text:
HP Stream 7 originally runs Windows - Can it run Android viably?
I have an HP Stream 7 that I'm not using here (since I've bought my Asus T100), and I was thinking about putting an Android to run, instead of the Windows OS. I know that is possible, but my question is: is it viable? Has someone already tested this using the same model? Does it have any problems with drivers, or something that Android does not recognize? If it works, I'll definitely give it a shot.

After a little bit of work, I was able to run an Android live version at the HP Stream 7. Unfortunately, it's a little bit buggy, mainly because there is no drivers available for the device. I will make some researches on, to see what I can find. Thanks for the answer

Drivers are the largest issue, trying this.  LUbuntu (ubuntu lite) or XUbuntu (runs x11 gui manager, even lighter) BUT, you'll need to know the CPU type on your tablet.  Most all 'nix' software is ported to run on x386 (aka Intel Atom) processor.  The ARM architecture is more of a challenge. NOOBS the standard Raspberry Pi image, gives you a 50/50 chance.!   IMHO  Some of the ARM xuntu distributions would probably run fine.  You'll have to read on those OS and Platforms.  The new Allwinner Tech ARM CPU's are forcing their way into  being the ARM standard. you'll then have to worry about drivers, & not be afraid of downloading and installing APK files... good luck, keep us posted.  I have a couple allwinner white box tablets, that bricked themselves, it would be nice to have them run "something" , even if it's a remote video cam to watch the kid go in/out of the house!

Maye I can try Live USB the Ubuntu. I tried the Android version at the Stream 7, but I had problems with a couple of things. Screen rotation wasn't working, and also bluetooth, and so on. Maybe it was due to lack of drivers, indeed. But I'll hear you, and try to LiveUSB the LUbuntu on it!

It's months later, I can add a new ponderance to your problem and the solution.
All Android OS on any device is really a Java Virtual Machine.
Download for Linux, Windows, Mac.... the Android SDK  you can build from almost any version, to almost any hardware.  You will have to read, read, read.

no you cant, its just impossible. Drivers are a huge problem as android os needs not available on the stream 7

Although this answer may be correct, a proper answer should include detailed information and verifiable links to references, otherwise it just sounds like opinion. I suggest reading this page: https://android.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-answer to help you improve your answer and future ones.


text:
Is CyanogenMod easier to install in rooted device?
I have failed to install CyanogenMod a few times in my Samsung Galaxy 4 (GT-I9605, Android 5.0.1 lollipop) in unrooted device. I still want to get CyanogenMod in my device so I am thinking to root my device and start the installation process 3rd time.
Is CyanogenMod easier to install in rooted device than unrooted?

You have failed to install CM maybe because you're trying to flash it using stock recovery. You can install ROMs using custom recovery only. (Like TWRP or CWM)

@GokulNC I mentioned that in my answer. Also, the OP might be using download mode instead of recovery, which would be unreliable, and you would have to flash the images one-by-one

Both yes and no. You need custom recovery to flash CyanogenMod. If you have root with the non-recovery method, you can install the ROM manager from the Play Store, which makes the installation of a custom recovery rather simple.
From there, you just download the CM zip and flash it. Note that the ROM manager does have install ROM as a feature, so you can install from zip and it should automatically reboot to recovery and flash (but I think it works with CWM only, as I have TWRP and it just reboot).

Thank you for your answer! My mistake was wrong recovery system. I installed TWRP and everything went fine with CyanogenMod installation.

Despite download mode saying stuff about Custom OS, it is harder because you can only flash 1 image. That is why the harder method uses it to install recovery as it is 1 image. You would have to extract CM zip, and flash images on respective partitions, but it is quite tedious and perhaps dangerous

Well, AFAIK you need a custom recovery, so that you can flash the ROM from the .zip file. You can maybe flash a custom recovery using PC software, but there are tools that rely on root access to do such things on-the-fly without requiring a PC.
I usually install CM using .zip files through recovery, and I need root to be able to flash custom recovery on my phone.

You can flash a ROM from a .zip file in a stock recovery too. What matters here is what ROM is it that you're trying to flash in stock recovery. Consider clearly explaining your point.

I don't think so, the stock recovery has signature checks which prevent any unsigned zips to install, while custom recoveries install any valid zip installation package. At least all my tries installing custom ROMs using stock recoveries failed with that error. And since we are talking here about CyanogenMod, I presumed there is no need to mention stock recoveries.

You usually cannot install a new or custom ROM without a rooted device that I am aware of. The nature of the process to install a new ROM pretty much means you have to have root for the installation to perform the required actions involved.
This is especially true for mainstream commercial devices such as the Samsungs, LGs, HTCs etc as they root protect their devices for security and to prevent people messing with their own customisations to the Android OS.

Well, actually you just need custom recovery. The app allowing root is optional, and makes it only slightly easier. By installing custom recovery, you already have root access from the recovery console, not from system (until supersu is installed), however rooting is the full process: Bootloader, Recovery, Supersu

@TheBro21 - good point! I guess as I have always done the whole process that didn't occur to me :)

I actually prefer the first root, then recovery as I kind of noticed the computer flashing being problematic sometimes. You can just install recovery with the click of a button with root first

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Push notification over my phone dosen't work in my home only
I have an android phone that doesn't notify me with any events and or updates whatever it is in my home only. while when I use the "Data Connection" over 3G or when I use any open WiFi it notify me simply with no problem at all.
I thought it is a modem Issue. my modem is a Dlink modem and I tried to restart it but still facing this problem
Any Idea will be so greatfull.
Edited Information:
My phone is Infinix zero 2 running Android 4.4.2

Might be an issue with your WiFi router, more specifically ports blocked/firewall. Though I've never experienced that, and I didn't open any ports for that specifically. Are you using any firewall app or permission manager on your device?

@beeshyams I have just edited my question with the mobile model and android version

@Izzy I am sure it is an issue with my WiFi router, but I don't know what is the problem is? and how to solve it.and no I am not using any firewall nor any permission manager on my device.

To further narrow it down: Can you find out if it's only happening with your WiFi – do you have a chance to try it in some other WiFi at a friends/relatives house? Also, any chance to access the router's logs?

@Izzy its only happening with my WiFi . it notify me with other WiFi with no problem at all. But of course i cant access any others router log, except mine of course.

OK, in that case it's not related to Android, but rather a "networking issue" related to your router. And of course you only need the log from the router "breaking it".

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


text:
Prevent particular website pages from appearing in Google search [phone]
How do I prevent links to a particular website from showing in search results on chrome, on my mobile?
For example I want to see a video of maybe cows dancing
But I don't want to see any links related to dailymotion.com.
Is there any way I can filter those results out?
(If this doesn't belong here, please leave a comment as to where I can ask this. I feel this could be helpful for others too so I asked it here)

You could check if Chrome on Android can run "UserScripts". If it does, take a look at Google site: Tool (Site results / Exclude sites). That's what I use with Firefox on my desktop, works fine.

I think it's not possible on the phone

Then maybe think again:) See: Is there a way to use Userscripts / Greasemonkey Scripts on the Android Browser or Dolphin HD?

If I understand correctly, you want to filter only some searches when you need it, and not permanently ban sites. Simply including -site:dailymotion.com in the search query should do the trick (make sure not to omit the '-').
If you want to permanently ban a site, try the following:
Some AdBlock apps exist that allow you to blacklist certain URLs. I'm not sure though if this would work with google searches (as they are only links to the host and not resources pulled from the host), but it's worth giving it a shot.

Yes! Your first suggestion works!

Did you expect it to not work? ;-)

@AmanThakkar There you go with more: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433?hl=en Use them in combination, just like the demo ionree gave.


text:
Can cellular network providers detect the phone model/make when their sim is activated?
When the user inserts the sim card and activates, can the cellular network provider detect what phone the user uses?
Like say Motorola Droid.
Or at least the phone is a smartphone or not?

They can track the IMEI  number, from which the make model could possible be traced.

The amount of information your carrier knows about you can be scary What Your Wireless Carrier Knows About You covers this in  detail. To answer your question specifically, quoting from this:

In general terms, wireless operators capture three main kinds of information: information about the devices connected to the network, metadata about the packets of data that run through the network, and information about the content contained in the packets being downloaded or uploaded by the subscriber.

If they (carriers) wanted to, these engineers (network engineers ) could detect a single device entering a specific cell and identify the type of device it is, its operating system (if it’s a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop USB modem), its IP address, its bandwidth consumption, and even the apps it is running.

Wireless operators need to know about the devices on their network so that they can make assumptions about the sorts of content their customers are using and the amount of bandwidth they’ll need. For example, if the carrier knows that the smartphones it has detected typically have large screens, it can conclude that those devices will probably be consuming a relatively large amount of streaming video content, which requires a lot of bandwidth.

Similarly, carriers can detect smaller, less expensive phones that don’t run a real OS but do sport a full keyboard. The operator can deduce that these devices are specialized for social networking, which doesn't demand a lot of bandwidth but does require a lot of signaling in the network.

This post What does your mobile carrier know about you? quotes a 2010 justice department memo and provides a link to retention period of such information by various carriers in USA

As revealed in the memo, mobile carriers capture a variety of data about you, including call detail records (who you called and when), text message details (who you texted and when), text message content, bill copies, payment history, and even which cell towers you use. Another category, called Subscriber Information, presumably tracks your name and all necessary contact details.

https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/71795/is-my-phone-carrier-monitoring-my-traffic provides related information

Of course. Shall do that

This is speculative. There is no technical evidence in this answer that how they really get such kind of data, even if we assume they can get it. Consider explaining what Android allows the network provider to know about the device and how does it happen. Furthermore, know that the question IMO is Android-independent, and hence, off-topic.

Should i change my question to android specific?

