text:
Motorola Moto G 2014 freezes on lock screen
Since today I've been having a problem with my Motorola Moto G 2nd Gen(2014). When I boot it up, it works fine for a few minutes (except from the WiFi, which doesn't auto-connect for some reason, happens every time), and then it goes into sleep mode. When I press the power button, the screen turns on again and the lock screen shows up, but it's completely unresponsive. Sometimes it freezes before going into sleep mode and it freezes my home screen. I then get a popup "Google App is not responding" and killing it just gives me an unresponsive black screen.
I've looked the problem up on the internet and I got some answers stating I had to force reboot and that would help, or even wipe the cache partition. I've tried both of those, but the problem persists. What do I do to get my phone fully working again?

What is your android version? and Did you try factory restoring the device? As you have tried wipe cache partition and rebooting. The next thing you want to try is to soft reset your device. But make sure you backup everything before you do the factory reset.

@Lucky I'm running Android Lollipop 5.0.2, guess I should have mentioned that. I'm kind of reluctant to try factory reset, as it'll take a while to set up my phone again, but I'll try it, thanks.

Factory reseting won't take much time. Only the backup stuffs and restoring it takes time. If you don't want to backup any important stuffs then you should be able to do it in 15-30mins  ;) . If you have ideas on backing up your device data, you may want to look into this question on Full backup of non-rooted devices

@Lucky I only have to backup internal memory right? As in, I can just remove the SD card while factory resetting? Also, the problem seems to have stopped, suddenly. I've been using my phone with no problem for the past ~20 minutes. Any idea why?

No most of the app's data will be stored on your internal memory too. So SD card backup isn't the only thing you need to backup. Apps like Camera, Whatsapp will store data in your internal memory as default. So you need to have atleast an adb backup of your phone if its unrooted. Couldn't guess about your problem though.

Okay, so I found the solution a while ago and I haven't experienced any problems since, so I guess it works.
I tried different options to get the device working again, but to no avail. The only possibility left was a factory reset, so that's what I had to do. Here's what I did:

I made sure the backup settings on my phone were all set up.
I used adb backup from my computer to make a nearly full device backup, as suggested by Lucky in the comments. More info here: Full Backup of non-rooted devices

For this, make sure you have a password set and configured in the developer settings. This is really important because it might not work otherwise and you'll lose data (happened to me, would not recommend).

Then I reset the device. https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/99825/p/30,6720,9151 for more info how.

It took some time to reconfigure everything and redownload apps, but after a week or so, my device was back to normal and I haven't had any freezes since.


text:
Change the filesystem mounted when plugged in to USB
Is there a way to change the mount location when plugging a device into USB?
I want to move it to the root directory. I am rooted.
Please note that I want no setup done on the PC, that is, do not suggest methods involving changing the PC. If I have to, I will though.

MTP (the protocol used to make files available to your PC) is managed by Android itself. It does not feature a way to explore the root directory. You could however use ADB (Android Debugging Bridge) and use your command line to access the root of your device by using the command adb shell (given that either adb is inside the folder your command line is currently in or adb has been added to your PATH variable).

Run a Web/FTP/WebDAV/SSH/Samba.. server on Android and access it on PC using hotspot or USB tethering. Otherwise, ADB is good. You may also consider adbfs. Both methods would allow access using GUI.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
What do you mean by mDataConnectionReason=dataAttached?
What do you mean by the output that we obtain on running telephony registry using adb?
mDataConnectionReason=dataAttached

And what about 'simloaded'?

mDataConnectionReason stores the last connection/disconnection reason of the mobile data network. The values can be found in com.android.internal.telephony.Phone.java.
0159     /**
0160      * Optional reasons for disconnect and connect
0161      */
0162     static final String REASON_ROAMING_ON = "roamingOn";
0163     static final String REASON_ROAMING_OFF = "roamingOff";
0164     static final String REASON_DATA_DISABLED = "dataDisabled";
0165     static final String REASON_DATA_ENABLED = "dataEnabled";
0166     static final String REASON_DATA_ATTACHED = "dataAttached";
0167     static final String REASON_DATA_DETACHED = "dataDetached";
0168     static final String REASON_CDMA_DATA_ATTACHED = "cdmaDataAttached";
0169     static final String REASON_CDMA_DATA_DETACHED = "cdmaDataDetached";
0170     static final String REASON_APN_CHANGED = "apnChanged";
0171     static final String REASON_APN_SWITCHED = "apnSwitched";
0172     static final String REASON_APN_FAILED = "apnFailed";
0173     static final String REASON_RESTORE_DEFAULT_APN = "restoreDefaultApn";
0174     static final String REASON_RADIO_TURNED_OFF = "radioTurnedOff";
0175     static final String REASON_PDP_RESET = "pdpReset";
0176     static final String REASON_VOICE_CALL_ENDED = "2GVoiceCallEnded";
0177     static final String REASON_VOICE_CALL_STARTED = "2GVoiceCallStarted";
0178     static final String REASON_PS_RESTRICT_ENABLED = "psRestrictEnabled";
0179     static final String REASON_PS_RESTRICT_DISABLED = "psRestrictDisabled";
0180     static final String REASON_SIM_LOADED = "simLoaded";
0181     static final String REASON_NW_TYPE_CHANGED = "nwTypeChanged";
0182     static final String REASON_DATA_DEPENDENCY_MET = "dependencyMet";
0183     static final String REASON_DATA_DEPENDENCY_UNMET = "dependencyUnmet";
0184     static final String REASON_LINK_PROPERTIES_CHANGED = "linkPropertiesChanged";

As far as I can tell, dataAttached just means that a data connection has been enabled and the connection has been established correctly.

And what about simLoaded?

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


text:
Nexus 5 Location has not updated for months?
I have a Nexus 5 running on 5.1.1 but the location has not updated for the past couple months, traveled out of town but still in-state, then came back and the city never updated, so now Google Now doesn't display the current weather and things like Yahoo Weather show either the wrong location or no location.
Tried to find fixes online but most posts are out of date or about some other issue related to location, the phone's location simply isn't updating at all. This also makes things like Google Maps and Navigation useless.
Would appreciate any help, again it's just stock Android and I don't have a ton of experience flashing the OS or changing these settings.
Thanks so much!

Okay, just figured it out. For some reason I had Location set to "Device only" and the subtext below this says "Use GPS to determine your location." Seems like this should still update the location, but like I said in my question, it simply hadn't updated the current city for months.
SOLUTION:
Fixed it simply by switching to "Battery saving" mode. Obviously "High accuracy" would work too.
I'm not sure why the GPS feature under "Device only" wouldn't be able to find my location, maybe my GPS component is malfunctioning. Either way, it's fixed now.


text:
Kiosk, Rom + Launcher, need a little guidance
I am currently developing a software for use in the Home health industry, which handles Verifying an aid is actually administering care (EVV). This works with GPS and the read of a fixed NFC chip. i have the application itself developed using Phonegap and Nodejs and it works well, but id like to kiosk this application on a 4g enabled device.
Now i know to kiosk, i need a launcher not a custom ROM to do this, which isn't an issue, but i do not want the aides to be able to access the drawer or settings menus, or really any function of the phone other than the application itself. This is problematic if NFC or GPS is not on at boot. do i need to customize the ROM for these 2 functions to be permanently forced to remain on? or is there a way i can do this in the launcher app itself?
Thanks in advance

bump? anyone? still hoping for an answer


text:
Corrupted or Fully Damaged, DEAD SD-Card? and what to do?

I just recently tried to play music, then suddenly music app stopped working and my phone had a hard time from not responding, I restart it and after about 4-6 minutes it came up with everything not responding!!
I then tried to format the sd-card using my computer I get message of operation not completed successfully, I tried to erase data manually, funny thing is I can erase it easily but after I reinsert the card or refresh the folder the data that I erased is there like nothing happened, I tried to do re partition it everything says succeed but after a refresh nothing change! I cannot change anything on the card. I even tried use raw data viewer and put zero in the partition table and many other places, but after a refresh partition table and everything is there no problem. I can get the data but cannot change it, anyone can say what is actually going on? is the card completely dead? or there's some hope?
It is like a readonly sdcard!!
Thanks in Advance

EDIT: Looks like boot sector at partition 1 (sector 8192) is corrupted as DriverResotre says, however it cannot fix it though, I even tried to wipe things there but nothing happened, I tried zero one using wipe disk but no go, I tried fsck too but still didn't change anything.

Well it turns out that the SD-CARD went into write protect while I was listening to music, Write protect mode is happening when suddenly while reading and writing something goes wrong like lost connection to chip or getting high voltages something like that, unfortunately Sd-Card is so dead and is non-writable, you can see the data but cannot change it, if you have warranty and too much sensitive information on SD I advise not to send the card to warranty but also break the Sd card or put it in microwave for 1 or 2 second ONLY (that's what I did) as your sensitive information will be always there and someone from the warranty can access it easily and use it against you.

Hope this information become useful in future.


text:
Effect of changing resolution on battery
There are various ways to change the resolution on Android devices, and I was wondering: Does it have any noticable effect on battery life? And has anybody ever tried doing some proper measurements?

Have you tried experimenting it (research) or perhaps searching about it? It should lead you to some point I suppose. What is it?

@Firelord I indeed tried searching for it with very little luck. Why do you think I ended up here with the question ;-) And no, I have not started doing any research myself, because that would mean I couldn't use my phone for at least a couple of days whilst I run each test at a different resolution.

