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How can I find out which bands my phone supports
Background:
I recently bought the Padfone X, and have been attempting to get it on my network. Part of this effort has been verifying information I have found online which claims that it supports LTE band 4.

4G-LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 17

My network operator claims to support most phones that support AWS, specifically phones that operate on the 1700/2100 spectrum (which I believe corresponds to 4G-LTE band 4 / AWS 4 / etc.)
Problem:
Because I can't trust what I have read, I have been trying to answer this question: How can I find out what bands my phone supports just using Android / Apps?
What I have tried:
I have looked at this question asking about the current frequency band, which led me to try the two "secret codes" listed in the answers:

*#*#0011#*#*: Recognized as a code, but does nothing.
*#*#4636#*#*: This brings up phone information, but I don't see anything that looks frequency related. Screenshot here.

The device is rooted, so I can use adb shell to muck about if need be, but I don't know where to look.

Relatedly, if there is a way to change the band on the phone, that would be good to know.

The band should auto negotiate and change automatically.  I'm not sure about any apps to find the frequencies supported, but I do know that your phone does indeed support Band 4.

Have you ever find the solution to your question?

Phones based on Qualcomm Snapdragon, like the padfone X, have their band settings stored in NVRAM, in a field called rf_bc_config. This will be set in the factory to match the band choices embedded into the hardware (radio components in the RF front-end on the device).
The value can be readout using Qualcomm service tools like QPST or QXDM, but it is not a human readable value, it is a bit-field and the bits are not in the order one might expect.
I do not know the mapping of the bitfield, but have seen people speculating on xda forum.
There are no apps to retrieve this information, because it is kept inside the modem software and never offered up to the application processor. The only information ever offered up to the android processor is the current connected band info.
It is possible to change these values in the NVRAM, and many people have, to try and force extra bands to work on their handset - of course, this is unlikely to result in useful performance on the new band, since the hardware support is not present.

I don't know of a user interface in Android to enumerate the radio frequencies that the device handles. However, to give you the direct answer you were looking for, the Padfone X lacks UMTS 1700/2100, which is different from the LTE 1700/2100 that it supports.

I appreciate the research; after having a friend assist, it looks like you are correct regarding the Padfone X. I'm still curious how one would obtain the information without having a spec.

For those having rooted snapdragon-based device there is an easy way to obtain LTE bands supported by radio hardware. Free app found at https://t.me/ru_fieldtest_modemcaps/5 could show you explicit list similar to the following:
LTE Bands :
                B1 (2100 FDD)
                B2 (1900 FDD)
                B3 (1800 FDD)
                B4 (2100 FDD)
                B5 (850 FDD)
                B7 (2600 FDD)
                B8 (900 FDD)
                B13 (700 FDD)
                B17 (700 FDD)
                B20 (800 FDD)

...
As well as some other handy details.

Thanks this works!

You can find the frequency of a device (as long as it was sold in the USA) by searching the devices FCC ID. This is a unique identifier used for authorizing the device to transmit at licensed frequencies.
The Padfone X has two FCC IDs, so you will have to figure out which one applies (try checking under the battery cover): MSQT00S, MSQT00D

And what about other countries?

You could use the MTL engineering mode app.
The app on android can be used in checking which 4G bands your android phone supports and it worked for me.
Just download and install, tap on MTK settings, band, select sim and you'd see them.

That would only work on mediatek devices

I found this(below)  very helpful, also the app on Google play "network cell info" you will get all the details about what bands your phone uses, AND if there are cells compatible with it around you. Not all mobile operators are created equal... Big differences are to be expected.
https://www.frequencycheck.com/carrier-compatibility/51zw4/vodafone-greece/devices?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q%5Bfull_name_cont%5D=nexus+5&q%5Bdevice_brand_id_eq%5D=23&commit=Search


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I need Google Settings again in my phone, but I can't install it again without the Google Play Store
I have uninstalled an application called "Google Settings" by accident. So now whenever I go to the Google Play Store it says "server error". Whatsapp need to be updated, but for me to do update it I need Google Play Stpr BUT Google Play Store doesn't work without the app Google Settings. How do I install again the Google Settings again w/o using Google Play Store?

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Trouble rooting my Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2(gt-s7582)
I have tried to root my device with odin 3.3 and everything went well. The software showed the result 'pass', but there is no su application. I have also installed ConnectBot and tried the command su but it hasn't worked. Please help me, I need to root the mobile because my device has got some problem, I lost my photos and to recover the images I have to root my mobile.

use vroot on pc. its very good application for root any android

Try using Kies2 or Kies3, it's good and will install samsung's firmware!

What package were you using in Odin to flash your phone?  I don't think flashing a new OS in ODIN will help much with rooting.
Download towelroot on your phone, and root that way:  Towelroot.com
Download and install the APK.  Click the lamda, and then install SuperSU from the Play Store.

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


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Put vanilla android on Samsung s5
Is it currently possible to put the default android on a Samsung S5 (Similar to the Google Play Edition of the S4)?

XDA developers is the place to go, and yes it is, there's TONS of AOSP and stock ROMs. Just ensure it's the EXACT device you have!


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Change which AppDrawer is started (Google Now Launcher)
I've recently installed Beautiful Drawer because I would like to categorize my Apps in the Drawer. I'm using a Nexus 5 with  Kitkat and the default Google Now launcher. My phone is not rooted.
Is it possible to change the default AppDrawer which is started when tapping on the AppDrawer-symbol on the main screen? It should start Beautiful Drawer instead of the default Drawer.
Here is a picture which shows the icon I'm talking about:

What do you want to change it to?

I would like to launch Beautiful Drawer instead of the default drawer

No. The app drawer is part of the same app as the home screen itself: the launcher app. You can only replace both of them at once. Some launchers don't even have a separate app drawer: the list of apps is a seamless part of the home screen itself.

You could probably look at App Swap drawer, launch it from Google Now gesture : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch


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Cant access my samsung galaxy tab 3 for kids as my google account is blocked
My son has blocked my daughters Samsung galaxy Tab 3 for kids.  It wont recognise my google account as it has exceeded the 5 tries. I have tried holding down the home, sound and power buttons and the little man appears but I don't get any msg about factory reset. Can anyone help?

You might want to look at this answer which may help you to get back in without factory resetting.

How to hard reset:
Warning! All data will be lost! Use this at your own risk!
1.Turn off your tablet
2.Push together volume up + home key + power key until Samsung logoo appears
3.Select with volume key "wipe data" and push power key to confirm
4.Select "yes" and push power key to confirm
5.Wait until format ends
6.Push power key to confirm "reboot"
7.Wait until the tablet restarts


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Re-Installing an unpublished purchased app?
Can i install a purchased app from playstore even if its unpublished from store?
I know it will be displayed on my apps list, but i think we can delete apps from that list too.In that case how I can find the app and reinstall it..

You'll have to just Google it and find a copy elsewhere on the internet.  If it's unpublished from the Play Store, you can't install it from there anymore.

Thank you IAmTheSquidward for the answer.I am a developer and this question is regarding our recent project, so i am sure the app is not available anywhere else, is its sure if its unpublished and deleted from my apps list then app is not available.I haven't purchased any apps yet, do there is any separate list for purchased apps..

Nope, there's one list. I'm pretty sure they just disappear from that list as well.

authors: თათია წერეთელი


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Problem in syncing contacts after factory reset
I have reset my phone using factory reset option. Now I get "Sync is currently experiencing problems. It will be back shortly." error when trying to sync contacts. What is wrong with it? I also tried "Contacts Sync Fix" app without success.

The first thing I usually do when I experience this kind of problem is I uncheck the one having problems syncing (Contacts, Calendar, etc.) and then check it again. This should initiate a new sync and possibly fix the problem.
If it doesn't fix it, try clearing the data for Contacts app (Settings>Applications>Manage applications) and then sync again.
If it's still not fixed try removing the account that experiences this problem and then re-add it.
It also can be on Google's end, so sometimes it can fix itself, just wait a few days.
And if nothing of that helps, try by another factory reset. Good luck!

Try removing the Account Permissions for the device from your Google dashboard - https://security.google.com/settings/security/permissions.

In my case, I could fix this using https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.ivary.ContactsSyncFix&hl=en, though the solution basically boiled down to removing groups from my contacts. Probably I also could have created them on my Gmail account instead


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How to Manage (and preferably clear) the `Frequently contacted` list in the Favourites tab
I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, with Adroid Version 4.4.2
If you click on Phone and then go to Favourites (The 3rd Tab at the top), you will see 1 or 2 lists:

Favourites
Frequently contacted

I want to know what contributes to contacts being in the Frequently contacted? (SMS, Calls Durations, WhatsApp, Emails)
And secondly, how do I remove a contact from this list?

I have a galaxy s4 with 4.4.2. I realize that Touchwiz is a bit different between the two devices but maybe this will help.
I can't tell you for sure what contributes to the ranking on the list but it seems to me that it's based on number of calls primarily. There is no one in my favorites list that I have not made a call to and I have many contacts not on the favorites list that I only sms, email, etc,  with.
As far as removing a contact, I can hit the menu button and have an option "Remove from Favorites" which brings up a checkbox list allowing me to delete.

Just solved this issue.

Open Favorites in your phone - your Favorites list should appear.
Open menu (bottom left of Home button) - 4 options should appear.

Add to favorites
Remove from favorites
Grid view
Settings

Select Remove from favorites - boxes should then appear next to names.
Select the names you wish to remove.
Select Done in top right.

Also figured it out some time ago, thanks. Nice logical flow of steps.

Go to settings - general - application manager - all- contact storage the clear cash


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Can I disable the volume warning if I raise the volume too much?
Occasionally when I raise the volume on my HTC-one, I get a warning message which stops me until I click 'Ok'. It's more of an annoyance than anything else. Can I disable it? I can't seem to find an option for it in the settings.
This question has already been asked here, but it was over a year ago.
There was no solution then, I'm wondering does anyone know if there is a solution now?

This isn't a forum, so we don't ask duplicate questions just to seek new answers for the same question. You can add a bounty to draw more attention to a question, even when it isn't your question: one of the preset bounty reasons is "the existing answers are out of date". I think, though, that you'll find the answers haven't changed.

