text:
How to be invisible on whatsapp?
It’s related to a specific user and a specific group.
I don’t want to block that user and don’t want to quite that group.
Whenever that user send me a content (text, image or video) or whenever anyone share a content in a group; I want to see all contents but I do not want them (a specific user and members of group) to know that the contents have been delivered to me and I have seen the contents.
Also, if I am online, I do not want them (a specific user and a specific group members) to know that I am online.
Please let me know.
What settings are required for both?
Regards
Smith

Currently being invisible or not accepting messages from a particular member in a group is not possible.

There are apps that get around the limitations you mentioned, and they're able to retrieve the messages without you opening WhatsApp.
There are many similar apps on the play store, one of them is called private read for WhatsApp it displays the messages and media in it's own app without you having to open WhatsApp, this way you can view the content without the other person knowing. I've never tried the app, and so I cannot vouch for it's accuracy.
As for hiding the fact that you are online while using Whatsapp, you should first disable your last seen from WhatsApp settings, and then, every time you want to open WhatsApp, you should put your phone into airplane mode. That way no-one will be able to see that you're online. (The messages will be sent after you exit WhatsApp, and go out of airplane mode)

You can become practically invisible to all, from both sides, by  executing the following steps.

Disable the read receipts
Disable the Last seen

If you want even more security, Download Whatsapp Business edition. Its got even more high ended privacy settings and analysis as well.

Read receipts are only disabled for private chat. They will still appear while in group chat. Turning off last seen will still show when you're online

You can't be 100% invisible on WhatsApp since online status has a default settings which you can't change at all. However there are ways to improve your invisibility.

Set your last seen to nobody.
Set your status to "Only Share with". (Add one or a few people)
Block contacts that you don't want to talk temporarily.
Disable read receipts
Set your profile picture to nobody.

These will improve your invisibility on the application. You can also do the plane mode trick to read messages if you don't want others to see you have received messages from them.


text:
TWRP saying no OS is installed
Device information:

Motorola Moto G5 16GB (Cedric)
Stock firmware, android 7.0
Custom recovery TWRP 3.2.1-0 (previously 3.1.0-0)
Bootloader unlocked (obviously)
Rooted, Magisk v15.0

I was just going to install Xposed framework, but there normal Xposed installer didn't work. I tried to flash the file using TWRP but I got error code 1. No /system partition. When I try to flash other zip files, I get similar error messages. When I exit TWRP it warns me and say: 'No OS installed, are you sure you want to reboot?' When I reboot to the normal system partition, it just boots back into TWRP, same thing when I turn the device on. If I boot into the bootloader and start the device from there it does work and turn on. Once turned on everything works like it's supposed to, including Magisk. I can't find anything about this online, but I do know I once messed up my phone and flashed stock firmware using adb and fastboot from my computer.
Before going back to stock, I soft bricked my device by installing PixelExperience ROM twice, first in December, the 12-11-2017 version, later in January I installed the 01-21-2018 version. This one however, didn't work at first. I installed a 64 bit version of TWRP and tried again, after which it worked. After installing it, my device didn't boot. Maybe it could, but I was sceptical since it automatically booted into recovery. But after flashing the stock firmware, it still didn't boot. I figured out on accident that booting via the bootloader did work. Possibly the custom ROM did work, but just didn't boot normally, just like the stock firmware.
Link to xda thread for the ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g5/development/rom-t3710800
If you would like to look at the specific versions I installed, I still have them on my computer and will share them if asked. I completely reverted to stock and but it still wasn't fixed.
Edit:
I just saw this in TWRP, it says the system partition I've been having problems with is 17592186044369 MB, which is about 16777216 TB or 16384 PB. That's not correct of course. Can't seem to find anything about this only, though.

Oh and for my English, it isn't my native language and I'm only 14, so if you have trouble understanding it, please say it so I can explain it in another way.

When you just flashed the os, twrp will tell you sure you want to reboot with no os installed, even if you just installed it , i dont know why but reboot system after flashing the OS and your device should boot normally!

I know, and previously this went perfectly, but this time you it's just not right. When I installed the OS I wiped as much as I could and tried again. But now I'm kinda stuck in this situation.

Thanx for posting more information! My english is not my native language either!! Let me analyse your situation and ill get back to you soon! That said i have 2 question for you!   1 does you phone have a micro sd card slot?  2 the OS you want to instal is a zip file or image?

It's a zip file. My phone has a micro SD card slot.

I just tried to flash TWRP again using adb and fastboot, but it didn't change anything except updating the version.

The size of your /system partition is highly suspicious indeed, which brings me two conclusions :

Either your partition is wrongly detected by TWRP, in which case you could double-check that your TWRP version is correct and properly installed (have you checked the checksum after downloading it ?
Or your /system partition is damaged. In that case, in TWRP, go to Wipe/Advanced Wipe, check /system, then Repair (exact path may be slightly different), and boot again.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

sort: votes


text:
Prevent Permission Monitor from resetting
The new Permission Monitor keeps resetting the exceptions that I give it.
Often, when I send or receive texts using Next SMS (previously Handcent), the Permission Monitor gives me a notification telling me that Next is using the "Send SMS" permission in the background.
Since this is my chosen SMS app, I'm obviously ok with it sending texts.
The problem is, even though I've told the Permission Monitor repeatedly to add Next to the whitelist, it keeps resetting my preferences and sporadically starts giving me warnings again about the permission usage.
It seems to reset every time Next is updated, but it seems ridiculous to reset the settings associated with an app every time it's updated, even when no new permissions are required.
Is there a way to stop the permission preferences from being reset constantly?
Note 8, Android 7.1.1

Sorry missed that :(

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Wine 3.2 not working on Android Oreo
I downloaded the latest version of Wine from here (ARM version, tried X86 and it wouldn't install) and ran it on Sony Xperia XZ Premium running Android Oreo. Installation was successful but when I open the app it only says "loading Windows environment" and after that nothing happens, screen stays black forever. what's the problem with it and how to solve it?

Try uninstalling it and instead install Wine-3.0-arm.
Wine 3.2 is a "development" version, Wine 3.0 is a "stable" version.

Actually I had tried it 2 days after it was released but I was like okay maybe it's the first time so I'll give it some time but now it's version 3.2 and still the same problem. with a slight difference though, in this version it shows that the app is at least doing something like preparing windows environment and a bar that loads but in previous version nothing happened at all. And BTW where did you get the Impression that wine 3.2 is in development and not a finished version?

@Conspiria https://www.winehq.org/ , top of the page, in the "Latest Releases" box


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How do I root my Samsung Galaxy S3?
I downloaded Titanium Backup to my Android Samsung GS3, but I got a message saying I must root my phone for the software to work. How do I root my phone?

Which one is it: Galaxy S3 i9300 // i9305 // Galaxy S3 Duos3 // Galaxy S3 Lite (S6790) // Galaxy S3 Mini GT-i8190? Find those (and many more) on our rooting index ;)

Download king root from aptoide! This should do the job ! If you dont know what aptoide is! Download the apk from aptoide website! You also have to enable in the security option allow install from unknown source!

Wow! Everything here seems almost Explosive! Superlative! and Happy!

Have you tried king root on all S3 variants? Happy with the side effects? Your phrasing ("should do the job") suggests you have not. So please don't throw in untested stuff as answer. Can be dangerous. Same for Aptoide, if you don't know how to deal with it (only the "Apps" repository is curated). So what you suggest means double-danger.

Yer i did test kingroot , on most of the phone it works really well. I have rooted many phone with it!  but your right using aptoide is tricky and you must be carefull, that said .. google play store can be as armfull ! Most people dont know! Next time ill gather more information on the device in question and post a more accurate answer! tank you for saying this to me! This only preves to me that this site is quite reliable and we are among people we can trust! Greatly appreciated! But keep im mind i would not say or recommend to someone anything i havent tried or dont know about!


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Adjust volume with Android Terminal Emulator command?
My volume up/down buttons do not work, and it's also a European phone that cannot change the volume until you agree to the high volume message. The thing is that from options this message does not appear you have to use the physical buttons, agree and then the volume will go up. Im playing around and I was wondering if I can use a command on the Terminal emulator to adjust the volume up and down?
Phone is rooted, thanks.

What phone do you have?

@ABochur It's an old Xiaomi Redmi 3

When you say that you have to agree to the message when changing volume, is this for any level or it's it just when going too high? from options this message does not appear so when you go into settings/notifications and sounds, and try putting the volume to the highest, what happens? And BTW do you have earphones plugged in during this time?

see this and also the linked one in comments (possible duplicate)

@ABochur The message appears from 60% upwards for once. When I try to change it from the settings, it just goes back to 60%, without high volume message popping up. Yes, earphones are plugged, and the volume always goes to 50% automatically when plugging them in.

Use the following commands to change the volume from Android Terminal emulator (or other terminal emulator apps):
Volume Up:
input keyevent 24

Volume Down:
input keyevent 25

In case pressing the volume key once shows the current volume, you can input the command twice to increase/decrease the volume
input keyevent 25; input keyevent 25

Toggle Mute/Unmute
input keyevent 164

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Can I save a "star-hash" (*#) code as contact?
I'm developing on a Huawei phone, and to enable logging on this device one must dial *#*#2846579#*#* to get to a hidden service menu, as described in this answer on Stack Overflow.
Is there any way I can save this code as a contact and "dial" it from the favourites list for easy access? Of course I tried just adding a new contact with the code as the number, but when I "dial" it the phone actually dials the number instead of opening the hidden service menu, resulting in a "Sorry, you can't dial this number" voice message from my phone operator.

It is not meant to be dialled as an ordinary contact number
Quoting from this answer

What the dialer really does when you enter the code is extracting the number between *#*# and #*#* and then broadcasting the following intent....

