text:
Can I increase signal strength on my Samsung Galaxy s4 active?
I recently purchased a used Samsung Galaxy S4 that used to be on AT&T, but it has been unlocked, or something so that I can now use it on Koodo (canadian carrier).
The signal is very weak.  It's so weak that talking on the phone has been a hassle because people can't really hear me and I can't hear them.
I found out how to switch from LTE to WCDMA, which makes the signal a little better, but then i miss out on the benefits of LTE.
Is it possible that the phone is not running on the optimum frequency band for usage on the Koodo network?
Any suggestions or help?

@abqnm you should make that an answer! I'd normally suggest flashing a different modem (bsseband) to root users but there's not much for the s4 active out there.

Thanks @RossC. I figured I would leave it as a comment for a day and then post it as an answer. It is now an answer.

When connected to LTE, the phone is also separately connected to the GSM network for voice. Voice does not go over LTE so switching your data to WCDMA (HSPA) won't make any difference in the quality of voice calls, unless you are using VOIP calling.
There isn't much you can do to boost the signal other than not using a case or if you do, stick to a thin TPU case that is just colored (ie no carbon fiber or chrome or wood or metal). If it is at your home, you may be able to see if your carrier offers a network extender. The network extender plugs into your home Internet and emulates a small cell tower in your house.


text:
If I upgrade from Android 2.x to Android 4.x should I re-partition to make use of MTP?
Original article: Please explain the android partition structure to me?

This partitioning scheme as become somewhat less common since Android migrated to Media Transfer Protocol for providing access to the storage from a PC. The reason the separate partitions were originally necessary is because Android used UMS in the earlier versions (anything <3.0), which requires block-level access to the storage space, meaning Android had to unmount the storage space that it provided to the PC. A consequence of this was that the entire partition could not be given to the PC because Android would basically cease to function until you unplugged your phone if it did.

If I now upgrade my ROM from Android v2.x to Android 4.x should I do something to take advantage of Media Transfer Protocol? (I'm talking about custom ROMs and rooted phones).

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
Is it possible to zoom in on any text in an app in realtime?
I have an app that has tiny tiny writing that I need to read and I can't take a hundred screenshots to zoom in to read each one and the developer has yet to fix it but I was wondering if there was a way to have a magnifying thingy on top of this app and move it around the screen to enlarge whatever I can't read in realtime. Any tips?  And, the text is not able to be copied or pasted etc.
OS: 4.1
Phone: S3

If your Android version is 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or greater, you can find magnification gestures under your system settings.

Go to Settings
Accessibility
Magnification Gestures

Info:

Magnification Gestures
Usage

I'm on an S3 on 4.1 which doesn't have magnification gestures. :-(

It may/may not solve OP's problem depending on the OP's resources, but it could be helpful for the other android users for other alternatives. You could record the screen of your mobile using a screen recording app and view it on a large computer/tv screen to view the text clearly.
Alternatively, you could also use an emulator such as Bluestacks and install the app you want to zoom and view it on your computer screen or a projector to make the small objects and text clearly on a larger screen.

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


text:
Android Mini-PC: How to Autostart for Public Display
I have an MK808 Android mini PC which I want to use for a public display.  I can open a browser OK and get the page I want, but when power fails I have to manually open that page again.  I dont want it to do anything else but display that internet page.  Is there a way to autostart the browser and that page?


text:
Google maps on Galaxy S4 doesn't search nearby
Using the Maps up on a Galaxy S4, when I search for a store name (like "starbucks"), it should show me the nearest results, but instead it shows me results in other cities (like the Starbucks in Seattle, or Home Depot in Atlanta).
The Maps app shows my correct current location, so the GPS etc is working and the app knows where I'm at.. what else could be going wrong?


text:
Note 2 update problems
Hi I got my note 2 from Kuwait. I am currently working in India. The last update I did on my note 2 was android 4.1.2 . Now when I check for OTA updates for my note 2, it shows that latest updates have already been installed. How can I update my phone?  Thanks in advance.

Since you bought your phone from Kuwait, the phone has the Kuwait Galaxy Note 2 Rom, and still now the 4.3 update has not been pushed out in Kuwait or the middle east region for both the note 2 and s3. But for the Indian Rom 4.3 has already been pushed out for both the phones. My brother had the same problem with his s3 and since I have some knowledge in rooting and Rom flashing on an android phone I flashed it with the Indian Rom.
The suggestion I can give to you is wait for the update, when Samsung pushes out the update in Kuwait your phone will get updated.
If you know how to root or flash custom Rom on Android phone you can flash it with the Indian Rom just go and download the Rom from here http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/3/?download=25232
And follow the instructions.
For more information you can look here - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/update-galaxy-note-2-lte-n7105-official-android-4-3-xxueml3-firmware-how-1429969
Just use the Rom from the sammobile site.
Remember if you don't know what I am talking about please don't try to do this you can brick(destroy) your phone for good.

+1 and this " Remember if you don't know what I am talking about please don't try to do this you can brick(destroy) your phone for good."  is very important advice!

@aasif ya I know abt rooting. Being doing dat since 2008 starting in my htc Google g1. Didn't wanna lose warranty though.. even triangle away fails at times.

The thing is once you flash the official Rom via Odin.. Your counter will be reset.. You don't need the triangle away application to reset the counter manually.. Unless after flashing the official Rom you root or install a custom recovery mode via Odin thus increasing your counter.


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Huawei Y210d Firmware Flashing Failed
I have an Huawei Ascend y210d on which I installed CWM recovery. After that I installed a custom ROM, but now I want to flash its official firmware.
But its official firmware is not installing. It got told using Huawei firmware Indian version downloaded from Huawei. I am using this procedure:

first copy dload (in dload folder update.app file is present) folder to the root of the SDcard
then turn off your device pick out battery then again insert battery
then press buttons volumeup+volumedown+powerbutton
then its start unpacking the update package But in step 2 it failed on installing.

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)
This is the error.log I get in SD Card :
{filename = /mmc1/dload/update.app
call RCV_MODULE_END_EVENT failed,module = OEMSBL_VER_LIST
CMD=0xf,moduleaddr = 0xf0000000, len_tmp=0x2c54
filename = /mmc1/dload/update.app}

What can I do to get this fixed?

Yes my device is rooted and i have installed an Custom ROM also and update.app file is for my device i have downloaded from official website.

in clockwork recovery i have formatted system and other i have fully formatted device nothing is there and then again i have tried but it failed on installing                  please help

As I wrote before in a comment (which I've now removed to keep things clean – and ask you to do the same for yours, except for the last comment): if it is an update, as the listing on the download-page says, it might/will fail if it cannot detect a "valid" previous (stock) version installed on the device. The file size also indicates it only contains updated components, not a full firmware. You will need a full install. Not being familiar with Huawei devices, I have to leave detailed help to someone else.

OK so please give me the firmware of huawei y210d

@Rohitraj See Where can I find stock or custom ROMs for my Android device?

any body is not here to help me

please help me please

You have not provided all the information. Firstly, what was the version you had before trying to upload from Indian site? Last  4 digits indicate the version. Version compatibility is a major issue with Huawei (I own honor 6). Next did you flash stock recovery before trying to update. If not major cause for failure.

Following the instructions, flash each UPDATE.APP in order:

Transfer > put the UPDATE.APP file in a new folder sdcard\dload and run forced upgrade (vol up + down)
dload (main) > overwrite UPDATE.APP in sdcard\dload, run forced upgrade again
vendor > overwrite UPDATE.APP in sdcard\dload and run forced upgrade for the last time

Note:

the UPDATE.APP needs to be copied from each folder to sdcard\dload\
phone should reboot after each forced upgrade

Install Any Recovery Like CRM or TWRP....
search for "Room original del huawei y210D" in youtube. Exactly as given.... u will see one HD video link in search result.. downlaod the file mentioned in description of the vdo...
Download the rom file mentioned in youtube vdo description
Wipe the OS of ur mobile. wipe cache.. and others. Keep downloaded zip file in SD card.
Install using recovery....
Enjoy....

Search for a Youtube video to read its description, to find a link to the real ROM? That doesn't sound like a trustworthy way to find software that can completely take over your phone. If you can update your answer to link directly to a trustworthy source, please do.


text:
Differance in installing a rom from a different country
What are the differences in ROMs that are from different countries? Like for the S4 GT-i9500 4.3, There are some many country versions. Is it just localization differences? or something at system level?

If you install different countries ROM, you will get some different app that follows in that country region.

Yes, it's OK to flash stock ROM from another country. BUT, take note that it may have different languages, and a different baseband/modem. Having a different baseband can cause network issues (or a very hot phone), but you can flash a baseband that works for your country.


text:
How can I view my WhatsApp messages on my Android tablet?
I have an Android phone on which I use WhatsApp but for my convenience I would like to view them on my tablet which also runs Android. The tablet is wifi only so I cannot install WhatsApp on it. I'm hoping there is an app for that.

You can download the whatsapp.apk from the Internet (its like a .exe file for Android), just search it in Google.

Note that Whatsapp can only be installed in one device only per phone number; if you put the old account on the tablet, that will invalidate the account on the phone.

Yeah, but there is no other possibility

Yep. I'm looking for a way to be able to read my whatsapp messages on the tablet. Guess nothing close to it yet.  I shall wait . Thank you guys anyways

There is a web app which allows you to use whatsapp in chrome. On pc it works, you need a app on your phone where whatsapp is installed. I don't know if this is working an a tablet


text:
Nexus 5 static buzzing of speaker
My Nexus 5 has an annoying buzzing sound when it is set on low volumes. Any application using the speaker produces this, but when I get a call the ringtone doesn't buzz at all.
So I came to the conclusion that the speaker IS NOT physically broken.
When I plug in earphones and run an application the sound is working fine as well.
What is going wrong and how I can fix this? Should I try asking Google directly?

looks like its a feature. sacrificed the soundquality to secure the cheap price.


text:
Every single application constantly stops working
My dad's Samsung Galaxy phone keeps giving out errors, "The application {INSERT EVERY SINGLE APPLICATION THAT IS IN STARTUP} (process {PROCESS}) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again."
I tried restarting but that doesn't work either, I'm not sure what happened. It might have been a application my little brother downloaded but we are not sure.
Also, I can't do a factory reset or delete the applications or even connect it through USB. Can someone please help?

