text:
Why does adblock plus ask if I want to update every day?
I have a Galaxy S4, nonrooted and with Adblock Plus installed. However, every day (or every 2 days at most) ABP asks me if I want to install a new update. However, the build number never seems to change. It's been on 318 for a while now, and even if there were to be changes, this smells like a Beta product, which I'm not comfortable with.
I want to keep using Adblock Plus to avoid the obnoxious ads, but I also prefer to not get daily updates. any fix for this?

Are you talking about the ABP app or the Firefox plugin? If the former, is it offering to update the app itself, or merely the filter lists?

@DanHulme I'm referring to the android mobile app.

IN App updates (Host files etc):
Basically because you are in an arms race agains the advertising / app developers.
The developers want you to see the advertising, as this is one of their sources of income. They are also aware of Ad-Block, AdAway, AdFree etc etc and are constantly trying new advertisers, new proxies and new methods of embedding the adverts in your application, website etc.
In order to keep the adverts blocked, the application needs to update the host files and lists of blocked sites, proxies etc to keep functioning correctly.
There should be a 'Check for Updates Daily' option, there definitely is in AdFree Android (well recommended) which you could use as an alternative to AdBlock Plus. By default most of these programs seem to check for updates when the device is rebooted from scratch, and have a daily / weekly or such checkin also.
You could go to Settings > Applications > AdBlock and disable notifications also.
You could, I gues, just dismiss the notifcation when it arrives, and update whenever suits you. Leaving it go does mean adverts will start to creep back in over time, however.
Updates to the App itself:
If the actual application (i.e. the apk) itself has very regular updates then either the application needs to update to keep ahead of the advertising, which seems to be to be a bit of a flaw, or it is (as you said) in beta stages and needs constant tweaking. Alternatively with so many new devices coming online, and KitKat released it may need all this fixing to ensure compatability.
The simplest solution for either scenario, to my mind, is to get AdFree Android or similar and not worry about this at all!


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How can I manage "desktop" icons
I want to remove all the icons on the desktop, (and also in the bottom bar) and place new ones via ADB.
My script already removes all the apps, but icons/shortcuts remanin there!
Is there any command to do this? Or maybe a xml file or something that I can edit?
Note: I have root access.

I'm pretty sure that any answer to  removing home screen icons is going to be very dependant on what launcher you're running. Do you know what launcher you're running? If not, what make/model/OS version of phone are you looking it? Are you using the default launcher that came with it, or have you loaded another one on?

It is the default android launcher ... My android version is 4.2.2

The default launcher in my stock Android 4.2.1 and CM12 contains those home screen shortcuts in a table named favorites inside launcher.db. If that's your case then all you have to do is flush the content from that table, restart the launcher and the stuff would be gone for good.
A general query would be:
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/<YOURLAUNCHER>/databases/<.DB_FILE> "DELETE from <TABLE>"'

(Download sqlite3 if it's not present in the system.)
For my stock launcher in Android 4.2.1, the query would be:
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/com.android.launcher/databases/launcher.db "DELETE from favorites"'

However, you first have to analyze which .db file, and which table in particular, actually holds the relevant stuff.

For that you can use SQLite Editor or aSQLite Manager to locate the relevant database and table. Or, you may adb pull all the launcher's database files and open them in an sqlite program on PC like DB Browser for SQLite  to find the correct table.
For a command-line way, you can use this command to list all the tables in a supplied database:
adb shell su -c 'sqlite3 /data/data/<YOURLAUNCHER>/databases/<A_DB_FILE>  ".tables"'

In order to create shortcuts you first need to know their structure in the table. Use .schema then SELECT * <PARAMS> to see the content. You can take help (in making a query) from this resource.
However, I would recommend choosing GUI over CLI to see the information about shortcuts. Also, always take backup before tweaking such stuff.

Once you're done flushing the table's content, do:
adb shell su -c 'am force-stop <PKG_NAME>'

E.g.:
 adb shell su -c 'am force-stop com.android.launcher'

or
adb shell su -c 'am force-stop com/cyanogendmod.trebuchet'

Try this:
adb shell pm clear com.android.launcher

(i think it's the unique name of the launcher in 4.4.2, change it if I'm wrong)

I'm using an x86_64 Android image that comes with the Android 24 SDK, and the package name is com.android.launcher3.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How do I take a shot without the volume display on screen?
How do I take a screenshot on my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 without the volume display showing on screen?

I assume you're on TouchWiz and are trying to take a screenshot by using Vol - and Power.
On TouchWiz it's Home + Power.

there are many free app on the Play Store that can acquire a screenshot without pressing any physical button on your phone. Please take a look there: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.icecoldapps.screenshoteasy.  Hope to help you!

I have battled this issue ever since they pushed Android version 4.2.2. On my Galaxy Tab model GT-P5113 the power + volume down would work only about once every 10-20 attempts. Since the new build was pushed last week I checked it again. Now the screen shot does not work at all.
But I gave up long ago and came up with a solution. I use my Samsung Victory telephone to take a picture of the tablet and send that to the tablet to by whatever share method is handy.

Press Vol - plus Power button at the same time.

I guess that's what the OP tried, as indicated by "without the volume display showing on screen". Either timing is a bit tricky here (which is the case for some devices), or Samsung is using a different hotkey-combination on its devices. Are you sure your hint applies to the Galaxy 10.1?

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


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Ignore / stop incoming bluetooth connect/pair requests
since a while I receive bluetooth request from my neighbors Harman Kardon media center.
Once I accidently 'clicked' the request and suddenly we were connected (no code or handshake needed).
Since I disconnected from the media center, it keeps sending me requests to pair/connect again.
I can of course click cancel on each request, but it keeps bugging me ( approx. every 60 seconds, so it's a sort of a request terror.....).
I asked the neighbor if he can turn it off, but he is not capable or willing to do so.
So I was wondering: can I somehow block this device from sending me requests (well, not from sending of course, bur from my device alerting the request from this particular device)?
I run android 4.2.2 on an Acer v370 (Acer liquid E2)

If you are still paired to that media center, then unpair it and turn off you bluetooth visibility, this way media center will not be able to detect your bluetooth, but you will still be able to connect to other devices.

I've already done that, turn off the bluetooth visibility. I even changed the name of the device.

I think that your phone is the last device that mediacenter was connected to, so it remembers your device and keeps sending you the signals.
Don't know if this would work, but try using some friends phone and connect to mediacenter, so when the other phone is gone from your home, mediacenter might remember that phone and stop sending you connection requests...

That worked! connected the mediacenter to my tablet, then turend off bluetooth for the tablet (never use bluetooth on the tablet) and I'm free!

It's due to a major bug in bluetooth that has never been fixed

I tried this and it worked for me for a couple of hours. But every now and then the visibility changes back to visible and the issue is back as well. But I found the solution - accept the pairing request. Go to Bluetooth settings for this device. Switch off all audio channels. Like 'Call audio' and 'Media audio'. After doing this my phone just ignores the device completely! No pairing, no pairing requests, nothing!


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Set default "Add" calendar for google now
How do I make Google now add events (when I say "Add event for monday at 2") to my work calendar instead of my personal gmail one?


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Can I use my cell phone's internet connection as a VPN?
I'm still learning about VPNs so forgive me if this sounds horribly mistaken, but if I understand it correctly a VPN is an encrypted internet connection between two computers that can also be used as proxy. My question is: supposing I am ON MY LAPTOP at a library/work/school and the WiFi has a filter that prevents access to some websites, in theory would I be able use the unfiltered 4G data connection from my Android tablet or phone to gain access to those sites remotely?
I know I could just tether the device and use the connection that way but I'm curious if it'd possible to use the data plan on the tablet that I leave at home (it has perfect 4G data service there) that way, should I ever need to use an encrypted connection to get around some web filters, I could always have that available to me. I currently don't have a home computer that I can leave running all day, otherwise I'd run something like Hamachi.
Thanks for reading and sorry if this is a noobish question!

You can use VPN applications to access restricted websites on any android tablet/phone.
Here are a few of them
Flash VPN
Hot spot shield
But i think you will not get exact 4G speeds while using VPN.

Using the VPN that way would be redundant.
Say you're at school and you would like to use an encrypted connection. Once you have established an encrypted connection it will pass most network filters. There would be no need for a proxy for encryptions sake. At least no need if you're just trying to by pass school filters... ;)


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Does kingo root trigger knox on s4?
And also I plugged my phone in but kingo root won't recognize it and it says connection to server failed

no it doesnt trigger knox and try another computer to fix the connection error, happened to me

Did it fix it for you?

And also does knox support 4.4.2? Cause I think I heard somewhere that they don't support it


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Auditing application's use of GPS
There is an application on my phone that triggers the GPS at random intervals. The start of this polling doesn't correlate with any newly installed applications so I imagine a recent update or recently activated feature in an existing application is causing this behavior.
What options do I have to audit the GPS usage on my phone (Galaxy S4 - Verizon)?

Android 4.4 allows you to view recent requests - this is probably the closest you can get...
This probably exists in prior versions too, I just don't have a device with JB to test it with. You get there from settings->location

It appears that at least on Verizon's image of 4.3 the settings app does not have this feature where you described it (or maybe at all?)


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empty log files created automatically
For 5 or 6 months I have been experiencing a strange activity on my android 4.1.2 device. It is samsung galaxy tab 2. The problem is somehow every day a few log files will appear in the root of my SD card and I could not figure out why and what application does it. It is very annoying as I need to clean them. I will attach a screenshot. If anyone came across the same issue, please let me know. We could try to find the solution together. If more information is needed, feel free to ask. Thank you. Vitaly.

My first guess would be an app whose initials are FW, as in the file names. Do you have such an app installed?