@Firelord.Thanks. addressed your concern partly

@Siva-Dev-Wizard. Yes, it did not occur to me about being off topic. So try to edit the question to prevent closure on these grounds

Short answer is Yes, they can. Here is how:

Network provider also accesses your phone's International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), which is a number that's unique to every GSM handset (CDMA devices use something similar called an Electronic Serial number, or ESN). The IMEI identifies the phone to your carrier and it checks that the handset is valid to use. If the phone is locked to another carrier or if it's lost or stolen--your carrier can use the IMEI to "blacklist" a device--you won't be able to make calls.

https://www.cnet.com/news/on-call-how-does-my-carrier-know-which-phone-im-using/


text:
How to Run a script or get adb devices from machine 1 to mobile device which is connected machine 2?
I am attempting to run a Script from Machine 1. [Script would be calabash or Appium]. In machine 1 i didnt connected any device and In machine 2 I have connected 2 Android devices.

Machine 1 and Machine 2 are connected via LAN. so I can able to ping machine 2 from machine 1.

Now My question is
Is there any posibility to Access devices via adb which is conneced in Machine 2. So that i can able to run my Script ?
I am using two windows machine.

This question appears to be more suitable for [su]. Anyhow, you can run an SSH server on Machine 2 and access it from Machine 1. Now, you would be in Machine 2 remotely and can do whatever you want. Perhaps, pstools can also help: http://www.howtogeek.com/school/sysinternals-pro/lesson8/all/

Yes, you can do that using adb connect REMOTE_MACHINE_IP:XXXX .
where XXXX is the port of the remote machine.
Sources:
http://www.41post.com/5003/programming/android-adb-remote-emulator-access
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13278429/how-to-set-up-adb-for-remote-machine-development-and-local-device-deployment

Is that possible to Run Script from Machine 1. ?

@YusufM as per the stack overflow answer, it should work, but i havent tried running script.

adb connect requires the PC and device to be connected under hotspot/Wi-Fi/USB_tethering. None of the conditions are true here, unless I'm missing something.

@Firelord so without adb I am not able to run calabash script on machine 2.. Am I correct ? So any other possibility to bring up that devices on machine 1 without using remote..? ?


text:
Given an Android phone, how can I find out what custom and stock ROMs are compatible?
I've recently started trying to dabble in custom ROMs, or even just trying to boost an old phone with a newer version of Android, but there doesn't seem to be a conclusive place online to find out what ROMs are supported by what phones (and how to root any given phone), what ROMs are available out there in the world in general, it all seems a bit... messy!
So here's my example for my question: I have an Obi S453, how can I find out what ROMs I might be able to install?

Search for the phone on XDA. Maybe even in the General section where uncategorized phone ROMs are posted.

See: Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

Given the huge number of brands and their devices, it makes sense that we would never be having a one-stop place for ROMs. Finding a ROM is not hard because wherever a ROM is mentioned, the writer of the post would always mention the device name.

This site offers a fairly comprehensive coverage to the questions asked by you:

Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?
How do I root my Android device?
How do I update Android on my device?

Coming to your device in particular, it appears there is lack of developer support to create custom ROMs as a quick search (not comprehensive ) did not provide any evidence. Even the OEM, it looks like has not come out with any plans to update to Lollipop, whereas most popular phones have the next version Marshmallow rolled out or in the process of rolling out.
Possible reasons for lack of developer support, in general, could be (i am not a developer, so guessing):

Chipset being not developer friendly
Not a popular phone compared to low cost "budget phones"
Kernel and chip set information not "open source"
Difficulty in porting custom ROM from another ROM
OEM not coming up with a improved versions of phone

You find out by checking your model number (my case is SM-G800F). Then you go to the custom ROM and look at the "name" of the build. Mine would be kminilte, which would support even other phones very similar to mine.
You can Google your model number to see. Alternatively, the ROM download page usually contains the market name (so S5 mini and kminilte in small text).
If a device is not supported, you can download a version of a phone very similar to yours. Then either risk and test if it works, or edit the ROM for support on your phone (called porting). There are many guides on porting and rebuilding a ROM similar to your phone.


text:
my contacts have dissapeared and i can't recover them with google backup
i bought a new Galaxy Core Prime about 2 weeks ago. After some time, some of my contacts dissapeared. I didn't delete them, neither switched any settings with contacts. Still i had 102 contact in my sim card and now i have only 48 and i didn't delete any of them. I tried Android Data Recovery, Google Backup but none of them worked.
Can anyone help me?

Can you access your contacts at contacts.google.com?

my advice is you should use "GT RECOVERY " APP in your android .but its need ROOT so first root your device  with KINGO ROOT. this is very easy.


text:
How to boot the GUI so that one single application is launched as part of it?
I would like to reuse an older Android phone as a digital controller for some applications. It would basically be a browser (or webkit) running full screen (which would display some buttons via javascript which in turn would interact with a backend API).
I have a similar (non-touch, display only) solution on Linux where I start at the end of the boot process xinit /path/to/xinit/config, where /path/to/xinit/config opens the browser full screen. Before xinit there is no concept of GUI, xinit starts the graphics core and then runs one single application (the browser). /path/to/xinit/config, before launching the browser at the end, does some logistical (non-GUI) tasks.
Is this a scenario which is replicable on Android? I would like to ensure that the only graphical element running is the browser (including the notification area, launcher, ...).
In other words: is it possible to boot Android into a "headless" (console) mode, and then start the GUI core with just one application?
Note: this is different from a classical "kiosk mode" where one tries to lock out users from accessing other elements of the GUI via an app. I do not have any security/usability considerations as this simple display will run in a safe environment.
EDIT: as pointed out by @Firelord, there were other similar questions but I feel they deal more with a classical kiosk mode than with the separation of the console vs GUI mode.


text:
Is there a way to disable all functionality on the lock screen?
I have a Nexus 6, and have noticed that even on the lock screen, there are still things you can do besides enter the passcode.
You can turn the wifi/bluetooth and airplane mode on/off, use the torch, use the camera, turn the phone off.
I don't want to be able to do any of this. The only functionality I want on the lock screen is to be able to enter the passcode to unlock.
In the instance my phone is stolen, I want my phone to remain on, and online, for as long as possible.
Is this possible?
Thanks

5.1.1, added a tag


text:
Any chance to unbrick relocked HTC One M7 with S-on and a old copy of the RUU.zip
Background
After 1 year of use,  the most recent OTA to my HTC One rendered several key features,  including the notification bar and the home and back buttons, unusable , effectively soft-bricking my phone. Although it was still under warranty, I decided to fix the matter myself,  and also try a custom ROM. Unfortunately, I was unable to make a backup with ADB,  because that was one of the functions the OTA update rendered unusable.
First,  I tried a few factory resets,  to no avail. I decided more drastic measures were needed and unlocked my bootloader using the instructions at HTC Dev and installed a custom recovery, ClockworkMod Touch.
I then tried to flash a new ROM, the newest snapshot release of CyanogenMod, via ADB sideload. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the need to change the CID,  and thus rendered main ROM completely non-functional. Around this time,  ADB also ceased to function in recovery, and my device was no longer detected.
A week or so later,  I flashed a different recovery, TWRP and again flashed it with fastboot. This restored ADB functionality, however,  ADB still failed to detect my device in sideload mode, which caused me to be unable to use the Guru Reset tool I managed to download. I then searched for and found a RUU.zip for my CID, VODAP021, at XDA forums. I then tried to flash it. I re-locked the bootloader and tried to flash it with
fastboot flash zip RUU.zip

after putting the phone in RUU mode, which returned
load_file: could not allocate (filesize) bytes

presumably because 1.5 GiB was too much to handle.
My question
Is there and hope of unbricking my phone (HTC M7_ul) now that I can't access recovery or normal ROM, and have a relocked bootloader with S-On? If so how,  and if not,  what do you suggest I do with it?

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.


text:
Missing account name and app icon in account entry - NothingToSeeHere account

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
See that account with the Android icon and missing name? It's an account called "NothingToSeeHere". Does anybody know what could it be and how can I check it?
I turned it off and now I can't turn it on but it's still on the "Add Account" page. Although I can't click on it to show you the name, "NothingToSeeHere".
Here's the (sensitive data censored) dump from account service:

User UserInfo{0:XXXXXXXXXX:13}:
Accounts: 4
Account {name=XXXXXXX@gmail.com, type=com.facebook.auth.login}
Account {name=Messenger, type=com.facebook.messenger}
Account {name=XXXXXX XXXXX, type=hr.apisit.u03.kp}
Account {name=XXXXXXXX@gmail.com, type=com.google}

AccountId, Action_Type, timestamp, UID, TableName, Key Accounts History
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-02 03:14:40,10054,accounts,0
1,action_account_add,2016-01-02 03:15:44,10007,accounts,1
1,action_set_password,2016-01-02 03:15:44,10007,accounts,2
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-03 00:35:18,10007,accounts,3
2,action_account_add,2016-01-03 03:13:50,10156,accounts,4
3,action_account_add,2016-01-03 12:39:15,10149,accounts,5
4,action_account_add,2016-01-03 12:39:54,10148,accounts,6
5,action_account_add,2016-01-04 00:09:34,10132,accounts,7
-1,action_called_account_remove,2016-01-04 00:38:45,1000,accounts,8
1,action_account_remove,2016-01-04 00:38:45,10007,accounts,9
-1,action_called_account_remove,2016-01-04 00:39:48,1000,accounts,10
2,action_account_remove,2016-01-04 00:39:49,10156,accounts,11
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-04 00:41:43,0,accounts,12
6,action_account_add,2016-01-04 00:42:23,10007,accounts,13
6,action_set_password,2016-01-04 00:42:23,10007,accounts,14
7,action_account_add,2016-01-04 23:11:16,10156,accounts,15
-1,action_called_account_remove,2016-01-05 15:22:19,1000,accounts,16
7,action_account_remove,2016-01-05 15:22:20,10156,accounts,17
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:30:12,0,accounts,18
8,action_account_add,2016-01-05 15:30:13,10156,accounts,19
-1,action_called_account_remove,2016-01-05 15:30:20,1000,accounts,20
8,action_account_remove,2016-01-05 15:30:20,10156,accounts,21
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:35:37,0,accounts,22
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:35:44,0,accounts,23
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:35:51,0,accounts,24
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:35:56,0,accounts,25
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:36:36,0,accounts,26
-1,action_called_account_add,2016-01-05 15:37:13,0,accounts,27