I suspect the reduction in power consumption will not be significant, but you can easily test this yourself using free software like Trepn Profiler. Disclosure: I am part of the team that makes this software. Make sure to follow these best practices, if you want to get the most accurate results.
Another method to measure power consumption is using Monsoon Power Monitor hardware. I forced the screen resolution to 240 dpi using this adb command:
adb shell wm density DPI && adb reboot

Then I measured the power consumption idle and under a load at 240 dpi using the Monsoon Power Monitor. I used the Adreno Test app to load my device. Next I remeasured at the 560 dpi, which is the native resolution of my Nexus 6. At 240 dpi, icons and text appear much smaller on the screen.
Here are the results:
Idle power consumption

240 dpi: 514 mW
560 dpi: 522 mW

Power consumption under load

240 dpi: 3155 mW
560 dpi: 3287 mW

Bottom line: My simple test showed there is almost no benefit to reducing the resolution of your screen via software.


text:
How practical the number of cores in Android
I've often wondered how practical the cores usage in Android smartphones. I'm looking from technical perspective. The articles that I've read so far claimed either more cores is good or more cores is a waste because many applications are not optimized for more that 1 core usage.
Regarding the latter one, is not CPU resource allocated by kernel? Is not the optimization the kernel's responsibility instead of the applications (process)?

Well it still depends on the applications use of threads. This article provides some insights: https://developer.qualcomm.com/blog/multi-threading-android-apps-multi-core-processors-part-1-2

Hi, read this on symmetrical multi processing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetric_multiprocessing

It's true that in desktop computers many programs are not optimized for using multiple cores, and getting a powerful dual core processor would be a lot better than a less powerful quad core processor in many cases. In many cases, the performance per core will be worse if you add more cores.
However, the Android API was pretty much designed to take advantage of multiple cores. There are rules that make apps crash if you do some operations that could lag the UI, like downloading something in the same thread as the UI. This means if your app needs to download anything, you will have at least two threads running.
You can run two threads on a single core device, but the more threads you run the less time your UI has to update and the laggier your experience is. With multiple processors you can run multiple threads at the same time, making your user experience more pleasant: intensive operations can be done in the background while the UI is still responding smoothly.
Scheduling is indeed handled by the kernel, but the Java API was designed to be heavily asynchronous. This way threads can be managed easier by the kernel. The design of the API which almost all apps follow makes scheduling easier for the kernel.
Another multi core feature that is overlooked by many people is that cores can be disabled individually. This means that if you listen to music on your headphones with your phone in your pocket, only 1/4th of a quad core processor needs to be turned on and consume power.


text:
Can we stream Pocketcast to the pc?
I just want to listen to the podcasts through my PC speakers when ever im close to the pc. How can. I do this?

Can't you open the podcast from the PC?

Yes i can but when i have podcasts downloaded on my phone i dont want to download again in the pc. Have limited bandwidth

In that case a general solution might help, see http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/17701/stream-music-on-android-to-desktop-speakers


text:
Ubhind app not working properly after android security update for 5.1.1
I have a nexus 5 and the android version is 5.1.1.I have been using the app Ubhind for controlling how much time I spend on the mobile device. After the security update from android this month the app seems to have lost all right to device administration even though the app has full access .

authors: Анатолий Нищик


text:
Getting "Storage space running out" message in Galaxy S4; *#9900# does not show any menu
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4. I am getting the "Storage space running out" error message in my notifications bar, and some applications have quit working or updating. None of the usual solutions I've read about elsewhere on the site have helped me.
(Click image to enlarge)

The most common solution to this problem is to access a hidden menu by dialing *#9900#. When I try this, however, the menu does not appear:

Another common solution is to root the phone and delete /data/logs. Looking at what's taking up so much space on my phone, it does seem likely to me that the problem is my phone has lots of accumulated log files that aren't being deleted. I would rather not root my phone, however. I am happy with the functionality my phone has, even with bloatware and tied to my provider, and I don't want to take the time to root my phone for this one problem if I don't have to. =P
Finally, a third option I've read is to delete apps that are taking up a lot of space. I've attached a few screenshots below showing how my phone is using up space, though, and I believe that they show that my real problem is that there's something my OS is doing wrong, perhaps creating a lot of log files and not deleting them to save space. (Besides that, I've already tried deleting some apps I don't use often. The overwhelming majority of my apps don't take up much space at all, and the biggest space-wasters are also the apps I use the most and the reasons I have a smartphone.)
Is there another way for me to get back more storage space without rooting my phone?

If necessary, I'm willing to plug my phone into my computer and use developer tools to resolve this issue.

Here are a couple images showing that the biggest gain I could get for storage would be to delete some system files (which is why I'm guessing that the problem is accumulated log files). I have over 6GB that my phone categorizes as "Miscellaneous files:"

And of the files my Android includes in that category, over 6GB are generic "System memory" (again, I'm guessing logs) that, unfortunately, I can't interact with or delete from this menu:

I tagged my question Galaxy S4 because I wonder if the problem might be specific to my phone. In particular, I know that the *#9900# trick only works on some phones, and I wonder if there's a different trick along the same lines for Galaxy S4s in particular.

Also, is there a good way to resize my screenshots using Markdown? They're pretty big right now...

Resizing done. You may use m at the end of the imgur link to make it into a mobile image like https://i.stack.imgur.com/wJYhW.png -> https://i.stack.imgur.com/wJYhWm.png. Alternatively, you may use this [][] (e.g. [][1]) to display the resized ones much better.

Is factory reset not an option for you? 2) If you're aware of the activity responsible for that hidden menu then you may use ADB to show that menu. I don't have any Samsung device in my possession  so that's all I can offer as help.

Thanks for resizing the images! 1) If there's no other option besides factory resetting, I can do so, but I'd much rather not. 2) How would I do that? I've been thinking about seeing if there's a way of connecting my phone to my computer and seeing if that gives me any more options...

+1 presenting it clearly and for the research done. Have you checked if  *#9090# Diagnostic configuration also #0# for **General Test mode **

Thanks for the tip, @manubhargav. Unfortunately, *#9090# and #0# don't do anything on my phone, either.

If necessary, I'm willing to plug my phone into my computer and use developer tools to resolve this issue.

If you use, instagram try clearing the app cache in settings. It might free up some space.

Are you using Samsung Galaxy S4  I9500  or I9505 ?

@manubhargav How can I tell the difference between the two types of S4s? Also, I don't use Instagram.

You can check the model number in settings>about phone. See if it's international version because some carrier specific phones (Verizon) has 6gb of bloatware

@manubhargav The "About Phone" menu doesn't show I9500 or I9505 in any of the fields for me. The model number is listed as SCH-I545.

It is Verizon carrier phone. Almost all of those network carrier phones have   6gigs of miscellaneous files which is unaccounted for

Here's the Reference link

Is there an equivalent to dialing #9900# for tablets?

@AlLelopath That would make an excellent new question! You're more likely to get help by asking a new question as well.

Ok. thanks. Does #9900# apply only to Samsung devices?

Approach 1:
Many users have had the problem of "6GB of miscellaneous files". The problem might be because of /sdcard0/DCIM/.thumbnails.
You can go ahead and delete the folder. This may free up your memory. To delete .thumbnails folder, you need a file manager that can see hidden files. After deleting the folder, also delete LOST.DIR and reboot. Clearing apps' cache is recommended.
Approach 2:
This might be a Verizon carrier bloatware. Verizon customer support seems to confirm it (see reply #5 in this link). This problem is not just confined to Galaxy S4, but to other phones too (Note 2, Note 3 Galaxy S3 S4 S5).
Deleting  /data/media entirely seems to have worked for some (needs root access).
Alternatively, installing a custom recovery (eg: CWM) and choosing to delete all backups in the Internal SD seems to have solved the problem for many users.

Thanks for the advice! I only have a LOST.DIR on my SD card, though, which I have plenty of space on, and I don't see any .thumbnails files on my phone. Do you have any advice on reclaiming space on my internal storage?

@Kevin What file manager are you using? Because some file manager don't show the .thumbnails folder. Try Xplore with the "hidden files options" checked. If you find it, delete it. That will reclaim most of your space on internal storage around 3-5 GB

I'm using Astro. Even with the hidden files option selected, I don't see a .thumbnails file.

factory reset the device. That might solve the problem. Also do you use Google play music?

I would rather not have to factory reset if I don't have to - that's my last resort. I don't have Google Play Music. (I primarily use Spotify, which saves its cache to the SD card instead of internal storage.)

I can't think any other big file that could be deleted. Did you upgrade to lollipop?

Yes, I've upgraded to Lollipop. I'm running Android version 5.0.1.

Try deleting some data in /data/media folder. The remnants of previous version of android and Backup of previous rom is stored there. Try deleting them.

Every phone has similar disclaimers- this is specifically for your phone: "16 GB ROM (Portion of memory occupied by existing content)"
6GB does seem a bit high, but your screen capture of storage looks about right. You may just need to be more diligent keeping this system memory clear. Look into what exactly is taking up so much space in "Pictures, videos" and "Audio" and move some of it to the external SD card. Also maybe clear out any apps that you aren't regularly using. Honestly, the specs on my S3 are similar to yours and I don't have this problem, so I'm just suggesting that any obvious differences are probably the culprit.
You shouldn't need to do anything more than exploring your files, which you can do with the onboard MyFiles app or download OI File Manager.

To get some free space, follow this:

1.Press your device's Menu button → select Settings (or System Settings)
2.Tap Application Manager (or Apps)
3.Tap the app icon
4.Tap Clear Data\Cache

5.Next thing is to disable\delete the application that you will not use.
6.Delete .thumbnails & also unwanted files by making it show Hidden Files

7.Delete the Social Media Apps Folder Ex:/sdcard/whatsapp. But Before that, Select & Move your Videos, Images, Files, Audios from Social Media Apps Folder.

Note: Clearing the app's data will remove any custom options, stored data and settings.

I fixed mine it was that story album on the phone it burys all your photos into a file deep into your phone, delete apps that you can reload later then go to the app store and install all in one toolbox open it and run the file manager select device storage analyzer go to android then to data and so on to find where they are stored its best to plug into your laptop for this save them to your laptop or delete them from your phone then force stop that app is sucks it gets to full and jams your phone up, use google photos or something like that

Please at least add proper punctuation...


text:
Battery drain of 20% at night without any use on nexus 5
I have recently replaced my battery on the nexus 5 . I thought I would be looking forward to a huge battery life difference but I was surprised that even with the new battery the drain is 20% at night . The phone is in wifi mode , no google now , no high brightness , greenify kills facebook app and still the battery life sucks.