@DanHulme,i went through all the apps i have, and there was no with such initials. i have uninstalled some of the apps to see if this log thing continues. need to wait till next day

Dan Hulme was correct. I did indeed have an application called "Foreca Weather" and it created the logs. It's been several days since I'd uninstalled the app, and the problem haven't showed up again. Previously I had this application for a year and didn't see any such issue till the recent update they had.


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How can I debug Droidwall blocking every app?
Starting some time ago, I have noticed that when Droidwall (1.5.7) is enabled, no apps can access wifi.
Although the app is checked, it doesn't work, until I turn the firewall completely off. This has happened for some time, is this a known bug with Droidwall or Android 2.2?
Running iptables -L shows this, among others:
Chain droidwall-wifi (4 references)
target   prot opt source              destination
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere
droidwall-reject 0  --  anywhere             anywhere

Any ideas on what could be causing this?

Do you have it set in whitelist mode or blacklist mode? And have you clicked "apply rules"?

Yes I applied rules multiple times, I finally saw that the top "mode" was blacklist, tapping the title and selecting "whitelist (allow selected)" fixes it! Please post this as the answer, this is easy to miss as it doesn't look like a button/setting.

This sounds like the behavior if you have blacklist mode enabled. Double check the (subtle) whitelist/blacklist default button (the text above the apps listing).


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Android emitting RF at X frequency
First, nothing illegal heare. My (ours) gate remote controll have broken (all 5). The provider have gone - death, bankrupt, I don't know. The remote have no logo or some ID, but the instructions are kind to tell me that transmission frequency are 868.35 MHz +- 200 KHz. My question is if I can controll an android to emit on this freq.(I know, it may be a code emited to, but first things first...)

The RF hardware in those devices is not a general radio and can not be configured to output on frequencies outside of standards.

But fm radio may emit to (I know, the frequency is up to 100-120). The engineer menu show me some options like emit in 850MHz - so the device is able to work 'close'. Is it a fixed freq mode, or I cat build an app? (the phone is rooted, the app I may make, but I don't know if it is a class/interface where to start digging)

No, there's no way to do this unless you have some special-purpose hardware. As someone already commented, normal Android devices don't have a radio transmitter that can be made to transmit on any frequency.

Accepted! For this purpose, I won't buy any hardware.


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offline navigation with public transportation
I can not drive (yet) and I get lost pretty easily.
So, I need a simple navigation app (I like the gmaps look, just roads, no fancy colors and things), which includes ALL bus/tram/metro/train (yeap, all of them) stations of greece, their schedule and navigation through them.
I NEED it to be offline, otherwise, I would use my favorite gmaps. Cellural data here cost A LOT (I have only 60MB/mo).
I've tested nearly each and every navigation app out there.
I don't care about the cost, but being free is a plus, especially open source.
I can extract the points of bus stations (I think) from the maps provided by greece.
I can also extract the schedules, but i don't know in which format.
thank you!
I've searched the whole web and I found no answer...

Have you tried Osmand~?

yes. very weird maps and no punlic transportation support

hmm, it seems it has public transit support, but no routing and not enough bus stops.if this is my only choice... also how/can i import bus stops from gmaps?

You can edit OpenStreetmap yourself to add any information that's missing. As for the routing data, this will only be possible if the public transport operators allow you to download and freely reproduce the timetables and route plans.

How can i do that? Here are all the timetables (http://www.oasa.gr/routes.php?id=lines_name_1)

I think I can extract them with a script. but in which format? how can i import them?


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Is there a way to access and edit Apple's Reminders.app database from Android?
Is there a way to access and edit Apple's Reminders.app database from Android, I didn't find a way to do it, how can I do that?
(searching both google and play store I've found tons of unrelated stuff, and exactly zero related)

There is a way to sync reminders to your Android device described on CNet. The solution consists of two apps, SmoothSync for Cloud Calendar and Tasks. With this combination, you'll have a separate reminder-style app that syncs with your iCloud account.
First buy and install SmoothSync and add your iCloud account to it. After this, install Tasks and wait a couple of minutes for the sync to happen, and after this the setup is complete and ready to use.

Thanks, apparently I got some of these programs individually, but I missed the big picture!


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Connect to Wifi network even if it doesn't have internet access
I have a LAN accessible over wifi that I'd like to connect my Android device to, but when I go to Settings->Connections->Wifi and try selecting the network, it doesn't connect.  If I enable internet access on the wifi network it will connect, but then as soon as I disconnect the wifi network from the internet, the phone disconnects from the wifi network.  Is there a way to force the phone to connect to a wifi network, regardless of internet accessibility?
The phone is a Samsung Galaxy S4, with Android 4.3.  Thanks!

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/110789/very-frequent-wifi-disconnection-while-being-in-china

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/176993/how-to-force-android-6-to-automatically-connect-to-a-network-without-internet-ac

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/100657/how-to-disable-captive-portal-detection-how-to-remove-exclamation-mark-on-wi-fi

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/220414/how-can-i-automatically-re-connect-to-a-wifi-network

See also https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/186993/captive-portal-parameters

See also https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37218510/android-6-0-1-force-wifi-connection-with-no-internet-access

Got it - went to Wifi->Advanced->Unchecked "Auto Network Switch."  It seems to be something specific to Samsung phones with Android 4.3: see here

I still get the same problem even though "Auto Network Switch" is unchecked :/

If you have root access to your phone, then this solution is the best in my opinion
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37218510/android-6-0-1-force-wifi-connection-with-no-internet-access
Simply run adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0
Edit: please upvote original author's post instead of mine

If you are using a wireless router, what is the brand and model? Your device should be able to connect to the router regardless if you have internet or not. Unless the wireless network was disabled instead of the internet connection. Cheers.

I'm using ap-hotspot on my Ubuntu laptop to turn it into a wifi hotspot.  When I have the ethernet cable plugged in, my phone will connect to the hotspot network.  As soon as I unplug it the ethernet, the phone tries connecting to another nearby network that does have internet.  Even if I manually disconnect from this other network, I still won't be able to reconnect to the original hotspot network until I plug the ethernet cable back in.

Hi, i guess it is really the case when you disconnect your ethernet cable from your ubuntu laptop. I was able to check this site. http://www.howtogeek.com/116409/how-to-turn-your-ubuntu-laptop-into-a-wireless-access-point/


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Do all devices (that can connect to PC) power up when connected to PC?
I tested with my tablet and my phone and both react the same way:

shut down the device completely.
plug to computer USB.
device powers up (boots into android, not just show charging animations).

Is it an Android feature, or just for some devices?

And by power up I mean boot up into android like eldarerathis said in his comment..

This must be specific to some devices/kernels as I have just tried this and my Nexus 7 2012 briefly showed a "charging" battery animation before the screen going off - device then stays off. My HTC One X didn't show any charging animation, or power on but is showing the charging LED.


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Manually switch from ART to Dalvik
I wanted to try out the new ART runtime, but didn't realize my custom ROM doesn't support it. So now I am getting recurring Force Closed messages after booting, and  can't get through to the settings menu to switch back to Dalvik. So before I wipe everything and spend hours setting up my phone from scratch, is there a way to manually change back to Dalvik from the recovery menu? I think there should be a flag somewhere, that instructs Android to do the 'recompile' after a reboot.
Via the recovery menu, I have full root access over a adb shell and can mount all filesystems.

I had a problem with ART on a stock 4.4.4 ROM.  A few days after switching from dalvik, I was stuck in a boot loop with adb logcat showing a lot of crash errors including `art/runtime/runtime.cc:203] Runtime aborting...  Switching back to dalvik, I had to reboot into recovery and use the echo command to switch back to dalvik. That fixed the problem

I just did this!
/data/property/persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib is a textfile containing one of two values: 'libart.so' or 'libdvm.so'. You can change from ART to Dalvik simply by editing this file.
Ex: adb shell 'echo libdvm.so >/data/property/persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib'

FWIW, doing "setprop persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib libdvm.so" would have the same effect -- the "persist" properties are persisted by writing them to a file.

When this happened to me, I had no adb shell access while Android was running. However, I was able to reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery, clear my cache partition and dalvik cache to free up some flash storage space, mount my /data partition, and then (finally) use adb shell as described in this answer. Whew!

I tried this on Android 5.0.1 (Omega V28) on my Galaxy S4 GT-I9500. The file was called /data/property/persist.sys.dalvik.vm.lib.2 in my case. After rebooting it somehow reverted to "libart.so". Any idea why it's doing that and how to change it permanently?

This happened even when I changed the file contents via adb shell in recovery. So it's not getting overwritten on shutdown, but on boot, it seems.


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Map displays incorrect data. Maps appear as fragmented tiles
When I zoom in beyond a certain level, the map appears in square tiles. Some of these tiles are correct, and others are not. The roads and landmarks appear correctly in Google Maps, but the topography layer looks pretty randomly filled in. In another app called Mapdroid, the incorrect tiles appear to be repeats of correct tiles.
This occurs on both my Digno ISW11K and Casio IS11CA (firmware version 2.3.3). I first noticed the problem (for both phones) when I was recharging via my car's cigarette lighter while refreshing map data.
I'd be totally happy if I could just somehow reset all the map data. . .
Does anybody else have this problem? Thanks for any help/ideas.

try clearing the appdata and cache. still if your problem isnt solved try unstalling the updates you have done to the app.
you can do all this by goin to the settings then application manager select the app and do whats mentioned above


text:
How to turn on USB connection to PC
I bought a KingSing K5 Android phone, and there doesn't seem to be an option for turning on USB connection to PC (to transfer files). I have the Google USB driver installed on the PC, but when I connect nothing happens. Is there a specific way to turn on USB connection in Android 4.2.2?

http://android.stackexchange.com/q/33496/23414

@AlexP. The question you linked is about turning on ADB, whereas as the questioner here wants to "transfer files", I think the question is more likely about MTP.

you just have to enable usb debugging mode.
go to settings scroll down to developer options. Under that the first option is  usb debugging. enable that

OP wants to use USB storage  not USB debugging.


