OTA Update on a rooted Nexus5 with Custom Recovery and Kernel A few months back, I rooted my Nexus 5 using Towelroot, installed TWRP and ElementX Kernel. Now as the Android Lollipop update is around the corner, I don't think I'll be able to install OTA update because of rooted phone and custom recovery. In some forums, I even read that it might mess up my phone.

So now, I want to know what is the safest way to get the official Android Lollipop update, I don't mind losing root, custom kernel and all that, I even searched going all stock, but that seems like a cumbersome solution with many risks. One easy way I was thinking of is downloading the Android Lollipop System image (tgz file) when Google uploads it and flashing that into my phone using TWRP.

However, I don't know how and can't find anything about how to flash a tgz file. Can I do it by placing it in the memory, booting into recovery/install/AndroildL.tgz.  Will that do it? If yes, then what changes will it make> will my custom kernel and root be gone or not? Thank you

I think your best bet is to unroot your device and restore it to stock. This means stock ROM, recovery and kernel, and you will be unrooted. This is often referred to as "flashing a factory image", sometimes incorrectly. But that's what we're going to do!

Note:  This process will wipe your phone completely. Backup your storage before you continue.
I am also not responsible if anything goes wrong. Ensure you verify this is the correct device and code name (hammerhead) before you proceed.

From this excellent XDA thread:
For this process, you will need to:
Install adb and fastboot drivers. To do this, use this simple program

For MAC users
*Note: MAC users will have to write ./ before every command in this thread. For example : ./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Linux users should know their stuff

Download the latest factory images from here

Extract the archive you downloaded (Use WinRAR). It should look like this:

Unlock your bootloader (In case you haven't already) Link here
Flashing the factory images

Power off your phone.

Boot it in fastboot by pressing and holding Power Button + Volume Down at the same time.

Connect your phone to your PC through your USB cable.

Execute the flash-all.bat script (for Windows) or flash-all.sh(for MAC and LINUX) in the folder where you extracted the factory images.
!! For MAC: You'll have to edit the flash-all.sh, and add "./" before every fastboot command.

Wait for everything to flash.

After everything finished, select "Recovery" using the volume buttons.

When a small dead Android appears, press Power Button + Volume UP.

Select "Wipe data/factory data reset"

Reboot. Your phone should be stock.

Note: The XDA Thread has further detail on re-locking the device and resetting the tamper flag should you need to claim warranty. It's a bit outside the scope of this answer, but it might be of use!
Note 2:  Some Nexus devices will show as having 16 Gb after this on the 32 Gb model. The below is a fix via cmd:
fastboot erase boot
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase recovery
fastboot erase system
fastboot erase userdata

fastboot flash bootloader C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/bootloader.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/radio.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash system C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/system.img
fastboot flash userdata C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/userdata.img
(Note: this command will wipe your device (including /sdcard), EVEN if your bootloader is already unlocked.)

fastboot flash boot C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/boot.img
fastboot flash recovery C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/recovery.img

Install Multi ROM Manager, And install Lollipop image on it.


Accept e-mail calendar requests? Is there a way (app, configuration, etc) that will allow me to accept e-mail calendar requests sent to a POP3 account?  The request could be iCal or could originate from Exchange or Outlook.  Once accepted, I would like them to be added to my calendar.

Yes, support for this is native in Android.

I have an Exchange account added to my phone (Settings > Accounts & Sync > Add account). Once I snyc'd email and calendar I was able to receive meeting requests through the Mail application, accept them, and then see them show up in my calendar with a different color. The way Google handles Exchange is really sweet.

Update:

So I played around a bit and here is what I found. From the gmail app on the phone you cannot accept appts. But, not sure how it works with iCal and such, I just sent myself a meeting notice from my Exchange Outlook calendar to my gmail account. I signed into Gmail from my computer, got the invite, I clicked yes I am attending, and it now shows on my calendar.

So from the gamil app it appears we cannot accept invites but from a computer we can. :(

From giztech.in How to Accept or Reject Events with Exchange Email in Galaxy S or any Android mobile?


Facebook mobile website tries to open Messenger all the time On Facebook's mobile website on my sister's phone, when you click the messages tab, it first opens Play Store opened on Messenger app (or, it opens Messenger if it's installed). If you click back, the messages page is properly displayed, but if you click on a conversation the same thing happens -- Play Store pops up, but when you click back, the proper conversation page is loaded in Chrome.
Phone: Moto G 3rd gen, Android 6.0.1

On my phone the mobile website in Chrome works just fine -- there's a button that suggests installing Messenger, but I can normally browse and use messages. Phone: OnePlus 2, Android 5.1.1 (OxygenOS 2.2.1)

Is there any way to prevent the facebook website from trying to open the app? I certainly don't want to use any FB app.

Details on what I already tried:

installing and uninstalling messenger
clearing defaults and clearing data for both chrome and messenger
if you copy a link to conversation's page and open it in new tab, it opens the page properly (without jumping to Play Store), so is it a malicious script from facebook itself?

Facebook started forcing this change a couple of months ago. There's nothing anyone can do about it. I find it rather annoying myself which is why I switched to a Facebook wrapper app like Swipe
It has a workaround for this behavior. I suggest you do the same.

This happens when you are try to access chatting from Facebook App. Try Facebook using Google Chrome and you can not redirected to download messenger app. You can chat by Chrome mobile.


How can I run the Android emulator together with another VM? Whenever I open an Android emulator when a different kind of VM is already running, I get the "usual" error messages:

  emulator: Failed to sync vcpu reg
  emulator: Failed to sync HAX vcpu context

Here it is recommended not to run another VM, but what if I need the another VM for development, or to run the server for my Android app on it? Is there a way to run a VirtualBox Linux guest VM and the Android emulator at the same time? My host OS is OSX if that matters.

You can’t run two different emulation stacks on your processor at the same time. Sorry, it wouldn’t happen.

Update: Your processor can only run one emulation system at the time. Kernel modules will “reserve” the right to use the processor’s emulation capabilities at the exclusion of any other emulator that want to use it. So you can only use VMware, VirtualBox, HyperV, etc. separately.

It is indeed possible. You need to run HAXM version 6.1.1 at least.

If you upgrade to this version, it will work.

After upgrade, DO make sure the correct version is running by running:

$ANDROID_HOME/extras/intel/Hardware_Accelerated_Execution_Manager/silent_install.sh -v

If it reports an older version, you might have to run the installer manually by running:

sudo $ANDROID_HOME/extras/intel/Hardware_Accelerated_Execution_Manager/silent_install.sh


Is it possible to skip confirmation on app restores? i'm using Titanium Backup to restore my data and apps,but clicking "install" and "done" is driving me crazy. Is there a setting for that?

"0-click" batch restore (as the Market page describes it) is one of the features of the Pro version. You cannot do it in the free version, but purchasing a key for the Pro version allows you to perform a batch restore unattended.