Why can't you do a factory-reset? Have you tried that via booting to recovery? Also, if you think it could be a specific app, you could boot to safe-mode and delete it.

Tried going into safe mode, it doesn't work.

You shouldn't need safe mode to do a reset, it should be in the settings somewhere

I have the same phone. I had to do a hard reset. By doing this its like your phone is brand new straight out of the box. No mobile codes which pretty much leaves your phone open.
When you get a new phone, they mess with it first before you get it in your hands. They put in codes for their network so all will work properly. When I did the hard reset I couldnt send MMS nor recieve them either, but by downloading GO SMS, I looked at their settings and was able to get my phone right again.
If you can't get into the settings to do the factory reset or anything else, then this is the next best option:

To do a hard reset turn your phone off.
Turn it on again holding the power button and both volume keys at the same time until you see the Samsung flashing logo.
Release all buttons and a little cute 3D android will show up. You then will have the option on what you want to do.
Remove your SIM and SD card, or they will be erased along with your phone.
Your phone will be brand new again.

I forgot to leave a message that it started working after a while, it was probably just a system glitch. Also we couldn't access settings, usb or anything so a factory reset or anything else would have been to hard to access.


text:
Llama event on manual profile change
Can I call an event in Llama on manual profile change?
E.g. Change profile to Develop = when connected to laptop disable screen lock, always on etc.

No, you cannot set up an event to trigger when a Llama profile has changed. Changing a Llama profile is only an action, and unfortunately isn't available as a condition.
There also isn't a condition for Connected to Computer. But there is a Charging or Unplugged condition that you can use to trigger other events. If you are fine with the more broad event of activating a profile when the phone is plugged in (to anything), that's doable.


text:
Fastboot: Lock state - Locked on nexus 7
I am having trouble unlocking the bootloader on my Nexus 7. When I boot into fastboot I see the message LOCK STATE - LOCKED. I want to unlock the bootloader so I can re-install the stock operating system since the device hangs on the "Google" logo screen.
I can see the device with the 'fastboot devices' command in command prompt but when I type in 'fastboot oem unlock' and accept the command on the android device I get an error:
C:\Android\platform-tools>fastboot oem unlock
...
(bootloader) erasing userdata...
(bootloader) erasing userdata done
(bootloader) erasing cache...
(bootloader) erasing cache done
(bootloader) unlocking...
FAILED (remote: (Unknown error code))
finished. total time: 1.614s

Is the device broken or is there a solution? Booting into recovery mode and trying to restore the device just makes it hang forever.

You don't need to unlock the bootloader to flash a stock ROM signed by the manufacturer.

I downloaded the image from here: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#nakasi. If I use the flash-all batch file it gives me "Bootloader is locked" error and if I try "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" it also gives me "Bootloader is locked".

hey, see this http://www.technorms.com/27360/how-to-lock-unlock-nexus-7-bootloader


text:
Android Icon meaning
I have an RCA tablet with Jelly Bean 4.2.  When I power on the tablet, the start up screen comes up, then the screen goes black and then the jelly bean android comes onto screen, laying on its back with a red triangle that has an exclamation point inside sitting on top of the android.  I cannot get into the tablet at all.  Does anyone know what the icon means?

"Andy out-of-order". Guess its stomach is open, too. He needs repair. Not necessarily the hardware. Maybe you [edit] your question and let us know what the last things were you did before this happened? That might give us an idea.

(source: howtogeek.com)
If you are getting this screen, that means your Android has booted into "recovery mode".

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


text:
Wifi not working too well.. :c
On my Android Gingerbread device (keep in mind that it is the pratically extinct Walkman, which is basically Android's attempt at a iPod) my wifi keeps on going white, and when it happens I can't use Text+ and stuff like that. I have no idea why, but it keeps on doing that. When its green though, it lets me go on it. It toggles from normal connection to only games, basically. Anyone know why my wifi won't work?

The color-change you describe has to do with connection to Google servers (see: What does it mean when the connectivity icons in the status bar go white/gray?). So the problem might not even be on your end: it could well be some routing stuff, or Google having trouble on their end.

When it's white, it means that Android can connect to the Wi-Fi access point but cannot get a connection to the Internet (more specifically, it is trying to connect to one of Google's server if you have Google Account registered in the device). This may happen if you connect to an open Wi-Fi access point that requires sign-in through the browser or which provides only local access or if your device is incorrectly connected to such access points (sometimes devices are configured to automatically connect to any open Wi-Fi access point or to any access points it has once connected to).
When this happens, check that you're connected to the correct access point; ensure that your device is not set to automatically connect to open Wi-Fi access point; and to set the device to forget the incorrectly connected access point so it wouldn't try to reconnect there in the future.


text:
How do I REALLY sync ALL contacts to a new phone
I have an old phone (LG P350) with Android 2.2.2, where I obviously have a few contacts. Most of them are contacts with telephone numbers, which I manually created (few got automatically imported from facebook or email).
Now I have a new LG phone with Android 2.3.6.
I want to have on the new phone all the contacts I had on the old one. I mean the contacts that you see when you tap on the Contacts icon.
It should be a complete no-brainer, but apparently it isn't.
Note: I don't use the GMail application neither on the old phone nor the new one, and I don't want to. I do have my @gmail.com account set as the main account for both phones.
On both the old and new phone, under Settings -> Accounts and Sync, the "Auto-sync" option is enabled.
Also, under the ...@gmail.com account listed below "manage accounts", I have enabled both "Sync people details" and "Sync contacts", both on the new and old phone.
However, my contacts don't get synced. I have a lot of contacts in the old phone that I can't find in the new one.
The new phone apparently has imported all the mess of useless contacts from gmail (i.e. email addresses some with and some without names) but no phone numbers.
So how do I sync, or export and then import ALL my contacts?

I finally managed to copy the contacts by exporting them from the old phone and importing them (Contacts -> Settings button -> Import/Export -> Export to SD card ...) which didn't work the first time because the exported file got somehow corrupted. However I still would like to know why the normal sync doesn't work and what one would have to do in order to get the normal sync to work

The first part of your comment should be an answer, matteo! As for the second part: the "normal sync" only picks contacts stored as "Google contacts". Maybe you had some of them stored "locally" instead. Or on SIM.

Oh, so there is a difference between a "google contact" and a "local contact"? That should be the answer I guess. None of my contacts were on sim. Whenever I created a contact I was never offered a choice whether to store them as "local" or as "google contacts", the only choice was between "phone" or "sim" (and I always saved them on phone).

Now that I have imported them to the new phone, I notice they all appear as "google contact"s. On the old phone, however, they all show up as "LG PC Suite contact"s. And there's no option to change that. The whole thing is pretty stupid. "Sync"ing should just mean uploading/downloading all contacts. Anyways...

Before we fight what should be the answer, I've summed it all up. And yes, I've missed that option (to move contacts between storages) as well a couple of times. I've got no idea why that's missing (or where it's hiding), unfortunately.

As you've already figured, a built-in solution is:

Open the contacts app on the "old device"
In Menu → Import/Export, chose to export
Copy the resulting 0001.vcf file to your "new device"
On the new device, open the contacts app and chose to "import" from Menu → Import/Export

Hint: take care there's enough free space available on the "exporting" device (file might get large, as contact pictures are stored inside it as well). You might not always get a warning when storage runs full, but instead end up with some "incomplete export", which then cannot be imported on the other end.

Now for the second part: why didn't they sync automatically? First, there are a few different "storages" to be considered:

On SIM
Google Contacts

These two are available on all devices. Depending on device and ROM, there might be additional "storages", e.g.

Exchange
PC Suite

Assuming you're speaking of Google's sync: That only takes care for Google contacts. As the PC Suite would only cater contacts in PC Suite to sync them with its desktop counterpart, and Exchange would not care for anything but Exchange contacts (you wouldn't want your personal contacts appearing in your company's address books, would you?). SIM contacts are a very special case: Nothing cares to sync them anywhere. I'm not even sure whether Import/Export is touching them.
So as parts of your contacts have been stored as "LG PC Suite contacts", these have not been sync'd with Google (and your "Google contacts" not with LG Suite), which explains the miss.

Thanks. Actually when I posted the question I had already tried the export/import thing and it failed, which is why I asked, since there seemed to be no way. But then I realized the file had simply got corrupted when exporting "because" there wasn't enough space to save it (a shame that the system decided to save "half" of it without giving an error message). As an aside, If anybody from Google read this, I hope they notice how stupid it is to not give an option to sync also "non-google" contacts, OR at least an option to move contacts from other "storages" to "google contacts".

While I agree to the latter (move-option), I'm glad the former does not exist. People may have specific reasons they prefer to have some data not synced with Google. // Thanks for the storage-full hint, btw. Integrated that with my answer.

While I agree with that method, you'll find stucked in unpleasant situations.
The method works in general, but it fails when (e.g.) a more than 1 note has been assigned to a contact: only the first one will be copied.

authors: Игорь Петрович


text:
How to figure out which app changes pulse notification light in system settings?
The nexus 5 has this "pulse notification light" that blinks when the device is sleeping and you receive an email, sms or something like that. I don't like it, so I turned it off in Settings > Display by unchecking "pulse notification light"
That works all fine for a couple of days/weeks but then suddenly the pulse notification light is back! And if I go to Settings / Display the checkbox is checked again! So one of my installed apps must enable this notification light again.
I want to figure out which app does that (most likely it is sms, mail or a chatting app). I guess notification light can only be enabled if the app has the System Settings permission, or is maybe the Vibrate permission enough? What is the best way to figure out which app actually made changes to my System? Is this logged somewhere?

