text:
IMEI = NULL in Samsung Galaxy Note 3
I have a Galaxy Note 3 FM-N9005 which had base band version N9005ZHUDMJ9 and build number JSS15J.N9005XXUDMK2 running on jelly bean 4.3.
I searched for its latest firmware on Sam Mobile and there was KitKat 4.4.2 update available for it having build number KOT49H.N9005ZHUENF1. I downloaded this firmware and flashed it using Odin. Everything was successful and firmware was downloaded successfully.
When I restarted the mobile, the baseband and IMEI was unknown. I hadn't backed-up the EFS Folder but it is mounted in CWM Recovery. I am unable to restore the baseband and IMEI number.
Please suggest a solution to recover IMEI

Flash the NF2 modem, I had the exact same use with no imei / baseband http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2649176
CP_N9005XXUFNF2.tar.md5 is the file you want


text:
Transfer a folder with subfolders from PC to Smartphone Note 3 via WLAN
I'd like to transfer a folder with approx. 300 files (wma, mp3 etc.) in different subfolders to the Galaxy Note 3 External SD Card.
I've tried some possible solutions:
WiFi File Transfer Pro: does not transfer the subfolder-structure
AirDroid: is too expensive (approx. 20 Dollars per year)
Kies Air: does not work neither
Is there any (almost) free solution?
I tried and it was possible per hazard with this one:
"ES Datei Explorer" App --> Activate ES FTP-Server
Installation of FileZilla on PC and open this WLAN Server Nummer
It was possible to tansfer whole subfolder structure
If someone knows an even bether or easier way (because in the way describes with FileZilla you cannot directly transfer to the external SD Card, you have to move on the smartphone afterward) please let me know.

There are a number of programs.  You're described the functionality of an FTP or SMB service.
One of the best is Servers Ultimate.
You might also take a look at Airdroid.
Type this in the file explorer window of your OS to see a GUI resolution:
ftp://192.168.1.150:2121

(The IP address should be replace for the one that Servers Ultimate Pro gives you.)
You'll end up with a regular file browser window where you can drag and drop items between your computer and your Android.
This is a view of your drag/drop (copy option) in Linux:

This is a view of your drag/drop (copy option) in Windows:

The Android is on the left of the two pictures.  The PC is on the right of the two images.
When you drag and drop, you can drag and drop (transfer) full subfolders between the Android and the PC, or of course individual files.
Enable write access for the user:
Ensure you have setup a user for your ftp server and enabled write access for this user.  You can check this by clicking (from Servers Ultimate Pro):

Click on Servers then Click the FTP server you setup
Click Edit
Click General
Click Users
Click the specific user
Put Check mark in Allo write access

AirDroid (as desvribed above): unfortunately not useful, because 5 MB File Limitation
Servers Ultimate seems to be a cool tool, although ES File Explorer has also a FTP service

@user68212 Please look at what I added to the answer.  I thought this was inferred.  I believe you misunderstand the significants of an FTP server and the ftp client of ES File Explorer.

@user68212 I updated my answer to include an images in the description.

Thank you for the pictures. Unfortunately drag and drop is not possible (probably because of Update KitKat). Although it works very well with Samsung Kies 3.

@user68212 If you have a problem with drag and drop you, it's very obvious that you're doing something wrong.  The feature isn't depended on an OS version.  It is a default feature of ftp.  Depending on the error you get when you try, it might have something to do with some type of permission setting.  As far as update, I always run the latest updates on all my devices and encourage the same to my clients.  I'm glad you have the Kies workaround.  I tested it and removed it because of it bulkiness.  You're welcome for the images.  I thought you were missing the gist by your previous comment.

drag&drop from emulated/0/.. to PC = works
drag&drop from PC to emulated/0/.. = does not work
drag&drop from emulated/0/A/file.mp3 to emulated/0/B/ = does not work (without error)
renaming or deleting files from emulated/0 = works

KitKat issue:
drag&drop from extSdCard/file.mp3 to PC = works
drag&drop from PC to extSdCard/file.mp3 = works
deleting extSdCard/file.mp3 = does not work
(error 450 RMD fail)
renaming extSdCard/file.mp3 = does not work
(350 Target exists, 550 RNTO failed)
drag&drop extSdCard/A/ to extSdCard/B/ = does not work
(without error notification)

how to add return between lines in this forum?

@user68212 It's disabled in the comment feature.  Extensive discussion is discouraged.  A user can modify his question or answer to make things clearer.  There are, however, limited formating tools available by clicking on the help to the right of your text box when commenting.  But newlines/carriage returns isn't one of them.

@user68212 I added a section to my answer (enable write access) that should resolve the issue you're describing.

Thanks for your comment!................................ OK = Click on Servers then Click the FTP server you setup...... OK = Click Edit ...... OK = Click General ..... OK = Click Users ..... OK = Click the specific user
..... OK = Put Check mark in Allo write access ................................................ so with this you can drag&drop files from pc to emulated/0. although you cannot delete rename or move files or data from extSdCard because no app has write access without rooting the smartphone. There are only two solutions: a) rooting your device b) connecting with Samsung Kies 3

@user68212 Performing the steps on the computer will enable write access.  Deleting a file is write access.  Rooting your android isn't a requirement for managing files and folders in your personal area and your SD card.  If you actually perform the steps and have problems I'd be curious.  I don't root my clients androids.  But I do set up their androids (as well as mine) for this ease of access.

With OK i meant that I have exactly done this steps in this order....If I click to the Servers Ultimate: Information: I reed: "Connect using an FTP client. It looks like you're not using root so you can't access the FTP server on the default port 21 which might cause problems connecting when using default settings. If you forward the port manually make sure you forward TCP. It seems that the FTP root is not writable, this might b a problem if you try to write files."....I used "FTP Server" (not Proxy or Native)....the "allow write access is only under specific and users able to click

in "GENERAL" should I Put Check mark in ROOT: Use root for internal port forwarding or something else because under root there is no "Allow write access" possible?....It would be nice if it really would work to have write access to the extSdCard (because my smartphone is not rootet)

@user68212 Don't setup ftp on the default port 21.  I never tried to do that.  It appears that the application is actually preventing you from making this security concerned issue.  My androids are not rooted.  I use them unrooted so that it would be easier for me to see what my clients see when giving them setup and configuration advise.  I gave you steps above in my answer.  I wouldn't advise forwarding since you're only setting it up for your local network.  I haven't even looked at the other things you're referencing.  Try the defailts with port 2121 and nothing else changed.

I've used port 21 and it was not working.
So now I have done it again and corrected your comment because most users do not already have Servers Ultimate with a user, so I first have to set up a user.
I've done exactly what I corrected in your answer, I navigated to the extSdCard in the file browser and tried to delete a folder then it occured the following notification:
Beim Löschen einer Datei oder eines Ordners auf dem FTP-Server ist ein Fehler aufgetereten. Stellen Sie sicher, dass Sie die erforderlichen Zugriffsrechte für den Ordner haben. Details:550 Deletion error, possibly incomplete"

@user68212 The answer I gave you would never fail.  If you changed my answer and have problems, I believe it might be due to the changes you made.  I when over the steps I typed in my answer a number of times while making preparing the answer.  I'll have to study what you have done different by studying whatever changes you made and put the answer back to what actually is deeply tested and works.  I'll hope that you'll try the update and give feedback on exactly the steps that I have tested.  It'll take me a while to study and redo the answer (with test).  I'll advise you when it's done.

