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How to see which app created shortcuts on my home screen?
I have a Samsung S7, and lately some apps or virus started to create shortcuts to ads on my homescreen that look like app icons. I removed a lot of new apps but the phenomenon sticks. Usually the thug app creates shortcuts during the mid-night when I am asleep. I like to find how exactly which app is doing this. Thanks.

Have you already checked one of the many related questions: Android Automatically Adds Shortcuts To Home Screen / “Lucky try” & “Recommended” shortcuts always appear on homescreen, how to remove it? / How to Block Third Party Apps from Creative Spam Shortcuts on Home Screen? / Who is creating icons?

@Izzy "Who is creating icons?" seems to be the same question, unfortunately no one came up with an answer yet. I assume it might not be possible. I am looking into the launcher.db as we speak at this moment.

Let me give you some additional pointers. I've already pointed to the question, but check this specific answer on “Lucky try” & “Recommended” shortcuts always appear on homescreen, how to remove it?, and a related one on How to find installed apps which are using SMS feature. Your candidate requires the INSTALL_SHORTCUT permission. With that in mind, procedure is the same.

@izzy is it possible that what is creating the shortcuts is a virus and doesn't show up on the application list? I already removed all the apps having the permission to INSTALL_SHORTCUT.

A virus is very unlikely (as none exists for Android). But if some malware was able to acquire system privileges, yes: It might hide as well as not need specific permissions to do anything. And before you ask: in that case, a factory-reset won't help (as it doesn't touch system apps).

@Izzy I see. I dug into launcher.db and I couldn't find the creator of these shortcuts. The shortcut showed up last night has an intent of http://lvxin.kaixinmt.com/h5/lvxing.html#Intent;launchFlags=0x10000000;package=com.sec.android.app.sbrowser;end.

Ah, that's another pointer. The URL contained points to a Chinese site (redirecting to another one). And LVXING – well, probably ads for sunglasses. That URL would be launched with your browser. As that domain is hosted in China & owned by a Chinese company: Any Chinese apps left on your device which you've added "lately", does that ring a bell?

@lzzy The thing is, they are all gone. I am using Addons Dector to monitor my shortcuts and hopefully I get to catch the malware.


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Grey ticks of whatsapp
My friend does conversations with me on whatsapp and respond to each and every message I sent to him yet grey double ticks on my messages do not turn blue. Even in the information pane of message I cannot see the "Read time" of the message. However whenever I asked him to tell me what had I sent to him he replied correctly as if he were reading. How is he able to do that? Is there any trick or my mobile's fault? I have attached an screenshot also

Is he able to see double blue ticks on his part?

I am not sure I didn't asked him but if he is able to see then what does it mean?

If he's able to see them, then he may have applied a particular patch (hideprivacy) via an app dubbed Lucky Patcher. I can tell this since I'm doing so as well.

Lucky Patcher right? And you are able to see whether your messages have read or not while other people are unable to see?

Exactly, providing that you leave WhatsApp's blue ticks setting checked.

I have downloaded it. Its awsome bro! thank you so much :)

It may be awesome, but it's off-topic for the sake of this question.

he maybe simply reading them from his notification panel and replying.
This is in case if u guys are having short conversations ... else it might be either  1) he is using lucky patcher.
        2) he has simply unticked the blue ticks in privacy settings.

I had tried reading from notifications and replying but this also gives blueticks and yes luck patcher is good enough to hide them

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Error 102 chrome
I have a micromax a102 and when ever I try to visit a page which I was able to visit few days ago like Google weblite I get error 102 or connection refused on pretty much every where a few points you should read before helping me
1 yes I have root i using king root
2 I have no proxy and no static IP address
3 I don't use a VPN
4 all other devices work with out a error
5 I don't have any kind of adblock
6 tried to reboot and quick reboot 2 times
7 yes some sites works but not all other websites though they work fine on other devices
8 all used devices are on same WiFi and work fairly well
9 all apps seems to work fairly well
10 checked on chrome and default browser and Firefox

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


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How to change keyboard font?
I have changed the font of my Android jellybean 4.1.2 device. Everything got changed but not my keyboard. It appears same as i was formerly. Is there any way to change the font of keyboard?


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Set two different lock setting on different triggers
I am using Android L on Lenovo phone. Mostly I don't hand out my phone to anybody or keep it unattended. So, I prefer not to bother myself with a lock (password or pin) and just keep swipe lock screen. But while many a times when I have to keep my phone away from my attention, I want to put lock password over it.
For this I have to go to the settings and change it and change it back when I am done.
Is there a way to keep two different lock screen setting(say swipe and pass) on two different triggers (say power button and option on long press power button menu)?

Raw idea: Smart lock. If you have e.g. any Bluetooth device, you can tell your Android device it's "safe" as long as it can see it (so: no lock), but "not safe" otherwise (lock). To have your device locked, you'd simply have to shutdown or disconnect the BT device. Works natively with Android 5+ – and for earlier versions, there might be fitting apps. Would that match your needs?

@Izzy It does help. I ended up using a combination of location and Bluetooth based smart lock. There was a face lock as well, which could work as well, whose accuracy I didn't yet checked.
Thanks.

Thanks for the feedback, trevis! Mind to make your solution an answer (and "accept" that 2 days later)? That way it becomes clear also from lists that your issue was solved, which again might help others in a similar situation. Thanks in advance!

Although I believe, you should get the credit. I would accept your answer, as my approach was nothing but driven by your response. Sorry for not responding in time, wasn't available at all.

As you wish – so I expanded my comment to a full-fledged answer, including hints for "lower Android versions" not yet equipped with the "smart lock" feature natively. Enjoy!

You could use Android's Smart Lock feature for this, see e.g.:

Use Smart Lock in Android 5.0 and Never Unlock Your Phone at Home Again
How to use Trusted Devices in Android

If you have e.g. any Bluetooth device, you can tell your Android device it's "safe" as long as it can see it (so: no lock), but "not safe" otherwise (device gets locked). To have your device locked, you'd simply have to shutdown or disconnect the BT device (or have it out-of-reach; for Bluetooth-devices usually being away 10m is enough – even less with walls in between).
Smart Lock works natively with Android 5+ – and for earlier versions, there are fitting apps (e.g. Zwype Lock Screen, SkipLock, or using one of the more generic automation solutions to build your own: I e.g. use tasker with the Secure Settings plugin for this).


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Cyanogenmod 13: freezes and restarts in Asus Zenfone 5
I have installed Cyanogenmode 13 in my Asus zenfone 5, it works perfectly for few days then started giving the following issue:
It freezes and reboot
I have noticed it happened randomly, sometimes while playing game, chatting, opening contact, browsing
Any suggestion.

I'd suggest you don't use that ROM, and report the problem to the ROM developer.

The reason why this happens is the bootloader being unlocked. There are random models of ZenFone 5s that are shipped by ASUS with some sort of defect in the motherboard (as they say...). If the original bootloader is replaced by an unlocked one and does not match with the bootloader originally installed on your device, the problem manifests. There are only two noted problems on those "lucky" ZenFone 5s: random freezing and disabled camera.
The only solution as of this time is to just get back into your ASUS stock ROM and re-lock your bootloader.
I know. It sucks. No one wants to help fix the problem since most users don't experience them. Just sell the phone, get a new one, and never go back to ASUS again.
I know I ain't.

Any reference of your theory?

Check out the XDA forums regarding the ZenFOne 5 bootloader problem. Lots of dev-talk there.


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Screen Distortion After Using Certain Chargers
My Nexus 5 has burned in a few times over the past year, which is very unusual since I never leave it on when not in use (30 second dim time), but today I finally noticed the trend.
When I charge the phone with certain chargers, they cause the screen to become fuzzy and distorted, with a colored tinge (what I thought was a burn-in). This is 100% reproduceable.
I've used a few chargers in America, 1 of which resulted in this, so it is not a problem native to Australia.
Here in Australia, I use the following Samsung charger, which works perfectly:
Model: EP-TA10HWE
Input: 100-240V~
       50-60Hz 0.35A
OUTPUT: 5.3V === 2.0A
S/N: SE2FB04YS/B-E

The bad one I used today, which triggered the problem again was also from Samsung:
Model: ETA0U10HWE
Input: 100-240V~
       50-60Hz 0.15A
OUTPUT: 5.0V === 0.7A
S/N: DK3G904HS/7-E
                      N363

Here are the symptoms:

Plug the phone in, as per normal, with the screen off. Location, WiFi, BlueTooth, etc don't matter. (2 hours will do this - a full charge is not needed to replicate it.)
The screen gets a blue tinge, and duller colors. This worsens the longer it is charged. The tinge is noticeably less present at the edges of the screen.
Once unplugged, the screen will still get worse over time. This is especially true when using it - an hour of activity on the phone will result in....
Very dulled colors, barely distinguishable, a fuzzy screen, and shadow images left wherever objects move. Vertical lines trail behind in these shadow images. Screen is completely white when viewing it from a 45 degree angle.

Image album of the screen distortion as the phone charges: https://i.stack.imgur.com/LJFge.jpg
Facts and other info:

At the top of the screen, there are small parts which are somewhat immune to the blurring and fading. I have scribbled the bits out in this image: https://goo.gl/M7lbwJ
There is no image burned into the screen. It is only a blurring, fading, colored tinge (the color has been green, blue and purple so far), and shadow image (very noticeable dragging a white box across a black background. Dragging the box left means vertical black lines on the right side of the box).
It is impossible to see anything except white when the screen is viewed from a 45 degree angle.
I once cracked the screen (not badly), and had it replaced. It was at a relatively cheap store ($150 AUD), not by the manufacturer. I can't remember if the burn ever happened before the replaced screen.
This has happened about 6 times. Each time I solved it by leaving it on with the "Screen Burn-in Tool" overnight, on maximum brightness. It seems to take about 12 hours to fix it fully.
The phone behaves as normal once recovered - no one could tell the difference between my phone and another. Battery, brightness, etc, are all normal.
It always charges at the expected rate in all chargers. Nothing remarkable about the power graphs, or power usage of apps. The "bad" chargers work normally for other phones.
I've always had the phone in a case, and only ever dropped it that once. I take care of my stuff.

