text:
How to control, monitor and limit bandwidth usage?
During my last holiday, an overeager podcast app used my entire quota for downloading one podcast.
Now I am looking for sulutions that will help limit bandwidth usage.

Primarily I would like to monitor and limit usage by apps (getting warnings,throttling and blocking  apps).
Sometimes up/down can be treaded separately (like photo backups)
I probably have a lot of apps that I can't monitor individually, I think I should be notified about those using resources, and then be able to set limits.
Would like the possibility of several different "policies", with automatic or manual selection. (I often use a mobile hotspot, so basing it on wi-fi or mobile data is not sufficient).  Can be home operator, roaming status/location, Hotspot name.
Sometimes the problem is hotspot clients of my device.  Some granular control would be best.
Perhaps granular control of browses - possibility to control websites, tabs perhaps by limiting heavy downloads like flash and photos.
Limit bandwidth used by ads.

On my phone I have a Data usage listing under Settings|Connections, which is somewhat useful.

There are several things you can do:

Restrict background data. You'll find this option in the Data Usage section of Settings.

Use an ad-blocker like AdGuard or Adblock to avoid wasting bandwidth on ads.
Navigate to the Settings page of your data-guzzlers and make sure they only do their data buffets over Wi-Fi.
Also do remember to check your Data Usage page regularly to stop any greedy apps you've forgotten about from chomping down all your data.

Your options will vary by version of course, but my rule of thumb when roaming is to disable mobile data altogether.  As an example of why, traveling to the UK from the US resulted in a two to three hundred dollar charge even with the purchase of an international roaming package.  Overage charges are too ludicrous to risk so I would stick to wifi data only if at all possible.


text:
How to Chromecast Spotify?
How can I Chromecasting Spotify from an Android device?

App Image or only sound.
With or without Internet connection.
Utilizing Downloaded tracks, when available.
With my device as mobile Hotspot?  I tried Screencast, but it wants a Wi-Fi connection.  (Youtube works OK).
What about a Kindle?  (Now I have a Samsung phone running as hotspot, and a Kindle Tablet - if I could use the Kindle, I would also circumvent the hotspot issue).

Can it perhaps be difficult to find support for Kindle and Spotify, because the Chromecast intended for selling stuff for Google?

If your device is rooted, you can use BubbleUPnP (in the Play Store) as an Xposed module. Then you can cast the phones audio to your chromecast or TV via DLNA.

(Probably a bit outdated, as you can Chromecast with Spotify now)

The easiest way is to use Spoticast by NOP Developments. By setting Device Broadcast to True and logging into your Spotify account, it will allow you to push your Spotify content onto the TV.
Keep in mind that because of the Spotify API, this isn't a perfect method. Sometimes the connection will fail or there will be a slight delay, but it doesn't require root or anything special.

source: Stack Exchange

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

authors: Серега Смокилов

sort: votes


text:
Do Android phones require a data connection to work?
I'm looking at buying a new phone, the oneplus one specifically(pre-orders open again November 17) and my current phone plan I do not have data, just calling and texting, and I was wondering if the oneplus one works without data and I could just use wifi, or if I would need to purchase a data plan for the phone to work. so it would be as simple as putting the sim card from my current phone into the oneplus one and done? all help is appreciated, thanks.

Only thing I would be careful of is if your current "plan" will use data on a PAYG basis when outside of your plan? If it does and this is expensive then you can turn "mobile-data" off in settings (so that it only connects on WiFi).

No. You don't need a data connection plan to use OnePlus One or any android phone for that matter. Calling and texting will work irrespective of internet connection.
However, having a data connection will be useful if you want to use some apps on the go.

Just to clarify, using data on WiFi is perfectly OK and doesn't require a mobile-data plan.

so I can just disable "mobile-data" and I would be fine and I would not use any?

Yupp. That's what I do on my test devices if they have a SIM inserted.

You will not need a data connection to use any Android phone. Wifi can do most of the things a data connection will do and more.  But sending pictures/video/audio via texts will not work unless you have data.

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


text:
Take a voice note without unlocking the device
Sometimes, I want to take a voice note quickly. My ideal approach will look something like this:

Take the phone
Push a button
Speak a sentence (without unlocking the device)
Done

Later, I want to see a list of open voice notes (not handled yet) and reply them. No speech-to-text magic is needed. The primary focus is on speed.
Background: If I am talking to someone and want to take a note, I don't want to disturb the conversation since taking the phone, unlocking it, opening a note app, and finally typing it takes too long.
Best solution would be this: Start recording without looking at the phone. Like a dictaphone.
Anyway to get this thing get done?

I have not tried this (hence not an answer), and I'm not sure if a voice recorder would record with the screen locked. If it does, that could be achieved e.g. with Tasker: Have the camera-button (or a shake-pattern) as condition to start/stop a voice recording app.

Not a full answer, you could use Google Now, with the options to use from any screen and when plugged in / lock screen. It's not ideal but you can just say OK Google and 'remind me to whatever' as your note. Or just put a Google Keep (or similar) widget on your lockscreen and enter it there?

Well, I don't know a specific application for this specific task. But you can use the built-in camera to record a video (obviously with audio) without unlock the phone.
Most devices have the function to take a picture without unlocking (camera-button, sliding, shaking etc). On the camera screen you can change from picture mode to video record easily.

Like @Izzy mentioned in the comments, Tasker is the way to go.
Here you can see a List of Plug-Ins and 3rd Party Tools where you can find Easy Voice Recorder. With this installed it will be easy to create a Task for recording ;)

I installed Tasker, but could not start an app without unlocking. But maybe I was blind and could not find the correct configuration.

This is possible (recording audio without unlocking the device, but with the screen on) with the help of the excellent Macrodroid app. When I tried to do the same I found this hint. For those who are not familiar with how MD works, this device automation tool almost always works with the Trigger/Action/Constraint concept. For a basic recording we should created

Trigger: Shake device
Action: Vibrate (to sense that the action is
executed),
Action: Record microphone (for actual recording).

The record action allows choosing a fixed length for recording starting with 30 seconds, but with the help of two macros and variables it's possible to use the first shake to start an unlimited recording and the second one is to stop it (maybe with an additional vibrate signal). Please note that the device might turn the screen off during the recording and for the off action to be successful one should light the screen with the side button.
Also have in mind that there are false triggers possible, for example when you use the device as an alarm clock and grab it in the morning there might be a shake trigger. So constraints settings might be used for example to avoid using the macro when particular apps are active (in foreground). Also additional actions (like the torch in the original article) might be used for additional indication that the recording is on.
The mentioned configuration was tested on a couple devices with Android 7 and 11 versions and worked flawlessly recording audio notes while the device was in the locked state

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


text:
Can't receive WhisperPush Messages on CM11
My Phone runs CyanogenMod 11. I registered in WhisperPush via the Settingsentry and got the verification code. I do have a Google Account, the phone is new and I haven't installed any apps yet.
Now I wanted to text with my contact (he's using TextSecure) via WhisperPush/TextSecure. When he sends me a message using TextSecure, it's shown to him that it's sent encrypted, but I won't receive any message at all. On the other hand, when I send a message, it's send as a normal text without any encryption at all.
I tried to enter the verification code somewhere, but can't find anything, permissions should be also fine, at least I allow WhisperPush everything.
How can I get WhisperPush to work?
Hint: WhisperPush is integrated with CyanogenMod, so Google Cloud Messaging shouldn't be involved.
Update: I tried it with another contact, who uses TextSecure as well. While I still won't get any encrypted message and the messages I send are still plain text, after unregistering and re-registering from WhisperPush I noticed that I've the public key of my contact in my list, he had mine as well. So it seems there was a key-exchange, but somehow the messaging app(?) doesn't know it can communicate with this contact using WhisperPush/TextSecure.
Update II: I just installed the TextSecure (now Signal) app from the Google Play Store. Works flawless.

I can't find that app (could you provide a market link?), but it might be it uses Google Cloud Messaging. CM doesn't ship with the GApps, which are required for that. Do you have the Google Apps installed on that device?

@Izzy WhisperPush is directly shipped with CM article. I do have (I guess all) Google Apps like GMail, Maps, PlayStore etc. It would be a bit weird if CM includes software which needs something you have to install afterwards...

Yupp, you're right. I wasn't aware of that fact (your question didn't state it ;) In that case, GCM shouldn't be involved here.

Yeah, but still don't know what to do. There was no other window or form I had to fill out/enter passphrase or so after receiving the verification code. I don't even know where to put it. So far it doesn't seem well thought through...

@Izzy: CM's WhisperPush implementation actually does require GCM. A ticket was filed at one point asking them to remove this requirement but it was marked as "won't fix".

@eldarerathis That might answer the question then! Though I guessed it, you've got the proof. OP is unclear on whether Google Apps are installed (having an Google account doesn't necessarily mean to have GApps installed). If not: Mind making it an answer?

@Izzy, I'm quite sure I've the GApps installed. On the link eldarerathis provided they talk about the Play Service Framework. I guess it's the Google Service Framework which I have and according to the Privacy Guard has all permissions, not sure if there lies the problem.

Ok, I found an interesting thing. According to the App ops (advanced menu of the Privacy Guard), the Service Framework is said to be able to receive SMS, but when I look at the actual settings there is no option there to either restrict it or not. Seems like there should be this option, but actually it's missing. Could this be the problem?


text:
What is the browser engine on Android devices?
Different vendors send non-Chrome browsers by default. Can I assume all of them to be Chromimum based?