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Does rooting void s4 warranty if the thing that is wrong is not the fault of rooting?
I have a galaxy s4 from AT&T with knox on it. And I just want to root (no custom roms) but if my phone breaks or something I don't want to void my warranty because it's rooted. So is my warranty voided automatically with root or is it voided only if the root is the cause of the problem.

Rooting your phone will void the warranty from both the carrier and the manufacturer.
No matter what happens to be wrong. If they found that the phone's rooted then you'll have to face the consequences.
*So your warranty will be void automatically with root. *

Is this true with just Samsung? Because I heard some stories of people who had it rooted and sent it in and got it back fixed

They rarely check the device I think.

My friend's touch screen got fixed without any problem. It was for rooted phone.

Was it with samsung?

Yes it was Samsung Galaxy Ace plus

Did he send it TO samsung though? Or the carrier

He did send it to the Samsung

So what root method would you reccomend? Chainfire autoroot?

All methods are good. Almost all methods provide option to unroot if wanted. ChainFire is one of the most accepted method. You can search xda forums for your device's root method. The best are there.

I was looking at cf autoroot site and it says the att version of the s4 is not supported

It would be helpful if you could specify your model and version.

My device is SGH-i337

I've tried searching. There are many methods working for your model. But any slight variations in build number, version number, Android version etc will have a new method for rooting. So I recommend you to search xda and select the most appropriate method for your device. There are many. Even if you mistakes there's a solution. So no need to worry

Your friends just got lucky. thats it. No manufacture in this world will provide you warranty services after you have rooted the device.


text:
Clear stock browser cache?
I'm trying to do some css / javascript changes to a webpage with the android stock browser.
How does one clear the stock browser cache, on the Samsung galaxy s3? I've checked settings and settings -> developer settings as well.

Clear the browser by hitting the settings on your phone.

Navigate to privacy settings Hit clear cache.

And to continue what Dan wrote, if you mean for the stock Android or Samasung browser (it's not the same app, but it's in the same place), it's what @Dan Hulme answer.
but if the browser is chrome press on the 3 dots > "History" > "Clear Browsing Data.." > pick "Clear the cache", Here is a picture:

Hope it's been Helpful!

go to android settings from there select application manager. under the tab "All" scroll down to "Internet".You can find options to clear cache data as well as other data such as saved passwords.etc


text:
Hide developer settings from menu
Most of us will know that tapping "build number" a few times in "about device" gives us access to developer settings.
Is there a way to reverse this, and hide developer settings from the menu without doing a factory reset?

Android 4.4.x isn't there a switch at the top once in the developer options, on/off?

Yes, but that doesn't hide it from the menu, it just switches it off

There're two methods to hide it completely:
1. factory reset
This should be clear, but if you need more info comment.
2. OTA Update
When your device manufacturer releases an update and you install this update the developer settings get hidden.
other possible solutions

maybe on your device you can clear the settings app data and cache. But this doesn't work always
You can toggle the developer settings in the upper right off, but the settings doesn't get hidden

Sorry but there aren't any other possibilities yet. Maybe you can say what device it is and I can help you.

I've tried clearing settings app data and cache, that doesn't work. I know I can toggle it to off but I want to hide it from the menu.

Ok, but as I said, there are only two ways to do this

I'm using a custom ROM. OTA update won't have any effect on dev settings.

Then factory reset and reflash the ROM from scratch. The above answer has 2 ways. You'll have to do one of them, and since you can't do an OTA, the other is the way to go.


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apps and google play cannot connect to the internet after rooting
My phone is a samsung s duos gt s7562. I rooted my phone recently. But Iam having some problems after that. My apps, except for opera mini and instagram, cannot connect to data services. I tried factory resetting, enabling background data and even unrooting but of no use. Only the above mentioned apps are working. But when I am accessing internet through wifi everything works fine.I got a hunch that may be it has something to do with the busybox i installed. When I was installing it, it gave a lot of things to install when I selected advanced installation but i ignored it and selected the normal one where the busybox installer will select the necessary stuff and install it.
Anyone got any remedy to this??? Please help because I am fed of searching for remedies.... Nothing helped so far

Be sure and check your Date.   Had problems with google play suddenly stopped working.   After trying multiple suggestions, realized the date was reset back to 2008.   Once reset, things started working again.

Just follow these steps.

Root your Android phone by using super su nd root checker
Download Lucky Patcher
Grant root to Lucky Patcher
Then go to toolbox
and click on block ads options
and then click on "clear the local hosts file" option
All done, come back to home and reboot your Android

Hope this helps. Do this on your own responsibility.

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


text:
How to merge SMS threads from same contact with different numbers?
I'm looking for a way to do the following: I have a contact with 2 numbers. He sends me messages through one number and I have to reply to the other one. I want to merge the threads and have a number to send by default.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S2 with stock ROM Android 4.1.2. I use the default texting app which I think does not allow me to do this.

As of February 2017 none of top SMS apps are capable of merging SMS threads either from same contact or different contacts or same contact same number with just different number formats.
However there is a workaround that did the job for me.

As a preparatory step you can merge/link your contacts beforehand (if needed) with any contact manager app. I have used True Phone for that.
Get Google Hangouts v10 from apkmirror. Recent versions are worthless as they have [killed conversation merging][3] starting from v11.
Immediately after installation disable automatic update of Hangouts via Play Market (app page -> menu -> uncheck Auto-update).
Run Hangouts and select settings in menu. Turn on Enable merged conversations. Tap SMS, enable it and choose Hangouts as a default SMS app.
Unfortunately you will not be able to run Hangouts directly as it will insist on update on each run. But it can be launched from any other app that wants to send SMS.
If your stock dial application support messaging - launch hangouts from it. Alternatively you can install any good 3-rd party dial application (drupe worked for me). I just find contact, drag it to SMS, Hangouts is launched with a proper merged SMS thread. When sending you can select which number of destination contact to use. Nice feature of drupe is merging SMS with other IMs(skype, whatsup, viber, etc) into one feed per contact (only summary is there without message details).

PS. Beware of drupe's downsides: it is very aggressive app and it will use your contacts in a way that you may not like.

Using an app that won't run without updating isn't really long term solution

You can use Microsoft's SMS organizer. It does what you want. Easily available in Google play.

I wish Microsoft's SMS organizer be available outside of India... Even if you manage to get apk - it will ask for +91 number during startup.

-1 because 'easily' would imply no geoblock


text:
How do I mirror my screen to the TV (cast screen) using Chromecast
I own a Moto G running KitKat and a Chromecast, both are on the same network. The chromecast works for almost everything (Netflix, Youtube, etc) but I can't get the screen casting feature on my Android to work.
If the Chromecast is turned on, I can see a "Cast Screen" button on the android drawer, but upon clicking on it I get an error message that says "Casting Screen to Chromecast Name has failed"
I read a few articles some weeks ago saying that screen casting / mirroring was coming to Chromecast, so when I bought one and it downloaded a firmware update and the feature showed up on my android's screen, I assumed it had been released to the public.
How can I find out why it isn't working?

Casting your Android device to Chromecast is not officially supported. The Cast Screen tile shows up in certain conditions but at the moment it is not possible to cast your screen.
From the original article:

The Cast Screen tile seems to pop up for users of Nexus and newer Motorola devices when certain Chromecast apps have been used, for example AllCast. It's triggering something in Android related to an incomplete casting feature – that's all we can say for sure.
No one has, to our knowledge, gotten this native screen casting feature to work on a stock device – it just crashes when trying to connect to a Chromecast.  (...) Presumably Google will fix this and expose it to users eventually, but right now all you're seeing is a stub of a future feature.

UPDATE - At Google I/O 2014 they announced that screen mirroring is coming in a future update of Google Play Services. It is expected that this will roll out in the next few weeks.

They just announced this at I/O that it will be supported soon.  I actually already used this on a Samsung smart TV my parents bought using my Nexus 5 and my Nexus 10 and it seemed to be working pretty well... only thing I'd say is a bit crappy is I can't stream Play Movies downloaded to the device (though it could play other downloaded video just a software limitation).  Since my parent's don't have great bandwidth but have a 4K TV that was a bit disappointing (surprisingly "4K" streamed from YouTube though and looked amazing).

Was just trying this with my personal Chromecast though and still getting this error hence finding this post, but hopefully an update to the chromecast rolls out soon to make it work as it would be fun to do some gaming using the phone as the joystick and console.

Good to see that only after two months there's now some hope :D


text:
Getting WhatsApp to work for both networks on a dual-SIM phone
I have been using WhatsApp for a very long time in a dual mobile HTC Desire U under a specific network. Now, I would like to use WhatsApp for the other network too.
Is it possible to use watsapp for both networks under a single roof? I have tried suggestions many other sources, but I did not find any solution.

You can install one app per phone So you cannot use it for more than 1 network in the same phone(dual sim phone)
From Whatsapp FAQ

Your WhatsApp account can only be verified with one number, on one
  device. If you have a dual SIM phone, please note that you still must
  choose one number to verify with WhatsApp. There is no option to have
  a WhatsApp account with two phone numbers. If you attempt to
  frequently switch your WhatsApp account between different devices, at
  a certain point, you may be blocked from re-verifying your account. So
  please do not repeatedly switch between different devices.