I assume you have checked. But I'll ask anyway. What is the top entry on the battery usage screen? Settings > Battery.

Its the screen 10%-20% that's usual I guess

The drain at night shouldn't be the screen, assuming the phone is just sitting there idle. Maybe look into Betterbattery stats or something that can see what is keeping the phone awake.

I recommend you try wakelock detector to find what is waking up the cpu and preventing your phone from deep sleeping. You might find that is it is something annoying like media scanner getting stuck and killing your battery life.

I haven't rooted my phone as yet as I don't want to lose all the data and apps . is there a app which can work without root

depending on what version of android your running wakelock detector used to work just fine even if your were not rooted that said i have not updated in months so i have no clue how well it works on none rooted devices. I rooted my devices back when the whole towel root thing was introduced so i have been rooted for a while and i have no devices that are stock to test on.


text:
Can't get rid of one text message
I have had this single text message on my phone since June. It simply won't delete. It comes through my Twitter account and is sent to my SMS, but all other such texts delete easily.

Maybe edit your answer to include your phone's make and model. Since every phone is different. But if you cant deleted it. It might be listed as a protected text or locked text. You might have to change the settings for it before you can delete it.

Press your finger down on the message text until a menu comes up.  Unlock the message - that's how I was able to delete a message that would not delete the regular way.

Deleting the cache and data of messaging app should help. Also, clean the cache of other SMS apps including Hangouts if you have installed them.
Is this SMS is moved to SIM for some reason? I always backup and then clean and never keep in SIM.

Try to send something on the same number/contact. It will add to the message thread. Then try to delete it.

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


text:
How does the gmail apps notify once feature work?
I have been looking into the settings to make gmail better for myself however one thing I couldn't get my head around is the notify once option.
If I receive an email I get notified, if I get another one from the same sender and the notify once option is ticked I no longer get another notification. Or does the notify once feature mean from any other sender?
So I've already been notified and I receive another email from a completely different sender, do I then get notified with the notify once option ticked?


text:
My songs will not play on my galaxy tab 3
So i was playing some songs ive downloaded then my tablet died. I charged it and tried to play the same song and will not play and says the music player does not play that audio type. Even though it played it a couple hours previously.

Try to clean cache of the app you were using. If that doesnt help then clean data of the app also and also of the default  media players.
Lastly you can try to clean cache/ dalvik cache of the device.
That should be enough in most cases.


text:
Tablet shuts down due to low battery when battery meter is above 10%
I have a Nexus 10 whose battery-level estimation seems to be inaccurate:  when the battery meter gets to around 10% to 15% remaining, the tablet will abruptly shut itself down the way it's supposed to when it's about to run out of power.  Yesterday it happened just a few seconds after I got the 15% warning (asking if I'd like to turn on battery saver); at other times, I get no forewarning at all.
When I plug the tablet in and turn it on again, the battery history graph shows an abrupt drop to 0%.  I'm assuming this is a calibration problem:  the battery really was close to 0%, but the software thought it was at 15% for some reason.  I've read that draining and recharging the battery should recalibrate it and resolve the problem, but this has been happening for nearly a year, and the battery has been drained and recharged many times, yet the problem persists.
The tablet is currently running stock Android 5.1.1, though I think the problem started back when it was running 4.4.  It's rooted, but I haven't used root to change any settings that might relate to power management.  (I basically just use it for Titanium Backup.)
Is there a way to reset the battery calibration so that the meter is accurate again?  Or is it likely to be a hardware problem, caused by something like a sudden voltage drop in the battery itself?
It's worth mentioning that I used to keep the tablet plugged in nearly all the time, before I learned that keeping a Li-ion battery constantly at full charge is bad for it.  I've also accidentally drained it completely a few times (not many) even before this problem started.  Plus, it's more than 2.5 years old.  So the battery is probably not in peak condition.  (Its capacity still seems decent overall, though:  I'd been watching streaming video for several hours before it shut down at 15% yesterday.)

FWIW my Nexus 10 started having the same problem at around the same time, still on 4.4, and the percentage it would shut down at increased gradually over time. My workaround was to stop using it as a tablet and only use it on mains power.

It is more likely here that your battery has lost its rated capacity. A new battery is recommended. Any kind of calibration wouldn't work on a degraded battery.The charging and discharging both should show jumps.If you can, you can try the battery in a friends Nexus, Also try a different charger for tests.

I don't doubt that the battery's capacity is diminished, but I'd expect that to just make it go from 100% to 0% more quickly overall — not to drop from (around) 15% to 0% in an instant.


text:
How to undelete photos in a Samsung galaxy S4 active?
How to undelete photos in a Samsung galaxy S4 active? I have deleted a folder on the phone with pictures in it and I would really like get them back. Not on SD card but in the phones memory.

recovery of deleted contents stored in the internal storage is difficult at the best of times and darn near impossible the rest. The issue lies in how you access the storage medium without root is impossible to my knowledge to access the storage space as a raw partition for use with data recovery tools. As with all recovery the more you use the device the less your odds of recovery are that said if you do not clear your cache often you should be able to at the very least recover some of the pics even if your not rooted by looking thought your high rez thumbnails sure the resolution is a major step down from the originals but it's better then nothing. Suggested reading https://android.stackexchange.com/a/84747/122342


text:
Unable to click Next button when sideloading an APK
First of all my device isn't rooted. I use this device for development purpose: installing apps using ADB, starting activity, and more. What has possibly gone wrong?
When I click on Next button nothing happens. But Cancel button works fine.
(Click image to enlarge)

It's LG G4 International version.

As a sidenote, Lucky Patcher requires root, and some Android version require you to scroll to the end of the permission list before the Next button works.

Yaa that I know

Ok I got the answer. Looks like any screen color filter apps mess up this thing. Use CF.Luman to use installation feature or if you want to use the current application, disable that app for a minute to install apk to your device.
For complete info look at this thread: Why can't I press the Install button when installing applications from unknown sources?


text:
Samsung Galaxy 4 GT 19505
How do I stop apps from enabling high tech users to access my messages, call logs, emails, photos, samsung memos etc?
How can I save all text messages, call logs, photos, documents, downloads and everything else on my phone to a private and secure cloud domain without hackers knowing I did so?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! The question-and-answer format of this site works best if you put each question in a separate question post. Please [edit] your post down to one question, and create new posts to ask any further questions. You'll get better answers that way. Apart from that, for your 1st question you'll need to elaborate a little more: what kind of apps you're talking about? Maybe those you'd better not install? Or something that comes pre-installed?


text:
How to unlock password samsung mobile s4 galaxv
I set a password in my phone model samsung S4. Now i don't need password option.I tried deactivate procedure.
i go to setting option then go to device and select lock screen then give a password then the final menu shows enable only visible Passward option only. what can i do that

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! It's not 100% clear what you're talking about. Have you tried switching the lock-screen type to "swipe" (or something lese but "password")?

You will see that if the device is encrypted, in that case you will not be able to move to a PIN or to disable the password.  You first need to decrypt the device and then try disabling the password. You can find the decryption option under settings - security. Hope this helps


text:
View chrome passwords on Android device
I've been searching for a way to do this for a while now and haven't come up with a good solution. Does anyone know if chrome-saved passwords can be viewed on an android device? If they can't be, is there a particular reason this feature hasn't been built?
Thanks!

No you can't view saved passwords on Google Chrome Android Browser. But instead you can try this answer on How to retrieve saved password in Google Chrome for Android?. It hasn't been built-in for security reason that any one who has an access to your phone's browser might get to know the password easily since there is no master password protect feature in Chrome Android unlink the desktop version.

In case, if the device is rooted, see my answer here.


text:
what's my IP address location.. 22.87.160.96
Need help to figure out why my IP address keeps changing and how I can stop people from hacking my phone

Are you supposed to have a static IP? Normally the IP address changes frequently if you haven't specifically requested or ordered a static IP from your carrier. Also, how is your phone hacked?

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Have you seen Lan local ip address of Android phone is constantly changing?? Looks like that's the same issue you're describing.


text:
Repeating “Unfortunately Google App has stopped” error on Nexus 5
My Nexus 5 stated acting strange in the past few days.
Here's the short history:

A few days ago, I was prompted to install a new version in OTA update. Done.
Yesterday, phone shut off just like that by itself. When powered on, it has a message on a black screen saying "optimizing app x/150". When it was done, phone booted.
This morning: wanted to access Google Now, but it wasn't there - I couldn't flick to the left. Was prompted to 'reactivate' google Now, which I did. I should mention it was there after the OTA update.

Since then, every few seconds, and pretty much whatever I try to do, the error message in the title pops up. (side note: strangely, it says Google App and not Apps). Extremely hard to use the phone when every few seconds this pops up. Help, anyone? Thanks!

Try clearing cache for those apps in Settings › Apps. If the permanent pop-ups don't let you do that, try the same from safe-mode.

Thanks for the reply. This thing is, I don't know which app to clear the cache to. It just says the generic "Google App". I tried clearing the cache via Android Assistant, but the problem persists.

I'd say the "Google App" is the app named "Google" (no kidding: there's such one in my app drawer – but I indeed cannot find it in Settings › Apps). Just tried the one from the drawer, brings me to Google Now. Going by the icon, the corresponding app in Settings must be Google Search – which makes sense considering Google Now is part of that. // Using "small atomics": You can clear all app caches at once by booting into recovery and "wipe cache". No data lost that way.

Update: I deactivates Now and Cards from Google Settings (not the general settings, which is probably something that confused me), and this problem was resolved (at the price of losing Now).

Thanks for the feedback, Optimesh! As this at least solved the issue, I made it an answer. I also included some additional details, so maybe you can bring back that "lost functionality" if you need it. Good luck!

