for any Samsung Android phone

Reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2h5O_qDPE


Open DJVU files on Android (set default app)

This is usually a problem with bare-bones file managers. Switching to a more feature rich file manager should solve it.

Head to Play Store and try a famous file manager. I can recommend Solid Explorer because I own it and use it, and it gives the option of assigning an app for a file type (subject to mime-type limitations).


I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, but you should have something similar to this: System settings > Connections > More Networks > Tethering and portable hotspot > Portable Wi-Fi hotspot.

If you don't see Configure button (not visible on my S4 5.0.1), try pressing device Menu button while you are at the Mobile Hotspot settings page (which shows your hotspot name and password)


As an Android user for about 2 years (and an iPhone user for 2 years before that), I feel that Android is very stable.

BUT you have to remember, that with the ability to load widgets, and background applications - you can certainly bog down your phone and decrease its performance.

In Apple's walled garden this isn't a problem, but you also don't have the freedom and choice.

As a modern computer user, I want the choice to slow down my phone if I want :)


Talking Calendar Reminder App, Hongi Apps claims to do that.

  Speaks aloud calendar event reminders and alarms

I haven't used it, but a search in the play store turned that up.


Are you sure you need Tor for all youtube videos?  If you only need youtube access, then you should try alternative lower latency circumvention techniques, like alternative DNS providers or a VPN.  Tor should be used when you're worried about your government even knowing what you watch, meaning countries like Iran, China, Syria, etc.

Case 1. You care about speed and access, but not really privacy.

You should first try bypassing your nation's DNS servers by simply setting a DNS server outside the country.  OpenNIC and OpenDNS are cool, albeit maybe slow.  Google has some faster ones.  etc.  All these options worked fine in Turkey.

If your country blocks more than DNS then try using a VPN based outside your country, including free ones like VPNReactor.  VPNs are slower than simply bypassing a DNS block, but almost any VPN should be faster than Tor.  Or even a dedicated youtube proxy.

Case 2. You care about privacy more than speed.

Use Tor, preferably Tor everything mode.  There are security risks with using youtube's flash app through Tor, probably this specific issue doesn't impact youtube's android app.  Yet, maybe Tor's "select apps" mode doesn't adequately handle the NDK, where youtube's codecs probably live.  If so, that's harder.  Try a browser maybe?


After activating the device encryption on my S2 running CM 10.2 nightly, my CDMA radio stopped working

Cyanogenmod nightly builds are development snapshots. Anything can be broken in them from one night to the next. You shouldn't try to use a nightly for your "everyday" phone as problems like the one you describe are common.

Report the bug to the developers and switch to a stable release (or, if you're feeling brave) a release candidate or milestone release.


Android-x86 seems to be the most current project, with nightly builds available at http://android-x86.moonman.dk/

I think the lack of activity one sees isn't so much a licensing/warez problem, it's just that the OS simply doesn't work too well with desktop systems yet, being highly phone & touch-centric.  That and there's simply not a lot of interest for it yet.

I don't know if this project has the Google Apps (particularly Market) baked in or not.  If not, that's another major piece that significantly reduces the usefulness of this OS.

Finally, there'd be the problem of getting drivers for all the various hardware made available.  Considering Android's Linux base, I'm not sure how easy or difficult it is to do.


How do I enable "Factory Reset Protection" in Lollipop

In speaking with Motorola Support through some reliable channels, here's what they said: "Since all comments regarding Factory Reset Kill is not approved yet by Motorola, we cannot give you the answer". In other words, it's not released, you won't find the option available yet and they can't tell you why. As of 1/20/2015.


google pixel 2 phone rear camera not working suddenly

Before downgrade to the stable version of android you've to keepfew
things in mind.

You've to backup your data (because flashing erase your data permanently)
You've to download the stable image file of your device
You've to download Android SDK Tools (don't have to download Android Studio, Command Line Tools will be enough to get your jobs
done)

Now the process of flashing into stable version will take some time and follow the rules below.
1. Turn your developers mode on (by clicking the phone's build number
multiple tiles).
2. Enable USB debugging, unlock OEM and then connect your phone with you PC.
3. Unzip the SDK Tools and then open command promt inside that folder.
4. Unzip the image's zip file into the SDK Tools' folder.
5. Unlock your phone's bootloader, and accept the unlocking by clicking the volume up button of your phone.
6. Go to the fastboot mode and then flash all the image files using "flash-all" command.
7. After successfully flashing to the stable version don't forget to lock the bootloader (if you don't do experimental stuffs then it'll be better to keep the bootloader locked).
8. Set your phone up.
And now everything will work fine and will be stable after setting up your phone with your credentials.


It may be an app installed on your phone that is displaying ads while also running in the background. Uninstall any apps you feel display an excessive amount of ads if you don't need them. Also, depending on the phone OS you can go to the recent apps and see a "screenshot" of what process you are doing on the app. if it shows an ad on that screenshot, then that is the app which is doing it.

If your problem is the web browser then uninstall and reinstall those apps again. Do not add any extensions and see how the apps work.

If you are receiving any type of virus or malware then I would recommend using Avast Antivirus or some other virus remover app that checks the contents of your phone and wipes away the virus.

If you've been through these 2 steps, and the problem still persists, you may have to go through and flash your phone with the stock image again. This will remove all your data, but at least you'll know you don't have a virus on your phone anymore.


Where to place a binary file to make it executable from all apks on device?

I cannot fathom what you're trying to achieve by doing this but you must mark the binary permissions executable for all. You can do so by using any Terminal App from PlayStore. Download any of them, fire it up, type chmod +x your_file_location

Otherwise, you may use ES File Explorer app from PlayStore, place your binary wherever you want, go to its properties, and change the permissions by selecting all x boxes.

And, you need to have rooted device if you want to place your binary into any folder other than of SD-Card or Internal Storage.


Nexus 4 does not turn it on and blinking red notification light only

I have the same problem once a week and have a little different solution (workaround):

Unplug the phone from the charger
Press and hold the volume down button plus power button for 15 seconds
Plug it into the wall-charger (while still holding both buttons!)
-> the red light should start to blink.
After 4-5 blinks release the buttons
Wait some seconds and then press the power button and it should boot

Maybe this workaround will help you.


Calendar entries that live in Exchange 2010 cannot be edited

I was able to retrieve the primary e-mail address from my phone: In the details of an appointment, I was listed as attendee under an e-mail address different from the one the account was configured for, and the e-mail address of this attendee turned out to be my primary e-mail address.

I was unable to change the e-mail address for the existing account. After dropping and recreating the account using the primary e-mail address, I can now update details of all appointments on my device.


When do I need to enter my password once I encrypted my phone?

When you encrypt your device, It will only ever ask for the decryption key when you boot the device. If correct, it boots normally, and will not ask for that particular password again until next boot. Of course, any screen-lock (normal password) will still be needed to unlock the device when locked.


How can I search for or find text within a web page on the android browser?


ADB pulling files from /data/data fails due to symlinks. How to skip symlinks in ADB pull?

Method 1:

If you're okay with getting the output file as a .tar archive, try this command:

  adb exec-out tar c data/data > data_backup.tar

Make sure to omit the leading / in your path. (Source)

Method 2:

If you want to copy file-wise, use the following script written by me:

#!/bin/bash
## Run as: ./filename.sh <source_folder> <destination_folder>
## If no <destination_folder> is provided, it's stored in current directory.

location=$1
if [ -z "$2" ]
  then
    destination=.
else
  destination=$2
fi

## Find the full path of all the files in the given directory, and retrieve each file one by one

while read line
do
  ## Create the directory where the file will reside, by removing the filename alone from the fullpath.
  ## Thanks to https://stackoverflow.com/a/9022471/5002496
  mkdir -p $destination"${line%/*}"
  adb pull $line $destination$line
done <<< `adb shell find $location -type f`

## The find binary in Android doesn't seem to show symlinks when '-type f' option is used.
## Source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/16303559/5002496

Save it as adb_pull.sh, run chmod 777 adb_pull.sh and run it like:

  ./adb_pull.sh /data/data data_backup

All the contents from /data/data from Android device will be stored into data_backup folder.
(Note: DON'T specify the source folder like /data/data/ with an additional / after the folder name)

Tested and working on my Ubuntu 17.04, using an Android 7.1 device.
Note: To access /data partition completely via ADB, you need to run adb root. (more help..)


How to determine if my device supports USB Ethernet controller?

Connect a USB 3.0 thumb drive (USB Mass Storage Device) to one of the Intel USB 3.0 ports
In Device Manager, click View, and click Devices by connection.
In Devices by connection view, you can easily see the USB Mass Storage device under the Intel® USB 3.0 extensible Host Controller category.


How can I connect my Samsung Galaxy S to a television?

According to this blog post, you need a 3.5mm -> RCA/Phono cable, and it goes in the headphone socket of the phone.


Is Gmail on Android susceptible to MITM attacks?

Indeed, overriding certificates it's one of the most popular ways to compromise https. So, if your employer can succeed to create a certificate that fools the app, it can easily perform a MiTM attack.

