text:
How to circumnavigate an administrative filter
My android device (Samsung s20fe) has had an administrative filter called "MbSmart" installed via a USB cable to the device which restricts certain settings, like uninstalling the software and resetting the phone, and block certain apps at their discretion as well as being able to view my network activity. Is there a way to get around this without a factory reset?

If its hardware, a factory reset isnt going to work either,

The factory reset button in the device settings is restricted. I would have to do it manually. Thus leading me to believe that a factory reset would clean the device.

You don't get answers because it is too generic. What administrative filter software are you talking about? What does it restrict? Why can't you uninstall it yourself? What have you tried to uninstall or deactivate it?


text:
Persistent "Unblock device microphone" prompt although Phone app is allowed to use microphone
I just got a new smartphone, and although I configured the Phone app to allow the use of the microphone, I am getting an odd "Unblock device microphone" prompt. I bought the phone and it should NOT be associated or managed by a third party nor controlled remotely in any way. Also, I have not set the developer mode.
I don't recall having seen this type of prompt before, is it a bonafide Android OS prompt?
Below I post the screenshots of the Phone app permissions and the prompt with the message "Unlock device microphone This unlocks access for all apps and services allowed to use your microphone" with the Cancel and Unlock possible actions.

Seems to be an original Android feature. XDA blog describes it in a beta version of Android 12: https://www.xda-developers.com/android-12-beta-2-features/#shortcuts-to-block-camera-and-microphone-access

@Robert looks like that's the answer. I compared it with the Sensors Off from Developer options but that one displays a system notification icon, while this one doesn't (which can be confusing for users)

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How to turn off system-level push notification from phone vendor's message Flyme?
My system is Flyme OS on the Meizu brand. Even though I have uninstalled the application, I still receive notifications from that software, and after some searching for information, I understand that it stems from a message pushed from the system itself. But 100% of the content of that push feature is useless advertisements.

How can I turn it off?

Android shouldn't display push notifications that do not belong to an app (and thus do not belong to a push message channel you can configure). Websites can also send push messages (if you allow it). May be the push is unrelated to the app?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. Just to make sure, could you identify the source of the notification or access their notification settings?

Provider
I think that they are coming from your Provider / Telco.  Some of them can push ads.  The last time I had this was when I was visiting India and had a local SIM.  If they do push ads, you can see a button to disable them in the Networks section.
I can't be more specific as I dont see that button right now because my Provider does not push ads.
Manufascturer
The phone manufacturer can also push ads, such as Samsung.  In which case you can turn off the notifications.

Go to Settings -> Notification -> App Notifications
Search for "push"
You can probably disable all of them

Services
You can also get ads / notifications from Store, Wallet, Themes etc.  You can search for them in `App Notifications' as above and disable them.
Customisation Service

Goto Settings
Press on your name
Press on Security and Privacy
Press Customisation Service
Slide the Customise this phone to off.

Note not all of these settings will be on all phones or providers.

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


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How to let Gmail access storage?
When I try to "Share" using Gmail the file never gets attached and I always get the same error: "Gmail needs storage permission to complete action".

However it then directs me to Gmail settings and under Permissions there is no such option. There is no way to allow Storage Permissions here or under Settings > App Permissions

How on earth do I give Gmail the permission it is saying it needs?

What Android version is running on your phone? Do you use the recent Gmail version from Google Play?

Based on the permission list, looks like this is on Android 13 or above? However, I just tried sharing an image, audio, and video from the WhatsApp folder in the internal storage to Gmail on my Galaxy M12 (Android 13), and I successfully attached them without any external storage-related permissions allowed. In case it's relevant, could you also mention the file type and the location (e.g. internal storage or SD card)?

Very strange issue, can you confirm if apps in Play Store as well as the OS version is up to date? What phone model is this?

@Robert - this is the latest version of Gmail on Android 13.

@AndrewT. This is on Android 13. It's internal storage on a brand new from Samsung website Galaxy S23+. It only has internal storage.

@SSS everything updated to latest versions. New Android 13 Samsung Galaxy S23+ model SM-S916B/DS.

@AndrewT. In case it's relevant the file is being shared from App storage. It might be due to newer Android locking down app storage in /Android? However, sharing from the aoo by other methods works fine.


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Howto get ONLY uninstalled packages list with associated apk (if any)?
(rooted galaxy j5 7.1.1)
As pm list packages -u shows ALL packages including uninstalled (at least on my system), what should be the right command to show ONLY uninstalled apps?
Or is this an unexpected behavior that would mean I've something wrong?
Options like -u -f -s are giving inclusive (OR type of) results. Is there a way to get exclusive AND type of result? Like, "uninstalled, system apps with their associated apk, if any). Looks easy, but it just doesn't work for me. Or should it?

Related: the comment thread on the answer of 'How to list system packages uninstalled (for a user) via ADB?'

Not so easy. Related... but doesn't give answer to my question.

To compare outputs of "cmd package list packages" and "cmd package list packages -u" by "diff" makes a line by line comparison and won't just sort uninstalled apps, only if the files to compare are first edited by hand... which would obviously solve the problem the hard way, what wasn't the goal.

I haven't researched further about this, but perhaps there's no easy way without additional text processing.

If you want a solution like this, I have a shell script.


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I can't find what file systems for a USB stick my Android TV supports, wondering how to discover that
I just bought a new Smart TV, FOX 32AOS430E, to be precise and had some issues with it the other night with my USB drive. I needed to put a large movie on the USB drive, over 4 GB, so I formatted it to ext4 and then when I tried to open it in file manager, it says can't connect to USB.
So, I reformatted to ExFAT because I read that Android TV supports that format, alas my TV doesn't, or at least my file manager doesn't, and then I try another flash disk in the end that was Fat32 and that one worked.
I can't put my huge movie on FAT32 and can't find anywhere what formats the TV supports, I guess it's not as common as Sony or others, not even a manual online other than what I got in the box.
Edit: I tried ext4, the TV couldn't connect to that one, I have Linux, that's not an issue, but I refuse to believe that Fat32 is the only supported system?

Official exFat support was introduced about one year ago with Android 13. Before exFat support depended on manufacturer modifications. So on some devices it worked on others not or only partial (e.g read-only).

You could try using ext3 or ext4 file systems, they are the Linux native filesystems Android devices use most of the time... However Windows doesn't support them, you will need a Linux computer (which is a bit out of scope for this group). File size would not be be an issue.

Perhaps for additional context, looks like the TV is running on Android 11.

Not sure what solution your are looking for.  It is what it is.  You can try and compress (reduce resolution) on the movie


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Free cloning app proposal for Android 9
My phone is Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact - G8441 ruining on Android 9 with NO ROOT...
I would like to run multiple (up to 4 different accounts) - ideally each with it's separate PlayStore Account and with WhatsApp / Viber / Telegram apps... I also really need some app that has an option to install an app directly from ".apk file" and just install it in one of the "containers" (without installing it on the "main" phone account)
I've tried Parallel Space and it's "Incognito Installation feature", but some apps just won't load when installed incognito and it kept crashing etc...
All others "App Cloning" apps appear to be one same app with different colors/logos...
I am not an Android expert, so if you can give me some pointers - I would really appreciate any advice !

The apps you mentioned are linked to a phone number. So any attempt to clone them is going to be unsatisfactory.  Dual sims is one way to have two accounts.
You can have multiple play store accounts, but can only be logged into one. And most, not all, apps generally use the current account.


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Is there any way to ensure that any images downloaded from social media apps automatically get saved to the Locked Folder in Google Photos?
I was curious if there was any way to ensure that all images downloaded from social media apps like Instagram or Twitter or Reddit are automatically saved in the 'Locked Folder' in Google Photos, instead of the default "Instagram" or "Twitter" or "Reddit" folder (which is specifically for media downloaded from the respective site).
Can I make some change such that downloaded photos from Instagram and the such only save in the Locked Folder (and not the default social media app folder)?


text:
Is there a way to restart an app at boot up
I have an app that says something like

This version of Android does not support starting this service.  Please start it manually

It monitors location
I am using Note 20 with Android 13

Is there a way to start the app automatically at Phone restart?


text:
Switch to the best wifi: Android 13
Pixel 6a Stock Android 13
I have two Wi-Fi networks at home with the same provider - 2.5Ghz and 5Ghz (SSID'S are different though).
I am usually connected to the 5Ghz network but at times the signal quality degrades to the extent that 2.5Ghz offers a better performance. Unless I physically notice this and switch networks downloads and uploads are badly affected.
I have seen these questions and the comments under them:

Automatically switching WiFi

Automatically switch to a saved wireless access point with the strongest signal

I don't think my question is a duplicate because:

My device is rooted and I am open to rooted means.

None of them pertain to the current Android version.

Things tried

I do not want to use an app since they require location permission which is an unnecessary battery drain.

I haven't found any setting including in developer options that can do this.

I found a Magisk module trawling the net but I don't trust it since it lacks any details or any updates

So, is there a way I can achieve switching to the best Wi-Fi on Android 13?
Edit: I am not looking for solutions that require changing router or installing any hardware

Typically this is handled by the wireless network and band steering based on signal level threshold settings... setting the 5Ghz threshold to steer to 2.4Ghz at around -65 to -75 dBm levels is usually sufficient. This does require the 2.4 and 5 Ghz bands use the same SSID. If they are unique, you would need to adjust the disconnect thresholds on your mobile device, which I am unsure how to do or if it's even possible.

@acejavelin good point. SSID's are different (edited in question) // I can't do anything at the router end since it runs provider setup configuration and I can't even access it//Tasker I understand can determine and adjust (from my scant understanding of what I saw on some forum and I am not conversant with Tasker to try)

@acejavelin on wife's One Plus 7,it is possible since it offers you to switch to a better network from among the saved networks. That made me think it is possible

It seems to be a design feature of the Android phones to stick to a network until it's just impossible to continue.
I used an app for a while but got sick of it and I have since installed Ubiquity Wireless Access Points and a Router in my house.  This does what is called an active handover, where it instructs the phone to switch to a different WAP.  It's the same method used in malls and airports.
It's either this or use an app.  I can't recommend any as I haven't used one for a few years.