Saving it as a contact and trying to dial means it is a treated as a regular, valid number

Which is rejected by the service provider , since it is not a valid number

Expected code is not launched since the corresponding intent is not triggered

You can try creating a shortcut to the intent using an apps like Tasker


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Whatsapp is receiving immediately but sending takes about 10 minutes
recently i tried to send some pictures to my whatsapp status but then all of a sudden nothing wants to send anymore.
i have tried all troubleshooting measures indicated on the web but nothing seems to work. i can receive messages immediately but once i send it gives me a clock sign and then takes about 10 minutes to deliver.
i am unable to uninstall and reinstall as i am in a different country without roaming on my Sim card so i wont be able to verify my number when reinstalling..
is there a way to clear a queue or something like that so my messages can deliver instantly like it used to be, as whatsapp is my only means of communicating in the place i currently am..
Any help would be much appreciated as this is a frustrating issue

Did you try the oblivious, like restarting your phone? Please edit your question to include things you've tried


text:
How are helium files stored on Google My Drive?
It usually takes me several tries to get all my Android files to Google Drive using Helium.  But finally it always seems to work. (155 files yesterday)
When I then look at One Drive I don't see a Helium Backup folder as I would expect.  Instead there are multiple files listed on the right under the Activity tab.  With other backup programs the files are easily visible in a backup folder.
Is there any way to verify the backup is okay?  It seems to me the only way to have peace of mind that your backup is perfect is to restore to another phone and see if everything's there.
Any thoughts on this are appreciated.


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How to use Tasker with the new OpenVPN version?
I usually use OpenVPN Connect android client for connecting to my OpenVPN server in a raspberry. I also use Tasker to automatically connect to the VPN when I am outside from home. My configuration is:
Send Intent
Action:android.intent.action.VIEW
Cat:None
Extra:vpn.AUTOSTART_PROFILE_NAME: <PROFILE NAME>
Package:net.openvpn.openvpn
Class:net.openvpn.openvpn.OpenVPNClient
Target:Activity

Few days ago, the OpenVPN version has been changed to 3.0.1 , and my tasker is not working any more. At least the tasks are not able any more to start a VPN connection or disconnect it.
Obviously, that means that with the new version of the App, some configuration must be changed. Do any body knows what are these new configurations?

The offical docs (https://docs.openvpn.net/connecting/connecting-to-access-server-with-android/faq-regarding-openvpn-connect-android/#How_do_I_use_tasker_with_OpenVPN_Connect_for_Android) state:
CONNECT
a) Access Server module
Action: net.openvpn.openvpn.CONNECT
OR
Action: android.intent.action.VIEW
Cat: None
Mime Type: {blank}
Data: {blank}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOSTART_PROFILE_NAME:AS {your_profile_name}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOCONNECT:true
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.APP_SECTION:AS
Package: net.openvpn.openvpn
Class: net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity
Target: Activity

b) OVPN Profile module
Action: net.openvpn.openvpn.CONNECT
OR
Action: android.intent.action.VIEW
Cat: None
Mime Type: {blank}
Data: {blank}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOSTART_PROFILE_NAME:PC {your_profile_name}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOCONNECT:true
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.APP_SECTION:PC
Package: net.openvpn.openvpn
Class: net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity
Target: Activity

DISCONNECT
Action: net.openvpn.openvpn.DISCONNECT
Cat: None
Mime Type: {blank}
Data: {blank}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.STOP:true
Extra: {blank}
Extra: {blank}
Package: net.openvpn.openvpn
Class: net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity
Target: Activity

Java code example
String profile = "myvpn";
Intent openVPN = new Intent("android.intent.action.VIEW");
openVPN.setClassName("net.openvpn.openvpn", "net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity");
openVPN.putExtra("net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOSTART_PROFILE_NAME", "PC "+profile);
openVPN.putExtra("net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOCONNECT", true);
openVPN.putExtra("net.openvpn.openvpn.APP_SECTION", "PC");
activity.startActivity(openVPN);

The formatting is off but i hope it will help someone

I like your answer more than mine. Then I will mark this as the correct one.

Ok, thanks to this web. Seems that I am right and the configuration has been changed. The new settings for connecting will be:
Send Intent
Action:android.intent.action.MAIN
Cat:None
Extra:de.blinkt.openvpn.shortcutProfileName:PROFIL ENAME
Package:de.blinkt.openvpn
Class:de.blinkt.openvpn.LaunchVPN
Target:Activity

This is able to start the OpenVPN connection using a OVPN file. For disconnection, I also need to change the profile:
Send Intent
Action:android.intent.action.MAIN
Cat:None
Extra:de.blinkt.openvpn.shortcutProfileName:PROFIL ENAME
Package:de.blinkt.openvpn
Class:de.blinkt.openvpn.activities.DisconnectVPN
Target:Activity

The author comments -and it is true- that when disconnecting the application remains opened on the screen at foreground. A solution proposed on this forum for this issue is to use a not existing profile as a connection. When trying to connect to this non existing profile, the first action will be to disconnect the current one. As the profile does not exists no connection will be performed.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/u/tasker-tips-tricks/openvpn-3-0-0-connect-disconnect-tasker-t3750552
Default OpenVPN 3.0.0 - Connect and Disconnect with Tasker (Solution)
Hi All,
It would appear that the interface / code changed rather a lot in the most recent update and the previous intents are no longer working.
I have figured out how to fix this. Please follow the directions below.
Important Note: Your profile name is now prefixed with PC. E.g. My profile of test.co.uk/example [user] would now be PC test.co.uk/example [user]
So, here are the settings (don't include the curly brackets):
Connect
Action: net.openvpn.openvpn.CONNECT
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOSTART_PROFILE_NAME: PC {Your profile name}
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.AUTOCONNECT: true
Package: net.openvpn.openvpn
Class: net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity
Target: Activity
Disconnect
Action: net.openvpn.openvpn.DISCONNECT
Extra: net.openvpn.openvpn.STOP: true
Package: net.openvpn.openvpn
Class: net.openvpn.unified.MainActivity
Target: Activity
Annoyingly they have made it so OpenVPN remains in the foreground on disconnect. I have yet to look into this.


text:
No LTE on samsung s4 mini?
I am using a Samsung S4 Mini Model GT-l9195 with Lineage OS 14.1. I used the LTE Image to install LOS. But actually, I am not sure if my phone is able to use LTE. Because there was also a non-LTE version available for LOS, I wonder if there are Samsung S4 phones that don't have LTE built in?
The problem is, I have never seen the LTE sing with the mobile data icon yet, but I am also not using Internet very much on the phone.

As you already know, LineageOS explicitly offers different ROMs for the 3 variants: serrano3gxx (GT-I9190, 3G single-SIM), serranodsdd (GT-I9192, 3G dual-SIM) and serranoltexx (GT-I9195, LTE single-SIM).
The assert checks embedded within the packages will prevent them from being flashed on the wrong variant of device, but this is given that you installed the correct recovery for your variant as well (for which there are no similar assert checks).
With the correct ROM and recovery, if you're still not getting LTE, you should try forcing LTE in Settings. Also be aware that the device itself is a rather early LTE device and as such has very limited LTE band support; PhoneDB shows support for only LTE B3/B7/B20. If your carrier doesn't use any of these bands then naturally you won't get LTE whatsoever.


text:
Phone stopped working, Cant turn it on, Solid red light, weird r/g/b/w stripes
yesterday i had a videochat call from messenger. I had this call about 2mins and then i saw i've got 8percents of battery. My phone usually drops from 8% to 2% but this is not the main problem. When i saw i had 8percents, i plug-in the charger to the wall and then plug-in the micro usb cable to the phone.
After connecting, i got red diode but isomething very weird happend to screen. On screen, there was multiple white/r/g/b (Like few on top, few on bottom but i think in the middle it was ok) strips and the aspect ratio of screen was too weird. It was mooved to right bottom corner.
The phone stopped responding so i pressed down power button for 10secs to turn off the phone. However, when i want to turn it on back, the phone was completly dead. I tried charging it from wall like 10 mins, then from computer like 30 mins but nothing worked. I left the phone charging over night about 8hours but still nothing.
//Before trying this i removed sim-card and sd-card//
I tried all variants like power +volume-up +volume-down, power +volume-up, power +volume-down, volume-up +volume-down but nothing worked.
//I tried to hold it down like for 15-30secs, 20secs, 1minute, pushing it while charging but still nothing//
Phone: ZTE NX597J
I bought it 4months ago so i think i must go to repair shop. However, some ideas? :D
//When i connect the phone to computer or wall, i have SOLID red light. It does not blinking//
//I cant remove the battery//
//The buttons like home, back and list of applications running on backround is from android so i cant make any different variations exept for power, volume-up, volume down//

The key combination you want is volume up and power. However, there's a few things to know:

do this while the phone is 100% off. If you're not sure, press and hold the power button. Some phones (like my Galaxy S4) enter a weird state once they are disconnected after getting charged while off.
do this while the phone is NOT plugged in
hold the volume up key first, and while holding it (half a second is enough), don't let go of it, just start pressing and holding the power button while still holding the volume up button. The order is important. Yes, you are holding both buttons together, but volume up needs to be pressed FIRST, otherwise the phone will only do the power button thing.


text:
what format language is used on data files?
for learning porposes im trying to read a data file stored on data \cache\Cache but i dont seem to find a proper program to see the original code in it or maybe im just not using the correct language program. any help would be great  thanks in advance

Most Android apps memorize data in SQLite databases, but it's up to us app developers. Any app can use different file formats, even custom ones.

Oh gosh, did you just try to paste binary data into a comment?

sorry if i cant do that , i was just trying to give you a sample becausec  im really tired of searching a way to open it


text:
How to mute ads?
Even when the phone is on silent mode, some apps show audible video ads.
How can I mute such ads?

Well, I've never seen this happening... If I put my phone in DND (Do not Disturb), only alarms will have sound... How are you putting it to silent mode?

Yes, I set it to the (Do not Disturb) mode. Maybe the ad audio plays on media channel

@Abdulrahman yes you definitely have to put media on silent, putting ringtone on silent won't help in this case

Video ads use Android media stream to play sound
Muting the phone media mutes ads as well

Get "Sound Assistant" or other apps that can manage sound settings "per app" (as it's for Samsung and I'm not sure it will be compatible with other brands).
Find Google Play Movies or whatever it's named in your language. Mute this app.


text:
What is MIUI optimization?
In MIUI (an Android ROM), there is an option in developer settings called MIUI optimization. When this option is enabled, an app can't be installed via USB (i.e. from Android Studio).