Some links to check about mitm attacks on gmail app:

[1]: http://www.networking4all.com/en/ssl+certificates/ssl+news/android+apps+vulnerable+to+man-in-the-middle+attacks/
[2]: http://bgr.com/2011/08/30/iranian-government-said-to-be-using-mitm-hack-to-spy-on-gmail-other-google-services/


How to use tablet-only apps on normal 5 inch phone?

Yes, there is a workaround you can use. You need to change the screen dpi to match that of a tablet.

•First of all you will have to install ADB. Download the tool from here.
• Enable USB debugging.

•Now connect your phone to your PC. If you get notification. Click OK to allow USB debugging for that computer.

•Now open command prompt in ADB tool folder; Shift + Right-click in the folder and then click on open Command Prompt.

•Now you have to check whether your device is connected and ADB can detect it. To check enter the following code in the command prompt.

adb devices

Check current DPI with DPI Checker

Proceed and change the DPI using the following command. In the following code the DPI is changed to 480. Change the value as you want DPI for your tablet.

adb shell wm density 480 && adb reboot

Just check the target DPI corresponding to a phone and use that value. In this example is 480.

•If you want to go back to previous DPI. Then enter the default DPI in place of the value previously changed.

Open playstore and see if you are now able to download the apps meant for tablet devices


Looking for a launcher similar to Launchy, Synapse or Kupfer (with type to find and launch app feature)

Have you not considered this application which actually overlays the existing launcher, and by using gestures such as tapping on the corner of the screen, to launch a certain app. The app is called SwipePad
Its a complement to the existing launchers out there on the market.
To quote:

SwipePad is a launcher panel overlay. With a single swipe action, you
can launch anything from within any app. It's extraordinarily simple
and intuitive to use:

Touch down a pre-set edge of the screen;
Move your finger towards the center of the screen so the pad will emerge;
Release your finger on a specific slot to action.


Changing device configuration to display non-circular launcher icons

For a non-rooted device, it's not possible as far as I've seen, as it's totally under control of OEM as implied in this Android developers documentation. But otherwise, it's possible if one can edit config with the value of config_useRoundIcon to false.

Just for experimenting, you can decompile the framework-res.apk and change the above-mentioned value in bools.txt and recompile the apk and push the apk into the device.


Why wifi file transfer does not work in my S5?

Yes, I believe these kind of apps don't show for some reason your external SD card.
What I can suggest to you is:

Try another app like Airdroid. Maybe there it will work.
Somewhat of a workaround - transfer the file to the internal SD card and then use a file explorer (on your phone) to transfer it to the external SD card.


How do i stop apps i dont want or use from redownloading?

If they are system apps, then you're probably not uninstalling them, you're just uninstalling the previous updates. And probably your automatic update is turned on in Play store , and hence why whenever you boot up your phone and it gets internet access, it starts to download the available updates (which includes the apps you don't use/want). So go over to play store and disable automatic updates, or you can find the app (that you don't want to receive updates for), and disable automatic update by unchecking the option in your top-right corner. But if you want to get rid of those apps completely then you'll have to root your phone (only if those are system apps), and remove them afterwards, or you can just disable those apps (which don't require rooting) in settings if there is an option....


This will only work if you're rooted, but DroidWall is a really good front end for Android's iptables.  You can filter access to data based on WiFi and 3G to just about anything in your phone (including the Market) that could request it.


My phone is making weird music when I am not touching it

Put your phone in Safe Mode and see if you are still hearing that music. If it stops, that means a user installed app is running in background. Now, depending on the Android version you are running, you can check for running apps in Settings> apps> Developer Settings> Running Apps and try to stop all the apps from running and see which one was playing the music.

(If you don't see developer settings goto Settings> About and tap 7 times on the build number)


Nexus 7 2012 usb debugging not connecting (needed for Nethunter)

Ok, apparently a factory reset and using MTP fixed it.
I'm not sure why or how, but USB debugging only connected when MTP was on, so I had to leave it on for the majority of the installation.


Youtube android app with fine speed controls

There is one open-source project available, which comes with many useful features,
You can play youtube videos on any native player such as VLC.

Please check out NewPipe NewPipe Github


You can find the option to factory reset most Android Devices in the
  settings menu. Simply navigate to your device's settings, scroll down
  until you see 'Backup and Reset', and then hit 'Factory Data
  Reset'. Please remember that this will wipe everything on your
  device (unless given the option when you click it to wipe the user's
  data or not).

  Good luck fixing your problem!

EDIT: My mistake. I was too quick to answer. After researching FTM mode, I have found that you should be able to factory reset your phone from the Recovery Menu as you don't have access to Android itself. To get to the recovery menu, take the following steps:

Turn off your device.
Press and hold both the Volume Up button and Power button at the same time.
Let go once a menu appears. There should be an option visible saying Factory Reset.
Navigate to the Factory Reset button with the Volume Keys, and use the Power Key to select this.
Confirm Factory Reset, and the process will begin.
Your phone is now Factory Reset! Click the Power Button to 'Reboot Device Now'.


Try Wiredog. It's new and you can find it on Reddit in the top apps category.


What do I do when I reset a device and it says I have to sign in with a Google account that was previously synced on this device it's Alcatel Pixi 4

If you bought the phone off a friend, bring it back to him and tell him to sign in and then delete his account after he signed in.

However, you could try going into recovery mode and wiping the phone from there.


One method is to put a file called .noMedia in the root of every folder that you don't want to be scanned.  It won't improve the scanning of actual media, but it will prevent wasted time searching elsewhere (or indexing things that you don't want indexed, such as app assets).


"Cold boot: snapshot doesn't exist" when running the Android SDK Emulator for the first time

Try to uninstall Intel HAXM in SDK tools and then reinstall it. you'll solved your problem.


Go in hangouts -> in the list of all your conversation -> click on the "plus" in the top right corner -> then select a contact. Now a new screen will appear and a grey button will show "add someone else" -> click on it and you will be able to add other contacts.

Hope it will help.


Purchasing sd card will solve "insufficient memory storage" issue?

Buying a new SD card will not solve the problem. In Android phones, all applications are installed in internal memory. Some apps/games which ask for big data to be downloaded from the net also save the data in internal memory. So, if you insert external memory card in your device, then still you face same problem.

To solve this, first you need a external SD card; at least 8GB more would be better. Then, you need to configure your device so that it forcibly installs all data on external SD card. For more information, read this.


Can I restore a nandroid backup that was made on an older OS?

[Can I just use my 4.4.4 Nandroid on my current 5.0 OS to get all my apps and stuff back?]

Take a look at Nandroid Browser:

With Nandroid Manager you can restore data from your nandroid such as apps+data, text messages, call logs, and much more.
...
Nandroid Manager currently supports nandroid backups created by TWRP and Clockworkmod (v5.xx and v6.xx) based recoveries.

If your backup meets the above criteria then go ahead (irrespective of 5.0 or 4.4) and use it to extract relevant data.

I just need to know if I can restore an older backup to a newer [OS] or will it just revert me entirely back to 4.4.4[?]

It depends upon what content you want to restore. If you choose to restore only Data then there could be some minor issues of app crashing or related stuff, but your OS won't revert back to 4.4.x. You still need to restore System, Boot, (possibly some other partitions too) to revert back to previous state.
Honestly, if the goal is to get the data, then I'll prefer Nandroid Browser. Else, I'll first take complete backup of my 5.0, then restore the Data of 4.4 on 5.0 to see whether everything runs smoothly.
Remember, do it in steps, if you choose to. It is possible that your Nandroid backup has some partitions whose size were changed during 5.0 update. Reverting haphazardly to 4.4 may lead to severe consequences. (e.g.: Yureka device hard-bricked when downgrading to Kitkat.)


TeamViewer 8.0.772 crashes on Sony Xperia running ICS 4.0.4

Please try and clear the app data and cache - this fixed the same issue for me.


Ringtones incompatible with custom rom. How to improve compatibility?

It's weird that your ringtones are still incompatible after conversion to the Ogg Vorbis format, because it (as you probably already know) is what Android's native ringtones come in.

Since you mentioned that you put your files in /system/media/audio/ringtones, it is worth a try to check and set the permissions of your files. It's as easy as

  chmod 0644 /system/media/audio/ringtones/*

in a terminal emulator or through ADB.

If you want, you can also put your ringtone files in /sdcard/media/ringtones and do a reboot. You should be able to see, preview, and set your ringtones in Settings. (This works with regular MP3 files, as I've tested months before.)

P.S. Since you also said you've tried using Audacity, it's worth noting that Android doesn't repeat custom ringtones when they stop playing (as is the expected behaviour with call ringtones) unless you include a tag named ANDROID_LOOP set to true in the ringtone's metadata.


You would need a third party app to record your screen. Install any screen recording app from the play store and enjoy.

I personally like one that's called AZ screen recorder it records your screen, and gives some nice options with it.