+1 but don't agree with It's either this or use an app. On a rooted phone lot of things are possible. Few years ago there was an Xposed module that could this

Also, I am looking for a phone based solution only (should have mentioned this in the question earlier)


text:
Minimum Android version on kid's device required for parents to set per-app application time?
With parents running Android 13, what is the minimum Android version needed to be installed on a kid's device for parents to set per-app application time for their kids?
I need to purchase a second-hand phone for my kid and would like to make the right choice.
Note: I am not interested in using third-party parental control apps - just stock Android with Google Family Link.
EDIT: I am specifically interested in per-app time limits, not general device-level time limits provided by all Android versions since 7.x (as well as some 5.x/6.x devices).

To the anonymous editor/OP: please join the site (create an account) to regain ownership of your question. Then you can edit your own question without needing approval, and also comment on the answer. Thanks.

Answer below was before the question was edited. Retained to help someone searching for device level compatibility.

Google Family Link FAQ has your answer.

Can children or teens be supervised by Family Link on Android devices?

For best results, we recommend that children or teens being supervised with Family Link are using Android devices running version 7.0 (Nougat) or higher. Devices running Android versions 5.0 and 6.0 (Lollipop and Marshmallow) may also be able to have Family Link settings applied to them. To find out more, see our Help Center

(Emphasis supplied)


text:
Audio playback from two bluetooth devices stopped working
I have a Galaxy S10e running Android 12, and two bluetooth speakers. I connected to both of them and enabled "audio" playback in the settings. A notification popped up stating that my device is able to stream music to the two speakers at once and if I want to enable this. I did, and it worked fine: I was able to control the volume of both of the speakers separately. Note that I do not see this setting directly in the Advanced tab of the Bluetooth Settings.
That happened the first time I tried connecting the two speakers. Ever since then, when I connect the speakers, the notification does not pop up and only one of them is playing music. Switching the "audio" playback on and off in the bluetooth setting simply switches which one actually plays music.
Does anyone know how I can access the settings for dual playback again? I tried unpairing the devices to maybe trigger whatever happened the first time to no avail, and don't really have any ideas why the dual playback feature stopped being an option.
Thanks for any help!
-Tusike

After searching all around the phone I found that the settings menu you get to by pulling down the touchscreen from the top actually has a "Media output" panel that can be immediately seen, and the dual audio controls can be found there.

You need to tell readers how to get to it or post a screendhot or both.


text:
Bypassing google play store region lock
I am from Slovakia and am going to be in Germany for the next couple of months which is why I purchased a german SIM card and I now want to download their region locked app. I find the google play rules understandable, but also draconian and cannot really afford the penalty of changing the account's region through official means in the play store (you can only change the region once a year, you can lose your current region apps &c). I know creating a new account is a solution, what else? Trying out some payment method glitches is out of question (it's a cat&mouse game).
TLTR:
With the presumption of full control over the system (capable of rooting) what can be done to install any google play region blocked app?
Are there any reputable google play "mirrors"? Also, couldn't google start ditching these rules implemented for the big telephone operator or for the propietary content sharing company in the case of DRM, when the userbase of their services is now almost assured.

Are you sure you need that? To my knowledge the number of region locked apps isn't very high. So I would first try it without changing the region. And app prices should be higher in Germany compared to your home region.

I need to check the balance of the card, so yes.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. There's no way other than changing the Play Store country and using their payment once, even on rooted devices. As for Google's decision, unfortunately that's out of topic because we are not affiliated with them and don't know their internal policy.

The solution is to create another google email/account and set it's county to Germany.
Note that some of the region locked may not work when you are back home. Some require a VPN as well as the account of the right country.
I have a few accounts myself, for this purpose.


text:
Possible to view Google Play Store notifications after they disappear?
Due to excessive marketing ads and notifications, Google and other app developers have trained me to ignore ads and Android notifications.  I almost feel bad for companies that waste large amounts on money on their advertising budgets.
Recently (end of 2023 July, or beginning of 2023 August), however, Google suckered me into briefly noticing a promotion by disguising it as a possibly important notification within their Google Play Store.  Once I saw it was just a Google newsletter promoting a bunch of Android apps, I quickly dismissed it without looking at it further.
I wanted to go back and document which apps Google was promoting and how they were pushing them, but life got busy and I didn't have time to document it right away.  When I went back to the Google Play Store a couple weeks later, I could no longer see Google's notification or how to find this Google promotional newsletter.
Is there a way to reveal previous notifications that have appeared in the Google Play Store's Notifications tab?
(If not, does anyone happen to know the name of the Google promotional newsletter to which I refer and if it available within the Google Play Store or outside of it?)

@beeshyams perhaps worth noting that this doesn't appear as an Android notification, only as an internal "notification" inside the app.

That said, I don't think the promotional newsletters for the Play Store are shown elsewhere because they are personalized. My notifications are currently: New apps on Play (editors' monthly picks), Epic Seven now on PC, and Explore the regions of Genshin Impact. (I don't play any of them)

@AndrewT. I literally have just a few seconds to write at the moment... do you happen know where Google publishes "Editor's monthly picks"?  If not, I'll try to research it when I have a little time.  Thanks.

@RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket based from the shared URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/editorial?id=mc_apps_new_on_play_fcp

Now that I have explored it a bit more, looks like some of them are also shown as a banner on the web version of the Play Store. But still, not all of them are shown, and since there's no centralized page, it's hard to check.

@AndrewT. That link you provided is very helpful. Thank you. Besides places like the Wayback Machine (archive.org), do you have any idea how to see previous versions of their "New apps we love"?


text:
Any method to enabled n28b band on MIUI phone?
Actually, I'm not sure if n28a and n28b are in the n28 band, or if they're different in the first place (even though the frequencies are both 700). Because the cell phone info sites I know of usually don't directly state whether they support n28a or n28b, but rather use n28 as a catch-all...
I'm in Malaysia, and my current phone is a Redmi Note 11T Pro China Version, and according to this Malaysia 5G supported bands, my current phone's U Mobile only doesn't support n26 and n28b, and according to this U Mobile 5G Compatible Devices. I then used this Malaysia 5G Supported Bands website to check for supported phones and also found many phones that support n28b but not n26. I strongly suspect that I can't receive 5G signal because it don't support n28b band!

The phones are locked for bands because they are not allowed to use other bands in that country. So they can be locked by the manufacturer or Telco/Provider.
Even if you can unlock it, it may not have the right antenna.

The antenna should be indeed the problem, optimizing it for multiple frequencies is to my knowledge pretty complicated so manufacturers limit the number of frequencies a phone can be used with. So even if it would be possible to unlock those frequencies the connection speed using those frequencies would be awful (or even not working at all).


text:
Collecting raw GNSS data on various Android devices
I'm looking at post processing raw GNSS data from various devices to improve the accuracy of the collected points.
We have field staff out collecting points with Zebra TC56 running Android 8.1, Zebra TC57 running Android 10 and a Samsung X Cover Pro running Android 13. Their points have an accuracy of roughly 2-3m which isn't good enough for what we want. So I want to take the raw GNSS data and use RINEX data from the CORSnet to increase the accuracy.
Do these devices capture raw GNSS data and store it whenever you use the in-built GNSS receiver, or do you need to tell it to capture the raw data? Do you need to run a third party app to capture the raw GNSS data?
Google has the GNSSLogger app but I'm not sure if that runs whilst using another app or do you need the app open.
How do I isolate the raw GNSS receiver data to the points in need? It looks like the GNSSLogger app just perpetually runs until you tell it to stop.
I understand this is multiple questions in one but I look at it as sub questions for one big question. I can ask them separately if needed.

Raw GNSS Measurements may help

Related: Access to raw GPS / GNSS measurements on WearOS 3.0+ (not answered yet)


text:
Sending a WhatsApp message with Google Assisten while phone is locked
Currently, when my phone is locked, I can use the Google Assistant to send a regular text message. This does work.
When trying to use a WhatsApp message, though, the Assistant tells me that I need to unlock the phone. Well, when I am on the motorcycle, this is a problem.
Do I have a bad configuration or is this not possible?
How can I send a WhatsApp message using Google Assistant while my phone is locked


text:
Audio from one android phone to another
I have an old oneplus 6t I am using to play music as it is rooted and using Viper4Android to get better equalisation
At the same time, my main phone is a galaxy fold 4 and I would like to have my earbuds connected to this phone (so if I get a call I can take on earbuds etc) but receive music from my Oneplus
Anyone have any ideas or done something like this before?

Set up Multipoint headphones on your devices is probably what you are looking for. More info

As per this your headphones support multipoint. I haven't used this feature so can't confirm

Bluetooth is not designed to be a network.  It is really for one device. It is hard enough to get more than one device working on one phone.  They take turns to connect.
Although you can pair a device to more than one phone, you can only receive from one source.

Hi Rohit, thanks for your comment. Maybe I'm thinking about it the wrong way. Is there a way of doing this wirelessly, this device will always have network connectivity as it joins my hotspot and I have unlimited data. If not, can a Bluetooth device like earbuds connect to 1 phone for audio and 1 phone for just calls, and switch when needed?  My earbuds are Sony WF-c500


text:
Kaspersky Who Calls app keeps the phone screen on
There's an app called Anti-spam: Kaspersky Who Calls.
The problem with this app is that when someone calls you the app shows the caller information in a popup and if you don't dismiss the said popup, the phone screen will never turn off. Imagine you got a call and you couldn't answer it, you forget about it and later you realize the whole time the screen has been on and your battery is almost dead.
I know there's a thing called "Wake Lock" but it's all alien to me and I've no idea what to look for. I've used decompiler.com and got this but while grepping through the sources I wasn't able to find FLAG_KEEP_SCREEN_ON, so it could have been done differently or this service doesn't decode this flag correctly.
I've found this:
    public static final long WAKE_LOCK_MAX_ACQUIRE_TIMEOUT_MS = 600000;

    @SuppressLint({"Wakelock"})
    public void run() {
        PowerManager.WakeLock wakeLock;
        if (h(this.f12161a)) {
            this.f12162a.acquire(Constants.WAKE_LOCK_ACQUIRE_TIMEOUT_MILLIS);
        }

It probably results in the screen being on for 10 minutes, not indefinitely but it's also excessive.
I wonder if it could be the culprit.

