Keep Hangouts from opening links inside the same task? I just opened a link to a friend's Medium post inside Hangouts, and when I view all running apps (the recent-tasks list), the task with the Medium post in it is my Hangouts rather than a separate Medium window. Opening Medium, it's doing its own thing. Opening Hangouts, it shows the Medium post -- I can't go look at other chats or anything without closing the Medium post I'm reading. This is frustrating, as I might want to switch between typing comments in Hangouts and reading the article (for example).

I would like more generally to stop apps from doing "this sort of thing" if possible (though I expect this isn't possible). When Twitter introduced an in-app browser, I turned that off as fast as I could find the setting -- I want to be able to open links and then switch right back to Twitter, letting the link load in the browser while I read a few more tweets. Hangouts appears not to have introduced any setting to disable this behavior. I've noticed a couple other apps do "this sort of thing" as well, though specific instances slip my mind now; a general solution would be great.

I've checked, and this (new?) behavior in Hangouts is identical on my (Cyanogenmod) phone and my (Samsung) tablet.

This started happening to me too recently. All links in Hangouts messages, when clicked, open in what appears to be a Hangouts-integrated browser. There is NO option to change this behavior.

It is definitely just an embedded instance of the Chrome browser - if you disable the Chrome app entirely, tapping a link in Hangouts gives you the normal "open with" dialog, and you can choose a default (I like the Adblock browser). But with the Chrome browser disabled you can't browse Google Play or update apps. And if you simply re-enable Chrome, it goes right back to opening links in Chrome and silently wipes out the choice of default that you just made.


Battery Boost?Drain? I recently updated my Note 2 to 4.3 and it has been working quite well. But today in the train I was using it and the battery level drained to 20%, Since the battery was low, I switched it off and came home. When I put it on charge and turned it on- the battery level said 67%. How come it got such a boost? When I took it to work today, it had only about 56%
and I come home with 20 and all of a sudden its 67%
How?

This is  a sign that you overuse your battery,frequently leaving your apps on....your battery is damaged and might need to be replaced...but till you can do that...you can always:
1.avoid charging overnight
2.use the correct charger
3.if you aren't using your data or wifi turn it off,to preserve battery life


Server Error! Play Store failing I can't go on to the Google Play Store! I do not know why. Last time I did, I tried to download 'HOM 2' which is a game, and cannot download it. It says "package invalid" and "phone storage is getting low". Then a while ago, I checked again, the Google Play Store and it says "Server Error retry".

I have already cleared the data and uninstalled updates..

Then switch off and on, the phone, but still Google Play Store still does not work!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Usually, when the APK states "Package Invalid", that means, either the package is corrupted or the application at the most, targets the version above the currently running Android on your handset, up to the latest and greatest version of Android, in other words, the minimum version of Android was probably raised above it.

For example:

An application that targets Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, if the minimum version is Gingerbread (Android 2.3.7), and the maximum version is Jellybean (Android 4.1), it is compatible from Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jellybean.

If that was attempted to be installed on either Eclair (Android 2.1) or Froyo(Android 2.2) as in the case of the OP's question, you will get that message.

TL:DR; the application is incompatible with the currently running version of Android.

you should remove the updates of the Google playstore app, and disable automatique updates


Youtube 5 is always syncing on Android 2 since I updated my YouTube app from the pre-installed version to 5.5.30 on my Android (version 2.3.5, kernel 2.6) which is running on a Samsung GT I9003, YouTube tries to sync something all the time.

I'm logged in with a YouTube account an can play all the videos without problems.
But, YouTube uses most of the battery and the sync icon is always there.

Forcing the app to stop with the task manager sometimes fixes this issue.

Removing the update fixes the problem, but the default version is not really nice.

Any help would be really appreciated!

You can also download version 4 of youtube from 3rd party sites. It's more powerful than default version and does not have sync issue.


Flashing .tar factory image with CWM In the hopes of getting Android 5.0 onto my Nexus 10, I visited Google's factory image download page for the latest image. I noticed however that the file I downloaded was a tar and not a zip. Will this work just the same using CWM to flash it, or do I need to do something special here?

Stock factory images are not supposed to be flashed in recovery. Instead, you should follow the instructions on the page you linked to. Open the tar file, it's probably just a compressed file, just like a zip.

But first, let me point you to some custom ROMs that ARE flashable in recovery:

Stock

Rastakat

Cyanogenmod 12 (unofficial)

However, those may all contain extra bugs, as they are made by 3rd party devs.

Now, if you want to install the actual factory images from Google:

First, make sure you have fastboot and adb. If you don't, install the Android SDK.

Extract the files to a folder on your computer, connect your device to a computer and type the commands into a command window (Start -> Command Prompt or type in

cmd

The commands that you need are the one in green text, but for the sake of completeness:

adb reboot bootloader

If you haven't unlocked the bootloader yet:

fastboot oem unlock

The run the flash-all.bat script:

flash-all.bat

It should look something like this:

The boot loader is not the main problem, it is mainly the encoding of the rom you are using. Instead of tampering with the rom you are going to install, just download rom manager or download the Odin on your laptop. from the internet, download execute variable for your device or .tar if flashing from laptop and apply, DO NOT FLASH AS ROM. this will brick your device. I have tried this method and it has worked without no brick 200+ times. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE CAUSED BY THIS METHOD; YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR ACTIONS.


LG G3 proximity sensor half working The past couple of days my proximity sensor has been playing up and after using CPU-Z to check if it's working I can see that when looking at my phone at a normal distance it shows 5cm, and if I wave my hand at any distance (within reason) it instantly jumps to 0cm.

The problem though is that it does not then return to 5cm for about 30 seconds to a minute which makes it very difficult to use the phone. I can't end a phone call until this resets itself. Additionally, I can't unlock my phone until this resets either. I don't know why this occurs, but if I wake the phone the screen shuts off after about one second making it impossible to unlock it until the sensor resets.

So it seems as if the sensor is faulty - or there's something else going on. Any ideas? I've not had any major drops, a few very minor but nothing that would cause any scratches or other damage.

p.s. I do have a screen protector, however removing this makes no difference, and I've had this on for weeks and not had a problem until now.

Take a look at this video LG G4 Proximity Sensor Calibration (No Root,No App needed) - YouTube.

Go into the secret menu of the phone and do as explained in the video. It worked for me. Good luck.


How to recover my files and personal data a phone who doesn't boot? My Galaxy S II runs under Android 4.12 and it is stuck on the boot screen. How can I recover my files and personal data on the phone ?

Is the Phone rooted and is USB-Debugging enabled?

If yes, you could probably boot into recovery and try recovering the files via ADB.

How to copy selected files from Android with adb pull shows you how to work with ADB to recover your Files ;)

I don't think you can recover files and folders over the device which isn't booting up I would say first of all fix the booting problem up and then you can take the help of various recovery apps and software available to restore the deleted files and folder. I am know you can't recover 100% of them out but I would say to some extent you may get most out of it !


Does CyanogenMod 7.2 kernel support swap memory? My current kernel (whatever is built into stock Froyo 2.2 ROM for Verizon Motorola Droid X) does NOT support swap memory.

Does CyanogenMod 7.2 kernel support swap memory? Does that depend on device-specific build?

The cyanogenmod team feels that swap doesn't serve it's purpose on an Android device:

  This question is hotly debated, but you almost definitely do not need swap or compcache...

You can read all about it at the Swap and Compcache - CyanogenMod Wiki!

To answer you question directly, by default the swap and Compcache schemes are disabled, but if you still feel the need to use them, above link provides you with a how-to.

So, yes, the CyanogenMod 7.2 supports swap and its usage needs to be activated.

The swap and Compcache schemes usage depends on the device and its support for it.

As a side note, the CyanogenMod 7.x is Gingerbread-based not Froyo, as can be read here:

  After 3 rounds of release candidates, and squashing a few more bugs in the stabilization branch of CyanogenMod 7, the newest stable iteration of the Gingerbread-based CM7 is now being released.

Short answer:

No. Kernel support is missing. You need to replace the kernel.

Longer answer - check answer from Zuul.


Emergency Mode!! on LG P350 I am using LG P350 from long time as my backup mobile. Some how Emergency Mode!! has triggered. Please some one help me out solving this problem

Don't worry, you should be able to get out of it. It can commonly happen among Android users when a certain key combination is pressed on accident. You can refer to this link for causes and fixes.


Can I use the CyanogenMod installer on Samsung Galaxy S3 (EE)? (Note: EE is a british phone service provider.)

I was wondering if I could use the CyanogenMod installer on my Samsung Galaxy S3? It's in the supported devices list.

I can't think of any reason why you couldn't try it, because it should either work and install CyanogenMod or it won't manage to install anything.  It doesn't always work with my SPH-L710 S3 despite my being able to flash with Odin just fine.

Just do not install the wrong firmware on your own.  There are over ten different revisions of the S3, and going against what's showing on http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/SGS3FAQ for which specific model you fall under (most are considered d2lte now, but not all!) will likely end in a bricked phone.  The differences between the international and the primarily US-only versions are somewhat notorious for bricking the careless.

Yes you can, but I would advise you not to install CyanogenMod, because some parts of your device may not work (WiFi, Bluetooth, camera flash).


Android keyboard and play store not working Android Keyboard and Google Play Store app are not working on my Jelly Bean device. There is a message popping up repeatedly telling me that android keyboard has stopped.

What can I do to get out of that loop, and have a usable device again?

You can fix Android Force Close Error by going through the solutions given in the presentation tutorial. Find it here http://www.slideshare.net/StenaGlass/android-force-close-error-fix

I am hopeful that you will resolve your problem as I have already fixed it!

Wish you best of luck.


How do I enable call waiting notification when I am calling another person? When I used my previous phone, when I am calling someone, I used to get a notification if the party that I am calling is in another call and I am waiting. I usually don't like to disturb people when they are in another call so I promptly hang up. But I've noticed that my HTC Desire S does not tell me that information.

Is it by design ?

Is there anyway I can enable this feature?

