text:
How do I force USB debugging?
I am trying to figure out why my apps don't work on tablets manufactured by the company Ainol.
USB debugging is already turned on, and I took a look at all of the settings that I could find on it, but the USB debugging bridge refuses to find it.
I figured out that it might be because the tablet ALWAYS connects the USB file transfer (either as mass storage, or media, or camera, but it ALWAYS connects, and I found no option to not connect).
How can I force ADB to find it somehow?

I gather you are under OSX so no need for driver or udev rules but there is some points  you need to make sure you follow .

Make sure your device is unlocked when connected to PC.
Make sure you have accepted the pop-up message on your tablet allowing your PC to debug it.
Make sure your usb cable is working perfectly.
The usb storage ot mtp mode doesn't matter.
If you are still struggling and couldn't make it work via usb try making it work via network.

Normally you should have to install the driver of the tablet to have ADB working with it. On the opposite, mass storage usually work out-of-the-box because any PC recognize this standard.
After some search on Google I found some info that may work with your tablet here:
http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/70585-adb-drivers/page_p_805857

I am on OSX! How drivers are installed on it?

I have been using Android SDK on Ubuntu a lot and there was no driver but a rule needed to be added in /etc/udev/rules.d like explained in http://developer.android.com/tools/device.html. However according to the same page Mac OS should work out-of-the-box.

You don't need to force USB debugging to be able to use it. But if that is your biggest concern, there are some two files you may need to take it if you access the superuser privileges. These are "/system/build.prop" and "/default.prop". Here are the lines of code to look for in build.prop and default.prop to modify them to exactly how I have written them here or else create then:
persist.service.adb.enable=1 persist.service.debuggable=1 persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb
Or if you have a custom recovery like twrp you can access terminal and run these commands:
adb shell su
mount -o remount,rw /system cd /
echo "persist.service.adb.enable=1
echo "persist.service.debuggable=1
echo "persist.sys.usb.config=mtp,adb

Once you reboot into Android you should be able to see ADB persisted always.

Download PDANet from Google Play and for Windows in your PC. After doing a few configurations your PC should be able to detect your device.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! This post does not contain enough information to be considered an answer. How did it solve the issue? Where to find it? What are the steps to perform? Please use proper English to the best of your ability. Consider following this guide: How do I write a good answer

Go to settings and visit developer options (if it's not there see the end of my answer). Then enable developer options and enable USB debugging.
Enabling developer:
Go to settings=>about=>software info=>and tap build number a bunch of times very quickly.

-1: "USB debugging is already turned on"

Check if it works and if it doesn't I will delete my answer.


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Traffic analysis and inconsistent results on Nexus One
my question is aimed to those who have already performed some kind of network traffic analysis on Android.
My device is a rooted Nexus One.
I've developed a simple C program, using Pcap Libraries, which sniffs packets over its eth0.
Then I have a simple Python script, using Scapy, which sends to my device self-made packets (with raw payload of 1000 characters).
What I want to analize is the decay of my device ability to sniff traffic packets out of the packet rate increase. What I expect is that the lower is the packet rate, the more packets my device is able to capture.
What I get is something inconsistent:
Pck/s|Tot_sniffed
100           179
1090            0
2080          161
3070          968
4060          628
5050          562
6040          698
7030          546
8020          391
9010            0

I send 1000 packets with left column rates (packets per second).
That's very strange imho and I can't get what's happening.
I already have:

Checked RAM and CPU usage (they're both under control, CPU doesn't
exceed 23-24%)
Checked Wi-Fi connection (it doesn't turn off)
Killed / Suspended / Uninstalled every other application not needed from
Android system
Tried to change parameters and packet size but it's
always the same.

I'm trying to look for any known report about Nexus One unstable behavior. But I'm not really sure it depends on my device.
Have you any good idea about what's happening and how can it be possible? Thank you in advance!
EDIT: I've done more tests to reply to @Peanut. I've also changed my Wi-Fi network, placing notebook and Android device close to the router.
The usage is this:
Usage: python  Main.py < targetIP >  < port >  < numPackets >  < packetSize >  < initial speed >  < final speed >  < step >

Results.
I really can't figure out what's going on.

How many times did you run the tests? It seems odd you don't get any packets at all for 1090. It could also depend on the quality of your WiFi network.

@Peanut edited my OP with more tests

After some days of struggling I've come to the understanding that my Nexus One's NIC was corrupted/broken/something_bad_else. My tests were all messed up and with no logical connection.
I've tried with a S II device and results seem to be a little more consistent. By the way, even in this case, I can't achieve a worse throughput increasing the bit rate, actually it's still floating around 90% (from 88 to 95 randomly).
Probably it is dued to wi-fi instability and UDP packets instead of TCP. For my purpose having tried with a different device gave me a suitable answer.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Current firmware version is not supported to update via kies
I've got Samsung captivate glide. It comes with at&t only so I've got unlocked version. Its base firmware version is 2.3.5 Ginger Bread. Official update of ICS 4.0.4 is out by at&t and Samsung. Thre is whole good tutorial for How do I update my Samsung Captivate Glide to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich?
Heres the reference link of it: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/SupportOwnersFAQPopup.do?faq_id=FAQ00048593&fm_seq=53023
I've installed Samsung Kies version 2.5.313043 on my Windows 7 32-bit desktop PC. As soon as I connected my Samsung captivate glide to my PC via micro-USB cable Samsung Kies detects it and says Your device's current firmware version is not supported to update firmware via Kies.Current firmware version : PDA:KI3 /PHONE:KL1 /CSC:KI3 (ATT) (See attached screenshot) Although there is an official update released I cannot understand why my device can't update via Kies?? Can any one tell me how to update my phone??
Any link or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance....

You might want to check the odin tag-wiki plus heimdall tag-wiki for alternative update tools.

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


text:
How to backup Windows 6.5 /HTC HD2/ data and transfer it to Android 4.2 /Samsung Galaxy S4
I have a HTC HD2 / Windows 6.5 / several years. A week ago I got a Samsung Galaxy S4 / Android 4.2 /. My question is what program I could make a backup of the old phone, so I can restore them to the new. Thanks in advance for all the help.

What data is it that you want to move across? Are you just talking your address book, or messages, or something more?

Well mostly address book and messages and events eventually. Anyway, one of the applications will not work on the other.

HOW TO TRANSFER/BACKUP DATA FROM WINDOWS MOBILE TO ANDROID
To make backups and transfer that data to your Android device, you'll need to install PIM Backup on your Windows Mobile device.
Go to www.dotfred.net and download the PIM Backup CAB file for Windows Mobile 6.5 (direct link: http://www.tinyurl.com/PIMBackup65).
Move it to your HTC HD2 and install it.
Contacts:

Make a backup of your contacts with PIM Backup and save it as a CSV file.
Copy the file to your computer and go to Google Contacts. Click on More -> Import.
Choose the CSV file and press Import. Once your new phone has a proper connection to the internet, it'll automatically synchronise with the Google servers and you'll see a complete list of your contacts in the Contacts app.

Calendar/Appointments:

Use PIM Backup to backup all of your appointments to a CSV file. Copy that CSV file to your computer.
Go to Google Calendar and click the mechanical wheel and click Settings.
Go to Calendars and click Import calendar.
Choose the CSV file and press Import. Once your new phone has a proper connection to the internet, it'll automatically synchronise with the Google servers and you'll see your appointments in your Google Calendar app.

Text Messages/SMS:

Use PIM Backup to backup your text messages to an .xml file. Transfer that file to your phone to /sdcard/SMSBackupRestore.
Install the free app SMS Backup & Restore on your Android device.
Start it and restore the XML file.

Call Log:

Use PIM Backup to backup your call log to an .xml file. Transfer that file to your phone to /sdcard/CallLogBackupRestore.
Install the free app Call Logs Backup & Restore on your Android device.
Start it and restore the XML file.

This work only for contacts. But Calendar / Apointments; Text Messages / SMS; call logs not working. Any other ideas for dealing with the problem, please.

I edited my answer. Make sure you move the XML files to /sdcard/SMSBackupRestore and /sdcard/CallLogBackupRestore . Could you tell me on what point you fail to accomplish the tasks?

I copy the files in the Documents folder in root. And then ask the program to search for them in it. Detect them, but then can't read the data from them.

Come on, people. Has anybody had a similar problem. Helpppp meee.

I hate to sync with cloud/online service. My contacts list is confidential not to be uploaded on Google account.
I use dual boot on HD2 and for having the same calendar and contacts on Android HD2, I found MyPhoneExplorer. It will sync your Outlook with your Android device. It is possible to require phone Android drivers.
The Contacts were synced with photo and everything.
Be patient, MyphoneExplorer is not so quick as Activesync.

If you are also a Outlook user and used activesync to sync your old Windows Phone, then a very nice tool to use is Local Sync.
I migrated my contacts, appointments and other data flawlessly from my windows phone to android.
But not SMS data, because that's not data what Outlook handles. But pimbackup should be fine for that.


text:
How to create videos similar to Khan-Academy videos with a Samsung Galaxy?
I would like to know what is the best option to create videos with audio similar to those of Khan Academy with Samsung Galaxy Tablets. Some of my colleagues have Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Note and some of them have Samsung Galaxy Tab. On the other hand, I have been able to create similar videos with audio using an iPad and the free ScreenChomp app (please see this video). The characteristics I like about the use of the iPad app ScreenChomp (and that my colleagues would like to have in a similar app for Samsung Galaxy Tablets) are:

It is easy to install (just find it in the app-store and download it)
I learned how to use it in five minutes
Once I finish a Khan-Academy-like video, I can upload it to the cloud (to a server of the ScreenChomp makers) and share the link by e-mail with my students, so they can see the video in their devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones, whatever) less than ten minutes after I created it
If I want to, I can download the video as MP4 in my laptop, so I am able to see it offline, and if I want, I can upload it to YouTube (which is Not necessary, as explained before, because students can see it directly from the link to the ScreenChomp site)
It is free.