Active Sessions: 6
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 8307.921, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 7982.812, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 7976.194, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 7963.836, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 7923.559, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null
Session: expectLaunch false, connected true, stats (0/0/0), lifetime 7886.837, addAccount, accountType zephyr.headlezz.net, requiredFeatures null

RegisteredServicesCache: 12 services
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.android.sim}, ComponentInfo{com.qualcomm.simcontacts/com.qualcomm.simcontacts.SimAuthenticateService}, uid 1000
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=hr.apisit.u03.kp}, ComponentInfo{hr.apisit.u03.kp/hr.apisit.u03.kp.account.AccountAuthenticatorService}, uid 10132
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.auth.GoogleAccountAuthenticatorService}, uid 10007
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.lge.sync}, ComponentInfo{com.android.contacts/com.android.contacts.model.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10020
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=zephyr.headlezz.net}, ComponentInfo{com.lolsummoners/com.lolsummoners.logic.sync.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10156
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.facebook.messenger}, ComponentInfo{com.facebook.orca/com.facebook.messaging.phonebookintegration.account.MessengerAuthenticatorService}, uid 10148
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.skype.contacts.sync}, ComponentInfo{com.skype.raider/com.skype.android.service.AccountService}, uid 10130
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google.android.gm.legacyimap}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gm/com.android.email.service.LegacyImapAuthenticatorService}, uid 10069
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.facebook.auth.login}, ComponentInfo{com.facebook.katana/com.facebook.katana.platform.FacebookAuthenticationService}, uid 10149
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google.android.gm.pop3}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gm/com.android.email.service.Pop3AuthenticatorService}, uid 10069
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice}, ComponentInfo{com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service/com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service.server.syncadapter.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10010 ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.android.localphone}, ComponentInfo{com.qualcomm.simcontacts/com.qualcomm.simcontacts.PhoneAuthenticateService}, uid 1000

Phone: LG G3 D855 32GB
System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow (stock 30B rooted)

There should be some crazy app that hasn't implemented it properly. Find & Remove that blacksheep, and you're done :)

Are you using Lollipop or do you have root access? Setup [tag:adb] and do adb shell dumpsys account and give us the result.

LG G3 with Android 6.0 recently flashed and rooted from stock ROM, almost fresh!

I'll try the dump via adb ^_^

There, uploaded the dump from terminal emulator.

Can you consider removing this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lolsummoners and see whether that entry vanishes? If not, then consider disabling https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service and then tell us the results. Use @ followed by user's name to ping them.

@Firelord yeah it was the League of Legends API x) thanks!

It can be safely assumed that the apps which have an entry under Settings → Accounts uses Android's sync adapter framework to sync the app data with their server. In that case, system service account can give you info about the apps which have registered themselves to use the said framework. Using such info, you can either disable the apps one by one or go berserk with all to pin-point the troublemaker.
Troubleshooting instructions
(Tested on Android 4.2.1 and 5.0.2)
Setup adb in PC and execute:
adb shell dumpsys account

It would show info for all the user accounts, be it primary or secondary. Under User UserInfo{0:XXXX:13}: i.e. for primary user, after the string RegisteredServicesCache: find all the lines starting with ServiceInfo:.
In the output you provided, those lines are:

RegisteredServicesCache: 12 services
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.android.sim}, ComponentInfo{com.qualcomm.simcontacts/com.qualcomm.simcontacts.SimAuthenticateService}, uid 1000
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=hr.apisit.u03.kp}, ComponentInfo{hr.apisit.u03.kp/hr.apisit.u03.kp.account.AccountAuthenticatorService}, uid 10132
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.auth.GoogleAccountAuthenticatorService}, uid 10007
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.lge.sync}, ComponentInfo{com.android.contacts/com.android.contacts.model.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10020
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=zephyr.headlezz.net}, ComponentInfo{com.lolsummoners/com.lolsummoners.logic.sync.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10156
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.facebook.messenger}, ComponentInfo{com.facebook.orca/com.facebook.messaging.phonebookintegration.account.MessengerAuthenticatorService}, uid 10148
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.skype.contacts.sync}, ComponentInfo{com.skype.raider/com.skype.android.service.AccountService}, uid 10130
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google.android.gm.legacyimap}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gm/com.android.email.service.LegacyImapAuthenticatorService}, uid 10069
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.facebook.auth.login}, ComponentInfo{com.facebook.katana/com.facebook.katana.platform.FacebookAuthenticationService}, uid 10149
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.google.android.gm.pop3}, ComponentInfo{com.google.android.gm/com.android.email.service.Pop3AuthenticatorService}, uid 10069
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice}, ComponentInfo{com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service/com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service.server.syncadapter.AuthenticatorService}, uid 10010
ServiceInfo: AuthenticatorDescription {type=com.android.localphone}, ComponentInfo{com.qualcomm.simcontacts/com.qualcomm.simcontacts.PhoneAuthenticateService}, uid 1000

In each line after first line, you would see an example of this template:
ComponentInfo{ABC/XYZ}, uid ID

The ABC here is the package name of the app whose entry is listed under Settings → Accounts. ID is Android UID allotted to that package.
Now, I was able to lessen my scope to com.lolsummoners as the troublemaker is because in the screenshot you provided, these apps already have an icon:
(To get app's label using its package name, use GAThrawn's answer - works if only the app is available in Play Store; use Izzy's answer - works for any installed app.)

Facebook        - com.facebook.katana
Play Services   - com.google.android.gms
Messenger       - com.facebook.orca
mPretinac       - hr.apisit.u03.kp
Skype           - com.skype.raider
Gmail POP3/IMAP - com.google.android.gm

The ones left were:

com.qualcomm.simcontacts                 - uid: 1000  - a system app
com.android.contacts                     - uid: 10020 - a system app
com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service  - uid: 10010 - a system app
com.lolsummoners                         - uid: 10156 - a user app

Because I based troubleshooting on the assumption that the issue would most likely be the work of a user installed app, I asked you to remove com.lolsummoners. As a fail-safe, I suggested disabling com.lge.bioitplatform.sdservice.service.
Thankfully, the first one worked out and you also learned how to troubleshoot such an issue effectively in future.

Great and instructive answer! :)

Sure, no problem.


text:
Samsung galaxy ace s5830 in boot loop and usb download doesn't work
I have a Samsung Galaxy Ace s3850 which had a problem with the wifi connection. As described on many forums the solution is to root the phone and then enter a code into the phone. It is needed to reload the wifi driver and is explained here
Needless to say driver loading was unsuccessful after rooting and entering various code combinations. The phone has always been low on space and having recently found how useful link2sd was as well as the possibility to have a custom rom which increases performance I tried this route.
On this page they describe how this could be done on my phone:
I tried following the steps exactly, except that there was never an option to clear dalvic-cache (no advanced settings) on the phones recovery menu. Also, the phone needs the home+start combination to go into recovery, not volume(up)+home+start (which takes one to the quick download I think).
It seemed to go well except that on reboot it didn’t go out of the Samsung logo screen after about 20 minutes. I read that this is too long and thus took out the battery and restarted. This didn’t help and the loop continues.
I thus tried to restore the factory stock rom using odin but every time I set the phone to download mode (volume(down)+home+start) the yellow download text comes up but windows comes up with usb device not recognised. The usb drive worked well before this when I needed to upload the google apps and custom rom file to sdcard as required before upgrading to custom rom. I even tried kies software (also removed kies from tasks when trying odin again so as to not clash).
I also tried various other custom roms to see if this does the trick but every time I go into recovery mode I get the following screen text:

Android system recovery <3e>
Reboot system now.
Applying update from sdcard
Wipe data/factory reset
Wipe cache partition
Test redbend
…….Green icon……
-- Appling Muti-CSC –
E:failed to mount  /system (Invalid argument)

When I select “wipe data/factory reset” I get:

-- Wiping data…
Formatting /data…
E:format_volume: rfs format failed on /dev/stl13
Formatting /cache…
E:format_volume: rfs format failed on /dev/stl14
Data wipe complete.

When I select “wipe cache partition” I get:

-- Wiping cache…
Formatting /cache…
E:format_volume: rfs format failed on /dev/stl14
Cache wipe complete.

Rebooting goes into the same logo loop screen.
Now I am stuck with a phone which I suppose could be called a tile (not brick, its too small for that). Any help would be much appreciated.


text:
why Moto x play does not have contacts feature like samsung? why it does not have an option to save contacts to phone memory?
I am little bit disappointed after buying Motorola phone. I was aware that it removes bloatware app but on the other hand, it has very poor contacts app/feature. I had earlier used Samsung phones and the contact feature is remarkable,quite user friendly. Here, in Moto X Play, I do not find any option to save contacts on my phone memory. All it has, is the email account. I had recommended this phone to others and I regret my decision.
Anyways, please help me out if there is any option/tweak to make the contacts features better.

There's a place called "Google Play Store", where you can find alternative contact apps. You can also take a look at my list for Contact Managers and Dialers.

We can't know why Moto X doesn't have similar features unless there's Motorola representative here (perhaps since there's no SD card? But still, opinion based). 2) the rest of the post reads like a rant, which doesn't help solving the issue. 3) it's unclear what do you mean by option/tweak, making it too broad... and the best suggestion is... try another contact manager app?

Regretting buying an X Play over a Samsung just because it doesn't have an option to save contacts to phone memory seems strange. Also, try the Export Contacts to Internal Storage option if available.

You can try Export contacts to Storage in the Phone app after clicking on the 3 dots in the top right corner. That will create a file with all contacts in phone memory.
If that's not what you want you can always download an application of your choice from the Play Store as others have said earlier.


text:
Calendar basic want to disable
I keep getting calendar notifications that there are no events, no matter what I try I cannot disable the calendar. Tried settings a number of times no luck!!

What calendar are you using?

Also, what is the device model and Android version? Strange for a calendar app to notify that there's no event...