I fixed the steps in a easy to follow manner.  If you can't get to the step of putting the check mark in the user, please indicate the last thing you did when you got stuck.  If you did add the check mark and still can't write, you might check how you configured the client.  I can go into more details with the client.

Get ADB running on your computer (see e.g.: Is there a minimal installation of ADB?)
Enable wireless ADB on your Android device
on a command line: adb push <local_folder> <remote_folder> to get the files from your computer to the Android device – or adb pull <remote_folder> <local_folder> for the other direction

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
gmail won't sync to my phone
For some reason Gmail won't sync to my phone. When i signed in with an account settings-->accounts-->google i entered my email address. Then I unselected everything for sync but the Gmail because Gmail is the only Google product I want synced on my phone. The problem is when i send a test email to my account through another email address I don't get a notification on my phone and I have to select the Gmail app then refresh and then the new email will appear.
Ideally if someone sends me a new email I will get a notification and I will know immediacy and I won't have to manually refresh the Gmail app to check for new emails. Is there something in the settings that I'm missing?

Two things to check given GMail is already set to sync.
First, double check you have notifications ticked inside the GMail app, this can be found by opening the left menu and opening the settings located at the bottom.
Secondly, in settings open data usage, then open the three dot menu and ensure that "Auto-Sync Data" is on and "Restrict background data" is off.
Note: These directions are based on Stock 4.4, if they don't correspond just let me know what phone and software version you have.

Thanks. Got if figured out. Took your advice and checked the Gmail app for notifications then checked data usage--> auto sync data. Notifications was checked but auto syc data was not checked. Sent myself a test email and it still didn't work. It turns out the setting was Gmail app-->inbox sound and vibrate -->sync messages -->changed from sync: none to sync: last 30 days. Now working. Thanks.

I had the same problem.
I resolved it doing this:
 My Contacts --> Menu --> Merge with Google Account

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


text:
Samsung Galaxy S3 SCH-I535, rooted, won't switch over to T-Mobile
Recently, I changed carriers from Verizon to T-Mobile. However, when I inserted my T-Mobile SIM card into my phone and rebooted, the status is always "Searching for Service" (not just for data, NOTHING works). I've looked on Android forums and they all have instructions for turning the SCH-I535 into a world phone, but that's not what I want. I just want to switch to T-Mobile (do I need to have a "world phone" to do this?)
I've installed APN Manager and tried to change APNs, but entering the details found here
The phone is rooted and not on a stock TouchWiz ROM (I'm using Paranoid Android, a JB ROM)
Why won't my phone recognize the T-Mobile SIM?

If you got the phone from Verizon, likely it's SIM-locked. You need an unlock code to use it with SIM cards from another carrier.

I don't think that's true. I put a T-Mobile SIM into someone else's phone just now too and theirs worked immediately, barring data (nonroot TouchWiz). Honestly, at this point I don't mind not having mobile data, I just want to call and text

@DanHulme Even if it's been rooted?

@AnotherUser Yes, even if it's been rooted. See the [tag:sim-unlocking] tag wiki for more about SIM lock.

SCH-I535 is not a GSM phone so will not work with any 2G or 3G T-Mobile tower. Also that phone only supports LTE frequencies of 700 MHz & 1900 MHz, neither of which are bands that T-Mobile use to any significant degree. Instead T-Mobile uses 1700 & 2100 MHz.
T-Mobile is however in the process of rolling out 700 MHz & 1900 MHz, so you might get data in the near future however you will not generally be able to make calls as that is currently handled by the 3G networks. And even where VoLTE is available this phone will may not have the software update to support it.
Update: Despite not being listed in the specs of Samsung's website, nor GSM Area, or Wikipedia SCH-I535 does infact support GSM beyond LTE. It appears that Verizon pushed out an update with 4.1.2 Jelly Bean which enabled support for GPRS/EDGE/GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz and HSPA/UMTS 2100 MHz (band 1). T-Mobiles 3G support requires AWS-1700/2100 (band 4), however they do support 1900 MHz for GSM/EDGE 2G service.
So you can get EDGE but not HSPA, although you may soon get LTE depending on T-Mobiles rollout.

How does this explain the other SCH-I535 (someone I know) that changed from verizon SIM to t-mobile SIM today which works for calling/texting but not data?

Well if the below data is correct, SGH-I535 should not work on T-Mobile. There are GSM versions of the Galaxy S3, are you 100% sure the other phone was SGH-I535 not the GSM SGH-I747?
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_iii_cdma-4799.php

I'm not 100% sure it was a SGH because I said it was a SCH, but I am 100% sure of that

Yes sorry this is a typo I copied off GSM Arena, the C is for CDMA and the G is for GSM, the frequency information however agrees with below. So it is truly baffling how you managed to get a CDMA phone working on a GSM network. Unless you are in an area where T-Mobile already has 700 MHz or 1900 MHz LTE and are using VoLTE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III#Model_variants

So yer if you have 700 MHz or 1900 MHz LTE available then most likely the handset is locked, even though it is rooted the phone can still be locked to Verizon so you could try call them to get the unlock code.

@itdoesntwork Have you got it working?

yes, I have. The main problem was the custom rom. I flashed a stock rom via Odin and the problem resolved itself when I switched over to GSM. However, I can only get data on Edge, but that's a different issue.

@itdoesntwork Sorry about the misinformation my sources were out of date, after further digging I can see global GSM support was added by Verizon and I have updated the post to reflect this.

authors: ÖoĜyi Žâw Ÿęll Ĥtűñ


text:
how to stop an app upgrading?
How can I pin an app so that it can't be upgraded? I have one app where version 2 is not as good or stable as version 1, so I want to pin it at version 1 and not upgrade it .

I needed to do that for Google Maps.  I still believe the original Google Map is about the best.  The upgrade lost a lot of functionality, almost two years ago and still hasn't caught up.
So I had to do the same thing you described and found that the only way to do this was to disable auto updates and only manually update the items (all the items) except for Google maps.
You can disable auto updates by going (from the Android) into Google Play > Apps > Options > Settings > (Click on) Auto-update Apps > (Tick) Do not auto-update apps
After you have done this, you'll be notified when Apps have updates.  You can select which ones to update from the notice.

Thanks for this, I've done as you suggested, and am now trying to restore the programme from backup, but no matter what I do it is refusing to install. So I've now flushed the cache and turned the mobile off for at least half an hour, and will then try again. AArrrghh!


text:
Recording Screen on Android 1.6
I have an old device running Android 1.6. Is there any way that I can record the screen on this device? Most tutorials for doing this rely on having a more up-to-date version of Android.

(In order to comment as opposed to answer one needs 50 reputation points.) Unable to root my device I relied on a digital camera and edited to reduce byte size and to crop image to the screen.   Take pictures in dark to reduce reflections, use a consistent setup to avoid misalignment.  ( Only a few devices on Gingerbreadwill takescreenshots.)

Yes the min requirement is gingerbread. It's not possible on lower versions.


text:
Battery Issues-Moto E
I am facing battery issues from days,the battery does not survive even a day even without using the internet.
Tried uninstalling some apps but there is no effect. It is happening 10 days after 4.4.4 Kitkat update.
Are there any solutions?

My moto E battery lasts for more than 36 hours. The phone does claim to have very decent battery life and hence, if I were you, I will factory reset the phone and will use without installing apps to see whether the life improves. If it is okay then some app is coded badly. If still facing same problem, then there should be a hardware issue.

Use battery monitor in settings to see what's causing the battery drain. Uninstalling apps is not the solution, until you've identified that as the problem.  You can either access your battery stats in settings or in notification shortcut.