An app perhaps?

Or are all the phones running Android have this feature turned off ?

Just to clarify, I am NOT looking for activating call waiting on my phone so I get an alert when another person is calling me. I want to know when a call I initiated is in call-waiting on the other end.

Unfortunately, most (maybe all) of the Android phones don't have this option. Check this issue: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=7048

This problem does not exist in Samsung Mobile. I dont know much about HTC. You can consult to servie centre. May be there can be any setting issue.


ACME Android ROM Flash Fails to bootloop NEED HELP! I was trying to install a Custom ROM on an ACME Tablet TB714 and it kind of went wrong.
The tablet is set on a boot-loop which occurs on the manufacturer logo.
The tablet has no volume buttons or reset button and I don't know how to enter recovery mode and is also rooted.
My goal was to upgrade it from android kitkat to lollipop.
I tried this using the TWRP apk.
Anyone know how I can fix this problem and achieve this goal?

I followed the tutorial below but i used a paper clip instead of a screw :)
The solution was to open up the tablet , power it on and shunt pins 41-42-43.

Warning: only use this method if everything else fails

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-vtH4cZalk


root integrity check: System check FAIL! In my attempts to troubleshoot a Notifications volume turning itself down problem on my HTC Desire 728, I selected in "system recovery" menu the option of root integrity check.

It ran quickly, displaying the following:

  Now check begins, please wait.....

  load source zip file fail

  System check FAIL!!

In the context of HTC, what does "root integrity check" actually means? Is it just an fsck? If so why does it need to "load source zip file"? What does this FAIL!! mean?

Root integrity check fail means some person have modified apk or file on your android it means they could also spy on you because every apk have java permissions that you might not know off unless u check on computer with adb commands and remove the modified apk and files manually


How can I prevent applications from running on startup? Possible Duplicate:
  How can I stop applications and services from running?

I've installed some applications that I mostly like, except for the fact that they all decided they were too important not to auto-start.  None of them give me any option within the application to disable the auto-start "feature."

Can I stop these applications from auto-starting?  And if so, how?

Note: My phone is not rooted, so I'm especially interested in solutions that do not require a rooted device, but all answers are welcome, even if they require rooting the device, since I may do this eventually.

Also note: I'd prefer not to fiddle around with clumsy auto-kill features in task-killer programs, as I've found them to be incredibly unreliable on my phone (Motorola Milestone/Droid).

Please, please, please, please put down the task killer.

It isn't needed.  The operating system knows how to handle and end applications just fine.  Otherwise you are going to waste performance/battery because when you kill a task it is going to re-spawn back up.  And if you  killed a task that was writing to disk (or a database), then you could potentially create corruption.

The only time you ever, ever, ever should kill a task is if it is obviously running wild or hung up (and usually when this happens you get the Force Close screen.  If not, go to Settings --> Applications --> find your app and kill the task there).

You can use applications like "Startup Cleaner" or other similar applications


Schedule Auto Shutdown on Android I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and was wondering if it's possible (like on Blackberry) to setup a schedule for automatic device shutdown.

For example, on my previous phone, I could indicate for the phone to auto shutdown at 12AM and auto turn on at 7AM.

Is it possible on Android without download third-party app?

Natively, there is no way to schedule shutdowns and boot ups of the Android system. If you do decide to root there are applications in the Play store that can shedule a shutdown (you may even be able to make your own busybox script instead). However booting up will never be possible the way Android handles shut downs because when Android shuts down, it is not running.And so, there is nothing in memory to initiate any sort of startup process.

I have Samsung Galaxy Pro Duos (Ginger Bread) in which there is no feature like this, but my wife have Xolo A700(ICS OS) in which there is simmilar kind of feature by which phone can be switch off and on in scheduled time. I found Xolo Phones are more value for money in compare to Samsung. BTW 'Phone Schedule' Apps available in Play Store which can turn on/off Airplane mode as per the Schedule time given. but not found something which can Turn off or On completely


How to recover a deleted file from /data partition? I factory reset my rooted Android M phone but now I realize that there was a file in the /data directory which I need.

Is it possible to create an image (.img or something similar) of the /data partition so that I could run some recovery software for ext4 on that image? I have a little knowledge about ADB.

First to clarify root and data:

Root directory / of Android devices is a read-only pseudo (temporary) filesystem (rootfs) that lives in RAM and is vanished when device is powered off. When device is powered on, it's again extracted from initramfs that lives in boot partition along with kernel.
On newer devices with system-as-root, system partition is mounted at root /.
/data directory is a mountpoint, where largest partition, usually named userdata is mounted. This partition contains all user apps, their data (settings, databases, caches, temporary files etc.), system apps' data and all other configurations we make through Settings. /data/media/0 is the directory that we see as /sdcard or /storage/emulated/0 through emulation.

... there was a file in the /data directory which I need. Is it possible to create an image (.img or something similar) of the root directory ...

If a file is deleted from /data, you need to create a dump of data partition, not that of root directory.
You can do that in multiple ways described below. All require root access.

But first of all see this answer to make sure your data is recoverable.
In short, recovery is more or less possible only if (1):

Your deleted data hasn't been TRIMmed or discarded.
And you haven't done a factory reset on encrypted /data partition.

What you should do immediately:

Switch off phone to make sure the deleted dats isn't overwritten.
Don't install data recovery apps on device, it can do more harm than good.
Mount the filesystem (if required) in recovery mode (or on PC) only with ro,nodiscard options.

FINDING BLOCK DEVICE:
In order to access userdata partition, you need to find its block device. If you have root access, you can do so from mounted partitions:
~# mount | grep 'on /data'
/dev/block/mmcblk0p... on /data type f2fs (rw,nosuid,nodev,...)

On Qualcomm devices, it's located at /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata (symlink). For MediaTek (MTK) and other SoCs, the path is slightly different. You can find all block devices or by-name directory using find command:
~# find /dev -type b
~# find /dev -type d -name 'by-name'

Or by hit and trial:
~# ls -d /dev/*/by-name
~# ls -d /dev/*/*/by-name
~# ls -d /dev/*/*/*/by-name

Note:

If your /data partition has Full Disk Encryption (FDE) you need to decrypt it before exposing to UMS because decrypting Android's FDE on PC is near to impossible in most cases due to hardware-backed encryption. See some relevant explanation in my answer to Cross-platform compatible encryption of SD-card for Android. dm-crypt decrypts block device to /dev/block/dm-[N]. Use this instead of userdata.
To prevent any data loss, recommended is to create dump when partition is not mounted i.e. in recovery mode.

CREATING PARTITION DUMP:
DISK DUMP (dd)
Once the block device is known, you can use dd command from:

ADB shell (OS or custom recovery)
A terminal emulator app like Termux

Since the userdata partition is the largest partition (all other partitions hardly using 5GB out of total storage), you can't dump it to your internal memory. An external SD card with larger capacity is needed.
To create dump:
~# dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata of=/path/to/ext_sdcard/data.img

ADB
If you don't want to use external SD card, you can also dump the partition directly to PC. First you need a working adb setup, running as root. Then it can be used in multiple ways:
~$ adb exec-out dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata > data.img

* Make sure your adb binary (on Windows or Linux) supports exec-out.
But you may end up with corrupted data when writing a whole large-sized partition to STDOUT of terminal because there are issues with line break types (CR LF). Also STDOUT or STDERR from the programs involved could possibly be added to file if not directed to /dev/null. Even a single wrong byte may render filesystem un-mountable. See this question for reference.
To avoid unwanted characters, use stty raw and/or dos2unix:
~$ adb shell 'stty raw && dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata' > data.img

But the most straightforward way is:
~$ adb pull /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata data.img

See this answer for more details.
STREAM OVER TCP
To avoid the terminal related complications described above or if for some reason adbd cannot be run as root, it's also possible to create a minimal TCP server for data transfer. Forward port from phone to PC and run netcat TCP server in listening mode:
~$ adb reverse tcp:1024 tcp:1024
~$ nc -v -l -p 1024 </dev/null | pv -ab >data.img

On phone:
~# cat /dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata | busybox nc 127.0.0.1 1024

USB TETHERING (RNDIS)
To avoid using ADB at all, USB tethering can be used to provide network connectivity:
~# cd /sys/class/android_usb/android0
~# echo -n 0 >enable
~# echo -n rndis,adb >functions
~# echo -n 1 >enable

* You may also change other files like {iSerial,iProduct,iManufacturer} and f_rndis/{ethaddr,manufacturer,wceis,rndis_transports,max_pkt_per_xfer} in above directory if required.
* On new devices you might need to use /config interfaces instead of /sys. Some relevant hints here.
Add IP address:
~# busybox ip rule add lookup main
~# busybox ip address add 192.168.1.1/30 dev rndis0
~# busybox ip link set rndis0 up

On PC add IP manually (there's no DHCP server):
~$ sudo ip address add 192.168.1.2/30 dev usb0
~$ nc -v -l -p 1024 </dev/null | pv -ab >data.img

On phone:
~# busybox nc 192.168.1.2 1024 </dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/userdata

In the same way it's also possible to use rclone rcat to transfer dump over WebDAV or FTP or SFTP. See How to stream an encrypted backup of the entire device to remote host?
USB MASS STORAGE (UMS)
This method is useful if you don't want to create a dump of partition, instead access partition directly on PC. See my answer to Why can't I see Android storage as a partition on PC? for methods on how to enable UMS thorough /sys or /config interfaces.
Once done, userdata will appear as a partition on Linux PC just as we connect a USB drive. If /dev/sda is the hard disk drive, usually /dev/sdb will be the userdata partition. You can find that by using blkid command:
~# blkid | grep userdata
/dev/sdb: PARTLABEL="userdata" PARTUUID="..."