What is the purpose of this option? And if this option is disabled, will it negatively impact the phone's performance?

According to this thread, this feature (Turn On MIUI Optimization)

enables a plethora of MIUI based settings & optimizations as per the guidelines set by the MIUI developers.

It helps to load the app and the app data in parallel reducing load times and ensuring a slicker user experience.
However, this setting can sometimes cause a variety of issues on non-MIUI based apps such as Google Apps & Apps from Google Playstore. Users have recommended disabling the feature if you rely on Google Play Store for apps & services or use Global Stable or Global Beta MIUI ROMs.
Here is a summary of observable changes when this feature is turned on or off:
With the MIUI Optimization Enabled, some users reported the following issues

Cannot set third-party launcher like Nova, Apex or Google Now launcher.
Wallpaper cannot be set using in-built options via custom launchers.
Occasional lags, stutters or freezes while scrolling web-pages & long lists.
Custom apps set as default restore to default MIUI apps on reboot. (Only on MIUI China ROMs)
Cannot set accessibility services on reboot.
Background apps cannot sync data.
Music players stop playing after sometime.
UI Animations are not synced properly.

After turning off MIUI optimization

Above issues may get solved.
Settings → Data Usage → Graph changes to AOSP style.
Settings → Battery & Performance → Battery Use → Graph changes to AOSP style.
Settings → Installed Apps → All → Documents → It will not be disabled after every reboot.
Settings → Additional Settings → Buttons → Settings may get reset.
No OTA update notifications. Enable it to receive the OTA updates.

Is it better for global rom (MIUI) to turn the MIUI Optimization off?

@DAF  While I haven't face really big issues with the option turned on, I still feel there is no big harm to have it turned on, it is enabled by default out of the box by the manufacturer, so I prefer that it remains on, and would recommend the same, besides it aids in some useful enhancements of MIUI

But as explained it can have bad side effects with some Google services or if using Greenify in non root mode.

Toggling the option will instantly reset all apps permissions to the default.
Reset the display DPI to the default value 392dpi

Turning off "MIUI optimization" will also make the option to have multiple user accounts available again.

According to SAI, this option (which is turned on by default BTW) also prevents it from installing split APK files, and it's true. It also claims that it will be fixed on MIUI 20.2.20. Any idea where I can read about this?

In addition to @xavier_fakerat's answer, note that the "MIUI Optimizations" prevent the installers of various applications from launching correctly even on the phone itself, rather than over-USB. If you get unexpected "Installation failed" messages (not taking about Google Play Store; I never use that) - it might be a conflict between the installer and the MIUI optimization mechanism.


text:
Google contacts background color change
From Dec 2017, I am using my new Android device attached with my old Google id. The contacts got automatically synced. And, works without any issues. But, today I have noticed that, one of the contact's background(default color added automatically) color got changed automatically. I haven't edited contact.(Sometimes editing contact changes color).
For Example: Contact A: contact's background is black previously, now changed to Pink. Contact B: contact's background is green previously, now changed to Dark red.(N.B: Contact A and B have the most number of call logs in my phone)
Why's this happening like this? What's the logic behind it? If it is regular/normal, does this happen in any interval? I haven't noticed this on previous device.

Related question https://android.stackexchange.com/q/190597/131553

@beeshyams there's a difference. I have mentioned that color got automatically changed without any change.

That's why said it is related , didn't flag as duplicate


text:
Some apps (SD card ones?) not restored after factory reset of S5. What have I lost? Help!
After a factory reset of my Galaxy S5(same accounts and sim etc), some apps did not restore. I suspect it was the large ones I had moved to the SD card a while back for space reasons (I took my SD card out during the reset and restore process).
Looking in my files>SD card>android>data, there are plenty of apps that did get restored that have files on SD card, but it helped me pinpoint a few that didn't reappear. For example Excel. I then checked the app manager and there aren't there under SD card (though I might be confusing the inbuilt and external SD card).
On Play store>my apps & games, they obviously aren't under 'installed', nor even under 'Library', nor when i search for them individually do the paid versions show as already paid...
I synced my backups on google and Samsung accounts directly before the factory reset
My questions then are:
- Where can i find out what I've lost? ie a list of apps as of yesterday
- Is there any way of restoring apps moved to SD card?
- If not, I might as well wipe the pre-reset data folder on SD-card, right?
- What is likely to have happened?
- Before any future factory resets, should i move everything important back to phone before syncing and resetting
Thank you for your time and expertise!!!


text:
Significant battery drop/reboot, but only in cold weather (+5°C/+41°F) with camera - expected behaviour or battery defect?
Disclaimer: This is not a duplicate, I've looked at these questions but none are applicable(temperature) or provide an adequate answer.
Recently I've realized that my 15 month old LG G4 seems to have an issue with the battery in cool or cold weather: dry, no significant windchill, +5°C/+41°C
In at least 3 instances, it happened to drop from 50% or even 65% charge to zero, rebooting without warning. I've not seen issues at other times (higher temps)
I can even reproduce this:

Have the phone at 50% to about 70% charge
go outside if its around 5°C
take a couple of pictures with Open Camera.

After a couple of minutes, it will reboot and only have a fraction (<10%) of the charge, and keep rebooting if I try to take pictures.
I've tried all the "battery reset tricks" out there, but as I said above - I don't have any issues other than in the cold (+camera).
Is this expected behaviour or should I replace my battery ?
Do I want too much from my smartphone ?
Should I scale back my settings to try and keep the power draw lower ?

Additional Information:
It's a Li-Po 3000 mAh (original) battery
Android 7.1.2 (LineageOS 14.1)
Open Camera settings: High Res (16:9 15.87 MP), 90% JPEG, GPS on, 100% display brightness, background thread, no flash
I'm also uploading the pictures to owncloud via the owncloud App ("Instant Upload") over 3G/4G
Here are some graphs from GSam Battery Monitor.
If you look at them closely, it seems to "recharge" around 5% if its in a warmer environment again.

This is really a bad question, it calls for speculation/opinion. You have 3 very specific conditions noted as necessary for the undesirable operation, if any one of those is taken out of the equation is the operation as you would expect? Meaning, if you use Google Camera instead of Open Camera, the temperature is warmer, or the battery has a better charge, this condition does not occur? If so, the answer seems pretty straight-forward, if not, then your question is not really about the problem.

@acejavelin, if I remove the temperature from the equation I don't have an issue - how is that pretty straight-forward ? Are you suggesting I don't use the camera in the cold ? I don't get what you mean. Also it covers all the basics mentioned here. If someone says " ah! open camera has an issue with power draw with these settings" then I wouldn't discard this as opinion, rather see it as informed fact.

Only one of your 3 questions is not purely opinion based... And the one question that is not purely opinion based still calls for speculation. I am not trying to be negative or argumentative here, just clear. And if the cold is the only real factor, that changes the question significantly. If the trifecta of conditions is required, just change the camera app because that is the easiest for you to control, that was what I meant by straight-forward.

All batteries achieve optimum service life if used at 20°C (68°F) or slightly below
For Li Ion ( or Li Po) the ideal charging temperature is 0°C to 45°C
(32°F to 113°F) and operating temperature is –20°C to 60°C
(–4°F to 140°F) Source

Based on the above, it looks like you have a poor battery given that

It is being operated within the designed temperature range
Unexplained sudden drop from above 50% or more to zero
Marginal increase in charge when brought indoors

Till you get a replacement battery all I can think of by way of power consumption reduction is to delay the cloud upload (do it once it's charged / WiFi)
Edit: Try a different camera app. It looks like Open Camera does consume more power and show increase in battery levels after reboot as quoted here -in particular post of 17/12/2017 which matches very closely to what OP describes. If that doesn't help much change battery

Thanks for your answer ! I'll verify this in the coming days but a comment on the SourceForge link you provided "I find that Open Camera drains my phone's battery much much faster than the built in app. I just tested it and on 20% battery I can take about 5 mins video with Open Camera before the battery is critically low. After restarting the phone the battery goes up to 17% or so, and so on." sounds very similar, sans the cold!

Were you able to validate?

I'm working on it !

Hi, so after some time I can confirm at least one thing: Open Camera consumes way more power than it should. I suspect, but cannot confirm: The higher power demands, coupled with an ageing battery and sub optimal ambient temperature seems to have caused this. I was unable (or unwilling) to replace the camera app, but I bought a new (and bigger) battery - which has ultimately resolved the issue. Still, I'm not happy that one app can crash my phone this way..

My phone does this too. It's always done it, the phone (and battery) are 5 years old and everything works properly, just not when it's cold (way colder than +5°C). Maybe my battery is iffy, don't know that it is, don't know that it isn't, but since it works fine the rest of the time, I'm not losing sleep over it.
I'm calling it "normal behaviour" for my phone. As a side not, if you see a guy out and about in -20°C weather holding his phone under his armpit and cursing his battery, come over and say "Hi!".


text:
Cant figure how my phone is full
I have a Galaxy S5 Neo, about 2 years old. For about a year, i have been getting notifications that the phone is full and cannot install updates etc.
I have gone through the phone a few times, deleted whatsapp videos and images and other stuff i don't need, and still is showing me 1.9GB free out off 11GB (this is after the clean up). When it gets to about 1GB of free space - it locks up and refuses to install updates.
I currently have 500MB of whatsapp images. All my own camera images and videos as well as music are all on the SD card.
Attaching an image of my folder root that i see on the computer - as well as tech specs.
Any tips appreciated.

Factory resetting it after you back up the data you need is probably the best option.

Have you already tried to search for apps that use too much storage? Like Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc... Tap "Clear Data" and it should resolve the issue.

@Fusseldieb - yes, i gained a few hundred MB

Are you using an external SD Card or the internal SD Card ... Some devices actually emulate the internal SD Card using space from the DATA Partition ( data/media/some location with emulated card ) ... This means that the internal SD Card will display the free space of your DATA region and not necessarily the free space of the emulated SD Card ...