Install Greenify and hibernate all unused apps, this actually stops the apps from running in background. This fixed the problem for me as I am an extensive apps user.

Diagonise apps with any antivirus or security app and see what is the reason for fast draining of battery.usually the apps which use more RAM are the reasons for less backup of battery. Uninstalling those unwanted apps is the solution

How is this different from the other answer? And why should apps using more RAM be the reason? It's rather apps using more CPU, network, disk i/o, and wake-locks. RAM doesn't consume more battery whether it's used or free.


text:
How to force the installation of a programme?
How can I force the installation of a programme, specifically "Simple Sidebar-1.2" in place of "Simple Sidebar-1.3", in android 4.3, on a Samsung Galaxy GT-I9300. When I try to install it now it has a long read-in and then just stops saying that it is not installed.

possible duplicate of Where can find older versions of Apps?

@AlE. not really a duplicate. The other question is about finding an older version (OP already has it). This one is about installing it.

Possible duplicate of Can the previous version overwrite the currently installed app?

You can't "downgrade" an installed app to an older version. First you need to uninstall the app from your device, and only after that can you install the older version from the APK.

And that is what I've already done, but its still refusing to allow me to re-install v1.2. I have uninstalled V1.3 by dragging its icon to the trash can and then just say "Uninstall". But I'm left with being unable to re-install v1.2.

Could you just double-check by looking for it in the list of all apps in Settings → Apps?

@DanHulme not exactly true. I downgraded apps a lot of times (I have one specific app where only every 3rd update works correctly ;)

PS: @boudiccas what you did was probably just removing the shortcut from your homescreen. To really uninstall, either see my answer – or follow up to the place Dan mentioned (but that would remove the app's data as well).

If you've got ADB ready (see: adb and its tag-wiki for details), there are multiple ways to achieve it. My examples assume you've got the .apk file on your computer, and are operating from the very same directory it resides in. Further, let's call the file foobar.apk:
# trying to downgrade directly:
adb install -r foobar.apk

# if that fails, we've got to uninstall the app first.
# Let's try to do so without losing its data:
adb uninstall -k com.foobar
adb install -r foobar.apk

If the latter still fails, you might have to say "goodbye" to your data, and run uninstall without the -k ("keep data") option. You could also try backing up data first, and restore it after a successful install (adb backup -f foobar.ab -noapk com.foobar and later adb restore foobar.ab).


text:
Not able make conference call in Motoroal MOTO E
When i tried to make a conference call in Motorola MOTO E it is not allowing.
While giving the merge call option it says "Conference call is not allowed".
please clear my doubt  whether MOTO E supports Conference call facility or not .

That message tells you that conference calling is not allowed by your carrier; it's not that the phone doesn't support it. You need to contact your carrier to enable this feature.


text:
Pop-up advertising message filling the screen
Sony Xperia M, model C1905.
Android 4.3 official firmware, build number 15.4.A.1.9
 Screenshot (click to enlarge)
The blue button on the message is a link to play.google.com of "du speed booster" page. It is a useless application. All of applications on a phone installed from google play site.
First time I thought, this message is an android generated to force me to free some internal memory. Now there is enough free memory, and the message still appears.
I do not know how figure out the harmful application.
I searched in Google by words in message to find people, who faced the same message and solved the problem, but there are no such results.
I have installed the AirPush Detector, but it did not find anything.
Must I do full wipe?

That's not an Airpush ad. Also, these kind of ads are forbidden by the Google Playstore TOS. Always pointing to the same app suggests another app from the same developer placing it, not an ad module.
I'd first check which apps are running when this happens (Settings→Apps, select the corresponding tab). See if there are "non-essential" apps listed which you can live without. Note them down.
Second, check permissions of the apps installed. There are some permission checker apps available which make things easier for you. Fot this specific case, Permission Explorer seems to be a good candidate:

Permission Explorer: List of permissions, apps using a certain permission (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)
As the screenshots show, this app allows you to browse your installed apps by permission. Your screenshot looks like a system alert window, so the offending app most likely has the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission. Check for apps having this permission. Note them down.
In a third step, compare your notes: apps that were running when the message appeared, apps using the SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW permission. If you find a match, you most likely found your offender. Uninstall it, and see whether your issue is gone then.
If this has solved your issue, don't forget the following to help others: check if that app is still on Google Play, and if the version there matches the version you have installed. If so, first report that app to Google, as it violates the TOS, and put a comment warning others. Google should react by removing the app from the store.


text:
Can't have G,E,3G,H+ in the network bar (thus no internet connection unless on wifi)
I have a new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo, I have a question. Since I bought it 2 days ago, the internet connection is fine (with or without wifi) and it shows either G/E/3G/H+ symbol.
But, I once get into a basement (which I got no signal), and then, when I came out (this morning), the internet network coverage shows no symbol.
What I did wrong? I might accidentally pressed something unconsciously since I am new to this device (and android smartphone generally).
The signal bar (aside G,E,3G,H+ symbol) shows full bar, though.
Thanks. (I haven't call my service provider, since it might be device problem)
Additional notes :

On : Wifi, Vibrate, Screen Rotation, Mobile Data, Multi Window, Smart Stay, Sync
Off : GPS, BT, Blocking Mode, Power Saving, Screen Monitoring, Wifi Hotspot, S Beam, NFC, Air View, Hands-free mode, Smart pause, Smart scroll, Airplane mode
Android version : 4.3

How long did you wait? Sometimes it takes a bit for the mobile network to figure out what protocol it can use. You might be able to "kick it" by putting the device in "Airplane mode" then turning "Airplane mode" back off.

for about 6 hours. and yes, i have "kicked" it. But it shows no difference.

There are many things that can go wrong when messing around with the network settings, but the main ones to check are:

that you have enabled Packet Data and is not Roaming on
different network
and that you have not set and exceeded your data limit. This can be
    both from your provider and also as a user defined setting.

idk, it suddenly normal some hour after i post this


text:
Is there an Android video chat client that displays video stream and text messages at the same time?
I'm looking for a video chat app for Android, but I'm unable to find one that can display the video stream and text messages at the same time, it's either one or the other.
I tried for example Google Hangouts and Skype and both have this problem.
Screen estate should not be problem since it would be used on a tabled with external keyboard
Is there another app in the market that allows this? If possible I would like also to be able to call Windows clients.

Please note that app recommendations are off-topic here (see our [help/on-topic]). You might check with Software Recommendations, but make sure to check their /help/on-topic first, especially read requirements your question must meet ;)

I think this question is okay. It's a fairly well-defined problem.

Voice chat programs uses an Internet data stream.  It isn't up to the developer of the application.  No matter which app you find it will be limited based on your phone service provider and the type of phone you have.
Take a look at this (the protocols that are available via some services and phone types:
(taken from this thread, Can I talk and use Internet or other apps at the same time)

If you really want to know why and how this happens, without all the
  techie speak - - - -
Verizon's 3G data and voice network is CDMA, and only a device with
  SVDO technology can use voice and data at the same time (as opposed to
  the current standard EVDO) on CDMA. The first device to do this was
  the HTC Thunderbolt. The Galaxy S3 also has SVDO, so you can surf and
  talk at the same time if you have Verizon 3G service.
The VZW iPhone does not have SVDO, so it can't do it. The iPhone on
  ATT and Tmobile can do this, as those two carriers don't use CDMA -
  they use GSM, which can do voice and data already. I don't know why
  specifically, but just know that Tmo and ATT are GSM and Sprint and
  VZW are CDMA.
Finally, any 4G LTE enabled phone on verizon can do talk and data at
  the same time, as the data will run over the LTE network and the voice
  runs over CDMA. So, devices like the Moto Droid Razr and other LTE
  phones can do talk and data at the same time, but only if LTE service
  is available. If in a 3G-only area, the Droid Razr can't do talk and
  surf together.
Make sense?