I had to buy the TB app in order to do a full restore of my apps without prompting for each one. I uninstalled it immediately thereafter as I found it to be a useless FREE app thus, misleading as a free app.  Only the paid version works correctly - yes, I said correctly.  I don't like people, companies or anything that intentionally lies, misrepresents or misleads or accidentally even for that matter.


How to install core GMS packages to use Google Play Store? I am having an issue with my brand new phone Huawei Mate 9 EMUI 5.0 from China. Somehow, when I want to install WhatsApp on it, I get the following message

Install core GMS packages to use Google Play Store

Here is the screenshot

What can I do to solve this? I just got the phone and I am lost.

I can well remember that Huawei devices can be added with GMS by flashing a flashable GMS package.

You'll need to first find a compatible 3rd party recovery for your phone. IIRC TWRP is (unofficially) available for Mate 9, so you can take a look at XDA Developers Forum.

After flashing recovery, go to OpenGApps and download a package that's suitable for your device (arm64-7.1-pico) and flash it via recovery. Voila! You now have GMS and Play Store on your device!

Huawei doesn't keep GMS installer in the HiApps anmore, sucks.
I spent whole day and found the GMS installer, hopefully can help others to save time.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B64ADSfC5LHbMHdlZ2ZONVhXVWM


android - can't send or receive sms with android official sms app after i installed custom ROM on my phone(android 4.2.2), i rooted it and uninstalled hangouts(system app).

[i think] hangouts was default sms app
after installing ROM .

now i can't receive  sms with android official sms app.
and when i send sms  , it always stay on sending status.

but i haven't any problem with other sms apps(go sms, hangouts[after reinstall],...)

I'm need to send or receive  sms with android official sms app.any ideas welcome.

P.S:

1.i installed new ROM for my
phone locked on bootloop

2.i not found any difference between old ROM and new ROM.

3.i checked sms center number.

i re-flashed my phone official ROM (without losing data by this learn) and now this problem solved!

Either stick to your other SMS app or try removing the default SMS app and reinstall it using an APK.


Issue in GSM for Straight Talk and MMS. I just purchased a GSM unlocked Android phone.

And called into Straight Talk to get the new APN setting.

But, the settings they gave me would not allow me to receive MMS.

The web and testing works fine.

Please help me on which settings to use?

NOTE:

Someone told me to re-configure my phone, will this help?

Try with these settings: http://apn.gishan.net/settings/os_12_11_android_4.4kitkat_internet_and_mms_settings_for_straight_talk.php

Should work. Sorry. Site does not allow me to copy the settings.
How ever if you cannot receive MMS that should be a data problem. Please check you can access data properly. MMS APN is only for sending MMS. Do you receive MMS notification at least?


Can you upgrade the RAM of an Android device? I'm sure many people like me are aware and annoyed by the extremely limited amount of RAM in Nexus S (512MB but only 300+ is usable), I have searched all over google for a solution to increase the amount of RAM available and came up empty (I tried swap file applications but they just broke my system's SD card partitions causing a complete reset).

I wonder if there is any hardware solution to this problem. Is it possible to swap the chip out for a bigger capacity one? I realize that it is not as simple as swapping out PC RAM from a dimm but I haven't seen any schematics for the chip layout on the ARM boards in the smartphones so I really hope that it is somewhat possible to increase the amount of RAM on the board.

You can't. Most smart phones are designed as a System-on-Chip; which means that the CPU, RAM, GPU, device controllers, etc are all in a single chip. Updating RAM in such system means replacing a whole lot of other stuffs. Not to mention that you probably would have a hard time finding a chip with different specification which fits perfectly into the hole that was left behind after you dismounted the chip; due to size restrictions, the components around the chip are designed to fit tightly into the available space.

This is possible but not even remotely easy to do by yourself (unless you are experienced repairman or electronics hobbyist). Unfortunately, device manufacturers are interested in quickest possible technical obsolescence of products so it's unlikely that they will agree to install some standard RAM slot so hardware solution to this problem requires soldering.

For example this site explains how to replace RAM chips on a HTC Universal which is Windows Mobile phone but it can be considered Android device too ;)

Basically it is enough replace RAM chips. To find compatible RAM chip you should first find out which chips are inside your device and teardown reports may help with that. Then you can try to find usual computer RAM modules with bigger compatible chips (datasheets about your RAM chip may help with that). If compatible RAM chips are accessible and you have good soldering skills  you can replace them using rework station, heat gun, soldering iron or of course you may ask some repairman to do this for you.

If you have any questions about RAM replacement process you can ask them on electronics.stackexchange.com


Can adb start my android device that shows up as "offline"? I can see my device in adb devices. It shows up as "offline".
When it is "ready":

$ adb shell
$ su
# reboot

This would reboot my device.
The exact problem is that my cellphone has been turning off on its own with no specific reason, so I was wondering if I could check the logcat to see the problem. I cannot start my device, I have to remove the battery and then start it, and when I do the log is empty...
But my questions here are:

If adb can detect my device why can't it reboot it?
Why can't I turn on my android device from adb when I can reboot it?
What does offline mean: is it turned on or not? (when it isn't usually it doesn't even show in adb devices)

I only encountered device shown via ADB as offline in two cases:

Device not authorized (ADB security features)
No proper udev rules setup

As the first case is most likely not your problem as these security features were not implemented in android when you asked this question. Your problem is most likely that you dont have proper udev rules.

You can fix this temporary bei starting adb on your computer as root:

adb kill-server; sudo $(which adb) start-server

or permanently by adding proper udev rules for your desired device vendor:

See https://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/UDEV for a collection of well-known vendors. if your vendor is not part of this you can add it by yourself. Plug the device via USB to your computer and check the output of: lsusb get the right vendorID of your device and add it to the udev rules file.

Also useful: http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html

"adb: offline" reason is generally because of usb cable. If you are not using your stock cable, try with another microusb cable..

Also, while it shows offline, try this: (not everytime but sometimes it helps)

adb kill-server
adb start-server


What is my phone doing when the boot takes a long time? I have a Samsung Galaxy S with stock Android 2.3.3 (with carrier modifications, regretfully).

Usually, when I reboot the phone, it shows the boot animation for a few seconds, then goes to the lock screen while it finishes booting.  Every once in a while (though more often lately than it used to), the boot animation screen gets stuck for about 5 minutes before showing me the lock screen.

This happens both on clean boots (i.e. shutting it down from the power button menu and then restarting) as well as when the phone freezes and I restart it, or when it crashes.

What is the phone doing at this time?

Why does it do it sometimes and not at other times?

How can I avoid this?

Download and install the Android SDK.  On your handset's manufacturer website find and download USB drivers for your device, and install them.  On your phone go to Menu -> Settings -> Applications -> Development and enable the USB debugging option.  Now when connect the phone to your PC via USB, you should see the "USB debugging connected" ongoing notification.