@Zillinium - sorry not sure i understand the distinction. The SD card is installed in the phone and is set to save images and music on it.


text:
Set Constant Notification Dot Color
I have noticed the new version of Android has notification dots.
The new multicolor dots I find frustrating.   I would prefer if I could set one color for all notification dots(like red for example).

From Android Developer blog

....we even extract the color of the dot from your icon.

From Stack Overflow, Is it possible to change the notification Dot's color on Android Oreo, accepted answer says the same with support in comments saying that it changes with icon design

So, not possible

Even with root?

I haven't found anything with root on XDA

I think theoretically a solution with Xposed could be viable as well. If you use it.

I prefer notification dots with respect to app icon color. In my stock moto launcher, it showed only in single color(light green), so I changed launcher to Nova launcher, which is now shows based on app icon color.

@Namnodorel Now that P is out I'll probably upgrade to that now which I don't believe has xposed support.

In complement to what beeshyams reply:
1.Answer:
As of now, you can't change Oreo Notification dots colors in AOSP, starting from Android 8.0, native Notification Dot color depends on its app icon colors.
I said AOSP, because some mobile manufactures are using their own UI apps (Launcher/ Theme apps etc... ), thus they can control Notification dots like Nova Launcher.
2.Workaround:
You can use  Nova Launcher Prime with TeslaUnread. with its built-in notification dots (also with number of notifications) and you can change and choose a constant color too.

Unfortunately the option of Notification badges is not available in the free version.

3.Example:
This example is using Numeric Badges, you can change the Numeric Badges to None, Dynamic Badges or Dots as seen in Android O.

Unfortunately this is unread count and not badge color you are changing.


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Can I use LOS on Samsung S4 Mini GT-I9195I?
I have successfully installed Lineage OS on Samsung S4 Mini GT-I9195, but now I got a GT-I9195I which should be a more advanced model with better CPU. I can't find any reliable informations, if this model is also suitable for Lineage.

Usually the "plus", "+", "VE" or "Value Edition" are not really upgraded versions but variants that are cheaper for Samsung to manufacture. In case of i9195i you get more CPU cores but each core is a slower than the cores of i9195. Most software not being able to scale up to 4 cores makes the i9195i probably slower in real world.

serranoveltexx (GT-i9195i, 4G single-SIM, SD410; the "ve" stands for "value edition") is not a part of the official LOS build roster, and likely won't be due to the lower popularity.
There are unofficial builds available at XDA-Developers: 14.1, 15.0. Note that you need the packages for your specific variant (marks "ve").

i9195i seems to work fine with PixelExperience builds. Make sure to install TWRP 3.3.x or later or install will fail. For more info: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-mini/development/rom-pixel-experience-t3870945


text:
VLC accesses NFS share but cannot play videos
The NFS share (configured as read-only) was added via the 'Local Network' option in the VLC app.
The NFS share's directory and contents are displayed in the VLC app; however, when a video is selected, a "Playback error" results.  Unfortunately, the error message is displayed for a fraction of a second, and is therefore illegible.
The NFS share is accessed via multiple computers, which employ the desktop version of VLC to play videos, so the share is functioning correctly.  When copies of the videos are in local storage, they play without issue.
Why are the videos unplayable?
UPDATE: Audio files contained in the NFS share are able to be played without issue.

Sounds like a bug to me. You should follow the following steps: VLC Android Report bugs

Q: are you doing NFS4 only or with support of NFS3 (and maybe NFS2) as well?

Was stuck on same issue with NFS server on macOS (native system server, not from third party tools) and VLC on Google TV installed from Google Play.
For me helped moving file from /Users/my-user/Movies/some-other.folder.WithMany_different_specialSYMBOLS/some-movie-file.mkv to /Users/my-user/Movies/some-movie-file.mkv. IDK why it's matters — maybe some stupid limitation for characters or filename limit — but it works now.


text:
How to synchronize gmail calendars in davdroid 1.10.1.-gplay using caldav in android 6.0.1?
I am trying to synchronize my calendars using caldav in davdroid, using the following account credentials:

"login with URL and user name"

Where the url is based on this google caldav-api guide on how to use caldav for apple and or thunderbird:
https://apidata.googleusercontent.com/caldav/v2/calid/user
https://apidata.googleusercontent.com/caldav/v2/calid/events
Where calid is substituded by either my google calender id in form:
<26-character long calender id>

or
<26-character long calender id>@group.calendar.google.com

As found in the google calendar settings in:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r/settings/calendar/
I have tried entering the 4 combinations into davdroid and the peculiar thing is that it works for 1 calendar for which I am listed as owner in the https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r/settings/calendar/ link for that calendar, but it does not show the calendars in davdroid for calendars for which google calendar says it is "subscribed".
So I thought it could be a permissions-issue. So I made a new test calendar to check whether that was indeed the case. I ensured for that calendar, I was listed as "Owner". Added the calender with the above 4 options but it again did not show the calender.
After revisiting the test calendar, I noticed, this too was added as a subscription where I am listed not as

email@gmail.com (Owner)

But as:

email@gmail.com with a grayed out dropdown box with "make changes and
  manage sharing" next to it.

The synchronizing of the calender for which I am owner worked already before I enabled the google caldav api, but just to be sure I enabled the google caldav api. It did not affect the outcome of my attempts so far.
So the first step is to this problem is I think, how to create a calendar that lists me as owner, also after creation.
But the main question is a generalized procedure on describing a way to add a calendar to davdroid for a 2-way sync to which which my google account is subscribed, (for example a calendar that is shared by with me by another gmail account).
If you know how to do either the partial step, the generalized procedure, or spot an error in my attempt/approach please let me know, so I can adapt.

The solution is to select the

"login with URL and user name"

option in davdroid.
And then paste the full calendar option as specified in the second option of the caledar ID into the "Base URL":
<26 digit calendar id>@group.calendar.google.com

(For imported calendars that becomes: <32 digit calendar id>@IMPORT.calendar.google.com)
Into:
https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/<emailaddress>/events

at the <emailadress> part. Yielding:
https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/<26 digit calender id>@group.calendar.google.com/events

(For imported calendars that becomes: https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/<32 digit calender id>@IMPORT.calendar.google.com/events)
And filling in <youremail>@gmail.com and <yourpassword>.
Notes:

When you click login on Davdroid it takes you to a screen where it displays your username, but there you should enter the Name of the calendar in stead.
The only calendar for which this will not work is the Inherited/unremovable calendar attached to your gmail account.

I hope it helps anyone that does not want a complete gmail account in their android phone accessing all your phone data, but still wants to 2 synchronize their calendar app.
Conclusion:
So the first part, about the ownership of the calendar is not relevant. It even works with shared calendars.
Note:
If you enter the wrong password, it will not say 'invalid credentials' but simply:

No caldav service found

EDIT:
Here is an excel file that semi-automates the process of getting those Calendar base-urls and entering them in Davdroid, as it can be quite time consuming with 15+ different calendars.
https://github.com/a-t-0/PublicCodeLibrary/tree/master/VBA/Google%20Davdroid%20calendar%20app%20sync

The current Google API /  OAuth method is not supported by DAVdroid but it's still possible by using the deprecated format:
https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/[yourname]@gmail.com/events
username
password
Yet it requires the compromise Allow less secure apps: ON in the Google security settings.
However, delegates don't sync.
Tested on OnePlus 3t, Android 7.1.1, DAVdroid 1.10.1.1.


text:
How to run "parted" command in terminal emulator on my android smartphone
Updated question (2018/2/20)
Thanks to grawity's answer and comment, my question can be updated.
My final goal is to acquire detailed partitioning information (including the start and end address of each partition on my android phone), either using fdisk or parted.

How to "install" the parted command into my android smartphone?
Can I use fdisk on a Linux system or on Cygwin on a windows system? Knowing that fdisk brought by BusyBox can't handle GPT.
(If so, maybe I could post another question.)

The original question (2018/2/19)
I have installed Busybox on my smartphone, and I want to acquire detailed partitioning information, including the start and end address of each partition on my android phone.
I can use fdisk command, but maybe because my phone's disk is GPT instead of MBR, command "fdisk -l" shows no output.
So I want to use the command "parted". But I don't have it on my smartphone. How can I get it?
I've traveled to GNU website of "parted". But what I can download is only source code. Do I need to compile that? If so, how do I compile that? Can I compile the source code with MinGW on a PC with Windows system?
If I get the "parted" file, where should I put it to make it work? Is it under /system/bin?
I haven't found a usable "parted" file yet. Is it because of my bad google skill or the file has to be compiled differently for different devices?
I hope to find an official version of the "parted" file.

EDIT (2018/2/19)
I do know my storage is GPT because fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0 tells me.
And I've read on the net that fdisk can't handle GPT, while parted can. I'm just not sure why fdisk -l is showing nothing.
fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0

Disk /dev/block/mmcblk0: 15 GB, 15634268160 bytes, 30535680 sectors
1908480 cylinders, 1 heads, 16 sectors/track
Units: cylinders of 16 * 512 = 8192 bytes

Device             Boot StartCHS    EndCHS        StartLBA     EndLBA    Sectors  Size Id Type
/dev/block/mmcblk0p1    0,0,0       0,0,0                1   30535679   30535679 14.5G ee EFI GPT
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary

Your output actually shows that your fdisk version is too old and doesn't support GPT. (Is it util-linux fdisk or busybox fdisk?) It's showing the "protective MBR" partition.

I run this command on Terminal Emulator on my android phone. And I have installed busybox. I don't know about the version of fdisk. Also, when I connect with adb and run adb shell on computer, the result is the same. Do you mean the newest version of fdisk on android supports GPT? Or fdisk on a linux system can handle GPT?

"fdisk on android" is irrelevant. The important part is where fdisk comes from – Busybox has its own version fdisk, just like it has e.g. its own version of ls and its own version of sh, completely separate from the traditional Linux fdisk/ls/sh/etc.

Note: This is applicable to Qualcomm SoC with eMMC (block device accessible through FTL). Not tested on MTK or other chipsets (paths may differ) or the devices with raw NAND/MTD memory.
PARTED

How to "install" the parted command into my android smartphone?