UPDATE:
It happened with a USB cable plugged into a laptop today. What's weird is that I've used this cable with this laptop about a dozen times before (it's only a few weeks old), but it hasn't triggered the effect in it before.
There could be some kind of connection to heavily using the phone while it's charging, or right before charging it, as several of the times that this has triggered, I've been recently using my phone heavily (thus why it needed charging).
For example, the other times I charged my phone (using the same cable and laptop), I'd only been topping it up, or charging it at the end of the day.
UPDATE 2:
Today I got a brand new Samsung Galaxy S5 for use at work. It came with a brand new charger and brand new cable too.
Last night I plugged the new charger into the same wall socket as my old one usually goes in (it was in my luggage), with the new cable, and charged my Nexus 5. Today, I noticed the tint was coming back very slightly, but didn't realize why. When I charged my phone this evening, and it was 100% blurry and tinted, I realized.
Everything about the actual charger is identical, except the S/N (Serial Number), and the country of manufacturing.
Comparison: https://i.stack.imgur.com/27rhm.jpg
If we assume that the chargers are the same (it was plugged into the same wall socket), then that must mean that the cable is what's doing it to the phone, since the cables are very different.
The new one has the text:
E321011   ЯJ   AWM   STYLE   21104   80°C   30V   VW-1   23AWG*2C   LUXSHARE-ICT   NON-PVC

The old one has the text:
E102671-0   ЯJ   AWM   21445   80°C   30V   VW-1   23AWG*2C   30AWG*2C   KAYANG   [5]   HX   NT   NON-PVC   NON-P

UPDATE 3:
Using my good charger base with the new cable didn't cause any problems.
Using my new charger base with the good cable __________. (testing now)

This is a really rough guess, as that has to be one of the strangest symptoms I've ever seen from a bad charger. Here's what you need to do.
You have 2 of every piece in play here. Test both phones with different combinations of chargers and cables. If only the Nexus is affected, there's an issue with the phone's motherboard causing background noise on the screen under certain conditions. If both are affected, one of the charging components are bad and you should throw it away.
Yes, you should be able to use the chargers interchangeably unless the Samsung's has a fast charge system.

Yeah, I was going to, but it's just so time consuming. Still, I feel like I should solve this issue before I get the Pixel in a few weeks. My gift to anyone who ever encounters this strange issue on such a great phone.

Oh - just re-read this. It's definitely not faulty chargers. It's more like... Incompatible chargers? Certain random chargers/cables cause my phone to do this.

@Addison it is probably a hardware issue within your phone, but this allows you to know exactly what causes it.

I have the same issue while using the original charger. When I use an older stronger charger the screen is fine. It reverts to the correct colors in time, in about 24 hours.
In fact I just checked the charger information and it is the very same one that is giving you the trouble. So I suppose that charger is of a bad design.


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Is it possible to find out what is accessing the Bluetooth service?
Is it possible to find out what is accessing the Bluetooth service?  Right now I have an issue in which my phone will drain after about 8ish hours.  The Battery view is showing Bluetooth as the top battery drainer, and if I turn Bluetooth off my charge lasts much longer.  I figure there is a rogue application that is causing this, but would rather not have to uninstall all of the applications until the problem stops to see which one it is, or go back to factory settings.
Is there an app that can show me this information, or are there other tips you can give to find out why Bluetooth is pulling so much charge on my phone?
Nexus 6
Android 6.0.1
unrooted

Did you ever find a solution to this? I'm experiencing the same issue.


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Marshmallow, Priority only mode, Viber still rings with sound?
I use Android Marshmallow in Nexus 5x. I have an automatic rule for nights where it goes to Do Not Disturb with priority only as set. It works as expected and silences when someone calls me over cell network, but if someone calls in Viber, (an app like WhatsApp) the ring comes in with all it sounds, but I expect it to be silent as well. What I am doing wrong?

Try changing your priority settings in Settings -> Sound -> Do Not Disturb rules -> Priority only allows. Try turning off message or call notifications?

Also try going to Settings -> Apps -> Viber and turning off "Override Do Not Disturb". This will most likely solve your issue.

Let me know if those help or not with a comment @Owlswipe.

In case, recommendations of owlswipe don't help and you are looking for an automation solution, let me know

I've posted a detailed answer of how to fix this issue. Let me know with a comment below my answer whether or not it helps, otherwise I'd be happy to assist more!

There are two possibilities for what's causing Viber calls to ring during Do Not Disturb Priority Mode. Here's how to fix both possible issues:
Priority Only Rules
It could be the fault of your priority only rules. Go to Settings -> Sound -> Do Not Disturb -> Priority Only Allows and set both Calls and Messages to none. This will stop calls and texts from ringing your phone while you're in priority mode (from your stock phone/messages apps and potentially also from Viber).
Override Do Not Disturb
The other possibility is that you're overriding Do Not Disturb restrictions for Viber and letting it sound during priority mode. To turn this off and block Viber calls from sounding during priority mode DND, go to Settings -> Apps -> Viber -> Notifications and turn off Override Do Not Disturb.

tl;dr: Change your priority mode rules or block Viber from overriding priority mode Do Not Disturb to fix your issue.

@Norfeldt Let me know if this helps or not!

It did! Thank you very much! I can now sleep undisturbed...


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Downloaded MP3 File Opens Wrong App
I downloaded an audio file (a podcast, 41MB, .mp3). After it downloaded, I tried playing the file by selecting the file via the pull-down menu. I also tried by opening up the Downloads app and selecting the file (not long-pressing). Both of these methods opened the .mp3 file in the c:geo Geocaching app, which treated my action as Importing a Geocache map file (Geocaching is a GPS-based scavenger hunt or letter-box game). c:geo opened up its List feature, which is used for storing and sorting Lists of Geocaches, which you would usually store by Location.
I tried to prevent this behavior by looking in the Google Music, Downloads and c:geo application Defaults, to determine whether there was something I could do there (i.e. clear some setting that allowed c:geo to open .mp3 files by default). This may be part of the solution, but I did not succeed.
Does anyone know a straight-forward method to open and play downloaded .mp3 files? The ideal solution would utilize Google Play Music, but that's not a requirement; not deleting the c:geo app would also be preferred.
The device is an LG Nexus 5, but I'm not tagging the question with that info since I doubt it is device-specific.

One fairly simple work-around is to upload the .mp3 file to Google Drive. Google Drive provides its own basic interface for playing .mp3 files from the app. This is not ideal, but it worked for me.

Although annoying at first, try resetting default apps for everything. You will need to select Always for usual apps like your browser etc.
Settings->Apps in the 3 dot menu should be "Reset App Preferences"

This didn't work but thank you for the suggestion.


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Can I safely disable google app on my android as I use chrome app?
I want to disable google app as I use chrome app.  Is it safe?

They are different as far as I know.

Yes, it is.  I haven't even had the Google app installed for most of the time I've had my phone, and I only browse with Chrome.
Note that some ROMs do have a dependency on Google Now, so it's possible that disabling it may cause you other issues.


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Still stuck in download after uninstalling the app and hard reboot
My Android phone (4.4.2) is stuck in downloading an app. I uninstalled the app and removed the battery and rebooted and when it restarts, it's still trying to download the app!
How can I cancel the sticky download?

Wipe the data of the app called Download (or anything alike). If it doesn't suffice, wipe also the Google Play Store data.

Go to Settings->Apps and swipe to display all apps. Find each of the following and Force Stop them THEN clear data for each one:

Download Manager
Downloads
Google Play Store
Google Services Framework

Reboot after doing this.


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Allow screen pinning automatically by bypassing the permission dialog
I have an app that makes use of screen pinning. The problem is that, as of now, it asks for the user's permission before pinning the app. I do not want it do this - I simply want it to pin the screen without having to get confirmation from the user.
We have physical access to each device the app is to be used on. With this in mind, is there a setting or similar I can change that would disable the pinning message so that the app would pin itself without user permission?
If it's relevant, the device is running on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

-1 removed, since the question has been edited and thus is no more developer-centric.

Did you read this document : https://developer.android.com/about/versions/android-5.0.html#Enterprise?


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Is it possible to have the system/kernel reverse x-axis touch input?
I have a galaxy S6 G920F.
I have this problem with my touchscreen. The x-axis input is reversed. When I touch it on the left part it registers the touch on the right etc..
Is there a way to just have the system reverse the input so that it becomes normal again? some edits inside init.d script or some change in the kernel image or something?
I have tried flashing more than one firmware, kernels, roms everything with no luck. Please, is it possible to change how the device interprets touch input in order to reverse input the x-axis?
Thanks for your time.

Is the ribbon cable for the touchscreen installed backwards?

@MatthewRead No, I haven't replaced the touchscreen. I actually didn't go through this in the post because I though it was irrelevant. I had installed a rom, then had some issues and decided to go back to the stock firmware, where I wasn't able to get it to boot after flashing it with odin. I had to install a custom kernel (which I made sure is for my correct model) and got the problem. Now whatever I do the problem won't go away.


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Your friend is on Instagram notification
I have installed Instagram and now it notifies me:

Your friend bob is on Instagram as bob123.

