Data recovery from encrypted phone based on glitches in the encryption?

I'm not an expert in the filed, it's just an analyses of the case according to my limited knowledge.

ANDROID'S ENCRYPTION

Android supports two modes of encryption; FDE and FBE. FDE encrypts whole block device i.e. userdata partition using Linux kernel's dm-crypt framework, while FBE is based on fscrypt available since Android 7. From data recovery's aspect, approach is similar for both. Both offer strong encryption and what's been attacked by hackers is not the encryption itself, but Android's mechanism to create and store keys required for decryption.

  sometimes there is a glitch when enabling encryption leaving some of the storage unencrypted

You are right, it's interesting. FDE, AFAIK, encrypts the whole block device, just excluding the crypto footer at the end of partition which includes keys for decryption. Initially all sectors might not be encrypted as is the case with inplace encryption:

  vold checks to see if a sector is in use before reading and writing it, which makes encryption much faster on a new device that has little to no data.

But the skipped sectors are the ones which contain no data in filesystem. However as data is written to the sectors (or if the encryption was initialized with random data which doesn't seem to be the case with Android), they get encrypted and very soon whole block device becomes one giant high entropy block of data with no visible structure. It's impossible to distinguish encrypted data from random noise. TRIM, however, if supported by hardware, kernel, filesystem and the OS, may reveal the empty space in filesystem. But reading from that space only returns zeros.

POSSIBLE METHODS OF DATA RECOVERY

Data recovery works in two ways generally:

Read just the file contents by carving method / signature search
Or read the complete files along with metadata (file names, timestamps, permissions) from filesystem

Possible methods are:

Reading flash memory through firmware controller (Flash Translation Layer) of eMMC using commonly available APIs e.g. of Liux kernel. It's the FTL which stores LBAs to PBAs mapping, and information related to partitions, bad sectors, deleted data etc. This can be done by exposing partitions to a PC in some bootloader mode if available, or by using some lower level communication protocol e.g. JTAG or by chip-off method.
Or accessing silicon cells directly which is possible only with sophisticated equipment found in forensic labs, and not without manufacturer’s data sheet. In this case only carving method is possible. Data read from cells is random bytes from un-partitioned space and all 50+ partitions, including the ones which don't have filesystems at all. So the probability of recovering useful data is almost negligible, particularly of reasonably larger files. If the data saved is encrypted (using FDE, FBE or any other method), chances with this method are nil for sure.

The choice of method depends on multiple factors like if the purpose is:

To recover deleted data
To recover data off a dead phone
To break the encryption mechanism, e.g. in case of forensics, phone theft etc.

Data recovery can be done either:

On the device e.g. in recovery mode if the device is unlocked and some custom recovery environment is available.
Or off the device. It's the only option in most cases as the devices have bootloaders locked. But if your device was shipped with Android 5+, the chances are it must have hardware-backed encryption enabled which makes it almost impossible to recover - even undeleted - data off-the-device, except trying some hacks, because you can't brute force RSA keys.

BOOTLOADER UNLOCKING

Keeping all above facts and you situation in view, only an on-the-device or semi-offline approach can be tried to recover data. But then comes the bootloader unlocking part.

Google demands from SoC/OEM vendors to completely erase data on bootloader unlocking:

  As a best practice, unlockable Android devices must securely erase all user data prior to being unlocked.
  ...
  Failure to implement these protections is considered a moderate level security vulnerability.

Quoted from here:

  When the fastboot flashing unlock command is sent...
  ...
  a factory data reset should be done to prevent unauthorized data access

Depending on the device a BLKSECDISCARD, BLKDISCARD or a complete overwrite with zeros is recommended. It's then followed by filesystem creation which may again issue TRIM. Same happens during a factory reset i.e. userdata and cache partitions are completely erased (though conformance in past has been bad). See this answer for more details.

BLKDISCARD and FITRIM are Linux kernel's IOCTLs which issue special commands to underlying eMMC devices depending on their capabilities. TRIM is issued by the filesystem to the FTL, requesting the actual physical erasure of data blocks (LBAs) which have been deleted from the filesystem. DISCARD is kind of TRIM for whole block device. TRIM obviously doesn't touch undeleted files, filesystem structure and drive's partition table. BLKDISCARD saves nothing at all on block device, including the crypto footer. Both of these commands belong to Logical Sanitization level of secure data deletion. So is ERASE command issued by BLKSECDISCARD IOCTL, while others issued by the same - including SECURE TRIM, SECURE ERASE and SANITIZE - are considered of Digital Sanitization level i.e. they cause even more secure deletion. Even a complete overwrite with zeros will render data irrecoverable - at least without melting eMMC - because of Overprovisioning and Garbage Collection.

POSSIBILITY OF DATA RECOVERY

So in short these commands (if supported by underlying hardware and if required drivers provided by vendors) don't leave much space for deleted data recovery. Encryption adds to the trouble. As explained above, encryption type with FDE is, a kind of, all or nothing. If even a small part of crypto footer is erased during bootloader unlocking, forget about decryption. Quoted from a lead engineer for Android security (ref):

  If you plan to resell or discard your device and you haven’t already, encrypt it and then perform a factory reset

And so does the removal of LUKS header on Linux. Quoted from warnings section on official page:

  By far the most questions on the cryptsetup mailing list are from people that managed to damage the start of their LUKS partitions, i.e. the LUKS header. In most cases, there is nothing that can be done to help these poor souls recover their data.

So without the crypto footer which contains encrypted master key, RSA key (hardware-bound) and other information related to encryption, everything is random data. But even if we assume that crypto footer wasn't erased in your case and hardware-backed encryption wasn't a hurdle either, the problems aren't over. With dm-crypt FDE a master key is used to encrypt / decrypt sectors (512B each) individually when they are written / read respectively (every sector has it's own IV). After decrypting userdata partiton a new virtual block device is created at /dev/block/dm-0 which contains a filesystem, mostly ext4.

In order to mount the filesystem, the sectors containing basic structure of filesystem must be intact e.g. superblock(s), directory entries, inode tables, inode/block bitmaps, journal etc. It's next to impossible that all of this wasn't overwritten when unlocking bootloader and creating new filesystem. So the old filesystem is gone and what you would be left with is carving method which has a very small success rate particularly because of file fragmentation of large files. Mostly what you get is small nameless thumbnails or text files, that too after so many assumptions.

CONCLUSION

Bootloader unlocked on an encrypted device, the probability of data recovery seems very near to zero.

RELATED

What makes data recovery difficult?
How to get data off a completely dead Android phone?
Reliably Erasing Data From Flash-Based Solid State Drives


LG - Fastboot doesn't recognize my device

I had same problem and it was because of USB3 PORT. When I changed usb cable to USB2 port fast boot drivers get installed and the error gone.


Calm down, your phone is not dead, you still can revive it simply by flashing a stock firmware using Flashtool. You should be carefully flashing Sony devices when having a locked bootloader.

Download the firmware here
Download the Flashtool here and install it.
Go to the folder that contains the Flashtool (Usually C:/Flashtool) and launch it by clicking on either FlashTool.exe or FlashTool64.exe, whether on 32 bit machine or 64 bit)
Return to the folder and open the Drivers folder, install the drivers.(C:/Flashtool/drivers).
On Flashtool, click on the thunder icon, select Flash mode.
Now you should open the firmware select Window. The source folder address should be C:\User\your_name\.flashtool\firmware . Copy the firmware you've previously downloaded to that folder. It should now appear on the selector window.
Now click on flash button. Plug the USB cable while holding the volume down button or back button. Drivers should be installed and the flashing process started.
Just wait until the end.
Et voilà.


I’m new to SetCPU on Moto Droid and need help

That's going to depend on how much you're using it during the day, I would say start at 700 and move it around until it feels smooth for you.

I wouldn't push the phone that high, first it's going to overheat pretty quickly, which can permanently brick your phone.  Even 800 is going to be rough on it so I wouldn't leave it up that high for very long.

I've got an eris (Did a little looking around, and the Droid CPU is set at 550Mhz whereas the Eris is set at 528Mhz as reference points) so this is going to be a little different than what you've got, but here's my profiles so you can tweak as needed.

Temp > 36.9 C 528Mhz/160Mhz Priority: 100 (This is the failsafe setting, if the phone get's too hot it'll cut the CPU speed so the phone can cool down and prevent any damage)
Charging/Full 729Mhz/528Mhz Priority: 80 (If the phone is plugged in, it can run a little harder, but I also don't use my phone much when it's plugged in)
Battery < 100% 710Mhz/528Mhz Priority: 50 (This is the normal use setting, which keeps the phone moving smoothly, but doesn't get too hot)

The most important thing is that you have scaling set to ondemand.  This will turn the processor down if it's not being used.  Hence, on the last setting, it is very rarely at 710Mhz and is most often below 550Mhz.
Second to remember is not to set the minimum too low, or the phone will have trouble waking up from sleep. You'll need to do a little digging around to find out what the ideal min is for the droid, but I would suspect above 160 Mhz would be safe for you.
Those should cover most bases, at bare minimum add the failsafe profile so that you don't lose your phone.


Key symbol in notification bar when swiped once on Xperia with Lollipop

Yes, the key symbol means, your network is being monitored. If you run "Mobiwol" (a non-root firewall), it creates a VPN.


Notification numbers for a lot of apps don't show up?

Android doesn't have "badged" icons like that by default. Unlike iOS, Android has had a pull-down list of notifications since the start, so that has become the standard way to present this kind of information in this platforms. Most Android users would be disappointed to see a 3 on their email icon, because they've come to expect a notification in the notification bar, giving more information than that. This is even more true since Jelly Bean added the expandable notifications: you can see the subjects of all the new e-mails, or, if there's only one, see a preview of the whole e-mail.

As eldarerathis points out, some apps offer a widget that you can use instead of the usual icon on your home screen. The widget might have an icon badged with a number of messages, as on iOS, or the app might instead offer a scrollable list of messages, the avatar/photo of the sender, etc., which isn't possible on iOS.