Are you using a particular fork/mod or is it just vanilla Android - in future try and include this stuff in your question

I am using vanilla android ver 4.2.2 and the calendar that comes with it. It is running on a Protoz tablet mod PT33032-7

After did some researching for "You have no events scheduled today", I think it's related to Google Calendar web app, not Android Calendar app. Basically you're getting email notifications, but not app notifications. Please clarify the source of notification. Otherwise, this is off-topic and might be suitable on [webapps.se].

go to Settings/Apps/All, select the Calendar you are talking about and uncheck "Show notifications."

This will help but will also disable potentially useful notifications for events that are actually happening


text:
How can I enable/add USB OTG support to my rooted and Cyanogenmod installed Huewei Honor 4x?
I have tried stickmount but did not succeed in getting otg mounted. I basically want to use wireless mouse or keyboard. I think the kernel that is installed presently does not support otg. What is the way to add otg support like patching kernel and procedure needs to be followed?

I'm pretty sure you need to flash a custom and compatible kernel. Usually there are multiple kernels to choose once CM is available for a device.

I learned that you need to have hardware support as well, for OTG to work. Enabling OTG support in Micromax Canvas Nitro A310


text:
How does SuperSu provide root privilege?
Has a write-up ever been released on exactly how SuperSu works? After searching around for a while I found mostly guides on how to use the app, not the implementation details.
I did, however, find this resource that is mostly directed at explaining how to use the root privileges programmatically, but explained things fairly well. The article gives information about SELinux, but not so much how its enforcement is circumvented.
There appears to be a lot of context switching to allow execution of certain events (from the point of view of those using SuperSu) otherwise denied under SELinux, but how did SuperSu get to the point at which it was able to "legally", as far as SELinux is concerned, patch SELpolicies?
It seems that the objective is to force the init process to spawn a new shell that runs the su daemon, but there does not appear to be any patching of the init process, but from the article linked:

On firmwares that use SELinux, su is generally implemented as a proxy to a daemon started from init

and

You might wonder why - if we're already running as the init context, as the root user ..

tl;dr; How does SuperSu execute in the context of the init process?
Given as:
u:r:init:s0          - Highest init context
u:r:init_shell:s0    - Shell started from init

@AndrewT, SuperSu is the name of the patch to Android that provides root access. The SuperSu APK downloaded from the appstore just manages it from a nice front-end, as you suggest. It, itself, leverages the already-present root accesses to do this, at at least this is how I understand it.

i don't know exactly, but i can guess that it's merely owned by root:root and have setgid + setuid flags which allows anyone to execute supersu as root - at least that's how i would have implemented it ^^

@hanshenrik Read No setuid/setgid programs and Restrict Setuid from Android Apps and Capability bounding and NO_NEW_PRIVS in Security Enhancements in Android 4.3

SuperSU is no more actively developed, the new prevailing standard is Magisk which was originally based on SuperSU (ideas and perhaps some code too) but now it has moved far ahead. So better go for a new actively maintained open-source solution wherever possible. Or if you want some adventure, try this: How to manually root a phone?.
My answer to How Magisk works? covers almost all internals of SuperSU, also some extra details which aren't applicable to SuperSU. Let's keep it simple.
ROOT USER (UID 0):
Android is based on Linux kernel which, when starts at device boot, runs as root user. Kernel space is invisible to us - the userspace. init is the first process started by kernel which we can see, it also runs with root access. It starts many services/daemons (the OS), many of them also run with root privileges. Finally when all required processes are up, init drops us to a non-root (unprivileged) process - a shell on standard Linux OSes, a Launcher app or Lock Screen (which is also System UI app) on Android. Root is kernel's dear user - the Super User - identified by UserID 0. Kernel never restricts him doing any harm or good to anything on device. Non-privileged users are assigned UIDs 1 to 65534 (usually). Android divides these UIDs for different categories of apps and processes as explained here. Every process and every file has a UID, GroupID, supplementary groups and permission mode. These four parameters govern how a process accesses other processes and files. This whole phenomenon is called Discretionary Access Control.
HOW APPS GET ROOT ACCESS?
If an unprivileged process wants to access some file or perform some action which is only allowed to root user, the former has to switch to the latter. It's done by executing a file (usually su) which is either set-user-id-root or has setuid/segid file capabilities. A capability is a subset of root user's authorities. Executed file makes setuid syscall so the kernel elevates unprivileged state to privileged. This is a simplification, in actual there are multiple other factors involved. But on Android, apps are run by dropping all capabilities and privileges in such a way that they can't elevate their privileges in any way (excluding vulnerabilities). So the unprivileged app requests some other already running privileged process to perform the privileged task on former's behalf. The privileged process is named daemonsu (or magiskd) and the request is forwarded when an app executes special su binary which interacts with SuperSU app to ask the human user for granting permission.
SELINUX:
In addition to DAC, Android also makes use of SELinux - a Mandatory Access Control. Like DAC, every process and every file is labeled with a SELinux context and a policy is defined to allow a wide range of interactions between contexts/labels. Policy contains no Super Context, so every process (even running with UID 0) has some limitations. But daemonsu needs to be run with a completely unrestricted context which has to be defined before SELinux is set enforcing (by init at very early boot stage) because after that there is no way to set it permissive or modify policy. Some vendors build their kernels without SECURITY_SELINUX_DEVELOP, so SELinux is enforced by kernel - even earlier. In this case kernel needs to be rebuilt/patched. See details in this answer.
ROOTING PROCESS
When SuperSU.zip is flashed:

It patches /sepolicy file with fully permissive u:r:supersu:s0 context (supersu can be different, I can't recall what SuperSU used in last releases, Magisk now uses u:r:magisk:s0).
It injects a custom init service to /init.rc file which starts daemonsu with UID/GID 0 and SELinux context u:r:supersu:s0 after /data is mounted (or even before).

Both sepolicy and init.rc files have been part of ramdisk inside boot.img (which also contains kernel binary), but with Treble, SAR and A/B Partitions they might be on different locations. So Magisk uses different approaches for different devices but the concept is same.
Both steps may also be substituted by replacing the actual /init binary with a custom init which takes over boot process, patches sepolicy and starts service on the go before executing actual init.
Other things which are directly related to rooting process include bootloader unlocking, boot.img unpacking/repacking, disabling Verified Boot (dm-verity) and FDE/FBE, patching kernel to boot different init (or to disable vendor specific security mechanisms), systemless rooting, (un)setting Android properties, bind-mounting directories, isolating mount namespaces etc.

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


text:
ASUS_T00J zenfone 5 recovery mode shows no command
I have an Asus Zenfone 5 (ASUS_T00J). When I go to recovery mode from droidboot it only shows no command. What might be the problem?

That isn't a problem. I think another volume button press should help you out (I'm not sure, try pressing or holding all the buttons (singly or in combination) (hold it for less than 2s)).

If this is the same as on Nexus (and I'm not entirely sure that it is but Nexus devices do do this when booting into recovery) then do the following (from the DigitalTrends article here).
"Press and hold the Power key and the Volume up key for around three seconds and then let go of the Volume up key, but keep pressing Power."
After doing this, the recovery options should appear.

i'll do that but it doesnt work.. i'll press power button + up vol.. it will appear the reboot factory reset i choose all that but my zenfone 5 doesn't fix.

What are you trying to fix? If the options to Factory Reset, Reboot, etc. appear then recovery is functioning as normal.


text:
Transfer image after completely wiping Nexus device
I've completely wiped my Google Nexus device. I still have Team Win Recovery Project. But, seems that the device isn't detecting USB.
Executing adb shell returns error: no devices found.
Executing adb devices doesn't return my device.
Tried it out on bith Windows 8 and OSX (El Capitan).

My device (non-Nexus) is detected in MTP mode as well when I boot it in TWRP. Have you checked in your OS in PC, that an MTP device shows up when device is in recovery mode? What kind of image do you have? Can they not be flashed using fastboot?

@Firelord: Nope, no devices show up.

@Firelord: I tried many images. CW recovery, CynogenMod 12, others. It gets stuck on < waiting for any device >

"USB Debugging" enabled in Settings - Developer Options?

Does this happen in Android itself as well as in recovery environments?

@RMarkwald note the "completely wiped" in the first line. Afraid OP cannot check that. Wouldn't be relevant to recovery-mode anyway. But often devices show with different IDs in recovery-mode, so it might be a driver issue. Is the device visible in the device manager?

@Izzy: No. The device isn't visible in the device manager. Already installed the latest drivers (ADB and Google USB) from the latest Android SDK. Life would be so much easier if somehow it was visible!

If it not even turns up in device manager (not even as "unknown device" or something like that), it's rather a generic USB issue. Try different cables and different USB ports, even a different machine, until it at least turns up there.

@Izzy: Already tried it on two laptops. Will try on some other ones tomorrow and post an update here.

@xan take a look at one of my questions : http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/123513/adb-sideload-doesnt-work-no-drivers , it is related and will probably help you out. I'll flag this as a duplicate of that pending further info from you.

@TamoghnaChowdhury: Thanks for the link. I already resolved it. Used a different USB cable and got everything fixed!

@xan if you were able to solve your issue, consider answering your own question and accepting the answer afterwards. This will help others identify solutions in similar cases. Thanks!

I've resolved it. Used a different USB cable and got everything fixed!


text:
Global readable private keys found in storage/emulated/0/data - Possible security risk?
I found following global readable files in /storage/emulated/0/data/IMS:
cert.pem
private_key.pem
I have full access to this files with my file-manager/text-editor, so I think any other app will have full access too! It seems to be a privacy/security issue.
Information:
Cert.pem line 6: "Issuer: CN=Samsung RCS Client"
(Wikipedia: RCS="Rich Communication Services")
I moved private_key.pem to another directory, it has been replaced by a new different private_key.pem file.
Is this a possible security risk?

Congrats to your find! And now what's your question? :)

Thank you for reply. Don't we have a new security problem if any app can read or modify this files?

Not sure who "we" is. Point is, from the location, that belongs to "some app" (and not the system). Apart from that, it's something Samsung specific. And there's nothing "we" can do about it. Maybe you should report it to the dev of the related app? "IMS", whatever that is?

are you saying you have a samsung private key ? can i have a copy?

looks like it's connected to a messenger client ?