I actually believed that the Samsung Galaxy Tablet would be a better tool to create this kind of videos (better than the iPad), however my student and I were unable to do it with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, and my colleagues that received a Samsung Galaxy Note do not know yet how to do it. Could you let us know how to do it? We are interested in solutions as simple to use as the ScreenChomp in the iPad, as described in the five characteristics above. Is it possible in the Samsung Galaxy Tablets?

Without spending ages watching videos to work out what you're talking about, perhaps you could give a short description of what makes a video "Khan-Academy-like"?

Hello GAThrawn, it is very simple, I write in the screen with my finger or a stylus the solution to a Math or Physics exercise, step by step, and at the same time I am speaking and explaining the procedure. All of this is (writing and audio) is recorded, and immediately uploaded to a site, and I am given a link which I can e-mail to my students so they can see the video when they want and as many times as they like. If the video is five minutes long, I can complete the procedure in less than twenty minutes with Screenchomp. How to do something like that with Samsung Galaxy Tab or Note? Thks

Here is how one teacher is using Coach's Eye for Android to create whiteboard style videos. Hope it helps! http://educationambassador.com/resources/entry/coachs-eye-app-is-elusive-android-flipping-whiteboard

Thanks for adding this to the conversation! In case this link breaks, can you edit your answer to include applicable quotes from the article, or maybe direct links to the Youtube videos?

@Mike That seems a great option! We will try it!

@Mike Well, I did buy and try using Coach's Eye in a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, as in the link you provided, Mike, but I have to say I am a bit dissapointed. It is very difficult to write properly any text, or even worst, any math symbol; I could not erase only one letter or symbol, have to erase everything; I finish the total space very fast and it doesn't have more pages or space that I can scroll down, so I have to erase everything in order to continue with the procedure. I will do some more experiments, but for the moment I have to say I do not recommend to use Coach's Eye this way


text:
Multiple Camera Folders in the Gallery
Ever since I changed the settings in my camera to store the images on my external SD, there have been two folders in my gallery called "camera." One of these is where all of my photos that I take normally with the camera go, and then the other appears to be the one that Android associates with the default camera gallery and only has a few photos in it. The photos that go to the default camera gallery are normally only ones that I take directly from apps such as when I capture a picture and send it all from my text messaging app.
I have tried deleting the default folder to see if it would then associate the other folder as the default camera folder, but that doesn't solve anything. As soon as I take another picture straight from my text messaging app, there are two folders again. Is there a way that I can merge the folders, or change the settings in my camera app to store the pictures on the external SD and still view them as if they were taken by the default camera?

"photos that I take normally with the camera go" -- Is this using the stock camera, or a 3rd-party camera app?

Stock camera. The one that comes with the ROM.

I had the exact same issue.  It also caused a related problem.  When I tried to browse the Camera folder on my external sd card, it hangs for about 60 seconds.  So I went to Terminal (if your phone doesn't have this app then download the Terminal Emulator) and did the following (case-sensitive):
cd //storage/extSdCard/DCIM
mv Camera Recent
I took me a lot of experimentation to discover the problem and to find a simple fix, but this works just fine for me.  I hope it helps you.

You can use URSafe Media Redirector.

Get rid of DCIM folder for pictures, videos and much more ...
Redirect files to any folder for any application you want.
Easy to use !
Fast and Lightweight !

Most of Android users, like me, do not like the folder where Pictures and Videos are written by default because they are mixed, so we developed a tool that enable you to redirect each type of file for its correct place, in an automatic way.
For example, you can redirect all 'Image Files' from '/sdcard/DCIM/Camera/' to '/sdcard/MyPictures', and all 'Video Files' to '/sdcard/MyVideos'. Once these redirections were created, you do not need to worry anymore because all Pictures and Videos taken will go to its right place alone and automatically.

I don't think this will do what I am looking for. I want to store my picture on the external SD, but I also want it to associate that location with the default location for pictures to be stored.


text:
Create customized zip including system.img, boot.img etc for Android customized ROM
I downloaded AOSP source code and built it as instructed in its official site.
Now I have 4 img files as system, boot, recovery, userdata. I want to create a zip file which should include these files and can be installed via a recovery manager like 'Clockwork mode recovery'.
For an example we can install CyanogenMod customized rom zip by using clockwork recovery while in boot up process of device. Like wise I need to create a zip including my own imgs.
How should the folder structure of the zipped file system should be created, what script files should be included and how that scripts should be written etc.
Used this link (http://lazydroid.com/2011/03/howto-repack-and-sign-rom-image-update-zip-files/) but how to create /META-INF/com/google/android/update-script is not well explained there.

Recently I found a source that can help you to create update-script. Here it is: http://marakana.com/s/updating_android_os_via_ota,1065/index.html


text:
Goclever Hybrid 3G Update will I lose any factory apps and settings
I have very recently bought a Goclever Hybrid 3G tablet/combi.
When going on Goclever web site I saw that there was a new update which is to improve power system problem? It says that if I download the update without back up of apps and data I will lose all, so to back up externally to a PC. I am not too clever on things like back ups so I was hoping that if I download the update without backing up the apps and data would the apps and data that came with the tablet remain on board only losing stuff that I have put on or will I end up with an empty shell.
Please help.
Barry.

That very much depends on the update. The manufacturer/vendor might have made only "bug fixes" with this update -- but he might as well have decided to replace the entire system. In neither case you end up with an "empty shell" (I wish that would be the case!), as manufacturers/vendors are rather known to add stuff nobody really wants (see: bloatware) rather than to remove apps that ship with Android by default -- but it might very well be that some apps got replaced or will simply be removed.
What surely will be gone, according to the description you gave, are all your data and the apps you've installed yourself, as obviously the update implies a factory-reset. If your device is already running Android 4.0 or higher, you might wish to take a look at Full Backup of non-rooted devices for how to make a good backup. At least apps+data should be restorable to a newer version of Android then; for other things (SMS, call logs, etc.) you might rather prefer some dedicated tool -- or rely on your Google-Cloud-synced data and pray they will restore automatically (if they start to, don't interrupt them: you cannot re-start the restore, which is one thing making it so unreliable). See also the backup tag and especially its tag-wiki for details on available backup methods plus hints for recommended readings on this topic.


text:
How to know which email address was registered to my lost phone?
My phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 2) is lost.
I want to delete data from it, especially my personal photos.
I don't remember my Play Store account which was associated with my Note 2.
I tried to contact my local carrier, but they can just issue my SIM again, which I did.
Through IMEI they can't do it.
I'm from Saudi Arabia.
Here they can't do it.
So is there anyway to this or any international assistance from Samsung?

Talking of "assistance from Samsung": Did you register your device with their services? If so, you could use those services to find out details. If you remember the Samsung account you've used, that is.

Thanks for help,but I didn't make the Samsung dive account,I want to know is there any way that can remind me my play store account or it could be the same yahoo account?

If you can remember that you had used (doesn't matter which) a Google account on your lost Note2, you could go to accounts page of the play store in a computer.  You can see the devices that are attached with the account with its registered and last used date.
Since you have multiple Google accounts (that's what I understood from your question) you have try logging in with each and try the above said in a computer. With the last used and registered date you can identify which account was last used in your lost Note2.
If you are confident that the lost phone is still switched on and connected to Internet, you use AndroidLost to get into the process of identifying it or manage your stuffs.

Thanks a lot I have checked this software and it is working perfect. But still I don't remember my play store id. When I try to retrieve my forgotten username and put the yahoo mail address as recovery email, they say that it is already gmail account so is it possible that yahoo account can be used to use play store?

To best of my knowledge, Yahoo account cannot be used for accessing Google Play Store.

No, but you can use a Yahoo mail address as the username for a Google Account.

I know it's too late, but here is a quick tip you can follow in case you lose it again and still not remember which account you used:
Get all your Google accounts (all you can remember), then try logging in with all of them one by one in this site:
http://www.google.com/android/devicemanager
One of your accounts will locate your phone if it is still on and is connected to the Internet.

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


text:
Mute Button Missing?
I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S4 from an iPhone 4 today and have been setting various settings. When I first made a call there was a mute button in the middle bottom of the screen. Now, after I have changed settings, there is no more mute button.
I am at a lost as to what I changed to make my mute button disappear.
What do I do to see the mute button?
Note: I am referring to muting my phone during a call.

Try this
1.Settings > tap Home Screen Mode > select standard mode
2.Tap apply and reboot.


text:
Strange Contact status
In my contacts there is a text area between the photo and the emails. How do I edit it? Something put something inappropriate there and I would like to get rid of it.
Thanks
Model: Vizio
Android Version: 3.2.1 HTK55

Screenshot (click it for larger variant)
The area in the blue oval.

Can you post a screenshot? :)

This seems to be the area reserved for display any status message from social network if connected. Are you connected to fb, twitter etc?

If I remember a while back my twitter account has some junk on it but since then I've changed it and updated it. Any ideas of how to change this?

