Can I emulate a Bluetooth keyboard with my Android device? I'd like to use an Android phone for controlling presentations. I know there's some wifi approaches, but often times the computer running the slideshow isn't owned by me and is not comfortable installing and running other software, especially stuff designed for remote control.

So I'm specifically looking for some way to do this using the Bluetooth HID profile, as it requires very little set-up on the PC side. Basically, I'm looking for the Android equivalent to BlueMaemo. Is there a way to do this?

Just saw this today...
AndroidSpin: Turn your Android Into a Keyboard and Mouse for Your Playstation 3 or PC

  Another reason we all love technology,
  thanks to some clever development by
  XDA member berserker_devel, you can
  now use your rooted Android device as
  a keyboard or mouse on your
  Playstation 3. The app, BlueputDroid,
  has been released in beta form and
  allows your phone’s screen to be used
  as a cursor and virtual or physical
  keyboard to input text. This app could
  also be used for your PC, for those
  that really want the most from there
  device(s). Either way it could save
  you quite a bit of money on buying
  wireless input devices for your toys
  (provided they have bluetooth and are
  supported).

A limited number of devices supported at present but it's being actively developed so something to keep an eye on even if it doesn't cover your device right now.

I can confidently refer you to my own app, AndroidRC.
It works for all Android devices with all Windows PC OS versions (tried and tested, stable, minor bugs not included..).

It does require a server app, but for that you get some extra Windows program native support apart from the mouse and keyboard:

VLC Player
BS Player
Winamp Player
Powerpoint
iTunes
Windows power controls
Windows media keys control


Transferring a specific app from one Android device to another I use an application called time card for Android every time I switch to a new phone I never seem to be able to transfer that app and the data on it which is extremely important to me can anyone help me figure out how to do this as I need to send the old device back as it was a warranty situation

You'll need to do a full backup of that app, i.e. including its data. That usually requires root, but there are some solutions for this specific case to make it work without root – see Full Backup of non-rooted devices. The two candidates you should look at:

adb backup -f <appname>.backup -apk <package_name>
Helium Backup (an app which does this on-device, but will need to be initialized via ADB)

Basically, there's no way around adb for this. For details, see the linked question with its answers, and our adb tag-wiki.

Note: As Death Mask Salesman correctly pointed out, apps can opt out of ADB backups (developers can include a flag in their apps' Manifests advising the system to not permit ADB to back it up). So if your app falls into that category: bad luck without root.

All your Apps are collected in your account at play store just sign in and
you will be able to download it to any device.


Does disabling stock apps cause problems with phone on Android 6.0 So I disabled all the stock apps and other apps I don't use or need in my phone and I am just curious if that could cause issues with the phone where audio eventually breaks.

I've been on support with verizon and after several resets I've ran my phone without any apps installed and the issue came back and the only thing I've done was use blue tooth with my car and disable stock apps.

I'm trying to convenience them that my Refurbished Droid Turbo 2 is a bad phone and while the issue seems like it would be software I can't explain what is triggering the issue software wise that even makes sense unless it was a bad firmware/software upgrade from 5?

The weird part is even if audio breaks, if you blue tooth up to the car it works just fine.

EDIT:

There are many stock apps which you defenetely shoud'nt disable as it can problems to your stock frimware behaviour. I also once disabled lots of packages as i thought it will save battery and ram but it turns out there are extensions or side apps which are required by other apps to get/run their content. for example there is an sideapp called media storage which scans and stores media changes in your storage locations i.e. if you disable your music players like play music,phonograph,musixmatch,etc.. wont work and will show previous catched files insted of new files or currwent files. same way you may be facing same problem here. Just check which app does your audio player needs to run audio smoothly. re-enable it and restart your phone..this should solve the problem.


How to add timezone to world clock when you don't know the city? Using the stock clock in Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) on my Nexus 4, I can add world clocks for other cities around the world by scrolling through the long list of available cities (in alphabetical order).
However, what if I can't find any cities, that I am familiar with, in the respective timezone? The list of cities included in the clock app does not seem to be comprehensive; all the cities covered by the IANA timezone database are not included. I do not see any way of adding an additional city, or searching the current list by timezone or even just specifying a timezone?
Am I missing something?
Reference: List of tz database time zones

Example:
My initial problem came about when trying to set a clock for "Central Indonesian Time" (Abbreviated CIT or WITA officially). I know this is UTC+08:00. I also know the tz identifier is "Asia/Makassar". Makassar is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. This time zone also includes the popular tourist island of Bali, of which the capital is Denpasar (international airport).
But neither of these cities are included on Android and further more, none of the cities mentioned on the Wikipedia page for CIT are included either. In fact, having trawled through the entire list, there are no Indonesian cities listed in this (Indonesian) time zone!
In the end I used Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Capital) and assumed it will always be the same (although that is no guarantee, since it is officially a different timezone (MYT) - different government).

It's incredibly annoying that Google doesn't care about those things. If your phone is rooted, fire up a terminal or "adb shell" from a computer. Get a root shell by typing "su" and then:

setprop persist.sys.timezone "Asia/Makassar"

After restarting the phone, you get "Central Indonesia Time" under "Select time zone", despite the fact that it's not in the list.

It does not seem to be comprehensive? You don't expect this list to consist every backwoods from all over the world, do you? (BTW this is the android time zone list we are talking about LIST.)

Android provide NITZ feature - your time zone is taken from cellular network you're registered to.

If Nitz fails to work (your cellular network does not send time zone), then you have to find out what time zone you are in and set it manually.

BTW provide a link to "IANA timezone", if you please.


How to re lock bootloader on samsung galaxy s5? I have Unlocked Rooted Samsung Galaxy S5 recently it has been giving me a lot of issues and I want to send it to Samsung for repair meant. I understand that once you root your device you loose the warranty, but recently I was doing research and I found out if you re lock your bootloader and unroot your device you can get your warranty back, so can some one tell me how to do it ? and if you can tell me if there is a way to find out even if your bootloader is locked or unlocked ?

Thank you

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

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

Basically for rooting a device you need to unlock the boot loader so that you can format the stock O.S which is supposed to boot on switching ON the device and replace with a custom OS.You can check whether the device boot loader is locked or unlocked by connecting your device via the ADB debug drivers to the Android develop tools(ADT).

(OR)

Simply *#*#7378423#*#* >Service Info> Configuration.

Bootloader unlock allowed - Yes:- this means that your Bootloader is Locked
Bootloader Unlocked - Yes << this means that your bootloader is unlocked

Note:-It all depends on the manufacturer of the phone as well as the Telecom Operator.Some provide detailed steps to unlock the boot loader and some don't.Whereas in some cases the Operator itself may lock the boot loader (not the phone lock but the boot loader lock) for reasons known to them


power button defect: how do I turn my device on Recently my power button stopped working, meaning that it does not accept any input. With Cyanogenmod, it was easy to add easily accessible buttons in the notification area to turn the screen off.

However I fear the time when the phone is turned off some time in the future (maybe through 0% battery level). How do I turn the device on?

I hesitate opening the device (which I've done before) because of this very same situation. I'm not sure if the button is repairable, so I'd very much like to have a backup plan to turn it back on (since for opening the device, the battery must be removed).

If it's a hardware defect, I would suggest sending it to a service center for repair. You could plug it to a portable power bank so it lasts longer. But before you do that, you might want to back up your data to your PC or somewhere else first.

plug into charger or computer while u press power button + vol down + home when the os screen comes up is will ask you if you want to continue press vol or exit press vol down you press vol down to exit phone will boot up


I can't send a picture attachment within a text message - using NET10 (Motorola ATRIX 2) I can't send a picture attachment within a text message - using NET10 (Motorola ATRIX 2) - have only had the service for a month and this is the first time I've tried sending a picture

For some reason Net10 is famous for this issue - happened to me too. I ended up using a free third party messaging app (Handcent works for me) and I can send and receive picture messages now with no problems. Download one of these messaging apps, and you will not really tell that it is not the messaging app that came with the phone originally; they work and integrate that well.

I also recommend a third party app, but I'd recommend hello bc in addition to sending photos, it handles group text messages the best, another big issue with android text messaging in my opinion.


Why do different Android phones with the same camera specs have different picture quality? I was comparing the rear camera quality of two Android phones; The Samsung Galaxy S2 and Lenovo A7000.

Both have the same camera specs,

A7000: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash
Galaxy S2: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

When using apps like Snapchat or just Camera, I noticed that the A7000's picture quality is lesser (blurry) than that of the Galaxy S2. The pictures taken using the Lenovo aren't that great and the S2 has some really good quality.

Why is it that when different phones have same camera spec, they don't capture images the same way?

The only thing you mention is the resolution. Stating that the cameras have the same specs only because they have the same resolution, is a fallacy at best. It's like saying that two cars should perform the same because they both have 4 wheels.

  When using apps like Snapchat or just Camera, I noticed that the A7000's picture quality is lesser (blurry) than that of the GS2.

With the amount of information provided you might as well roll a dice to determine what camera is better. Did you use the same settings? Did you take the same photo?

  Why is it that when different phones have same camera spec, they don't capture images the same way?

There is more to a camera than its resolution:

Software can have an influence on the image. That software may or may not be visible to you. Noise reduction, stabilisation, etc.
the lens
additional hardware like image stabilisation

The fact that some cameras are interlaced has a huge effect on quality.It is down to the marketing and saying that a camera has 21mp for example when it doesn't.


What does "Restricted" (aka. "Do not") system icon on Lollipop mean? I'm using Nexus tablet on stock Lollipop. For the life of me, I can't find what the "restricted" sign in the top right corner means. I've checked the user manual as well but still not worked out what it means.

What is the meaning of that icon?

It means that you (might be accidentally) set the "Interruption Mode" to "None". It means that no calls & notifications will be shown, and not even alarm will ring.

This is part of Interruption Mode, a new feature in Android 5.0 Lollipop. You can access this setting from Settings - Sound & notification - Interruptions - When calls and notifications arrive.

Alternatively, you can use volume keys as a shortcut to access this feature ("None", "Priority", or "Always").