I don't remember giving it permissions to access my contacts and when I go to Android Settings > Applications > Instagram it does not have any permissions enabled.
How does it know my contacts and how can I disable it?
Note: I do not have Facebook connected. In fact it has a banner across the top of the app asking if I want to connect Facebook

The notifications indicate people who are friends with you on Facebook. If you used "Sign in with Facebook" option or used the e-mail address to sign up on Instagram that you used to sign up for Facebook too. Instagram is owned by Facebook, so they can know.

They have to be using my email then. I didn't know Facebook owned them.

@1.21gigawatts It was developed by them. To create more of a photo-blog kind of hype to steal some popularity from Twitter.

@SarpSTA Facebook acquired them a few years ago, they didn't start it :)

@MatthewRead For one billion dollars! I just read it. Thanks for correction.

After my small investigation I can say that this notification appears when one of your mutual subscribers creates another Instagram account using same phone number. Instagram does not allow to create multiple accounts using same email address, but it does allow it using same phone number.
So, when you have no permissions granted to Instagram and no Facebook connected, it appears that user bob just created another account under the name bob123.

I also had such a problem and fixed it, for it I need to click on the account and synchronize the account and off ok, I did it

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


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(App) has stopped working
I know there are already several posts about it (this one for example), but all the solution I found on this one, or one the Internet in general, didn't fix my problem.
My phone is a Wiko Fever, with the Android OS 5.1 (Lollipop) :
While launching, or performing a specific action in several apps, I have the error log :

Unfortunately, (process) has stopped working.

I guess it's something like that, since my OS is not in english

As I said, I have this problem only on several applications :

The default SMS/MMS application (when opening a conversation)
I can still receive messages, but can't open them in a conversation.
Gmail (when opening an e-mail)
Steam (at launch)
Stack Exchange (when redirecting to a post, not in the menus)

I have tried almost everything said on the Internet :

Clearing App Cache
I rebooted my phone afterwards
Removing App Data
I rebooted my phone afterwards
Uninstalling and Reinstalling the app
Rebooting the phone in Recovery Mode then cleared phone cache

I fear the last resort which is the factory reset.
Do you have any idea what could be the cause, but mostly, the solution of this problem ? Thank you in advance !

Is your phone running stock or custom Lollipop? Did you apply some sort of theme?

@DeathMaskSalesman It's a stock Lollipop. I bought the phone about a month ago, and I just got an upgrade to 5.1 since. But I didn't change anything else. No theme either.

I just found the cause of the problem :
It was due to the Android System Webview which was bugging and then couldn't display web UI on several applications.
I just had an update of it and now everything works fine !
One of the update's patch notes (translated from French, it may not be perfect) :

Resolved crashes in applications using WebView in an application context


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Restricted Google Play Service hangs up the booting process
I use oneplus one with CM13. There is a privacy guard that allows to block any permission for any app/service. I applied this feature to Google Play Service. Now it asks me allow some permission and hangs right after device booted so I can't even unlock the screen for letting the service do what it asks.
I can boot to recovery mode and do a factory reset but I would like to keep some files/fotos from my android. The device is on the stock recovery and firmware with OTA update. Not rooted. No USB debugging mode is on.
Is it possible to bring the system back to the normal state or at least to pull the files from it?
Thanks.

This is a known issue when blocking Google Play Services using Privacy Guard on CM13. However there is a workaround if the device has a custom recovery like TWRP installed.

Boot into recovery
Open File Manager
Navigate to /data/system
Delete the file named appops.xml
Reboot.

Since you've not rooted/installed custom firmware, the only option is a factory reset from recovery. You'll lose all apps, but data stored on the device storage will be safe.

This needs to be the accepted answer thank you so much. Still works on CM14.1 (with a v20).

I did the exact same thing, and indeed the phone crashes just when I am about to enter my passcode. Luckily, a simple boot into safe mode worked just fine, and after changing the location permission from Always askto Allowed, it worked again.
How to boot your Oneplus One into safe mode:
When the phone is off, press the power button until the phone boots up, then immediately start holding both volume buttons until android is fully booted.


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How to create a file folder for use with Listen Audiobook player
I can't figure out how to use this Listen book player, I've Installed.
First I see this.

Hitting OK, I see this:

I can't understand how to tell it where to find my books.
I've downloaded one already, it is in downloads. I can select it (outside of the Listen app) but I can't figure out how to create a folder in which to put it.
I think I'm missing some basic file navigation ideas. I've used Android for over a year, but have not needed to move files to specific locations.
Edit: I've installed a File Manager, and added a directory, but no change.

Press the overflow menu button in the upper right.  Select the show storage option.  There will now be a new item below the Recent menu item in the slide out drawer for the devices storage.


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How to detect if an apk is from the Play Store or Sideloaded?
I understand that apps are signed by both Google and the developer.
How do I detect if an apk is from the Play Store or if it is sideloaded.
I'd prefer if the method worked on all major platform only if possible including Android itself.
Even if sideloaded I'd like to know the source of the app. Like is it from Play Store.
I'm thinking of using an app or method that uses signature detection.

Signature detection doesn't help much to detect how an app was installed. But there's the "installerPackageName" property which tells you that when using adb dumpsys package (it carries the package name of the app having installed it, which would be the playstore's when that was used, or F-Droids, etc., or "unknown source" when completely side-loaded.

@Izzy I'm more concerned with dealing with the apk itself. If you use an apk grabber or adb it is irrelevant wether the apk is sideloaded. I want verification that it is from Play store.

You cannot tell if the .apk originally came from Playstore – but you can tell whether it matches the one available at Playstore. Here's what you need:

the .apk in question
the .apk of the same app in the same version from Playstore
openssl

Unzip both .apk (each into its own directory), and compare their certificates (stored in the META-INF/ directory. Details on a thorough comparision can e.g. be found here. The command you'd need is:
openssl pkcs7 -inform DER -in META-INF/CERT.RSA -noout -print_certs -text

Alternatively, if you haven't openssl installed but the Oracle JDK:
keytool -printcert -file META-INF/CERT.RSA

or
jarsigner -verify -certs -verbose ../Example.apk

If the certificates match, both APK files where signed using the same key. Unless the dev's key got compromised, that should mean the potentially sideloaded APK should be fine (no guarantees the dev himself didn't play games – but if size and MD5 of the APK also match, I'd say it's safe).

While the part about comparing the signature in the META-INF is useful, the only way to be sure that an APK is the same as the Play Store's, is to compare their MD5 checksums, as you said. In fact, the tool named apktool contains an alpha setting to try and recompile an APK, and retaining the original signature in the process, so checking only the RSA may prove to be unreliable in the future.

@DeathMaskSalesman that's why I used that "conjunctivitis" (should..should). Another point is: an MD5 mismatch must not necessarily point to a compromised key. Some devs have their apps in different variants carrying the same version number (think e.g. of Tasker): due to restrictions in Playstore, they offer a "full fledged version" (with options Playstore would reject) via a different channel.

Correct. So, the only way to be almost sure would be to check both signature and checksum, as you already said.


text:
How can I select a router that I want to connect on Android?
In my residence, there's a network which has many different routers to provide Wi-Fi signals. One of these routers doesn't work properly. I can connect to this router, but it can't connect to the Internet through this router. Unfortunately, it has the strongest signal. So, I have to select another router manually. How can I do that?
I know how to connect to the Wi-Fi. My problem is that I have many routers which have the same SSID. But one of the routers which have the strongest signal does not work properly. So, I have to choose another router.
For example, one of the SmartCampus does not work.

Do all those networks share the same SSID (i.e. do they appear using the very same name), or can you tell them apart by the name displayed in your list of available WiFi networks?

So all the routers (or more accurately, access points) have the same SSID and are not on the same network or working properly? You have a network problem, not an Android problem, your network is not functioning properly... if the APwithout internet access should have it, correct it or remove it from the equation, if it should not have Internet access then it should not have the same SSID. Android isn't capable of manually selecting a specific AP from a group with the same SSID.

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited the network for more than 5 years, and no answers have score above 0). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

I use an app called wifi connection manager. Do you have physical access to the router? If so, you  could goto "advanced" in the wifi menu then use WPS to connect to the router by pressing the WPS button on the router.

It is pretty simple. For this you need an app that shows signal of different router ( or channels). I recommend you this app which is free on play store.
I have tried this app in my hostel. You can see every detail of every router near by you even of same SSID. There you can choose which router to connect.

Drag the notification bar and long press the wifi icon. Now you can see the list of available wifi. Choose which one you need to connect and then type the password(if exists)

I'm not sure whether that's an option. If I read the question correctly, all those routers share the same SSID (and hence appear with a single entry) – otherwise asking for "how to select another router" doesn't seem to make much sense, as it should be pretty obvious.

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


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What is this symbol in the notification bar mean?
What does this symbol on my galaxy grand duo running kitkat mean?

Can you post a picture of the entire notification bar?

It means that the device is connected to a dock. You can find it described e.g. on this Samsung support page (scroll down to the last third, or Ctrl-F for "dock or cradle").

Thanks! I've integrated that with your answer post (note you can always [edit] your posts to adjust), followed by upvoting your answer (counter-balancing the downvote it meanwhile received). Cleaning up comments now, so don't wonder :)


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Do not mute Sound on incoming notification - Android, YouTube
Is there an option to manage sound notification behaviour on a Android phone?
Description:
In the morning, I do watch YouTube lectures, but every minute or so I do receive Slack message, that mute the voice in the video for 5 seconds. It is really annoying, and hard to listen the lecture.
How it should be:
Option 1: Allow a notification to interrupt the sound/video stream without muting it (so the 'bip' would overlay/merge to the sound stream, but the video would continue).
Option 2: (the current system state): Mute the application, but do not stop the video (very annoying)!
Option 3: Mute the application, but stop the stream/video/music.

