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How to hide EDGE icon from statusbar in Android 5.1?
After 5.1 upgrade this EDGE with a red circle appeared in the statusbar. It's useless and the size is wrong. How do I remove or hide it?

Is your phone rooted? And please add your phone model. And this will be displayed if you turn on the mobile data. To hide the icon you need to turn off the mobile data.

It's Moto X (1 gen.). Updated to 5.1 a week ago. Not rooted. Mobile data is turned off already. I guess that's why there's a red circle.

Oh. You didn't mentioned that earlier. I guess it's only with 5.1 even if the data is off.


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Can RAM and flash memory be increased after rooting a device?
How can I increase RAM and flash memory after rooting my Lenovo A269I running Android 2.3.6? After rooting an Android would the RAM and flash memory be increased?
I have not rooted my device yet. But I want to do so.

Rooting doesn't upgrade your hardware – it neither will give you more RAM, nor more storage. OTOH, it gives you more possibilities to manage existing resources.

No. Rooting will not change the hardware configuration of your device

You can better use your device's ROM(internal storage) after rooting.

You can't make your phone "faster", expand storage or upgrade other hardware by rooting your device.
However, you can remove some unwanted system apps when you are rooted, and that should give you some more storage space on your phone.
I suggest you to use Titanium Backup to remove some unwanted apps. Be carefull, because if you remove the wrong apps, your device might not boot anymore.

can also go with the option of custom ROM. Better UI

It can be possible by upgrading Hardware only. But the existing memory can be used wisely by rooting your device.
For example, to get some free space,

ROM (can remove unwanted System apps)
RAM (can swap some of your unused app memory from RAM to secondary storage (SD card); try out RAM Expander for instance )

Note: we cannot expect the same hardware's performance while swapping
 RAM.

Note: The RAM you expand to your SD-Card won't be as quick as on your internal storage.

I agree with you @SuperThomasLab but it help out in critical situations

Well there is an existing workaround - by using an SD Card.
Apps like link2sd (if that doesn't work, try similar apps with good ratings) can actually virtually merge internal storage with SD Card and thus you would be able to install those big apps to the SD Card instead.
Also create another partition in SD Card and use the app Swapper (root) to create a swap partition and thus increase RAM.

source: Stack Exchange

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Whatsapp deleting contacts permanently
I've tried every way. Deleted from Main phone book of contacts. Deleted all chat. Blocked but I want to delete them FOREVER to tidy up my whatsapp list...
PLEASE anyone help?  I would be eternally grateful..   :-)

Delete the contacts from your Google account and any other local accounts.
Then go into the contacts tab and click the menu button followed by the refresh button.
This information is sourced from here.
Alternatively go into WhatsApp > Settings > Contacts. Toggle the Show All Contacts field which I believe also refresh the contact list. After toggling, it will refresh (which may take some time) at which point you can return to the original setting.

I am not sure if it will work, but just see if your contacts are synced with google account. If so, just try deleting them from google account.

that sounds like it might be happening. how do I delete them from google when I never added them and don't know the people who are blocked?

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


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Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 touch stops responding while holding
The tablet works fine with "normal" use (internet browsing, taking pictures, recording video, using youtube, playing movies, writing texts, etc) but whenever I use it to play a game that requires me to hold a button down for a period of time (And occasionally pressing other buttons at the same time), it lets me hold it but then just stops responding to touch until I lift my finger up and place it back down again. The buttons I'm talking are of course touch buttons of the game.
I went ahead and activated debugging options to see screen touches and coordinates, and it's clear that when this error happens the screen is not registering touches.
At first I thought it was a hardware issue, but the I found other people having the same problem.
This happens not in one game but in all the games I tested which require this kind of action (like league of evil)
Any hint would be appreciated.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 SM T230
Android 4.4.2


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Changing the color of the lollipop... Does this serve any real purpose?
Screwing around in the software info I pressed Android Version 7 times. The lollipop showed up on my screen. I touched it and it changed colors. ( Yippee :P) But does this do anything other than that? ( ie Open a new exploit of something cool like that)

They're called Easter eggs More here

No. But if you long tap it, you can play a game similar to Flappy Bird.


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Is there any working method to mount Ext4 partitions on 64 bit Android 5?
Is seems that, as for today, there are no working methods (apps or hacks) to make Ext4 partitions work (read/write) on my Android v5.1 64 bits.
My device is a Jiayu S3 with a Xtreme ROM (not stock, but still Jiayu official MOD) based on v5.1.0.
This is what has been tested until now:

[root] Ntfs Mounter (Application failure on boot)
[USB OTG Helper] (No card detected)
[Root]StickMount (No card detected)

Having no more data, I must assume that the problem could come from some incompatibility with the 64 bit version of the operating system.
Does anyone know of a method to make Ext4 partitioned SD cards be mount on 64 bit Android v5 devices?

Wow, I literally just asked the same question. Seeing as yours hasn't been answered in over a year, I guess I'll go back to fat32

I am on Android 7.0 and don't want to use exFat partition instead I want to create multiple ext4 partitions including one for app to SD.any luck doing this on higher versions of Android and I should be able to write to those ext4 as well

@answerseeker : maybe you could help by linking to your question here, or mark this one as possible duplicate.


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With stock lollipop, how do I edit/copy/paste/move file onto the external sd card?
I have the stock Google Play Edition of the LG G Pad 8.3. It is essentially a nexus device, stock lollipop, but also has an SD card slot.
I want to use ES File Explorer to manage files on the SD card but cannot figure out how to give it permission.  It pops up with this image:

but selecting to show the SD card does not actually show the external SD card (actually toggling this on/off seems to do nothing).
How do I manage files on the external SD card using ES File Explorer?  As far as I can tell, there is no stock file manager to do this.

Related question - http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/86251/receiving-an-eaccess-permission-denied-error-when-copying-files-to-extsdcard

Related but that post says restrictions will be adjusted in lollipop. I'm using lollipop and the app mentions a way to give it permissions, it just doesn't work.


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How to eject bot from Telegram group
I've a bot in a Telegram group and I want to eject it.
The way I would use with a user does not work.
How to eject the bot from the group?

Have you tried removing the bot as an admin(if it is meant to post)?

Its working the same as removing a regular user, just long press the bots name and a popup will come up to remove the user...


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How to revert to stock ROM on HTC One M7
My HTC One M7 phone is S-OFF, has the latest firmware 7.19.401.2, and has nicely installed "ViperOne+9.0.0-fix", the recovery is TWRP 2.8.6.0. Everything works very well, except that the proximity sensor seems erratic, and when I have a call the ear seems to press different programs on the touchscreen. I would like to return to complete HTC stock ROM so that I assure myself the proximity sensor works well enough (or does not).
Do I have to downgrade the firmware to be able to install the stock ROM?
I have downloaded the stock ROM PN07IMG_M7_UL_L50_SENSE60_MR_HTC_Europe_7.19.401.2_Radio_4T.35.3218.16_10.33Q.1718.01L_release_421790_signed.zip but seem to be unable to install from TWRP.
Or maybe the only way is via fastboot? With the commands:

htc_fastboot oem rebootRUU
htc_fastboot flash zip RUU.zip
htc_fastboot reboot-bootloader

Can someone more experienced give some advice, please?

An officially signed ruu.zip needs to be flashed through htc fastboot because it is encrypted.

@Bo Lawson. I did it that way, so far looks good. Thank you!

I have One M8 but I think the process should be about the same. You'll want to find the right RUU for your model. I'm not certain which model/carrier you have, so here is an overview list: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2428276.
To relock your bootloader (necessary for RUU), make sure you have ADB installed, connect your phone to your PC. Then type the following commands:
adb devices
adb shell
su
echo -ne ‘\x00\x00\x00\x00’ | dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 bs=1 seek=33796
exit
exit
adb reboot bootloader

When that is done, simply run the RUU exe that you downloaded from the first link. If you found the right one, it should restore your phone completely to stock.

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External Ext4 card mounted only for root (!) on Android 5.1 64 bits
In short: if I mount my Ext4 8GB SD card, only root (SU) can see it. The rest of users (so, the rest of apps) don't detect it.
As long as my Ext4 SD card is not correctly mounted (Android always yields Damaged SD card. Format it... blah blah blah), I followed this guide to mount it. And it works:
SD Card is at /dev/block/mmcblk1, so first partition is at /dev/block/mmcblk1p1.
I performed the (not very clear for me) prior ADB process:
su
setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555
adb kill-server
stop adbd
start adbd
HOME=/sdcard adb start-server
adb connect localhost
adb -s localhost:5555 shell
exit
stop adbd
cat /sdcard/.android/adbkey.pub >> /data/misc/adb/adb_keys
start adbd

And then the card is correctly mounted by doing (as root):
# mount -t ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 /storage/extSdCard && sleep 5 && /system/bin/vold

Note how it works as SU but not as normal user:
root@unknown:/ # ls /storage/sdcard1
lost+found
root@unknown:/ # exit
u0_a98@unknown:/ $ ls /storage/sdcard1
ls: can't open '/storage/sdcard1': Permission denied

I have tested the above steps via SSH (remote shell).
The SD Card has been formatted from Windows using Minitool Partition Wizard.
I have tested too:

Editing the /system/etc/permissions/platform.xml file manually (adding <group gid=”media_rw” />) to WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE section, as referred here.
SDFix.
Using Xposed framework with HandleExternalStorage module.

But the apps (Total Commander, Ghost Commander, or any other program) have no access to the Ext4 SDCard.
What else could I try?
Workarounds to make apps read (and write) SD Card accepted too.
Extra data 1:
Note the output of the mount command for both users:
root@unknown:/ # mount | grep "sdcard" -i
/dev/block/mmcblk1p1 /storage/sdcard1 ext4 rw,seclabel,relatime,data=ordered 0 0
root@unknown:/ # exit
u0_a98@unknown:/ $ mount | grep "sdcard"
u0_a98@unknown:/ $ mount | grep "mmcblk"

As can be seen, the root user has a mounted device that the normal user has not (!). I did not know this could happen on Linux.