So if this is a needed feature you would have to shop for a specific phone provider and a specific phone that will allow you to use Data service and Phone service simultaneously... again, limited by the phone service and phone, not the app.


text:
uninstall 0KB apps
I have a LG optimus black p970 (2.3.4). In Settings->applications, I see many apps that are o KB. I do not know how they got there. There are apps like 'Fire Work', several wall papers for ex , ' Magic Smoke WllPaper' etc. The uninstall buttons for all of these are disabled. How can I uninstall them. Some of them seem to have all kinds of permission on the device.

The apps you are referring to are system apps - that is, they weren't sideloaded; they were integrated into the operating system.
Removal involves having root access and deleting the corresponding (cryptically named) app in /system/app, but I strongly recommend you to stick to a Disable option if available - sometimes system apps depend on other system apps in order to function properly. You might end up soft-bricking your phone if you accidentally delete an important app.


text:
How can I tell if I need a valid SIM card (active phone #) on my old Smartphone to use an App?
I gave my old Moto RazrM phone to my daughter. The phone and Mobile internet had stopped working. So it only has wifi. It also has not valid phone "account".
Will this limit her ability to use Apps?
If so, how can I tell when that's causing problems?
(Several apps/games she's downloaded are not working. And at least one of them worked previously.

The phone service (which includes texting) is a feature of the Android.  Tablets don't have this feature.
Without being connected to a phone provider will cause you to loose features the service provide.  However other features of the Android OS will not be affected.  You don't need phone service to use many apps.  Also there are many apps that can be used without Internet service (as long as you have a means (such as USB tethering to get the app on the device.
In other words the Android device should function very similar to a computer that works offline with applications installed and online when connected to the Internet.


text:
After adding icon to home screen, the icon in the apps screen remains
I have put a few applications in a folder on the home screen, but their icons are still displayed on one of the apps screens.
How can I remove those still on the apps screen?

The app icon on the home screen is just a shortcut to the app. The purpose of the app drawer is to show all installed apps.
If an app is installed, you can't remove it from the app drawer, unless you uninstall the app itself.
Consider the icons placed on your home screen as shortcuts, like on desktop in Windows.

you cannot remove an app from the apps screen !
when u add the icon of a particular app on your home screen , you are just creating a quick shortcut to that particular app.
But if you really want to remove an app from your app drawer you could simply hide it with the help of applications from the play store ! .

Look for alternative launcher apps in the play store. See if they have the functionality of hiding or grouping apps in the app drawer.
Nova Launcher has this functionality only in the paid version.


text:
What/How quick reboot works?
On my Android 4.2.2 (Micromax Canvas A74), From System settings >Accessibility, there is option for enabling  "Quick Reboot" as follows:

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)
So How it differs from normal reboot? Or what enabling this exactly work?

I do not see this Accessibility option on my Samsung S3, which uses TouchWiz. What phone and Launcher is this?

@wbogacz Edited question with phone model, using default launcher and I don't think/believe that launcher affect system-settings!

I've never seen this option built-in, but there are several apps/widgets on the Playstore offering a "quick boot" as well. The term is a little misleading, as it's usually not a boot at all.
For some background information, let me first refer to my answer on Can somebody explain the boot process of an Android device?. Quick-reboot usually kills everything down to the "system server", so Zygote has to start it anew. As Zygote is the parent to all apps, basically the "Android-part" of the system is completely reloaded – while the underlying "Linux-part" keeps running.
From the users' point of view, this looks like a "quick reboot": the graphical interface (all apps, including the home screen) disappear, and then the system comes up again exactly like after a "boot". But during this process, the first 4 steps of a "real boot" (as outlined in the linked question) were skipped.
I'm not 100% sure if the "quick boot" option you are seeing there is the same, but it's pretty likely. Because, if it were a "full boot, just quicker" – then why shouldn't that be used in the first place?

And also you should once per week do a normal (slow:-)) reboot to "refresh" your device.

@SuperThomasLab only if necessary. If everything works normally, why reboot? I usually don't boot more often than once a month, if at all.

This is a different quick boot compared to the other answers.
Qualcomm and MediaTek devices have this feature and it basically another name for Hibernation mode. When enabled, powering off the device hibernates instead of fully shutting down. (In turn making boot faster)

There is no hibernation mode in Android. So, what are you referring to?

There's none normally but that's what QuickBoot adds. Here's a video of how it works in the OnePlus One (works the same here) https://youtu.be/hiKTL-bg9yk

That is not hibernation. All that mode does is to put the device into airplane mode, lock the screen, send the device to normal sleep mode and make sure that the device doesn't wake up unless the power button is long pressed. It is not hibernation, neither literally nor technically. You can still launch apps using adb or access device's storage - when device is powered off using this quickboot mode. My findings are based on Android Lollipop.

On the 3 devices I have used it on, it didn't do that. You couldn't access the device. It actually did shut off but it can only be done on certain hardware as its a feature of the SoC. Yes hibernation may have not been the best wording, but it is a hardware specific low power mode which is what hibernation accomplishs just in a different way.

I have two Blu Phone, the Dash 5.0 with 4.4.2, and a 5.0 HD also 4.4.2. The build numbers are different though. The HD has the quick boot option. The Dash does not. Before I enabled the quick boot the boots times were the same about 35 secs. But now with it enabled, the HD boots in 14 seconds. So it does what it says and does not seem to work any differently after booting.

I think we understand the meaning of "quick" literally, but how/why does it work? OP specifically asked that questions.


text:
Google Play No Connection
I have tried all suggestions in the answer and everything the asker did specified on this question without any luck. I reflashed GApps and CyanogenMod at least 13 times, as I have lost count. The only things that seem to be malfunctioning is Google Play. Although sync says it's having "errors" but it is syncing so I'm not sure what is going on there...
What is working:

Google+
Gmail
Apps with the "login with Google" that uses the Google+ API

What's not working:

Google Play

What's half working:

Sync, it says it's having errors but it is syncing

System Details:

CyanogenMod 10.1.3
Android 4.2.2
GApps for CyanogenMod 10.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (GT-P5113)

/etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 localhost

I have the Xposed framework installed, but it's never caused problems before so I wouldn't think it would be a problem now. The time is as it should be, so it's not the problem. Cleared the cache and data on Google Play 37 times.
P.S.: When I say "reflashed", I mean I wipe /system /cache and the dalvik cache and install GApps, CM 10.1.3 from zip in recovery.

I don't know exactly what was wrong, but it seems to me that whatever the problem was, it w had something to do with a permission in /data as when I wiped it, it worked as expected.


text:
my old sd card crashed and when i replaced it, my device wouldn't allow me to take pictures, it says no external storage, how do i fix that?
My device froze up and then automatically powered off. When I powered my device back on it said that there's was no sd card, and all of my pictures and videos were gone. When my sd card crashed, it deleted all of my pictures and videos. there's nothing in my gallery and I can't take pictures and videos anymore.
How do I not only fix the no external storage problem, but also get my media back?

To offer useful advice, we need to know exactly what happened. Don't say "it crashed", tell us what you saw.

For recovering data from your "crashed" sdcard, please take a look at our data-recovery tag-wiki. As for the new one not working correctly: there are sometimes issues that combinations of device and card manufacturers don't work well together. You can try a different card from a different manufacturer, which in those cases was solving the issue.