I meanwhile found a partly resolve working with Android 7/8 and up (when the cmd package command was added):

Default dialer: cmd package resolve-activity tel://123456
Default mail: cmd package resolve-activity mailto:john@example.com
Default browser: cmd package resolve-activity http://www.example.com/
Default messenging: cmd package resolve-activity sms://123456
Default homescreen launcher: cmd package resolve-activity -c android.intent.category.HOME -a android.intent.action.MAIN

In the output, then grep for packageName= (e.g. packageName=com.android.messaging for the default SMS app). If a given action has no default set (e.g. multiple browsers are installed but none was declared to be "always used"), the action will resolve to the OS (packageName=android) to prompt the user. Side-note: if you want to check for available alternatives, just replace resolve-activity with query-activities (note it might also return a one-liner like "No activities found", especially on Android < 8).
I call this a "partly resolve" as it lacks several default apps I've no idea what activity to ask for – like the default homescreen launcher (note: just figured) or the assistant app (hints welcome!).
Thanks to Irfan Latif for pointing out a solution for Android 10 and up. Here, the role manager was added which I had already found but didn't figure how to call it via ADB. Turns out that was because all my devices are running Android < 10 (and as just said, role manager was added with Android 10), and the command would be dumpsys role (but not availabe before Android 10).


Backup will never contain cache data.

Cache data is CPU specific and instance specific. For the same app, different CPU may create different cache depending on what part of the app is running as a process. Moreover, even the same CPU running at different instances may have different app cache. If you open an app, keep it running in the background, but never open it in foreground, the cache created will be different from the one created if the app has been running in foreground. Moreover, once the app has been closed and its process has been killed, then cache space for that data is allowed to be overwritten by new incoming data. So, cache data is never constant.


According to tnagy on the topic of JRD MMITest:

  This is the manufacture test of your Android phone's internal components. It will perform a check on the main components like LCD display, sound, etc.

You should be able to disable the app if you do not want this app to perform regular checks.

From Settings > Apps, slide all the way to the right until you see the all apps screen (not downloaded or running). Scroll down to MMI Test and click on it. Note: On some devices it might be listed as MMI Test II, or some other derivative.
After clicking MMI Test in your list of all apps, you should be able to Disable the app. This will keep the app on the phone, but it will not be able to run at all, even in the background.

If you want to permanently remove the app, you can root your phone and install an app like Titanium Backup, which can delete system apps, such as MMI Test.


Why does "Preparing SD card" message appear on Optimus One P500 3-4 times a day?

I had a similar problem that was fixed by formating the card in the phone.

Settings -> SD card & phone storage settings -> Unmount SD card. Then format the card on the same screen.


Transfer data from desktop to an emulator

1. Using command line: Here's how you can copy files to an SD card image.

You have to use adb push to copy files from Desktop to Emulator and adb pull for the reverse. Here's the syntax to copy files to or from an Emulator/Device Instance:

Copy from desktop to emulator:

adb push <local> <remote>

Copy from emulator to desktop:

adb pull <remote> <local>

Here <local> is path of file / folder on your desktop and <remote> is path of file / folder on your emulator.

Here is an example:

adb push foo.txt /sdcard/foo.txt

foo.txt will be pushed (copied) to the emulator.

2. Using DDMS UI: Here's how to work with emulator's file system using DDMS.

In the Devices tab, select the emulator that you want to view the file system for.
To copy a file from the device, locate the file in the File Explorer and click the Pull file button.
To copy a file to the device, click the Push file button on the File Explorer tab.

I personally prefer the adb pull and adb push commands as you can copy multiple files (in a single directory) with just one line command, using DDMS you can copy only one file at a time (no directory).


Do all Android devices have USB OTG support?

No, not all Android devices have USB-on-the-go support. GSMArena claims that your device doesn't, but they'll only be going on the specification.

The tool could be reporting that your phone has the software support for acting as a USB host, but unless the hardware also supports USB-OTG, that's not going to help you.


There is problem with the MTP driver in Windows XP. It will connect in PTP mode thats why it is showing as camera. You can search in Microsoft forum for enabling MTP but still not sure whether it will work or not. Change the os or install Sony PC companion


Blacklist recommended apps in Google Play?

You can remove the suggestions by tapping the triple dot and selecting Not intersted. However, Google yet doesnt allows you to block certain people. For now

Either make a new gmail, one for social and other for useless stuff, including downloading apps. (You wont get recommendations in that, Just dont add you friends in that)
Unfriend (Or uncircle) those contacts (seriously, hardly anyone will notice that as Google+ is very scarcely used)


How do I stop my Moto G from pestering me about Motorola ID related things?

Seems we have to apply as back to 4.4 and do this: settings->security & screen lock->Device administrators and turn off "Motorola Device Policy". Next, settings->Motorola Device ID, tap the three dot menu control on the top right, and choose "unlink account". Restart (reboot) as a supplementary measure.


Which keyboard app are you using? It doesn't break normally on SD card. I have used stock and SwiftKey both on SD card. Never cause any problem to me.


Gmail won't sync, apps don't update: "Device doesn't have enough storage space"

It seems to react on your low, internal memory. And while 178 MB should be enough for a few small apps, there might be something that denies more installation due to already low amount of space.

Now, the first thing I would advise you to do is uninstall any app you don't really need. However, many apps come with the phone, so they can not be removed. For these, and any app you do not want to remove, you can clear the cache. To do that, hit settings -> Application manager -> Slide til you see a list called "all". Now all you have to do is hit each app you want to clear the cache off, and choose "Clear data" and "Clear cache". Beware that the "clear data" option will likely delete any saved password or settings the app uses, and thus you might need to redo those settings. It may also delete some information attached to the app, so use the "clear data" option at your own risk. Tho for apps like facebook and twitter, the option should do no harm.

You can also choose to move some apps to the SD card. While I have not tried that out myself, it should push some of the stuff from internal to "external" memory.

You may also want to download Clean Master. It's an app somewhat similar to CCleaner, if you are familiar with that (deletes cache and junk files). I use it myself, and it helps a bit. It's free and you can download it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cleanmaster.mguard&hl=eng


Windows 7 Laptop unable to recognize Samsung GT-S7562 and Micrommax A116 Android Device

Any android phone can be easily detected based on the purpose of connection.Just check and ensure the type of USB driver you download is for the correct purpose.

Basically we have two modes of connecting an Android device to a system.

1.As a Personal user(can be any,file transfer,update,backup etc.)

2.As a Developer(to debug,deploy an application etc.)

1.As a personal user
If you basically want to connect your device for personal use.Then you need the simple USB drivers which can be downloaded from Samsung.Depending on your Operating system you need to install the required file.For Samsung.Contact micromax for the USB drivers as i didn't find any.

Ex:-If you have a windows 7 Operating system then it will automatically download and install the USB drivers and if it's Linux then you need to search for the respective drivers regarding Linux and install based on your procedure.But if it's Windows XP then you need to manually search for the USB driver's download it and install them  as and where required.Once installed you can connect your device and do your work

2.As a Developer:-If you need to connect the android phone as a developer/tester then you need to download the special ADB debug drivers.These drivers are way different from the normal U.S.B drivers as they provide you to test/debug the application on the device but not for file transfer or any other use.
After downloading manually or automatically from the SDK Manager you can connect your device but you need to configure it .Check this site for more details.Once done your device will be detected by the eclipse software and then you can do you work.

Based on the use of yours you can select the choice of connection.

Note:-The basic connection setup is the same for all the devices irrespective of their manufacturer.Although there may/may not be any slight changes based on the Android Version.

The difference is may be you have restrictions/U.S.B drivers are missing in Windows XP machine.So just check whether the U.S.B drivers are not disabled and you have access to the U.S.B as well


Galaxy S5 - Exchange email - How to sort by sender or by date ascending?

It is apparently not an option in that particular app. However, there are plenty of third-party alternatives for email. I personally recommend Boxer.


How to Delete Voicemails from VVM App Using Tasker

Deleting info on the Visual Voice Mail app itself was as simple as deleting the db file. This was located just above the folder containing the voice mails. It was in the format: xxx-xxx-xxxx@tmobile.db.

I used Tasker to delete that file, and then went back into the app. No more voicemail showing.

It's probably best practice to delete the cache files as well.

Haven't had any problems receiving new voicemail. Therefore, there's no reason to try and use an intent to do the same thing. Without the database file, the app can't find any info on deleted voice mail messages, so it thinks they don't exist.


The storage is still calculated separately (internal VS. external), so internal is still low on space, hence the alert.

At this moment, use a file explorer to go through your internal storage and see what's hogging space (music? video? installation files you forgot to delete?), and move anything necessary to the SD card. For some phones you can also go to Settings-Apps to move some installed apps to the card.

If the problem persists, please post screenshots of your storage details both in Settings-Storage and under Settings-Apps.


Does ICS Gmail display unread message counts for labels other than Inbox?

Yes, at least 4.0.4 stock image on my Galaxy Nexus does, though if more than 999, it just displays 999+ (same as inbox).


My Nexus 5 (5.0, stock, rooted) won't boot, despite being on 70% charge when I last checked. What can I do?

It's probably soft-bricked. Use a program called Nexus Root Toolkit to reinstall the stock ROM: http://www.wugfresh.com/nrt/


How many additional numbers can I set in one contact?

Clarifying on your comment asking for a rough estimate, it is 499 and that seems to be not rough but pretty much fixed . Source- from SE webapps- What is the maximum number of phone numbers per one contact in Gmail?

It is relevant in the sense ultimately your contacts are going to be synced using Gmail , while the Android capacity may be more or less, it doesn't matter and by the same logic Android version shouldn't either


Can you use cell tower triangulation without a SIM card?