Related/possibly dupe: YouTube app holds a long wakelock. What app settings can I change to keep it from doing this?. While non-development solutions are on-topic here, please note that code-related like reverse-engineering is off-topic here but should be on-topic on [reverseengineering.se].


text:
Pixel 7 lock screen timer
I would like to have the lock screen on a Google Pixel 7 to display for a specific time before powering off the screen.
This should not be confused with the screen timeout (normal screen > lock screen).  This question is about the specific timer that powers-off the screen once the lock screen is showing (lock screen > no power consumption by the screen).
There is a setting "Always show time and info", which is the opposite of what I want to do (battery waster, not battery saver), so that's "off", of course.
What I would expect is two timers.  One for (normal screen > lock screen), which I was able to find, and one for (lock screen > no power consumption by the screen).
Note that apps that simply place a black background on the screen aren't turning the power off to the screen, so that's not a solution.
Where can I change (limit) the amount of time that the lock screen is consuming power?

On my 6a, this setting does it, but of course it's not a timer

Edited the heading to make it consistent with body of question. You can roll back if you disagree

If the "Always show time and info" is OFF, then after the phone is locked, the lock screen is only consuming power for a few seconds.  This duration is not customizable.


text:
Accept allow contact sync and messaging via command line
I would like to know if there is a way to "Allow Contact Sync" and "Allow access to Messages" on Android phone using command line.
When the notification is received on my phone, it prompts me to Allow or Deny. I can accept it using:
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN && \
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT && \
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_DPAD_ENTER

Unfortunately, this command doesn't work consistently and sometimes due to timing issues I am unable to allow contact sync.
As this command is device-dependent, is there any better way to allow contact sync and allow messaging on Android phone using command line so it automatically accepts Allow when notification is received on the phone?


text:
Samsung Galaxy S21 with Odin3 did not root or flash for some reason
I just flashed my Samsung Galaxy S21 with Odin3 and it said "PASS!" and then it reset and rebooted. But it did not say "The phone is not running Samsung's official software" or whatever.
It looks normal. DOES NOT look like it has been rooted and no suspicious files either. I did everything,  flashing with Magisk and Odin3 but still nothing. No sign and works fine.
Should I just try again, or do you guys have any answer to this?


text:
Is there any way to dismiss alarms from the vehicle touchscreen via Android Auto?
I often set alarms in Android with the default clock application (com.google.android.deskclock) and sometimes an alarm goes off when I've connected my phone to the car using Android Auto and am using the phone through the car's touchscreen.
Unfortunately, there's no way to dismiss the alarm from the car touch screen, the only way to dismiss the alarm is from the phone's screen. This is a problem because then I have to pull off to the side of the road and take out my phone to safely dismiss the alarm.
So far the only workarounds I know of are to disable all alarms, or less drastically to change the "Silence after" setting from 10 minutes to 1 minute, which is undesirable for other reasons.
This issue has been present in all the versions of Android I've used since at least 2019, but for what it's worth I'm currently using Android version 13 on a Pixel 6 Pro. I'm using Android Auto version 10.2.633224-release and Clock version 7.5 (551400242). The car is a 2017 Ford CMAX Energi which I believe uses the SYNC 3 interface.


text:
How to make an app that users can't uninstall for a set period of time?
Related to this question.
I want to make an app that users can download from the Play Store, set a time range in different ways, and cannot uninstall the app during that time period. Once the time period is over, they should be able to uninstall the app.
Is this possible without the user having root access?

Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Please note that app development is off-topic since Android Enthusiasts focuses on end-users and power users (who are not necessarily developers) solving their issues. Thus, while this community might explain the technicality of Android OS to your queries, coding solutions are out of the scope of this community. For programming questions, you might want to try our sister site [so].


text:
Gesture app that can link directly to app shortcuts?
For example, I can long hold Clock app to access "Set Timer" in MIUI14 on Nova Launcher. However, when using Vivid Navigation Gestures, clicking on "Shortcut" or "Activity" - I am unable to find the same shortcut. Is anyone able to guide me on how to do so?

Hi, please note that questions directly asking for app recommendations are off-topic. Instead, we prefer the asker to just state the underlying problem that they want to solve and not put any restriction for apps-only, so we'd appreciate it if you could [edit] the question, add some details, and/or remove the restriction. Otherwise, you might be interested in our sister site, Software Recommendations Stack Exchange instead.


text:
How to access iotHiddenMenu
How do I access the iotHiddenMenu on Samsung galaxy?
The dial code (* #21*#) doesn't work. For that matter no dial code seems to work on my device...

Try this it may showup

What's this? Is there no way to access without a 3rd party app?

I used it long way back with Note 2. I haven't used a Samsung phone since then, so I can't suggest


text:
Why does my Android Phone open multiple Hotspots?
When I turn on my mobile hotspot on a Samsung phone in 5Ghz preferred mode without autohotspot, my Windows laptop lists multiple hotspots that are numbered, for example:

"Hotspotname"
"Hotspotname 2"
"Hotspotname 3"

Sometimes I cannot connect to the internet using one of these while the others still work. What are these different networks and which should I connect to?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. There was a similar question What is the number behind tethering Wi-Fi name on Windows and how to reset it? that was migrated to Super User because it was assumed that the issue is with how Windows detects the hotspot instead of the Android's behavior.

Indeed, it is essentially the same question and was (more or less) answered in https://superuser.com/questions/1520024/why-does-my-wifi-name-show-up-as-wifi-name-number


text:
Google Pay works only when NFC is being turned on
I got S23+ last week and am having problems with Google Pay. When I put the phone to the terminal, nothing happens (NFC is on). After some trial and error, it turns out it works fine but only in the moment when I turn NFC on. AKA I hold the phone to the terminal, NFC is OFF, I turn NFC on and the payment processes. Next payment I have to turn NFC off, and on again while the phone is at the terminal.
Any ideas?


text:
What is the Crocro and Friends app on Samsung devices?
What is the Crocro and Friends app on the Samsung Galaxy S20?
I didn't install it, so I take it to be a pre-installed Android app.

Samsung Community explains

App names can because of localization very different. It is better to use an app like https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csdroid.pkg which displays the app package name to search for the app.


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Got recommend YouTube videos that my friend is watching from his offline laptop
So, my friend was watching a movie. His laptop was offline for the last 2 days. When I opened my YouTube, I got recommended a scene from the same movie. It is highly unlikely to be a probable incident. If his laptop was online, it would make sense for recommendations. But even if he has downloaded that movie months ago.
How is the algorithm able to predict this even if I don't watch scenes from movies?

If it only happened once then it could be just chance.

It has happened many times, but we were online

Companies like Google have so much data that they can predict very well that you'll be interested in things your friend is also interested in. This isn't necessarily "chance," but more likely a result of Google's prediction algorithms being really good.

Check your microphone privileges on all social media, and apps like YouTube, and make sure that the mic permission is set to "Only while using the app".  Most of those apps will cache small voice recordings and forward them to the apps and services. That's how it customizes its ads to you. It's also why people are paranoid about their devices "listening" to them.
When Facebook Messenger was first released, it asked for permissions to mic, cam, phone, contacts, and photos. A video immediately went viral and hit most national news outlets of a man ranting about Facebook stealing our data and spying on us. It can and probably does get used that way, but that was never the intent. It was literally the app asking your permission to do those things to make your life easier. So all of those functions could be used through just Messenger.
However, if you don't want extra data and input saved, change your permissions for the mic from "always", to "only while using..." Should clear that issue up.

Are you seriously suggesting facebook doesnt spy? They are the biggest spies and they sell your data too. All large companies have spy bots  such Microsoft, Amazon  etc

I checked and there were 4 extra apps I never used, with Microphone permission. All belonged to Google

Hi Daniel, do you have a source that supports the microphone on a phone being used to collect recordings for this intent?

There's a lot of sources... You can Google it, but it has been on the news even. I can't recall exactly where I read about it, but I think it was on XDA in bout 2012.. I will look and see if it's still up and follow up here.


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Fastboot does not see device, but fastbootd does
My device: Tecno Camon 19 (cl6n)
I need to unlock bootloader, adb see my phone correctly, fastbootd too. But when I do adb reboot bootloader neither the phone nor the PC can see each other. Phone says that after 60 seconds without action, the phone will reboot, and on the PC fastboot devices gives an empty line, if you try to use any fastboot command, the text "Waiting for any device" will appear. I installed usb drivers and vc reddists, so i dont know why its not working.

Try different cables/ports/Laptops 2. If you are using platform tools version 34.xxx roll back to earlier versions. The latest version reportedly doesn't play well with some devices

You have a Mediatek based device which usually have fastboot mode but with limited use as flashing is done to my knowledge using special software when device is shit down.

I'm experiencing this symptom with a Pixel 6, adb/fastboot won't show anything in bootloader mode, but fastboot will in fastbootd mode, and adb will when phone booted into OS. Neither works in bootloader mode. I'll comment back if I find an answer

The same problem is with my laptop (and mobile is Red Magic 7), I installed fastboot drivers,
When I boot my device to bootloader using adb reboot bootloader, the phone is booting to bootloader, but it is just detected as Android. And when I try to update its driver to Bootloader Interface, Windows says the driver was installed successfully, but there is no change and the device does not get recognised, so fastboot devices yields nothing.
But if I do adb reboot fastboot, it boots the device to fastbootd mode, and this time the device is being detected as Android Phone: bootloader interface and is detected by platform tools (fastboot devices) also.
I still can't figure out why this is happening.


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Pixel randomly turn on flashlight, shows emergency call screen
This is a very poorly-defined question, because I can't figure out what causes this issue. But on occasion (and not rarely), when I pull my phone out of my pocket, the flashlight is on, bluetooth has been turned off, and when I unlock the phone I am looking at the emergency call screen. I believe that the DND and bedroom settings get modified sometimes as well.
I haven't been able to find anything like this on the web. Any ideas? (Pixel 6, Android 13)

I did and it seems to have worked. I've been waiting to see the behavior, and after about a week I have not had the problem. Thanks. If you want to write up an answer we can close this.

Solution: In the lock screen settings disable both Tap to Wake and Lift to Wake
Source: Pixel 6 Dialing Contacts Or Opening Random Apps When In Pocket [Fixed]

Numerous users have voiced their concern that whenever their Pixel 6 is kept in their pocket, it tends to open any random app, dial a phone call to any random person, enable DND Mode, turn on Airplane Mode, send a message via WhatsApp, etc

OP has confirmed the solution to work on their phone


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Viewing your child's phone remotely, to supervise at will
I would like to know what the best app would be to supervise what a child is doing on a phone remotely (for instance, from another room, or from another viewing angle).
I am aware of TeamViewer, which, however, is not free, and requires permission to be entered (perhaps even reach time), to connect.
And there is Family Link (which comes in two apps, one for the parent's phone, and one for the child's phone, which allows the parent to monitor (even, by receiving notifications), what apps the child has installed.
But I am looking for something that lets me specify a one time premission that survives reboots on the child's phone, and bring up the child's screen on my screen at will.
How can I do this?
Thanks.