@Izzy thanks for changing the link I don't have enough reputation yet.

You're welcome, Aaron -- that's what "brothers" are for :)


text:
Rooting a Toshiba AT100 running ICS
I have been trying to root my Toshiba AT100 running ICS 4.0.4 however I am unable to get it to work. I have tried several tutorials and they either don't work, are for tools running on Windows or only work in Honeycomb ROMs. I have also tried MotoChopper Universal Root Tool which worked well for all phones I have currently rooted with it but it fails to root the tablet. Does anyone know of a root tool for Linux (I'm running Ubuntu 13.04) that will work on the AT100 tablet?

You might want to consult our rooting index. Though it doesn't explicitly mention your device (yet), it also lists available methods working mostly device-independent. As your device runs ICS, you might especially consider "root many Android", which concentrates on ICS/JB and reportedly works for many devices (link in the mentioned index).

I tried the tools on the linked page but they do not work. The tool seems to be geared towards Sony phones and tablets and just happen to work with some others.

It got special adjustments for Sony devices only later, and there are many positive reports from other devices. But if you tried and it didn't work for you, that's a definitive answer. I have no idea which method really works with your device; you might try for some of the others, or wait whether somebody can offer a real answer here. Sorry that I cannot give a more positive answer.


text:
Can we upgrade AT&T SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 Galaxy S to Android 4.1?
I have the AT&T Samsung Android Mobile with 2.3.5 OS and it's model no is SGH-I897. Now I want to upgrade my mobile os to lates 4.1 or 4.2, So can any body help me how to do that. Thanks in Advance.

Yes, inofficially. Even 4.3 is available by using 3rd party firmware: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Captivatemtd_Info

Can we? Yes (But you have to go for a custom ROM)
How?
Well, you can use a custom ROM like CyanogenMod or better, you can use Salty Bean ROM.
Steps:

Backup everything. (including messages, contacts, apps, settings and OS)
Download the ROM
After downloading ROM package & Salty Bean addons, connect your phone to the PC. Enable mass storage mode to access SD card data. Transfer both the files on it.
Disconnect the phone from computer. Now boot into the recovery mode. For doing the same, switch off the phone completely (until it vibrates). Press & hold Volume Up + Volume Down + Power Key together until recovery mode appears (you can release power button after         Samsung logo appears but keep holding other two until recovery mode shows up).
After getting into the recovery mode, take a nandroid backup of your current ROM so that it can be restored back in case if anything goes wrong. To backup your current ROM, select Backup and Restore option from the recovery menu & on next screen, select backup. Now It will make a nandroid backup of your whole system (excluding SD card).
Select wipe data/factory reset & wipe cache partition to wipe all the data & caches from the phone memory respectively.
Now Select install zip from sdcard & then choose zip from sdcard. Select the ROM file from the location where you’ve transferred it earlier & press on Yes to confirm the installation.

All the detailed information can be found here
If your are not sure of what to do, please do not attempt to do this. Get help from someone (as in getting help from someone who can hand your phone over to) instead


text:
Attempted installing Google Play Store, but ended up installing Android Market!
As seen below, anything to do with Google Play is installed in the Android SDK in my Ubuntu.

In light of this SDK Extras set above which has the Licensing Library, it is perfectly legal to have Google Play in emulators created here (correct me if I am wrong). Google Play is a factory default. Yet, when an emulator instance is created (even for that matter, a Nexus with Google API (say 10)) Google Play isn't already there.
So, in an attempt to install Google Play the closest I got is using this guide, as per which, I downloaded gapps-jb-20130307-signed.zip (the ZIP file for Gingerbread 2.3.3) and unzipped it and just executed the adb commands in the script given at the very end.
What I ended up installing was the Android Market! Why?

Minor correction: it's not the ZIP for Gingerbread, but JellyBean -- as pointed out by the -jb- part in the file name. So its even more strange it should contain "Android Market" instead of "Google Play".

I downloaded the zip with -gb- in place of -jb-. Installed Google Repositories (screenshot above), once again to no avail.

On GB, it might still contain the "Market" app. But don't worry, it should automatically update itself to "Playstore" once you've configured your Google account and used it at least once.

Updates itself! Wow! I don't need to uninstall it then. Will wait and see. Thanks!

That's what it's supposed to do, yeah :) Give it a few days (usually, it doesn't take that long -- just start the "Market" app and browse a little, then exit it, have a drink, and when you try next it's called "Google Play"). Once it solved, feel free to answer your own question -- or add a comment if you prefer me doing so :)

I browsed a bit on Android Market and then I pushed another file from the zip downloaded. It's named MarketUpdater.apk. That's what updates the Market to Play Store!
Tried starting from scratch and pushed market updater too! So it was Play Store right when it sat in.


text:
Galaxy s2 screen turns on by itself
I'm Running a Galaxy S2, with the AOKP milestone rom (JellyBean). Occasionally, the screen will turn on by itself (even when no user apps run in the background) after being turned off, light up, turn off and on again, it won't remained off for a long period of time. Needless to say it's annoying and battery draining.
Rebooting doesn't always help, some times it goes away only to return a day or 2 later. Has anyone else encountered this issue with AOKP or other CyanogenMod based roms, and if so how you did addressed this? how should I fix this or disable this?

My GF's Galaxy Nexus was having the same problem, though it had the additional problem that it didn't want to charge. I did a factory reset (after trying various settings), which seems to have solved the problem for now. However, I'm not sure if its exactly the same problem.

I did a factory reset before flashing, doubt another one will help, I just don't want to go through the mess of backing and restoring only to have this happen again.
EDIT: also as far as I know, it may also be a fluke with the device mishandling things

But you installed a bunch of stuff after flashing right? Can't those things and/or any setting changes be responsible?

Something might run a service in background which, from time to time, requests a full wakelock. That would force the screen on for the time the wakelock is held. You could use BetterBatteryStats or Wakelock Detector to find out if that's the case -- which might even reveal the culprit then.

Wakelock Detector marked the facebook app as one source, uninstalled it and the wakelocks still continue (the googlesphere also pointed that other users also had wakelocks from the FB app!!), either it didn't work or there is another source.

I eventually found the cause of the issue to be in the screen-off animations in the display settings. I had the 'Electron Beam' animation selected, I disabled the screen off animation and the wake-locks stopped.

Its the small things!! +1 for figuring it out


text:
How to paste a password in a field of web browser?
This question may look ridiculous at first look, but this is more sad than funny. In some cases, standart web browser (or any of the alternatives I tried - firefox, opera, dolphin) simply doesn't offer an option to paste anything in some text fields. But typing long complex password manually is deal breaker (hard to use keyboard + need to constantly switch apps back and forth unless I have super human abilities to remember all text at once)
How can I paste something in such cases?
Android version is 2.3.4
P.S. I'm already using Hacker's Keyboard, maybe it can help if text pasting can be done with some key combo? (like in most desktop OSes)
P.P.S. I know how to copy and paste text in most situations when a bunch of buttons appear after double press inside text field. The question is about the case when this doesn't work.

Did you try pressing and holding rather than the usual double tap? I'm referring to your P.P.S

oops, after long press a different menu appears and there is paste command

So my answer is correct n valid, Isn't it? YAY!! :)

@Sid yes, suddenly it is. :P

Seems like in android there is at least 2 different kinds of text fields which behave differently

there are at least 2 different kinds... - slow fix. Sorry for sloppy English writing. (but I'm trying to improve it over time)

You can simply have the password typed in plain text. Keep it inside a sms conversation, e-mail, note, or anywhere you like. Nobody would know that is is your password since there is no indication to that matter in the place where the password is typed.
When you are required to type the password in your browser, just select all by pressing ald holding the typed text and copy it. Now go to the password field and touch and hold for a second or so and then a button named paste will appear. Then simply touch that button. The password will be pasted into the filed. Done!!

Sid, you missed the key part of the question: simply doesn't offer an option to paste anything in some text fields. So Sarge obviously knows about how to copy/paste generally -- but the apps in question don't permit him to.

@Izzy. Agree. Maybe... just MAYBE he is not clear of the way to do it. Isn't he?! Will see Sarges feedback n delete this if mine is useless. :)

From his phrasing, especially the in some cases, I think it's safe assuming he is aware of it (otherwise, why the restriction to "some cases"? That really implies there are "other cases" where it works). But allright, let's leave it to him to tell :)

Okay. Now I feel officially being laughed at. :(

That was not my intention -- apologies if I made you fell like that! But as agreed: Let's wait for the OP's statement (if he returns).

@Izzy is right, I know how to paste & copy in general. The question is about exceptional situations.

@Sid maybe you could mention a software such as (KeePassAndroid)[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.keepass&hl=en], which is much safer to use than an SMS... Now the Hold for One Second was the answer I was looking for!

When you are using Hacker's Keyboard you can simply press Ctrl + V to paste.
Please note if you don't have a Ctrl key, you can enable it in the keyboard's settings.

This doesn't work. (tried with text fields that allow pasting) Just types the 'V' or 'v' char. Tried both simultaneous press (multi touch) and sequential. What may I have done wrong?

You can give a shot to switching action in Hacker Keyboard's Settings > Key behaviour settings > Ctrl key code to None(...) or Left Ctrl.

shot given, no difference.

This works perfectly fine for me.