No.
The default browser on stock Android is Google Chrome. This uses the Blink layout engine. For AOSP installations without the Google Apps, the default browser is the old "Browser" app that uses Webkit.
However, other browsers are available. Firefox uses Gecko, Opera uses Blink, Dolphin uses Webkit, and there are probably others. Additionally, I am informed in the comments that Samsung and HTC install different (non-Chrome) browsers on their phones. I do not know what they are, or what engine they use.
Summary: Android does not have a single browser or layout engine.

The default browser on Google Android is Chrome, the default browser on AOSP is the old 'Browser'. You are right, but there is a difference between 'Android' and 'Google Android', though it's a loose definition!

Then there's Samsung's default browser for Android, HTC's default one and so on. The fragmentation of Android makes this an absolute pain. +1 for the answer though!

@rossC thanks, I hadn't considered AOSP. And I wasn't aware that Samsung and HTC replace Chrome... the last time I had an HTC phone, Chrome wasn't available for Android anyway!

No, you can't. If you want a more specific answer than that, you need to give more details on what you're trying to achieve, but bear in mind that programming questions are off-topic on this site.


text:
In Microsoft OneNote 2013 for Android, is it possible to move a page from one folder or section to another?
In Microsoft OneNote 2013 for Android, is it possible to move a page (aka note) from one folder to another or even just from one section to another?
This seems like very rudimentary functionality, yet appears impossible.

Unfortunately the functionality to move pages between different sections doesn't appear to be available. I would love it if you could move pages between sections, and even move sections between different notebooks.
As a workaround, the functionality IS available on the web version of OneNote. If you have the OneNote notebook stored in your OneDrive (which I can't see ANY reason why you wouldn't) then log into www.onenote.com and move the pages between sections using the browser.
Then, sync your notebook with your Android device again.

Thanks so much!  Hopefully Microsoft will include this essential functionality.  It's interesting (but not surprising) they have shipped a product with incomplete functionality.

As a developer, I can understand why they have shipped a product with 'incomplete functionality'. Getting the product to market sooner to gain market share is one advantage. Also, doing certain tasks on some platforms / devices might not have a suitable metaphor or way of working, or just make sense. I could see that the accidental movement of sections on devices might cause issues for some users.

I agree... when the app was brand new. But the app is mature enough now that all essential functionality should be included. I think moving a note from one folder to another is essential!  It's the one detraction that keeps me from using the product.


text:
What does "<string>@<string>" (ex: se.infra@SEP138#1) mean on kernel version?
I have broken my mobile, so I want to download the original version back.
The original version is:

Android version: 4.1.2
Kernel version: 3.0.31-638230 se.infra@SEP138#1

On kernel version, what does it mean by se.infra@SEP138#1 and how to check the correct kernel version before downloading the Android image?

This is the name of the user and computer that was used to build the kernel. "se.infra" isn't a username belonging to a real person, but an account used by the build infrastructure at Samsung. It's not relevant at all.
The thing you need to match is the Build number, shown just beneath the kernel version in the About device page of the device settings. It looks something like JSS15J.I9300XXUGNG3: everything after the "." is actually the build number for the baseband (modem firmware) that goes with the ROM. The first half of the build number is listed with each ROM on sites like sammobile.com that offer original Samsung ROMs for download.

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


text:
How can I change preferred network type through a script (or terminal command)
I'm currently attempting to create a workaround for a problem that is plaguing a ROM that I'm using. While my phone and ROM are capable of using LTE, and use it perfectly fine, the "preferred network type" dropdown under Mobile Network settings will only allow one to choose 2G or 3G, not LTE. I can change the preferred network to LTE by using the TEST settings, but this is cumbersome, and doesn't stick after a reboot.
My goal is to write a script that will launch at startup and change the preferred network type to "LTE/GSM auto (prl)". Is there a command to do such a task, and if so, what is it?

Have you tried to write a script to simulate *#*#4636#*#* ?

How to change "Preferred Network Mode" using adb without reboot?


text:
Single Authentication for Wifi, Bluetooth and NFC
I would like to use a single authentication for Bluetooth(BLE and classic), wifi and NFC between an android phone and a wearable device.Which means , say i connect a phone and another wearable through BLE , then later the phone should authenticate the device in other two communication platforms as well without asking authentication again. Please point me in the right direction.Help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
 !

This question is a bit of a nonsense. There is no standard pre-authentication step for NFC. The devices just exchange data when they touch. If the software you're using to control what data are transferred requires some kind of authentication step, that's only within that software, so you'd need to use some feature of the software itself to turn that off (e.g. in the settings for the app). It's not possible to give a more specific answer because you haven't described the software you're using.
Similarly, the question doesn't make much sense for Wi-Fi. Usually, the phone will be connected to some Wi-Fi network, and to communicate with the wearable device, it would need to connect to the same network. But the phone doesn't authenticate the device in this step: the device needs the Wi-Fi key to authenticate itself to the Wi-Fi hotspot. The phone already has this key, but for security reasons it can't be extracted by a normal app. Only a root app, running on a rooted phone, would be able to send the key to the wearable via the existing Bluetooth connection, and the device would need to be expecting this data. That is, the designer of the device must have included this feature. It's not something you can add as an end user.


text:
Google Play Store is not updating
I unistalled Google Play Services and Google Play Store and later when I reinstalled them both, the Google Play Store was again back to an old version, and now it's not updating. Before I uninstalled it was updated to the latest version, the one with material design. I've tried updating it manually in  Google Play >Settings >Build version but it says it is up do date. Please  help.

What you can do is get the .apk file of the Google PlayServices and Google PlayStore from some trusted source like Android Police etc. You can also use these .apk files Google Play Store and
Google Play Service and install it over your device that's should solve the updating problem you are experiencing.


text:
Can I root a phone thats already rooted?
I bought a chinese phone thats seems to be be already rooted.
How can I be sure?
When I download apps that require root they don't work.
Can I change privledges on an already rooted phone?
Or can I re-root?

Simply speaking, Android devices are either rooted or not. If they are not rooted, then you should ask the question "How can I root my <insert your device name/model>?"

You can try installing the app Root Checker to know if your device is rooted or not. And yes you can root your device again even if its rooted. But yes first its better to check if it has the rooted privileges or not. As far as running of apps is concerned sometimes some app stop responding even if one has the rooted privileges better would be to first check things out.

There is a chance Root checker will request Super User permission, however, if nothing is there to handle it (e.g. SuperSU) it will be denied root, and show a partial root or no root on the device. OP may need to find a Super User tool that will work on their device, if one exists.

In the literal sense, no—you can't root a phone that's already rooted, because that's like killing a bug that's already dead.
If the real question is, as I understand it, whether it's okay to go through the rooting process on a device that's already rooted, generally yes, there's no reason why that would cause any harm. So if you don't know whether the device is rooted, and you want to go through rooting process just to make sure, there's no reason to be concerned that you'll be causing harm if it happens to have been previously rooted. To extend the analogy, it's like not knowing whether the bug is dead and spraying it with RAID just to be sure.
However, it's a waste of time to root a device that's already rooted, because the rooting process is always more complicated than checking whether you have root access. You can use Root Checker as suggested in Peter Carlos's answer. Rather than installing an extra app just to check for root, though, the way I do it is by launching Terminal Emulator (an app you'll probably want anyway on a rooted phone) and issuing the su command. If you don't have root, you'll get an error message like
/system/bin/sh: su: not found

If you don't get any errors, you have root. Also, the prompt should change to begin with root@.


text:
How to execute “reboot recovery” in recovery mode?
I need to run "reboot recovery" while in Android recovery mode without using PC.
My recovery didn't accept recovery parameter "recovery".
adb reboot recovery - reboots recovery to recovery.
rom shell "reboot recovery" - just reboot to system.
Trying to push normal reboot to /tmp and run it, but sh says that it couldn't find /tmp/reboot.

TWRP make it like below, maybe this can help
case rb_recovery:
            check_and_run_script("/sbin/rebootrecovery.sh", "reboot recovery");

GitHub ref

Press the power off button and the volume down button at the same time before turning it on. The system will then enter the device reset mode.

Welcome to an international Q&A site, Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Sorry, but this site has English-only policy. Consider [edit]ing and translating it to English. I translated it this time, but please use English for future communication, thanks.


text:
Change a system setting missing from the UI directly?
I have a Lenovo S939 (Android 4.2.2, rooted) and the setting to change the default notification sound is missing. Is there a good app that can be used to browse all system settings and make changes directly (something like regedit in Windows). Or can this setting be changed in the file system by editing a XML file? If so, how can I find it?

Got an answer on XDA, tried it, worked: http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/change-setting-missing-ui-directly-t2927313
Basically they suggested to change the setting in build.props but the phone didnt pick that up. So in the end I overwrote the default audio file with the one I wanted.

Please provide some relevant context here, so that if the link ever becomes unavailable this answer will still contain enough information to be useful.


text:
I don't have the right HBOOT version, can I still install Cyangenmod?
I ran adb reboot bootloader on my HTC Sensation XE and it states that the version is 1.29.0000
According to the wiki I must have version 1.17.0006, .0008, .0011 and .0012, 1.18.0000?

No you can't install a CM Rom without having the correct bootloader. You will brick your device or end up bootlooping it.
Download and flash correct HBOOT, then continue with your choice of Rom.

as per your wiki link
"Pay close attention to the HBOOT revision as newer updates break the tool's ability to work properly"

authors: ขจรศักดิ์ โพโส


text:
How to turn off notifications from Facebook Messenger on Android Gingerbread?
All the instructions on the web for disabling messenger notifications are for Androids 4.0 and higher. I just don't have "show notifications" box which to uncheck in the app menu on my Gingerbread device. Is there any other way to turn off messenger notifications or am I simply forced to buy a new phone?
Thanks a lot!

