Mount EncFS on Android KitKat 4.4 On older (rooted) Android versions, Cryptonite was a great solution to mount EncFS encrypted folders, but on my new Android KitKat phone with an emulated storage, that fails.

I can successfully mount the encrypted folder in /storage/emulated/legacy onto another folder in /storage/emulated/legacy, but then the decrypted files are not visible to other apps. How do I mount an EncFS folder the right way?

The problem turns out to be a new security feature in KitKat. Apps by default have their own mount namespace, which means that mounts created by one app are not visible to a different app.

Secondly, Android phones without a real SD card use emulation for the fake SD card, and that gave me some problems.

SuperSU from Chainfire has an option to access the root mount namespace that allows a program to mount filesystems and have them visible to all other programs. Unfortunately, Cryptonite doesn't know bout this option. One solution is to interpose a script before the encfs binary that Cryptonite uses.

You will need a root shell to run these commands, probably from a computer using adb to connect to your phone over usb. (But using a terminal app could also work.)

Steps:

Move to the cryptonite data directory:

cd /data/data/csh.cryptonite

Note the Cryptonite user id:

ll -d -n .

This will give output similar to drwxr-x--x   11 10133    10133         4096 Feb 14 23:51 . The 10133 is the user id of Cryptonite (the second copy is the Cryptonite group id, but that should be the same).

Create a folder to store the original encfs binary in, and give it the right owership

mkdir original
chown 10133:10133 original

(replace the 10133 with the user id cryptonite has on your phone)

Move the original encfs away

mv encfs original/

Create a script named encfs to interpose for the real encfs. I prefer to use the nano command for this, but you could also create the file in a different way and move it using the command cp /path/to/encfs/replacement/file/here /data/data/csh.cryptonite/encfs

nano encfs

Put the following content into the replacement encfs script

#!/system/bin/sh

cmd=/data/data/csh.cryptonite/original/encfs

for param in "$@"
do
    replaced=`echo "$param" | sed 's:^/storage/emulated/:/data/media/:'`
    cmd="$cmd $replaced"
done

su -mm -c $cmd

Save the file with ctrl-x (volume down + x on some terminal emulator apps), answer y to save.

Make the replacement script executable

chmod +x encfs

Set the right owner

chown 10133:10133 encfs

(Again replace the 10133 with the user id Cryptoite has on your phone)

That should be it. Mounting an encfs folder from /storage/emulated/0/ onto a different folder in /storage/emulated/0 should work now.

What it does

The replacement script does two things: replace paths to folders from /storage/emulated/something to the actual place where the emulated SD card data is stored, and call the real encfs in the root mount namespace so that the mounted encfs folder is visible to al apps.

Changing the folder paths is necessary because for some reason mounting on the emulated SD card doesn't work (at least for me). The emulated SD card in fact stores its data in /data/media/0. By mounting on the actual storage location the SDcard emulation layer doesn't need to know that there is a different filesystem involved.

Directly mounting a file on /data/media/0 from Cryptonite doesn't work because the Cryptonite app doesn't have access to tha folder, so the replacement script changes the paths of the mountpoint and encrypted folder to point to the underlying SD card storage.

I have no problems to mount containers with EDS App correct work with all Android version


How to power-off Motorola phone without screen How would one power down an Android phone (Moto X 2nd gen - Android 5.1) without the ability to interact with the screen? USB debugging not enabled, nor is custom recovery.

I know how to reboot it, that is not the question.  The question is about turning off, not restarting, the device.

The phone has a broken screen (black screen, blank screen, cracked screen) and also does not respond to touch, so the answer should not include any screen interaction.

Is there a series of button presses, timings, and preconditions (if applicable) if executed will leave the phone in a true power off state?

I can't be sure that this is the optimal way to power-off the phone, but it seems to work.

Press and hold power until it buzzes or about 15 seconds, then
release.
Press and hold volume-down and the power button for 20
seconds, then release.
Press and release the power button once.

This procedure is demonstrated in a you tube video https://youtu.be/x_jx5u7dXK4

Tip: Even though the broken phone has no display functionality, if you view the phone with another camera, you can check activity of this phone by looking at the infrared emitters at the four corners of the device.  Before power-down, these dots will be flickering.  Afterwards, no flickering.

If you do not have custom recovery installed, then try rebooting into the bootloader or the stock recovery itself, and use your volume(up and down) keys and navigate to the Shut Down option.
If this doesn't work, then send it back to Motorola customer service center and let them do their thing.


How do I get Google Now's Package Tracking to Work? In Google Search settings -> Google Now, I have "Show cards based on Gmail" checked. "Packages" is on, and the description says "when an order confirmation email is delivered for an online purchase"

Since turning that on, I've used mutt's bounce feature to deliver two Amazon shipping notices to my gmail account. The email notifications showed up on my phone, but (even a day later) I still haven't been able to get the Google Now package tracking card to show.

How do I get it to work?

Here's the message in gmail:

Update

I'm now on Android 4.2, and (after the 4.2 upgrade) received an email from the Google Play store with a tracking number this morning. Still no delivery status card from Google Now. Will check the Amazon soon again, too (once they ship me something).

Nexus 10

I've got a Nexus 10 as well now (also running Android 4.2, stock, not even rooted), and package tracking also doesn't seem to work there, either.

To use those new feature when informations are being pulled from gmail you are going to need the new gmail app there is a flashable zip on xda-developers but its reporting to break some stuff so your best bet is to wait a week or so to get the Jellybean update from google.


How can I know which apps are currently connecting to the Internet? I have a Samsung Spica running Eclair (rooted). I've noticed on a number of occasions that inspite of the Autosync option turned off, the sync icon appears in the notification bar. By default, Gmail, Calendar & Contacts are set to sync whenever the Autosync option is turned on.

I don't use any scheduler app like Locale or Tasker.

Is there an app or some way to see which app is connecting to the Internet at any given time? Or can someone verify if this sort of behaviour of the sync icon appearing is normal?

OS Monitor does that. Shows the name of the app, and the IP address of the connection (including a WHOIS with a map when you click on it).

EDIT: I should mention that the sync icon TYPICALLY indicates a system-level sync. Do you have every item (GMail, Contacts, Calendar, Facebook) explicitly turned off in the settings?

Yes, I use this application from Google Play called AndroidBooster from NetQuin. This app gives you with a list of apps that maybe using you internet.

Once installed, go to Utilities Tab > Network Manager and there you will see list of applications that maybe using the internet. It will on tell you if an app can use internet. It does not tell how much data each app uses or have used.
Good luck


Is it possible to modify the firmware used when the device is turned off? On (at least) some Samsung devices there is some piece of software that runs when the device is turned off. It is the one that displays the battery state when charging, along with the red/green indicator light.

It is obviously tiny, native and device-specific. It is also probably (again, at least) somehow related to the initial bootloader that e.g. puts the system in recovery mode if needed.

But would it be possible to modify that piece of software to, for example, change the light colors or other functionality? I'm really asking just in theory; even if extremely hard and non-practical, I'm curious if it would be possible.

EDIT: Just clarifying here, but I mean the software that runs when the entire device is turned off, not just the screen. I have a Galaxy S3 LTE (GT-I9305, CyanogenMod 10.1, CWM recovery 6.0), and CyanogenMod actually allows me to change the light colors when just the screen is off.

Also, I don't necessarily want to change it by any means, I am just curious if it could be changed.

Here's what the software I mean looks like on my phone (sorry for the poor quality, obviously not taken with my phone :P):

Have your tried using Custom Roms... I believe AOPK and some others support light changes... Check it out :)

http://aokp.co/


Why doesn't my screen turn off after 30 seconds? Two days back I had to do a factory reset on my android (v2.3.6). After that, I noticed that my phone display won't turn off after 30 secs idle time, even though the settings has been done appropriately. After 30 secs, the brightness decreases, but the screen won't turn off. Is there any other setting which needs to be changed here?

You can try the wakelock detector app which will tell you the application which is restricting the phone from going to sleep and lock mode.

Unfortunately it did not work for me since my kitkat version required the ROOT permission.

I fixed it by going to "Settings > Apps > Running tab". I closed all suspicious application in "Cached" and "running' mode.

It was one of my recent ip-camera phone app or the Alexa app which was restricting the phone going to auto sleep after 15 seconds and then to lock state.

The phone is working fine now after closing those 2 apps, I can run them when required.

Hope it helps.

I had the same problem, I cleared my apps, by holding the home button and making them all disappear and it worked.  Not sure what exactly the problem was :P


Is it possible to record calls on Galaxy S3 I want to install a working call recording application on Galaxy S3, but I have found problems with a few apps.
I have tried Auto Call Recorder but it doesn't allow me selecting more than Mic as audio source. Perhaps I can record only my own voice (I haven't tried further and I obviously haven't bought the full program)
I have previously tried Call Recorder Pro but it only recorded my own voice and not the other party's.
I have read here that most call recorder apps require root (OK for me) and Requires the kernel with 2-way call recording patch
The question is, then
How do I make a call recorder fully work on a Galaxy S3 (GT-I9300) with only root for now?
Do I need to flash a custom firmware? Or won't it just work at all?

I used to use Auto Call Recorder as well (before my S3), and I was highly unsatisfied when it stopped working (when I switched to S3).

Just yesterday I found out this another great app that just works. And seems like much better than ACR: Record My Call - The solution! No idea how that's even free (even if it does have ads). And, I do have root, but I think this doesn't even need it.

Galaxy S3 has many variants.

Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 in some countries can record calls well (using any call recorder), in other countries Samsung disabled the call recording feature, so you should root the phone then there are several call recorders can fix the problem.

Galaxy S3 SCH-I535(Verizon), SPH-L710(Sprint), SGH-T999(T-Mobile), SCH-R530C(Cricket), SGH-I747(ATT), SGH-I747M(Rogers) etc can record calls perfectly in two directions without root. Here is the solution: Galaxy S3 Call Recorder. It seems this is the only solution without root, because all other recorders ask you root these phones.