You are saying that you want to use whatsapp for another phone number of yours???
It is possible to create one whatsapp account for a single number. You cant combine two whatsapp accounts into one.
If you want to create independent accounts for both your phone numbers and use whatsapp for them from your only phone then it is hell of a difficult thing.
you have to logout every single time to get into the another account of yours. Otherwise you should have two whatsapp apps in your phone that is impossible.


text:
Phone not switching on
So I am using my Sony Xperia Neo L, and I accidentally dropped it on the ground and the battery comes out. This has happened hundreds of times before. When I insert my battery back in, the flashlight just turns on and the phone does not switch on. This happened for about half an hour. I then put my other battery to check (Yes I keep a spare) it does the same thing. Hours later, the flashlight doesn't come on, but when I try to switch it on, the red light is just beeping (as if the battery is low, but both my batteries are charged)..
What do I do? :(

something must have happened to your phone's motherboard. Better get it to the service center instead of browsing through the internet for a solution. You cant do anything about it.

Aw man ;( .... Thanks, but is there any hope of it being able to get repaired ?

ofcourse you can get it repaired.
better take your phone to a service center you know personally. otherwise there is a chance of them telling out of the world things about your phone. Its always good to take it to the sony service center

Thanks alot :D! but i'm expecting it to be sort of costly


text:
Birthday reminders in my phone start 12 hours prior for birthdays stored in Gmail contacts
I store birthdays in my Gmail contacts. I have HTC One X with Android 4.2.2 and Sense 5. I have synced my calendars with Gmail contacts and all the birthdays are visible in my calendar app on Android. But the reminder for each of the birthday is set to 12 hours prior.

I don't want to reminded of someone's birthday 12 hours before! Is there any way to customize this time? Or remove it completely for all the birthday reminders coming from Gmail contacts?

I guess your timezone is utc-12?

@davidbaumann: I stay in India so my time zone would be set to UTC +05:30. How can I check it?

First, go to your phone Settings > Date and Time and check if your time zone is correct.
Second, change the time zone of your Google account by following this guide.
Good luck!

My settings are set to "Use network provided time" and "Use network provided time zone". This sets my time zone to GMT +05:30 India Standard Time.

How about your Google account?

Checked my calendar settings and it shows India Standard Time in time zone. Same goes for my Google account. Any other suggestions?

Seems like you're using the default calendar app that comes with HTC Sense. Try this: go to settings of that app and set default reminder time to something shorter. If that doesn't work, try to download the google calendar app from Play Store and use it instead of HTC one.

I went to settings of the app but there is no setting for default reminder. And even if I download the Calendar app from Play store the stock calendar app would still sync and it would give me reminders before 12 hours.


text:
Why can't I copy files between the external & interal SD on an Android 4.2 tablet?
When I insert a micro-SD card into the tablet, I can open the graphical "file manager" in the apps and view which files & folders are on the internal-SD and the external-SD. However I can not discover how to copy a file from the internal to the external SD or vice-versa. The File Manager lets me create a copy of a file in the same folder, but there was no hint given as to how to copy or move a file from one folder or storage medium to another.
The tablet I am trying to work with is apparently a FAST-TOUCH (??) which is running Android 4.2.2. I think it may be this 10" tablet, or at least it is very similar to it.
I did not purchase the tablet and I definitely do not have "admin" access. I have tried to locate a user manual, but I do not think one exists. It seems to be rather common for Android devices to come with little or no useful documentation.
I would normally never bother to ask about this since I always considered simple file ops to be very trivial procedures. But I have never used an Android tablet (or phone) before and, frankly, I do not find using it to be as intuitive as I think others assume it to be.
A Note About Edits
This question previously focused on asking about documentation. I have stripped most of that out and repurposed the question to ask only about how to do a simple file copy with the File Manager on the tablet.
Before I posted the question I attempted to locate previous questions about basic Android documentation, but failed to find them. For some reason, I only seem to be able to find the questions I am looking for if I first create and post a duplicate question.
I am posting links to the general documentation questions I found below for possible future reference since, frankly, I doubt my ability to find them again.
Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions?
Where can I find a thorough introduction to Android?
Android Jelly Bean help or user manual

I use Total Commander for this kind of stuff. You can use the second button in the bottom bar to move files.
Total Commander lets you open two locations at once, which makes copying between those locations even easier.

And what would you use if you could not install apps or widgets. I am only a user. I don't have admin access to this tablet. I assume there is a way to copy files, it is just not clear to me how one does this in Android.

You should be able to install applications on your Android tablet without administrator rights. Do you have Play Store on your tablet? If so, you can search Total Commander in the Play Store and hit install. If not, you should be able to download this file and install it on your tablet. Make sure you allow installation of apps from unknown sources in your settings (Go to Settings > Security).
With the File Manager app you can try to do a long press on the file you want to copy and choose copy and paste with long press at the req. location.

Hi use ES File Explorer File Manager. It is easy to use , and user friendly .
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop&hl=en

X-plore is an easy to use app from Google to transfer files from internal to external cards and back.  I use it regularly.  Go to  play.google.com, use search bar at top, search for X-plore.  You'll see a couple of the other apps mentioned in earlier responses, both of which I occasionally use.


text:
Charging/PC connection issues
I have tab 2 7.0 that will only charge when switched off and even then that's only sometimes, other times I get the battery boot loop.
When device is on it says not charging in battery settings and has a red x through battery icon. It also does the same when connected to a PC but windows does not detect any connection.
I have two of these, both my sons and both do the same. It's an original cable and wall charger. So I'm guessing it could be the cable as I factory reset one of them and still the same problem. It seems obvious but I'm just looking for any advise before I go buying another cable.
Thanks.

Try cleaning the battery and case contacts with a tooth brush.

I got a hold of another cable it was having the same problem! This worked a treat but only for one of them! :( thanks for the advice though!!


text:
No Bluetooth option using Lenovo a269i
I'm an android first timer, who bought a Lenovo a269i. Lenovo's site states that it has bluetooth, http://shopap.lenovo.com/in/en/smartphones/a-series/a269i/ and plenty others in Internet do so too.
However I don't know, or can't find, where to turn it on or anything. It's not discoverable (if it exists) as I tried with to find it with my computer. I downloaded some "Bluetooth Shortcut" apps, and they all crash, I think... they try to open but return me to where I originally was. It's using android 2.3.6
What can I do? How do I fix the bluetooth? Or how do I know for sure it doesn't have?

Have you checked Settings->Wireless & networks->Bluetooth?

I have Settings->(signal symbol) More...->(Wi-Fi options, VPN and tether are listed here, but no Bluetooth)

No. Bluetooth setting won't be under more.... You should check under wireless & networks [ http://www.myfreenetwork.com/images/android/02.jpg ].

@MinNaingOo I don't have that option. However, "More..." has the same menu icon, and it is just above "Call settings" (I don't have sound either, it's called "Audio profiles")


text:
Wi-Fi passwords are forgotten
My nexus 4 is not storing new Wi-Fi passwords. Each time I want to connect to a previous connected Wi-Fi I have to re-enter the password.
I found that in Settings > Backup & Restore everything is checked but Backup account - No account is currently storing backed up data is in gray and i can't do anything about it.
In Settings > accounts > google i have everything sync but Movies & TV and photos.
I'm running kit Kat, not rooted.
Any help will be appreciated

Try deleting (forgetting) the wireless connection first.  Sometimes security information (WPA/WPA2) related to the connection is cached and is no longer relevant.  When the security information doesn't match, the connection can be shaky.
If this is a pervasive issue (all wireless connections) delete (forget) all wireless connections, and open the app in app manager and delete all cached data.

It happens with all connections, I will clear cache but first I have to back up all working connections


text:
Can somebody explain how multi-user is implemented in android 4.4
Can somebody please help in giving information on how multi-user partition is achieved on android 4.4.
I was digging into 4.4 code specific to creating multiple users.
There is class called multiUser(added in 4.4 for multi-user) whose members talk with multiUserService to create user space.
I am not getting how exactly secure space is created at file system.
I have below basic question.
1. How FileSystem partition is achieved for multiple users
2. How UI part ( Launcher, different screen icons etc)  is developed and when user switch how it reload default users data.

It works in a very similar way to how one user's apps are isolated from each other. Whereas apps' private data used to be stored in /data/data, now it's stored in /data/users/n, where n is the ID of the user profile. Each user gets their own directory, and each app that user uses gets a directory within that. POSIX file system permissions protect the data directories, not only from other apps, but also from other users.
Because Android uses the existing POSIX process, UID, and file system security mechanism, the same way it does for different apps, the implementation is already secure without needing anything special at the OS level, or a more complicated (and thus battery-hungry) solution such as virtualization. Virtualization would work poorly for this anyway: providing virtualized access to the network, Bluetooth, NFC hardware, etc. such that all users could control it would add a lot of unnecessary complexity to the driver stacks.
When both users run the same app (such as the launcher), there are actually two instances of that app. They share one APK file, but they have two separate processes running under different POSIX user IDs, and they each look in their own data directory. This way, nothing they might write to is shared between the two users, but read-only parts (such as the app's executable code from the APK file) are shared, reducing RAM and storage use. Both instances might be running at once, and switching users just changes which one is the foreground app on the screen. Nothing needs to be reloaded or restarted.
This works the same way whether the app is a built-in one, or one installed by the user. There's an awkward side-effect of that: when one user upgrades an app, the upgrade affects all users, even if the new version needs more permissions.
Only apps with the INTERACT_ACROSS_USERS permission are special. Such apps get access to APIs within the Android framework to look at all the users' data directories at once. The lock screen is an example of such an app: in one instance, it needs to be able to read each user's settings and profile picture, in order to show the "switch users" GUI.