Screenshot (click for larger variant)

Those instructions are for Android 4.1 or higher, because this option was introduced with 4.1 – so before, there is no "common way" to do that. Either the app supports it – or not. No system-wide option for that before 4.1.

Messenger is good app for those who really don't want to miss any notification. If you don't want it, uninstall it and look for alternatives like Nimbuzz, IM+, etc... There are so many alternatives which supports Facebook chat.

If you have root access on your device, an application like this may work for you. I cannot test it as I have no Gingerbread devices.

This option only lets you turn off notifications for 24 hours (what a terrible feature)
Open the messenger application.
Go to the 'cog' icon for settings.
Turn notifications off.
This image shows the Icon, and shows the 'Notifications' option, but the arrow isn't pointing to it!

Thank you for the time and effort, but this doesn't quite address my problem. That option lets me turn off notifications for the next 24 hrs max. I would like it to be permanently disabled.

@Toolik that's a rubbish feature! I've never used it myself, and didn't realise it did that. Facebook seem to assume you always want their notifications. If you turn off Light, Vibration, Sound, Notification Preview, Chat Heads, is there anything left for it to notify with? I'll keep looking. I, personally, would not use any app that doesn't let me turn off notifications permanently, but I get that you probably don't want to get rid of it. Root access may allow you to do this.

@Toolik no problem, I also updated the answer for root users. If it works, consider accepting the answer! I'm still amazed how badly designed the whole app is!


text:
Open bookmark list in new tab using chrome 38
I usually surf with multiple tabs open.
There is a new fancy version of Chrome-android, (38.0.2125.102 and later), and with it disappeared the possibility of seeing the bookmarks list when opening a new tab. Now it always defaults to a google search box, a google logo, and some icons displaying often-surfed-to web pages. If I wish to view my bookmarks I have to click the tab for bookmarks at the bottom of the screen. How can I make it quicker to open bookmarks again?
Solutions I've discarded

"Ok, so just open the bookmarks list directly then?"

I would, but the bookmarks list opens in the active tab, not in a new one. So that only works if I wish to replace the current page, which is seldom the case.

"It's just one more click, it can't be that bad?"

The number of clicks has increased by a factor of 1.33, that is not insignificant for an action that is taken very often. But worse, it breaks my flow when surfing.

"Switch to Firefox?"

I have. I don't like the font scaling in that browser. Still, it's my fallback for now.

"Undo the chrome upgrade, stay at version 37."

Insecure, and really hard to do after-the-fact. You can uninstall all updates, but then, depending on OS version, you go back all the way to 32. That is not good.
tl;dr:
How can I open one of my bookmarks in a new tab with as few clicks as possible using Android Chrome 38+?
Before 38 it was 3 clicks. Now it is 4. A minor issue one might think, but tell that to my muscle memory.


text:
Using google cam to make horizontal 180-degree fisheye pics
On my Nexus 5, I'd like to use the google camera in panorama mode to make a 180-degree fisheye photo. I want to do this holding my phone in such a way that the lens is looking UPWARDS (towards the sky). In other words, my zenith should be in the middle of the final processed picture. Unfortunately, I can only create fisheyes when I hold the phone in an upright position, i.e. when it is aligned to the horizon. This means that by the end of the whole process, I am going to have a final image showing half terrain, half sky.
When I hold my phone horizontally,thus looking upwards, before starting the capturing process an arrow appears that forces me to put it in a vertical position - aligned with the horizon - before it creates the first pic. See here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Xl49qe9PWbYk5lcXA2czY4aDg/view?usp=sharing
The reason why I want to do this is because I'd like to put this picture on a planetarium dome. These domes represent the sky above us and therefore show mostly sky and not terrain.
Here's an example pic of what I want to create: http://www.philohome.com/skycollec/original/sky11.jpg
Any ideas?

I'm not sure I understand. To take the panoramic photo you need to move the camera around anyway, because you don't really have a fisheye lens. Why can't you just start in the suggested position and make sure you include upward-pointing shots as well as the horizon ones?

The camera app wants me to start in such a way that by the end of the capturing process (37 images) I have the upper half of the final image showing the sky and the bottom half showing terrain. It won't let me with I hold my phone in a horizontal position. There is an arrow showing up on the display that requires me to move/tilt my phone in such a way that it is aligned with the horizon again. Then, and only then, the capturing starts. Here's a screenshot with the arrow pointing down https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4Xl49qe9PWbYk5lcXA2czY4aDg/view?usp=sharing

The best description of what I actually want: I want my sky zenith in the middle of the final image and not the horizon!

I don't think the projection that these panoramas use is suitable for that kind of image. You either want a "photosphere" or a different camera app.

I want to do the same thing, I can't fine a way to do it either. The app wants to force me to have the centre of the fisheye image "horizontal".


text:
Missing "Google Play"app
My phone (Nokia XL) did not come with Google Play application. How do i install it (i've already tried with some weird .apk files)? If my phone cant use Google Play can you at least tell me if there is some way i can download the apps on my computer and then send them to my phone through USB.
Thanks

I don't know much about Nokia XL but I don't think they came with Google PlayStore app. I guess, You can use AndroidPolice to get the .apk file of GooglePlayStore or if you want can also user Google Play Store apk file if you want.

You could try installing the Google Play apk as Peter mentioned (although you mentioned this, did it fail, give an error or what?) or you could use the Amazon app store or an alternative app store on the device if Google Play will not work.

Don't pirate Google Play.

@DanHulme what do you mean by "Pirate Google Play"?

The question is asking about installing Google Play on a phone that's not licensed to run it. That's software piracy.

Look, i dont want to pirate anything, i just want applications from Google Play. So... I tried with 2 .apk files. Both of them installed normaly, but when i click them nothing happens... not even error. I've tried the .apk from Peter Carlos post... same thing happened. If i cant make Google Play happen for me i think ill use the Amazon store, thanks for the info :)

@DanHulme that's a very good point, I had forgotten that Google apps/services are closed source. The difference between Android and "Google Licensed Android" are a bit fuzzy sometimes, but any Gapp / service shouldn't be installed on a non licensed device.

See also: How can I install the Google Apps Package (Play Store, …) on my Android device?

You can't use Google Play unless your phone has installed the Google Play Services to the /system partition, which is only possible through flashing it. (If you don't have root access).
The .apk of Google Play is only for use with phones installed Google Play Services.
The Play Store is the frontend of the Store, which only shows you information and let you interact with the services.
The Play Services are installed at the /system partition (because they need higher privileges to install and uninstall applications). This is the backend of the Play Store (and other Google apps).
Means:
If you don't have the Play Services installed, the Play Store can't do anything.

Although Nokia XL is based on the Android Open Source Project with Nokia's interface layered on top, it does not come with Google services due to Nokia's contract with Microsoft. However, there is a solution though it involves rooting your phone. You will void your warranty or even ruin your phone;try at your own risk. If you want to want to risk it, Google is your friend.
Here is one example http://androidrootcentral.com/root-and-install-playstore-nokia-xseries/

Whilst this answers the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference (please [edit] your question and do so). Otherwise your question ceases to be helpful in case the link dies.


text:
MOTO E battery drops suddenly to 0%
My moto E phone is not even a month old, and already I'm having a HUGE problem with it.
I charge my phone to full battery, sometimes during a whole afternoon or night. In the morning or at 100% I unplug the USB. The phone then last a while on battery, but suddenly the battery drops to 0% and the phone shuts down. I can't get the phone back on again unless I plug it in with the USB to charge it.
Then, the battery charges ridiculously fast to 100%, sometimes in just a few minutes. When I check the battery graph, it shows that the phone uses the battery steadely for a while until there is a sudden and steep drop for no reason whatsoever. This drop occurs seemingly randomly sometimes happening at around 90% charge, sometimes 80%, 70%, 60%... There are no special apps running, and the phone is not even connected to the internet, not by WIFI or the phone network.
Why is this happening? I can't leave my house with my new phone without the charger cable, even at 100% battery, because often I end up looking for a computer to charge my phone on after only an hour or two because my phone has shut down!
Can anyone help?

Your battery is faulty. You would have to replace that.You should also check this

OK - This issue is still happening.
I hope, since your phone was new and under warranty, that you took it back to get a new one.
There are people still experiencing this same thing. It is being discussed in the Levono/Motorola forums.
https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/MOTO-E-2nd-Gen/Moto-E-2nd-sudden-battery-drain-and-power-off/m-p/3862539#M4467
The solution presented by a Motorola Agent was to plug the phone in to a wall charging unit, let it charge to 100%, and then keep charging it for awhile. This seems to have worked for me. My phone is about 2 years old. So, I can't take it back for an exchange.
But, another user isn't as lucky as me. So, any addition information or solution suggestions would be helpful here or on that other forum.

Your phone (or possibly the battery) is faulty. Return it to the shop for a replacement.


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Settings shortcut in Android 4.4
I am using Android 4.4. I would like to have shortcut to multiple Settings features (wifi, display, lock screen,...) on the desktop.
If I long click on a desktop, I do not find a way to place a shortcut. And I remember it was possible in earlier versions of Android.
How can I do this?

You can do this in other launchers easier, but if you go to Widgets in the app drawer there should be one called SETTINGS, once you add this it will give a menu of sub settings options like Battery, WiFi etc.
Finding the 'Widgets' option depends on your device though, Google Now launcher has it when you press the menu button, Samsung Launcher has it in the app drawer, Nova Launcher has the long press function... etc.
Alternatively I strongly recommend Power Toggles from the play store. You can add nearly any shortcut to this, though the odd one (e.g. Locations) requires root. It's a fantastic, flexible option. (I have no involvement with this app by the way, but I've used it for ages on all my devices)
Edit: From your comment you are using a Samsung Galaxy S5, which as you say, does not have this option. The only options I can think of are downloading widget(s) for the shortcuts you use, or downloading a new launcher like Nova Launcher that has the functionality you need. Alternatively you could just use the quick shortcuts in the notification settings, though the range of them is quite limited.