OTG Is it possible to connect two devices I would like to be able to copy files from SD card (through card reader) to USB flash drive. All is connected through OTG USB Hub, but all the apps I found mount only one OTG device at a time. Is there any way to connect two at once?

YES - it is possible. It seems thought your phone/tablet has to be rooted. I've tried all the apps I found without root and could only connect one device at a time. Today I rooted my tablet and got Stick Mount app. Now everything works great - I can  copy files between SD Card and USB Drive, which is what I wanted.

Here is the link to the app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.stickmount

No it's not possible ! I have tried doing that myself and a error pops up ! So, without doing any extra terrestrial tricks its not possible !


Entering Samsung Codes on the Galaxy S4 - Verizon This is likely an embarrassing question, but I may not be the only one struggling.

I am trying to figure out a problem with my phone by using these secret dialer codes. I am entering these codes into my phone, but nothing is happening. When I call the entered number, I get the typical Verizon lady saying "The call cannot be completed as dialed..."

I specifically have used a code from this link (this addresses the problem I am having) and have tried multiple others from here*, but all give that same problem. Is there something that I am missing? Do I have to be a super user or something along those lines?

*Note: I know these may not be specific to my device, but some of these look to be universal regardless of manufacturer or model.

You shouldn't trust such a list of secret codes, simply because secret codes are not only device specific but mostly app specific.

Secret Codes are generally defined by the applications installed on the device.
If you want to have a valid list of secret codes available on your device, you should use an automated secret codes crawler.

I recently developped an Open Source app that crawls AndroidManifest.xml files on your device to found secret codes, and allows you to execute the secret codes available on your device.
You can get it on the Play Store or on the GitHub repository Android-Secret Codes.

But keep in mind that sometimes, secret codes are just executing themselves silently (without visual hint)

Just enter these codes in dial pad. The moment you type the last # key it will automatically open a window with information.(No need of hitting dial button)
These codes have been confirmed working on Galaxy S4 models.

*#06# IMEI number
*#0*# Test screen
*#0283# Audio loopback
*#2663# Firmware and Update versions
*#12580*369# Software and Hardware info
*#0228# Battery Status
*#2263# RF Band selection
*#9090# Service Mode
*#7284# UART MODEM PDA
*#8736364# Update Settings
*#7353# QUICK TEST MENU

Note: NONE OF THESE CODES WORK on Android 4.3!


Fixing GPS lock that takes too long without installing a custom ROM My phone (Huawei Y300) takes a little under 10 minutes to get a GPS lock. This has been happening both in new locations as well as in and around my home (where it's on frequently).

What could be the problem that is causing this?

Are there any possible workarounds for this (and I don't mean custom ROMs)?

Install GPS Status & Toolbox. Then go to the app's settings > gps sensors > auto-download AGPS data, and set it to whatever you like. It also has a Pro key, which unlocks other features.

  The main goal for the application is to assist you and all the other
  applications on your device to get a GPS lock as fast as possible. It
  is much better to know what is happening inside your phone than
  staring cluelessly on a blinking notificaion icon and hoping that it
  will stop blinking sooner or later. (Some people just simply enjoy
  watching all the raw data ;)

Steps to follow if you have a non-locking GPS, from their FAQ:

  Menu / Tools / manage aGPS state.
  Select 'Reset' to clear the internal state of the GPS.
  Select 'Download' to re-download the assistance data. You will need an active internet connection at this step.
  Close the GPS Status application for 10 seconds.
  Go outside and find a spot where large part of the sky is visible.
  Make sure you have the 'Keep the screen on' settings turned on (in Menu / Settings / Display & Tools'.
  Let the program run and try to acquire your GPS position for at least 15 minutes.

  NOTES:

  If the above steps do not resolve the GPS issue then you most likely have a hardware problem with the phone.
  Certain phone cases block the GPS signal (remove the phone from it, if you are not sure.)
  Certain windshields may block the GPS signal inside cars (those that have metallic coating to keep the heat out.)
  Certain phones (usually CDMA) turn off the GPS chip if you put the phone into flight mode.
  If you travel a long distance without turning on the GPS (i.e. flight) you can expect much longer fix times at your destination
  initially.
  Obviously you cannot expect the GPS to work in your basement! (yes I'm serious)

See if that improves the GPS lock.

The problem is the assisted GPS. Disabling it allows me to get a faster lock.

First, go to Settings then Location and turn off Google WiFi and mobile network location.  Just by turning that off doesn't disable the A-GPS but it should.

For the second step your phone will need to be rooted. Download Root Explorer from the Play store and use it to navigate to /system/etc. Find the file name gps.conf and rename it to anything that you want (I just renamed it to gpsxxx.conf).  When this file is not accessible by the system the A-GPS cannot work.

If you ever use an app like GPS Status after renaming the file, then it will redownload the A-GPS file, and you will need to go back into Root Explorer and rename or delete it


What is this icon that looks like a headphone cable? My phone got unlocked in my pocket and appears to have changed some things in the Google Now app (although I'm not sure this icon is related to that). I have never seen this icon anywhere before. I am using LG G4 stock android 6.0.

What is this icon and how can I revert whatever change caused it to be displayed?

The icon looks like an aux cable which suggests that your phone thinks that you have plugged in some headphones.

Assuming you haven't, you can try peering into the headphone socket (use a bright light) to see if anything is trapped in there. If there is you can try blowing into the port to see if that will dislodge/remove it, or turn if so the port is at the bottom and tap gently to see if that helps.

I had the same problem with my LG v10. So I plugged my earpiece and twisted the jack end till the symbol disappeared.  I then unplugged the earpiece and voila,  it was gone.


Fastboot failed with (data transfer failure (No error)) Sorry for newbie question,

I'm running fastboot on windows and sometimes fastboot returns this error

FAILED (data transfer failure (No error))

and when it get this error it continue to send this error until I reboot the PC and re-run it again.

C:\>fastboot.exe -s tcp:192.168.1.73 flash system_i C:\system.img
target reported max download size of 268435456 bytes
erasing 'system_i'...
OKAY [ 60.543s]
sending sparse 'system_i' 1/2 (262140 KB)...
FAILED (data transfer failure (No error))
finished. total time: 86.195s

C:\>

Note: it usually happen on large files, but when it happen, it also fails on all other files including small ones until I reboot the PC.

I have not encounter this problem on Linux, it seems it's specific to Windows version, probably fastboot itself or windows setup. (different fastboot version tried).

I search and did not find any complain for this kind of error!

Note: fastboot downloaded from internet. https://developer.android.com

I found the answer:
This problem happen in case that the fastboot is not compatible with software version, e.g. when we want to run a fastboot.exe from Windows and connect to a device that has software has been built with Linux machine.

Change USB port
Update USB drivers, Install Intel USB Android driver, uninstall Kies / other USB connecting application.
Change USB cable
Change PC (you might have problem with your board USB or driver)


What does "to root a phone" mean? I heard this phrase or the variants (rooted phone, rooting, etc.) in android forums but I don't know what it means. Can you explain it in simple terms?

To 'root' your phone means to gain administrative rights on the file system of your phone (in linux, root is the username of the master admin).  With root access, you can install and uninstall anything you want on the phone.

Most phones come with limited access regarding what you can and can't do on it.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it can keep users from accidentally breaking something they shouldn't mess with on the phone, especially in regards to the operating system.  However, many manufacturers limit your rights to things that aren't really so mission critical, too, and rooting the phone gets around this.

If you have a few unnecessary applications (bloatware) pre-installed on your phone that you cannot uninstall, rooting will give you this ability.  It will also allow you to upgrade to newer versions of Android before your phone's manufacturer and/or cell provider make the updates available to you.  Be warned, though, that rooting may void your warranty.

For more info on what rooting enables you to do with your phone, check out this question.

This question is one of the most viewed on this site, yet all answers say the same: "getting admin rights, let's you do stuff like xyz and abc". The latter is not really part of a relevant answer, and indeed there is already a question here: what can a rooted phone do?.

Sure rooting equals getting admin rights, but let's add some more details: how admin rights are implemented in Android. Whats happens, on a technical level, when you root a phone? A new program/applet becomes available: su. It sits in the /system/xbin/ folder and allows users to switch to a different user ID --including root (aka admin).

Remember that in android applications normally run under their own user ID. So if 1) su exists and 2) an app uses it to change to root, then the app can do anything the root user could do!

Not all rooting methods produce the same change. For example many methods rely on an additional app called superuser.apk that has a custom version of the su binary. This lets the app act as a permission control manager whenever su is invoked by an app.

In addition to su and superuser (or SuperSu), often busybox gets installed as part of the rooting script. These three files (technically busybox is a set of files) are the most common additions when we talk about rooting a phone.

It is not trivial to just copy a su to the folder yourself, as the /system partition is mounted read only and you need root rights to (re)mount it as writable (and you'd need write permissions if it was).

One 'indirect' way of doing this is using a recovery with extended functionality, it can mount /system as writable and copy files to it. In most cases this means flashing a custom recovery, as many stock recoveries are limited to patching only specific (OEM) files.

A more 'direct' way would be to directly flash a new /system partition (with root files) using some flashing tool. Such tools include:

odin(PC--Samsung only)
fastboot(PC--Generic Android)
flashify(app--Generic Android)

It is relatively easy to copy the /system partition from your phone--or an image file from the web, and flash the root-modified partition back. Lastly you may be able to get a root shell using ADB, if the ROM was compiled to allow it (not common in stock ROMs). Using the root shell it is trivial to remount partitions and copy files anywhere you want--if you know linux commands.

These simple methods work for phones that are unlocked/easy to unlock. When a bootloader is locked the process of rooting can become a convoluted process that may differ between devices, see more specific rooting info here.
This is because any custom modifications to important partitions will break the OEM 'signature' and cause the bootloader to refuse loading (bootloop). Or, in some cases the bootloader will just undo any changes.


should you be on a tablet when its charging? is it OK for the battery if you keep using the tablet while it's charging? And should you stop charging when it's fully charged.

Yes, you can use a tablet while it is charging. But, if you do something cpu intense (like 3d game) it can become a little hot.

