text:
Disable Facebook auto sync in Android 4.4
Can I disable facebook auto sync in Android 4.4?
I could easily do this for my Google account, but I see no options to disable Facebook auto sync in Settings->Accounts->Facebook.

You might find the options inside the Facebook app itself.

I'll post that as the answer then.

The sync options are located within the Facebook app itself in Settings.
For example, photo sync options are located under Account > App Settings > Sync Photos.


text:
ls -b in android shell
If im not mistaking, using ls -b should output escape characters with some sort of representation, but it seems like this option isn't available. Is there an alternative, or is it impossible to have a filename with escape characters on android?

May i ask what you're trying to do with the filenames?  It may be possible to accomplish what you're after without using ls.

Android has a very limited implementation of Linux shell functions.  BusyBox utility expands on the selection somewhat, although it's still not a full Linux set.  It can be installed on most rooted Android devices.
Specifically for ls, only the following options are available via BusyBox:
busybox: invalid option -- b
BusyBox v1.22.1 bionic (2014-05-29 17:30 +0200) multi-call binary.

Usage: ls [-1AaCxdLHRFplinsehrSXvctukKZ] [-w WIDTH] [FILE]...

List directory contents

        -1      One column output
        -a      Include entries which start with .
        -A      Like -a, but exclude . and ..
        -C      List by columns
        -x      List by lines
        -d      List directory entries instead of contents
        -L      Follow symlinks
        -H      Follow symlinks on command line
        -R      Recurse
        -p      Append / to dir entries
        -F      Append indicator (one of */=@|) to entries
        -l      Long listing format
        -i      List inode numbers
        -n      List numeric UIDs and GIDs instead of names
        -s      List allocated blocks
        -e      List full date and time
        -h      List sizes in human readable format (1K 243M 2G)
        -r      Sort in reverse order
        -S      Sort by size
        -X      Sort by extension
        -v      Sort by version
        -c      With -l: sort by ctime
        -t      With -l: sort by mtime
        -u      With -l: sort by atime
        -k      List security context
        -K      List security context in long format
        -Z      List security context and permission
        -w N    Assume the terminal is N columns wide
        --color[={always,never,auto}]   Control coloring

The characters allowed in file names on Android are no different from those allowed in other Linux-based systems. As always, it depends on the filesystem.

It's worth being extra-clear that this list isn't the list of options that work in the stock ls, which is even more limited.

thanks, so it seems that if my filename has some escape character or something of that sort, there is no way to pull it with ls without possibly losing information, or is there a way using adb to handle these cases?

You can use wild card characters for these cases. Use * for multiple characters and ? for single characters. ls lib* will find files that begin with lib.

That's good advice, but typing the escapes isn't the problem: it's what happens when ls tries to print them to the terminal.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
4.4.2 SDCard directories - help
have Samsung s5, rooted.
I need your help to understand something..
Here is my directories related to storage SDCard
/sdcard -> /storage/emulated/legacy (SymLink)
/mnt/extSdCard -> /storage/extSdCard (Symlink)
/mnt/sdcard -> /storage/emulated/legacy (Symlink)
/storage/sdcard0 -> /storage/emulated/legacy (Symlink)
/storage/extSdCard mounted to the SD-Card
/storage/emulated/legacy mounted to the internal storage
/storage/emulated/0 mounted to the internal storage

So only /storage/extSdCard is the real sdcard.
It is not seems to be right.. how can Applications know where to write to?
For example, Whatsup cannot find the SD for some reason - I believe it related to this issue..
what do you think of it?

If you cannot find it for some reason, it could be due to not being mounted. For example, in non-root you have it, but when doing su you loose it. Then you have to do su -mm, when using SuperSU.

Applications don't have to care where the storage is. They just ask the Android system to give them a "pointer" to it. There are specific API calls for this, like getExternalStorageDirectory(). For details, you might check on our sister site: Get the right external storage from Android devices.

Take shart for example, sniffer tool, try to write to /sdcard..

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


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is there a stable Note 3 mod utilizing S-pen?
Is there a stable Mod that does not compromise on the S-pen of Note 3?
Since a mod could better utilize the raw power of the device.

Could you explain what you mean by a "Mod"? If our Mods were "not stable", we'd know about. I also didn't hear they compromised some pen ;)

I never went near mods hearing about phone bricking, didnt want to risk my note 3. But this morning I completely dissembled the note 3 to fix the volume buttons...  So i was like what the heck,  lets get some mod!  But i love the spen integration with snote, scrapbook and Evernote.  So was wondering if its worth modding??

So you're talking about Custom ROMs I guess? Because a "mod" is quite broad. Besides from being a synonym to "moderator" (see my link above ;) it simply means "modification", so it could be everything from an app via a simple patch up to a fully customized ROM like OmniROM or CyanogenMod.

Yes custom rom, is there one rom that will be so good for my phone,  that a new android programmer like me will be awestruck enough so as to start programming mods for the next five years?!!  ;)

Please take a look at Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device? then :)


text:
ADB not seeing device after update
I just updated the Android SDK Tools to 22.6.4 and the Google USB Driver to Rev. 10 and now ADB cannot see the device.
Device: Honeywell Dolphin 70e Black with 4.0.3
Modified the android_winusb.inf to include:
;Honeywell 70e
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_0C2E&PID_0BA3
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_0C2E&PID_0BA3&MI_01

I was able to install the driver just fine and everything else seems normal except ADB with this device. Other devices work fine (Droid X, Kindle Fire, Motorola Photon Q)
I have done ADB resets, computer restarts, I downloaded an older version of the tools (22.6.2 and Rev 9 driver) but was still unable to connect. I even did a factory reset on the Honeywell device.
I can't think of anything else to try

I completely forgot about the adb_usb.ini file in the \USER_NAME\.android folder. Added 0x0C2E to the bottom, restarted ADB and all is good.
So, full instructions:
Get device hardware Ids from Device Manager in the form of USB\VID_1234&PID_5678&MI_90
ENABLE DRIVER:
Open file \android-sdks\extras\google\usb_driver\android_winusb.inf
Add
;Device Name
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_1234&PID_5678
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_1234&PID_5678&MI_90

Under both
[Google.NTx86]
[Google.NTamd64]

Save and close.
INSTALLING DRIVE:
Find device in Device Manager and Update Driver.

Choose Browse
Let me pick
Have Disk
Browse
select \android-sdks\extras\google\usb_driver\android_winusb.inf
OK
choose Android Composite ADB Inerface
Next
accept unsigned warning if shown. For Windows 8 you may need to enable the installation of unsigned drivers, just Google it.

UPDATE ADB:
Open file \USE_NAME\.android\adb_usb.ini
add to the bottom 0x1234 (this is the VID part with the 0x identifying it as hexadecimal)
Save and close
Restart the ADB by either
Eclipse:

Show the Devices view
Click the facing down triangle in the top right corner of the view
Click reset adb

Command Prompt:

Open command prompt
cd to your \android-sdks\platform-tools\ folder
Run adb kill-server
Run adb start-server

All Done.


text:
Boot up Nexus 7 through induction charging
I have Nexus 7 (2013, rooted). I have seen plenty of examples of people being able to successfully modify Android system scripts such as chargemon to essentially hijack the few scripts running when an Android device is turned off, but plugged in through USB to charge. However, it doesn't seem that induction charging is able to offer any kind of trigger that can be taken advantage of to automatically boot up the device. Is it possible to achieve this goal without a factory hardware set, no modifications?
I'm not a hardware guy, so I really don't know anything about what I could/should do in that respect, but if hardware changes are my only option then it's not something I wouldn't look into. Are there even hardware modifications that could be possible to achieve this functionality?

I've found a solution for the following problem:

The Nexus 7 (2013) device must never be turned off unless it has an insufficient amount of power.
When the Nexus 7 (2013) device is exposed to an inductive charge, it should turn on automatically.

In order to apply this change to my device, I activated the bootloader and ran a simple batch file with the following script:
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot oem off-mode-charge 0
fastboot oem lock
fastboot reboot

This line:
fastboot oem off-mode-charge 0

sets the device to turn on whenever there is enough charge remaining that is sufficient to power up the device. If the device is drained completely of battery, then charged via conduction to or above a level of sufficient battery for rebooting, it will not reboot unless it is then either the charger is removed and re-applied or if the power button is pressed. This means that if a device is charged from 0% battery to 100% battery and removed from the charger, it can remain turned off for shipment until it arrives at its destination, in which it can be touched to an inductive charger and instantly turned on with no power button interaction whatsoever.

Is this mode sticky, or does it only work once?


text:
How to turn off the animation when locking screen on Nexus 5 running on KitKat?
I need to turn off the CRT TV animation when locking screen in Nexus 5, running KitKat 4.4.3.
I was able to turn off the TV animation by keeping Animator duration scale to Animation off in developer options, but this caused the issue in dialer. The dial pad won't appear first time. You have to click again to get the dial pad.
So any other way to turn off the animation without affecting dialer? The phone is not rooted, though solution for rooted phone is also welcomed.
Update:
The CRT TV animation animation is no longer there in Lollipop.

I know that GravityBox has an option to use a fade effect instead of CRT on screenoff. Of course, this requires root and Xposed but comes with a lot of great additional tweaks and improvements.

As pointed out by a comment on the question itself: GravityBox, a module for the famous Xposed framwork, can be used for this (and for many other things: it's a feature-rich toolbox): you can select a different effect, or even switch it off.
If you're on a custom ROM, however, the dev doesn't recommend using GravityBox, as it might lead to conflicts (many of the tweaks GravityBox offers are already present in custom ROMs). In that case, simply search the repo for other CRT related mods – there are several of them dealing with this. One example would be XBlast Tools, which explicitely mentions: CRT Screen off effect (No Effect,Horizontal Effect and Vertical Effect) in its list of tweaks.


text:
How does Google Now retrieve public transit information?
I just activated Google Now and turned on location access, and found that it showed cards about public transit that was due at the stop I was waiting at. Chennai city as of now doesn't contain live tracking by Google, though.
Are they tracking other nearby GPS devices? I would guess that is not possible since a GPS device is a passive one. Can someone shed some light on how this works?

Most of the public transit info given by google for chennai is wrong. They were updated last in 2011 I guess. Google began public transit for major cities like Chennai, Mumbai etc in mid 2010.

and the transit were provided by private agencies

It's a new feature. But Google Maps has had transit information for quite some time, and keeps adding more.