Well, that symbol signifies that you are not getting mobile network from the operator or sometime it also light up when you have switched the blocking mode on, but in your case its defiantly the mobile network, I think you should try removing or reinserting the SIM card also make sure that the SIM card is activated.


Whatsapp last seen is blank and shows only when online it looks pretty confusing and weird that some contacts the last seen is always blank and it shows up "Online" only when the contact is Online.

They haven't blocked me anywhere not have I. How this could happen?

Regards
Shiva

Because in their settings, they have disabled for others to see their last seen time.


How to disable limit of pattern attempts to unlock Android 2.1 device? My unlock pattern is long and secure.

I don't want to wait for 30 seconds when I try to enter it inaccurately (it is tricky), also I don't want it to be blocked after 20 tries.

How to make it to accept patterns ad infinum? (I have the root access)

Tried NoLock - it disabled the screen completely.
Tried SkipLock - it behaves the same as standard pattern screen.

Are there applications for alternative locking? Mat be there is one where you enter digits instead of patterns (without attempt counter, of course).

Ideal lock screen for me: 16 buttons (plus "Emergency call") which I press without any indication. When the password occurred as substring the device is unlocked. Example: password: "59B13F", I press: "59159595B13F59B13F and it is unlocked. Without even the need for erasing mistyped password, can just type and re-type fast and carelessly.

Depending on your needs, you may consider an AppLock program.  It doesn't lock your phone, but it may provide the same purpose by locking any apps you want.  For the particular app I use, Smart App Protector, (my version is from Amazon) you can configure it to have unlimited retries (which is the default), and you can configure it to use a pattern or pin.  You can configure the relock delays as well, so you aren't entering in a pin or pattern every single time you open a program.

PhoneLocator Pro
Has wipe after a number of unsuccessful attempts.
Lock device after 1 min/2 minutes.....


How can I edit Office documents on an Android tablet and keep compatibility? In our office, there's a new Eee Pad Transformer. It was supposed to replace a netbook for giving presentations and editing Microsoft Office documents on the go (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

There have been some issues:

The office solutions they currently tried can only read Microsoft Office files (like Documents To Go)
Polaris Office with write support produce Microsoft Office files that fail to open in Office 2007 Claim by the owner of the device, I can't try it.

The questions are:

Is there any way to produce PDF files from such documents? This would at least make it possible to just export presentations to PDF in order to share them.
Is there a (preferably free) office solution that guarantees compatibility with Office 2007/2010?
Any other workarounds?

I have MobiSystems OfficeSuite 5 for my Android (phone, not tablet though).  But I have never had any problems editing files, saving them and then opening them in Office 2007 & 2010.  It does not have a save as PDF, but it does let you save in either .doc or .docx formats for word, xls & xlsx for Excel, and .ppt & pptx for Powerpoint

If there's nothing better, Adobe has a free-to-use (except your doc't goes to their site: slight privacy risk) conversion web app; see their main site..


How can I mute the camera shutter on Motorola RAZR i (ICS, without rooting) Even when I silence the device the camera shutter continues to making sound.

I know that using rooting alternative we can move or delete the correspondent ogg file*. But i'm looking for a less invasive/complex alternative.

(*) How do I disable the 'click' sound on the camera app?

While I 100% agree with Liam's answer, there are still solutions for countries where that law doesn't apply (and to tell you a big secret: those solutions even work when the law is in effect -- but then you run the risk of punishment yourselves if you use such a solution where you shouldn't).

Searching the playstore for "shutter sound off" yields more than 100 results. As usual, not all of them are really hits: Most of the "spy cams" surely will disable the sound, but most likely you want to use your own camera app, and not one of those.

If you are rooted, you can simply delete the sound file for the camera shutter sound. Aside from this, an article on AndroidAdvices offers 3 different solutions:

Put your phone in Silent Mode

  By keeping the incoming calls ring volume to zero you can keep your phone in silent and thereby there will be no sound when you take a snap or record a video. This is the easiest way by which you can turn off the shutter sound. But mind you that you will not be notified of any incoming calls or any SMS or email that you receive. i.e., to stop shutter sound you need to put your phone in silent mode.

Use Uva Silent Widget Camera Android App (well, or one of the others from above search results)
Install CyanogenMod

  Once the CyanogenMod 7.1.0 up and installed on your rooted phone, you need to go through the Settings > CyanogenMod settings > Sound and then select Mute camera shutter.

On some devices with ICS, the camera app itself offers a feature to disable the shutter sound:

Just disable or mute your media sound; that will also mute the camera shutter sound on ICS.


Where can I find open source Android apps? I'm not an open source zealot, but I generally prefer to use open source applications over proprietary ones if they stack up. Are there any directory sites with reviews, ect that specialize on open source Android apps? The closest thing I've been able to find is Wikipedia's list.

You can install F-droid to get a market-style repository of Free and Open Source android apps:

http://f-droid.org/

You can install F-droid or you can go to fossdroid.com (frontend web of F-Droid) to browser open source apps by trending, popularity, ect... (with screenshots).


How can I root the Posh Mobile Orion Pro x500A? I recently bought a Posh Mobile Orion Pro (x500A running 4.4.2) as a new phone. It has good bones and I've been looking for methods of rooting to remove bloatware and to optimize some of the performance (battery and internal storage partition, in particular).

I've looked and looked but I can't seem to find a specific rooting method for this phone. One Click Root says there's no root available for this phone, but I don't know if that means it can't be rooted at all, or if there's no specific method for this particular device.

I'm interested in CWM or Cyanogenmod. Any help or pointers would be appreciated.

I used kingroot to root my orion pro. Haven't found a custom recovery or ROM Yet. I used kingroot V 4.5.0.1 it roots your phone automatically by finding weaknesses and exploiting them. I'm also working on finding/making a custom recovery for the x500a.


Can I collect data from 5 different device with BLE from my Android phone? I have a custom made device something from https://mbientlab.com/ and I want to collect data from 5 of them through Bluetooth through android phone. Is it possible? I would greatly appreciate a link which shows how to do it? IS using PICONET for BLE is the solution? Is such an app already exist?

Since the app would be specific to the protocol the device uses to stream data, you need to talk to the manufacturer about this possibility. Since they advertise an "open source API" for communicating with the devices, it may be that they recommend you develop your own app to do this.

One thing to bear in mind is that the total amount of bandwidth available is not that huge. If you're simply collecting events (such as "the temperature went past a limit"), or if you're sampling data every few seconds, that should be fine (depending on the protocol they've used). If you want to collect (say) accelerometer readings 100 times a second, that might limit you to only one or two devices at a time, depending on what phone you're using to collect the data.

You can connect to one at a time per Bluetooth controller on your phone.
I'm not aware of a phone with 5 Bluetooth controller.


How to reduce number of screens on HTC Sense android phones? I was wondering, is there a way to reduce the number of screens available with HTC sense phones to say 5? Just I find that 7 screens is excessive for my needs, and I heard I can get a decent performance / battery boost from having less screens.

So is there a way to reduce the number of screens without using a custom launcher (which I think gets rid of HTC sense?)

Currently I just have my two side screens blank, but that looks off when you zoom out, however I have found that even that has produced a noticeable improvement on my Desire HD

Thanks!

Unfortunately you can't change the number of screens and still use the HTC Sense UI. At least not in any of the versions I've seen.

You can uninstall it or turn it off, but then you won't have free access to all of the HTC widgets, if you like those.

If you really want the performance kick you'll get from less screens in total, and therefore using less RAM, you'll have to go back to Vanilla Android.  Simply using less widgets, as you've done, will certainly help somewhat.

I feel you pain too, I really only need 3 screens for my favorite widgets and folders, but I kind of like some of the HTC widgets.

use Go launcher ex.
i'm using it for nearly as long as i have the DHD.
very customizable, lots of themes and widgets even own locker screen (go locker)
and: it's free!


Why is my lock screen scrambled sometimes? Occasionally my phone (specs below) will awake to the dots on the lock screen being all the way up in the corner. I can't unlock it because the other 6 dots are cut off and turning the phone or sleep/awaking it doesn't change the layout. My only option, annoyingly, is to restart.

Here's an image of it doing it this morning:

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

The white chunk is an ICE number I've hidden. How do I stop this?

My phone is:

A Samsung Galaxy S2X SGH-T989D on Koodo
Running Android version 4.0.4
Kernel Version 3.0.8-perf-T989DTLLG2-CL836160 se.infra@SEP-89#1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Jul 13 23:39:44 KST 2012
Build Number IMM76D.TLLG2
Using a stock lock screen

Thanks for any assistance.

My best guess would be an issue that is causing part of the render process of slide lock to take place in landscape mode. I have no idea why that would happen although I have had some strange screen rotation issues with my nexus 7 and a factory reset did indeed fix it.

But since you don't want to turn to that here are some suggestions:

-Try locking rotation on your phone (unlocking when needed)

-Switch your lock screen to PIN or password (there error could be isolated to the slide password).

-Upgrade to a new version of android using kies (it should be available)

Let me know if any of those work out

Factory reset is the only solution. At the very least it will exclude software issues.


Sony Xperia L1 Screen Always Open, I Cannot Lock I have a Xperia L1. When I press lock button, the screen locked and re-opened in 2 seconds every time. I cannot find the fix for it. Are anyone encountered with this issue ? Thanks.

The problem has been solved. Proximity sensor seems broken due to service report. After a fix, it resolved. Thanks.


Android voice search doesn't recognize Exchange contacts So I'm sure this is primarily because the contacts aren't listed in one of the linked gmail accounts. It's killing me because my dad can't use voice commands to call his contacts like he did on his BlackBerry. The only solution I've found so far is to export the exchange contacts to one of the linked gmail accounts. But obviously this must be redone EVERY time he changes something in outlook.

So, is there some way to get voice commands to recognize the Exchange contacts? Or do I have to look for some sort of 3rd party solution that will sync the contacts between the two services?

Also, he doesn't like how the contacts are listed by the person instead of by the company. Any way to change that?