No, you don't need to stop charging when fully charged. The tablet will make sure you don't overcharge.

It's advisable not to play graphic intensive games while charging, the cpu and graphics chipset gets hot which is not good for a long run meaning decreases longevity of the device.
Please disconnect the device from charge after a full charge i.e 100%, good for longevity of the battery.
To further increase the longevity of the battery you can keep charge cycle of 10%-90% or 20%-80% every time charging the device  and give a full charge i.e 100% atleast once per month.
P. S -  Number 3 Point only if you want to be extra careful with your battery. What I always do and is normally advisable never let battery go below 10% and never leave it charging once it says fully charged.


How to prevent apps and processes from launching in background and slowing my device I recently installed GravityBox on my S3 mini. In one setting, I could change the physical button actions, so I decided that a Double Tap on Back would close the current app. It works fine. But it doesn't close it like when I do it manually - that is to say remove from recent apps - it just forces close so when I'm closing that way some apps like Geometry Dash or doesn't save my progress.

Actually it does more than that. I think it stops the most recently launched process since when I'm in some app and sometime I double tap back and it closes another app. And the big problem is that those apps slow drastically my phone. They prevent an action from being executed, they slow the navigation, they make games lag... They are named Google Play Services, Play Store, android.process.media, Messenger...

And oddly, when everything becomes slow and laggy, all I have to do is to double tap multiple time back button, and when every other app or process is closed everything is fast. But I often close the real current app by doing so. And when I'm in the launcher, I can tap a thousand times back, and there will always be a process called PageBuddyNotySvc the wouldn't close. Or it's LogProvider.

Naming Gavity box running on your device implicates it is rooted, so you could use the full powers of Greenify. Greenify "temporarily freezes" apps which are running in background (of course only those the user specified). Other than with "deactivating" or "freezing" apps using e.g. Titanium Backup, such apps stay available in all places (including the app-drawer) and, in most cases, even can receive notifications (GCM etc.). It's more "putting them to sleep" than "freezing them".

Greenify can be used on non-rooted devices as well, but its full powers are unleashed with root (and the donation package plus the corresponding Xposed-module). Definitely worth a look.

Instead of trying to kills apps manually you can make use of a simple app which can do all the required task for you.
Advanced Task Killer.
Let me know if it works fine for you


samsung xcover 4, has no internet access while connected to a specific wifi network It seems I'm facing a strange problem with my smartphone.
After the last update, I can't connect to my office's wifi. All the other devices connect normally. However, I tried resetting the router many times.
On the other hand, my phone connects perfectly to all other networks. I think I did everything possible, even a hard reset, but the problem insists.
 I've tried changing the IP settings to static and typing my IP etc, but nothing worked.
Any other ideas are welcome.

thanx

Update : When I walk 15 meters away from my desk to another office and try to connect again, my phone connects normally to the same network but from a different router. So, I suppose the problem is between my nearby router and my phone. Is there any way to fix this? It worked till last Friday, so there's no chance of incompatibility.

Perhaps you should upgrade your Android OS version, most of the time this method work for me.


New hangout indicator meanings I have started using hangouts now that it has merged in with all my sms messages and it's cool.

However i was wondering if someone could explain the indicators that show up at the bottom left of the screen to me?

I currently know:

TinyPortrait(transparent) = current point user has read to
Dots (...) = user is typing

Unknown

TinyPortriat(Solid) = i thought this might mean they are up to date,
but considered it could be that they are watching the screen?
Small Phone Icon = No idea what this means.

Are there any others?

TinyPortriat(Solid): The user is reading the conversation.

Small Phone Icon: This indicates that the user is using the hangouts app on a mobile device.

TinyPotrait (Faded): The user read your messages above the icon.

The green phone icon means the user is in a call with someone else. It goes away once they hang up


How to clone an NFC tag (e.g. MIFARE Classic) to an Android device? I use a MIFARE Classic NFC access card.

Is there any way to clone my card on an Android device (e.g. on Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Asus Nexus 7)?

Note: this question is not about duplicating an NFC tag onto another NFC tag, but rather use the smartphone as an NFC tag. (This should be possible since it is possible to use the phone as NFC tag for contactless payments.)

See the edits for recent updates to this although the answer is still a general 'no'

In short, no, not easily anyway.

You can get all of the information off it by using an app such as NFC TagInfo however currently stock Android phones don't support emulating NFC cards even though their hardware allows for it.

If you were willing to install a custom ROM on the device then there may be a working ROM that allows for the functionality on those devices, there is one for the Nexus S, however these ROMs usually only let the phone act as a tag so you can't put data on it directly from the phone, you'd have to write the data onto it from another source.

I also haven't seen one that allows for the setting of the UID (Unique Identifier) which is what most door readers and access control systems will work with so even if you could emulate the information on a tag you still couldn't open the door as the UID would be wrong.

EDIT: It is now possible to load applications onto your device and have them communicate with a reader via NFC however for this to work you must be running Cyanogenmod and this still doesn't solve your problem, the app still can't change the UID that the phone shows.

EDIT EDIT: With Android KitKat 4.4 the ability to have the phone act as an NFC card is built into the operating system so you no longer have to rely on Cyanogenmod. However it can't actually emulate a tag (such as a MiFare tag) which is what most access cards are and it can't set its own UID. n.b. I haven't had a chance to play with this much so I'm just going on what I've read.

Yes it's possible. If the access control system is looking for the UID, Rango NFC can clone the cards, provided if the device is rooted.

To do that, hold the card you want to clone at the phone and the app detect the UID and the length. Then click "DO IT!" and the phone will emulate this UID.

I have tested it on my door.

*Disclosure: I developed the app


4.3 issue on nexus 4 while taking screenshot I've just upgraded my nexus 4 from 4.2.2 to 4.3 few days ago. And now i found that i can't take screenshots with volume down button + screen lock button anymore. It was working perfect on 4.2.2.

Anyone having same issue? Or it's just me? Any workout for this?

Thanks a lot!

I had the same problem and restarting my phone fixed it. Try rebooting your cell if you haven't done it yet.


Retrieve WiFi password How to get saved WiFi password from my android 5.1.1  without rooting?

I checked the path /data/misc/wifi/ using adb pull from terminal, but it's empty

You can't get the passwords without root access because shell (adb) is not privileged to access the file containing those passwords. As you would know, the file wpa_supplicant.conf contains all the saved Wi-Fi passwords. In order to even ascertain the existence of that file, you must have read or executable permission until wifi directory. It just happened that the permissions on that directory is drwxrwx---, is owned by user wifi and  group wifi. Executing id tells us that shell is not part of wifi group, so it ultimately would be considered others. As you can see, the permissions for others are blank --- i.e. no read/write/execute permission is available, hence, you can't enter that directory, let alone copy a particular file residing inside it.

Root the device if you want that file badly.

Related reading: File permissions and attributes

@Firelord is right but there's a file browser for Android that doesn't require root for some IO operations, and looking from the path for the saved passwords it should have full rights. It's called XPlorer, hope this helps


Huawei P7 Ascend Lollipop Compass pointing only North or South, even after calibrating. How to fix? As it says in the title, my Huawei P7 Ascend running the latest firmware for it (Android 5.1.1) has something strange going on with the compass for the last year or so. I have already attempted calibration, but that did not fix it. The compass only exclusively points directly north or directly south, both on calibration apps and in apps like Google Maps. How can I get it to work properly again?

I too have this problem after upgrading my phone to lollipop. However, if I tilt my phone vertically or upside down (so I'm looking up to face the screen), the compass works fine. Try calibrating your accelerometer with your phone upside down.


Massive Storage Being Used I have a 16GB Galaxy S3 with a 64GB SD Card. However, it appears that files have been saving to my device and not the external card. I only have 4 Gigs left of the 16. Is there any app that can "take all internal storage and move them to SD Card"? Or is there an easier way?

You might want to try moving apps installed in internal memory to sd card by long pressing on the desired app from the app drawer and dragging it up to the app info panel ,scroll down and there you may find the "Move to SD card" option. However afaik you cannot move apps to SD on the s3 unless rooted. You got to manage your files and apps using the 11 GB available or else root your device.

Yes you can move apps to external on a sgs3.? I had this phone previously and used app2sd no problem simply download it from Google play store, then once you open up the app it will tell you which apps can be moved to the external sd card. you can download it for free from the Google play store.
https://play.google.com/store?hl=en_GB


Setting alarm on with a single click I'm looking for a way to set an alarm on my android 4.0 phone with Nova Launcher with a single click. An ideal solution for me would be: I install an alarm clock app (if necessary), create alarms in it and save them with aliases (for instance 5:30-"gym", 6:30-"sleep in", 7:30-"weekend"), then the app creates 3 shortcuts with respective aliaces or it shows a widget with these three options and I place those on my home screen. So when I finally decide whether I want to go to the gym tomorrow or not, I just unlock the phone and click the corresponding button - clean and simple. Let me know if there's a solution that might work. I'm even willing to try another Launcher, if one of them has it. Thanks!

Buy a Samsung S3 - it alarm app has a built in widget function that allows you to set a widget, and then assign the alarm you want to it. Its a 2 block widget and you can toggle it on and off, plus it provides details about the alarm.

Perhaps you could see on XDA if someone could pull the app for you and then you could try running it on ICS.

I am surprised there isn't another app out there that is similar.


mediascanner scan from system directory /data How can I make mediascanner scan phone memory, i.e. the /data directory? I want to test playing MP3s from this directory.

When I try to hack it by replacing the "pathStr" from /mnt/sdcard to /data before MediaScanner::doProcessDirectory(), it fails saying

W/MediaScanner( 1713): Error opening directory '/data/', skipping: Permission denied.

And also crashed (probably in free).

I just want to play MP3s stored in phone memory and avoid reading the SD card for some experiments.