I am using Galaxy S5 and oddly there is no Settings widget :S

That... doesn't surprise me much, I'm looking at you Samsung. I don't have the S5 in the office, but I'll have a look when I get home for you.

I tried it there on my lunch, that's very odd. I've updated the answer but it's not ideal for your situation.

Marc Plante reports (lacking rep to comment): "I can unfortunately add that Nova Launcher does not help Samsung Galaxy S5 owners. I use the Wifi toggle often as part of my work, and miss having it available. I have opted to leave a settings shortcut in my Nova tool drawer."


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How can I determine what is transmitting data?
Recently I noticed that even while no applications are actively running (at home screen), the up and down arrows under the WiFi status bar item are turning on/off.  This is a recent change, and seems to have started after some automatic updates.
I've gone through and killed all the running processes (that allow you to kill them), and the behavior continues.  I'm assuming it must be a system process that's causing this, but I can't for the life of me figure out which one or why.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 with KitKat 4.4.2, if that matters. And I've already tried restarting the device.
How can I determine what is causing the WiFi indicator to signal data is being transferred? I'm comfortable creating simple android applications, so a programming solution is an option.

You can go to Settings > Data Useage (under wireless), and there should be the option to see data used by WiFi. The device will 'check in' occasionally and those icons are not the most reliable guide at all for whether the data is sending / receiving. If you have ANY app that has push notifications it will send a heartbeat from time to time. This includes email, facebook, weather apps, google now, whatsapp, hangouts, kik, skype, viber, twitter, google +, photo synch, games etc. Also Google Play Store updates automatically on the device, so do Play Services... and it goes on.

Thanks @RossC. I've checked the data usage, and wasn't able to figure out which application specifically was causing the issue.  I understand applications checking for updates, and the theory of a "heartbeat". The problem is, this didn't seem to happen before a week or two ago. I'd like to  try and work out what's causing it, to determine if it's required or not.

Hmmm, you could try ttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobidia.android.mdm&hl=en  and see if it's any use.

I use an application called “App Snitch” which monitors all network access and let’s you know what each app is doing. The Play Store link is HERE.

I'd recommend you taking a look at the app OS Monitor (see my answer here). Next to the "usual process list" it also offers a view on open connections, which app holds them, and where they go to. As an app requires an open connection to transmit data, it must be listed there. Even if you "almost miss the end of transmission", the socket is usually still listed as CLOSE_WAIT for a little more time – so if you see the "transission arrows" and launch OS Monitor, you should be sure to see it there.


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Updating any app is retaining its older version?
I am using android 4.4.2 on my Asus Zenfone 5 (not rooted). It seems that when I am updating any app from play store, it is installing a newer version without removing the older version.
Before updating total space occupied by all apps was around 400MB, after updating all the apps successfully the occupied space for apps increased to 1.1GB. As my internal memory is limited, I am little worried.
Is this behaviour normal? Can I get rid of old versions of those apps? What is the way to avoid such situation in future?
Additional question after reading the answer

Can the default apps be removed?
What if one tries to install the same app after removing the default app in /data?

From your description, it sounds like the problem might be due to built-in apps. Built-in apps (that come with the phone) don't take up your storage space, because they don't live in the data partition (where your apps and data are stored), but in the system partition. However, they can't be updated in the system partition, because it's read-only. Updating a built-in app is done by installing the new version to the data partition and ignoring the old version. The effect of this is that the whole size of the app occupies the data partition. Subsequent updates don't keep taking up more space: once the app is on the data partition, the package is simply replaced with newer versions in the usual way.
For instance, say the YouTube app is 17 MB. When it comes with the phone, it occupies no space on the data partition. It takes 17 MB in the system partition, but since you can't use that partition for anything else, that doesn't matter. Now you update YouTube from Google Play. The new version takes 17 MB on the data partition, as if it weren't a built-in app at all. The old version is still on the system partition, inactive, but it still makes no difference.
If you were to update a lot of built-in apps at once, then the effect would be much bigger.
This only applies to the app itself (the APK file), not its data and cache, which are always stored on the data partition.
Other than in the case of system apps like this, two versions of the same app (identified by their package name) can't coexist on the same device. Installing a newer version always removes the older version.
On a rooted device, or if you install a custom ROM, you can make the system partition writeable and update built-in apps directly on the system partition, so they still won't take up space on the data partition. This is quite a risky business, though: it's easy to accidentally change files you shouldn't change, and lose all your data or make the phone unusable. There's a reason the system partition is normally read-only!

Hi Dan, how can it write the same app to /data if it's already in /system? Is this something the dev can deliberately do? In the youtube example won't I be installing com.google.android.youtube in both instances? How does it know which to 'enable'?

It's nothing to do with the app developer; it's just the way Android updates system apps. It all happens within Android's package manager. The old version is still effectively uninstalled, as with a normal upgrade; it's just that the APK file is still there.

As the last paragraph in the answer implies, the /system partition is usually mounted read-only – so "system apps" cannot be updated directly. Hence the updates are installed in "user-space". Think of it like with the PATH environment variable, with the "user space apps dir" being put in front of the "system space apps dir"; so whenever the app is found in user-space, the "other directory" is not searched anymore.

Thanks very much, that actually answers a few things that have been confusing me about system apps. Much appreciated, both of you!

Thank you for nice explanation, To be sure, if at the time of next update apps installed in /data partition will be replaced with newer version?

@souravc Yes, future updates to the same app are done in the usual way. I've added this information to my answer.

@DanHulme I have added a question after your answer. Please help me out. thanks again.

@souravc This is turning into an extended discussion, which doesn't really work well with this site's Q&A format. It's probably best if you join us in [chat] if you want to learn more.

This explains very well why phones get slower with years - if you use your phone for more than 3 years, there's a high chance it will receive updates for many Android components and preinstalled software, taking up space in your data partition, and usually you cannot move preinstalled apps to SD card. So at one point you might be forced to replace your old phone just because there's not enough free space for smooth running.


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Can I fastboot flash a factory image without flashing the recovery?
Factory Images
Using Nexus 9 as an example, the flash-all.bat contains:
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-flounder-3.43.0.0114.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
ping -n 5 127.0.0.1 >nul
fastboot -w update image-volantis-lrx21l.zip

image-volantis-lrx21l.zip contains recovery.img and the other images. Can I remove the recovery.img to avoid having to re-flash TWRP?
Do I need to use a different parameter for fastboot? ie. not update or -w?

No personal experience with that, but doesn't fastboot support flashing single partitions – so you could e.g. extract system.img and flash it directly using fastboot flash system system.img?

@Izzy: That may work but there are a few images: (boot, cache, recovery, system, vendor). Is there a similar command for each?

AFAIK yes. See my answer appearing in a few minutes :)

According to the CyanogenMod Wiki, you should be able to flash each partition separately – if you've got an image for it. Quoting:

Common fastboot commands
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata.img
fastboot flash system system.img

Following this list come instructions on Installing recovery using fastboot, which should apply (with the partition/file names replaced accordingly) be valid for the other partitions. Basically, with usb-debugging activated and your device connected to your computer (which has the appropriate tools installed):
# Boot the device into bootloader mode:
adb reboot bootloader

# Make sure fastboot can "see" it:
fastboot devices

# Flash the image:
fastboot flash recovery your_recovery_image.img


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Where do you publish information about a vulnerability you have found within android?
I found a small vulnerability within the default web browser, here is the ticket. Submitted last year.

Issue 42647: Android Web Browser, JavaScript Popup Bug. Tested on 11 Jan 2013.
  Vulnerability on Android OS 4.1.2 jelly-bean on the samsung galaxy s3, this may also work on other phones.
Loop vulnerability in mobiles default browser.
I also created a method, on how to fix the vulnerability.
Type-Security
  Priority-Medium
Submitted to: Android https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/list

E.g. Was this the correct place, to submit, as the bug is still active. Tested on the Sony Xperia M. 05/11/14.

I'd say so. With the exception of vuls which could be exploited to gain root permissions – those should go to XDA, so they can make a rooting tool ;)

If I managed to stumble across a vulnerability that could*  modify root, XDA would be the first place to divulge that information. I am one to believe in technology openness.


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Upgrade Galaxy Note 3 to KitKat 4.4.4
I have Galaxy Note 3 phone, and its last updated software is KitKat 4.4.2, but I heard that Samsung made it official to the Note 3 to be updated to 4.4.4. Does anybody have an idea how to get the update?

It depends on your exact model. According to this unofficial site that provides information about Galaxy Note 3 updates, KitKat 4.4.4 has been available for specific models for a few  weeks, but most models are still on 4.4.2.
Typically, when there's an update available, you should automatically get an OTA update notification that looks like this:

However, there are two ways to manually check for the latest update:

Settings→Software Update. If your settings are in tab view, it's on the More tab, at the bottom. If you don't see it there, tap About Phone or About Device, and it should be one of the options in there. If an update is available, you should see a notification like the one above.
Samsung Kies, a PC application for updating Samsung mobile devices. When Kies detects a connected device, it should automatically inform you of any available updates.

if its actually true then you can go to your settings >> About Phone >> Software Update and Check for updates, the updates that come here are official and will only show up if samsung actually released another version if you really want to do it on you own (custom rom) then you should visit some guys that have these roms available or u can check forums.


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Can I configure voice dialer to be usable in hands-free mode?
I use Cyanogenmod 11. It comes with an app called Voice Dialer.
The only problem with it is that you have to click on it to use it, kind of defeating the whole point of it.
Is there a way to have it start when I press the "control" (I don't know how to call that button, it's used to pause music or hang up a call) on my earpiece?