Look into the vold.fstab because that's what dictates to the system mount points, format, and stuff. Here is an explanation: https://source.android.com/devices/storage/config.html

@BoLawson There is no more vold.fstab in Lolipop. It's bee deprecated for a while. I have this exact same issue on a Sony Z1C. It's rooted. I'm running a stock rom. I can mount the ext4 file system but I cannot see it as a regular user at all. I may have a duplicate question here: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/124575/mount-an-ext4-formatted-sdcard-on-a-stock-lolipop-5-1-rom-rooted and here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/sony-xperia-z1-compact/help/correct-to-mount-ext4-sdcard-stock-5-1-t3212353/post63079111#post63079111

If mountpoint is visible only to root and not to other users/apps, that's due to mount namespace explained here: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/197959/partition-gets-unmounted-automatically-in-android-oreo/200449#200449 Permissions problem is explained https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Moto-X-Play/Android-ext4-support/m-p/3262766#M1645 and https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63074215&postcount=2

How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions?

Edit 2020-06-03: If you would like to see a way more detailed answer in how the mounting ecosystem works under Android, you may have a look at this answer: How to bind mount a folder inside /sdcard with correct permissions?
Mounting
Try logging in as a root user with proper mounting permissions using
su -mm

Make sure that a directory exists that receives the mount:
mkdir /mnt/arch1

You can also create an empty folder inside your internal storage and use that mount point instead if Apps won't allow you to browse in the / root directory.
Mount your ext4 partition using
mount -t ext4 -o noatime /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 /mnt/arch1

whereas mmcblk1p2 is the second partition of my sdcard in my case. You can replace /mnt/arch1 with any other path you wish.
My first partition is formatted (and acting as extSdCard) with FAT32 as a fallback, so Apps write their stuff there while my ext4 partition is "safe" and to prevent OSes accidentally formatting the whole SD-Card when inserting it.
You should now be able to browse inside that mount point using either your terminal (rooted and non-rooted) or your apps.
To automatically mount the partition on startup, you can use this line
su -mm -c mount -t ext4 -o noatime /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 /mnt/arch

in Tasker for example.
Unmounting / mount information
Please note that mount points of -mm in turn aren't visible to the "regular" root (without -mm). To unmount the partition, you would have to login with -mm again and use umount /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 or umount /mnt/arch1 from there.
Checking whoami won't reveal being logged in with or without -mm.
App permissions
Edit 2020-06-03: After all these years using this approach I should add that even with rwx permissions on my special ext4 sdcard partition, apps may not be able to read files unless the SELinux policy is set to "permissive". For a quick fix I let Tasker execute su -c setenforce permissive on every boot. I need to do this anyway because I use ViPER4Android audio effect processing and it would not work without the permissive setting. Because of this, I noticed the permissive dependency just recently.
What I can't answer
Unfortunately I have no idea how to mount it in that way that your ext4 partition is displayed as real external storage by standard file managers. You would have to do the workaround by creating a directory inside your internal storage mentioned earlier.
How I figured it out
I experienced the exact problem. I gave the fact that other apps can't access the mount a further thought. Maybe the root user is not supposed to mount partitions for use with Android apps. I noticed a directory called media_rw is owned by media_rw (yes, same names) so I thought about suing as a media_rw user and applying the above steps.
While reading the help page with su --help within Android, I stumbled across this part:
-m, -p,
-mm, --mount-master          connect to a shell that can manipulate the
                             master mount namespace - requires su to be
                             running as daemon, must be first parameter

So tried logging in as a root user with the -mm option instead, mounted my partition from there and surprise - I was able to see my stuff in Total Commander and open media files from there with VLC.
My device in particular is the Planet Computers Gemini, using stock Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) rooted with SuperSU. Edit 2020-06-03: Android 8.1 (Oreo rooted with Magisk; same device) as well.

@djsumdog and @Sopalajo de Arrierez Sorry for the delayed response.
Things got re-orgonized and stream lined. By unifying those that use the fstab files. Such as the init, vold, and recovery all under /fstab.<device> now. Some of which is managed by vold and just off the top of my head it sounds like a permissions issue because with root it's like an override with its R/W powers. Linux used to have an issue with android when formatting due to this but I do not know if it was fixed.
" DEVICES MAY PROVIDE EXTERNAL STORAGE BY EMULATING A CASE-INSENSITIVE, PERMISSIONLESS FILESYSTEM BACKED BY INTERNAL STORAGE. "
" When configuring a device-specific init.rc script,the EXTERNAL_STORAGE environment variable must be defined as the path to the primary external storage. The /sdcard path must also resolve to the same location, possibly through a symlink. If a device adjusts the location of external storage between platform updates, symlinks should be created so that old paths continue working."
"One possible implementation is provided by the FUSE daemon in system/core/sdcard, which can be added as a device-specific init.rc service":
virtual sdcard daemon running as media_rw (1023)
service sdcard /system/bin/sdcard <source_path> <dest_path> 1023 1023
    class late_start

"Where source_path is the backing internal storage and dest_path is the target mount point."
Reference

Thanks for this discussion. Here is what "kind of" works on my Android 5.1 TV computer:
su -mm -c mount -t ext4 -o noatime /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /storage/sdcard1 &&  sleep 5 && /system/bin/vold
chown -R root:sdcard_r /storage/sdcard1
chmod 771 /storage/sdcard1

I say "kind of" because this is still not seen as a true, external storage card by Android or file manager apps (and the like). However, all apps can read/write/traverse the folder tree and do what they need to. You do NOT have to be root except to do this. As things stand for me now, I have to re-issue this upon every re-start of Android. But using Tasker makes this pretty easy to accomplish.


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Duplicate Facebook notifications
OK I am a non tech, old generation guy, using an HTC Android phone. Just recently when Facebook posts to my phone, not only do I get the usual tone to alert me to a posting, a split second later I get a bell sound, a bell shaped icon, and the text "xx also commented on his post https://m.facebook.com/  meaning that I have two alerts for the posting. It's only started doing this recently.
Why is it doing this (duplication) and how can I stop it (irritating!)
Thanks

More than likely you have two different apps connected to your Facebook account.  Probably the official Facebook app, and some sort of social media aggregator.  If your version of Android is new enough you may be able to hide notifications for one, or otherwise go into the app and disable notifications.

It seems you have used Chrome to log into Facebook.
Go to Chrome>Menu>Settings>Site Settings>Notifications, and disable Facebook from there.

Well not sure I've done "exactly" as above (!) but I've certainly turned something off! I'll await a FB posting to see whether it makes any difference. Thanks to you and the others :)


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Broken SONY SD Card, formatting, "shredding", adding/deleting files to no avail
Whole story
(Feel free to skip to the "The Problem" section. This section is included for completeness, and just in case if it actually is related.)

SMARTPHONE: SONY Xperia E C1504
Specs:
-RAM: 512 MB
-DATA/SYSTEM space: < 1GB (~700MB)
-DATA/SYSTEM used out-of-the-box: ~ 300-400 MB
-INTERNAL STORAGE: ~ 2 GB
-PROCESSOR: Qualcomm Snapdragon S1
-STOCK ROM: SONY: Android 4.1.1 - based ROM

SD Card: SONY 32 GB microSDHC Class 10 (U1)

The stock SONY ROM that comes with the phone is too bloated, filled with unnecessary features, apps, and other stuff that make the phone (close to) unusable. Not only that, but even more space is wasted with some "SONY PC Companion" installer that I don't really need (download it from internet, maybe? and NOT WASTE VALUABLE SPACE!!!)
It's so crazy, that I can't even update all the apps in the phone (even without installing other apps in Google Play) without getting "Can't update : Insufficient space available.". Not only that, but 512 MB of RAM struggles to keep up with Facebook/Twitter! (Yes, they come pre-installed.). Way to go, SONY.
(barely) Survived for 2 years, after rooting using KingoRoot, removing loads of system apps, getting an SD Card, and installing Link2SD. After that, some apps just stopped. Knowing an update was pending, decided to Unroot -> Use PC Companion to do clean install. Still SLOW, and storage problem persisted, so decided to Unlock Boot Loader -> Install TWRP -> Install CM10, CM11, or CM12, whatever was available. Latest that worked was CM11, but without camera (bummer), so CM10 was used. So much for Lollipop. :(
Running CM10 smoothly, updated everything, and installed a couple of apps, and now only 150 MB available. :(.

The problem
Installed Link2SD, created mount scripts, and rebooted. Now some apps that were previously on SD card, including Play Store, Play Services, Nova Launcher, etc. appeared magically. Since some were installed in CM10 after wiping, the were replaced by their respective SD card versions.When opening any of those apps, I am greeted by "Unfortunately,  has stopped.". Recreate mount scripts / relink apps / etc, and prompted for a reboot.
Except the reboot eliminated all trace of those apps. Means Google Play Services is GONE!
Next logical step: delete those files and start over. Used an adapter, and it mounted it read-only!!! Tried other adapter: (seems) perfect. After deleting, unmounted SD Card. Surprise! Everything is back again!
Tried GParted (deleting all partitions and creating new ones, as well as destroying old partition table), and to no avail. Everything is back!
Even tried shred -f -v -z -x /dev/mmcblk0, and no errors reported.
So I'm left with yet another SONY product that doesn't work as it should. And it's a shame as I used to trust SONY products, as I thought they were of good quality.

Non-working or impossible:
-Buy a new phone.
-Deal with it, and just use the phone for calls and SMS. No WhatsApp, Telegram / Plus Messenger, etc.
Help? Please?

Did you use GParted to format the SD card after which nothing was deleted from it?

If you've got a Linux machine near you, try running the badblocks command against the card – probably the card only consists of bad blocks (i.e. is broken). I had a very similar issue here: Everything I changed (files written/added or deleted) was "undone" within hours (when the "file cache" expired), no changes to the card possible. Turned out card was all bad blocks, replacement card worked fine.