If your phone is easily disassembled, you might want to try powering off your phone, removing the SD card, replacing the SD card, and powering your phone on again. Sometimes the simplest things can fix tough problems for you.
If your phone still doesn't recognize the card, you might want to try plugging your SD card into your PC using a converter or card reader (MicroSD cards are usually sold with one that converts your MicroSD to a standard SD). Run a software like Recuva (or any other data recovery tool), and see if you can recover files from your card. If you can, download them to your computer. Then format your card to FAT32, reload the files onto your card, and plug it back into your phone. Best of luck to you.


text:
How to hide my name in Whatsapp group?
I've provided a screenshot, clickable for full size, of a group I'm in. Some people are able to hide their names. How can I do it? I do not know some people in the group and I don't want them contacting me.

Why don't you enter a blank Unicode character? Like this:

Use no-break space from here: https://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/chars/spaces.html

Well you cannot hide names in WhatsApp at all. As you know it wont accept a blank as profile name.
1.Coming to the blank names beside the contact number is shown because the other person has saved you in his contact but his number is not saved(with a name) in your contacts list. Due to this the app will show only the contact number but not the name.
Update-  Try saving the contact with a name and then refresh your contacts in whats app for this first force stop the app then clear the cache (this works most of the time irrespective of the make or mode of internet )
2.You may be using an older version of the application.(you have not specified the version so it can also be the problem).
3.You could be blocked by the other person so you cannot see his name initially(later last seen and then the display pic)
If the above still do not solve your problem then try reading the faq 1 and faq 2

Thanks for trying to help. I always keep the app up to date. So 2nd is ruled out. And I'm also sure that they haven't blocked me because they have no reason to do so. I haven't even met some of those people in my life and I haven't texted them. So 3rd also not possible. I'm not sure about the 1st. Why will so many random people save my number all of a sudden?

In the first there's also a refresh your contacts

check the update for the 1st option

When I enter some random name, the random name is shown now in the group.

exactly that's what you have already agreed. Did you refresh your contacts list and followd the update

Yep. Also, i deleted the contact and refreshed. Now again the name is gone. Just the number is shown in the group.

mind if you can leave your complete step by step guide in the enthusiasts chat with @myname your situation is kind off unique

I don't have enough rep to chat. I think it's possible to keep name empty using samsung devices. Just guessing. Because one of the person hiding his name is using a samsung phone I heard. I don't want to start asking this complete stranger how he does that.

ok I will ask it in chat then

And I just deleted my friend's contact and refreshed. I'm sure he has saved my number. Now his name is shown in the group. Not just the number. So, your 1st point also not correct I think.

@Srikaanth thats what my 1st point is you cannot hide your name in whats app you will get the name

I'm using Whatsapp+. Maybe this is the problem?

Actually, its a hack for WhatsApp. I should say that it is a bug in WhatsApp that if you copy this ⇨ ຸ from here and paste in place of your name or about and then delete the ⇨ then tap save, then you name or about will not show. There would be empty spaces instead.
WhatsApp, on its official website (FAQs), says that status can't be empty but you can using this trick. So it's a loophole actually.
For status, if it doesn't go empty by that trick, just try to paste the ⇨ ຸ and delete both the characters, i.e.,  ⇨ as well as  ຸ and then save to see if it works.
But if you are a professional, you might want strangers to recognise you right away.

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


text:
Increase RAM through SD Card
In Windows, it's possible to use SD card as RAM.
Is something similar possible in Android (with and without root)?

On many recent devices ZRAM is enabled by default which is far better than using SD card as SWAP. Some details on why using SD card as SWAP partition is a bad idea: https://android.stackexchange.com/a/220042/218526

Yes it is. As on Linux, it's called Swap. It might be useful on devices with minimal RAM (512MB and less), but unlinkely on those coming with 1GB and more.
There are apps available helping you to configure swapping. You find most of them searching for swapper.

@user62355 note that most of these apps will only resort to using flash memory for background apps. This is because it is not nearly as fast as actual RAM. If you need more RAM for cpu-intensive tasks, then you should get a new phone.

@KevinOrr agreed. But for Windows that's the same (RAM is the fastest memory in a device) – with the only difference that there you can buy new RAM instead of a new computer ;)

Oh yeah. Totally agreed. But that's true: it's a shame that our can't do that with mobile devices. Actually, maybe with Project Ara! :O

I think OP meant ReadyBoost, which saves some RAM by moving HDD's lazy-write cache to Flash. Anyways, onboard eMMC is faster than TF.

It's possible but I would not suggest you as the SD card is way too slow to use as RAM. You can use "ROEHSOFT RAM Expander (SWAP)" app on a rooted Android device to increase RAM.
Source: XDA Forums - [Guide] [RAM EXPANDER swap] Easiest Way To Increase Ram in Galaxy Y

You don't need any app to enable SWAP. Just do mkswap once on SWAP partition or file and do swapon on every boot. But you correctly said that using SD card for SWAP is a really bad idea.

It's possbile.
However SD Card is extremely slow, so Android don't use SD Card as a swap, using ZRAM  instead
ZRAM will allocate a memory area as swap, compress unused allocated memory into this area;
ZRAM usually used on low-ram device.
However, ZRAM is battery consuming when you are in low memory situation;
If you ram is not enough, better policy is keeping as less backgourd application as possible by increasing LMK paramters;

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


text:
Can I copy/paste cyanogen files to another SD card, plug it into a rooted tablet, and expect it to work?
Long story short:  I've got 10 Nook Colors, each of which has previously been rooted, but of which 6 of the 10 SD cards have gone missing (don't ask me how).  I've also got 3 non-rooted nook colors that I'd like to root.  I'm using the tablets to conduct questionnaires using ODK.  If I take a SD card out of one of them and put it into another rooted one, it boots into cyanogen just fine.
Plugging the SD cards into my computer (I'm running Ubuntu), I see that they have a fairly complex partition structure.  How can I recreate both the files and the file structure onto new SD cards, so that I can boot my rooted tablets into cyanogen?
Following these instructions ruined the tester SD card that I bought -- the computer now doesn't recognize the card when plugged in.  Not sure why -- I umounted it.  I've got the disk image file, the gapps file, and the cyanogen file sitting on my hard disk.
Also, how can I root new tablets?  The uNooter file described here is a dead link.
Or is cyanogenmod old and deprecated?  Is there something else that I can do to get these tablets to run ODK?
Help!

You probably can't copy and paste the files, because the blank SD card doesn't have the same partition structure and filesystem flags.
What you can do, though, is clone the original SD card onto the blank one. Note: the new SD card must be the same size (or larger) for this to work.
These instructions will make an exact copy, including partition structures, partition flags, and even disk fragmentation. It is an exact bit-for-bit copy.
Warning: This could mess up your computer. If you put in the wrong parameter for the of= part of the dd command, you could completely overwrite your main hard drive. Make sure you triple-check the destination mountpoint. Especially if you think the mountpoint is /dev/sda
Option 1: Mount both cards at the same time
If you can mount both SD cards at the same time, you can save a step and some time.

Insert the original SD card on your computer and find out the mountpoint of the original SD card.

Open up the Disks application
Click on your SD card in the list on the left.
At the top right, just below the name of the SD card, it will list the mountpoint.

It will look something like /dev/sdc or /dev/mmcblk0 or similar.