Yeah bro there is an app on Google Play Store that can control your headset button actions, The app will help you customize the options when a button is pressed on your device, so with that app you can go to "all apps" and select the name of the voice dialer program, so next time you click on the heaset button, the mobile does work for u
link for app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tvk.headvol
if u find it helpful u can accept my answer


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What space am I running out of when trying to install an app?
I am trying to install a new app that is around 2MB (owncloud client), but it fails with "Insufficient storage space...".

From the above screenshot I can't find a partition (other than the few apps) that couldn't fit around a 2MB app 5 times (for extracting etc.).
What causes the error?

possible duplicate of "Insufficient storage" when trying to install new app

Note that the accepted answer for the linked question states that a minimum of 25 MB is required, and you have more than that, but it seems that people get this error with varying amounts of free space, if internal storage is at near capacity. The relevant partition--where apps are stored--is /data, which is at 97% capacity.

@AdiInbar There sure are a lot of questions like this. The only ones I found with my quick look were more like "How do I free more space?" or "How to increase my space (SD)?". Should have searched more..

@AdiInbar Want to turn that second comment into an answer?

Some first-aid and pointers on this can be found in our insufficient-memory tag-wiki. Also the 25 MB limit might be an "estimate", or have increased since. I could also imagine it fires at 95% or something alike now. So it's nothing but a "rule of thumb" to be interpreted as "little or no space available here".


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Moto 360 software update hangs
I have a Moto 360. I get a card saying there's a system update. I open the update and tell it OK to install. I get the red/blue/yellow/green spinning dots and a progress bar. When the progress bar reaches approximately 30%, the dots disappear. The green Android robot appears. He has a hatch in his stomach area, and a red triangular icon with an exclamation point inside of it appears. The watch stays like this until the battery dies (unless I hold the physical button until the watch shuts off). I can then reboot back to normal, but after a few hours (or sometimes minutes) the system update card will appear again and the whole cycle starts over.
What is causing the system update to fail? Are there any debugging steps I can perform?
When I go to Settings, my current software version is 4.4W.1.
I have tried doing factory resets twice and then updating, but the issue persists.
Update-I got in touch with Motorola support. They had me reset the watch and try updating. When that didn't work, they decided to replace my watch. They'll be shipping me a new one.

Never had this problem before, and my Moto 360 updated OK.  I know it is a pain in the butt, but I would do a factory reset on the watch.  The best way to fix problems on these wearables are to reset them - there's no way to debug when they're just Bluetooth.

Sorry, should have mentioned I tried factory resets. Twice. Didn't help the issue.

Very interesting!  Do you have any third party apps installed?

American Airlines, Audio Recorder, Browser, Fit, Hand Dialer, Heart Activity, Heart Rate, Keep, Look Behind, RunKeeper, SWear, Tip Calculator, Wear Mini Launcher, iHeartRadio, tinyCam Monitor, Wear Watch Faces, WIB, WatchMaker, Facer, Connect, Pujie Black. It'd be a pain to remove all of those. In you experience, have apps caused any software update issues?

Those are all Wear enabled apps?  I don't have any experience with problems, but the first step in narrowing down the problem would be to remove all of them from your device.

Yes, they're all Wear enabled. But removing from the device means removing them from the phone. And that's a real hassle, so I'm not going to go through that. I'm going to try to connect my watch to my Nexus 7 tablet (I had been using it with my Galaxy S4) and see if that makes a difference.

Good luck, report back.

That did not work. I'm out of ideas. Will just have to wait for the replacement from Motorola to get here.

I'm convinced it's one of those apps.  But regardless, good luck.

It probably wasn't one of the apps, because when I reset it and synced it with the Nexus 7 it didn't have most of those apps.


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How much does the build number of an Android OS matter?
I have seen several builds on OS 4.3 and 4.4-- what are the key differences? I tried finding documentation on the exact changes, but couldn't find any.
I set up two new Nexus 7 tablets (2013) and even brand new ones come with different build versions.

Do you mean several builds of 4.3 and several builds of 4.4 or do you mean the difference between 4.3 and 4.4? Both are answered below, but it's not clear what you mean from the question. There is a ton of info between the versions, but the builds are often done by the OEMs etc. It really depends.

Sorry, I mean the former, that is-- the differences between the builds within a certain OS version.

How much does the build number of an Android OS matter?

As a developer, I have never used it for anything significant (other than maybe analytics).
Between the Vendor and Google, it does correlate to a branch/release of the AOSP platform.
Your other question on OS 4.3 vs 4.4 and what are they key differences?
Search "Android 4.4 vs Android 4.3 feature list". It is quite significant. But as a general rule, each release typically comes with new API's for developers, improved security, and improved efficiency.

Also with the builds they are often done for different carriers, and for bug fixes. If it was ONE version of an OS i.e. iOS 8 (for example) then in theory the higher number would be a newer and better version. In Android it's fragmented wildly across carriers on the same device. So build 100 could be for Vodafone in Ireland and 101 could be for Sprint in the US or whatever. In terms of 4.3 vs 4.4 that's the VERSION number, and the differences are very well documented on Google. Roll out is by IMEI or similar and different devices will get it at different times even identical devices as per OP


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mm qcamera daemon draining battery on S5
My s5 phone is facing a problem due to mm qcamera daemon bug since 05 November 2014. How can I fix it?
I have tried restarting and deleting the cache but that did not work.

Did you try to froze or disable the app? (Ideal thing would be delete that drainy app)

I have same problem. What you can do is delete all camera using programs and ir games. Ex. Skype, viber, ym. What happens is the auto shut off codeing is not releasing the camera function shut off which is the program called mm-qcamera daemon. Currently there is no fix and no set plans for s5. Googles response has been that its your phones carrier problem until they recieve more issues with this problem. I have turned phone off, restarted,  as well as took battery out. It comes and goes and is a pain to get turned off. My fiancées phone became so hot that she couldnt hold the phone in her hand. Use a task killer to help close all tasks before restarting phone.  Clear your cache, btw didnt work for me...If all this doesnt work, sell your phone to a sucker and by something non android. Just so you know the daemon program is in the andriods operating system. There is no easy way to remove the program from the hardware. A system reset will get rid of it that time but, Ive done it a dozen times or so and the problem still comes back.                    Just a fyi.... nexus phone had same problem. Android had an update, a fix this issue specifically, and it didnt work on all nexus phones. I believe its just a lost cause and shows you what android and Google think about you.   Here.... I found this link.. seems some carriers will replace it.http://m.androidcentral.com/some-users-report-galaxy-s5-camera-failures

In my case, problem was Snapchat.
After I freeze Snapchat everything back to normal.
I also use Viber and Facebook messenger

My fix is to use an app called D-vasive Pro that has the function to deny access to the camera. No other app is then able to constantly connect to the camera. The downside is that you are not able to use your camera to take pictures. You can of course allow access to the camera for a short while when you take your pictures.

Hi all I had the same problem. My problem started after I updated whatsapp and maps apps. I disabled maps updates, reinstaled whatsupp but before that I runned some program memory cleaner, which I used and deleted. After that I cleared cache memory. Now everything works perfectly.


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Unknown apps/processes with number only are shown in data usage
A mysterious app named "10102" shows up in my data usage. It bears only the standard Android app icon (the Bugdroid logo with a cube on its torso). From what the graph tells me, it has used 36 megabytes of data in the background and zero on the foreground.
I think I haven't uninstalled anything for months.
Is it malware? I haven't sideloaded anything and only authorized my laptop as a USB debugger. If it's malware, how do I remove it? I have no idea how to find its package name and 10102 isn't in the list of downloaded apps in settings.
I'm running stock & never-been-rooted Android 4.4.4 on Nexus 4.

I'll let it sit for a few days. If it stops using data, it's probably some uninstalled app. Otherwise, it's most likely a malware. Either way, I'll get back to you guys and upvote and pick an accepted answer.

I just realized that I am having this case too. In my case, it's 10120 with only background usage of 40 bytes. I also tested uninstalling an app, but it just removed the entry in "Data Usage". On the other hand, there is a "Removed apps" entry inside that page too, which I think uninstalled apps' data go into there. I'll monitor this issue for a while.

Here's my list - 10926, 10266, 2021, 2030, 12161 and there are much more in my Data Usage. I usually install and uninstall apps all the time. May be these numbers belong to them.

http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/46431/what-are-these-numbers-in-the-data-usage-and-battery-usage-screen-in-jellybean  Seems to have been confusing a few people over the years, though there's no definitive answer.

Day 2, the app haven't used any more data. I'll check again tomorrow. Malware or not, I want it to disappear completely from my data usage graph. It doesn't feel right.

UIDs ranging between 10000 and 19999 are assigned randomly to installed apps (system and user). If you do a factory reset or reinstall a user app, the assigned UID will be changed.

It's probably an uninstalled app. It happened on my phone a few times.

Looks like this is a bug or something.


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HTC Evo touch screen and keyboard malfunctioning. Where can I find an RUU file, or how else can I restore to factory settings or fix these problems?
I bought a an HTC EVO Shift 4G phone on eBay, but parts of the screen don't respond to touch. Different parts of the screen don't respond at different times. Also, sometimes when you type on the keyboard, the wrong letters come out.  I tried searching all over the web for a ruu (if I got that right?) to set the software back to factory settings, but can't find any. This is after trying to do a hard reset, which didn't help.  I've already spent hours trying to figure this out. Can this phone be fixed, and how?

Does the phone have warranty? If yes get it replaced.

no warranty, but thanks! any other suggestions?