It's not a possible duplicate, it IS a duplicate. Read the question.

If you check the accepted answer, it was updated for Kitkat (4.4) half a year ago: status unchanged.

Thanks @Izzy, that answer was the reason I asked this question in the first place. 'it is still an issue in 4.4.' I was just hoping someone had figured something out since then.


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I can't unlock bootloader on Nexus 7 (2013)
Process reaches the stage of Erasing userdata add stops. I was waiting for 1 hour but nothing changes.

Did you accept the confirmation prompt on the Nexus 7's screen about unlocking the bootloader?

@DanHulme yes. after that nothing changes in cmd on PC and nexus provides no reaction for any pressed keys. i can only turn it off while keepind power button pressed for about 5 sec

Could you have knocked the USB cable loose when you did it? If you've tried more than once that would rule it out.

@DanHulme usb cable was accidentally disconnected when i tried to do it first time. can I solve this problem other way? or there are no variants and i can only throw my tablet away?

I tryed to turn off my nexus when it worked by keepind power button pressed. It turned off, but can't turn on. When I try to turn it on, there is only Google logo on screen as long as it stay turned on and android can't load. That's why I wanna unlock bootloader and reinstall android.


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Samsung duos remove and re-insert battery makes battery life sudden drop
I have a samsung duos i9082 without root.
the battery life drop 10% - 50% when remove and reinsert the battery.
So my question is.
is this a battery problem or devices or software?
Does replace a new battery fix this issue?
update question
The first drop is remove and re-insert battery.
The second drop is from 15% - 0% (less than 5mins)
48% usage by screen.

In my experience as a phone technician, that kind of issue is most often the battery. There will usually be a 0-2% drop after a bat pull because of the required power for boot up. Does the battery have any sort of swelling to it? If so then it's undoubtedly the battery.

no swelling. it drops extremely fast not just 0-2%. mostly 10 - 20%.

From your observation, does the phone charge faster than it used to? Often times a phone will charge faster as the life of the battery diminishes

No, charge speed like normal.
I updated my question with picture. Please check it

I strongly believe it's the battery. Erratic readings like that tell me the battery is going bad. It reminds me of a " hollow charge " where it states its at a certain percentage but in reality its much lower. The only way to be certain is to ; 1. Factory reset phone after backing up info then experiment. However a battery replacement will likely solve this.

Ok. Will get a new battery and try

Replaced a new battery. Same issue :(

That is odd. Sorry that didn't work. If it's your phone misreading the batteries charge it may need to be recalibrated. With root this can be achieved via various apps. Without root I've seen a factory reset fix issues similar to this.it's very rare though. If that doesn't work I'm at a loss.

Factory reset tried before   not work. Will try root later

rooted + battery calibration not work as well. I notice something now. either new or old battery the 100% - 85%  and 15% - 0% are not usable. the battery life sudden drop at that area.

Its too bad there isnt another duos to test this with. Has samsung provided a reflash image of this device? I would assume so. If so, that may be an option as its much more thorough than a traditional factory reset. I cant imagine why two batteries are reacting the same way. When the battery is in the phone, is the drain normal vs how it was before these issues occurred? Also is the device older or newer


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Catching a hidden application
In my Android, when I turn on the screen I see a quick flash pop-up that says: "Network error: it is impossible to connect" (or similar, I am from memory). This is logical as I have manually turn off data usage, but I would like to know which app is writting that message, in order to see if there is any setup to avoid it, or to write author. It is a bit annoyed.
Any ideas how can I know which app is it? I have lot of apps.
Thanks

What exactly is this "quick flash"? See http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/52789/popups-dialogs-notifications-toasts-whats-the-difference to help identify it.

It is a toast of about 3 or 4 seconds.


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How to enter password for decrypt without system keyboard on android
I was trying to release some internal memory on my CUBOT GT-99, so I started disabling  some system apps using one rooted app. One of apps I was disabled is system keyboard because I don’t use it beside Swift Keyborad. I was totaly forget that I use system keyboard whan I turn on my phone, becouse I encrypt my phone, so I need system keyboard to enter the password. Now phone ask me for decrypting password but don’t show me the keyboard, so I can’t enter password and can’t system run.
One of my idea is to use Android SDK, if there's some tool or something (?) to use PC Keyboard instead of disabled system keyboard (I don’t know anything about Android SDK).
If there is no other option I'm ready to do hard reset, but I don't know how to do this in this situation.
Please can someone give me any other idea and tutor how to solve this.

Since you are rooted, I assume you have installed a custom recovery like ClockworkMod. Can you boot your phone in recovery mode?  You should be able to perform a factory reset (a.k.a. wipe) from there.

If the device were not encrypted, you could use ADB to re-enable the app (pm enable). But I doubt that works with encryption turned on and the device not yet unlocked. So I'm afraid the full factory-reset Chahk suggested is the only way out.

No I didn't install ClockworkMod :(
How to do Full Factory reset in this situation?

Solved.
First of all, I didn't know how to enter in Recovery Mode on CUBOT GT-99, but accidentally I enter in it, and I want share this with you because I didn't find it on internet.
Press POWER for 1 sec and than release...phone vibrate...Immediately after vibration press and hold POWER & VOLUME+ button.
In recovery mode it alows me to:
apply update from ADB/sdcard/cache
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
backuo/restore user data
I tried to establish a connection with the ADB, but it did not work because of encrtyption. I made a backup user data and after that I dona Factory Reset.
The new system had the same problem, there is no system keyboard. so I've installed the Swift Keyboard from computer using the command adb install %PATH_OF_PACKAGE_ON_PC%.
I finally had some keyboard with which I could enter my email address and password to enter in Google play. There I installed Root App Delete (with which I had previously disabled the system keyboard), to re-enable the system keyboard.
In the end all I needed is to go to the system recovery and restore user data witch i made before Factory reset.
That's it. :)

I don't think that the above answer is quite correct as when you enter in "recovery mode" (on an encrypted device) the /sbin/sh pm command can no longer be used since the device needs a password for decryption. (I even decrypt my phone and still could not perform the command :(
Also thinking about it more running that command to re enable a package would open up a security hole for encrypted devices so this command would of run useless on an encrypted device (which is not "decrypted" in the first place)
If you have TWRP installed as your recovery they have their own keyboard layout which you can enter in your decrypt password and then use one of your backups to revert back (which I hope you have done) to recover your keyboard layout.
Otherwise you'll need to install/flash back to your stock rom :(

A simpler solution
I had the same issue, but I don't have an SD card in my Moto X. That means, if I backup then factory reset, my backup will be gone too.
I found another solution. You can just reflash the Google Keyboard to your device using TWRP. The zip I used is here: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95855108297851240
If you don't have TWRP recovery, you can flash it from fastboot.
After flashing, the keyboard should work again and you can enter your password for decryption.

I think that if you entered in recovery mode (any of them) you can use Adb to enable frozen apps. It can be done throught the command "adb pm enable packagename" where packagename the app of the keyboard . if you dont remember the exact name use the command "adb shell pm list packages -f" to return all the installed apps and find there the disabled keyboard. An excellent tutorial of how to use adb can be found here http://www.vogella.com/tutorials/AndroidCommandLine/article.html by Lars Vogel.

This worked for me : connect usb OTG cable and a regular pc keyboard, then power on.


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what is uses-permission "android.permission.INTERNET"?
I read something about uses-permission in android application , but I don't know what is "android.permission.INTERNET" , or why we need this.

Is this a development question? Those are off-topic here.

not at all , I need what is , I know this is in AndroidManifest.xml but many time use 10.x.x.x I don't know how to get that?

You can find a list of permissions with explanations here on my Android site, which goes beyond the question linked above. The link in this comment goes directly to the permission you've asked for.

android.permission.INTERNET is a permission required by apps that access the Internet in any capacity.
Many applications use this permission to get data from a remote server, display advertisements, or send usage statistics to the developer.
If you're wondering why a specific app requires the permission, your best bet would be to ask the developer directly.


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Increase internal storage of android device
I have 178MB on internal storage and I'm out of space, currently I have installed CM 10.1 and I want to know what choices do I have to get more space to install new applications, removing applications is not an option and deleting junk files either. I count with a 2gb sd card and I have heard that switching sd with phone internal storage is possible. What tool do you recommend?

You can't "increase internal storage". But you can take a look at What can I do to manage my phone's internal storage?, our internal-storage tag-wiki, and our insufficient-memory tag-wiki, to name some examples. Additionally, take a look at the questions linked in the "Related" section of your question, e.g. Is There Any Way To Increase Internal Memory?

There are two kind of solutions. One is to repartition, as you don't mentioned what kind of Android powered Smartphone you have I will try to get deep and the other to move apps to microSD (please read below).

If your device has a MediaTek cpu you can try Meteos Tool for repartitioning, you can find some details here http://www.modaco.com/topic/365701-re-partition-any-mtk6589-phone-without-a-pc-more-data-storage/. This application can be used on the smartphone and repartition the memory to different sizes depending on the selection of the user and the limit of the memory itself. I have used it, it's very easy to be implemented.
The other solution is to use something that is called Link2SD. This although is not repartitioning the memory, it moves every app even other files to the microSD memory (there are solutions to run the whole ROM from the microSD) and have free space at the smartphone     memory. This way it solves the problem of the internal low memory.


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Save & restore a real device's state, similar to emulator snapshot
I am just wondering, is it possible to save & restore a real device's state, similar to emulator snapshots?
By using snapshot, we don't need to boot at every time and can just continue from last state (e.g. last opened app or wherever you were left) of the device. This can be very handy on power failure.

No. What you're describing is something like the "hibernate" option you get on PCs. It would need support from the kernel and the userspace parts of Android. Since 4.2, the boot process on Android has been a lot faster on real devices, so typically it would be slower to boot from hibernation than to boot in the conventional way.

Yes basically i need hibernate option, slow or fast boot is not important i need to see where Android was left. Is there any kernel you know that support "hibernation"?