@TamoghnaChowdhury yes, I used GParted to do it. (All my machines run Linux as their daily driver, and Windows in-case-of-emergency)

@Izzy Running right now!

@JonathanPrecise mine started spitting numbers right when started, so I've aborted it when it didn't stop that after half a minute or so. As long as it doesn't do that, let it run until finished to see the summary. If everything looks fine, you at least can rule out this fact; I'd then try mounting it to your PC (card-reader), put some files on (optionally delete others), unmount, wait a little (cache flush), remount and check if your changes persisted (or do the last step on a different device, to rule out caching stuff).

@Izzy Running badblocks -wvs /dev/mmcblk0 as root (I wanted to delete the whole card anyways, so used the destructive write mode) started spitting errors after writing 0xaa. Summary: Testing with pattern 0x55: ^C5.39% done, 36:06 elapsed. (0/0/31472640 errors)
Interrupted at block 14328000. I ^C -ed it as I knew the whole card was filled with bad blocks. Ordering replacement...

@Izzy Also no problems with the microSD to SD adapter, as I tried with a Kingston 1GB card I had, and it worked fine.

As this was the trigger, I've made it an answer for you. The replacement then will settle it and solve your issue :)

The description is a strong indicator of a currupted/broken card. I had a similar case lately (deleted files reappeared, added files disappeared, changes were undone), and used the Linux command-line tool badblocks to check the card (attached using a card reader). Even with non-destructive mode, it immediately started spitting errors – so I knew the card was "borked". Ordered a replacement, and everything worked fine again.
As you figured out in your comment already, you must tell badblocks the device to check. If the card has to be erased anyway, destructive mode is giving a more complete result (involving used sectors/blocks as well as unused ones):
badblocks -wvs /dev/mmcblk0

(which you used – so I assume you ran the badblocks binary on-device via adb shell or a terminal) or
badblocks -wvs /dev/sdb

(using a card reader on a Linux PC – make sure first the card really is at /dev/sdb, or you might destry some other storage device!) will tell you the state the card is in. If it starts spitting out many numbers (the IDs of the bad blocks), you know it's time to order a replacement.

Yes, I ran it from my Linux laptop. It already has a built-in card reader, so it was recognized as /dev/mmcblk0 (ArchLinux, don't know if Ubuntu is different.). Replacement ordered.

You can always try:
1)Format/repartition SD card using a PC and ensure that everything in it has been deleted.
2)Wipe your phone from TWRP (data,cache,dalvik cache,system).
3)Reinstall CM10 from scratch.
4)Insert SD card.
5)Link2SD again.
6)Does it work now?
7)If it still doesn't work, it might be a bug in the ROM. See if the developer can help.
8) Of course, the culprit is probably a bad SD card. Try replacing it.

Thanks for the answer. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I think it has to do with the SD Card


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Resolving Credential storage issue
On Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 SMP600 when I try to to add a VPN I'm prompted for credential storage password. I have tried all the other solutions on SO and none of them worked. I have PIN code on the lock screen as well and I cannot clear the password as the option to do so is greyed out.
I talked to Samsung and they eventually told me I had to factory reset of the tablet! I want to know how to fix this once and for all. My device is rooted running stock ROM Kitkat 4.4.2.

This is a non-conventional solution (which might/might-not work for everyone) but can be helpful to others having the same issue.
Answer gathered from androidforum and google product forum
What we are trying to achieve is to Set-up a pin and fail to enter it deliberately to access recovery using  gmail address and entering the VPN settings directly after google sign-in.

Steps to achieve this:

Add a pattern lock and other information that goes with setting up a pattern-lock recovery.
Reboot phone and when the screen presents itself asking for lock pattern enter 5 failed attempts.
When theprompts says to wait 30 seconds, press OK and find the recovery button where you enter google account info.
After signing-in go straight to VPN settings and enter a new pattern-lock/pin.

If the above mentioned steps does not solve your issue go ahead with the alternative method.
Alternatively you can make use of 3rd party app called QuickShortcutMaker and follow the steps as mentioned here

Sharath, I'm afraid this doesn't answer the question: OP didn't ask for a list of VPN apps (which would have been off-topic) – but about solving the issue with credential storage. Could you [edit] your post and fix that (before downvotes come hailing down on you)?

@Izzy thank you for letting me know. Edited now.  My bad, I thought it was a software rec post.

Yupp. Hint: SR=blue-favicon, ASE=green-favicon :) Or in my case, I take a look at the rep in the SE „MultiCollider™“ bar #D

@Izzy Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that i mind. Also good tool, Multicolloder and also IzzyonDroid ;)

I have tried both of these methods before and even retried them now,  however neither of them work for me. Whenever I get the open VPN stage I'm  prompted for credential storage.

@preezzzy Did you try setting up a new pin in credential storage?

@Sharath The only place to set up a new pin is Device->Lock screen->Screen lock. I'm not sure what you mean by setting pin in credential storage. I followed your instructions until Step 4. When I go straight to VPN it doesn't ask me to set up a new pin it asks me "Enter password for credential storage".


text:
do I pay for multiple downloads of paid apps?
I am thinking about buying Tasker, and swype. If I purchase these apps, will I need to pay for them on each device? Or will a single purchase allow me to install on all my devices?

Apps purchased through Google play store are linked to a Google account and not a device. This means you can purchase an app then use it on devices signed into the Google account that purchased it. https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113410?hl=en


text:
Why are some of my pictures all black?
I was out on a hike today and took a few pictures. When taking a picture I saw the usual animation where I see snapshot of the picture just taken, and then it slides away from the screen to display the camera viewfinder again. After coming home I notice this in my google photos:
What causes this to happen?

Any chance your finger was over the lens?

This happens to me when the camera accidentally gets activated in my pocket.

Are there any photos you made but there are not here?

It appears as if this is an issue where the camera got activated in a dark place, such as your pocket. Undue pressure (false touches) can cause this, or even if the camera app took 2 pictures in burst mode (it isn't supposed to happen, but it does anyway). There can also be other issues which may rarely be for to a hardware problem, but since this is not a major problem I don't think it merits a service center visit.


text:
How to check if bootloader is unlocked mediatek device
My Device: Rooted Karbonn A52+ Android 4.2.2 (Stock ROM) | MTK6572 CPU
Hi friends, I was recently able to flash Clockwork Mod Custom Recovery followed by a Custom ROM flash from the recovery (though now I've re-shifted to the stock ROM). But, what is suspicious is: I NEVER UNLOCKED MY BOOTLOADER! And it's obvious for most/all android devices that neither a custom recovery nor a custom ROM can be flashed without unlocking the bootloader. I didn't flash the recovery through the command

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

but I flashed it through an app available on the play store called "Mobile Uncle MTK Tools". It successfully replaced my phone's stock recovery with the CWM Recovery.
Now, I could assume that this app itself unlocked my bootloader before flashing the recovery, but now the question comes "Then why didn't I face a reset of my device? I didn't lose any data!"
So I wanted to ask if there's any way to check out whether my bootloader is unlocked or not. Thanks in advance..

If I'm right, most Mediatek phones over in India come with unlocked bootloaders. I own a Karbonn Titanium S5+, and found it unlocked from the beginning. I used fastboot flash recovery  and it worked out fine, without the need of fastboot oem unlock.

That's great.. Anyhow, so there isn't any way to "verify" it?

Not sure, but flashing CWM requires the bootloader to be unlocked usually, so I guess that's proof enough.

There is a great deal of ambiguity and misinformation in the previous answer(s) above. The root cause of this is ambiguity inherent in the words "flash" and "flashing": some people use a "flash tool" to "flash" .img or .bin files, others use a "custom recovery" to "flash" a .zip file, and still others use the bootloader to "flash" a .zip file.
Mobile Uncle MTK Tools (mentioned above) is software used with .img and .bin files, but there are others such as the so-called SP-Flash-Tools (SmartPhone Flash Tool). These tools are typically Windows, mac, and/or Linux programs. (and btw the correct word in this case is "download," not "flash").
When using a recovery to flash an update, the code that does the work sits in the recovery partition itself, and the user controls the process via some sort of GUI on the phone that the recovery displays.
When using the bootloader to update the phone, there is a special-purpose client called fastboot that lives on a computer which is connected to the phone via USB. Fastboot is also the name of the protocol that this client speaks over USB  with the bootloader code on the phone.
With those three things understood, it's easy to see what's going on:

If you use a flash tool to download some .img or .bin file to the phone, then you don't use any code in the bootloader at all. So whatever it means for the bootloader to be "locked" or "unlocked" doesn't matter (since you're not using the bootloader)
If you are using fastboot and the bootloader, then unless the bootloader is UNLOCKED, you won't be able to install ANYTHING but a bona fide uncorrupted factory-approved update file. That's what it means for the bootloader to be locked -- if you tell such a bootloader "Fastboot flash mywacko-update.zip" or anything similar, you'll see an error message and failure. Because it's locked.
Now if you use a recovery to update the phone, you might think that we are back in the 1st case -- you're using the recovery and not the bootloader, so it shouldn't matter if the bootloader is locked or not. Although the logic is unassailable, the fact is that the stock recovery of any Android that ever lived contains code which will cause the update to fail unless the update is a stock factory-approved one. In other words, it's a fact that if the bootloader is locked, you won't be able to use the recovery to install something non-standard either.