As it says "Google App", it's most likely the app named Google (no kidding: there's such one, just follow the link – though I cannot find it in Settings › Apps by that name). Just tried the one from the drawer, brings me to Google Now – which again matches the app you've got trouble with, as your question states: "wanted to access Google Now, but it wasn't there".
Going by the icon, the corresponding app in Settings must be Google Search – which again makes sense considering Google Now is part of that.
So I'd suggest you try to go there (in Settings › Apps) and clear it's cache. If that doesn't help, try clearing its data as well (same place). If that doesn't solve it, open the Google Settings app (not the general device settings, but the settings app with the "g" for "Google" in its icon – you can find it in the app drawer) and deactivate Now and Cards there. This disables Google Now, but solves the issue (as you've proven).
Hint in case you cannot reach out to Settings or the Google Settings app (e.g. if that pop-up reappears faster than you can tap somewhere else): You can clear all app caches at once by booting to recovery-mode and "wipe cache". No data lost that way. Another good hint in this context is safe-mode: if the troublemaker is a user-app, it won't be started here, so you can clear cache/delete data/deactivate/uninstall such an app from there.

Just to clarify, the Now app appears under "Google Settings" and not the general settings app.

That might be, but Now is part of Search AFAIK. Btw: As this solved your issue, consider ticking the check-mark next to the answer to indicate such – which then helps others with this problem identifying working solutions :)

Yea I want to do so but I feel the information needs to be complete. I've spent a lot of time looking for the app at the wrong place. It can get confusing between Settings and Google Settings. The latter is where the solution lies. I feel like the answer should reflect that.

So what do you miss in there that I should add? It's already more complete than the hints I gave in the comments which lead to your solving the issue :) That the Now app appears in Google Settings is not related to your issue as far as I see it. Lots of Google stuff appears in their settings app, logically :) – Oh, reading the comments again (reflecting your latest now) it seems I slightly misunderstood you. Please check back in 2 minutes, I'll update my answer :)

The solutions posted so far failed to fix the problem for me, so I looked at the system log (adb logcat) and saw this error immediately after seeing the popup message:
F/libc (23416): Fatal signal 4 (SIGILL) at 0x5d7ca8f4 (code=1), thread 23528 (HotwordDetector)

I finally resolved the problem in Google Settings → Search & Now → Voice → "Ok Google" detection, where I disabled "From the Google app."
You may see a different "logcat" error than the above, but hopefully your specific error message will lead you closer to the answer.

Go to the app store and uninstall the updates. Then open the app without updating. Fixed mine.


text:
How to fix emmc memory showing 0mb?
Yesterday actually I messed my Xolo Q700. Actually I wanted to install a custom ROM "experia final" on it. But I didn't installed any custom recovery previously. So I installed TWRP recovery using mobile uncle flash it from SDcard. It worked absolutely fine. Then I installed custom ROM but during cache and dalvik wipe stage, I selected advanced wipe and wiped everything including emmc. Now my phone stuck in boot animation forever and if I open TWRP it shows "unable to mount e: emmc" and emmc memory showing 0mb. I can't side load ROM using adb cz. My phone is not detected via USB cable. Please help me on the issue.


text:
Can't reset Android tablet into factory setting
I'm trying to factory reset my Android tablet but I can't get it to work. I have tried to press power and volume down to make the device go to boot configuration but it only shows the Android logo and doesn't give me a any options to choose to wipe all data or restore it back to factory setting. My tablet is a A710, I don't know the brand.
I want to reset the device to factory settings because I can't  remember the pattern to unlock it. I have tried searching and tried everything I can, such as install Android Sdk Tool, run Android Multi Tool but the device cannot enter adb shell and I get an error. My android device has not got usb debugging enabled so it's more difficult.

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! It would help if you [edit] your question and include brand and name of the device you're using, plus the Android version it's running. Without those details, it's hard to help.

if your device is connected to internet then you can Erase your phone using Android Device Manager (https://www.google.co.uk/android/devicemanager)

While you're in the boot logo screen, have you tried pressing the power button. On most mediatek devices, going into recovery shows a boot logo, if power button isn't pressed for some time, the phone reboots. Try pressing the power button on the boot logo screen, see if that helps.

You can reset your device from Settings->Backup & Reset.
Or otherwise if your device is in 'locked' state and you have forgetten PIN
you can use your google account on the device to unlock it. you will only need you google account password for that. There is no maximum attempts to unlock the device.

I forgot the email address and password, yes my device is 'locked' by pattern lock.


text:
Left Align all menu items and texts in Android 4.4
It's about Android 4.4. I would like to left align all menus including conversations from Whatsapp for example. How to do it? In fact, I upgraded from version 2.3.1 to version 4.4, and as we know Google made this change of alignment. Is someone unknown?


text:
Android 5.0.1 LG Spirit no user accounts
I'm trying to add new users on my mobile phone - LG Spirit - but I don't have section/button "users" in my settings. I have android 5.0.1 and I have read that new, or guest users can be created in android 5.0 and newer.
(Click image to enlarge)

translate from up:
Applications,
default apps,
localization,
security,
accounts and synchronization,
language,
backup ,
I've searched a bit and found that "users" should be over, or under "accounts and synchro", but like you see I don't have it. How I can unlock this feature?
This is my software:

EDIT: Model is LG-H440n

Try using quick settings menu instead of settings:
Unlock your phone, slide two fingers top->down, click the small menu button in the top right, now under devices you should see users.
Did that resolve your issue?
Kind regards,
Chris

Hey, Thanks for reply. I've tried it and it's same settings. Still don't have "users"

I don't see the menu, so I'm shooting blind here, but maybe this will help: try sliding two fingers top->down so you see the status bar with quick settings option. Now instead of tapping the gear icon, tap the icon on the right of it, it should be a round icon, with a person symbol, this should link directly to the users acc management.

That's the point. I don't have it. I have like that http://androidphonehub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/LG-Spirit-Notification-Homescreen.jpg
btw. this pic was found on internet


text:
Screen Alerts - Android 4.4
screen alerts - when, for example, I get some new Whatsup. I do not want to see any new messages are lined up, but I want it to be like it was in the previous version, it says to me, "received 3 new messages" Then I came in INTO the application and read them.
Thanks!!


text:
Problem with Xposed 3.5.9 on alcatel idol 2 mini 6016d
i had a problem with xposed framework i install it on my alcatel 6016d but when i install module , restart the phone don't boot ,stands on alcatel logo .
the only Solution this problem is power + up to format aphone.
i try xposed more than 27 times but no solution
i belive th problem is xposed don't support alcatel rom.
I wish to run Xposed on my phone with no problem
Thanks.


text:
Image not display in Gallery
What is the reason and solution to display images in SD card but not display in Gallery in Android Phone ?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! We will need much more information to give good recommendations here. Please [edit] your question and include at least: The device you're using, Android version it is running and more details on exactly what the problem you're having is. Also check and update the tags you've used to match your issue.

possible duplicate of Pictures and videos not showing in the gallery

Also see How do I make older images in my /sdcard/DCIM folder show up in Gallery?


text:
Does Android poll for APN availability?
I am waiting for my carrier to set up private APN for my company. I have already configured my Android device with settings provided by them. Currently packet transmission is not working. Will it work when carrier finishes his job? Is device restart needed? Or disabling and enabling packet transmission?

A reboot might do it, or reselecting your network provider, but I've often found that a factory reset is needed for Android to properly pick up APN settings automatically.
However, since you have manually entered the information it should work pretty easily.  I would reboot, but turning Airplane Mode on and off should be sufficient.


text:
Got 220 MB space free but still not able to download apps
I have a second gen MOTO -E . I have 220 MB free in internal storage but I can't download apps of even 3 MB What should I do ?

To be able to download apps in the Play Store you will need at least 510mb available or 10% of the internal memory. Also depends on the size of the app you download. The Android OS uses the internal memory also to RAM purposes so is very relative the available space. Try to clear cache and data from GPStore, GPServices, Reset Apps Defaults and also remove some unused apps.
Also check the link provided by bmdixon

Is that the minimum of 510MB or 10%, or the maximum of 510MB or 10%?  BTW, do you happen to have a source of that info?

You need to have a minimum of 510mb available OR you need to have at least 10% free of the total amount depending on the device.

lol... If your device has 32GB of RAM, would you need 510MB or 3.2GB?  If your device has 2GB of RAM, would you need 510MB or 200MB?  IOW, is it the minimum or maximum of the two values?  Do you have any source for the info?

I had the same problems recently and cause was app2id. Uninstalling that and any other similar app might help. Also clean cache of play store and play services.


text:
Do i have to reinstall gapps when flashing an rom update
So I'm currently running chroma rom on my nexus 5 and I wanted to know if I have to reinstall the gapps file when I flash it. I would also like to know if I have to also reinstall gapps when flashing a new rom. Help will be Really appreciated

It depends on the ROM you are installing. Most of the ROMs don't come with gapps integrated. So you have to install the correct version of gapps that matched android version and system of your android device. A fresh install of any new ROM always requires you to have gapps if you need them. Re-installs( dirty flashing) ROMs doesn't require re-install of gapps.

So when I update my rom I don't have to reinstall gapps? And thanks for the reply


text:
USB memory stick undetected by Samsung Galaxy G5 Mini
According to this video on YouTube, I should be able to connect a USB memory stick directly to my Samsung G5 Mini, and the phone should automatically detect it. But if I try this with a USB 2 memory stick and cable, my phone does not detect it?
Why? Can anyone advise?
My phone runs Android 4.4.2 and is a model SM: G800F.

Sounds like you have an OTG cable, but you also need to download and install an OTG driver.  I think I found mine on the Samsung website, in the phone download section.