Linux itself has a hibernation feature called "swsusp", but I don't think anybody turns it on for Android, because as I say, it would also need userspace support.

thanks i'll digg deeper to find a way around like saving the last state of device so that booting may continue from that state


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Can't play full audio files
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, not to be confused with a small surf board, and I've run into a new problem this morning.  I usually load some smutty audio books (ok, Star Wars audio books) to listen to during the more mundane parts of the workday, at the gym, etc.  When I added the next few in my current series, I noticed that my audio book player was only playing about 5 min. of each file and then moving on to the next one.
I checked on my PC to make sure that the files weren't corrupted, and they were fine on the desktop (when VLC opened them, they played for the proper duration).  Okay, I thought, I'll delete the files that got screwed up when I loaded them via WiFi and retransfer them using my cable.  Same problem once I got the files on again.  Next I tried to use the Samsung Music app instead of my audio book player but got the same result.  Even in the system audio file player I get the same problem.  What should be a 1:17:46 file keeps trying to play like it's a 00:05:14 file.
This behavior was seen pretty heavily across the 40 or 50 files I put on this morning (using the USB, over WiFi I only transferred the one book), but some of the files didn't have any problems.  It also seems like entire books are treated the same way; if one plays fine, all play fine, and vice versa.
Technical Details:
Android:
Version 4.4.2
Kernel 3.4.0-722276
Build KOT49H.N900AUCUCNC2
SE for Android status: Enforcing SEPF_SAMSUNG-SM-n900A_4.4.2_0013
Security revision MDF v1.0 Release 2
Files:
Type .mp3
Bit rate 128kbps
Audio Book App (not sure this is relevant since it's on the system and Samsung players as well): Smart AudioBook Player

No idea what that could be, but a suggestion on how you might find out: with the USB cable connected to your device and ADB tools installed on your computer (see e.g. Is there a minimal installation of ADB?), at 4:50 start adb logcat and capture its output. Then especially take a look at the lines appearing about the time the premature stop happens. For details, also see How can I view and examine the Android log?

Just wanted to update: 1) Found a workaround using the VLC Player (still in beta) to open the files.  2) After going back to google basics and figuring out a better way to ask, it looks like it might be an issue with variable bit rates; unfortunately, when I downloaded an app to fix that, it came back telling me that based on the file tags, it thinks they're constant bit rate and not variable.  I'm way outside my area of focus on this one, but TL;DR is that the file on the device is not corrupt, as I can get it to play with the VLC app.

You might want to answer your own question with that (and accept your answer later): It includes a solution to the problem (VLC), plus some hints to possible reasons behind the issue. Both might prove helpful to other people in comparable situations! Good job :)

Since this has been open for a week, I decided to post my workaround and the other details I found as an answer.  Mods, please don't close other similar questions, because this is not an actual answer, just a hotfix that might help someone later.
Just wanted to update: 1) Found a workaround using the VLC Player (still in beta) to open the files. 2) After going back to google basics and figuring out a better way to ask, it looks like it might be an issue with variable bit rates; unfortunately, when I downloaded an app to fix that, it came back telling me that based on the file tags, it thinks they're constant bit rate and not variable. I'm way outside my area of focus on this one, but TL;DR is that the file on the device is not corrupt, as I can get it to play with the VLC app.

I wanted to hop in an add that using the VLC Beta solved a possibly related problem I was having on my 4.4.4 SlimKat ROM. I couldn't play large audio files (7+ hours each) on any of the other players I've used, but VLC handles them like a boss.

authors: Q̞ī̯X̶͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇͇̯̯̳̳͈͈͈͆͆


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Is there Any Way to Make Android Stay on the Same Page on the Application Drawer after Pressing the Home Button?
Often, I press the home button to end an unresponsive app, with intentions of starting the app back up. However, when I open back up the application drawer, it is always on the first page, and not the page I was previously on, which wastes time. Is there any setting that can change this so that the last page visited will be reopened? (LG Nexus 5, Running Android 4.4.4) I apologise for the terrible question, I know it's probably just the way things are, but it can get irritating. Perhaps, if it is not possible to change this, I will have to get into the habit of searching for apps using "Google Now" on my home screen, but, in the meantime, I shall wait and see. Thank you for any contribution.
EDIT: I am new to this, so I may have tagged something irrelevant or placed my question in the wrong place etc.

The app drawer is a part of the launcher app, so you can replace it simply by switching to a different launcher. Just install a new launcher of your choice that works the way you like.

Thank you for your feedback, although I do like the google now launcher; I shall try find one that works to my needs.

@BenPorter if the answer solved your issue (as far as that's possible), please don't forget to mark it such using the check-box next to it. This helps other people with similar issues to identify "questions having solutions". Thanks! // And to get your replacement-search booted, you might wish to take a look at this list of launchers ;)

@Izzy Thank you very much once more, your willingness to help is very good to see! I shall do so on any answers that solve my questions in the future!


text:
What is "composite" in the Android Composite ADB Interface?
What's the difference between the Android ADB Interface and the Android Composite ADB Interface?

Android Composite interface is higher level interface that includes Android ADB (Android Debug Bridge) interface, Android MTP (Media Transfer Protocol), PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol), Mass Storage Protocol etc. depending on what you need to do with connected device and on type of device as well.


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how to rename the new folder name
Hi Guys i need to know how to change the folder name in samsung galaxy ace duos.
I will create it by Tapping up the settings key in the screen and then click on add then Folders but
i couldn't able to rename it. how to rename the folder by default it is coming as folder

Why downvote for this question

Try tapping on the name of the folder when the folder is open (in this case "Folder"). You may have to do a long-press .

its not working i already tried its opening the folder instead of name. if long press folder starts moving

Try it with the folder open

Now am able to rename


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Exception while receiving OTA update: TCP connection is not from a google app, closing it
I'm trying to update over the air the firmware of my Samsung Gear Live. Current build number is KKV81.
But when I go to System updates I see the message:
"Something went wrong. Try again?"
In the same time in logcat (through usb dongle) I see this:
08-07 20:06:40.620      606-606/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ onCreate
08-07 20:06:41.660      454-569/? I/ActivityManager﹕ START u0 {act=android.settings.SYSTEM_UPDATE_SETTINGS cmp=com.google.android.gms/.update.SystemUpdateWearableActivity} from pid 619 on display 0
08-07 20:06:41.720      606-606/? D/SystemUpdateActivity﹕ status=6 mobile=false batteryState=0 roaming=false lastCheckinTime=1407349343493 mSetupWizard=false
08-07 20:06:41.780      454-474/? I/ActivityManager﹕ Displayed com.google.android.gms/.update.SystemUpdateWearableActivity: +105ms
08-07 20:06:42.000      662-682/? W/bt-btif﹕ dm_pm_timer expires
08-07 20:06:42.000      662-682/? W/bt-btif﹕ dm_pm_timer expires 0
08-07 20:06:42.000      662-682/? W/bt-btif﹕ proc dm_pm_timer expires
08-07 20:06:43.620      606-606/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ onCreate
08-07 20:06:43.650     606-1692/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ network: NetworkInfo: type: PROXY[], state: CONNECTED/CONNECTED, reason: enabled, extra: (none), roaming: false, failover: false, isAvailable: true, isConnectedToProvisioningNetwork: false; metered: false; mobile allowed: true
08-07 20:06:43.650     606-1692/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ current file is null
08-07 20:06:43.650     606-1692/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ mSize -1 mDownloaded -1
08-07 20:06:43.650     606-1692/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ status is 1 (ready)
08-07 20:06:43.650     606-1692/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ starting download of http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/global_samsung_sprat/9463bb9866a01116311155b89e4aae4c436db98c.signed-sprat-KMV78Y-from-KKV81.9463bb98.zip
08-07 20:06:43.660      606-606/? D/SystemUpdateActivity﹕ status=2 mobile=false batteryState=0 roaming=false lastCheckinTime=1407349343493 mSetupWizard=false
08-07 20:06:43.660     606-1692/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ now status is 2 (in_progress)
08-07 20:06:43.670     606-1693/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ querying downloadmanager
08-07 20:06:43.690     606-1693/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ mUrl is http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/global_samsung_sprat/9463bb9866a01116311155b89e4aae4c436db98c.signed-sprat-KMV78Y-from-KKV81.9463bb98.zip
08-07 20:06:43.700     606-1693/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ including auth header <AUTH_HEADER_HERE>...
08-07 20:06:43.710     606-1694/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ network: NetworkInfo: type: PROXY[], state: CONNECTED/CONNECTED, reason: enabled, extra: (none), roaming: false, failover: false, isAvailable: true, isConnectedToProvisioningNetwork: false; metered: false; mobile allowed: true
08-07 20:06:43.710     606-1694/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ now status is 2 (in_progress)
08-07 20:06:44.690      168-169/? E/clockwork_proxy_native﹕ Cannot find uid for tcp connection from 192.168.167.239:44849 to 212.0.195.142:80
08-07 20:06:44.690    1378-1453/? D/ClockworkProxy﹕ TCP connection requested by uid=-1
08-07 20:06:44.690    1378-1453/? D/ClockworkProxy﹕ TCP connection is not from a google app, closing it...
08-07 20:06:44.700     606-1693/? I/DownloadAttempt﹕ caught ioexception
    java.io.EOFException
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.Util.readAsciiLine(Util.java:342)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.RawHeaders.fromBytes(RawHeaders.java:311)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.HttpTransport.readResponseHeaders(HttpTransport.java:135)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.HttpEngine.readResponse(HttpEngine.java:644)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.HttpURLConnectionImpl.execute(HttpURLConnectionImpl.java:353)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.HttpURLConnectionImpl.getResponse(HttpURLConnectionImpl.java:297)
            at com.android.okhttp.internal.http.HttpURLConnectionImpl.getResponseCode(HttpURLConnectionImpl.java:509)
            at apc.b(SourceFile:328)
            at apc.doInBackground(SourceFile:44)
            at android.os.AsyncTask$2.call(AsyncTask.java:288)
            at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:237)
            at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:841)
08-07 20:06:44.710     606-1697/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ network: NetworkInfo: type: PROXY[], state: CONNECTED/CONNECTED, reason: enabled, extra: (none), roaming: false, failover: false, isAvailable: true, isConnectedToProvisioningNetwork: false; metered: false; mobile allowed: true
08-07 20:06:44.710     606-1697/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ now status is 5 (failed)
08-07 20:06:44.730      606-606/? D/SystemUpdateActivity﹕ status=6 mobile=false batteryState=0 roaming=false lastCheckinTime=1407349343493 mSetupWizard=false
08-07 20:06:44.730     606-1697/? I/SystemUpdateService﹕ download failed; clearing attempt
08-07 20:06:44.750      606-610/? D/dalvikvm﹕ GC_CONCURRENT freed 298K, 9% free 6140K/6724K, paused 3ms+11ms, total 41ms
08-07 20:06:44.760     606-1697/? V/SystemUpdateService﹕ retry (wakeup: true) in 19969 ms
08-07 20:06:49.230      454-483/? I/PowerManagerService﹕ Going to sleep by user request...