@sameer - Is that publicly available to be shared as APIs ?

https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/directions?hl=lv

And this is not a programming site. You better ask programming  related questions in Stackoverflow.

@sameer - please don't assume that my question lead to asking code stuff. In fact the javascript api link which you have shared is for the public transit. I was requesting you to share the piece of info which you meant by "and the transit were provided by private agencies". I wanted to have the data which was shared, just in case you got me wrong. No part of my question was related to asking "Please share me the code".

@AbhilashLR here is the list of agencies https://code.google.com/p/googletransitdatafeed/wiki/PublicFeeds

and http://stackoverflow.com/a/10625352/3275057


text:
Getting apps to work on Android-x86 with Virtualbox
Almost every app, from chrome to gallery simply crash right after launch, and others like maps have bugs that render it unusable (it all goes black and only the search bar and location button are visible).
I'm running it with 2 cores, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and 128MB of VRAM, better specs than many actual android x86 devices out there.
Is this a virtualbox problem or an android x86 problem?

Most likely this is a problem with the Android-x86 image you've downloaded, or else that the virtual hardware you've set up in Virtualbox doesn't match the configuration the image is expecting. Check which image file you've downloaded, and make sure the configuration matches what's described in the setup instructions.

I'm using the official 4.4 from androidx86.org and configured the vb as Linux-other

What config are you using?

I'm not using any config. I don't use Android-x86, I'm just guessing based on my previous experience of Android porting and other questions we've had here.


text:
Root or upgrade to 4.4.2 first?
I've just received a new Android phone (an LG G2 D802 32GB). I haven't put my sim card in, or signed into Google yet. I know there is an OTA to upgrade it from 4.2.2 to 4.4.2.
Should I root the phone and then start setting it up, or is it best to carry out the OTA first?

It depends on the phone. [edit] your question to let us know which one you have.

You can do either way.
The safe method is to update and then root the phone.
But You can also root and then install the ota update. But ota will fail if you have

custom recovery
modified any part of the system like removed bloat, xposed, etc

Still there is  a post in XDA to update ota with custom twrp recovery.


text:
HTC One X hangs at bootscreen, repair centre writes it off
..so am I screwed or what?
I was running the ViperX ROM on my One X, based on 4.2.2, and a couple of days ago I started getting FCs on HTC BlinkFeed, even though I wasn't using it. I rebooted into recovery and reset the phone, wiped cache etc, but that didn't help.
Then I made the mistake of selecting 'wipe all but SD card' - and since then the phone hangs on boot up.

Using ADB is out of the question since I've never been able to get ADB to work over USB on my PC which runs Windows 8.1. I've downloaded the latest HTC Sync, but all I can do is connect as an MTP device. Mass storage mode doesn't work, USB debugging is already turned on. So till this problem happened, I got around this by using wireless ADB and the AirDroid app. Both of these are obviously out of the question now.
Fastboot is the only thing that works when I connect the USB cable (I can still hear the device plugged/device disconnected sounds, and in my computer's device manager, it shows an Android device connected with no driver problems)
So far I have extracted the boot.img from the new Viper ROM and flashed it, and also flashed a newer touch version of ClockworkMod recovery, neither of which helped.
When I go into Clockwork recovery and try to reinstall the ROM zip from the SD card, I can't see the contents of my SD card. All it shows are LOST.DIR and clockworkmod, both of which are empty.
My recovery has the option to sideload via ADB - but that also doesn't work due to the reason above.

I took it to the official repair centre (the phone is already a year out of warranty) and they said they can only replace the motherboard, which will cost about half as much as what I paid for the phone unsubsidized 2 years ago.
So am I totally hosed? Is there anything I can do or try to fix this?

If fastboot is working, you might try using it to flash the stock ROM. That is, the whole ROM: boot, recovery, system, and userdata.

How? As mentioned, I cannot upload the ROM using adb, and my SD card's contents aren't showing either.

The usual way, with fastboot flash partition filename.img.

Oh. I only have a zip file of the ROM..any other way to do it?

The only img files I have are for recovery and boot.img

The zip file should contain all the img files. fastboot update update.zip can flash all of them at once.

So I flashed the TWRP recovery instead of ClockworkROM, and this was able to activate mass storage mode. The rest was history - copied the ROM zip file and installed it as usual.
Sadly, my internal 32 GB storage was totally wiped out, so I've lost my TitaniumBackup folder, a bunch of songs (that I can copy again anyway) and some photos.


text:
Bluestacks ask Google Play Service eventhough it was installed
I'm trying to play Clash of Clans on my Windows 8 PC with Bluestacks app player. Installation was successful and after launching the game and click on Sign-in to Google+, it said Google Play Service is required. I checked the settings->app and it was already installed. I tried to remove and reinstall but still doesn't work. I can't also sign-in to Google account in setting->accounts. Please give me some advice. Thanks.


text:
My Samsung Galaxy S 2 indicates it is charging but doesn't
My Samsung Galaxy S 2 indicates charging but is not adding charge to the battery. I have changed my charger many times but the problem continues. What's the solution?

There might be a problem with your micro-USB connector i.e the place where you connect the charger to the phone. Some times the pins present there bend out of place and so this can happen.
Take your phone for a repair.


text:
Play Store updating over Mobile Data when it is not supposed to
Today I got a bit of a nasty surprise with my mobile data and I am not sure how to correct it.
In my settings for the Play Store I have (and had for ages) download only on Wifi.
This month something has changed as my phone has gone over its data allowance and looking at the list of apps and usage the top bandwidth user is the Play Store on Mobile Data with 540Mb.
I do not understand why the Play Store is updating on Mobile data even though it is not supposed to?
Under the Wifi Usage tab the Play store is also the largest user of bandwidth, which I do expect as that is what is supposed to happen.
Any ideas why Play Store is running over Mobile Data?

Are you sure it was updating apps? The update setting only applies to automatic updates, not to anything Play Store downloads while you're using it (e.g. when installing new apps).

Not sure what the Play store app was doing. It was not installing any new apps as I have not added a new app for about 2 months. The mobile data graph shows a sudden increase about a week ago (A very sharp rise) and all the other apps have a bandwidth usage of around 6mb at most.

It could be the play store updating ITSELF as it does. There is no setting for this, only the 'auto update apps' as mentioned by Dan.

I've had problems with it updating itself in the past; I don't think there's any way to stop it either (it complains and refuses to show anything if you turn off background data for it).

Duplicate of http://android.stackexchange.com/q/65445/36187  (Though the comments here are more useful - how often does play store update itself??)

Google Play Store/Services does actually download stuffs over mobile data. Its a bit annoying and under certain circumstances can be quite frustrating, in cases like if someone went camping or on a trip with limited data plans, and google play used all of it to update stuffs.
Well, things you could do are, turning off mobile data when not in use, although as soon as you go online, it'll srart downloading.
Second thing you could do is, turn on powersaving mode, which reduces the amount of power consumption and also restricts background data.
Third thing you can do is enable restrict background apps which is separate from power saving as it only includes restricting apps from taking up data in the background over mobile data plans.
And the fourth and probably my favorite is to use a firewall app. Although firewall apps are build into modern Android versions, google play being a system app has an upper hand over that function. That's when a firewall app like "NETGUARD" comes in handy. This app basically stops all incoming and outgoing traffic from your phone (except apps that you allow) with the help of a vpn that routes to localhost. This app is hands down one of my fav so far, and yeah, might as well give it a try perhaps?
This app is available both on F-Droid and on Google Play Store. Hope this helps (:

https://android.stackexchange.com/q/227035

I had the same issue. The solution, which worked for me has been going to Settings → Data usage → Data Saving Mode. Besides switching this mode on and off, there is an additional menu called Unlimited Data Access, in which you can activate this feature on per app basis. In my case, Play Store was activated. Switching this option to off brought me over the hump and I am fine now.

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


text:
Flashing stock rom through cwm
Can I flash a stock rom through cwm? I have a rooted Galaxy Mega, with cwm installed and want to upgrade to the new kit kat samsung firmware.
Thanks.

The best practice for flashing stock Samsung firmware is through Odin on your PC with the original USB cable. This will remove the root and return your device in stock condition with the desired downloaded Android version.
The process is very easy you just have to flash the MD5 file using ODIN in download mode you can follow this useful guide with images Samsung Stock Firmware downloading and flashing guide

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.


text:
Can the RECEIVE_SMS permission be used to intercept SMS messages?
I've noticed quite a few apps requesting the RECEIVE_SMS permission. Two things are clear to me here:

RECEIVE_SMS enables an app to "snap" incoming SMS
READ_SMS just applies to SMS already stored

As some of the apps just were asking for RECEIVE_SMS, but not for READ_SMS, I got curious: this seems to imply RECEIVE_SMS is not only targeted at the receiving part, but the app can also do what it wants with the received message – e.g. read it, then throw it away silently (so the user doesn't even notice there was an SMS – which might be the way TAN Trojans act to snap identifiers for online banking transactions).
But would it also be possible for such an app to "intercept" the message, i.e. receive it, read it (and process its content in any way, e.g. forwarding it by other means such as via IP), and then pass it on as if nothing had happened? In other words: Can it spy on the user this way?

Yes, it can, but only on Android 4.3 and lower. This is used for example in Whatsapp. When you activate the app, Whatsapp sends an SMS to the number you reported, and the app intercepts it quietly and reports to the servers that it has received the SMS. This is how the account is tied to your number.
Of course, this can be used in harmful apps also. If an app registers as an SMS receiver with the highest priority, the app can listen for incoming SMSs, process them and either dismiss them without the user ever noticing, or forward to the next SMS listener with the second-highest priority.
This has been redone in Android 4.4, and if I understood correctly, only the default SMS app has access to all incoming SMS (SMS_DELIVER_ACTION), and the other apps with correct permissions will only receive a notification of the incoming message (SMS_RECEIVED_ACTION). In addition, the SMS_RECEIVED intent is non-abortable, it can't be stopped. I assume that in Android 4.4, this is done to allow the user to see all incoming SMS messages in the default app.
Edit: Found some more useful info on the Android Developers Blog. I'd test this further, but my only Android phone is currently WiFi-only, so no SMS :/

Thanks a lot for the insights, onik! Didn't know about those KitKat-changes. With those in place, did I understand correctly that e.g. WhatsApp would now need the READ_SMS permission as well to access its "activation code" – or do apps with the RECEIVE_SMS permission "receive a copy" now (except for the default SMS app, which would "receive the original")?