Stumbled on this link when I found an in-app password field that disallowed pasting.  I happen to use Lastpass that supplies an additional keyboard input method (press and hold space bar with the elipsis dots to switch input mode after configuring input methods).  I switched to that and it worked. Presumably other input keyboards have the ability to override default paste behavior. Good luck

This answer may be better with actual link to the application you are using (Lastpass) ;)

I was also looking for this answer, specifically for signing into Google using the Web Signin (Required if using secondary auth). For the password I just typed in a single letter then touching and holding the icon showed up for highlighting the text. Above it was the paste. I simply pasted my password, then deleted the first character.

Does not work for Android KitKat 4.4.2 (at least on my Moto G). Here's a much better solution that works for me.

Works for me on Lollipop and doesn't require installing a keyboard.


text:
What determines the order of my contacts on the frequent contact toolbar?
I am seeing a contact in recently contacted friends in whatsapp to whom I have not sent a message for a week now. All the other contacts are chronologically arranged except for him. Why is this happening? Is it that he is spying on me and my phone is sending him my history automatically? Or is it normal to be so?

Why would you think your phone is sending him your history?

Not knowing the real algorithm: I'd say "frequent" is defined as "number of accesses per time". Maybe you contacted him more frequent in the past, and your more recent contacts have not yet caught up?

Is he one of your "starred" contacts?

I think from reading the source code here and this line and also from reading the code in the Contacts application that the "Frequently Contacted" list in the Contacts application orders the contacts by the number of times that you've called them. That's the DataUsageStatColumns.USAGE_TYPE_INT_CALL bit. This is also assuming you're using the default Contacts application but since you didn't specify I assumed you were.
So it must be that you've called this particular friend more than any others. To test this try and make a large number of calls to the next person in the list and see if it overtakes the top person.
It could also be the case that you've 'starred' him. If you go on his contact profile at the top there's a star. If this is white then it means that you've favourited him which means he will always appear at the top of the "Frequently Contacted" screen. Just uncheck the star and he'll go away.
There is also the option to clear the list if you like, just click on the Action Menu or your menu button and select "Clear frequents".

i am refereing to whatsapp application here.no. of calls made effect whatsapp frequent contact too...?

@avi It could well do, but since it isn't open source I can't really say.


text:
Add Share option without an app?
Is it possible to install/setup a new sharing option without the use of an app?
In my case I'd like to be able to share photos to Flickr, but I have no interest in installing the Flickr app (or any other app whatsoever, for that matter).

No. It's not just a question of adding something to the chooser (the menu of apps): there needs to be an app on the other end to take the photo, log into Flickr, and understand Flickr's API (the programming interface that apps use) in order to upload the photo. It also needs to handle possible failures, such as resuming or retrying the upload later if you lose internet connection.
If you want a share option that shares to Flickr, there are many Flickr apps on Google Play that only do uploading, and don't have any functionality to browse or view photos. That way you can have the share option while still keeping your phone lean.
Alternatively, you can browse to the Flickr website in your web browser and upload photos from there. It's not as convenient but it's the only way that doesn't involve any kind of special-purpose app.


text:
Whatsapp doesn't work over 3G,everything else works fine
A friend has a factory fresh, unrooted Samsung Galaxy S Duos, and except for Whatsapp every other internet accessing app works fine on a 3G or EDGE connection.
She has un/reinstalled Whatsapp several times. It works fine over Wifi. She's no power user, so any solution involving rooting the phone is not an option.
To clarify - there is nothing wrong with 3G or EDGE on her phone, since she can browse the internet and use other such apps perfectly fine.
Update - She's on Vodafone, as I and thousands of people in India are, and no, Vodafone is not blocking Whatsapp for any reason.
Searching for solutions on Google only leads to 'No shit, Sherlock!' type answers with genius level solutions like 'check whether your 3G connection is working' or 'get the latest version of Whatsapp'.
So is there a workaround?

The Duos is multi-SIM, and WhatsApp is known to have issues with that. Are you certain WhatsApp is using the primary number/data connection?

My friend has only one SIM, and she was using Whatsapp on her older phone with that one. Does the DUOS designate a particular slot as primary or secondary?

Or maybe the operator has blocked it.

I have the same operator, and it worked fine on her old phone.

Are you using only one or two SIM cards? In which slot do you test it?

only one, the main one.

i also had the same issue. Incase you are on vodafone network, try and select vodafone gprs as ur default settings.
It worked for me the same way.
Hope this suggestion helps

I have been off the site for months - tried this again with another friend and it absolutely worked! :)

I faced similar problem until recently I found the fix. I use Vodafone 3G Pack.

If you are an android user, check the network and settings -> Access Point names
In that check if APN is set to Vodafone Live.
If yes, change it to default settings and it should be changed to vodafone Mobile connect.
Also, then check the value of MCC and MNC. It should be as per country code and mobile operator.

I didnt understand, why this changed on its own, but after making this change and rebooting phone, it worked for me.
I hope this works for you too..

Good morning..Here are the solution-options for your mobile, if "What'sApp" NOT working on mobile-data pack.

The last part is somewhat carrier-specific. OP already claims he's using Vodafone.

Plus I already marked this question as answered 3 years ago :\

I had a similar problem. Reset the APN settings to their defaults and it will start working.


text:
HTC One V really slow
I bought my HTC One V exactly one year ago, at first everything went really smoothly and it worked like a charm.
It didn't take long before the phone crashed from an unexpected error. The phone spent most of the time in my pocket then, I would notice it because it vibrates then or the next time there would be that error-sign in the upper left corner.
I started living with the fact it sometimes shut itself down, but now the messaging app is beginning to lag:
When I want to send a message (or make a call), it happens that I cannot see my contacts. (which are imported from Google) But it could also be that I have to wait a minute or more because the messages for that contact are loading.
How can I fix these problems with my phone?
My Android version is 4.0.3

May be too many messages or too many contacts?

last week i set it up to limit it to 50 messages/conversation and 196 contacts isn't that much, i guess

Ya. That definitely is not much. So that never is the problem then.

You might want to check My device is getting slow, apps start misbehaving/crashing. What can I do?. Please report back if that solves your issue, or otherwise what you've tried and were you're stuck.

I already cleared my applications cache two days ago, didn't solve much. If i remember well i did a factory reset 3 times too

Bad SD card can be the cause sometime.

Or bad (cache) files on the SD card that weren't removed by the factory reset.


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Force a download manager not to manage downloads
I have a nexus 7 and I use chrome on it for my browser. I have a download manager installed, and I use it to download files by URL. However, it has usurped the downloading of chrome, and I like chrome's way of downloads better. Can I change the default download opener in chrome? (I'm running Jelly Bean 4.2)

What is the name of the download manager you are using?

I am currently using something called Android Download Manager, but I am open to using anything which will download a pasted/typed URL.

Android has a "defaults"-system for handling predefined requests such as opening a URL or pressing the home button. If you go into Android's System Settings -> Apps -> Android Download Manager and scroll down to "LAUNCH BY DEFAULT", you should see a button to clear the defaults. The next time you open your chrome browser and tap on a URL that has the <a download=""> property, a screen should pop up, asking you to choose which application to use for downloading.

I assume this would work, but I already wrote an app to do the downloading for me and nothing else, so I uninstalled Android Download Manager.


text:
How can I know that my Galaxy's camera and microphone is not being accessed without my knowledge?
A few months back I installed a few apps straight from the internet. One was an ability to run Ruby scripts on my phone, the other was Grooveshark. Both times, an Jellybean 4.2 flagged up a warning saying these programs have the potential to access my camera and microphone, but I ignored them.
Now I'm getting a bit paranoid. With the macbok pro, when the camera is accessed, a little green LED lights up. It's 'hard-wired', as even security programs (for when your macbook's stolen) can't take a photo without the LED lighting up. Luckily, the LED is brighter than your average laptop-theif, and it only lights up for a second, so no problem there.
But with an android you literally have no clue. I tested out the security program Cerberus, and it took videos of audio samples using my Galaxy without the phone giving a hint what was happening.
I've deleted Grooveshark (it's an abysmal app anyway), but I'm still worried about some other program from months ago recording me.

What was this app that you installed? If it's from a reputable source, then you can be sure it's not recording you after you've uninstalled it.

You can also check the permissions of the apps that you have installed to see if they even have access to the camera and microphone to begin with. Also, before you get paranoid, check the processes to see if your camera has in fact been running more than usual without you knowing.

Also check if the app has Internet permission.


text:
OUYA Custom ROM support
OUYA has been one of the largest backed products on Kickstarter.
Unfortunately it runs a custom version of Android which does not provide Google Play Store support.  At the same time by design it is supposed to hackable so I wanted to explore the available options in terms of custom ROMs.
Are the any custom ROMs available (or planned/in development) for OUYA?

It looks like the crew over at XDA are already on it:
XDA OUYA
Main Page
Ouya General
Discussion about the Ouya Android game console (general, tips & tricks, etc)
Ouya Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting
For all of your questions relating to the Ouya Android game console
Ouya Android Development
Android development for the Ouya game console


text:
Clock / Weather widget does not display on the home screen
I accidentally deleted my clock/weather from my home screen on my Samsung Galaxy S3. I downloaded a new app but when I add it to my home screen it just stays small, when I tap on it it just gives me "important information" on how to add it. It is added, it just won't open! Help!

What app is it and are you using the stock Home/Launcher? If not, what Home/Launcher are you using?

From your description it sounds like you've added an app shortcut instead of a widget. As geffchang says, be sure to click Widgets.