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How does the app SD Maid find leftover files from apps that the user has already uninstalled?
I read on https://techcult.com/how-to-delete-uninstalled-app-data-on-android/:

The “CorpseFinder” option is specifically there on the SD Maid to find any leftover files from apps that the user has already uninstalled. It will search and display all such files. Either user can choose to delete all of the files, or if they feel they need any specific leftover files, they can individually select the leftover files they want to remove. Overall, SD Maid is a great, safe, and effective option to remove leftover files after uninstalling apps on Android operating system mobile devices.

How does the app SD Maid find leftover files from apps that the user has already uninstalled?

It compares the standard directories apps can have with the list of installed applications.

First, this app has two versions - SD Maid (which is quoted in the link, recognizing by app logo since I have both versions on my device) and SD Maid SE. I can't link them (see next bullet). The former is in maintenance mode only and mainly targets older versions, while the SE versions target newer Android versions.

Second, both versions are currently banned
from Play store due to Stalkerware policy (IMO blatantly unfair when the developer has to justify in limited text to a bot, without any human interaction)

Third, the SE version is open sourced (unlike the earlier version) . Quoting from Corpse finder section of the Github, depending on the filter you applied (important), it looks for the following places to clear corpse data:

Sdcard

Public media

Public app data

OBB resources

Private app data

Dalvik cache

App libraries

App sources

Private app sources

Encrypted app resources

Somebody who understands code can interpret better from the Github code or check in Discord channel
PS: If you decide to sideload either version of the apps make sure that you disable Google play protect, else it is possible that it may silently uninstall as per policy

It may deactivate or remove harmful apps from your device.

It may reset app permissions to protect your privacy on certain Android versions

This is applicable as long as the ban (second bullet) continues


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Make an old Android into a mobile device to answer calls away from desk
We got a new stationary Bluetooth phone system at work with no headsets. Is it possible to make my old Android into a mobile device to answer calls away from my desk?

Please see this similar question and it's answers https://android.stackexchange.com/q/5796/2241


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How to restore WhatsApp backup file?
My phone's screen is broken, but I recovered the SIM card (phone number) and WhatsApp backup file: msgstore.db.crypt14 (using USB debug). I don't have a WhatsApp backup on Google Drive.
When I open WhatsApp on the new phone, I can't find any option to select the backup file that I copied to the internal memory. Not even after reinstalling WhatsApp and recreating the directory from where I copied it in the root of the internal memory: /WhatsApp/Databases/msgstore.db.crypt14.
Is this file really useful for something? The WhatsApp itself does not appear to be able to open it. How to restore the WhatsApp backup file?

The question didn't mention the Android version of the old and new phone, but since Android 11, WhatsApp stores its files in a different folder. You might want to also check there.

The old is 8, the new is 13. I think you probably right, i will try new things as soon i can, thx.


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What is significance of country listed in "about phone"?
I have just bought a surprisingly-cheap refurbished Samsung S10+ to (eventually) replace my elderly S7.
I have not yet tried to connect it to my Samsung/Google accounts.
The S10+ is running Android 12. Settings > About phone shows:
Phone number                   unknown
Model name                 Galaxy S10+
Model number               SM-G975F/DS
Serial number                      ...
IMEI (slot 1)                      ...
IMEI (slot 2)                      ...
United Arab Emirates       TRA ID: ...
                               TA: ...

The S7 has Android 8 and does not show a country on this setting page.
What is the significance of the country? How does it affect operation of the phone?
I am in UK. Should I be trying to change the display to say UK? Perhaps flash a local firmware?
I can provide information from Software information, etc, if any of that will be relevant.

Possibly related: What Are The Differences Between Samsung Firmware Version For Countries In The Same Region?

Well, the firmware sammobile lists for CSC=XSG (United Arab Emirates) and CSC=XEU (Great Britain / Ireland) are bitwise identical aside from the zipfile name. I flashed it anyway in Odin, and About Phone has not changed.

A web search turned up that TRA means "Telecoms Regaulatory Authority" and is apparently similar in UAE/Dubai/etc to FCC in USA. So perhaps this line is nothing more than flag that the phone is "grey market"

Yes, you should change the country.
Country mainly affects the choice of apps that you can install from Google Play, as also other apps on Play store (some developers limit the app availability in different countries for a bunch of reasons. See answer here
Make sure you factory-reset your phone, flash the firmware of your country and register with Google account showing your country (your Google account created in UK), else you will have to undergo the lengthy official process How to change your Google Play country.
There are a bunch of questions on this site as to how to spoof the country but if you are planning to use the phone in UK only, it's best to do it for once as above.
Related: Why are there different versions of each firmware for different country?

I'm not sure Google Play is related here, but this looks like CSC (Country Specific Code) for Samsung firmware/service provider.

@AndrewT, that's what I recall. Also issues like calendar holidays //That also makes me wonder why Samsung has so many regional versions

Although nothing obvious changed when I flashed the (identical) firmware (see comment above), after I finally inserted a sim the system forced me to reboot, and I later noticed that "Service provider software version" now ends XSG/XEU, XSG/XSG. Not sure what it had originally as I forgot to record any of the information.


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Prevent the phone's speaker from being redirected to the microphone when using a USB-C microphone
When I plug in my USB-C microphone, the speaker output (audio sink) gets automatically redirected from the built-in speaker to the USB-C microphone.
How can I set the speaker output (audio sink) to stay on the internal speaker when I plug in the mic?

Please do mention your Android version and device by [edit] in the question and tags. It matters because it may be version/device specific solution

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. Just to clarify, does the USB-C microphone also has a built-in speaker? Or is it literally "the speaker is redirected to the microphone"?


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Retrieve Data from Broken Screen P30 Lite? Keyboard Steps to Enable ADB?
My father's phone, a Huawei P30 Lite, has had the screen completely ruined by his insistence of putting it in his back pocket and then sitting on the thing.
I'm sure I enabled developer mode at some point but did not enable usb debugging. Nor has it been set to have file transfer as the default USB mode.
I have a USB-C hub with a HDMI output but can't convince it to work, not sure it's supported on this model.
However, I can connect a keyboard and mouse and unlock the phone (I can see a blur of colour that changes when I enter the pin correctly), though I can't see the screen to access the settings app unless someone can test it out on a working device and provide me the exact keyboard inputs to navigate to developer settings in order to enable USB debugging, OR enable HDB so I can just use HiSuite. (or worst-case, enable dev-settings too)
Alternatively if it's quicker, casting to a FireStick?
Annoyingly with the tools I have I cannot simultaneously connect a keyboard and connect to a PC, otherwise I'd just arrow key my way to selecting file-transfer mode on the pop-up. If I had a USB-C hub with a USB-C data port on it (this one does not) could I run that extra port to my laptop and get the pop-up whilst still having the KB+M input to the phone? Could I emulate a KB+M with some nonsense on my PC?
Open to any alternatives at all, including flashing custom recovery software that will talk to my computer, if at all possible in its current state.
Oh and I can't ADB in recovery mode without already having enabled it in normal boot.
Thank you very kindly!!

best is to try keyboard on working phone. once you figured out you can use bluetooth keyboard to confirm usb connection

@alecxs oh I'm using a physical keyboard I'll never get a bluetooth device connected to this thing, that said I managed to find a still-working Huawei device of a similar age and use the keyboard to get the notifications open and access the USB settings notification, switching to file-transfer mode, so I can retrieve data!
The settings app is unfortunately just not very good at handling keyboard inputs, though I may well be able to use a desktop with his login to get an app that takes you directly to the Developer Mode settings and use the "just installed" notification to access it

right, but you need bluetooth keyboard at some point. you can authorize it with a screenshot

...Why would I need a BT keyboard? Regardless I got the data I need without.

... to authorize adb connection

Oh right, whilst connected to my computer. I get you. Not sure how I'd manage to connect to the BT keyboard honestly, the steps are too convoluted. Probably going to just remote wipe it and send it for trade-in/scrap


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Oppo Reno5 4G bootloop after installing an update
My phone is Oppo Reno5 4G. The phone unfortunately goes into a bootloop after installing an update. The problem is I can't enter recovery mode.
I tried different combinations and nothing worked (hold the power button and volume up (it just forced restart, I think).  I tried the power button and volume down, but it didn't work. I also tried pressing all the buttons, and it also didn't work.
I've searched online and it says that you need to press the power button and volume down to go to recovery mode, but it's not working for me. I've tried different software, but nothing worked. And unfortunately, it seems like my USB debugging is deactivated, though I have no means of confirming this. I've tried connecting to PC and holding the power button and volume up and it would go blackout and the PC seems able to recognize it.
I've done a lot of research but nothing seems to be working. If anyone knows how to fix this, I would appreciate it, or even just help me if there's a PC software that can fix this.

Its not obvious that you have done this.
You need to power off the phone first. Then hold the volume up and then hold power button. Release after you see the logo.
If that doesn't work, repeat with vol down.


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Genymotion gps not working on M2 MacBook
I'm trying to use genymotion to run some automation on an app that requires location.
When I use my M2 MacBook, android 11 is the only version available. The emulator works fine. I'm able to install OpenGApps, and I'm able to install the app I need from the play store. But when using the GPS spoofing feature in genymotion, it doesn't work in any app. I tried it in google maps, and when I click "current location" it seems to hang endlessly. I've tried using 3rd party GPS spoofing apps from the play store, but those will not work either because they all seem to require my current location as well. Some of these apps give the message "google play services are updating". I tried installing Google Play Services, and updating them, but it did not help. I tried turning off and on wifi and bluetooth for location as well. No luck.
Out of curiosity I tried this again on my old intel, using android 6, 7, and 9. There, the GPS feature works perfectly, but I'm unable to install the app I need from the play store and get "this app is not available for your device", but I cannot figure out which criteria the VM is not meeting.
Has anyone experienced this before? Any idea how to fix?