@Izzy I have a question about this too. Would the user now see these control texts directly in their default app now? Or would it be an option to be able to see "consumed" texts, but not actually show up in your regular text app?

@Cruncher I was the one asking the question, so I'd say your question is better directed at onik or daamit who answered it. If an app presents an option is up to the dev, I'd say. It's unlikely to be "mandatory".

@Izzy If I understood correctly, the apps which are not set as the default SMS app can access a read-only provider, meaning they don't need READ_SMS permission, but they are unable to edit the SMS (mark as read, delete etc.).

@Cruncher The messages should show up in your default SMS app, since only that app can write to the SMSProvider in order to delete the messages.

Thanks for the update, @onik! Useful insights behind that link (and interesting side-effects when it comes to multiple SMS apps or backup/restore ;) I'm accepting your answer now – but continue looking forward to your promised updates ;)

@Izzy It was directed at onik. I pinged you because I figured you'd be interested too, and onik was getting a notification anyway.

"Yes it can". But only on Android 4.3 and lower. Since 4.4 SMS_RECEIVED is a non abortable Intent. Please add that important fact. See also http://stackoverflow.com/questions/20021492/enabling-sms-support-in-hangouts-2-0-breaks-the-broadcastreceiver-of-sms-receive

As things stand

Android 4.3 and below without Hangouts app : Any app with
SMS_RECEIVE permission can read/abort an incoming SMS (ala Whatsapp)
Android 4.3 and below with Hangouts (SMS mode turned on) : Any app
with SMS_RECEIVE permission can read but not abort an incoming SMS
Android 4.4 and above : Any app with SMS_RECEIVE permission can read
but not abort an incoming SMS

In all three cases, READ_SMS will give the app permission to read all the SMSs not just new incoming SMSs.
As onik mentioned things have change quite a bit in Android 4.4

Thanks for pointing out Hangouts might make a difference for Android < 4.4! Guess that corresponds to what onik pointed to with an app registers as an SMS receiver with the highest priority, and Hangouts is doing exactly that (so no other app can top it)?


text:
Can Android play Audible books to a Sonos system?
I'm considering moving from iPhone to Android in the next couple of months. I'm perfectly happy with the iPhone with one exception - the integration or lack of it between Sonos and Audible apps.
So my question is - with the Android versions of these two apps can I play an audible file through the Sonos app on to my home Sonos kit? I've checked the online docs but they are a little vague and contradictory on the subject.
Any help would be very much appreciated!

I think the problem is not so much with the phone as with the connection between sonos and audible. There is currently no service from Sonos to Audible. However, you can connect through the line in on a Play 5 and I think 3 also.  In other words, you play audible through app on phone and plug into the Sonos directly.


text:
What's the most common name/brand for my EM73_SIS_ALL android tablet?
Some time ago (around 2 years) I was offered an Android tablet from a friend that went to China. It's an intersting equipment, but  it moves slow and the power management is very innefective.
I was thinking on updating it with a new rom, just to see if I could improve it's usability a bit. Unfortunaly I have no idea what model this is.
The model reported in the definitions menu tells that is a EM73_SIS_ALL. It comes with android 2.3.3
I googled for this model but I get no relevant information.
There is no visible information on the exterior case except for some chinese characters.
I think this is probably a "white-label" model and it's sold with other brands/names in Europe.
Anyone knows what model this is and how it's known in the Android world?


text:
Oddities Reading boot.img - Way Too Big and Errors In Kernel
This is related to this question but as I've made some progress since and run into some rather different issues that would mean I'd essentially have to rewrite it to be a totally different question I've decided to make a new question. As in that question, some device info:

It's a BLU ADVANCE 4.0
Board is Mediatek MT6572
Android version is 4.2.2
Kernel version is 3.4.5
I do have root access

I've been trying to take a backup of certain partitions on my phone (boot.img, system.img, recovery.img) but I've run into some problems.
I've found backups online for this model, taken backups with MTK Droid Root and Tools and tried to read directly from /dev/bootimg and /dev/recovery. I've run into a few different issues. There are three main ones and I include them all here as I think they're related. I'm going to start with the one that's consistent across all of these:
Issue #1
The kernel part of my boot.img seems to be way too small (about 18.0KiB - that's not right, is it?) and ends with a bunch of error messages before the GZIP 1F8B that I think marks the start of the ramdisk. Here are the messages:
System halted.
Attempting division by 0!...
Uncompressing Linux.....
decompressor returned an error..
done, booting the kernel...
invalid distance too far back...
invalid distance code...
invalid literal/length code.
incorrect header check..
unknown compression method..
invalid window size.invalid block type..
invalid stored block lengths....
too many length or distance symbols.
invalid code lengths set....
invalid bit length repeat...
invalid literal/lengths set.
invalid distances set...
incorrect data check....
Out of memory while allocating output buffer....
Out of memory while allocating input buffer.
Out of memory while allocating z_stream.
Out of memory while allocating workspace....
Not a gzip file.
header error....
read error..
uncompression error........

The newlines are from me, I tried to format it as best I could. I'm a little confused about what's going on here as I'm just reading the image - there shouldn't be error messages. Am I just seeing lists of possible errors in the kernel?

Issue #2
I can't extract the contents of the ramdisk in the properly sized kernels (I want to check that the backups worked properly) as in this guide to unpacking boot images
When I run this command:
gunzip -c ../your-ramdisk-file | cpio -i

I get the following messages (a whole bunch like the first and finishing with the last two):
cpio: Malformed number (�K�����
gzip: ../ramdisk.gz: decompression OK, trailing garbage ignored
cpio: premature end of file

and no new file outputted. Note that I can unzip the file by omitting the cpio bit and redirecting the output and it will produce a file containing some recognizable text in a hex editor, so I assume the extraction was successful.

Issue #3
The boot.img read from /dev/bootimg, though it seems to be valid at the start, is way, way too big - I stopped it at 3.0GiB+. For reference the one I found online and the one I generated with MTK Droid Tools and Root are 6.0MiB. By truncating it to 500MiB I was able to find the same kernel structure as in the other ones, though I wasn't sure where the ramdisk ended so couldn't reliably check that.
I suppose my question is basically: what is wrong with my boot.img? Is it valid (despite the errors and inability to extract the ramdisk) and safe to use as a backup?

It turns out most of the problems seem to have stemmed from my trying to split the boot and recovery images in the wrong place. I was trying to extract the kernel and ramdisk at the 1F8B for gzip (the kernel before, ramdisk after), but there were several instances of 1F8B (specifically 1F8B 0800) in the hex code and the first one was not the correct one.
After splitting the image in the right place, I got a more realistically sized kernel and a ramdisk which extracted successfully.
I was also able to get boot.img and recovery.img via adb from /dev/bootimg and /dev/recovery by explicitly limiting the size as per aureljared's comment on the question regarding my original problem:
dd if=/dev/bootimg of=/where/to/store/it bs=6291456 count=1

Though the images still contain the error messages, I think they're probably supposed to be there as I've found them in some other known good images online.
Note that I haven't truly tested the images are valid as they're just backups and the only way to test them is to flash them and thus potentially brick my phone if they're bad. I'm fairly confident this problem is solved since I can extract the ramdisk, though.


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How do I get Hangouts to work on a straight talk optiumus showtime?
Phone Model Number: LGL86C
PRL Version: 59377
Andriod version: 4.0.4
Kernel version: 3.0.8
Software version: L86CV10a
I have called straight talk wireless and they told me that my model phone does not have an APN setting. Does anyone know how to get around this so I can use hangouts as my main message sending app? I use it for everything and I cannot send MMS messages without configuring the APN settings.


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removed as member of a group where I was the admin after reinstalling whatsapp after it crashed!
I was the only admin in the group that I made, now after the app crashed and I reinstalled it - It says "Error you are not a participant in this group"
So that means the group exists without any admin? How do I reinstate myself as admin and get the group back? Do I have to make it all over again & lose all the old messages we had going over all this period of time?

Now there can be more than one admin for a WhatsApp group. If you choose to delete the group (where you are the sole admin) and remove yourself, one of the member in the group is selected in random and that member will become the new admin.
In this case, somehow your account got deactivated. Hence you were removed from the group. Someone else in the group will be the admin now.  You can ask the current admin to add you back and make you admin.


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LG G2 GPS works only when screen is off!
I have the weirdest problem in my LG G2 - the GPS works only when I'm turning my screen OFF!

Running Kitkat
Problem reproduces with both Waze and Google Maps Navigation
Tried a factory reset, didn't help the problem


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Lost, deactivated phone being used by someone on wifi. Can I track it?
The person who found my deactivated phone sent me a threatening E-mail from my own mailbox. He suggests he is has been reading my recent mail and says he found the phone in front of my house, suggesting he knows where I live. I have changed all my passwords so he won't get new mail but can access anything already downloaded.
Can I track this guy through the phone if he's using wifi or by IP address? He likely lives near me.

In what sense is the phone "deactivated"? Do you just mean that you told your carrier it's stolen so they've disconnected its SIM card?

Also, you'll find a lot of information in the tag wiki for the [tag:lost-phone] tag you've used, and the existing questions with that tag.

Yes you can if a) the phone is on
               b) wifi is on
               c) location is turned on (through settings)
As an experiment (using Android Device Manager through Google Dashboard) I tracked my phone with SIM card (cell towers) and with the card removed (WiFi). The wifi results were much more accurate.

If he can still access your email, you could send some url or image in a mail and check the ip or location from where its being accessed.

The questioner states that passwords have been changed so that new emails can't be accessed from the phone.

I got a new phone and was only usin my old phone as a music player. It is not an active phone but still works through wifi. I'm pretty sure GPS is off because it was a battery drain. That leaves IP address or wifi signal as a way to locate it. I wouldn't care about it if the person who has it wasn't being creepy and threatening.


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HTC One M7 use Sense 5.5 app in Sense 6?
I updated to Sense 6, but to be honest I'm regretting it. The colors changed, the icon dock now feels too blended together, but whatever, I can deal with this.
What I can't deal with, is the native camera app. I want to use the camera app that came with 5.5 (with dual buttons for photo/video, instead of having to click a menu to choose whichever you want).
I tried extracting the Camera.apk from the ROM, but it fails to install.
I'm not on a rooted device.
Is there ANY way to have the camera app that was in sense 5.5 on sense 6?..
Thanks..