EDIT: This is rendered obsolete with Jelly Bean. Android 4.1+ has a unified /data/ and /sdcard section (the sdcard partition is emulated and really resides in /data/media, it's exposed via a special fuse layer to emulate FAT32 behaviour)

My thoughts on this:

The media scanner scans everything below /mnt
/data/* is protected, only individual apps can access their folder (/data/data/[app's package name])

To get it working the way you like:

You need root (obviously)
symlink /mnt/music to /data/data/your-music-location
you can also do a bind-mount instead of a symlink:
mount --bind /data/your-music-location /mnt/sdcard/your-music-location
Lift access rights accordingly (chmod -R ugo+rw /data/data/your-music-location)

Hope this works (the scanner should scan the whole /mnt as there's also /mnt/emmc and such). If not, you can also bind-mount a /data/data/* folder to /mnt/sdcard/your-music (as done with /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure (see the answer))

If you have a standard Linux file system (i.e., not FAT32) on your SD card, you could create Soft Link of /data in /mnt/sdcard.


force headphone mode When I plug in the 3.5mm jack and play back media, headphone mode keeps toggling, resulting in audio cutting in/ out every second or so.
Is there a way to force headphone mode or disable the 3.5mm jack detection?

I tried a couple of apps and searched the web but people seem to want to force speakers rather than headphones, so no luck.

(Android 4.2.2 Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite)

First off, you require root. Then Install Xposed Framework and Install an app ( forgot the name but do a quick google search for it and you will find it ) which lets you override your deafult actions when certain things happen like  plugging in the headphone. Then you can set that action to anything you want.


Is it dangerous to keep my phone plugged in indefinitely? I just recently got a new phone, so my old one has been sitting in a drawer for the last month. However, a friend recently suggested the Sleep Cycle alarm to me, and I'd like to try it out, but I'm not willing to put my nice new phone under my bed every night and run the risk of it overheating or breaking.

However, my old phone, a ZTE Valet (Incredibly cheap, all-around low quality phone), I couldn't care less about. So my plan is to plug that in next to the wall, and use it exclusively for the alarm. I go to bed, I set the alarm, I wake up, I turn it off. It never leaves the wall.

However, I'm concerned about safety. It'll be in airplane mode and I'll disable other background apps that I can (probably just factory reset it before doing this), but is it dangerous to keep my phone constantly plugged into a wall on top of bedsheets? I know this might be bad for the batter (don't really care, I'm not doing anything else with the phone anyway), but I'm much more worried about any potential overheating problems that could burn me or start a fire. Should I be?

EDIT: I don't think this is a duplicate. I really couldn't care less if the phone is harmed by the constant charging, I just want to know if it's dangerous.

As you've said it is "incredibly cheap, all-around low quality phone" yes there are chances of overheating and all. I suggest you to charge it only at nights as you need it only for alarm.

Under certain conditions it's very dangerous to Keep Phone Plugged in for charging for long time .The battery may Over heat And May explode I suggest you to Charger Only when it's required and then unplug the charger


Power button not working. Phone wont boot? I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace GTS 5830i.

I somehow messed up the power button of my phone and now after the battery drained completely, It will not start.

I tried looking up online for going into recovery mode (without using the power button) i.e keeping home key pressed while inserting the charging but nothing works. Finally, I thought I must have an option to boot up my phone through Eclipse DDMS but I cant find any option there either (See screenshot)

Please help.

EDIT : Thanks to the answer by Sparx, I have solved this problem. Connect the phone via USB to your computer. If you have installed the Android SDK, go in the android-tools folder and execute adb devices (if on a mac, run ./adb devices)

If your devices shows up in the list run ./adb reboot

Have you tried plugging in the charger? or else plugging in the charger and while plugged in, remove and then re-insert battery. Some phones tend to start up in that manner.

Also if you can connect via adb (even if your phone is powered down), the adb devices followed by adb reboot ought to start your phone. If you're rooted, there are apps like Quick Reboot that allow you to reboot to Recovery or Download mode with a tap, provided you have CWM.

You need to first plug your phone then insert the battery. I have followed this on my HTC Desire phone.


Save for later reading Back before chrome became the default browser for Android, there used to be a stock Android browser called "Browser" (anyone who used a stock version of Android before 4.2 knows what I'm talking about)
Anyhow, It had a feature that allows you to save a Web page for later reading but that browser no longer exists and that feature doesn’t seem to exist in chrome.

Does this mean that now I have to install a third party app (such a Pocket) to save articles for later reading??

Might not be ideal, but you can save the webpage to a pdf which you can read anytime:

  Menu > Print > PDF > Save

Now you can read your articles anytime, if you have a PDF reader installed.
The problem with this off course is that the page won't open in Chrome and that the way the page is displayed could depend on your choice of PDF reader. I use Adobe Reader, and it keeps any links intact.

You could either use Pocket or try switching to Firefox which has this feature built-in.


How to get root back after OTA update When I updated to Android 4.1.2 on my Galaxy Nexus, I lost root. Everything is still there, but the permissions on system/bin/su no longer include the setuid bit, which prevents su from working.

I don't want to go through the whole re-rooting process if possible since I used root to re-lock the bootloader and unlocking it without root will wipe the entire phone, including /storage/sdcard0.

As far as I can tell, the only thing I need to do to get root back is to fix the permissions of su. How should I do this?

Of possible relevance:

I'm using the stock ROM.
The phone is the international GSM version.
I tried to get into recovery and got an android with a red exclamation mark. Is this due to the bootloader being locked or is it a different problem?
Since the update and losing root, a process called system_service has frequently started comsuming 100% of my CPU and slowing my phone to a crawl, forcing me to reboot.

What I wanted doesn't seem to be possible. It makes sense, really, as if it were possible it would represent a major security hole that would allow any app to gain root.

I ended up wiping my phone and testing the quality of my backups. (They weren't as good as I'd hoped.)

There are apps for that: Use OTA RootKeeper (Free) or SuperSU Pro (Paid).

If the OTA update hasn't touched your /system partition, these apps will work flawlessly. Another requirement is ext2, ext3, ext4 file system. As you are with stock ROM of Galaxy Nexus, this requirement has met.


Play Store 4.9.13 insufficient storage error and icon issues I've been having issues with the Play Store's recent 4.9.13 update on my Blu Dash 4.5.  Every time I try to install or update any app that is more than 1 MB, I keep getting an "insufficient storage" error, even though I have about 120MB on the apps partition free.  Apps do install and update on an older version, however.  In addition, the icons on the Play Store have weird black borders.  I have searched all over the internet and I have yet to find a solution for either of these problems.  Apparently, most devices affected by these bugs are using MediaTek chipsets and have Android 4.2 on them.  My phone is using the stock ROM and is not rooted.

The correct answer to this problem, and I always see wrong explanations, is that you have a duplicate /data/app-lib folder for the app or apps that are giving you that error.

To fix: Using adb, terminal, or root explorer:

compare /data/app to /data/app-lib

you will see, for example:

/data/app/example-app-1.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1
/data/app-lib/example-app-2   <--EXTRA

OR

/data/app/example-app-2.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1   <--EXTRA
/data/app-lib/example-app-2

So for 1st example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-2

and for 2nd example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-1

Then your app will install just fine!

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP THE SAME NUMBERS,

IF THE APK IS 1 REMOVE 2... IF THE APK IS 2 REMOVE 1!

Try uninstalling the updates to put Google Play Store back to factory version, disconnect your connection, then set "Do Not Update" in Play Store settings.

My problem is fixed but I have an old version of Google Play. But I can update my application.


What happens when using a cellphone when charging? What happens when a phone is being used with the charger connected?

Will it take power from charger and save the battery usage?

OR

At one end, the charger keeps charging the battery and at the other
end, phone discharges the battery simultaneously?

(I am using Sony Xperia SP with Android 4.2.1)

As using the device also uses some power, the device cannot "charge with the normal speed" at the same time. It will however primarily use the external power source for its consumption. Depending on whether you "consume" more power than the source can feed, either it compensates by taking whatever is needed additionally from the battery, or feeds whatever is left to it.

A side effect described in the other answers already is true, however: the device will get "warmer" this way. I already described that in another answer:

  Recommendation for cold days to get warm fingers: Take your device with both hands, plug in the charger. Now stream a HD video from youtube via 3G, play it fullsize, and in the background do some video recording which in parallel gets uploaded via 3G. CAREFUL !!! Wear gloves... #-)

Your phone charges with the normal speed or rate.
And it makes your battery heat up more and nothing else.


How Can I Format My Internal Storage? I Have A UBISLATE 7C+ (EDGE). One Day, I Formatted Its Internal Storage With My PC. But I Saw None Of The Files Were Deleted From The Internal Storage. From That Day Onwards, Its Internal Storage's Data Is Not Getting Erased And I Am Also Unable To Save Any File Into It. PLEASE, Suggest Me Some Ways To Make It Normal! Is There Any Way ?

If you are rooted and have a custom recovery, then you can format data from there


Is there a way to enter recovery mode without using home and volume keys? I have a Samsung device and i need to use the Android recovery mode for some reason.As for Samsung, i have to use the volume-down and home key to enter recovery mode

But the problem is, my home key is broken and as a result, I can't use the normal way to enter recovery mode.

I can use ADB to do that with my PC but i can't do that every time when i need.

So, is there a way to do that without using the home key?

  Note: My phone is not rooted and i know that i can change the recovery mode entering configuration easily if i root my phone but i don't want to root my phone.

If your device boots fully, adb reboot recovery should take you there. However, if your device is rooted, then you can use Quick Reboot in the Play Store will get the job done.

UPDATE: Due to a change in the question, the answer would be that this is not possible without root access or being able to use the buttons on the phone.


Pandora pauses randomly? I find that Pandora often will pause the current song for no apparent reason. Any idea what I might check to see what the cause is?

(HTC Droid Incredible)

Make sure you have a full signal. Try running it with nothing else running. The resources might be getting used by another app and makes pandora freak out. I know on my droid x2 i have a problem with it skipping songs on me.

While solid coverage is definitely required for solid playback from Pandora, assuming that is the case (and it's not caused by the way Pandora inserts advertisements), the pauses are most likely related to a low memory condition as a result of memory leaks caused by applications that address contexts in a certain manner.  In other words, it's a flaw in the Android OS that even allows this to be an issue, IMO.