Also posted on SO: https://stackoverflow.com/q/76872373/2821954


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Notifications coming thru BUT no Internet access to apps?
I'm using OnePlus 5 on Android 10. Notifications never stopped arriving, but if I tried to connect to the Internet (e.g. Browser, Banking App), the app connection failed (timed out). I'm pretty sure these are Push Notifications. As an example, I received notification from my Bank of a recent deposit, but the banking App timed out when I tried to log in to verify this. Also the phone is receiving Facebook notifications of recent birthdays, including today's date, but can't open the Facebook App.
I've tried this with both WiFi & Mobile Data and see the same behaviour.
I connected the phone to my laptop with USB and ran an adb shell on the phone proving Internet access with a successful adb shell ping 8.8.8.8. I then thought I had an explanation for the behaviour: DNS lookup failing. However, repeating a similar adb test adb shell ping google.com, this too was successful, proving DNS resolution working!
I'm now out of ideas, and reached the limit of my Android knowledge, so I wondered if anyone here could help. I expect a factory recovery would fix the issue, but I don't want to lose all my apps & my valuable data! Any suggestion on how to fix it without losing my old data?
Edit: I still haven't resolved this issue, but have made futher investigations:

The notifications are Push notifications from the Internet, not locally generated. Verified this by turning off Mobile Data & WiFi for some time, and when I turned it back on again, the phone received a bunch of backlogged notifications.

I side loaded "Ping Tools" apk and installed, with this I could successfully "Ping" sites like amazon.com, cisco.com demonstrating DNS is working and the phone is able to receive small ICMP packets. However putting these domains into a browser gives error "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT"

I also tried connecting the browser to local IPs 10.0.0.x (Router, NAS) which should present the login page for these devices, but again get the error: "ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT", despite being able to successfully ping both devices from the phone.

Again, I've run out of ideas, so any further suggestions greatly appreciated.
Edit 2:
It's been a long time since I posted my original question and I still haven't resolved it. However, further experiments show the behavior is weirder than ever:
I noticed that I was receiving WhatsApp notifications AND the actual WhatsApp messages. Not only that, I could successfully send WhatsApp messages & even make a WhatsApp voice call!!
 Now this may be just WhatsApp specific black magic because I still cannot browse any website and all my other apps cannot access their back end servers on the Internet.
It's almost like my phone has some weird firewall configuration that is allowing WhatsApp & Notifications but nothing else. And if this were the case, I've no idea how to investigate it further, so, as before, any helpful suggestions welcome. I'm now really keen to understand what is going on here.

See if clearing DNS cache helps as explained in Irfan's answer

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Since apps can generate notifications without the internet, could you describe more about the notification? Is it a push notification, like notifications for new emails/messages (i.e. required internet connection for real-time info)? Also, are you using WiFi or mobile data?

I'm having the same issue and I'm particularly concerned because the notifications I get contain payload data, i.e., message previews, even after having disabled both WiFi and mobile network access for the particular app.

@Douba Please read How do certain apps show new notifications when internet access is restricted to them? on that topic.


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MacroDroid : Using password in Intent
I use Adguard on my Pixel 6a. After a recent major upgrade, I noticed that the app is disabled erratically. Since this behavior is unpredictable, it is difficult to capture logs precisely for troubleshooting. I did manage once to capture and send them and they are taking too long to revert, so I thought of automation as an alternative.
Adguard knowledgebase suggests using Tasker set up as below. Adguard generates a password to authenticate the intent (preventing misuse by malicious apps) and this password needs to be a part of intent.
Tasker Implementation

MacroDroid Implementation
I tried replicating the pattern in Tasker above in MacroDroid unsuccessfully. Please note that the password, package name and class are correctly entered. The action I am trying now when Adguard is running is

stop stops the protection, no extra data required;

The MacroDroid implementation does not work. How do I fix this?
Edit: If I change the target to activity instead of broadcast, I get this error in notifications

I'd posted this in the MacroDroid forum and got a solution, which was tweaked and it works! Posting it here, so that it may help somebody else.
Essentially,one needs to declare the password as a local variable, with auto detect changed to string. However, for the person who suggested this, it worked in the default auto mode
YMMV!

The macro now looks like

Edit: After a few days of trial, the macro below works well.


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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra flickering screen caused by small drop
About a month ago, I dropped my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra about 10 cm above my sink, and it got a small dead pixel on the left edge near the top. The problem is that it has affected the whole area below the impact point, doing so that every time the light intensity gets too bright, for example, if I am accessing a white webpage with light intensity of 100%, the area below the dead pixel just turns black. But if I have the light intensity set to 10%, I can see the screen but the bottom area is still flickering.
I thought I could live with it, but I can't use my phone outside if I can only have the light intensity on 10%.
I know it's something to do with the screen, but I think it's weird that the top works completely fine, and everywhere beneath the impact point is broken. So I hope that it could be a loose cable or something and not the whole screen that has been destroyed due to a small dead pixel.
My question is, do you think it could be a loose cable or another thing I could fix without buying a new screen that costs 270€? Because if that's the case, I think I will just hold on for another month and switch to a new phone.

To my knowledge there may be two connectors to the screen, one for display and the other for touch.  The point of impact has probably damaged the circuit board that the  display is on.  The pixels are laid out in a grid, and a damaged bus means that nothing after that point will work (in that route).
Therefore the screen needs replacing.  Can I suggest that you invest in a decent case for your phone.

It most definitely can be a loose cable. Could also be a busted screen. Only way to know is to check. I myself have repaired tablets and phones that either needed the screen plugged back in or a power connector came loose in a phone, both happened after drops.
Warning, checking yourself will Void your Warranty, but is completely doable. Do so at your own risk.
Will require:
Small Phillips head and Flat head Screwdrivers (Like the size for Glasses).
Some technical knowledge.
Finess
I would look up how to take apart your model as each handset can vary in methods.
If you get the seal apart, be very careful with the screen, one wrong move can destroy it completely.
I recommend taking it to a professional.
But it's definitely doable, and could definitely just have something loose.

A loose connector does not explain loss of display from impact point.


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Motorola edge 40: Audio stops when recording
I upgraded from Samsung to this Motorola phone, and a problem I'm having is the audio stops when I record a video. Is there anyway to allow audio to play still?

What has the switch of phones got to do with it?

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. By "the audio stops when I record a video", did you mean you're playing audio using a different app at the same time?

Yes, ymusic player @AndrewT.

This happens in all android devices


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Phone keeps returning GPS coordinates of a place I haven't been in years
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this kind of question, so please let me know if this thread should be moved to another SE board.
The problem
For about two years now, I keep getting very weird behavior when having my apps query my GPS coordinates: apps keep locating my phone at a place I haven't lived or been in years.
This belongs all sorts of apps that rely on GPS, starting at Organic Maps, Home Assistant, even Google Maps tends to locate me at that certain location.
The problem only occurs when my phone doesn't find a satellite to acquire accurate GPS coordinates.
Some background information

I moved from town X to town Y about 3 years ago
I signed a fresh contract with my internet provider using only my new address (in town Y)
When moving, I had a Galaxy S9 with "stock" Samsung Android installed on it, connected to my Google account which had my old physical address saved. Back then, GPS tracking worked like a charm
at some point after moving, I decided to install /e/OS (for privacy reasons obviously; fork of LineageOS) and get rid of everything connected to Google
I even deleted my Google account and changed my real name and address inside my Google account before deleting it
after installing /e/OS, I used microG to have a random Google account (necessary for Google Play Services) for usability reasons
eventually, I decided to buy a new mobile (Galaxy S10e) purging everything and installing /e/OS as well before connecting it to any possible internet account
I bought a new pre-paid cell phone card which is registered with my new address (town Y)

So basically, I changed my place of residence, changed mobile phone cards, changed mobile phone, changed internet contract, changed my mobile operating system and purged my Google account (and didn't even once connect it to my current mobile phone), thus my phone should be unable to have any information about my old flat's address, or is there something I left out here?
When moving outside or driving (or being navigated through Organic Maps, for example), apps sometimes locate me at that same location in the beginning, but when getting a good GPS signal, it changes to my real location.
It seems like that certain old address from town X is somehow stored in my phone or location history or somewhere else, I just can't figure out where it could possibly be stored. I have no accounts linked with my phone which know any of my addresses, how is this possible?
I am incredibly grateful for any thought on this, it's driving me crazy.
Thanks in advance.

Did you use a migrating tool from S9 to S10? Are you using Google Maps for navigation?  Is your navigation tool using Google maps? Just buy a burner phone they talk about in movies. All the large companies have huge AI bots tracking you. I  dont think you can escape them. So I  just spread my info as wide as possible. That is, using as many different apps as possible. For example  I  stopped using Google maps on Android 4ish. Told it not to track me. Deleted Location history. Disabled the GPS. Yet, when I  filled up at a petrol station, Google pops up and wants to know if it had a car wash.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. AFAIK, the physical address doesn't really affect GPS/location service. However, location services may also use WiFi or Bluetooth for updating location. Thus, if you're bringing your WiFi router from X to Y, then the old location might be still linked to it. Possibly related/dupe: Location error after moving, Location when on home WiFi is wrong; can I disable using known wireless networks to get a location?

Thanks for linking to other issues. @RohitGupta, I didn't use any migration tools and I'm not using Google Maps for navigation. I absolutely agree to everything you said. I somehow "solved" the issue by configuring my phone to use location services only by GPS. Still, Even though I'm not using ANY Google services, I have no idea where my old place of residence comes from.


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Can I bulk delete shared media on Android texts?
When I go into the texting app and click on the settings, then shared media, it allows me to delete gifs/images individually by clicking on the three dots, but I want to get rid of 90% of these and doing it one by one is a slog.  Any advice?

May be you should try an app that has been designed to manage files? There are quite a few file manager apps available in Play Store.

I use X-plore app to manage the files. Heres the screenshot of the top of the tree.


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Can't find "Free Up Space" options in Settings on Samsung (Android 12) device
For some reason, I'm unable to find the Free Up/Clean Up Space feature in Settings on my Samsung Android 12 (specs) phone.