What can be done here to proceed with OTA update? Where can I fire this bug to Google?
P.s.: corresponding thread on he xda.

Finally, I was able to update the watch. This error persisted while I was staying in 3g-zone of local operator - Unite (Moldova). (I tried both - sharing 3g connection from the Android phone and sharing 3g connection from router, in both cases update was failed with stacktrace above). As soon as I moved home to the fixed ethernet network I was able to proceed with update. In the same time, it was quite hard to proceed with installing update after it was actually downloaded. The "yes" button in the prompt "Do I want to install update" was clickable, but there happened nothing on click. Finally, after restarting and unknown action from me I was able to make update. I am happy now. :)
So, try to move to other internet provider and try to update there.


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how to add gmail widget in galaxy ace duos

How can i add gmail widget in my background screen. am unable to get
  it from widgets. FYI i can see Samsung Default Email widget

Why downvote for this question

I don't think Gingerbread has a built in gmail widget but take a look on the Google Play store. I found an example: "Gmail Inbox Widget" that is compatible with gingerbread and there may be others. You could set up gmail in the default mail app and use it's widget but that sounds like a horrible work around to me.
Aqua Mail - email app Says it's compatible with 2.1 and up. I think this would be the same as using the default mail client on your phone (setting up gmail in the app and using it as an email client) but it does have an email widget.
Email Widget Looks like it will do what you want but it's not free. Check to make sure it is compatible with your version of gmail before buying.


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How to root Android Jelly Bean from terminal inside Android
I have installed the Android Terminal Emulator inside Android Jelly Bean (4.2.2).
The device being used is http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/mini-pcs/rk3188-android-mini-pc.
This device has problems connecting over adb to my computer. Am also unable to enter the recovery mode/download mode on this device. Hence I cannot use any of the standard tools for rooting my device.
However, I have been able to install the Android Terminal Emulator app inside Android Jelly Bean. Is it possible to root my device from the Android Terminal Emulator. Please guide me.
Is it possible to root a device via some custom system update file put in an SD? Even this could work out for me.

Most rockchip boards will indeed boot from an SD card if a socket for one is present.

No. On a few devices' stock ROMs it's possible to use a security vulnerability in a driver or the kernel to root the device from the device itself, but they generally require a specific app to work (such as Framaroot for the devices and ROMs it supports). AFAIK, there isn't a single device you can exploit this way to get root from the command-line. On devices without such a vulnerability, you can only unlock the bootloader from fastboot, which requires you to be in fastboot mode, or some equivalent vendor-specific tool.

Is it possible to root a device via some custom system update file put in an SD? Even this could work out for me.

This answer is not particularly accurate for the specific device mentioned in the question, which uses either Rockchip's proprietary and quite developer-friendly USB bootloader or u-boot, but does not work with fastboot, and is hardly ever flash locked.

Have you looked into TowelRoot by GeoHotz?  It's a kernel based exploit that works on (nearly) every device.  You just push the apk to your phone and run the apk from a file manager, reboot, and installer superuser from the play store....


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What does a solid blue LED light mean on my Nexus 4 phone?
Similar to this question except my LED light is solid blue.
I've googled the subject but the only thing that came up associated with the blue light was the Facebook app, which I don't even have installed. I can't say I remember ever seeing it before.
The battery was not low. The phone was unresponsive and, though off, the screen felt unusually hot. So I pulled the battery out and let it cool down. The battery's back in but it still won't power on.
Update
I googled "nexus 4 hot", as my phone continues to be very warm (despite remaining, to all other appearances, utterly dead), and ended up on a Google support page, where I was able to chat with a live human being, who emailed me some troubleshooting steps, which were very basic and not at all helpful.
The email included a phone number, 1-855-83-NEXUS, where I talked to another human being, who again wasn't able to help, but was very pleasant.
No one has yet been able to explain the mysterious blue light.

I did come across this Android bug report referring to the blue light. After upgrade to KitKat 4.4.2. Is it possible my phone was being upgraded?

This post MAY assist you (similar symptoms  but no Blue light... worth a try):
http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-4/312151-solved-nexus-4-wont-turn-charge.html
Basically it states to try to get your phone into "recovery mode" and then select "Start"... See if this at least wakes up your phone.
It includes a link to this YouTube video with step-by-step instructions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e0FVHFg6t2I#t=159

Thanks. That's helpful information. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get into recovery mode. Phone still unresponsive.

Do you have a different power supply you can use (or try)?? Perhaps your battery is not providing enough power to the device :(...

I don't think battery is the issue. I actually have a a couple batteries (I got one of those extended life ones) and tried them both. Just looked it up and phone is 26 months old. I haven't given up but I'm fearing the worst.

GAHH!! No good.. I'd be slumped as well if you have gotten that far.
You have tried:

Getting to Recovery but no avial
New battery but no avail

One last thing WHICH MAY MAYNOT work, but have everything turned off... Connect your device to the computer (by USB cable)... TRY to turn on your device from there.. and then try connecting to the device via ADB.. (let me know if ADB is new to you)

adb devices turned up nothing. To be sure I was doing it right, I attached my old HTC Incredible and it was listed.


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Coverting ROM for MTK 6575
My phone was already a dead unit but can still be detected by SPFT (Smart Phone Flash Tool). What I  have is a Stock Flashable Rom which is in zip file. Is there a way to convert this into .md5 or .pmt? Or how can I flash this through SPFT.
And also, while doing the (SPFT) memory test, I got an error saying "NAND Flash not detected on phone" How can I solve this?? Thanks!!
I'm using Alcatel OT 5020a

For MTK devices you should use SP Flash Tool please find a complete Tutorial here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1982587 propably this will save you from the currently situation. I am not responsible for anything may happen.

Thanks! But I do know how to use the Flash Tool, What I dont know is how to fix the NAND Flash, And how to flash a cwm flashable ROM using SPFT.
But still, thanks you for trying to help..


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Help me reinstall Gapps in my Rooted Xperia SP
Recently, I rooted my Xperia SP (running on Stock Jellybean 4.3). Out of excitement, I uninstalled a few Google Apps (gapps) from my phone. But I think I require the Play Store. How can I reinstall Gapps on my phone?
Let me clearly explain you my current status → for uninstalling those apps, I used ES File Manager (Root Explorer-->Uninstall System App). Though some apps like the play store, gmail, facebook etc. were uninstalled, I found that apps like google account manager, google backup transport cannot be completely uninstalled. So, now I have an incomplete set of Gapps. I compared this list of essential gapps with my file manager's system apps' list and found only SetupWizard.apk missing. So, I downloaded SetupWizard.apk from here and tried to install using ADB but I got this error: [INSTALL_PARSE_FAILED_NO_CERTIFICATES]. Another interesting thing is that when I try to install SetupWizard.apk using my file manager, I get these screens, out of which the first screen suggests that Setup Wizard is already installed in my phone. What the heck is all these, man???

Now, I am a total newbie to flashing and other super-geek things, so I am pretty scared to flash the gapps' zip using CWM. Please give me an alternative way, if possible.

First of all you don't tell us what exactly apps you uninstalled there is a chance that you uninstalled some app that cannot be replaced by just adding gapps. Varius gapps for all the versions can be found here https://goo.im/gapps/ please be carefull to choose the right version according to the version of Android installed on your smartphone.
You should not be afraid to flash .zips from the CWM, one of the reasons of root and installing a custom recovery it this one. Also it will save you a lot of time.
If the first line of this answer is true then you will have to reinstall the ROM that is currently being used at your smartphone.

Thanks for answering. Luckily, I managed to get things right (actually, I found that I didn't uninstall any of the core Gapps).

There is indeed a way to obtain gapps without flashing your phone (I had similar issues with Google Play on Sony Xperia). There is an app that does this as long as you have root access enabled on your device -- the app can be found here (while the official website of the app is down). There are two simple buttons for deleting and installing the core set of gapps.


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Google Calendar sync back from Android phone?
I deleted all events in Google Calendar thought I didn't need them anymore some day, but I regret it now, fortunately I have all of them in the Google Calendar app of my phone (Android Jellybean), my phone is not synced with my Google account at this time, the problem is how do I sync them back? I'm worried about losing the events in my phone too if I enable sync.

Download iCal Import Export 2.2 from the play store and you can backup the calendar on your phone. Move the file to your pc and follow the instructions here: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/37118?hl=en to upload to your Google calendar online.
Or maybe you can just turn sync on? That I don't know. But create the backup first if you try it!
Good luck

iCal Import Export works perfectly, thank you!


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How Android Device Manager working?
I got one article about Android Device manager for find losing your Android device, either to theft or your own forgetfulness. The Link
How its ringing my mobile and giving correct location in map. its may cause any privacy issue?? or they may stole my data???

Your question looks unclear. What exactly do you want to know?

Are you asking about how Android Device Manager is able to ring your phone and report its location?

@aureljared yep..

The Android Device Manager application has access to many device permissions. Some of those allow it enable GPS capabilities in order to find out the device's current location.  Once you enable it on your phone, you can log into ADM's web site, and provided your device currently has Internet connectivity, you can send a request to your phone to retrieve this information and send it to Google's servers.  Google then displays see this information on a live map.
As described in the Help section of ADM's website, you can also choose to provide the phone number to dial once you lock the device remotely (it can be any number that you currently have access to.)  This information is then sent to the phone, and is displayed on the lock screen with a dial button.
You can also choose to wipe your device, in which case Google will remotely instruct the ADM app that is installed on your device to perform a full factory reset (including wiping the contents of removable storage.)
In terms of privacy issues, it's definitely a trade-off.  By using apps like Android Device Manager (there are plenty of alternatives as well,) you are trusting that application's developers with your location data.  In return there is a small chance that you will be able to retrieve a lost or stolen phone, or at the very least erase your private data off of it.  In this case you place your trust in Google, since they are developing ADM.