As you've noticed, Samsung phones can have badged icons on the default home screen. This is a feature that Samsung has added to make their phone look more like an iPhone. But since it's only in their home screen, not a standard feature, only their built-in apps support it. This is in addition to Android's usual, information-rich notifications, not instead of, so you're not missing out by having a Samsung phone.

If you've been an iPhone user for a long time, you might have to get used to using the notification tray to see new messages instead of looking at the app shortcuts, or to adding widgets to your home screen if you like, but once you do you'll find you can get at your messages with fewer taps and less fuss.


Why can't I download apps on my android phone?

1) Go to your phone's Settings > Storage

2) Unmount SD Card (your external SD card)

3) Download/install from the app(s) from the Store again

4) Go back to Settings > Storage - then Mount your SD card again (or reboot)

Or you can try this

1)Insert the sd card in you windows pc

2)You will find a folder named android_secure in it you will find the file named smdl2tmp1.asec delete it

(Make sure in pc folder options, the show hidden files are enabled and the hide protected operating system files is unchecked)

Source: XDA


I solved my issue using a 2A charger instead of my phone 1A charger or the USB port that provides only 0.5A.

I am sure I have been able to charge my nexus with all the power sources, but maybe I left it on charge all night long.


How to automatically enable ethernet tethering on Android 11?

Ok, got it working with Interact block in Automate.
It has a nice inspector I used for capturing an ethernet tethering tap event.

Reproducing tap only works with the screen unlocked so I used Tasker with AutoInput plugin to unlock the screen on the cable plug.


How can I change the lock screen on my Galaxy Note 2?

GO Locker has probably the most intuitive interface for changing the lock screen.  Plus they have an embedded store on their application making installation of new themes very easy.  I've noticed in the Google Play Store description for Lockscreen Calendar (not part of GO Locker), that there are reported problems for replacing the lock screen on Samsung devices.  Try Go Locker, that might help override Samsung default settings, then perhaps your own screen locker applications might work.

If your stuck on how to use these applications, try starting them from the Applications menu.  There should be instructions on their use.

NB: Here's a LifeHacker review of Lockscreen Calendar.


How do reset my phone when it won't go past the sercurity check and wont let me type

You could use the recovery mode to reset the device. To enter recovery mode,power off the device and then hold down the power and volume up key. Then use the volume down button to scroll down to 'wipe data/factory reset' and press the power button. Then, scroll down to 'yes, delete all user data' and press the power button. Finally, after the reset, scroll up to 'reboot system now' and press the power button. After the reboot, your device should be fully reset.
;)


Rooting can be accomplished using Magisk (make sure not to use an old version, but that from the linked XDA thread: v14 at the time of this writing). Flashing Magisk will not modify the /system partition but rather create a modified boot image. So at boot time, Magisk gets initialized, creating an Overlay File System on top of the system structures. That way the relevant files get (re)placed transparently, the checksum of the partitions are kept (thus OTAs will not complain), while still applying the needed modifications (including MagiskSU). Another added plus is the capability of Magisk to hide root from apps which otherwise would refuse their work.

As you've learned: Do not flash another superuser package on top of that. Magisk already includes root, called MagiskSu.

I'm using Magisk on my Wilefox Swift with CyanogenOS 13 without issues – same manufacturer and OS as your Spark. As we figured, it works on both.

Magisk comes with an app called MagiskManager (which is also available separately e.g. via my F-Droid repo. This is the frontend to work with the framework, including settings for MagiskSU (i.e. where you maintain which app may use root powers) and more. So there are several Magisk modules available, similar to what you might know from Xposed – even a "systemless Xposed" can be used that way (again, I'm using this and it works fine).

For instructions, please see the linked Magisk thread at XDA. It's quite simple. To include the basics: You need a custom recovery (TWRP is recommended, and available for our Wileyfox devices). With that, and an unrooted ROM, simply flash Magisk, reboot, and you're done. You probably need to repeat this after applying OTAs. As the MagiskManager is installed as an user app, its data are kept unless you perform a factory reset.


I was able to use a Samsung driver.

Go to Device Manager, find the Android device, and select Update Driver Software.
Select Browse my computer for driver software
Select Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
Select ADB Interface from the list
Select SAMSUNG Android ADB Interface (this is a signed driver). If you get a warning, select Yes to continue.
Done!

For good measure, I ran adb kill-server and adb start-server. Then when I ran adb devices I finally saw a device listed so I fired up IntelliJ and all is good in the world again!


Try this:

Menu - Settings - Content settings - Website settings

From there you can clear data for individual sites.

If that doesn't work, maybe look into Remote USB Debugging: https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/remote-debugging


Stop Android Wear Time to Leave Notifications

I haven't seen similar issue yet. So, I am not sure of the answer but you can:

Make sure you are on the latest Android Wear app update
Make sure you are on the latest Android Wear watch update
Make sure your watch is paired with your phone or tablet
Check that your phone is connected to the Internet
Make sure your watch isn’t in Theater mode
Make sure that you’re getting notifications on your phone (vibrate mode is on)
Make sure that you’re getting notifications on your phone
Make sure app notifications and system notifications on your phone are turned on
Try restarting your watch
If none of this works, then try  unpairing and pairing again

Another tip that some users experiencing this recommended:

Go to the watch -> Settings -> Permissions -> System Permissions -> Google Services Framework -> read instant messages ENABLED.
Restart phone and watch.

If Nothing works at all, wait for future updates!
Hope it helps.


Unlock when sliding out physical keyboard

Yes it's possible with tasker + secure settings plugin.

I dit it in a harder scenario (altough I'm an sk17i owner too) I used the above combination to unlock, force landscape, and wake up an alcatel dual sim phone paired with a Nuu minikey sliding bluetooth keyboard.


Is there a better way to hide TV shows from the gallery?

The solution to that is pretty easy: Instead of renaming the folder to .Video (and thus "hiding" it completely), simply place a file named .nomedia inside it. That way you hide it from the media scanner – while the directory stays visible in your file managers.

I cannot check with FB (refusing those data collectors), but apps usually depend on the "media provider" for such activities as you described. The "media provider" uses a database, so available media can be found quickly (if each app would scan your entire storage on a "share" action, that would take far too long). By placing a .nomedia file inside a directory, you tell its scanner to skip that directory (and all its content including subdirectories) from being included with this database.


How do I set custom search engines in Android?

There are a number of apps that will either give you a Wikipedia search widget on the home screen, or add Wikipedia as an option to the built-in search widget's drop-down selection. Have a look at a few of these: https://market.android.com/search?q=wikipedia+search


Downgrading 9.0.83 Google Play Services manually

I solved the problem for my Huawei P8 Lite Android phone like this:

I unlocked my bootloader
I rooted my phone
I succesfully checked with Root Checker Basic that my phone is rooted
I downloaded and installed System App Remover from the Google Play Store.
I put my device in Airplane Mode in order to prevent auto upgrade of GPS.
I opened System App Remover and select "System App" from the menu.
After I found Google Play Services in the list which was marked as "Should keep" I selected it and pressed "Uninstall". I ignored the next warning.
Using Settings/Apps, I saw that Google Play Services "Uninstall Updates", and "Disable" Buttons were no longer be grayed out.
I pressed "Uninstall Updates"

Here is the result: Downgrade of Google Play Services to 8.1.18


I accidentally checked a "never send SMS" box on my phone, so now I can't find how to change that

Go to the Settings -> Apps -> to the app which you used to send SMS -> Permissions -> SMS and Click the checkbox next to it


Open the phone app and open the Call History tab. (Icon is a clock.)

If you're using Google Voice tap the word "Inbox" at the top of the screen and it will pull down a menu of the different boxes for GV (e.g., Text, Missed, Received, etc.)


Is there a facebook app that does not read your location?

These apps read your location for post location tagging, and there no apps that I no of that do not have the location permissions. There are some workarounds however:

Mobile Site

You could use http://m.facebook.com, which would only be able to gather IP based location, unless you allow it to access your location via the browser (this is easily denied, and an option will be displayed when it first attempts to access location - you can just select deny. This is in the Android browser).

Disable Location Services

Another alternative, is to just disable all location services in your settings menu prior to launching the app - the app can still get your location, but it would be very course (to about town level).

Deny Location Permissions to App(s)

If you're rooted, you can use an app such as permissions denied (paid app) to deny the apps the permission to access your location - be aware that the app may force close if it tries to do something it doesn't have permission to do.


for all Androids: does airplane mode always prevent location tracking?

Answer to both is: "Depends".

Airplane mode

What is that nowadays, where air planes allow you to use WiFi and Bluetooth? Don't say this is an unrelated question in this context. Not only does the term originate there, but it can be as variable as how each airline deals with it:

$ adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_radios
cell,nfc,wimax,bluetooth,wifi
$ adb shell settings put global airplane_mode_radios "cell,nfc,wimax"
$ adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_radios
cell,nfc,wimax

What's that? The first is what you probably expected: all kind of signals are toggled by airplane mode (line 2). But it can be changed (line 3), and then looks very different (line 5). I've e.g. excluded WiFi on some of my devices. Different manufacturers/ROMs might have different presets. So there can't be a general answer unless you define "airplane mode". And of course there are apps that can automatically toggle all that (at least on rooted devices) – your "anti-theft" guess is a very good example for that. A paranoid person could even use e.g. tasker to configure a "watchdog": "Whenever my device leaves a configured geofence, automatically report its location to my server in 30s intervals. If needed, enable WiFi or mobile data for that." Might be complex, but doable. On non-rooted devices, that's limited though – not at last by:

$ adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_toggleable_radios
bluetooth,wifi,nfc

Again only an example, which might not be valid for each and every device (concerning line 2). You might already have guessed it:

adb shell settings put global airplane_mode_toggleable_radios "bluetooth,wifi,nfc,wimax,cell"

And with that, everything can be toggled again. According to a test performed by Prahlad Yeri, this even works on non-rooted devices. Settings applied this way survive a reboot (but of course not a factory-reset).