There is no official way, so parted isn't part of AOSP. Android doesn't want you play with its partition table. Using a static binary is the best option to avoid complications of dynamic linker/loader, libc etc.
You may get parted static binary for aarch64 (ARM-v8) and armel (ARM-v5) architecture from this link. I have compiled these on ArchLinuxARM (running on my Redmi Note 4) and on Ubuntu (PC) using gcc (cross-)compiler with glibc and they work great. Building with Bionic libc on NDK (to make it fully Android-ish) needs a lot of changes in source code because function calls (libc) and also some syscalls (kernel) differ on Android and Linux. devmapper and NLS are disabled since former isn't directly used, latter isn't supported on Android.
FDISK / GDISK

Can I use fdisk on a linux system or on Cynwin on a windows system? Knowing that fdisk brought by BusyBox can't handle GPT. (If so, maybe I could post another question.)

You may use fdisk on Android too, but fdisk is traditional tool to manipulate MBR partition tables, though newer versions also support GPT. fdisk shows somewhat info about GPT as well because GPT contains protective MBR (first sector of disk or eMMC) which contains information about partitions. Also, first partition (modem) on most of the Android devices which contains firmware for baseband processor (BP) is FAT16, more compatible with fdisk. For other partitions fdisk may behave weird or may crash.
Busybox fdisk is very minimal like other applets, and I think it hasn't been updated for a while now. Instead, GPT fdisk (gdisk) is a great tool for GUID Partition Tables and from certain aspects is better than parted.
gdisk , fdisk and mkfs.ext4 (mke2fs) static binaries are also available on above mentioned link. You may put these anywhere in your PATH; /system/bin, /system/xbin, /vendor/bin,/sbin (volatile) or even somewhere on /data or sdcard.
Now just execute:
~# parted /dev/block/mmcblk0
(parted) p free

~# gdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0

Please note that fdisk -l and parted -l won't show complete information (or not at all) about Android GPT because Linux kernel populates block devices directly under /dev while Android uses /dev/block path. We need to change code before compiling to make them work perfectly. fdisk -l shows loop devices because they share same nomenclature. blkid also shows partition info because it reads from /proc/partitions and /sys/dev/block/.
Finally!!!
With power comes responsibility and Linux tools are powerful. Really. A displacement of even a single byte in partition boundaries may put you in serious trouble, the worst being inability to use Factory Firmware Flashers. So, be careful!
Further reading:

ArchLinux Partitioning
Android Partitions

Thank you very much for looking into this question! You're awesome! I haven't try out yet, but I still give you the acception! So here's why I haven't tried out. (1)parted. I don't have time yet to read the whole post. (2)gdisk. In the link you provided, I think there is only binary for windows system as you can see here. So maybe I still have to compile in order to use gdisk.

And would you spend a couple of minutes to take a look at this question because I can't setup a cross-compiling environment in Cygwin. Or would you suggest me to install Linux instead of using Cygwin?

Both binaries are ELF executables i.e. for Linux/Android, not for Windows. And for cross compiler, I have dual boot system; Windows and Ubuntu. Plus I have Arch chroot on my phone. I don't like Cygwin personally. There are bash for Windows and WSL etc. But those are limited in one way or other. If you want to enjoy the real freedom, use full Linux boot system.

I'm confused now. Following the link you provided, I reached here to look for gdisk binary. But here are 7 binaries. Which of gdisk_1.0.3-1_amd64.deb; gdisk-efi-1.0.3.zip; gdisk-windows-1.0.3.zip; gdisk-1.0.3-1.x86_64.rpm; gdisk-1.0.3-1.i386.rpm; gdisk-1.0.3.pkg; gdisk_1.0.3-1_i386.deb; is ELF executable?

.deb is for Debian class distros, .rpm is for RedHat class, amd64/x86_64 is 64 bit PC, i386 is 32 bit, .pkg is for MacOS. These are all installable packages. efi.zip contains binary for UEFI i.e. to use before OS boots. Windows.zip contains 32 bit and 64 bit .exe files

So which one of them is the binary that I can use on an android phone? And, can I use it directly(put it anywhere in my PATH as you said) or do I need to first install?

Download Android binaries from my XDA thread. You are confusing the links. Please read again. Yes, static binaries can be executed directly even without PATH. They have no dependency, usually.

maybe because my phone's disk is GPT instead of MBR, command "fdisk -l" shows no output.

Or maybe it does not have the privileges to read the partition table.
Though, as far as I know, many Android phones do not use software partitions, but something more complex than that: they partition the flash storage in hardware. So not even parted would help you in this case.
This answer on Android.SE might be relevant: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/5232/how-can-i-view-the-android-internal-partition-table
Regarding your fdisk output example. It's not showing nothing – it's showing one partition!
But it's the wrong kind; the actual problem is that your fdisk version does not support GPT and is showing you the contents of the "protective MBR" partition table.
All GPT disks have a fake MBR containing one massive partition which covers the entire disk; its purpose is to prevent old MBR-only tools from accidentally destroying data. If you see it in fdisk's output, it means your version of fdisk is MBR-only.
The fdisk which comes with util-linux has added GPT support in v2.23. However, the Busybox fdisk has not.

That said, the rest is fairly generic and applies to all programs, not just parted.

I've traveled to GNU website of "parted". But what I can download is only source code. Do I need to compile that?

Yes.

If so, how do I compile that? Can I compile the source code with MinGW on a PC with Windows system?

Probably not. MinGW is oriented towards creating x86/x64 Windows builds – you need a cross-compiler which would provide Linux binaries and which would compile for a different CPU architecture (your smartphone uses some ARM variant).
Cygwin might have a compatible version of gcc, but doing the compilation on Linux might be much easier.

I hope to find an official version of the "parted" file.

It is rare for Linux developers to provide official compiled versions – that's usually left to the distributions.
You can download the official packages of various distributions such as Debian (Raspbian) or Arch Linux ARM, and extract the needed files manually.

https://packages.debian.org/search?keywords=parted
https://archlinuxarm.org/packages?q=parted

Be careful to pick the correct CPU architecture of your phone.
Second, note that you'll need more than just the "parted" file: most of the core functionality is actually in a library (DLL file) called libparted.so.

Thank you for the reply. I'm gonna try official packages first because that's easier for me. But I don't know which architechture to choose. CPU-Z on my phone shows "8x ARM Cortex-A53". Should I download the "arm64" one?

My phone's system kernel architechture is "armv8l", shown in CPU-Z. So I downloaded armv7h on archlinuxarm.org. But I have no idea how to install that. Could you give me a key word to search with if it is not simple?

No, I meant, fdisk -l literally shows nothing, while the help text says -l will show a list of my partitions. fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0 shows something which you can see. I really appreciate your reply, but my problem is still unsloved. I want to choose an easy way to use parted on my android phone. I've downloaded from the last link you provide, and I suppose armv7h is compatible on a armv8l architecture. But how do I "install" it? I don't know even know what key word I should google with.

OK, let me guess, I think I need to put the 66KB file named "parted" under /system/bin and find the 203KB file named "libparted.so.2.0.1" (after renaming it to "libparted.so"), and put it somewhere(maybe I need to search for *.so). Is that all? Is there any document that proves? I really have no clue right now.

Honestly, neither do I – I know regular Linux, but Android's filesystem layout is a mystery. Actually I even suspect "regular" Debian/Arch builds might not even be compatible with Android's libc...

I can use fdisk command, but maybe because my phone's disk is GPT instead of MBR, command "fdisk -l" shows no output.

It's neither MBR nor GPT. Smartphones typically use MTD partitions. These partitions are configured in the device tree, so changing them is significantly more complicated than just running a partition editor.
You can get information on the partitions by running cat /proc/mtd.

From the output it's obviously GPT. And note Android.

Sorry I didn't make it clear. I am sure that my storage is GPT. I'm just not sure why "fdisk -l" is showing nothing. The output of "fdisk -l /dev/block/mmcblk0" is added.


text:
Reduce video call quality in messaging apps while using mobile data
I see that most of the messaging apps that support video calls set the video quality automatically. WhatsApp, imo, Skype are the most famous examples.
That is bad actually... I have a high-speed data connection. So the apps increase video quality to the best level. What is the result? Some hundred megabytes of data transfer during some 10 minutes and that means more money to pay. I don't want that. I prefer medium quality.
What is the solution then? Any tweaks for the apps? Any other alternative messaging app?

Do you have a device with root access ? ... This could be important because having root access allows system modification's such as image quality, streaming quality etc.. Their could be a simple way to restrict your network bandwidth therefore lowering data usage and tricking the app into using a lower quality.  ... P.S their is some NON-ROOT applications that could possibly help by tricking the app into using a different network for calls, like Privacy Blocker, this will allow you to modify the network type that the application see's, an example would be having your device connected to WI-FI

continued...    however the application will recognise the connection as 3G, this could significantly reduce data usage for some applications.

I can not find "privacy blocker" in play. Maybe that is available in some countries.

It's a application that uses smali inspection to identity privacy information, this means that it has to reverse engineer the app and therefore violates the play terms, you'll still find it on Google however.


text:
Wireless vs data connection
Assume there is a 4G access point or router for internet connection, e. g. Dlink 953. That means a sim card is inserted to the access point. So the internet is routed via the data connection defined on the sim card. Users then connect to this access point via the wireless connection. In other words, they turn on the WiFi and connect to the access point. That seems to be fine.
Now, the problem is that users are actually using a data connection (internet is available on the sim card in the access point) but their phone won't notice that and it seems that you are connected to Wifi.
What is the actual problem then? Some applications have setting for reducing the internet usage on data connections. In this scenario, we see that phones are connected via Wifi and they won't reduce the internet usage. For example, Instagram has a setting to reduce the amount of download on data connections and not Wifi. Since the phone is connected through Wifi, Instagram assume it is fine and won't reduce the amount of data. But, really the internet is provided by a data connection (sim card in the access point).
Any idea for that?