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Galaxy S4: "Application cannot be installed in the default install location"
I had uninstalled some of my apps but now I can't install them again. Play Store gives me "Application cannot be installed in the default install location" error when the download is complete.
I guess it's a common problem but none of the solutions worked!
I don't even have an SD card! How the hell am I going to solve this problem?

What are "the solutions" you've tried? Have you checked out similar issues on this site – and if so, which?

Duplicate of Play Store 4.9.13 insufficient storage error and icon issues
But my rep can't comment yet, so I'll repeat my answer:
The correct answer to this problem, and I always see wrong explanations, is that you have a duplicate /data/app-lib folder for the app or apps that are giving you that error.
To fix: Using adb, terminal, or root explorer:
compare /data/app to /data/app-lib
you will see, for example:

/data/app/example-app-1.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1
/data/app-lib/example-app-2

OR

/data/app/example-app-2.apk
/data/app-lib/example-app-1
/data/app-lib/example-app-2

So for 1st example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-2
and for 2nd example remove directory: /data/app-lib/example-app-1
Then your app will install just fine!
ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP THE SAME NUMBERS,
IF THE APK IS 1 REMOVE 2... IF THE APK IS 2 REMOVE 1!

Try uninstalling unused apps and downloading the new one. Also try using task killer (if you have it) and killed running apps. I hope this helps with your problem.

Well, It might be that you have a lot of stuff that filled up your storage. Deleting a little might not help. Try deleting some stuff like, videos you made from camera, apps you never used, or other. If your not comfortable with it, then you have to try get an SD card. It can be your only solution.

I had this error, and after clearing up some memory I was able to install apps again. I guess it's a feature: if your available memory is less than 500 MB, it wont install anything.


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Android tablet I2C Read Errors
i've a brand new Ramos i9 tablet and have big issues with the touchscreen and charging. I've rooted it, and before i send it in for repair, i'm trying to debug the issue (in hope it's only software).
If the tablet is fully charged, the touchscreen and battery information is working fine. But after a discharge to 50% leads to the failure of the touchscreen and battery information. It somehow recharges after 1 day to 95%, and then everything works again.
If i'm under 95% (and the system was rebooted), i get these i2c errors at boot time:
<6>[    1.454126] ==ft5x0x_ts_probe=
<6>[    1.624056] input: ft5x0x_ts as /devices/virtual/input/input0
<3>[    1.783786] i2c-designware-pci 0000:00:00.5: i2c_dw_handle_tx_abort: slave address not acknowledged (7bit mode) :slave add 0x38
<3>[    1.784019] ft5x0x_ts 2-0038: fft5x0x_i2c_Read: i2c read error.
<6>[    1.784137] ft5x0x_ts 2-0038: [FTS] Firmware version = 0x71
...
<3>[    1.795292] max170xx_battery 2-0036: I2C SMbus Read error:-121
<4>[    1.795413] max170xx_battery 2-0036: reset i2c device:-121
...
<4>[   34.364528] smb347 2-006a: failed to read reg 0x30: -110
<4>[   34.364642] smb347 2-006a: smb347 suspend
<4>[   34.411268] smb347: probe of 2-006a failed with error -110

The ft5x0x_ts module is for touchscreen, the max170xx and smb347 for battery information and charging.
If the system is running, the touchscreen does not react to movements, but the kernel log flashes when i'm touching the screen:
<3>[  787.510109] i2c-designware-pci 0000:00:00.5: i2c_dw_handle_tx_abort: slave address not acknowledged (7bit mode) :slave add 0x38
<3>[  787.510356] ft5x0x_ts 2-0038: fft5x0x_i2c_Read: i2c read error.
<3>[  787.510472] ft5x0x_ts 2-0038: ft5x0x_read_Touchdata read touchdata failed.

How can i pin down this issue? Could this be a thermal problem?
Maybe anyone has an idea how to proceed. Thanks!

It's too late for you, but in case any other visitors are thinking of doing this: if you have a brand new tablet, and it goes wrong like this, send it back straight away. Don't root it or try to fix the problem yourself: you'll probably void the warranty.


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How do I reset a WOO tablet MODEL NO: PAD705?
I know you can reset an android tablet by pressing the volume button and the power button at the same time. Problem is this model doesn't have a volume button and the tablet is stuck on the android greeting screen so I can't even get into the homescreen. I don't have a pc either so I can't do it that way. I was just wondering if there is another way to reset this model without a pc?

Is there a small hole somewhere near the power button? If so, that's probably the reset button, which you can press with the end of a paperclip or similar.

Unfortunately there isn't. It has a headphone jack, a micro SD card slot, USB port and the power button. I'm guessing this means I have to find a pc to use? Thank you for your response anyway.


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Using over 2gb sd card space for link2sd apps
i have a rooted S3 mini, android version 4.1.2, link2sd free edition installed. S3 mini doesn't support moving apps to SD so I have to use Link2SD. I have 4 GB sd and I have followed the instructions in this video to partition it.
Today, I have bought a 64 GB SD card to replace the 4 GB sd card that I have. At about the second minute of the video, the guy says you can go as high as 2 GB for your apps.
My question is, can you go higher than that? can you link say 16 GB of apps to SD using link2SD? I have 64 GB  card so 2 GB is nothing, my internal memory is 8GB so I need that extra space.

Yes, Im using 32gb card.
I have kept 4096mb as EXT4 partition and rest I have formatted as FAT32. Link2SD works fine.
You can go max 4GB.

Download mini partition tool
Format your CLASS10 SDCARD 1st partition being FAT32, and second keep (4GB) it EXT2 (EXT4 might not work)
Shutdown your phone, put back your card. Star the phone.
And then start linking your files with Link2SD. I have bought Plus version, it is very useful. Since My phone has only 16GB internal memory.

It might be helpful if you added a link to this "mini partition tool" you're recommending.

So I can't link more than 4 gb apps to my sd?

4gb is for swap memory kinda ram.  Rest is your space for moving your apps.

@DanHulme here u go http://www.minitool.com/


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I flashed Cyanogenmod to my Galaxy S3, got the stock ROM after restarting
I used the Cyanogenmod installer on my phone and PC, everything went fine, and at the end received a success message. After restarting however, I was back at the stock ROM, though with all of my data and settings deleted. What did I do wrong?
The device is rooted. I have ClockworkMod working.

Is the device rooted, custom recovery etc? Could you try flashing the ROM in recovery instead of the PC?

I had similar problem when I first tried installing a custom ROM (CyanogenMod ofcourse) on my ZTE Blade phone. Everytime I tried to install the custom ROM and getting the success message, it asked me to restart the phone but after restarting it again turn back to the stock ROM. I researched a lot and found a pretty simpler solution; I rooted my device using z4root app and then installed Custom Recovery (Clockworkmod Recovery) on it (this custom recovery is device specific many a times, so first ensure if Clockworkmod Recovery is compatible with your Galaxy S3) Now after your phone get rooted and have a custom ROM installed, you will be able to install your custom ROM on it by booting into the recovery.
Feel free to ask me futher if you find difficulty at any point and I will be happy to elaborate the steps further. Cheers!

Using Clockworkmod to flash Cyanogenmod from the SD card worked, though only after I first performed a factory reset from CMR. Thank you!

@JustinR. Am glad that you have got your issue resolved. Cheers :)


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Huawei Ascend P1 U9200: rooting
I own a Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone (U9200, unlocked, international version, still original Android 4.0.3 factory build B003). During about a year that I have the phone, it started being much slower and I decided that it's time to upgrade the software. Before I will embark on that journey, I want to backup my information using Titanium Backup. However, as you know, it requires root permissions. Therefore, I have the following questions for you today:
1) Could you point me to verified (trusted!) instructions on rooting this particular phone? I found these instructions on the XDA site, but they talk about rooting P1 with Android 4.1.1, so not sure, if it's safe to proceed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2450306.
2) Do I need to separately unlock bootloader (S-OFF) and, if yes, could you point to verified instructions for P1?
Your advice will be very much appreciated!

URL for the P1's B315 build: http://en.ui.vmall.com/downloadp1.html. URL for the P1's CM 11 build: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2528822.

This site works best with one question asked per post. With so many questions in one, people either are afraid answering when they can't answer all, or the resulting answers become "messy" to follow. I'd recommend you to split your questions: 1+2 belong together, 3 is a separate one, as is 4. 5 will probably be closed as being "too broad", unless you can give some more details of what specifically you're after.

@Izzy: Thank you for your advice - it makes total sense. I will split the original post, when I get a chance. P.S. Sorry, don't have enough reputation yet to upvote, will do that later.


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How to make rooted android phone faster and avoid battery drain
I have rooted by Samsung S dous s7562 (645 RAM single core 1ghz processor)phone using Kingo Android root desktop App.
I decided to root my phone as it was very slow .
I have already done the following to speed up the phone :

Uninstalled unnecessary system apps.
Frozen bloatware
Using RAMBooster App
Tried overclocking a bit using CPU Adjuster app

Problem :

I don't have any idea regarding how much should I overclock based on
  my device specification.
I changed min CPU speed from 245Mhz to 320Mhz .
But since I have overclocked it the battery is drain too fast although
  the performance is a little better(but still lagging a bit).

Please suggest what should I do to speed up my phone without damaging it and without battery drain(battery is weak already as its an 1.25 year old phone)
Also please let me know How can I move apps to sdcard as even movetosd apps for rooted android devices are not working , (as my internal memory is read as sdcard)
Thanks!

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts, Rachita! Have you checked our performance tag-wiki for some clues? Also its most frequented questions? Gives you e.g. What are some general tips on improving overall performance of an Android phone?, My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?, and more.

Crossbreeder is a great addition to any Android device. It does a lot of things, among them: DNS caching and paralleling, ad and spyware blocking, modulation of OS entropy levels. It helped A LOT  when I had an HTC One V [1.5GHz CPU (OC'd), 512 MB RAM, Android 4.2.2]. So much so that I also flashed it onto my Nexus 5.
Greenify helps by allowing you to manage background processes and program it accordingly for best results.
Lastly, Titanium Backup has the only "move to SD card" feature that I can vouch for. Give it a try and see if it can move the apps you need off your SD card. You should also note that this might the associated app's widgets unavailable (see Issue 11283; opened in 2010 and marked as "WorkingAsIntended").