Any Android device which cannot transmit signals cannot be geotracked

Without some paranoia, I'd give a "yes" to that – though to be exact, the condition is hard to meet: as soon as it's powered up, it will emmit some "signature" which one could track – but that would need quite expensive equipment, and the range would be quite limited :)

If in this context you speak of an "attached GPS beacon": well, you could track a cake that way, or a cat, your cigarette box, or a brick for that – it no longer has anything to do with the device itself. Almost everything can be "bugged".


Difference between VLingo and the built in Voice functionality in Android?

I tried VLingo for a while on my Evo and wasn't impressed.  It did not seem to offer any value to me above that provided by the built-in voice actions.  I uninstalled it after trying it for a couple of months.


Custom DNS server not resolving wildcards

Yes, you cannot specify wildcards in /etc/hosts in linux (and therefore Android). People in Linux world have moved on to dnsmasq, I'm not sure what is the equivalent on Android. You'll have to work around it (maybe use proxy or some other setup?)


If you have too much memory used up in your gallery delete photos. If that doesn't work what fixed it for me was logging out of drop box on my phone then logging back in. Good luck!
(I also have note 3)


can you connect a wired controller through a pc to an android without plugging it into the tablet itself

some applications are made to interconnect an android device and a personal computer for casting or to make the android device do the job of a mouse for example. but your way is impossible because there hasn't been any software which allows a device to connect to android through PC and the fact is there is no need for it. or else nobody has developed a software for it.
better u buy it from amazon. its cheap nowadays


What happens to a call when the reciever is busy

Depending on the carrier of the receiver and its configuration, it is possible that your call will knock on ie. the receiver gets a sound that notifies him about an incoming call.
If he wants he can create a group call (I never heard about someone using that feature).
If that knock on feature is disabled you should go straight to the receivers mailbox and you will be listed in missed calls.


How to mirror an Android Screen on Laptop

You can use this Chrome plugin to mirror your Android screen to your laptop:

http://www.vysor.io/


Yes, it does. After scanning the Sudoku it should present you with multiple results, one recognized as a Sudoku puzzle, one recognized as an object, and one recognized as text. You'll want to select the Sudoku puzzle result and then select 'Solve' on the next screen that comes up.

This was just verified on v1.9.4


Am I able to add a data-only sim-card to my dual-sim smartphone?

Data SIMs are no different from regular SIMs regarding data connection. As long as your phone supports the configuration you want (e.g. many phones only supports Slot1 4G + Slot2 2G configuration - confirm whether you still need 3G/4G on the call SIM and place in slot accordingly), you can just pop one in and enjoy.


Removing a device from Android Device Manager for a specific account

Actually, it is very straightforward.
Remove the work Google account from your phone and then add it to Gmail app as an IMAP account instead of a fully functional Google account.
If it is added as an IMAP account, it doesn't get linked to ADM or any other Google app, for that matter.
From How to add Gmail account without adding Google account on Android - Gmail Community

Instead of adding the account as a Google account, add it as type Personal (IMAP).  That way only Gmail will be connected.  The settings are:

Incoming servername:imap.gmail.com
Port: 993
Encryption: SSL
Outgoing server name: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 465
Encryption: SSL


What is this HTC notification icon that looks like a pin?

I think it is by places, the application. Just try closing the application and then trying.


Android: Force Music Application to Refresh List of Playlists

Go to settings, applications, manage applications, [menu button], filter, all

Find the Media Storage app, and clear data.

This deletes everything! artists, albums, playlists. (data still on card)

Plug in, mount usb. Eject. Go back into music, and wait (a lot if you have more than a few tracks.)

Note: If the music app shows no changes, try force stopping the Media Storage app. The app showed no cache or data to clear, but force stopping it then opening the Music app worked for me.


Is it possible to enable "double tap to wake" on android devices which do not support it?

On some devices yes... but it requires kernel support, meaning you need a custom kernel. There are several known methods of enabling it with a custom kernel and it depends on the screen type, SoC, and other factors, but in most cases it causes an additional 2-3% battery drain per hour to support DT2W or S2W because the digitizer needs to be powered all the time and the device wasn't designed for that.

Actually implementing it is more of a development question than an Android question though, it requires manipulation of the kernel code and building a new boot image and flashing it.


Firefox for Android: Download a video file

As of December 2012, I don't see any way to get something like "Save link as" option in Firefox for Android. However, in some cases clicking on a video link automatically starts downloading the video, but in most cases it starts playing them. Best you can do is to request Firefox to add this feature. Meanwhile, you can try an alternative browser that has this feature for your video downloads.


What causes NFC on Nexus 4 to stop working?

Looks like this might be hardware, but not broken hardware.

EDIT: See comments below, but I suspect this is actually the tag hardware I was using and not the phone hardware causing the problem.

This appears to be a design flaw with the nexus 4 and I would absolutely love to hear from any other nexus 4 owners who use NFC tags.

I managed to get it to work consistently with some tags at home (i.e. not broken hardware). The only tags I can get to work though are "sticker" tags. The other tags I have are wrapped in some kind of hard plastic enamel to protect them from damage and allow you to carry them on a keychain etc... (also some which are specially designed to work near metal and other sources of interference, they did not work, I assume because they are also thicker than paper).

Any NFC tag that was made of the thicker plastic (i.e. not a pure sticker) would not scan, I am thinking this has to do with range. I could get them to scan somewhat inconsistently so I know the tags were ok (also tested on other phone). They also scanned better when I removed the back cover, but this cover is literally 1mm thick. Maybe 1.5mm. It's a Ringke Slim. So I have to conclude there is something internal to the Nexus 4 that is ruining the range. Seems like a massive oversight, but what other conclusion can you draw from the results I have so far?

Will update if I learn more.

Does anyone have a nexus 4 and use a thicker NFC tag (basically anything that is not paper thin)? If so, let me know, otherwise I'll accept this answer in a few days.


As t0mm13b had said, Android as a framework does support Unicode. As you are probably aware the vanilla Android is as such available as a stock option only to Google's own devices (The Nexus series). Other Android devices will have some sort of topping layer over this vanilla layers. This topping layer will usually be cosmetic changes by the manufacturer like HTC Sense UI etc.

Even if there are no such topping layer, the manufacturers compile the source of vanilla ROM with suitable drivers of their devices and add slight country specific enhancements.

Take a look at a similar question that I had asked which is not very different from what you had asked, if the language specific features and names are not accounted. That question explains how an Android device displays a glyph (not characters) on screen and the software components that are involved in that process.

To put it in a nut shell, to display a character Android requires a suitable font file and a rendering engine. Absence of former could result in a rectangular box and later will result in improper display of glyph.

In your case the ROM that your S3 has might not have the above said.  Try to test with the devices that does display it (probably in some other region, the S3 might display it properly) and find what font files differs between yours and theirs.


How can I prevent my media library from disappearing when I unmount the SD card?

It doesn't know it's different - the scanning process is how it actually checks that.  I have to say on all the Android devices I have come across (Sony Ericsson Xperia X10i, HTC Explorer, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HTC Desire, HTC Desire S, T-Mobile Rapport, Acer E210 - all with either stock ROM or the T-Mobile UK one) this process is automatic - provided you use the handset to "Turn Off USB Storage" and don't just yank the USB cable.  As it's been used in USB mass storage mode potentially any, all, or no files on the card could have been changed.

For my alarms and notifications I have created some lower quality Ogg files (e.g. making sure they are mono and at low bit rate) and added those to internal storage so they are always available while using the minimal amount of storage space on the internal memory of the device.

The rescanning does annoy me a bit though as I listen to music on my handset, so I tend to use SWIFTP (in the Android Market) which runs an FTP server on my phone - this means I can transfer files to/from my handset without having to unmount and mount the storage card and wait ten minutes while it performs a rescan.  For most purposes this is fast enough.


URL Link in Android Calendar Description

I just created a calendar event with a fully qualified URL as the description and it became a live link when I viewed the event.

What format are you using for the URL?

(For what it's worth, I have an original Droid with Android 2.2.1.)


Questions about "Speed Dial" screen on Nexus' Phones app

Is there any way to configure it to go straight to the dialpad when launched?

No, at the moment, there isn't. You will need to first press the Phone icon, which will load up the stared contacts screen, then press the dialer icon at the bottom center of the screen to get to the dial-pad

Or at least the normal phonebook?

Contacts app does this. You can place it on the homescreen for quick access.

It almost seems to pick contacts to display on it at semi-random, and as far as I can tell, there's no way to manually override its decisions about whom to show on the page.

If you star a bunch of contacts, they show up at the top of this window. You may rearrange them by pressing and holding on the contact tile. What follows the starred contacts is the set of contacts whom you frequently contact.

If you want to clear the frequent contacts, press the 3 dot overflow menu on the top right and tap on "clear frequents"

A simple way to avoid going to the dialer is to directly search for the contact name from the persistent google search bar at the top of the screen. This will in turn show the contact you're looking for along with  the telephone number details from where you may place the call.

Another option would be to open the phone app, then search or directly type in the entire number(if the contact isn't stored). If the contact is indeed stored, their name will directly show up. If not, you'll see something like  "Call 9xxxxxxx".

If you fancy handsfree calling, it is as simple as saying - "Ok Google, dial 9xxxxxx" or "Ok Google, call Mr.X on his cellphone"

One other option is to try out some other custom dialer apps! There are plenty on the play store.


How do I actualize the visible files in File Explorer on Windows browsing SDCard of Sony Xperia Ray?

Just disconnecting and reconnecting the phone is not enough.

You have to restart Windows. Then the freshly created folders will appear in your filebrowser n Windows too.


Babbel languages learning apps won't play sounds

I have installed Babbel app(version 5.2.1) and it works fine on my Xolo Q1010i.

I had even tried cleaning the cache and reopening the app again, but then also it works the same way. Maybe you should try restarting your Sony LT22i and give it a try then.

Hope this helps!