Contacts>Settings>Contacts to display>Select all the accounts


Partial Wakelock - Android System *backup* = NO deepsleep/doze mode I'm seeing following partial wake lock through BetterBatteryStats (inside of Partial Wakelocks) and it seems that, this wake lock keeps my phone awake at all time and prevents deep sleep / doze mode(

  *backup* (Andriod System)

I'm using Huawei Nexus 6P (stock, rooted (no mods)) with latest Android 6.0.1 (MHC19Q).

Please advise.

* UPDATE *

I created following:

Issue 207700 - android - Partial Wakelock - Android System backup = NO deepsleep/doze mode - Android Open Source Project - Issue Tracker - Google Project Hosting

workaround(s) (NOT fixes):

reboot - temporarily address issue (until phone is plugged & unplugged to/from charger).
Settings -> Backup & reset -> Back up my data -> Toggle On to Off - long(er) term solution, yet you're left without backup going forward...

I had the same problem, but it occured after I had restored my phone from google backup. More precisely the "backup" wakelock appeared when I unplugged the phone from the charger. Thereafter the wakelock kicked in and remained doing so until I restarted the phone. But whenever I plugged in the charger, the wakelock came back again and another restart was a must-do.

How did I solved that? I just disabled the "back up my data" under "backup & reset", restarted the phone and enabled the "back up my data" again. At least for now the wakelock has not appeared again.

This was my trick.

it's a general issue with Android 6.0, i also have this bug on my Galaxy S6 using ORO CSC and latest ROM (G920FXXS3DPE7 May-2016). It appears only after the phone is unplugged from charger and the backup app keeps the phone awake (not entering Deep Sleep). For the moment the only fix possible is to disable backup (Google "back up my data).


Can video recording be auto activated when camera app is started? In Nougat, the camera app can be started by double pressing the physical middle button on the phone. Many times I forget to press the video recording button and keep holding the phone up, thinking video recording is going on and much later realize it wasnt started.

Is there a way to start the video recording without having to explicitly press the record button? Ideally, I'd want to take my phone out of my pocket, press just one button and that should be enough to start the video recording. I shouldn't have to spend time typing my pin to unlock the screen or searching for the brightness slider when running from an indoor location to an outdoor location and then start the camera app and press the record button.

If it would be possible to program a patch for it, I should be able to do so, but I need to know what would be an efficient way to get the one-button-press-video-record functionality.

A custom widget ( start recording ) on your homescreen would work, but you still need to enter the PIN...

Maybe a custom lock screen with a record video button and unlock button, or maybe use the stock lock screen shortcuts to open the camera, manually switch to video and start ( no PIN entry )

The best way to do what you want might be to use key overrides and designate a volume key to camera key...

Your main limitation is the lock screen PIN, you could hypothetically use a shortcut to the record video intent, placed on a custom lockscreen, but not sure.


App that optimizes images to set as lockscreen? How can I resize any image I have to 720 x 1280 resolution to set it as a lockscreen for my Xperia T? I tried Wallpaper Wizardrii but for some reason I cannot get the app to enlarge small pictures to entirely fit the screen.

I had an Apple phone they there was an app called "lockscreen" that automatically stretched/resized any image to match the screen resolution without any empty vertical or horizontal bars.

Are there any equivalent solutions for Android?


How to change font in Huawei Honor 3C without root I have a huawei Honor 3C phone. I want to change font in this phone ( English to Sinhala ) But there are not option to do this.

Without root you can not change fonts on adnroid phone. But if you want to view webpages with sinhala fonts download firefox for android and then get addon https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/android/addon/sinhala-fonts-package.  Now you can view all webpages in sinhala fonts without any complex procedure or root.

To install any custom Unicode (you need to view in your phone) in your honor 3c you can use iFont app. Following blogs describe step by step method of how to do it.

Check this post to install sinhala
https://honor3c.wordpress.com/tag/install-sinhala-on-honor-3c/

Check this post to install any unicode
https://honor3c.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/install-unicode-in-honor-3c/

:)


Kies won't connect to Galaxy S2 It just displays Connecting... forever when I plug in the phone (through USB), and nothing else happens. What should I do?

I just installed Kies, v2.3.0.12035_16

I had the same problem. I fixed it by reinstalling the latest version of Kies and deactivating USB-Debugging BEFORE I connected my phone (Samsung Galaxy XCover) the first time.

Before ur usb connect with the computer,
go.Setting-->Application-->development-->USB debugging(no tick)
open Kies connect USB maybe it is work....
if still not , reopen the phone..connect again...
i hope that it can help u.....also understand my poor eng....


Where do Sony Android phones store deleted pictures? I was thinking to copy the specific file to my PC and scan it with third party application. Is this possible?

Like Death Mask Salesman said, there is not an Android recycle bin. However, there are apps you can download on your PC to scan your phone and potentially recover a deleted photo. Here are a few (note: I haven't tried any of these and am not affiliated with any of them):

https://airmore.com/recover-deleted-android-photos.html

https://www.easeus.com/android-data-recovery/how-to-recover-deleted-photos-from-android-phone.html

or look up fonepaw

Good luck!


No way to acess menu buttons on recovery mode - SM-T530NU my SM-T530NU running on Android™ KitKat 4.4 has a "Device memory damaged" problem. I tried to factory reset via recovery mode but when I enter the recovery mode (by pressing power, volume up and home buttons) I only see the Android guy laying down with the exclamation point but without the menu options.

How do I get the menu buttons?! That way I could reset to factory mode and it would be okay again!

Thanks

Try holding the Volume Down button. Keep holding the button, and then also press the power key for 3-4 seconds. Release both buttons.

so hold menu button and volume up and power on once you see the sasmung logo release the power button and hold the home key and volume up button unless you see the rest option worked for me on the SM T530NU


Is there a way I can prevent the back button from going to the home screen? One of my pet hates about Android is the back button. It is fairly unpredictable what it will do.

Depending on where you are, it can do one of three things:

take the user up a page in the same app
take the user back to a previous app
take the user back to the home screen

Normally, I think the 1st and 2nd scenarios generally work pretty well. Even through I'm not sure where it's going to go, 90% of the time, it'll take me to where I want to go.

The last scenario is very frustrating and happens exclusively when I didn't realise that I was already on the first page of my app. It just dumps me on the home screen and I have to figure out how to open the app again. As far as I'm concerned I can't see any good reason for ever taking the user to the home screen when they hit the back screen - especially since there is a home button right next to the back button for that purpose.

Anyway, I want a solution to this. So is there some sort of app or some sort way I can program Tasker or another automation app to either

override and cancel the Back button action if it'll take me to the Home screen. Either have it do nothing or display a message
just disable the back button altogether if clicking it will take me to the home page.

I'm on Lollipop and unrooted.

However, although I want an actual solution for myself, I'd be interested in hearing of any solutions that are rooted or on other versions too.

Well, this is still (after investing so many hours) a half-baked (aka partial) solution. You want a message, you'll get a message. :) We need root access for the solution.

Note: Tested the solution on Android 4.2.1 but works on 5.0 as well.

At this point of time, the message will be received as a Toast and it has no effect on Back key.

For the purpose of example I'm using ES File Explorer and BetterBatteryStats to display a message on their default screen.

Fire up Tasker and enable it.
Go to VARS and create a variable as +→ %Catch (you can use a different name but keep the first letter capital (global variable)). Similarly, create another one with name %Any.
Create a profile with application context and select ES File Explorer.
Create a task under the above profile and then an action inside this task as +→ Code→ Run Shell and enter these details:

Command: dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity | cut -d ' ' -f 6 | cut -d '}' -f 1 -- this command will output the focused  activity (current app launched with its activity).
Check Use Root.
Store Output In: %Catch.
Save this action.

Create another profile with application context inverse of ES File Explorer.
Create a task under the above profile and then an action inside this task as + → Variables → Variable Set, and enter these details:

Name: %Catch
To: The (you can put any word)

This step will make sure that the variable %Catch doesn't hold the value (provided in during execution of step 4) after the profile in step 3 becomes inactive.
Create a last profile under Event → New Window and choose Full Screen under Window Type -- I earlier had Toasts even for dialogs on Main activity. Full Screen option will avoid it.
Create a task under the above profile and then an action inside this task as +→ Code→ Run Shell, and enter these details:

Command: dumpsys activity | grep mFocusedActivity | cut -d ' ' -f 6 | cut -d '}' -f 1 -- this command will output the focused activity (current app launched with its activity).
Check Use Root.
Store Output In: %Any.
Save this action.

Create another action in the same task as + → Alert → Flash, and enter these details:

Text: Don't back Disk :/ -- this is the message that will be displayed in the Toast. Choose wisely!
Tap + corresponding to If and enter %Any eq %Catch -- we're comparing the main activity name for our selected app with any window Android will open. If it matches, you'll see the Toast. Now you can see why we needed an extra "inverse app context" profile in step 5.

Save everything and enable all three profiles.
Note that I had to shift my Superuser app's root access Notifications from Toasts into Status bar notifications because the third profile will need root access every time Android will launch a window. Make sure you either disable your Superuser client's Toasts or change them into Status bar notifications. It was an invasive stream for me!
Anyhow, launch ES File Explorer and see the magic. The default screen of this app will show a Toast to you. You open any other activity and it won't bother you. Come back to main screen of it and see the Toast again.
You can have this behavior for multiple apps. Just choose your app in the profile we made in step 3 and 5. They are supposed to be added in OR context like ES File Explorer or BetterBettaryStats and Not BetterBatteryStats or ES File Explorer.

Some screenshots:

(Click any image for its larger variant)

                     →                                  →

(No toast for any other app)                                                (Default screen for BetterBatteryStats)

                    →                                    →

(No toast on dialog on same screen)                                      (Dialog closed and toast came back on main screen)

                    →                                     →

(Toast on Default screen of ES File Explorer)                            (No toast on dialog of the same screen)

(Toast came back as soon as dialog disappeared)

Commentary

The aforesaid solution didn't work on my device satisfactorily if the app remained in recent list (but OP is not concerned with it) and you happen to open it again.
You can get rid of app (and inverse) context based profiles if you use a string in  step 9 in place of %Catch like com.estrongs.android.pop/.view.FileExplorerActivity (Main activity of ES File Explorer). The solution will be reduced to two steps. :D

However, I would like things to be automated here, so why bother especially when you want to select multiple apps for the toast!