While you could remove the offending apps (if you knew which ones they were), another way this can be dealt with is by getting a task killer that automatically closes unused apps.

Then again, you could load another ROM, doing away with the bloated default apps from the telco and solve the remaining problems with scripts or a task-killer of your own.


Error 1240: Boot certification verify on LG Optimus Exceed 2 I've a LG Optimus Exceed 2. It won't turn on. When I plug it into my computer and try to factory reset it is always good to the LG start-up screen. But then in the top right corner it says "error 1240" and shows a boot certification and some thing about verification.

Is there any possible way to get this fixed?

Yes there is. Its fairly simple.

YOU WILL NEED A COMPUTER OR LAPTOP TO DO THIS.

You need to go to the LG Exceed 2 Resources at AndroidForums, and download the "LG Flash tool 2014" plus a matching KDZ file.

Once you download ask the files you need, open the lg flash tool 2014 out it's pretty much self explanatory... where it says kdz file you select the kdz file you downloaded at the link I posted earlier. Out will be a fairly large file just so you know.


Froyo freezes on bluetooth use Whenever i connect any bluetooth device, be it to my pc for copying files, another droid or my headset (Ive tried 3 different headsets) it freezes the system.

By freezing i mean if i get a phone call it rings in and i can answer with the headset. If its copying files it finishes. But i cant get back to the home screen.

The hardware buttons work, as if i hit the side button or the home button the screen lights up and the buttons do also but the system doesnt show, the screen stays lighted black. This is indefinately.

The only way ive found to get it back is taking the battery out.

Ive tried a couple bluetooth fixing programs and still nothing.

This doesnt happen from pairing alone or connecting. This only happens during long processes, ie anything that takes longer than about 2 minutes.

For instances copying a file or talking on the headset. If the call is under 2 minutes it goes right back to the system fully responsive.

The only thing i havent tried is flashing, i dont want to have to do that though.

This is a Galaxy Ace that i am using.

I don't you're running out of available RAM. You should try using a memory booster like GO Task Manager to clear some up.


Is there an app for Flash support for Android 2.1? Currently I am using Samsung Galaxy 3 (i5801) with Android 2.1. Is there any app available to support flash video ?

There is an alternative browser, Skyfire, which purports to support at least some Flash videos on Android 2.1.

It should be available in the Market.

you can install flash by these steps

The first step is to download flash_for_21.zip to your computer and extract the .apk file.

Now navigate to the market and install “Apps Installer” utility to your phone.
Now connect your Android phone to the computer and copy .apk file to your SD card. Make sure that it is in SD card root and not in a sub folder.
After this launch “Apps Installer” on your phone and follow the on screen instructions to install flash_for_21.apk file.
After installation is complete, simply reboot your phone and there you go! You now have Flash 10.1 on your phone.

get flash for 2.1


How to run a script on boot in CM12.1? Most questions I can find related to this are dated 2011 and thereabouts, so perhaps it's not too surprising that things have changed since. I've tried a whole bunch of things, with no results whatsoever.

There are some scripts in /system/etc/init.d (which also appears under /etc/init.d on my device). In particular, there is a 00banner script which is supposed to log a welcome message. The welcome message never appears in logcat.

I've placed my own script here, which was eventually reduced to nothing but this:

#!/system/bin/sh
log -t mytest Testing

Nothing. Never appears in logcat unless run manually via terminal. Then it works.

There is also a 90userinit file here, which invokes /data/local/userinit.sh if it exists. I've created it with the same contents as above. Again, nothing ever appears in logcat. Which is not surprising, really, since if 00banner won't run then this wouldn't either.

I searched for anything named "init.rc" but nothing like that exists anywhere on my device.

All of my scripts have 755 permissions.

What else can I try? (other than apps that run scripts for me)

there is a simple method to add init.d support to any rooted android for versions 4.0 and above ,google made a script that runs at boot as superuser the script is install-recovery.shit is used to reflash stock recovery at every boot they thought it was a good security to prevent custom recoveries but it opened a new hole that can be exploited by users to fake init.d feature.
Dependencies : in order to this method to work you need the following

Busy box installed with the run-partssymlinked to your path like /system/xbin
Obviously you gonna need a rooted phone with the /system able to mount as rw
kernel version doesn't matter.

Method I : (The easiest way !)

Download this APK (free to use,don't mirror, thanks @Ryuinferno from XDA).
Install the apk like any normal app.
Launch the app.
click on Activate ! that's it you're all setinit.d is now supported you can click the test button or reboot your phone to see if your init.d scripts are exited
you can uninstall the application it wil not affect the init.d support

Method II : (difficulty: medium)

Download this zip unzip it and put init.sh on your sdcard (in this exmple it's gonna be /sdcard it can change from device to other.
now open a terminal ,or use adb shell from computer and run the script.
su
cp /sdcard/init.sh /data/tmp/init.sh
chmod 777 /data/tmp/init.sh
/data/tmp/init.sh

the script will run and ask you to reboot twice ,that's it you have officially init.d support :D

Reference: [MOD][APK+SCRIPT+ZIP] Enable Init.d for Any Phones w/o Need of Custom Kernels!!!

Following Steps to run scripts at boot time.
(Required adb)

adb root
adb remount
adb pull /init.rc
edit init.rc add line for execute script like sh test.sh
adb push init.rc /
adb shell
chmod 755 init.rc
adb reboot

it work for me. i hope this help you.


Weird display on screen before swipe lock Samsung Galaxy s6 edge plus Pressed the onscreen button on my s6 edge this afternoon and a strange new display swipe screen is showing up - picture included. I have no idea where this came from and I have to swipe it just to get to my pin lock. I've checked my apps, my settings, my locked screen, I've disabled some of the apps I thought it could've been but to no avail. Does this look familiar to anyone, and if so how do I get rid of it? It's eating up my battery life.

Looking around, this reddit comment pointed me in the right direction.
Using ES Task Manager I found all apps with a name containing "photo", and all were recently updated.

Photo Collage Editor was the culprit.

So if you don't like random ads forced on you, don't install this app:

I'm sure there's plenty of other apps that do collages, and are made by slightly more polite people.. I'm sure I'll find out when I need to make a collage again, but I'm not using this app ever again.

EDIT
This app, by the same developer ("Zentertain"), is doing the same thing:

It was picsart doing this to my device. Removed app and it's gone. It was annoying.


Keep app from opening when clicking a link I forget what setting I've turned on, or when, but whenever I click a link to the New York Times website, it opens the New York Times app. I don't want it to do that. I could remove the NYT app, but I want to keep it. (I find it useful.)

Is there a way to change this behavior? Even better, get Android to ask me which I want when I click the link. Changing the default web browser is not desired.

This is in both Nougat and Oreo®.

In Settings → Apps → NYTimes → Open by default:

Open Supported Links: set it to Ask every time
tap Clear Defaults

Tested on Android 6.0.1 and Android 7.1.2.

In Android 8 (Oreo®) you can also reach that setting via:

Settings → Apps & Notifications → (Advanced) → Default Apps → Opening links

You can alternatively stop using Chrome since Firefox, for example, does not let you choose an app to open such links (if I'm correct).

Check your browser's permissions and stop it from launching other apps if it can.
Try clicking on the link from another browser.
Check NYT app permissions to see if it can behave like that.


Is there any virtualization software that will run under Android on an x86 device? I have an android device (Dell Venue 8) which runs on an Intel x86 CPU, and I was wondering if there was any application like VirtualBox or VMware that could run a 32-Bit linux distros, Windows XP 32-Bit, etc, via Virtualization. I'm aware of various Emulation softwares like Qemu and Bochs, but I wanted something that could directly virtualize instead of emulating, since both the host device and the Guest OS are of the same architecture.

I found myself stumbling in the general vicinity of these forums with some similar questions and decided to share some info on the off chance any other wandering curious computer enthusiast happens to walk on by.

Method #1: EMULATION

A kid managed to get XP running on Android using the tools you mentioned at the begining. You can see in his comments how there was significant performance loss. One of the key issues here is an inability to translate drivers. There will also be a lot of bottle necking that occurs when you sneak in some unsupported stuff.

Method #2: ROOTING AND FLASHING

It required gaining root, unlocking the bootloader, flashing a custom recovery, among other many other things.  I managed to get multiboot from ARM supported OS's Ubuntu Touch, Cyanogen, and stock. I could probably throw windows 10 on it if i wanted to.

Method #3: KERNEL VIRTUALIZATION

linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page

Assuming your hardware supports virtualization, KVM is an option for back-end stuff if you dont need a GUI.

Method #4: BAREMETAL HYPERVISOR

There is a white paper on it, but i cant post the link because of my new account, so here is a copy of the conclusion :

  Virtualizing a modern mobile platform involves dealing with devices such as camera, compass, gps, etc, for which PV frontend and backend drivers do not exist today. If only one VM needs access to one of these devices at a time, you can simply assign the device to the VM, remapping the corresponding MMIO regions and interrupts. If multiple VMs need access to the device simultaneously, you have to write a new pair of PV frontend and backend drivers. Fortunately many open source implementations of PV frontends and backends for different class of devices already exist in Linux and other operating systems. Something similar is likely to already exist. The difficulty of writing a new pair of PV frontends and backends increases with the complexity of the device you are trying to share. If the device is simple, such as the compass, writing the new pair of drivers is going to very easy. If the device is complex, such as a 3d graphic accelerator, writing the new pair of frontends and backends is going to be difficult.

Here is another paper on the KVM/ARM dynamic:

systems.cs.columbia.edu/archive/pub/2014/03/kvm-arm-the-design-and-implementation-of-the-linux-arm-hypervisor/

Seems as though for now we are stuck with what the software developers are willing to write for us, or with what we are willing to write for ourselves. These systems were meant to be largely proprietary, some frustration is to be expected I suppose.

Virtualization is now possible on Android, thanks to several upgrades and patches to the SDK. Currently, there is an app that offers virtualization on Android in running multiple "same apps" on a single phone named Parallel. It works without manipulating the system files and without root access. Google it. This article also explains it.