Yes, you can create mobile hotspot without cell service, at least in stock Android. The easiest way to mass share a file I think of is by hosting an FTP server. You can find apps for that in Play Store. I grabbed WiFi FTP Server from the first ones in Play Store, which worked well. Here's what you need to do:

Start mobile hotspot and keep the security to None so that others could connect to hotspot freely.
Launch that app, go to its Settings:

tick Anonymous access -- so that others can access the server freely
select Root folder and select a directory where your pdf file(s) would be kept. Ideally, you should create a dedicated directory (through a file manager app) for it so that others would automatically be able to view only that directory.
tick Read only -- you don't want others to modify contents in your storage

On the app's home page, select Start.

You would get something like this:

(Click image to enlarge)

Ask people to enter the URL in their browser. That's it.


Bypass 4GB limitation of Android file transfer

According to Android.com:

  Browse the files and folders on your Android device, add folders, copy
  files up to 4GB to or from your Mac, delete files, and more.

As a workaround, install an FTP server on your Mac, and transfer the file via Wi-Fi or mobile data. OR, via adb pull (adb pull /storage/sdcard0/ dir here) using the Android SDK. Source.


Rooted, but Failed to push selection: Read-only file system

You have to remount your /system partition be mounted as a read/write partition

What you need to do is

$ su

# mount -o remount,rw /system


Losing network operator on Samsung Galaxy SIII mini

I experienced a similar problem, and it was caused by physical activity making the SIM card coming slightly loose, just enough so that the phone couldn't read it reliably. Try turning the phone off completely, removing the SIM card, reinserting the SIM card, and then restarting the phone.

If that makes the problem go away (at least for a few days), then it probably is the SIM card coming loose: maybe that specific phone is on the largest extreme of manufacturing tolerance, and the SIM card is at the smallest extreme. In this case, a little paper inserted alongside the SIM card, on the side without the contacts, could provide a more lasting fix.


Is there any way to completely block any app from using data (Android 6.0)

One simple way to manage what application will use your mobile data is using Triangle by Google. Get it on APKMirror or APKPure and install it with ADB. Plenty of alternatives are offered here.

There are also a great number of ways you can save on mobile data usage. You can use less data with Chrome's Data Saver. You can set mobile data usage warning and limit. For example, set the limit at 1 Gb and the warning at 0.618 Gb. You can use Firefox Focus or Firefox with uBlock Origin. If you are rooted, you can get AdAway on F-Droid.


I move a folder in android root directory to SDcard directory in internal phone memory. Is there a way to restore it back?

One method you can try is download and use Aroma File Manager.
It's a recovery based file manager. Means you can access all files and do all file operations like cut, move etc.

But not sure if it will work on un rooted device.
But you can try.


How to get rid of Google Play Store has stopped message

Try clearing the app caches and app data of

Google Play Services
Google Services Framework
Google Play Store

If that doesn't solve it, try this

Settings->Apps->Google Play Store->Uninstall Updates->Ok

now restart the device and launch Google Play Store app.


Can't access Whatsapp since yesterday (8th Feb)

From WhatsApp's FAQ page:

  For the following platforms, you can no longer create new accounts,
  nor re-verify existing accounts. However, you'll be able to continue
  using WhatsApp:

  Android versions 2.3.7 and older until February 1, 2020

  Note: Because we will no longer actively develop for these platforms,
  some features may stop functioning at any time.

So if you're trying to reverify your account, above is the reason why it won't work.

I remember when WhatsApp stopped supporting some blackberrys, some were able to change the date of the phone to a few months earlier, and WhatsApp worked! So go ahead and try that. No guarantee that it's going to work.

If you are still having trouble, contact WhatsApp support for further assistance.

Update

A friend of mine had the same issue, he emailed WhatsApp, and they replied that it was an issue on their side, and that It's fixed now.

If it's not fixed on your side, restart your phone and try again.


Why do the photos taken on my HTC One X not have a date/time displayed on them?

This feature is rather be app-specific. Probably the default photo app on your Legend does this by default, while the one on you One X does not. To achieve the desired results on your new device, you might need to find a 3rd party photo app supporting this feature. Your phone is certainly capable of it, that's not the issue.


Generally, phone manufacturers will not allow you to downgrade for various reasons.  The stock recovery does indeed validate the update image, so that it's of a greater (or same) version than the installed system.  With the Nexus One being a developer phone, you can unlock the bootloader and replace the recovery image with the one that doesn't perform this check, and will allow installation of any image.  The caveat is that unlocking the bootloader voids your warranty with the carrier (and sometimes the manufacturer too,) and wipes all user data off the device.

Unlocking the N1 is dead easy. Just install Android SDK and the USB drivers (located in "google-usb_driver" directory.)  Then restart the phone in bootloader mode by shutting it off and powering on while holding down the trackball, hook it up to the computer via USB, and in command prompt issue the following command: C:\<path to Android SDK>\platform-tools\fastboot oem unlock. You will be presented with a confirmation screen with further instructions.  Upon successful unlock, you can flash a custom recovery that will allow you to install any custom ROM, including downgrade to 2.2.x stock version of Android OS.

To flash ClockworkMod recovery, download the latest version for Nexus One from here, reboot into bootloader mode (power on while holding the trackball down,) and in command prompt issue command C:\<path to ANdroid SDK>\platform-tools\fastboot flash recovery C:\<path to downloaded img>\recovery-clockwork-5.0.2.0-passion.img

Reboot to bootloader mode again, and then use the Volume keys to highlight the "Recovery" option and press Power button.  You are now in ClockworkMod recovery, and can flash any custom ROMs via the "Install zip from sdcard" option.

Here is a "stock" 2.2.2 ROM (with root) off XDA-developers forum.


Cannot scan QR code for WhatsApp web even when mobile data only

In the meantime, my problem got solved : I got an update of WhatsApp on both my phone (2.20-2005.169 and my Mac (Version 2.2047.10). With those 2 versions, I can connect WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Mac with my Samsung phone again.
NB: for it to work, you MUST on the phone use ...>WhatsApp Web and then scan the code even for the Mac App. Do NOT go  ...>Settings>QR code (top right)>Scan Code: you'll get a scanning error message saying "Use the WhatsApp Web scanner to scan this QR code"
I hope that it help others facing same problem.
Didier


Connect from Android to SSH server without password

When you provide the key (using -i switch), you should provide the path to the file, not the key itself - are you entering the file path?


Is there a way to determine what mobile network frequency band is in use?

The LTE Discovery app can give you this information.

Incidentally, your specific situation is likely a result of the 5X supporting band 12, and the Z3 lacking it. This tends to be relevant in situations where reception differences are significant (one device with service, one without) because band 12 is T-Mobile's only low-frequency LTE band, meaning that it penetrates buildings better and will cover wider areas more effectively.


Why Do I have multiple dirs in /data/app

This is the package name of Google App as explained here What is the APK (and package) name of the Google App?

I am not sure why there should be multiple entries unless the app has been frequently updated and older versions have incremented numbers at end

In any case, you can check which is the latest using any root explorer (I use Solid explorer) to check properties of base.apk retaining the newest one ( which should correspond to the one having -1 at end, that being the package name )


SHARE saved Google images list from Android

You can share photos, videos, albums, and movies, with anyone, even if they don't use the Google Photos app.

  Share to your contacts

  On your Android phone or tablet,  open the Google Photos app
  Sign in to your Google Account.
  At the bottom, tap Sharing.
  At the top, tap Create Create.
  Choose photos to share, then tap Next.
  At the top, tap Type a name, phone number, or email.
  Select people to share with. If you're part of a family on Google with at least 2 other people, select Family group to share with your
  family members.
  Tap Done. You can add a title or message, then tap Send.

  Send a link or share to other apps

  On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  Tap the photo, album, or movie to share.
  Tap Share Share.
  Select another app to share or send someone a link. You can also enter or select a name, phone number, or email address.

Source: Google Photos Help


What are the differences between different versions of Angry Birds Space?

Both premium and HD are ad-free and the latter is for tablets.


You cannot

Media Playback developer documentation says (emphasis added)

  You can play back the audio data only to the standard output device. Currently, that is the mobile device speaker or a Bluetooth headset. You cannot play sound files in the conversation audio during a call

Edit

In response to your edited question:

I am not aware of Cyanogenmod permitting this- searching in their source code may give a clue
To enable this, I presumed would require programming, so searched Stack Overflow and found this Why it is not possible to play an audio file on a voice call in android. This gives a couple of reasons, in answers as to why it is not possible - security and prioritization of audio
It also suggests ways of  achieving which are in programmers domain


Can devices be incapable of conference calls?

I do not think the device as such is unable to merge. In my experience, Android v.4.1 can be a bit of a challenge. I would try updating to v.4.2 or 4.2.2 but remember to backup everything before you do that - preferably to an SD not needed by the device or to PC.


Low battery temp and wont charge galaxy note 5 after phone got wet

It depends. If this is a phone where the temperature sensor is within the battery, the battery can simply be replaced, but that does not guarantee that this is the only issue. If the sensor is in the motherboard or another piece, the phone is likely permanently damaged and will need to be replaced.


Android tether/hotspot - redirecting all requests to a webserver after IP is allocated, how?

If the constraint is not to tweak your system's hosts file which is the easiest way, then on the device you can run a DNS server. There is a free DNS server app by Icecoldapps on Play Store which was recommended in an answer on AE. But that doesn't really worked for me since it requires port forwarding. My device is rooted, so I used Servers Ultimate Pro to create two DNS servers: 1) DNS Server, 2) DNS Native Server.

Once you have this app installed, create DNS Native Server and add your rules like "192.168.43.1" maps to "BCat.com". Then create a DNS Server and add the address of DNS Native Server in the place of Google's 8.8.8.8.
Setting up a server in this app is pretty much straightforward. Otherwise, Google is your friend for life.

Now start the DNS Native server followed by DNS Server.

It should now be working. If you have a Linux machine, you can use the command dig BCat.com to check the status of DNS.

All that's left is to type in the URL bar of your system's browser : http://bcat.com. Done!