Insert the blank/target SD card on your computer and find its mountpoint (using the same steps)
Open a terminal (aka command line)
Run the following command, but replace original_mount with the mountpoint you found, and also replace the target_mount with the mountpoint of the blank card.
sudo dd if=original_mount bs=128M of=target_mount
The command will not show any progress until it is finished, and it could take up to an hour, depending on the maximum size of the original SD card (a 1GB won't take that long, but a 64GB might).

Option 2: Mount one card at a time
If you only have one SD card reader, you'll have to make an image of the original SD card, then swap the cards and write that image to the new SD card.

Insert the original SD card on your computer and find out the mountpoint of the original SD card.

Open up the Disks application
Click on your SD card in the list on the left.
At the top right, just below the name of the SD card, it will list the mountpoint.

It will look something like /dev/sda or /dev/mmcblk0 or similar.

Open a terminal (aka command line)
Run the following command, but replace original_mount with the mountpoint you found.
sudo dd if=original_mount bs=128M of=/tmp/sdcard.img
The command will not show any progress until it is finished, and it could take up to an hour, depending on the maximum size of the original SD card (a 1GB won't take that long, but a 64GB might).
Remove the original SD card and insert the blank card. The mountpoint should be the same, but open the Disks app again just to make sure.
Run the following command, but replace target_mount with the mountpoint you found.
sudo dd if=/tmp/sdcard.img bs=128M of=target_mount
The command will not show any progress until it is finished, and it could take up to an hour, depending on the maximum size of the original SD card (a 1GB won't take that long, but a 64GB might).

I can't say why you might have trouble duplicating an SD card, but there are a few things I can say, based on both reading and actual experience, that might be helpful:

If you're talking about the original Nook Color, at least (I'm
not sure whether or not there are later models still called "Nook
Color" that work differently), rooting has nothing to do with it,
since the device will boot from the SD card, presuming it is
bootable, and not from the OS on the internal storage. (It is
actually the OS, not the device, that is "rooted".)
An SD card that will boot and run on one Nook Color should,
barring hardware problems, boot and run on any other, and a good
copy of an SD card that works should also work and provide the same functionality as the origina.

Also, I can see no reason why an OS, such as CM, that worked before to run a particular application won't be able, deprecated or not, to run the identical application with identical support files now.


text:
Moto E being charged for mobile data even if it's turned off on Vodafone Karnataka SIM
I have very recently purchased Moto E and using Vodafone Karnataka SIM. I have disabled mobile data and work only with WiFi.
Even after this, I see I am being charged with 0 MB data usage.

(Click for full size)
I don't understand what is happening here. It is coming very frequently. I am very sure none of the apps are using it since I uninstalled almost every app that I installed after this problem has arisen. I have checked data usage logs and it says 0 MB data usage and that none of my app have used any mobile data.
Why is this happening? Probably some check after WiFi gets disconnected? I checked with Android debugger, but there is too many log statement. Anything particular I should be looking at?
Any help or suggestion is appreciated.

This is essentially a Billing question, which should be resolved with your carrier. It concerns details private only to you concerning your specific usage and the details of your contract.

I already I said that I have turned off mobile data. And carrier should not be a problem.I wish to know what could be the possible reason for this? Any android service or setting doing this?

Dial *123*10#, see what that says, and then dial *123*11# and see what that says. Keep us posted!

"carrier should not be a problem" – umm, and who then is charging you if not the carrier? Who else might send that billing information?

Leaving this question open, because some of the answers makes sense, esp on dual SIM. I'd like to see what the OP has to say, and what he's done based on the given answers.

From your screenshot, it's apparent that you're using a dual SIM phone and that Data Roaming is enabled on one of those SIM cards.
I've never used a dual SIM phone but I read on a forum that at any point of time only one of the SIM cards can be used for data while the other is on standby or being used for a voice call.
Make sure both your SIM cards have Data disabled. Also disable Data Roaming for both SIM cards.
Use these screenshots for reference (click for full size):

Check your data usage in Settings→Data usage to see what's using your data connection

Make sure Data roaming is disabled for both SIM cards

Install Greenify. It will stop all background processes and save memory, battery and unwanted network connectivity.

After using Mobile network and you disabled it , you will receive a notification in black background about your Balance internet GB/MB or charged price for internet usage (as like what you received now in the picture)

That is what.. even after disabling mobile network I am getting this... that too repeatedly... Something in background is doing this and I wish to know what?

Airtel system has some bugs. the usage is not shown properly and i will advise to install an app that would manage your data account. which can show your real usage.

Could you name any such reliable app?

I personally use My Data manager. @AniketThakur and do vote me up:P

authors: علي احمد عطيه عطيه


text:
How do I reset the input language to English when I can't read the current language?
I have a Nexus 4 with the latest OS.
I accidentally set the input to Arabic.
Now I don't know how to reset to English.
I tried re-booting but it did not revert to English.
I would like to avoid a factory reset, if possible.

I discovered how to do this.
The icons for the various functions remain the same.
I went into

Settings (cogwheel icon) then
Language & input (white square with black A)
Top item in this menu is Language

I tapped this item and was presented with the normal list of languages,
each in its own font.


text:
Does a broken screen on a Nexus One automatically mean the touch screen digitizer needs to be replaced?
After 5 years of faithful service, my Nexus One finally cracked (literally) today when it fell from my vehicle. The screen is severely cracked but remains intact in the frame and the display has no problem at all (other than the obstruction by the fractured glass itself). Even touch sensitivity seemed to be intact though I have to risk my fingers on the broken glass to use it.
From some googling, it seems like touch screen digitizer is the part that's recommended to be replaced in such cases. Will that have to be the case here too, or since the touch sensitivity is intact can it end up a cheaper replacement than that? The digitizer seems to be >$25 here in India and I'd prefer not to spend that on an old soon-to-be-replaced phone.

Screen protector might help protect your fingers, if glass is even and no missing pieces

That's a good idea, but not related to whether the sensor behind the glass needs to be replaced when the glass is replaced.

Yes, this would probably have been better as a comment on the original question, but it's a very good idea that I hadn't thought of, thanks. I'll make use of this in the short term till I get this sorted.


text:
Is there a battery cycle counter app?
I have an HTC One M7 (4.4.2), and the battery is starting to deteriorate. It may be that I have some misbehaving apps, but I'd be curious to find out the number of charge cycles my device has used since purchased (like you can do on a laptop).
Is there an app out there that will do this?
My device is rooted.

Apple's iOS can display cycle count, and many laptops can too.  But I'm not sure that your hardware, your kernel, or your (stock) OS can display cycle count.  Maybe they don't even track it.  The Linux kernel can display cycle count on certain laptops; but I suspect that it probably gets this information provided to it by ACPI.  My Google searching reveals that ACPI is normally not present on ARM-based cellphones or tablets.

Workaround: When you buy a new battery or new phone, install a cycle-count tracker app. Try Charge Cycle Battery Stats (freeware, from Cerebrum Development), but read the instructions in the Google Play app description first.


text:
My phone's 3g/4g randomly stopped working
I have a Galaxy S3 and my 3g/4g suddenly stopped working. WiFi works fine, but how can I get my 3g to work again? I have already uninstalled apps and deleted unnecessary photos and videos.

How did you know that 3G is not working? Your apps/photos has nothing to do with it. Have you checked with your network service provider? It might be the issue from their side as well.

Need more info - what do you mean that it "suddenly stopped working?"  Do you have the icon in the notification bar?  Are you in data roaming mode?