On your PC (I'm assuming Windows) start command prompt by going to Start -> Run, typing "cmd" and pressing enter.  Navigate to the "platrofm-tools" sub-folder of where you installed the Android SDK (e.g. "C:\AndroidSDK") by typing the following:

  cd C:\AndroidSDK\platform-tools

and press enter.  Now issue the following command:

  adb devices

and press enter.  If everything was installed correctly, the adb service will start and show your connected handset's serial number:

  * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 *
  * daemon started successfully *
  List of devices attached
  HT035xxxxxxxx    device

You can now issue the adb logcat command to review your handset's logs in real-time.  Reboot while your handset is still plugged into USB (you will need to re-issue the adb logcat command when the phone restarts) and you will be able to see what your phone is doing during those long boot-up sequences.

You can use the live boot app by chainfire, it will show you what your phone is doing while it's booting. It needs a rooted phone with SuperSU installed.


Installing Orbot as a remote SOCKS server for other computers? I installed Orbot on my Android device and I want to make it a remote SOCKS server so that other computers can connect to it.

The TorFAQ – Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki suggests that for Tor on Windows, the user should edit Tor's directive file torrc. So I did the same thing with Orbot on my device. Here is the contents of my torrc file on Android:

SocksListenAddress 0.0.0.0
SocksPort 9050
SocksPolicy accept *
SafeSocks 1
Log notice stdout
ControlListenAddress 127.0.0.1
ControlPort 9051
CookieAuthentication 1
RelayBandwidthRate 20 KBytes
RelayBandwidthBurst 20 KBytes
AutomapHostsOnResolve 1
TransListenAddress 127.0.0.1
TransPort 9040
DNSListenAddress 127.0.0.1
DNSPort 5400
HardwareAccel 1
SafeLogging 1
TestSocks 1

I added the first and third lines to the original file. However it doesn't work. The SOCKS server refuses the connection all the time.

Can anybody help me please?

This solves the problem:

SocksPort 0.0.0.0:9050


How to move app to sd card when it is not possible? Tap Application Manager. Select an app you want to move to the microSD card. If you don't see a Move to SD Card button, the app cannot be moved.

How to move these types of apps to sd card?

on my Asus Zenfone 2, i formatted the micro sd with one partition adopted and second in fat32 and with Apps2SD or Link2SD i always got error "second partition not found".

I found that with the swiss-knife "Titanium Backup ★ root" it's very easy and it's working:
just keep my finger on the app i'd like to move and select "move to adoptable" et tah-dah: my app is moved on the adopted partition on sd.

You can download Link2SD and use it to transfer files. However, it requires your phone to be rooted.


Can I dismiss an upcoming alarm on standard Samsung S7? On a Samsung S7 (running 6.0.1) with standard apps, is there a way of "pre-dismissing" the next occurrence of a repeating alarm without turning the alarm off altogether?

I have a regular alarm set to wake me up in the morning. Sometimes, I'll wake shortly before the alarm is due to go off. In effect I want to say "I'm up, don't sound the alarm this morning" without turning it off completely and having to remember to turn it back on again before I go to sleep.

Note, this question "How do I dismiss just the next occurrence of a recurring alarm?" and its answer concern the stock Nexus clock app. However, I'm asking about whether this can be done using the Samsung stock app.

You can try Recurring task reminder FREE

It has more recurring reminder, filter & customization options than other apps in play store.


Is there a way to separate downloaded videos and camera videos? So I recently got a Galaxy S4 and switched from Apple to Android. I like to download music videos to watch offline but when I moved the videos onto my phone, I found out that the music videos are stored in the same location as where the camera roll saves videos. On Apple you there was a built in app that could store videos while videos recorded by the camera could be stored on the camera roll. Is there a way to do this on Android? I used my micro SD card to move the videos to my phone by creating a new folder on the SD card named VIDEOS.

I guess, you just need to sort the view in your default gallery app. Try sorting videos album vise and your problem will be over.

Try Redirect Pro,
It's a file organizer with some really cool features.
Link to Google Play


Best file system for an external SD card I have a Galaxy S5 with Android 5 and got a new 64 GB SD card. What is the best file system for the SD card? FAT32 is not an option because I want files >4GB. Which file system offers the best performance ? Thank you for your help.

The answer to your question is built into your phone's OS.
1. Put the SD card in your phone
2. Reformat the SD card with your phone(Settings --> Storage/Storage & USB)
3. The file system on the freshly formatted SD card is the type that will give   you the best performance with your phone.
4. Outside the context of your phone the optimum file system is another story.

As Android is based on linux, I am running with ext4. Not sure if it is the best but I don't see how it could not run. I am curious about filesystem optimized for flash memory such as F2FS, etc...
All those are readable on any recent Linux and Mac. Don't know for Windows.


play store not working I am unable to download anything from play store..and I am also not able to access any service of google like gmail, picasa google+ . I have already reset my phone after half hour till reset my phone works properly bt further it starts behaving the same as it was before reset

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


I want a smart phone that I can lock in DNS settings. Is Android "the one" It is all about being the internet boss. I want to be able to lock in or password protect the DNS settings to OpenDNS, so I can have a safe smartphone, that my kid can use with no fear of accessing pr0n or whatever. Anybody know if this is possible? I don't want to use another method of content filtering.

You can change the dns settings in Android, but you need to root your phone first:

http://blog.varunkumar.me/2010/09/how-to-change-dns-server-on-android.html

I don't believe there is a way to password protect the dns settings, but at least it wouldn't be obvious for them to figure out how to change the settings.

Edit:

Of course, one thing you can do to at least protect your kids while they are in your home is to change the DNS settings on your router.  Of course whenever they use your carrier's data network, this won't help.

A nice permanent way is shown in this XDA post:

It has the following advantages:

permanent
DNS provided by DHCP are used, but with lower priority

You don't need adb and vi. You can do it with Root Explorer.


Yureka fastboot not detected in LINUX, but adb detects device fastboot detects Redmi 2, but not Yureka.

I am trying to install Cyanogenmod in Yu Yureka. When I tried installing the CM zip with default recovery, it failed stating "Signature Verification Failed".

So I tried to install the TWRP recovery using fastboot. I did the following:

root@konoha:~# adb devices
List of devices attached
2a25599 device

root@konoha:~# lsusb
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:0825 Logitech, Inc. Webcam C270
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 007 Device 002: ID 046d:c534 Logitech, Inc.
Bus 007 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 006 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 05c6:9039 Qualcomm, Inc.
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 009 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 008 Device 002: ID 0bc2:5071 Seagate RSS LLC
Bus 008 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

root@konoha:~# adb reboot bootloader

root@konoha:~# fastboot devices

root@konoha:~# grep 05c6 /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="05c6", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev"
#SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="05c6", MODE="0666", GROUP="plugdev"

root@konoha:~# cat /etc/group | grep plugdev
plugdev:x:46:itachi
root@konoha:~#

I get the fastboot screen on Yureka device, but no luck with fastboot devices.