Go to the app drawer. At the top, you should see Apps and Widgets.
Click Widgets, and scroll through the pages. Look for the weather widget.
Once you find the widget, long-press on it and drag it to your home screen.

EDIT #1: Here's an example. In this case, I am using the Accuweather app. AND, I'm not using the default launcher, but you should find something similar.

I did that but, it just stays the small little icon, and does not actually display the time or weather...

@Michele See the screenshot I added. Look at the red boxes. That's what you should be looking for.


text:
Multiple Locations in Google Now
With Google Now, more specifically, the "time to home" card, is there a way that you can add more locations than Work and Home?
I found it set home by itself, and then later I stumbled upon how to set up a "work" location which I called school at the time. Now I would like to have a school location, a work location, my home location, and maybe even others if it is possible. Can this be done manually, or is it only automatic once Google Now suspects that I keep going to the same location several times?

I have found that if I search for an address (or other location), not too long after that I get a card with driving directions to that location. If I tap the card, I'm asked if I "care about travel time to this location". Usually I say no, but if I say yes I'll have a new card that gives me the travel time to that location, just like for work or home.
In case you're wondering, the place to edit your work or home is Settings | My stuff | Places.... only home and work are available for me, but maybe they'll add some more custom locations in the future.

In Google Maps, you can save locations as favorites. They will eventually show up.


text:
Install application in SD card or external USB drive without root?
Is it possible any of the following in a non-rooted Android device?

Install an application "manually" (without using Android Market/Google Play)
Install an application in an external SD card
Install an application in an external USB drive connected to the device

You're asking multiple questions here. #1 is certainly possible; it's called side-loading. The rest looks like you're asking generic information about an app you'd like to build. We're not here for programmers, but for end users. Unless you can [edit] your question to show how this is something that would be useful to an end user, I'm afraid it's likely to be closed.

Also, as Al noted: please edit your question and keep only one item in. Feel free to post each of your questions separate -- that's how this site works. How do I ask a good question? and How To Ask Android Questions The Smart Way will help you on the way to successfully dealing with this site, and get the most out of it :)

ok, thanks for the advice, I removed the second part of the question to make it only app-installation specific

Yes. See: Can I install apps on phone without using the Android Market?
You can't install directly to the SD card. In many cases you can move much of the app and its data to the SD card, but the OS and the app have to support it. Even then, you need to install normally and then move it, and you can't move 100%.
Not without a custom ROM, and maybe not even then.


text:
Stock Messaging App Locks and is Slow
I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S4 (from iPhone) and still trying to make the transition and learn all of the new features.
One issue I have is with the stock messaging app. It completely freezes up at times. I cannot back out of a conversation thread. Messages do not go out. Eventually I will receive a message saying this app has frozen do I want to wait or close. Finally the messaging app doesn't load at all and I have to reboot the phone to get the app back.
What can I do to solve this problem and have the messaging app functioning smoothly and properly?
Notes:

I am running 4.2.2.
Memory is 8+ GB available
Only a few apps are running (I know how to close open apps)

Do you notice if the issues might occur at times where you're not getting good Cell/Data coverage? Just a hunch but the freezes and hold-ups might be due to lack of signal to communicate back and forth...The app shouldn't be responding like it is though, but there you have it.
You might want to try finding an alternate messaging app in the Play store to see if you get better performance/reliability.

You can install third party messaging apps from play store.

@Namuna - Coverage seems okay. Do you have any messaging apps to recommend? I am new to Android.

Go SMS Pro is pretty popular

If you are coming from an iPhone and looking for a better messaging app, check out Go SMS Pro and use an iPhone theme.
This app allows you to customize several things while still looking very similar to the iPhone's messaging interface. I always install Go SMS over the default messaging app and you might just want to give it a try, especially since you are coming from iOS. There are other plugins that are all free that allow you to view iOS emojis and other cools things like that.
Let me know if you still have the same issues with this app as well.
btw, congrats on smartly making the switch ;)


text:
Is it possible to permanently disable CSS on Android browsers?
Is it possible to permanently disable CSS on Android browsers like Firefox, Dolphin, Chrome and Opera?
I want the browsers to completely ignore any stylesheet rule.
Can this be achieved with the help of AdBlock Plus?

Adblock Plus might indeed be the right thing for this. You could setup a rule to discard all URLs ending with .*\.css$ (for external style sheets) at least. Not sure however if you can block internal css. Maybe those declared via the <style> rule, but most likely not the direct ones (style="..."). Here you might check for GreaseMonkey or the like, if it's available for the browsers and JavaScript is not an issue.

Definitely possible to do this on my Desktop Chrome's ABP by adding a custom filter of *.css - However I was unable to find a place within the Android app to add a custom filter.

I sense that you're having an XY problem. May I ask Y? CSS poses little to no security risk, and most pages without CSS screams ugly.

No. I am not having an XY problem. I need to disable CSS in order to eliminate ad overlays on online sport streaming sites. They can look ugly, I don't care. However, embedded Flash player will still work with its "full screen" button.

You're pretty much asking the same thing as the ability to disable HTML. Not really possible. The most you may be able to do is disable Javscript. There must be a brighter solution to your problem.

I should've stated that I am looking to disable loading of external CSS files.

@Temuri: if you want to block ads, that's your Y, see the Adblock Plus solution suggested by Izzy and Dylan Yaga. Adblock Plus can disable just the anything ads while keeping the page layout intact.

I have to suggestions that are probably going to be about as close as you're going to get to removing the 'styles' from websites. They're there for a reason, like previously mentioned, and removing them is very close to disabling the HTML but not entirely the same as you're stil left with the paragraphs and links (the core content of the site, just without the look and formatting).
The first suggestion will replace (not remove) a lot of the CSS from the pages. The add-on is called Stylish, just do a search for it in Firefox Mobile, and then go to 'Menu' -> 'Tools' -> 'Add-Ons', tap the Stylish add-on, and then the 'manage styles' button. When the page opens there's a link that you can click on that will direct you to a page that has a ton of 'styles', which will let you change the whole look of either one, several, or all web pages.
The second suggestion is to use an app like Pocket (which is what I currently use and love) that will let you easily save a page from nearly any browser (using an add-on) into your 'Pocket' and then view it as an article (with the CSS/styles completely removed from the content). Another major benifit of Pocket is you can configure the settings in the app to store all of the pages offline so you can access them even without an internet connection (extremely useful for tablets that don't have mobile data).
I know these suggestions aren't exactly what you were looking for but I'm hoping that between the two you'll be able to accomplish what you are trying to. I did search the web for a few minutes and didn't find a way to completely disable the style sheets in any mobile browser or I would have posted my findings.
Note: You can completely disable the styles on a PC (and probably a Mac) by using the Web Developer plugin, there's a Chrome version as well but I can't provide the link because I don't have the 'reputation' on stackexchange yet. After you install the plugin, you can quickly disable them using the shortcut key combo Alt + Shft + A or by clicking the CSS menu button and navigating to CSS > Disable Styles > Disable All Styles. Hope this helps!


text:
Is there a widget or setting to allow taking/making a one-press Evernote PAGE CAMERA
Evernote has this new feature: Page Camera which is sort of like a camera/scanner.
It crops the photo down to the page you're taking a photo of and adjusts the contrast, etc. Very slick.
But it's buried in the menu.
There is a widget for taking a photo note but I can't find one for quickly (one button) creating a  Page Camera Note.

Yes. Page Camera is now included in the Evernote Widgets.
Add it to your Droid screen just like you would any of the other Evernote Widgets.


text:
Blinking icon in notification bar
I have a new annoying icon on my Razr notification bar.  It is a tiny blinking symbol that sort of looks like a tiny house with a cloud over it.  It is blinking above the network strength bars where the "x" would be if there was no service.
Anyone know what that is?

If the icon looks like this then it means you're connected to a network extender.

A network extender plugs into your existing internet connection to enhance indoor coverage in spotty areas, like a miniature tower in your home or office. Even if you don't have one yourself you could still be picking up one from a neighbour if it's in open mode.

If you're satisfied that this is the right answer, accept it by clicking the green check mark on the left. You get some rep for that, and other visitors can see that this question has been answered.

If this is what you are referring to, it appears to be notifying you of a network extender that your phone could be using to get better signal wherever you are.
Even if you don't have network extender, your phone could be connecting to someone else's that is on the same network (Verizon, AT&T, etc.).


text:
Can't disable pattern screen lock
I recently installed PdaNet+.  To use wifi tethering it asked my to accept a certificate and set a screen lock pattern. I have since uninstalled it and removed the FoxFi certificate, but I still can't disable the screen lock (which I don't really want).
Any suggestions?

Not quite the same as yours, but these questions about disabling the screen lock while Corporate Settings or Certs are on, or disabling the screen lock after they've been removed  may help you: Install CA without having to activate screen lock / How do I remove corporate administrator settings? / How to remove corporate settings? / Certificate Install without mandatory PIN lockscreen

I just had that same issue today.
Go to Settings, and make sure you've removed Foxfi as an administrator. Go to Trusted credentials > User > and remove Foxfi. Then go back into Settings > Security > and Clear credentials. It'll let you change the lock code then! :)

It worked, but in my device : 5.1.1 it's located in Settings > Security > Certificate management -> Clear credentials

Clear credentials should work. If it doesn't kick in then try rebooting the device. Worked on a Huawei P9.

Same thing happened to me.
All you have to do is go to "security" then go all the way down to "credential storage" then clear all credentials. Than you can go back and it's all done.