If you have any further, more specific questions, feel free to click the Ask Question button to ask them. Comments aren't a place for long follow-up discussions, only for seeking clarification if the answer isn't clear.

Hello Dan Hulme, Thanks for your nice explanation. I have few more things in mind, 1. Native applications being shared ( eg - Contacts, call log, camera, gallery etc) in multiple users and only their data is separated or package manager makes new copy of these apks into user space and install apks newly  ?     2. For multi-user android is there any OS virtulization technology used like - ThinVisor, Hypervisor etc or it run on same android OS ? I will be great full if you suggest any code path related to multi-user for study


text:
How can I cancel an Android Device Manager Erase command?
Using Android Device Manager from my PC, several devices are listed, including one that no longer belongs to me. While attempting to remove this device from my list I inadvertently sent an 'Erase' command to the other devices. Fortunately, none of these devices had Android Device Manager enabled as a device manager, so the request was ignored. Phew! But I'm now a bit concerned that the request will be pending, and that at some time in the future an Android software upgrade will enable Device Manager and my data will disappear.
Can anyone tell me a way of cancelling the 'Erase' command, or whether the command will 'time-out' at some time?

ADM only works if the device is signed into the Google account that you're using in the web interface. If the device in question no longer belongs to you, presumably it will never sign into your account, so there's nothing to worry about.

Thanks, Dan. That's reassuring. Also, I just checked a bit more carefully and what I thought was an attempt to erase the data on all my devices was just a Gmail sent to all my devices telling me that ADM was about to erase the data on the device that no longer belongs to me. Breathing a hearty sigh of relief...

This answer doesn't work for the scenario where you send a wipe signal to your phone, but then recover your phone and want to avoid wiping it but continue using it.


text:
Delete call logs more than 5 days old
I want to delete call logs and sms that are older than a few days. Is there any way to delete call logs and sms that are older than 5 days?
I using android 4.1.2, micromax a110q.

Try Call Log Monitor app. This is free app. Call Log Master is another great free app but it will only work for call logs.

Good tools, anything for sms?

Automatically delete incoming messages (SMS) on receiving or after specified interval : From Call Log Monitor Google Play description :)

You can long press and choose remove from call log. Unfortunately, you'll have to delete the entries one at a time, but it can be done. But if you want to completely erase contacts from your iPhone, you have to try professional data eraser app, due to the simple deletion can be recovered by some data recovery app.

This doesn't answer the question, which clearly asks for a way of doing it without deleting each entry individually.


text:
Where does the LINE app store pictures and video files?
Where does the LINE app store pictures and videos that are received through it?
I don't see them in Gallery.

Pictures and videos from the LINE app are stored under the following directory:
 /sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/storage/gallerybig

All the audio files are placed under directory:
 /sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/cache/mo/(folder)/[audio files]

Profile pictures are cached in directory:
 /sdcard/Android/data/jp.naver.line.android/storage/p

Just rename the files to .jpg to view them.
Update:
With recent update, the download folder name for image, video, and voice files has been changed to LINE. Please check the LINE folder when you look for files.
Update on 18 Feb. 2021
Today I check for a video (*.mp4) file, and find it deep somewhere under .../storage/mo with strange folder names, so you'd better use a file manager to search it.


text:
how to sync my university email to my Android?
I bought a new galaxy s4 and I can't sync my university account to the cell phone. I tried going to settings>>accounts>>add account>>email but I still can't connect it.
my email is something like this *@mail.university.ac.il

This question is impossible to answer without knowing the configuration your university uses. You should ask for the details of the mail server from the university's helpdesk. You'll need to know at least the server address, username and password for your mail account, and possibly even more details such as custom port numbers, access restrictions, protocols to use, encryption etc.
I'm certain that the helpdesk can assist you in getting the email settings correctly into your phone.

Can you explain to me where can I find such things ?

From your university's help desk or IT support.


text:
How to update OTA?
Am using samsung galaxy y phone. I rooted it and installed Jelly Blast ROM in it. Also i changed the kernel . Now the problem is i can't be able to able to update my OTA even though a current update is available. My ROM is JELLYBLAST V3 and version is 3.0.0. Please help me hot to update it correctly.

Over-the-air (OTA) updates from your carrier or manufacturer cannot be directly applied on a device that has a custom ROM installed.  This is due to many possible incompatibilities between the stock firmware and whatever code base the custom ROM is using.  Therefore, most (if not all) custom ROMs intentionally disable any OTA checks that usually come standard with stock firmwares.
That said, some custom ROMs (e.g. CyanogenMod ROM) have developed their own OTA services. These are usually pull (i.e. phone checks for available update periodically) as opposed to push (manufacturer sends a message to phone to go out and download an update,) but generally work fairly well.  You should contact your ROM's developers to see if such a feature is available for you.
Alternatively, you can try to return your phone to its stock firmware, and then you'll be able to accept the carrier/manufacturer OTA update.

..Thanks a lot.Could you please tell me whether i can update my ROM manually ? Tell me some sites where i can get such updates ?


text:
Reenable Google Play Services after disable
I am developing an app that requires testing without google play services (I'm on a Samsung S3). I've turned google play services off in Application Manager and tested everything. Afterwards, I went back in and turned it back on, but I can't seem to get my app to recognize that google play services are re-enabled. What ways are there to check it Google Play Services is indeed enabled again on my phone?

After further debugging, google play services' connection was coming across as needing an update in my app's code. It turns out I had to clear Google Play Service's cache. Once I did that and turned on, it prompted me to install updates. I did that, and now it recognizes it as re-enabled as it should.

Under Application Manager, there should be two Google Play Services instances under "Running Apps".  These instances will also indicate which services are active, and that they were launched by an application.

The easiest way is reset app prefernces. Go to settings-app management-reset app prefernces. I tried all the above methods and nothing worked. I tried this by trial and error method and work done.

Go to Settings - Applications, then go to options tool and select "Reset preferences". It will start working again. I tried in Micromax.


text:
Whats app last seen status not visible
I have a friend on what's app I cannot only see his last seen status, I was able to see it & since a week now I cant see his last seen status. Although I can see when he is online. Message is send me are delivered as I see the double check mark, so don't think he has blocked me, but not sure why I cant view his last status, I can see my other friends status, but not his????

Whatsapp new update has the setting to hide last seen time stamp like iphone users. In settings-> Account-> Privacy you can hide last seen time stamp. If you choose to hide the last seen time stamp then you will not be able to see the others last seen time stamp.

I see, but then when you send them messages they are still able to view it correct???

Yes they can see. It is only to hide last seen time stamp

No he probably hasn't blocked you. It is the new feature of Whatsapp.There's an option in privacy settings to limit the "last seen" to either no one or only to contacts in your phonebook. When you select either of the two your last seen is visible to only those people. Though the "Online" status is visible when you are online. And massages can be sent and received until blocked.


text:
Why does Hangouts give my contacts a different # when starting from Voice?
Sometimes a texting conversation on android hangouts says my friend's number is something I've never seen before - a 678 number.
I think this occurs when I began the conversation using my desktop chrome google voice.
Is this a know issue?

This is how Google Voice works by design.  Here is the relevant exert from the Help article:

Each time you place a call, instead of dialing the number you want to
  reach, Google Voice dials a US-based direct access number. The Google
  Voice server then forwards your call to the actual destination number.
  This allows for faster call setup and the ability to place calls
  without a data connection. These direct access numbers may show in
  your phone's call log, or on your phone bill.
A unique direct access phone number is assigned to each person that
  you call. The direct access numbers are stored in the Google Voice
  application, not in your Contacts. They can be purged from your phone
  at any time by signing out of the Google Voice app.
Direct access numbers are assigned randomly, and may include numbers
  that are out of your local calling area, or even out of state. If you
  don't have a nationwide calling plan, you may be charged long distance
  rates by your carrier.

Basically unique, auto-generated numbers are assigned to your contacts as you dial them. These numbers don't change, but will be different from your contacts' actual telephone numbers.

So it makes sense to include this new number in my friend's contact info?

@Eliyahu I started to, mostly so that my outbound call log is even remotely recognizable. I just add the GV direct access number as a "DO NOT USE" custom label name.


text:
Using wired and wireless headphones simultaneously?
I have 1 android device, 1 wired headphones, 1 wireless headphones, 2 ppl willing to watch film.
When I connect both of headphones only wired work.
Is it possible to use both of headphones simultaneously?

i have tried and tried, never works, either use 2 wired earphones or use 2 wireless Bluetooth earphones

http://androidforums.com/threads/using-2-bluetooth-headsets-at-once.178052/
There are a few recommendations but this seems like it would work:
Buy a Y splitter which will turn one 3.5mm headset jack into two
Buy a Bluetooth Audio Transmitter like this one
Plug your headphones into the one Y jack
Plug your Transmitter into the other jack
Enjoy headphones + bluetooth working simultaneously
Theoretically, you could also connect 2 wired headsets or 2 bluetooth headsets with this method. This is more of a worst-case scenario hack. It seems devices with Bluetooth 4.0+ are already able to support multiple profiles:

Use the adapter that allow to connect wired headset. The smartphone switchs automatically to the wired headphone if inserted.

Not really understood your answer... What kind of adapter do you suggest?

An adapter with one male jack and two female, to plug in the two headphones jacks, is a largely used adaptor for mp3players

I have such, but I want to use wired+wireless headphones, not wired+wired


text:
when i download apps from my computer to send to my new motorola i1 they go to my old phone
My Problem:

My device doesn't show up on Google play.
Only my old phone, the one my Grandmother is using.
The apps I download go to her phone!

Please help!

Did you sign into your Google account on the new phone?