SIM cards are not required for cellular connection. They are just some sort of ID method.

For example: If a phone has AT&T SIMCard, the configuration in the SIMCard will let it connect to AT&T as an identified (with phone number) user and so the SIMCard can be billed for the usage of service.

However, even without a SIM, a phone will always try and connect to cellular networks. But it will be a, let's say, guest user who can't use any of the services since they can't be billed because they can't be ID'd.

911 however is an exception. All services allow 911 calls regardless if the client is identified or not.

I told all these so you can understand the conception better. Now for the actual question: It probably can be traced without a SIM as well. Why probably? Because I don't know for sure nor have I ever heard/seen such a case. But conceptually they should be able to do it since they can also access your phone's IMEI and therefore identify the device and triangulate its signal. It is not something you can do on your own though, it is FBI-class action.

It is completely unrelated to GPS because GPS uses satellite, triangulation uses cell.


How can I turn off the shutter sound for the camera on droid x running 2.2 froyo?

You should check this question for a solution.


You can find a folder which is writable by the ADB user and put ARM binaries there. I recall that /data/local/bin is such a place. Then you can include that folder in the PATH variable.

You can compile your own binaries (I don't know how and even if I did explaining that would probably fill a page or two here) or  grab them online. Take a look here, you can find a lot of useful packages.

If you like to play around in the command line, and you know what you're doing, you could consider rooting the phone. That would make it possible to install busybox easily into the /system partition, and allow more to play around with in general.


Change the notification sound in the new Inbox by Gmail

Looks like it is possible now. From the Help:

Open the Inbox app.
Go to the main menu at the top left.
Scroll down and choose Settings near the bottom.
Select your email address.
Make sure Notifications is checked.
Click 'inbox sound and vibrate'.
Click on "Sound" and choose your preferred notification tone.


Your traffic is encrypted if the routers setting allow it. This can be WEP, WPA, WPA2. However with all of these the key is known by everyone on the network so it is possible to decrypt the  traffic.


How do I restore Whatsapp from backup after skipping the restore option?

If you still have your old phone, recovery will be pretty easy

First of all make sure to turn on backup on your new phone.

WhatsApp > Menu Button > Settings > Chat Settings > Backup conversations.

Now, follow these steps:

Install the data recovery software for Android mobiles on your Windows PC using this link.
Use the data recovery to scan your Android mobile phone. It supports up to 2000 Android mobiles, including Samsung mobiles, LG phones, HTC, Motorola, Lenovo, Nexus, ZTE, Huawei, Xiaomi, Blu, or other Android based phones and tablets.
Get back your lost WhatsApp messages on your old phone.
Now, you will need to transfer the/sd card/WhatsApp/folder from your old phone to the same folder on your new phone.

Hope this helps.


is there a way to run *.sh file by just touching it in a file manager?

Matthew Read is right in the comments, but you can still have a workaround for the goal.

Tasker offers a "Task Shortcut" feature that can be used to place shortcuts on home screen. You can use this feature to place task shortcuts for your scripts on home screen, if not in file manager. Many Launcher app nowadays allow folder creation on home screen so you can place and pack as many shortcuts as you like.

Instructions

To add a Task shortcut, go into Widget selection in your default launcher and choose Task Shortcut.
Enter a name which would be the name of the shortcut → + → Code → Run Shell.
Enter the details as per your needs. You may either paste the code into Command field, or type sh <SCRIPT_FILEPATH> where <SCRIPT_FILEPATH> should be your script's location.

Use Root if necessary. Save the errors or results into variables (can write into files too) because unlike desktop OS, nothing like launch of terminal window, printing of standard output ,and then auto closing of that window is going to happen here.
Save the task (pressing back key once saves things in Tasker).
Choose an icon and come back to home screen.
Tap the shortcut and it would now execute. Place as many shortcuts as you want. Also, you can execute those shortcuts as long as Tasker's service is running in background, which it would be unless you disable it manually or system force-closes it.


Something is filtering blue light and I can't figure out how to stop it

So I did a bit of digging and found two related threads describing your problem:

User Friendly Solution

As you've described you had transferred over your settings from a different device and the 'Night Light' settings were hidden by the Samsung software.

The most user friendly way is from Reddit:

PSA: Night Light and Blue Light Filter Overlap

where the solution is use Nova Launcher and to create a Night Light shortcut from Nova Launcher:

  Easy fix is through Nova Launcher / Activities. Press somewhere on the home screen so you can select widgets. From there select Activities>Settings>Night Light. Open Night Light from your home screen and turn it off - and the scheduling, too, of course... Unless you'd rather use Night Light.

Reddit author made a video for visual aid: https://youtu.be/J9J1B2Q8Eu4

Alternate ADB solution

In my research I also found a different way, and while it didn't help you perhaps it may help someone else:

Weird Night Mode type issue

The XDA one lists adb commands to try:

Using adb to list out device settings

adb shell 'settings list secure

and then attempting to clear the appropriate ones:

adb shell 'settings put secure night_display_activated 0'

adb shell 'settings put secure night_display_auto_mode 0'


Is there an Android equivalent to iOS's "CallKit"?

Android does, but it's not very well documented. The ConnectionService class was introduced in Marshmallow and allows an app to register itself as a voice service, the user needs to manually enable the voice service through the phone settings (same place you would enable/disable SIP accounts).

Once this is done you can choose between registered voice services when placing a call using the native dialer, or set one as the default. Incoming calls to your voice service should also trigger the native dialer.

Side note, but also interesting, Marshmallow also introduced the ability to register your app as the default dialer too.


Basic things to check:

Is the charger broken? (try a different charger)
Is the charger the correct voltage and current for the phone? (check your phone specs and see if they match what's written on the charger, try a wall charger and a usb charger)
Is the battery broken? (try a different battery if you can find someone with the same tab)


Prevent word from being added to the dictionary

That is not supported, but there are some workarounds:

You could change language to something unused, before pressing space, and switching back afterwards.
Or you may enter two spaces and place the cursor in between, and then type the word.

I really like Swype, but that's one of its drawbacks...


multiple android devices using same email address question/

I think other tablets didnt turn on the notifications of New arriving emails.
Go to email -> settings -> 1.tick the EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS.
And also check you have tick the SYNC EMAIL.


Space Issue on data directory Android using Galaxy Note

If by "data" directory you mean internal storage, then it doesnt have anything to do much really with system apps. System apps use space from /system partition which you cannot use for storing normal data anyway. And whatever used/free space in this partition has nothing to do with your space in data partition (or space you can use, in other words).

Infact, /data/media/0 is whats used for storing personal files or as internal memory.

Now how to find out whats taking space. First, run the command adb shell df inside adb. This will list you the total space allotted to every partition. Out of this, you can use the space allotted to storage/emulated/0 or /data (names may change according to android version). Check there the amount of space allocated to data directory. Unless you repartition, you cannot gain any more space than this for storing personal files and downloading apps.

  And can we delete files in dalvik cache?

Dont do it. Its useless. Dalvic cache has to be present for sure. Even if you delete it, it will be recreated with almost same size. So deleting this wont gain you much storage.

This leaves you with only two things that can use data, your apps and their cache, and your own data inside internal memory.

What can you try to free up space?

Most mainstream method, delete useless apps.
Try clearing cache (although it will be recreated, but sometimes there is cache of things that no longer exist or are needed, for instance deleted photos or play store cache or even themer apps cache).
Do not use any cleaner apps. They are hoax.
Remove useless files.
You can also try moving apps to external storage using apps like link2sd. But this may not work for Every app.

Hope this helps.


Samsung Tab P7500. How to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich?

No official update to ICS is currently available for your device. However, Samsung says that they will be providing either an ICS update (Ice Cream Sandwich), or a feature upgrade that provides similar capabilities as ICS.

Source

  NOTE: The following Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) tutorial can support you upgrading your Galaxy >S II to Android 4.0 ICS. It will be available for other Galaxy devices shortly.
  For select models where ICS will not be available a feature update alternative will be >offered giving similar functionality to ICS.


My (other) Moto G3 won't update to the latest Android version

It seems that the updates to some units are just VERY late:

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-G-3rd-Gen/Moto-G3-not-updating-from-Android-6-0-to-Android-6-0-1/td-p/3386562

I think that these were my last Motorolas now that even Samsung is better with updates.


Cannot download apps from Play Store on mobile data

First, go to your settings and under Data usage select Cellular data usage. Check whether the Google Play Store, Google Services and Download Manager are allowed to use background data.

If this doesn't help, go to Apps and find the Play Store. Tap on Force Stop and then tap on Storage. Tap Clear Cache (you could also clear all the data with the second button). Lastly, tap on Permissions and make sure that all of them are granted to the app.

Finally, reboot the phone. Hope this helps.


Its best you get a file manager app from Play Store. I will suggest ES File Explorer.
Once you have installed it, open the app and go to the Download folder. You will see your downloaded files there. Just long press the file you wish to rename and the Rename option will appear at the bottom.


Samsung G530 won't trickle charge when full?

Modern batteries disconnect your phone from the charger once it reaches 100%, which is mostly an disadvantage to many people, but the truth is, it helps from battery accidents and problems. Trickle charge is one of the reasons why batteries set on fire, usually because of heat. (But the truth is I don't know more about trickle-charging your phone, letting it reach 101%... Haha!)