Unable to run su in adb shell on an Ubuntu machine

Obviously the su binary you installed does not work well with your system. As you luckily created a backup of the original su executable, recommendation is to revert the incompatible changes first:

adb shell
$ oldsu
# mount -o remount,rw /system
# rm /system/xbin/su /system/bin/su
# cp /system/xbin/oldsu /system/xbin/su
# exit
$ exit
adb reboot

Explanation: Start adb shell and become root (using the working oldsu executable). Delete /system/xbin/su (which is only a symlink now) and the incompatible /system/bin/su, then copy the working su back to where it belongs. Then exit the root shell and finally adb shell. The reboot is optional, and should not be needed. Also optionally you could remove busybox (or keep it if it works). Before exiting adb shell you might wish to test whether su works again, just to be sure (which is why I wrote cp for this: if anything goes wrong, you still have your oldsu available).

With those steps, you should at least have everything in working order again, and this issue is solved. Updating to a newer Android version is a separate issue: Please check the update tag, as corresponding questions already exist. Same for the ROM you might need (check the rom tag for that, and in also check the tag-wikis for update and rom).


Android Emulator: How to avoid boot loop after rooting?


Cannot charge battery via usb cable to pc after upgrade firmware and android version to 4.1.2 (Galaxy S2)

Many USB ports on computers do not have power sufficient to charge a phone battery.  Does the phone charge with the plug-in type supplied with it? Some computers will advertise a charging USB port.  The default current (amps) is 1/2 A or 500mA in a standard USB connector.  It is not uncommon for tablets to require 2 Amps.


SIM card cannot be detected, cannot open "SIM Card Manager"

Some possibilities:

The SIM card is defective
The SIM is inserted the wrong way
The tiny metallic connectors of the SIM card plug are deformed (this is my personal experience)


MicroSD card file system keeps getting corrupt for no obvious reason

Almost 2 years later (because I forgot that this post even exists, sorry).
A week after posting this question here, I ran some tests using h2testw. The microSD card turned out to be faulty. I got a new phone 2 months later and a new Kingston microSD card to go with it. Haven't had a problem since.


If you can't get the device to even turn on, then this will not really help...

From XDA post about unbricking this device:

Prepare ODIN with the firmware you want to flash (in my case was Gingerbread 2.3.4) and get it ready to go.
Remove battery, wait for a bit. Insert battery again.
Flash a recovery with your specific filesystem (EXT4 or RFS)-(If you have EXT4, download ext4 only, don't get ext4+rfs)
Enter recovery & Wipe | Format:

System
Data
Cache
Dalvik Cache

Have ODIN ready. Connect phone to PC.
Reboot to Download Mode

Hold Volume down + Power + Home button at the same time.

At this point Odin should have detected your Galaxy Gio (Yellow rectangle should appear).
Insert the Stock Rom or Custom Rom.
Click Start button in Odin and wait about 5 min.
Reboot and wait

The post has other options like using a tool called "one click unbrick" but I have never tried that tool.


Why I cannot delete contacts from my Samsung Phone

If a contact is stored on your SIM card can be determined easily: SIM card contacts only how two fields: one for the name, the other for the phone number. If a contact has more data it can not be a SIM card contact. You can also check that easily by removing the SIM card and rebooting the device.
Regular contacts are stored in one or more databases that belong to the device's contacts provider app com.android.providers.contacts. Therefore you find the contact data in the directory /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts (only accessible with root permissions).
You you have removed all online accounts your device can sync accounts to the account data is only available locally. For deleting every contact you may simply clear the app data of the contact provider com.android.providers.contacts. It is a system app therefore make sure to enable the "Show system apps" option in Android settings to see this app.


Can I do Android/g1 tethering without root?

Yes according to this post:

This one is for the majority of Android owners who don’t want to be bothered with root on the G1 (Android). Mucho gracias to Tremendo Slap for digging this one up. June Fabric has released an app for Windows that also installs another app on Android that allows you to tether to 3G. Most users say it works flawlessly even with VPN connections. A few dropped connections being dropped here and there but overall a success. This is an app that I know many of you have been waiting for.

For those wondering, tethering is connecting your device to your laptop and using your devices internet connection on your laptop, basically.

So download PdaNet beta 1.12 (or Vista 64)

PdaNet

Note This is probably in violation of your carrier’s TOS. For T-Mobile the 1GB per month data cap was lifted awhile ago but there is word that users that pass the 1GB limit will be limited to 50Kbps for data past that mark. I would advise using this only if you are in dire need. I would advise against canceling your home internet plan as well


Why does Google Messages (SMS/MMS) app lose phone number?

Try the following process:

Uninstall the app.
restart the phone.
obtain the app from Google Play
Install the app again

Update

Today, after turning my phone on (after uninstalling and installing Messages yesterday), Google Messages asked me for my phone number.

I'm assuming this is because I re-installed the app yesterday.

However, it did not show this message yesterday after restarting.

I remember seeing this message long ago when the problem started and I believe that time I chose Don't Ask Again.  This time I'm leaving that option unselected to see if it helps solve the problem.

I added my number and clicked OK and it seemed to save the number to the app the same way as when I manually add it.  Let's see if retains the data now??

Update 2

I turned my phone off and allowed it to restart.

I get the following message but only when I start Google Messages and then click a Group Message (MMS).  I will see this little warning at the bottom of the group.  It shows up as :

  Messages needs your phone number - FIX

If you click the FIX message then it proceeds to the other screen where you can enter your number.  If you don't click that message in about 3 seconds it disappears.

If I add the phone number and say don't ask again then it saves my number while the phone is on but doesn't save the data permanently.

If I add the phone number and allow it to ask again then it saves my number while the phone is on but still doesn't save the number permanently.

UPDATE 3

Device Displays Phone Number

My phone number shows up perfectly fine on my device under:

Settings => About phone => Status => My phone number

So, I figured I should test the Android API call and see if that works on my phone.

Retrieve Phone Number Via Android API

I added some code to retrieve my phone's number using the Android API.
I added the code to another program I had previously created and added the command to the menu and ran the code and it successfully retrieved my phone number.

If I Can Write That Code, Google Messages Devs Should Be Able To Also

I've blotted out my phone number but you can see the first two digits and that the app is able to retrieve the phone number so Google Messages should be able to do that automatically too.

Here's the basic code I used to do that:

// 1. use TelephonyManager API
TelephonyManager tMgr = (TelephonyManager) getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);

// 2. insure that the app has the correct permissions to allow it to read phone number
if (ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.READ_SMS) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED && ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.READ_PHONE_NUMBERS) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED && ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(this, Manifest.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE) != PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
    // 3. handle perms failure here.
}
// 4. get the phone number
String mPhoneNumber = tMgr.getLine1Number();
// 5. display the phone number in the main text control (outText)
outText.setText(mPhoneNumber);

Update 4

I added a few more API calls to get more information about my phone:

I figured maybe this only occurs on GSM devices or something (versus CDMA)??
I wanted to show that the SIM card is in a good state.
I was curious about the MMS agent that is being used.

NOTE: The "Device Software Version" is actually the telephony driver and not the Android API level.  This phone is running Nougat API level 25.

Here are the extra calls I made to the API (they're all TelephonyManager calls):

tMgr.getMmsUserAgent()
tMgr.getDeviceSoftwareVersion()
tMgr.getPhoneType() // GSM, CDMA, SIP or NONE
tMgr.getSimState() // numerous states (see docs*)

*docs


Trigger Setup Wizard at next boot using command-line

Note: This solution:

requires a rooted Android;
is tested on Android 4.4.2, Vanir (Android 5.1.1) and on an unofficial CM13 build;
requires adb setup in PC.

Following are some screenshots serving as a proof:

(Click image to enlarge)

Note that you cannot replicate those images by issuing that shell command, because the test activity you would run would hide all the icons in the left of status bar and even time in my ROM.

Here are the instructions I followed:

Find the disabled components. Do:

adb shell dumpsys PACKAGE

Replace PACKAGE with package name of Setup Wizard app. Often, it would be a setup wizard from Google with package name com.google.android.setupwizard. Package name of CyanogenMod's setup wizard
is com.cyanogenmod.setupwizard. If it has GApps installed, then use package name of Google's setup wizard. If none of the package name works then this resource may help: View app's full package name?

This step inter alia provided me a list of components of that app currently disabled. Here is a relevant excerpt under the heading Packages: from the output of the said command:

User 0: installed=true hidden=false stopped=false notLaunched=false enabled=0
  disabledComponents:
  com.google.android.setupwizard.account.RestoreServicee
  com.google.android.setupwizard.carrier.MobileDataActivity$HfaChangeReceiver
  com.google.android.setupwizard.util.SetupWizardAdminReceiver
  com.google.android.setupwizard.SetupWizardActivity
  com.google.android.setupwizard.util.GservicesChangedReceiver
  com.google.android.setupwizard.carrier.MobileConnectivityChangeReceiver

com.google.android.setupwizard.SetupWizardActivity is the main and default activity of that app. Although the app has requested the permission android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED, strangely, there is no receiver declared in the manifest to receive android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED broadcast. My guess is that the property user_setup_complete alone is used for the purpose of launching that app.
Whatsoever the disabled components shown in your command's output for User 0 are, simply enable all of them for the same user. The simplest way is to use pm command.

adb shell
su
pm enable PACKAGE/COMPONENT

An example to enable a component:

pm enable com.google.android.setupwizard/com.google.android.setupwizard.carrier.MobileDataActivity\$HfaChangeReceiver

Note: It is not clear to me why but when I tried to enable the components using an app (say X), they were disabled automatically once I exited the X app. So I recommend you enable the components using the command-line and refrain from interacting with screen at all costs.
Get the property name:

adb shell 'content query --uri content://settings/global | grep -e "setup" -e "complete"'
adb shell 'content query --uri content://settings/secure | grep -e "setup" -e "complete"'
adb shell 'content query --uri content://settings/system | grep -e "setup" -e "complete"'

One of the commands must return output containing either the key user_setup_complete or, as Andrew T. noted, setup_wizard_has_run.