My device has 60GB+ listed under Other in the Storage menu that I would like to clean up, but I don't see a way to do it without resorting to using 3rd-party apps. It feels like that shouldn't be necessary.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. I'm not sure One UI, which is Samsung's customization provides built-in "Free up space". Meanwhile, the "Free up space" on my Pixel device which links to Google's own "Files" app instead (1st-party app for Pixel, 3rd-party app for others). Not sure about other manufacturers and their customization.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a "free up space" option before on my phone.
I downloaded the Files app (by Google) and it's only reporting 76GB used out of 128. Then at the bottom of the Internal Storage screen (in the Google Files app) it says "Other: System - Couldn't calculate"
I'm considering removing pictures and videos and just Factory Resetting at this point, since the Samsung side of things is still showing 60GB+ taken up by "Other".

You have to click on each item such as Images or Videos. Then you can select the images or videos and delete.
Otherwise use a file manager or a system cleaning app.

I don't want to remove images or videos, I want to clean up the 60GB+ listed as Other under Storage settings. It's taking up about half of my storage space.
Anything shown as Other is apparently: private app data, failed backup services, failed OTA updates, hidden cache or temporary files.
I'm trying to avoid installing a random 3rd party app to do this, I would like to use the built-in storage clean-up functionality that is apparently missing from my phone.


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Who is "Dr. MAD"/who composed the default Android ringtones?
I found Android's ringtones (in /system/product/media/audio), and a lot of them have metadata. The most common name that shows up in the Artist section of the metadata for most ringtones, as far as I know, is "Dr. MAD".
For example, you have "Growl.ogg" (real ringtone in the directory I mentioned above), which has metadata saying the Artist is "Dr. MAD".
Who is "Dr. MAD"/who composed Growl (and all other "Dr. MAD" ringtones)?
Google's song recognition (and Shazam) says it's this: Nthahouse - Big Jay Mack & Gino Veddy Cheddy, however I'm not convinced it is because the only audio of it available¹ sounds like someone just looped the ringtone over and over, and placed the vocals of a random song over the top.
It seems as though the people who made that song actually sampled the ringtone.
I've tried googling it, but Google keeps throwing irrelevant results at me. Or maybe I'm not searching the right thing. So, who is this person?

¹ Nthahouse - Big Jay Mack (Growl Ringtone) on YouTube

Interesting question from a historical perspective since a Google search threw up a few references to Dr.MAD in the ringtone meta data of several OEM ringtones.
Here is what I found. I cannot vouch for the authenticity.
Tech Product Bangers on Twitter (@techprodbangers) whose profile says

An account that posted bangers from consumer technology products, such as ringtones, BGM and synth demos. Formerly known as Ringtone Bangers + More.

A search for "Dr. MAD" in their Tweets returns these results:

Link 1

This is "Sorry", the full song behind the Android 1.0 ringtone, Terminated!
Composed by Sébastien "Bara" Barafani of NewWave Labs, a French company that did ringtones for Google. (all credited to "Dr. MAD", aka leader Alain Georges)

Link 2

The mystery behind "Dr. MAD" has been fully solved. It's a team consisting of:

Alain "Dr. MAD" Georges
Gilles "Zill" Tremellat
Christian "T-Jam" Laffitte
Noël "Dr. No" Laffitte
Charles "Kallaghan" Massabo
Sébastien "Bara" Barafani

Thanks to Bara for sending this!

Link 3

I'm pretty sure Dr. MAD is just a fake artist name Google used for all of the ringtones by NewWave Labs (which Charles was the director of, and composed some of his own)

Link 4

Here is an almost complete composer breakdown of the NWL ringtones. These are all credited to Dr. Mad (Alain), and while he led the team, only 3 of his were used.
The team:
Alain Georges
Sébastien Barafani
Gilles Tremellat
Christian Laffitte
Charles Massabo

Gilles Tremellat
Sébastien Barafani
Christian Laffitte
Charles Massabo
Alain Georges
No Credit Available

Beat Plucker
Bentley Dubs
Bird Loop
Game Over Guitar
Don' Mess Wiv It
Lectro Beat

Insert Coin
Cousin Jones
Caribbean Ice
Enter The Nexus
Funk Y'all
Silky Way

Medieval Jaunt
Crazy Dream
Ether Shake
Revelation
Miami Twice

New Player
Curve Ball Blend
Loopy Lounge
Thunderfoot

Romancing the Tone
Dream Theme
Mildly Alarming/Eridani

Thriller Three
Friendly Ghost
Ding/Carina/Noisy One

Backroad
Growl
Sitar vs. Sitar

Bollywood
Love Flute
Springy Jalopy

...and 8 more
...and 8 more
...and 15 more

(emphasis supplied)


text:
Would there be any restrictions on what apps will work on Android Go?
I'm looking for a cheap tablet and found this ACER ACTAB723.
It's Android 12 Go - my question is, would there be any restrictions on what apps will work on it, compared to a regular Android 12? And, are apps likely to function for as long on the Go edition before they can no longer be updated?
Thanks!

I used an Android Go phone for a month, and it was terrible //It all depends on your usage and one never knows how long it will supported by Google and therefore by developers (RIP :Android - one)

@beeshyams thanks for that. I really only use the tablet to cast Netflix, YT and the like, and the occasional WhatsApp and LINE calls. It seems I cannot assume that if an app works on 12 it will also work on 12 Go?

I am not sure about the app compatibility or otherwise. I would suggest you buy a regular phone on sales or search the XDA forums for the apps of your interest

Note that for watching streaming services you usually need a Widevine certification for the device (best Widevice L1). And even if it has the DRM certification it sometimes still not works and you only get SD quality videos (own experience with my 2019 Lenovo Tab P10 with has L1 but Amazon Prime is lmited to SD). Also I have experienced that some modern streaming apps are implemented using react-native programming language which significantly requires more CPU and RAM resources for lag-free watching).

Hi, I updated the title to reflect the real question about app compatibility because "downsides" is considerably subjective and broad, i.e. my answer to "Why is the Android Go's performance better?".


text:
Internet on Android apps fail when on ethernet cable
I have a strange problem. When connected to WiFi, I have no issues. When I connect a UTP cable to my device via a USB ethernet adaptor, I can browse the internet, but apps won't work.
I can, for example, browse https://www.youtube.com, but the YouTube app fails to connect to the network.
I tested on 2 medical smartphones (Spectralink and Ascom Myco 3) on 2 different networks. No firewalls or spam filters on the network.
Both have the same issue.
I have a medical app that can not connect to its server on port 443 when on the cable. When using a web browser to connect, it says it doesn't trust the certificate. Again, on WiFi, it's fine.
It seems to me that the cabled network has a different way of handling certificates. Can there be a difference?
Any suggestions are highly appreciated.

A network does not handle certificates at all, but proxies in between do (often used e.g. by companies for HTTPS traffic inspection). What network and internet connection is the ethernet adapter connected to?

True. But it somehow is different in this case, which doesn't seem logical to me.To rule out the network, I tried different networks including a consumer connection, directly connected to the modem.

I would recommend trying a different network with a different internet connection and see if it works or not, thus if it is a network or a device problem.

Two devices, three networks. Same result on all combinations

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts. As Robert has mentioned, it seems the ethernet/modem is intercepting the connection (using MitM), thus the certificate that the device sees is different from the real certificate. Possibly related on our sister site: Information Security - Is it common practice for companies to MITM HTTPS traffic?

I like the way you’re thinking. MiTM would indeed cause an untrusted connection.
But that’s not the case. Not on all three networks. Also, I get the correct certificate when using the internet browser. I would have seen the mitm certificate there also. Correct?


text:
Why does outgoing delivered SMS sent correctly now show Red failure to send dot?
I'm using Samsung text messages. The problem I'm having is with outgoing text messages that were already sent correctly and received by my recipients. The red dots appeared out of nowhere as of yesterday.

I'd like to know how to get this resolved without losing my text messages. I'm not sure if this issue applies to Google or Samsung App, either way, it needs resolving. Any help is appreciated.

I think they are showing that they have been read or they havent been read after so many hours.  Not sure as I dont use that feature.  Thats what whatsapp is for.

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Does tapping the red dots do something?


text:
Installing a custom ROM on an Android device with broken screen
I have Samsung Galaxy Note5 (SM-N920C), but the screen is deadly broken and I need to

update ROM
enabled user debugging mode
root device
and move some apps to internal storage (like GPS JoyStick/ GPS spoofing)

I already rooted and install TWRP custom recovery, but the screen is fully deadly broken.
At present, I can control that device via scrcpy-win64-v2.1.1, but last week, the game I play was updated and no longer supports Android 7.0. I need to update that device's ROM.
My question is:

Can I update the ROM via fastboot or recovery mode at ADB or another tool?
If I can pass step 1, can I bypass the unauthorized to enable user debugging mode in the new ROM via fastboot or another way?
When passing step 2, can I re-root via step 2 (rooted via adb over fastboot or recovery mode)?

I know the problem is looking so hard, but I believe I can do it, but I don't know the command or tool to do it. If someone can help or share the trick with me, I very much thank you and hope this problem helps someone not lose an old phone device and make that can come back to working via computer control. Best regard.

On Samsung devices you usually only have to enable OEM unlock in your current OS and then install the new ROM via Odin/Heimdall (Samsung devices usually don't support ROM install via fastboot). The only problem is that after installing the custom ROM I think the bootloader detects the custom ROM and may ask if you really want to continue and delete your user data (not sure about this). At this stage scrcpy will never work, so you may have to use the phone blind without screen.


text:
In app purchases not reflected on restricted account
I have a restricted account setup on my A8 for my daughter, and wanted to unlock some features of her game for her. I switched over to my main account and made the purchase, and it shows up there. But even after pressing restore purchases, force stopping the app, clearing the cache, and restarting the tablet, the purchase is not reflected on the restricted account. How do I propagate the purchase?

May help https://vector-unit-faq.groovehq.com/help/the-game-progress-slash-purchases-are-not-updating-for-the-restricted-profile-that-my-child-uses-on-my-device

Unfortunately, Google Games doesn't show up as an option in the app permissions list.

Possibly related/dupe: Is it possible to enable in-app purchases for Restricted Profiles?. Not sure about the validity of the answer since they were quite old, and I don't have experience with restricted profiles.

Restricted profiles don't have their own google accounts, so I don't think that one applies here.