What else?

Every device more or less has a keylayout under /system/usr/keylayout. In my device the generic layout is named as Generic.kl. The relevant key is mentioned at

key 158 BACK    WAKE_DROPPED

If you put # in front of it and restart the device then the back key would be disabled. To remain at safe side, I swapped it with Meny key (key 139).

This swapping can be very beneficial in Tasker. Unfortuntaley, the changes take effect only at next reboot which is very counterproductive for our goal. Let me know if it can be done without a reboot!
Xposed Additions(requires Xposed Framework) can remap or disable the Back key et al, but it has no explicitly callable activities (relevant to the goal) which can be utilized by other apps. Also, it doesn't even seem to store a database or a preference file. So I couldn't use it with Tasker to achieve the goal.
Secure Settings (another Xposed module) has an option named Kill back button but it seems to be available for Custom ROMs and so, I couldn't test it. Some folks say it does work and I too saw the plugin useful for the goal. Check it out if you've a custom ROM.

I'm open to Ideas here!

The third scenario is the case where you hit the back button when you are the main screen of an app. Some app or games confirms the exit of the app with yes or no option..some do not have that..it will bring you back to the menu drawer or the home screen if you have launched it from the home screen or notification bar. So thats normal. If you are in the main activity screen of an app I would expect to show the home screen if i press the back button. Thats seems intuitive for me. And if back button exits an app without any confirmation you can still find it in the recents tab.

However in Lollipop you have Screen Pinning option available under Settings-> Security which allows you to stay in that particular app and back button will be disabled until you unpin the application. And you wont be able to come back to the home screen on pressing the back button from that application. But you can't switch from one application to another application without unpinning the current app.

If you feel you dont require the default back button actions anymore, Here is a related app in PlayStore. Back Button(No Root). You can turn off/disable the virtual or navigation bar back button completely if you want to using this app. The floating bar back button work fine in Lollipop but I was not able to enable the Navigation bar since it doesnot work on android versions 4.4.4 or later.

Screenshot (Click to enlarge)


Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi Connection/Reconnection Issue I have been using Nexus 7 (2013, Android 4.4.2) for a few months now, and it has issues with both work WiFi and home WiFi that all the other mobiles devices do not have (8 laptops plus a dozen Android & iOS phones/tablets).

Basically the issue is that sometime when I turn off WiFi and turn it back on, it either cannot find any WiFi AP or more often that it would only find some WiFi AP, and if I try to connect to a WiFi AP that I know is there and working, the connection would fail. The problem would either resolve itself within a few minutes (usually) or that I would be forced to reboot the device (rare).

So my question is that:

Is there anything I can do to fix it
Would sending it back to Asus help

Looks like it's related to "Wi-Fi optimization" option under "Advanced" setting in Wi-Fi screen. By turning it off I can consistently find the WiFi AP I was looking for. Once it's connected I can turn it on again without negative consequences.

Edit:
Nevermind, looks like it only help some of the time, there are still times when the device cannot find the AP every other device has no problem discovering and connecting to...

You should consider updating your operating system, as bugs like this are usually fixed in newer versions.


Cancel All Market Updates/Downloads at Once I just re-flashed CM 6.1 and when I opened up the market to download Titanium Backup, 27 apps started to automatically download, simultaneously. I'm not sure why they'd do that, and they never have done this before after flashing a fresh ROM.  Needless to say, is there any way to stop all downloads all at once, or prevent this from happening in the future?

Android 2.2.1, Moto Droid 1.

I think it is the result of a new synchronization option in 2.1 or 2.2. On the first boot it asks whether you want to store some information about your apps online. I found it quite confusingly worded and was surprised by this effect. IIRC you can prevent this from happening by refusing all the synchronization on the first boot. And I learned to only update when on wifi..

Maybe you're flashing an ancient ROM, where the built-in apps all are now outdated?

For a fast way to stop downloads, shut off the Wifi, 3G, and all connectivity?


What is error code 495 on Google Play and the YouTube app? "Facebook" could not be downloaded due to an error. (495)

How do I solve this error?

According to a user on The Transformers' Forum:

  "I had the same problem but fixed it. Go to Settings - Apps- All- Download manager and Clear data. Then go to Settings - Apps - All - Google Play Store and Clear cache. Play Store should work and if not try restarting your device."

There is another answer that says that Uninstalling the updates of Google Play app and restarting the device and updating it again solved the issue,

  "Uninstall all updates to Google Play, reverting to the original market, then re-starting that, and letting it re-update to Google Play, then re-starting it again."

However vague, clearing the data on Google Play Store app might do the job.

Had the problem on an Alcatel device where "all apps" in settings - apps does not exist. Using WLAN instead of 3g for downloading from Play Store worked. Not sure if it will now also work again on 3g.


How To Sync Data From Specific App(s) Across Multiple Devices I know some are going to skip over reading this and just think this is regular Android syncing, I can assure you this isn't the same. I'm not talking about sytem, email, social media, or calender apps. Most normal user apps don't sync data between devices. I'm not developing anything, so this question is posted from the viewpoint of an end user.

What I am trying to figure out

How to sync data from a specific app to all my devices on my home network, without manually entering the data?

(For Reference one of the apps I want to sync data from is ShowBox. There are others, but I would be able to duplicate the solution provided)

Steps I have taken so far is to

contact developer(s)/no luck
write a script/no luck
get an app/no luck
researched/no luck

The answer I'm looking for will be basically non-device specific, but for sticklers at least for Android 4.1 and up. If the answer includes an app or other method, please include details with step-by-step instructions. EDIT Please don't include steps or apps that involve user interaction everytime, because I could manually transfer the data myself just as easy. One last request, it must be done locally. Not online, but do on home network.

EDITED PER REQUEST
In the reference (example) app above, the data I wish to sync would be watched videos and favorites. User data. Like stated above there are other apps I would also use the same solution/steps on.
Also if there is a way to automate the syncing.

Now you're a bit vague when you say data but if I know what you're talking about then I would consider an app called OneNote by Microsoft.

You need to have a Microsoft account. Go to Outlook and sign up for an email there. You don't have to use that email. It just links all the Microsoft apps together.
Once you have created the email, download OneNote, both on your computer and all your other devices. Sign in with the email that you have created.

It will give you plenty of features in which you can sync all your information that you need across all of your devices. For example, I have it on my phone and when I take a picture it is uploaded to OneNote and I can automatically see it on my computer.

It will also sync all sorts of information and data that you need such as important documents like word Excel and PowerPoint and even video.

There are also a few other apps that can do the same thing.

You're a bit vague. But I think you are talking about application back-end datas. This is possible. You may want to use an app like Helium and Dallas Thomas explains how to use it in this article: http://gs5.wonderhowto.com/how-to/back-up-your-android-apps-their-data-without-root-0158767/

In Helium you just select the app data you want, find the apps and choose cloud backup.


Android says Damaged SD card at EVERY card I faced a problem with my 32 GB SD Card on Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime. Device says Damaged SD card. I changed it to a brand new (also 32 GB) SD card... And problem didn't gone. Each card read perfect via card reader, but not on my phone.. What can I do?

The grand prime is known to cause electrical damage to sd cards and without warning. I have two of these phones and they each destroy an sd card every 3 months. The cards may have self sensed damage and dropped into read only mode, in which case you can read them with a usb reader on a desktop but the phone will refuse to mount at all, and the will not be writable in any case.

Sounds like it's the card reader in the phone if the cards are working perfectly with other card readers. Also alot of people with the grand prime have been having the same problems at you.


How do you extract an App's data from a full backup made through "adb backup"? I have been backing up my Nexus 7 with adb backup to back up all files into an encrypted backup.  I see that you can restore from a backup with adb restore, but that would wipe all my existing data on the device.

How exactly would I extract one App's data from this encrypted backup file?

How to extract ab files
There is an open source project under the Apache 2.0 license,  written by Nikolay Elenkov that will allow you to extract the .ab in to a tar file.
Usage:
java -jar abe.jar unpack <backup.ab> <backup.tar> <password>

Background
Just for reference of others, here is some background on the .ab file format.
The Android Backup (*.ab) file is a compressed TAR file. It is compressed using the DEFLATE algorithm. On top of that, there can be AES encryption used. This is determined when you create the backup, if you enter a password then the backup is encrypted, otherwise; there is no encryption, it is only compressed.
The HEADER of the file is a little different than a normal DEFLATE archive. It contains information about the backup and looks like the following:
ANDROID BACKUP
1
1
none

The first line is the "Magic" line. The next line is the version of the Android Backup file format. The next line is a boolean (true or false, 1 or 0) indicating if the file is compressed. The last line is the type of encryption. This example is not using any encryption. If there was a password, the line would read "AES-256". After that is the encryption cipher. If no password, then the DEFLATE "archive" starts.
It is compressed using the Java Deflater. Which, from a developers perspective,  causes issues if you want to use anything besides Java to extract it. I haven't been able to find anything that can deflate it using the same algorithm, even though all that I have found (for like C#) are supposed to follow the "SPEC".
If you are not sure how to really use that (which is beyond the scope of this answer) Droid Explorer since v0.8.8.7 (available here) allows you to do exactly this, and more, right from Explorer. You can read more about the features on my blog (yes, i know, shameless plug. I do that when it fits the question)

This worked for me in Linux environment:
dd if=backup.adb skip=1 bs=24 | zlib-flate -uncompress | cat > somewhere.tar
tar xvf somewhere.tar


How can I tell that my phone uses the Wi-Fi connection for data traffic? I just bought the Samsung Galaxy 2 and my monthly data plan allows me 250MB.

I have Wi-Fi at home with 100GB of data per month.