An workaround to the draining battery after the disconnection is to try to turn off your phone once it is charging. Don't worry, if you're waiting for an alarm, it will turn your phone automatically.


How do I set a custom MP3 as a ringtone for other notifications?

Put the sounds in the /media/audio/notifications folder on your SD card. Create this folder if it doesn't exist.


HBOOT is bootloader. It lives inside NAND's first partition, mtd0 (if partition map is MTD). It is loaded in memory (RAM) when device is switched ON. Its jobs are:

Check the Hardware.
Initialize the Hardware.
Start the Operating System (Either Android or Recovery).

HBOOT can also support doing more than this like flashing ROMs.

Something More: Nandroid backup and restore don't touch HBOOT.


What can you do when you can't chmod /system/bin/chmod?

I wonder how you can change /system without read-write access. Usually a reboot will restore permissions, but you can also change it on-the-fly

chmod is most likely a symlink to toybox and you have changed permissions of toybox instead. this will affect most (if not all) of the commands. you can maybe fix this with busybox

external MicroSD Card permissions are -rwxrwx--x per default, so maybe this trick works (untested). copy binary to external MicroSD Card first, then move the file into /data/local/tmp (moving a file does keep permissions)

adb push busybox-armv7l /sdcard/busybox
adb shell
su
ls -1 /storage
cp /sdcard/busybox /storage/????-????
cd /data/local/tmp
mv /storage/????-????/busybox .
./busybox mount -o remount,rw /
./busybox chmod a+x /system/bin/toybox

if you really just changed permissions of chmod (which must a binary in this case) you can just use toybox applets with prefix toybox chmod

in case ls mount cp and mv not working, run the following commands in termux (thx @ Irfan Latif)

pkg install busybox
su
export PATH=/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin:$PATH
busybox mount -o remount,rw /
busybox chmod a+x /system/bin/toybox


How do I back up SMS without using (broken) touchscreen on Nexus 4?

Note for Non-Nexus 4 users: if your device supports OTG, buy an OTG cable (comes very cheap) connect  a standard PC mouse  and the device to it and use the mouse to navigate the device.

Since the USB debugging is enabled and authorized, you can make good use of KeyEvents. Use input command to simulate up, down, left, and right navigational turns and enter.

Command:

adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE          # adb shell input: give further options

Examples:

adb shell input keyevent 22                # navigates one block rightward
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN # navigates one block downward
adb shell input keyevent DPAD_LEFT         # navigates one block leftward

Relevant key codes:

19 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_UP"
20 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN"
21 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT"
22 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT"
23 -->  "KEYCODE_DPAD_CENTER"

(See more key codes here - by Rene Barbosa)

To simulate ENTER, use key code 66. 23 works too.

Use the key codes in combination. For example, when SuperSU app asks me to allow or deny root privileges to an app, I use the key codes 19, 20, 22 and 66 to simulate a tap on OK.

You can always use adb shell input tap X Y but you need the correct X and Y coordinates for the tap. You'll have to enable Pointer location under Developer settings as first step. Since the touchscreen is not working, finding the right coordinates is a hit and miss here. You would succeed with trial and error, should you choose this method.


How to avoid WhatsApp locking up my contacts

Go to Settings > Accounts > Whatsapp > My Whatsapp Account
Remove the account
Make any necessary contact changes
Open up Whatsapp
At this point, Whatsapp should re-associate your contacts with the existing users.


Does Android upload my address book to Internet if I never explicitly enabled this?

You can never guarantee that it's cent per cent private.
First let's begin with Android apps. In order to earn money you have advert's in the apps.In order to get localised adds it has in built code which will access your location and display the advertisement based on the locality you are presently. In doing so your identity is revealed there itself.

Your device name, id, carrier etc. is stored in the third party servers. To which no one can guarantee whether the communication is secure between their server and what is done with the information stored in the server.

You cannot disable this featured as it is hard coded in the application and the best way to this is simply un-install.

You can verify whether the app is collecting information or not through some Apps from the play store like Permission checker.

In the app you can sort out apps that might cost you money, send data, etc. Check for the application permissions which are listed and check it's use on the Web.

If you see any application that has permission violating your privacy like viewing contacts, device id, network information you need to delete those apps from the device. You cannot modify the code even if possible as it violates the policy.

Also make sure the permissions are relevant to the functionality of the application. If it is irrelevant(flash light app Is having permission for viewing contacts ,location which is not at all relevant then you need to remove it. ) then you need to remove this app and find another app from the play store.


Create cookies on Droid Turbo local drive using Chrome

Discovered today that Chrome also prohibits geo-location for file:/// based web pages. Enough! Installed Mozilla Firefox on Droid Turbo. End of problem.


Turn off screen but still let video and streams running

Download MX Player
Play YouTube/Sdcard video using MX Player.
Press Menu button (or the 3 dot icon), and then select Play
Make sure "Background Play" is checked
Now, you can press Home Button and listen in lock screen.

There is also a shortcut for enabling Background Play, which is tapping and holding the Play button, instead of just tapping it to play a video

Update:

  Only For Rooted:
  You can install Xposed Modules Installer and use Repository called Youtube Background Play

Copied from my own answer on this post


Google Voice should do what you want if you're in the US.  On my phone I can go to Settings -> Call settings -> Voicemail and set it as the "Voicemail service" (you'll need the Google Voice app to do this).

There might be other apps to hook into this voicemail service setting but I can't find any at the moment.


Is there any way to filter out Tegra-only games?

Not with the original Android Market, as there is currently no option that would allow an developer to specify the App as Tegra (required|optional) in the app's manifest.
Maybe some alternative markets provide this search filter. But I am not aware of one that does it.

Off-Topic: If you want to know which Apps (mostly games) are compatible with your Tegra device, check out NVIDIA Tegra Zone.


Are the signatures of gapps from zips checked?

All Android apps are signed.

Android will not run an unsigned app. In addition, the signatures are tied to the app permissions, such that if the signature was wrong, other apps would not be able to talk with it, and you would not be able to receive updates to it from Google Play.

Android signing is discussed in more depth in Signing Your Applications in the Android developer documentation, from which the above information was drawn.

If you are paranoid and want to verify an app's signature, you can use the jarsigner utility included with the Java Development Kit (JDK). For example:

jarsigner -verify -verbose -certs Vending.apk


How does Cloud message services reach devices behind NAT / firewall?

As you might imagine, Google is pretty quiet with regard to its implementation details. So I'll just describe this in the general case and in a very basic form.

The way push is done is that the client (i.e. the phone) opens a TCP connection to the messaging server (e.g. Google). This connection is meant to remain open for as long as the phone is turned on. Fortunately a TCP connection uses absolutely no bandwidth when it's not transmitting anything, so it doesn't waste a lot of data, the radio transmitter can power down, etc.

The connection can remain open indefinitely, however behind a NAT, the NAT infrastructure keeps a table of open connections that it is handling, and drops connections that have been idle for some time, usually 10-15 minutes. Neither end gets notification of this. So this is handled by sending a TCP keep-alive packet which refreshes the entry in the carrier's NAT connection table. This only costs about 50 bytes or so, and only needs to be done every few minutes.


It turned out that motherboard was faulty. I've replaced the motherboard and the issue has gone.


For executing scripts there are two possibilities:
Via Android Debug Bridge (adb)
ADB is usually used when the device is connected via USB to a PC. But for trusted Wifis there is a also a possibility to run ADB over Wifi (but the connection is play-text like terinal which may lead to security problems, therefore the limitation to trused Wifis). Then you can execute a script that is e.g. saved in /data/local
Use an app like Termux
Apps like Termux provide an environment similar to a Linux distribution with packet manager and execution environment. You don't need a connected PC. However as Termux is an app the Android permission system applies you may get a problem accessing the Bluetooth hardware as Termux as far as I remember does not requests the Bluetooth permissions on installation.


Can I use Tasker to activate grayscale mode on my Galaxy S5 running Marshmallow?

Yes, if you have root access.

Tasker does not have the developer options built-in as something it can manage.

However, the developer options, like most preferences, are stored in a database behind the scenes. They can be modified via command-line, and Tasker is able to run shell commands. You just need to know what command to run.

Unfortunately, the catch is that you must have root access. While these settings can be changed via ADB without root, Tasker needs root to be able to run the same commands.

Determining Setting Key

To find out which option is needed, the easiest way is to list all preferences, change the preference, then list all preferences again. Then find the difference to determine the namespace and key which must be modified.

One easy way to do this is via ADB. On your desktop computer with Android Development Bridge installed, connect to your phone via adb shell.

Run these three commands: settings list system, settings list secure, and settings list global. After each one, copy the output into a new text file and save the files. Next, change your desired preference using your phone, and then run those 3 commands again, saving them into new text files.

Compare the files using diff (on Linux) or any other utility designed to compare differences in text files. This will quickly show what changed from 'before' to 'after', letting you know which setting key was modified.

For this example, we find the specific setting is accessibility_display_daltonizer_enabled in the namespace secure. When it has a value of 1, it's enabled, and the screen shows grayscale.