Check that flight mode is not swithed on. This mode will disable any network (Wi-Fi, cellular network, etc).
Else, go to Menu | Settings | More Settings | Mobile Networks | Network Operators (Note: your menu options might be different due to the Android version installed on your S3) and reconnect to your telecommunication provider's cellular network. Note: You may need to select your telco provider's name when your S3 displayed a list of cellular providers.
Also, shutdown your S3. Then, take the battery out for 30 minutes. Reinsert the battery. Boot up your S3 and turn on Mobile Network option and see if 3G/4G has been restored.
Worst case, it could be an Android firmware's update that is causing the S3 to fail to connect to any cellular network.

Open your phone's dialer app(calling app where you type mobile no. to make a call) and type the following:

*#*#4636#*#*

It will open a mysterious looking menu before even you touch the dial option, yes! you won't need to dial it, but, just type in the code.
Touch on "Phone information 1" for SIM 1 in the menu in dual SIM phone, else it will show "Phone information" for a single SIM phone.
Scroll down, Make it look like "Set preferred network type: GSM auto (PRL)" by selecting "GSM" from dropdown menu.
Go back, exit the menu, reboot your device.
If you still don't get 3G speed knowing that you have 3G enabled by your carrier(ex. Vodafone, airtel etc.):
"Set preferred network type: LTE/GSM auto (PRL)"
It should allow you 4G/3G speed as allowed by your network carrier and towers available in your area.
Be aware that changing the setting to a wrong option will lead your device showing "No network" and you won't be able to make calls. So, make note of the default preferred network type before changing so you can revert the changes back to it if you experience problem.
I hope it helps.

Samsung phones usually take a while to switch on data. Wait for few seconds. Also try a reboot, that resolves the issue most times.


text:
Deleted Google Play Settings... Help!
I was trying to make room on my cell which is a Huawei Ascend Y215 and I deleted Google Play Settings, Now my Google Play won't work. Please help!

"won't work": What actually happens?

Follow the instructions on this website to reinstall Google Play on your phone.
http://www.androidauthority.com/install-google-play-store-312812/

There might be a possibility that you just disabled google play settings.
To check just go into settings>apps>all and search for play settings .
If it exists click on it and enable it :) !


text:
Samsung sending SMS automatically on Idea Cellular (although no charge)
I have two Samsung Galaxy Young Duos (GT-S6312) mobiles, both have Idea Connection. I noticed from last few days that my both mobile suddenly send SMS to some number at same time. The SMS log does not shows anything and sent SMS does not charge anything. But the popup dialog of charges comes which says "Last call charges 0.00, duration 60 secs".
This is strange as I checked all application, antivirus, backup, nothing is enabled related to tracking or something. I don't play games also, so my mobile is game free. Still my mobile suddenly gets up from sleep and send two SMS continuously everyday 2-3 times.
Not sure where SMS is going and as far as charges, it is not charged anything so that is relief but still bit worried on information leaking from my cell.
Please let me know if someone facing same issue and fixed on their mobile.
I feel it is related to Idea Network, but not sure. Interestingly the Avast virus scanner does not find any virus related activity.
It is IDEA Maharastra network, I checked with IDEA customer care, they denied for any such thing.
Hope someone will help.

You can refer to this question. It might help you out: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/53005/my-phone-is-sending-sms-automatically-everyday

First check Settings → for any app called Idea Power or Idea Portal or anything that you suspect is closely related to the cellular operator.
Mostly in Android devices with Idea SIM lock (CDMA) they install Idea Power system app. It is not visible in app manager especially for postpaid subscribers.
Not only Idea even other operators also do the same thing, but in Uninor and Airtel it will be too much.
2 of the most common signs are reduced battery life and while browsing sites too much of pay links and worst ads and operator ads, etc.
See when this operator app is installed it accesses your:

Phone information
Contacts
Rootkit
Send email without consent of host (user)
Read and write logs
Read memos
Directly call numbers and send msgs

THE LIST HAS SO MUCH MORE.
Finally in android 99.99% apps can be turned off except these operator injected secret code or app.

So I hope user only has to decide:
If its a second hand phone check if it is secured with mobile tracker of factory default or any tracking app preinstalled.
In AVG antivirus there are mobile tracking installs in hidden form and send email hidden even root format can't erase it which I once also used and got fed up with samsung galaxy young star pro, I guess its model no. is gt5372.


text:
How to stop the LG phone launching preset applications when the phone is locked and inside your pocket?
This design concerns more LG phones, in my case it's LG G2 Mini, but it was reported also on LG D605 Optimus L9 II and probably other LG phones with the same logic.
On the back of LG G2 Mini (Android 4.4.2), there are 2 buttons, which keep being pushed in my pocket.
Unfortunately, there are applications mapped (by manufacturer setting) to the up and down buttons (some drawing notes and camera) when the phone is locked. They keep being launched unwillingly in my pocket.
I've searched through all the settings but couldn't find how to get rid of this mapping and set the buttons' action to void in the phone-locked mode.
My phone is rooted so I can change the system settings but don't know where it is stored.

EDIT: In the official LG upgrade of Android (5.0.2) the problem is solved, see my answer.

How did you perform the mapping? Stock or custom firmware?

I want to get rid of the mapping, it's built in! It comes with the phone :(

Just a guess - Have you tried pressing and HOLDing until some sort of dialog appears to unset the mapping?

@wbogacz; pressing and holding is exactly what launches these stupid applications!

@Honza - correct. Their manual says 3 seconds of pressing will launch. Holding longer (to express an intentional, different intent) - Anything?

Holding longer doesn't do anything different, unfortunatelly.

NEW SOLUTION:
In the official LG update of Android (5.0.2) LG finally came themselves with an option to turn off the "feature".
Settings | System | Shortcut key

ORIGINAL so called a "solution":
After a long research, I am answering my question by stating that in Android 4 (the original version of the phone) it does not have a proper solution.
I called to LG helpdesk as well as wrote them emails. They always answered that "It's a feature, not a bug", the buttons events are hard-coded and that I can use a protective case if I want to avoid the accidental push.

I don't know a hack, but I think the buttons are hard-coded to only work with the LG stock ROM, so I think if you flash a different ROM (Cyanogenmod for example) the buttons simply will stop working.

"Key Plus for LG G3, G Pro, G2"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apptuners.keyplusapp
This app works for me, but only for volume down on lg g2 mini
via http://www.reddit.com/r/lgg2/comments/2q6chq/app_key_plus_change_lg_g2_volume_key_shortcuts_to/
There is also G2 Tweaksbox but it depends on application which requires root
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.ptoti.g2_tweaksbox&hl=pl
http://forum.xda-developers.com/g2-mini/help/long-press-volume-camera-t2826540

Your solution does not work. The buttons still call the built-in apps :(

maybe something changed. I don't have this phone anymore so I can't test it

authors: سعد الشهراني


text:
How to make cellular phone call from Xperia Z LTE?
How to make phone call over 4G or GSM using Xperia Z LTE (SGP321) tablet with SIM?  Messages elsewhere say you can't. If not exactly why not?

With stock Sony ROM you can't do phone calls on the Xperia Z, Z1 and Z2 tablets. Might work if you install an own ROM but I'm not sure.
The new Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact ( http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/tablets/xperia-z3-tablet-compact/ ) can make phone calls, even if you better get a bluetooth headset to make it useable.

Problem is: The baseband firmware may lack phone call support and most importantly the radio chips may have unwired connections that are crucial for the phone call function to work.


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Disable android.hardware.foo feature to hide hardware from ROM?
Is it possible to tell an Android ROM (without recompiling it, but repacking is okay, I guess) that the device it runs on does not have a certain android.hardware.something feature?
I want to disable android.hardware.telephony, so that the ROM (CM11) does not start the telephony infrastructure (RILJ etc.) at all.