Using Android tablet/phone as a bluetooth or USB touchscreen monitor I have an LG G Pad F 7.0 and a LG G4, and I'm wanting to know if I have any options that will allow me to make my tablet preferably into a second monitor with the touch screen controls?

I'm planning on using my device as a drawing tablet when I'm out all next week. I have a special fine-pointed stylus that allows me to use the android device like a wacom tablet instead of a device designed for fingers. My major limitation is that I will be in a no service zone for my data carrier when I'm out, also there is no wifi connections available, so therefor I will not have any sort of network to connect to.  I will need to be able to use my USB(preferred) or bluetooth(I'm a heavy bluetooth user). My laptop is running Windows mostly, although, I do have Linux I use semi-often, and I have a live Mac OS X bootable if needed. Solutions I have seen so far are geared to using a wifi network, which I can not use.

You CAN use WiFi! Get an old WiFi router from a thrift store, or an inexpensive new one. Take it with you, and you'll have a WiFi LAN (local area network) that you can use to facilitate communication between all your devices. You don't need Internet service to create your own WiFi LAN! (Depending on your router, you'll also have some Ethernet ports for wired connections, too.)

Some Android devices support WiFi Direct, which allows a connection between two devices via WiFi.

There are a few good Android tethering apps that can create a WiFi hotspot, running on one of your devices. Your other devices connect to it just like they would to a hardware WiFi router. Look for apps that don't require a rooted device (unless you have one,) and look for apps that don't allow carriers (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc.) to limit their functionality. One of the biggest/oldest tethering packages (PdaNet / FoxFi) has been forced to restrict their software so that the mobile phone companies can sell tethering as an add-on service.

Most recently I tried out Tether It, and  and found it to work great, but there are several good, simple tethering apps that provide essentially the same features.

My choice would be my first suggestion: pick up a cheap wifi router for $20-25; the D-Link DIR-605L and TP-Link TL-WR841N are two. That way your LAN isn't dependent on a tablet or laptop you use for other things. Hardware routers tend to make better routers than software solutions, and will generally be more configurable and more solid.


Desire HD GPS can't "lock" on a satellite? I'm a new Android user. This is also my first time to use a GPS device so I don't have any idea on how long it takes for a typical GPS device to get a "lock".

I just bought the HTC Desire HD last week. Everything is running fine until I tested the GPS today.

I noticed something strange when I used the "Location" application and it gets stuck in "Waiting for location". To check if this is an app issue, I used "Maps" and pressed the "My Location" button, and it said something like "Your location is currently unavailable". I've tried other "map"-type applications but the story is the same, I can't get my location.

Now, I've done some research and it seems that it will actually take a long time for the device to get a lock for the firs time (something about "almanacs" and A-GPS "setting). I've also read about the limitations of GPS (you need to be in a line-of-sight, clear weather, etc).

So, what I've done is I've downloaded the "GPS Status and Toolbox" app from the market. I've gone ahead a cleared and re-downloaded my A-GPS setting. I've also removed the "CAPDASE" rubber-case from the device to reduce the chance of interference.

Using the said app, I was happy to see that my device was able to "fix" and "locate" GPS satellites (I get 4/5). The weird thing is, I can't get any "data" (LONG/LAT?) from the satellites. The numbers below (see image) are not showing in my device, instead, it is replaced by a "loading" animated image. (like the used to indicate an "AJAX" load from webpages). While all of this is happening the GPS icon in the notification bar is blinking (Should it not blink when I get a "lock"?)

What is happening here? Is this normal? How long should I wait before I get a lock? Please help!

Additional information:

Android 2.2.1 and latest firmware from HTC.
Tried rebooting and clearing/redownload A-GPS.
Enabled "use network" on Settings->Location (Is this Assisted-GPS?)
Left the device on line-of-sight with around 4/5 satellites for about an hour and still can't get "data".

Thanks!

I advise you to use the application GPS test, where you can see (in a bar chart) the satellites your device sees and how good the reception is for each satellite.

If the GPS of my device is working, the first satellite shows up in less then 5 seconds or so. Then I gradually see more and more satellites appearing, with a lock taking something like a few minutes (or much less).

If my GPS is not working, no satellites appear, not even after 10 minutes or more of waiting. (However, take care, as the app does sometimes show old satellite charts, but you can easily see this because the reception values for each of the satellites remain constant, while they normally change every second or so)

And yes, the GPS icon stops blinking once it locks on a position. That's when the latitude and longitude values are available.

I have the same problem on an HTC desire HD.

After the update from Android 2.2 it has been been much better.

Still if you switch of location services or go abroad and and don't want to pay your massive roaming data charges you're pretty much out of luck, even with precached map sections in google maps.

Without the data connection the GPS functions poorly, and takes up to 20 minutes to lock.  Considering that most free-standing GPS devices, lock within about 1 minute it is very mysterious.

A cynic would say , this is a deliberate Android "feature" to ensure that Google gets to collect as much location data as possible.


How to increase the download speed of Torrent on Android Mobile? I own Xperia Mini Pro. Recently I came to know that there are some Torrents Clients available on Android Market. So I installed aDownloader to download some movies from Torrent server. I want to know if there are any tricks to speed up the Download on Android mobile. And I am using 2.75G(Edge) data connection to download. I found the average download speed on this connection is 25kB/sec.

Pl let me know the same on WiFi connection. The average download speed using WiFi connection is around 50kB/sec.

An Edge connection by itself is so slow compared to the normal torrent download speeds that it makes no sense to optimize the downloads. The ping times on the connection are so high that constant peer switching will slow the download if you attempt to download from several peers simultaneously. Your best bet would be to try to find a couple of good peers to fill your bandwidth and stick with them, or stop+restart the torrent to get new peers.

Yeah we can control Torrent speed.

Go to settings then maximize download speed and minimize upload speed of your torrent client. By this a difference will be created.


How do I sync all mail folders on my HTC Desire? The mail application only synchronizes the inbox, both for IMAP and Exchange accounts.

I auto-sort my mail into folders at the server and need to see all folders in the phone to not miss any e-mails.

Do I need a different mail-application to poll subfolders or what?

I'm afraid this is not possible with HTC Email application. This email app sync the "Inbox" folder automatically, but every other folder you have is not synced, the app gets all mail in the folder when you enter that folder to see what's inside.

You have the option to use K9Mail, a free e-mail client for Android which supposedly has support for push mail and sync of multiple folders.

Go to the email app select MENU then select MORE then SEND N RECEIVE select download options under download options SELECT (ALL)

Then go back n check the folders they should sync n you should see your emails.


Override language setting for some apps? Is there a way to override the locale for some apps? My Android is set to German but I want, for example, all apps that don't have a proper translation to be in English - reading Google-translated stuff is horrible.

I know there's no native way, but maybe there's an app for it which I just couldn't find...

My device is running 4.1 and is rooted.

Somebody mentioned Tasker? So here I am. And in fact you could do that with Tasker and the help of the Secure Settings Plugin:

Create a new task:

Plugins -> Secure Settings -> Locale Picker (pick your target locale here)
App -> Run (select the app to run)
Plugins -> Secure Settings -> Locale Picker (pick your original locale here)

Assign an icon to this task
On a free place of your homescreen, long press, add a tasker widget, pick this task

I did not test it, but it should work like this.

Changing system locale may cause a refresh of some tasks. This means more unwanted slowness of the device, more battery drain, and slow start of the original application. There are applications to do just that, but I think they need Root or do not work on every device or Android version.
The best solution would be changing our within app.


Unable to copy files to Nexus 7 / Android KitKat I've got brand new, factory-based, un-tweaked ASUS Nexus 7 II (2013) LTE tablet and I'm completetly unable to copy more than just a few files between my PC and tablet.

Steps, that I repeat every time are painfully obvious:

plugs these two devices together,
wait until Nexus device appears in Windows,
open source folder window (any on Windows disk),
open destination folder (any on my Nexus device),
select some files or folders in source and drag them to destination.

Copy process starts and stops after sending about 10-20 files. On Windows side, copy progress freezes forever. On Nexus side, you see beatuful message saying that com.android.media process is halted.

I can repeat these steps over and over again. Changing cables, using different computers, restarting source computer or Nexus itself, all for nothing -- my Nexus 7 breaks file transfer after receiving about 20 files (sometimes it breaks after getting just one).

I know, that MTP protocol is very, very unstable and forcing users to use it (i.e. removing native USB support in Android 4.x) is a Google very not funny joke. But, for God sake, how can I copy my 20k photo collection to my brand new Nexus tablet, if it breaks copy transfer every tenth files?

Is this an identified bug, or with Android 4.4.2 Google decided, that we won't be able to copy files to our own devices at all? And the only way to get them there, will be to use stupid Google Drive?

Is there any fix or work-around to this problem? Other than my own solution, as stupid as setting up local FTP server, installing FTP client to my Nexus and copying files that way, through FTP protocol?

I was in the same boat as you for a while. I guess you could use FTP but I was looking for something more.

I now use AirDroid to transfer files over Wi-Fi. I have transferred files as big as 10GB and have no complaints. Plus it saves messing around with the cable and drivers.

I had the same problem, and it was being caused by the 360 Security app. Uninstalling that fixed the issue.


Can I send a mass text in Hangouts? Is there a way to send a text to more than one recipient in the new Hangouts/GVoice integrated app?

I see how you can send a plain (phone) SMS to multiple recipients, but can you do it using through the Google Voice number(note, I don't want a MMS group text. Just a plain SMS)

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

Hope it will help.


Phone, Contacts, Camera and Messages icons are missing Galaxy J3 - Phone, Contacts, Camera and Messages icons are missing.  I tried following the directions someone else had posted; but, my application manager does not have a GENERAL TAB nor is there a TURNED OFF list.  Thanks!

Try factory reset, it should solve the problem


How do I install Google Apps 20130812 into CyanogenMod 10.1 (Android 4.2.2)? I am attempting to install the Google Apps (gapps) 20130812 update for Android 4.2.2 on my Samsung Galaxy Fascinate which is running CyanogenMod 10.1-20130723-NIGHTLY-fascinatemtd utilizing ClockworkMod v4.0.1.0. I have pushed the gapps-jb-20130812-signed.zip file to the device's SD-Card.