I know that there are some option to mute the phone (manual), or install an app (automatic), but I do not wan't do mute the notification itself. I do want to hear it, just without muting the sound/video/music that is currently playing!
My system Android 5, Samsung Galaxy S5
Greetings
Jakub
Related topic:
Disable Notification while watching Videos or Listening Music

The Don't Pause! app promises to help here:

Are you tired of Notifications interrupting your music?
  […]
  Don't Pause was designed to keep your device from interrupting you when you are listening to music. If you are listening to music through your android phone and you get a text message or email, by default, Android pauses your music and plays the notification. Don't Pause fills in here. Don't Pause will run continuously once you start it and when you are playing music it automatically puts your notifications on vibrate. After you finish your music, Don't Pause automatically changes your setting back to the normal ringer.

I have not tried the app myself (no use-case for me), but a 4-star rating with more than 2.5k votes sounds promising.

I did just install don't pause, but i bet it would mute the notification sound. I'd prefer to hear them 'on the top of audio stream' :/

Not sure which one does that, but be welcome to check my list of apps for Notification Settings. I could imagine XNotifications being capable of that, but it would require a rooted device with the XPosed framework. As for Don't Pause: you won't hear the notification but feel it (sweet vibrations :)

Thanks @Izzy
Unfortunately my phone is mounted in the 'holder' in most situations, so I won't feel it :(

In a "holder"? Does that implicate any connection via USB (or Bluetooth) to some other device? There might be a way re-routing the notification sound channel to a different output than the media sound, which might have the desired effect. I know there's an app dealing with this at least for Bluetooth, but I would have to check – it that's relevant to you. Most likely an app for Volume control or Headset Volume Control.


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Does You Android drains battery after system update?
I've recently received 2 updates for my Samsung Galasy S5 (SM-G900F) Android 5.0
There was security patch 2015-05-01, and some other update.
I can not prove that, but my battery drains like 3x faster than before updates, and phone is visibly slower. It may be some stuff in my system, but for now I blame the update.
Making it more wired: how could we check, if the producer does not 'break' it's own system (by making it slower, drain battery faster) to switch to a new phone?
Any suggestion on how to track the battery-draining/processor-heavy tasks, or a nice Cyanogen for my phone? It's still under warranty, so I'd prefer not to switch to CM yet.

The second part of the question is off-topic, but I'll suggest you to switch to CM and screw the warranty. What Android version number do you have now?

As for the other part, highly recommended reading: our battery-life tag-wiki ;)

@DeathMaskSalesman Mask Salesman kernel: 3.4.0-5508620
dpi@SWHD4018 #1 (9th may)
with SE for android: SEPF_SM-G900F_5.0-1_0051 (20th May)

I did wipe the phone to factory setup, and carefully restore selected applications.
Seems to work for now, but this is terrible update system!


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Can I safely delete the "browser" icon if I use Chrome?
I have a Samsung SM-G313H.
Can I delete the actual ''browser'' icon on my Samsung phone as when I tap on it there comes a whole screen of errors.  I can get onto the internet by using the chrome icon.
Many thanks.

Depending on where you wish to delete it from:

Homescreen: Tap and hold the icon, then move it to the trash can (which usually appears on the upper border of your screen). This just removes the icon from your homescreen, and you could re-add it any time by long-pressing it in the app-drawer and let it go on the homescreen). Very safe to do.
From the app drawer: This is the list of all apps available, and you usually cannot directly remove anything here. Instead, unless the launcher offers you to "hide" items (some do, e.g. Apex or Nova – I'm not sure for the default TouchWiz launcher as I don't use a Samsung smartphone), you need to uninstall the corresponding user-app or, in case of a system app, disable it. For this, go to Settings › Apps › All, scroll to the app in question (here: the browser), tap the entry (which opens the details page for the app), and tap either the "uninstall" or "disable" button.

You can of course re-install an app (as long as it is available), and you definitely can "enable" a disabled app again (same procedure, the button will now be named "enable") – so this usually is safe enough, though you'll receive a warning of possible side-effects. Critical components (e.g. "Android System") cannot be disabled anyway ;)

Stock TouchWiz doesn't allow to hide icons listed in the app drawer.

@DeathMaskSalesman thought so. Thanks for confirmation! So my instructions are correct :)


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How to change incoming call notification size in Nexus 5X
I use a Nexus 5X Android phone and it is quite good.
The only problem I'm experiencing is that when I get an incoming call, it shows only a tiny notification at the top of the screen so I can't normally see who is calling (all my previous phones could show a full screen caller).

Can I modify it to have a full screen screen of it without installing any lame dialer or caller id app?

That tiny caller ID is not customizable. Full screen caller ID is only shown when on home screen or when the phone is idle.

@MANI I think the image shows the home screen... and I can confirm, that when I am on Home screen, I still get that tiny thing. Only when the phone is locked I get the full screen. This is an obvious stepback from Android 4.0.

This smaller Caller ID banner does appear only when on the home screen and when using an application. I assume this was done so as not to cover the whole screen in case the user is doing something critical or the like.
While on the lock screen, an incoming call will take the whole screen to show Caller ID, presumably because the user wouldn't be doing anything if the phone is locked.
I looked through my devices Phone and Accessibility and other settings, and I was not able to find any way to change this. A third party app would be your best bet.
Using Android 6.0.1 to test.

Unfortunately, the third party apps are either full of ads or provide themes so lame and ugly that my toddler nephew could draw better. I guess I have to accept that uncolored, minimalist notification.


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How to send sms to all contacts in Android 6?
I need to inform all the contacts with mobile numbers in my contacts list on my new mobile number. How do I do that?

Most stock messaging apps are not able to do this... if it does, create a new message and go to groups and select All Contacts.
If it does not have that capability, there are several alternative apps in the Play Store that do have that capability, such as Textra SMS, Chomp SMS, Handscent Next SMS, or most other 3rd party SMS/MMS apps are capable of this as well.
Note that in Android 6 there are some permissions involved and only one messaging app can be active at a time, so you would have to install the new one, give it permissions to be the default messaging app, send your group message, then change the default messaging app back to the native one that came with your device if you wish. Although, depending on your stock messaging app, you may find a 3rd party messaging app much more feature rich and you can safely leave it as the default.

If you are using the stock Messaging app... I mean the Google one, go to its setting,.. You should find an option  for sending a single message to multiple contacts as MMS. Uncheck it and you are done


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Rear or Front Facing Camera through EXIF Data?
I am creating an app that separates selfies from picture taken with the rear-facing camera. I am not doing this 'in real-time' so I started looking at the EXIF data.
I have compared the standard EXIF data from a picture taken with the rear camera and another taken with the front camera, and the same fields appear in both files and no big difference jump out.
Is there a flag in the file or something similar in the EXIF data between rear and front pictures that could positively determine which camera took the picture?


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Unable to update Google App on Nexus 6P running Android N Developer Preview
A few weeks ago I installed Google App version 5.14.15.NYC.21.arm64 on my Nexus 6P running Android N Developer Preview 3. Now this app is not getting any updates from the Play Store and not letting me install any of its update in the usual method.
If I try, it gives me an error saying:
"The package conflicts with an existing package by the same name".
I tried through adb using:
adb shell pm uninstall -k com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox

However, I got the following error:
Failure [DELETE_FAILED_INTERNAL_ERROR].

The newest version of this app is version 6.0.17.21. Also there is no option coming up on the phone to uninstall this update. What should I do?

Are you rooted?

Nope, I didn't root my phone, just opted in for the beta program of the app...

This is normal behaviour. My Nexus 6P also runs the developer preview and has this version: 5.14.15.NYC.21.arm64.
The reason it won't update is because the actual version code is higher then the one on Google Play. That's because it is targeted to Android N.
I wouldn't recommend you to install the version on Google Play, because it probably will keep crashing because of no Android N support.

In the following screenshot you can see the app has a very high Version Code and the Target SDK is set to 10000. (=Developer preview)

(Click image for larger version)


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How can I root Remix OS running in Virtual Box?
I have Remix OS beta running in Virtual Box. I've made a virtual drive which I've formatted as ext4 and installed Remix OS on.
How can I get root access?

Remis Os comes pre-rooted from the the box. If you feel thats not the case please specify the type of (version) of remix Os you have been using.

Half a year ago, when this question was posted, it didn't come rooted. I don't remember exactly which build I was using.


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Can I replace my device's bootloader to grub?
Basically the title contains everything. I have an old smartphone lying around and I would like to change its bootloader.
How can I know in which partition does it lie?
How can I compile grub on my main machine and install it to my device?
My device implements the Armv7 instruction set.
Note: I do not wish to unlock the stock bootloader, I wish to replace it completely.

Which device you have?

Does it matter? I want the instructions to be as generic as possible because I want to perform the same operation on a couple devices.

yes on different devices different things are loaded for device to work

@GeorgeD, yes it matters a great deal, because the method for changing a bootloader will vary wildly across devices. But in general, loading GRUB on most ARM devices will likely be impossible or extremely difficult due to configurations made by the manufacturers. GRUB does support ARM, so that's not the problem.

It's this one: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_mini-3947.php


text:
Is there a way to make the text on a site reflow in Firefox Mobile?
It used to be the case that when you zoomed a page in or out, the text would reflow to fit the page. I recall reading a bug report somewhere where reflow-on-resize was removed for performance reasons (can't find it now).
I've found browing on mobile to be nearly unusable for the past few years, because I'm forced to choose between some mobile /responsive site with no zooming or a desktop version that doesn't reflow. Is there any way to manually trigger a page render / text reflow to fit the current zoom level?

The text reflow extension is a partial solution. It requires a click for each offending paragraph.

I think this could be a good answer if you added a link to the extension you're recommending.