I mean all Samsumg (or possibly any other manufacturer?) Android smartphone user.

@moonbutt74: Of course not!

I think, IMS means Instant Massaging Service.

@Izzy: It could be a prolem for any android user.

But it is nothing we can solve here. Only the devs of the related app can.

A globally-readable private key is almost certainly a vulnerability. A globally-readable certificate is generally not. You appear to have both, so you've very likely found a vulnerability.
Your next step would be to either report it to the vendor (probably Samsung) or find a security researcher who can investigate further.
According to a blog post, Samsung Mobile security issues can be sent to mobile.security@samsung.com. In theory, that email should be staffed by someone clueful about security (unlike first-tier customer support), so you should get a reasonable response. When contacting them, you should let them know about this question, so they realize it's already been disclosed.


text:
Volume buttons not working in fastboot mode (LG Leon H320)

I'm trying to unlock the bootloader on my LG Leon (running on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop). I've followed SO many online tutorials, and most come down to one and the same problem:
First I create a backup of my phone using adb with
adb backup -apk -shared -all -system -f backupThree.ab

Then, after that's done in about an hour, I do
adb reboot bootloader

After that,
fastboot oem unlock

Up to there, it's all working fine and dandy, but then I get an option on my phone to choose yes or no using the volume buttons.
But whatever button I press, NOTHING happens. Nothing at all.
I understand that the process should be taking a fraction of a second, so I know I'm not just interrupting the process when disconnecting my phone from my computer and reinserting the battery, which is necessary to be able to start my phone again.
An I'm not able to find ANYTHING on this on the internet. Am I the only one?
The only thing I can find online is people that have broken volume buttons, but that's not the case here. Outside of fastboot, they work perfectly fine.

So what's going on?
If anyone could help me, it'd be very much appreciated!

Kind regards,
Kasper

I have almost the identical problem on a Rook phone from EE, which I understand is a carrier-rebranded ZTE Blade III A410. I  found this post by jbdubbs which might offer a fix, but I haven't tried it yet. Quote:

When booting to fastboot with any sort of USB plugged in, your buttons on the side may not respond. In this case, pull the cable and hold down power + Vol Down until it reboots. The buttons should now respond and you can plug USB back in if you wish.

You can take a look at the original. There are a few other similar bugs described there.


text:
flashing twrp on lg g4 no error, but no twrp
I'm trying to flash twrp to my lg g4. I've reached the part where I run
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img

And everything seems to work fine, but when I try to enter recovery mode, I get the default lg recovery (restore factory mode options) and not twrp.
Here's what it prints out when I run the flash command:
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (32060 KB)...
OKAY [  0.827s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [  0.341s]
finished. total time: 1.168s

What am I doing wrong?
I tried doing it from a different computer and tried flashing older version of twrp.

After flashing that recovery, did you boot straight into recovery mode or into Android first? Your Android may be having a setting under Developer options to revert the recovery back to stock. Even if it is not, try executing this: fastboot boot twrp.img. If that doesn't work either, try flashing recovery as you did but boot straight into recovery mode. This would mean that you've to exit from fastboot mode by long-pressing power button and then use recovery specific button combination to boot.

Thank you! Running fastboot boot twrp.img worked :)

But the results are temporary, so it is better to find the issue. Boot into Android OS, go into Developer options and tell us whether you see any entry related to recovery?

I solved the issue..
Apparently, when you enter recovery mode, the phone asks you whether you'd like to do a factory reset, and you choose yes it boots into TWRP :)
Hope it helps someone.


text:
forward sms to new number on the same phone
I have an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.4.4. I am switching phone service providers from T-Mobile to Ting wireless. is there a way that phone calls and (more importantly) text messages can be forwarded to my new number?

Posting this as a comment instead of an answer as I am not sure if it is a viable solution, but you may be able to port your old number into Google Voice, then set up call and text forwarding to your new number.

Call forwarding is carrier dependent since it may involve charges. For forwarding text messages, it is possible by simple automation. If interested in this approach, please revert


text:
Speaker sound plays for a few seconds then static sound and stops
I am using my oneplus one phone - I originally bought it on cyanogenmod 11 but instantly upgraded to cyanogenmod 12
I notices that the issues was happening (the issue is specifically that when playing any app sounds - literally any thing apart from touch sounds - then the sound plays out of the speakers for a few seconds then makes a staticy sound and clicks then goes off. After this even touch sounds turn off - eventually they come back on, after locking the screen or rebooting - but as soon as you play any other sound the bug happens again) and when I noticed it was happening I tried turning off profiles, changing interruption settings so it never happens, adjusting volume levels, clearing app cache, system restore then flashed a new ROM onto it (oxygenOS) and that worked for a little bit but now the bug is back and I have tried all the other fixes I tried before - even booting to TWRP recovery and wiping cache and dalvik.
I have rooted my phone so I could get TWRP.
Can anyone help? Any suggestions? Anyone experienced anything similar?
EDIT: it could be volume related - it seems to be alright as long as the volume is under just over half way, kind of, my alarm increases volume gradually (reaching max in 15 seconds) and I changed it so it reached max in 30 seconds and the sound lasted longer before glitching and cutting out. As well as opening a youtube video at low media volume and gradually increasing volume until it got high enough to glitch out again.
Any suggestions are welcome as I'm not absolutely sure it's anything to do with volume.
I am relatively sure it's software as it does work now and again (but then goes again!)


text:
How to get google play account to see default apps on fresh account?
I've converted my old Samsung Epic 4G to a no-carrier pocket computer. I figured out how to delete the number and user info (easy, but took some effort to find out how), and then did a factory reset. With this now freshly clean phone, I added a google account (it had none at that point). I can now download apps and manage them like normal. However, my problem is that it doesn't list any of the default apps in the account (things like the calendar or the built in Internet app)--so I'm not sure how to update any of them. How do I get google play to scan for updates to these built in apps the way it did before I reset the phone?

It looks like the problem fixed itself. Apparently the phone needed a day before it looked for updates and propagated the My Apps list on Google Play with the pre-loaded apps.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is stuck in a boot loop
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910G. I have absolutely no idea why it's stuck in a boot loop, and I can't even go to recovery mode by holding Vol Up + Home + Power.
It was constantly restarting even when it showed a blue warning that it is going to boot on recovery mode.
Then I flashed it with ODIN using a tar I downloaded. I'm a novice, so I just followed a guide on the internet. Now it says set warranty bit recovery? and still doesn't start on recovery mode or otherwise.
Holding VOL Down + Home + Power always takes me to the download mode without an issue, and also the phone vibrates twice every time it reboots.
Any help to recover the phone would be greatly appreciated. I wouldn't mind installing something like CyanogenMod if that's an option, or somehow factory reset the thing.

I know this is already 5 months old, but for future reference
1. It sounds like you already have ODIN so I won't bother linking that, but just double check you have the latest version here
2. You will need your stock firmware so you can find that here. Just make sure you download the proper firmware for your region.

If you get one file, it will have everything inside it: AP + CP + CSC.
If you get multiple files, there will be separate files for AP, CP & CSC.

3.  Once you have both of those downloaded onto your computer, boot your device in download mode. Most of the time you can do this by holding the volume down button on startup and then pressing the volume up button to enter download mode.
4. Open Odin on your computer and load the firmware you downloaded into the AP slot
5. Connect your phone while it in download mode and wait for it to show up in ODIN
6. Press the start button and wait for it to say PASS.
7. Reboot and wait, this first boot will take some time.
You can also check out this tutorial with pictures here


text:
Store /data and /cache in sd card
I've been googling the whole day for an answer and it has been frustrating to see how many people write with confidence incompetent solutions.
Many say to mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p8 or /dev/block/mmcblk0p12 in a directory in the sd card, not realizing that data is still stored in the internal memory (if this last statement is wrong then the incompetent one is myself).
What I would like to achieve is to stop Android from writing the internal storage, prolonging that way its lifespan.
There are applications out there to move some app data or some cache to sd card, for some reason no application to move the whole lot.
Any change should also persist at boot/reboot.
I've tried to modify /fstab.smdk4x12 file replacing the partition for /data with an ext4 partition in sd card. After reboot /fstab.smdk4x12 was restored to its original settings.
Any help will be appreciated, thanks :-)

Please take a look at these answers on our site. The keywords are: DirectoryBind (to e.g. mount cache into a directory of your SD card), and Link2SD (to move apps with their data etc. to SDCard).

The changes were lost because /fstab.smdk4x12 is not stored in a persistent memory. It is always loaded from kernel during  boot. It is not clear to me what you've written about data still stored in internal memory. What's incompetent here? There solution may be wrong but you've not made your point much clear either, so a third person may take you as a troll who considers anyone incompetent just because their solution didn't work for some reason. Consider purging irrelevant text about anyone and focus on the problem only

@Firelord, I don't try things before they make sense to me. I'm a linux user and when I'm told to mount partition X here or there, all I know is that I'm still using that partition. Example: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/38263/mount-a-folder-from-external-sd-as-data

Is it possible to just mount sd card partitions to /cache and /data with a few command lines? About DirectoryBind, it seems to be moving selected application's directories but not the main directory.

I've made it! In order to not create duplicates, I post here the link to my working solution: Use sd card as internal storage and stop writing to internal memory for good


text:
Disable auto-app switch on Xperia Z3 when headphones are plugged in
I know this is supposed to be a feature but it's just plain annoying at this point. Anytime I plug in my headphones, it will automatically open up whatever my primary music player is (PowerAmp right now) and start playing the first audio file it finds.
I seem to remember there was an option in the phone's settings to change this but I can't find it. Checked "Xperia Connectivity" and "Sounds and Notifications".
Suggestions?

I don't know Sony devices. But in the Android Settings of my LG device, I find it in Sound › Start Music App (untick the check-mark there). Can you confirm that for yours?

A simple macro using MacroDroid Can do the trick without root. If that's fine can post an answer

Are you certain that you've not explicitly enabled this option in PowerAmp itself?