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Duration of System Update - Nexus 4 (after download) - 4.4.2 to 4.4.3?
How long is it supposed to take to install the system update, I think from 4.4.2 to 4.4.3, on a Nexus 4?
I downloaded the 70 MB and after the phone restarted, it attempted to install the system update for the last 2+ hours. The progress bar starts, goes all the way to the end, the screen goes black for a split second and then the install screen appears again with the bar starting at the beginning again. The phone is not brand new anymore, but I would expect it to go faster.
If this is too long and maybe an error occurred, can I cancel the update process by pressing >Vol-Down + Power Button< without having to worry about an unusable phone afterwards?

Okay, I did the hard reboot (or however you call it), that did not change anything. So it wanted to boot, but then went back to installing the update (which is a very comprehensible behavior).

Sorry, the last comment was a bit overambitious. After rebooting the phone, the system update went through and the system is updated now. Interesting fix for this problem ;-)

As you managed to solve your issue: Could you post your solution as answer, so other users affected can identify it as being solved? Thanks a lot!

I had the same issue, after giving up on waiting more, I restarting the phone.
After reboot, the update started from where it was, and finished as originally intended.
To restart the phone, hold Vol-Down + Power for a few seconds.
Posting answer as the OP only posted solution in a comment.

Could not add the answer as I had not enough reputation points yet. But I could have done it in the meanwhile, that is true.

@Exocom Makes sense, it's easy to forgot that not everyone can post answers. Since we'd like to have the question answered, either accept my answer, or please consider coming back later when you have more rep. :)


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Convert Internal Storage to Phone Storage
I have a Wiko Darkmoon running 4.2.2 (Wiko hasn't upgraded to 4.4 yet). The phone is advertised as having 4gb storage, which breaks down as

Cache: ~123MB, /cache
Internal: ~1008MB, /data
Protect:~9MB, /protect_s
Sdcard2: ~1749MB, /mnt/sdcard2
System:: ~690MB. /system

Total: ~3579MB ~ 3.5GB.
(info retrieved using FreeSpace https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.krikun.freespace).
On top of this I have mounted a 32GB SD card (/storage/sdcard0). My options are to by default use the external sd card. Unfortunately the /data is full and it basically prevents me to install more programs.
Also, the Sdcard2 thingy is supposed to be internal and it's completely free.
My question is, can I convert Sdcard2 to mount with /data? Having +1GB in /data would alleviate my storage constraints a lot.
I googled and searched here and it seems this is not a common issue. Most of the things I've read are about mounting everything in the external SD card, which is not the same I want to do: I want to reuse the internal 1.7GB by joining it to Internal (/data) partition.
Cheers!

I'm not saying this for sure ! But as far as i had checked the partitioning topics and also in my own experience i'd dived into actions about that .
i do not recommend you delete a partition completely , Because first of all it may cause an error so you can safely reduce it's size to very low & keeping that tiny space for the system presentations and checks (android checks much much things that we can't even guess those are counted as an important thing for the system to run) .
I'm not a pro at all Just hoped to be usefull :)

This is not a good idea. Android M and on have a system to treat an SD card as part of the internal storage, which is far preferred to this, which may softbrick or even hardbrick the device.


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APN not saving with EE Orange UK SIM on Kitkat
I have an LG G2 rooted, running Android 4.4.2. I've put my existing EE Orange UK SIM in, and there are no APNs listed. Whenever I try and add the EE settings and then save them, the APN list remains blank. How can I add my carriers APN settings?
I have tried:

Installing APN backup & restore app, setting as a system app in Titanium Backup and moving to the priv-app folder. Then deleting all APNs, resetting the phone. Still can't add an APN.
Creating a basic APN record, without all of the settings. That saves so that I can see it in APN list screen but when I update the record to include all of the settings it disappears again.
Looking at the apns-conf.xml file. There are loads of settings in here, but I'm not sure what this file does.

There is a service provided by WDS (Wireless Data Services Ltd, a Xerox company) where you can enter your model details and phone number, and it will send an SMS to setup the EE/Orange APN.


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Battery dropping from 90% to 0%
I've had the same device for quite some years now, and played a lot with it changing ROMs a few times. Recently I've been experiencing sudden drops in battery charge, here's a screenshot:

Battery Usage (screenshot; click image for larger variant)
What could be the reason for this? Is the battery old and faulty and in need of a replacement? Or is the current ROM (Chromium ROM Build 11) faulty?
I am prepared to see a degradation in battery life after so many years, but I would expect the drop to be linear. Instead it is lasting quite long while in stand-by, and drops quickly when I use it, but no app appears to be draining it.
EDIT: I've tried resetting battery stats, it's of no use.

It's most likely the battery. It might have to be replaced. If it's literally dropping from 90 straight down to 0, then the battery health has reached its end. If you do replace the battery and the same thing occurs, it could be your ROM

Sometimes it drops at 90%, most ofter it drops around 50%, haven't seen it going below that for quite some time. I'm suspecting the ROM because when it's between 100% and 90%, and I connect the charger, it sometimes doesn't start charging.


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Bootloop, Stock Recovery, USB debugging off
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S DUOS GT-S7562 running Android ICS.
Before my phone got bootlooped, I used to change the build.prop in
/system/build.prop to add a navigation bar to it. I added qemu.hw.mainkeys=0 at the end of the texts, and did a reboot. Now my device is bootlooping.
I only had a stock recovery, and did a factory reset – but still no luck.
It only boots to the Samsung boot animation.
I tried to enter Download Mode to use Odin, but it surprised me that
I can't even go to USB state; so it's impossible for me to do it also.
And lastly, I don't have a backup either. But I found a firmware exactly for my device.
Can anyone please help me?

Did you try flashing the firmware in fastboot mode?

Try installing the driver first and then connect the phone

http://androidofficer.blogspot.com/2014/01/download-usb-driver-for-android.html  Download the USB Drivers for your device. And use Samsung Kies to flash your firmware. If that doesn't work flash it through Odin (PC) or Heimdall (Mac)


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Forward console output to computer
Is there a way to forward the console output of your phone (I'm assuming there is some because Linux) to your computer, maybe using ADB? I'm especially interested in how to get the boot time messages, because I suspect there are quite some errors going on.
If it matters, I have a Samsung Galaxy GIO.

Running adb logcat and rebooting my phone worked for me. Requires the Android SDK though.


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Is it possible to install CyanogenMod for "Samsung GS4" on a "Samsung GS4 Active" device?
As I was desperately waiting for the 4.4 update on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, I read that Cyanogenmod was available for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
My problem is: Is it possible to install the CyanogenMod ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S4 (GT-I9205) on my Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (GT-I9295)?
NB: The GT-I9295 is more or less the same as the GT-I9205, but has physical buttons. So I assumed that the drivers (and the ROM) could be different, but I'm new to Android ROM hacking.

It has to be for your EXACT device. For example the GT19505 (international S4) and the GTi9505G are exactly the same hardware one is google edition, one is samsung touchwiz. The ROM from one is NOT compatible with the other without it being modified, and never will. I'd be 99.9% certain you'll brick your device.

Done! If you need anything else just let me know! Glad you asked before trying it! :)

This is actually an important question, and far better to ask now than try it and be stuck with a blank screen!
Android ROMs are specific to the device. This is why CyanogenMod and others have the specific device model and code name on them.
Even in cases where the deveice looks and feels the same and has the same name e.g. Samsung Galaxy S4:

GT-I9505
GT-I9500

They both run Android 4.4 now, and they look and to all user purposes are the same device. Under the hood there are differences, and no ROM will be compatible between the two.
I had used the Google Edition S4 as my example as ROMS weren't compatible between two devices with EXACTLY the same hardware, but work arounds are being found. The general rule is: If your device isn't specifically listed do not install the ROM!
In your case here I'm sure it will brick the device as there is different hardware (buttons etc), a different model code, and a different partition structure.

Good answer, but debatable example. Latest CM10 and CM11 ROMs (and their derivatives) are now unified across all i9505 variants, which means the same ROM works on both 9505 and 9505G.

@Chahk Thanks, changed to I9500 and mentioned the Google Edition as an example that WAS true, but has been changed. That's a good development, thanks for lettine me know, hopefully the answer is a bit better now.

I'm almost certain that you have to download the ROM for the exact device you are using. I tried to download the root file for another model of my Galaxy S4 (AT&T) not realizing that my version was different (T Mobile) and ended up bricking my phone. So it applies to ROMs as well. Find the exact model of your phone. I also had to go to "About Device" and match the baseband versions.


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Samsung galaxy s4 audio static issue
I just upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S4 and I'm noticing a distracting static sound both in headphones and through the built in speaker.  I notice it overlaid on the audio itself but it's very faint and it doesnt really bother me.  However, it becomes distracting because whenever there is a pause and silence, right before the audio starts up again there is a burst of static leading in.
This is not much of an issue for music but where it really makes a difference is when listening to audiobooks or podcasts because every time someone pauses and starts again the static is very noticeable.
Is this a common problem?  Is it fixable? Should I just return my phone to the store for a different one?  Thanks!

What update did you do? Official or a ROM? Is this in general or on specific apps?

I didn't update the phone, I upgraded to the S4 from my old phone through at&t.  The phone is brand new.  This happens with every app I've tried including the music app that came with the phone, a podcast app and an audiobook app.

Mine isn't doing this at all, I just tried now. I'd say pop back to the shop and see if you can get a replacement. You're not the only one with this: http://www.androidauthority.com/galaxy-s4-headphone-issues-208838/   Try another pair of headphones before you do?

ok, thanks, I did see that article but I thought my issue was different because my static over the music isnt as bad as that and mine happens over the built in speaker as well.  I will try a different set of headphones though, just to make sure.

tried other pairs of headphones, same issue


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Starting emulator for AVD 'Android_2.2' PANIC: Could not open: Android_2.2
How do I please to make the AVD correctly works ?
When I try to start a virtual device, I get the following message :

How do I to fix that, please?

Are you starting Android Virtual machine from within eclipse or directly ?
If you are running it from eclipse then before starting eclipse just make sure to run the below command:
sudo export UBUNTU_MENUPROXY=0

Now start the eclipse and try running AVD from it.
I hope this helps. It solved this issue at my end when I faced the similar problem.