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"Software installation failed" error when booting up
I got stuck at Huawei Logo and it won't start, then I followed this instruction

Download the same build you had before getting stucked or newer one, Extract it and transfer "dload" folder to the root of FAT32 MicroSD, Put the SD in the phone, Hold Vol+ and Vol- with Power button to boot into Upgrading mode

Then when the installation shows up it automatically says "Software Installation Failed". How to fix this problem? I found that some say that it must upgrade a transfer package provided by R&D, and I don't know how to update it. I'm stuck in Huawei logo.

Community bump prevention: this question was closed because the question seems to have been abandoned (OP hasn't visited for more than 5 years and no votes on existing answers). If anyone can evaluate the existing answers, feel free to vote accordingly and reopen the question (or mod-flag the question requesting for reopening). For anyone else having the same issue, please post a new question and refer to this question as additional context.

This procedure should work:

copy the dload folder(should contain update.app package provided by Huawei R&D) in MicroSD card (root folder) and insert the MicroSD card in your phone.
Turn off the phone by removing battery or pressing power button longer than 10 sec.
Boot the device in recovery mode by pressing power + volume up key.
once it is booted in recovery, select "upgrade using external storage" using volume up, down and power key
navigate to update.app package and press power button.

It will start the installation process and your phone should work after upgrade.

It's a MicroSD card compatibility issue. Don't worry, your device is fine. The problem is with the MicroSD card you are using. Try an 8GB original card. Twinmos / Sandisk / etc.


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Can't connect to wifi again after connecting to mobile network
My Android is 4.4.
Sometimes when I leave home, my phone changes from connecting to my home wifi to connecting to its mobile network.
When I arrive a place with wifi, e.g. an office or back to my home again, my phone sometimes can't connect to wifi, although sometimes it can. When the problem happens,  I refresh the wifi networks detected by my phone, and disable and enable the phone's wifi, but both doesn't solve the problem.
For my phone to connect to wifi again, my solution is to restart Android.
Is there a solution without restarting Android? For example, can I disable and then enable, and restart wifi connection?
Thanks.

Does it show WiFi names when you refresh?

On what device? Samsung? Also, have you downloaded any update before this problem started happening?

@Vivek   it shows names of all the WIFI networks that it has connected to before, whether they are in range or not, even before I refresh it.

@Brian Kyocera Hydro Icon. I don't know which update.


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Moto g 3 root failure mashmallow
i tried to root my moto g3 with king root and after some time it rebooted and got hanged on bootloader and said
AP fastboot flash mode(secure)
hab check failed for boot
failed to verify hab image boot
failed to validate boot image
ERROR:failed to pass validation ,backup to fastboot
Fastboot reason :fallthrough from charger boot mode

TLDR answer: You will need to reflash your phone back to stock or flash TWRP and install a custom ROM image, links and instructions below on how to return to stock and properly root... If you want to ROM your device, a little reading in XDA's Moto G 2015 section will get you there.
Long answer:
Kingroot, and most all Chinese/3rd party root tools, will brick the Moto G 2015, regardless of whether they say will work or not. Rooting a stock Moto G is almost as simple as rooting a Nexus device and it can be done with little effort, it should always be done manually.
To repair your phone, first make sure you have ADB & fastboot properly working, with connectivity to your device, then download the factory image from this XDA thread, DO NOT obtain the firmware from anywhere but this thread or Lenovo/Moto itself (who has not publicly released these images). Use the image that matches your device model and is the same or newer release, do not attempt to downgrade on a phone that has had an attempted Kingroot exploit applied, it may hard brick. Extract the files to a directory that can be easily accessed with fastboot.
Return to Stock
Detailed instructions and help flashing the image are available in this XDA thread, but here is the quick and dirty of it.

Factory reset in stock recovery... this is absolutely MANDATORY or else bootloop will occur and you will need to start all over again.
Reboot into Bootloader (fastboot) mode
Flash the files with fastboot - Do commands manually, one at a time - checking that each one returns an [OKAY] response. NOTE: Do not simply copy and paste these commands! - system.img_sparsechunks may differ in number and name. Always check contents of folder you're working with. You must flash all of the sparsechunk files you have. Also, some steps may take considerable time, especially erase commands, so be patient.

fastboot oem fb_mode_set
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.0
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.1
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.2
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.3
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.4
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.5
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.6 (If included in your image file)
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.7 (If included in your image file)
fastboot flash system system.img_sparsechunk.8 (If included in your image file)
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot erase cache
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase customize
fastboot erase clogo
fastboot oem fb_mode_clear
fastboot reboot
4) The phone should now reboot and be operational in 5-15 minutes. Remember with ART the initial boot can take what seems like forever, be patient.
Properly Root
To properly root, obtain the latest TWRP for the Moto G 2015 and the latest SuperSU ßeta and place it in the device's storage (internal or SD card).
Boot or flash the TWRP image, I prefer to boot it the first time and do a complete backup and move it off device, then flash TWRP from the bootloader with fastboot flash recovery *twrp.img* replacing twrp.img with the current TWRP image filename you downloaded from above. Now reboot into the bootloader and start Recovery, TWRP should load after the Bootloader Unlock warning screen.
The Moto G 2015 needs to rooted with systemless root, which SuperSU does not auto-detect in this device, so we need to force it in TWRP prior to flashing by entering the TWRP terminal and entering echo SYSTEMLESS=true>>/data/.supersu.
After you have done this, you can just use TWRP to flash (Install) the SuperSU ZIP file you downloaded/copied to the phone from the link above and reboot.
You should now be fully functional and rooted on the stock ROM.


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Closed circuit app on Android
I'd like to know if there is a way to run an android app on a closed circuit minimalist type of android VM on an android device so that I can have a full control of what the app has access to and when it is allowed to run.
I'm asking this because I have to use the facebook messenger app (the mobile browser version of facebook doesn't allow you to use instant messaging anymore) and this app causes a HUGE power drain, as well as a big privacy issue (that app has access to almost anything on the smartphone)
I know that it is still possible to use the desktop browser version on android but it takes more time to load than the adapted client.
Also if there is another client that I could use to replace messenger while still using their messaging system, that would answer the question.
Thank you in advance

What version of Android are you using? Marshmallow has finer control over what permissions are allowed.

I have an LG G3 D855 with Android 5.0 lollipop
I could technically upgrade to Marshmallow but I have installed Kingroot and even after uninstalling it, il tells me that my device may be rooted and that it won't upgrade for that matter.
Is it worth factory resetting my phone to switch to Android M or are the improvements just small bug fixes?

You should read about the permission changes, which are significant for your case: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-take-advantage-new-app-permissions-marshmallow

Oh, this seems way better than the permission manager app, thanks I'll try to upgrade to android M asap


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Using Hound/Cortana hands-free in the background like "OK Google"
On my Nexus 6P, I can (obviously) say "OK Google" to summon Google's voice assistant hands-free, without unlocking my phone or opening an app. I really want to use this with an alternate voice assistant as well. Is there a way to launch a voice assistant app (like Cortana or Hound) on my phone with a summon command, as I can do while in the app (at least with Hound)? Is there an app that will let me do this, or is there a setting in one of those voice assistant apps that I overlooked that would enable me to launch Cortana/Hound with "Hey Cortana" or "OK Hound" from my lock screen?
I really used to think that there was a setting on Android to change your default voice assistant, but I now can't find anything like that.
Thanks in advance!


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Android File Transfer cannot access device storage
I am using a Moto X (2nd Generation). I have a recurring problem that occurs when I plug my phone into my Mac to transfer files (music, etc).
When I plug it in, it is unlocked and on. However, Android File Transfer comes up with a message that says:
Cannot access device storage
And I am not able to transfer any files. I tried plugging it in again, locking and unlocking my phone, no luck. Any solutions?

The only solution I have been able to find is to, with the phone plugged in to the computer and unlocked:

Enable Developer Mode in Settings
Go to Developer Options
Select USB Configuration
Select MTP (Media Transfer Protocol)
If this doesn't work, select Charging only, then select MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) again.


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How to check if a package is enabled via shell?
I have been writing a tasker task to enable/disable a package. I know
adb shell pm enable com.android.contacts
will enable the package and
adb shell pm disable com.android.contacts
will disable it.
I would like to know if there's any shell command that would tell me if a package is in enabled/disabled state. Thanks in advance! :)

pm list packages -d 2>/dev/null

will list up all disabled packages, one per line, preceded with the keyword package: – so output looks like
package:com.android.exchange
package:com.android.email

So if you take that output and "grep" it for the package name in question, the package is enabled if the output is "empty" and disabled otherwise. Alternatively, if you want a number (0/1), you can use the wc utility:
pm list packages -d 2>/dev/null | grep com.android.exchange | wc -l

would return "1" in above example, meaning the package com.android.exchange is disabled. It would, however, return "0" if I'd grep for com.foobar.app – which doesn't necessarily mean that com.foobar.app is enabled but could also mean it's simply not installed :) So if you want to cross-check, you can do so running the same command with pm list packages -e (to list enabled packages).

There are apps that have similar names, so just a simple grep might be problematic. Take the following apps for instance.
com.amazon.dcp
com.amazon.dcp.contracts.framework.library

If the short one is enabled and the long one is disabled, you will get a result searching the list of disabled apps.
Here is a function to determine if an app is disabled.
check_apk_disabled(){ # Check if a package is disabled. Return 1 if installed else 0
            [ $# -lt 1 ] && return 2
            adb shell pm list packages -d | cut -d: -f2 | sed 's|\r||' | grep -c "^${1}$"; }

The package list is stripped of package: as well as the 0D byte. Grep can then find an exact match with ^ at start and $ at the end.
check_apk_disabled com.android.contacts will return 1 if disabled or 0 if not. It should be noted that if an app is not installed then it will not appear on the disabled list and trying to disable an app that is not installed will generate errors. A check if the app is installed should be done before assuming it is not disabled.
check_apk_installed(){ # Check if a package is installed. Return 1 if installed else 0
            [ $# -lt 1 ] && return 2
            adb shell pm list packages | cut -d: -f2 | sed 's|\r||' | grep -c "^${1}$"; }

Now with these 2 functions you can disable the app properly.
apk=com.android.contacts
[ $(check_apk_installed $apk) == "1" ] && [ $(check_apk_disabled $apk) == "0" ] && adb pm disable-user --user=0 $apk 2>/dev/null || echo "app is not installed or already disabled"

Sorry to necro the post, but the potential to disable the wrong app in the original answer scared me!