Once you have the key, do:

adb shell settings put secure KEY 0  # replace KEY with the key noted above.

Do adb reboot for full reboot or adb shell su -c 'setprop ctl.restart zygote' for soft-reboot or reboot ordinarily as you would and there you would have the Setup Wizard app waiting for interaction after reboot is completed.


How can I flash ClockWorkMod on my Samsung Galaxy Fit running froyo?

This is what I ended up doing, just in case this might help someone else:

I tried flashing CWM 5 for RFS file systems via Odin. It's actually straightforward, and then the phone reboots normally. However, trying to get to the recovery mode fails. (I'm not sure how exactly, but it wouldn't work for me, I think it hanged at the recovery screen with android written on it).
(I freaked out) Then I downloaded a stock ROM (indian, based on 2.3.6) from samfirmware. Flashed it through Odin again. The device reboots (and takes some time) and you're on 2.3.6!
Then I flashed CWM 5 for Galaxy Fit (also from Odin) from the forums. It went smoothly. It will also boot into the stock ROM, and into the recovery.
From there, I didn't really try to do a Nandroid backup. (I supposed it would fail).
Then I formatted /data, /cache, ... Then moved the update zip file (the ROM) onto the SD card. And from recovery, installed it.

It's really not a big deal, if you're worried as I was. A simple backup of all your user data and apps via TitaniumBackup or similar, and your contacts synced to Google or exported to the SD in csv format, and you won't even feel the transition.


Terminal emulator is a developer level app which is not a highly usable app for general users there is no need for mobile manufactures to load this app at the time of manufacturing. also terminal emulator is not highly efficient as original terminal of linux.

Even in desktop variant of linux not every user have the hang of terminal other than some basic commands.


Is there a way to disable touch temporarily?

There are several apps on Google Play that can do that, such as, TouchBlocker.


How to access internal memory of HTC Wildfire Buzz with out starting phone

I doubt you could do that manually. Why not just install the OS again?


Settings > Applications > Development > Stay awake


Try using Greenify app to hibernate Youtube app (if you are a rooted user). Once hibernated, it won't come into picture unless explicitly opened.

You can also use Titanium Backup to freeze Youtube app, if u want to permanently disable it. You can unfreeze the app later anytime you want.


You would need a custom ROM that supports moving apps to the Ext3 partition.  I would recommend searching the development section of xda-developers forums for your handset for such a ROM.

If a ROM does not support apps2ext natively, you can try your luck with a script (example for HTC Dream/Magic here) that can be installed on top of another ROM.

[Edit]: just adding stuff from my comments to the answer.
If you are on Android version 2.2 and above, you can use the built-in "Apps-to-SD" functionality to move apps to SD Card.  Go to Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Manage applications then tap on any app and under the "Storage" section tap the "Move to SD" button.  After a few seconds you will see the button's name change to "Move to Phone" and size of the app decrease significantly.

This method is not without drawbacks.  First off, an app needs to be explicitly coded to support this functionality.  Second, widgets and apps that run as a service (e-mail, virtual keyboards, weather notifications, etc.) don't work when moved to SD, and must reside on the phone's internal memory.  Furthermore, not the entire app moves to the SD Card.  A part of it stays on the phone, along with its cache and data/settings.  If you have a phone with a small amount of internal app storage, using the built-in Apps-to-SD will just prolong the inevitable "out of memory" errors.

The Apps2ext scripts resolve most of these shortcomings.  It "fools" the phone into thinking that the Ext2/3/4 partition is part of the phone's internal memory.  This means that widgets and services will work just fine with this method. Also, since you can make your partition as large as you wish (recommended not to exceed 2GB), the space issues disappear.  The scripts also provide options for moving caches and data to the Ext partition in order to free up even more internal memory.

The drawback of the Apps2ext method is that it's well, a hack.  First off, your phone needs to be rooted.  Second, you will no longer be able to un-mount and remove the SD Card from the phone, since ALL of the apps (including system ones) reside on the Ext partition. Third, you are putting a lot more strain on the SD Card from increased writing, which may shorten its lifespan. Finally, as with any hack it may make your phone less stable.


It will be hard to test something without a tester. Android doesn't ship with a Test-App for Heartbleed (or any other security hole, such as the Master Key Exploit discovered about a year ago), as this would somehow defeat the purpose: Such a check-app must know about the security hole and how to check for it, and thus requires knowledge about that. If that knowledge is there, instead of writing an app to check for the hole, the devs rather should decide to fix it in the first place – which would make that app obsolete :)

So if a 3rd party app is not acceptable for you, you're most likely out of luck. But in case you change your mind, you can find several security-checkers in this list. There's e.g. Heartbleed Security Scanner, which is pretty well rated (as of now, 4.6 stars with over 5,000 votes), and you can find it introduced in this AndroidPIT blog post.

Linked list category also holds some security suites covering multiple exploits and security risks, which might be a good choice to check if you're interested how it stands about security with your device.


There is a free guide available on ifixit.com:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Nexus+5+Battery+Replacement/26009

Of course, when disassembling the phone you always take various risks of damaging it, but I assume you are aware of that.


How can I manually add memory to the Android emulator?

When you create a new AVD (Android Virtual Device).

Under Hardware, click New:

From the drop down list of Property, select Device ram size.  Click OK.

You can now put a value beside of Device ram size of how big you want it to be.

Note: You have to create a new AVD.  You can't edit them as far as I know.


App to show battery current or rate of change of voltage, short term info

If you have Spare Parts installed there is detailed information in there about the state of the battery. Also, you can find out what is the application that is sucking up most of the battery via Settings > About Phone > Battery Use.


Reset the phone works. Only difference is that I have to set the device into discoverable mode each time I turn the Bluetooth on. It was automatically set before.


This sounds like you have installed some AdWare on your phone. The best and easiest thing to get rid of that is factory resetting your phone.


Is it safe to buy a second hand/opened box Android phone

Any one of the threats could be possible, but highly unlikely, if that is the case thou I would recon the person doing this is "professional" enough not to install these apps as 3rd party apps but would have probably flashed the device with a custom rom that includes these apps. If that is the case a factory reset would not solve anything, as the apps are part of the firmware, however, you can download the latest firmware for the device and re-flash it, this would ensure that you know exactly what is or isn't on the device.

But like I mentioned in the first line this is highly unlikely, and I would say that you are being over cautious and maybe a little paranoid(no offence intended) The reason I say this is that there is much better(cheaper) ways to get malware spread, and malware is normally spread on a mass scale, where individuals are targeted you might find something like that happening, but you would most probably have been given the phone for free...saying that you won some prize etc.

So chill if you like the phone and its a good deal, go for it....

BTW most off the time in those cases where the device is new but box opened the seller received the phone from there network, and prefer to stick to the phone they are currently using, most networks requires in-store activation...they turn the phone on, turn it off, and put it back in the box( This might network lock the device thou


Samsung Galaxy S stuck upgrading firmware. Should I unplug my phone? Should I keep on waiting?

I disconnected the cable

Kies popped up an error message which said, the upgrade failed and offered to try to recover for me.

By following the instructions on screen I was able to recover my device.


This may sound odd, but there are not very many Android viruses. My Android system still has never caught a virus and I spend a lot of time on the Internet. You may be better not having Android anti-virus applications.


How to restore the Whatsapp Messenger icon? Not the app, just the icon

On my phone, you can bin the faulty WhatsApp icon and then reselect it from the installed apps list with the right icon.


Is WiFi data usage included in the "Data Usage" screen?

What you are seeing here is cellular data (mobile data) only.

I am not sure what you would count as a "canonical answer", but the following three screen captures have been taken from a stock android ROM with Android 5.1.1 (as you can see by the presence of the Samsung bloatware):

Data Usage (default) / with hamburger-menu / data usage, WiFi tab (click images for larger variants)

The first screen capture is the same as yours.

The second screen capture shows the menu that pops up if you touch the kebab icon (the three vertical dots.)  As you see, the menu contains a "Show Wi-Fi usage" option.  If you enable showing Wi-Fi usage, two tabs are added to the screen, one for mobile data (probably "cellular data" in your case) and another for Wi-Fi.

The third screen capture shows how the "Wi-Fi" tab looks like on the screen.


How to make sure that screen lock really locks and doesn't allow to do anything?

The soft reset by key combination is an important requirement for modern smartphones. Most phones now ship with inbuilt batteries. So, the key combination which stimulate a battery pull is definitely needed. I don't see any reason for it to be disabled. Rather you should be more careful and not press those keys for too long.

As for the access to quick toggles from lockscreen, yes that's a problem for some. Android developers just went with a setup which works for most people. Most would want to turn on the flashlight, WiFi, change sound profile; etc without having to unlock the phone first. The flashlight toggle for example is very handy when you need it suddenly.

I don't know of any way to disable access to toggles. Also, so far I haven't had a wrong press on toggles because the phones come with a "Pocket mode" something which blocks the touch functionality when most part of the screen is covered. That said, I do wish that they bring in an option to disable access to all toggles and leave it to the will of the user. It can be useful for some.


Android 4.4: How to get the Easter Egg and unlock the Dessert Case daydream?

KitKat easter egg

Open Settings
Hit About phone at the bottom of the items list.
Tap the entry Android version three times quickly. A big K will appear on your screen.

Hit it a few times or long-press to continue to a KitKat style Android logo.

Dessert Case daydream:

Go through steps 1-3 of the above.
Long-press (1s) the big K.
Long-press (1s) the Android logo.
It will open a new daydream 'screensaver'.

From now on, you can select it as a daydream option in Settings → Display → Daydream.


How can I train voice recognition on ICS?