You've already tried resetting and all so it can be concluded that it is a hardware problem. You can fix this by replacing the screen.

authors: Евгений Александрович


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Can't change input language for Samsung Note 2 keyboard after a software update
I have been experiencing this problem for a while now. My keyboard is not working properly: usually I have input languages in Korean and Japanese and English, and I can just slide the space bar and the input language changes. Then, after software upgrade, I can't slide the space bar anymore and I can't use the other languages. I have tried checking the input settings and checked and unchecked the input languages but it's still not working. I hope someone can help me. Thank you!

Which firmware version (build number) did you upgrade to, and which did you have before?

i used 4.4 before upgrading to Android version 4.4.2

build number KOT49H.N7100XXUFNI4

I have a galaxy note 2 (Android 4.4.2) with build number KOT49H.N7100XXUFNL1 and it is still working the same way it used to work previously.
Check that other languages are downloaded or not.
Here is screenshot highlighted in red showing scrollable languages.

For Me the solution was different. I had nothing under the accessibility options excepted "Talkback" turned off. I turned it on then off and VOILA! it brought back the arrows.

Umm, are you sure you're answering the correct question? I don't have the device in question, but I can't find the relation between " resetting accessibility" and "change input language". Otherwise, ignore this comment if the post is indeed correct.


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How can I delete a Whatsapp group of which, I am the administrator?
I am the admin of a WhatsApp group. I found that there is another group with same members, so the group I made is of no use. Now, How can I delete it?

This is a useful question, so ofcourse it needed to be closed.

If it is off-topic, then perhaps moving the question to the correct SE community would be better than closing. I found it VERY useful.

Remove all participants other than yourself, first by pressing and holding their name
Finally, as Admin, exit yourself from the group by pressing "Exit Group" option underneath
Now, the delete group option should become visible: press "Delete Group"

It's all been explained on WhatsApp FAQ - Group for Android.

Actually, the link doesn't say about deleting group on server side. But as how WhatsApp group works (other user will be pointed as a new administrator when current administrator leaves), the only way to delete the group is by making it empty, which is the idea of this answer.


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How can I make the SD card work again after deleting necessary folders?
I was cleaning junk in SD card and I accidentally deleted some folders. And my tab is not showing system memory in settings or my ex SD card memory in settings. And I can not download anything on chrome or Google.if I want to download system apps apk in chrome it says you don't have SD card installed. If I transfer with Bluetooth same thing no memory card. I don't know what to do.but I can download some apps in play store. Please help me solve this problem. My tab is miki75 6628 ics2.   and it's rooted       Please tell me what to do?

I think for starters you should back up any important files from the card, and then re-format it, wiping it completely. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it should trigger Android to recreate what it needs to. After that, you can copy any old data back to the card.

Did not work sir.still there nothing showing in settings storage. Just showing phone memory no internal memory or SD card memory.any other option sir.


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How do I send my own IR signal the with IR blaster?
How do I send my own IR signal with the IR blaster?
I have a projector that came with an IR remote that doesn't have an app already. I want to program my galaxyS4 to control it. I have IR receivers that I can see the signal on via an arduino but I'm lost as to how to get to my phones own IR blaster.

This remote is widely accepted as being incredibly up to date, and compatible with hundreds of devices. It is not free, but there is a free version.
Something like this app lets you add codes for various devices.
In terms of programming, this would be off topic here, but since there might be alternatives you can use I've answered this. You could use the Android SDK and write an IR app yourself using the Andrid 4.4 APIs.

Infrared transmitters
When running on a device that includes an infrared (IR) transmitter, you can now transmit IR signals using the ConsumerIrManager APIs. To get an instance of ConsumerIrManager, call getSystemService() with CONSUMER_IR_SERVICE as the argument. You can then query the device's supported IR frequencies with getCarrierFrequencies() and transmit signals by passing your desired frequency and signal pattern with transmit().
You should always first check whether a device includes an IR transmitter by calling hasIrEmitter(), but if your app is compatible only with devices that do have one, you should include a <uses-feature> element in your manifest for "android.hardware.consumerir" (FEATURE_CONSUMER_IR).

(Note: I have zero involvement with any of the apps listed)


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How an app can detect my device's uniqueness?
If I install an app, uninstall it, finally install it again at a later time, how the app can detect if it was installed on this device earlier? What are the device unique id's that it can detect?

Android device ID: I changed it with device ID changer (now removed from play store, can't give link).
google advertising ID: changed that too
didn't login into the app with any accounts earlier used.

What other ways the app an app can use to detect if it was installed earlier on the device. I do give internet access to the app.
No IMEI, I'm using a tablet.

I'm not sure where it is stored (probably in the packages.xml), but also wondered when discovering you can pm list packages -u, with the -u parameter explained as Also include uninstalled packages. So it seems Android itself keeps track of apps you uninstall even, which IMHO can only be "cleaned up" by a factory-reset (at least for a "normal user").

@Izzy An 'uninstalled' package can always be purged with pm uninstall. A package will be completely removed if all users (guest incl.) have uninstalled on their perspectives. Furthermore, if there's only one user (again, guest incl.) exists on the system, then his removing a package will also fully remove it. By 'fully remove' I mean the system keeps no record of the package, despite the fact that some 3rd party apps may keep their own 'operation history'.

@iBug I never found any traces with the -u, so all I can do is "wonder" – as my previous comment puts it. But thanks for those details!

@Izzy So do I. I even wondered if option -u was broken because I, too, found no trace from it. But everything that should have been there did exist in packages.xml.

@iBug of course, as that's what pm uses as "backend" :)

As RossC said, yes it depends upon the developers how they keep the logic to detect the uniqueness. As I am too a dev (Windows App) and my preferred way is to keep the device id's over the cloud. So whenever the device gets internet on, it syncs with our servers for prior installations and it becomes easy for users to use it on multiple devices. Other easy ways are to put some file inside the android system folders like data , usr or wherever.

The app may well leave a folder behind with some data in it. You would have to go and manually remove the folder(s) to ensure all data is removed. If you reinstall the app it will check that folder and know it was installed.
An easy example is The Bard's Tale, the game. You install about 20 Mb of a file from the Play Store and open the game. The game downloads about 3Gb of additional data (HD textures version) onto your internal/external SD. Then you play the game and save it a few times, creating save files on the device. Then you uninstall the game. The 3Gb of Textures AND your save games stay on the int/ext SD. If you reinstall it takes up just where it left off.
It's not so much it recognises your device, it is that it still has the data.
Something like ES File Manager, will advise you that you have uninstalled an application that has left data behind, and ask you to choose if you want to delete it. You will need root access to delete System Apps or anything within /system

I don't have root access on my Nexus 4, but ES File Manager still asks me if I want to delete data left behind by an app that I uninstall.

@Adinia thanks! I don't have any devices that aren't rooted so I took a guess. I've edited my answer now, good spot! Hopefully it's right now!


text:
Insufficient Storage on changing default install location
After downloading an APK file from Play Store. It always prompts "Insufficient Storage" dialog.
I changed the default install location into external memory(SD card) using adb command
adb shell pm set-install-location 2

There is a room for both Internal (400mb free) and External memory(8GB free).
I am running on an Android Kitkat 4.4;
I am not rooted anyway. I don't want to void my warranty

By default I think apps are only installable to phone storage. The developer has to specifically allow the app to be installed to external storage (SD card or emulated SD card storage).
The ADB shell command you have used is only designed for use during development (see http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html). It may be that despite issuing this command the system is still trying to install to internal memory.

The command you are using sets the external memory as the default install location not the default download location. The possibility of external memory as default download location is entirely up to the developer of your mobile firmware.

Install Terminal Emulator app and run the "pm" part of the command directly in your phone. works just the same, without the trouble to install SDK and all.


text:
Configuring GMail to use system email accounts
Version 5 of GMail just arrived on my phone, and I was excited that now I'm able to use all my email addresses with it. But it seems like I have to add them all manually, although they are shown under Settings -> email and work just fine with the stock app.
Is there some way to use the already entered data in GMail 5? I'm afraid that in future versions it could rely on the system information and introduce some confusion where to change the settings, so I would like it to rely on the system settings from the very beginning.

I would do that not only for the Gmail app but all the Gmail. Go to your desktop pc, log into your account, go to settings and configure Gmail to receive all your emails inside your account.

If you meant that I should forward all my mail to GMail, you did not understand my question. Of course this would be a possibility, but I do not want to do that.


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SAR value in ASUS Zenfone 5
When I type *#07# into the dialer on my Asus Zenfone 5, it is not showing the SAR value. This works on other phones. How can I get the SAR value on an Asus Zenfone 5?

The box of my Asus Zenfone 5 (501CG) says
SAR (some chinese characters) 2.0 W/Kg; (some chinese characters again):0.710 W/Kg

Open this link: http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_zenfone_5-5952.php
Check the SAR level in the "MISC" heading.

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference (please [edit] your question and do so). Otherwise your question ceases to be helpful in case the link dies.

SAR US  1.18 W/kg (head)
SAR EU  0.53 W/kg (head)
http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_zenfone_5-5952.php#

I got this info from Asus directly. You can input *#*#4636#*#* then tap "Phone info", it will show the signal strength.
The reference value is between -50 to -80. If the signal strength is close to -50, the lower the radiation. If the signal strength is close to -80, the signal radiation is stronger.


text:
Enabling Location Reporting disables itself
I'm trying to enable Location Reporting such that I can use it with my Moto 360 for tracking stuff. Whenever I enable Location Reporting in the Google Settings app it immediately turns itself off again.
I looked in the docs and noticed this:

I'm in Spain, and I know "Ok Maps" for offline maps doesn't work here. Could that be it?
It's also an Apps account, but I couldn't find any settings to enable or disable this in the admin panel.