I'm starting it from Android studio.

That haven't worked. I'm still getting the posted error message.

Oh I see. Many times this error arises because of root issues. In my case, I installed eclipse as root but AVD was being configured for normal user.
Well there may be several reasons for your problem.
I hope this google search can help http://bit.ly/1mG8Ris


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How to prevent WhatsApp images and other local pictures folders appearing from Google+ Photos app?
I've enabled auto backup for camera photos except local folders. Although local folders are not uploaded to the cloud, Photos app keeps showing these folders and making a mess. I'd like to have this app clean with only camera photos just like Dropbox's Carousel do.

You may be able to create a blank file named ".nomedia" (yes the period is needed; the quotes aren't) in the folders you don't want it to index using a file manager. Then reboot the phone. This should prevent them from showing, but not always. Also it could cause problems for the apps that rely on those photos, so this may not be the ideal solution.

Update 2021: How to do it in the new  Google Photos Android app:

Open Google Photos.
Click on your avatar in the upper right corner.
Click on Photo Settings.
Click on Backup & Sync.
Click on Back up device folders
A list of folders will appear with a toggle on the right.
Toggle on / off the folders you want to back up.

Update 2014: How to do it in the new  Google Photos Android app:

Open Google Photos.
Go to Settings on the left panel.
Click on Backup & Sync.
Scroll down a bit.
Click on Choose folders to back up...
Activate or deactivate each folder by clicking the switch.

Google+
From: Back up photos & videos automatically
Turn on or off for individual folders

Open the Photos app .
Touch the menu icon   at the top left and then On Device.
To the right of each folder title, touch the cloud icon to turn Auto Backup on or off for that folder:

 Auto Backup is on for that folder.
 Auto Backup is off for that folder.

new version of photos app doen't have this option. .nomedia works perfect.

@shailesh thanks for noticing, updated with new steps.

Goto accounts > Google > sync > un tick   pictures

It sounds like OP wants camera pictures to still be synced, this will break that.


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Why does the GPS module hang on my Android phone after some hours?
I record GPX tracks using Osmand.  I have set everything so that it tracks also in the background, with the screen switched off.  After some time (usually hours), I check the GPS and must realise that it doesn't get a GPS fix anymore.  I can wait for hours under a clear sky -- no effect.  But if I stop recording, and re-start it immediately, I get a fix in a second.  What can be the cause of this?
I have created a video at http://youtu.be/sqSjm7EUgbY which demonstrates the problem: Coming and going grey and yellow bars in "GPS Status", but after a short re-start, an immediate fix!
I use Android 4.1.2 on a Samsung Galaxy S III mini.  The background plugin of Osmand 1.7.5+ is active, as is the "keep fixing in the backgroud" option of "GPS Status & Tools".  However, it doesn't matter whether the latter is installed.  The polling time in Osmand is "continuously".
The same issue occurs with some other tracking apps.  At least "GPSLogger" and "Geotag Photos" are affected.  However, I can not reproduce the bug with Google "My Tracks".  Maybe this is due to the fix for https://code.google.com/p/mytracks/issues/detail?id=496 but unfortunately, no details of the fix are known.

It could be the app you are using, in that case contact the developer. If it isn't happening elsewhere then I don't know, my other theory was it was overheating. Samsung devices can run VERY hot and GPS tends to be quite intensive for heat on quite a few devices. If other apps are fine, I'd say contact the developer.

As a developer I see this in my own app IpBike and basically have made the app detect the scenario and automatically stop and restart the gps which normally gets it going.  No idea about the root cause but probably some GPS firmware bug...

The device doesn't get warm.  Since at least four apps are affected, I suspect the cause deeper, i.e. in Android, the driver, or the hardware.  But Google "My Tracks" is not affected, so there seems to be a workaround.


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Galaxy Nexus; no signal after flash roms
I have a 'Maguro' Galaxy nexus, purchased from O2 in the UK.  I am now in the US on T-Mobile.
My phone was working fine until yesterday I flashed the most recent CyanogenMod nightly, now I get no signal. Under Network Operators I get a list of AT&T and T-Mobile but clicking either gets an instant fail.
I've now tried flash all kinds of Baseband to it, XXLJ1, UGLL1, TDVMK1 to name a few.
I've tried installing the google 4.3, 4.2.2 and 4.1.2 images, all of which come with XXLJ1 - still no luck.
My previous ROM was a stock (but rooted) 4.1.2 (I think) , but I have no idea on the radio.
Any suggestions what I should try next?
Update:
I've just checked my IMEI number and the one the phone reports no longer matches the one on the sticker :\

You tried flashing all three factory images through fastboot? If it was related to the ROM update, this should resolve it since it completely replaces the /system, /boot, /recovery, and /data images in addition to the bootloader and radio. So either the factory images didn't flash properly or it is a hardware issue. It could even be the SIM card.

Yep, I flashed 3 stock roms along which included radios.  I tried my wife's t-mobile sim also. Seems unlikely to be a hardware issue as it was working before I messed with the software

This is caused by me inadvertantly wiping the /factory parition.  My phone is now assigned the default IMEI number (004999010640000) which is blocked by T-Mobile

Ok, glad you know the root. Just to let you know in some countries changing the IMEI is illegal, you may want to get that sorted quickly. It is sometimes used in phone cloning etc.

@matt do you still have any previous backups? The imei is stored in two places, /factory (the main source) and in /data/radio. When you do a factory reset it copies from /factory to /data/radio. If /factory is gone, it will use the generic one. If you can pull the nv_data.bin from a backup, you can push it back to the /factory partition with adb. Here is a guide. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47048361&postcount=9

@abqnm Sadly not >_<

For future reference, this seems like an occuring but uncommon Galaxy Nexus thing, see this blog: Substance

I had the same problem, and the solution was to re-flash the stock ROM.

This won't help since it doesn't restore the files in /factory/.


text:
BT keyboard + mouse simultaneously (tablet)
I have Acer Iconia B1-A71 and what I want to do is to attach a full-size keyboard and a mouse to it. As far as I know, my tablet does not support OTG, so I am thinking of connecting both devices via bluetooth (it has built-in BT 4.0).
Is there any way to connect two devices to tablet via BT at the same time? I do not have neither a keyboard nor a BT mouse and I do not want to spend my money at things I cannot use later.
Or maybe there is a way to enable OTG in this specific tablet (but I have done a little research about my model and I did not found anything useful)?

You could consider a bluetooth keyboard that has a trackpad. Like the Aerb Portable Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard.

Thanks, but I want to code in PHP on my device, so separate mouse is the best solution for me.

Then there is no solution for what you're asking for. USB OTG requires hardware and software compatibility (enabled at kernel level). If you were to find a custom kernel that supports it, it's possible that you could work around the hardware limitation by using powered USB OTG, but then you'd also need a USB hub to connect more than one device at a time (eg. mouse and keyboard) [unless of course they shared the same receiver].


text:
Does an android phone unroot itself on factory reset?
If you root your android device, and then factory restore it... does it remain rooted?

Yes. you need to Root after Factory Reset
also, and if you want to unroot then remove busybox, remove files in /system/xbin folder, and in SuperSU application in Options, Choose Uninstall

This is not correct. Root binaries are put in /system, unless you use some kind of very unusual root method, and /system is not erased by a factory reset. You wouldn't need to re-root unless you somehow moved your root app (Superuser, SuperSU) to a user app on /data (but there's no reason to do that).

From what i learned i need to Root Again.. maybe im wrong, please correct me

authors: العبقري صغير


text:
Rooting a Samsung Galaxy S1
Once my HTC EVO 4G LTE was stolen, I had to switch back to my old Samsung Galaxy S. The phone still works fairly well for a fossil, but it's full of unremovable bloatware and Sprint crapplications. I want to root the phone for the simple purpose of removing Asphalt5, NASCARZone, and the like. Unfortunately, I've never even tried to root a phone before, and the device is pretty old, so I wasn't able to find a root program for it. Any and all help is appreciated.

Here is a good guide on Phandroid
Simply put:
If on firmware version 2.1; Download a file, place it in the root folder, flash via recovery.
If on firmware version 2.2; Download 4Root.
If on firmware version 2.3; Download super one click.
If there is anything you don't understand comment on this and I'll edit my answer.
SuperOneClick on Cnet.com as the link is broken for some.
The XDA page I get for SuperOneClick from Phandroid.

I found 2 different specs listing version 2.x. Firmware is 2.3.6. Kernel is 2.6.35.7. Since you only listed through 2.3, I would figure it was the firmware version that matters. The Phandroid link seems to support that, but I want to be sure before I  accidentally brick this phone.

Also, the download for SuperOneClick seems to be broken. It says that the link is blocked for copyright reasons.

Yes it is the firmware. I will update the answer with a link to SuperOneClick download from Cnet.

authors: Rãjêßh Kïløßkêr


text:
Even after a factory reset the nexus 7 won´t work!
I´ve tried the latest Android update into my Nexus 7 (1º gen) tablet.
Something went wrong in the middle of the process (it was something to do with the software, because the battery was full and the wifi wa working).
I had to restart the tablet, and after that I just couldn´t get to any app.
Every single app or thing that I tried to use just would "unexpectedly" shut down. And after trying to shut down and on again the tablet, it was locked into the welcome screen (after the "Google" logo). The tablet wasn´t rooted in any way.
After a lot of reading and after searching on the net, I´ve found that the only way to use the tablet again was to do a factory reset.
I´ve done it. (One weird thing: it doesn´t appear the original "X" signal when initializing the thing, but the newest "bubble like" screen).
But even in that case, I still get freezed into the welcoming screen. And even if sometimes I get to enter the tablet, I can´t use the keyboard (trying to type any number will freeze the screen) and I cannot enter the settings screen.
Even if (after the factory reset) I can access the tablet, I can´t access the settings screen (so I can´t change any default, nor I can enter the "developers" tab in order to access the tablet in debug mode with my PC).
Is there anything I can do?
I´ve even tried completely discharging, without any luck (it does the same after charging it again).
Since then, I´ve tried the "factory reset" several times, and the problem remains.

In the event that you've tried everything, backup your information (if possible) and reinstall the firmware.