But it's perfectly supported to take a flash tool and download a CUSTOM recovery which is not stock -- where one important feature of the custom recovery is that it just doesn't care about the locked/unlocked status of the bootloader.
If you do this, your custom recovery will "flash" anything you ask it to, .but you STILL won't be able to  use fastboot and he bootloader to flash anything non-stock. Because the bootloader will still be locked.
Finally, to answer the question about how to verify if the bootloader is locked or not:
Boot into the bootloader (sometimes called "fastboot mode"), connect the phone via USB to a computer that is running fastboot, and type the following command:

fastboot getvar all

If you're lucky, among the many lines of output you get will be ones such as:
(bootloader)    unlocked: no
(bootloader)    secure: yes
Strictly speaking, I believe that locked/unlocked just means that: it can not be changed. The bootloader is "secure" if it will only install factory-signed images. That being said, I have never seen any combination but two: unlocked and not secure // or locked and secure. (As a final comment, the value of the  "secure" is usually referred to as "s-on" or "s-off")

On my Karbonn A35, when I run fastboot getvar all, it gives a bunch of strings like ..partition-size.., ..partition-type.., etc. but not one line contains "lock". However, I know for a fact that the phone has issues with the fastboot flash commands and we have to flash using the SP Flash tool running on the Desktop.
The fastboot command just hangs when I try to flash the system partition. However, it does write other partitions like boot, recovery, etc. Does that mean it's bootloader is locked/unlocked?


text:
locate lost phone with help from gps and web based google play
Phone lost but access to google play through web interface.
Is there any app that will send GPS position right upon installation,
or send the phone position to the gmail account installed on the phone (also remotely available of course).
There's the app "Plan B" but only for android 2.0-2.3.
Regards,

If you have enabled Android Device Manager as administrator
You can either use the mobile app on another phone to track it or use this link:
https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager


text:
Loding file on recovery mod
I really need to know how to load .zip files on the recovery TWRP. Because I did a system wipe without previously do a flash of the new ROM. There's a way to put the ROM on the phone even without any system on it? Thanks.

Look into adb sideload.

Loading and flashing a ROM from within TWRP can be done with a few easy steps.

Select a ROM and download it to a place on your computer with a simple path such as a folder on your desktop.
Open into TWRP and plug your device into your computer.
Open the terminal with administrative rights and verify your device is visible with the command adb devices if your device is present it will show up.
Next throw the command adb push path_of_the.zip /sdcard/ that should put the ROM.zip in your sdcard.
Within TWRP click the install button and navigate to where the ROM.zip file is. In this case it's in the /sdcard and click it then slide the bar


text:
Searching for alternative solution for Contact Picker for taskser
I am using Tasker scences. I have a text-box. I want the user to enter contact phone number into the input-box in the scene.
I am searching how to let the user pick a number from the contact list.
Tasker don't have any plugin that show contact picker.
Do you have any other solution for that?

Just saying: You can try your luck here too. If you do find an answer, don't forget to share it with us. :)

If you need answeryou need to do +1 and star. It give the asker motivation for sharing answer. Thanks

I know about that but your question doesn't show efforts (at least not something I could see, that's subjective, please don't bomb me) and if  I need an answer then I would consider offering a bounty rather than simply marking it as favorite.

For Readers: Here is a pointer which uses AutoContact app: https://www.reddit.com/r/tasker/comments/3lwjff/help_how_to_searching_for_alternative_solution/

I found a solution by using Automate.
Automate  is like Tasker but it also has  Contact Picker.
I can start automate flow from Tasker, then the flow can pick a contact and copy the contact number to clipboard. Then Tasker can take the number from the clipboard and do whatever I want.
Hard, but it is working!!!
On the way, I found that Automate is much better than Tasker (Automate can run Tasker's tasks and plugins either)


text:
Google Play say "You dont have any device"
I've just bought Ewing I960 android tablet. strangely this device does not come with google play store. So I try to install directly from google play site.
But could not install any of the android apps. Got this message from google when installing the apps. So not apps can be install.
I did download latest google play apk. It got installed but fail when opening the apps.
Hope I can get some light on how to resolve this.
thank you.
ag.

See if you are logged in with the same Google account that you used on your tablet

Looks like your device is not supported by Google (list of devices that support Google Play). Anyway, you can try to find GApps - Google applications that come pre-installed with most of devices. In your case they must be installed via recovery.


text:
'Google Play Services is not working'
i recently flashed my Samsung Galaxy S4 with Resurrection Remix rom.My phone now doesnt support any of the official Google apps.Whenever i open any such app, it says that 'Google Play Services is not working'

Have you flashed the latest GApps? Try updating Google Play Services after that.

With some custom roms, the default Google play suite won't work. Check too see if anyone has released a Google play package for that rom.

authors: Владимир Беликов


text:
Why does "Android Keyboard" keep crashing even though I'm not using it?
I use the Swype keyboard to enter text on my Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android 5.1.
Often, at least once a day and often more depending on usage, I get a pop up error message that says "Unfortunately Android Keyboard has stopped" and I have to click "Ok" to dismiss it. It does not seem to matter what app I'm using, this error will pop up any time I'm entering text.
I'm not using Android Keyboard, I'm using Swype, so why am I getting this error and how do I stop it from happening?

Try clearing the cache and app data for keyboard.  Go to system settings then apps and search the keyboard there.  Try clearing cache and app data.  If the problem is still there you can disable the keyboard.
Mostly the default keyboard is Google Keyboard


text:
Open a new tab in chrome from a shortcut or app
Problem
Since updating to Android 5.1.1 I started using the new tab switcher merged with recent apps, however, every time I click on chrome I have to wait for it to open the last tab only to open a new one anyways, and if I wanted the old tab I could have opened it from the recent apps.
I tried creating a bookmark to use about:blank, which works except I don't have access to any bookmarks or history as from the new tab page, but when trying to link directly to the new tab page I am unable to find a method which works.
Using "about:newtab" I am given a transparent overlay on my launcher which shows as Chrome in recent apps.
Using chrome://newtab or chrome-native://newtab I receive a toast from the launcher stating "App isn't installed.".
I thought about creating a simple app with no UI which simply opens chrome to a new tab, or using Xposed to change it to open in a new tab on click, but am unsure how to go about this.
Question
Is there some file in system I could change to add Chrome as a handler for "chrome://" links?
What other method I could try in order to create a shortcut on my launcher to open a new tab for chrome?
More Info

Launchers Tested: Nova Launcher, Google Now Launcher
Chrome Versions: Chrome 45.0.2454.94, Chrome Beta 46.0.2490.34
Android Version: 5.1.1 LMY48M
Device: Nexus 5

Did you try am start -n com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.ChromeTabbedActivity -d "about:newtab" --activity-clear-task (there are no line breaks) with root permissions? Although I'm confused what exactly you want. You can create an app shortcut which would execute that command. There are many automation tools that can do the job here. Related: Can I open Chrome on Android from command line ?

@Firelord I tried using Tasker to create a shortcut to run that command, but it just gave this as a result:
Starting: Intent { dat=about:newtab flg=0x8000 cmp=com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.ChromeTabbedActivity }
Error type 3
Error: Activity class {com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.ChromeTabbedActivity} does not exist.

They have changed the activity name, as it seems. The revised command is: am start -n com.android.chrome/org.chromium.chrome.browser.ChromeTabbedActivity -d "about:newtab" --activity-clear-task

@Firelord Using the revised command I am no longer getting any errors, however, after the command executes the screen ducks slightly as if an activity is being launched, but nothing appears and there is nothing in the recent apps menu. Tested both using Tasker and Terminal Emulator.

It's working in my Android 5.0.2 but in Android 5.1.1 the behavior is erratic. Consecutively, it launches a window with single tab, and the next time I try the command, it shows the window with all the previous tabs in background. I don't know what's causing it. I'm running Chrome v45.0.2454.94.

There is an action is Tasker under App -> Launch app. Long press the Chrome icon there to choose an activity and choose the activity com.google.android.apps.chrome.Main. Pass about:newtab in Data and execute the task. Tell us the results.

@Firelord When running that I get the same result as when I tried using the Chrome Bookmark Widget launcher shortcut, an invisible overlay covers the screen, and when I open recent apps it shows "Chrome" with the last thing I had on the screen when trying to open it. Note however, if I type an http url instead of an about: or chrome:// url it will open chrome, but not to the page specified, instead it opens the page most recently accessed. PS: Added full version numbers to post.

The answers here might help you in the meantime by decreasing the time it takes for you last tab to load.  Also, try Firelord's last am start suggestion but replace ChromeTabbedActivity with multiwindow.MultiInstanceChromeTabbedActivity.

@Matthew Read This is the result I get when trying what I believe you meant: Error type 3 Error: Activity class {com.android.chrome/com.google.android.apps.chrome.multiwindow.MultiInstanceChromeTabbedActivity} does not exist.

I remember asking a similar question recently: How do I open the “New Tab” page explicitly in Chrome from a Web Page?

If you're to the point of building apps to get more out of Play-Store versions of Chrome you might want to look into the Chromium browser. It rolls out new (relatively stable when compared with something like Firefox)builds constantly. In Chromium just navigate to 'chrome://flags' for a ridiculous amount of customization options.

I think the answer is similar to this question here: Open Incognito from Shortcut

Solution for Android 7.1 (API level 25) and higher
If you're using a launcher which supports App Shortcuts you can:

Long-press the Chrome icon to bring up shortcuts.
Long-press the New tab shortcut and drag to desired location.
Use the new shortcut to launch Chrome with a new tab.

+1. This works. I use Sesame app to launch the new tab from anywhere in Android and I'm on Android 7.1 too.

Try switching off the 'Merge tabs and Apps' in settings.
Then you will be able to open a new tab using the + icon at the top of the window. Swipe down the top pane to reveal all of your tabs.

Irrelevant answer.
I think the answer is similar to this question here: Open Incognito from Shortcut


text:
Automatically power-on Android phone at a given time?
Is it possible to automatically power on Android phone at a given time?