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how to manage and delete duplicate joined contacts?
How can i disjoin my contacts?
i do not know why but many of my contacts have like 10 similar joined contacts (because of multiple import i think from SIM  to phone and vice versa ) and i have to go to process of manually disjoining them one by one and then go to multiple delete and then select and delete them
I have tried a few top android contacts manager but i cannot get the 2 mentioned requested features?

Possible answer is Link and Unlink options in contacts itself.

It would help to know which Android OS version you are running, and on which device.

just use this app, it will delete your duplicates
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.accaci&hl=en


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In Android, does my Google account saves my custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard?
In Android, does my Google account saves my custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard?
Additionally, is there a way to import/export that custom dictionary?

No. Android doesn't saves your custom words from the dictionary of the keyboard in your Google account. Normally, the default keyboard doesn't automatically sync your personal (custom) dictionary. But you can email it or make a backup of it on an SD card.

Setting -> Keyboard -> Personal Dictionary

OR

Setting -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Type(eg HTC Sence Input) -> Personal Dictionary

Just a note: SwiftKey has a backup to cloud option that uses your Google account. VERY useful. It's free now on the Play Store too afaik.

I fail to see how this explains how to import or export at all.

Google saves all custom words up to 5 years

Can you back that with a source?

This like saying "Trump pays taxes"; where's the proof of that statement?

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


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Prevent a particular wi-fi spot from trying to connect automatically
At my work, there's a "guest" wifi spot and one for employees.  The one for employees connects normally, but the guest one requires a log-in process each time, so obviously I just want to use the former.
This creates a problem, though, because sometimes my phone finds the guest network first, and so to get access I need to go to settings and explicitly tell it to connect to the same one.  Annoying.
I'd like to have my phone auto-connect to networks in general, but not to the guest network.  However, I can't find a setting option for autoconnect broken down by network.  Any ideas.
I'm on a Moto X with Android version: 4.4.4

Just long-tap that network on the list and click "Forget network". Android will only autoconnect to networks it has previously connected to and still remembers.

As Dan suggested, you could simply remove the AP from your list of known networks. Your device then would find it again, no problem – but it would no longer auto-connect to it until you do so once manually. And the latter point might be a little troublesome, in case you need that AP "from time to time" – as then you'd also need to remove it manually each time you've used it.
So if the latter is the case, you might wish to take a look at e.g. Open WiFi Cleaner:

Removes open WiFi networks from the saved networks list after disconnecting.

Notification reminders on connection/disconnection
Whitelist of open networks to keep
Settings saved using Google Android backup service

With that app in use, and the AP in question not whitelisted, it would automatically be removed from your list of known networks whenever you decided to manually connect to it. Simply whitelist other possible open APs you want to auto-connect to, so they would not be affected.
Another app with comparable functionality is WiFi AP whitelist.


text:
Does turning WiFi on and off use more power than it being constantly on for a set amount of time?
So, often battery saving apps switch off WiFi when not connected to "save battery" (obviously). However, my question is this: if I was only out of the house for a couple of minutes, out of range of the WiFi, would turning it on and off be beneficial? In fluorescent light tubing, for example, leaving the light on is often more energy efficient than turning it off, only to turn it on again when returning a minute later. So, does the same apply to WiFi, or is WiFi being on less power consuming than turning it on and off? This might seem a stupid question, but – of course – I do what I can to save my battery life and in asking this question I am trying to better my battery saving techniques; there is nothing worse than your phone dying when waiting on a reply from someone. Is there any way to statistically prove either side or is it too "obvious" for analysis to be required?
Note: My phone is an LG Nexus 5 running Android 4.4.4.
EDIT: I believe the WiFi chip that the Nexus 5 uses is the "BCM4339 Wi-Fi Chip" manufactured by Broadcom, if this is of any help. Also, I am not looking for suggestions of other ways to extend my battery life, just an answer to my specific question. I have considered buying a power bank and other such products, but I'd preferably not have to carry these around, and simply have my phone's battery last an entire day.
Thank you for any contribution.

Off the main topic... I believe leaving fluorescent lights on doesn't save energy directly, it just saves tube life, which may indirectly save energy due to the energy cost of replacement. Using a car might be more accurate, as it is one of the few types of devices that use more energy to restart than turning it off for a short time.

As you already pointed out in your question, it's a matter of intervals. Of course, turning it off-and-on like a cars indicator light is more power consuming than simply leaving it on – and turning it off for 12 hours does really save juice. The matter is to find the right "interval".
Not quite up-to-date anymore, but still sufficient for the "raw estimate": About two years ago I've posted a table with some consumption data, using two devices as reference. Let's average the values a little and assume they've changed "for the better", so we can say:

WiFi in standby uses about 10 mW
WiFi downloading uses about 800 mW
WiFi uploading uses about 400 mW

WiFi searching for a nearby AP to connect to, including the entire process, must be somewhere in between (no values in my table or their sources), but I'd assume at least 200..400 mW here – as like with cell signal, it needs to fully power up to scan the area for available SSIDs. Let's further assume the connect process takes about 5..10s, just to have some numbers to juggle with:

5s × 200 ms = 1.000 units (minimum power-up consumption)
10s × 400 ms = 4.000 units (maximum power-up consumption)
10s × 10 ms = 100 units (maximum standby consumption)

By those numbers (being just raw estimates, not scientific calculations!), results would be:
100..400 seconds are the minimum "disconnected time" for your described "toggle" to not consume more juice than staying in standby. Toggling would thus make sense only for breaks of about 10 minutes and up.
For a similar calculation, you might be interested in 2G versus 3G: Does it really save battery? :)

To avoid misunderstandings:
As Dan correctly pointed out in the comments, I've omitted a lot of details here. I was aware of that: the above is nothing but an idealized number-juggling, which should show that even at best circumstances permanent toggling is no good idea. Calculating "exact numbers" which are at the same time "absolute" is impossible, as too many factors play a role here:

noone expects WiFi idling at 10 mW with the connection lost. It will certainly "power up" on a search for available networks.

Plus the points Dan mentioned:

many apps that perform network operations in the background use a broadcast receiver to run when the network connection comes up. If you're actually connecting to a network each time you turn the Wi-Fi on, all these apps will run, drawing more power. On each "toggle on and connect", that is – while they wouldn't do so at all otherwise, or at least at very lower intervals
if the Wi-Fi was on all the time, the same apps might run more or fewer times to update or sync data. This very much depends on the apps installed/used
if you're waking the device up and/or turning the screen on just to turn on Wi-Fi and check for messages, that'll use more power than the Wi-Fi itself.

So please read my conclusion as "it makes no sense for time-frames smaller than 10 min". The longer the interval, the more likely it makes sense – and the shorter, the less.

Anytime, Ben: You're asking interesting and good questions, which very much motivates me answering them (not the first time we meet ;)

There's a big factor you're neglecting: many apps that perform network operations in the background use a broadcast receiver to run when the network connection comes up. If you're actually connecting to a network each time you turn the Wi-Fi on, all these apps will run, drawing more power. And of course if the Wi-Fi was on all the time, the same apps might run more or fewer times to update or sync data. And of course if you're waking the device up and/or turning the screen on just to turn on Wi-Fi and check for messages, that'll use more power than the Wi-Fi itself.

@DanHulme yes, this is a good point indeed, this is why I asked the question as the figures must be tight!

@DanHulme Valid points all – though I didn't "neglect" but willingly "ignored" them. Still, you're correct reminding me of those. To avoid misunderstandings, I've updated my answer accordingly. Thanks for the "broadcast event", my "listener" was active: data received :)

Turning the wifi on and off is more energy efficient than leaving it on all the time. I cannot think of a way to statistically prove this since the power consumption is influenced by other factors. For better battery life I can recommend greenify, turn off all location services and disable the "always allow network scan" in the wifi settings.

Thank you for your answer, I hope someone out there can prove this statistically though, as perhaps turning it on and off is less effective than leaving it on for, say, a minute? I shall check it out, thank you for your contribution!

@BenPorter There you go, I've tried setting up some "fake stats" for you. Should be pretty realistic, though.


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Using an iPhone headset on a HTC One V
Is an HTC One V fully compatible with an iPhone headset? This site seems to indicate it is, but questions like this have me worried. Would it work with an app?

I don't know about the HTC One V specifically, but in my experience, the Mic, stereo ouputs, and the single button answer/stop will work for both Apple and (most if not all) Android phones.  But the volume up/down buttons will not work, even with an app such as headphone button controller; it simply does not get detected.
The problem arises when the marketing depts start using a word such as "compatible", meaning a degree of compatibility, but not necessarily every function.  So they feel OK saying an Apple headphone is compatible, meaning just the audio works, or even the audio and the answer button.
However, it is possible that the HTC can somehow detect and use these extra two buttons, I suppose, but I would guess not.


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Automatically turn on/off data when downloading MMS
With my Galaxy S3, my girlfriend's Galaxy S4 and her mother's Galaxy Core, we cannot download MMS automatically. We have to turn on data before doing so.
This problem is not happening with her sister's Galaxy Ace: whenever they receive a MMS, data is automatically turned on, and then off once the MMS is downloaded.
Now, this isn't a real problem most of the time (more of an annoying one), but my girlfriend's mother has a very low data plan (100mb) and often forgets to switch off data once the MMS is received, so she often maxes out her data plan.
I have tried something I found here: copy the existing APN and setting only "mms" as APN type, but it doesn't work.
My girlfriend and I are Orange (France) and her mother is Bouygues.
Thanks for your help!