Thanks for your reply, but doesn´t that solution need a connection with a PC? The nexus is not recognized by the pc, and  I can´t access the settings screen (so I can´t change any default, nor I can enter the "developers" tab in order to access the tablet in debug mode with my PC).

Have you recently rooted or changed system files on the device?

After much struggling and right before I was just going to give up, I´ve found the solution. So Naturally, I thought best to share it here, just in case anyone else was having the same issue.
The issue was:
1- I have a Nexus 7 (1º gen) that after a failed Android upgrade was infinite looping though the welcome window (right after the google logo appears).
2- So I´ve first tried the easy solution: A factory reset using the bootloader screen (and I´ve accessed that screen pressing power and volume down while turning on the device).
3- It didn´t worked, because the problem explained in 1 was still happening.
4- The tablet wasn´t being recognized by windows (nor linux for that matter), so I couldn´t even get to its settings in order to set it in debugger mode.
So, to solve the issue this is what I´ve done:
a- I´ve installed the Universal Naked Driver in order to my PC to be able to recognize the nexus device. It did recognized it before, after the looping problem. But after the failed resetting of the device, it seems that it didn´t recognized it anymore.
b- I´ve installed the Nexus Root Toolkit in order to unlock the bootloader and then reinstall the drivers. I´ve tried some other toolkits, but this was the only one that it actually worked out of the box.
c- So, using the toolkit I:

Pugged in the tablet into my PC
Clicked the "unlock" button (yes, the process erases all personal data).
Selected "soft bricked/bootloop" and then clicked "Flash Stock + Unroot"
And then just followed the instructions.

There´s a quick way of doing the same (but in my case it didn´t worked out), that maybe someone with Ubuntu can use, and it´s here.
Hope this helps some desperate folk out there.

This helped me recover a Nexus 7 which, like yours, was looping on boot even after factory re-sets. I didn't need Universal Naked Driver though, just Nexus Root Toolkit.


text:
"App Data" Sync & "App Data" Backup both are same?
May be its silly but I'm curious to know the actual fact. I searched google and this site a lot but didn't got satisfiable result. So asking.
There is "App Data" sync in Settings->Accounts->Google
There is also Backup My Data in Settings->Backup & Reset

Are they same??

I know that if I flash my device then all apps I get by restore. how its being done??

one of my app after restoration asked me to update. "SMS Backup & Restore" if Google restores by installing from Google play why after restoring it wants to update?? last update date of that app in Google play was older than today's date. So it seems that Google installed an older version of the app though there is a new version
So do Android uploads whole binaries and app local data to the Google server from the device?? or Google tracks which apps were last installed in the device & just re installs those last installed apps according to version from Google play??

Related: What info does Google backup? / What exactly is this App Data that is being backed up to Google? / What exactly is synced with Google? / Google Backup: Multiple devices using the same account - what happens on Restore?

@Izzy I read all these before. But my question is little different I think. cause I'm getting restore of an old version of app whereas there exists a new in google play. So I want to know if google backup the apk files which are in my device direct from my device?? or just installs apps from google play and restores the app datas.

I couldn't know you've read that already (as you didn't mention it – which would have been a good idea :) Up to my knowledge, only references to the apps are backed-up (not the .apk files themselves, which Google already has – you've installed them from there, remember?). I'm not sure about side-loaded apps and whether those are backed-up at all (if they aren't available at Google Play).


text:
Changing Your MAC Address/Without Root Privileges
I want to change the mac address of my phone without making any android rooting.

Though unlikely to be done without root, you can find some MAC spoofers in this list.

There are MAC spoofers, but all the ones I have seen require root. There is also an issue where the drivers tell the program "Yep I've changed the mac address to " but the address isn't actually changed at all. This is an area of ongoing research. Check out Chainfire's google Plus, he is the creator of 'SuperSU' that we nearly all use on rooted devices, he has an app called 'PRYFI' just for this, but there are a lot of issues in this area. Apple are building it in at an OS level in iOS 8 apparently.

It should be noted that Pry-Fi is a MAC address randomizer, and manual spoofing is "a feature you need to enable separately". iOS 8 will include MAC randomizing, but not manual spoofing as far as I could tell from the little I've gleaned from what has been released.

@filoxo yeah I got all my terms muddles there! Too tired, I think the point is ok but the terminology is totally wrong!


text:
Will updating to Android 7.0 cause my phone to lose all its application data ? If so, how can I prevent this?
I own a Nexus 5X, and I wish to update the device firmware from Android 6.0.1 to Android 7.0. When I do this, will it wipe all my phone data (i.e. essentially perform a factory reset) ? I know that my Play Store account has a record of all the applications I use, but I suppose the application data will be lost. I'm specifically concerned about Asphalt 8, in which I've reached a pretty advanced stage. I've heard that Android apps that have data backup enabled save their data remotely in the cloud, but that this doesn't apply to game apps like Asphalt. So my question is,
1. Will I lose all my application data, and specifically my Asphalt 8 data ??
2. If so, how do I backup my data, and without having to root the phone ? What I'd like ideally is to do the firmware update AND get back my Asphalt 8 data (without having to root the phone).

OTA updates don't wipe the device: all apps and data are preserved across the update.
Even so, it's always a good idea to back up your data frequently. As you point out, not all apps support the in-built Google backup mechanism, so it's wise to have a full backup just in case. See our backup tag wiki and top questions to learn about what options are available (whether you've rooted the phone or not).

For those who have already unlocked their phone's bootloader - which will wipe the phone (thanks @onik for the reminder):
If you download the factory image, by default the flash-all.sh and flash-all.bat scripts would indeed perform a wipe of your device at the end.
Provided you're overwriting an image from the same vendor (i.e. not a custom ROM in this case), you can just edit that script and remove the -w flag. I've used it to upgrade to 4.4.2 and 4.4.3 before my Nexus 4 is scheduled to receive the OTA.

Note that this requires the bootloader to be unlocked. If not, a full wipe is required for security reasons.

Ah yes, as @onik said. I try and do that as one of the first steps on my Nexus devices to minimize data loss (I don't care so much on my other phones as they lag behind in updates anyway)


text:
Huawei Ascend P1 U9200: upgrading (International to Chinese)
I own a Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone (U9200, unlocked, international version, still original Android 4.0.3 factory build B003). During about a year that I have the phone, it started being much slower and I decided that it's time to upgrade the software. I have the following question:
Is it safe to try to upgrade an international P1 to more modern P1 firmware, but focused on Chinese market? The only official release available for my phone is Jelly Bean with EMUI 1.5, which is pretty old (B315, URL is available). I was hoping to upgrade, at least, to this Chinese release (B709): http://en.club.vmall.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=15972&extra=page%3D2. Also, it would be nice to read about any experiences, especially regarding feature set and stability, on the above, as well as (just in case) recommendations on restoring back official manufacturer's firmware for international models from Chinese firmware releases.
Your advice will be very much appreciated!

Same build. I went up to the Chinese B710 that have the most features including the radio and HDMI.  Google apps is not on B710 firmware and instead the Chinese version of it. I decided to roll back to B315 without radio and HDMI (not without, but with no sound). B315 is OK (the sound is now extra loud, they must have activated that dolby sound at last), there are minor things that is not there anymore, eg the wallpapers don't scroll anymore, but it's still way better than ICS.
To go from B315 to B710 uses the same intermediate pack found on Huawei.com (Click on Emui and look for P1).
The Chinese version is all in Chinese obviously and the phone is packed with Chinese apps that can not be de-installed. If you have a large memory card you could hide all the icons in there and download apps from the internet although it is much more of a hassle. I was unsuccessful in installing Google Playstore and it can't replace the default Chinese version.
The perfect scenario would be to get B710 Global version with Google apps, radio and HDMI, but this does not exist. (Did some extensive research on the net, nothing.) I would't even bother with the KitKat and fake Lollipop stuff on the net. You basically have the options of B229 ICS with everything but fewer features, or Jellybean B315 with some stuff removed from B229 and lots of extra other stuff.

Thanks a lot for your answer (+1)! I also did quite a bit of research on the subject and agree with your insights. I am thinking about MIUI (don't confuse with EMUI), which has several firmware distributions for P1 to choose from. The standard one is this: http://en.miui.com.

i just installed the official firmware.(B315, Jellybean) If you don't use the radio and MHL capabilities it is worth it, as those are not on there. Makes the phone faster, improves the camera. Battery icon shows exact percentage battery remaining making it at least feel if it last longer, still won't last the entire day if gaming on it. The volume up takes a photo and feels more responsive.

Thank you very much for your opinion! Have you upgraded from the same build that I have (B003)? Have you tried or thought about trying other firmware options, for example Chinese market EMUI or MIUI firmware? Thanks again.


text:
Is it possible to transfer EVERYTHING from one Nexus 5 to another?
I just broke the screen on my phone, and the way my insurance works, they're going to replace it with a new one...
However, I've spent a lot of time setting up everything in my phone, and would like to not have to do it again...
Is it possible to transfer EVERY SINGLE BIT OF DATA on my phone to my pc, and then restore it in a new one?

Yes, there is. It's called making a Nandroid backup.
The complete steps are outlined here, but before you even proceed, you'll need to root your phone. You can't do this without rooting. Rooting is the process of gaining superuser access on your phone.
Since you have a Google Nexus 5, you should read the instructions for rooting it available over here and here.
After you have rooted your phone, you might want to install a custom recovery tool like ClockworkMod Recovery or TWRP.
After you've completed both those steps (got root, installed a custom recovery), all you need to do it reboot your device into recovery mode and perform the Nandroid backup.
UPDATE: To restore the backup on your new phone you'll need to root it as well. And install a custom recovery too. After that, you can boot into recovery mode and restore the nandroid backup.