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How to fix my clock app from running fast?
I recently had an issue with my Samsung Galaxy S5 and sent it back. Verizon sent me a new one, which I presume is a refurbished model.
It seems to work okay except for a fatal flaw: the clock runs fast. Here's the details I've learned about the problem:

It doesn't run steadily fast. It will jump ahead several minutes at a time.
It also affects the timer and stopwatch.
Pinging the network via a text, phone call, or toggling airplane mode, will reset the clock to the correct network time.
In airplane mode, it will just continually increment.
If plugged in and the screen set to stay on, the clock keeps the correct time.
All other clock apps I found just use the same network time variable, so are also therefore incorrect.
Alarms will only sound if the clock actually reports the time for the alarm, but not if it happens to jump past the set alarm time. (I experienced the reverse condition where the same alarm sounded twice, first when the clock was fast by a few minutes, then a few minutes later after a network ping and clock time adjustment.)

I've looked around on various forums and could not find anything useful. I did at least find a clock app, ClockSync, that pings a server for it's time (supposedly an atomic time) not the network, and will give notifications when the stock clock app is incorrect past a threshold. If you have root permissions, you can set ClockSync to correct the Clock app at certain intervals. I'd rather not do that, and I suspect it would just waste battery.
What is causing this issue? How can I fix it?
Additional issues that are likely related to this issue is that text messages and emails originally show in the correct order or under the correct time heading, but after a sync with the network, they get jumbled up. The Calendar app seems to miss alerts occasionally. Pretty much any app that uses the system time is suspect to run incorrectly.

I have since sent that phone back for another one and the problem was not present in that phone.


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Stuck at CyanogenMod recovery
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab p3100 and i can't flash anything. All I have is a Stock CyanogenMod recovery and i can't even go through odin and install a new cwm/twrp. I don't know why but it says USB device is not recognized :(
I've tried to uninstall the usb thing in device manager but no luck. My only chance is flash a rom or a SIGNED cwm/twrp (i guess i'm running out of options) for my device but i can't find any signed zip file to be flashed on cyanogenmod recovery please help.

and i did buy a new usb cable but still not working :( help pls im dying..

You can install TWRP with root access without the need of a PC.

Download the latest image for your device here.
Your phone needs to be turned on.
Copy the recovery IMG to the root of your sdcard and rename it to twrp.img.
Open a terminal application and execute this command: su -c "dd if=/sdcard/twrp.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6"
The custom TWRP recovery is now installed.

Note: Do not use this guide for any other devices, it will be bricked.

The reason your device isn't recognised on your PC is probably because you have Windows 8/8.1/10 installed. The drivers (ADB) for Android phones do not work correctly yet. There are some workarounds  on the internet.

Hmm, about that .. I can't reboot my device up and open a terminal application because that's my problem too i mean i formatted system thru cm recovery i did that because I'm stuck at the logo, and i am using windows 7  os, i did try to plug my device on other pc from my friend but no luck.

and also IDK why that cm recovery just appeared i didn't touch anything on dev settings when my tab is working before..


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Phone downloads mysterious file
I wasn't doing anything with my phone, when I pulled it out of my pocket a notification saying "-tWW3IHZgSg - Download complete." was visible. This file was in the downloads folder, I copied it to my PC and running the unix "file" command on it returned "Macromedia Flash data (compressed), version 17". I certainly didn't download it and I have no idea what it could be. Here is a DropBox link of the file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yowi4qlnlxuf6wz/-tWW3IHZgSg?dl=0

Possibly a flash animation file. Without access to my computer, I can't find out for certain.
As for why it showed up in your downloads? Most likely an error in a program that caused a download notification when downloading cache data or a temporary file, judging by the filename. Probably an advert or small animation from a webpage or app.
It's worth noting that most free apps have ads as well as most websites, and most advert animations are flash animations.
TL;DR: Probably a glitch causing an advert or cached page animation to appear in your downloads.

I thought of that as well, but viruses/trojans sometimes also have such filenames so it kinda scared me.

@0ne_Up What phone are you using, and what version of Android are you running? Also, it's your device rooted?

Samsumg Galaxy S5 mini (SM-G800F), Android 4.4.2. Yes it's rooted.

@0ne_Up Sure you haven't downloaded any suspicious apps recently? Also, in my experience, Android versions that sit around 4.x.x are a little glitchy sometimes.

I didn't download any apps recently


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How to mount sdcard1 (external SD) as internal storage?
I understand that there are many tutorials and the like on this very subject, but none ever really matched my exact situation...
   I have a rooted moto g in which I have a 200gb micro sd card (laptop is down right now, I download all my media with my moto) and a mere 5gb of internal storage.   Now it becomes confusing for me... my storage folders are named 0 and 1, internal and external... and my "internal" storage is labeled as"emulated" sdcard0.  If I enter the sdcard shortcut from my phone's root directory I'm taken to this emulated SD.
   So, okay, I'm assuming that my internal storage is partitioned in two, perhaps the first partition is dynamically allocated so I have a place to store my pics and downloads at the same time maintaining the files in /data...so now I'm stuck constantly moving files from internal to external every time I download something because I get  insufficient storage warnings.  So how would I go about dedicating the 5gb totally to my /data and having the phone then make my 15gb sd take the place of emulated sdcard 0?

Since Lollipop this has been impossible because of the permissions built into Android... Older versions such as JB 4.2 could be modified to do this, and many ROM developers often set this as the default condition, but do to how Android handles the SD card now this is not possible. You may want to look into rooting and applications like Link2SD or possibly upgrading to Marshmallow (Android 6.x) and using the Adopted Storage feature.

I'm sorry ...I forgot to mention I'm rooted.  Editing

Due to how Android handles SD card permissions, it is no longer possible to "swap" the internal and external storage of the device and trick it to use the SD card as "internal" storage any more.
Since you are rooted, I would look into any of several Android 6 based ROMs that are available for the Moto G, after installing one of those you can adopt the the SD card as internal storage. Be aware that this will make the card unreadable in other devices without reformatting it and it can only be seen via a USB connection since it will be formatted as ext4 and encrypted. I would recommend using XDA's Moto G forum area for more information regarding specific ROMs and how to flash them.
The other option would be to use an application like Link2SD, which would require you to partition and reformat your SD card, and it uses symbolic links to the partition on the SD card. This still requires the app be installed on the device first and moved, but it can free up significant space and using the paid version can move even more data to the SD card. See the application linked above for more information.


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Enable "OEM Unlock" via build.prop edit!
I need to bypass fingerprint lock on an Samsung Galaxy A8 (A800F) phone in order to save the data stored on the phone, FRP was ON but i managed to fix it and change it to OFF, Now i can flash any custom recovery i want, but it won't boot into recovery (RECOVERY IS NOT A SEANDROID ENFORCING), That error because of the OEM Unlock option isn't activated, So my question is there any other way to enable that option without getting into settings?, can i just modify the stock system.img and add a line to the build.prop to enable that option?

OEM unlock is not a line in the build.prop file or any other user accessible file that we know of, it is a hidden flag somewhere (probably encrypted) and not in the ROM itself (flashing a custom ROM or completely wiping all visible partitions does not change the setting's state). Unfortunately, if you can't somehow access the Developer menu, you will not be able to unlock the bootloader.

So, no "OEM Unlock" = no Bypass !

Exactly... That would kind of defeat the whole purpose of FRP and OEM Locking, although some devices have exploits most like yours do not.

OEM unlock is not a line in the build.prop file or any other user accessible file that we know of, it is a hidden flag somewhere (probably encrypted) and not in the ROM itself (flashing a custom ROM or completely wiping all visible partitions does not change the setting's state). Unfortunately, if you can't somehow access the Developer menu, you will not be able to unlock the bootloader.
The answer is that as of now, this is not possible with this device.


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Economist app stuck with old issues
This has happened to me repeatedly with the Economist app on Android. Basically the app usually automatically downloads the weekly issue by push notification, but sometimes it simply doesn't do that. When I uninstall the app and reinstall it.. it's stuck at the December 19th issue of 2015.
I figured this may be a date problem, so I set the time manually on my phone.. no luck.
Any ideas? And if someone is to suggest this isn't the right stack exchange site for such questions please tell me which one I should use instead .

Contact the app maintainer?

Already did that many many many times.. they keep on sending updates that sometimes fix it and sometimes it doesn't..

I basically connected my android device to the internet using a VPN service (unotelly.. I currently live in Lebanon although when I first registered with the economist.. I was living in Canada).
Connecting via the vpn solved the problem


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Disallow & prevent ALL data access (2G 3G ) for user (maybe even WiFi) directly or via MDM?
I saw this similar question but it does not ask or answer what I am asking.
How to totally block internet access (data) on an Android?
Completely block disable "data" period so that user cannot enable it or use it.
How can I disable mobile data completely?
Some of the answers here seem like good options, but I need a way where OTA/ SIM updates or the user/ employee cannot work/ hack around it easily.
Can any of these answers be applied in a way where it cant be easily reversed?
Completely disable & prevent 2G 3G ALL data access/ use (maybe even WiFi) on Android directly or via MDM?
There have been cases of some people I know (older family) that were brought an Android phone but inadvertently some Data was used without a Data Plan - more expensive.
Lets say instead of buying Feature Phones for some delivery boys, we bought Cheapest Android phones possible - The boss there just wants Phone calls with them and wants to ensure the boys wont be able to Rack up Data use/ bills on the phone -
Are there ways to Disable Data AND/ OR WiFI? Selectively or so? Maybe only have it on when being configured by MDM?
We will need the SIM to ensure Calls & SMS work. Is there a way to disable data use?