Obviously, I want to use my home Wi-Fi as much as possible on my phone, and I have no trouble connecting my phone to it.

My question is:
How do I know if my phone is accessing my home Wi-Fi and not my phone company's network when I access the internet on my phone.

I can see that my phone is connected to my home Wi-Fi but it is also connected to my phone company's network at the same time. Is there a way to see when I am using my home Wi-Fi and when I am using my phone company's network?

I am worried that if my phone connects to the phone company's network and not my home Wi-Fi, then I will end up with a huge bill. I just want to make sure I am using my home Wi-Fi when I am accessing the internet on my phone.

If you are connected via Wi-Fi, your phone will only use that connection. The only sort of data that would be required to use mobile data would be MMS (aka multimedia messages) everything else will operate with Wi-Fi if you have it.

One thing you'll also want to look into is the Wi-Fi sleep policy, to ensure you phone never disconnects from Wi-Fi if it is in range.

Go to:

Settings → Wifi → Advanced (via menu button) → Sleep Policy

Set this to "never", so your phone will always use Wi-Fi (if available) when it's asleep.
 This also saves battery as the distance between your Wi-Fi and your phone is a lot shorter than the phone mast and your phone!

Update
If you are that concerned about using mobile data, search the market for "APN Droid", which is an app that completely turns on/off your mobile data.

You may appear to be connected to your Wi-Fi, but you may not be connected to the internet. It's possible that the internet is down.


Make the notification drawer animation faster I'm running a SlimKat ROM on Sony Xperia Z Ultra. For me the open animation of the notification drawer is too slow. Is there any way to make it faster or disable at all?

There is a very simple solution to your this wish.Just simply head over to your settings .
After headed, go to DEVELOPER OPTIONS. If you do not have the DEVELOPER OPTIONS then simply go to ABOUT PHONE>BUILD NUMBER and tap the BUILD NUMBER  several times until you see a message that now you are a developer or something like that. Now go to DEVELOPER OPTIONS and Enable it. Now scroll down until you see WINDOW ANIMATION SCALE. Tap it and choose the time you want. You can even disable it(set it to off. Do the same to TRANSITION ANIMATION SCALE and to ANIMATOR DURATION SCALE. You can even set different scale to different animations. And VOILA there you GO!! Hope it helped ;) :D


Which app uses my GPS I have discovered battery drain and it is caused by GPS but I don't understand how is that possible when my location is turned off and location permission is denied for every app installed and also any app I use don't need gps. I don't have any unfamous or pirated apps installed, and didn't get any new apps since 5 days, and problem started today. So is there any way to see which app is using gps since here is just blank name..?

Go to setting--> Location

Then you will see list of recent apps who requested location.
If you are still seeing apps there who is using location service then you can find which app is using your location service .

In the settings you can go to apps and there should be a menu where you can see which app has which permission, there you can click on location and you will see.
Sincerely
Rikvola


Will I be able to make video calls over Skype with ACME Tablet TB01? I want to buy ACME Tablet TB01 and I want to know if it will allow to speak over Skype using both front or back camera. Can I make video calls?

The current Skype Android app does not support video calling at all.

If it did, and your device ran the appropriate version of Android, you shouldn't have any problems.  However, just like using a desktop computer - your performance will be variable.  Using a less powerful device will result in a less optimal experience.

There is an alternative, using Google+ (and hangouts).  However, to use this, I am pretty sure you will need the Google custom libraries.  In that case, you need to check the device you are buying to see if it is marked as a "Google Experience" device.  This means it has the "blessing" to run Google apps.  Otherwise, the device is likely based on the Open Source version of Android, which is not as full featured.


something permanetly reset my email accounts from installed mail applications (Samsung Note II stock and Gmail app) I've met with a very annoying and strange issue regarding email applications on my Samsung Galaxy Note II. My search in Google across multiple Android forums has has not given any result. I used for about a year on this device Samsung's stock email application to work with my mail accounts at some local mail servers and Gmail server. Also I used Gmail stock email app to work with my several Gmail accounts (some of them are the same as in Samsung's stock email app and some are different).

One nice day several weeks ago I've suddenly disclosed, that all my mail accounts in the both apps are totally removed, that is all accounts settings and data (incoming messages loaded in the local cache, my drafts etc). When I called any of these two app, it starts as the very first time, that is offers me to configure any account before I can start using the app.

Futhermore, the default Google account in the general stock settining ssof the account has been removed too.

I have restored all accounts in the both apps and the default Google account in the device`s general settings. But several days later I've suddenly found out, that the both apps had reset and were empty again. Well, I've configured them once more... and now they are empty again.

I suppose, that this issue is very probably conncted to the fact, that I use the same Google account as default account on two different Android devices, that is Samsung Galaxy Note II and LG G-2. Well, I have read here at the forum many different topics with the same questions, whether it is OK to use the same Google account as a default one on multiple devices, and the answer was always "Yes, without any problems". But seems, that the matter is not so simple. Anyway I can not imagine any other reason for such strange behaviour. Furthermore I suspect, that the problem occurred the first time after I've bought and configured my second device LG G2. I'm not 100% sure, but it seems to be so.
What seems to be essential, all data and setting of these email accounts on my LG device is not affected any way.

Are there any ideas how could I detect and fix this issue? It is impossible use my Note II this way.
Many thanks in advance!

Well, like the other forum I would also say there's just no problem with using two or more devices over a single gmail account. I remembered you said that "local mail servers and Gmail server"data gets deleted. I think that might happen because of something else i.e not related only with the gmail account. Do one thing try factory resetting your device and then try putting the gmail account back in place and see if that again disappears or not!

PS: Make sure you backup your data before moving forward with the factory resetting.


Swapping External SD Card Memory with Internal Memory on Android Lollipop I own an Xperia M2 D2303, and I'm on the latest Lollipop build (see footnote).

I've followed this tutorial but to no success since it'd seem Sony has changed the memory address (previously on Kitkat it was 179:33). For some reason after entering as per the guide:

mount -t vfat -o umask:0000,uid=1000,gid=1023 /dev/block/vold/179:33 /storage/sdcard0

it is returning me with this error:
No such file or directory.
I would appreciate for help on the swapping memory.

Rooted Sony Xperia M2 D2303
OS: Android Lollipop 5.1.1
OS Build: 18.6.A.0.182
Bootloader, ROM etc.: Stock

try with this

sudo mount -t vfat -o umask:0000,uid=1000,gid=1023 /dev/block/vold/179:33 /storage/sdcard0

I'm not sure but it may work or it try to find aosp rom mm6


Can the lock screen in CM12 be set to show the keypad immediately on turning the screen on, instead of having to slide the padlock icon? Yesterday I installed Cyanogenmod (NIGHTLY 20150128, Android version 5.0.2) on my Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F), and so far I'm very happy with it, except for one little annoyance. Having to slide the padlock icon to bring up the keypad on the lock screen. Is there a way to get rid of this? I want the keypad available immediately when I turn the screen on.

In CM11 this happens when you tick the "maximize widgets" option in Lockscreen settings. Might be similar in CM12.


Adjust SMS length limit? I just bought my new Samsung Galaxy S5. When texting, when I exceed 160 characters it automatically converts to MMS. I have researched the remedy,gone to settings and clicked the MMS Alert to 'on' which alerts me when I have exceeded the maximum amount of characters, but it still converts to MMS.  How can I revise the amount of maximum characters so I won't need to use my data? I certainly don't want to have to send multiple texts every time I text over the 160 limit.

There is no way to increase the number of characters you can send via SMS. SMS (Short Message Service) is a fixed standard that is currently defined as a way of sending messages up to 1120 bits in length. This means 160 7-bit characters or 140 8-bit characters or 70 16-bit characters. More here http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Message_Service

i think you are using s5 prime. With 160 sms limit.there's no way to increase it. But if you root your s5 prime to s5 It can be solve.


Why does the email app on my Samsung Galaxy S4 keep loading old messages and telling me they're new? So I've recently upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S4 from the iPhone 4.  I seem to have correctly added my yahoo mail account.  However, every time the phone checks for mail, it will indicate that I have 17 new messages, when in reality there may only be three new messages. What is happening is that as I delete messages, the phone seems to be pulling older messages from my yahoo account and loading them as new, even though they have already been read on my PC.  At first I just re-read them on my phone to clear the icon number indicator, but the the minute the phone does another push from my account, it happens all over again.

The Verizon tech person there's nothing I can do about this, but I can't believe that's true.  Any help on how to solve this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marcella

This sounds like you're using POP3 to access your email. This doesn't sync read status back to the server. Can you configure your email using IMAP?
Take a look here and use these settings

Also if your email subdivides your Inbox into new and old mail, the phone reads both as Inbox and will load everything in both folders as new mail to the phone.

Easiest thing to do is to create an alternate folder for those old mails you want to save and moving them in there. That way they will be removed from the Inbox.


Automatically limit (stop) battery charging at a given percentage Device : Moto X Play ( Rooted, Stock, Android 6.0.1, msm8916 Board, XT1562)

Why do I want to limit charging ?

( Let's leave out whether my reasons are valid or not and accept that I want to, if you disagree with my reasons)

To improve the longevity of battery , I wish to limit charging when it reaches 90%, as explained here
Ideal charging / discharging percentage for maximum battery life?

Is it possible?

Yes, at least on my previous device Honor 6, as brought out here How do I override charging current on Huawei Honor 6?, with two different ways of doing it

I have tried  unsuccessfully to identify the file responsible in which changing values would limit charging

I am looking for the system file responsible for stopping charging, with it's true path (without symlinks)

(as I saw on on my previous device, locating the path of file was a big challenge after identifying it)

Okay.. Got it :)

The first thing to note is on Honor 6, my previous device ,  there was a single file I could play around with to stop charging automatically

On Moto X play, there are two distinct  files - one for disconnecting the charger and other for removing charging symbol ( In other words, you could stop charging and still have the charger connected symbol showing). Till I realised this, I was running around in circles, since I took charging symbol to show that charging was happening ( and assuming I was dealing with the wrong file ). While experimenting, when I noticed charge drop despite charging symbol showing, I verified with Ampere app and wisdom dawned !