I found the solution. It ended up not being in Smart Connect as @jkenneth suggested; though I did check that and find everything disabled.
The issue was a setting within PowerAmp itself that was turned on called "audio on headset connect". I disabled that and it fixed my problem.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

As suspected.

It's the Smart Connect app. You can simply toggle it off under the Events tab.
Smart Connect starts up any app or action that you have associated with specific accessory such as Headphones.

Is this a system app?

Yes. Smart Connect is a pre-installed application for Sony Xperia smartphones.


text:
Is there a way to control an android device with an external touchscreen?
I am trying to solve something here.
I am trying to figure out a way to control an android device with an external touchscreen display. The android device would either be a Samsung Galaxy Tab A or a Galaxy Alpha. I have seen many connectors that allow you to display the screen from a tablet onto a tv or monitor but no easy way on controlling it using the larger screen (probably due to the video output on the tablet not supporting touch signals?). I have seen a few threads on various blogs that can just about manage this but they seem to be out of date and I can't see why this isn't easier.
Ideally, the external monitor needs to be larger than 20 inches and be a capacitive touch screen rather than a resistive type. I am using this as a control surface for music production and performance and sadly, the screen size on available tablets isn't big enough.
I would really appreciate any kind of input. I hope I'm not being a complete idiot and that this is really easy to do. Please let me know either way. Thanks
*Edit: Ideally, I would like to be able to use the tablet without the external screen as normal when I want. The extra screen size would be an added, optional extra.

If both devices are Samsung they have a brand specific app called SideSync which will allow you to link the two devices via a WiFi network. It's available via the play store or direct from Samsung.
I currently have an S6 edge, a galaxy tab S and a Samsung Smart tv and can control the phone or tablet via the tv and the also the phone via the tv or tablet.
Not too sure if you can control the tv or tablet via the phone as I've had no reason to try.
I have never come across an app which works in the same way if any of the devices aren't a Samsung but I've used this app with my current setup and with the old setup of S4, Tab 2 and older Samsung Smart tv I've owned over the last 12-18 months with no issues.
I hope this answers your question.

Thanks for your suggestion. Thats very helpful. I have a few questions about this. What if the large monitor doesn't have access to the play store? and what is the latency like in controlling one device from another?

Touchscreens are basically two devices.  The image to the monitor is usually fed from the tablet via mhl or hdmi. The touch functionality is via usb to the Android tablet or phone from the monitor. You need a dock of some description which provides mhl/hdmi out and also usb into the tablet, unless your tablet has separate ports for these, in which case you would need a usb otg adaptor cable and an hdmi/mhl cable. If the tablet supports HID (human interface device) input it should work to some degree as it would see it as a mouse or touch pad. Since android 4, support for multitouch has improved so it might work. If I get it working I will let you know.
Good luck
Steve

What about the driver for the USB touchscreen?

Hi. Did you try your solution ? Did it work ?  Has anybody any new solution?


text:
how to re-enable Media Device (MTP) for USB PC Connection Samsung Galaxy s2
I cant connect my phone the normal way it used to be on PCs where i used SU command on ADB shell to access system files of my phone. I'm just guessing that the phone is storing the identity of the PC where SU is used. Can i just delete files or modify settings so i can access my files thru MTP again?

Is MTP selected in USB Connection mode on device?

yes. just to add, it connects to the pc whenever i used mass storage device. but it takes a while to finish in the "Preparing SD Card" part


text:
How can I get notifications from two Android phones to one Android Wear watch?
I have a Nexus 5 as my personal phone, a Samsung Galaxy S5 as my work phone, and an LG Urbane watch.
Currently my watch is linked to the Nexus 5 and due to Android Wear limitations it seems I can't connect a second phone to it. Surprisingly it doesn't look like I can find any workaround anywhere online to force the watch to allow multiple connections, however I'm sure there is some way I can at least get limited functionality.
So my question is does anyone know how I could get this to work? The two phones are ALWAYS together so I was hoping for something even as bare minimum as call and text notifications on the Samsung being forwarded over bluetooth to the Nexus that will then send it to the watch.
My Nexus has all the fun Android Wear stuff on it, I just need call/text/email notifications from the Samsung, I don't even need to be able to interact with them, just need to see it. Also rooting may be possible if required, for any device watch included. And I'm okay with paid apps (free is better) but monthly charges are a no-go ever.

You can't - https://support.google.com/androidwear/answer/6058799?hl=en

There are a number of applications in the Play Store which are designed to allow a tablet to send/receive SMS/MMS via a connected phone. If you connect your watch-connected phone as the "tablet", you should at least be able to get notifications for some subset of events to show on your watch.
Caveat - I have used Tablet Talk for this purpose on a non-android wear watch, but not recently, and I don't recall all the limitations.


text:
How long will I keep getting android updates for nexus 5
How long will I get an android update for my nexus  5 device? I purchased this in December 2013 and currently running Marshmallow.

A Nexus Device has a supported lifetime officially of 2 major version releases of Android over its original version. So Marshmallow will be the last official update you get. However, custom ROMs are a different story. If you go down that road, you could probable have Android O or P before you get completely outdated.

Google's update policy for Nexus devices:

Security patches
Nexus devices will also receive updates for security issues documented
  in our Public Nexus Security Bulletins for at least the following
  periods:

Three years from when the device first became available on the Google
  Store
Or, 18 months after the device stopped being sold on the Google
  Store


text:
TWRP installation problems
I have rooted my SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 2 GT-N7100 Android Version Kitkat 4.4.2.   I wanted to install nandroid backup manager for that I need TWRP  to be installed. I lost my SIM network after installing TWRP. That's probably  because of unsupported version of  TWRP
Can anyone mention  steps for installing TWRP?

TWRP for Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 has the official version of TWRP for your device. It also lists out installation steps using

App
Odin
dd method

This you tube link is also helpful http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a7z8W6b2CrQ
Flashing Stock
I would suggest you go the odin way. Fool proof way is to first flash stock and then TWRP, since you have a SIM issue. Flashing stock should fix that. Flashing TWRP in the present state may/ may not help in getting your SIM recognised, so it is advisable to flash stock first, check SIM is working and then flash TWRP (of course after backing up data)
If you don't have stock with you, you can download from SamMobile after registering. Make sure you download ROM of the region you stay in.
Odin has different versions and some of the versions have options changed. Hence, the description in guides may differ with options available on the tool. This guide has a good pictorial description corresponding to newer version of Odin
http://androidmtk.com/flash-samsung-stock-rom-using-odin
Here is one more link (also having stock ROMs) from XDA

but i had slready installed my kitkat after flashing i dont want to formaf again is thete any another way without any data loss.

It is always better to do it the right way 2. You can instal TWRP by Odin as explained but what is the guarantee that SIM Will be restored? You can always try this and if you are lucky, things will be fine and SIM restored.3.my last two devices were same as yours and was able to overcome multiple problems by first flashing stock ROM bringing system to original state first 4.TWRP also best way is through Odin

Please share your outcome for benefit of others. And if you think this solution meets your question, you can consider"accepting", so that others also see value in it. No obligation, your choice


text:
TWRP and CWM unable to mount Nexus 7 filesystem
I'm trying to root an unlocked Nexus 2013 Wifi. TWRP and CWM are unable to mount /data, /cache, or /system in recovery mode. TWRP reports internal storage of 0 MB. The system boots normally outside of recovery mode.
A soft-bricked restore with WUG didn't fix it. I've tried manually flashing TWRP and CWM with fastboot in VMWare Ubuntu, WUG in VMWare Windows 7, and in OS X, but the issue persists.

The partitions you listed are not mounted by default. On TWRP, select Mount, enable MTP, and enable the partitions

Could you please add this as an answer @TheBro21?

When I did that the partitions couldn't be checked. I found a solution to this issue on xda-developers (posted answer below).

@Sphinges That's maybe because you flashed a wrong recovery of
some other Nexus 7 variant

I was able to get the partitions mounted by using the TWRP recovery image posted here, I then followed the simple rooting instructions here.

On TWRP (not sure bout CWM), only Data is mounted by default. You have to mount it with the mount option. Be sure to enable MTP (mount point) just in case


text:
RO Valkyrie on Genymotion virtual device always says it has stopped
I use samsung galaxy s4 4.4.4 virtual device on Genymotion. Already have gapps and updated it. Clash of Clans works fine but RO Valykyrie always says it has stopped. Someone knows how to fix it. Thanks in advance.

Try reinstalling first of all. And perhaps try launching from Play Store

Can you provide a playstore link to the app in your question?


text:
Convert to system app by manually moving the APK to "system/app" folder in Lollipop
I was checking /system/app folder structure in Android L and realized that it has a new folder structure. It has introduced a new folder with APK name between app folder and the APK, e.g. /system/app/test/test.apk
If I want to install test.apk as a system app, how can I install it without installing it via "User app"? Can I just copy and paste test.apk from /sdcard to /system/app folder and give desired permission?

Very related, or duplicate of: How do I properly install a system app given its .apk?, though there's no answer explaining the difference on Android Lollipop.

I have already read that thread but can't satisfy with......

Yes, do it and reboot as well. Done. Oh, don't give desired permission but the appropriate permission, which would be same as the rest of the APKs have.

Okay i will do this and let you know, that it is working or not


text:
Moto X Pure Edition MetroPCS tethering
Need help w Moto XPure Edition tethering on Metro. The plan I have came with tethering on there Phone but my Unlocked MXPE shows other devices connected but no internet connection. The lady at Metro says that because its not a metro phone but it is unlocked. Everything else worked but the tethering. What should I do? Do I need to root? Is there anyway to extract their Mobile hotspot app from my Metro phone and install on my Moto. I can't find it on the metro phone except on one of the screens and not the apps setting. Thanks Please help.
Rawfah

http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x-style/general/moto-x-pure-mvno-carrier-ting-vs-t3218182
One irritation with Ting was that tethering only worked on 3g. Which required manually setting the phone to 3g, after enabling the hotspot. You
MetroPCS in contrast does not allow tethering unless you purchase a metro branded phone.
I was able to work around the metro pcs tethering restriction by adding a "tether_dun_required=0" entry to the sqlite provider.settings file, and now it works perfect on LTE with the stock hotspot software.


text:
Here maps - Am I able to search for business using offline map data?
as title.
I want to know if I can still search for business and not just street data while offline. For those instances when I'm out of coverage. Thanks :)

Yes i think so. When i had it it worked nice and i could search stores.