You can run recovery program directly on block device or mount the filesystem (if needed) or may also create a dump.
HOW TO RECOVER DATA?
There are basically two ways to recover deleted data as mentioned in this answer: carving method and through filesystem.
Recovery tools mostly don't need mounting filesystems but if it's required, it needs to be done on Linux PC because Windows doesn't support ext4 or f2fs natively, hence the tools aren't easily available AFAIK.
If anyone has been able to successfully make block/journal level access to Linux/Android filesystem for data recovery on Windows through Ext3Fsd or any other driver, let me know so  that I can update the answer.
On Linux you can use tools like extundelete to recover data using filesystem journal:
~# extundelete --restore-all data.img

Or to recover data directly with UMS:
~# extundelete --restore-all /dev/sdb

Since you have done a factory reset which erases filesystem, consider carving method using tools like testdisk or scalpel:
~# testdisk data.img

In the same way you can use any other data recovery tools. See ArchWiki File Recovery for more details.

RELATED:

How to get data off a completely dead Android phone?
How to take full image backup of eMMC?
Why can't I see Android storage as a partition on PC?
Is there any way to recover data from 2nd SD partition?
How disk space is used on Android device?

Where exactly in DATA ?
Is it in the emulated SD Card ?
If it's in the emulated SD Card, you could remove your external SD Card and mount the device under USB Mass Storage mode... You can the use free recovery software like Recuva ccleaner.com/recuva
However if your file is not in the emulated SD Card, you'd need to backup the Data partition as you mentioned.
To do that, you can either use the device itself to run a DD or CAT command to write the data to a .img file on your SD Card..
On Device
Using Terminal Emulator

locate your -by-name partition directory
getprop ro.frp.pst

( This will get the /dev/block/platform/DEVICE/by-name directory for frp - change the name to data )
You can just use /data otherwise.
dd if=/data of=/sdcard/data.img

If = Input file  - Of = Output file
You could also use ADB
Via Computer

Install ADB ( not the entire SDK but just ADB )

Using command prompts or power shell
adb shell dd if=/data of=/sdcard/data.img

You may need to locate your correct directory.
Then you can Mount the .img on a PC and do the recovery.. I'm not sure how to mount the .img file if the partition is ext4 so that's as far as this answer goes.
You can alternatively use an App called Disk Digger ..
It has the capability to scan the data partition live, ..
Root Access is needed


Does Android 4.0 support WPA2 Enterprise? At the place I work, everyone can log on to the wifi network with an iPhone.
They just need to add a new network, type in the network name and choose wpa2 enterprise and then add their username and password (their own unique).

Everybody else with Android phones hasn't been able to connect, and it seems like they've tried for a long time.

I have to buy a new phone this weekend, and I don't really want to buy an iPhone. So I was hoping if somebody knew if the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (or any Android 4.0 device) has better wifi support than the older Android versions?

Sorry I don't know anything else technical about the wifi at work.

I've just checked on my Galaxy Nexus, and yes there's an option for WPA Enterpise (802.1x EAP) with EAP methods:

PEAP
TLS
TTLS

and Phase-2 authentication types:

None
PAP
MSCHAP
MSCHAPv2
GTC

You can use an identity with a passphrase, or certificates

While I am running a custom ROM, I'm almost 100% positive this is in stock, as I could do the same on my Nexus One running 2.3

There is an application on the Android market/Play Store called "LEAP Wifi Free". Install it and you can now configure all your LEAP protected WiFi networks.
Tested with Android 4 and Samsung Nexus :-)


Only 1 arrow flashing when connected to wi-fi Recently when I connect to my companies  wi-fi network, it  says I'm connected with 1 bar the up arrow flashes white but the down arrow does not flash at all and I can not use any apps internet, nothing! (I never had this problem before)

Can someone please help. I have reset my phone, turned it off and on 100 times , clicked forget network and retyped in password etc.. says I'm connected to network but no internet?

I use Samsung galaxy note 2

Here's your solution to the only one arrow of wi-fi is blinking issue

long press your wi-fi network, an option will appear 'modify network' click this.
Go to advanced setting and change your Ipv4 address from 'static' to 'DHCP'.
After this also if your problem is not solved then contact to wi-fi owner.

your firewall is preventing your phone to access or connect to the internet.check your firewall settings. or may be this happen due to some problem in your router.


Is there a way to make the Gingerbread notification behave like ICS? The ICS notification allows users to "swipe" single notifications away. I was wondering if this can be done on a rooted Gingerbread phone?

On a stock carrier/manufacturer's ROM there's probably not a whole lot you can do I would imagine, but CyanogenMod 7 (its Gingerbread-based version) allows you to dismiss individual notifications by swiping them away. You can see it in action in this Lifehacker article.

There is a mod for this by, I think, TeamNocturnal...I have it working on Stock gb 2.3.5 for ZTE Merit.  Google search "swipe to clear notifications mod."


Android Install button inactive, cancel works Unable to tap on the INSTALL button for an app (that I created). Cancel button works fine.

I have looked into other answers and they all seem to be talking about screen dimming / blue light filter apps - I am not using any screen dimming or blue-light filter app/tool, or have any such settings on (that I am aware of).

My phone is an Honor 6X. Its a phonegap/ cordova app that I created for my personal use. Have been using it for months, and have installed updated versions many times with no issue. Few days ago, while using the app - it got stuck (it was writing a lot of data into an SQL database) when it sorta hung up for a long time. So I closed the app - and after that it stopped working. It just won't start again. (I guess the SQL file got corrupted because I forcefully closed it when it was still writing data)..

I uninstalled it, and when I tried to reinstall again - the INSTALL button won't work - seems to be inactive.

I then changed the app ID (reverse domain id), app versions etc - and tried to install it as a new app - but that didn't work either.

Finally, I downloaded another third party app - (which I had successfully installed on my phone before) - and same issue - unable to tap the install button. So it looks like I am unable to install any kind of third-party app, not just that app. Can somebody help?

Anurag's suggestion worked for me. From the install screen lock your phone with your power button then unlocked and voila there's the install button

Same problem as I had.. My trick is to DL the app then open download folder tap the app, scroll down to the no install..  Hit back then tap on the install screen u see.. Voila it now allows Install


Nexus 7 system update notification My Nexus 7 permanently displays a 'system update downloaded. Touch to install' notification' that I can't seem to clear. I've touched the notification to install but am just taken to apps. Can anyone help me get rid of this notification, please? Many thanks.

Download the updated image and manually flash it instead. That is what I did with mine.


Alarm silent, even when not in silent mode The alarm on my Samsung Note 3 makes no sound. Things that I've tried to resolve the issue:

Ensure that the phone is not in silent mode.
Ensure that bluetooth is not enabled, so the sound does not go to i.e. a headset.
Ensure that all the volume sliders are up (Ring, Media, Messages, System).
No task killer apps in use.
The alarm's volume is set as high as possible and the Alarm Type is "sound".
The alarm's sound is the default Samsung alarm sound Morning Flower.
No location-, time-, or event- based applications such as Tasker, Llama, or IFTTT are installed.
The setting Settings > Accessibility > Turn off all sounds is not set. In fact, other sounds (such as ringing) function as expected.

I see that the alarm 'goes off' in the sense that the screen shows an alarm event occurring which I can either close or put to sleep. However, no sound is produced. What else should I check? The phone is running the stock OS (Android KitKat 4.4.2) and is not rooted.

Additional informations as per the comments:

None of the alarm sounds play. I'm not sure where to find them outside the Alarm application. Additionally, custom sounds do not play either, even though I can play them outside the Alarm application.
The Lollipop update has issues that I do not want to deal with, thus I intend on staying with 4.4 until the unrelated Lollipop issues are dealt with in a future 5.x update.
I know of no special circumstances during which the alarm will sound. It hasn't made a peep in the few weeks that I've been trying to use it. I know that it did work when the phone was new (one year ago) but until recently I had no need to use the Alarm so I haven't used it in some time.
I have tweaked just about every combination of variables, and nothing makes the alarm sound properly. However, the preview sound does play when selecting the alarm sound.
I have not tried any other alarm apps. I do not install many applications on this device, and I will not go installing and uninstalling applications precariously, rather, I prefer to fix what is already installed on the device.
When pressing the Volume Up key, the Alarm seems to stop. It is the same effect as selecting the end alarm function
I have cleared the data from the Clock app. This removed all current alarms, and the new alarm rings! Please make this comment an answer so that I could accept it.

This answer is credited to user abhioxic, who came up with the solution in a comment.

Clearing the cache and data from the Clock app resolved the issue. After clearing the cache and data, the old alarms were removed (data loss) but new alarms ring properly.

Yo can change your phone's alarm ringtone by a new one or you can set the default ringtone for your alarm.


How to view animated GIFs in Android? Is there a way to view animated GIFs on an Android device?  I searched the Market without success.

A Google search shows me a lot of people have this question...looks like it's still an issue.

Although one post here says Image Viewer (with animation) v1.0 from Androlib.com helped (I have not tried it).

The only app I've got that is able to run .gif files is Fast Image Viewer Free.


Uninstall SuperSu with binaries I have Cyanogenmod 14.1 installed on my Samsung SM-G900f. After installing SuperSu from Phillz recovery, Wifi try to start, but no success. I found the same post here WiFi doesn't work when SuperSU 2.72 binaries are installed on Android 7

The last comment sugest to "Better you uninstall SuperSu app and binaries and use CM's Default Root Access (from Developer Settings) till the issue is fixed"

I've tried to uninstall SuperSu the normal way and from the app settings: SuperSu > Settings > Switch superuser app, but when SuperSu is uninstalled and in the CM settings the root access is set to disabled, it is ignored and every app that granted root permission from SuperSu before, seems it has it now and use it without asking.
Root access from CM settings is ignored.

That being said, how can I uninstall SuperSu app and binaries and use CM's Default Root Access?
Or even better, is there a fix to a non working Wifi?

If the SuperSU app to remove SuperSU binary doesn't work, you'll have to wipe and reinstall but fear not as this will not wipe your user data.

Make sure to have the cm rom for your device and google apps if needed.

Now that you have them, preferably in your device for easier access, boot your device into recovery.

In your custom recovery you should select the wipe option>advanced wipe options>select only system and wipe it.