Go to Settings --> Security -->  Scroll to Credential Storage section  -->  Choose Clear credentials.

There is a simple solution to this one. First of all change password lock to pattern lock. Then enter wrong pattern 5 times. You will see forgot password. Click that and enter account details. Then a screen will appear saying to change the lock type. Simply hit the back button and it will be automatically set to none.

Lol. I can't believe that this worked. Thanks

This turned out to be a red herring for me. I just had to enter my password one last time to get rid of the lock screen. I hadn't pushed on an unlocked door.
so go to Settings->Security->Lock Screen Enter Password

Thanks, this answer turned out to be the correct solution for me, I didn't understand what I had to do until I saw your answers.

Go to settings and go to more, which is below data usage option. Then go to VPN and delete all vpns (jus clear it all). It is that which is blocking that screen lock setting.

You should be able to turn off the lock screen security somewhere in Settings>Security>Screen Lock and then change it to none or just a simple slide to unlock or whatever you want. This is how you get to it on my S3, but yours should be similar no matter what phone you have.
To fix your other issue, also in the Security tab on my phone, there should be a tab called "Device Administrators." When you go into this tab, it allows you to check and uncheck which apps have access. If you uncheck the app that is preventing you from changing this, it might solve your problem.

In the security screen, the "None" option is greyed out, with the text "Disabled by administrator, encryption policy, or credential storage." Same with the slide option.

Can you at least pick something like a slide to unlock or anything other than the pattern?

No, see above edit.

Are you not the administrator on the device? Check my updated answer.

The only thing in device administrators is Motorola Device Policy which is deactivated.

There is indeed a way to remove the lock screen while keeping the certificate: set a pattern lock and try to unlock the phone with a "bad pattern" for 5-10 times, it will show you an error message, now select "Forgot Pattern?" and enter your gmail/password. After these steps the screen lock will be removed without removing the certificate. "

This works. Though, "none" option was still disabled until i tried @Merisol's answer

disable by administrator encryption policy, or credential storage
if you are using Androidlost.com

go to andoridlost.com
Sign in with your device gmail account
click on Security option
lock phone option - clear all number & other
Unlock phone

Why would you think the questioner is using AndroidLost.com? They already said the problem is PdaNet+/FoxFi.

You need to check if you've installed any 3rd party Device Management Applications, like Kaspersky Device Security, KNOX, etc.
I just solved my issue by deleting Kaspersky and all goes well.
Try to see which applications manage your device such as "Tracking your device against thieves so you could erase it remotely".

Settings>Security>Device administrators
and you disables all administrators


text:
Link2SD does not select second partition
So I partitioned my 32gb micro sdhc card with USB cable, both partitions FAT32, the bigger one set as active, and when I start Link2sd it doesn't ask me to select the file system of the second partition in order to create a script there and use it as install location, even though it shows up in the storages in Link2sd menus...
How can I make it recognize the second partition, do I have to format the sd card with card reader, because I don't have one right now

So what's the question? You can't just share your problems and not ask a specific question on this site.

there, edited..

Verify init. D. Maybe not mouting on boot.

Apparently it was some bug in the app itself, I had to clink the options, go to More, and there select Recreate Scripts, then it asked me what file system was the second partition, restarted, and it worked just fine after it.
And all of that without card reader, like they are suggesting everywhere

According Link2SD page, also the second partition should be primary:

You should have two partitions on SD card and both should be primary.
  The first FAT partition is your standard SD card storage. The second partition is used for application files and can be ext2, ext3, ext4 or FAT32.

Check if the second partition (the first one can not be used to link apps) is primary and not an extended partition.

Yes, they are bot set to primary

Still nothing, tried to format it again, restarted phone, and still Link2sd does not ask me what file system is the second partition in order to set it as install location and then restart the phone

Is your phone rooted?

yes it is, but it turned out to be something else, I'll answer

The second partition has to be formatted as either ext2, ext3 or ext4, if you're on a custom ROM.


text:
Can a hybrid install be converted to "internal"?
I have a hybrid (root on SD) install of CM on my Nook HD+.  I've decided I'd rather have it installed on the internal flash rather than on the microSD card.  Can I convert this installation or do I need to just follow the install instructions again for a non-hybrid install and start over?


text:
Android won't start. It keeps showing Samsung Galaxy logo
It keeps showing the logo and doesn't get into Android. What do you recommend me to do?
I've tried hard reset, it didn't work.

(click image to enlarge)

What did you do before this happened? Did you flash a new ROM?

I gave it to my kid to play a game. After a few hours, I found it as turned off. I thought that battery was empty and tried to charge and turn it on. No chance

Does your kid know what happened to the phone? Maybe the reason for your problem might be something he has done by mistake or something.

I've installed 4.1.2 Jelly Bean XXEMD2 Firmware from the scratch. It's working now
Instructions: http://port135.com/2013/06/30/708/


text:
How do I install Google Play on Cyanogen Mod 10.1?
I see CyanogenMod 10.1 removed Rom Manager. How do I now install Google Play?


text:
My Samsung galaxy keeps on showing the software update & telling me to restart. Help?
My Samsung galaxy s3 kept on showing restart & the software update & I don't know what to do. Should I restart it? I'm just scared of what's going to happen next. What if it won't work, & what if it keeps on restarting by itself? I'm scared. I just got my Samsung galxy s3 last week. Will it be broken? Help!?

Why do you think the update will break it?

@DanHulme S/he mus have seen number of question in site like this saying that it broke. While rare, its possible.

@roxan Please don't speculate about the OP's situation. I don't want to reassure him or her inappropriately if it turns out there's a genuine reason to think it might break things.

@DanHulme Whatever I've said is genuine. Look at this site itself and other forums and you'll see people sometimes facing this problem.


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How can I transfer photos on Samsung galaxy note 2 to computer?
How can I transfer photos on Samsung galaxy note 2 to computer? I'd like use my new note 2 cell phone to take photos, So I want to backup all the pictures to the computer. I can't do this easily since USB mass storage is not supported natively in the Samsung galaxy note 2.

You can do this easily using an app such as SG USB Mass Storage Enabler. As you already know, your device does not support mass storage facility. So You have to ask help from MTP modes or enable the Mass Storage mode.
The app stated above does the latter. It is easy. But you have to have the root access. If you don't know how, use this guide to know how.

i just asked asked a similar question at Move photos from Android to PC wirelessly *in one step*
after becoming frustrated that the seemingly common task of moving photos from a phone to a pc (crazy, i know) was met with suggestions ranging from rooting and tweaking the phone to adb to cumbersome file transfers (fine for us techies, not fine for e.g. my grandmother), i found ...

TL;DR: Photo Transfer App
Optional: Application for Windows side (www.phototransferapp.com/win/) or Application for Mac side (www.phototransferapp.com/mac/). if you dont install them (or are using Linux) you can just connect to the phone in a web browser.

... which does almost exactly this, except it cant delete photos off the phone (not that i can tell anyways). at the time of this writing it is a reasonable $2 usd. as a bonus it supports phone-to-phone and pc-to-phone transfers as well.
its faster than airdroid and good when theres no internet connection; also the pc-side software can autodetect the device and gives clear access to photos, and doesnt require any rooting or special features or anything like that. if it could delete the photos it would be perfect.
airdroid kinda works too but relays the files through an internet connection, which given current (i.e. past 15 years) technology isnt actually necessary to transfer photos from a phone to a pc.
thank god there are still some sane developers left in this world.

(I'd link the apps but i dont have enough rep right now; somebody feel free to edit)

Aside from using mtp, if you have trouble with that, there are several alternatives you could use. The easiest probably is a tool like AirDroid, which simply runs on your Android device, and can be accessed from your computer using your web browser. Another possibility (which I use regularly) is QtADB, which requires a little setup on your computer (see: Is there a minimal installation of ADB?), and USB Debugging enabled on your Android device. *QtADB contains a file manager, which allows you to easily transfer files to and from your device, and also to install *.apk files directly from your computer.

Option 1: (Easier)
If the two devices are connected to the same Wifi network, you could transfer files to and from the Note 2 via an app called Airdroid. It's actually quite easy to use. After installation on the Note 2, just follow the instructions. You'll need to open a browser, such as Chrome, and navigate to the url displayed on the Note 2.
Option 2:
If you want to get techy, I've figured out a way to turn my tablet into a mini HTTP server using Python and the SL4A scripting layer. After a little bit of setting up, just run the script and navigate to your mobile device's IP address. Then make your way to the files on the device, right-click and save. Zipping the files you want to transfer on the device first saves you a lot of time. If you need to find out your device's IP address, you can use an app called Wifi Analyzer.
Here's the link for the SL4A scripting layer. Please follow the Python instructions.
P.S.
Make sure you only so this on a secure network. Anyone with your device's IP address would be able to access your files.

authors: قهرني لبسمك حچة


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Force close message for every single application on Easypad Junior
I have an Easypad Junior and have the following problem with it: When I start it and unlock it i get this error:

The application <..., it does that for every single one> has stopped
  unexpectedly

The only thing I can do is to press Force close and then I enter a loop of pressing that. That leads nowhere. In safe mode, the same story.
Can you please help me?

Hi and welcome to Android Enthusiasts. Please try to improve the
quality of your question. Some good hints how to ask questions can be
found on here. This
will also increase your chances to get a good answer.