Related: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/174090/209414

Recent Android versions have a setting to let you designate some Wi-Fi connections as "metered"; i.e. they're actually a hotspot for which you get charged per byte transferred.
On vanilla Android, go to the Settings app, then Data usage, then on the overflow menu, choose Network restrictions. The name isn't very obvious, but the next screen explains:

Metered networks are treated like mobile when background data is restricted. Apps may warn before using these networks for large downloads.

Within apps, any "only on Wi-Fi" options are affected by these settings: the networks you select do not count as Wi-Fi for that purpose.

Thanks. That seems to be very new. I use Android 7 and haven't seen that.

It's not that new. I believe it was added in 5.0.

@DanHulme I think long before android 5. See: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/174098/209414. In 4.3, it used to be called just "mobile hotspot" but still the same concept as "metered connection"


text:
Switching between keyboards with Bluetooth keyboard with cmd + space shortcut
I use an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard with External Keyboard Helper Pro as my keyboard of choice on an Android 7.0 Tablet.
I use Gboard when I'm not using the external keyboard.
When the external keyboard is connected, the input method in use can be switched by pressing cmd + space.
But instead of switching between all the installed soft keyboards, it switches between handwriting recognition and External Keyboard Pro.
On the other hand, if I manually switch to Gboard with the keyboard selector icon, the cmd + space shortcut switches between the default Android keyboard and Gboard only.

Is there a way to configure the language switch to choose between External Keyboard Pro and Gboard only?
Or make it switch between all available input methods?

I tried disabling the handwriting recognition input method and now, when External Keyboard Pro is selected, cmd + space does nothing.
I tried disabling the Android Keyboard (AOSP) and it automatically disables Gboard as well.

Any luck with that? Seems like a gaping hole in Android TV. Almost as if its not used in any multi-lingual locations..

No luck. I'm now using a different tablet running Android 9 and the issue is still there.

Yeah, That's the dead end i got to as well. Thanks.


text:
How do I prevent notifications from certain app from being dismissed?
So, going on the opposite side of the maiority of people: there are apps whose notifications I don't want to be able do dismiss.
For example, I use Samsung Health and Daylio to keep track of my sleeping habits and my moods and activities, and they both give me notifications for when to go open the app to record something.
As a reflex of my body, what happens is, I open the notification bar and click the Clear All on instinct, resulting in me forgetting to open it later to make that record.
Reminder apps are simply not working with me.
Is there any way I can configure notifications for being undismissable? I wanted them to clear only if I clicked them, or if I did the thing it was expecting me to do.
Device Information:

Model# SM-G950FD (Galaxy S8 flat)
Android 7.0

This app claims to store notifications so that you can read them later . Another app I use is in this answer. Your ask of preventing dismissal would  need root as you are attempting to change system behaviour (if such a solution exists)

If the notifications you get can be guessed by you even after accidental deletion, you can think of automation that prompts you that you had a notification from xyz app and that notification stays till you physically clear it. In addition that Notification from automation app can be clicked to to launch xyz app. If you want to check wait the notification was (in case you can't guess) you can see from one of the apps mentioned above. Lot of work but then it can't be helped


text:
Is there a way to track down the changes in the filesystem made by a certain app?
Ok, so I download an app from Google Play and launch it. I'd like to see the behavior of this app, i.e. new directories or files changed/created by this app throughout the filesystem.
Is there, for example, a special app which can track other's apps behavior? Or should I just make a copy of a filesystem before and after running the app, and just compare them? Any other ideas?

My device is rooted, runs Android 7.0 (MIUI9 8.2.8).

Copy of the system before and after is the easiest, Their doesn't seem to be any apps that can recognize the difference in any other way, hypothetically it's not that difficult considering the app just has to check file, folder names and dates along with a md5 checksum of each file to find the difference's


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Screen touch problem
I recently had thought of downgrading my youtube app to lower version, as I did liked that version, therefore I did 'clear data' on youtube, which was completely silly, now my phone ASUS zenphone 3 max ZC520Tl got shut down recently and when I try to start it again I cant make a touch to draw my pattern lock or do anything, on screen which requires touch command to proceed.
After a bit of research I tried doing to 2 things to be specific.
1st: I did backup user data in recovery mode, and then I did root Integrity check to detect the problems. it found 9 files missing. in directory of /system/app/t6/ followed by : cfg.ini,iffa.ca, iffa-key-to-import, and several other long extensions. Please provide proper guidance.

Clearing data of the YouTube app should have nothing to do with the touch screen. That's besides the fact that clearing data wouldn't revert the app to the earlier version. Try using an otg cable to access your phone

thanks tried that. it did worked. I did backup my data on drive. but was thinking to solve this problem without formatting, if possible?


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Script to connect to vpn then open rdp
I work in the field connecting to my clinic software via Microsoft's RDP over a vpn connection.
So every call I go to, I  start or restart the vpn, then reconnect the RDP.
I'd like to write a script to do it in one click.
It seems like tasker would be an option, but all the articles I have seen have been using Open VPN, not the standard VPN that comes with Android.


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Auto start two apps on split screen after reboot
I have Two running Android apps (used for surveillance and doorbell) permanently and simultaneously on split screen.
Sometimes, the person who used the device (for personal purposes) forget to get everything back, or maybe something else happens, so it is necessary to:

Close all recent unnecessary apps.
Launch surveillance and doorbell apps in split screen.

Is it possible to reboot the system every night automatically, then launch the two apps on the split screen?

You can accomplish with automation. Using Automate to demonstrate how to do it:

Select the Broadcast Receive block. Click on it, in the Action section, select "Boot completed". Click Done.
Select App Start block. Click on it, in the Package section, select the first app you wish to start at boot. Click Done.
Select the Interact block.  Click on it, in the Action section, Toggle split screen (Android 7+). In the Package section, select com.android.systemui. Type android.widget,ImageView in the "UI Element Class" section, then type Recent Apps in the "UI Element Text" section. Click Done.
Select the Delay block, in the Duration section set time the amount of time the flow will wait before continuing to the next block (we wait for the first app to start properly before opening the second). I have set it to 5 seconds.
Select App Start block. Click on it, in the Package section, select the second app you wish to start at boot. Click Done.
Save and give it a name. Link the blocks as seen on the image below.
In the Settings, select "Run on system startup".
Don't forget to give the necessary permissions when asked. Press start.

Every time you reboot your device, after the boot has been completed, the first app will be launched. Then, the screen will be split based on Recent apps with the first app occupying the top part of the screen. After a 5 second delay, the second app will be launched occupying the other part of the screen.
The flow was inspired by this example: Split screen Google Maps/Deezer

In 2023 Automate UI for Interact blocked is different (screenshot) :( any hints on what to do with XPath expression instead of UI Element Class and and UI Element Text are much appreciated

@user2761076 Unfortunately, I have never experimented with XPath directly (although I think it was also there when I answered). I use the Record Interactions button to record what I want to do. You might get better help checking Interact documentation.

Reddy's answer above works great, BUT you need to place another link between the "OK" of your second app and the "IN" of the receive broadcast or else it will work for your next reboot cycle, but then end and not work in the future.
Further, you must make sure you have enabled "Run on system startup" in the general Automate settings menu.
Image of extra link needed:


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Force android 7.0 into roaming for better connection
I do a daily commute to work from country A to B. My mobile is from a phone company in country B, and travelling into B, the switch between country providers is handled rather gracefully. The problem comes when I travel back. It seems to me that since the phone knows it will start to roam, it tries to stay on country Bs network as long as possible, resulting in inferior network, or no network for quite some time.
Today I manually forced a switch of network (to a country As network), and voila, I am having good connection again at a place where I would usually be without mobile network.
I have a contract that covers roaming, so I am not worried about costs. I would like to make this thing more convenient - it currently involves manual intervention, waiting until all available networks are scanned, chosing one... How could this be done on a Samsung Galaxy S7, Android 7.0, which is currently not rooted?

The device is not rooted (question updated). If rooting would solve the problem, I might consider it.

Try toggling airplane mode, which turns the mobile modem on/off and forces a reconnect. If that helps, maybe one of the "connection improver" apps around could help, which do this automatically.


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How can I fix an android tablet which says data wipe error
My tablet seems to have have got stuck when trying to reset it to factory settings after it got stuck in the boot loop. It keeps telling me "error, data wipe failed", then flashes something with regards to s.d card. Sometimes it comes up with the menu but won't let me click on anything?

not sure if I have used correct tag?!

I think you should provide more info regarding tablet brand, model no and what does it flashes? Try to be more specific to let our expert users to dive into specific solution.

Try to enter Recovery Mode and factory reset again from there.
To enter recovery mode, power off your phone and press and hold the power button along with the volume down button. The Recovery Mode menu should appear and there should be an option to do a factory reset.
See here for more info on how to enter Recovery Mode.


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Does Family Link work on tablets that are sold with Andriod 6.0 then get software upgrades to 7.0?
Google Family Link requires Android 7.0 Nougat on most devices.
Does it work on tablets that are sold with Android 6.0 Marshmallow then get software upgrades to 7.0?
And if so, what is the sequence I need to follow to make this happen?
Edit: Family Link instructions require a clean device / factory reset before logging in the child. If I log in, then upgrade to 7.0, then factory reset, will I still be on 7.0 after the reset? Or is there some other way to make this happen?

Yes, an app that only works with Android 7.0 will work on all compatible devices regardless of what OS the device first shipped with.

Children can run Family Link on the following Android devices:

Nougat 7.0+  Compatible with all devices. (Source)

So the sequence to follow would be,

Make sure that the device you are purchasing, has an update available for Android 7.0
Update the device to latest software from settings  → about device  → software update.
Download Google Family Link, and set it up.

To answer your last question:

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

Have you tried this? This is not an App install. The Family Link instructions say that for the child's device the steps are to do a Factory Reset on the device, and then sign the child in. will the Factory Reset remove Nougat and reset to Marshmallow?