Did you check and see if it happens due to reboot? I have three settings on my phone that love to return back to default after every reboot.

@donfuxx: Do you have the latest Android version 4.2.2?

@jis I have Android KitKat 4.4.2 on it.

I am really sorry for that nonsense. The latest one is KK 4.4.2, I know it, I have it on my Nexus, but I wrote 4.2.2...

@jis happens to me as well sometimes... 4.4.2 and 4.2.2 looks just too similar :-P I think it is best to name it API 17 & API 19

You should check which is the first notification after your notification light is turned on automatically. Most probably that app is the one that is overwriting your permission, and as per my observation most of the apps that can access notification light have an built in option in their settings to disable led notification. You should try disabling it from there.


text:
How to recover a System partition that won't mount
A relative of mine brought me his Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9190, which is stuck at boot. When I boot into recovery it gives the error Failed to mount /system (invalid argument).
How can I dig through the file-system of an android phone which doesn't boot, except in Recovery? The goal is not to flash it but to recover the data if possible.
I don't mind rooting or flashing, but I don't want to overwrite the system partition that may still have the valuable info on it. I've managed to install clockworkmod according to these instructions.
Is there a way to mount it, or expose the raw device to USB, or just back it up to SD, without overwriting it?
EDIT: Now I have Clockworkmod installed. Trying to use it to make a backup of /system. It fails to mount /system with the message:
mounting /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/b/system on /system failed: Invalid Argument
W:failed to mount /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system (File exists)

EDIT 2: with ADB shell I looked into /system, found an empty folder called bin and removed it. Now mounting /system fails with a longer error:
Error mounting /system!
W:failed to mount /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system (File exists)
I:Can't partition non mmcblk device: /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.3/mmc_host

Mind me asking, how did this happen? Why are you booting into recovery anyway?

It's stuck, won't boot any other way.

Right, how did it get stuck? :) Were you attempting to install CWM or attempting to root?

@tomnexus I've just integrated the information of your last 2 comments into your question (please remember you can and should always [edit] it to make important information part of where it's seen ;) So you might consider deleting those comments for a clean-up. // as for the error: I'm not 100% sure, but it looks like the directory /system is not empty, and that's why mount fails. When in recovery, can you try to verify that – e.g. using adb shell to ls /system?

figured out ADB and logged in. ls /system showed one empty folder called bin inside. I removed it with rmdir bin. Same error trying to mount the folder. New error in the logs (above)

Sounds like its hosed, need to get [tag:odin] and samsung firmware to reflash everything...

Yep, that's what I did in the end. Device working! Small troubles with CountryCodes which went away with Samsung's Kies after a while. Thank you for the ADB hint though. I mounted the SD and copied the partitions one with dd, so I should be able to mount them later.

My not-so-great solution ended up like this:

ClockWorkMod, installed with Odin according to the instructions (Odin seems to be slightly un-official so you're unfortunately always downloading from someone's Box or google drive, which is a bit uncomfortable)
ADB shell, (on PC: install java SDK, install android development kit)

Mount the SD card with CWM
In the shell, using DD to clone the unmountable partitions I wanted onto the SD, for later recovery
using CWM to mount the SD as a USB drive, moving the piece-of-partition to the PC
Repeat

Download fresh firmware from Sammobile and flash with Odin
Scratch through the partitions with a hex editor, to find the data I needed. Fortunately this was just text, things like pictures would have been harder.

A few features were still not working, WiFi for one, so the phone had to go back to the shop to be flashed with official firmware. At least it had the official bootloader on it at that stage, not CWM.

I'm in the same situation, but i didn't make it pass step 1 :), probably because i didn't have USB Debug active at the moment of failure?

This wasn't in any debug mode, it just stopped working. Some sort of very rare memory corruption I guess. It probably depends on what exactly went wrong, whether you can even enter recovery mode or not. In my case the fault was only in the main partition. Sorry :-/

I just ran into this issue and my fix was flashing TWRP and using their partition file system correction tools. I used rashr to replace CWM recovery with TWRP and after the fixes from TWRP, I was able to flash ROMs again.

Just enter into fast boot mode and connect my mobile with PC
Just flash the same ROM, Which I have already have in my mobile (I haven't done "erase userdata")
After flashing the ROM, Reboot my mobile
I got all apps and datas.
Also, I connected my mobile with PC, now its detected the internal memory of my mobile, here I can copy the required pictures and data to my PC.


text:
/system/xbin/sh high cpu usage
I'm using OS Monitor to look at CPU usage because I've noticed a drastic performance decrease lately. The app shows that system/xbin/sh is consuming anywhere from 10% to 70% of the CPU. This happens constantly, the process never stops appearing at the top of the list. I have a two questions:

What is system/xbin/sh?
What could be causing it to utilize so much of the CPU?
Is there a way to track which apps make calls to system/xbin/sh?

More Info:

Android version: 4.1.2
Phone: Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX HD
ROM: Droid Nexesque v3.8 (AOSP-based ROM) (through safestrap)
Rooted: yes
not running any anti-virus or the like

adb shell top output:
PID PR CPU% S  #THR     VSS     RSS PCY UID      Name
6214  0  97% R     1 182528K  92452K     root     /system/xbin/sh
...
6211  0   0% S     1   1428K    448K     root     /system/xbin/sh
6212  0   0% S     1  53500K  52596K     root     /system/xbin/sh
...

adb shell ps output:
USER     PID   PPID  VSIZE  RSS     WCHAN    PC         NAME
root      1     0     544    404   ffffffff 00000000 S /init
...
root      6211  1     1428   448   ffffffff 00000000 S /system/xbin/sh
root      6212  6211  53500  52596 ffffffff 00000000 S /system/xbin/sh
root      6214  6212  293976 214156 ffffffff 00000000 R /system/xbin/sh
...

cat /proc/<pid>/cmdline output:
"level 1" process: /system/xbin/sh /system/bin/debuggerd
"level 2" process: /system/xbin/sh /system/etc/init.d.loader
"level 3" process: /system/xbin/sh /system/etc/init.d.loader

/system/etc/init.d.loader contents:
#!/system/xbin/sh
############# ############# #############
# init.d.loader by puppet13th@xda
# Version 0.7 19 June 2012
# to run script in background append .bgrun to script name
# example : "myscript.bgrun"
# ############# ############# #############
logfile=/data/init.d.loader.log
loglength=65536
bgrunsign='.bgrun'
if [ -f $logfile ]
    then
    log=`cat $logfile`
    currentloglength=`length "$log"`
    if [ $currentloglength -gt $loglength ]
    then
    rm -f $logfile  fi
fi
echo " * `date` * init.d.loader start . . .">>$logfile
echo " ">>$logfile
if [ ! -d /system/etc/init.d ]
    then
    echo "  creating init.d folder . . .">>$logfile
    mount -o remount rw /system >>$logfile 2>>$logfile
    if [ -f /system/etc/init.d ]
        then
        rm -f /system/etc/init.d >>$logfile 2>>$logfile
    fi
    mkdir /system/etc/init.d >>$logfile 2>>$logfile
mount -o remount ro /system >>$logfile 2>>$logfile
fi
echo " ">>$logfile
echo " i : running init.d scripts . . .">>$logfile
for script in /system/etc/init.d/*
do
    if [ -x $script ]
    then
    bgrun=`grep $bgrunsign $script`>/dev/null
        if [ $? = 0 ]
        then
        echo "  - running $script in background . . .">>$logfile
        /system/xbin/sh $script & >>$logfile 2>>$logfile
        else
        echo "  - running $script . . .">>$logfile
        /system/xbin/sh $script>>$logfile 2>>$logfile
        fi
    fi
done
echo " ">>$logfile
echo " * `date` * init.d.loader end . . .">>$logfile
echo " ">>$logfile

/system/bin/debuggerd contents:
#!/system/xbin/sh
#init.d.loader
/system/etc/init.d.loader
/system/bin/debuggerd.bin

Checking /data/local for things other tools might have left to "plug into init": There are four empty folders and a file named RootToolsMounts. /data/local/RootToolsMounts contents:
rootfs / rootfs ro,relatime 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,nosuid,relatime,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,relatime,mode=600 0 0
proc /proc proc rw,relatime 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw,relatime 0 0
none /acct cgroup rw,relatime,cpuacct 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/asec tmpfs rw,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/obb tmpfs rw,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0
tmpfs /dev tmpfs rw,nosuid,relatime,mode=755 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw,relatime,mode=600 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdataorig /datamedia ext4 rw,relatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdataorig /ss ext4 rw,relatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/asec tmpfs rw,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
tmpfs /mnt/obb tmpfs rw,relatime,mode=755,gid=1000 0 0
none /dev/cpuctl cgroup rw,relatime,cpu 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system /system ext4 ro,relatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata /data ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,user_xattr,barrier=0,data=ordered,noauto_da_alloc,discard 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache /cache ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/persist /persist ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem /firmware ext4 ro,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_xattr,barrier=1,data=ordered 0 0
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/pds /pds ext3 rw,nosuid,noexec,relatime,barrier=0,data=writeback 0 0
/dev/fuse /storage/sdcard0 fuse rw,nosuid,nodev,relatime,user_id=1023,group_id=1023,default_permissions,allow_other 0 0
/dev/block/vold/179:97 /storage/sdcard1 vfat rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0702,dmask=0702,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro 0 0