Sounds like a so-called "force-close-loop". Have you checked with the force-close tag-wiki? It's described there, and some first-aid pointed out (you always reach the corresponding wiki for a tag by clicking the tag, and selecting the "info" tab, by the way, and it quite often holds some first-aid information). But as in your case the problem persists even in safe-mode, you might need to factory-reset the device :(

But the question is .. how do i enter recovery mode to do the factory reset? I can't find anything online about that..

It may be because of permission issue.
If you are rooted and installed Custom Recovery(CWM recovery,TWRP Recovery) there is an option in advanced.
1: Boot into recovery
2: Advanced (CWM Recovery)
3: Fix permissions
It will fix permissions for all apps installed.
try it.. or else provide more details like ROM,Root status,recovery etc.

It's not rooted.. and i can't manage to enter recovery mode. I can't find anywhere the combination of keys i have to press.. and in safe mode i get the same error.. But thanks for your answer


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How to turn HTC Widfire with blank screen into debug mode
My screen on HTC Wildfire has gone blank and so have got my phone upgraded. Whilst the guy in the shop was able to transfer my pictures and video, when he tried to transfer my contact phone numbers he said he couldn't do that without putting the phone into debug mode, and he could only do that if he could see what he was doing on the screen.
Is there any way of getting a HTC Wildfire into debug mode without having to use the screen?

Possible duplicate: Broken screen while debug mode was disabled. How can I re-enable adb? (but judging from there, the answer is "no").

Your contacts are saved in Google contacts and your photos and video in SD card.

Nick didn't write whether he had his contacts synced, so you cannot be sure of the first part, roxan. Further, pictures and videos already have been obtained according to the question text. Apart from that, nothing left of your answer -- sorry ;)

Maybe after looking at my answer he'll check Google contacts and find the contacts there. :D

Admitted, chances are good -- if he returns to check for answers :)


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Calendar event reminder times change on nexus4
I have an all day event a week away in the native calendar, and I set the reminder to 12 hours, so that it does not vibrate at midnight. However, it does. When I check it, I can see it is somehow changed to 24 hours. Non all day events behave the same, but being alarmed at 9AM is not as bothering.
This only happens, if I define the event and the reminder in the outlook calendar. It seems that Google Calendar Sync messes up the syncing. Any other reminder time gets synced fine.
Have you had this problem?
How do I avoid it?

Just for clarification: what "reminder app" are you talking about? There's an app with this name ("Calendar Event Reminder") on Google Play -- is it that? Or are you talking about the "native calendar"? Or any other calendar app?

Native calendar, edited the question accordingly.


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Link2SD proper usage

I have a 64 GB micro SD card.
I partitioned 1.2 GB as Ext2 with Mini Partitioner (highest option was about 4 GB).

This is great and all, but from all of the literature I've read, Link2SD seems like it would utilize the entire SD card, not just that second partition.
If what I'm seeing currently is correct, the only thing that Link2SD does, is give you an extra GB via the Ext2 partition, and imposes a dependency so that you're never able to actually remove the card due to the links.
I believe my thinking is wrong so any help is appreciated.

The literature you read was wrong, then. Link2SD only uses the extra partition. The main partition is still mounted under /media/sdcard or somewhere similar.
With Link2SD, you cannot physically remove the SD card, but you can mount the SD card on the computer. The second partition does not get mounted, so the apps are still accessible while the standard partition is mounted on the computer.
If you want more space, you can always repartition your SD card manually on your computer, if your version of ClockWorkMod (CWM) doesn't have the size you desire. GParted on linux is a handy GUI, and there are apps for Mac and Windows as well.
And you can still install apps to your SD card the normal Android way, though the dalvik cache and other data will still use up the internal memory (which is likely limited in your case, as that is the reason to use Link2SD in the first place).
Purpose of Link2SD
Here's an hypothetical example+. You have 180MB free internal memory. You have a standard 16GB SD card.
When you install an app to the SD card, 10%* of the app is actually still on the internal memory. So when you have installed 1.8GB of apps, you run out of internal memory, even though your external SD card could hold a bunch more.
In comes Link2SD. Now, your SD card is actually 12GB standard and 4GB for linking. New apps get Linked, but this time 100% of the app is moved, so you can install 4GB of apps instead of 1.8GB.
You shouldn't be limited to 4GB, either. ClockWorkMod (CWM) may only list 4GB as the maximum size, but you can use a computer to make the linking partition as large as you want.
*Made up percentage. It varies by app.
+Not so hypothetical. With my old Optimus V, this was almost exactly my setup.

So if I'm understanding you correctly, Link2SD allows a memory-strapped user to shift his files around and possibly obtain 4 more GB (all tuts said 4 was the max)? I believe I'm still not completely understanding the benefit. Would it be possible to make the primary partition of the sd card 512 MB and make the second partition 50+ GB?

The built-in Move to SD Card method does not move everything to the SD card, so users with a small internal partition and a huge SD card are still limited to the number of apps installed. Cache, dalvik-cache, and some data is not stored on the SD card. Whereas Link2SD basically uses the second SD partition for everything. It can be a bit slower (as sd cards aren't as fast as internal memory), but it gives you full use of the external memory you have.

Also seems like if I were choose to "Set the default install location of the apps; auto, internal, or external (for Android 2.2 and higher)" that I would just run out of memory quicker due to the even smaller partition than the internal memory (1.2 GB as opposed to the 16 GB). I believe I am not understanding the apps intent.

The 4GB max isn't really a limit. CWM has that as the max option, but it can be larger if you resize the partitions manually on the computer. And the second partition is ext, not FAT32, so 4GB isn't a limitation there, either.

I don't believe I understand when you say "Link2SD only uses the extra partition." and " but it gives you full use of the external memory you have." Are you saying that it gives me full use of the 4 GB partition or full use of the full sd card?

So in theory, if I were to reformat my sd card again, and this time were to reverse the instructions to make the secondary Ext2 partition 50+ gigs and make the primary 1 gig, that would enable me to have a much larger space in which to have symlinks and such. Is there any downside to doing this?

I edited my answer to explain better the purpose/usefulness of link2sd. And in theory, yes you should be able to use 50+ gigs. The only downside is the speed - a class 4 SD card will make the phone feel sluggish, especially if the apps you link run on boot or are services that run all the time (ie widgets or background services).

Thank you that explains it. I have a class 10 Sandisk so I should be good I suppose.


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OS Update moved external_sd to extsdcard; Apps previously on SD card are now missing/uninstalled.
I just upgraded my Galaxy Note (1st gen) from ICS 4.0.x to JS 4.1.2. I'm using the Samsung ROM supplied by my carrier (with all the bloat in it).
After the upgrade, I noticed many of my apps were missing (the ones installed on the SD card), as well as my photos/videos and personal files (previously stored in sdcard/external_sd/DCIM/...).
So I checked various parameters, and using a file explorer, I found out that all the sdcard/ contents moved to storage/sdcard0, and the sdcard/external_sd moved to storage/extSdCard. I found my personal files, and my photos/videos, but the apps previously installed on the sdcard are no longer installed. Also, the gallery app doesn't detects the photos taken before the upgrade.
Can someone enlighten me about why my SD Card apps are missing/uninstalled?

That is not unusual and already answered here.

The link @UwePlonus provided only explains that mount points can and do change with OS upgrades. The overall question is still unanswered on why the change broke everything (the apps would still be installed in the new location).

@StephenSchrauger, yes, and I tried taking a picture with the default camera app (with picture location set to SD card), and it goes to storage/extSdCard/DCIM, so it understood the relocation...


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WonderMedia 8650 ICS 4.0.3 - what is "3g_server"
I'm trying to understand how a WM-8650 based Android tablet running ICS 4.0.3 manages its 3G connection using a USB modem.
I've used OpenWRT-based linux routers in the past, and these use usb_modeswitch to kick the modem out of "CD" mode into "modem" mode, and then pppd starts up and uses chat to set up the connection, though I've never quite got to the bottom of how the USB hotplug system kicks things off when the dongle is first plugged in.
With Android I can see similar things happening - usb_modeswitch kicks the dongle into the right mode, and a renamed pppd (called ppp3g) sets of the point-to-point protocol.  However, this is all done under the control of a process called "3g_server" which I've been unable to find any information on.
I'm trying to debug a problem where a dropped connection fails to come back up very quickly, so I'd like to understand how 3g_server works and what options I have for tuning that behaviour.  A configuration document would be handy, source code would be better.
I tried going to http://www.wondermedia.com.tw/en/support/ but, despite the "en" in the URL, the page is in Chinese.  Can anyone help?

You might want to go and ask this similar question over on Stack Overflow. It seems to be a lot more about the code than the actual use of Android.

Fair point - was considering putting it on SO in the first place but wasn't sure where to draw the line with Android "enthusiasm".  I've flagged it for moderator attention.

This doesn't seem like a developer question to me, though it's certainly on the very advanced end of what we do here.  You might not get a good answer.

I also think that this question is fine here. It's not a development questions but more a curious user question :)

It is more "developer" than "enthusiastic user" so I've reposted to http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17387897/wondermedia-8650-ics-4-0-3-what-is-3g-server


text:
Alfar 780 tablet not updated from ICS 4.0.3 to ICS 4.0.4
My Alfar 780 tablet wasn't updated to ICS 4.0.4.
I downloaded 4.0.4.zip, and turned off the tablet. Then, I clicked the power + volume up/down buttons. It opened but did not show the menu to update.