What are the files?
(Edit:30 Mar 20 Jackpot! Found this awesome repository
of files for various devices by the developer of Advanced Charging Controller
Magisk Module. You are better off using that versatile module but in case you want to DIY, it's a great start) .
There may be other files, but the files I homed on too are :

For Charging Icon : /sys/devices/soc.0/78d9000.usb/power_supply/usb/online  ( For disabling icon change  value of file from 0 to 1)

For  charging : /sys/devices/soc.0/78b5000.i2c/i2c-1/1-001c/power_supply/battery/charging_enabled ( For disabling charging change  value of file from 1 to 0)

For automating this, approach was similar to my answer here using Terminal Emulator and Macrodroid as explained here - How to automate command line when specific application is launched?
How did I find the files?
Inelegantly,  and I am hoping that somebody posts a good way. Here is a way that may work for you in identifying the file and path
Assumptions

Long hours on the net and some coding on GitHub ( which I don't understand at all ) pointed me to look at i2c and usb related files with names like charger_enabled or enable_charger. This seems to be true for Honor 6, Moto X and some Nexus devices. I have no clue whether it is chipset or device dependent

The true path of this file is in /sys.  Again, may vary

Next Steps

Do a search for charger enabled or enable_charger or a wild card search  with similar words in /sys

Change rw permissions to enable changing the content from 1to 0 or vice versa

Connect your charger and see the value in file, disconnect and repeat. If  the value changes, it looks like the right file. While the charger is connected, change the value in file and if charging stops, you have hit it (More so, if the path is in i2c directory). Verify with Ampere app to confirm charging status

While you are at it, may as well copy original and modified files to a separate directory in your storage. Needed for automation

If your device is like mine where charging can be stopped but charging icon, shows, more grind to identify that file by keywords like online or connected or ???

If you are lucky, above should work for you

Just as additional information for posterity the Terminal Emulator shortcuts are :

For disabling charging and removing the charging icon

su –c "cp  /storage/emulated/0/moto_charging/disable_charging/charging_enabled /sys/devices/soc.0/78b5000.i2c/i2c-1/1-001c/power_supply/battery/" ; su -c "cp /storage/emulated/0/moto_charging/no_symbol_charging/online /sys/devices/soc.0/78d9000.usb/power_supply/usb/"

For enabling charger and charging icon

su -c "cp /storage/emulated/0/moto_charging/show_charging/online /sys/devices/soc.0/78d9000.usb/power_supply/usb/" ; su –c "cp  /storage/emulated/0/moto_charging/enable_charging/charging_enabled /sys/devices/soc.0/78b5000.i2c/i2c-1/1-001c/power_supply/battery/"
moto_charging is a folder created in Internal SD that has original and modified copies ( to enable and disable charging), and these files are copied into the system. Of course, requires root

You're concerned about something, as well as focusing on something, that is inessential.

Most modern phones have built-in  technology that will automatically stop charging at around 90% to 100%.

Don't buy into the whole charge cycle mumbo jumbo. If you have a good phone, you'll be golden 100% percent of the time (as long as you charge your phone when it needs to be charged. That means not every night). I've tested many, many phones and have yet to see this charge cycle "theory" as true.

Your phone is already built like that. When you see that it's charged to 100%, it's not literally its capacity. OEM's do that to prevent people from over-charging devices. (That is, if you have a phone where the OEM is smart).

It's also important to note that general use of the phone can wear your battery down in a year's time. Battery survival isn't forever no matter how healthy your charge cycle is. It depends on how you use the device, what apps you download and how they interact with your battery (consumption), etc.

In any case, you can use Safe Charge, an app from Google Play, to notify you when charging past a certain percent.

Sources

Other than six years of experience which alone isn't much, here are some relevant articles.

Several Myths About Phone Batteries
6 Common Battery Myths You Probably Believe
10 Popular Smartphone Myths That Aren't True
5 Myths You May Not Know About Your Smartphone Battery

There are also plenty of peer-driven forums with people who have many years of experience who've tested this theory, turning up false. Devices handle charges on their own and stop when needed.


How to fully backup non-rooted devices? I know I'm asking for the close-to-impossible -- as a real full-backup certainly requires root permissions. But still there are many folks around not wanting to root their devices -- afraid of voiding their warranties or bricking their devices, or just not having their devices supported by any rooting method.

I also know there were a lot of questions asked already on this topic, and I checked all of them having the backup tag -- none covers the entire topic, all just have pieces, and especially people new to Android (but other non-power-users as well) would have a hard time figuring out the best way.

So I want a detailed canonical answer to the question:

Not involving root-solutions, how to achieve a backup as close as possible to a full backup?

Please do not give simple one-liner answers like "Use app xyz [full-stop]." If mentioning an app (and I doubt a single app would be the answer here), include what parts are covered by it -- as well as ideas on how to fill the gaps it leaves. (And to make it absolutely clear: I know the first thing coming to mind is Titanium Backup -- I use it myself, but this does not apply here: This question is strictly about methods for non-rooted devices!) Moreover, the answer should be as generic as possible in terms of applying to a wide range of devices (i.e. it should not be restricted to one device or manufacturer).

I already mentioned having investigated all questions here tagged backup. These will certainly be helpful providing details for answers here, so I will list up the topmost ones concerning my question:

How to backup an Android device?
How do I perform a full pre-rooting backup of an Android phone?
What info does Google backup?
How can data on an unrooted phone be backed up?
Could a non-root Android 4.0.3 smartphone's rom be backup?
How do I back up (and restore) my phone before installing a custom ROM?
Backup my Android without my Apps, Settings, Config's, etc.

All these provide some details for my question (so feel free to get inspired by them) -- but I feel there are still details missing. Also it would be helpful to have a summary -- say, an answer including the full description of "the maximum possible".

A last criterium: While I'd consider cloud-based solutions legit, I'd favour local solutions. If you can provide both: all the better. But some people value privacy quite high (I'm one of them), and thus would not trust their data to some cloud service.

Thanks to Ryan, we now have a solution for a really complete backup of all apps and their data -- which I didn't dare to hope for! The only disadvantage: His solution only works for less than 10% of all Android users; namely those whose devices are running at least with Android 4.x.

So again, I ask the close-to-impossible: Any solutions applicable at least on Gingerbread (2.3.x) or, better, even Froyo (2.2.x) -- so they cover the majority of current devices? These solutions may involve multiple tools (try to keep it as simple as possible though; think of your mother to follow your instructions ;)

And keep in mind: NO ROOT!

To further motivate high-quality answers (and hopefully avoid low-quality ones), I will be a harsh one here: As I rarely do, I will down-vote answers not fitting the mentioned criteria on one end -- but on the other end, I will setup a bounty for the best answer (which cannot be done immediately, but earliest after 2 days).

Solution Available for 4.0+ Devices:
For 4.0+ devices there is a solution called "adb backup".
Note: This only works for apps that do not disallow backup!
Apps that disallow backup are simply ignored when creating a backup using this way.
This makes use of adb so you have to have the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) installed on your computer (on some Linux distributions: just packages android-tools-adb and android-tools-adbd).
NOTE: This solution will not back up and restore contact, SMS or calendar information
The options for the adb command are:
adb backup [-f <file>] [-apk|-noapk] [-obb|-noobb] [-shared|-noshared] [-all] [-system|nosystem] [-keyvalue|-nokeyvalue] [<packages...>]

-f : the path of the *.ab file that will be saved on your computer. This file is a compressed file that contains an archive of the data/apks from your device.
-apk|-noapk : indicates if the *.apk files should be backed up (default is -noapk)
-obb|-noobb : enable/disable backup of any installed apk expansion (aka .obb) files associated with each application (default is -noobb)
-shared|-noshared: enable/disable backup of the device's shared storage / SD card contents (default is -noshared)
-all : indicates that you want the entire system backed up. you can use the packages filter to just backup specific packages, or use -all for a full system backup.
-system|-nosystem: indicates if all the system applications and data are included when backing up. (default is -system)
-keyvalue|-nokeyvalue: include apps that perform key/value backups. (default -nokeyvalue)
<packages> : this is where you can list specific packages to backup. Use these if you want to back up only specific applications. If using -all, you do not need to specify packages.

How to backup your device:
First, you need to enable "USB debugging" on you Android device:

Go to "About device" (or "About phone" or "About tablet") section in Settings
Tap 7 times on "Build number" row (usually the last row). After that "Developer options" section will appear in Settings

Go to "Developer options" section in Settings
Tap the "USB Debugging" checkbox

Second, on your PC from the command prompt you will need to be able to locate both the adb command and your backup file. The easiest way to do this is to run the adb command from the directory where adb is located.
In Windows Explorer navigate to where you installed the Android SDK and SHIFT+RIGHT CLICK on the platform-tools folder.

This will open a command prompt (your window will look different than mine).
In Mac's Terminal you can type cd  and then drag the folder platform-tools folder from finder to the terminal window and the path will be inserted. Hit  and you will be in the right place.
In Linux, I hope you know how to locate and cd to the parent directory of the adb command. You are using Linux after all.
From here type the following command:
Windows:
adb backup -apk -shared -all -nosystem -f backup08262012.ab

Linux & Mac
./adb backup -apk -shared -all -nosystem -f backup08262012.ab
## Notice that -all doesn't mean ALL. See the big bold NOTE at the top of this answer.
## You can also include -system and -keyvalue to be able to backup and restore *some* system settings.
# drop the `./` in the command if you are using `android-tools-adb` package

(if you want to store the backup in a different directory, include a path for the ".ab" file as shown in the screenshot below.)

You will then be prompted on your device for a password (this is used to encrypt the backup):

To restore, it works almost the same way.
Windows:
adb restore backup08262012.ab

Linux & Mac
./adb restore backup08262012.ab

Then you will be prompted for your password to restore on the device:

Now for the shameless self promotion:
Droid Explorer (v0.8.8.7+) will be able to handle this for 4.0+ devices. While Droid Explorer is currently optimized for Rooted devices, this functionality will work for non-rooted devices as well.
Droid Explorer will do full backups of the device and save them in %USERPROFILE%\Android Backups</code>. Within that folder is a folder named for the device, and inside that folder are the backups.