Why not just get your carrier to give you SIMs that only support voice calling?

Carriers not co operative. As I mentioned above, despite old people not wanting data, carrier wants to charge them for mistaken use


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Visiting site using Chrome restarts device
I came across an unusual behaviour in Chrome (50.0.2661.89), running on a Galaxy S7 (SM-G930F)/Android 6.0.1 . The behaviour seems to be repeatable, causing my device to restart every time I scroll through a particular page.

Start from a standard boot, no other apps run since startup.
Open Chrome.
Navigate to
http://www.fieryflavors.com/spicy-food-hiccups/
Swipe down the page
(haven't managed to pin down a specific point of trouble yet).
Device
restarts.

The page in question doesn't seem to have anything tremendously nefarious happening in its source code (still poking it a bit, will update if anything turns up). I haven't come across this particular issue with Chrome on Android in the past.
Is this common? Is there a particular HTML/CSS/javascript/etc. string that's known to cause device restarts?
UPDATE
I'm not sure that it's an 'official' Chromium bug yet, but it certainly looks like I'm not alone:
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=614422#c28
The problem appears to be specific to the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge and is likely triggered by video embedded within adverts (the issue is intermittent, disappearing when new ads rotate into each problematic page). As such it's perhaps less likely that the issue lies within Android, and more that it's a Samsung problem or a very specific incompatibility between Android/Chrome/Samsung hardware.

Have you seen this same issue on any other devices? I expect it's something wrong with your device rather than the site itself (although it could be triggering some issue on your device causing it to restart). It does not restart my Nexus 6P. Does your device restart when doing anything else?

The issue doesn't appear on a Sony Xperia X I've tested either. No other applications on the S7 cause a reboot. No other sites I've visited in Chrome on that phone cause reboots. Could very well be specific to my particular device, but it would be useful to confirm that before I start checking random things.

It doesn't reboot for me. (Nexus 6P running Android N). Can you check if there are any updates for the Google Chrome app?

Everything's up to date.

Do you have antivirus installed on your phone? If so go to settings and lower the security setting from high to medium i sems as though its a security feature you may have on i just visted the page from crome on 2 different. Devices and had no problems or bo restart. I did however visit the page from my home pc that does have firewall antivirus set to high and i got Warning not secure page.
Hope this helps.

There's no third party antivirus software running on the device.

Yes it cause unusal restarts in one of Lenovo K8+ (marino) device.
Initially that user faced this issue in oreo then he reverted back to nougat.

With stock chrome installed there is no issue but if he updates it to
  latest through play store and surf any website for a while, the device power off for few minutes
  and then automatically boots the system (power on itself).

Maybe

A driver bug
JS engine issue

Let me catch some logs and if possible i will write a patch to fix this issue.I will update this answer as soon as there is some positive progress.
Edit:
I have filed an bug report to lenovo forum and it can be found here


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Stop MS Office ads on Samsung S5 (Neo)
Today, my Samsung S5 suggested that I might want to try MS Excel:

A few days ago, it did the same with MS Word. Back then, I just dismissed the message and thought that I'd be done with it, but now this is getting annoying.
How do I turn off these ads? Where is the "Yes, I know that MS Office is pre-installed and I'm quite happy about it and I'll surely use it when I need it, so stop bugging me" button?

Not a solution, but if you rarely use it, maybe a work-around: Have you tried disabling those apps in Settings › Apps › All?

@Izzy: They are useful apps, I'd actually like to use them without having to re-enable them.

OK, that's an argument. Is the device rooted? You also could try "hibernating" them with Greenify. That way they would stay available (icons visible) and working while in foreground, while being "frozen" when not started or in background.

A simple way: Find out which app (MS Office or whatever) is showing that notification.. Open that app's 'App Info' from Settings->Apps->All and uncheck the Show Notifications checkbox. No more notifs!

@GokulNC: Won't this disable all (= including useful) notifications from that app? Or are you sure that this app never shows useful notifications?

@Heinzi Ofcourse it does disables all notifications, but I don't think MS Office ever shows an useful notification, atleast for me (I've been using MS Office for a few months & no notif ever came for me)

Settings->Apps->All and uncheck the Show Notifications

Won't this disable all (= including useful) notifications from that app? Or are you sure that this app never shows useful notifications?

It's Microsoft,  the answer is obviously no


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Windows cant see my android phone. SM-J200F
I reinstall my windows today, and i try to install my phone drivers. when installing drivers I accidentally closed automatic driver install window. So, i try to reinstall but not work. I tried installing Samsung official drivers from their website, it install successfully but not connect to Kies or Smart Switch (samsung new software) so i cant browse my phone files..
I tried remove all drivers about samsung and android then cleaned temp files, and run Cclaner for registry fix, still i cant see my phone..
I think need full removal also from Registry but i dont know how to.
Can someone help me for fix this?
Thanks!
(sorry for my bad english..)

Let me guess: Windows 10? Just this morning I've read Samsung warning its users their drivers having issues with Win10.

If you want to execute the automatic driver installation, just open the Windows Device Manager, select your phone (if it shows up) and click on 'Update Driver Software'.


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Insufficient Storage problem in Android x86 Live Version
I made a bootable Android x86 Live USB drive to use android in my computer, I used live version (without installation) of Android x86, it runs fine. The problem is that I am unable to install new apps because of insufficient storage. I have 8 GB of USB drive but the total storage the OS shows is approximately 400 MB and available storage is approximately 80 MB. So now anyone tell me the possible solutions for this problem so that I can install new applications.

It seems you have created two accounts. See I accidentally created two accounts; how do I merge them?.

OK, the other one is marked as duplicate, now any help please.


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Run Android on Android?
We know it is possible to use chroot to run full Linux on android, also support Xserver (GUI).So, it should also be possible run another android on an exist android ? for example, using chroot to run android N on android 4.4. If it is true, we can run various version android without flash rom to device.So if anyone has any idea ?

How would the chrooted environment share the display, touchscreen, radio, and other I/O devices with the outside one?

Maybe we can "stop" the outside android( contains all services and managers,etc) and use the running kernel(which have loaded all available drivers) to "start" the inner android?  It's just my guess.


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Nandroid Backup Fails with extractTarFork() error
Long story short, I tried to install MultiROM on my Nexus 6P, and it failed.  So I tried to restore my backup using TWRP 3.0.2.0, and it keeps failing at exactly 7800MB with the error E:extractTarFork() process ended with ERROR=255.  I have seen posts talking about checking the log when this happens, but I'm not sure exactly how to do that.
What exactly do I need to do to restore my backup?
I guess I should add some detail.  I first tried booting to recovery and restoring the backup.  The phone rebooted into a boot loop part of the way through the restore process every time I tried that.  Then, I tried flashing the phone completely back to the stock image, and then restoring.  I got the error 255 above.  Then, I tried flashing back to stock completely, wiping Dalvik/cache, and restoring the backup.  I still get the same error message.  I tried restoring everything except userdata, and the phone reboots part of the way through the restore.
I could easily reroot, reinstall Xposed, and reflash TWRP if for some reason my system backup partition is corrupted.  However, I don't want to lose my data partition at all.  That was the whole reason I made the backup in the first place.


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How to migrate an adopted storage sdcard to another?
So I've recently tried out marshmallow and kind of like the adopted storage idea as I never find myself removing the micro sdcard.
I'm curious though if there is a smooth way to upgrade to a bigger or better sdcard later on. Right now I would probably attempt to rsync with adb to a PC and insert a new card, format it and rsync back. I'm not very confident this will work however.
Perhaps it's faster to mount both cards in linux using this method: How to decrypt Adopted Storage?
and sync them there.


text:
How can I use a controller to control the mouse when using remote desktop to a Windows PC?
Pretty much as the question!
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Moga Pro Power in HID 'B' setting and microsoft remote desktop app.


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Charging Behaviour Changed After Using Car Charger
On a recent road trip, I used a car charger to re-charge the battery on my Nexus 5 phone. Ever since, I have noticed a significant increase in the time required to charge the battery, even when using my normal charging cable. Whereas before I could completely recharge the battery in 2-3 hours, now it is taking more like 6-8 hours. My first thought was that the car charger damaged the battery in some way, but that does not seem to be the case. I have not seen any change in the battery life, just this annoying increase in charge time.
What I'm wondering now is, could the phone be 'stuck' in the slower charging mode used when charging from usb (like a car charger)? If so is there a setting somewhere I can change to get it back to normal? Is there another possible explanation for the sudden change in charge time?

Try changing charger and cable- improbable but your charger may not be delivering required current


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Android emojis: how to change theme?
The yellow blob emojis on my android 6 phone are mostly incomprehensible. Is that one laughing or looking sad? No idea.
Is there a way to replace them with pictures that better represent the emotions they're supposed to help us communicate?
AFAIK emoji are sent as Unicode code points, so presumably they're rendered like a font would be.
(I feel very old asking this question, like I'm just supposed to know... it might even help if there was a list describing the picture in words)

This emoji, as seen on android, confuses me. It's crying/laughing.

You can use the unicode character codes found here to choose an emojis you like better:
http://apps.timwhitlock.info/emoji/tables/unicode

Thanks so much! I find most of the faces very confusing, even now I know what they're supposed to look like! But looks like on android you're always stuck with the same set?