Note that, the new device will also need to be rooted and have a custom recovery in order to flash the NANDroid image back.


text:
Rooting note 3 - fastboot not unlocking or detecting
I have been reading so much trying to find the answer to this problem, but I can't find any. I am not quite sure what to do at this point.
I am running XUbuntu and I am trying to to root my SM-9005 note 3 international version. My problem is my device isn't being recognized by fastboot (I tried windows and odin never recognized my phone either).
My device is has USB debugging on. It gets recognized in adb. It gets detected in heimdall when in ODIN mode. But doesn't get detected in fastboot.
Here is some information that might be useful:
Phone running in OS

$lsusb
Bus 001 Device 018: ID 04e8:6860 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd GT-I9100 Phone [Galaxy S II], GT-I9300 Phone [Galaxy S III], GT-P7500 [Galaxy Tab 10.1]
$adb devices
List of devices attached
ddd0b685   device
$adb reboot bootloader

Now in Odin mode

$lsusb
Bus 001 Device 019: ID 04e8:685d Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd GT-I9100 Phone [Galaxy S II] (Download mode)
$heimdall detect
Device detected
$sudo fastboot devices

Nothing shows up

$sudo fastboot oem unlock
< waiting for device >

It gets stuck on this and nothing happens. And there is no indication that anything is happening on the phone.
I am lost and would appreciate all the help I can get.
Thank you,
UPDATE:
I can't even get the pit file using heimdall

$sudo heimdall print-pit
Heimdall v1.4.0
Copyright (c) 2010-2013, Benjamin Dobell, Glass Echidna
http://www.glassechidna.com.au/
This software is provided free of charge. Copying and redistribution is
  encouraged.
If you appreciate this software and you would like to support future
  development please consider donating:
  http://www.glassechidna.com.au/donate/
Initialising connection...
Detecting device...
Claiming interface...
Attempt failed. Detaching driver...
Claiming interface again...
ERROR: Claiming interface failed!

Does Heimdall work in Fastboot mode? I thought it was limited to 'Download' mode only for this. ADB would be your access to Fastboot. I could WELL be wrong on this, but if anyone knows better please let me know.

There is only two modes that I know off. Download mode and recovery mode. Heimdall and fastboot should work for download mode as far as my knowledge goes.


text:
Android 4.4.3 update, dialer add 2 second pause - what is it?
THe new dialer for android 4.4.3 has an option for "add 2 second pause" and "add wait". What do these options do?
I'll add a screenshot soon.

It adds a delay to the buttons you dial when it is dialing. It is for interactive request on the phone (E.g. Press 1 to speak to RossC)
Here's an example that might explain it:
Say you do the following to top up your phone credit:

Dial 1741
Select option 1 for top up
Select Option 2 for enter code
Enter 20 digit code (XXXXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXX)

You could simply dial:
1741 <ADD 2 SECOND PAUSE> 1 <ADD 2 SECOND PAUSE> 2 <ADD 2 SECOND PAUSE> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  and it will all process. It literally adds a pause of 2 seconds to the buttons it dials!
My ancient Nokia phone used to have a 'P' for this above the # key. So you would have had 1741 P 1 p 2 etc on it. Very convenient for something you regularly call.

Ha! that explains that. I have never used this functionality. Thanks for the detailed answer.

This is pretty common on phone (and previously modem) diallers. You can use it to get through caller menu systems (the "press 1 for something, press 2 for something else" type menus) also known as Interactive voice response systems.
It's not normally shown as a menu option in the phone's dialler but you can normally enter a comma , into a dialler to get a short pause. You can then save this phone number along with all the number presses after it as a contact in your phone.
I have a contact saved in my mobile phone that calls my work voicemail system, waits a couple of seconds, then enters my PIN, then waits another couple of seconds, then presses "1" to hear new voicemails, this lets me do everything I need to do to listen to my messages with one click. It looks a bit like this:
020 1234 5678,,1234#,1

(the number at the start is the number that's called, the commas are the pauses, and everything after the first pause is used to get through  the menus)
When I dealt regularly dealt with the customer services parts of other companies, I had the details saved as a contact on my phone to get all the way through their phone menu system to a real human being with one phone call.


text:
Can tablets advertised with Android 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 be updated?
I'm looking to buy an Android tablet, but most give specific versions of Android and of course I want the latest version. It seems odd to me why it matters. Can't I just update the OS to the latest once I get the tablet? The fact that companies always advertise the Android OS version makes me think it can't be updated. Is this the case?

You could also have a look through some our questions that list devices that are known to have updates available (though those are just the devices that we've looked for or noted, just because a device isn't doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't have updates): When will my device get the Android 4.1 update (Jelly Bean)? and the questions for other versions linked frfom there.

Your tablet will come advertised with the version of Android it carries in the box. When they make it they don't know what versions will be released, obviously. The packaging and advertising will say Ross Tablet comes with Kitkat 4.4. That doesn't mean I won't update my hardware with a newer version of Android, but it means there is no guarantee I ever will.
There's nothing that says explicitely it CAN'T be updated, unless the hardware is insufficient to run a particular build. JellyBean was heavy on resources but KitKat is much lighter. It would depend on this also.
Either they didn't update their advertising and/or they didn't update the device. There is no hard fast rule.
Updates to Android itself are creted by Google, then released to the OEM. The actual updates to the device are dealth with by the OEM (manufacturer) and released by them IF they decide they want to. This is after they skin it (Touchwiz, Sense, MotoBlur etc), test it and make whatever changes they decide. This is why I have a HTC on 4.1 and another on 4.4 here.
Each manufacturer has it's own unique hardware, as does each device model. There is no concept of a 'generic' Android ROM across devices. The hardware and software for it (e.g. the OEM's camera) is closed source and ROM developers have to use their own Kernels and work arounds to get these installed on the various devices.
You would need to check on a device by device basis. Google should tell you the answer, but XDA Developers is also a great resource.

So if I understand you correctly, the manufacturer of a device has to release the update, not Google? It seemed odd to me, because it's not like you see iPhones advertised with an older OS even though some undoubtedly have them until they're updated.

@at. Edited my answer. Google release Android itself, then the OEM skin it, modify it, test it etc then release to your device (UNLESS it is a Nexus device). Apple have ONE type of phone running ONE OS version so they can always say iOS7 is out.

Also don't forget about vendor/device specific hardware, which again Google cannot take care of (specific closed-source camera modules etc.). This is also why you cannot simply take a "general ROM" and put it on any device: there's no such thing as a "general ROM" (or "generic Android build").

@Izzy thanks very much added a line to the answer on this!

If you want a tablet that gets the newest updates on time, get the new nexus 8 that will be coming out soon. There isn't really any reason to get another type of android tablet (although some of Samsung's new stuff is compelling) since nexus products generally have excellent specs and cost half the price. However, even if you want to go with another manufacturer, there is a pretty vibrant community of people on the Internet who prepare updates for various android devices that you can flash onto your device yourself. I bought a $150 Chinese tablet last year and was able to get the newest version of android on it even though the manufacturer never would have rolled out an official update. Happy traveling in android tablet land!


text:
last digits invisible from call history
I have recently bought Sony Xperia and recently have been facing this weird problem.
The last 2 digits of the phone number in call history are invisible. And this is not the case for whole history, but only for some.
Please guide if you know reason/resolution for the same.

Which Xperia phone are you using specifically? (like Xperia Z,Z1,Z2,J,T,S,P,U etc) and a screen shot is helpful.

You could download a different dialer application. Check out the play store, or a diffent call log app and so on. Might be the easiest option.


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Android x86 on DELL INSPIRON 1501
I can't run android-x86 (4.4 RC2) on my notebook (dell inspiron 1501) well
the first problem is :
Graphics : Radeon Xpress 200M
my /proc/fb : 0 ATI Radeon 5975
I can use at most 1024x768x16 (vga = 791)
but my native resolution is 1280x800x32 and if I use this in kernel (or even 1280x800x16) it shows A  N  D  R  O  I  D and graphic ui doesn't show up. just a blinking underline in the middle of page. and I can write terminal commands  like cat /proc/fb there !
==================================
the second problem is :
I can not turn on my Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter in android-x86
==================================
if there is a release of android-x86 (preferred : 4.0+, second choice 2.3+) or a way to solve it please tell me
Thanks
EDIT : installed 4.3 4.2 4.0 still no luck

Your device isn't listed in the list of supported notebooks, so it's not surprising that it doesn't work. You'll have to wait until it's supported.
Remember that the Android-x86 project is made by volunteers, so support for particular hardware depends on someone with the necessary skills having that hardware and an interest in making it work. You might be able to help speed the process along by buying a similar device for the project (that they can test on), or by helping to update documentation or such to help free their time for porting. If you want to help get your device supported faster, in the first instance you should contact their discussion group and ask what you can do to help.

wrong wrong wrong it's not about he's laptop "is not supported" kitkat have issue with Radeon graphic cards there is small solution for that you have to change destination library for source to start graphic acceleration I have Lenovo T400 with radeon it run only in debug mode 2 and most important it start only with selected DEBUG NOMODESET KITKAt start with 860  x resolution. I try to edit almost all possible graphic ( important kitkat support only 16 bit color)
so even if you will be able start os you will not have graphic acceleration. I saw one solution  when i will test it and it will work i will drop info here , Sorry for all typo and mistakes (English is not my native language )
PS. On Samsung Laptop 3530 intel 3000 vga - installation and setup took few minutes no problems at all (Radeon usually older cards have that problem) If anyone will have 100 % tested solution please give me a shout Good Luck Everyone
Almost forgot using KITKAT 4.4.2
and this works for me
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!topic/android-kitkat/-AupM37ELEM

OpenGL ES hardware acceleration for AMD Radeon and Intel chipsets (not include the PowerVR chips).

I'm not sure how your "have issue with Radeon graphic cards" is different from my "is not supported". What exactly are you suggesting Mr Tahernejad should do?

You mean if I install android ICS or JB it will work fine ?! no it isn't! I have the same problem with them, and for 4.3 it restarts immidiately after boot selection in any mode. even with lowest possible mode I wrote in kernel=

what the heck are you talking about this is topic about Android XDA 86 PC ( Personal Computer ) so no jailbreaks are required its Already rooted  if you need advise provide full specification on what device did you installed and how and from where

@Wurt ha ?! :| JB = JellyBean :|

For My laptop only solution was change in bios settings becaouse i have radeon and intel vga
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/android-kitkat/-AupM37ELEM

nope I have just radeon! no intel VGA.

I think this is all I can advise for this topic:

Find drivers for Linux for this card (test on Linux to see if it works properly)
Android x86 have different location of resource folder (additional drivers)
Find on androidx86 where exactly you have to copy driver's
Start new installation of Android Kitkat 4.4.2 x86 version  with drivers included in specific folder

It works.
If not, you should be able to see on screen where it stops during first boot and after installation (drop screenshot(s) here)

If you don't see anything, try debug mode and then drop screenshot(s) here.