Looking at /data/init.d.loader.log (~50 MB file), it is running the init.d scripts approximately every  10 seconds. I'm not too familiar with the underlying components of Android, so I'm not sure if this is a lot or not. The two scripts in /system/etc/init.d./ are init.d.loader.test and minfree.
/data/init.d.loader.log contents:
The log file is filled with these entries repeating every 10-12 seconds
...
* Sun Feb 23 18:46:09 CST 2014 * init.d.loader
start...
i: running init.d scripts...
 - running /system/etc/init.d/init.d.loader.test...
 - running /system/etc/init.d/minfree...
* Sun Feb 23 18:46:09 CST 2014 * init.d.loader
end...
* Sun Feb 23 18:46:20 CST 2014 * init.d.loader
start...
i: running init.d scripts...
 - running /system/etc/init.d/init.d.loader.test...
 - running /system/etc/init.d/minfree...
* Sun Feb 23 18:46:20 CST 2014 * init.d.loader
end...
...

init.d.loader.test contents:
#!/system/xbin/sh
# init.d.loader tester
# check /data/init.d.loader.test
echo init.d.loader test >/data/init.d.loader.test

minfree contents:
#!/system/xbin/sh
echo "2469,4938,6584,33756,36971,40186" > /sys/module/lowmemorykiller/parameters/minfree

PS: Have you read this

@t0mm13b I have read that, but that wouldn't seem to help my problem. I added the ps and top outputs for /system/xbin/sh. I'm not sure if this will help. If this doesn't help, I'm probably just going to wipe the ROM and start over. It will be easier than narrowing it down app by app.

It seems like this script is getting into infinite loop or something like that. Can you check the content of the scripts's log file: /data/init.d.loader.log and observe it over the next five minutes whether or not the log file is changing or being written to.

For what the script is supposed to do, it should only run once at boot IMHO. Btw: the /data/local/RootToolsMounts looks like a form of fstab to me (but is definitely not causing the trouble here).

@StrangerLoop: Does your ROM comes with busybox, if it does can you use the tail <filename> command to check the show the last few lines in the log file, about fifteen lines should suffice for now. Tail command: tail -n 15 /data/init.d.loader.log

From the script, that looks very suspicious, if I were you OP, I'd chase up the guy over on XDA (puppet13th@xda) and find out exactly why is it looping over all scripts in etc directory, remounting the system as rewriteable without your knowledge and executing them in the background. My conclusion from reading the above is, this is a bogus script as part of maybe, a rooting process, that slipped through, looking at /proc/pid/cmdline, level 2 is of concern, inti.d.loader (was this pasted in or a typo?) That is unheard of.

@t0mm13b Definitely a typo, it should read init.d.loader. I have contacted the developer of the ROM on droidrzr.com (the thread on that site is the one that is updated by the developer). I will also try to get a hold of puppet13th on xda.

Glad that its a typo then so... :)

My current guess is that the script took a lot of CPU time because it uses a very inefficient way of calculating the log file length, which is to read the entire log file to memory and use length. This shouldn't have been much of an issue if the log file is small, but since you said that log file's current size is more than 50MB, this shows that the log file isn't getting trimmed properly. Another concerning issue is that init scripts are supposed to only run once at startup, but this script is obviously being run periodically.

If my guess is correct, you may be able to fix this temporarily by deleting the log file, but eventually the slow down will occur again when the log file is filled again. Check if you have the latest version of your ROM, maybe it's fixed in the latest version? Otherwise if it's an unmaintained ROM, you'll need to figure out a way to fix the script.

@LieRyan You were correct! That fixed the problem for now, but as you said, over time it's going to reappear. I am on the latest version of the ROM, unfortunately. I will get in contact with the ROM dev and the dev that wrote init.d.loader. Thanks for everyone's help. I appreciate it!

My current guess is that the script took a lot of CPU time because it uses a very inefficient way of calculating the log file length, which is to read the entire log file to memory and use length. This shouldn't have been much of an issue if the log file is small, but since you said that log file's current size is more than 50MB, this shows that the log file isn't getting trimmed properly. Another concerning issue is that init scripts are supposed to only run once at startup, but this script is obviously being run periodically.
If my guess is correct, you may be able to fix this temporarily by deleting the log file, but eventually the slow down will occur again when the log file is filled again. Check if you have the latest version of your ROM, maybe it's fixed in the latest version? Otherwise if it's an unmaintained ROM, you'll need to figure out a way to fix the script.

I'm only GUESSING  but have you tried lowering the log Buffer size? Feature is listed in Dev Options >Settings>Developer Options>Logger Buffer Size

Community wiki isn't for answers like this, it's for "canonical" answers that the whole community should contribute to.


text:
How to get a transparent notification/Quickmenu background?
I want my Galaxy SIII Int to have a transparent notification/quickmenu background, without Gravitybox it aint working. The problem, if I use Gravitybox my system.ui will crash.
So I searched other ways to do it and came with ''[MOD][XPOSED]Change notification background image[UPDATE 1.1]'' But also that aint working for me know...
So if some of you guys know a way to do it, please tell me.
Phone info:
- Samsung Galaxy SIII International
- KitKat 4.4.2
- CyanogenMod 11 ( Snapshot M3 )

Are you using GravityBox[KK] for KitKat and not GravityBox[JB]? It should work fine, as it is for AOSP like ROMs. Failign that as the answer below says try other modules!

Yes exactly that, Im using GravityBox KK with my SGS 3 International with CM 11 KitKat. But if i restart it says System.ui has chrashed ?

If GravityBox isn't working for you, I'd try another XPOSED mod called Wanam Xposed. It's similar to GB in the sense that you can modify all kinds of different parts of your phone using it, but Wanam is a lot better when it comes to modifying the status bar, in my opinion.

I already heard of Wanam Xposed but I dont see the option to transparate your notification menu ?

Should be under the category 'Theme', and in the  subcategory 'Notification panel'.


text:
Disable Touch Input Tracking Bubble on 4.4.2 CM 11
About a week ago my Samsung Note II started tracking all touch input with a bubble. It acts sort of like mouse trails, although there is only one bubble. I don't remember turning this feature on, and after looking through all the settings and applications I can't find any way to disable it. The phone is running a CyanogenMod 11 Nightly (Build cm-11-20140222-NIGHTLY-i605.zip) but I noticed it on previous builds of CM 11 as well.
Here are some screenshots of the bubble tracking touch input in various applications:

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)
Does anyone know how to turn this off?

Found it. I remembered installing a beta app from Cyanogenmod called Screencast which can be used to record the screen if you have a CM 11 ROM. When you start recording there is an option in the notification bar to Show Touches. I had enabled this when playing with the Screencast app, and it continues to track touch input even after you stop the recording. Disabling the Show Touches option fixed my issue.

Go to Setting -> Developer Options -> Show touches -> Off

Why  downvote(s) against this answer? The answer definitely didn't develop the context around itself but it does the job.


text:
Headphone Volume buttons
I've got a Bose qc15 headset with online volume and call buttons. The call button works with my Nexus 5 but not the volume buttons. Is there a way to get the volume buttons to work?

Related (and possible duplicate): Headphone Volume buttons do not work

Related: Does android, specifically the HTC Incredible, support headphone volume buttons?

Related: How to make volume buttons on earphones/headphones work with Android?


text:
Incoming calls Moto X ; press 1 to accept call
For some reason my Moto X is requiring me to press the number 1 in order to accept incoming calls. I thought this may be a Motorola assist glitch, but the problem was not fixed when I disabled the application.
Any ideas? Similar problems out there?

Did you recently start using Google Voice, or turn on call screening?

@AlE. Yes, not recently, but I do have google voice. I have not intentionally turned on call screening. Any suggestions for settings I should change?

Check your GV call settings to ensure that call screening isn't on at all.

"Press 1 to accept the call" sounds like Google Voice's call screening.
Check your GV call settings to ensure that call screening isn't on at all. (You can individually turn it off for certain people or groups, but the main setting would need to be "on".)
More on Call Screening at Google Voice Support.

Also, if you pick up the call too fast, Google Voice's "press 1" prompt will appear regardless of the Call Screening setting.  According to Google, this is to prevent spamming by automated systems.

authors: Ярослав Нестеров


text:
Where is the old DDMS debugging log (logged before I my smartphone gets turned off)
Where are old DDMS debugging logs that are logged before my smartphone is turned off? I forgot to keep my logs before I turned it off yesterday. I usually enable debugging mode in case of suspicious situations.
I want to debug my phone as a very strange thing happened yesterday, my smartphone was operated by microwave remotely.
My phone is a Nexus 5 (4.4.2)

They're not anywhere. The logs you see in adb logcat are stored in a ring buffer in RAM only. They're deleted when the phone is turned off. Even while the phone is turned on, the oldest entries are continually overwritten by new entries, so that the log doesn't take up more and more RAM the longer the phone runs.


text:
How to factory reset android (4.1) tablet without boot menu?
My 8-year old son have a Denver TAC-76001, he loves testing settings etc. After setting a pin-code password he cannot recall the code.
Since we cannot start the tablet I have tried make a factory reset without success. This is what I have tried:

Shut it down.
Press power and Vol + (or Vol -) until the boot android robot is displayed.

( at this point there is no (visible) boot menu )
3.1. Press Vol + (or Vol -) as if there was a menu and press on/off as enter-option. No success - pin-code needed.
3.2. Wait about a minute (which leads to reset according to a youtube-clip) until it restarts - pin-code needed.
3.3. Download firmware for the tablet, follow the instruction in order to format and re-install. No success - nothing happens when I try to format the tablet.
Now I am out of ideas...

New ideas, tools etc. are warmly welcome!

Regards!

I moved the problem from stackoverflow.com since this seems to be a more accurate forum.

To deal with the issue instead of the approach (see: What is the XY problem?): You might wish to take a look at Can not unlock my Android device as have no internet connection?