If you have more than one device registered with your email it should show in the google play store a dropdown list (choose a device) after you click install.
Something like this.


text:
dexopt produces a segmentation fault preventing boot-up
I built an application for Android (non-rooted) and tried to install it on my 'phone (Sony Xperia E), but when my 'phone tries to run dexopt on it, dexopt segfaults.
To make matters worse, I rebooted, and now it won't boot up until it's succeeded at the dexopt, so I can't use my device.  Here's a log of the segfault:
I/PackageManager(  399): Running dexopt on: ip7.bathuniapp
E/Adreno200-EGL(  392): <qeglDrvAPI_eglTerminate:2531>: <<<< Reset Blob Cache Funcs >>>>
W/dalvikvm(  487): Invalid file flags in class Lgroovy/ui/OutputTransforms$ObjectHolder_localTransforms;: 0002
F/libc    (  487): Fatal signal 11 (SIGSEGV) at 0x00000004 (code=1), thread 487 (dexopt)
I/DEBUG   (  157): *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
I/DEBUG   (  157): Build fingerprint: 'Sony/C1505_1270-4432/C1505:4.1.1/11.3.A.2.23/20130731.052941:user/release-keys'
I/DEBUG   (  157): pid: 487, tid: 487, name: dexopt  >>> /system/bin/dexopt <<<
I/DEBUG   (  157): signal 11 (SIGSEGV), code 1 (SEGV_MAPERR), fault addr 00000004
I/DEBUG   (  157):     r0 41ac8d98  r1 00000000  r2 a1cbfd84  r3 a1cbfd84
I/DEBUG   (  157):     r4 00000000  r5 41ac8d98  r6 44824fac  r7 00000008
I/DEBUG   (  157):     r8 00000001  r9 00000004  sl 4016d5b8  fp 1dcd64ff
I/DEBUG   (  157):     ip 40072f80  sp bed27978  lr 4012b27b  pc 4011481c  cpsr 60000030
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d0  72546c61636f6c5f  d1  736d726f66736e61
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d2  656a624f24736d72  d3  7265646c6f487463
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d4  42b6ebc842b6eb90  d5  42b6ec3842b6ec00
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d6  42b6eca842b6ec70  d7  42b6ed1842b6ece0
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d8  0000000000000000  d9  0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d10 0000000000000000  d11 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d12 0000000000000000  d13 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d14 0000000000000000  d15 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d16 42b6ed8842b6ed50  d17 42b6edf842b6edc0
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d18 42b6ee6842b6ee30  d19 42b6eed842b6eea0
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d20 42b6ef4842b6ef10  d21 42b6efb842b6ef80
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d22 42b6f02842b6eff0  d23 42b6f09842b6f060
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d24 0000000000000000  d25 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d26 0000000000000000  d27 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d28 0000000000000000  d29 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     d30 0000000000000000  d31 0000000000000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     scr 00000010
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): backtrace:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #00  pc 0005281c  /system/lib/libdvm.so (dvmLockObject+23)
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #01  pc 00069277  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #02  pc 0005a549  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #03  pc 0005aa41  /system/lib/libdvm.so (dvmContinueOptimization(int, long, long, char const*, unsigned int, unsigned int, bool)+240)
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #04  pc 00000c8d  /system/bin/dexopt
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): stack:
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27938  41b24198  /dev/ashmem/dalvik-heap (deleted)
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2793c  00001000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27940  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27944  00000028
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27948  41acd548  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2794c  40168c60  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27950  00000005
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27954  41b05fc8  /dev/ashmem/dalvik-heap (deleted)
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27958  42b65260  /dev/ashmem/dalvik-LinearAlloc (deleted)
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2795c  00000005
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27960  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27964  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27968  4016d5b8  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2796c  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27970  df0027ad
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27974  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #00  bed27978  41ac8d98  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2797c  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27980  a1cbfd84
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27984  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27988  41ac8d98  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2798c  44824fac  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27990  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27994  44d5cd90  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27998  44d5cd90  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed2799c  4016d5b8  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279a0  00032026
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279a4  4012b27b  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #01  bed279a8  00000002
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279ac  41ae5f88  /dev/ashmem/dalvik-heap (deleted)
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279b0  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279b4  a1cbfd84
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279b8  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279bc  41ac8d98  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279c0  41ac8d98  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279c4  447848cc  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279c8  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279cc  40168c60  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279d0  41ad2578  [heap]
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279d4  00001417
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279d8  00000002
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279dc  4016d5b8  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279e0  4015d134  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed279e4  4488631f  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          ........  ........
I/DEBUG   (  157):     #02  bed27a38  00040000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a3c  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a40  0000b30b
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a44  4016d5b8  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a48  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a4c  4093d000  /dev/ashmem/dalvik-aux-structure (deleted)
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a50  007de220
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a54  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a58  00000005
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a5c  00000000
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a60  4472f000  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a64  4016d5b8  /system/lib/libdvm.so
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a68  00000001
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a6c  4472f028  /data/dalvik-cache/data@app@ip7.bathuniapp-1.apk@classes.dex
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a70  007de220
I/DEBUG   (  157):          bed27a74  4011ca45  /system/lib/libdvm.so (dvmContinueOptimization(int, long, long, char const*, unsigned int, unsigned int, bool)+244)
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near r0:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d78 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d88 00000000 00000000 c4bbc1b1 00000453  ............S...
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d98 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8da8 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8db8 00000000 00000001 00000000 400e14c0  ...............@
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near r2:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd64 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd74 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd84 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd94 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfda4 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near r3:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd64 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd74 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd84 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfd94 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     a1cbfda4 ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near r5:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d78 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d88 00000000 00000000 c4bbc1b1 00000453  ............S...
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8d98 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8da8 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     41ac8db8 00000000 00000001 00000000 400e14c0  ...............@
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near r6:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     44824f8c 00000733 00000001 00000abe 0011386c  3...........l8..
I/DEBUG   (  157):     44824f9c 000019a7 00000000 001571b5 00000000  .........q......
I/DEBUG   (  157):     44824fac 00000734 00000002 00000abe 0011386c  4...........l8..
I/DEBUG   (  157):     44824fbc 00003eac 007d33c0 001572f3 00000000  .>...3}..r......
I/DEBUG   (  157):     44824fcc 0000073a 00000001 00000abe 0011386c  :...........l8..
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near sl:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4016d598 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4016d5a8 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4016d5b8 41ac6b18 41ac6b08 00200000 01000000  .k.A.k.A.. .....
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4016d5c8 01000000 00004000 00004000 00000000  .....@...@......
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4016d5d8 00000001 00000000 00000000 00000000  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near fp:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     1dcd64dc ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     1dcd64ec ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     1dcd64fc ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     1dcd650c ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):     1dcd651c ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff ffffffff  ................
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near ip:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     40072f60 00000000 00000000 00000000 40352185  .............!5@
I/DEBUG   (  157):     40072f70 403452b0 4034c90d 4033fa0c 403456b0  .R4@..4@..3@.V4@
I/DEBUG   (  157):     40072f80 4033fbc0 40346959 40340104 40341560  ..3@Yi4@..4@`.4@
I/DEBUG   (  157):     40072f90 4036cb5d 4034a11c 40351dcd 4035d745  ].6@..4@..5@E.5@
I/DEBUG   (  157):     40072fa0 4034f5ad 40341468 40340c00 403411a0  ..4@h.4@..4@..4@
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): memory near sp:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     bed27958 42b65260 00000005 00000001 00000000  `R.B............
I/DEBUG   (  157):     bed27968 4016d5b8 00000001 df0027ad 00000000  ...@.....'......
I/DEBUG   (  157):     bed27978 41ac8d98 00000000 a1cbfd84 00000000  ...A............
I/DEBUG   (  157):     bed27988 41ac8d98 44824fac 00000000 44d5cd90  ...A.O.D.......D
I/DEBUG   (  157):     bed27998 44d5cd90 4016d5b8 00032026 4012b27b  ...D...@& ..{..@
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): code around pc:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     401147fc 3b9ac9ff c4653600 4ff7e92d 0904f101  ...;.6e.-..O....
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4011480c 8024f8d0 f8df4605 460cb0bc 07c8ea4f  ..$..F.....FO...
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4011481c f0106860 d14b0601 03cff3c0 d1094543  `h....K.....CE..
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4011482c f6416860 f50072ff 60632300 4fd3ebb2  `hA..r...#c`...O
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4011483c e038d144 ea40b94b 464a0107 e912f7cc  D.8.K.@...JF....
I/DEBUG   (  157):
I/DEBUG   (  157): code around lr:
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4012b258 b1576c6f f0002c00 462080d6 f9a4f7fe  olW..,.... F....
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4012b268 21004620 ff5af7eb 4628e0cd f7e94621   F.!..Z...(F!F..
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4012b278 6a6efac5 63664620 fc6ef7fe b9984606  ..nj Ffc..n..F..
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4012b288 63604621 f7e94628 4620fb21 f98cf7fe  !F`c(F..!. F....
I/DEBUG   (  157):     4012b298 46314620 f7eb2601 4640ff41 22019908   F1F.&..A.@F..."
I/DEBUG   (  157): crash_level = -1
I/DEBUG   (  490): debuggerd: Jul 31 2013 05:41:06

Apologies for the stupid tags — I don't have enough reputation to create new ones.

dexopt is not at fault here - ip7.bathuniapp what is this app? That is inducing the fault.

Yes, but surely an app shouldn't be able to break the device like this.

I cannot help but notice further down the stack trace, the data cache for the app seems corrupted which chokes on the dexopt and throws a wobbler. Have you tried clearing/resetting the dalvik cache?

Everything I've seen says that I need root to do this — like the comment says, my device is not rooted.