Are you sure that there is such a driver for the G5 Mini? If I understand it correctly, according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5-mini/help/usb-host-otg-t2855675 there is no such facility on the G5 Mini.


text:
Automatic popup for captive portal
I have a working access point on a rspbi, works perfectly with my captive portal on ios and os x based machines.
But android does not popup a captive portal, and I can see the requests for clients3.google.com
The way I do the captive portal is by redirecting port 53 (udp) to my apache server, and there display the login page for the access point.
Any ideas why there is no automatic popup? I already checked the chromium project page and it looks like I did everything right.
Thanks.


text:
What happened to the pop-up alternatives in Google Android Keyboard?
Up until recently, the stock Google Android Keyboard app had an excellent alternatives pop-up.  Long-press a word with an ellipses underneath it and you get a box with many variations.  I used it typically to obtain a plural, past tense, or other variant without having to tediously type almost the entire word before word completion finally offers the choice.
In some recent update, however, those variations have disappeared and been replaced with vaguely related spellings, as shown in the attached screen shot (note the differences between the old one and the newer one).
I find this change almost useless for speed typing and now it takes a lot more effort to enter words.  There is no setting to fix this that I can find.
Does anyone know why they changed this behavior, and is there any way to revert back to it other than to go back to some older version of Android or the keyboard app?
This is the old way:

This is the new way:

Could you post the versions of both the above Google keyboard? I guess you are having this after the Lollipop update?

The current (bad) device is running Lollipop 5.1.1. The Google Keyboard version is 4.1.22123.2053724.
The old device that has the good keyboard is running Jellybean 4.3 and the Google Keyboard app is 3.1.19653.1284735

The workaround I found was to go to Settings->Apps->All->Google Keyboard and tap "Uninstall updates".  This reverted the keyboard app to the initial version of 4.021003 that was installed to my Nexus 5 when it updated to Lollipop.
Apparently the feature I am describing was broken/changed some time between 4.021003 and 4.1.22123. I'm going to report this as a regression and see what they say.


text:
"Share" an item to my web service
I am looking for a way to submit content from my Android device via HTTP POST to a web service.
Basically, when I click the Share button on my phone, I would like an option (an icon in the list of share targets) to share that item with my web service.... e.g. https://myserver.com/mywebservice
The web service would handle the data as it needed to (e.g. if the shared item was a URL, or a picture, or... whatever).
Is there some way to do this without having to build an Android app just for this purpose? Maybe there is a customizable sharing app that I have not been able to uncover.

Backstory: I use an iGrill thermometer & Android app for long barbecue sessions. At the end of the session, the app allows me to export the temperature data over the duration of the session (for graphing etc). I presently share the exported file to my gmail, but then I have to download the file from gmail, and upload it manually to my web server. I'd prefer to go right from the iGrill app to the web server.

I found an app that provides this capability (among other useful sharing features. It's called AutoShare, and its working great- I had to tweak a line or two in my web service, but now the iGrill data is being shared directly to my web server!


text:
what can be the problem behind if my android phone charges just 2-3% in 1 hour?
This happens with me so many times. I want my answer please tell me. IOt will be a great help for me. I believe in stack exchange !!

Buy an Ampere-meter for USB-port like this
LED USB Voltage & Current Detector Power Supply Amp Tester for Mobile Power ETDS
Then try different charger/cable combinations until you find one that works for you.
Keep in mind that the ampere-meter may influence charging behaviour.

Thnx !!! I have tried another charger and it worked. The problem was with the charger.

Might be your charger, in conjunction with whatever is going on with your phone while it is charging.
Check the fine-print on your charger for the output current value (measured in amperes "A" or milliamps "mA"). My Samsung charger which came with my S5 charges my phone in little over an hour. The charger supplies 2A (amperes) of current. Another charger I have supplies 800mA of current (less than half what my Samsung charger provides) and takes a few hours to charge.
Sometimes, if I am streaming a movie or playing games while charging, the charge takes even longer, since the amount of current needed to run those actions is almost as much as what the charger can provide.
This is an over-simplistic explanation, but I think it may help.


text:
No longer I get SMS notifications
I have installed a few new SMS management apps to test them and uninstalled them because they were not better than the original SMS app. But now I no longer receive any SMS notifications. No alert sounds, no notifications.
How can I turn on notifications again.


text:
Recover soft-bricked wrongly mounted Galaxy S4 gti9506?
I just rooted my SG S4 Android 5.0.1 with auto root and (a friend's) Windows Odin. Everything worked fine (root complete and SU installed) till I think I gave a bad mount command in the root directory on the phone in terminal (i guess here it went wrong, not sure. Or perhaps during installation of bash or nano) when I was installing bash and nano. Since it rebooted, I lost the wifi and cannot adb shell into my phone anymore from mac.
However, everything except the wifi is still working. Adb and usb functions are still working. I can push and pull, however I just can't enter root directories through terminal anymore. I get the following error:
- exec '/system/bin/sh' failed: Permission denied (13) -
I think my phone is still recoverable, however I don't know what to do and don't want to risk making things worse. Which andoird wizard can help this poor wifiless  guy?
Ref: http://androidforums.com/threads/guide-full-bash-shell-with-nano-tab-completion-and-color-over-ssh.124506/
Download-File: http://66.197.42.222/bashnano.zip
Below here were my bash nano install commands:
./adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw /system
cp -r /storage/extSdCard/bashnano/terminfo /system/etc
cp /storage/extSdCard/bashnano/profile /etc
cp /storage/extSdCard/bashnano/bash /data
cp /storage/extSdCard/bashnano/nano /data
chmod 755 /data/bash
chmod 755 /data/nano
cd /system/bin/
mv sh sh.old
ln -s /data/bash sh
ln -s /data/bash bash
ln -s /data/nano nano

export TERMINFO=/etc/terminfo
export TERM=linux

mount -o remount,ro /system

P.S. So I also performed a regular mount in root, which i think is what made things bad!

I assume since you rooted, you installed a custom recovery? Most of them have an option to fix permissions. Give that a shot and see what happens? Not sure what to do, to repair what you did if the fix permissions doesn't work. But worst case, You can download the factory image for your device and flash it via odin.

I can run ./adb reboot recovery. I get a menu with the options:

reboot system now
apply update from dab
apply update from external storage
reboot to bootloader
apply update from cache
wipe data/factory reset
power down
view recovery logs
Enable cp logging
Disable cp logging.

I guess from those options I should pick the factory reset, maybe?
I used the package from autoroot to root my phone. I'm not sure what kind of recovery it installs: https://autoroot.chainfire.eu

Or wait, is that custom recovery on my laptop. Because I just did the ./adb reboot recovery but that looks like a standard recovery. I have a recovery.img file in my platform-tools folder. Perhaps I should Odin flash that one?

Ok, I flashed clockworkmod recovery now. It allows for 'mount /system'. Now I'm able to ./adb shell again. So I got one step closer it seems. However I have totally no permissions, so I can't even cd or chmod anything yet. Anyone knows what to do know?

Hmm. I looked a little more and it seems that clockwork recovery removed the fix permissions awhile back. Apparently it was a placebo effect. Figured it might help. If you made a backup already. A factory reset couldn't hurt. Maybe it will undo what you did. Not 100% sure on that though. Have you asked over on the XDA forums yet?

Hey Jeremy, thanks for your help. I asked now on xda, I hope they can help me out. I will backup and try a data wipe factory reset tomorrow. I'll keep you updated. Man, what a relief it will be when I'll be able to recover from this ...

Any time. Sorry I couldn't of been more help. But hopefully I got ya going in the right direction.

I've done a factory reset now, but no difference. I guess I need to somehow reinstall the firmware I guess somehow. I also look into returning it to Samsung Service Center. I read that here in Holland they fix bricked phones for free.

Yeah, you could try going to the Samsung store. If you prefer to do it in house. Download the factory image and flash it via odin.

Ok fixed the problem by installing firmware from sammobile.com. The Odin flash failed at the hidden.img, but I could recover the thing by running the instructions here:
http://www.s4miniarchive.com/2014/07/solution-what-to-do-when-odin-fails-at-hidden.img.ext4.html
And I have my wifi back but lost root (but that's not a big deal).

Haha, and I'm really feeling to reroot that damn thing again now. At least now I know how to come back when things go wrong. And thanks for ur help Jer!


text:
Hangouts: Cannot Connect to Server After Update
Recently, Google released a fairly major update to Hangouts, an instant messaging app as well as an alternate SMS client. I have a phone (model is irrelevant) and a Nexus 10. I updated to the latest hangouts on both devices.
On the phone, it works great. On my Nexus 10 however I get a 'Cannot Connect to Server' Error when starting the app:
(Click image to enlarge)

It is odd because if I click on a notification of a message it will go straight to the conversation and not cause any issues. The main issue seems to happen when signing in to the main page:
(Click image to enlarge)

To be clear, I still get notifications about messages, but I cannot open them in the app:
My Nexus 10 is running android 5.0.2 on the RemixOS ROM. I have tried going to stock android 5.1.1, wiping cache, user data and dalvik cache all to no avail.
Does anyone have a fix to this problem? If not, are there any good Google Voice clients?

I have had an issue like this with a past update on Hangouts and fixed it by updating my "Google Play Services".
Other things I tried that may have inadvertently helped was restarting and connected to WiFi.

I'll check if play services is updated, however I have I installed 3 new ROMs and it still is not fixed.

wow 3 ROMs, I would guess then that the play services is not the issue. Sorry I was not able to help.

Thanks for the help though..maybe someone else will find the answer useful :) (And yes, I have yet to find my perfect ROM haha)


text:
Understand the storage of my phone?
(I just updated my post to clarify my questions. Hope that can help to make myself clearer.)
My phone is Kyocera Hydro Icon with Android 4.3.