(Click image to enlarge)

Some suggested that running fastboot as root user solved this. But that too didn't work for me. But for Redmi 2, I was successfully able to install TWRP recovery using fastboot, so that makes fastboot works, but not for Yureka.

I am using Ubuntu 14.04.

Yureka requires the vendor id as a parameter for fastboot.
try the following (tested on yureka plus)

  % lsusb

  Bus 003 Device 003: ID 1ebf:7001

  % fastboot -i 0x1ebf devices

Try this command for Yu Yureka

sudo fastboot -i 0x17ef devices


SHELL Command works fine as a standalone command, but fails when put into a shell script? Android 8.1 PIXEL 2 with root access.

I have seen this asked here once before but the only solution didn't help me at all. I am going to try and make this as simple as I can for the example.

If I run the following command in terminal emulator or adb shell:

am force-stop com.myapp.frustrated

It will quit the app just fine. But when I run it in this shell script:

#!/bin/sh
am force-stop com.myapp.frustrated

Nothing happens. It is odd to me that I can do many other commands just fine in a script, but a handful of them do not work.

Any suggestions you have are much appreciated.

Removing #!/bin/sh fixed my issue. Thanks


On system restore, will I lose my software updates? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and have it updated to 4.1.2 from ICS.
If I restore my phone to factory settings (either by going to settings or by rooting), will I lose my updates?
If so, is there any other way to restore without having the above setbacks?

Yes, you'll lose your updates, along with any other installed app that didn't come with stock. But you will be able to re-update the apps via Google Play, and you won't lose any purchases you made (they are stored forever on the Google cloud).

I'm not sure why you're concerned about it, though. I can understand not wanting to lose your settings and data, but the only downside to losing app updates is the time and bandwidth required to re-update them afterwards.

Edit: You are probably asking about OS updates. Your phone does not keep an original OS image. Thus, once you update your OS (either by OTA updates or by installing a custom Rom), you will not be able to revert to the older Android version. Doing a factory reset should just reset the phone to a clean slate of the current Android version.

Not only did a factory reset delete my note 4 from 6.0.1 back to 4.4.4 it also took it from an un-locked phone and relocked it......o/o    not sure HTF that happened but I can guarantee you that the answer isn't always a definite no.


Samsung galaxy S Duos 2 gt-s7582 codename error Trying to install ressurection remix 7.1 ends in error because my samsung which should be named kyleprods is named kylepro(which is the codename for gt-s7580).

Also, there is no OS installed on it yet, it is erased.

Is there a way to change it? The system folder is empty so no build info.

Trying to install an OS for kylepro(gt-s7580) ends in unable to mount /system error.

To note, I have TWRP recovery.

Edit: It is 7582 because of the sticker under the battery + booting screen.

Go to download mode and flash with stock rom https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=385035244224393610
hope your problem will be solved.

Solved by installing another TWRP Recovery, the other one was mislabeled.


Someone is installing apps in my android I have a Xiomi Redmi HM1SW   with android 4.3 and MIUI.

I notice one month ago that some process is installing apps in my desktop that I don't selected.

How can I disable this option? or kill this malware app?

Thanks,

If you install security 360 from Google play, it should find all malware, and help you remove it.

It is likely to be a market. Check the use of data because the app must be leeching data to download apps. If it has a huge amount of data and is an android market, uninstall it.


Android forgetting default launcher every few minutes Starting last week, my HTC One running ARHD 31.5 keeps forgetting the default launcher. Every few minutes, it will forget the setting and ask me for a launcher when I hit the home button.

So far, I haven't found a pattern yet. Here's what I've tried so far:

restarting the phone
removing the default setting via Settings > Apps and setting it fresh
tried different launchers to rule out the launcher deleting the settings
updating the ROM (seriously)

It happens both when the phone is locked, or when I keep it unlocked and basically not doing anything but keeping the screen alive. After a few minutes, the default will be gone.

Any ideas how to debug this are welcome.

It's still unclear what is causing this to happen and I have found only one other mention of the problem so far. In the end I simply disabled the stock launcher by freezing it using Titanium Backup and also disabled all other custom launchers. Soon as only one launcher is available, the dialog goes away. More of a workaround then a solution, so if anyone has an idea how to continue debugging, then I'm open to any suggestion.

Go to Settings -> Home. If there is any non launcher app (E.g. Times Job), then remove it and select the launcher you want as default. That might solve the problem.


Linux Deploy: Making new disk image (size) ... fail I am trying to use Linux Deploy on my rooted Galaxy S3 with Android 4.3 / Slimkat 4.4.4. But when I press install:

Updating configuration file ... done
>>> begin install
Checking mount points ... done
Checking installation path ... done
Making new disk image (1023 MB) ... fail
<<< end: install

go to installation type and select custom, then put a path you want and install it.


Disable auto correct in smart typing apk - without settings I have a samsung - android 6- with no settings in it (yes I deleted it) .is there any apk where I can control the smart typing or auto correction (ON/OFF)?

Though I deleted the settings - for some reason :)- I installed Gboard & I think may be Swiftkey will work too & it worked after several trials.
Thank you all.


After Droid firmware 4.3 update, no predictive text I updated my droid firmware to 4.3 on Friday and had a fairly easy install ..except that my predictive text is missing in action. The setting is switched to ON (Galaxy S4 by the way) but the ribbon that usually appears above the keyboard with autocorrect suggestions is no longer there.

Can anybody help me please? I want my ribbon back. :)

The thing that worked for me was downloading and using English (UK) as default.

Try Settings > Language and input > Samsung keyboard. Click the Settings icon (right side) > Predictive text, and turn it ON.


How to turn on USB connection to PC I bought a KingSing K5 Android phone, and there doesn't seem to be an option for turning on USB connection to PC (to transfer files). I have the Google USB driver installed on the PC, but when I connect nothing happens. Is there a specific way to turn on USB connection in Android 4.2.2?

you just have to enable usb debugging mode.
go to settings scroll down to developer options. Under that the first option is  usb debugging. enable that


How can I disable auto-dimming of the screen? What I'd like to see:

When idling, the screen turns off after the configured amount of time.

What I see:

When I don't do anything, the screen dims a bit after ~23 seconds, then at 30 seconds it turns off as expected.

I have no idea why this dimming short before the screen timeout happens and where to disable it.

My settings:

Automatic Brightness disabled, brightness set to the lowest level.
Screen time-out at 30 seconds.
Auto adjust screen power disabled.
Timeout for lock screen is zero (Immediately).
Use Power saving mode is enabled (it sets the screen brightness to 10% at less than 20% battery power left). Disabling it had no effect.

This happens with Android 2.3.6 (no idea if it worked before the update).