Why not simply switch to airplane mode and try?

I don't have the app yet and with my slow internet and data limits, I cannot easily try and download the app + the offline maps which around 1GB+ for me. :)


text:
Android OS using around 500MB of RAM, is that normal?
I have a Nexus 5X, and was checking my memory use, as the phone is a tad slow at certain points, and it seems that the process "Android OS" consistently uses aroudn 500MB of RAM. Is that about a normal level, or is there anything I can do to improve this?
Also, Android System is my next highest offender, sitting at aroudn 150MB.

Weird. Even on my bloated SGS6 Edge Android-System only consumes 2.1 MB and I can't find Android OS. I guess it collects all the processes the system runs. 500MB are not that much in comparison to other devices.

Yeah it seemed strangely high to me. I've just done a restart of my phone, and I'm gonna leave it idle for a little while see if that goes down.


text:
Use sd card as internal storage and stop writing to internal memory for good
Smartphones seem to die after two years of usage, as if they knew that you just have paid the last instalment.
The common reason seems to be the failure of internal memory.
I'm desperately trying to have my phone escaping from this cruel destiny.
The idea I initially had seemed simple, but the web didn't seem to share my optimism.
This is the idea:
- create ext4 partitions in sd card
- mount at boot sdcard partitions to /data and /cache (and maybe /preload and /efs if they ever get written)
I'd like to know what's wrong with this idea and why it cannot work, but the main question is:
Can I stop writing to internal memory for good?
I've seen all the apps out there (app2sd, link2sd, DirecoryBind, s2e , you name it) and all of them seem to relocate subdirectories, never the main /data .
Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thank you!

Welcome to the Android Enthusiasts! Have you tried our site's search feature, and checked behind the tags used (most of them have a wiki attached)? That question was already asked here more than once. And besides, I've got 2 Android phones I already use for 5 years and more, my current primary device I use for about 3 years. Nothing died so far (except for one SD card, which was easily replaced).

Hi @Izzy, I've found a lot about how to increase memory, nothing answering to the actual question in the title. That's exactly my point, it's easy to throw away and replace an sd card, can't say the same about a phone

I believe Android Marshmallow has this feature built-in but this isn't so relevant for everyone else still on Lollipop and older. Hopefully can help some users.

@LJD200 almost right. MM allows to merge the two. But OP wants to use the external only, and not touch the internal at all – so that won't do.

Just flashed CyanogenMod 13 (Android 6) NIGHTLY version. I was given up after 2 days of researches and unresponsive forums and I started to watch videos about replacing emmc :-) ahah ! @Izzy, a one time only write could be ok, what I want to avoid is a continuous replacement of files by apps or Android itself.

That would basically mean a DirectoryBind of /data to some place on the external card, and the same for /cache. Everything else is mostly read-only.

@Izzy can I do that with DirectoryBind? Is that simple? 2 ext4 partitions on sd card bound to /data and /cache ? In the meantime I'm monitoring how Android Marshmallow is getting on. Emulated storage is in emmc, not happy!

I've never used DirectoryBind myself, so I cannot tell how simple it is in reality. I only know it's possible from the technical point.

A while ago I found this post Mount a folder from external sd as /data and it seems to be accepted by everyone. Still I cannot get my head around it: all I can see is the DATA partition being mounted in the sd card, files still are stored in the partition!! I've noticed you @Izzy proposing this as a solution even in more recent days

Looks like you're correct with that, Claudio: it's just the mount point being over there, with the real storage still where it always has been. I'd say place a comment there to point that out. But apart from that, the answer over there is not related to DirectoryBind.

Cannot comment, not enough reputation. Any solution is good to me, as long as it works.

Eureka!
Here is how I've done it:
SD card partition and format
Unsure about which partitions I would have been able to relocate, I decided to recreate my sd card with the exact same layout of my Samsung Galaxy S III internal memory.
USERDATA is the last partition and there is a good reason for it:
my sd card size is greater then the internal memory and the best option has been to widen USERDATA till the possible furthest sector.
The following work has been done in my linux pc:
parted /dev/sdb mklabel gpt \
mkpart  BOTA0      ext2     8192s          16383s \
mkpart  BOTA1      ext2    16384s          24575s \
mkpart  EFS        ext2    24576s          65535s \
mkpart  PARAM      ext2    65536s          81919s \
mkpart  BOOT       ext2    81920s          98303s \
mkpart  RECOVERY   ext2    98304s         114687s \
mkpart  RADIO      ext2   114688s         180223s \
mkpart  CACHE      ext2   180224s        2277375s \
mkpart  SYSTEM     ext2  2277376s        5423103s \
mkpart  HIDDEN     ext2  5423104s        6569983s \
mkpart  OTA        ext2  6569984s        6586367s \
mkpart  USERDATA   ext2  6586368s       60749824s

Good, partitions created.
Now, still mimicking my Android device, I format partitions accordingly:
# /efs
mkfs.ext4  /dev/sdb3   -E root_owner=1001:1000
# /system
mkfs.ext4  /dev/sdb9   -E root_owner=0:0         -L system
# /cache
mkfs.ext4  /dev/sdb8   -E root_owner=1000:2001
# /preload
mkfs.ext4  /dev/sdb10  -E root_owner=0:0
# /data
mkfs.ext4  /dev/sdb12  -E root_owner=1000:1000

The sd card is ready, now I can "backup" files from emmc to the appropriate sd card partition, taking care to preserve file attributes.
Edit fstab
In the not too old versions of Android, fstab file seems to be always located at /.
Files in / are stored in the BOOT partition (boot.img);
it's time to learn to edit the boot.img.
Here are two very helpful tutorials that will get you going:
HOWTO: Unpack, Edit, and Repack Boot Images
Android boot.img manipulation
a little hint:
Do edit the ramdisk in your Android device.
I spent three days in frustration trying to do so in my pc, I guess is a matter of "endianness".
When editing the ramdisk, do sort name-list(standard input) for cpio.
I spent three years in frustrating randomly recurring failures.

My fstab before:
/dev/block/mmcblk0p3        /efs            ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk0p9        /system         ext4        ro,noatime      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk0p8        /cache          ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk0p10       /preload        ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit       wait
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12       /data           ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,noauto_da_alloc,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait,check,encryptable=footer

My fstab after:
/dev/block/mmcblk0p3        /efs            ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk1p9        /system         ext4        ro,noatime      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk1p8        /cache          ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait
/dev/block/mmcblk1p10       /preload        ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,journal_async_commit       wait
/dev/block/mmcblk1p12       /data           ext4        noatime,nosuid,nodev,noauto_da_alloc,journal_async_commit,errors=panic      wait,check,encryptable=footer

All I have changed is the block number (from 0 to 1).
I couldn't dare yet to relocate EFS, someone said that somehow you may brick the device playing around with that, still studying the subject; I do know that Android keeps writing EFS (I'm monitoring it).
Conclusions and further queries
This is how I relocated the most of my internal storage data to my external sd card.
Things are slightly sluggish, as expected, but Android seems to be in perfect working order;
I can always invest in a faster sd card in the future.
I did all of this with my Samsung Galaxy S III stock ROM, you will obviously have to adapt to your circumstances.
When I finally installed CyanogenMod 13 (we don't want stock firmware, do we!?) things were a bit different.
With a wiped /data, CM is spending some time at boot populating /data and at a certain point it just give up, reboot and goes to recovery mode.
After several attempts I gave up and relocated /system in internal memory, now everything is fine.
I do know that /system is mounted as read only, but I noticed that emmc lifespan is defined as amount of read/write cycles, maybe suggesting that, unlike hard drives, reading is as detrimental as writing.
If that's the case I'd be most grateful if someone could tell me why in CM I cannot successfully relocate /system.

What's the performance hit?

Hi @Jonathan,
it's been a while now.
As I said, things were pretty sluggish, it was getting into my nerves sometimes and I ended up reinstalling a fresh OS the traditional way.
I was using a £5 Kingston 32GB Micro SD U1 HC I Class 10, maybe investing in a higher specs card would do.
Let us know how it goes for you.
By the way, my phone is about to turn 7 years old and, fingers crossed, it is still in good health

@Claudio you have raised a very good concern. Having some embedded knowledge, I can give some idea about this:
When you switch ON a device, it is programmed to boot from specific memory location. This memory location is hardwired to internal memory.
Usually in demo embedded devices, we have a small switch which we can use to switch between different BOOT devices - it may be internal, external, even serial port.
But in production or commercial devices, this switch will be removed.
So, it is next to impossible to boot directly from external memory.
I wish some companies can provide a option(like switch) to boot from external memory even if internal memory goes wrong.

It'll never happen... Making loading and booting arbitrary code (2 separate things, both hard to achieve) so much easier is just wiping clean their past efforts of locking it down.

Thank you @kumar for this useful piece of knowledge. Maybe it wasn't obvious in my description, but I never aimed to locate boot.img in a location other than the emmc

I have been successfully able to boot from SD card on QMobile Z8 by:

Replicating eMMC partition table by partitioning SD card on a Ubuntu machine using parted and fdisk
Flashing factory firmware images to these newly created partitions using dd
Modifying fstab.qcom & init.tegra.rc files in kernel (boot.img) and recovery.fstab and uneventd.rc files in TWRP recovery to initiate mounting and booting from SDCard instead of internal memory

It was successful after some experiments. I think this method should be applicable to any device with similar configuration. However, files to be edited may vary from device to device.
If you want to put only apps' external data to SD card and not the whole partition, you can edit fstab in boot.img and storage list in framework-res.apk on Android 5 and older.
For more details: [HOW TO] BOOT FROM SD CARD [SUCCESSFULLY] on QMobile Z8 with BRICKED/DEAD eMMC

Does it necessary to edit recovery.fstab ?