After this you just flash CyanogenMod normally, and Gapps if needed, reboot your device and that should be all.

PD. Is always good to make a backup.

Today, SuperSu released a new version with a fix for wifi https://download.chainfire.eu/1014/SuperSU/SR5-SuperSU-v2.78-SR5-20161130091551.zip


Pictures are missing in Internal memory in Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 Tab Model - Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 GT-P3100, Android version - 4.1.1

Files in the DCIM folder both Pictures & Videos are missing in the internal memory.
I'm sure that I haven't deleted them. I tried below options, but no positive results:

Tried connected to my Windows 7 PC, but its detected as Portable Media Device (as MTP mode) and not able to trace the files with the file recovery software as they detect only logical drives.
Tried with Wondershare Android data recovery software (Trial Pack), but still I didn't find even a single deleted Picture/Video file in it.
In order to convert to USB mass storage mode (this option is missing in android 4.1.1 by default), as recommended in few sites, I've rooted my tab, downloaded the terminal app and changed the config file but no use. Windows 7 failed to detect the tab as USB mass storage device.

I don't want to lose my pictures & videos. How can I retrieve my files?

Well, I would like to ask you one more thing, I don't think the files images and videos created inside the DICM folder at least I can't see it over my device and yes it's also GT-P3100 but running 4.2.2. I would say if you are trying to recover things then why don't you try recovering your data using "Recuva" I have tried using it a number of times to recover some of my images. So, it does seems okay try giving it a shot if you're luck is good enough then I am sure you can get at least some of your images back.


My Galaxy Nexus detects wifi signal(at home) but can't connect to it My Galaxy Nexus detects wifi signal(at home) but can't connect to it.

I cant connect to wifi. The wifi icon doesnt appear beside the time on the upper right of the screen. When I try to access facebook it says connection lost. But wifi works properly well on the laptop.

I've switched the ON/OFF , restarted the galaxy Nexus and still nothing.

Please help.

A few things to try:

Ensure that the Wi-Fi network you are connecting to is an infrastructure mode (router) and not ad-hoc (shared connection via another phone or laptop) as Android doesn't support ad-hoc mode out of the box.
Disable the Avoid poor connections option under Settings -> Wi-Fi -> Menu -> Advanced.
On the same screen, switch the W-Fi frequency band from default "Auto" option to the one your router uses (2.4 GHz Vs. 5 GHz).
Check your router settings to ensure it's not filtering by MAC address.  If it is - either disable that option, or add your phone's MAC address to the list of allowed devices.
Check the settings on the Wifi network on the Settings -> Wi-Fi screen.  Long-press on the network you are trying to connect to, select Modify network, and check that the settings for Security are correct.
Try re-connecting fresh.  On the Settings -> Wi-Fi screen long-press the network you are trying to connect to and select Forget network option.  Try re-connecting to it.

I had the same problem and then remembered that the new router was set to only accept connections by MAC address.  When I added my Nexus one MAC address to the new router, it connected perfectly.


Does adding a google account to phone increase data charges? I've written an app that uses google push notifications to install upgrades. The problem is that certain companies that my app is rolled out to, have phones that are running Android 2.3.6. This means that for the push notification to work, a google account must be present on the phone.

One customer only has a limited data plan for his employees and is reluctant to assign a google account to his employee's phone because of the potential data charges.

Would assigning a Google account to a phone incur potential data charges on the phone?

He has mentioned things like emails, spam, links to YouTube. All of these worry him as he thinks the employee may use things outside company purpose.

Thanks

Yes, assigning a Google account to a phone would incur data charges UNLESS syncing is disabled as it will regularly sync calendars, email, etc.  Even so, other data related services may come into play (eg, Play store app update checking & downloading).

This depends on two factors.

Settings > Wireless & Network settings > Mobile networks
Data enabled, if that's checked, all internet data goes through the telephony layer and treated as internet data.

The other spot is in
 - Settings > Accounts & Sync Settings
 - Background data and Auto-sync are checked, it will chew up the bandwidth (provided Data enabled is checked from the previous spot above)

Then yes, data charges will increase.


How to flash Samsung devices from a GNU/Linux host running on ARM architecture? To flash a Samsung Galaxy S (where do not have root access in the currently running OS, and with a stock recovery) with a new firmware (OS), I need to connect it with a USB cable to another computer and flash it from there.

There is a further problem if the other computer (which runs a GNU/Linux, Ubuntu) is ARM (it's a Toshiba AC100). So to flash a new OS onto the Samsung Galaxy S through the USB cable from the other computer, I'd need something like heimdall for ARM. It's not among the available pre-built downloads for heimdall. Perhaps, I will have to try to build it for ARM then...

Is obtaining heimdall for Linux on ARM possible?

ARM is currently not supported officially by heimdall.
You might have luck compiling it yourself:

https://github.com/Benjamin-Dobell/Heimdall/

My advice however:
Use a supported platform once (Win/Mac/Linux-x86/x64) and enjoy on-device updates from then on via ClockWorkMod recovery (CWM) or RomManager.

Reason: Heimdall is only needed to install a bootstrap CWM once. After that you use the regular CWM.

Here's the guide from cyanogenmod:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S:_Full_Update_Guide

CyanogenMod releases for CM7/9/10 in various flavours (stable, release candidate, nightly build) can be found here (Galaxy S i9000):

http://get.cm/?device=galaxysmtd

Yep, you should be able to compile from source.

Here are the steps to install ClockworkMod with heimdall from GNU/Linux or Ubuntu or whatever (I tested it with Samsung Galaxy tab 2.0 7 P3110):
0. by following the steps below be prepared to lose your guarantee or brick your device. Also make backups of your personal data.
1. install Heimdall (and Heimdall-frontend) this software is a flash tool which copies firmware images to device's specific memory area. You can find several guides how to install this even from source. You don't need windows stuff such as odin or Kies or a fake software which contains the usb drivers because most probably the kerner drivers are preinstalled on your GNU / Linux OS.
dmesg
2. download the recovery image to your host computer from clockworkmod rommanager (I'm not allowed to post URL. This is www dot clockworkmod dot com slash rommanager). Find your device on the list and download some files from 3 columns. Currently there are 3 columns:
~ROMs / ClockworkMod : contains superuser.zip: copy to sim card or to device. This zip contains application which allows to execute android apps with root mode. It is not needed to backup/restore device partitions. superuser.zip can be installed in recovery mode. Default recovery of Samsung (stored in RECOVERY partition) does not install the zip due to error: signature verification failed. If you want to root your device you must install a custom recovery image. Backup of original firmware does not require this superuser hack.
~Download Recovery: this is a custom recovery partition: you can install zips or create backup or flash partitions. You can navigate between the menus with keys only - no touch : volume up and down and choose with power button. Copy this to your GNU/Linux host (this image will be written to device with Heimdall)
~Download Touch Recovery: this is a custom recovery image. You can navigate between the menus with keys or touch : volume up and down and choose with power button. Don't forget to scroll there are a lot of menuitems!

turn off the tablet (wait around 10 secs while screen goes black)
hold down the volume key which is next to the power button and hold down the power button. You may keep it pressed as long as you like: logo appears then device reboots. When logo appears release keys. Android system recovery <3e> loads. Choose wipe data/factory reset with volume then select with power button. Choose Yes -- delete all user data.
choose reboot system now and don't allow it to reboot: immediatelly hold down the power button and the volume key which is on the far side. Keep it pressed until warning appears. Connect tablet to GNU/Linux host with USB cable then press the volume button next to power button.
with root permission run command on GNU/Linux host and be prepared for executing next step immediately
sudo heimdall flash --RECOVERY recovery-clockwork-touch-6.0.2.7-p3110.img
when it completes it restarts the device: remove the cable and immediatelly boot into recovery mode: hold down the volume key which is next to the power button and hold down the power button: keep it pressed until logo is displayed on 2nd time then release them.
ClockworkMod Recovery loads... scroll down to see all the menuitems. You can create backup with "backup and restore" menu then "backup to external sdcard"
After all use last menuitem: +++Go Back+++ / reboot system now. "ROM may flash stock recovery on boot. Fix? : If you choose No then you can do the procedure again... / If you choose Yes then Samsung's recovery firmware gets overwritten by ClockworkMod Recovery.


What will I lose if I reset my samsung Galaxy SI (GTi9000)? I've had this phone for two years so all my photos are saved on the actual phone (not a micro SD card). I'm wondering if I reset it, will I lose all the photos saved on my phone? I'm not bothered about losing the apps just my photos I'm concerned about.

That very much depends on a) where exactly the photos are stored, and b) how the factory-reset is implemented on the device. As you can find out via the factory-reset tag's tag wiki (just hover your mouse over a tag and select the 'info' link to access its wiki), a factory reset will remove all your data and the apps you've installed. It usually does not touch the SDCard (external or internal).

Still: if you have the possibility (and your question does not seem to imply trouble booting your device into normal mode), why not copying everything you are concerned about (and which you can access) to another device, such as your computer, before doing the factory-reset? With that, you would be on the safe side.

TL;DR
Everything will be erased.
Explination
While each device may handle a factory reset differently, they are meant to do just that, return the device to how it was when it came from the factory. This usually means deleting all data on the device, including apps, musics, photos, downloads, etc. Some device may not automatically erase an SD card, instead providing you an option to do so, but other may do it without warning.
The safest, and most advisable route is to back up any and all data you do not want to lose before any reset. There are many free services available for backing up photos (Google Photos, DropBox, etc.), or you could connect your device to your PC and copy the photos manually.


Do you need root to flash a custom recovery? Does flashing a custom recovery requires rooting the device, or just unlocking the boot-loader is enough? On my Nexus 7, I was able to flash custom recovery (CWM) without rooting. Is the same applicable on other android devices too?

No, it doesn't require root. Although we talk about rooting the device, all you're actually doing is getting root access within the Android OS. Flashing a new ROM or recovery happens before Android is running - it's a lower-level part of the firmware - so you can do it regardless of how Android is set up or what permissions you have within Android.