Technically, if your device is connected to a charger, it may be possible if your phone is rooted.
You can edit the program which shows the charging animation when your phone is powered off (typically stored in playlpm or lpm in /system/bin).
You could replace it with a simple shell script to reboot the phone when the time is equal to some value, assuming the system booted at that point has the date command available.
Obviously, this isn't an end-user solution. It's only for people who know at least a little programming and know what they are doing.
Source: https://arduandro.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/autobootstart-android-when-charger-is-connected/
Here is something to get you started. This should reboot your phone once it's 4pm (untested):
#!/system/bin/sh
while:
do
hr=`date +%H`
if test $hr -ge 16
    then
    /system/bin/reboot
else
    sleep 60
fi
done


text:
"Camera Busy" dialog shows on Moto X 2013 when I launch camera app
I have a problem my Moto x 2013 camera says it is busy every time I start the  Motorola camera app. Third party apps also have trouble using the camera. My phone is  on Android version 5.1 but it has been happening when my phone was on 4.4.4.
I have restarted my phone, rebooted it in safe mode, factory reset my Moto x and my camera still says  "Camera Busy". I also cleared my Moto x cache partition but it did not work.
Is there any way to fix this problem?
(Click image to enlarge)

See "Can't connect to camera", Nexus 6 - Lollipop 5.1


text:
How do I connect to my phone that's in vigilant coma?
So I have this phone that looks like it's working fine under the hood, but input (power button and touchscreen) as well as the output (display) are pretty much dead.

Interlude on what happened

Clumsy me dropped his phone in water.
Turning it off immediately and heating it through to dry gave red
  light. (battery cannot be removed quickly)
Volume down + power for 60 seconds caused life signs to reappear.
After recharge and start, display was very washed out (very white, barely readable) and touchscreen was partially unresponsive. Besides that the phone worked normally.
Display "faded" further over couple of hours. Now being black, flickering when plugged to power (nothings visible, just black
  flickering). Volume buttons occasionally still work, providing sound
  feedback for changing the volume.

I got a new phone (see, I like to fix things, but with water damage you never know what got damaged. I keep the phone and see if I can fix it later, but for now I use a new one, because I need to call people 'n stuff, ok?)
How can I access the data on the phone?
I installed adb, but in order to connect to the phone, the phone has to be enabled for that. I don't remember if I ever changed that setting, but connecting it to the pc and listing all the connected devices gave nothing. I assume that it is not set up for that.
I read about a safe mode, but that needs a phone that's turned off and a power button. My phone is on and the power button doesn't work. At least I think it doesn't work.
Is there any way to access the phone via cable from outside to bypass the broken io? Or is my only option to actually fix the phone to make a regular connection to it?


text:
How to swap external SD card with intenal one on rooted Ematic EGS102 tablet?
Today I rooted my Chinese tablet (Ematic EGS102), and opened its vold.fstab but I can't find the line that points to the internal memory. This is what I found:
(Click image to enlarge)

All I know is:

The line mentioning "dev_mount flash" is the nand flash.
Next line is for the external SD and the another next one  is for USB.

So which line should be used to swap external_sd with?
My internal storage has only 500 MB capacity so swapping would be really useful. I tried moving apps to SD card but it moves them to nand flash and the data keeps downloading in the internal, so storage runs out and apps don't work.

Help would be greatly appreciated.


text:
Computer does not recognize Galaxy S4 after upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10
I have updated from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and now can't get my Galaxy S4 to connect via USB to my computer to download photos etc.
I have Kies ordinary and lite, both up-to-date, but still nothing. The computer says to put the phone into MTP mode, but that is nowhere to be found. Please advise.

Make sure you have a USB cable that supports data and not just for power!!!

Use shareit to transfer file between your pc and phone

Connect your galaxy S4 to the PC first (don't bother if not recognized).
Go the the Device Manager (Right click on ‘My Computer’ and select ‘properties’ then ‘Device Manager’  in the left sidebar, or go to ‘Control Panel’ then ‘system’ then ‘Device Manager’ from the left sidebar).
Next, find the Android device driver if found then right click uninstall. The driver may be listed under ‘Portable Devices’ or ‘Other devices’ or it may be listed under it’s own name.
Once the drivers are uninstalled, unplug your device from the PC. Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet and automatic updating is turned on, then replug your device and allow Windows to find and install the drivers all over again.
If your device is not listed in the drivers list then check whether you are using the Right cable ( cable with data transmission capability not just charging).
Provide the unlock password on your device in order to view external or internal memory on your PC.
In windows 10, go to setings->Devices->AutoPlay. Tap to choose what happens to the devices after connected.

Alternative or best solution
Move to AirDroid for transferring contents from your system wirelessly to your phone or vice versa.

This still seems to be a problem for many people.
1) Download the Samsung mobile USB driver.
2) Unplug phone & install driver.
3) After install, plug in phone. It should be recognized but open Device Manager and scan for hardware changes. Windows may possibly then do a driver update.
AND/OR: TRY ANOTHER USB CABLE! This has worked for many people including myself. I'm a fan of Monoprice cables. I throw away any cables that "seem to work" under some circumstances (like charging) but not others (like MTP connections in this case.)

I'll second bmdixon's "try another usb cable".  I tried three that didn't work (#1), but that had seemed fine for other devices.  I finally found my original Samsung USB cable and tried it ... and my Mac saw my Galaxy S7 Edge!       #1: when plugged in with the other cables, the phone chirped and started charging, but there was no recognition of the phone by a Mac or a PC.

I was experiencing the same issue and it was rather flustrating. However, thanks to a source online, i was able to get this fixed.
First, you need to make sure you have usb debugging turned ON on your android phone. Although not compulsory with some android smartphones, it's kinda compulsory on some others. But it wouldn't hurt to have USB debugging turned on anyway.
Next, you need to update MTP driver on your computer. Plug in your device to your computer using a working usb and follow the steps disclosed in the screenshots below:
Right click on the windows start icon and click on Device manager, then go to other devices and right click on the unknown device or MTP (whichever your computer currently displays):

OK. It seems as though stackexchange only permits only one image. Or maybe i don't know how to add more.
But here is the link to the source. Perhaps, you could check and fix your issue.

AirDroid is probably your best bet.  Depending on your wireless carrier, the drivers may be unsigned and not current enough for Windows 10.  For Verizon, my Galaxy S4 drivers aren't signed so I can't install.  AirDroid provides me the ability to transfer content.  Some wireless FTP apps, even installed from the play store, can result in mixed results.

USB debugging turned on - seemed to doo it for me. tks

in addition: it was a very intermittent connection. but could access the sd card on the phone for moving pics from there to the laptop.

We had tried pretty much all of the recommendations found on various sites.  Nothing worked. The lower-level error was "Port Reset Failed". I discovered that using a POWERED USB hub between the phone and the computer eliminated the problem. Later we learned that one of the three cables we had would work without using the hub. My speculation is that the amount of power the phone is allowed to draw from the computer is somehow controlled by the Samsung cables. Those that ask for a higher draw will only work thru the powered USB hub (because the computer doesn't power the device then).


text:
Where is the clear all notifications button on Lollipop?
After an update months ago, I no longer have a clear all button for notifications. I must manually swipe each of them away. Is there a setting I'm missing?
I'm using Nexus 4 Android 5.1.1.

Should be one at the bottom-right of the notifications pane. You may need to swipe right to the bottom of the list to get to it.

Were you using KitKat before the update? If it's, then the notification panel behaves differently, and Josh Holland is right. Otherwise, if the update was from Lollipop to Lollipop, then it's a new issue I've heard.


text:
On multiple devices, remove notifications if they have been read on one device
I use two cell phones and multiple devices. I work in the US and live in Canada. When I cross the border and turn on my Nexus 4, I get every notification sent since it was turned off. If it was one week or two, I still get them.
I want to keep notifications on when I use the phone. How do I eliminate all of the notifications (FB, Email) I've already gotten on another device?

That seems to be a lot of work. Do you have a lead?

I have wished for almost exactly the same thing, and I think mine would also be an acceptable solution to OP, so... is there a way for notifications that have been acknowledged (tapped on, or swiped away) on one device to be cleared from another device? i.e. synchronize the notifications (I often leave some notifications in the shade so I remember to act on them when I get home, for example - I would still want those to display on my other device)

If you connect an android wear smartwatch to the two smartphones wouldn't it be updated when a notifications is swiped away on one smartphone and then updated the other one?


text:
Why do different Android phones with the same camera specs have different picture quality?
I was comparing the rear camera quality of two Android phones; The Samsung Galaxy S2 and Lenovo A7000.
Both have the same camera specs,

A7000: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash
Galaxy S2: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash

When using apps like Snapchat or just Camera, I noticed that the A7000's picture quality is lesser (blurry) than that of the Galaxy S2. The pictures taken using the Lenovo aren't that great and the S2 has some really good quality.
Why is it that when different phones have same camera spec, they don't capture images the same way?

In addition to hardware and software differences, one factor that can have big effect on the quality of pictures taken by phones, or even the same phone, is how dirty the lens is.

It would be really helpful if you could take the same photograph with the two cameras and upload them, so we can see the visual difference you are referring to.

@IQAndreas sure. I'll upload them when I'm able to (right now, having a busy schedule and I don't have the photos in my current phone)

Why does a 16MP Brand1 camera takes better photos than a 16MP Brand2 camera?

The only thing you mention is the resolution. Stating that the cameras have the same specs only because they have the same resolution, is a fallacy at best. It's like saying that two cars should perform the same because they both have 4 wheels.

When using apps like Snapchat or just Camera, I noticed that the A7000's picture quality is lesser (blurry) than that of the GS2.

With the amount of information provided you might as well roll a dice to determine what camera is better. Did you use the same settings? Did you take the same photo?

Why is it that when different phones have same camera spec, they don't capture images the same way?

There is more to a camera than its resolution:

Software can have an influence on the image. That software may or may not be visible to you. Noise reduction, stabilisation, etc.
the lens
additional hardware like image stabilisation

Did you use the same settings? Did you take the same photo? Snapchat has its own settings (I guess) so I had nothing to do with changing the settings. And yes, I took photos of the same visual. Great answer btw :)

@EroSɘnnin good, the less variation you have, the more reasonable it is to compare two images.  But any app will only have so much access to the camera as android allows them. If one chip is better than the other, you can't do much about it in software. Say for example, if one chip is performing better at low light it can boost the sensitivity to keep the exposure short and a shorter time means less blur even in regular lighting conditions. Phone camera specs are horribly obfuscated by marketing gibberish. The lack of objective measures makes comparison hard. I'd buy a "real" camera.