The website where I bought the phone says

Memory
Internal: 8GB, 1.5GB RAM

The 1.5GB RAM isn't part of the 8GB "internal", correct?
On my phone, I go to Settings -> Device -> Storage which says:

Are "internal storage" and "phone" two partitions (and thus two file systems)? If yes, what are their mounting points (directories), or how can I find out their mounting points?
Both "internal storage" and "phone" store "Apps (app data & media ...)". What are the differences between the apps stored on the two places?
Where are the firmware and OS (Android) stored in my phone, "internal storage", "phone", or somewhere else?
The total space of "internal storage" is 4.42GB, and the total space of "phone" is 1GB. But the website says I have 8GB "internal".
Is it correct that there are still 8 - 4.42 - 1 = 2.58GB left?
Has the remaining 2.58GB been used to store some files? If yes, what files are stored there, or how can I find it out?
Is the remaining 2.58GB a partition (and thus a file system)? What is or how can I find out its mounting point?
Output of Diskinfo (under the expert setting, unmounted and other partitions checked)

The sum of the listed partitions' sizes is (800+643)MB + 4.5GB + 1GB = 1.41GB + 4.5GB + 1GB = 6.91GB, which is still smaller than 8GB "internal" given by the shopping website.
Output of df
 $ df
Filesystem               Size     Used     Free   Blksize
/dev                   672.6M   128.0K   672.5M   4096
/sys/fs/cgroup         672.6M    12.0K   672.6M   4096
/mnt/asec              672.6M     0.0K   672.6M   4096
/mnt/obb               672.6M     0.0K   672.6M   4096
/system                786.5M   768.0M    18.5M   4096
/data                    4.4G     3.6G   802.9M   4096
/cache                 632.1M    25.7M   606.4M   4096
/persist                 7.8M     4.8M     3.0M   4096
/firmware               64.0M    56.9M     7.1M   16384
/sysprop                 7.8M     6.0M     1.9M   4096
/carrier                19.6M     4.0M    15.6M   4096
/mnt/media_rw/sdcard0: Permission denied
/mnt/secure/asec: Permission denied
/storage/sdcard0         1.9G   170.4M     1.7G   32768
/mnt/media_rw/sdcard1: Permission denied
/storage/sdcard1      1023.7M   825.6M   198.1M   16384

The sum of the file systems' sizes is (672.6*4 + 786.5 + 632.1 + 7.8*2 + 64 + 19.6 + 1023.7)MB + 4.4GB = 5.11GB + 4.4GB= 9.51GB (note I convert from a MB value to a GB value by dividing MB value by 1024. I also didn't add /storage/sdcard0 into the sum , which is for the external SD card). It is greater than 8GB "internal" shown by the shopping website. Why is that?
The sizes of /system, /cache and /data given by df are 786.5M, 632.1M and 4.4G, while the sizes of System,  Cache and Data (userdata) given by Diskinfo are 800MB, 643MB and 4.5GB. why do they not match? (The size of /storage/sdcard1 given by df and the size of SD card (internalstorage) given by Diskinfo match. )

Thanks.

@Firelord: thanks. I have updated the pictures.

Note: this is a partial answer.

The 1.5GB RAM isn't part of the 8GB "internal", correct?

Correct. RAM is not considered part of internal storage, so it is not part of 8GB storage space.

Are "internal storage" and "phone" two partitions (and thus two file systems)? If yes, what are their mounting points (directories), or how can I find out their mounting points?

In your device, yes, they are two separate partitions. However, the terms shown in your device are confusing. Phone is also part of Internal storage. In my device, the Internal storage is listed as Phone Storage and Phone is listed as Internal SD card.
(Note: the trend nowadays is to have a single userdata partition and a completely logical internal SD card partition. See the related info: Confused by the many locations of the virtual /sdcard/ )
Often, the Internal Storage (which here implies the userdata  partition mounted at /data) is formatted with EXT4 filesystem and Phone (which here implies the Internal SD card) is mounted under /storage/ usually, but not limited to, at /storage/sdcard1. This partition may either be formatted with EXT4 filesystem or  a variant of FAT filesystem. You can check the filesystem type by issuing the command
mount | grep -e /data -e /storage/sdcard

Dummy output

/emmc@usrdata /data ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,discard,noauto_da_alloc,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/vold/179:8 /storage/sdcard1 vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0702,dmask=0702,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0

Next to /data and /storage/sdcard1 (the mount points) here is the filesystem.
You can also see the filesystem by tapping the particular partition entry in DiskInfo.

Both "internal storage" and "phone" store "Apps (app data & media ...)". What are the differences between the apps stored on the two places?

As per the info here, an app will always have its private data saved inside the Internal storage (under /data/data) regardless of the app  being installed under Internal or External Storage.
For finer details, see answers for Installing to SDCard by default and Where in the file system are applications installed?
If the device supports USB Mass Storage for data transfer, once it is activated all the apps installed in the external storage would be unavailable for usage. This is a major difference between the two types. The other one pertains to available space. Internal storage compared to External storage, cannot be replaced or upgraded.

Where are the firmware and OS (Android) stored in my phone, "internal storage", "phone", or somewhere else?

Android OS is stored under System partition and is mounted at /system. All the rest of the  partitions  (excluding External storage and tmpfs mount points) are accounted for what you can refer to as firmware.

Now the important stuff. For DiskInfo, 1GB=1024MB (per this answer).
Considering all the screenshots of DiskInfo, my calculation gives me 1803MB, 5.5GB and 512KB. Using 1024 units as a base, the grand total is 1803*1024*1024 + 5.5*1024*1024*1024 + 512*1024 = 7,796,686,848 bytes.
As per Gigabyte wiki article (further confirmation), for storage 1GB=1,000MB and not 1,024MB which is often used only for memory, such as RAM. Therefore, the size of your overall ROM in bytes is 8GB = 8*1000*1000*1000 = 8,000,000,000 bytes.
The difference here is of 203,313,152 bytes or 193.9MiB or 203.3MB.
It is something that I'm unable to figure out even when all the partitions and their sizes are listed here. Perhaps somebody else might!

How do you find the size of the RAM of an Andorid phone? Is the RAM of a Andorid phone not changeable?

To find size of RAM you can use an app from Play Store which shows specs of your device. You can also use the following command to see size of RAM: adb shell free -h. RAM cannot be changed or upgraded. It is soldered into the motherboard in mobile phones.

They say 8gb storage since it looks cool, the true applicable size is smaller (i have 32gb Nexus 5 yet i have only 27gb free storage according to file manager) - same goes with any Flash disk you buy.
(if I am not wrong its because of the difference between GB and Gb)
Anyway you have 1gb of internal storage which is part of the 8 gb space and is used for apps and its data. The rest (4gb) is internal storage for any kind of data / files.

No, the 1.5 GB of RAM is not part of the 8 GB internal. Your internal memory is used to store your apps and files until you decide to delete them. Your RAM is used to store your apps and files temporarily WHILE you run them.
(and 3) I'm not so sure about where your OS is stored.
Most (if not all) storage devices have a deficit of that sort. Storage manufacturers usually count disk space as if (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), rather than the real value of (1 GB = 1073741824 bytes). Because of this, your drive will only have about 7.45 GB of usable space. (8,000,000,000/(1024*1024*1024))GB. Your OS will also use some of the space that is inaccessible by you, which is why you have only about 5.4 GB of usable space.
Your Phone and Internal are probably two partitions. I don't see any Apps and Appdata on your Phone partition. I assume Internal Storage is being used for  the phone's activities, while Phone is being used for your activities (The things you download, your photos, et cetera)

Android OS is stored in /system and the associated user data under /data. The phone partition with 1GB size is the internal SD card mounted at /storage/sdcard1. The problem is that the OEM has used conflicting terminologies. By default, internal SD card (phone here) should be listed as a\ part of internal storage.


text:
ADB- Cannot get the Path variable to work for ADB
I am unable to execute ADB from CMD after adding it to the Path Variable. I am able to launch it from the folder when I open a Command Prompt there. But I am unable to launch ADB straight from CMD without first navigating to it.
My Path Variable:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live;C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\Program Files\Broadcom\Broadcom 802.11 Network Adapter\Driver;;%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\System32\Wbem;%systemroot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;%systemroot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\QuickTime\QTSystem\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET Web Pages\v1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.0\Windows Performance Toolkit\;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\110\Tools\Binn\;C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Web Platform Installer\;C:\Program Files (x86)\GtkSharp\2.12\bin; E:\Programs\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools

My SDK path is at the end. How am I able to correct this so that I can launch ADB without first navigating to its folder.
Edit: The program is only my portable hard drive if this helps at all at diagnosing the problem.

I Removed my Path Variable as I was getting nowhere, and instead I put the contents of the platforms-tools folder at the root directory of where my CMD opens in, which is my user folder. I am now able to run ADB from the default CMD location, although this isn't an ideal and thorough solution that can be used were every I open the CMD prompt on my computer, it is still a solution until I can fix this path variable problem.
Edit: It Seems that I had a space after this ; It isn't ment to have a space between ;and the begin of the address


text:
How to use network interface as non-root user?
I want to communicate between my Android device and my Linux box over IP through the USB network interface mode. The device I'm using is a OnePlus One running CM12.1 nightly builds. It's rooted and SELinux is set to PERMISSIVE. Mount namespace separation is also disabled.
I have connected my OPO to my Linux box and put it into into network interface mode via some Java reflection hackery and the system-only MANAGE_USB permission. (I'm not using the standard tethering setting because I want to use my Linux box as the gateway and not the other way round).
I used ip addr add to add an IP address on both ends (Linux box and OPO) and then added a route with ip route via my Linux box for internet access. I have also enabled IPv4 forwarding on the Linux box side, as well as enabling all of the necessary iptables rules.
My problem is this: only root can communicate over the interface. For example, with my Linux box at 10.42.0.1 and my OPO at 10.42.0.2 across the USB network interface, running ping 10.42.0.1 or ping 8.8.8.8 on the Android side without running from an su shell will not work. Running the exact same commands as root functions perfectly. The same commands over the WiFi interface on the Android side run fine without root.
I am assuming this is some new security feature implemented in Android 5.0 / 5.1, as it worked fine in KitKat. Does anybody know exactly what it might be?

I came across this as well.  It has to do with routing policies that cause the 'main' routing table to not be engaged for any user besides root.
This worked for me, but I'm still looking into the implications of doing this so broadly.  It's no worse than what my linux box does though, so there's that.
 ip rule add from all lookup main pref 99


text:
16GB vs 32GB Speed - Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5
So I was going to buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 in the 16GB version. It is expandable up to an additional 128GB through MicroSD so I'm not too worried about space. My question though is will this tablet perform slower as it fills up with Apps and the Android OS?
I will save all pictures and videos in the SD card, but didn't know if the native apps and OS will bog down the small hard drive and cause lag... So in summation my question is:
Will the 16GB version of the tablet work slower than the 32GB due to space?