The following link may help you. http://www.howtogeek.com/130611/how-to-factory-reset-your-android-phone-or-tablet-when-it-wont-boot/

The issue is solved! My son tried out some passwords and I think it was "12345678910".

Wow. That's the more secure variant of Spaceballs passwords ("12345") :) Good job, and enjoy your device!

According to the manual for your tablet, there should be a "Reset" button.  Try holding it while powering on the tablet and see if it boots into special mode (recovery) that lets you perform a reset.

That is the same brand but a different device. There is no reset button. However, the problem is solved, see comment of the OP.. Thanks anyway!

DENVER ELECTRONICS A/S explains to access the recovery mode (e-mail):

You can factory reset the tablet the following way:

Plug in the adapter. Press the reset button on the back of the tablet and wait for approx. 20 seconds (until the battery icon disappears and the screen goes black).
Press the power button for 5 seconds.
When the Denver logo appears, press the power button 2 times (short fast press). (If the tablet powers of for start with “Android” – start again at step 1.)
Wait until you enter the recovery menu. Press the power button 3 times (don’t hold the button, short fast press).
“4. Wipe data/factory reset” must be marked.
Press and hold the power button for approx. 3 seconds, then release.
Use short fast presses to get the cursor to “8. Yes – delete all user data”.
Press and hold the power button for approx. 3 seconds, then release.
“1. reboot system now” must be marked.
Press and hold the power button for approx. 3 seconds, then release.


text:
is there any way to read the sd card when phone connected to PC in Mass Storage Mode
I am working on a project where a .Net application stores data on phones SD card. I need to read the data and display in notification. But the problem is that my application Can't read the sd card when my phone is connected in Mass Storage mode. And .Net application can't store data im MTP mode. I dont want my android device to detach from the PC but want to read the SD card.

This isn't really related to Android, but rather to .Net or Windows and MTP.

OK I was facing this issue in android so I asked it here

No. In mass storage mode the phone effectively acts as a card reader, so the PC has complete control over it. If the phone were to mount the card at the same time as the PC, the filesystem on the card would become corrupted. That's why Android phones don't offer USB mass storage any more.
With MTP, the PC goes through what's effectively a file server on the Android phone, instead of mounting the card's filesystem completely. That way, the phone still has access to the card, and the phone can control what the PC can access.


text:
Whats app registration issue. Stuck on the 'Initializing' page
I 'Cleared Data' on whatsApp by mistake while closing some applications. Ever since, WhatsApp is trying to re-register me and I am stuck on the 'Initializing' page for the last 48 hours. However, I can continue to receive WhatsApp notifications and see that I am receiving messages. But if I click on WhatsApp, it takes me to the 'Initializing' page! Any solutions to this?

Please try to to make sure of the version of the messenger you have is (Version 2.11.169), and then try to download the application manually from whatsapp website (http://www.whatsapp.com/android/) and install it manually, while installing it it will ask for replacement, hit yes and continue installing, this will give you the previlage to avoid losing all previous data and to recover whatsapp's data.

Thanks for the tip, it worked. But I lost my recent messages...

Even i had faced this issue and my initialisation was stuck with the 4-5mins timer auto activation.I simply did a restart for my device and then after few time opened the application and pressed continue to load the initialisation page. With good internet connection I was able to get back to normal what's app and the best part is that I did not lose any previous chat history it loaded back as it was.
Or
Go for voice activation wherein you get a call for a one time password through which also you can get back in the account.

Kill the app, clear cache and if required, reboot. This is a common issue during setup.
Wiping data and restarting the setup too will work.


text:
Disable some Touchwiz features
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Music and the screen locks every time I make a call with the message "double tap to unlock". Can I change this?

Try disabling the talkback feature if it's on.
Go to Settings>Accessibility>Talkback and uncheck.


text:
I formatted /sdcard and my phone won't boot
I have a Samsung Galaxy Star Duos GT-S5282. I installed ClockworkMod Recovery 5 and I was messing with it. I went to "mounts and storage" then chose format /sdcard and then rebooted the system.
It is stuck on the logo and restarting and isn't loading. How can I fix it?

Are you quite sure you didn't select format /system instead by accident?  Did you have a custom ROM installed as well?  If so, simply re-flashing the ROM image (and optionally gapps) should bring the phone back to normal.

That is what I try but Odin3 is now about 4 hours flashing it and it didnt finish yet, is that normal?! @Chahk

No, definitely not normal.  Flashing via Odin usually takes a few minutes.  Try disconnecting the phone, re-connecting it and flash again.

And it will not get bricked on unplugging it during the process? @Chalk

Well, it can't get any worse than it already is.  If Odin's been stuck for 4 hours, it's not going to finish at all.  Most likely it hasn't even started the flashing process at all.  Also, in order for Odin to even recognize your phone, it needs to be in Download mode, not Recovery.

@Chahk Yes my phone is in Download Mode and I am using Odin 3 v3.09 and flashing the stock ROM,the log says:
ID:0/004 NAND Write Start!!
ID:0/004 boot.img
ID:0/004 recovery.img
ID:0/004 SPRDCP.img
ID:0/004 cache.img
ID:0/004 system.img
It took about 15 mins for each img and I am using unoriginal cable, may that be a reason for the delay? Honestly, I am very afraid to unplug it

I'm afraid you delete the whole system on your device, so that there is currently no rom to boot.
What you can do now is to flash a rom. If you have an external SD card slot, then push your rom files and g-apps onto it and insert the card and flash via recovery.
If your device does not have an external SD card slot or you do not have one, you have to flash the rom via adb. Here's a link to that: xda-Wiki
I hope I understood you correctly and that it helps

I am currently trying to flash it using Odin but its now about 4 hours and its still progressing, is that normal?!

I assume you already have a custom recovery installed, right? If so, I would not try to flash via Odin, but it's more than 1 year since I last used Odin, so I don't know for sure.

You need to flash a custom recovery in Odin. This should take about 5 seconds. Then you can use the recovery to flash your ROM. Alternatively you could Odin flash a Stock ROM (http://sammobile.com) which should only take a couple of minutes max.

I guess your phone is soft bricked. Try re-partitioning it with the pit file and flashing the original stock firmware. This will not take 4-hours.


text:
To insert contacts into Hangout
I am using Kitkat - Nexus 5. While sending a message to A using Hangout, how can I insert the contact details of some other person B within the text message to be sent to A...We had this provision in Android 2.2 Froyo itself where it was shown as "Add contact" or "Insert contact" as options within the message itself.

At this time there isn't a way to attach a contact. You would have to copy and paste the details or use a different messaging app. Hangouts is still lacking in many essential features, unfortunately.


text:
How to recover data via adb?
My phone is huawei u8800 and it keeps restarting as soon as opened. Now it is closed and in adb, I tried
adb backup -all

but it gave the error
now unlock your device and confirm the backup operation

I don't want to lose data. What can I do?
I have CWM, I have backed up but I can't trust that if I reset, it can restore my data.
I can't open the phone so I cant use backup programs.

Problem is, even with adb backup, you need to at least tap one button on the device to confirm – a security measure, so a "data thief" cannot simply "dump" your stuff. // What do you mean by "opening"? Does it hang in a boot-loop, or does it reboot when you unlock the screen?

As soon as it loads beginning screen, it restarts. I can npt even unlock the screen. Sometimes it restarts without loading desktop.

Along with CWM, did you install a custom ROM (like CyanogenMod or MIUI, for example?)

Yes i installed aurorasp and after that restarting started (i did not install any update or apps but restarting started) , i reflashed some roms to solve without wiping data. It  did not work. Once, restarting was delayed, 4-5 seconds.

When installing a different ROM, not wiping can lead to trouble – like you experience now. Did you create a backup before flashing? Hopefully even Nandroid? In that case, the best approach would be restoring that, then do your adb backup (excluding system stuff!), and after a clean wipe/flash you can restore your apps and data from it. For "system data" (contacts, calendars, APNs, etc) you will have to take care separately. Please also check our backup tag-wiki.

No, after this problem started, i tried to install new roms without wiping to solve that.


text:
How to configure internet access in Virtual Device
My development machine is behind a proxy and Eclipse can access internet with no problem (the SDK Manager is downloading / installing packages and my proxy is configured in Eclipse).
When I start a VD, I can't see any network option in Settings | Networking (only the Bluetooth one) and I can't access internet with browser (connection problem).
What I'm doing wrong?

Please try this.
To setup Proxy address on AVD:

Go to Settings>WIRELESS & NETWORKS>Mobile networks>Mobile networks settings>Access Point Names
add access point by clicking "+" button and then type favorite name for Name, favorite name for APN, fixed Proxy and port. If necessary put user name and password.

To setup DNS address on AVD:

Run below command.
emulator -avd <MACHINE_NAME> -dns-server <DNS_IP_ADDRESS>

FYI:
https://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html#dns

I think I have a DNS problem. Without your tip I can access local hosts (local web server) using IP address bu not adress name. With your tip I can't access anything ( proxy auth error)

I need to understand how AVD works. If it needs a IP address or static configuration, no way to this work in my job because the Admin does not allow to assign IP addresses for my own. I think all network traffic was through Eclipse and its configuration or using NAT.

I can say It's proxy setting issue on AVD not IP address, we have to setup proxy on each AVD once if it needs to access internet from AVD. you can get more information about emulator from   http://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html

Yeap. Agree. But I can't set the proxy as you tell, because I have no DNS and the proxy IP changes every time the Administrator wants. I can access any site via IP, but not via address. Where to set the DNS in AVD?

@Magno C, How about this link? http://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html#dns If it could resolve the name of host by DNS, you are not worried about proxy ip address changes.