Double clicking on the Android Backup file will allow you to restore your device from the backup file.

I'm a bit surprised by the other (complicated) answers. Maybe I've misunderstood the question so feel free to comment and vote accordingly.

By definition a full backup (including ROM, apps and data) is called a Nandroid backup. Therefore the question is asking "how do I do a Nandroid backup on my unrooted device".
You do not need a rooted device to be able to do a Nandroid backup. Nandroid backups are usually done through a custom recovery (like TWRP or Clockwordmod) which do not always need a rooted device to install. For example using ADB TWRP can be installed, as per the directions here. It may be possible to temporarily load a custom recovery, thus preserving the stock recovery (and your warranty; for TWRP this can be done replacing fastboot flash recovery twrp*.img with fastboot boot twrp*.img in step 4 of the linked tutorial). Some devices require the bootloader to be unlocked to install a custom recovery, others do not. Note that unlocking the bootloader usually factory-resets your device.


Does Galaxy Mini S5570 support ICS? I have a Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 running Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread). I know that the official support for Galaxy Mini ends here. But I have come across tutorials for upgrading from Gingerbread to ICS. What I want to know is, is it safe to upgrade my phone? Or will I encounter problems later on after upgrading?

As you said, there is no official ICS for Galaxy Mini.

But CyanogenMod 10 and 10.1 work on the Galaxy Mini. I'm using cyanogenmod 10.1 RC5. It's a Jelly Bean ROM, but it works perfectly with my Mini. You can find it on xda-developers.

the Ics will not support to the galaxy mini or galaxy pop


How to enter "carriage return" in Android Google Keep in checkbox view? I'm trying to add a new line in checkbox note items in Google Keep app using Android Keyboard (AOSP); but instead, a new checkbox item is added when I do :

double tap on shift key → enter
drag from shift key to enter
long press enter key

I can accomplish the purpose nicely in PC (Google Keep Chrome Extension) with Shift+Enter combination; but how to in Android !?

This is not possible at the moment.
Only thing I can think of is to use a clipboard app and copy-paste a soft linebreak into Google keep.

Android (AOSP) keyboard:
When you hit the shift key (the one for the capital letters), automatically the key for the smiley (that is at the bottom right) becomes the key to start a new line.

SwiftKey Keyboard: (when keyboard of the letters (alphabetical)).
 (from the keyboard of the letters .(a b c ..) simply hold for a moment the key for the smiley, at the bottom right.


Lost all my contacts after flashing custom rom (sg2) I got a Galaxy S2 as an upgrade from my HTC Hero around January this year. My phone contacts have always been synced to my Gmail account and the backup worked since I got all my contacts on my SGS2 from my HTC Hero. However, I flashed a custom ROM on my SGS2 and since then only 14 of my contacts have been retrieved. When I try to manually sync the phone with Google it still only shows the 14 contacts. I visited http://google.com/contacts and to my surprise I only have the 14 contacts there as well.

How can I fix this problem? Do I have to flash it back to custom rom or is there any other way?

Via your desktop computer, go to the Contacts section in Gmail. Click the MORE button and then RESTORE CONTACTS.

You'll be shown a dialog box where you can pick a particular time to restore to within the past 30 days.

That should restore your contact data.

After that just sync your device.

The solution is very simple, the problem is that the ROM is just reading the phone contacts and you just have to delete a file!

Caveat Emptor Your phone must be rooted

Go download an app called Root Explorer from Play Store
Launch Root Explorer
Go to this directory /data/data/com.android.contacts/shared_preferences
then delete com.android.contacts_preferences.xml

That's the first part done, remaining part is this, now, go into your Contacts app via home screen or application drawer, tap on Menu, then tap on Import/Export, then import all the contacts from SIM to phone!


How do I get rid of uneccessary System Memory? So, it is as the title says: my Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) is filled up. Not with apps, but with "System Memory". The device only has 8 GB of storage, and about ~48%+ of that (3.3 GB) is used by System Memory. Well, apps fill 4 GB, but that is why I have removed about 20% of the system apps (like Google, Hangouts, and many more).
What do I do? How do I get rid of extreme amounts of space used?

The "system memory" Is where the Android OS is installed so there is no possibility to delete that

To clear the system memory, you would have to delete the app and then re-install it from the Google Play Store.


What happens if I remove a file from /etc/permissions? So I rooted my phone recently and want to thoroughly clean up my phone. I specifically want to remove a file in /etc/permissions (or /system/etc/permissions) called android.hardware.location.gps.xml, which I assume is for location and GPS services.

What consequences (negative or otherwise) will there be if I remove this file from its original directory?

I should add, my phone is an Acer V370 (Liquid E2) with Android 4.2.2

Your GPS and location based services will have problems. It's an .xml file. Try googling it and find the file then paste it in it's location(if you have deleted it)


Moto G2 (Titan): "fastboot flash recovery" won't work. my Basic Plan, is to install the latest Version of LineageOS 14.01 via TWRP 2.8.0.1. This failed with an error "unknown command [log]". Next Idea: update TWRP to latest Version 3.1 and try again. So i tried to Flash the Recovery Partition via: "fastboot flash recovery twrp-version-titan.img" (during the Process i tried different Versions like 2.8.6 and 3.1) and fastboot responded:

    target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
    sending 'recovery' (8724 KB)...
    OKAY [  0.296s]
    writing 'recovery'...
    OKAY [  0.204s]
    finished. total time: 0.500s

The messages on the Display seem to be ok (no error Messages) and I try to boot in Recovery Mode by choosing "Recovery" in Fastboot Mode. This works, except, that the installed Version stays the old TWRP 2.8.0.1 (I installed it some years ago).
So i tried to boot TRWP directly via: "fastboot -c "lge.kcal=0|0|0|x" boot Downloads/twrp-3.1.0-0-titan.img", (worked) and install a new Version from SD Card. This failed, because TWRP couldn't mount anything.

During the whole Progress of try and error I messed something really up, because it won't even boot Android anymore. Flashing a stock Rom failed too.

Has anybody an idea, how to "force" an recovery update?

Sidenotes:

i'm working a mac
Android Studio is installed and updated incl. SDK Tools
i googled a lot
sorry for my english

Check the below link. This might help you.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/zuk-z1/development/win-zuk-z1-toolkit-0-1-alpha-t3235964

Though the solution mentioned is for Lenovo Zuk Z1 mobile phone. The process of doing it might help you solve your problem.


How can you send email to a Gmail Contact Group? I'm using Android 4.1 on a Droid Razr M.

Is there any way to send an email to a contact Group?

I've read several posts that show how to do this but none of them actually work.

There is also an app (GroupU) but it would be nice to be able to send to groups within Gmail.

I spent some time checking for a solution myself, and here are my conclusions.

We will never be able to send to groups within Gmail for Android. I think it's a problem Google will never solve maybe because they want us to use Google Plus to send to groups (i.e. Circles).
To send to Gmail groups outside of Gmail, I found that using Go Contacts is the best way. Gmail Group Share (Free) is also working, but it shows groups of only one Google Account at time.

Use gmail group share, go to the settings and click to show the hidden group and system group.


Can I get my old keyboard back after update? I have an HTC Desire X and I Updated Android yesterday (I have android 4.1.1 now).
Since the update I have a new keyboard, which has keys on different places (such as the change language button). Also the Swype (or trace or whats-it-called) function is gone.

The picture below was my old keyboard, is there a way to get this keyboard back?

I already looked in Settings > Language & keyboard where I found HTC Sense input, but there is no possibility to turn on trace (or Swype) there or the option to select my old keyboard.

My experience is that the Swype option disappeared with the upgrade.  At first, I was really annoyed.  Then I downloaded the Swype trial from Play.  It is so much better than what I had before that I have no hesitation in paying the $0.99 to get the full-blown Swype.

As soon as your keyboard appears, pull down the notifications center.

There you should see a notification "Choose Input Method", tap it.

A menu dialog should appear allowing you to choose a different keyboard.


Making a custom upgrade ROM Is it possible to make a custom ROM to upgrade the current version of android that is installed on your phone?

For example, making a 5.1 ROM to put on an pretty much unsupported phone that only has 4.4.2.

I've seen many posts on how to port ROMs between devices, or making your own custom ROM, but all of the ones I've seen require you to stay on the same version of android.

I'm just wondering if I can take a stock ROM, or a cm 12.1 rom or something and port it onto my device. (Which is a LGD393 in case that helps).

Firstly . It is possible to make a custom ROM to upgrade the current version of android that is installed on your phone

Secondly you can't port roms of other devices to your phone . But  you can take the stock rom of your device and make some modifications to upgrade the version of android.

For custom rom development refer here.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2069130


How may I submit a WiFi hotspot to Android's database for a better triangulation? As we know, in order to locate our position indoors, Android utilizes the nearby Wi-Fi Hotspots' location for triangulation. But how may I submit the Wi-Fi hotspots in my neighborhood to Google's/Android's database to benefit from better triangulation? I live in Turkey, and Google Street View Cars-which are claimed to collect these Hotspots in USA-don't exist here. For further info in triangulation take a look at similar threads here:

Why does google maps need WiFi?

How does Android get the coarse location?

Thanks in advance.

TL;DR version: Just use the GPS.

Long version: Turn on Wifi positioning ("Location & Security > Use wireless network"), turn on GPS ("Location & Security > Use wireless network"), use Google Maps (or other GPS applications), then walk/drive around your city.

When you turn on both of these services, before the GPS acquires a "fix", Android will send the Wifi's MAC/SSID and Cell Tower base stations CID/LAC around you to Google's server and Google's server will send back your location information; after the GPS acquires a "fix", your device will send the Wifi MAC/SSID, Cell Tower CID/LAC, and your GPS location to Google's server and Google's server will collect this information to refine their own Wifi database.

note: I believe the device could also be sending other data, like signal strength and possibly ping latency; but I'm not sure about the specifics of these.