I think your issue may actually be the fact you are in Spain. I've come across issues with others in the country, including (as you mentioned) the fact that you cannot download offline maps in Google Maps.
This appears (though it's not fully clear) to be down to licencing / legal issues around the mapping. Even a few metres over the Spanish border and everything works again.

Thanks, I feared as much. I wonder if I complain loudly enough Google will sort it :D

@daentech it's worth a try I guess, but I'm sure it's a known issue!


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OTA Update on a rooted Nexus5 with Custom Recovery and Kernel
A few months back, I rooted my Nexus 5 using Towelroot, installed TWRP and ElementX Kernel. Now as the Android Lollipop update is around the corner, I don't think I'll be able to install OTA update because of rooted phone and custom recovery. In some forums, I even read that it might mess up my phone.
So now, I want to know what is the safest way to get the official Android Lollipop update, I don't mind losing root, custom kernel and all that, I even searched going all stock, but that seems like a cumbersome solution with many risks. One easy way I was thinking of is downloading the Android Lollipop System image (tgz file) when Google uploads it and flashing that into my phone using TWRP.
However, I don't know how and can't find anything about how to flash a tgz file. Can I do it by placing it in the memory, booting into recovery/install/AndroildL.tgz.  Will that do it? If yes, then what changes will it make> will my custom kernel and root be gone or not? Thank you

To install OTA revert back to stock with the factory image. You will go back to Stock Kernel and recovery. It's the best way. Or wait til someone builds a pre-rooted stock ROM and flash that, or a custom Lollipop ROM once they start getting released.

"revert back to stock with factory image" can you please tell me how to do it using TWRP? or is their any other step by step guide available?

Cool, consider it done! And now it is done!

I think your best bet is to unroot your device and restore it to stock. This means stock ROM, recovery and kernel, and you will be unrooted. This is often referred to as "flashing a factory image", sometimes incorrectly. But that's what we're going to do!

Note:  This process will wipe your phone completely. Backup your storage before you continue.
I am also not responsible if anything goes wrong. Ensure you verify this is the correct device and code name (hammerhead) before you proceed.

From this excellent XDA thread:
For this process, you will need to:
Install adb and fastboot drivers. To do this, use this simple program

For MAC users
*Note: MAC users will have to write ./ before every command in this thread. For example : ./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Linux users should know their stuff

Download the latest factory images from here

Extract the archive you downloaded (Use WinRAR). It should look like this:

Unlock your bootloader (In case you haven't already) Link here
Flashing the factory images

Power off your phone.

Boot it in fastboot by pressing and holding Power Button + Volume Down at the same time.

Connect your phone to your PC through your USB cable.

Execute the flash-all.bat script (for Windows) or flash-all.sh(for MAC and LINUX) in the folder where you extracted the factory images.
!! For MAC: You'll have to edit the flash-all.sh, and add "./" before every fastboot command.

Wait for everything to flash.

After everything finished, select "Recovery" using the volume buttons.

When a small dead Android appears, press Power Button + Volume UP.

Select "Wipe data/factory data reset"

Reboot. Your phone should be stock.

Note: The XDA Thread has further detail on re-locking the device and resetting the tamper flag should you need to claim warranty. It's a bit outside the scope of this answer, but it might be of use!
Note 2:  Some Nexus devices will show as having 16 Gb after this on the 32 Gb model. The below is a fix via cmd:
fastboot erase boot
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase recovery
fastboot erase system
fastboot erase userdata

fastboot flash bootloader C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/bootloader.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/radio.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash system C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/system.img
fastboot flash userdata C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/userdata.img
(Note: this command will wipe your device (including /sdcard), EVEN if your bootloader is already unlocked.)

fastboot flash boot C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/boot.img
fastboot flash recovery C:/image-hammerhead-krt16m/recovery.img

Maybe a stupid question, but wouldn't performing a factory reset also do the trick?

@S427 as far as I know you need a stock recovery at least on the device to install an OTA, but normally a stock kernel / recovery. Either way a factor reset won't reset the kernel or the recovery on the device so a factory image won't install on the custom setup. Thanks for the edit, dont' know what I did there :|

I know the credit belongs to XDA, but thank you for posting the guide here - it helped me unbrick my Nexus 5 after it self-bricked (yes, turns out that happens too)

Another option, without wiping any data, is to

when an OTA update is available, get the direct link and download the zip file to your PC,
download the latest image version of your custom recovery (eg TWRP) and the latest SuperSU zip to your PC
connect your device to your PC and reboot into bootloader mode
then dirty flash the stock boot, recovery & system partitions of your current Android version,
in stock recovery mode, install the OTA zip via adb sideload update.zip,
reboot into bootloader mode
flash back your custom recovery image
(alternatively) flash your custom kernel
reboot into recovery mode
in the custom recovery mode, root the device via adb sideload UPDATE-SuperSU-vX.X.zip
now clear cache and dalvik-cache and reboot the system

Done. OTA applied and you can just pick up from where you left.
This is not the only method, of course, and is not recommended for major version updates. But for minor version updates, this is, IMHO, preferable to dirty flashing the new system and to any method that require a data wipe.
A very detailed step-by-step version of this solution can be found here: https://gist.github.com/eyecatchup/ec0a852428c19705380e

I wanted to keep my userdata, so I followed the directions provided by Mistywing and it seemed to work well going from 5.0.1 to 5.1.1. on my Nexus 5. For the complete instructions, check out the Mistywing post:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/36n4va/nexus_5_511_ota_from_lmy47d/crg3jza
Here are the highlights. I lost root and TWRP, but wasn't too worried about that at this point.
I got adb and fastboot working on my Mac. I downloaded the image from Google, I backed up my data, restarted in bootloader and ran these commands in order. I was careful to omit flashing the userdata file, which would wipe my data.
fastboot flash bootloader [bootloader file].img

fastboot reboot-bootloader

fastboot flash radio [radio file].img

fastboot reboot-bootloader

fastboot flash recovery [recovery file].img

fastboot flash system [system file].img

fastboot flash cache [cache file].img

fastboot flash boot [boot file].img

I restarted using the bootloader controls (used volume to get the green START option and then power to activate it). The startup after this took quite a long time "optimizing" my apps.
The OTA update notification went away and the OS seems much more responsive.

Install Multi ROM Manager, And install Lollipop image on it.

Could you provide a link and explain how to do that?

Installing multi rom manager needs custom kernel/recovery on stock so that doesn't help anyway.
I currently have 3 roms on my phone and unable to install the ota.


text:
How to flash root.zip in fastboot
I need to flash the root zip I downloaded from Chainfire without having to install recovery like Clockworkmod. I have fastboot and adb and that's what I used to flash 4.4.4. This is for my Nexus 7 2013 Wifi. I have to leave in under 20 minutes, could someone write the correct fastboot command to do this

Answered with 5 minutes to spare!

Step 1: Unlock the bootloader; fastboot oem unlock This WILL wipe your device. Skip if already unlocked. Set up your device and put SuperSU.zip into it.
Step 2: Download the appropriate TWRP/CWM image for your device.
Step 3: Boot your phone into bootloader; adb reboot bootloaderwhile the device is on or hold the power button and the volume down button while the device is off.
Step 4: Make sure your device is detected by fastboot; fastboot devices
Step 5: Temporarily Boot into recovery; fastboot boot nameofrecovery.imgThis will only boot the recovery, not install it.
Step 6: Flash the .zip file using the recovery and reboot.
You will have stock recovery and root access.

Try using:
adb sideload root.zip

That is generally the way for SuperSU. To be honest, a recovery would be better long term and in the time it takes for me to reply and you to read this you'd have it done! Might be worth considering. As far as I understand you need a custom recovery to do this. I would recommend installing one.
However, you could try this command:
fastboot -c "lge.kcal=0|0|0|x" boot customrecovery.img

This should allow you to use a recovery without installing. I don't recommend this as it is easier with a custom recovery and you can restore the stock one if and when you need it.
Alternatively you could try the Nexus Root Tookit and untick "Custom Recovery". I have not tested it though.

The fastboot flash recovery flashes the recovery, not boots it without installing. That would be the second command. Also, it is worth noting that you can not root the device using fastboot, you need something that can mount the /system partition as writable; most preferably a recovery, but also a live system can be used.

Yeah I was rushing given the time limit, assumed he was rooted. Deleting this, thanks

Best Method on Nexus
Use: TWRP
http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/103
get ADB drivers + binary
(From cmd or Powershell)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2588979

Linux "Drivers" + adb, fastboot (ubuntu)
sudo apt-get install android-tools*

Windows commands - Open Powershell (as administrator)

command
adb reboot bootloader

ADB tells android to reboot to bootloader. Wait for reboot
command
fastboot flash recovery TWRP-recovery.zip

if it doesnt like it, just unzip it.
In linux, instead of powershell = Terminal
First command "sudo su"
thats it...
PS: Almost forgot
TWRP will install and fix SU automatically.

authors: Антон Александрович


text:
Swap audio channels?
Is there a way to swap the audio channels coming out of the headphone jack on my tablet? A third-party app would be acceptable.
For some context: My tablet has a pop in the left channel and I need it to pop in the right instead. I'm using the left channel to play background music through a large PA system and the right channel with notes to myself that only I can hear. I separate the left channel out to the PA and then plug them both into a mixer for myself. The PA gets the left (with the pop) and I get both. Since the pop is only in the left, if I could swap the channels, I could just swap my external wiring and voila, only "I" hear the pop, not the PA system.