It's to alert you that the screen's about to turn off.  It's more useful when your timeout is longer than 30 seconds, certainly.  I would assume you'd need a custom kernel or at least to root and edit some config files in order to prevent this, I don't believe there's anything in Settings for it.

I suggest the Screen On app. I use it when I don't want the screen to dim or turn off, because I want to be able to instantly pause the playback on my audiobook without having to first hit the power button,then swiping the screen.

When you want it to  revert to a more power-saving mode, you can turn the app off again from the notification bar. It isn't customizable to allow it to dim after a specified time, but it will keep it from dimming at all. Better than nothing!


I can't find the boot/recovery partitions on my Android phone for backup - where are they? I'm trying to back up boot.img, recovery.img, and system.img on my Android phone. I've found several mentions of running this command:

cat proc/mtd

and then just using dd to copy the listed mount points. Seems straightforward enough. Unfortunately, the output of that command is just this single line:

dev:    size   erasesize  name

df also doesn't list the usual "Mounted On" column, just the filesystem. This is the output of df:

Filesystem             Size   Used   Free   Blksize
/dev                   234M    52K   234M   4096
/mnt/secure            234M     0K   234M   4096
/mnt/asec              234M     0K   234M   4096
/mnt/obb               234M     0K   234M   4096
/system                640M   459M   180M   4096
/data                    1G   406M   898M   4096
/cache                 369M     6M   363M   4096
/protect_f               8M     4M     4M   4096
/protect_s               8M     4M     4M   4096
/mnt/cd-rom              1M     1M     0K   2048
/storage/sdcard1         1G    24M     1G   16384
/storage/sdcard0         7G     2G     5G   32768
/mnt/secure/asec         7G     2G     5G   32768

Some details about my phone:

It's a BLU ADVANCE 4.0
Board is Mediatek MT6572
Android version is 4.2.2
Kernel version is 3.4.5
I do have root access

So, to reiterate my question - where are the partitions? How can I find them?

While I'm not necessarily averse to using programs other than the shell it seems like I really should be able to do this from there.

EDIT: I used dd on the various mmcblk files I found in /dev/block. Most of them I terminated prematurely as they were 100MiB+, but two (mmcblk0p2 and mmcblk0p3) came out to about 10MiB each which seems more probable for boot and recovery. The contents of these when mounted are:

a directory labelled lost+found (ext?)
a directory labelled md, the subcontents of which differ

In mmcblk0p2 the contents of md are:

Two files of unknown type, one 4B one 2.0KiB, labelled MPOD_000 and ST33A004 respectively

In mmcblk0p3 the contents of md are:

One file of unknown type, 2.0KiB, labelled ST33B004

as aureljared already mentioned, proper configured MTK devices populate their recovery and boot partitions in /dev/recovery and /dev/bootimg. Just dd from there.


Free SMS to shortcodes/Magic? My current cellular plan does not include free SMS, so I'm trying to find an alternative way to send SMS for free from my Android phone. In particular, I'm trying to use the Magic service, which interacts via an SMS short code. I have attempted to use:

Google Hangouts/Voice - but I do not get a response from the Magic short code
TextPlus - but it does not recognize short codes as valid numbers
XFinity Voice - but it does not recognize short codes as valid numbers

Any ideas on how to get free SMS's to Magic?

I emailed Magic, and got a response that it is possible to use a regular phone number instead of the shortcode: +1 (408) 707-3077

Magic can then be used with the methods outlined in the original question (e.g. Google Hangouts/Voice, TextPlus, XFinity, etc.).

Every Android phones include
Hangouts.
When you ask people their phone number, you can also ask them their email address to send them messages via Hangouts. However, if some people hate Hangouts, you can use
Google Allo
to send messages that will be received as SMS.


Backup link between gmail, facebook, twitter contacts I have contacts from my GMail, Facebook and Twitter account. In my GMail accounts, I've saved my contacts with their first names or nicknames, so I end up having to manually link most of my Facebook & Twitter contacts with my GMail contacts. If I do a factory reset I have to repeat this process all over again. Is there a way I can backup/maintain the link between my contacts so that, after a factory reset, I can simply restore the links between contacts?

I believe backing up the data for the Contacts Storage and restoring it should restore linked-up contacts.  You can do this with an app such as Titanium Backup (requires root).

Haven't tried, but this seems to be the solution:

  If you use Titanium Backup, after you've re-synced your gmail/Facebook/etc. contacts, restore the "[CONTACTS/CALLS] Contacts Storage", reboot and done.
  This of course assumes you also back this same setting up prior to wiping/loading a new ROM


How to install from unknown sources on AT&T? A friend of mine has an HTC Aria on AT&T.  On his application settings screen, he does not have the option to allow installation of apps from unknown sources.  Is there any way to change this option to allow him to install downloaded apps (*.apk files) without rooting the phone?

You can install apps on the HTC Aria using the ADB client.

You'll need to install the android SDK on your PC, and then use ADB to install the .apk files.

To install the android SDK, follow the steps in the Android Developer's guide to setting up your phone for development.

If you're on Windows, you'll need to go to HTC to get the device drivers, as Google only provides drivers for their devices. For some reason HTC doesn't publicise the ADB driver well, but it is included in the HTC Sync software. You can grab the latest version from HTC's Aria downloads page.

Mac and Linux users do not need to install device drivers to use ADB.

Finally, connect your device to your PC, making sure that debugging mode is enabled on the device. You should see an entry in the system tray stating that the device is in debug mode. On your PC, run the following command:

adb install yourapp.apk

This will install the app on your phone, and you'll be good to go! Note that you'll either need to have the android-sdk/platform-tools directory in your path, or run the command from that directory.

You could try the instructions in this XDA post. Be aware that doing this will disable your ability to send/receive MMS messages, and will require a hard reset to fix:

  Go To Your "Settings"
  Go To "Applications"
  Go To "Manage applications"
  Go To The "All" Tab (or any tab that will display all your apps)
  Find The Applications "Customization Settings Provider"
  Click On "Clear data"
  Go Back To "All" Tab (or any tab that will display all your applications)
  Find The Program "Settings"
  Click On "Clear data"

  Finished If You Go Back To "Applications" You Will Now Have The Option To Enable "Unknown Sources"


Installing ps2pdf command-line program in Android I just bought a Nexus 7 2013. It's very good and I'd like to use it to (in case of emergency) edit some of my latex documents using TexPortal.

Some latex documents of mine get compiled properly only by Latex and not by PDFLatex.
As a result, I get a valid .ps file.

I'd like to install somehow ps2pdf (or even better, ps2pdf13) by some tool like, e.g., apt-get. And use some terminal emulator to run it.

Is this possible without rooting the device?

No, even though Android is based on the Linux kernel, programs for GNU/Linux need to be ported to the Android user-space environment. They usually require some source code changes, and to be compiled linking against the appropriate runtime libraries. You can find some command-line programs that have already been ported to Android on open-source sites like GitHub, but there's nothing like APT.