The link you give me (http://developer.android.com/tools/devices/emulator.html#dns) helps to solve my problem. The solution was to start the emulator by using command line and passing the DNS : emulator -avd <MACHINE_NAME> -dns-server <DNS_IP_ADDRESS>. Thanks. BTW, AND configure proxy as you said, inside Android.

Just for check : I also created a HTTP_PROXY global enviroment variable in Windows with <user>:<password>@<ADDRESS>:<PORT>. Any changes needs to reboot the machine (or kill the adb service task)

I see my question have more than 1000 views. If this answer helps you, do not forget to upvote! Thanks.

What is DNS_IP_ADDRESS here?

@Igor G: It's your DNS IP address. You can see it by using ipconfig /all in windows or ifconfig in linux.


text:
Android tablet stuck at boot screen
I have a non-branded, non-rooted Chinese tablet with model number X5. It is working fine for a few days. But one day, when I started the tablet, it got stuck on the Android screen. After 10, 20, and even 30 minutes, it remains there and then goes off.
How to fix it?

More details please. Exact brand name and model would be helpful. What have you tried so far (turning it off and back on? Factory reset?) Has this started happening after you installed a new app?

It might help to hard-reset it by "poking" something like a needle into the "reset-hole" for a couple of seconds (this is the same as removing the battery, if you could do that).

I am not an expert on the subject, but if you hold down the power key for ten to maybe thirty seconds, you can get them to reboot completely. Mine got stuck on a screen when I first got it. It just stuck on some arbitrary screen but I think that's how I got it to reboot. But I am not sure how long you have to hold down the button, but it is some length of time.

I have already done this but nothing happened

Press the power key and volume up key to enter recovery mode.
Delete user data and restart the device.

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


text:
How Can I Root My GS4 Without Bricking It Again
So... I've rooted all of my devices in the past: tablets and phones and 2 months ago I tried rooting my Galaxy S4 and bricked it, even though I followed an XDA video on how to root.
I followed all of the steps exactly as instructed and still bricked my GS4.
So... Is there any way/video/method that can help me root my new GS4 without bricking it this time? Or should I just forget about it?
I have the T Mobile SGH-M919 I believe

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! You might want to start with our rooting tag-wiki, followed by our rooting index: Galaxy S4 SCH-I545 / Galaxy S4 (Verizon, Android 4.3) / Galaxy S4 Mini

You cannot really root a bricked phone. However, assuming your phone is not currently bricked, there's a very straightforward tutorial by wwjoshdew that you can follow.


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How can I scan barcodes on webpages in Firefox for Android?
Using Firefox for Android, I occasionally find web pages containing barcode images (or photos containing barcodes) that I would like to scan.
I could save the image, switch to a barcode app, open and scan the image there, and probably end up relaunching the browser to see the result, but I'd prefer to long hold the image and launch the scanning app directly (with no save step required).
Is there an open source extension (Android app, Firefox add-on, Firefox app) that can achieve this? I've tried looking on the Firefox add-ons and apps marketplaces with no luck.
Example images:

f-droid.org (rendered image, imperfect QR code)
cryptojunky.com (photo, imperfect QR code)
wikimedia.org (rendered Aztec code)

This might be a duplicate: App that reads images of QR codes?

In Firefox for android you can long press the image and select share. From there just choose "decode QR code".
Make sure you first install the program "QR droid".
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=la.droid.qr


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How do I retrieve timestamps from my Firefox download history?
I'm looking for a way to retrieve timestamps of my download history at the full precision that they are stored at, preferably to at least second precision.
Unfortunately though, without obtaining root permission over my phone, I don't have access to my own user data at /data/, so I'm trying to figure out a way to do this through Firefox using JavaScript.
Situation: I made the big mistake of moving pictures and videos from the internal storage of my phone to a microSD card using Android's stock tool to do so (‘Settings’ → ‘Storage’ → ‘Transfer data to SD card’). Unfortunately, this bumped the timestamps of all of the files, and also messed around with directories other than DCIM/ (images and videos were also moved from the Download/, image/, Pictures/, and video/ directories). In hindsight it seems silly that I used such a tool (I'd normally use Ghost Commander), but it appeared as a notification when running low on internal storage space and it just looked so easy. I've since been trying to piece back together the timestamps of the various images and videos.
I have restored the timestamps of photos and recorded videos in DCIM/100ANDRO/ based on timestamps in their embedded metadata (see this Unix & Linux Q/A), and I've figured out how to restore the timestamps of all of the images and videos in the image/, Pictures/, and video/ directories, but I'm still stuck with how to restore the images in Download/.
The embedded metadata of these files isn't going to help me to restore their timestamps, because I want to restore them back to when I obtained the file (i.e. downloaded it), so I need to get access to my Firefox data and obtain the download timestamps. Once I have the timestamps, I'll then be able to touch the files to approximately the correct timestamp that they had before Android lost them.
I'm using mobile Firefox 27.0 on Android 4.3.

This is probably too late for OP, but I found a possible way to do this.
You can open the Firefox Profile folder (no root required since Firefox owns the folder) by entering the following URL in Firefox Mobile's address bar:
file:///data/data/org.mozilla.firefox/files/mozilla/

This opens the folder that stores your Firefox profiles. The actual profile folder is the folder with the random looking folder name there. In my phone for example, the profile folder is y7hj32bc.default (this name will change for every installation).
Inside the profile folder, there should be a file named:
downloads.json

You can tap on the file and Firefox would open the file as text file. Copy the content of this file to somewhere and open it with a text editor.
The downloads.json file contains a JSON file that looks like the following:
{
  "list": [
    {
      "source": "http:\/\/example.com\/path\/file.txt",
      "target": {
        "path": "\/storage\/emulated\/0\/Download\/file.txt",
        "partFilePath": "\/storage\/emulated\/0\/Download\/file.txt.part"
      },
      "saver": {
        "type": "copy",
        "entityID": "%2239907-3fe8c75e5c140%22\/235783\/Wed, 17 Aug 2005 18:42:37 GMT"
      },
      "startTime": "2015-04-04T17:25:59.468Z",
      "succeeded": true,
      "totalBytes": 235783,
      "tryToKeepPartialData": true,
      "contentType": "text\/plain"
    },
    ...

Your file download start date is in the startTime field, and the file path is in target/path. The date is formatted as ISO8601 format.


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Galaxy s2 data retrieval
Galaxy S2 lcd broken, totally black screen. Would like to retrieve data through kies but as phone is swipe protected, kies won't unlock it. Any ideas?

How about a MHL HDMI adapter? With a bluetooth mouse? Depends how much the data is worth to you I guess.

So the defunct phone screen would be mirrored on either a tv or pc and b/tooth mouse to trace the swipe pattern? How to enable b/t tooth on phone though?


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Lock and erase options not appearing in Android Device manager
My FairPhone appears in the Android Device Manager, its location is picked up, and I can ring it:

As you can see the separate Lock and Erase options do not appear as illustrated in the help:

If I click the Setup lock and erase the website says it sent a setup notification. I do not see anything arriving on the phone.
On the phone I have turned on both Remotely locate this device and Allow remote lock and erase options as described here.
In the play store, my device is set as 'Visible in menus'.
FWIW, I'm not signed in to Google+.
What am I missing?
Device: Android 4.2.2 'JellyBean MR2' / FairPhone 1.1 'Caju'. Not rooted.

It is now the morning after the evening I wrote this question. My Lock and Erase settings are now automagically present in Android Device Manager.
I have not changed any settings or powered off the phone, it was just 'sleeping' last night.
So it looks like the Google servers needed some time to enable the settings.

It sounds like Android Device Manager may not have administrator privileges. Go to:
Settings/Security/Device Administrators/

and make sure that Android Device Manager is checked. If it isn't, check it and agree to the popup. Then you should be able to enable it in the Google Settings app.

You have to setup the lock and erase first! This just means clicking that button then setting up a service on Android to allow the Android Device manager to manage the device. The nexus 4 has this built in, so there's no need to set it up.
But as you have already clicked it, its a matter of checking if your phone has a good internet connection and can connect to Google. Also make sure that the Android Device manager is installed on the Android device in question

The app does not need to be installed. That is just to locate another device. The functionality is built into Google Play Services, so all Play Store certified devices 2.3(I believe) and up that are signed in to a Google account have this feature already.

I do not have a data connection active. I think that means that Google has to locate my phone by Wifi or GPS. Yesterday evening (at home, good Wifi) the location and test ring went fine, so the connection was OK. Just this morning (at the office, indoors, bad Wifi) the 'Ring' test from Device Manager failed, and Device manager could not locate me. I just reset the Wifi connection and now the ring comes through several minutes late and I am located. So your suggestion that a bad connection could be the reason is generally right, it just was not the case when I posted the question.


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Can I purchase apps from the Amazon App Store without an Android Device?
I don't have an Android device anymore. However, I still see an app for free every now and then that I would like to have when I get a new one. Can I get apps from the Amazon Appstore without having a device?

By using an Android emulator such as Genymotion or the one provided by Google, you can download the Amazon Appstore on that "device" and authorize it that way. From then on, you can just get the App of the Day by visiting this link from your desktop browser.


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Calling service intent fails with "not found"
I want to start a service intent of an application (com.urbandroid.lux). According to the developer, there is a service intent "com.urbandroid.lux.TwilightService" which can be called with extra "toggle"/"toggle" (string).
But no matter what I do, I always get a "Not found" error. For example, using adb as root:
# am startservice -c "" --es toggle toggle com.urbandroid.lux com.urbandroid.lux.TwilightService
Starting service: Intent { act=android.intent.action.MAIN cat=[] pkg=com.urbandroid.lux (has extras) }
Error: Not found; no service started.
#

I also tried using Tasker. With "adb logcat" I get a similar error:
W/ActivityManager( 1402): Unable to start service Intent { act=com.urbandroid.lux.TwilightService pkg=com.urbandroid.lux (has extras) } U=0: not found

Now I used "aapt dump xmltree lux.apk AndroidManifest.xml" to verify the existence of the intent. As can be seen, it is indeed there (line 55-57):
http://pastebin.com/31NqrSuN
I tried any combinations (leading/trailing slashes/points, different calls, ...) I could possibly think. But the error is always the same.
Is there something in particular I am doing wrong?
WHAT exactly is not found here? The app? The process? The service? The entry point/method?