@AnonGordon edited my answer to include the fact that a factory reset will not revert you to 6.0| as for trying this, I have installed apps that would not be available on 5.0 but after I updated, they worked. Also, the only reason they want you to do a rest, is to start clean, and not have any apps preinstalled that might get in the way of family link. Otherwise it's a regular app

@AnonGordon so I'd say, if it's a new device, you don't need to factory reset after upgrade, but you can do it if you want

Thanks, just ordered an ASUS ZenPad 3S, will let you know how it goes!

@AnonGordon great! Waiting to hear from you. Let me know if you encounter any trouble

OK, it worked and installed just fine. I am not quite sure what the order of operations was, however, as the new device was updating the OS and running through the Family Link install at the same time. But it got there in the end (with the ASUS ZenPad 3S, at least).


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APK & Bluestacks
I just downloaded Bluestacks and am trying to open an APK file, but everytime I download an APK my Windows 10 saves it as a PDK. Also, I don't see the option on Bluestacks to handle the APK file.
Help?
Thanks,
Aldo

Did the answer below solve the issue? If not, please let me know with a comment. If it did solve it, you can accept the answer by pressing on the check mark next to the answer

Here are some instructions on how to download and install an APK.
Make sure the source of the APK is a trusted site. Download the APK.
After downloading, it will have .apk as the file extension. If it has a different extention, that would mean that you downloaded the wrong thing!
Move the file to BlueStacks. This can usually be done by dragging the file, and dropping it in the file manager in BlueStacks.
Now, in BlueStacks, press on the file, and Press on install. It will then ask you to allow downloading from unknown sources, tap OK and it will install the file.
The APK will now appear as a regular app together with the rest of the apps that you have downloaded.


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Problem with adding google account
I'm using Huawei mate 8 with Android version 7.0 and I have a problem with adding Google account and other things. When I am trying to add my google account it immediately goes back to the last screen. I explain better: I'm going to setting and then press Accounts. Then I press on Add account and press on Google. Then the phone goes back to the screen after I click on Accounts. I don't  know if there is any connection, but I also have a problem with Google play app. When I clicking on it, it immediately closes itself without writing any message. This issue also happens on other local apps.


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Galaxy Tab A (7.1.1) Refuses to Root
I'm using Kingo Root, but it keeps stopping at 90% and giving me error code 0x12B263. I've tried iRoot, Kingo, and many more but they've all failed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

You're going to have to use a computer to phone based soultion. One touch rooting apps use a exploit that has since been patched.

As said by another buddy here, the exploitation used by the one click rooter has bed patched. Try One Click Root, it's exploits are updated often. (Requires PC)
If still no luck there's two HARD WAYS. I wouldn't suggest this'd for regular user, and I take no responsibility if device is bricked.
The two ways are:

With a Linux: Get any small linux, put device into recovery mode. You'll be able to browse system files of your device. Download a SuperSU Flashable Zip. Extract the "su"," busybox","Superuser.apk" from arm7 folders in the zip. Copy "su"," busybox" into /system/bin and /system/xbin. Then copy Superuser.apk into /system/app/. Reboot the Device.
Recovery Flash: Search for how to flash TWRP on

[I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR DEVICE IF YOU BRICK IT, IT'S ALL IN YOUR HANDS]
[BTW AS PER ME, EVEN HARD BRICK CAN BE FIXED FOR A FEW PHONES]
Good Luck


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after restart all media are gone from gallery
(Im not an english user so ignore mistakes)
I have an old gts5360 phone and I add new media to sdcard like photo,video,music,etc. all of this media after restart are gone and not showed up in gallery, but the files still are in sd card.
I think if I run chkdsk solve problem but My phones usb mini socket is damaged so I cant connect it to computer.
any ideas?

Do the files show up in your file manager?

yes they are in file manager but do not show up in gallery until I rename them. but even with renaming its still gone after restart

Try using a different gallery app. There's one called quickpic it's pretty good

@ABochur quickpic was very good before it was sold (I don't trust any app by CM). // The issue here seems to be a problem with the media scanner not working correctly. Not a solution, but a possible work-around: try if you can trigger a rescan whenever the media "disappeared" (follow the link for some instructions). Of course you could also use an alternative gallery app that doesn't use the media library but accesses the media directly. But I'm not sure which to recommend that does this.

What if your media files are being hidden by, say, a malware that add .nomedia file in every folder, especially where media files are stored? What you'll need is identifying the malware then removing it should solvedthe problem. BTW, do you still play music?


text:
Show more notifications on lock screen?
Like seriously, how can I show more than 5 notifications, I've enabled the setting to show more, but still, I have like 20 notifications an hour, I'm missing lots.. I want to show it until my lock screen is filled, its stupid not to.


text:
Why does chrome has access to google account not firefox?
When I go into google accounts on chrome from my android phone , it automatically recognizes the google accounts that exists in my phone. But not when I go there on my firefox browser. Why is it so?
I understand that google owns both android and chrome , but why cant firefox and other browsers dont do it?

Why is it so?

Because the Chrome developers decided to integrate with the accounts on the phone, to make it easier to log into websites with your Google account. The Firefox developers chose not to add this feature, because it's not as important to them, or because they don't want to add the "use accounts" permission to their app.

wouldnt it be against some kind of law when it restrict access to one browser not all?

Maybe it would be against some kind of law to do this, but that's not what's going on. Android isn't preventing Firefox from adding this feature. Firefox just lacks the feature.


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After update,the all-apps icon is missing on palmtop
After performing an update, the all-apps icon is gone. I need that to launch the Play Store since there was no palmtop icon for that. How do I restore the icon for all apps?
Using Droid Maxx 2 with Android 7.1.1

Can't you do that from settings > apps > app details and launch from Play store?

Also from settings > apps > home, see if launcher is disabled or try resetting it

beeshyams, neither solved it.

please have screen shot of the issue.

The update installed a caret icon at bottom center which acts as the original all-apps icon did. The caret is small enough that I didn't see it at first. Issue resolved.

Rahul Gopi, the home screen icons persisted after the update. You were misinformed.


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Samsung J5 (10) 2016 log
i have to check when my phone's "messages" app was accessed last night? i had 4 new messages but i have neither seen their notification on my mobile screen nor the small "4" written on messages app on home screen. i have tried other ways like checking if my phone's app was already opened/my friend's message conversation was opened and i slpt? no these are not the reasons of not receiving notification on screen because i have tested each of them by sending messages from other phone to my phone and in every case i got notification on screen.
Because i'm in a hostel and i doubt someone has checked my messages that's why i didn't see any notification this morning is there any way i can check at which times my messaging app was accessed? is there any system log for that? i need to check whether it was accessed between 4:00 AM to 6:AM today.
i'm using samsung J5 (10) 2GB ram. 16Gb rom. Android Version: 6.0.1

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered before, but I can't find the original.

it would be great if you can give me the link?

also i have searched got some codes to dial and check but they didn't work

Yes, it would be great, but as I said, I can't find the original.

ok but in case you remember what was written in it any idea?


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How do I use Tasker to download web images and set them as my background?
I recently purchased Tasker after having it recommended to me by several people. I am trying to take an image from a website (Unsplash Source) and set it as my background daily. As I am relatively new to using Tasker I tried looking for a tutorial on how to do this on but couldn't find one that worked for me. I found other examples that used different websites but have been unable to correctly adapt their instructions to fit the website I am using. I want to use this URL to download the picture from daily (https://source.unsplash.com/2560x1440/?nature/). Is there a way I can do this with Tasker? If so can you please show me how?
Thanks for helping me.

I just messed around with Tasker a little more and found an answer. For anyone who is curious here it is.
 1. Create a new profile set to every 24 hours.
 2. Add a new action
 3. Search for and select HTTP Get
 4. Set the Server:Port to https://source.unsplash.com/2560x1440/?nature/
 5. Set the Mime Type to image/*
 6. Set the Output File to unsplash.jpg
 7. Create a new action
 8. Search for and select Set Wallpaper
 9. Set the Image to unsplash.jpg
That should then change the background to a random image every day at midnight. Please let me know if I have made any mistakes, but from what I can see this works.

Looks good. It's good you posted you answer to help other users!


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Update on Huawei Y6
hi is there a way I can update my Huawei Y6 from android 5.1, emui 3.1 to a higher system please help.
Thank .
kind regards

Check in settings under about device there should be an option to check for updates.

XDA-Developers - I just flashed LineageOS on someone else's Y6 not long ago. The official unlocking procedure takes 14 days though, mind you.


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HTC U Ultra: Disable startup sound
How can I disable the startup sound? I tried the app Silent Boot, this has no effect on the device. Is there a file I can delete or rename to get rid of the sound?

"Is there a file I can delete or rename to get rid of the sound?" - only if you're rooted. I think just silencing the volumes should be enough to also silence the startup sound, though.

check in settings for power on sounds, and check whether there's any option to disable boot sound.

Silencing the volume is not enough, the startup sound stays.


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HTC U Ultra: Can I use dual SIM on this device?
There seem to exist different versions of the phone.
I can insert 2 nano SIM cards in the device but how to activate the second one? There is no enter PIN dialog popping up. On YouTube I saw an unboxing video that showed dual SIM support.

Use apps from play store like device info / my device , etc/ look at your purchase invoice which should have the model number to find out. Please do that first and ask.

In this video for example it says SIM2 on the adapter.

@MichaelS. Can you see two network  icons after inserting two sims on sim tray? I think you were doubted about 4G/3G settings on both sim.

@beeshyams: Could you provide a link to the app please?

@RahulGopi: If I insert the sim tray with 2 sims there is only the message that a sim (singular) has been inserted and the PIN shall be provided. There are no 2 icons like on my ZTE Axon were e.g.

My device. Google on Play store for device lots of other apps

Andy Yan's answer revealed that I have the single-SIM variant. Duh. This would have been nice to know in advance when buying the device. Anyone knows how to find out in store? It is not marked on the package.

Enter download mode by powering down the device and then holding both VOL_DOWN and POWER to power it back up. It will boot to a screen saying hTC download mode.
The 3rd line of the displayed info will say something like htc_oceuhl PVT S-ON. uhl corresponds to the single-SIM variant, dugl is the international dual-SIM variant, and dtwl is the Chinese dual-SIM variant.
You can exit the mode by selecting "reboot" in the download mode menu.