Once I have booted into ClockworkMod I select install zip from sdcard then chosse zip from sdcard then select gapps-jb-20130812-signed.zip and confirm that I am sure I want to install. ClockworkMod then goes through the process of installing Google Apps for Android 4.2.2 and indicates that it succeeded in doing so.

When I reboot the Fascinate none of the gapps are listed. What am I missing? How do I install Google Apps 20130812 into CyanogenMod 10.1 (Android 4.2.2)?

I had this problem. Apparently when you boot into recovery with the 3-button-method, you can't install zips. No idea why.

Solutions to try:

Enable Reboot into Recovery in Power Menu. First, enable Developer Options by going to Settings > About phone > tap Build number a bunch of times. Then go to Settings > Developer Options > Advanced Reboot. Then power down and select Reboot into Recovery. This option never appeared on the Power Menu for me. No idea why.
Use ADB to reboot into recovery. Enable USB (Android) debugging via Developer Options. I gave root access to Apps and ADB also. Plug device into USB port on laptop with ADB. Enter this into your terminal:

adb reboot recovery

If you haven't installed ADB, I would try here first if you're on Ubuntu or Debian: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Doc:_adb_intro

Not sure if you managed to resolve this but I had the same problem and found a fix.
First, I had to flash using rt4formatter, then mount /system and then flash the google apps. This worked for some of my google services but still missing google play and and other things. Only gmail and calender were installed.


Move apps to internal SD card My phone has 3 storage spaces available:

Internal storage - Internal storage for the OS and non-movable apps (1GB)
Phone storage - Integrated SD card (~1GB)
SD card - Removable SD card

When I got to Settings > Apps > [any movable app], I only see the "Move to SD Card" button (even if I change the default write disk) but I'd like to be able to move apps to the "Phone storage" so that I can save space on my external SD card and be able to remove it without crashing everything.

Is there a way to do this, possibly without changing the default write disk?

(My phone is rooted so I have no problem using root hacks)

From what I understand, you have three storage devices. You don't want to change your default storage disk, but you want to take the applications off of your SD Card and onto your phone to conserve SD Card storage -- is this right? If so, you can use something like All-In-One Toolbox which will allow you to move apps to different storage devices. I use this on my Android device as well.

The best app I've found to move apps between storage mediums is here. I had some issues with the app finding the internal and phone storage, but it's worth a shot. It's what I always use to transfer apps to my MicroSD cards. The only issue I ever had with it (besides not showing all three storage locations) is that you have to move one app at a time, which can be time consuming. Hope this works for you!


HTC one X Gallery Pics and videos are not visisble My HTC one x gallery pics and videos suddenly disappeared. I can see them in DCIM folder but not visible over the phone.

I restarted the device , clear the cache everything is done but no use. When I open gallery the message shows " No photos found.

Try to enable the app named "Media Storage" from App->Menu->Manage apps

Download this app called Rescan Media and run this application within 2 min issue solved


What does "Can't send message on card 1, error 21" mean? I'm trying to send an SMS with Messenger on my new Nexus 5X running Lollipop, but sending always fails with Can't send message on card 1, error 21.  Receiving SMS and making phone calls works fine.  What's going on?

Most likely the destination phone number is formatted wrong, which can happen particularly when importing contacts via third-party tool.

In this particular case, I used My Contacts Backup for iOS to export my contacts to VCF, then imported from Gmail.  In the process, some numbers were wrongly formatted as +61 0 4xx when they should be just +61 4xx, causing the highly uninformative error message above.  (The 21 error code actually comes from the operator's network, and has nothing to do with Android as such.)  Removing the extra 0 solved the problem.

If above mentioned methods are not working, you may try installing 3rd party SMS applications (eg., EvolveSMS) instead of Google messenger. Hope it helps.


Are mics on Android phones with Android 4.3 always registering sounds? Religious question for Shabbat Hi I am Jewish and on Shabbat we are forbidden from creating even the tiniest electrical spark. I recently noticed that on my laptop the mic was always listening and I could see the little green bar register sounds when I spoke, so I turned it off during Shabbat.

I use my phone as a white noise machine with an app for that, so I am wondering if I have an HTC rezound and also a Samsung Note II, will the mic on those phones have the same thing where the mic will always be listening and registering sounds, or when I am not using a call or voice recognition feature will it be truly "Off"?

It depends on the phone, the operating system, and apps installed on it.

Older Android phones do not activate the microphone unless it is required by an app (e.g. phone, voice dictation, etc.)

Newer phones such as Google's Nexus 5 or Motorola's Moto X for example, have a dedicated low-power audio processing module that can be configured to be always on, and listen for particular trigger phrases (e.g. "Ok, Google"), even when the phone's screen is off.  There are some 3rd-party apps that mimic this functionality on phones without the dedicated sound processors, but at the expense of higher battery drain.

Generally such features can be disabled within the system or app settings.

The religious implications of using a phone are up to you and your particular sect to determine.  Such discussions are out of scope of this site.

Your phone's mic will be turned off all the time. It will be activated only when apps which use the mic for working. For example talking tom, voice recorder, making calls, etc.


How can I install APK file on Bluestacks app player? I have created an Android application using Eclipse, and now I'd like to install the APK on Bluestacks which is running on Windows 7. How can I install an APK on the Bluestacks player?

Save as app name.apk and right click on that file and open with HD-apk handler.exe which is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\BlueStacks.

its quite simple......
you need BlueStacks app player for this
just download the .apk file of whichever app you wish to  install.
and then open the downloaded .apk file with ""APK handler"" of BlueStacks(the .exe file of the apk handler is present in the root directory of BlueStacks)


Contact list crashing Every other day, my Contacts List will crash, and the only way for me to access it is to power off the phone.

What is happening for this to happen, and what can I do to prevent it in future?

You might have an app that's adding spurious records to your calling list. Do you have any "alternative phone" application (I had problems with an app called Amivox). I created a small app to fix the problem for me, the code is linked below.

EDIT:
The app source code: https://github.com/gardarh/android-callogfixer (removed link to binary)


Why are bootloaders in rewritable storage? I successfully flashed my device a few times, but I am still paranoid about hard bricks. I am sure I can use my Arduino to fix them, but this made me wonder why bootloaders are stored in rewritable storage. I am aware that there is a PBL and an SBL and all that, and the PBL is in ROM. In this context, "rewritable storage" means a storage medium that can be electronically rewritten (EEPROM, Flash, RAM, etc) and "ROM" means read only storage, not aftermarket Android distributions such as Lineage OS.

Summary:
Why would code that is required to even turn the phone on, not to mention booting Android, be stored in a location that can be rewritten.

Bootloaders, like other partitions, might be updated officially for various reasons:

Switching to a new partition layout (e.g. a bunch of older devices with life spanning across Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich, the latter requiring considerably more space)
Implementing new security mechanisms (e.g. earlier Xiaomi devices, old bootloader readily unlockable, new bootloader requires logging in and verifying before unlocking)
Ensuring you're on a version the manufacturer wants you to be, i.e. preventing downgrades (e.g. Samsung, doing so will halt halfway).

Come to think of it, what a silly liability with such a set up, isn't it?
My only assumption is so OEMs are able to push updates for new builds, in order to patch security issues, compatibility issues, etc.
You bring up an excellent point though, this is a gigantic vulnerability and a gaping flaw in the process for sure.


Will a Factory Reset on an unlocked Samsung S2 4G T989 from T-Mobile relock the phone? I have a Samsung S2 4G T989 from T-Mobile which is unlocked. It is currently using ion Indian carrier.

I want to Factory Reset it. Will it be locked again after performing a reset? I don't have any code with me.

NO. A Factory Reset does not re-lock your phone.

No because efs files will not be updated by factory reset


Touchpal keyboard keeps disabling itself on HTC Desire I have an HTC Desire (2.2) which I have installed TouchPal Keyboard. The problem is though it seems to keep disabling itself and reverting to the default keyboard layout.

I then have to go through the rigmarole of setting it back to TouchPal as the preferred input method.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Make sure the application is installed internally, and not on to your sd card.
from http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/07/apps-on-sd-card-details.html:

When not to install on SD card?
The advantage of installing on SD card is easy to understand: contention for storage space is reduced. There are costs, the most obvious being that your app is disabled when the SD card is either removed or in USB Mass Storage mode; this includes running Services, not just interactive Activities. Aside from this, device removal disables an application’s Widgets, Input methods, Account Managers, Device administrators, Live wallpapers, and Live folders, and may require explicit user action to re-enable them.

I would re install Android to the newest version. Either do it yourself, or go to a phone shop and pay 10$ or so for them to reinstall your phone.

If this solves your problem, it was a cheap fix. If it didn't work, you can go back to the phone shop where you bought the phone and make them fix it in guarantee.

If you want to try to download and install an awesome rom for your phone, you should read this: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/devices


Is there a way to block USSD balance notifications on Android 4.3? I'm trying out a H20 Wireless SIM on my Nexus 4 running Android 4.3.  One annoying feature of this service is that they send a USSD balance notification at the end of every phone call, text message, and data usage.  Is there any way I can disable or block these messages?

I found the "Balance Update / USSD blocker" app in the Play store, but it specifically states it does not work on 4.2+ versions of Android.

I also contacted H20 customer service and they will not disable the messages on their end.

Easy method (requires root)
Yes, there is an app for exactly that and much more called 'GravityBox' (it is an Xposed module).

For information on how to install it, view a similar post here

Alternatively (does not require root)
If you are lucky your Phone app should have a "Blacklist" to which you can add numbers and prevent calls and/or messages (notifications) from them. Normally found in the settings of your default phone app...
If you don't have it, then you could even try a 3rd party phone app that will replace your default phone app that will do the trick (There is a large variety that are more beautiful, simplistic, up-front and have features including black-listing options...).
Using a 3rd party phone app will leave all your contacts intact, but you may loose your speed dial settings.