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


text:
How to restore SMS from adb backup file without root
Similar question to this one:

I have an ANDROID BACKUP file containing SMS history, produced from phone A using adb. That phone is gone, and this file is the only record I have of that history.
I have another phone B, to which I would like to restore that SMS data, without rooting the phone.

I know that an adb restore of SMS data is not possible without root, and I'd be perfectly happy to have an app-based solution. Unfortunately, all of the SMS backup/restore apps I've found so far use their own file format. Is there one that will restore from adb-created ANDROID BACKUP / .ab files?

I know that an adb restore is not possible without root – who told you that? It was introduced exactly for that, being able to backup/restore without rooting. Apart from that: AFAIR Titanium Backup can restore from Nandroid and ADB backups (but it requires root). If root is an option, give it a try, and please let us know the outcome. Good luck!

SMS messages can be backed up via adb, but restores are a no-op: the text message app explicitly doesn't participate in restore operations. Believe me, I tried: the restore "completes", but the SMS history is not affected on the device. See the top answer in the question I linked to above for some further explanation.

OK, in that case the phrasing is misleading (should rather be "adb restore of SMS messages is not possible even with root", and contain your explanation). Could you please [edit] that? As for the issue: I'm afraid there won't be a non-root solution to this then. All you could do is extracting the messages from the backup – but IIRC, they are not even backed up with ADB. Oh yes, see the linked question for that, it was mine :) So what's not in the backup obviously cannot be restored from it, right?

Which Android version are you using? I've explained on the linked question why it is impossible to restore. Should I explain the reason in bit different terms? I would need the Android version here, both of the old phone and the new one?

No, I'm clear as to why adb restore won't work. However, it would be totally reasonable for an app like SMS Backup + Restore (or any other that is designated as the primary messaging app) to use the appropriate API to import SMS history from a provided .ab backup file…it's totally analogous of how it restores SMS history from its own XML format. Unfortunately, no such app seems to be able to consume .ab files.

My last resort will be to generate an SMS Backup + Restore-style XML file from the sqlite database within the .ab backup file I have. A pain I was hoping to avoid, but it'll work.

Please do post an answer should you end up with success.


text:
Cant copy files via USB onto Moto G after cyanogenmod installation
I have just flashed my Moto G 2013 and it is working fine, but when I connect it to my PC it opens up as an empty folder. The name of the phone is there and when I click on it...it is all empty. None of the folders show up and this is slightly weird. I tried to copy an mp3 anyway and it says "cant write to this location".
Any ideas what is causing this behaviour?

Have you unlocked the device (entered PIN/fingerprint etc.)? On all my Samsung phones it is like this to prevent unauthorized access to private files.

@GiantTree I used the pin of my sim card, but never had to do anything like that with my Moto G. Unlocking the device. Is it something new in marshmallow?

I don't know about that. Maybe someone who read the changelogs of AOSP knows more about that.

@GiantTree No worries. Appreciate the help though.
So....in a nutshell: I did use my PIN to unlock the device. So, that cant be an issue. Plus the device has internal memory....so it should be a default setting that a PC recognizes that.

@GiantTree Found the solution. One must choose "file transfer" from the notification bar. :) Otherwise it will only charge the battery and wont do anything else.

There you go: Android 6: connect as camera per default

Possible duplicate of Browse file system from PC in marshmallow


text:
Transfering MMS messes up group chats
I've tried three different tools, "My Backup Pro", "Easy Backup & Restore", and the backup/restore feature of "GO SMS Pro" to transfer my texts from one Android phone to a new one.
Regardless of what I use, after I've restored the backup to the new phone, all the restored messages within a group chat have been split up:
When I go to a group thread, it only shows the messages I sent. And the group chat texts other people sent get erroneously placed in the individual chat threads instead of the group chat.
Not sure if it matters, but the old phone is Android 4.1.2, and the new one is 5.1.1. Both are Samsung.
How can I transfer group chats without them getting messed up?
UPDATE: I tried using "Titanium Backup" but the results were...weird. When I use that, then "GO SMS Pro" finally reads the data correctly, BUT it can no longer send/receive texts at all and Android's built-in messaging app will immediately crash every time I try to run it. This is getting REALLY frustrating, nothing is working for what should be a trivial, basic function.
UPDATE 2: Found Samsung's "Smart Switch" app which worked corectly.


text:
Lollipop Brightness too much
hey.
I am on running on a mediatek device and today did an upgrade to Lollipop 5.1 through flashing
Still exploring.
But one of the things I've noticed is that the brightness level is too much. Even in manual setting, I've set the bar to the lowest level, but still. Adaptive brightness seemingly works but only for a short while. Since, if I move to a Bright room/sphere,it brightens the screen.
Any work around?
Regards.

Is the device rooted? If not, use a screen filter. Also, have you tried turning off adaptive brightness in a bright room, setting the brightness to minimum and see whether it still feels too much?

Possible duplicate of Screen brightness too high on auto mode when in the dark room

Try lux on playstore, let me know
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vito.lux&hl=it


text:
How to re-unlock bootloader for OnePlus One
I have OnePlus One with CyanogenMod 12 from factory and I decided to update to CM 13 (nightly build).
To achieve this I did the following from OSX:

Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock)
Boot TWRP (fastboot boot twrp-2.8.6.0-bacon.img)
From TWRP I installed CM 13 (cm-13.0-20160105-NIGHTLY-bacon.zip) and GAPPS (open_gapps-arm-6.0-pico-20160105.zip)
I also installed the latest Cyanogen Recovery (cm-13.0-20160105-NIGHTLY-bacon-recovery.img)
For some reason, I felt like leaving things as they were, and I relocked the bootloader (fastboot oem lock)

Now, I cannot unlock the bootloader anymore in order to do things like install/boot a custom recovery tool (like TWRP)
Running 'fastboot oem unlock' just reboots the device in recovery mode, but the bootloader remains locked:
$fastboot oem device-info
...
(bootloader)    Device tampered: true
(bootloader)    Device unlocked: false
(bootloader)    Charger screen enabled: false
(bootloader)    Display panel:
(bootloader)    console_enabled: 0
(bootloader)    exec_console_unconsole: 0

A solution would be appreciated, but I am also curious why it behaves like this after a manual lock.
As suggested by @Firelord, there seems to be a solution for Windows users here: https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/important-bootloader-wont-unlock-after-relock.324398/

Have you tried the solution mentioned on this thread: Bootloader wont unlock after relock?

@Firelord, I see that tool is for Windows, I am using OSX.

In my search, I came across an interesting thread that was related, but in order to install their script, you need to have a custom recovery tool installed or to be able to boot into it (e.g. fastboot boot recovery.img).
I had the stock Cyanogen Recovery tool and I couldn't boot into TWRP because of my actual problem (cannot unlock bootloader anymore), so I dug inside their script and used the content meant to reset the lock and tamper bits of the bootloader.
Now I could run the commands manually if I had root access and luckily, in CM 13 ROM, you can enable it from 'Developer options' menu.
Here are the commands I used after enabling root access for ADB:

adb root     # restart the adbd daemon with root permissions
adb shell    # run remote shell interactively
dd bs=1 count=1 skip=1048080 if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot 2>/dev/null | xxd | cut -c 10-     # print the lock bit state (00 - locked, 01 - unlocked)
echo -ne "\x01" | dd bs=1 count=1 seek=1048080 of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot                  # set the lock bit to unlocked(01)
dd bs=1 count=1 skip=1048084 if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot 2>/dev/null | xxd | cut -c 10-     # print the tamper bit state (00 - untampered, 01 - tampered)
echo -ne "\x00" | dd bs=1 count=1 seek=1048084 of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot                  # set the tamper bit to untampered(00)

Result:
$fastboot oem device-info
...
(bootloader)    Device tampered: false
(bootloader)    Device unlocked: true
(bootloader)    Charger screen enabled: false
(bootloader)    Display panel:
(bootloader)    console_enabled: 0
(bootloader)    exec_console_unconsole: 0

I guess the tamper bit is changed the first time you unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock) and after you lock it back (fastboot oem lock) it won't allow you to re-unlock.

If xxd and cut do not exist in locations available in $PATH (as it was in my case), prefix busybox in those commands.
# print the lock bit state (00 - locked, 01 - unlocked)
dd bs=1 count=1 skip=1048080 if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot 2>/dev/null | busybox xxd | busybox cut -c 10-
# set the lock bit to unlocked(01)
echo -ne "\x01" | dd bs=1 count=1 seek=1048080 of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot
# print the tamper bit state (00 - untampered, 01 - tampered)
dd bs=1 count=1 skip=1048084 if=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot 2>/dev/null | busybox xxd | busybox cut -c 10-
 set the tamper bit to untampered(00)
echo -ne "\x00" | dd bs=1 count=1 seek=1048084 of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot

Giving that this is just a small addition on top of the accepted answer, it should be a comment or a suggested edit, not a standalone answer.

Sorry, I just want to share my 5 cents with others, your solution actually solve my problem.

Don't be sorry for sharing. I just pointed out the proper way to share in this case. Use the "Add Comment" button under my answer and add your remark that "busybox must be prepended if xdd and cut are not in path" and give a small example like: "busybox xdd" without duplicating all the commands. Another option is to suggest an edit.


text:
My Mobile data switch is missing from my main Settings screen. How do I get it back?
I used to have 4 toggle switches right on my main Settings screen: Airplane mode, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Mobile data. Now the Mobile data switch is gone, and I don't know where it went. It's been several months since I upgraded my Verizon LG Transpyre from Kit Kat to Lollipop, and I just noticed the difference yesterday. What happened to the menu item, and how do I go about getting it back?

Do you not have the switch in quick settings? Also, do you see that switch under Data usage? It is possible that they changed the appearance and entries in the Settings app, nothing big to think or worry about.

Yes, but I like it better where it was, on the main Settings screen with the other switches.