The closest thing to an APT repository is F-droid, but that's mainly for GUI apps: it's an alternative to Google Play for downloading open-source apps. I've already searched there and there's nothing like ps2pdf.

No. You can not easily install Linux native application on an Android platform. In order to do so you'll have to compile your files with the Linux kernel and not the Java virtual machine that runs all your Android applications.


Can't connect to mobile internet with CyanogenOS 13 On Google, I found a similar problem on Reddit, which describes exactly what I've got right now: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyanogenmod/comments/3xm0mo/mobile_data_not_working_cm13/

The problem is that, even though I do have cellular reception, and everything (WiFi, SMS, calling) works just fine, whenever I turn off WiFi (or walk outside WiFi) it doesn't connect to the internet using a data connection (3G/4G etc).

What I've tried so far (based on that Reddit post's comments)

Reboot my phone
Toggle Airplane mode on/off
Switch preferred network setting to 3G and then back to 4G
Enable Data Roaming (even though I'm still in the country this should be active)
Going to Settings>Cellular networks>Access Point Names and trying each of the available options
Check my remaining MB-credit on my subscription (I still have >100MB remaining) - this is actually irrelevant since I do not have an exclamation point at my reception-icon

The only thing I haven't tried is some kind of reinstall/rollback of my OS. My Cyanogen version is 13.0-ZNH0EAS45F

When I go to my SIM 1 status, I see that "Service status" says "Data: In service", but (even though my WiFi is turned off) the "Mobile network state" is "Disconnected". Can I force my phone to connect to the mobile network somehow?

PS: This problem has existed for about 2 hours now. Before that it worked just fine.

Update: One of these things might have fixed it. I'm not sure. It suddenly started working again, even though between the time of posting and now I did not change anything about my settings at all. I have (after it started working) reverted all changes to my settings, and it still works. I have no idea how this worked, but it works.

Clean Cache/Dalvik, System and Data and flash Your Cyanogenmod 13 ROM again


Viewing Google Earth in offline mode I have a tablet (Android 4.1) which does not have 3G internet. I have installed Google Earth and I heard that there is a solution for viewing maps offline.

How do I do that?

As of current writing, Google Earth doesn't support full offline mode, in which you can specify to download certain location's satellite imagery in detail. However, just like Google Maps, you can cache a small portion of it for offline viewing.
Quoting Google Earth product support,

Google Earth works best with a live internet connection. You can, however, cache (save) small amounts of data that you can access when you're offline.
To do so, log on to the internet and visit the imagery you'd like to view while you're offline. Please pay attention to the Streaming indicator, which appears just below and a little to the right of your images. When this indicator has reached 100% for the imagery you're viewing, Google Earth has gathered all available data for that specific altitude and settings, so you can disconnect from the internet.
Please remember that once you're disconnected, you'll be able to view cached areas only.

Note: there's no streaming indicator in Google Earth app. Instead, you can wait until the images are fully loaded.

As far as I know of, there is a "make available offline" option which allows one to select and download the most recent version of a portion of the map. Of course, you'll need an Internet connection to download it first. How to:
  Menu>Make Available Offline;
  From there you should be able to select a region to download.


Can I change proxy settings on my stock Android browser? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and I'm not experienced enough in Android to want to root it yet.

However, I need a proxy server. Is there any way to change the proxy settings (for both WiFi and network, either through the phone or over adb)?

Thanks.

With terminal on your droid or via adb

The android web browser will read the proxy settings in its settings database.

Spawn a shell:

> adb shell

Init sqlite3 database manager to edit the settings database.

# sqlite3 /data/data/com.google.android.providers.settings/databases/settings.db

Run the query bruh.

sqlite> INSERT INTO system VALUES(99,’http_proxy', 'proxy:port');

Close the session.

sqlite>.exit

Profit.

I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, but there should be something similar to Settings > More Networks > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names > [APN] in the S3. You can change the proxy and port from there.


How do I encrypt a new SD card? I'm on Android Nougat with an encrypted phone. I added a new SD card but cannot find an option to encrypt it too.

How do I go about encrypting the new SD card?

On my Moto G4 running Android 7.0:

Settings -> Storage; select the SD card (OK to mount the SD card if prompted to do that).  This shows the contents of the SD card.
From the drop-down menu in the top-right corner (3 vertical dots):  choose "Storage Settings".
Choose "Format as internal"

Don't know if this helps, but I'm also on Nougat (Gal. S8).  I found in Settings>Lock Screen and Security>Encrypt SD Card. Good Luck...


Missing silent, vibrate or sound toggle on Lollipop's power button The "silent, vibrate or normal sound" toggle function have changed somehow on my Nexus 5 to merely an "off" function when I hold down the power button. I'd like the old options back, but I can't find any settings dealing with the issue.

Power options before & after Lollipop

Has it disappeared completely with the new "none, priority, all" slide?

This is a known issue with Lollipop, please see the following:

Issue 79445: No silent mode

Update your phone to the latest android version (Marshmallow). With that you will be able to mute your phone again.

Be aware of apps that can play a sound and vibrate even when your phone is on mute.


Headphones don't work & music automaticaly starts I have a Samsung trend plus.
When I plug the earphones, the phone recognizes the connection and shows the earphone icon and gives the earphones connected massage. Then automaticaly starts music, which is not normal. But the sound comes from phone's speakers instead of earphones. I can barely hear the music coming from the speakers. And even in full volume setting, it has very low volume. I tried the earphones in my computer so it's not earphone problem. I tried restarting...

Try using another set of headphones for your phone. If the problem persists then it's the problem with your phone's hardware.


Can't read my SMS on my Android phone An update fixed my problem. It was - as I suspected - just a bug.

Recently I upgrade my Samsung s4, and now every time when I get a message via SMS, the text - and background - all white?:

(Click image to enlarge)

I tried messing with the settings, but still my messages won't show up?

How can I read my SMS messages again?

Phone Info

Samsung S4(GT-I9505)
Android version 5.0.1.

Try a third party messaging app, such as Google Messenger or Handcent SMS to see if the problem is duplicated. If so, verify you're running the most current software version with Samsung Kies. If you are, try a factory reset and see if that works. There's a possibility that the Lollipop update for the S4 has some bugs that will hopefully be patched rather quickly.

Phone could be in Guest Mode.  Go to settings...security...then deactivate guest mode.


Battery drains on my LG G3 despite everyone saying it has a great battery life So I have my LG G3 for 5 days and the battery life is not what i expected. I am not a real havy user, when I am home WiFi is turned on when I'm using the internet, data is always turned off like bluetooth and NFC. Brightness is at 20-30% with autobrightness turned off.
Some people say that it needs time to get the battery life to be stable but I don't know how long I have to wait...
Can someone please explain to me what is happening. Should I change the battery or is this everything normal ?