How can I see what IP address my android phone has? I would like to know what IP-address my Android phone has. E.g. if I use my phone over WiFi, how can I get the local IP-address that is assigned to my phone?

The easy way is to go to your WiFi Settings, and hit Menu > Advanced. It'll show up there, or you can set it to a static IP if you want.

The cool way is to dial *#*#4636#*#* to open the Testing menu. Then click WiFi information, then WiFi Status.

In any terminal emulator app:

~$ ip -o a

Applicable both to WiFi and Mobile Data. Doesn't require root.


Will I receive pending messages after I reactivate my account on new phone? My Samsung Galaxy S3 was damaged by water and I now have a new Galaxy S4. I have reinstalled WhatsApp on the new phone. However I do know that I have messages sent by others that I have not received, they are pending.

Will I receive these messages? I have the same SIM card and there was a two week period between old and new phone.

You will receive any messages that were sent  after the S3 died & activation of WhatsApp on your new phone.

However, any messages you had received on your old phone & didn't read cannot be received again.

No, you won't receive them, because there is no place to store them except of your phone. Since you haven't been registered, you won't receive these messages. That's my case when installing a new ROM to my phone.


Android Box M8 - Issues with QWERTY Wireless i8 keyboard I just bought an M8 android TV Box here and as you can see, it has a remote QWERTY keyboard that i can't get to function properly...
I can use the touchpad (mouse) on it, but the keys in the keyboard just do nothing...
I've been messing with the input and language settings but nothing seems to work...
I dont think it might be a driver issue because the mouse pointer works...
What else can i do to diagnose the problem?
The box runs android 4.4.2
If any extra info is needed, just ask
Thanks

What input method is chosen? If you have chosen Google voice typing then the keyboard won't work.

Try choosing Google keyboard. If that is not working, try downloading a third party keyboard app from play store and choosing it.

For a bluetooth keyboard to work, you have to pair the device with your tv box first

plug the USB for the remote directly into the M8 android TV Box.


Will existing users be able to update the app if the app is blocked in their Play Store country I have a published Android app open to US, Singapore and UK. There are users on app from all these countries but for content reasons I would like to block the app on Google Play to users in US and Singapore.

My question is, will users from US and Singapore still be able to download the further updates on the app from Play Store?

Probably, because in my country I have no access to some Google apps when I install custom ROM and want to download them, but if I use stock ROMs that come bundled with them, I can normally update them as I have them under "My Apps" in my Google account.

Think of it also from security reasons. It would be very bad if someone shipped an app with a security hole and then can't update it because it isn't available for that market.


How to completely turn off keyboard typing sound? Android 2.1 - If I open my Gmail e-mails and I want to type then I just can't turn off the keyboard sounds. How can I turn it off? (not the notification, etc. all sounds, just the keyboard sounds.)

From your home screen, press Menu -> Settings -> Language and Input (or Language and Keyboard on older Android devices). From here select the keyboard you are using. In the next page of settings, you should see something like Audio feedback for swype, or  Sound on keypress for flexT9. You can modify Vibrate on keypress there too if you wish.

for asus fonepad

slide down the top menu, select Settings (gear icon) then choose language and input

 first, android keyboard setting
        > tap its audio icon > uncheck the "sound on keypress "
        > if you want ur fonepad to vibrate every time a key is touch
          tap its corresponding box to add check mark, uncheck if u do
          not a vibration
        > tap "return" key
 second, ASUS and keyboard setting
        > tap its audio icon > uncheck the "sound on keypress "
        > if you want ur fonepad to vibrate every time a key is touch
          tap its corresponding box to add check mark, uncheck if u do
          not a vibration

tap "return" key till you see the main screen and you're done =)  hope this helps  =D


Battery life indicator has failed A week or two ago my battery life indicator for my Motorolla Atrix 4G has ceased to working properly.  The indicator indicates the battery drains ridiculous fast and it's inaccurate.  I'll fully charge it and after unplugging it for an hour or so, the indicator is down to 1%.  It remains at 1%, though, for up to a day.

Taking steps to avoid draining my battery is a separate discussion that doesn't have to do with this topic.  I specifically need to know what I should do about an inaccurate battery life indicator.  Is there a way to reset the indicator?  Should I contact Motorolla or is this a software issue?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: The first thing I tried was replacing the battery with a new one.  This did nothing to resolve the problem.

Did you install some program right before it happened?
Did you open a program, made changes, saved, and this happened?
Are you using a custom kernel or ROM?

If it's a new program, try to uninstall it first and check the results. If you didn't install anything BUT used a program before the battery meter broke, then try clearing the data and cache of that program to set it to defaults.

If the above did not work then you might need to report the kernel to it's respective developer or try to flash another kernel/ROM (if using a custom kernel/ROM), and if not. A factory reset might fix your problem like what Izzy said. I recommend using Titanium Backup to backup your files because its easy to restore afterwards.

If it still did not help and you get a fast battery drain, then it is most likely a hardware problem, eg. power IC might be shorted

To reset the battery stats you just need to go to Recovery and Wipe battery stats. Its best if you do this with your battery fully charged. Its wise to leave the phone an extra 10-20 minutes when wiping stats to ensure the battery is fully charged.


How to remove the SIM Toolkit from my phone? (Without root or flashing any ROM) This application is sending a lot of spam to my phone recently, two or three times a day. I deactivated broadcast messages, tried converting USSD pop-ups into notifications to avoid being interrupted (didn't work). Basically, everything I tried didn't work, so now I want to remove it from my phone. Is it possible to do it without root, with ADB or something? I'm not a power user but I have used ADB to give permissions to some apps before.

Connect Your Phone to PC Using Data Cable.
Turn on USB Debugging
Setup ADB Connection
Type

adb shell

Hit Enter and type again this

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.stk

or

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.stk2

Application Remove Example Image

If the app in question is stored in /system and it cannot be disabled then it's impossible to remove/disable without root. Android simply doesn't allow "user" to mess with system apps. That being said without knowing device specifics I've seen some cheap chinese phones include adb root which is a somewhat watered down root specific to adb (usually only for debug builds). To test have adb working on a pc and while connected to device and run adb root. If it works it should restart adb service with root perms. But again this is a longshot.

Assuming you get root (one way or another) and you know the name of the app in question find it in system/app or system/priv-app. Mount system as rw and remove the app (I'd recommend copying it to your pc as a backup just in case something breaks).


Sony xperia Z running Lollipop wont sync my contacts from google My sony xperia Z wont sync all my contacts from google. I've tried re-setting the filter. Syncing contacts worked perfectly before upgrade. Now I've lost lots of contacts on my phone and it wont correct when I sync to online google where I can see the contacts exist. What should I try?

I had the same problem too. My workaround was to create a new contact and save it to my Google account. Then it all suddenly showed up.


What does the second tick mean in Telegram group-chats? Telegrams FAQ only explain what the green ticks mean in a normal chat ( https://telegram.org/faq#q-what-do-the-green-ticks-mean ).

Does anyone know what the second tick in a group-chat exactly means?
Does it mean one person has read the message? Or all people in the group? Or maybe half of them?

Same as in normal chat. One person read message.
  -- DrKLO (github.com)

Source: https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram/issues/397

It means exactly what it says in the FAQ.

One tick - Your message has been sent successfully and is waiting for them to open the app and look at it.

Two ticks - They have opened your message.


How to hide ongoing persistent notifications on Lollipop lockscreen It's driving me nuts seeing those notices each time I open my phone, leaving no room for the transient notifications and messages I've received.

Not possible, it seems. There is a thread on XDA about this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/hide-ongoing-notifications-lockscreen-t2938422

Under sound and notification settings/app notifications you can block notifications on an app by app basis


Can't download apps from Google Play store via mobile network I have a Sony Xperia sola in Egypt. I bought it with Gingerbread, then I upgraded to ICS 4.0.4. After the upgrade, I became unable to download any apps from Google Play using my mobile network, and while using Wi-Fi the download is slower than before the upgrade.

I tried all available solutions like clearing cache or clearing data from Google Play or Google Services Framework, in Settings -> Apps -> All. How can I fix this problem? As it is very serious, many times I'm at places without Wi-fi and I need to download a missing app, or upgrade another one.

This really sounds stupid, but when the time and date are wrong, most Google apps won't work.

If nothing works just go to Google hangout installed on your devica and sign in and signout 5 times,then return to playstore and try downloading any app,it might work. I called up the google support team and got the issue fixed in this way.


Samsung Galaxy 3 Questions I plan to buy a Samsung Galaxy 3. Here are my questions:

Does the Galaxy 3 have a front-facing camera?
How is the main camera (in terms of clarity)?
Can the browser support multiple windows?

No - one 3.15MP camera on the rear 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, Geo-tagging, face and smile detection, Video- QVGA@15fps.
Here's a comparison of the Galaxy 3 alongside images from its peers.
Yes, the default browser does indeed support multiple windows.

Now that the phone is released, I believe Sparx's answer is incorrect for part 1.

It has an 8 MP rear camera, and a 1.9 MP front facing camera.


Can I boot Android on the LG Arena KM 900? Possible Duplicate:
  Can I install Android on my non-Android device?

I have searched (hopefully well enough!) on the internet to see if we can load Android on the LG Arena KM 900.

Though there was this forum which kind of talked about it, it was still not clear as to how to do it.

http://androidarena.pytalhost.net/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=76&pageNo=6&s=12839d124f983ac19ea9e43226073557b26abf3f

Has any one tried this?

Appreciate the time taken to answer my query.

You've already found the forum for the main project to port Android to the LG KM900 at http://androidarena.pytalhost.net/

All of their effort towards porting Android to the KM900 is being tracked on this Google Code page http://code.google.com/p/arenoid/ their project status page doesn't look like they've managed this yet http://code.google.com/p/arenoid/wiki/ProjectStatus

So, unfortunately it doesn't look like this is possible yet. I think that your best bet to speed up the process will be to visit that forum and Google Code section and volunteer to help them out in their efforts.

I have been following that Google code page for ages when I had my Lg Arena, and they still have no success since early 2010. Android on the arena, no success.