I am pretty sure just like any storage device. The main thing is, when they are almost full, the first thing to go out the window is the read/write times. So keeping your device almost full all the time could in theory slow it down. I try to clean up my phone once it hits about 66% full. Dont remember where I saw it, but I remember reading on XDA that the read/write speeds become really apparent around 80% full. But your mileage may vary. I think it depends on the device and how it handles the data.

Yeah thats a good call. I just don't know how fast I will fill 10gig. the 32gb version may be worth he extra $50...

Well that's up to you. I know everyone's use case is different, but I have the 16gb model Nvidia Shield tablet and I dont run into storage issues. But I also have a 64gb m.sd card that stores the bulk of my stuff. And yeah thats the downside to Samsung, They use so much space for touch wiz. Could always install a custom rom and regain some of that space they use.

That is cool info. How much do your apps take up on your tablet?

I normally have between 4-6gb free, on the device. Since there are a few apps/games that just seem to run better on the main storage instead of being on the SD card.

Awesome thanks. I got a couple good coupons at the end of the day and went with the 32gb just to be safe. It's for my wife and her business so I can see that filling up quick. Ended up only being $325 for an open box. Thanks.

Not bad. Here's to it working out for ya.

The difference is so slight though that the difference will be unnoticeable, but the larger hard drive will be faster.
As requested:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/understanding-hard-drive-performance,1557-10.html
In addition to the statement at the top in several diagrams you can see that hard drives with the same specs but different sizes have faster read and write times as the size goes up for a majority of the tests.

Thanks, in that link you sent some of the larger HDD actually performed slower than some of the smaller ones. There was also smaller ones that performed slower than the larger ones. It was a cool artical though but doesn't seem like it will make much of a difference.

Like I said the difference won't be noticeable at all.  The majority of the tested drives that were bigger preformed faster, but you won't be able to be able to get specs like speed from what ever drive is in the device.  The speed of the hard drive should not make a difference in your decision when looking at devices like tablets.

Android devices don't use disc-based HDD storage, but they use flash-based storage instead. Without clarifying if the performance of flash memory is similar to HDD, the comparison doesn't look that useful to the readers.

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


text:
Prevent the predictive text from learning a set of words
Is there anyway to prevent the predictive text from learning a set of specified words?
I use a a Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900A) with Android 4.4.2

I haven't found any solution so far.

So I am still interested if someone has any idea.


text:
efs problem (emergency calls only)
I used to do a full factory wipe then flashed a stock firmware with Odin, that helped me get back to having access to my mobile network then I flashed to Resurrection Remix 5.5.3 and lost access to my mobile network (Emergency Calls Only) I checked my IMEI and it appears to be valid. I didn't backup my /efs I didn't do anything to it. What seems to be the solution? I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 (I-9300)

I also tried contacting my phone after going back to the stock fw and it seems that everytime I make a call to my phone it dials but nothing appears on my phone, I also tried texting but to no avail.

Back when I owned a Samsung phone this too would happen to me. I would have to flash a stock TW based rom and see if the network connection comes back. If so, I would boot into recovery and make a backup of EFS. Then reflash the custom rom, Then restore the EFS backup after you flashed the custom rom.

What do you mean by flashing a "TW" based rom? I tried flashing a stock rom based on my country and my carrier but to no avail.


text:
How to reset efs
I just did an upgrade to a custom rom but then my network failed to work for me and I also failed to make a backup. Can someone tell me a solution for restoring the efs?

I'm closing and merging this as a duplicate of your other question


text:
Change temperature unit on Total Launcher
I'm using Total Launcher, from the makers of ssLauncher. It has a weather widget that uses OpenWeatherMap. The default string is %4.1f° and the widget shows Celsius.
I tried every letter in the alphabet in place of the f but most of them said invalid format and none of them gave an expected value.
Is it possible to change the unit to Fahrenheit?

Go to the Total Launcher Options screen, then select Behavior. Towards the bottom is a checkbox to Use US customary units.

Additional note: the f on the string is not for Fahrenheit, but for decimal floating point. If you're interested in modifying the format, take a look at Android (string) Formatter


text:
Set TreehouseGO app to use the memory card for downloads?
I installed the TreehouseGo app on my wife's Galaxy S4 phone so that she can entertain our daughter while she goes on a trip with her. However, when I tried to download some episodes, I found that there is only 9 MB available to it and that it won't download anything as a result.
So, I went out and got a 64 GB mini SD card, but the app didn't see the new storage. I even tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, but it still only sees the internal memory.
How do I get the app to see the SD card so that I can download some of the videos? I can't seem to find any settings for that in either the app or the App Manager settings for the phone.

I got in touch with the help desk for the TreehouseGo app, and they told me that it's not even an option to let the app use the SD card; although they did say that it was a great suggestion and that they would consider implementing it.


text:
Is there a way to give someone else permission to locate my phone for safety reasons?
My father wants to be able to locate my Android phone (a Galaxy S4, fully updated with Lollipop) in a similar way as how he can locate the iPhones he and my mother use, for safety reasons in case something happens and he needs to know where I am.
I do agree with this, but I would rather not share any of my passwords with him. This means that the apps that I currently use, like Lookout, my Google account or my Samsung account are not really options, unless these apps have some kind of family sharing function. I would also very much prefer a free option. I found some options, but they're either paying or would require account sharing.
I would prefer a method where I can load an app on my android phone that I connect to using my Apple ID, after which my father can use the built-in Apple ID family options to track my phone, but if that's not an option, I'm very much open to any other suggestions.

I stumbled upon this nice link where some possibilities are listed.
From your question I derive that your father is an iOS user or at least familiar with apple services, so the cross platform apps might be of special interest for you. For some approaches, you can even define some kind of a geo-fence where people get informed when you arrive within these coordinates. For example, your father can be notified as soon as you arrive home after school.
But please keep in mind that if you share your location with other users, your GPS location is uploaded to a server where the other users get their data from. Depending on the service's provider, the connection and storage can be secure or not and the data might be used for eg advertisements or not. So please have a close look before deciding. GPS coordinates are by design privacy-critical information, so while it might be ok for you sharing your location with your family, it might not be ok for you to share it with companies that might monetarize the data.

Interesting. I'm going to try the Google+ solution first since we both already have Google accounts and it is free.


text:
Factory reset disabled by server policy
My phone (LGL15G running 4.4.2) has been behaving suspiciously, and since it is relatively new and I do not have any important data on it, I thought it would be best to wipe it.
When I select settings > backup & reset, the factory data reset option is greyed out, with the sub-heading reading: "factory data reset is disabled by server policy".
I unchecked my backup provider (Google) on the same screen (backup & reset), and the factory reset option is still greyed out with the same message. How do I get it to allow me to reset?

Check Settings > Security > Device Admins, See if something else is keeping it from letting you reset it. Is this device, a work device? Cause some companies can set up security policies to prevent people wiping the phone to get around certain locks and etc.

If you cannot factory reset from  Android due to  a server policy, you can do a hard reboot via the recovery mode. From LG's website1:

Using the hard reset
If you cannot recall your unlock pattern, PIN, or password, you need to perform a hard reset to access your phone.
When the phone is turned off, press and hold the Home Key  + Volume Down Key  +Power/Lock Key . When the screen shows the LG logo, release thePower/Lock Key .
When the screen displays an Android robot animation, release the other keys.
Leave your phone for at least a minute while it performs the hard reset, then your phone will reboot.

That should bypass any policy. Of course,  all the user data will be wiped.

1: The link is dead now. Gives error 404.


text:
Skip an OTA update straight to next version, on Galaxy S4
My not rooted Galaxy S4 Android 4.3 has received notification of an OTA update. By the size I know it's for Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
I know the phone provider has already released an OTA update for 5.0 Lollipop.
Can I skip the Kit Kat update and go straight to Lollipop? Or do previous updates need to be installed first?
Thanks

If you want to update via OTA, then yes. You have to upgrade in order. You could however, download the factory image for your device that has the LP  update and flash it via odin. But you might loose all your data and etc, depends on the image. So if you back it all up you could do it that way. But to be honest, the easiest way is to just download each update via OTA.

Thanks a lot. I used Odin on my previous device, but it was rooted. I understand I need to root before using Odin. One advantage though was that I picked the ZTO version (no operator, no bloatware).  Thanks a lot.

You dont need root to use odin. Just need to put the device into download mode and off you go. You dont even need USB debugging enabled.


text:
how can i connect my previous clash of clan to google play services
I wanted to save my clash of clan.
Because I have to transffered it to a android tab.it's always appear a qoute that" incompatible with other application using a same shared id.how can I fix it?

You can try using that quote into Google search. It should lead you to something conclusive which you can share with us as your search/research.

Binding your clash of clans to a gmail account. Then you just need to open your clash of clans in other device with that gmail account


text:
Where are the game save files in PC? Bluestacks (without opening bluestacks)
There's someone who already asked this question but the answer requires opening bluestacks.
The problem is my bluestacks is broken and unable to open. It says 'Bluestacks app runner has stopped running'.
So I want to copy my game's save file, (Plants vs Zombies 2) and reinstall a new Bluestacks. So how do I manually search for the save in my computer?

You can find  it at C:\ProgramData\Bluestacks\android\SDCard.vdi
You must show hidden files and folder at folder options to access ProgramData folder.
And you need a .vdi reader to open SDCard.vdi.
I used PowerISO (download it from Google) to open .vdi file.
Then open .vdi using PowerISO and search for your game. :)

You can find your files in this location:
"C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks\UserData\SharedFolder".
For more details, click here


text:
Android Device Manager Ringing Wrong Device
I have both a Samsung S5 phone and a Samsung Galaxy tablet. When I log into Android Device Manager both these devices are listed however when I try to ring my phone it rings the tablet. If I ring the tablet, it also rings the tablet. The phone is about a month old and this is the first time I have played around with the Android Device Manager so I don't know if it ever worked properly or not. I also don't know if the location is tracking my phone or the tablet because they are both in my house. Any idea how to fix this?