You need to unlock the bootloader to flash a custom recovery. Search over at XDA to see how and to choose the best custom recovery for your device. Some popular ones are TWRP and CWM.


Android applications need WiFi but I have only ethernet connection I have the Imito MX1 device that is working on Android 4.1. I have problem with WiFi quality (speed and reconnecting) so I use the Ethernet on the RJ45 to USB device. Unfortunately some of the applications that need Internet are not working. They are displaying communicate about lack of Internet. Is there any solution to redirect the ethernet to the WiFi device?

Maybe it is a matter of permissions which are necessary for Ethernet but not for Wifi. Applications which do not work anymore might not have those permissions. Check them!


How can I change notification volume on Android 6.0? I have an option to change alarm or ringtone volume in Settings, but not notifications as I had in 4.3.

How can I change notification volume on Android 6.0 without changing ringtone volume?

I would prefer a solution that doesn't require root, but would accept one that requires root if it's impossible otherwise.

3rd-party app is acceptable if there's no way to do so in the OS.

I already considered a hack of setting ringtone to a very loud sound and notifications to artificially quiet sound file, please don't offer that as a "solution" since it doesn't allow adjustments.

I'm not aware of a native solution, but my app listing for Volume control has an app called Ringer & Notification Unlink. It requires root and the XPosed framework, but should do its job. From the app description:

  Since ICS, Google has decided to link the volume of ringer and notification volume together. This Xposed module can separate the two streams as they were before ICS.

I have not tried it myself and especially cannot tell whether it works fine with Marshmallow – but the changelog for the latest version explicitly mentions it should: "support for Android 6".

Go to settings volume and there are seperate controls for ringtone notification media and systems


How to move files(including apps) to an adopted sd card directly from PC? I don't really know how to make a title for this and it might be somewhat far and my english is not on point but please understand.

I have a 16gb SD card that is formatted as an adopted internal storage and an internal of 1gb (4gb originally, but OS occupies 3.4gb or something and built-in apps [which I can't move to the adopted. I don't know why]). My ways of getting data onto my phone is via the USB cable to PC/Laptop, but since the PC/laptop can't read the SD card, it only shows the 1gb internal. Let's say I want to move a larger file; 2gb, how can I make it possible? Any more ways to move files?

Anyways, Shareit (a file-sharing app, available on pc) is my last resort but I feel that via the USB cable is faster.

Device: Lenovo A7000-a
Android 6.0 (just updated. Reformated everything since apps cant be read because all my data(including app data/files/obb) was on the sd card and it needs to be an adopted to be capable of reading app files.)

So your SD card has a certain format. This allows it to be used for apps, but the downside is your Windows doesn't see it. In theory a good driver should present the SD card over MTP, but that's wishful thinking.

The best way to access your SD is via adb. Install adb on Windows and push your files over USB. This requires typed commands in a shell.

You might also be able to see your SD when connecting your phone to a Linux system.

First thing you need to do after selecting sd card as internal storage: Go to settings then Storage and sd card. Open menu and tap migrate data. This will Transfer app data, books etc to sd card from internal storage, making sd card as default write basically. Also you can access SD card now. Cheers! Lenevo A7000 user.


GPS only works with WiFi On my Blackview Crown with Android 4.4.2 my position is only ever available when I am logged in to a WiFi network. Using google maps outside works in general, but unless there is a working WiFi connection it just stays where it last had one or does not seem to find my position at all.

I've tried all three possible GPS settings (phone only, with mobile Internet, and with WiFi and mobile Internet) and they don't make a difference when outside. Connected to a network only the one using WiFi works, and does so instantly. It is not enough to have it turned on, I actually have to be connected.

The phone is a bit less than a year old and used mostly as an MP3 player, for playing free games, and, well, as a phone. I don't know a lot about Android and GPS in general and I'm running out of ideas.

Basic GPS can take 12.5 minutes to get a first fix from a cold start. Yes, this is slow, which is why most systems are built with other features to speed up the time to first fix.

With a data connection, your device will try to use assisted GPS to get a fix faster. Your device uses local infrastructure to learn which satellites are in view for the current location and corrections. The time to first fix can be reduced to seconds.
With WiFi, normally the first location fix is based on WiFi location; your device queries a large global database for the MAC addresses of WiFi infrastructure and gets back a answer quickly. WiFi location accuracy is worse than GPS, but it is much faster. Once you have this WiFi position fix, it can be faster to get a GPS fix.

It seems to me that the GPS antenna/hardware is just too slow to find a GPS fix that fast.

I would recommend using an app like GPS Test to see how many sattelites your phone detects.

So just switch to "high accuracy" or "gps only" mode under Location Settings and open the app. There should be some grey bars at first and after a while these bars should become colored. Each bar stands for one sattelite. You need at least 4 sattelites "in view" to get a GPS fix ("in use").

Well, based on your description about your experiences with Google Maps it may indeed take some minutes until you get a fix.

This may be either caused by a bad hardware or bad/misconfigured software - especially "china phones" sometimes have GPS software configured for eastern countries.
There is a file with these settings under /system/etc/gps.conf (by googleing you can find a lot about this topic). But you need root privileges to edit it. Alternatively, you can also try the option "Update aGPS" in the menu of the "GPS Test" app.

If that all does not improve your first-fix-time, theres basically not so much anymore you can do.


What's a quick way to turn on the torch? In my accessibility settings on my Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus (GT-S7500), there is an "Assistive light" option that "Turn[s] on torch to see better". It activates the light on the back of the device.

Is there a way I can activate the light quickly without having to go through the accessibility settings?

ps: If someone could tag this with "torch" and possibly also "gt-s7500", that would be great.

Theres a Torch app in the market that toggles on open.

Do you want a single button on home screen? Then you need to shortcut it.

Do you need it on your lock screen: swipe for widgets.

Do you need it on voice activation? "Ok google, open app flashlight/torch"

Do you want it on your shortcut bar? Drag it from programs.

Im not really sure what you want.

Try adding it as a Widget to your devices screen


My PC doesn't recognize my galaxy note 4. But it did when I purchased it. My questions is just as titled.
When I got my new galaxy note 4 last month, I connected it to my PC and my PC showed my new note 4 so I was able to add video files.
But now  I connected my note 4 again to my PC to store all data from cell to PC cause it's full, my PC doesn't recognizes note 4. What should I do?

2 options , both worked for Me when i had the Same issue:

If u use your fingerprintscanner , make sure you unlock your Phone After plugging it in

Second is to try Samsungs Software Kies and follow the programs instructions

If you connect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to your PC via USB, then it may happen that the device is not recognized as a media device. Thus it cannot be accessed the internal memory to copy images, music or videos. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 isis only recognized by the PC as a camera module. If this situation applies with you, then we want to explain to you in this manual, how the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is recognized correctly as a Media Device from your PC.
For this purpose, the "USB debugging" option must be activated, which is located in the developer options of your Samsung Galaxy Note 4. If you do not already have unlocked the developer options on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4, then please follow these instructions.
After the developer options are enabled on your smartphone, you can now tap the button "Developer Options" in the settings. You will get a list of different settings. In the section "Debugging" you will now find the "USB debugging" option. Set a tick in the checkbox to enable this feature on your Samsung Galaxy Note 4. If it is already enabled, disable and re-enable it with the data cable connected to the pc.
This mode starts automatically once if your smartphone is connected to the computer via USB cable and is responsible for that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is recognized as a media device by your computer. You can now access the internal memory of your smartphone and copy music, videos, photos etc.
You know now how to enable USB Debugging on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which makes it possible to detect as a media device.


Can I get my car's head-unit to play audio, via USB, from my Galaxy S3? I've just moved from iOS to Android, purchasing the new Galaxy S3. Lovely phone; I'm impressed thus far.

The only thing that I'm struggling with is playing audio, via USB, to my car's head-unit.

I've got a 2012 Nissan Juke (upgraded Nav head unit with USB port in the center console) which worked fairly seamlessly with my iPhone 4. I'd plug the USB cable in, and my music would start playing through the car's speakers - with names/album/length etc. displayed on the head-unit's display. This worked with music I'd loaded on to the phone and the Spotify app.

When I plug my S3 in, the phone detects the connection and asks what mode I want to use - Media mode, or Camera mode. Regardless of which mode I use, the head-unit is unable to play either stored or Spotify music.

I've read up a little, and I'm wondering if this is to do with the S3's inability to render itself in Mass Storage mode.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a workaround, or an app which might resolve the problem? I can play audio via Bluetooth, but its interface isn't as seamless and I will forget to turn Bluetooth on/off; don't want to drain the battery excessively.

Yes and no. The fact that your Galaxy S3 does not support mass storage mode means that you cannot play audio files stored on the S3 with the radio, like you could with a USB stick. (If your car's radio supports mass storage, that is.)

However, the other type of USB connection, allowing your iPhone to be controlled by your car's radio is an Apple Accessory connection. This is a protocol for communication between Apple devices such as the iPod and iPhone and accessories like your car's radio. Android currently does not support the Apple Accessory connection, but has it's own protocol for communication with USB accessories. It might be technically possible to create a solution for Android to allow it to speak with Apple Accessories, but currently (as far as I'm aware) no such solution exists.

Maybe your memory can't access by your music system -- so try like this:

When you plug in please check notification, may be your cell phone got in charging mode and mass storage is used by some other resource. So from notification disconnect logically your cell and then try to start play music with music play from mobile itself with connected music player system.

Hope it works.


Build.prop modifies okay. But not updates in system (e.g. About Tablet in settings) I am running Android-x86 4.4 on VirtualBox. Everything works fine.
But when I am modifying build.prop (with ES File Explorer or BuildProp Editor) with other manufacturer or model and save it. After reboot nothing happens. In About Tablet stores the old information.

Seems that android cache this info somewhere.

Any thoughts? How to force Android to update from build.prop

I found that there are a lot of other build.prop, ex: build.(...).prop
I deleted all except the last one and it works.