Because resolution is probably the least important from all the characteristics of a camera (and it can even go against quality, a larger resolution without an accordingly better sensor might just as well give a worse overall quality).
In the usual circumstances of phones, probably the most important factor is the sensor size and quality, and neither will be accurately described in sales literature. The physical size of the sensor has obvious influence on image quality. A smaller sensor will see less light, and while the attached hardware and software will try to compensate, this will increase noise.
Then come the actual lens and optics. This is again something you can't really describe and compare in specifications but it matters a lot. Phones that excel in the camera department often have more complicated and more expensive lens systems coming from reputable old names of the photographic era.
And finally, the processing of the image. I don't think you can find any phone camera these days that doesn't do an awful lot of processing under the hood because that's what people want to have. Most people are very bad photographers so it would really upset them to see what they actually shot. :-) Phones compensate for almost anything these days, lighting conditions, movement, they enhance contrast, sharpness, faces, whatever.
So, what it boils down to: there is really no other way to compare two phone cameras but to shoot and compare for yourself. If you're lucky, somebody else already made the comparison and you can find the pictures on the net. But always judge by the pictures, not by specifications.

You also need to take into account the pixel size of the sensor, as well as the sensor size, all of which can positive affect image quality of the photo. The processing of the photo is vital as well.

Consider technically explaining how the pixel and sensor size affects the  image quality and then argue with specs in question. These are the things not everyone knows or often comes in contact with, so a thorough explanation is definitely required.

The fact that some cameras are interlaced has a huge effect on quality.It is down to the marketing and saying that a camera has 21mp for example when it doesn't.

On the contrary, I fail to find the usefulness out of this answer. Could you be more precise and technical in explaining your answer?

authors: ภานุพงศ์ โคตรเสนา


text:
I have a galaxy S3 and want to copy the data from my sdcard to my nexus 6 without a PC any ideas?
My Asus laptop is caput and I would like to get the SD card data onto the nexus 6, any idea maybe direct cable between both phones?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.xender

I, personally, recommend Shareit

You could try Airdroid which allows you to transfer files from your device to your laptop(and vice versa) via Wi-Fi and then transfer them to your Nexus.

OP doesn't want to use the PC.


text:
Samsung keyboard in a Galaxy tab just got changed to white by Lollipop
I use the built in Samsung keyboard in a Galaxy tab. It just got changed to white by Lollipop. How rude - I HATE it!  I've tried Swift Key and Google keyboard and dislike them both (no delete key, among other reasons). So am I just stuck with this unwanted white color, forced on me without asking?
Thanks

Your questions isn't really a question, though. Kinda more of a rant. Can you edit so other users can know if you're looking for alternative keyboard app suggestions or if it's possible to change the settings in the stock app...? Thanks!

I just started using a new keyboard app last week and totally love it. Multiling O Keyboard can be configured any way you like including colors as well as adding and removing keys (like delete). The app can be a bit confusing at first, but if you mess with the settings for a while you'll find it to be great. Plus, it has almost no permissions and takes up hardly any memory.


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What does "SMS Messaging Account" mean in Hangouts?
I'm using Nexus 5. In my Hangouts settings, I noticed that the setting called "Default SMS Messaging Account" was set to my email address with my full name (And can alternatively be changed to "SMS" instead, which hides previous chats)
Does this mean that I've been broadcasting my full name and email address to everyone I sent "SMSes" to?

It is a weird and confusing design decision in my opinion.
To answer your question : No. Your full name and email address is only
linked to your Google account and is only used for your Hangout chat.

Thanks. Can you provide sources, or is this just a hunch? If this meta-info is transmitted, it may or may not show up in all messaging apps.

I do not have a source but I am sure about that.  The MAP protocol (used for SMS) does not even allow such thing. Jakar provided a good explanation here. ;)

So what is the difference?


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How to connect a Galaxy Tab 4 to projector with VGA or HDMI?
I have a Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 (SM-T531) that I want to connect to a projector. So far as I have checked, there is no working MHL adapter for it.
Could someone please tell me another way to connect it either with HDMI or VGA wirelessly?

I use Amazon Fire TV and the Amazon Fire Stick with my Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 and Galaxy S3. The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter is supposed to work with Android devices as well. All of these options connect to an HDMI port.
The Fire Stick is by far the most cost effective route and is very easy to use. Here is how to use display mirroring on the Fire TV and Stick (from Amazon's website):

To quickly start display mirroring, on your Amazon Fire TV remote
  press and hold the Home button and select Mirroring. Then connect your
  compatible device. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick
  Settings, and then tap Settings. Tap Display & Sounds, and then tap
  Display Mirroring.

Will it also work with a projector?

The Amazon Fire Stick plugs directly into a HDMI port while the Amazon Fire TV uses a separate HDMI cable. As long as your projector has an HDMI input it should work perfectly.


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"Monkey Test" app is always downloaded every time I am online
My phone keeps downloading apps like "Cash Yourself", "Monkey Test" and many more.
I have tried to stop and clear data, but every time I am online they were download again.
How can I stop this?

According to this source it may help to change your Google password. Don't know if that is correct though.

Open the Play Store. Navigate to "My Apps". Untick the box for "Update applications automatically". Then, try to clear data once again.

Hi Zeniteox is that in setting the untick box i cannot find it

Open Play store, go to settings, then go to Auto-Update Option and select the desired option


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how can we import contact from lost mobile to new mobile
i lost my samsung android mobile, now i bought a new samsung android. Let me know how to get recovery of contacts in my new mobile.

If you had auto-synced  your device with your Gmail, you would probably have the backup of all the contacts. So, You can login with the same account as that of the lost phone and then retrieve the contacts from gmail/gdrive backup.

google account was there but unfortunately its not synced. So please share any other way to get it

You cannot recover stuff only saved locally without access to that location. If the device is lost, so is its content, sorry @jithender.


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How to enable Google Keyboard?
Following this suggestion I have disabled Google Keyboard application. My entire system has crashed and upon restart, I can't see that application in application list, so I could reenable it.
How to restore Google Keyboard, so it would start appear again in Settings > Apps > All?

All disabled apps are listed on Settings > Apps > Disabled, where you can re-enable any of it.
If for some reasons or in certain situations, Disabled tab does not appear (like in my case) and restarting device does not help, then you can open menu in Apps (three dots in right top corner) and select Reset app preferences.
After confirming all your disabled apps  become enabled again.

I found it.  Go to Apps and tap the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Show system".  There's the Gboard now.


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Can’t enable the developer options of Samsung Galaxy Tab
I have several time tap on “Build Number” for 7 times but it does not show any toast message and also not enable the developer options.
Where can we find the USB Driver for the Tab.
I have Samsung Galaxy Tab(GT-P1000).

I'm experiencing the same issue with a Samsung Galaxy S8. The screen is so slow to detect the taps that the most I can get in a row is 4, if I'm lucky. I can see the UI react to a single tap with the "ripple" effect, but it's impossible to do 7 in a row.

Have you looked under Settings/Application for the option Development? If not, do that first. That option should be enabled.
Look under Development for USB Debugging. It may not be enabled. Go to Settings/Wireless and Network/USB Settings and choose Ask on connection.
Go back to Settings/Application/Development. The USB Debugging option should now be enabled.
If you're on Windows, download Samsung drivers, install them and then connect your tab.

Settings/Wireless and Network/USB Settings is also disable.

Check if you have accesibility settings enabled, specifically the magnification gestures, as this setting can prevent you from corrrectly detecting the multiple taps on the build number. Once you have it disabled, tap repeatedly until you see the message, if you still cant see it , it might be already enabled.


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Google Account Sign in atempt prevented! Cannot sign in to play store
I cannot sign in to a Google Account for enabling Play Store in my Device(Galaxy Y duos GT S6102). When I try to add a Google account, it says that my Username & Password don't match. Then when I opened my gmail from my PC, I found a mail from google which said "Sign in attempt Prevented from an app that does'nt meet modern security standards". Once by mistake I uninstalled Play Store & now I have reinstalled it. Is this the reason for not meeting modern security standards? What can I do to overcome this problem?

Try heading to https://www.google.com/settings/security/lesssecureapps and seeing if you can turn on access to the application.

That worked. But still I am looking for better solutions, that is, how to make my phone meet modern security standards.


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How to transfer Android contacts to iPhone?
I want to move contacts from Android phone to my new iPhone. Do you know how to move Android contacts to iPhone?

A.SE mods - The answer here is a bit of software that runs on android, while there's an IOS system involved. Annoyingly, its a newer, more up to date answer than the potential dupes. I'll drop this on your lap, but I almost moved it to ask different instead

Please mention your phone model and Android version.

You can use the Android application made by Apple : Move to iOS.
The applications will let you easily transfer your contact and a lot of other data (messages, photos, Google account, bookmark) from your Android phone to your iPhone.

Read this article from google support website on How to Sync contacts with your Apple device,
Google recommends you to use CardDav.

To sync your Google contacts with your Apple device (iPhone, iPad,
  iPod touch, Mac), we recommend using CardDAV, which is an Internet
  open standard. When you sync your Google contacts using CardDAV,
  you’ll be able to edit, add, and remove contacts from your device and
  keep them in sync everywhere you use them.

iOS 7+ steps:

Open the Settings app on your device.
Select Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Select Add Account.
Select Google.
Fill out your account information in the following fields:
Name: Enter your name
User Name: Enter your full Google Account or Google Apps email address.
Password: Your Google Account or Google Apps password. (If you’ve enabled 2 Step verification, you’ll need to generate and enter an
  application specific password.)
Description: Enter a description of the account (e.g. Personal Contacts).
Select Next at the top of your screen.
Make sure that the "Contacts" option is turned ON. The switch should be green.
Select Save at the top of your screen.