Yeah, I think the answer is misleading, but the old question remains the same if it's even possible to propagate it at all.


text:
Trying to delete a folder with Termux
I'm trying to delete a file Android will not let me delete it. Trying to use Termux, I can't seem to find the file. I used termux-setup-storage, and per the instructions entered:
cd /storage/sdcard0/FilesAndFolders

And get
bash: cd: /storage/sdcard0/FilesAndFolders: No such file or directory

I'm working with Android 11, and I am a real novice at this. I can't figure out what file path they want. Suggestions?
Even though I'm using:
rm -rf [directory name]

it still comes back saying the Directory is not empty.
No command I try deletes this file. The file name at the end of the string has a black diamond with a question mark on it.
I tried SD Maid to no avail, Termux didn't work. I'm considering a factory reset as my only option. The file is a .mp4. I tried *.MP4, but no luck. I've tried deleting the folder and the file in every way I could find. I traced the file from the tree, sometimes it tells me the file doesn't exist when I can see it in the tree.
Is there any way to delete this file?

Try cd storage followed by ls to show you the contents. Probably your folder is in shared  ; do cd shared and ls again to see if you can find the folder. //With a normal file explorer can you tell the path where is it stored?

Looks like you look at your phone via USB/MTP. The paths you can see there are virtual, they do not exist in file-system.

Maybe there is a nomedia file in that folder. Try deleting it using file explorer and then try to delete the folder rm - rf

See this https://android.stackexchange.com/a/205247/131553

"The file name at the end of the string has a black diamond with a question mark on it." seems to indicate that the file/SD card is corrupted. Perhaps the following Q&A might help: How to delete a corrupted file on SD Card

I think the path is incorrect.

Try one folder at a time from the top and see when it fails.
Or install a file explorer app to look at what's there.  I use X-plore.

I am not associated with it.


text:
Percentage reach a certain number then stop when trying to download an app from Play Store
When I try downloading an app on Play Store (even if it doesn't take up a big space), it would reach a certain percentage and then just stop. I tried waiting for a bit however; when I do, I get a weird message that tells me that I can't install the app.
I've never had this issue before. I have plenty of storage in my phone; I have the latest update on both my phone and Play Store; my WiFi is relatively good and usually installing apps wouldn't take seconds. I had tried restarting my phone; clearing Cache and doing a bunch of recommended stuff, but when I try to install the same app, guess what? It stops at the same percentage.
Please help me fix this problem. I don't want to abandon my account or remove data from my phone (OPPO Reno5 5G).

I once had this problem. I went to the website/review of where this app was mentioned (using mobile browser) and it had a link to the app. Clicking that took me to Play Store and it installed fine. Before doing all this I may have rebooted too, don't recollect

Welcome to the Q&A site Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. We have a few questions about a similar issue: Google Play Store download stops to a certain percentage on large programs, Why can't I install anything since Google Play Store downloads don't reach 100%?.


text:
How to access Google Family Link from within child device?
I want to install an application directly from .apk file on my child's phone. This operation is blocked due to the fact that the device is controlled by a parent.
On my child's phone I have an application called "Parental Control" installed. It is clearly from Google (help icon points to Google resources) though I have no idea what is it and how does it differs from Google Family Link.
Tapping (?) icon in the top-right corner opens a Family Link help where I can read (in "Unlock your child's device" section):

On your child's device, click Parent Access.
Enter the password for the parent's account used to supervise the child.

The problem is that I cannot find even a trace of "Parent Access" button or menu item. Neither in this "Parental Control" nor anywhere within the system (Readme 9A, Android 11).
Trying to resolve the above, in addition to this "Parental Control", I have also installed "the original" (?) Google Family Link app (also on child's phone). But when I am trying to run it, I am falling into a never-ending loop of:

Welcome to Family Link
Continue as [child name] (button)
The Family Link app is for parents
Parent sign-in (button)
Welcome to Family Link

I don't know what am I missing or doing wrong.
How can I access "parent mode" in Google Family Link-supervised child's phone? Or temporarily disable this supervision? How can I install some third-party application directly from .apk file on Google Family Link-supervised device?
This Redmi 9A phone is used as a spare device when the actual phone (Redmi 11S) is being repaired. But I recall that I had exactly the same problems (i.e. never-ending loop in Google Family Link) on Redmi 11S.

To gain access to "Parent Access", lock child's device from Family Link app on your own device then you'll see the "Parent Access" button on lock screen of your child's device(See attached screenshot I got from Internet).
BTW, Family Link app is for parents while "Parental Control" is available on supervised devices.


text:
USB connection between Android and Winlator
I have an Android tablet and have installed Winlator on it. It allows me to run Windows apps on Android. And I want to use it for an all-in-one animation setup and for that, I will need to connect the container of Winlator (Windows VM) to Android through a virtual USB connection.
Is there any way I could do that?
I tried searching for it on the web but there were no answers.


text:
How to download and set high-quality voices in Android text-to-speech in MIUI 14?
The option to download and set high-quality voices in Android text-to-speech is not available in MIUI 14. Is there a way to do so?

While certain voice are available for downloading offline from the corresponding menu under Settings > System > Languages & Input > Text-to-Speech output, high quality voices are only available online and won't work without an internet connection.


text:
When crypt14 file of WhatsApp database is deleted automatically after 7 days, is it possible to recover it in Android 12? Are they permanently deleted
I downloaded some data recovery apps from Play Store. They failed to recover my deleted data, but they show some hidden WhatsApp files like .status.
Can they recover and steal my database file from them and upload it to their server?

Android 12 uses File based Encryption which makes file recovery extremely unlikely. See also comments here: https://android.stackexchange.com/q/246846/2241

@Robert, why not make it an answer?

@RohitGupta because I am not familiar with all the details of FBE encryption in combination with the used file-system and I don't want to make a definitive answer about a system that I only know in general.

File recovery in newer Android OS is not possible.
Long Answer:
Most data recovery apps over the years have just failed to recover anything.
Some fake recovery by trying to get leftover data from cache or thumbnails and show them as recovered.
These apps claim to be able to recover deleted files. However, their effectiveness can vary, and they might require certain permissions or features that may not be available in Android's newer versions due to increased privacy and security measures.
Even if device is rooted any data recovery app needs to acquire permission with user intervention and can not directly access storage as low level disk access.

What if the file is automatically deleted for example whatsApp data base file which are automatically deleted after 7 days or when sender deleted photo from their side for everyone ? @mohsyn

'Deletion' either automatically or manually is the same. The file entry is removed and the space it was occupying is marked as empty. So, theoretically, it can be recovered using advanced forensics but it is not possible for applications in newer devices to recover deleted media in normal scenarios.

Whether it is manually deleted or automatically deleted it is good to go or there is any difference between manually deletion and automatically deletion ( Automatically deleted as the database file in WhatsApp deleted automatically after 7 days ) are both action same or automatically deleted are not as good as manually deleted and one more thing if a FILE or PHOTO is automatically deleted in a device with FBE ( Android 12 ) it's encryption key is also Deleted with it or not @mohsyn

@Zai that makes it suitable for a new question. Post another question. Thanks!


text:
How to install Artic Wolf Agent on Android?
I would like to install Artic Wolf Agent on Zebra VC8300 and MC930B mobile computers that use Android 11.
Here are the instructions I have and I'm trying to figure out which ones to follow for that build.

Run the appropriate command, based on your operating system and preferred package manager:

Ubuntu (using APT):
sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive AWN_CUSTOMER_JSON=/tmp/customer.json apt install /tmp/arcticwolfagent_<version>.deb

CentOS, Red Hat, or Amazon Linux:

YUM (preferred):
sudo AWN_CUSTOMER_JSON=/tmp/customer.json yum install arcticwolfagent_<version>.rpm

Zypper:
sudo AWN_CUSTOMER_JSON=/tmp/customer.json zypper install --allow-unsigned-rpm arcticwolfagent_<version>.rpm

DNF:
sudo AWN_CUSTOMER_JSON=/tmp/customer.json dnf install arcticwolfagent_<version>.rpm

Notes:

You must place customer.json in the /tmp folder.
Use an absolute path to customer.json and verify that it is correct. If any errors occur pertaining to the customer.json file, see Arctic Wolf Agent Troubleshooting.
You can install Agent with any package manager on CentOS, Red Hat, or Amazon Linux, but only YUM has been tested.
Agent only performs automated tests with YUM, DNF, and Zypper.

Sorry but this Stackexchange is a question and answer portal but your post misses the question. Please edit your question and describe in your words what you are doing (e.g. what commands you use) and what is going wrong. BTW. Your post contains instructions for installing Wolf Agent on Linux, but Android is not a regular Linux system. So this can only fail.


text:
Shared folder on BlissOS 15 (Android 12L) based on 9p virtio in qemu
Using Qemu I managed to run BlissOS almost perfectly.
For the record this is my script to install and launch BlissOS with Qemu
(I use also an additional USB stick for storage to be able later on to snapshot)
#!/bin/dash
#

DO_INSTALL=false
#DO_INSTALL=true

VM_NAME="bliss101"
VM_CDRN="Bliss-v15.8.6-x86_64-OFFICIAL-gapps-20230614.iso"
VM_NIC_MAC="52:54:4a:7a:50:f8"
VM_NIC_NET_RANGE="10.10.11.0/24"
VM_NIC_NET_DHCP_START="10.10.11.10"