Swipe required before pattern unlock on Marshmallow 6 I have pattern screen lock set on Samsung S6, and with the marshmallow 6 upgrade I must swipe before I get the pattern. Can I disable the required swipe, and just open to the pattern unlock screen?

I cannot confirm whether this feature would work on your particular ROM but it definitely works for stock Android 5.x and 6.x. You would need a rooted Android, compatible Xposed Framework installed and GravityBox [MM] installed and activated.

In GravityBox, under Lockscreen tweaks go to Direct unlock and choose Standard or See through. Select Default under Direct unlock policy.

(Click image to enlarge)

This would make sure to show the unlock phase of lock screen whenever the device is securely locked and screen is turned on.

1 Xposed Framework for stock Android [based] ROMs: Android 4.x, Android 5.x and 6.x

This is by design and cannot be changed without installing a different launcher. Personally, I like the swipe as the lock screen looks neater without the numbers on it all the time.

I think the reason this was done was to accommodate for the new Lollipop lockscreen notifications - instead of displaying in the status bar, they display on the lockscreen. There would be no room for them with a keypad in the way.


Is there a flash lite installation package for smartphones of android 2.1? I don't know whether installation package for different smartphones of the same OS/version is the same.

But if that's not the case,mine is HTC g3.

Note: I've already tried to install flash player 10.1 but failed,so I'm targeting flash lite now.

Flash is only available for Android 2.2+.   You won't be able to install it on any older version of Android.


Chromium: Option to save passwords and change encryption greyed out I am using Chromium build 353428 on PacROM 5.1. After signing in with my Google account,  I tried to set a separate sync passphrase (using instructions given here). However, when I click on my account name second time (with caption "Please update your sign in details"), the next screen has entries for "Password" as well as "Encryption" greyed out. Curiously, in Settings → Save Passwords, the options to save passwords is active.

Do Chromium builds support saving passwords and encrypting them with separate passphrase? If yes, what might be causing the above mentioned behavior?

A reboot might fix the issue (it did in my case). No idea what caused it though.


Is there a way to see 3G connection time? I have a time-based data plan, therefore I would like to have a report of the 3G connection time (possibly with a weekly reset). However, all the application on the market reports the data usage, and not the time spent online.

Is there an app for that (for Gingerbread)?

My Data Manager app displays what you need. Check out its data pie (left-to-right swipe) and make sure Time button is pressed.

I've built an app myself! This is the best I could do: it doesn't detect time connection, but shuts the device down after a delay.

Delayed shutdown


How do you determine if you're using Wi-Fi or LTE? On Android, how do you tell if you're connected through Wi-Fi or some other type of connection like LTE or 3G?

If I'm sitting at a Starbucks and I sign-in to their Wi-Fi, my phone has both the Wi-Fi and LTE icons showing. How do I know which connection I'm using?

When I'm at a place that has Wi-Fi, I want to use Wi-Fi and not my data from my data plan. Is there a place in Android that specifically tells you?

There isn't a specific place that it shows, but the WiFi connection will take priority over the cellular data. If you wanted, you could perform a SpeedTest to check your service provider, but that shouldn't be necessary.

Also, if you're worried about updates and whatnot using your cellular, the downloads will initiate on WiFi (if you have that option) but they will continue on cellular if you lose the signal.

In settings, disable mobile data and if you still get Internet then you know. This also guarantees wifi only.
Also if connected to wifi, when you drag down the notification bar, it will show wifi connected.
Or, as op said, go to settings, click wifi and it will show you.


why wont my nexus 10 hold a charge? I've had my Nexus 10 for a while and it's been great until recently and the battery now won't hold a charge. Whenever I unplug the charger it just turns off right away and when I plug in the charger that goes from 0 percent to a hundred percent in like 5 seconds

It may be because it came out on an earlier android version, requiring less power and battery to run. If you have a newer android version, e.g KitKat or Lollipop, it may be more intensive both visually and in terms of the power required to run it. Battery Doctor is a good application, (available on the play store), which might solve you issue.


How can I make my Samsung Galaxy S9+ install unsigned applications? I have root on my phone, and also Lucky Patcher patched the signature verification stuff (both of them). I have rooted my Galaxy with Magisk and Odin (using PC). I can't patch "dalvik-cache" whatever that means, and I have a suspicion that that is why my unsigned apks install, but crash straight after opening. It's not the app, as I can use them perfectly well on an emulator. Does anyone know how to get past this problem? Thanks!

Check whether apps can support your android OS version.
You can turn on Allow installation of app from unknown sources. Go to setting / security / turn on Unknown sources option.


How to uninstall an application without removing the user data? The title says it all. Say I have an application, a game for instance. Which I wish to uninstall from my phone, and reinstall sometime in the future. However, I don't want my game save to be lost.

Is it possible to uninstall an app but to keep its data?

Thanks in advance.

If you don't want to root your device, you can use adb and pm instead.  These steps will be hard to follow unless you already are familiar with the use of command-line tools.

Install adb on your computer, and set things up so that it can communicate with your device.  Don't forget to enable USB debugging on your device.  It's a big hassle to get adb working for the first time; the consolation prize is that you only have to do it once.
Use a micro-USB cable to connect your computer with your device.
Use adb shell to connect to your device.
Use pm list packages to see a list of installed package IDs.
Use pm uninstall -k plus your package ID to remove the package but keep your user data.

See also this related post.

However:  It's probably simpler to instead just root your device and use a tool such as SD Maid.

Eventually, simply uninstalling and reinstalling normally worked! Turns out data is saved this way or another.


Recover data of app not on Play anymore? Seems I deleted an app or a directory too much from my Android 2.3 phone. In particular I remember removing an app called App2SD or similar. Now, after booting the phone, I cannot see the apps anymore that were installed on the MicroSD card. However, I would like to access data from one app in particular. This app is called Epistle, and I was thinking about simply reinstalling it. However, it is not available on the Play store anymore.

What strategy can I use to get access to the data of that app?

Solved. I found a copy Epistle on the web, and installed it using:

adb install 2388.-Epistle_v1.2.1.apk

Now I can see old data again!

Warning: I was aware of the risk that during installation the app may reinitialize its database. If that had happened, then bad luck. The data was comprised of some notes that, while nice to have, would not have been terrible to lose.

I have a suggestion. In fact, some recovery programs can help you like excellent Tenorshare Android Data Recovery. It can recover lost apps data, photos, contacts etc within several seconds. Of course, you can try others


Got mail from Google: Google Mobile Maps Location Reporting Reminder. How to I stop location reporting? I just got the following mail:

  Google Mobile Maps Location Reporting Reminder To protect your privacy
  we would like you to know that Google Mobile Maps is running on your
  mobile device and reporting your location. This is just a privacy
  reminder - if you did not enable this or want to stop reporting your
  location, disable location reporting in Google Mobile Maps location
  settings. Thanks, Google Mobile Maps Team

And I also got a broken link to how to stop that. So my question is, how do I stop that? Searching google wasn't really helpful.

Open Google Maps on Android and select Latitude to disable Latitude. :-)

Disable location Caching on Android- These devices are provided with an opt-in feature for tracking one’s location. This option may or may not enabled and one can decide it when one’s phone is being set up for use. If one wants to disable the tracking then Go to Settings menu>>> location and security>>> uncheck use wireless networks. With this, Google would not be in a position to either collect the information about one’s location or it stores the same in the phone but the app of Maps helps it to grab the info but it cannot be rendered accurate. However if one wants to erase all the previously stored cached locations then rooting of the device must be done(that means one can run more apps like backup,tethering, a flash custom’s ROM etc.,) After installing the free ‘cache location app‘,one can get a view of a map filled with tracked locations, clear them finally by disabling the cache with one tap.


Persistent Problem: Internet may not be available I have a J7 (SM-J730F/DS) and noticed a while back that I can connect to WiFi but that on some networks I got the message "Internet may not be available" .... and it wasn't. This message started to appear more and more frequently and on a trip last week I could not connect to any airport, hotel or other WiFi network, with the exception of 1 network at the conference center. Upon return home, I now also get the message at home and at work. Using data roaming to get on the net is not a  problem.

I searched the web and found a number of potential fixes. I did the following:

Reboot (didn't solve it)
Forget network, then retry (didn't solve it)
Switch to static IP (didn't solve it)
Changed time/date and then back (didn't solve it)
Cleared Cache Partition (did't solve it)
Factory reset (didn't solve it)

I'm now out of ideas. Anyone any suggestions?

Thanks.

Turn off automatic updates. Google Play throttles the network.


Is there a way to speedup keyboard popup? I used a lot of keyboards but all of them are very slow (not typing, just popup time). Is there a way to minimize that time or I should to buy phone with hardware keyboard? :-]

As @geffchang said, disabling animations in Developer options is right way


what will i loose during the root process? when i root my device what will i loose ?? will rooting wipe my device ?? i don't care about contacts nor applications data the most important this is my media !!! it means a lot for me no just media !! PDF files and everything else i added to the phone storage other then the application ??? please can somebody help because i want to root my phone to use titanium backup so i can have access to all my backup data anywhere ??

Let's get it straight. I'm aware of two techniques that can root an Android device. Both has merits and demerits.

Unlock Bootloader →install a custom Recovery → root device using custom Recovery

This method will definitely wipe every thing because it resets the phone back to a state you received from your OEM (OTA update is exception). So if your rooting method requires unlocking Bootloader then do consider taking a backup of your Internal SD card.

Merit: Clean, easy, and you're aware of what's going on at any stage.
Demerit: Because of security concerns data is lost for good.
Using an app on Android or PC

There are Android apps like Framaroot (see Methods/apps here), or PC apps like Kingoroot which can root your device without caring for the state of the Bootloader. They rely on an un-patched vulnerability in your Android device. Here is a good answer that explains the working of such apps.

Merit: Device rooted without data loss (usually).
Demerit: If the app isn't open source then you're at the mercy of the app since you don't know what's going on.

Now that an understanding is developed for what will be lost or saved in each method, we will now proceed for backup of Internal SD card.