The pop is most certainly because of a hardware fault, which may or may not be in your tablet. Does it pop with other headphones too? If not, throw away the faulty headphone. If it does, then indeed the tablet is faulty and you should see if you can get it repaired under the warranty.
Anyway, it will not be solved by swapping the audio channels (the pop will stay in the same channel). Also, such an app is very unlikely to exist (as it is very rare for somebody to want to swap audio channels), and even if it would exist, it would need at least root access if not outright recompiling the kernel.
If I were you, I would make a jack extension cable with crossed left and right leads. If you can't, ask a friend who is experienced in soldering. It may also occur that you can swap the channels without soldering; for example if you use a Jack-RCA converter, you can simply swap the white and red plugs.

Great ideas!  But, please don't miss my above comment and....I've come up with another solution, which I am having trouble accomplishing as well.  Maybe you have an idea??  I could play pink noise in the background in the right channel only, which would keep the internal amp engaged and thus never produce a pop.  However I cannot find an app that will continue playing a stereo file in the background.  Whenever a new track starts in my "main" player app, the "background" player app pauses itself.  I can see why many people would like that but I need it to continue.

BTW, my tablet is an older Motorola Xoom running Honeycomb as it's latest possible OS.  It definitely pops with all headphones and outputs.   Thank you!!!

Update, problem solved....with a bandaid.  I found an app that would play in the background.  Thanks!  :)


text:
How do I share apps between users in Android 5 Lollipop?
I got a Nexus 9 tablet that I'm sharing with my wife.
I set myself as owner and set my wife as another user.
How do I give the other user access to some of the apps I have installed, without re-installing the apps in the other user space?

possible duplicate of How do I share apps between users in Android 4.4 KitKat?. Although the Android versions are different I think the answers are still valid for Android 5.0

Not the same OS at all. One of the answers uses an app which is in beta and requires root access.

I don't have an answer since I don't have Android 5.0, but I've read that uninstalling an app uninstalls it for all accounts.  Which would seem to indicate that the app itself is shared, even if the data is separate.  Are you seeing something that indicates otherwise?  I.e., device free space decreasing by the size of the app when it's added to the second account?

You reinstall the app, but they use the same install with different data, so the apk isn't downloaded twice (when you click install on a app that is already installed for the other user you will notice it is quite quick). So they already use the same app.
However if you want to share data, you could use one local account, or log in  both yours and your wife's local account into the same account for whichever service you wish to share.

I've done this, but I thought there would be some way to indicate whether apps are to be for user only or shared by all users.

All apps are sand boxed to each user, whether or not they use the same account is irrelevant, the app doesn't know that account is registered twice on the device. So any indicator would say all apps are user only

ChuckO, If you want a list. As a primary user, I think you can use the "Restricted Profile" feature. That should list all the apps you have on the device with a toggle on the side that shows if you want your secondary user to have access to each app, or not. The disadvantage then becomes that your secondary user will be restricted by the profile you set up (which is a side-effect of the procedure).

I haven't read Android 5 manuals, everything said is just a ~2 hour experimentation since I've opened nexus 7 box and upgraded it to Android 5.
There are several types of users: Owner, Normal, Restricted and Guest.

Owner can share an installed application to Restricted users (even if it is purchased application). Data in this case is separated (each user has his own app data).
Normal users can install apps on their own (haven't tried yet to share from normal user account to restricted). Normal users do not see applications installed by owner.
Guest user can use a base set of applications from vanilla installation (may be more) and all his cached data can be removed upon next login or data can be reused.

These observations are incomplete.
If you desire to grant access to applications you installed in your account to your wife, probably best way is to create a restricted account for her, otherwise you may need to pay for some of these apps again.

I was able to share apps on our Nexus tablet, running Android 5.0.2.
We have two accounts, mine (as owner) and my wife's.  I had installed
some apps as owner. Then, when logged in my wife's account, I opened
Settings, then Accounts, and added my Google account (so my wife's account
has both her Google account and mine registered). I disabled notification/sync for
email etc. for my account. Then, I was able to visit the App store and
install apps that I had purchased with my account, such as Beautiful Widgets

That's not ideal. All you have to do is turn on sync and you can then read all your emails.
A solution I've just tested and seems to work is to install your purchased apps on your user. Switch to the other user and add your Google account. Then install again all the apps you wish to share. Once installed for them, remove your Google account. The apps stay and are usable for them.

Google Play's Family Library with app and game sharing goes live July 2, 2016.
From the relevant post on the website Android Police:

Family Library and sharing have been a long, really long, time coming on Google Play. In his different app teardowns, Cody has repeatedly discovered strings pointing out to the feature coming to Play Books, Play Movies, Play Services, the Play Store, but up until recently, the only Google entity that had benefited from any kind of family sharing was Play Music and its Family Plans.
But at this year's Google I/O, Google announced that Family Library was coming to Google Play app and games purchases with the new changes taking effect on July 2nd.
[...]
What has already changed though are the terms of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement. A new section 5.4 explains how a family group, with one manager and different members, can purchase the product once and share it with other members of the family. So starting July 2, any purchases you make on the Play Store will be available for sharing with your other family members.

Old question and not sure if this works on ancient Android versions. This answer is for other users struggling to find the solution, tested on Android 13.
You can use this command in adb shell or in terminal emulater with root access:
pm install-existing --user USER_ID PACKAGE_NAME

Hello. This doesn't answer the question. OP specifically mentioned "How do I give the other user access to some of the apps I have installed, without re-installing the apps in the other user space?". Your answer suggests reinstalling the app for the other user.

authors: وقت العباقرة


text:
How do I view a different country's Google Play store?
I would like to look at the Google Play store for a country different than my own, but I've spent an hour trying to figure out how to find or view the stores for any other country and I can't find the option to do so.
For iOS I just use iTunes and it has a country button at the bottom of the page where I can simply choose any country to view, I assumed for Google Play there has to be something similar and I'm just not able to find it.
EDIT: This answer for this isn't found in in this thread (How do I change the Google Play country?), the answer there was simply on how to view only one other country, and required that you make a purchase in that country. There must be another way.

possible duplicate of How do I change the Google Play country?

That question only covered purchases in other countries, and the answers required that you make a purchase in that other country. I need to see every country's app store, I can't reasonably make a purchase in every country to do that.

One solution I've found was to use anonymous foreign proxies for each country I want to check. It's a pain finding a decent proxy for each separate country, but technically it works.


text:
Changing Google Play country: Are there any side-effects when it comes to available apps?
The question of how to change your Google Play country has been asked over and over. However, it's not clear whether this has any (unwanted) side-effects when it comes to apps, and especially those with region restrictions.
Some possible issues that come in mind:

What happens with any free country-specific apps you have installed in the country you currently use? Will they cease working? Will they cease receiving updates?
What happens with any paid country-specific apps you have installed in the country you currently use?
Is it possible for an app to have different country-specific versions in two countries? What happens then?
Can you change back your country any time you want, or is there a limit on how often you can change it?

This may seem like a dumb question, but I have heard some horror stories from friends who changed country in Apple App Store, only to find content they had purchased inaccessible. So I don't take the safety of this operation for granted.

Last time I did this, all apps you already have are kept and unaffected.

To indirectly answer my own question: There is no need to change your Google Play country just to access specific geo-restricted apps. Android supports using multiple Google accounts. By using a new account per country, there's no need to worry about what happens when switching the country of your primary Google account. This solution is ideal for expats, that may want to have access to geo-restricted apps in >1 countries at a time.
An overview of the process:

Create a new Google account.
Link it to your Android phone, in addition to your primary account
Continue using your primary Google account as usual.
When you need to install a geo-restricted app, tap the account avatar in Google Play search bar to switch to an account where the app is available (see picture).
Switch back to your primary account.

The additional Google accounts created, may or may not be used regularly. My personal preference is to keep them only for use with Google Play, and not use other services with them.

This solution was the best for me and worked. But it is very important to note that you need a payment method from the new country. No money is taken, it is just a check. Also, although it warns that it can take up to 2 days, in my case the change was immediate after submitting the payment method.

I did this when I moved across countries - the apps are unaffected. If you had apps which are available in the earlier country then you can continue updating and using them. The only downside is that if you have credit in your account, then that doesn't appear in the new country. You can still use the credit if you change your play store country back to the old one.

First of all to be able to change anything on your android device you must first 'Root' it .
I assume your Android device is already rooted .
There is an App called Market Unlocker/enabler , it makes it very easy to change your country
to any other country for G-play known .
Just install it as an normal apk , and give it Root permissions .
and you can configure everything , its a piece of cake :)

There are NO SIDE EFFECTS : i tried it on GS3 , GS2 , nextbook 7 premium , galaxy tab 8.9
Ace 3 , Ace 2 , galaxy young , working fine all the time :)
download link :
https://app.box.com/s/ad74848bacf8800ae077


text:
How to automatically use SIP/VOIP for international calls?
I have a cell phone plan that includes 9 hours of national calls, however, international calls are billed at extreme minute-rates. For this reason I use VOIP/SIP for international calls thorugh the built-in SIP option (dialer > menu > settings > call settings > accounts).
The built-in dialer have 3 options to choose betweeen, and none of them are what I am looking for - Use Internet calling:
1) for all calls when data network is available
2) only for internet calls
3) ask for each call
It would be so simple to have the dialer check the number called, and if it's an international number (i.e. it starts by +) then use VOIP, otherwise use standard cell calls.
Unless I am blind I don't suppose there are any way of doing this with the built-in dialer. I frankly don't understand why not, I would have thought this is a fairly common situation in this day and age.
Is there a way that could solve the problem?
I know I could have two dialers, but it annoys me that something as simple and obvious can't be done automatically.


text:
How do I reset a Shinco MID-7000B tablet?
It does not have any volume up or down buttons. The touch screen won't work either.
I guess a factory reset would help restore the settings including the sensitivity of the gadget.