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Setting's "Search" function doesn't work properly on Android N Preview 3
In settings of Android phone, there is a search button in the Action Bar and it cannot give me what I want to search. I find it works sometimes but 90% it doesn't. The 2nd image shows the very irrelevant results.
For example, I enter battery to search for battery settings, it gives me nothing.
My question is: how to fix it?

And result when enter ba:

Is this Android N? It works for me on a Nexus 6P with Android N: http://imgur.com/oEA8ZIZ

I have one M and one N with the same symptom.

It works on Moto X play stock 6.0.1.  Two things I noticed 1. Typing 'Battery'  letter by letter reveals all battery  related things 2. If your keyboard is prompting you battery and you select it make sure there is no space after the word (if there is a space it shows nothing, deleting space by back arrow reveals). In both cases,  I see Battery, Battery saver, Battery optimisation, Adaptive brightness and battery level as search results

It searches only for subgroups in my N. That bug I know.

@TungD.Nguyen What ROM/Device? From reading the answers and comments, this sure sounds like a ROM code problem and should be handled by the ROM developer(s).

It is the N on Nexus 6P

I have a very similar issue, but I was on custom ROM. So, I couldn't tell if this was ROM or Marshmallow issue.

This is the N Preview 3, released by Google.

May be the system bug. Try clearing cache and dalvik cache. If problem presist try factory data reset. If still presist, then its a Rom bug. If it is, then wait for the update for fix.

I tried it before: reset to factory/re-install rom/clear cache... The same results: enter B it can give bluetooth but no battery in the result section

Yes! After the update to Beta, the search function works again

I cleared data and cache from settings app and it's worked for me. Not factory reset and clear cache from recovery. I went into settings>apps>allaps,settings>storage and clear cache and data

What worked for me on Android 9 was: Find system app "Settings Suggestions", open app info, press force stop, press storage and hit clear cache and clear storage buttons.

Settings Suggestions is a system app: in order to show it in the All Apps list you need to tap on the more options icon (three vertical dots, aka kebab menu) in the top right corner of the screen and select "Show system".

Thanks! After forcing stop worked. But

Thanks. Forcing stop works! But not sure if the problem will return?

Problem returned next day! Now doesn't work anymore

Only works temporary, the issue returned the next day and forcing stop no longer work

It sounds like search may be disabled for you.
Go to your Settings > Apps > swipe to the “ALL” tab > select “Google Search” > press “Enable”.

Sorry, it does not work. All apps are enabled in this directory!


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Verifying USB-C voltage
I have heard about some USB-C chargers frying tablets, phones, etc. If I ordered a generic charger online for price reasons, how can I can verify its voltage before using it with my Android devices?

DC voltmeter can help. You can't measure using Android device. Better to stick to reputed charging brands-generic ones can cause a lot of trouble

To clarify, you can measure on the device but not a good idea if the charger is suspect!

There exists an Android app for this purpose called "USBCheck":
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jacob.uk.com.usbcheck
Unfortunately it is currently only supporting Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.


text:
GPT utility can brick laptops?
Which utility is Android-x86 using for partitions?  Is it gdisk?  The prompt is to use GPT.  What are the risks with regards to formatting a disk with this tool, and installing Android-x86?  Under which circumstances can this result in bricking a laptop?  Deleting partitions will result in bricking the laptop??
GPT seems to operate a bit differently from the last time I formatted a HD by hand, which involved the MBR.  (There's no data on the hdd.)
The official documentation glosses over the install process with sentences like "if you are lucky" so it's a bit unclear.

What do you mean with bricking a laptop?

@DeathMaskSalesman I have no idea, but was warned that deleting partitions might have this result..?  I thought that only applied to phones/tablets, but, on consideration, sure, why not -- they're all computers.  I would have to read more about what constitutes "bricking" to even know.

Well, surely messing with partitions may have unforeseen results, but the "hard brick", in which a mobile device becomes unusable since you damage its bootloader, won't happen on a computer, stricto sensus. This is because, in PCs and laptops, the one we may identify as hard brick only happens if you mess with the old BIOS (or new UEFI) by, for example, updating it. This component is separated from the main hard disk or SSD, and is contained within a ROM (Read-Only Memory) or EEPROM (which can be updated). Given that, the worst thing that may happen, is you having to reinstall just Android.

@DeathMaskSalesman It sounds like you have all the information necessary to write a good answer to this question. I can guarantee you an upvote :-)

@DanHulme Thank you very much. I'll set it up now.

We all know that the matter concerning bricking a device is complex and often confusing, so let's make some clearance.
Meaning of bricking
Bricking, if considered literally, means "to have a device so unusable it could be a brick". This, on mobile devices, is an umbrella term for two different things:

soft brick: as a result of flashing or alternatively installing incompatible software, your device gets messed up. This can produce behaviours such as bootloops, but can generally be solved by flashing a new firmware, or restoring a working Nandroid backup (if any);

hard brick: this is the "bad" kind of brick. You messed up a component known as the bootloader, and now the device doesn't even know how to turn itself on.

Since all of the partitions on a mobile device are contained within the same physical medium (internal storage), in this case messing up with its partitions can lead to hard bricks.
On PCs and laptops
Those devices are physically different from mobile ones... yes, even inside. Their core software component, which does a job similar to the mobile bootloader, is called the BIOS (on old devices), or the UEFI (on newer devices).
This is what sends the signal that pings all of the hardware connected with a computer, and therefore the most important part. As such, it's contained within a small memory that's entirely dedicated to it. This memory was previously called ROM (Read-Only Memory), even if we now have EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM). As you may guess, the only way to make a computer totally unusable would be to overwrite the content of this chip, for example when updating the BIOS.

So, can I brick my computer by altering the partition table?
No, you can't. All of your changes only affect the Hard Disk or Solid State Disk in question, so they may mess up your current operating system, but that's nothing that can't be fixed by simply reinstalling it.

Unless he uses a flash tool like SP flash tool or Odin, which are capable of flashing everything, even the bootloader..


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Do i need the internet to root my android device?
Have been trying to root without the intent and it seems it's not working, I have tried every thing, using different applications still the same thing so that's why I'm asking..

No, you don't need the internet to root a device, just to download the ROMs in the first place (and maybe to get a bootloader unlocking code before unlocking the bootloader, if you have an HTC phone).
It's entirely possible that some "one-click root" apps might refuse to run without an internet connection, but that's nothing to do with the rooting process itself: it's just that app. A "hard root" by flashing the device doesn't use those apps, and it will definitely work without either the PC or the phone connected to the internet.


text:
Galaxy S loses wifi even though the symbol says it is connected, toggling flight mode fixes the problem
There can't be anything wrong with the router because apple phones have no trouble connecting to the internet.
As I have said, the wifi symbol is active but there is no internet connection. Turning flight mode on and off again solves the issue for a little while.
I am using a galaxy s i9000 (newer phone broke, so I'll be using this for a while)
model number: GT-I9001
firmware version: 2.3.3
baseband version: I9001XXKE7
kernel version: 2.6.35.7-perf root@DELL103 #1
build number: GINGERBREAD.XXKE7
Nothing has triggered this problem as far as I know. I experienced this problem from the moment I started using the phone (about a week ago), which I freshly reverted to factory settings before using.

Who controls the Wi-Fi network? Some networks (especially corporate or academic) have a whitelist of which devices are allowed to connect, so you might need to talk to the network administrator to get this phone added to the list.

I control the wifi network. It loses connection (with the wifi symbol still showing) while it is literally placed right next to the router.


text:
Make sure my app is on after factory reset
I'm making an app that I intend to put onto a bunch of tablets before giving them away in a give away. However obviously the people who get the tablet will use there google accounts, so is there anyway to get the app to be on the tablet after it is factory reset?

The only way to ensure that an app "survives" a factory reset would be to install it in the system partition, which requires root privileges, or you to make your own ROM.

@DeathMaskSalesman What if the phone gets a system update?

@SuperThomasLab If you modify the system partition or install your own ROM, it typically will no longer be able to receive system updates.


text:
Font in messaging has became huge
In the stock messaging app on my LG-G3 I have the following problem:
Suddenly, all my conversations is displayed with a font size that is incredibly large. This happened out of the blue. On the other hand, a lot of times when I have been speaking in my phone (and I do not speak for a long while) my cheek has navigated the phone into some app and possibly into some settings.
How do I make it like before? Preferrably at the same size as in the popup window  that pops up and dissapears when I get a sms.
I have not found a setting for the font size or that I should be able to set it using the volume key.

It's good that you have found the solution by yourself! Now, could you add some more details to the problem, like, is this the stock Messaging apps on LG G3? If not, what is the app?

I found the answer: pinch zoom!
Using the two finger gesture in the messaging app changes the font size on:

texts
smileys
the "Enter message" field, default text as well as input text.

But not

messages timestamp
bubbles widths
the menu
the send button
the paper clip icon

If I then close the app, using either triangle or circle, the setting will persist.

Again, could you add more detail to this answer? Not all Messaging apps have this feature, so perhaps you can add that "pinch zoom" is apparently a feature of this app.

I have to agree with Andrew: There's a general feature called "pinch to zoom", but that usually does not "stick"; as soon as you switch the activity/page/app, it gets reverted. So could you please [edit] your answer and describe step-by-step what you did to fix your issue?

This was exactly the issue for me. Pinch to zoom within Google messages was being persisted. Who on earth thought this was a good UX decision is beyond me...

On some phones (including my Samsung Galaxy S4), the volume key enlarges and diminishes the text in messaging.  "Louder" makes it larger, "softer" is smaller.

Using the volume keys only changed the volume.

"On some phones" doesn't mean it'll work on your phone.

I thought your answer was written assuming that my phone could be one of those "some phones", but it is not. Thanks however and now I have found a solution!