Android 10+
This option is now built into Android:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile network
Enable MMS messages (Send and receive when mobile data is off)

Android < 10: disable mobile data

Settings > Mobile networks > Access Point Names

Lollipop: Settings > More > Cellular networks > Access Point Names

Select the APN for your carrier by tapping the name > APN type

Set the value to mms

Delete anything else in APN type
mms must be lower-case

Menu/hamburger icon > Save

At this point it should return you to the list of APNs. The 3G/4G indicator should go away. If you have other APNs in the list, you need to delete them.

Make sure your mobile data is enabled:
Settings > Mobile networks > ON

Lollipop: swipe from the top with two fingers > tap your mobile network name > enable the Cellular data toggle near the top right

You should now be able to send/receive MMS messages. Data usage for accessing the internet however will be restricted.
If you ever want to undo this and change back to the default settings, just to go back to the Access Point Names menu > menu/hamburger icon > Reset to default
More information here:

Answer: How to configure Android for MMS only on AT&T (no data)
Change APN to disable Internet while enabling MMS on Samsung Ace 2
APN type

Alternative: Use a different SMS app
If you want to do turn data on/off when sending/receiving MMS messages without completely disabling your mobile data for other uses, there are alternative SMS apps you can use that have this functionality built in, such as:

Textra SMS
chomp SMS
QKSMS
8sms
Sliding SMS

This is almost correct. There is one problem though, specifically with recommendations in step 5 (as of this writing). You must have only one APN profile which only has "mms". If you have other APN profiles with "default" or "*" or "supl" they will be used by the phone to access data even if they are not selected as the current profile.The APN type "default" is kind of a catch all for mms, data and supl. See: https://tamingthedroid.com/apn-type for information about the "APN type" setting.

Also its worth noting that your data does NOT "automatically turn on/off when sending/receiving MMS messages"; data is simply only allowed for MMS service without allowing data for all other usage such as internet.

@moo Thanks for the suggestions, I've updated my answer to reflect them, as well as to add a much better solution for Android 10+

Again something tasker is able to solve (and maybe one of its "free alternatives" such as llama as well – but as a Tasker user, I can better describe it for that):
Both apps can act on events, and execute tasks. So let me construct a fake-profile (use it as "guide", not literally):

Condition:

Received Text (Tasker does not differentiate between SMS and MMS here)

Task:

Mobile Data → On
Wait → 1 min (set a time frame sufficient to connect and download the MMS)

Exit-Task: (optional)

Mobile Data → Off

The Exit-Task is optional. By default, Tasker restores the "before-state" automatically.
So what would this do? Whenever a message (SMS or MMS) is received, it would turn on mobile data for a minute to download the text, and then automatically switch it off again.
As I'm not sure whether an incoming MMS would even be signaled with data off, let's have a "Plan B":

Condition:

State→Mobile Network is On

Task:

Wait → 10 min (adjust time frame to fit your needs)

Exit-Task:

Mobile Data → Off

This would be a kind of "don't forget me" timer: If your girlfriends mother turns on data to receive the MMS, and forgets to turn it off again, it would automatically be turned off after the configured time-frame. Here the exit-task is mandatory, so Tasker does not restore the "before-state".

None of the suggestions in the other answers worked for me. I downloaded a 3rd party messaging app called Textra SMS. It worked perfectly, it has the "automatically turn on data for MMS" option and a nice simple layout.

I used to use Textra specifically for that feature, but got a new phone and learned that apparently as of Lollipop, Android has removed the ability for any apps to turn mobile data on and off.

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


text:
HTC One Mini data recovery after root
Last night I wiped and rooted my HTC One Mini and lost a few photos. Is there any way to get them back?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts, Aaron! That's one of our more frequent questions, so we've set up some "first-aid-info" in the data-recovery tag-wiki you might wish to check (always a good idea to check tag-wikis, as that's not the only one ;) Especially take a look at How can I recover a deleted file on Android? and Data Recovery - How to Restore Deleted / Formatted Files on HD Micro SD Card.

@Izzy Thanks! "File carving [..] Recover accidentally formatted devices" - seems like this is exactly what I'm looking for.

@Izzy Might want to put that in an answer as it sounds like you hit the nail on the head. ;)

As requested: Answer posted :) Glad I was able to point into the right direction (or even "hitting the nail on the head" :) Good luck on restore!

That's one of our more frequent questions, so we've set up some "first-aid-info" in the data-recovery tag-wiki1. Especially take a look at

How can I recover a deleted file on Android?
Data Recovery - How to Restore Deleted / Formatted Files on HD Micro SD Card

Also, the links to details on "File Carving" and specific recovery tools might prove helpful.

1: It's always a good idea to check our tag-wikis, as they often contain such "first aid" or at least useful information/links. You can find them either hovering your mouse over a tag and click the "info" link inside the opening box – or simply click the tag, and select the left-most tab on the new page.


text:
Split phone calls by day
Is there any Android app that allows me to see my phone calls (number, total time) split by each day?
Or do I have to dig it out manually from my call log (quite unhandy)?

Sounds like you are looking for a "sort by day" feature or App correct?

Correct, but not exactly. "Sort by day" will only sort... by day. I have to summarize number of calls and total length myself. I'm more like looking for "split by day", which will sort by day and summarize, how many calls (lasting totally how long) I made each and every day.

try call stats
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.movinapp.calls
there are other similar apps on Google play.


text:
How can I remotely wipe a stolen phone?
My phone have been stolen and I have many pictures on it, and secret things! How can I trash every thing on it through a Whatsapp message? I have not tired anything yet.

if you have android device manager then login to android device manager through your PC, the rest you can control it from there :-)

authors: Владимир Борисов


text:
Can I restore my contacts on new phone?
I was using Samsung Galaxy S Duos, which was stolen 2 months back. I now have a new Android phone - the Micromax. I thought I lost all my contacts, but somebody insisted that you can restore it using Gmail account even though I never manually performed a backup of my contacts. I remember the day when I took the phone, and it asked me for a Gmail account.
For my profile and I gave the Gmail account and also always "Account sync" option was on in my mobile.
Now my questions are:

Can I still get those contacts restored on my new mobile? I have not manually done a backup, just the Gmail account that I set when I got that phone was in sync.
If yes, can I get it on Micromax cell also?

First, make sure that your contacts from your old phone were saved as Google contacts. You can do that by going to: http://www.google.com/contacts from any computer and login in with the Google account you used on your old phone.
If your contacts are there - you're in luck. Just add this Google account to your new phone and the contacts will be synced.

Or just contacts.google.com will do.

Yes to both of your questions. Once you attempt to sync your phone to gmail, it should ask you if you want to import contact from your Google account. That said, if you exported your contacts from your previous phone, then you will be able to retrieve them on any Android device.

His previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy. If he backed up to Samsung Account (Cloud) he won't be able to restore to Micromax using Google Account. These are two independent, parallel systems. Also, Auto Backup is enabled by default, so he will definitely be able to restore, unless he intentionally disabled it.


text:
Samsung device not detected in ubuntu 13.04 all of sudden
Maybe my question is duplicate, but couldn't find the answer to work for me.
I've a samsung grand neo device which I am using for dev purpose.
It was working fine before, I could transfer file. Also I was using from android-studio once I configured dev-rules.
/lib/udev/rules.d/99-android.rules
  1 # samsung "04e8"
  2 # others "18d1"
  3 SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", ATTR{idVendor}=="04e8", MODE="0666"

and /lib/udev/rules.d/91-permissions.rules
  1 # usbfs-like devices
  2 SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", \ MODE="0666"

All of sudden, I can't connect to the device, samsung device tells me Connected as a media device and MTP is checked on.
With usb-devices command, I can see the Samsung device,
...
T:  Bus=02 Lev=02 Prnt=02 Port=01 Cnt=01 Dev#= 18 Spd=480 MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=ef(misc ) Sub=02 Prot=01 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=04e8 ProdID=6860 Rev=04.00
S:  Manufacturer=samsung
S:  Product=GT-I9060
S:  SerialNumber=4203bc03c21a7100
C:  #Ifs= 4 Cfg#= 1 Atr=c0 MxPwr=500mA
I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=06(still) Sub=01 Prot=01 Driver=(none)
I:  If#= 1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 1 Cls=02(commc) Sub=02 Prot=01 Driver=(none)
I:  If#= 2 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=0a(data ) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=(none)
I:  If#= 3 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=42 Prot=01 Driver=(none)

...

Also, result of lsusb gives me,
Bus 002 Device 018: ID 04e8:6860 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd GT-I9100 Phone [Galaxy S II], GT-P7500 [Galaxy Tab 10.1]

It sounds like ubuntu can see your device, but Android Studio (AS) can not. Did you update your version of AS?

"I can't connect" What exactly happens?

Shame, ubuntu restart worked fine.


text:
Moving text messages from 2.2 to 4.2
I had recently purchased new LG Optimus L90 (model D415, Android 4.2.2, default OEM set up, Optimus UI) to replace old Optimus T (Optimus One, P509, 2.2). I had used SMS Backup+ to move my messages, call logs etc. I had successfully used it before when I did factory reset on the old mobile.
When I installed SMS Backup+ on the new phone, it did copy call logs, and it seemed to copy messages as well, because when I would tap the message icon for the first few times, it would flash old messages for a fraction of a second, but then would only display the new ones. I tried reboot the phone, and checked the settings, but nothing helped.
Is there a way to make this work, or should I try another app?
Update: I had tried restoring the messages again today, and when I check the list while SMS Backup+ is running I can see it populating with contacts that I had exchanged messages with. But if I click on any of them there are no messages inside, and so the app thinks of those as deleted and clears them upon list refresh.


text:
Resize /system partition of Galaxy S 2
I need to increase the size of my Galaxy S 2's /system partition from 503.4MB to... Well, anything possible.
The (main) reason why I want to do this is because I want to install GApps 20140606, which is not compatible with devices with small (under 500MB) /system partitions.
The Galaxy S 2's internal storage is 16GB but I mostly use my SD card, so I don't really care how much of this will be taken to use in the /system partition.
I've found a lot of pages explaining different methods to achieve this, like this one from TechoTV, and this one from XDA, but all of them were phone-specific and never gave the information if it would be compatible with other models or not, or they would resize to a specific set size.
There's also this question from Android SE, but the answer weren't satisfactory enough for me, as the author limited himself to only say that it is possible, but not saying how.
To add a few more information, the phone is rooted and with CyanogenMod 11 (20140806-NIGHTLY), which is Android 4.4.4.
It would be interesting if the information provided works under Linux. I have access to Windows but rather not have to use it.
Aren't there any simple way of resizing the partitions, like GParted (but for Android)?