The component name is specified as the package name, then a slash, then the name of the class. So in this case, the command you want is:-
am startservice --es toggle toggle com.urbandroid.lux/.TwilightService

For future reference, and to help avoid confusion: the intent is the name of the message you're sending to start the service. The thing that you want to start is a service, not a "service intent", and the thing you found in the manifest is a service, not an intent.


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Massive Storage Being Used
I have a 16GB Galaxy S3 with a 64GB SD Card. However, it appears that files have been saving to my device and not the external card. I only have 4 Gigs left of the 16. Is there any app that can "take all internal storage and move them to SD Card"? Or is there an easier way?

As a side-note: AFAIK, you had less than 8 GB to start with (as those "16 GB" don't refer to the storage available to the user, but rather the overall storage, and about half of it is reserved for the ROM). Considering that, does your assumption still hold?

Ooh, yeah I know that. But I still don't like holding files to internal unless they are software. I guess so, I'd still prefer to transfer all data between storsge devices

You might want to try moving apps installed in internal memory to sd card by long pressing on the desired app from the app drawer and dragging it up to the app info panel ,scroll down and there you may find the "Move to SD card" option. However afaik you cannot move apps to SD on the s3 unless rooted. You got to manage your files and apps using the 11 GB available or else root your device.

Yes you can move apps to external on a sgs3.? I had this phone previously and used app2sd no problem simply download it from Google play store, then once you open up the app it will tell you which apps can be moved to the external sd card. you can download it for free from the Google play store.
https://play.google.com/store?hl=en_GB

Your answer is very short, care to re-edit your answer to include more info such as how to get it to work for the benefit of the OP's question, rather than "I had this device previously and .... "


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15 Min my battery goes to 97% to 17%
Yesterday I was watching a video on my andorid GTP3-100, and my batter was at 97% after 15 min I looked at my battery it had gone to 17%,  and it was draining battery fast and after 5 min its went to 7% so and  I had no  application running in the background I usually charge with my usb wire in my office . I have also noticed something strange since I  have started to  charge with my usb wire suppose the battery is at 77% if i plug in the usb wire to my pc within 1 second it goes to 100%.

I think this means you have some sort of battery leakage problem.

Can you add a picture/screenshot of battery status?

What version of Android? And yes I would dispose the battery straightaway in environmentally manner as there is a risk of damage infliction. Get a replacement straight away and do not use that battery.

I believe it is your battery which is at fault. I've seen this problem as well. How old is your phone?
Also, you may try charging the battery separately once from an external charger. If the problem you mentioned persists, then you should get yourself a new battery.

I am in agreement here. When a battery suddenly drops by large percentage, that is usually a sign of failing cells in the battery. The battery should be replaced.

By process of elimination, i would try a different charging cable, failing that backup and factory restore? If still not working you probably have a worn out or faulty battery, replace if removable. All else fails could be your charging socket or board related, in that case bin it and seek replacement.

Agree, ive seen it on my old GT-i9100 with the battery was "jumping aroud". What you could try thou is a battery calibration.
For example this seems to do the work : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ignisoft.battery.calibration
(Thou i havent try this app, battery calibration have helped me before )


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How to upgrade android from 4.2.2 to 4.4 kitkat in XOLO Q1010?
I have bought XOLO Q1010 it has Android version 4.2.2.
Is it possible to upgrade to Android version 4.4 KitKat? if yes then how?
Thanks.

Please see: How do I update the OS on my device?


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Common messenger app for phone and PC
Is there a way to do messaging on my PC and my Android? In other words, using either has the same contacts and you can see the same messages in both places?

Please note: Asking for an app that does something is off-topic here, largely because it's simply a popularity contest with short, uninformative answers with people listing their favorite app of that type. It's much better to describe the problem you're trying to solve. I've edited your question to be more along those lines. Please also see: How do I ask a question that may require recommending a product?

Google Hangouts. Does text chat, video chat, and can even send and receive SMS messages.

Telegram does that. It is a valide alternative to WhatsApp, the account(and contacts) are shared among every device you use. It also has some Unofficial Windows/Linux/Mac OSX clients.

Line is a great messenger that works for PC and Phone. It is also the second most populated app, I believe, about 100 million less users than WeChat.
http://line.me/en/

You can use Whatsapp messenger on PC using Blue Stacks, Windroy, Youwave android etc.

MightyText is app that does what you asked for. And it's pretty popular, too!
I personally did not try it yet, but it was recommended to me several times.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.texty.sms


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How to force the use of jack output every time on rooted phone
I have several phone A Xperia Pro a S4 mini duos (soon for sold) and a HTC desire Z.
I sometimes want to disable the speakers so the phone will only output the sound through the headset I plug on it, sometimes the physical detector does not work correctly or the headset is not supported.
What I want is a way to only output sound through the jack and only the jack.
Is there any mod ? trick ? modification of the android kernel ? an app ? that could do the trick ?
All my phones are rooted and unlocked flashing stuff is not an issue

Try something like toggleheadset2. It's an app that has sorted that sort of problem for a lot of people. Hope that does the trick.


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Removing the USB storage is removed notification
My Moto G has USB OTG mass storage drivers - I can use a USB drive with a standard USB-OTG dongle for extra temporary storage.
This is awesome except for one thing -after I properly unmount and remove the USB drive I seem to be unable to dismiss the USB storage is removed notification until I reboot the phone.

Thats the notification I get. I can't slide to dismiss, and tapping on it throws me back into the home screen
I also have this little icon on top when I'm looking at other things

I'm running a Moto G XT1033 (8GB Asian edition) with the 4.4.2 update. I'm using a standard USB OTG adaptor with different USB drives, and as I said, have properly unmounted the drive (there's an error message if I'd been silly enough to do that). I've not rooted the phone in any way, and USB OTG mass storage support is natively supported.
Is there any way I can dismiss this notification without restarting my phone?

How are you unmounting the OTG USB?

The 'proper' way - telling it to unmount from storage -> "unmount shared storage"

Yeah this happens on Moto X too. You can long press on the notification and click on App Info. Then force stop the application that posted the notification (System UI). Doing so doesn't seem to affect anything else. Annoying we have to do that but better than restarting phone.

Thats probably a bug. Almost every moto g users are facing that issue. It is expected to be solved in the future update. Inform Motorola about your issue.

I found that killing the process associated with the notification worked, with the annoyance of resetting my wallpaper. Plugging in something, then unplugging it inappropriately then swiping out the message for that seems to work perfectly. Of course, its still a bug, and its an utterly improper way to unmount a drive but it seems to work


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Gmail doesn't load new messages after replying
For some time now I have been experiencing this issue. After having replied to any email, I can sync and see new messages in my inbox but if I click on them to actually read them I just see my last reply.
Anyone having this issue? What could be the problem?


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Samsung Galaxy S4 turns off internet at night
On my friends S4 the internet connections (WiFi etc.) turn off automatically from 10pm and turns on again at 6am the following morning, so he gets no messages between those times.
Is there a way we can change it maybe?

Galaxy S4 has 'Blocking Mode' to turn off connections at specific times, you can set exceptions so allow calls from a few people or Gmail only notifications etc. This should do it.

Try the profile settings. He probably has set a "night"-profile which turns down the volume and activates the plane-mode. The profile settings can be found in the normal settings of your phone.

In your notification shader, look for the "Blocking mode" icon, tap and hold it. You can activate the blocking mode there, pick a time frame for when it is active (e. g. 10pm - 8 am) and select what should be disabled from incoming calls, notifications, alarms and the LED indicator.
You can also allow only calls from certain contacts to go through to you, which can be helpful for emergency situations.


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How can I access bookmarked 'my places' maps from android phone?
I have a map that was created on a desktop (map with a set of pins pointing to specific types of shops in a town - this one). I am able to save this to My Places and it shows as being bookmarked when I'm using the full desktop browser. However, when I open up the google maps app on my HTC One I can't see how to access any saved maps or bookmarks.
All I can see in my map profile (selecting the person avatar next to the search field) is my browsing history, but not my saved map. There is a 'saved places' section in my map profile page, but there's nothing in there and it's not a selectable item as far as I can tell.

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)
How can I save maps via the 'desktop' browsers so I can access them on my phone at a later date?

I don't think you can access "custom maps" that you have created with the Googles Maps Engine via the Google Maps Android app (I assume that is what you are referring to)? The "Saved Places" (of which you don't appear to have any?) would appear to be singular places that have been saved within the App or on the Desktop. "Saved Places" is usually presented as a list of clickable places (if you have any). Once you have some saved places you then get a second list of "Nearby saved places".

@w3d: I've added a link to the map that I'm referring to into the question. If I access that via desktop I can 'Save to My Places' and it gets bookmarked. However I cannot retrieve it from google maps app on my phone. You might be right that I can't retrieve custom maps, that could well be the answer to this question - i.e. "you can't". But hopefully that's not the case.

it seems a duplicate: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/55541/how-can-i-display-my-maps-from-maps-google-com-on-android/70293#70293

Since the update to Google Maps last year you should now use Google Maps Engine to create custom maps and access these on Android via the corresponding Maps Engine app.
From Desktop Maps you can get to Maps Engine by clicking in the search box and then clicking 'My Custom Maps'.
To import existing maps saved to 'Classic' My Maps:

go to 'My Custom Maps'
then 'See all my custom maps'
in the 'Open a map' window, select 'Classic My Maps'
tick the maps you want to import and then 'Select'
followed by 'Import'

You should then be able to find these maps in the Android Maps Engine app under 'Open a map' > 'Classic maps'.
If your map wasn't created by you (will show as 'bookmarked' rather than 'created by you' in My Places) then you might need to re-import it into 'My Places' as KML to make it available to import into Maps Engine...