Change the file name of the 4.04.zip to update.zip and that should do it if you are able to boot into recovery.


text:
Issue Updating Google Apps - "Not Signed Correctly"
First and forehand, I am running JB 4.2.2 AOKP on my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3. I have the latest gapps package installed after every time I flash an update to my ROM.
For some reason though, whenever I try to update either Gmail or Play Music, I get the error "Package file was not signed correctly. Uninstall the previous copy of the app and try again."
I can't uninstall the apps because they are used as system apps, and the best I can do is disable them, but that still didn't let me update them. I'm sure it has something to do with the gapps package that I flashed, but why does it not give me the same error when I update Play Movies and Play Magazines?
I do not use Titanium Backup to back up any of my apps, so I saw that that was a problem for some other people. If however, there is another question that relates more to mine, I will be glad to go and check it out, but after my looking I did not find a solution to my specific problem. Thanks in advance!
EDIT: Here's the link to the gapps package that I installed as well as the exact ROM I am using.

In Android, every package is cryptographically signed by its author. To be an upgrade, the new package has to be signed with the same key as the old package. Since packages can read previous versions' data files, this is an important security precaution.
The error you get tells you that the update you're trying to install was not signed using the same key as the package you had flashed to the ROM. Either the original package you flashed, or the new package, was signed by a different developer.
You should either obtain an update from the same source you originally got the gapps package from, or flash a new ROM with a gapps package from the same source you're trying to update from. We may be able to help further with this if you edit your question to say where you got these packages from.

I linked to the gapps and ROM I am using. Since the developer updates the gapps more regularly than most, he must be tweaking them slightly for his ROM. I guess I just have to wait until he incorporates the updates.


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Is there a way to automatically improve the quality of pictures taken with the camera?
Is there a way to automatically improve the quality of pictures taken with the camera? For example with some sort of post-processing
I was told that iPhone makes better photos because of good (built-in) post-processing software (which runs automatically). Can I have the same on Android somehow?

Opinionated questions such as app recommendations are not very welcome here. If you are looking to do something specific, then you can modify your question on how to do something. Don't just ask for an app that can edit photos.

Also, please do not "sign" your questions or add "thanks". It's just noise that detracts from the content. Please see [ask].

"Best" and "good" are still subjective criteria. Stack Exchange works best for questions that have (the potential for) a single, correct answer.

I think you missed the point why your question was closed that was explained in the close message. I've edited your question so that it becomes on-topic again.

Are you rooted? If so, you could try flashing other camera apk's to see if they make a difference. For instance, I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, but instead of using the default Samsung camera, I have flashed the Google 4.2.2 JB Camera. I don't really know how different the image quality is, but the layout is definitely different. Something like this might also help you.

The new updates to Google+ has features called auto enhance auto awesome. It is a feature that automatically enhances the photos you have uploaded.  Just make sure instant upload is on and the auto enhance settings are on in the app Settings>Camera&photos.  Here are the things that it does. https://support.google.com/plus/answer/3113884?hl=en


text:
Why doesn't Clockworkmod let me restore my backups on my Sprint Galaxy Note 2?
I made a backup with Clockworkmod and now when I go to restore it it just says no files found.  I have tried moving the backup into different folders on the SDcard like sdcard/0 and sdcard/0/0 and it still can't find the files.

Are you storing the backup on the internal SDcard and then factory resetting and then trying to restore from that backup?

see my answer then.

CWM stores its backups in special folders below <sdcard>/clockworkmod/backup. Folder names reflect the times the corresponding backups where created, e.g. 2013-02-01.00.28.49. In those directories you should find the nandroid images. If you place yours there, CWM should find them.
Alternatively, you can also use apps like Nandroid Manager * ROOT or AppExtractor to restore individual apps/data from your Nandroid backups.
Note that when you've used TWRP to create those backups, this uses different locations, as you can see in the screenshots of Nandroid Manager.

So will Nandroid Manager let me restore app data from a clockworkmod backup?

That's what its description says. By the way, Titanium Backup does that as well. CWM/TWRP themselves only let you restore "all or nothing", but these apps are explicitly designed for selective restores.

That is helpful, but I would still like to know why clockworkmod can't find the backup or to know if there is a different way to restore it.

Have you tried placing your *.img files in the directory structure described in my answer? For example, into /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/2013-02-01.00.28.49? Maybe you could edit your question and add some more details: which files do you have (just in case), what is the root of your sdcard (e.g. /sdcard -- but it looks like in your case rather /sdcard/0 has to be implied; make sure you're logged in with the primary user then when copying the image files)?

When you are performing a full factory reset, it wipes most of your internal storage, and most likely it is also wiping the backups that you are creating. If you want to restore from a backup, make sure that you create that backup somewhere on the externalSD or move the file over to your computer before you perform a factory reset.
This is why you can never find the backup after factory resetting. You are essentially deleting it right after you create it.

I can find the backup on my phone after factory resetting and I have also tried to put it on an external sd card so it is not being deleted but when I click restore in clockworkmod it just says "no files found"

Okay, I use TWRP as my recovery, but I am sure it is similar. Make sure you are placing the backup in a specific backup folder for CWM located on the externalSD. Create the backup and then go and check that it is there before you factory reset. Do you have some sort of a file manager installed?

Yes I have done that, I have put the backup in what should be the correct location(s). Is there any other reason why clockworkmod wouldn't be able to find it?

Like I said, I don't typically use CWM, but instead use TWRP, so little details like this I am not able to totally solve. You could try to make the backup using Online Nandroid to perform the backup and maybe you will get a different result.

I have switched to TWRP to but since I made this backup when I was using clockworkmod I believe that you can only restore it through clockworkmod.  Is there another process that I could use to restore a clockworkmod backup.

OHHHH, so you made this backup awhile ago and are still looking for it? Then I might have to inform you that your data is lost. Next time make sure that you can find the back up before you fully wipe the device.

I have the backup. I CAN SEE THE FILES, but clockworkmod does seem to be finding it even when I move the files into what should be the correct location.

Maybe this is too late but I will post it for future refence for those who end up here and encounter the same problem like I just did. After wiping everything and putting the backup back on the SD, I had to reboot the phone in order fo CWM to recocnize the backup. When I had put the back up into the SD from the PC while in CWM, It wouldn't recocnize the backup and the same error msg popped up.

i had similar problem and on reaching here i followed up on the discussion and i was able to make the CWM see the backup by making sure the file structure was in place
sdcard/
-------- clockworkmod
------------------ backup
-------------------------- 2013-02-01.00.28.49
----------------------------------------- * list of backup files *
ending up having something like this  ..
sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/2013-02-01.00.28.49/
the mistake i was making was that i refused to include the last part of the file structure i copied the files inside to the backup directly so doing the cwm refused to see the files since the folder structure is not complete
and on adding the last folder to it which is the 2013-02-01.00.28.49 (note : yours
can be different based on the time the backup was made
... And it worked


text:
Unwanted WiFi proxy issue
I have a Nexus 7 Android tablet.
When I connect to my WiFi at home it keeps automatically adding a proxy on localhost:3128 to the connection. When I remove the proxy it works for a few hours and then I see the proxy is back.
I removed the WiFi connection and set it up again and I still experience this issue. I don't experience anything similar on my other devices like my Android phone.
Does anyone know how I can figure out what is causing this or how I can fix it (I don't want to do a factory reset)?

3128 is the TCP port usually used by cntlm, a ntlm authentication proxy. Does it sound familiar to you?

@DrNoone, No, it doesn't. I have seen that some desktop software use 3128 as the default proxy port on localhost.

Does this happen only at your home or also when you connect to other networks, e.g. at a friends house?

It seems to be a known "feature" if you use Kaspersky Internet Security:
http://forum.kaspersky.com/index.php?s=8ffe1c0b8684d5bd3d1353f0d074f528&showtopic=260035
However, as you can see in the link above, it comes with a few issues. Disabling the 'web protection' component seems to do the trick.

I forgot to mention it does not work in their latest incarnation.


text:
How can I pin offline tracks at a lower bitrate with Google Play Music?
I'm using an HTC One S running Android 4.2 (actually Cyanogenmod 10.1).
I recently uploaded my entire music library to Google Play Music, and have started using the Google Music app on my phone.
I'd like to be able to "pin" a bunch of music that I can always have on my phone (I don't have a data plan). The app allows this, but you can't select the bitrate or anything like that.
Is there way to force the app to download the music at a lower bitrate so that I can store more? I'm running out of space too quickly.
I believe it's downloading everything at 320kbps, which is overkill for a mobile device that I use with earbuds. I'd be plenty happy with 128kbps. The app allows some changes to the bitrate when streaming music, but I can't find anything related to music that's pinned on the device.
My phone doesn't have an SD card slot, so I can't just add more storage.
Is there any way of doing this? Failing that, are there any third party clients that could utilize my Google Music library with more customization options for pinning music?

Yeah, that is a problem of Google Play Music. AFAIK even if you had a SD card you couldn't configure Google Play Music to use it as additional cache.

That's too bad. It does actually seem to use the SDCARD partition for it's data - Cyanogenmod seems to logically divide the internal storage on my device into the root partition, at about 2.5 GB, and the SDCARD partition with the rest of the space.

This is not possible in Google Play Music. You can only change the bitrate used while streaming your music.
If you are really interested in getting your music at a lower bitrate, you could have a look at the Google Play Music directory in /data/data.
There is a directory named files. That contains all mp3-files you have pinned to your device. You COULD replace them with files with a lower bitrate, but this is much work.
Alternatively you can upload your music at two different bitrates to Google Music.