I solved this problem by removing the device from Device Manager, restarting, then adding it back. Now each device rings appropriately. Hope this helps someone in the future.


text:
Can we use Moto G2 with google Cardboard
Can I use Moto G2 with Google Cardboard. I just want to experience Virtual reality in a cheapest way possible. I've a Moto G2, So I was wondering If I can use Moto G2 with Google Cardbaord. If anybody has used it then please suggest me, What kind of stuff I would be able to see and what I won't be able to.

Yes, your phone should fit. Only you will not be able to use ring button because moto g2 doesn't have magnetic sensor.

Would it affect much. Gyroscope is there in my device I've checked it.

The button is rarely used in vr apps,  most vr games needs to connect games controller,  so it  wouldn't affect much.

I have Moto G2 2014 model and it has magnetic sensor. Only thing is the pixels are visible in VR when it is zoomed.


text:
Receiving incomplete messages on Whatsapp?
I am currently using HTC Desire C. Yup, a pretty old model..almost 3 years old now! Lately, I've been having problems on Whatsapp that I don't see anyone else having so I'm wondering if its my phone's fault.
Firstly, every time I open Whatsapp after switching on the Wifi or switching on the phone (say, if the battery died), error message 'Whatsapp is not responding' appears. And not until I press 'Okay' atleast 6-10 times  (not exaggerating) in response to the same message appearing again and again, Whatsapp finally opens and it takes another 5 minutes to start receiving the messages.
And of the received messages, most of them are incomplete (as in, I receive say, 1 out of 5 sent messages) or I don't receive messages from certain people at all (when they said they have).
Is there anything I can do to solve this? I'm desperate!

Try updating whatsapp

All you can do is:

Reset your phone.
Try uninstalling the app and delete all files connected with WhatsApp, then reinstall.
Install a custom ROM which is good choice for you.


text:
Copy, paste, browse
I recently changes my DPI to 360 on my Nexus 5.
Now when I copy a text it pops a top panel with the copy/paste/...  icons but they have text with them now.
Did android changed something or is it because of the DPI?
Could you guys check your phones and what they show while copying?
Here is a picture (it appears in any app):

Screenshot (click to enlarge)

It's because you changed your DPI. In general, if you change some setting on your phone (especially if it's using root) then any resulting change is likely a side-effect of that change.

Thanks, I was just wondering but I like it, I really do.


text:
OsmAnd+ change text foreground or background color
I really like OsmAnd, but since the last update I can't see entries correctly, as the text foreground color and background color is white. I can see the text when I press and hold the item. This is very annoying. How can I change either the foreground or background color? Is this problem specific to my ROM (CyanogenMod 11) on my phone (Samsung GT-I9505), or is this a more generic issue? Thanks!

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

The map management has the same issue: map names and sources have white text on white background.

It doesn't seem to be a problem in OsmAnd+ 2.3.5 but from the settings there appears that you can only choose between 'dark' and 'light' themes and there are no options for further customisation.
Your problem may also be to do with this issue in which case the suggested solution is to go and explicitly select one of the themes in the settings.

Solved! It's only working correctly in dark theme.


text:
Need to upgrade from Android ver. 4.4.4 to Android ver. 5.0 with unlocked bootloader
I have an Xperia Z and recently I unlocked the bootloader. However now I cannot install (upgrade) to the Lollipop Android 5.0 (10.6.A.0.454) from Android 4 (10.5.1.A.0.292) through the Sony website. I always get the message "cannot be installed because I have an unlocked bootloader".
Please advise on a step by step process to lock the bootloader again if possible or advise on how to upgrade to 5 version.
Please make it for dummies because I am not experienced or a developer whatsoever.

Actually it's possible to relock the bootloader, using Flashtool. The process can be found on this XDA Forum post.

Download Flashtool from www.flashtool.net
Start Flashtool and click on BLU button
You will be asked to connect device in flash mode
Once you connect the device you will get a prompt to "Relock"
Click on it and when prompted disconnect the device

You should download the custom version of the ROM from some trusted source and then flash it from your boot loader.
Don't forget to take backup of your current configurations. And I recommend you to install some custom recovery as well (like teamwin recovery).
NOTE: Before using this method, take backup of your device.

Note that this will require you to clear your data from the device.

Of course this will. You will have to take backup of your device.


text:
How to freeze SMS reception for X hours?
Sometimes I would like to temporarily block any incoming SMS for X hours. I don't want to discard those SMS: after this period of time, I'd like to see all SMS that were sent to me. I still want to use 4G and Wifi. How can I do that?
I use a a Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900A) with Android 4.4.2.

Why? If you're distracted by the notifications or something similar that's potentially easier to change.

@JoshHolland Well it may be annoying to switch off/on the notifications. But first, can we disable all notifications upon receiving an SMS?

If you are using the default Messages app, you can turn off notifications in the settings of that app. This requires you to remember to turn them back on (alarm maybe?).
If you are using Hangouts as your SMS app, you can snooze notifications in the app settings for 1, 2, 4, 8, 24, or 72 hour periods.


text:
WiFi and data connection switches on automatically although I repeatedly turn off the two features
The WiFi feature and data connection in my tablet turns on automatically. After resetting, the problem goes away but as soon as I download programs that I need, the problem comes back. Anyone with suggestions?

Related: Wifi and Data switching on automatically in my HTC Desire 820 device

Either an app that you have given permission to modify system settings is doing this which should be easily solved by checking each of your apps permission settings?
...Or maybe you have something like WiFi "Scanning Always Available"?
If you feel up to it, you may also find more information by looking at your Android's log files (either via an app that can look at the logs or connecting a computer and using "adb logcat")


text:
How can I symlink /data mount point to preseve it on reboot?
There is a link under /emmc@usrdata which points to the emmc data partition which is /dev/block/mmcblk0p7 (which is small).
I have created a 4GB EXT4 formatted second partition on  SD card, which is /dev/block/mmcblk1p2
In fstab the device name used for the /data mount is the link /emmc@usrdata. I have tried removing this link and creating a new one pointing to the new partition, but on reboot the symlink points to the original one again.
How can I make this symlink stick?
I haven't been able to find a script that writes the symlinks to root on startup, but there must be one there somewhere. The device is an MTK based phablet. ( Aries_7O ). Any clues would be appreciated.


text:
3 storage locations?
I have a Boost Max and am getting an insufficient storage error.  I notice, when I look at the storage, that there are 3 storage locations. I'm confused.  Shouldn't there only be internal and external storage?  My phone shows internal storage, total space 1.49 available 233mb, then it shows phone storage total space 4.08 available 3.82 and then my SD card.  Is this normal?

i just read up on it and understand that the internal is untouchable storage reserved for the operating system and such.  I still don't understand why I get the insufficient storage error if I have 3.82 out of 4.08 available.  it seems like when I uninstall facebook that I can update all my applications without a problem.  I just don't get it. frustrating.

You've got only 1.6gb for apps to be installed. Out of which only 233mb is left. The internal storage 4gb (sdcard0) is for app data. You cannot install apps there. However you can move app-data of the installed apps to internal storage to get free space to install some more apps

Give us the output (screenshots) of Diskinfo and DiskUsage. To install them you would need to clear data from or uninstall one or two app from the device.

I'm guessing you've got a 8gb phone (out of the box you get available 5.5gb).
Out of this 5.5gb it is partitioned into 1.5gb( / root ) and 4gb (internal storage sdcard0 )
/ Root storage is where apps you install is stored.
Internal storage is where appdata and gamedata is stored
You can also keep your files here.
Third location is sdcard1 or external sdcard
You can learn more about it here

A bit off- apps aren't stored in root.


text:
How Do I change from PTP to MTP mode? Cannot find options in settings
That may be the issue why I can't see my captured videos from my phone when connected to my pc. How do I access PTP and MTP modes? Can't see any options in settings.

What phone do you have? What Android version does it have?

Do you not see a USB connection notification when you connect your phone into PC via USB cable? See if this answer helps. Alternatively, enable USB debugging, install ADB in PC and try adb shell am start com.android.settings/.UsbSettings in Command Prompt.

My phone is a SC-04Fm version 5. The first time it showed the USB icon but not anymore. I can see the folders when pc connected but no videos shown. I will try installing adb in pc.

Well, downloaded the adb driver installer but it doesn't execute. Error message: Device Not Found.

Also, when I go to seetings->storage there no more available options.

You can do that via adb or a terminal app (in the latter case, ommit the leading adb shell from the examples):

read settings: adb shell getprop sys.usb.config
find valid settings: adb shell grep usb.config= /init*rc
change settings: setprop with the appropriate values (e.g. adb shell setprop sys.usb.config "mtp,adb" or adb shell setprop sys.usb.config "ptp,adb")

EDIT: If the above doesn't yield the expected results, it might need root powers. So if your device is rooted, you could try to run adb root prior to above commands. If your device does not accept this ("not available in production builds"), instead run:
PC> adb shell
Android $ su
Android #

Now at the root prompt (#), run above commands without the adb shell prefix (e.g. simply setprop sys.usb.config "mtp,adb").

Thanks for this.  When I connect my device to OSX it doesn't show the USB connection type toggle, and Android File Transfer doesn't seem to work with MTP mode.  This let me switch it to PTP.

Also, for completeness, you'll have to run adb root first to have the permission to change the setting.

@Ullallulloo are you sure about that? I cannot remember ever having done that. And the only times I tried, I got an error about adb root being not available "in production builds".

@Izzy It silently fails on both my phones without that. adb root only solves it on the rooted one though. The unrooted phone doesn't seem to allow me to change it over adb.

Thanks, @Ullallulloo – adjusted my answer accordingly. Thinking about it, as I usually placed the settings directly into the proper scripts on the device, I might have executed setprop while already being root – at least after the first tries to figure this out years ago ;)

it changes the property yes, but it doesn't really enable mtp mode, this is useless, there is something else has to be changed to really trigger mtp mode

@user924 it did perfectly back then. Take a look at the date, there were several newer Android versions released since, and something might have changed. I no longer have this issue on any of my devices, so I cannot tell.