One or two questions - what version of Android, also you mentioned you built an application, is this your application groovy/ui/OutputTransforms$ObjectHolder_localTransforms; or part of one of your classes?

4.1, and groovy was one of the libraries used. BathUniApp was my application.

Ahhhh..... I suspected that! Did you not consider that somewhere in your code is faulty... ? Did you check around for support/bug tracking on groovy itself? This is bordering on off-topic now that the headline of the question was bit sensationalised when it turns out your app is causing dexopt to throw a wobbler. Looking at our sister site StackOverflow on the topic of Groovy, it is best you get in touch with groovy contributors to find out why!

Also, this caught my eye - Groovy in particular this, and I quote Currently, Groovy is not able to run properly on Google's Android mobile platform out of the box.

Yeah, I wasn't the one to write that code, that was my teammate. I'm just trying to get my phone to work again. It's a bit late for code-checking now.

Try booting into Android Safe Mode? See this question

Tried about half a dozen different ways, it just keeps going back to 'android is updating...' screen.

Looks like you found a null pointer dereference in dexopt. You should report this on the official Android bug tracker, though you may find it's already fixed in a newer version.
As for your immediate problem, you might have to boot into recovery and do a factory-reset from there.

I would try removing the offending app first before nuking all data with a factory reset.

I can't boot into recovery. Can I do a factory-reset from the shell?

@MLev. What's preventing you from booting into recovery? Have you tried these steps?

@Dan your answer is incorrect, the offending app seems to cause problems!

@Chahk, 1) the LED never changes colour — it goes straight into the problematic optimization without ever turning the LED on.  2) adb reboot recovery also boots straight into the optimization.  3) I can't run the QuickBoot app because the device doesn't boot up.


text:
Nexus 5 won't connect via bluetooth to my alpine radio in my car
I recently bought a nexus 5 phone and tried to connect it via bluetooth to my alpine radio and it won't work.
They are visible to each other and it allows me to try to connect, but then it tells me it failed because the PIN was incorrect.
I don't see how it can be incorrect if 1 - I do not have to type the PIN anywhere and 2 - I verify multiple times before accepting the pair that the password on my phone and my radio are IDENTICAL and it still won't work.
Also, someone mentioned changing my password to 0000 or something easy and similar.. but How do I change 0000 to my default password? It doesn't give me the option to change the password for bluetooth. It generates a new password every time i try to connect
Please HELP!! I need my bluetooth :)

Have you tried to use 0000 for both? It's the most commonly-used password for devices that doesn't ask for password, or also set as the default passwird.

How do I change 0000 to my default password? It doesn't give me the option to change the password for bluetooth. It generates a new password every time i try to connect.


text:
how do I restrict my android phone to just my home and work wifi?
My android phone keeps connecting to random public wifi's that don't work very well. So I turned off wifi completely. Is there a way to say: use wifi if either my home wifi or work wifi is available, otherwise never use wifi?

I don't think Android does what you want but I'm sure "there's an app for that."

Potential answer: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15467789/stop-android-connecting-to-certain-wifi-networks

Android won't connect to a wifi access point without you specifying that you want to and saving it.
Under settings, wifi, long-press on the names of any access points you don't want to connect to and choose "Forget Network".

You can remove wifi networks under Settings -> Wireless -> Wifi -> long press on unwanted network -> remove.
Some apps like the automatic hotspot login from the german "Deutsche Telekom" are adding SSIDs to the list of known networks. If you remove such an app, the network is maybe not automatically removed.


text:
Android application firewall - interactive prompt confirmation for connections
I'm thinking of developing application, or probably extending AFWall+ app
What I'm missing on Android is possibility to confirm each connection from each application, simply blocking the application on some networks is already solved, but I want to have very specific control over what URLs/IPs the application is talking to.
I've made proposal https://github.com/ukanth/afwall/issues/269
Which is generally the same functionality as provided on OS X from Little Snitch application firewall. Possibility to create time-domain-port rules per application (unix uid/guid)
I'm thinking about using some kind of mashup of IPTables and possibly intercepting sock_create syscall. It will be open-source and free, if anybody wants to jump on the bandwagon, you're welcome.
So the question is, is there anything like this already done? Even paid applications.
I haven't really found anything like that, so I'd just like to be sure, before jumping into development of such large thing :-)

I'd certainly like to see something like this, the best I could find so far was XPrivacy (root required) which you can setup to restrict Internet connections. However unless you apply a global template (license purchase required for batch apply) this is per app. Though maybe you can manipulate the system Internet process, I haven't investigated upon that so far (it's an expert setting with a very RED background, I don't want to mess up my system too much...). Though I'd certainly love to restrict tethering such that a connected Windows Laptop won't waste my data quota for updates...

I've since than found NoRoot Firewall, which is basically this, in form of local VPN loop, quite ellegant, but still lacks DNS names resolution (usually you don't know what is connections target) and rootkits/system apps are not obliged to use VPN connection.

@MarekSebera Thanks for the info, you could add that as separate answer in case someone else figures or how to extend that


text:
What is this icon on the top right of some YouTube videos?
It isn't on all videos but it appears on some. No clue what it is.

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Vq-xHqUo8

It's the logo of the video's uploader. Uploaders can choose to display their logo near the beginning or end of the video, to make it easier for you to subscribe to their channel.

Thanks! In the Android YouTube app it remains on the top right for the entire duration of the video. Annoying. And clicking it doesn't do anything other than display the controls you normally get by clicking on video.


text:
Is it normal for Wi-Fi to always be on?
I have a Nexus 4 running CyanogenMod 10.2.1.-mako. While trying to figure out why my battery life seems to be shorter than usual, I have noticed that my Wi-Fi is constantly on.
Shouldn't the Wi-Fi turn itself off when the phone is not in use? Could this be responsible for my lower battery life? (I had much longer battery life on earlier CM versions)

Take a look at the answers to this question

This is because option "scanning always available"  is turned on in WiFi Advanced Settings. Turn it off may solve this issue.

(Click on image for larger preview)

Wi-Fi is usually turned ON or OFF manually. If it's turned on, and it's not in use or phone is considered sleeping, it's still running.
You might want to check with the CyanogenMod forums if there is any Wi-Fi issue for that version.

The Wi-Fi device inside your phone (that includes the radio transceiver as well as the hardware that decodes the signals and tells the main CPU of the phone) has several different power states. Even when the Wi-Fi is on, after it's idle for several seconds, the Wi-Fi device goes into a low-power state. In this state, it's still connected, and can still receive data: when new data arrive via the connection, or when the phone wants to send some data, it quickly powers up to the working state.
The low-power modes aren't made visible to the user, so all you see is that the Wi-Fi is on or off, regardless of whether it's draining power because it's working all the time, or saving power by staying in the low-power state.
If you're using a custom ROM, it's possible that a bug in the driver integration is preventing the Wi-Fi device from going into its low-power state. It could also be caused by a poorly written app sending or receiving data very frequently for a long period: even if it's a small amount of data overall, if it's sent intermittently, it could keep waking up the Wi-Fi device, draining power unnecessarily.
As others have pointed out, you can choose for Wi-Fi to turn off completely when the device screen is off. This setting isn't always practically useful. If you have 3G turned on instead, then the phone actually uses more power to send data that way (but less power to stay connected-but-idle). If you have 3G turned off or it isn't available, then turning off Wi-Fi means you don't have any network connection at all, and can't get notifications of new mail &c. until a few seconds after you next turn the screen on.

Is there a way to find this putative poorly written app?

Actually, wifi can be turned on or off manually, but you can set how the wifi will behave when the display is turned off - be it allways on, or turn off when screen is turned off and leave only 2G/3G/4G on. This settings can be found under the Advanced setting in menu on wifi settings page. Downside is that you are using your carriers data connection during the phone sleep and there may be some lag when waking-up the phone thanks to wifi reconnect.

One more solution to your problem is to use an application like JuiceDefender.
The answer to your questions also remains, Yes it is normal for the WiFi to be always on and as others mentioned you can either turn it off manually or let an app/OS do it for you.
Some ROMs manage it well in built but still require the data to be turned off, otherwise there is persistent battery drain. I'll highly recommend JuiceDefender as I have been using it for quite some time and it can prolong battery up to 2x.


text:
Nexus 5 takes forever and a day to charge
Since I have installed franco Kernel on my device, charging takes longer than normal  (I'd guess 4-5 hours?). But today charging became extremely slow. I plugged it in overnight and this morning it was at 87%.

In the screenshot you can see that it was on for ~ 1d 20h, and ~ 1d 10h it was on battery. That means it needed ~ 10h to get from 4% to 87%. Is this a common problem with the franco Kernel?
PS: I plugged it into the wall, not USB.

Looks like your cell reception is pretty bad, that might contribute to slowing your charging time. Are you using the original plug and cable?

It could be the cable, using a PC to charge, a dodgy custom kernel, rogue applications/processes using a lot of power, the bad cell reception you seem to have. It's very hard to tell with the information given. I'd try another ROM AND Kernel and see if this persists.