The setting should still exist, it's just a little bit more awkward to get to. The easiest way is to hit the microphone icon on the search widget (though I think anywhere it appears will work) to bring up the voice action dialog. There's a wrench in the top right of that dialog that opens the settings:

Tap that to open the settings page, which should have the checkbox titled "Personalized recognition" as in previous versions (tested on a Galaxy Nexus running CyanogenMod 9, Android 4.0.4).


need help Nexus 9 stuck in endless reboot loop

Bear in mind the following will wipe your device data:

To flash the firmware to your device:
While boot-looping, hold the power button until the screen goes blank. As soon as it does, hold the volume down button and your device will reboot into fastboot mode. From here, follow the instructions on the Nexus Factory Images to flash the firmware by flashing the bootloader and then the rest of the system using fastoiot on a connected PC. After this, you can run fastboot reboot if you're device doesn't automatically boot into Android.


In Chrome Settings there is an Advanced option Reduce Data Usage. It causes Chrome to connect to Google servers to deliver compressed pages.

When this option is ON my proxy settings are ignored.

When this option is OFF my proxy settings work.


I would indeed verify first that this is not related to some 3rd party app or any other than stock ROM. For this do a complete reset and try again. Also try with a smaller SD card since 16GB might not be supported by your phone (need to check specs for that, I don't know).

You can make a backup to get it back to your personalized settings quick.

If you can confirm the stock ROM and default settings do have this bug too you can report this to HTC. Otherwise you'll have to solve it on your own, looking what app/setting is getting this result.


What is Onetimeinitializer.apk Android application?

According to this it runs the first time you boot up (Cyanogenmod?) and prompts you for what Google Apps to install.


android_secure folder contains those apps which you have moved to external SD. Files inside them would have .asec extension
Android 6.0 upwards don't allow you to move apps to external SD as you have been doing. They use adoptable-storage wherein the external SD card and internal storage are merged to create a bigger storage. You can read more in adoptable-storage tag wiki. This folder is of no use to you in migrating , since the concept is different ( best is to restore all apps to internal storage before attempting backup )
Coming to the migration of apps and data,

If your device is not rooted, it is not easy or guaranteed to work since you are jumping across two versions ( this could be a separate question )
If your device is rooted , titanium-backup or nandroid backup would help


bootloader level is increased in 1 digit
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D
G960FXXSBETH1 = B
G960FXXUCFTJ1 = C
you can download rom for SM-G960F from updato, samfirm, frija or samloader. try lowest bootloader first, as you already stated downgrade is impossible (and higher version usually comes with higher protection against rooting). you can check bootloader version from download mode screen


How do I upload photos from Android phone to Google Plus without sharing?

If you turn on the "Auto Backup" feature of Google+, your photos will automatically be uploaded and will only be viewable by you (until you share them, of course).

If you want to do it manually, simply share with G+ and choose yourself as the only person you share with. I like to keep a Circle around with no one in it that I can share things to and so I'm the only one who can see them (kind of a "read it later" thing). You might prefer to do that, since it's quicker to choose a Circle to share to than a person.


Music Player won't detect music on USB. Galaxy S7

Okay, so I just ended up buying Poweramp. It didn't have any issues reading the files off the USB. Sadly this cost me an extra 4$, but I was sick of trying to get Google Play to read the files properly.


How does Nokia automatic backup work on the new Android One devices?

I'm not an expert with this, but here's what I know.
Nokia 6.1 as with all Android One phones, runs stock Android. And the backup/restore options that you see are all part of normal Android and you will see them across nearly all Android smartphones be it Android One or not. So, the backup that is on a Google account can be restored on any other device.

Other OEMs do have a better backup/restore setup and I recommend that you ask her to do a better job at backing up stuff.

The backup setup in Android One is a barebone setup and you'll barely recover anything beyond your list of installed apps and your contacts (inc SMS and call history). Apps which automatically backup to their server or to Google Drive (like WhatsApp) are an exception. For everything else, such as files, documents, photos, videos, music, you need to back them up yourself.

Google Photos is a nice way to keep your photos from the camera all backed up. You can also consider using Microsoft's OneDrive app. For the other items, you need to either sync them to the cloud manually or use a USB cable to copy them to the PC regularly.


How to read conversation while writing long message

This may sound dumb, but have you tried to scroll the view ?

Or if there is really no space left to view the text list, just hide the keyboard (return key).


Retrieve the original content of a webpage that was browsed in Chrome?

Follow the instructions on View webpages cached in Google Search Results

The gist is:
1. On your computer, do a Google search for the page you want to find.
2. Click the green down arrow to the right of the site's URL.
3. Click Cached.

There also are other sites that do that for you, for instance http://cachedview.com/


To pass an empty value, you need to pass an "empty string" – which is usually specified by two quote marks with nothing between them. For your specific command this would look like

setprop dhcp.wlan0.domain ""


Android not responding, screen off and battery drop

I played more than 3 months with the mobile phone and this is how to solve the problem. I Guess this solusion works for other mobile phones.

If you have a lenovo s890 (or other cellphones with similar symptoms) that sometimes stops and not responding or if your battery drains suddenly or if the screen goes off and does not back, then the problem is not with battery or screen. I have seen some people that asks for help and there are loads of solution that none of them work. The solution is a problem in the kernel of OS that manages CPU of the cell phone.

First install a CPU manager app from google play for example (link). Then
Decrease the maximum CPU frequency to one level down and set the governor to Ondemand (like screenshot).

I have tried other setting that none of them worked for me.


How to view list of subscriptions in Google reader app?

On the main screen of the app press the Menu button and select Show all. You should see a list of all your subscriptions below the SUBSCRIPTIONS heading, with unread items showing in bold and the unread count to the right. It should look similar to this:

If you don't see anything listed there, you might want to double check the account you're using with the app by pressing the Menu button, and going to the Accounts option. There you can select your Google account, and check if syncing is enabled for Google Reader.


My understanding (I was interested in the same sort of thing) is that there is no event fired when an NFC tag is removed. So the only way to do this would be a check at regular intervals to see if the NFC tag is still connected, and I'm not sure that even that is possible.


Send/receive or refresh inbox on native email client

If you go into the Mail client, go into the mailbox you want to check the mail for, then press Menu while you're looking at the Inbox, there should be a Refresh option on the menu bar.

That definitely seemed to go back to the server and check for new mail when I tried it with the Hotmail account I've got set up in there just now, as it found the message I'd sent a minute before.


What exactly is backed up if I select app data in the sync options?

AppData on an Android device is all data that is stored locally by an Application except for the binaries of the application. So your saves, progress should be backed up, but not the app itself. It usually depends on the Android operating system but it is generally what I said above.


I got the same issue in my xiao mi max 2. I have read also this maybe this will help you:

On Mi Max 2 v9.5 MSA is not recognized as a system app for some reason. It is able to be uninstalled which is probably the reason for update error.
On another Xiaomi phone I have. MSA is a system app and succesfully updated.
MSA injects full screen advertisements into MIUI music player, themes + file explorer when you open them. I suggest you take advantage of this error by Xiaomi and uninstall MSA now then reboot your phone, full screen advertisements will be gone. If it updates you will be stuck with advertisements.


The following instructions are from androidforums.com site.

The summary of the rooting procedure (just copied and pasted - credit goes to sagarwep the poster of the procedure) is as below:

Enable USB debugging on your device. To do that, go to Settings > Development > USB debugging.
Connect your device to any PC/laptop. The drivers will be installed automatically.
Download Bin4ry for Root A110 By sagarwep.7z and unzip.
Run RunMe.bat from the extracted location.

A command prompt with weird green letters will pop-up on your screen.
Follow the onscreen instructions carefully. To start off, you willl need to type in a "1" and press enter. [Note: If you ever want to Unroot your Micromax A110, follow the above steps till you reach this one and then, instead of typing "1", type "x" and hit enter. Follow the instructions that appear on the command prompt after that.]
Your device will reboot during the process after which Bin4ry will copy some files to your device.
With RootChecker you can verify whether the phone is rooted or not.


This doesn't resolve your "device is not compatible" issue, but your Galaxy S4 is already running the highest version (5.0.1) of Android available for it. This appears to be true regardless of what model you have1. The last updates for the various models/regions were rolled out in early- to mid-2015, and there likely won't be any further "official" updates.


Can you dump the contents of your phone (os + apps + data) and run that in an emulator/Android Studio?

No, generally speaking there is no way to do this.  Your ROM is customized for your phone and is pretty tied to that specific hardware.

You could, of course, pull the apps and install them into an emulator, and then back up the data for them on the phone and restore that data on the emulator.  With root and 2.3, the simplest way to do this might be via an app like Titanium Backup.


Am I still visible to old contacts I have deleted long ago, when they intall whatsapp if they still have my number in their contacts?

If they have your old number then they are still able to see your old profile.
You are not deleting your profile by simply uninstalling WhatsApp, you need to properly delete your profile by going into Settings->Account and select Delete my account.
Then your old profile is deleted and nobody will be able to see it or send any messages to it.


the problems you are experiencing are related to your device software. I hope they release updates for you as this will fix the bug issues you are having.

For the time being I would suggest:

restarting your device, safely removing SD card and re inserting, pluging your phone to a computer and unpluging. Do this over a few cycles untill you can sync your SD card.

Another option would be to save your SD card files to your computer, then formatting the SD card with your phone. Afterwards proceed to moving your files back to your SD card. Although you will see results more with this method I would not recommend this unless as a last resort. Also be careful as this method can wipe your data.


Why has Google started asking questions when reviewing apps in Play Store?

Since Aug 2016, Google has been testing a new feature called "Top Features" of an app.
Android Police reported,

[...] it seems that Google has begun testing another change in the same arena - Top Features, a new element that aims to make determining what functionality an app has easier. [...] Top Features is situated above Review Highlights and contains user feedback about certain abilities of the reviewed app.

How Google gets this data is by crowdsourcing it to reviewers (similar to how Google Maps crowdsourced maps improvements)

In addition, the reviewing process has been tweaked. [...] The new process asks reviewers (up to) three questions about the app. Basically, Google will ask if x function is available in the app; if it is, you give a thumbs up; if it isn't, you give a thumbs down; and if you're unsure, you click "Not Sure". The process itself is pretty straightforward, but it is unclear how exactly Google comes up with these questions; all we know is that they eventually contribute to Top Features.
(Emphasis mine)

As reported, it's unclear how Google comes up with the questions. It could be from app's manifest (e.g requires internet connection or not), or from app's category (e.g. social network, etc), ...