After you've completed setup, open the Contacts app on your device,
  and syncing will automatically begin.

I think you could try an application to transfer your contacts to PC first and then you can use iCloud or the application to put contacts into your iPhone.

authors: Николай Кузнецов


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What to do when you believe your phone was hacked? I want to start fresh without buying a new phone
I think my rooted cyanongenmod phone was hacked. What can I do to start fresh again? I already did a factory reset but after 1 month the phone started acting weird again (battery time dropped significantly, home screen mysteriously changes, unexpected reboots of the phone and the other day I saw that my phone was rebooting and installing something that looked weird at 3 am).
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250 if that matters.
Should I format SD card also?

Flash the whole firmware. That's the only option now. Although it would be useful to us if you detail more about the events such as what the phone was installing at 3AM or what kind of mysterious changes did you notice at home screen? Please note, did you monitor network activity on your device? It is very important to conclude that the device is hacked.

Thank you @Firelord I will investigate how to flash the whole firmware. At 3 AM I saw an android logo with text written in a different font and saying Installing... I was alarmed and I removed the battery of the phone. Then restarted it and it still had the same screen. I removed the battery again and waited until morning, then it rebooted normally. Home screen randomly creates new pages and moves icons randomly. It is quite uncommon but happened already around 6 times.

That Android logo part, was it showing "Installing" or "Android is upgrading"? Did it happen after the boot logo or at some other point? As for home screen, did you try using a different launcher app? What are your results? And, is the CM build a nightly or stable?

@Firelord I don't really remember!It happened at 3 AM without me touching the phone. No I didn't try another launcher app. I believe the CM build is stable

The reordering of icons and added pages could be explained by accidental touches. For example when it is in your pocket. That has happened to me too. You mean the installing part was in your notification drawer? It could just be auto-update settings. Perhaps an app you use changed logo. Significant drop in battery performance and random reboots can happen, your device is already a pretty old model for smartphone standards. It could be a false alarm but it's good to be careful :)

Reinstall stock ROM with odin with factory reset and install Avast Antivirus
A tutorial to reinstall stock here

There isn't enough considerable evidence that there is a malware installed in the device, so the recommendation of an antivirus, especially Avast without any metric seems to be unwarranted. Also, the site expects self-contained answers so please quote/add the relevant stuff from that link into the answer here.


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Fast boot up on iMX6
I'm working with a development board based on Freescale i.MX6 ARM Cortex A9 processors. You can have more info about the board on this link. The Android version I'm using is the one provided by the manufacturer which is based on Android 4.4.2 if I'm not wrong.
This will have an automotive application, which will be the Head Unit of a kind of car. At this moment, the board takes about 15-20 seconds to boot. As you know, this is unacceptable for a car infotainment system. I've developed several Android apps but this is the first time I'm playing with the internal system, and I need some help to achieve this.
My question would be, how can I make the system to boot in at least 6-8 seconds? I've tried adding this line to build.prop:
ro.config.hw_quickpoweron=true

But it hasn't have any effect. I've seen few manufacturers have achieved to start the system in 4 seconds.

the fastboot tag is wrong here. you can boot your device into fastboot mode if you want to flash the recovery or the ROM, it has nothing to do with the QuickBoot setting. see my answer

As far as I know this option is present in 4.4.2.
So you want the device to be ready as soon as you enter your car and have a good power consumption. you probably want to use the "QuickBoot mode"  (not the same as fastboot mode) which doesn't really turn the device off if you choose "shutdown", but gets it into some sort of power saving mode. on my mobile phone it will be there after ~1 second.
In order to enable this feature:

Enable Developer Options: Go to device info and hit the "Build number" few times
(Click image to enlarge)

Enable the QuickBoot setting: You can find this option under the "Developer options" nearly at the top.

Shut down your device: Hit the shutdown button and wait until the device will vibrate. It's now in the power saving mode. (All apps would be disabled)
Turn on the device: Push and hold the power button, after around 1 or 2 seconds, the mobile phone should be usable again.

Note: I know I'm using CyanogenMod 12.1 but it's not that different and I found this feature in my stock Android 4.4 ROM too. The screenshots looks different because of a theme in place.

AFAIK, there's no QuickBoot option on stock Android when I was using Nexus 4 & 5 (Android 4.2 - Android 5.1.1), so I kind of believe this is added by vendor (including CM) instead.

I agree with Andrew. There's no Quickboot mode in stock android. Also not present in Cyanogenmod 12. It might only apply to Cyanogen OS on Oneplus One

Oh... I didn't know that, but basically it does kill all running apps and turn on airplane mode. I think this is all you can do.

@Manubhargav I found this option in Paranoid and Tesla ROM for OnePlus one as well, so it is confirmed that the feature is not specific only to COS.

By the way, as I said in my post, I am not running COS, I am running CM and the source is available. but the best thing you can do is to kill all apps and turn on airplane mode.

@Firelord Found this xda-thread that says it is developed by Cyanogen and Oneplus. It is present in all CM based roms in Oneplus One. The same thread ports Quickboot option to all devices with CM.

@Schwertspize The feature is not built-in, only present in some phones (with qualcomm?) with CM based roms


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Manage files in Android phone from PC hangs
I always get unstable file management with my  Android phones while they are connected to Windows 8 PC. It takes too long to create directory in phones card. Window freezes when I try to rename folder. Sometimes not all files are copied to device when I for example select whole directory copy. Where is problem?

By "[phone's] card" are you referring to internal SD card? I suppose the problem is with MTP which you may be using to transfer files across the two devices. Did you try any other method to transfer files? What are your results? You can see some of the alternatives ways of file transfer here: Is there a viable alternative to MTP for file transfer?

I suggest you use a different cable and sytem and post your observations here. That would narrow down your problem as to what actually is causing the problem(ie. cable, phone, PC)


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HTC One M8 doesn't boot up completely after Lollipop update
How can I get my M8 to boot up again?
It freezes at the white screen where it says htc.
Some background:

To run the software update on my rooted M8 I had to put stock recovery back on it. I did that following the instructions of this video.

After successfully putting stock recovery back on I booted and proceeded to download the update and install it.
The restart after the update was the first time it froze up on me. I saw the green bar proceeding and after that it tried to boot. Oddly enough it froze on the "second bootscreen" where it still stays htc, but smaller and there's that big black ONE (note, that the phone was still connected with my computer, if that plays any role).

I first had to find a way to shut down my phone, since you can't just remove the battery. I've found out, you can do so by pressing and holding Power and Volume Up.

What I've tried:
Today, I've found this article, which pretty much includes everything I tried, just explained for dummies.
This includes:

Putting Custom Recovery (TWRP) back on
Clear data cache in TWRP
Wipe / factory reset in TWRP
Putting stock recovery back on
Fastboot from bootloader
Clear cache in stock recovery
Factory reset in stock recovery
Shut off in stock recovery and power on afterwards

Nothing of the above has fixed my issue. It still freezes while booting.
I obviously have lost hope in keeping my apps and data (most data is safe on SD card). All I'm trying to do is to get a working phone again.
I'm not very familiar with TWRP nor unlocking itself (just did it to have certain apps, like TitaniumBackup) so is there something in TWRP I can try?
My phone is not a branded (AT&T, Sprint, whatever) one. Please also note, that it's not a bootloop. My phone doesn't shut itself off.
This is what the bootscreen looks like, at the moment:
*** Software status: Modified ***
*** UNLOCKED ***
M8_UL PVT SHIP S-ON
HBOOT-3.19.0.0000

I can complete this list, if you want me to
The only difference to the bootscreen in the video I linked above, is that mine has the addiditonal line *** Software status: Modified *** and is S-ON
Please also note that I got the stock recovery on it right now, so start your instruction form there.
Thanks a lot! I'm running out of ideas.

All is not lost but your best bet to get your phone back is to flash it totally back to stock with official firmware. They upped the security with lollipop so your device cannot not be modified at all to take OTA's.  OTA's are also risky but it's a simplistic way to reach millions of of people.

@BoLawson Thanks! I though about that. How can I get the official stock ROM? Can you give me any link?
I'm trying with this program, htc provides(all the way at the bottom). But it's 1.4GB to download and I guess it would be faster to flash the ROM with adb commands?

With HTC official firmware the MID and the CID all have to match up to the firmware you are flashing. As far as a ROM it all depends at what stage things died at and what your preferences. I do not have enough info to find either check xda but be careful make sure everything matches up.

I had the exact problem after going back to stock then applying the OTA.  I had to reinstall TWRP (I used "fastboot flash recovery twrp.img" according to the instructions here).
Then I just flashed another ROM from the SD card, which have gotten beeter since I last checked. I recommend Viper or Adrenaline 2.4 androidrevolutions.com/neo/ADRENALINE/m8/

Thank You very much! To answer my question for everyone else who is looking for stock ROM: Install any custom recovery, like Jamie explained with TWRP, and then download the stock nandroid backup from this XDA-devs article. Then simply copy it to your device and restore that backup via the custom recovery.


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Limit apps to only work if connected to WiFi
My son is exceeding his data limit by downloading files when off the WiFi. I do not want to turn off all mobile data as he still needs to access his email, etc, however, he does not need to be watching YouTube videos and Netflix movies when not connected to the WiFi.
Is there a way for me to restrict data usage for specific apps to WiFi only? For example, if he opens up Google Chrome and is not connected to the WiFi, he cannot use this app. Essentially he gets a "connection not found" message.
Previous posts (Limit YouTube to Wi-Fi only) referred to the apps Onavo Count and Avast Mobile Security but when I checked them out in Google Play neither app mentioned the ability to do this.
I have restricted background data for these apps, but my understanding is that he still can use these apps over a mobile network if he opens them up.
Suggestions anyone? He has a HTC Evo. I own a Note 2.