P.S. My last phone was a Galaxy Mini S5570, maybe I am not used to this kind of battery ?

Maybe a longshot for you, but i changed the home launcher on my g3 to google now launcher from playstore and battery improved a lot.


Can't establish a reliable connection to the server google play? Ok so i have samsung galaxy s3 i rooted it a week ago and it worked flawless then afterward when today i opened google play it says no connection .i tried all methods like setting date and time cleaned data and cache but nothing orked the last option i was left with was factory reset i did it but nothing worked when it restarted it asked for google account and when i tried to sign in it prompt saying cant establish a reliable connection .Now when i researched more about it i came to know about a file hosts and to edit it i installed total commander when i tried to edit it it closed saying not enough memory but when i opened it with es file explorer it opened when i put a # mark before everything and saved it it gives an error saying it cannot be save
file size of hosts is 1.1mb
please help any help will be appreciated

Try to use root browser,enable root browsing, find the hosts file and add a # and a space after it. Save it and reboot your device. In some cases you need to clear data and cache.


How do I sign out of the GitHub app on Android? I think I've looked everywhere but I don't see how to sign out of the GitHub app on Android. Any ideas?

try cleaning app data from settings, then reboot. beware, it is going to open like the first time you opened it. don't recommend it if you have any data  saved on the app.


What is "USB storage app" under Storage of App Info? When I moved an app to the Storage Card on my HTC One V, I found some data moved to USB Storage App. The Storage Card is still showing not used. What's "USB storage app"? Why apps are not moving into the Storage Card, instead moving into the "USB storage app"?

Before moving the app to the storage card

(Click image to enlarge)

After moving the app to the storage card

I guess you have to read the "USB Storage App" as the USB storage used by the app itself. So the code of the application.

If your application would for instance start generating cache information, saved pictures etcetera. And if it would save that information on your Storage Card, then the information will be showed under Storage Card.

So under "App" and "Storage Card App" is only the information and code of the application itself, not the information or data it generates. So in most case these 2 numbers will not change over time. And then under "Data" and "Storage Card" information generated by the application can be found. Either on the Storage Card or the internal memory (depending on the application I guess). This is the information managed by the application (local databases etc), so this will probably change over time, depending on the application in question of course.

This is my interpretation of those 4 terms. And if I check for some applications I use, it looks like my interpretation is correct. It is certainly correct for the applications I created myself, so for these apps I know where what information is saved on the phone.

It seems to be the .android_secure folder on your SD card.


Is there a way to permanently turn off Google Maps until needed? Google maps seems to have an insane amount of Intents registered for it, as well as other ways of being started.

Since this is a pretty resource hungry app (especially memory wise), I would very much want it permanently not running unless/until I actually need it. However, Android keeps starting it all the time - for example, when the connectivity status changes (which for me happens pretty frequently indoors), or GPS/network location changes.

Is there some way of ensuring that Google Maps doesn't start ANY processes, guaranteed, until I click on an icon to deliberately launch it?

Environment: Droid X, running rooted stock Froyo 2.2; I have Autostarts. and Advanced Task Killer, as well as Pro version of Titanium Backup installed.

I'm fairly open to almost any method as long as

It's reliable.
It lets me use Google Maps with 100% intended functionality once I DO need it, without requiring 5 minutes of work to re-configure.
Ideally, doesn't require me to reboot to use it, but this one is not a deal killer.
I would STRONGLY prefer a generic method which would be applicable to other applications, NOT just Google Maps.
I'm a software developer with a hefty dose of Unix/Linux system administration experience. In other words, solutions which require shell prompt or writing/running shell scripts (or Perl in Android Scripting Environment) are extremely welcome.

Solutions involving writing my own Java Android app are acceptable as long as they are detailed enough than a total Android development newbie can get at least some work done without being 100% lost.

Things I tried:

Killing the processes via Task Killer is NOT working - they come back up, either immediately or in a little while. Probably via Intents but not 100% certain.
Standard methods of getting rid of GMaps issues (log out of Latitude/shut down GPS and network locator). This seems to help a lot BUT I find the need to permanently shut down GPS/locator to be unacceptable - e.g. it won't let me run Locale app or locale-based Tasker things.
Freeze via Titanium Backup Pro. This requires a reboot and generally not very pleasant.

Possible approaches I thought of (but don't know how to do) are:

Somehow FULLY eliminate (turn off) all Intents registered by Google Maps when not needed.

Problems: First, I don't know what ALL the Intents Google Maps uses.

Second, the only practical way of doing that that I know of is Autostarts app which is NOT a workable solution - it takes ~5-10 mins to find and re-enable all the intents I am aware of (Autostarts is really poor at per-app intent management - it's centered on per-intent), never mind possible intents that Autostarts does NOT know about (it's a black box, I don't know which intents are missed if any.
Have a script which will rename the JARs or whatever the executable files on Android are (entire .APK?) from say GoogleMaps.apk to GoogleMaps.disabled.apk and back.

Problem: I don't know if this is possible to do on a rooted Froyo. Also, Google Maps was pre-installed on DroidX, so would renaming somehow ONLY affect the update but not the original app?
Have a script which will go into the APK and rename/move/empty out manifest file to remove any intents for that app.

Problem: Would this require a recompile? It definitely requires a reboot which is a minus

First, I suggest you stop using your task killers. They are draining your battery more than saving it. The System is restarting the services when they need to run which is causing battery usage.
Second, you are under the assumption that freeing up memory is a good thing. It is not. Freeing up memory is not going to decrease battery usage. What you really need to look for is the apps that use a lot of CPU cycles. This is what will drain your battery.
Android is based on Linux. Linux always wants to use all the memory available because free memory is wasted memory. The android system will take care of releasing memory of applications that are not in use so other applications can use it when needed.
Even if you try and kill applications that are running and taking up memory, the system will either restart these services/apps, which will cause battery drain because they probably have some syncing that happens when starting up, or just the CPU cycles that are used to initialize the application. Killing the applications will also cause the device to appear slow when trying to start applications because something that normally might be running now needs to be started back up before presenting you with the applications user interface.
Some things that will cause battery drain like GPS, wifi, bluetooth, and data usage are going to use your CPU a lot more to process the data that is being transmitted and received. Turning these off when not in use will save on a lot of battery drain. I have a bad battery in my device, it wont even charge past 94%, but I can get 12 or more hours out of my battery if I turn off these services when I don't need them.
I use google maps all the time, and in my battery stats its not even listed as an app using resources. My highest battery user is the Screen @ 31%, and the lowest shown is GMail @ 3%. I can assure you, google maps is not the cause of your battery drain. Using task killers is more likely the cause. As I said I use google maps for directions almost daily, and it isn't even in the top 10 list of apps that are using my battery.
More information on task killers from the Google Android Developers blog.