Just to add that I managed to resize it successfully. I will write an answer explaining in details how to do it. It is not complicated.

Did you ever have a chance to write that answer? I'm also interested in re-partitioning my S2. Thanks

@Mikeage Sorry about that, I think I own the community this answer now that I made this comment... I am writting it right now, check it back soon :)

@Mikeage check the answer and good luck ;)

Firstly and most important, the credits:
I made this following this great tutorial at XDA-Developers by user metalgearhathaway: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/development-derivatives/mod-partition-internal-memory-app-t2538947
I used PIT files (I'll explain what they are, don't worry) made from user ElGamal from XDA also, located here (comment number 509).
And a little bit of help from user CrackDaddy, also from XDA.
Second, what you'll need:

A machine running Windows. I used Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bits;
Odin 3.07. Careful when installing, it is full of optional AdWares. There's also a Linux and Mac version available called JOdin3, but I didn't try it;
Flashable ClockWorkMod 6 for Galaxy S II (it is a .tar file with a file named zImage inside);
PIT file with desired partition table configuration;
Samsung drivers for Galaxy S2. Usually you can install Samsung Kies but there's also a installer just with drivers available;
Your original stock unrooted Samsung Jellybean firmware. You can find it at sammobile.com;
Any ROM of your choice. I highly recommend the last nightly build of Cyanogenmod 11;
Optionally: GApps 20140606 or newer.

I made most of those available in the following bundle file:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxccpydIocBpd21FOE5MaGJiMkU&authuser=0
What is missing is GApps, CyanogenMod, and a stock Samsung JellyBean ROM (as it depends of country and carrier, and might not be legal to provide it here).
Third, the default warning:

I am not responsible for anything that might go wrong with your
  device, neither any of the mentioned users nor anyone here at Stack
  Overflow or XDA-Developers. This procedure will root your phone if it
  isn't already and also void your warranty if it isn't already. If
  anything goes wrong, don't panic, it is most likely fixable by
  reflashing the stock ROM and starting over again.

Finally, how to:
This will only work with the 16GB International version (GT-I9100) of Samsung Galaxy S II
Firstly, copy CyanogenMod 11 .zip file (or your desired ROM) and optionally GApps .zip file to your external SD card;
Make a backup of everything inside your internal storage, copy it to your computer or somewhere else. It will be completelly erased. Don't worry about your external SD Card, it won't be touched.
Make a NAnd backup of your current ROM, you'll be able to restore it after the repartition. To do it, you must have ClockWorkMod recovery installed, then boot your phone into recovery mode (Volume UP + Home + Power), select backups and restore, then backup to /storage/sdcard1;
When backup finishes, reboot your phone into Download mode (Volume DOWN + Home + Power) and connect your phone to the computer. Let Windows install the drivers. If it fails, try to install Samsung Kies or just the drivers provided in the bundle I made available, and try again.
Open Odin3 as Administrator and connect the phone. It should detect your phone and show it under the label ID:COM, and also in the Message. If it didn't, try to restart your computer, phone, reinstall drivers, check your USB cable, etc., and try again.
Now you'll need to choose a PIT file. PIT means Partition Information Table and it is a Samsung-only thing. In the bundle file, I made available ElGamal's PIT file (I91001GB_6GB.pit) which also resizes /system partition to 1GB, /data to 6GB and the rest goes to internal storage. If you wish different sizes, check the thread at XDA-Developers as he made many different versions available. I also included a PIT file for the default configuration (I9100_2GB-STOCK.pit) if you wish to go back to as it was later.
When you have chosen your PIT file, go to Odin and tick the following checkboxes: Re-Partition, Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time.
In the Re-Partition section, click on the PIT button and select your chosen PIT file.
In the Files (Download) section, click on the AP button and select Samsung's stock JellyBean ROM.
Double check everything and click Start. This can take a while, go grab a coffee.
After everything finishes, your phone will reboot into the stock Samsung JellyBean ROM. Two things can happen now, or it will work normally and if so you can use it and check if everything is as you want. Or it can ask you for a password to access the "encrypted volume", which is nothing but your internal storage that is not formatted. In both ways, unplug your phone (it it's still plugged) and reboot it into Download mode again.
It is interesting to close and reopen Odin3 to reset the settings. Plug your phone again and wait until Odin3 detects it. This time, leave checked just Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time and make sure Re-Partition is NOT checked. Click on AP button and select the ClockWorkMod Recovery .tar file, then click Start. This one is faster, but if you feel sleepy, go for another coffee ;)
When it finishes, you should have ClockWorkMod Recovery 6 installed in your phone, so go ahead and reboot into Recovery mode. Go to mounts and storage, select format /storage/sdcard0 and format it as exfat (if for some reason you have write problems in your internal storage later, come back here and select another format until it works, but exfat should do the trick).
When it finishes, still in Recovery mode, Wipe data/factory reset, Wipe cache and Wipe Dalvik cache. Let's be sure nothing remains from the previous ROMs.
Now, install zip -> choose zip from /storage/sdcard1 and select the CyanogenMod 11 .zip file (or of your desired ROM) and flash it. Optionally also flash GApps afterwards. Reboot your phone and check if everything is right.
If everything is right, reboot your phone into Recovery mode again, do a new wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache and wipe Dalvik cache, and then recover your backed up ROM from the beginning. Reboot your phone.
Check again if everything works right. A few apps might need to be reinstalled (Spotify and Waze are examples) to work correctly again, but that's be only major issue.
Hope everything goes well.

What if I need to do in a different phone?. Is there any generic tool or method?

Unfortunately it seems not. I also searched very hard for it but I couldn't find. I can't tell if it's because it hasn't been made yet or because every phone or manufacturer has its own partitioning architecture. The perfect way would be a tool as easy to use as GParted but I don't expect to see that for Android any time soon.

What about modifying the Firmware image file before burning it on the phone?

Kudos to @Bruno for a detailed solution and needed files. A much quicker method is listed below, which does not require installing any ROM/Gapps or reboot into the ROM in between steps. You need an external SD card with enough free space to hold all apps+data+photos+etc that are on your internal phone storage.
You can skip steps 1-5 if you already have CWM and also a NAND backup on your external SD card already (but make sure you have a NAND backup on your external SD or else you'll lose all data).
NOTE: You should backup your data from your internal SD card too in case things go awry, i.e. /storage/sdcard0 (a NAND backup does not back that up).

Extract the files provided by @Bruno somewhere on your pc.
Reboot phone in download mode (vol down + home + power) then connect it to the pc via USB.
Start Odin 3.09. Uncheck Auto-Reboot, put the CWM-KitKatCompatible-i9100.tar file in the AP section, then click Start and wait until Odin says "RES OK !!" in the Message log. This should be fairly quick, a few seconds.
Now reboot the phone in recovery mode (vol up + home + power)
Go to backup and restore > backup to /storage/sdcard1 -- note the 1, not 0 (your CWM may say "external sd" instead of /storage/sdcard1; just chose the backup option corresponding to the external SD card, this is important, otherwise you'll lose all data). Wait for the backup to finish, this will take a while.
Reboot phone into download mode (vol down + home + power)
Start Odin 3.09, Uncheck Auto-Reboot, check Re-Partition, put the file I91001GB_6GB.pit in the PIT section, put the file CWM-KitKatCompatible-i9100.tar in the AP section, then click Start and wait until Odin says "RES OK !!" in the Message log. This will take a while.
Reboot phone into recovery mode (vol up + home + power)
Go to mounts and storage > Format /system, then Format /cache, then Format /data
Go back to wipe data/factory reset
Go back to backup and restore > restore from /storage/sdcard1 and restore the NAND backup made previously
Done. Reboot phone normally.

Procedure tested with Cyanogenmod 11 (KitKat 4.4) nightly and snapshot. Should work with any recent ROM. No need to install any custom or stock ROMs or Gapps or even boot into the ROM in between steps.
DISCLAIMER: I can't be held responsible if your phone starts singing or dancing Lambada (oh how I hate that song!), calls you names, blows up, loses any of your data etc.

This is the best answer on the net I have read so far!
I knew there had to be a way avoiding reinstalling the stock ROM. Thanks so much! All other answers are either badly written, lacking important stuff or do superfluous things +1!

I like it better than having to install stock rom again. I'll give this a try.

Thanks for the tutorial but I got 'Error mounting.. " at the end of step 11 and the phone died :-( (by the way, step 7 was very quick)

Error mounting /storage/sdcard0.,android_secure!    Skipping format...     Can't mount /storage/sdcard0/.android_secure!

I've tried to format /storage/sdcard0 and perform from step 11 again.. It's end without the mounting error (got Restore complete!) but still black screen on reboot..

@ItayB You're not saying which phone or ROM you are using. I've only tested the above on GalaxyS2 and CyanogenMod 11 (based on KitKat 4.4) at the time of the writing. I can't guarantee anything for any other configuration :( ... maybe Bruno's answer works better?

@Normadize I had the save setup (SII, CM11, 4.4). I'll try the above solution.. anyway thanks for the detailed instructions!

I think that step 10 is missing some info, what should I perform after entering wipe data/factory reset?

This set of instructions is wrong. I got exactly the same thing as ItayB — a black screen. In order to get out of this predicament, I consulted this link here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2364978. Basically, you have to format /data, and then format /storage/sdcard0. Then, you load your ROM onto the SDcard, and you flash a new ROM. Tabula Rasa.

@ItayB could you access the phone after it died? did you install finally?