Consider this rule

Always take backup  before tinkering with /system (rooting affects it) or any other uncommon firmware partition.

About Backup

Taking backup of Internal SD card is trivial. Plug your device into your PC and do a copy-paste of all the content (or your important content) from Internal SD card into PC. I prefer to take backup by running a file server  and  USB tethering on Android but you may use MTP or any other technique like adb pull <SOURCE> <TARGET>.

You will lose nothing except your warranty.


Switch to another keyboard language using stock keyboard I have an Xperia (SOL21).

How can I fast switch to another keyboard language, using the default keyboard?

I'm mostly typing in Japanese, but usually swiftly change to Swedish and English (on a non-Android device). How do I do it on Android?

I would recommend leaving the stock keyboard and using the Google Keyboard. It does  have a language change key that is great for changing inputs, unlike some stock keyboards. I've set up English (QWERTY), English (DVORAK), and Spanish. Its compatible with Android 4.0+.

To switch to another language, you need to open the keyboard selection menu, where every language will be listed as an individual keyboard (named Android keyboard). This menu is in the notification area (just as another notification, present when the keyboard is visible).


Will Google Navigation work without WiFi on Android tablet I have a Toshiba Excite tablet with android ice cream that has WiFi only (no cellular) that has Google Navigation (Beta) app on it and also Google map (Beta) app. I want to use the tablet in London England and Paris France. Will it work while walking around the city if I can't stay connected to WiFi?

If you think it won't work, what app can I use offline that will?

It most likely will work, depending on a few facts:

your device must have GPS built-in
you must have the map data downloaded while connected to WiFi (e.g. using Maps (-) Offline Navigation, which fills Google Map's cache)
for navigation, you must have calculated the route in advance

I'm not sure whether Google Maps supports pre-calculation for navigation -- but even if, there's another restriction: once you hit a "closed road" (road works or the like), you're lost -- it cannot do a re-calculation of the route without network.

Also, getting a fix on GPS might be a lot slower (unless you aquire your fix while still connected to WiFi). Background is: To get a fix, GPS needs to know where which satellites are. These data are contained in what's called the Almanac. While AGPS downloads those data from the network (e.g. via mobile data), "plain GPS" does not have this feature, and thus needs to get the data directly from the satellites -- which obviously is not as fast.

If it does not work with Google Maps, there are several alternatives to be found on the Google Playstore. I successfully used Locus Map Free this way, so I know it does work. Locus lets you download map data directly from within the app, from different sources, and also offers pre-calculation of routes. This app is just one example, there are a lot more available.

It will not work for 2 reasons:

It would take a very long time to get a GPS fix without AGPS.
You have to be connected to the internet to download the map data.

There are a few offline map options on Google Play - you just have to look for them, this is one of them.

One other thing, make sure the tablet has GPS. Some of the cheaper ones don't.


What determines which application acts to a bluetooth AVRCP command? Background: I have a A2DP/AVRCP bluetooth headset (Nokia BH-505) which I use actively to listen to both podcasts and music. Of course, I listen to these with different apps. The bluetooth headset has some "command" (AVRCP) buttons, relevant to audio - in specific: "next track", "previous track" and "play/pause"

Currently whenever I press any of the commands, one of the music players I have installed (Meridian) always gets the command - even when it's not active. So when I click "play/pause" intending to pause a podcast (DoggCatcher), instead Meridian is activated and starts playing music along with the podcast.

Both players are set to be using the headset: DoggCatcher has "Bind to headset" turned on, and Meridian has "Headset Buttons" turned on. I'm currently using unrooted stock Android 2.2.1 on GT-S5570 but may be rooting and upgrading to 2.3 CyanogenMod (or such), in future.

Ignoring the specifics, my question about this is more general:

How does Android determine which app gets to react to these commands? I'm interested even in a very techincal answer.

On the practical side I'm interested in:

Do I have to fiddle with each applications settings to determine which application takes the commands, or is there some general way of determining this?
Is there a way to configure this so that the application that's actually active would automatically always get the priority? (as was asked partly in another question)

How this question differs from similar questions:

"How to Set 'Play' Button Behavior on Bluetooth Remote" - only practical, different focus, so far has no answers, and I'm also interested in answers that would require rooting or custom firmware (especially CyanogenMod).
Change default application for handling headset controls - an exact issue that got fixed, the but not in a way that would answer my questions, though it does gives some hints as to how things work.
How can I make the button on my headphones control something other than the stock music player? - partly similar question on practical side, but no focus on explaining how it actually works, and the only answer is focused on the part I'm not asking about (making only one app receive the commands).
why do all sound apps get bluetooth button events, all at once - very similar, but asking about a specific issue (all of the media players getting the AVRCP command)

media-button-router, already mentioned in one of your linked questions, tries to figure out what app is currently playing music and to dispatch the AVRCP events to it. In addition, it lists all apps installed, that declare to listen to AVRCP events.

What makes AVRCP complicated: Some apps, like Sony's Music Unlimited, seem not to declare android.intent.action.MEDIA_BUTTON in their manifest. For this (or maybe some other) reason they can't be controlled via media-button-router. I know that e.g. Music Unlimited can be controlled via AVRCP since I read it in a user comment and also I was able to get it running once but unfortunately it's not reproducable. So in those cases it seems that we have to wait for an app's update with a clean implementation of AVRCP event handling.

According to media-button-router's wiki "Media Button Intent handling is done through ordered broadcasts, and each app sets it's own priority for receiving." So maybe it could be possible to write an app that displays theese priorities and, in effect, would allow you to determine what application will start. However, I don't know about such an app.

This app would be "Media Button Router"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.harleensahni.android.mbr


How to root the LG Optimus 2 AS680? I have an LG Optimus 2 AS680. It is running the gingerbread 2.3.4 system. I have yet to find a program or any reliable method to root the phone.

I am looking to increase my internal memory to about 1 or 2 GB because I am tired of running out of memory and it just makes things complicated.

Thank you.

This may or may not work for you and do it at your own risk but I jut rooted and loaded a custom ROM to a LG Optimus S that many had said couldn't be done because of the OTA update that would put it out of the reach of the exploit. It required a little extra work, but was doable and only took me about 2 hours.

Now I am not 100% certain this will work for you because I don't have this particular device to try, BUT, the foundation of the rooting method is valid for it and should work for this as well, no harm in trying.

Get the drivers specific to your device from LG if you can find it and if not just get it here, this is not related to me but I got some stuff from them in the past and its been clean.

Then after that, try following the instructions put out here, note its for the Optimus S but the way to do it is the same for pretty much all the Optimus line, its your driver that is important and you can get that. You can use the Manual method if you know what you are doing and are comfortable with it, that's how I did it but you can also download the optiauto.zip or .exe to do it as well so its somewhat automated for you.

Good luck with it, let us know how it goes and if you run into anything that you can't figure out, shoot me a message here and I will see what I can do for you.

This budget device has been largely sold to prepaid phone carriers and they are not part of large development community. So, there is no official root method for this device yet. However, I hope this blog post will help you.


Galaxy s3 stuck in reboot loop after root Today I attempted to root my galaxy s3 with iRoot for android. My phone restarted during the rooting process, but now it keeps looping over and over. I have tried resetting the cache and even factory resetting it (by booting it up in recovery mode), but after the reset the same reboot logo appears. Any help at this point would be great.

if you don't install custom recovery Use Odin Flash Tool for custom recovery and you need Stock Rom or custom rom from any website

Did you install a custom recovery? If not, please install something like TWRP or CWM. For Samsung phones, you can use the ODIN tool. You will also need a custom or stock rom that you will be flashing. A high level guideline would be:

Using ODIN, install custom recovery.
Flash your ROM (factory or custom). XDA Forum is a good resource.


Nexus 7 (2013) 32GB Wifi only - difference between 1C010A and 1A034A? I’m seeing these two codes appear in the product descriptions on various sites in my country (Croatia). What do these codes mean, why is the same product available via two separate codes and which one should I buy?

A store clerk informed me that those codes represent different suppliers and the the actual devices are identical.


Touch sensitivity problem I'm using glaxy grand (I9083). I was facing this touch problem. For example, if i touch and hold letter 'e' on my keyboard to enter number 3, it will type bunch of letter e's (eeeeee). First I thought it was some software problem(touch driver). But today I found out that if I remove the back cover and use the phone, problem goes away. Weird right?. Anyone know how to fix this?

Might be because of static charge accumulated during charging. Use the stock charger if currently not using also there are many tips to remove that static charge off your screen. Try those and tell us.

Ivcode ,this maybe a solution for your problem.

First of all ,try to upgrade your android.

Second,go to settings>my device>display.

There must be an option at bottom named 'Increase touch sensitivity'.

Tick it and you are done!

If it helped then please reply, if not then let me know what happened.


How to turn off android overlays if I can't touch the screen? My cell phone is a Samsung's SM-G110B/DS Kit Kat, and I found the developer options and "by mistake" I selected one of the overlays. The problem is that the overlay has a bigger resolution than what my screen supports, and it doesn't let me touch the screen (Overlay #1 1280x720).

How can I turn this overlay off?

P.S.:  I turned it off and on again and it didn't work, I took off the battery, pinched it, tapped on it several times... nothing changes, that overlay is still there and doesn't let me touch the screen.

i had the issue.....i long pressed on the overlay#1 window, dragged it down and then turned of the Developer options....hope it helps in a way


Micromax A26 USB Debugging mode Not working I am having a Micromax A26. I have enabled the debugging mode of my phone and when trying to root it doesn't show up. One of my friends is a android developer he tried to use my phone for development purpose and he is also not able to detect my phone on android emulator even if the debugging mode is on. Everything else is working. USB data transfer and stuff works. But even if it is enabled debugging mode it doesn't detect. Can some one help me find a solution for this?

Thanks in Advance.

I also had this problem, but I solved it for myself. I just needed to change my cable, and it worked again. Maybe you have a defective cable as well.