#
# installation
#

#
VM_GPATH="/home/nihsotas/vm/"
#
VM_LPATH=${VM_GPATH}${VM_NAME}"/"
VM_BPATH=${VM_LPATH}"bios/"
VM_BIOS_0=${VM_BPATH}${VM_NAME}".flash.OVMF_CODE.fd"
VM_BIOS_1=${VM_BPATH}${VM_NAME}".flash.OVMF_VARS.fd"
#
VM_HDD_0_F="qcow2"
VM_HDD_0=${VM_LPATH}${VM_NAME}".sys."${VM_HDD_0_F}".img"
VM_HDD_0_S="12G"
#
VM_HDD_1_F="qcow2"
VM_HDD_1=${VM_LPATH}${VM_NAME}".dat."${VM_HDD_1_F}".img"
VM_HDD_1_S="8G"
#
VM_CPATH="${VM_GPATH}iso/"
VM_CDR_0=${VM_CPATH}${VM_CDRN}
VM_SPATH=${VM_LPATH}"shared"
#
VM_LOGFILE=${VM_LPATH}${VM_NAME}".log"
#
VM_MEM=4G
#
VM_CPU=$(nproc)
VM_CPU_SOCKETS=1
VM_CPU_CORES=4
VM_CPU_THREADS=1
#
VM_XRES=1440
VM_YRES=800
#
VM_KEYB="fr-be"
#
PORT_FW_1=5556
PORT_FW_2=8023

if [ "$DO_INSTALL" = true ] ; then
    echo "Empty VM harddisK"
    rm ${VM_HDD_0}
    qemu-img create -f ${VM_HDD_0_F} ${VM_HDD_0} ${VM_HDD_0_S}
    qemu-img create -f ${VM_HDD_1_F} ${VM_HDD_1} ${VM_HDD_1_S}
#   mkfs.fat -v ${VM_HDD_1_F} -n ${VM_NAME}dat
#
#   shared data folder
#
    mkdir -p ${VM_SPATH}
fi
#
    GDK_SCALE=1 qemu-system-x86_64 --enable-kvm -D ${VM_LOGFILE} \
    -object memory-backend-memfd,id=ram0,size=${VM_MEM},prealloc=on,share=on,merge=off,dump=off,seal=on \
    -machine type=q35,accel=kvm,vmport=off,dump-guest-core=off,mem-merge=off,hmat=on,usb=on,kernel-irqchip=on,memory-backend=ram0 \
    -no-hpet \
    -cpu host,kvm=off,topoext=on,host-cache-info=on,l3-cache=on,invtsc=on,migratable=off,amd-stibp=off,hypervisor=off,kvm_pv_unhalt=on,kvm_pv_eoi=on \
    -smp ${VM_CPU},sockets=${VM_CPU_SOCKETS},cores=${VM_CPU_CORES},threads=${VM_CPU_THREADS} \
    -m ${VM_MEM},maxmem=${VM_MEM} \
    -drive if=pflash,file=${VM_BIOS_0},format=raw,unit=0,readonly=on \
    -drive if=pflash,file=${VM_BIOS_1},format=raw,unit=1,snapshot=on \
    -audiodev driver=pa,id=snd0 \
    -vga none \
    -serial stdio \
    -display type=sdl,gl=on \
    -device driver=virtio-vga-gl,xres=$VM_XRES,yres=$VM_YRES \
    -device driver=virtio-keyboard-pci \
    -device driver=virtio-tablet-pci \
    -device driver=intel-hda \
    -device driver=hda-duplex,audiodev=snd0 \
    -device virtio-rng-pci \
    -device virtio-iommu-pci \
    -rtc base=localtime,clock=host \
    -device nec-usb-xhci,id=xhci \
    -device ich9-ahci,id=ahci \
    -object iothread,id=iothread0 \
    -drive id=disk0,if=none,file=${VM_HDD_0},format=${VM_HDD_0_F},media=disk,aio=io_uring,cache.direct=on,cache=none \
    -device driver=virtio-blk-pci,drive=disk0,id=virtioblk0,iothread=iothread0,bootindex=1 \
        -drive id=disk1,if=none,file=${VM_HDD_1},format=${VM_HDD_1_F},media=disk,aio=io_uring,cache.direct=on,cache=none \
    -device usb-storage,bus=xhci.0,drive=disk1,id=usbstick,bootindex=3 \
    -drive id=cdrom0,if=none,file=${VM_CDR_0},format=raw,readonly=on,media=cdrom,aio=io_uring \
    -device ide-cd,drive=cdrom0,bus=ahci.3,bootindex=2 \
    -fsdev local,path=${VM_SPATH},security_model=mapped-xattr,id=virfs,writeout=immediate,fmode=660,dmode=770,multidevs=remap \
    -device virtio-9p-pci,fsdev=virfs,mount_tag=hostfs \
    -device driver=virtio-net-pci,id=nic1,netdev=mynet0,modern-pio-notify=on,mac=${VM_NIC_MAC} \
    -netdev type=user,id=mynet0,restrict=off,net=${VM_NIC_NET_RANGE},dhcpstart=${VM_NIC_NET_DHCP_START},restrict=n,hostfwd=tcp::${PORT_FW_1}-:${PORT_FW_2} \
    -k ${VM_KEYB}

Now I want to create a shared folder with the host
in folder ${VM_SPATH}
-fsdev local,path=${VM_SPATH},security_model=mapped-xattr,id=virfs,writeout=immediate,fmode=660,dmode=770,multidevs=remap \
-device virtio-9p-pci,fsdev=virfs,mount_tag=hostfs

Once Android is running, I have prompt with root privileges.
I can mount this hostfs with:
mkdir -p /mnt/host
mount -t 9p -o \ trans=virtio,rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime, \
cache=fscache,access=any,msize=512000 \
hostfs /mnt/host

At root it's possibe to read, write files
Good so far....
Now I want to make this location visible to ALL USERS who have access to storage,
aka the SDCARD. The sdcard seems to use esdfs
So reading a few solutions here and there about mounting in the right namespace I use:
mount -t esdfs -o \ rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,noatime,lower=1023:1023:664:775,upper=0:1015:771:771, \
derive=multi,noconfine,derive_gid,default_normal,unshared_obb \
/mnt/host /mnt/runtime/write/emulated/0/Shared/Host

Again I can read and write inside /mnt/runtime/write/emulated/0/Shared/Host
However this location does not propagate properly on /sdcard/Shared/Host at all.
I think I did something wrong here...
Can somebody help me out on this, wasted a day on this...


text:
Can't view pics/vids when opening an HTML
When opening a local HTML file on my android device, the local files i.e videos and pictures don't show up. The HTML file works great but the local pictures and videos don't load. Is there any solution to this problem? I tried different browsers, but the problem keep coming.
Note: I don't get an access denied error, the page load normally, but the pictures/videos don't.
For reference my mobile is at Android 13 with OneUI 5.1


text:
WhatsApp audio calls fail to connect
I recently bought a second-hand Nexus 6 running Lineage OS 18.1. Everything working great with one exception: WhatsApp reproducibly fails to establish audio calls with the error:

Couldn't place a call. Make sure your phone has an Internet connection and try again.

I tried it from two WiFi networks, where other phones work without issues, so it cannot be a network-related problem. Also, the Nexus 6 does have an internet connection, even WhatsApp itself can send and receive text messages without problems.
Since Lineage OS is not officially supported, I installed a factory image (Android 7.1.1, the latest available one), installed WhatsApp there as the only app, and gave it all possible permissions, and still the problem occurs.
Interestingly, other messengers like Telegram have no issues placing audio calls, just WhatsApp does (unable to place or receive calls).
I tried to contact WhatsApp support, but:

Through the WhatsApp chat, I only got some machine-generated replies which didn't solve the issue, then the chat has been closed.
Through the contact form on their website, I got an email reply, but I couldn't answer the email as the email I sent didn't go through. I received an automated email with

554 5.7.1 POL-P6 Message refused https://www.facebook.com/postmaster/response_codes?ip=209.85.160.45#POL-P6

I answered via the contact form again, but at some point, the "submit" stopped working. When clicking it, just nothing happens anymore.

So now I'm still here with this problem and don't know what to do next.

Wild guesses 1.disable VPN /Anti Virus apps 2. Try to make a call from WhatsApp web see if you can now make from mobile app 3. Update the app to latest 4.go to a third party site like apk pure and try earlier versions 5.reboot. Like I said weird guesses

Thanks for the ideas! 1. There is none, it's a fresh install with WA as only additional app. 2. I could connect WA web but there is no call option (not available under Linux). 3. It's freshly installed, no update is available. 4. I went there but cannot find earlier versions, where can I find them? 5. A reboot didn't help either, unfortunately.

https://www.apkmirror.com/?post_type=app_release&searchtype=apk&sortby=date&sort=asc&s=Whatsapp

I tried a rather old version (from 2017) and it told me that the system date is wrong. So I tried a rather recent version (from June 2023) and the calls still don't work. I will try something around 2020 now...

So, a version from 2021 still said that the system time is too new. A version from 2022 says that it is outdated and requires an update. I fear, this idea won't work out...

Re: APK, WhatsApp does block outdated versions, so only the last N versions are allowed. However, the "system date is wrong" error is kind of interesting since it's similar to how SSL handshake usually fails due to time discrepancies. Does your timezone observe a change in DST?

@AndrewT. Yes, we are in summer time now. But, after testing quite some versions, I can observe that very old ones complain about wrong system time, not so old ones complain about requiring an update and just the rather recent ones actually work (but the issue with audio calls still stays). I got some logs, possibly they are helpful: https://pastebin.com/bXnxADEE I think, the call starts at the time stamp 12:11:45.409.


text:
How can I access my phone with a broken screen when TWRP decryption is unavailable?
Recently I broke the screen and digitizer of my phone and now want to be able to get my data off or even control it. While researching I stumbled upon scrcpy which gives you full access to your device if you have ADB enabled (which I unfortunately have not).
I have TWRP installed, can boot into it and have ADB access there but my persistent storage is encrypted and when trying to decrypt it with TWRP I just get the E:No crypto support was compiled into this build. error message.
Now how can I get off my data or control my device while being unable to decrypt the persistent storage?

You can enable ADB by editing certain build.prop options which can be done without data access. Then, like you already mentioned, you can easily control your phone with scrcpy.
For an in-depth explanation on how to achieve this head over to this XDA Thread. It boils down to these 7 steps:

Boot into the recovery
With ADB, add the following lines to /system/build.prop
# Enable ADB
persist.service.adb.enable=1
persist.service.debuggable=1
persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb

# Disable authorization
ro.adb.secure=0
ro.secure=0
ro.debuggable=1

Reboot to system
ADB should be enabled now, use scrcpy to enter your decryption secret
Wait until the persistent storage is mounted (e.g. by checking if the directory /data/adb/service.d/ exists) and then IMMEDIATELY push a script with the following content into the /data/adb/service.d/ directory and make it executeable (via adb push /path/to/script.sh /data/adb/service.d; adb shell chmod 777 /data/adb/service.d/script.sh
#!/system/bin/sh

resetprop persist.service.adb.enable 1
resetprop persist.service.debuggable 1
resetprop persist.sys.usb.config mtp,adb

resetprop ro.adb.secure 0
resetprop ro.secure 0
resetprop ro.debuggable 1

echo "1" > /data/property/persist.service.adb.enable
echo "1" > /data/property/persist.service.debuggable
echo "mtp,adb" > /data/property/persist.sys.usb.config

Reboot again
Enjoy your ADB access!

Note that in order to get this to work you need to have Magisk installed. If that's not the case it should already work after step 2, if it doesn't you can try to just execute the last three lines of the script as soon as the persistent storage is mounted.