I am using the original plug and an amazon basics cable. This may be the cause. Wireless charging gives me ~550mA.

try charging with your phone off, to isolate the problem. If it is a software/power usage problem then it will charge faster, if its the cable or charger itself then it will charge at the same speed.


text:
How to track links that certain app accesses?
I always get concerned about backing up data that is relatively large, for the sake of bandwidth, which is kind of expensive in my area, really expensive.
For example, when I installed "Google Translate", I manually downloaded the language packs that I need, so I could install them whenever I want. I found the link browsing forums
http://dl.google.com/translate/offline/v3/r1/lang.zip
And now I've installed Google Text-To-Speech, and I wish to download High Quality voice data.
I haven't found any information about this on the internet.
So maybe you guys could help me, and tell me of possible ways to know, what url's or uri's are being accessed by a certain app while downloading cache or even just connecting for something?
Any advises appreciated

10 hours later, no answer so far :( been browsing all day to find a way... still stuck

I've came out with some workaround to get the voice data. However, I haven't been able to find out how to track links that apps request, particularly Download Manager app. Anyone interested in the way I backed up the voice data, just ask me :)


text:
samsung galaxy tab gt-p 1000 wifi icon trouble
My samsung galaxy tab gt-p 1000 is working fine. Previously the wifi icon on the top of the screen used to be a dot alongwith 4 semicircles of 60 degrees. Since last 3 days this icon has disappeared and two different icons alternately flash on original icon's place. Tab is stiil running ok.

What do the new icons look like? What's your question?

As Dan asked:

What do the new icons look like? What's your question?

I have had the same problem for the year i have had a LG-P925. The only way to resolve this is to reboot the phone. Since i rooted my phone, i go the app Quick Boot and put a widget button on my screen to reboot it. You will also realize that if you leave the wifi turned on and it doesn't connect, it might continue to keep your phone alive and drain the battery faster. I have used BETTERBATTERYstats app (free on xda developers site) to find out that it was not an app draining my battery, but the fact it fails to connect to the wifi because of this issue. i suggest rooting the phone and installing Quickboot and put a widget to reboot it. This happens to me once every other day.
I hope it helps you!


text:
How RAM usage effects battery drain?
I'm really confused about Android memory management.
I just read here that killing apps by swiping from recent list or using task killers won't save your battery but drain more because this cause the OS to load the apps all over again next time you launch it or startup by themselves. They also said the actually thing we should worry is CPU usage, not RAM usage.
Is that mean using too much RAM doesn't drain battery? As RAM is a hardware, holding something on it shouldn't drain battery? What if I was playing Temple Run and just press home button so the app will load faster next time I launch? Or should we just press back button until the app exit as we always do? I've also searched the internet but some said it would drain battery as it sits on RAM, some said there is no difference between RAM holds actual data or nothing. Should we let go of our app-killing habit and just feel relax?
Some precise answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :)

Your RAM is one of your least power-hungry pieces of hardware...

Your temple-run example might not be the best: as games can memory-hungry they either will be OS-killed rather quickly, or pro-actively will save the important data away when send to the background. It might load a little bit faster in that case because some small part is still loaded, but the game data will probably need to load anyway. A better example would be a simple twitter client: that might fit nice and cosy in your RAM until you need it again.

I doubt that there is a direct correlation between battery consumption and RAM usage. The hardware doesn't know which RAM cells contain 'used' data and which not. So there can be no difference in battery consumption on that level.
But I think that one could say that unnecessarily killing Apps causes a few extra CPU cycles when those Apps have to be re-started and therefore "uses more battery".
And yes, you definitely should let go of your app-killing habit. In most cases, Android is capable of managing the system's resources quite well and you shouldn't bother with manually killing Apps. They definitely won't drain more battery if they just idle around and consume some RAM. Of course, if those Apps are constantly using the CPU, they will drain battery (but this is usually a sign of a bug within the App or a badly implemented App).

On the other hand, there are misbehaving apps that wake up and don't go back to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. These are the apps that can very likely be causing battery woes. You can take a a look at them using Wakelock Detector

That's why I said that Apps using constantly the CPU are usually faulty or at least badly implemented. Note that I would not recommend using apps like Wakelock Detector as this functionality is now part of Android (with 4.4 IIRC).

Think of RAM like a paper notebook. You can write data into the book (with a pencil), and you can erase those data and replace them with new data, but the book's always the same weight. The book doesn't get any heavier, whatever you write in it. The same way, with current RAM technology, the battery use of the RAM is fixed, regardless of what (if anything) is stored in it.
From Android's point of view, it doesn't matter whether you leave an app with the home button or the back button. Pressing the back button doesn't kill an app or remove it from RAM. Swiping an app out of the 'recent apps' list doesn't kill the app or remove it from RAM. The only difference it makes is changing what the app shows you next time you launch it: the screen you were on before, or the main/first screen of the app.
Imagine you have a notebook (as before), and a big bookcase with lots of reference books. You can't carry the reference books around with you, so if you need to know about a subject, you have to copy the information out of a reference book into your little notebook. When you run out of space in the notebook, you use your eraser to wipe some information you don't need again, so you can copy more information into it.
All this copying is tiresome. So once you've copied some information, you want to keep it in your notebook for as long as you think you might need it. You keep track of what information in the notebook you're using right now, and what information you use often, and what information you haven't used for a while. When you want to make space, first you erase the information you haven't used for a while. If you haven't got any of that left, then you erase some information you use often but not right now. Only if you're really desperate for space (maybe there's one big subject that takes the whole notebook) do you erase the information you're using today.
This is exactly what Android's doing with your RAM. The big bookcase with reference books is like your phone's internal storage: you can't use it directly (because the books are printed, not written with pencil), so it's expensive (it takes time and energy) to copy data into your notebook (RAM) to work on.
A task manager app is like a schoolteacher who thinks your notebook looks untidy with all those pages of notes you're not using any more. The schoolteacher comes along every so often and erases whole pages of notes. This is unnecessary, because it doesn't make the book any easier to carry around: the book weighs the same regardless. Not only that, the schoolteacher doesn't know which information you use most often - he might have a vague idea, but he doesn't know as well as you do - so sometimes when he erases information, the cost is an extra trip to the bookshelf, which you wouldn't have needed otherwise.
Thinking about it this way, it's easy to answer your question. Using more RAM doesn't use any more power directly. A task manager app can make you use more power, because you're having to copy things from internal storage to RAM that you wouldn't have had to otherwise. In the same way, a single RAM-hungry app costs you twice: first you have to write all of that app's information in the notebook, and then when you finish with it, there's a lot of information that you had to erase (to make space), which you have to copy from the bookshelf again.

Haha, I like the analogy (+1). (Although, technically, if you write something the notebook it will weight just a bit more...but I'm being too critical.) Something else to note for @MinNaingOo is that, if you're running a Task Manager, that Task Manager is also using power cycles (AKA CPU) to do what it needs to do. Hence...more battery is being used.

It might also be worth mentioning the garbage collector. Your notebook doesn't just contain information you might need again. It also contains "garbage" - information you'll definitely never need again. This is because android is lazy, and doesn't even erase the garbage until it needs more memory. When you are low on memory, it will collect up this garbage to save some space. If you are low on memory often, then it will collect garbage more often, and use more battery.

@James_pic That's what the fourth paragraph is about. I don't want to additionally bring the within-app GC into it, as that's a bigger topic only relevant to programmers.

The only difference it makes is changing what the app shows you next time you launch it - Ehh, mostly true, but not always.  "Back" tells the app, "okay, I'm done", so it can do extra cleanup immediately.  I killed my data plan one day when I accidentally hit "Home" instead of "Back" from Google Maps - it kept updating in the background.

> Swiping an app out of the 'recent apps' list doesn't kill the app or remove it from RAM.
This was changed in the latest versions of Android. See e.g.:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=63618

@Izkata The app is free to handle the back button however it likes: what I'm describing is the behaviour of Android itself.

As the article explained to you, it doesn't matter how much stuff is loaded into the RAM, so that's completely okay if you don't close the applications that are idle. But if the app constantly does some activity, like syncing some data, or downloading, or even recording sound, it would drain your battery, because it uses the CPU, which sucks the energy from your battery, in that case, closing the apps would be a good thing to consider. Otherwise, if you're sure that the app will not perform constant activity in the background, then you shouldn't worry about it being stored in the RAM, it's just the same as storing your files in SDCard (I mean SDCard doesn't use battery, right?).
So just relax :) I guess temple run doesn't do any activity in the background, so don't worry to leave it in the ram.
Hope I explained to you. Cheers!

There is a big difference between iOS and Android. iOS freezes the apps, Android doesn't. The logic he explains in that article cannot be applied to Android, where some apps will drain your battery while in the background. If you care about this, use something like Greenify instead of a task killer.

What is the advantages of freezing app?

If I understand correctly an android app will only use CPU cycles when its not active if its supposed to, such as a news app thats loading new articles in the background

@MinNaingOo, A ”bad” app, cannot make a user think the iPhone battery is failing.  So stopping the user blaming apple.

@MinNaingOo Read this http://www.addictivetips.com/android/greenify-allows-ios-style-multitasking-on-android-by-hibernating-apps/

@Hallucynogenyc I've been using Greenify on all of my android devices even though I didn't know much about it's advantages. Thank you for the link :)

@IanRingrose So services of user apps are not allowed to run in background of iOS?

@MinNaingOo Read this https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11417837/running-background-services-in-ios

Answering the question of the title: "Can using too much RAM drain battery?"
(Not your "real" question, but possibly useful for others interested in the questions title.)
Yes, when too much RAM is used by apps or services trying to run at the same time, the system may need to kill some of them very frequently, even multiple times per second, and restart them soon as they are needed by something else.
That is using lots of CPU cycles, and thus some battery capacity.
Note that is not a normal case, like "not killing some apps manually", it's a "very broken" state - but I have seen it happen, seems to be related to many services interfering and competing for memory.

Since main RAM is dynamic (made of capasitors which loose info) they must be refreshed.
This refreshal takes power, and a full (or used) block, should take more power to "recharge" than once containing all 0's or somehow knows it's not being used.
However, if this is actualy noticable is for someone with more electronics know/how.
I have always noticed higher battery usage on all computers when more ram is used, regardless of CPU level, but there must be some other factors at play here.