Creating a Grayscale Task

So back in Tasker, create a new Task called "Grayscale On". Add an Action, and go to Code -> Run Shell. The command to run is settings put secure accessibility_display_daltonizer_enabled 1. Check the box that says Use Root.

Clone that Task and call it "Grayscale Off". Modify the command to have a 0 at the end instead of a 1.

Then, you can use Tasker however you like to run either of those tasks to turn grayscale mode on or off.


Why can't I see Android storage as a partition on PC?

Connecting to PC through USB (MTP) doesn't expose underlying filesystem (ext4 or f2fs) of internal storage (/data partition) to PC. But recovery programs need direct access to filesystem i.e. block level access and won't work with MTP (Transfer Files) which is just a client-server type protocol for data transfer.
You need USB Mass Storage (UMS) which is disabled on Android 3.1.x and above, when MTP was introduced and then UMS was discontinued gradually afterwards in later releases. See Android's Storage Journey and my answer to What is /storage/emulated/0/? for details.
OEMs may add UMS configuration to their devices. For samples you may see on property:sys.usb.config=mass_storage triggers in init.qcom.usb.rc and init.msm.usb.configfs.rc files in a Qualcomm device source.
However it's always possible to enable UMS manually provided that kernel support is present. The process described below should also work for older devices those had UMS officially supported. You need root access or at least custom recovery to enable UMS.

HOW TO ENABLE UMS?
Android Composite Gadget driver (which is an extension to Linux kernel's USB Gadget API) exposes Android in USB device mode to a USB host like PC. Different USB functions (like UMS, MTP, RNDIS etc.) can be configured and switched using sysfs interfaces. Later mainline Linux kernel added the ability to configure USB gadget modes through configfs interfaces. New Android devices also use the same (see this sample init's .rc file).
OLD DEVICES:
Kernel must be built with CONFIG_USB_F_MASS_STORAGE and Android Composite Gadget driver (CONFIG_USB_G_ANDROID):
cd /sys/class/android_usb/android0
echo -n 0 >enable
echo -n '/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata' >f_mass_storage/lun/file
echo -n 'mass_storage' >functions
echo -n <VID> >idVendor
echo -n <PID> >idProduct
echo -n 1 >enable

* Other files in gadget such as {iSerial,iProduct,iManufacturer} are usually set on device boot when creating the gadget.
NEW DEVICES:
Kernel must be built with CONFIG_USB_CONFIGFS_MASS_STORAGE:
cd /config/usb_gadget/g1
echo -n 'msc' >configs/b.1/strings/0x409/configuration
echo -n <VID> >idVendor
echo -n <PID> >idProduct
for f in configs/b.1/f*; do rm $f; done
ln -s functions/mass_storage.0 configs/b.1/f1
echo -n '/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata' >configs/b.1/f1/lun.0/file

* Other files in gadget such as UDC and strings/0x409/{manufacturer,product,serialnumber} are usually set on device boot when creating the gadget.
NOTES:

Paths may vary - including directories g1, b.1, f1 etc. - depending on device and the hard-coded configuration.
In most cases you need to set proper USB Vendor ID (VID) and Product ID (PID) to make the PC identify the mass storage device. E.g. 05C6 is Qualcomm's VID and 1000 is their PID for UMS device. See .rc files on your device for device specific IDs.
Exposing mounted /data filesystem to UMS may corrupt the filesystem, and must be avoided. Use UMS in recovery mode.
If your /data partition is FDE encrypted, you need to decrypt it before exposing to UMS.
To make sure your data is recoverable, see my answer to How to make a complete factory reset, without anyone being able to retrieve my data?

Now /data will appear as a partition on Linux PC which you can mount (preferably read-only to avoid overwriting data). However recovery tools including extundelete mostly don't need mounting filesystems.
If you have custom recovery, another option is to dd out an image of /data partition to external SD card and then mount it on Linux PC as a loop file. For this and other options to access internal storage at block level, see my answers to related questions.
PS:
Using the same methods it's possible to expose a loop file like ISO image or any other filesystem as UMS or CDROM device by writing its path instead of block device path.

RELATED:

How to recover a deleted file from /data partition?
How to take full image backup of partitions or eMMC?
Is there any way to recover data from 2nd SD partition?


You can manually boot to recovery without adb. Therefore turn your phone off and then press the power button, home button and volume up (at least as far as I remember) simultaneously for several seconds. This should boot the phone to recovery and you can try to use adb although I don't know if you now have the needed permissions.


Why i can not connect my external hard drive to my phone yureka?

This trick you are trying to do, does not depend upon any single condition. To connect an external hard drive to phone with the help of USB-OTG requires to satisfy both hardware and software compatibility.

as you said 'when you tried to connect external hard drive it shows constantly connecting and disconnecting', this maybe issue of power needed to support external hard drive. I guess your device has 5 V battery of capacity 2500 mAh. To mount 1 tb device on that power puts tremendous work load on Android device. ( there are devices like OnePlus or nexus with bigger specifications that can do this job so it's definitely not a 'impossible' thing)
In case of software, your phone or phones file system might not have compatibility with the file system of external hard drive. Try to use different file explorers like ES File Explorer or there is an app available on play store named 'paragon' that can mount ntfs hfs+ and other file systems (requires root) . and then check again.

before writing this answer i tried connecting my own Seagate backup+ 1TB  hard drive to my xiaomi redmi note 3. It shows notification 'Blank usb storage or unsupported file system'. my device has 4000 mAh battery and notification is not fluctuating so i guess its software issue in case of me and hardware issue in case of you.


How can I webcast a live drawing session with Android?

To the date, No

The best you can get is to share your whiteboard through Wi-Fi. Go to goolge play store and search for whiteboard apps. You will find a plenty of great apps.

Hope this helps.


How can I add extra memory in my ram android?

You can create swap file on your SD card by using ROEHSOFT RAM Expander or Swapper (Free) without creating swap partition. Both app require root access. Apps need kernel swap support to work so check if your phone is compatible or not with MemoryInfo & Swapfile Check first.


How do I NOT install the apps that Google Play Store offeres for review?

It happened in my Samsung A30s - Android 9.0.

I installed the recommended apps, the notification of Complete setup by installing apps gone, and I uninstalled them again.
I seems there is no easy way to get rid of that notification.


Videos working on my website do not work when viewed from Android browser

The Android Browser's capability and Version is responsible for playing the video. There are couple of browsers which don't support the video codecs. You need to see the compatibility matrix and make sure you put correct format of the video on server.

http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/media-formats.html


SlideMe supports paypal. but i dont know what their "inventory" looks like compared to android market. You could try to get the PayPal debit card and link that to a google checkout account, if you can...


How can I create a shortcut to a particular Google keep label?

You can't do that. The only way is to add Google Keep widget on your home screen.
Then you can list all your labels and access the very fast.


How do I make the apps/widgets view the default view?

You would need to install a custom Launcher.

A launcher is the application that you use to launch other applications. It is both the home screen (view with wallpaper) and launcher draw ("launchpad").

With Android you can install different launchers via the Play Store to suit your own needs.

For example AppDrawer (MIUI App Drawer) might be what you're looking for.


Import/Export option not found in messages app (4.1.2)

If all you want to do is transfer your SMS messages to another device or back them up, use an app like SMS Backup & Restore- that allows you to import / export / back up your SMS messages for posterity.

It also allows a user to selectively pick and choose which conversations you want to backup or restore.


network problem after update in lollypop of Micromax unite 2

Go to Settings > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Choose Automatically.
Also set your preferred network as '2G'.


What is this icon on the top right of some YouTube videos?

It's the logo of the video's uploader. Uploaders can choose to display their logo near the beginning or end of the video, to make it easier for you to subscribe to their channel.


T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Wifi calling with different dialer app

Through experimentation, I found out that any dialer app can use wifi-calling because wifi calling is built into the baseband chip's code.


Unable to mount SAMSUNG Android when USB debugging

I had a similar problem later today with debian and this thread help me a lot  : https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15396423/adb-doesnt-see-device


Nexus 5x No Wifi. Default MAC 02-00-00-00-00-00 change attempt

Install lineageos and see if it works
As I see, vendor firmwares are quite glitchy on nexus phones (I have nexus 5 (Hammerhead, non-X) and vendor android 6 worked with freezes while latest lineageos nightly works perfectly (though without gapps))


Google Play website says I have certain apps installed that I do not. How to re-sync?

Any app that you have installed ( including the ones you subsequently uninstalled ) will always show up when you sign in with the account you used to install

Deleting android apps using my google play account on my commputer explains further

  When you uninstall an app, it still STAYS on your app list.  That's done so you can find it again or install it on another device easily.  This can be very helpful to keep a list of apps you like but don't want on your phone all the time (like tools you only use a couple of times a year)

So re- sync will not help. Only way to not see that app is to sign in with a different account and use that account on your phone to install only those apps which you wish to see. Obvious disadvantage of doing this is you cannot access apps which you have previously paid for using a different account - see How to transfer my purchased apps to another account


Android Market not working after factory data reset

This happened to me previously. All I did was just wait and it eventually updated to Play Store.


It sounds like your filesystem is being corrupted by whatever else you're using to write to it with the external card reader. Probably you need to be sure to unmount the device correctly before removing the card from the reader. For example, in Windows you need to select "Safely remove hardware".