Click the name of the map in 'My Places' (found by clicking the little cog icon in the bottom right of 'new' Maps or at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/mm)
In the left hand panel copy the link to the KML file
Back at 'My Places', click 'Create with classic My Maps'
Give the map a title then 'Import'
Paste in the URL of the KML link and 'Upload from URL'

You should now be able to go back to Maps Engine and import the map as above.

Google finally integrated My Maps with the regular Android Google Maps app. Click on the menu in Google Maps app, then Your Places, and you will see your My Maps listed near the bottom after Saved Places.


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Whatsapp message previews are not showing in Status bar when new message is received
I am using a Nexus 5 running the latest version of Kitkat.
Whenever I receive a new whatsapp message the status bar slightly floats up and and shows the whatsapp icon saying the message receieved from (sender's name). However after a few seconds it returns to the normal status bar with just the icon remaining, it does not show me a message preview of the content.
After I pull-down to the  notification center I can see the message preview just fine, I am having an issue with the toast notification of the status bar.
Is there a way to fix this?
Thanks in advance.

Are you talking about the same thing that happens for any notification (SMS, email, etc) the statusbar changes to a one-line preview of the notification for a couple of seconds and then changes back to normal?

Yes, it is working fine for sms, email etc. I'm only facing this problem with Whatsapp.

i receive default notification tone but nothing displayed in motification bar also it doesnt vibrate.. problems facing with whatsapp only

authors: Инженер Касу


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sync android calendar (tasks) with calendar from PC
My goal is to have common calendar & task management between my PC and Android phone. Here is my situation:
On my PC (Windows 7), I have Windows Calendar installed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Calendar
It didn't come with it (it actually stopped being released after Vista) so I had to hack around a bit to get it on there.
I use Windows Calendar partially (20%) for appointments and their reminders. My main use of it, though, is Tasks and their
reminders. Nearly always, when I have a reminder, I snooze it; I rarely complete my task after the first reminder.
So, I usually end up snoozing my reminders minutes/hours/days/weeks into the future. Windows Calendar is perfectly suited
for this functionality and is the reason why I chose it and like to use it. The calendar is currently stored on the same PC
and is not stored remotely somewhere.
Recently, I got an HTC Desire 601. I would like to access the same appointments and tasks from the phone and, importantly,
have the reminders synchronized. To clarify, I would like to be able to snooze a task from my PC at 6pm for 2 hours, leave
home for at least 2 hours, and have the task popup on my phone at 8pm with a similar prompt to snooze. So, I'm looking for a fairly
complete synchronization effect between the PC and the phone.
So, to do this, I obviously need a shared service (Google Calendar, etc.) or a shared file (iCalendar, CalDAV) on a server
that both my phone and PC can access. One knock against Google Calendar is that tasks are deficient compared to tasks on
Windows Calendar. Google Calendar tasks don't have reminders (and, therefore, nothing to snooze), so I have ruled Google Calendar out.
I'm not familiar with other SaaS calendaring/task offerings (Microsoft, etc.)...maybe someone could advise if they handle
tasks more like Windows Calendar.
On the phone, there is a calendar built into Android which is pretty close to what I want for a native client. Popups for
reminders, though, have no snooze duration. So, I can't choose how long I want it to snooze. This is fairly significant
because I routinely snooze one task for 5 minutes and snooze another task for 1 week. So, I need a client on my phone
that has this type of functionality. Furthermore, I need a client that will connect to the "shared" service/file that I
mentioned earlier.
Am I stretching the limits of the SaaS offerings out there and the available native clients too much that I now need to write
my own Android client? I'm not sure about Windows Calendar "automatic synchronization", so I'm flexible enough to accept
changing to a client like Mozilla Lightning, if necessary. I have tested Mozilla Lightning and it synchronizes (appointments)
well with Google Calendar, for example.
Any advice for my problem?

As you're after a plain Android <-> Windows solution, apart from different hosted solutions, MyPhoneExplorer might also be worth consideration. AFAIK it can sync your Android calender with different Windows solutions, especially Outlook, but IMHO also others. According to its description, this also includes – tada! – even your favorite Windows calendar:

MyPhoneExplorer is a powerful phone management software for your Desktop PC. Some features:

sync your phone with Outlook, Thunderbird, Sunbird, Lotus Notes, Tobit David, Windows Contacts, Windows Calendar,...
manage your SMS, Calllists, Apps, Files, handle Calls, create backups...
  Connection via WiFi, USB-Cable or Bluetooth.

This is the client which is needed for phone, you'll need also the desktop-software which can be downloaded at www.fjsoft.at.

(emphasis mine)
I think this will suit you best. MyPhoneExplorer is said to be a real good solution (as a side-effect, it even helps you with backups, and other means of managing your Android device). Not being a Windows user, I cannot speak from my own experience, though – but a Playstore-rating of 4.6 with ~20k votes should mean something, too :)


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Sometimes Apps on SDcard Not Available As Clickable Icons
I have an HTC Legend with Froyo 2.2. Occasionally it happens that after turning on the phone some icons on the home screen are not clickable, i.e. I only see the default icon as if I had uninstalled the app. This can happen to any app I have on my home screen, it's not related to just one. However, the Aldiko PDF reader seems to be affected more than others.
By now I know of two ways how to make the apps working again:

the ol' "have you tried to turn it off and on again?"
use a USB-cable and have my PC access it as a harddisk and then revoke that access and wait for the SDcard to initialise itself

In other words it seems to be a problem with the SDcard somehow.
Is there a shorter way to do this in case I have no USB-cable available, via the settings or something? Is there an app that can help me here? Can I code something?

Yeah, that's by definition – and the reason why you should never move apps to SD if they provide widgets you want to use.
SDCard gets mounted after the boot_completed broadcast has been sent. So apps installed on the SDCard are not able to receive this broadcast, and thus cannot provide their services "in advance". Depending on how fast your "homescreen" launches, it might already query the widgets before the mount was able to complete – and thus cannot find the apps installed there (which explains the "default icons").
Solution: Move those apps back from the SDCard if you need their widgets.

That makes sense. But where is the icon coming from? Isn't it stored in the phone memory? I mean the widget isn't doing anything, it's just there so I can click it.

Wait: Are we speaking about widgets (interactive icons displaying some information), shortcuts (to jump to a specific screen inside an app), or simple app-starter-icons here? You've used the term (and tag) "widget" here; but your comment rather seems to imply you didn't mean that.

Uhm, oops, I mean I drag an icon from the list of apps and drop it on the home-screen. So that's an app-starter-icon? Let me change the tags...

Yupp. And now my answer is no longer true, as it explicitly refers to widgets. I'll still let it stay, as it's at least related; but I've got no idea why simple app-icons should "blank out" in this context. Might be an issue with the launcher itself. Oh well, HTC and Android 2.2 – and you're using the HTC launcher coming with it? I remember Sense had a bunch of trouble of this kind...

I'm sorry for wasting your time there... As I didn't do anything with it, I assume it's the standard launcher.

Then it's most likely an issue with HTC Sense (I had that myself years ago, strange stuff with icons/widgets happening). You might try an alternative launcher then, but that won't support Sense specific stuff. At least using it for a while you could confirm whether HTC Sense is the culprit here.


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How do I have anonymous notifications (phone, text, ...) on Android 4.3 like 4.1?
So back in what I believe was Android 4.1, I had to swipe my lock screen to unlock my phone. Before swiping, it gives me the option of swiping into my missed calls, my text messages, and my applications. It did not show who I missed a call from, nor did it show the contents of my text message.
Now it shows both. How can I stop my phone from displaying private messages and communication?

This is only a partial answer to my question, so I won't mark it as accepted just yet.
If you go to Messages / Menu button / Settings / Notification settings there should be a setting called "Preview message". Uncheck this and text messages will not show up in your lock screen.
I have not figured out how to do this for calls though.


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how to cast from samsung s2 and ipad mini to chromecast?
A friend has just bought chromecast.
we understand we need to download chromecase browser extension
and it would be easy to watch a special chrome tab from our PC.
but how can he cast from his smasung s2? and from his mini ipad?
any additional app we should consider? like AirCast?

What are you trying to cast? If an app has added support for it (e.g. Netflix, YouTube, and the like) then you cast from within the app, using the button on the Action Bar. If you're looking to do something else then your options will probably vary depending on what exactly you want to cast.

If you want to watch videos that are located on an android phone or tablet, the LocalCast Media 2 Chromecast app will stream videos from your device to ChromeCast.
Note that not all formats are supported and that the performance depends on the device (may be slow if old) and on the WiFi connection.


text:
How do I remove the top and bottom bars on Google Play Books when I'm reading?
The top and bottom bars are obtrusive and covers the top and bottom part of the text in the books I read. I tried tapping on the screen once but the bars would only flicker and not hide. Is there a way to force them hidden?

That is odd that they don't disappear. I just checked mine and the bars disappear when I tap somewhere in the text or when I swipe to the next page. They stay gone until I tap the page again.

Does swiping up do anything?

What device are you using?

And what version of Play Books do you have?

I have the latest Play Books version and am on ST17i. ICS

I just tried sliding up, same result. The bars would just flicker.


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How to Remap the
Hardware Buttons On
Your Android Phone
I want my return hardware button (capacitive touch buttons) to turn into recent apps button. Please help me out. I don't use return button enough.

Is your device rooted? Otherwise, button remapping is (at least currently) not possible.

If rooted Xposed framework with Gravity Box module will do it.