Any chance to find out in store before buying the next one?

Ask any store receptionist? You have the rights to know this info as a customer. What I offered is more of a surefire, after-purchase method and would help better in situations like buying a used device.


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How to Re-calibrating Device Touch?
My Android Phone Fell from my Hand and it's screen is partially Broken. Don't have much of a difference after breaking the screen but I need to Re-Calibrate my Android Device's Display. Is there any way I can do that? With or without Root? I prefer Without Root.


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WhatsApp Google Drive restore fails
I migrated to a new phone yesterday (Nexus 5 -> Pixel 2) and wanted to restore my WhatsApp chat history on the new device. I've always used the Google Drive backup feature, so I thought this should have been relatively easy. However, during the restoring process, the progress bar gets stuck at 31%. Some minutes later, the app informs me that restoring the messages failed.
What can I do? The Google Drive backup file seems to be corrupted, so I also made a manual copy of the msgstore.db.crypt12 file, so that I could maybe use that in order to restore my history. However, the steps listed on the Whatsapp website (https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/20887921/) do not work for me, since it always tries to restore the backup found on Google Drive.

I actually did this. Same problem. It just gets stuck at 31% and then tells me it failed. Whatsapp support itself is useless - they don't even really read the question.

If your old device is with you

Delete WhatsApp backup from Google Drive. See steps from WhatsApp FAQ
Redo Google drive backup manually (Settings → chats → chat backup → Google drive) and restore

That will create a fresh backup  so corruption is ruled out, though would take longer
Old device not with you but you have copy of database file

Uninstall WhatsApp
Install Whatsapp and  on successfully activating it, immediately disconnect from Internet
Copy the database file into the same folder location from which you copied and restore

If you choose second method, on successful restore it still makes sense to repeat first step (except restore) to ensure you have a uncorrupted backup

I will try your first idea after the weekend (I'll be travelling). Thank you! Have you actually tried out that approach before?

Not personally but from a friend who did this successfully with a similar problem of aborted restore

Still no luck... it keeps crashing at 31%, even when I use a newly made backup :(

That's really strange and can't figure out

Not your problem :) it's WhatsApp that just does a terrible job of fixing the issue.

I had something like that too, then I tried on another phone and it worked on it. Then I backed up again and it then worked on the first phone that it didn't work in the first place. So try using another phone, maybe it helps

I had the same issue and actually fixed it, it's a bug that reverses the resorted backup again for some reason.. so all you have to do is to force stop whatsapp when it reaches 31% or 24%  as at (24% or 31% or 39% ) it's already finished resorting 100% of your messages
and then it will open automatically and hopefully all you messages will be there.
so when the bar reaches 31% you force it to stop. and good luck hope this work for you guys it worked for me


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APK version downgrade impossible on Rooted Nougat 7.0?
From the title it's weird that i've removed a system app and it's data folder from system and data locations by using this batch :
abd root
adb remount
adb shell rm -r /system/app/apkfolder
adb shell rm -r /system/app/apkfolder
adb shell rm -r /data/data/apk.package.name
adb shell rm -r /data/data/apk.package.name

I executed the last command twice to make sure that the folder was deleted entirely, and yes the shell reply was :
C:\Users\User>adb root

C:\Users\User>adb remount
remount succeeded

C:\Users\User>adb shell rm -r /system/app/apkfolder

C:\Users\User>adb shell rm -r /system/app/apkfolder
rm: /system/app/apkfolder: No such file or directory

C:\Users\User>adb shell rm -r /data/data/apk.package.name

C:\Users\User>adb shell rm -r /data/data/apk.package.name
rm: /data/data/apk.package.name: No such file or directory

Now I've tried to install an older version of the APK V1.0 build 1 (the removed version was 2.0 build 2) by using :
adb install -r apkfile.apk

And this is the response:
C:\Users\User\Desktop>adb install -r apkfile.apk
adb: failed to install apkfile.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_VERSION_DOWNGRADE]

Now, I've copied the file to priv-app using :
adb push apkfile.apk /system/priv-app
adb shell chmod 644 /system/priv-app/apkfile.apk

And this is the response (tried this before with /system/app folder and got the same result) :
C:\Users\User\Desktop>adb push apkfile.apk /system/priv-app
apkfile.apk: 1 file pushed. 10.0 MB/s (1000000 bytes in 0.500s)

C:\Users\User\Desktop>adb shell chmod 644 /system/priv-app/apkfile.apk

And even launching the main activity by calling its launchable activity is not possible:
adb shell am start -n apk.package.name/apk.package.name.MainActivity

P.S:

The device SoC is an MTK
The device has an engineer build.
Every reboot its weird that the original APK is restored to the system/app folder and is working!!!!

Any workaround / advice will be appreciated, thanks

Removing the APK file doesn't remove its entry from the database of installed packages, so the package installer thinks it's still installed. What you are doing is not how to uninstall an app.

So, how to deal with this situation?

Since every reboot the app gets re-installed, why not look inside /vendor (/system/vendor) and see if there's presence of the app in question there? If true, get rid of it so it won't come back after a reboot, then do what you are already doing, and finally issue a reboot so the package list can be updated properly.

@AndyYan : Thanks, but unfortunately it's not found neither /system/vendor/app or /system/vendor/priv-app and also not in /system/vendor/operator/app ! other locations to check ?

Not sure, but you can always use a root-enabled file explorer to search inside /system.

On some devices important apps and/or even the recovery partition are checked and installed when missing on startup. Therefore you should check the startup scripts that trigger the installation.


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Set wifi connection as metered in Android 5.0
I'd like to set specific wifi connections as metered, since I do not want e.g. Google Play to update apps via public wifi (limited volume and bandwith, competing with my and - for politeness - other people's laptops).
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Android 5.0.1, Avast running, no root and no special modifications from my side.
I have tried quite some days to find a native Android way to do that, but failed so far - please prove me wrong! The suggestions I found so far on Android Enthusiasts go mainly into the following directions and did not work (other Android versions, or see below). I'd rather prefer a native android solution, if necessary a 3rd party app would be fine if without rooting.

many solutions end at a "3 dot" (⋮) menu somewhere in data usage menu pages - it seems not to exist on my phone/Android version. Found nothing comparable (incl. left menue button next to the start button etc.)
restrict background data - I do not want to restrict the app (Google Play) in general, but only a specific network.
NetGuard app - same as 2., does not seem to be wifi-specific (and not sure if I should put an app with in app purchases in such a central position)

Thanks in advance!

Related: How to set a tethered Wi-Fi connection (tethered to another phone via Android personal hotspot) as “metered” connection

@beeshyams: Fantastic! Although I do not have a "network restrictions" option or sth that sound similar, the next screenshot let me discover that I need to tap "mobile hotspots" instead (not right top, but lower left 'menu' button - not sure why they obfuscate things that way), then get the same (at least similar-looking) list of  networks I can set as (supposedly metered) 'hotspots', resulting in restricted background data usage. Will test and report in case of new aspects. Although very indirect, it helped and I'd accept as answer if you agree and post it.

Metered WiFi connections should be straightforward to set up but Samsung has it buried elsewhere as reported by OP in comments. I don't have the device to illustrate but based on this, the steps are :

Settings → Data usage → WiFi
Network restrictions should appear here, alongwith the list of Networks. As OP discovered,apparently on some models, instead one has to tap mobile hotspots button (accessed from bottom left menu button) to reveal the list of Networks.
Toggle the selected WiFi network to restrict background data (I suppose this is the same as "metered" - please feel free to comment), as explained at the very bottom of the list (in case you find the explanation, you are likely to have managed anyway...)

There isn't much difference to the default proceedure for metering wi-fi networks in android.
Here is the proceedure in Samsung J5 Android 5 (which I believe is similar o your device):
Go to Settings → Data Usage → More → Restrict networks

This will show a list of all the Wi-Fi networks the device has ever
  connected to. Use the switches to enable restrictions on any given
  network. Once activated, this will prevent apps from using background
  data on that network, and you’ll also get a warning before any large
  downloads.

Thanks for the nice illustration by screenshots (+1), but unfortunately I simply do not habe the "more" button (= "3 dots" button in other versions) and "restrict networks" option for unknown reason...


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Will moto brick loading wrong firmware?
I cant load recovery to flash new ROM
As its the first time im about to use ADB, ive read that  i need: Motorola drivers, mfastboot, my phone firmware
In this link i have two options for XT1064 "Niimx" and "Iusmxaus" ... Found that retca, retuaws and niimx are for canadian, usa and mexico phones... but how do i know if this phone comes from usa mexico or canada? I already used it before it failed to load recovery, and ive had signal in mexico. Im still affraid of bricking my phone if loading a non fitting firmware, could this happen?

You can enter the bootloader and execute fastboot getvar all and you will see the current variant installed. Flashing a different variant firmware will not recommended. I would honestly go to XDA to your device specific forums and look there, just googling random files can lead to less than desirable results. Flashing the incorrect variant firmware will likely not cause a brick condition, but will probably not have any connectivity (no WiFi or mobile connection). Note the last sentence is Moto specific, and does not cover all models but does apply to the Moto G line in general.

Yes. Almost certainly it will brick (see link above for reasons). Search XDA for your specific model ROM


text:
Lost imei of zenfone max sd615
I recently rooted my zenfone max(z010d) sd615 model and installed AIM ROM(custom rom) and due to some features that i felt missing in the rom i tried to revert back to stock and while returning to stock something strange happened and the mobile got switched off and hasn'nt turned on ,and searched many forums and finally managed to turn on by flash a firmware using asus flash tool but the mobile went into factory mode and no mobile signals at all and i've checked the imei it shows as '0'.tried may methods on web but cant solve imei problem. I hope this forum may help to solve the problem.

Do you have the original flashable rom ? and is it a Mediatek SoC ?

I am not sure whether it is original or not but I've found a raw rom in firmware27.net for my device model

Send the link of the firmware downloaded from firmware27.net

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1inSC93FpC3sfgNhpJgXMD5QzDLpKEK4d/view