When you write files to the SD card, from any kind of computer, the writes happen in the background: like when you're noting down what someone tells you, you're always a few seconds behind them. Removing the card before the write is finished is like snatching the paper away as soon as you're finished talking, before you write down the last few words. The "safely remove" operation, whatever it's called on your OS, ensures all writes are finished.


Choose default music player to play / pause music on hands-free button press

You could check the playstore for headset control apps. Having a Philips headset, Philips Headset works perfectly for me -- and lets me define which player app to launch as soon as the headset is connected, plus gives me a bunch of control options for the headset's single button (e.c. click for play/pause or take call, long-press to increase volume, click twice to skip a title or reject a call, and more).

There are many more similar apps available. Quite famous examples include e.g. JAYS Headset Control (which did not work that well with my Philips headset -- but that may be caused by the headset itself), and Headset Button Controller. Simply search the playstore for "headset control" for more options.


Enable "Sync" in the taskbar, then go to the account you need selective sync on, you'll find all the required options with tickboxes. Tickboxes disappears when "Sync" option is disabled.

Best luck.


How do I get Application name from APK file?

Works only on Cyanogenmod or forks that base on CM:

aapt may not be present on your device. It's suspected that this binary is part of CyanogenMod (and its forks). Confirmed to be present on my S3 running Resurrection Remix (CM12.1), Izzy's Milestone² running CM11 and the LG P880 running CM11 as well.

You can use aapt (Android Asset Packaging Tool) to dump the data to your terminal.

Command:

aapt d badging <path to apk>

call aapt
     [d]ump the data
       print the badging (label and icon) of
               <the apk>

Your output will contain many lines beginning with application-label; those are localized labels so the one you are looking for is plain application-label:.
Use grep to filter your output and you will end up with this command:

aapt d badging <path to apk> | grep "application-label:"

This gives you the localized application label for a given apk.

Update: Thanks to Izzy for providing aapt for all devices running Android 4.1+:

Izzy put together an archive containing the aapt binary for ARM devices (nearly all phones and tablets use ARM CPUs).
Get it from his website: http://android.izzysoft.de/downloads.

Note: the command to get the actual application label is slightly different, you need to use awk to isolate the application label from the rest of the output:

aapt d badging <path to apk> | grep "application: label" |awk '{print $2}'


Some carriers block connections to TCP port 25 outside their own network. This is done to reduce spam, since that port is most often used by unsecure mail server default configurations. You should check with your IT guy if it's possible to use TCP port 587 with authentication.


How can I not show profile pics in Whatsapp?

Until and unless the app doesn't provide the functionality there is nothing an end use can do except request them for the feature.

One difficult and less possible way though would be to monitor the data transfer whatsapp makes and see if it uses different subdomain or IP for pictures like pics.whatsapp.com. If they do so then you can block that particular subdomain. But this might cause the app to misbehave.


Why does the built-in Download Booster on Samsung not work with UC browser?

It does not work / has limited support with Third-Party applications.

Have a look at the following article by Samsung on their homepage:
What is the Download Booster and how do I enable it on my Samsung Galaxy Alpha?

It seems like that the download booster is only available when downloading via the integrated Browser / Samsung Apps / Google Apps.
See this image for the download browser description:

Thanks Samsung for providing this picture

The last sentence pretty much says that third-party applications might not work with the download booster.

You can also have a look at Even though Download booster feature on Galaxy S5 is enable, it does not work to download contents. What is the problem?.

I'm quoting the essential part:

  This feature supports Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) 1.1 only.
  So, It can be activated in Play Store, Samsung Apps, Samsung Video , YouTube, Play Movies, Play Games,   Internet(S-Browser), Chrome (ChromeBrowser), Baidu, and not all applications.
  The feature cannot be used with other protocols, such as HTTPS or FTP.
  So, it’s not supported regarding to attached files of E-mail , Streaming service like  Dropbox or Twitter


Tasker: Detect ANT+ paired device, then switch on Endomondo

I can't tell what it will look like (as I don't know all the details, e.g. your BT devices MAC), but I can show you the way to create such a profile:

Condition: State → Bluetooth Connected (parameter: BT MAC of the ANT+ device)
Task: Launch App (select Endomo)
Worth reading: Tasker User Guide (easy to look up things here ;)


The speed of your device relates to the RAM not ROM. RAM of NOTE2 is 2GB and RAM is not expandable. RAM is the memory where all your foreground and background process resides. If RAM usage in your device is very high, uninstall or disable unnecessary applications. And install a Task Killer and schedule it in crazy mode at every half hour. It may increase the speed of your system.

You can manually clear your ram from task manager. Long press home button then tap on left most option which is task manager there select ram tab and tap on clear Memory.

If you have root access you can use autorun manager to permanently disable unnecessary background processes from startup.


Is it possible to Share Android phone 3G internet connection to multiple clients (tabs/computers) via bluetooth

There's the bluetooth PAN profile which allows just that.
It is included with CM7+ and from Android 4.0 onwards (or already 3.0?). Bluetooth PAN's host (the device that provides the internet) acts as a router which does NAT + issue dhcp adresses for its clients.

There are also  Bluetooth DUN profile apps that allow this (they provide a virtual GSM modem and may also allow for more than 1 connection at a time):
See host+client BlueDUN apps from Mirko Solazzi


How to re lock bootloader on samsung galaxy s5?

First off, you don't get your warranty back, you hide that you unlocked and rooted in the first place (so you never "actually" lost warranty) . I don't know Samsung devices all that well, have you tried booting into fastboot and doing "fastboot oem lock"? If your device doesn't have fastboot obviously this won't work. Usually carriers and the phone companies can find out bootloader status by booting into bootloader with" adb reboot bootloader" or some key combination.

Tip: if you are using SuperSU as your superuser app, there will be an unroot option in it. Good luck!


What feature of Android provide security to reset the /system changes on reboot?

Removing avb checks form boot.img/ramdisk/fstab.qcom has fixed the issue.


Phone Call Recording Apps Only Record One Side Of The Conversation

in Android, during a call, There is no way to access audio data of call directly. So what most of the app do is they record the audio from your Speaker.
Let me be clear

When you speak app directly record your audio with mic, as you are speaking at the higher sound it will be clear enough to be recorded the microphone which is near your mouth.
As the App can't access audio calls data so App record audio from your speaker (from where you are listening) and the microphone and speaker has almost distance of 8cm, so if your speaker's volume is high then only app will be able to record audio of the other side's person. Otherwise only your voice will be recorded.

few apps on the playStore provide better phone call recordings but they ask for Root access, if you are really interested in rooting your phone you can follow this article to have some idea "How to root an Android"
Thanks


How can I update the "multiwindow" setting in Tasker?

Previously I don't think there was a way to do this unless you wrote some java script that you ran from Tasker, but I could never get this to work. (If anyone knows how to write this type of script, I'd love to know.)

However, the latest version of the 'Secure Settings' plugin (by intangibleObject) now supports enabling and disabling multi-window mode (without needing root - if that's a concern). I've tested it on my S4 and it works great. It should work with the S3 as well. Note that this version of Secure Settings is the current beta version which was released only a few days ago.  The latest released version on the Play Store doesn't have this option yet.

Also, in answer to the question about listing system settings... you can do this with another app/plugin called 'System Settings for Tasker' by David P. White.  In order to actually get the listing of settings through, you'll need to have root access. Without root, you have to know the setting names another way. This app will only monitor setting values. It doesn't have any mechanism for changing those values.

The setting names for multi-window are:

multi_window_enabled

multi_window_expanded

multi_window_flashbar_shown

A quick side-note here... if you want to show/hide the little thumb selector (the flashbar) you can long press the back key.  This is of course a manual action instead of an automatic Tasker action, but does come in handy if that flashbar is in your way and you don't have a Tasker task set up to deal with it.  The Secure Settings plugin action only manipulates the multi_window_enabled setting and not the others.


Can I install Android 2.2 or 2.3 on a Samsung Omnia 2?

I think the Omnia 2 is a Windows phone normally? So it is very unlikely to have an official Android release for it. You're going to have to wait for someone to put together an unofficial release and hope that it's possible for them to get or write all the drivers, etc.

It looks like there was an attempt by some of the XDA people to port Android to the i8000 Omnia 2 back in February, but they hit problems because there were no Android devices using the i8000's ARM1176 S3C6410 CPU at the time.

Your best bet is going to be to keep an eye on (and offer to help out at) the Omnia II ROM Development sub-forum of XDA's Samsung Omnia II forums.


Data connection keeps turning on in Alcatel One Touch?

Introductory: Have you tried going into Settings >> Mobile Data and de-selecting Mobile Data? Normally, when you install apps from Google Play, the App Permissions will tell you what apps have network access. Having said that, it could be any number of applications turning on your Data.
Second Possible Solution: You may also want to try disabling automatic connection by pursuing the following action. go to Settings >> More Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Mode. Make sure that none of the modes have automatic connection enabled.
Answering Your Questions: As far as I'm concerned, you can download Permissions Explorer to see what apps are capable of accessing your Data.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.


How to download everything off broken Samsung when screen won't turn on?

connect it to PC/MAC
open file explorer or finder
find the phone
folder should be DCIM


Is stereoscopic vision via OTG and 2 USB cameras possible?