Email addresses showing next to contact name

I finally broke down and deleted the contacts that showed email addresses next to the contact name. Re-entered that contact and saved again and that fixed the problem. Not sure why, only after syncing the new gmail, it showed that way.


The best solution would be format your mobile. There can be too much waste data in system memory.Or clean the system by using some cleaning app. There can be any number of reason behind this. BTW I would say that your mobile is outdated. In android, 512 ram and 4gb memory is not gonna do anything. It is gonna create problem again and again.


Samsung Fold, Settings screen items looks strange

All you have to do is to select the smaller font size in Settings.


Is there a way (with root?) to prevent Android task killer from killing certain apps?

Tl;dr

It's possible with root, you can tweak oom_adj values to prevent apps from being killed, alternatively force the target app to stay in memory by "locking" it or change some related settings responsible for killing apps in low memory condition.

Background: Android RAM Management

  Android uses a different way of handling processes. Instead of killing
  every process after its activity ended, processes are kept until the
  system needs more memory. The idea is to give speed improvements if
  you start that activity again. But how/when does Android kill a
  process if it needs more memory and which process to kill first?

  This is managed by the LMK (Low Memory Killer) driver of Android. You
  may already know that every app/process in Android is assigned an
  oom_adj value, which indicates the likelihood of it being killed when
  an out of memory (OOM) situation occurs. More higher it's value, the
  higher likelihood of it getting killed. Valid range is -17 to +15. (if
  in the -17 range means it won't get killed). According to that, there
  are six groups (OOM groups), into which apps/processes are
  categorised:

Foreground app
Visible app
Secondary server
Hidden app
Content provider
Empty app

Basically these could be described as:

  FOREGROUND_APP:  This is the process running the current foreground
  app. We'd really  rather not kill it!

  VISIBLE_APP:  This is a process only hosting activities that are
  visible to the user, so we'd prefer they don't disappear.

  SECONDARY_SERVER: This is a process holding a secondary server --
  killing it will not have much of an impact as far as the user is
  concerned.

  HIDDEN_APP:  This is a process only hosting activities that
  are not visible, so it can be killed without any disruption.

  CONTENT_PROVIDER: This is a process with a content provider that
  does not have any clients attached to it. If it did have any clients,
  its adjustment would be the  one for the highest-priority of those
  processes.

  EMPTY_APP: This is a process without anything currently running in
  it. Definitely the first to go.

These groups are defined by oom_adj value limits, and apps would fall into one of those groups according to the oom_adj value assigned to that particular app. "Foreground apps" usually have an oom_adj value of 0 or less (so they are the least killable; i.e High priority).

"Empty apps" have a higher oom_adj (they are killed early; i.e Low priority). Also, oom_adj value changes according to the state of the user app; it's 0 when the app is active in the foreground and assigned a higher value when the app goes to the background.

  Why their "killability" differ? Apps belonging to these different
  groups (that have different oom_adj's), start to get killed at
  different levels of free RAM. These triggering RAM limits are defined
  by the LMK minfree values. Above 6 categories correspond with 6 RAM
  limits which are set in the LMK minfree. eg: Stock Android 4.3 in my
  device comes with the minfree values of 48,60,72,84,96,120. (these
  are in MB).

Practically what it means is, Empty apps will get killed when ram goes below 120mb, Content providers when it goes below 96mb, Hidden apps when it goes below 84mb and so on.. lastly starts killing Foreground apps when ram goes below 48mb. (You may notice that this last value (48mb) is not desirable when using memory intensive apps like heavy games).

NB:

In newer kernel, oom_ score _adj is used instead of old oom_adj. (oom_score_adj valid range is -1000 to 1000). But oom_adj is also maintained for perhaps compatibility.
It is said that there are many OOM process categories that are assigned different oom_adj priorities by the ActivityManagerService, but eventually all of those would be considered under above six slots/groups (according to oom_limits), for the purpose of killing by the LMK minfree triggers. Therefore, those six are the important ones for normal users.

We can check the minfree values (also change them) and see the OOM
groupings of apps/processes with this Memory Manager app easily.

Not every device has the same OOM configuration.

Improving RAM Management

Nowadays there is much user friendly implementation of RAM management mechanism with UI in system settings (such as App optimisation in Battery settings, Protected apps in some ROMS e.g Huawei’s EMUI etc) and can have the same effect as described above:

Having said that we can now explore ways in which, RAM can be utilised without killing foreground applications too often. The target areas will include:

1.Adjusting minifree values to suit one’s needs

2.Locking apps in memory to prevent them from being killed

3.Overridding the hidden app limit of android

Adjusting minifree values

You can change the minfree values with memory manager and tap apply. (Additionally there is an option “apply at boot” and tick to preserve settings across boots). Several apps can achieve this e.g Memory manager, Minfree manager etc
Alternatively use terminal/adb using pages:

#!/system/bin/sh echo “values” > /sys/module

Locking apps to stay in memory (making it resident)

a) Using App Settings (Xposed)

One simple method is used Xposed module, App settings (you need Xposed framework installed)
After installing the framework, then download the 'App Settings' module through Xposed installer.
Open App Settings and allow the applications to load, selected the target app (in this case firefox browser)
In the settings page, enable the toggle and activate editing mode, tick the “Resident” option and save. (Making apps resident, causes apps to staying memory without being killed and it is advised to use exit button in target application if it’s no longer needed otherwise it will deprive other apps memory)

b) Using memory locker

Another implementation of this concept is locking the target application in memory by controlling the system files for setting oom_adj for all running processes.

How the application works:

  Memory locker controls files in the /data directory and also controls
  sytem files in root for setting oom_adj for running processes.

  All
  locked applications are automatically locked after each reboot.   Apps
  are classified as downloaded/system apps, to unlock select target app
  and click on the lock on right side. (You can optionally set oom_adj
  priority)

Overriding the hidden app limit

In addition the low memory killing mechanism, there is another parameter that controls killing of hidden and empty apps. Apps are killed when they go beyond specified limits.
There is a build.prop setting that which can control this (default is usually a low number less than 25, and modifying this can increase this value to a much larger value like 80)
Add this line to build.prop file in /system and leave another blank line below that (be sure to make back up first)

ro.sys.fw.bg_apps_limit=80

References and Credits

Android RAM Management (Special credits: mrhnet)
Memory Locker
Xposed - General info, versions & changelog


I eventually found the cause of the issue to be in the screen-off animations in the display settings. I had the 'Electron Beam' animation selected, I disabled the screen off animation and the wake-locks stopped.


Why am I unable to turn of USB debugging on my Galaxy Tab 10.1?

Looks like your tab thinks it's charging from a USB socket all the time, I'd advise to get it checked under warranty, or you could try to let the battery run completely out and then recharge. Also, check the USB port for debris and clean if necessary.


Does the sensors work when smartphone is switched off and what can make sensors work incorrect?

If the phone is really shut down then it is irrelevant if the sensors are working or not (typically I would assume that in device off-state the sensors are not powered).
Sensors provide real-time data. If no-one retrieves and saves it the data is lost.
Therefore in device off state no app is running to retrieve the data and thus no data can be collected (assuming the sensors really could work and are getting powered in device off state which I doubt).


You root ?? Reinstall services google play, perhaps it hurts you.
With a browser sees root / data / app / and reinstalls com.google.android.gms.apk
If you are not root then geting rooty if you want your android root flashes. Of course you'll have to find your rom.


How can I use external modem for voice calls on Android tablet?

Root your phone, and download PPP Widget from Google Play.


Will google accounts automatically update my friends addressbooks

NO. Their contact list (that is synced with the Google account) is based on the GMail contact list. It is a local copy; so any changes must be made from their side.

However, if they synced/merged that GMail contact to your Google Plus account, and you updated your contact information in Google Plus, it's still possible for them to know your new number.


Easily record GPS coordinates in OpenStreetMap

OsmTracker will meet your requirements. It can upload the GPX tracks directly to OpenStreetMap, but I prefer using JOSM to upload the data.


Slow internet connectivity on samsung galaxy j7 prime

Maybe these are the reason behind your phone's slow speed check this:

Update the J7 firmware.
Internet cache is corrupted or full.
Network congestion or too many users of the network.
Exceeded data speed limit or speed reduction is reached.
Outdated browser software or browser software requires an update.


How can I filter out Foursquare status updates in 'Facebook for Android'?

For all that they've improved the Facebook app for Android lately, it's still woefully underpowered. I don't see any way to filter anything within the app.


As mentioned on Android Police,

  By the way, the word ROM means Read Only Memory, but has migrated in the modding community to mean an actual custom OS image that you install into the ROM area of your phone.

For me, the reason I still use the word ROM is that the image you flash contains the entire contents of the read-only system partition which would be called the ROM.


Samsung Galaxy S3 4G notification center NFC button doesn't work

This was fixed in the 4.3 update that came out for my phone lately. All done.


If I set up a VPN, does *everything* go over it?

The setting that you're talking about is in effect the --redirect-gateway option of OpenVPN and is documented on the OpenVPN man page

  --redirect-gateway

  Automatically execute routing commands to cause all outgoing IP traffic to be redirected over the VPN.

  This option performs three steps:

  Create a static route for the --remote address which forwards to the pre-existing default gateway. This is done so that (3) will not create a routing loop.
  Delete the default gateway route.
  Set the new default gateway to be the VPN endpoint address (derived either from --route-gateway or the second parameter to --ifconfig when --dev tun is specified).

  When the tunnel is torn down, all of the above steps are reversed so that the original default route is restored.

The routing of all network connections occurs at the system level. Only apps that have the ability to modify the routing table of the device to use a different gateway than the default can bypass the VPN. Theoretically any app with SuperUser access could do this.


How do I change my debit card details in Google Play?

As Dan has detailed in his answer you can change it via the Play Store on your phone or you can manage your payment methods via the Google Wallet site. This should allow you to remove your old/damaged card and add a new payment method.