Have you checked with your carrier?  Some carriers allow you to limiting data usage by the device.  Also some devices have a setting for limiting data usage.  Have you tried that?

possible duplicate of Closing internet access for some apps

Check NoRoot Firewall screenshot below in playstore

Screenshot (click to enlarge)
As you can see from the screenshot, you can add custom filters to allow specific websites to work on Mobile data and also to restrict in WiFi too. You can restrict youtube and other data hungry apps not to work under mobile data.

Not sure if you'd want to root but a for sure solution would be an app like Macrodroid (like tasker) and AFWall (firewall) to automate this using profiles and wouldn't end up blocking when unwanted. These are all paid apps tho, rely on something like SuperSU, and they all run as device administrator with password protection to prevent changes to settings or removal. https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Zlww.jpg

On my Sprint plan, even if you use WiFi, if the data is concurrently enabled (updown arrows in status bar highlighted), then Sprint will count is as data used. The central service cannot distinguish whether you are actually using WiFi, or cellular data if the mobile data setting is enabled. It counts it as data passing into the phone regardless of source with the mobile data on.
So even if you stream Youtube or HD video through your home wifi, They do not tell you this, and some store clerks or IT help (customer service reps) don't even know it. My brother got snagged on this while streaming spotify at work.
Call them out on it and get your money back for the months you went over. They never explain this to customers and it's a big ripoff.
Be sure to turn off mobile data while connected to Wifi if so that you don't accumulate data use.
PS
On a different note. Streaming music didn't work for me because I turned off background data enabled for the streaming app. The settings say turn off background data for mobile data only, but it seems to also disrupt wifi.
The distinction by apps or by carrier seems to be difficult in both cases.

I think when your phone has both WiFi and updown arrows highlighted, it uses cellular data over WiFi. I don't know what you refer to as central service but service providers determine the amount of data you use based on their own measurements. They can't know if you use WiFi or how much data you use through WiFi.

Their is an app available in google play store which do the same as you need called watchDogs Application, However, This feature is available in android phones which operating System is updated to Lollipop version 5.1.


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How to loop record well in Android?
I need to find a procedure to record well well video which is about recording video conferences from another screen.
The length of the session is about 0.5 - 1 hour.
The size of my memory card is 8 Gb, but I do not know if it is possible to record there with my Samsung Galaxy S4.
I need to record sound and some quality of the video. It is enough that I can see some of the video like boundaries at least; precise accuracy not needed.
How can you loop-record videos well in basic Samsung smart-phones?

Please note that recommendations like Is there an app for X are off-topic here (see What topics can I ask about here? for details). For where your question might fit better, you might want to look into Where can I ask questions that aren't Android Enthusiast questions?. With the correct phrasing and details provided, you might try your luck at SR.

Thank you for you comment! The question how you can loop-record well, not - what can record you well video in Android! This is not about one particular software, but about the setting generally.


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Clean flash without SDCard
So, I want to flash a new rom with gapps.
I've done this before, but I always did a factory reset and flashed the new rom which was in the downloads folder in my phone.
I was wondering, if I wipe my data and system via twrp, will my internal partition be wiped? Because if it does, I have nothing to flash cause that's where my rom is stored.
I have the Samsung Galaxy Nexus which doesn't have a sdcard, so that's not an option.
Thanks in advance.

Yeah ADB will not work within the bootloader/fastboot mode. ADB only works within an OS such as android OS or recovery. The bootloader/fastboot loads the system so it is before the system. You need to use fastboot prototocal so to see your devices you need to throw > fastboot devices

You don't have to worry if your internal storage gets wiped.
There is another way called "ADB Sideload" which allows you to push and install a zip from your computer using CMD (Windows) or Terminal (Linux)
Steps to use ADB Sideload

Have a recovery installed on your device that supports ADB sideload like TWRP 2.3 or higher. The stock recovery on JellyBean and later maybe have it.
Have newer ADB binaries installed on your computer
Set the device into ADB sideload mode. In TWRP you do this by going to Advanced then ADB Sideload.
From the command prompt (CMD), type adb sideload /path/to/rom.zip

Reference

So my downloads folder will still be there when I wipe system and data? And I used this method to unlock my Phone. Well, not that method but ADB. Anyway, the problem there is, ADB doesn't detect my Phone. The strage thing is: it dóes detect it when it is ON, not in fastboot mode. The other thing, fastboot DOES detect my Phone. Isn't that a bit strange?

As @Bo Lawson said...ADB can not detect in fastboot/bootloader. It only work if your system is booted. But you can use adb in recovery by sideload to flash zips without using sd or internal memory.And about the downloads folder, It will still be there unless you select wipe internal data while formatting system or doing full wipe. Hope it helps.


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some of my apps din't work including google play store after i rooted my galaxy s4
I rooted my samsung galaxy s4 and since then most off my apps din't start up including google playstore , but system apps like camera, music etc works fine
 I Clear chache, data and other stuffs taking advice from youtube but it din't work still, i can't start some of my apps mostsly google related apps
 some of them inform me to restore the factoty setting. but before that can anyone help with my issue for which i will be very thankfull to u all.

First: how do you mean the apps don't start? Are the icons in the app drawer and nothing happens when you tap on them? Are you logged into your Google account? Second: how did you root your device? Are you stock or did you flash a new ROM? You may need to reinstall Gapps, then.

I just saw the "cyanogenmod" tag, so you should also mention exactly which ROM you are running. If you haven't already, flash the correct Gapps.

Hi! Why did you root Cyanogenmod which already comes with root access, albeit disabled? By apps not starting up, what exactly do you intend to say? 1) Are they not visible in app drawer? 2) Or, When you tap the app icon in app drawer, nothing happens? 3) Or something else? Give us the complete information with Android version, ROM version, and placing yourself in our shoes. :)

Reflash the ROM and the gapps (Reboot to custom recovery (install one if you haven't already) and select ROM flashable zip and then Gapps for your version of android.). (try rebooting and letting first-boot setup take place before flashing gapps. This is not required but may help). Also clear data, dalivik and cache again if required.
ROM: You need one for your phone model. Roms for different versions of same model i.e. International vs US Carrier vs Korean model, etc. wont work on each other.
GAPPS: gapps or google apps deffer based on your android version. i.e 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, etc. You can use same gapps on different phones as long as they have same android version as required by gapps downloaded.

Could you detail (steps needed) the first sentence? Please see [answer].


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Contacts suddenly changed colour
I'm using Android Lollipop 5.0.2 with the stock Contacts app on my Moto E. I can't remember what I was doing when this happened, but all of the contacts suddenly changed colour! And what's really annoying is that I liked the colours that had previously been chosen for them, but the new colours are really ugly.
What caused this, and is there any way to reverse it?

Please tell us which device and contacts app you are using.

Edited the question as appropriate.


text:
Why does my HP 10 Slate Tablet factory reset every time I turn it on?
I rooted my HP 10 (4.4.2) with Kingoroot, as I was unable to find anything else capable of doing so. It actually worked fairly well, except that if the tablet gets turned off and turned back on again, it acts like a factoy reset prompting me to enter user info, language, etc. I unrooted with Kingo, rerooted, unrooted with SuperSu, rerooted, unrooted with an App off the Play Store, tried factory resetting through the recovery, wiped the cache, and even drained the battery hoping that may kick something out.
I also downloaded Busybox and ran it and manually moved the busybox file with rootexplorer.
I am assuming that Kingoroot did something to it initially, but rooted or unrooted, the tablet factory reset starts every time. Is there something like a MBR or something that needs to be rewritten or is there a /system file that needs to be recovered?
Hopefully that is enough information to help someone get started to figure out what I did.
Thanks in advance.

I had this problem too on my old Chinese tablet. What I did was move the busybox file to /system/xbin using a root explorer and reboot. It worked fine after that.

I tried the busy box method, the app and manually moving it. The tablet reset on the next boot up like I didn't do anything. This is why I am perplexed, every scenario I've seen posted by someone else involved the busy box fix.

@Sebix Can you install apps on the tablet? And also what does the storage option in the settings show?


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Moto X 1st Gen - WiFi not working after upgrade to Android 5.1
My Moto X upgraded to Android 5.1 recently and since that happened I cannot connect to WiFi.
When I try to connect to a saved network, it will briefly show "Connecting..." underneath the WiFi SSID, then it will revert back to "Saved".
I have tried the following and gotten the same result:

Turned off WiFi, then turned it back on.
Rebooted my phone.
Rebooted my router.
"Forgot" my home WiFi network then re-connected and entered the password
Changed WiFi frequency band on my phone
Tried connecting to a public WiFi network at a coffee shop.
Reading this thread: phone won't connect to wifi after upgrade to Android 5.1

Occasionally I will be "connected" to the WiFi, but I won't be able to get any data. When this happens, the WiFi symbol usually shows an exclamation mark over it. Most of the time though, I can't connect whatsoever.

I'm going to recommend you to try 2 things, then if all else fails contact Motorola.

Clear the system cache. Many post-update issues can be fixed with this. It clears out all of your phone's temporary files, and after a update, the cache is usually junked up with all kinds of stuff. This site does an excellent job explaining the process. For users with other devices, a quick Google of clear system cache device name OS will get you what you need.
Factory reset your device. It may seem bit extreme, but it usually gets the job done. Avoid restoring from a backup if possible as it may restore the issue as well.

If that doesn't work, Motorola has a decent customer support system, but expect to be on hold a lot. (At least less than Comcast)

I cleared the cache, and I'm still having the same WiFi issue. Will a factory reset take me back to a previous Android version or will I remain on 5.1?

@axle123 You will remain on the operating system you are currently using, so yes, you'll stay on 5.1 sorry I didn't respond so quickly. Middle of the night for me.

Just a quick note (if you haven't already noticed) the Android mobile radio active bug is very prevalent on this device. https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=165558

I ended up doing a factory reset and was finally able to connect to my home WiFi.

@axle123, sometimes that is what is necessary

Just to add, I ended up still having issues connecting to WiFi even after resetting my phone. It worked fine for a few days, but would sporadically degrade. We ended up getting a new high-end router and I haven't had any issues since. So it was partially the router's fault.