Voicemail indicator won't go away On my Atrix running 2.3.6, there is a permanent icon in my notification bar saying that I have unread voicemail. I understand that this icon is flagged on the SIM card itself: sure enough, if I pop the SIM card into another phone, the icon shows up there too.

How do I get rid of it? I've tried every suggestion on Google, which amounts to leaving myself a message and then deleting it, or calling customer service. The only kosher method of getting rid of it is to have my carrier send me the special SMS that clears the icon, which is normally sent when you listen to your messages (but it's not happening for me). Customer service reps seem to have no idea what this means so I can't get them to manually send that SMS. For what it's worth, I'm on Rogers in Canada (but my Atrix is running the AT&T build of Android).

Some versions of Android allegedly have a "Clear voicemail indicator" setting, but I have no such thing.

If it's possible through executing code on the Android, then:

Has someone written an app to clear it from the SIM card? I can't find anything, but I can't imagine something like that would be allowed on the market since it would use hidden libraries.
Does anyone have experience writing apps that use hidden libraries and can point me in the right direction? I've been able to follow tutorials that set up an Eclipse environment  for compiling apps that use hidden libraries, I just have no idea where to start with the SIM card stuff.

If not, then do I just have to live with it?

EDIT: Using standard carrier voicemail, not Google Voice.

Simply long press the notification and select app info. Then tap on FORCE STOP.

Call yourself and leave a message. Listen to it, then erase it right after. Turn the phone off then on, it will then be gone.


Find out which firmware to use to revert to stock ROM I bought the SG3 (GT-I9300) 6 months ago from Amazon Germany. I have Cyanogenmod 10 installed but wanted to revert it because I'm selling the phone. I want to use this guide to revert it, but I'm not sure which Firmware I should download from sammobile. I didn't get the phone from a specific service provider, so I have no idea which firmware I should use. Any help?

You can use a SamMobile ROM, but be sure that the model, the country and the original carrier match the phone as different carriers often require different radio drivers if they use different radio spectrum for bandwidth.  If you don't know which carrier there are several routes you can use to determine it:

find out which radio you have on your device and match it to the appropriate carrier's
find out what frequencies your current carrier uses and use that to determine the equivalent carrier for the SamMobile ROMs
the version of CM you installed should also tell you which radio is on the phone, on the CM website
you can also get the information directly by dialing the code *#0011# on your phone, tho it may not be overly helpful (GSM900 is helpful, for example, but WCDMA is not - if it's WCDMA you'll have to look up the Rx(download) and Tx(upload) to determine frequency)

FWIW, I find that Odin generally is easier to use than Kies for flashing ROMs.

You can download Android 4.3 for s3 i9300 for your device From sammobiles. I think Android 4.3 released in Germany.

OR Else If you have the back up before flashing the ROM, you can restore it from Recovery


How can I enable/add USB OTG support to my rooted stock LG P500? I have a rooted LG P500 running stock 2.3.3 with kernel 2.6.35.10.

I would like to use USB OTG features and connect a flash drive to my phone. I have a USB OTG cable that I use with my Nexus 7.  The same cable and same flash drive doesn't work with my phone.

I have tried to install StickMount, but unfortunately it is not compatible with my phone and so is the USB Host diagnostics - however, their database  clearly says P500 does not support USB.

Other than going the route of custom ROM, can some thing be done for enabling USB OTG like patching kernels etc? I am not sure even the previous statement is valid, but just thought of asking as in the database under "Rooted API Claims support" column, the value for LGP500 is said as Yes. And, I checked this XDA thread, which also says that the chipset MSM7227 which my phone uses has limited OTG capabilities. Also that thread's title says Update: Working now, but I couldn't find anything relevant within its posts. All these just gives me a faint hope.

Update:
My phone's has three files libra.ko, librasdioif.ko, wireless.ko in /system/lib/modules

In short, MSM7x27 chipsets have very limited support for USB OTG, that is despite there is an option in the kernel to build the driver for it, unfortunately it does not work and requires hackery to get it to work 100%!

In reference to this:

  Update: My phone's has three files libra.ko, librasdioif.ko,
  wireless.ko in /system/lib/modules

Those modules the OP referred to, are tied to the SDIO's chipset support for both the SDCard mechanism and the Wireless. Notably, Atheros's ar6000 uses the SDIO pins to activate the wireless, and is specific to that driver.

Offtopic: The SDIO controls the SDCard mechanism, so yeah, it does sound 'cheap' in the sense that using the pins for I/O off the SDCard mechanism, to control the wifi chip...

As a FYI - Zte Blade and LG-P500 uses the near-identical array of peripherals such as chipset, wifi, but under different manufacturers! Have a mooch around the Modaco thread governing both devices, you might find something in there!

Have you tried USB OTG Helper? It works with either stock or custom ROM.

I have not seen the P500 listed as supported, but you could TRY.


Ways of unlocking Nexus 4 cracked touch screen If anyone could give me some ideas on where i should start with my cracked Nexus 4? I'm trying to pattern unlock, so I can simply access to back-up my important data. I can see the screen, even answer calls but that's it! I figured their has to be a way around the touch screen interface well actually I'm preying there is.

If you know software, a physical device, internet remote, something anything that will allow me to use my phone for temporarily command please let me know ASAP id greatly appreciate it.

I was able to use a usb-to-go cable to connect a mouse and get into the phone that way.  I'm running Cyanogenmod though.  Not sure if the mouse will work with stock android.

Wakeup touch nexus was the best that i found!! Works great on my nexus 4.


Is it possible to factory reset Sony Xperia J when I forgot the pattern code? So basically, my friend asked me if it's still possible to factory reset his phone in any way when the pattern code was entered 20 times and it locked itself. The only way to do it right now is to enter the answer for the question, but he doesn't even remember it. Second one's validating throgh Google account, but he doesn't remember his credentials.

So I'm asking; is it possible to factory reset this phone?

I tried the volume up/down/both + power button, didn't seem to work, the menu won't show up. I tried flashing it, but it's locked and when I tried to unlock it, writing the code in the emergency dialer didn't do anything too. Additionally, other codes didn't look like working too. No menus showed up.

I don't care about data loss, I've already taken both SIM and SD cards out where all the information was. So, if anyone knows if I can somehow reset it in any way, I'd be really thankful.

You can do this:
1. Download an app called "PC Companion" (Link)
2. Install and run it.
3. Select the option "Support Zone New!" then click "Start"
4. Wait the program to install a add on
5. Select "Phone / Tablet Software Update" and click "Start"
6. Select "Repair my phone / tablet"
7. Follow the Instruction
8. Chose your phone model
9. Connect your phone to your PC and wait.

DONE!

Firstly Sony xperia J doesnt have stock recovery.U need to flash a new One.Try Twrp or Cwm From xda developers site.
If the phone's rooted you can try adb.
But for Adb you should need the adb debugging option enabled on the phone.
write those commands in adb shell of your pc.

adb devices
adb shell
cd data/system
su
rm *.key

OR
On TWRP Mount the system,use file manager,navigate to data/system
remove all files ending with .key

Done.You got your phone unlocked.


LG Optimus L70 Google Apps Gone I dropped my phone and the battery fell out. When I put it in and turned on my phone, all my Google apps were gone! Play Store, Chrome, etc.

My accounts won't sync; I get this play services error and when I hold the notification and touch "app info", Accounts Sync comes up. I checked my Google accounts in Settings and they're all not syncing due to some error.

I am rooted, by the way.

Did you tried a factory reset? I fear it could be the only way to solve the issue, hope you enabled the Google backup feature so that it could restore your apps and data as soon as you login in the next setup process.

If this doesn't work, your internal memory hardware could be seriously damaged and the only solution would be official repair, unfortunately!


Can't find Google Now in CyanogenMod 10.0 for Galaxy S2 I flashed CM 10.0 (Android 4.1.2) to my Galaxy S2 (i777), and it doesn't seem like Google Now is installed. It doesn't show in the list when I go to Google Play, but I do have Google Search v1.4.1.299849 installed.

Any idea how I can install Google Now?

It seems that you have a version of Google Search that doesn't include Google Now. The easiest way to fix this would be to install a new version of the Google Search app. I have linked to the googlenow apk below so that you can install the version I had on my device.

This should then allow you to access Google Now by pressing the Google Search option in the app drawer, or using the quick search bar on the default launcher.

GoogleNow.apk

I uninstalled Google Search updates then updated again.  It works fine now.


Mount a folder from external sd as /data How do I mount /mnt/sdcard/data as /data. Right now the /data has its own partition but it's too small (~500mb) and I would much rather give it more space than move apps and other things to my SD card.

My device is Micromax Canvas 2 A110.

It has a ~2GB internal sd card mounted at /mnt/sdcard2
and an external one at /mnt/sdcard and /sdcard
(I'm on some custom rom that switches internal and external default mount points like that)

I don't know what filesystem those are in.

This is the way to have /data on the SD Card directory:

Copy all /data to the SD card directory: /mnt/sdcard/data
Delete /data
Create a symlink that points to the SD: ln -s /mnt/sdcard/data /data

The main problem is that /data could be EXT2/3/4 partition, while the SD Card is FAT32. The best thing to achieve what you want is to create an extra partition on the SD Card as EXT2/3/4 filesystem. Then you can link the directory /data with the partition.

When the phone restarts, it will mount the data partition more or less like this:

mount <args> /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data

Since /data is pointing now to /mnt/sdcard/data, the above command is equivalent to this one:

mount <args> /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /mnt/sdcard/data

So in the end, we would have our data partition mounted in the SD card. Again, it should be in a separate partition, so we have the SD card as FAT and the extra partition as EXT2/3/4 so it won't fail when it mounts due to the filesystem.

If you want a more elegant solution, you can try any of the XDA Developers App2SD scripts, they let you achieve the same but without symlinking (it will mount it and bind it to /data). You will only need a Custom Recovery to be able to flash them. You can check them here.

i had the same problem and my external sd card was in extsd, /mnt/extsd, and the one inside the tablet was in /mnt/sdcard.

I spend 3 hours to figure this out.

Hope this helps someone.
Thanks