Is it even possible to have 2 cameras powered and displayed at the same time?

It's possible and supported on Android by a number of APK, but never worked for me.

I just purchased USB camera endoscope and plan to install 2 or 4 of them via USB OTG hub (active or passive).

The problem is, APK searchable via Google Play don't support extra features in trial or free mode. On the other hand, it makes no sense to buy one another APK, over and over again just for a test to learn it failed to work for me.

The only APK which worked for me with my new USB camera endoscope is the one named in the manual, "AN98", but I don't get HD image resolution as claimed by a manufacturer. I get a very, very, very, low resolution to work in video mode 30 FPS.

Other endoscope APK failed to show any video or claim connection problems.

So to answer the question: Yes, you can. Try every APK which is relevant and claiming to support 2 USB OTG cameras via a passive or active hub.


How do I create a reocurring calendar entry that ends at some time?

I've never found a way to copy and paste a calendar event - something for the wish list!
But... you can use the repeat function within the event to repeat it to your requirements.


Dropbox 3.0 (3.0.3.2) and Sony Xperia T3:
/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files

As of Dropbox 2.0 the right location by default is
/mnt/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch/[files]

Found the things with Astro file manager (Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9).
Moto G4 [Aaron]

On a new Moto G4 the Dropbox app has no "star" mechanism, instead you enable the "allow offline access" option, and the actual location this file showed up was
/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/[userhash]/scratch/[file]


Flash the latest TWRP from bootloader, then try sideloading, if that still doesn't work format the SDcard as NTFS and make sure to safely eject it! tell us if it works.


How do I Install TWRP recovery in HTC 10

First of all it may seems to be complex steps to install a recovery in your phone. But, if we divide the process in certain steps, then it would be more clear to you. So follow my steps in order to Install TWRP Recovery on your HTC 10:

Unlock your phone with htcdev.com or s-off it with sunshine http://theroot.ninja (using built in temproot)
Flash latest twrp from http://twrp.me
Using adb, in twrp run - adb shell "echo KEEPFORCEENCRYPT=true>>/data/.supersu"
flash latest supersu from http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps...v2-05-t2868133

If you want Video Tutorials of these steps, head over to this thread for your device: http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-10/how-to/guide-root-optionally-s-off-radio-t3373025

Reply, if you need more help!


To my best knowledge, Google has not revealed how it processes the text messages to generate the suggested replies.

Here are a few things which Google shares:
In the Messaging app, the description for Smart reply reads:

  To show you suggestions, Smart reply uses your recent messages but does not store them.

Then, if you follow the Google webpage, the page doesn't reveal much other than:

  Note: You might be charged for data. Check with your carrier for details.

So, at one place Google said that it uses your recent messages. Then, Google also mentions that you might be charged for data. So, I guess it is easy to summarize that the recent messages are transferred to Google servers to understand and suggest replies.

A part of this processing might also be happening locally on the device. But it is hard to imagine everything happening locally in the Google's world. The cloud and the servers are where the real algorithms reside.

Most of Google services are connected together using Google Play Services. So, even if you do not allow Messages to access the internet, Play Services can. And it won't be too hard for messages to communicate with Play Services which then connects to the internet and interpret messages to generate replies.

Note: This is my personal understanding of what I was able to read from Google website. Google has no where explicitly mentioned that it sends your messages to the cloud. They did mention that they at least do not store any messages.


Synch a phone to Linux PC without Google

There are multiple ways to achieve this, at least for calendars and contacts:

On Windows: Check out MyPhoneExplorer. Offers a lot of additional features like Backup Assistant, file browser, managing calls – and also syncs SMS.
Using a CalDAV/CardDAV server of your choice, such as Baïkal or ownCloud. I use the latter – so for details, take a look at my article Android without Google 2: ownCloud. This would be independent of the OS on your computer, but you will need a web server. Big advantage: You can access your data from anywhere you've got a web browser working. And with ownCloud this also can include your documents, photo galleries, and more.


As I understand Samsung got rid of "S Beam" in favor of the stock "Android Beam" in the 7.0 update which affects NFC. Check your Android Beam settings and if it's on try with it off and vice versa if it was off.


If you lock the device as an administrator this will require a manual unlock, and in fact will not accept fingerprints either. This is not root, whatever app you are doing this from just has to be on the administrator list and has to execute the lock screen command rather than just a button press.

I'm not sure if you can do this direct from shell or not, but a small tasker app could do it I think using the system lock action and you can code it into an app. There are already standalone apps that do this as well.

Making an app administrator

Practical instructions for adding administrator to an app

Command to lock the screen from within an app (if that's what you're making)


Is it possible to use Google speech recognition in the Google Translate application for Android while offline?

From Google forums as of September this year

  You cannot translate voice offline.


Please help me with this icon that is next to my singnal strength icon,which is round with a minus like line.

As Death Mask Salesman said, it's the icon for the Do not disturb feature.You can toggle it on and off by swiping down from the top bar. You can customize your notification rules during the 'Do not disturb' mode, from Settings -> Sound and Notification -> Do not disturb.


Is a phone that supports the most network bands ideal if you are trying to get the best cellphone service?

It simply depends on the match between your phone modem (radio) capabilities and the band used by Telco(s) where you plan to use them. Other than this having capability to function in bands other than those your Telco(s) or carriers use neither adds nor detracts performance

It is a marketing decision to cater to a few bands which are reagion specific or broader (International models). Apple is more consolidated than splintered Android and that could be a reason for support to bigger range of bands

No

If you have a set of bands that your phone can support but are not supported by your carriers. Capability has no use

Yes

If your carrier(s) (as in roaming) support different bands and your phone supports them, it is good because your phone will work on all of them

Aside,  you can see performance in the same mode widely varies within networks


Well, that issue have become common like Chinese as default or vice versa. But you can fix it by using Android language changer apps or Chinese to english.


for htc desire s: how to know your phone's region?

You must have been confused by seeing too many files for the update. Actually there is only one file to update to ICS and hence it is the right file. The file is RUU, i.e. ROM Update Utility.

So from, http://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/downloads

Download

  Desire S  HTC  WWE  RUU  N/A  v4.0  404.0 MB  14.01.401.2

And yes the region is WWE for this case.


Go to: Settings > Wireless & networks > Wi-Fi settings.

Hit your Menu button and select Advanced. You should now see an option for changing the Wi-Fi sleep policy.


How to continue using an android system with a broken touchscreen?

Provided your device has an unlockable bootloader and a custom recovery (I strongly advice against buying devices which are artificially destined to become useless, that should be prohibited by law), you should.

In any case I advice anyone worrying their device could break anytime to already have unlocked bootloader and activated wifi and adb (through network, if worrying about usb port breaking) at boot.
Remember that if you are unlocking your bootloader for the first time doing so WILL DELETE all userdata and if you are not in Europe it could void your warranty.

First of all, proceed to install fastboot and adb on your pc, connect the device to the pc and then

unlock fastboot (the bootloader) on the device and flash the TWRP custom recovery (if no custom recovery is available you could somehow extract your base recovery image and enable adb and root access editing its default.prop);
boot recovery and open a shell with adb shell;
find system and userdata (and probably boot) partitions with fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0;
mount system with mount -t ext4 <system_partition_file> <mountpoint>);
enabling debug is unnecessary cumbersome if you didn't have already enabled it.

First try adding the following into system's build.prop:

ro.secure=0
ro.debuggable=1
persist.service.adb.enable=1

If that didn't work, you could try switching to 1 the adb_enabled setting in <data_partition_mount_point>/system/users/0/settings_global.xml.

If even that didn't work, then you have to rebuild your boot image, properly editing the default.prop file to enable adb and then switching the adb_enabled setting like above.

You can find information on how to do that here
(keep in mind that it will probably require device-specific information like kernel_offset, ramdisk_offset, second_offset and tags_offset so you have to find those somewhere first).

unmount system and mount userdata;
add your adb server public key (placed into ~/.android/adbkey.pub) into userdata's /misc/adb/adb_keys (with a text editor or any other means) to skip device confirmation;
umount userdata and reboot the device;

Now that you can connect through adb, install scrcpy on your operating system and use the device remotely from your computer.

And if like me you forgot your pin code, you can disable it by moving the files starting with locksettings from /data/system.
Remember that if you are using file-based encryption, moving or directly changing the pin in the sqlite3 database with

UPDATE locksettings SET value = '1' WHERE name = 'lockscreen.disabled';

will make your encrypted file inaccessible.

References

Obtaining root by modifying default.prop(ro.… | Android Development and Hacking
How to authorize and accept ADB RSA key with broken touch screen on Android - Stack Overflow
android - 'adb devices' says unauthorized in TWRP - Stack Overflow
Remove /Bypass Lockscreen With Recovery | Android Development and Hacking
java - Set lockscreen to "None" programmatically? - Stack Overflow


Is there a way to record and playback a set of touches?

I've developed such an app called RepetiTouch. It's currently in beta stage and aimed at developers, but a limited free version is available here. However, it needs a rooted device running Android 2.3 or later.

As far as I know, currently no other app with this functionality exists, but there are some tools/scripts providing such features using a computer and an USB connection, e.g., here.

Anyway, I discourage any use of any such apps or tools for farming.