@adeer yep, just copy the cm to sdcard1 (my external sd card) and installed a clean version with 6GB/6GB. Works fine, android 5.1.1 and i'm not getting storage notification since then ;-)

In my case, I needed a cross-platform solution since I use Linux. Here's what worked for me:

Back everything up. This will wipe everything on the phone, including the internal SD card.
Download:

A PIT file you want to flash. I used this one, which resizes /system from 512 MB to 1 GB and /data from 2 GB to 6 GB
Any compatible recovery. I used this one
(Optional) A ROM you want to install. I installed CyanogenMod 13 nightly

Download and install Heimdall

Ubuntu: sudo apt install heimdall-flash
Others: https://bitbucket.org/benjamin_dobell/heimdall/downloads

Boot to download mode

Unplug the USB cable
Power off
Press and hold the volume down, home, and power buttons (you can let go once you see the warning screen)
Press the volume up button to continue past the warning screen

Connect the USB cable to your phone and PC
(Optional) Back up the existing PIT
sudo heimdall download-pit --output i9100-stock.pit --no-reboot

Flash the new PIT and recovery
sudo heimdall flash --repartition --pit I91001GB_6GB.pit --KERNEL cwmr6047.img --no-reboot

Boot to recovery

Unplug the USB cable
Power off
Press and hold the volume up, home, and power buttons (you can let go once you see the I9100 screen)

Format all partitions, including /system, /data, /cache, and the internal SD card (sdcard0)

When formatting the internal SD card, if it asks you what filesystem to use pick fat, vfat, or exfat. If you pick ext4 you will have problems. (Sources: [1] [2])
For all other partitions pick ext4 if asked

Install the ROM or restore your backup

An edit was proposed to this that I think should be a comment: "For cm13 you have to pick ext4 or any other linux filesystem. Otherwise your internal storage will not work."

I formatted /system, /data, /cache, etc as ext4. But when I formatted internal storage as ext4 it consistently became corrupt. This happened for me on CM 12.1 as well as CM 13. I reformatted as vfat and again as exfat and my problems went away. I found a couple other sources that said the same thing: (1) (2)

@Patrick I clarified my answer and added sources. Thanks for pointing that out!

Here's what's probably an even better way: https://github.com/Lanchon/REPIT
It's as easy as flashing a zip and preserves data. Requires TWRP recovery and patience. Worked first time for me on an S2 (i9100) that already had CM13.

Doesn't seem to work for some reason. Flashed one of those zips using TWRP. Recovery complained that I should run it again from tmp. I run it again, recovery restarts after a few seconds. Still unable to flash OpenGApps.

Not sure what's happening there @HugoZink - you should probably save some screenshots/logs & report the issue at REPIT's github.


text:
Samsung Galaxy 10.1 2013 frozen in odin mode
Granddaughter playing game on tablet and assume she pressed on power and volume at same time It had the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 verbiage across the screen. I tried to press the power and increase volume button as I had done before on the Motorola Xoom, big mistake from what I read in forums. It is now stuck on the ODIN MODE and says: Downloading...Do not turn off target!! with the Android symbol above it. Help!!

Hold the volume up and volume down at the same time then press power button. Hold for a few seconds and unit will reboot.

This warning is only meant for people to not turn off the device during the flashing process.  If you did not start flashing an image to this tables, and don't plan to - it's perfectly safe to power off the tablet.
Holding the Power button for around 10 seconds should cause the tablet to turn off.  You can then turn it on normally again, without touching the Volume buttons.


text:
Why does this website look different on Firefox app?
The website is paytm.com. When viewed on Firefox (latest v31.0) it looks like this:

Whereas on Chrome/UCBrowser and most other browsers it looks like this:

Also on other browsers after entering the mobile number the operator is selected automatically. That doesn't happen with firefox.
Here's another example. Let's open google.com and click the hamburger icon on top left. On other browsers it opens up on slide out panel on the left, like this:

whereas on firefox, it just opens up a new webpage entirely.
Can this be changed by altering some settings or is this because of a missing functionality in the browser itself?

It's common for websites to look different on different browsers.  Some websites might almost totally loose intended functionality according to which browser a user is using.
The author often tests his site to make sure it looks the way he wants it to on various browsers by actually testing the browser.  When, because of the difference in browsers it doesn't have the best display, the author may specify which browser its optimized for.
I don't know if it's in this particular case, but at times the website developer will actually test for which browser is being used and implement various features according to the type of browse results.  Many browsers has a feature to actually announce the type of browser so that it may take advantages of certain options that the author may not expect available in a different browser type.
Because of these differences users often reserve specific browsers based on how a site might appear in that browser.
I just looked at the site on four different browsers on my computer (Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Midori).  The site looked basically the same on all four.  This might be a results of my general settings preference for the four browsers.
Another factor is the Android version of the browsers has their own feature list to to enhance sites to be optimized for the hand-held.  You can experiment with the options on your Android to change the appearance.

Updated Info based on comments:
Many times the Android browser will try to find a mobile version of it site.  If one exist it may use that one.  It's possible that the site is providing an incomplete flawed mobile version.
Ultimately the resolution is to communicate with the support people of the site and describe the problem/flaw.  You'll have to as you have just learned, test a different browser when you think something is malfunctioning.
Sites looking different on different browsers or devices is more common than you might think.  This is why when you contact a site for support one of the first things they ask you is which browser are you using.  They'll also eventually ask you which OS are you running.

Yes..I do understand what you said. However since the website looks AND works similarly on other browsers except Firefox, I'm inclined to believe that this might be a shortcoming with the app itself. I don't understand what that 'shortcoming' is but since that totally breaks the site's functionality and Firefox being one of the better browsers out there, I think it should be implemented asap.

@Gh0sT It's no use telling us what should or shouldn't be implemented in Firefox. This isn't the Mozilla bug tracker. L. D. James is probably right: the website is serving Firefox a generic mobile version, and browsers based on Chrome (that's anything that uses WebView) get a Chrome version.

@Gh0sT Dan Hulme is write I'll add this for clarity into my answer.

@DanHulme You're right.  I had that in mind when I was typing.  I'll update my answer to make it clearer... thanks!

Thanks for your inputs James & Dan. Here's the bug I reported to Bugzilla:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1051177
As you can see it has been resolved with the following comment:
'The author of the website has decided to send different content to our user agent probably based on compatibility reasons.'
So does this mean it's NOT an issue with Firefox? I'm at a loss here. Should I take it up with the website developers now?

As per the the bottom section of my answer, the answer is yes.  I have already suggested this.  As as per my answer please understand that the author might not fix his program.  He might suggest to you that you use a different browser.  I believe an Internet Explorer version comes with most Android distributions (or something very similar).  Using a different browser is also a part of my answer which might be your only immediate resolution.  You've already learned that sites will look different on different browsers and the author of the browser might not change by your comments from Bugzilla.


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Using Moto G (Boost Mobile/Verizon) as a Wi-Fi device without rooting
I'm planning to get a Moto G from either Boost Mobile or Verizon and use it as a Wi-Fi device. I read it that it's possible to bypass the activation and use it Wi-Fi only without rooting the phone. If it's true, will it be able to receive future OTAs? Will I be better off just getting a Google Play edition one?

I bought a Boost Mobile Moto G (2013) for the purpose of using it as a WiFi device as well. I have not rooted, so how I keep from having to activate it is I keep it in airplane mode.  I can still turn GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth radios on while still having it in airplane mode, so this works.
It will keep pestering you (once every day or so) to activate, but it will see that you are in airplane mode and can't activate. You click the button and it exits the activation and you can then use the device.


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Android x86 will not connect to the internet
I am using Android x86 4.4 RC2 (Dual-Boot not Virtual) and I can't connect to the internet. Whenever I click Wi-Fi, it stays on "Turning on Wi-Fi" and the Wi-Fi button is grayed out like the option is not available. I opened the terminal and used netcfg to see if the Wi-Fi driver (wlan0) was on but it wasn't so I turned it on by typing "netcfg wlan0 up" and it was up so I went back to the Wi-Fi settings but it still wasn't working. What do I do to enable Wi-Fi?

I'm going to guess that your WiFi chip is unsupported. What model of chip is in your computer?

I have Realtek RTL8187SE Wireless 802.11b/g 54Mbps PCIE Network Adapter


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Configure UART GPS module for Friendlyarm nanopc-t1 on Android
have a NanoPC-t1 device and I'm running Android 4.2.2 on it. I want to install my gy-gps6MV2 module and make it work as the device GPS.
Do I need root access? (I already tried to root device with SuperOneClick) I've pluged it into my UART serial port, when I run: adb shell root@android:/ # cat /dev/ttySAC0
All I get is white space outputs, while I know it's the gps module output but I can't figure out why I get white spaces.
When I connect my GPS module via a rs232 to usb I can read the GPS data like a charm (using cat /dev/ttySAC0)
What am I missing? please help me fix this problem, I'm struggling with it for two weeks...

I figured it out, the problem was originating from NanoPC-t1 config which used the USART port for output debug. It was over-writing the gps output.
I used Android Serial Port API, and rooted my device. Because accessing ttySAC0 port, needs root access.
I wrote my own NMEA parser to receive GPS fixes.


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CWM for unsupported device but with same specs
I have an archos 40 titanium and I'd like to install cwm (already rooted). There is no official support but on this thread they say their  instructions worked for the 45 titanium which has almost the same specifications (same processor and RAM amount ), only the screen size differ (+0.5 inch). Is it considered safe to follow the instructions for my 40ti?

When unofficially modifying your phone, nothing is safe... But if others say it worked, give it a shot.  Just keep in mind that anything can go wrong, so back up your data and have a Plan B for recovering your system.
Edit:  Plan B (how to recover your phone):
Recovery Software:  http://www.archos.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=120&id=301
Stock ROM:  http://update.archos.com/AFMv1/storage//files/full/a40ti/20130922.101129/OTA972121_8916_V007049.zip

Thank you. What plan B? Backup the recovery mode using fastboot?

Sure, that'd work. I'd just find fastboot files and get ready to flash them if needed.

I saw that there is no fastboot backup command, so how?

I'm on moble so my ability to help is somewhat crippled, my apologies. Google stock ROM (your phone model)

I just edited my answer with what you will need to recover your phone if it goes fubar

Thank you very much! One more thing: where is the recovery software? It is only talking of wiping

That's what you want.  It'll wipe and restore.

And the recovery  image as well?

Yes. It'll wipe your phone completely.

if it work T_T I tried to wipe it using fastboot and system settings, it didn't worked since the flashing wasn't successful. https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/79363/sim-sd-card-not-detected

@Vinz243 I'll answer on your new question.