A common misunderstanding about Android multitasking is the difference between a process and an application. In Android these are not tightly coupled entities: applications may seem present to the user without an actual process currently running the app; multiple applications may share processes, or one application may make use of multiple processes depending on its needs; the process(es) of an application may be kept around by Android even when that application is not actively doing something.
The fact that you can see an application's process "running" does not mean the application is running or doing anything. It may simply be there because Android needed it at some point, and has decided that it would be best to keep it around in case it needs it again. Likewise, you may leave an application for a little bit and return to it from where you left off, and during that time Android may have needed to get rid of the process for other things.
A key to how Android handles applications in this way is that processes don't shut down cleanly. When the user leaves an application, its process is kept around in the background, allowing it to continue working (for example downloading web pages) if needed, and come immediately to the foreground if the user returns to it. If a device never runs out of memory, then Android will keep all of these processes around, truly leaving all applications "running" all of the time.
Of course, there is a limited amount of memory, and to accommodate this Android must decide when to get rid of processes that are not needed. This leads to Android's process lifecycle, the rules it uses to decide how important each process is and thus the next one that should be dropped. These rules are based on both how important a process is for the user's current experience, as well as how long it has been since the process was last needed by the user.
Once Android determines that it needs to remove a process, it does this brutally, simply force-killing it. The kernel can then immediately reclaim all resources needed by the process, without relying on that application being well written and responsive to a polite request to exit. Allowing the kernel to immediately reclaim application resources makes it a lot easier to avoid serious out of memory situations.
If a user later returns to an application that's been killed, Android needs a way to re-launch it in the same state as it was last seen, to preserve the "all applications are running all of the time" experience. This is done by keeping track of the parts of the application the user is aware of (the Activities), and re-starting them with information about the last state they were seen in. This last state is generated each time the user leaves that part of the application, not when it is killed, so that the kernel can later freely kill it without depending on the application to respond correctly at that point.
In some ways, Android's process management can be seen as a form of swap space: application processes represent a certain amount of in-use memory; when memory is low, some processes can be killed (swapped out); when those processes are needed again, they can be re-started from their last saved state (swapped in).

Here is another article talking about how Task killers will drain your battery.

Do not use Automatic Task Killing Software
To make a long story short, using auto-task killers can cause: excessive battery drain (as if the phone doesn’t drain a battery quick enough already),  the phone to overheat often and programs shutting down (crashing) randomly – programs you actually want to use. Stay away from these!

One thing that you could do if you are really set on "stopping maps" until you want to use it is use the Freeze option in titanium backup. This will essentially remove the application from the device and none of the services associated with it will ever start until you un-freeze it.

Root your phone then use the AutoStarts app from Google Play to disable all the events that trigger Maps. It will run fine when manually started but will stay gone when you kill it. Disable anything else you don't need in the After Startup event folder to further reduce memory consumption.


Root checkers tells me my phone is rooted but most root required apps warns me that the system denied to root. Why? Anyone, please explain it to me Before my phone was said to be rooted by root checkers, I tried many rooting apps, both Android and PC based.

The first significant change which happened occurred when I first installed and used the app called 360Root. 360Root seemed to install an outdated su binary in my system. After that, Root Validator tells me "Root Denied", rather than the usual "Root Unavailable". I tried to update su binary in SuperSU by chainfire, but the installation failed again. After multiple attempts to update the binary,

I thought I should try a PC program called KingoRoot. I used it after downloading and installing it. Kingoroot ran and completed successfully, but checking it in Root Validator still says "Root Denied". I tried again, and it still said sucesss. This time, some, but not all apps that require root like Busybox recognized my device as rooted, so I am able to install BusyBox applets. Kingo Superuser disabled SuperSU, although SuperSU still didn't work that time because su binary is just not updated.

Then I've tried again KingRoot, which succeeded in taking over the root from Kingo. I checked the root status in Root Validator. It now looks like a good news to me, because it tells me "Root is available". However, after opening some root required apps, they still don't recognize my device as rooted.

So finally, I had tried to replace KingUser with SuperSU by downloading terminal emulator first and then the "how-to-replace-kinguser-with-supersu.zip" file. I've followed the instructions perfectly, and it did replace it after updating the su binary and making SuperSU a system app. All the root checkers say that my phone is fully rooted. But, the apps that require root are still saying that I don't have root. Until then, I've noticed that there is a fifth line in Root Validator which says, "SELinux is enforcing". I downloaded a SELinux mode changer which can change SELinux modes from enforcing to permissive and vice versa. Even after changing that and rebooting, the apps still did not work. What could be the possible solution for apps not recognizing that I am rooted? Am I officially rooted? Is this condition have something to do with KitKat's improved security?

TL;DR: Root apps succeeded, and root checkers all say that I am rooted. However, apps that need root are denied root. SuperSU is installed.

Go to SuperSu/Superuser(Or whatever app you have)
If app that doesnt got root access are listed there try giving it root access always.

For SuperSU Its like:
SuperSU > Apps > (App for which root access is denied) >  (Select GRANT) in Access

Clean the SuperSU app's Data in settings/Applications and try Again. It worked for me.


CyanogenMod on an unsupported device I'm using a Karbonn A52+ running Mediatek processor and Android 4.2.2 Jellybean. My device is rooted, but unfortunately, no custom recovery (CWM / TWRP) is supported for my device. There is also no CyanogenMod build available for my phone.

Still, I was planning to give a try to this method

Unfortunately, CyanogenMod has shutted down all its systems, including its webpage; so probably, link would also not work.

Now, is there any risk of my phone getting bricked? If yes, then soft brick or hard brick? If my phone gets bricked, can I repair it by simply flashing the stock ROM?

It is always best to install CM Roms that is suited for your device.

If you can't find one, then it's best to stick with it.  The risk will always be there, when you force something into your device that isn't compatible with it.

Hope this helps ...


retriving my contacts I restored my phone sonny xperia E5 to factory settings then after I sinned in with my google account but I am unable to synchronize my contacts please help me my contacts are saved in google account

Hi and thanks for your question on

How to Retrieve Lost Contacts from Google

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

And here's a written summary of the steps:

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

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

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


How to remove HTC Sync calendar entries? I made the mistake of sync'ing my PC with my HTC Desire and now my calendar has lots of double entries; From Exchange and from HTC Sync (Outlook)... Any wy to remove all traces of the HTC Sync entries?

These are the steps I took on my HTC Desire running Android version 2.2 to delete all calendar data, and in turn the PC Sync calendar:

On the phone, open Settings > Applications > Manage Applications
Click the “All” tab at the top of the screen
Scroll down and tap the Calendar Storage application
Tap the “Clear data” button, and confirm you’d like to proceed.

Now all the calendar data is gone from the phone, running your sync processes again to populate only the calendars you want on your phone.

On HTC, go to Settings - App, search for "Calendar Storage", open it, then "Clear data". Done.