Also from Google's support forum:

  by Christopher (Google Employee)

  If your location is being incorrectly
  detected by a Google Maps or Latitude
  using Google's cell ID (cell tower) or
  WiFi (wireless network) location
  database, you can help provide updated
  info to correct Google's database
  using Google Maps for mobile. At this
  time, you cannot provide individual
  updates to Google's location
  databases, though they are being
  updated and improved constantly over
  time.

  Open Google Maps on an Android
  2.0+, Windows Mobile, or Symbian S60 phone and enable GPS. While Maps is
  simultaneously connected to a GPS
  satellite and a cell tower or WiFi
  router, you will be providing updated
  anonymous geographic data for the cell
  tower or WiFi router to which you're
  connected. Please note that this data
  is anonymous and may require a
  significant amount of data from you
  and other users before changes are
  made to Google's location database.

  Android: You must enable Settings >
  Location & security > Use wireless
  networks and have previously given
  consent for anonymous location data
  collection. You can check if you've
  given consent by un-checking and
  re-checking the 'Use wireless
  networks' setting.

If you have access to your router, you can clone its wireless MAC address.
I did it on mine with DD-WRT, and now I get the correct location.
All I needed to do was to change part of the MAC address.

Two things that can go wrong, though:
1. Your router may not enable you to do it (and you may be unable to install DD-WRT on it)
2. The wi-fi network that's causing the wrong location is not from your router.
Other than that, its a quick fix.


IMEI number got changed I have given my moto g(2nd gen) for sim slot replacement as it as not working and it was under warranty period but then they have changed my IMEI no as well. Do i need to worry about it??

No you don't.... There's actually no problem, if you don't feel very comfortable with the new IMEI, you can always change it yourself using the engineering mode.


What is "Common data service" app in the preinstalled app list? when I searched for installed app from setting>App then under ALL heading I found the "Commmon data service" app with unknown/suspicious icon.
is it a android pre-installed system app?
or something from unknown sources?
Device is: HTC Desire 620g, dual sim with Android version=kitkat 4.4.2, & Kernel version=3.4.67

pls help..

It seems to be a program that enables the device to access data from one app while using another. Like an internal search engine as it were... I'd leave well alone....


How can I play .DAT files (VideoCD format) in Android? Is there anyway to play .DAT files (from the MPEGAV folder of a VideoCD)?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-i9100).

Try Dolphin Player.
It can play MPEG1 file format (= VCD), but cannot choose audio channel if the file is bilingual.

MX Player is the best for .DAT video files.


Can I set the labels in Inbox to show the number of unread messages? I use many labels with GMail, and I filter messages so they appear unread under the labels but skip my inbox. In the GMail navigation drawer (the left menu), each label shows the number of unread messages. In Inbox by default, the labels provide no information about unread messages. Is there a way in Inbox to display the number of unread messages for each label?

This remains a problem with Inbox 1.37 (142224063) running on Android 7.

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but each label shows it's number of unread messages. The problem is, that it shows them after the name. So if the label name is too long, you won't see the number.

Also, the label name changes to bold if you have any unread messages in it. And there is an option in settings, that sends to the top of the list any labels that have unread messages.

Hope it helps.


Nexus 4 - suddenly lost access to all Google sites Nexus 4, stock 4.3, rooted. WiFi only for data, strong signal

Suddenly today, for no apparent reason, every app requiring access to a Google site stopped working:
Google Now gives "Network error"
Google Chrome gives "This webpage is not available" for any Google url, but works fine for any other url
Android Weather sits on "Updating"
Finance gives "Error. Network connection unavailable"
Google Maps gives blank screen
Play Store gives "Server Error"

The one exception to this is that Firefox can access any Google url, no problem. All other apps accessing the internet work fine.

I have tried rebooting - no effect.

Anyone have any ideas how to solve this problem.

Thank you.

Is it only Google services or all HTTPS sites? In any case, make sure the clock, date, and time zone is set correctly on the device.

I had this problem, too. Found a good answer, finally, here:
http://www.galaxys4forums.net/forum/12-galaxy-s4-help/3671-problems-after-4-3-update-2.html
It's a matter of settings for the WiFi network you are connecting to.


Cannot use WhatsApp in Gingerbread anymore I have Samsung Galaxy S+ (i9001) and the other day had a prompt from WhatsApp to update the app.

The update download but the installation fails and the app cannot be opened.

I tried downloading the APK of the latest version and even many of older versions but the issue is still there.

I know WhatsApp said they are ceasing support for Android 2.1 and 2.2, but my phone has 2.3.6, so it shouldn't be affected.

How to fix?

Yes, officially they said they won't support android 2.1 and 2.2, but since the last update only devices with Android 4.0 and above are supported.

Try installing 2.16.259 over 2.16.225:

Download APKs for WhatsApp version 2.16.225 and 2.16.259.
Install 225 first, don't open it
Reboot the phone
Install 259

But soon or later these versions will be dropped as well.

You can install the Whatsapp version 2.16.155, it is the only one that worked well on my Galaxy GT-I5500.

You also need to set the clock to a previous date, to skip the "obsolete version" warning.


How to root Moto G (3rd gen) running Android 5.1.1? I recently bought a Moto G (3rd gen) and I want to root it. It runs Lollipop 5.1.1.

My previous phone ran Android Jelly Bean and rooting was easy with the Framaroot app. But it does not work on Lollipop.

So, how do I root my device?

Caution: Unocking Bootloader will void your warranty and format your device. Proceed at your own risk.

Download ADB and install it- google it
Turn off your phone and press vol- and power button. Release power button after 4-5 sec, youll see the bootloader menu. Now release the vol- too. To enter into the fastboot you may have to press the vol up key while fastboot is selected(use vol down to navigate).
Connect your phone and open command prompt on pc(press windows key + R and type cmd).
Type this- "fastboot devices" and see if it displays the device id. If yes, proceed to next step. If no, make sure fastboot drivers are properly installed.
Then type this in the cmd "fastboot oem get_unlock_data". You'll get a string copy it to a notepad and save it. Then type "fastboot reboot" to reboot your phone.
Go to motorola's website review the risks and click on next. You'll be asked to sign in, use the google account connected to your phone. Follow the instructions to format the string and paste it on the webpage click the agree radio button and click on "can my device be unlocked?".
On the next page click"request unlock key"
Check your email for the unlock code. Now type "fastboot oem unlock KEY" where KEY= the key you received in the mail.
Download TWRP Extract the .img file to ADB folder.
Connect your phone is fastboot mode. Type "fastboot flash recovery filename.img"
Now download SuperSU.zip (google it because I can't post more than 2 links) from the link and place the zip file in your phone's sd card or internal memory.
Now flash the update from TWRP recovery which you installed.
ASK if you're unsure about any steps. Don't risk bricking your phone.

You need to use Kingo Root app.

Install Kingo Root on your PC.
Connect your phone to PC via USB cable with USB debugging on.
Open Kingo Root and click Root button.

Your PC should be connected to moderate speed internet.

Your phone will root within 3 minutes in 3G network.


How to share contact via sms on Android 4.4.2? I'm using Moto G with stock android running 4.4.2. I would like to share contact detail via SMS. I don't want to use 3rd party app for this basic functionality. Was this functionality available with previous versions?

Kitkat has only 3 defaults for this:

Bluetooth
Email
Gmail

Other options can be added with 3rd Party software, e.g. ES File Exploere adds "Share over LAN".

As per  the Google products page this is a know issue.

  I too am annoyed that this issue is happening with the Nexus 5.I can only hope that they will have an update that will resolve this issue.I work in the transportation industry in which I often have to send forward a contact phone number to another driver and at this point is very cumbersome not to be able to quickly Share a recent calls number with another driver.I've been checking the Play Store to see if there is an App dialer that will resolve this issue for me.

From  this Android Central thread  it confirms that this feature is missing and the solution is to copy and paste, or install 3rd party app.

Without installing a 3rd party application, there is nothing you can do for now.

Try Contacts via Sms. It is a simple option to solve this problem in version 4.4.2


Wi-Fi connected but there is no internet access I have a Samsung Galaxy S Advance (Android upgraded to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean) which I got only one month before. Wi-Fi was initially working great, but now it doesn't have any internet connection even if Wi-Fi gets connected.

The Wi-Fi gets connected to my laptop, my PC and my father's Android mobile phone, but not on my device. What might be the reason?

You can try changing your wifi network settings from DHCP to Static and a little tweaking of DNS server addresses should work. refer this link for complete solution.

Under advance settings Change IP Settings from DHCP to Static

IP Address : Most probably your Gateway address will be 192.168.1.1 change your IP Address my changing last digit in this address use any value preferably between 2 to 20.

Change DNS1 to 8.8.8.8

Change DNS2 to 8.8.4.4

try to update your cellphone date and time... ^_^


Every single application constantly stops working My dad's Samsung Galaxy phone keeps giving out errors, "The application {INSERT EVERY SINGLE APPLICATION THAT IS IN STARTUP} (process {PROCESS}) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again."

I tried restarting but that doesn't work either, I'm not sure what happened. It might have been a application my little brother downloaded but we are not sure.

Also, I can't do a factory reset or delete the applications or even connect it through USB. Can someone please help?

I have the same phone. I had to do a hard reset. By doing this its like your phone is brand new straight out of the box. No mobile codes which pretty much leaves your phone open.

When you get a new phone, they mess with it first before you get it in your hands. They put in codes for their network so all will work properly. When I did the hard reset I couldnt send MMS nor recieve them either, but by downloading GO SMS, I looked at their settings and was able to get my phone right again.

If you can't get into the settings to do the factory reset or anything else, then this is the next best option:

To do a hard reset turn your phone off.
Turn it on again holding the power button and both volume keys at the same time until you see the Samsung flashing logo.
Release all buttons and a little cute 3D android will show up. You then will have the option on what you want to do.
Remove your SIM and SD card, or they will be erased along with your phone.
Your phone will be brand new again.