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How to turn off the camera shutter sound on LG G2 mini?
Where is located the camera shutter sound file on LG G2 mini (Android 4.4.2)? Or how else to turn that annoying sound off?
None of the solutions recommended in similar questions here does work. The phone looks like requiring its own solution.
The accepted answer for How do I disable the 'click' sound on the camera app? recommends deleting /system/media/audio/ui/camera_click.ogg. I deleted the file, rebooted the phone several times, however the camera did not stop making the shutter noise. N.B.: My phone is rooted.
I want either to delete the file or replace it with an no-sound file, however the location given in the related question does not seem to work on LG G2 mini.
The solution with setting ro.camera.sound.forced=0 in build.prop does not work either.
Explanation to avoid some off-topic answers:

LG G2 mini native camera application has 4 predefined shutter sounds, with no "None" option.

I don't consider switching the phone on silent as a solution.
I am not asking why LG does not have the option (whether it is somewhere legal or not), but how to turn the sound off.
My phone is rooted so I can change system files. I just haven't found which files should be changed and how.
The problem might be deeper. As the description of the Camera Sounds Off! application says:

Don't work on some devices by ...
*LG (The LG's camera app has own not removable sound files!)

Actually, I don't believe in anything really "not removable" :), but removing them probably will require some trick which I have not found.

You sure you don't have it in Camera Settings or Settings? I guess LG phones do have this setting.

I am sure I do have it in Camera Settings :) However, there are 4 predefined sounds, I can only chose one of those. I want to have no shutter sound. I cannot find where those sounds are stored in the file system.

Okay :) I thought "None" would be an option.

I'm not sure about the LG G2 Mini, but on the LG G2, I'm able to mute shutter and focus sounds by putting my phone on silent.

@Noah: Putting the phone on silent is not a solution. It's a workaround (and not a good one :) ).

In some places it's illegal to take photos with the shutter sound off, that's probably why they didn't give you the option.

@user3949142 Correct, it was introduced because creeps took upskirt photos of women, mainly on escalators and stairs.

You need to be rooted to do this!

Download and open any root browser. (I am Using Root Explorer for these instructions, ES File Manager works also)
Go to System
Go from Read Only to Read/Write
Find Biuld Prop
Open with text editor
Find ro.camera.sound.forced
Change the 1 to 0
Save Changes
Reboot

SOURCE: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2051384

There was not such an item in the file.
I added a new line ro.camera.sound.forced=0.
I rebooted. It does not help :(

You were on the right track. You only have the wrong file it is shutter.ogg that makes the sound !!!

There is no such a file. Either I've already deleted it or it has never been there.


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Messeging or Hangouts - Open Directly to List of People
When I get a notification that I've gotten a new text message, I open Messaging to look. However, it opens usually to the last person I was sending texts to, which isn't always the person that I now want to look at. I then have to go back to get to the list, and then click the new message to read it.
Is there a way to have the app open directly to the list of people, every time? Thanks!

Have you tried pressing the notification instead of opening the app directly?

When you come out of the app pressing home button, it's state is stored. So no matter how many messages you get ,you still go the previous message you were looking at, if you press messaging app...  to prevent this, when you get a new message open notifications instead of messaging app.. This makes app refresh it's previous state to the current one..

That would go to the new message, not tje list of people. Which is better but not what s really am lookong for.

In that case you need to close the messaging app every time you leave. So that next time you get a new message, just click on the app. You'll be taken to the list of people


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Other than comma, are there any supported pause characters in a dialing string?
On a Blackberry, a phone contact with the form:
1-800-555-1212 x1234#12#7#123456
1-800-555-1212 ext1234#12#7#123456
1-800-555-1212,,,1234#12#7#123456
all worked.
On my Android (Samsung Galaxy S5 with 4.4 Kitkat) the shortcut x, and ext do not work. You are supposed to use a comma (actually three).
However, Outlook (in Office2010 at least) will not let you save a contact as:
1-800-555-1212,,,1234#12#7#123456
It insists on inserting a space before the commas.  But Android sees the space as end of phone number processing. Interestingly, it lets you enter this in a Meeting location, or as a string in an email, and Android will process this properly.
Are there any alternate pause characters I could try, so as to get around this Outlook limitation?

Have you tried  "P"  for pause gives a timed pause on remote phone and at least some other phones.   Use more than one if you need additional pause time.

A long-press on the * key on my Samsung Galaxy SIII's Phone application's Keypad corresponds to the P next to the * and inserts a comma, which as this site explains, on Android inserts a pause allowing for special characters to be entered once the phone number has been dialed.


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Possible to share mobile internet (tether) while connected to existing wifi network?
I have an existing wifi network and a Google Nexus 5 (un-rooted, stock android) with 3G data connection.
I would like to tether my mobile to share internet to all devices in existing network which have a custom route or proxy, maintaining default route for all other devices. This existing network also has another fixed connection (default route).
This means Android should effectively connect as a guest to existing wifi network, maintaining 3G/4G data connection and allow data to traverse through its mobile network while providing Gateway / NAT function for any devices which have an appropriate route / proxy set.
Configuration for the other devices (setting routes or configuring proxy) can be managed by hand (manually) as I am a capable network administrator.
As this is typically a consumer device, is this possible? and can anyone provide suggestions on software / howto's / information for this? Technically, my knowledge of computers networks and linux tells me this should be 100% possible, and relatively simple to achieve.
The cost of data here is not in question, I understand that connecting a mobile to an existing network could use a substantial amount of data and may impact my contract and data allowance.

I am very confused at what you're trying to accomplish.  From what I'm understanding, you want to use your phone basically a gateway for devices with a specific route set?

Yes correct. I want to share the mobile internet with other networked computers behind an existing network - the same network my mobile would otherwise connect to as a guest.

I don't believe that is possible, at least, with existing applications/APIs.  When carrier tethering is enabled, the card switches to infrastructure mode.  You'd have to somehow have the radio connect as a bridge to an access point.

Maybe I am not understanding correctly, but you could set your phone as a Mobile Hotspot and configure a wireless router as a bridge between your existing network and the hotspot. In this scenario, all devices on your network would be using the wifi signal of the router and only the router would need to be configured to reconnect to the hotspot.

That could work! It adds more hardware, but it makes sense. Thank you!


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Lost synced contacts in my HTC Desire HD
I have synced my contacts with my Google account in my HTC Desire HD. It showed that over 400 contacts synced successfully. But I was not using that Google account as activ. Than I have installed a custom rom to my HTC and added my Google account but my contacts are lost. Where should be those contacts? Where did it synced? Do you have any idea?
Update:
The rom I have installed is CyanogenMod and I have enabled sync and contacts to display is set to all. The problem is I can't see my contacts in gmail. Before I install new rom I have confirmed in contacts application of HTC that all my contacts synced with my Google account.

You may need to re-enable syncing of your Google contacts. Here's a simple guide on how to do that: http://www.wikihow.com/Sync-Google-Contacts-With-Android.
Also, the contacts may be on your phone, but not set to display. To fix this, go into your contacts list, hit the menu/options button, and open "Contacts to Display". Make sure that your gmail contact list is enabled in this menu.
Finally, if those don't work, check this link: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/gmail/zCWHBp5d9h4


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Are 'Apple/Android Specific' USB charging ports really different?
I have a portable battery with two USB ports. One is labelled Android and one is labelled Apple. Apparently each has charging circuits optimized for that particular type of device. This sounds unlikely to me (both ports appear to charge my Android device just fine), but I don't know much about it, especially regarding Apple devices. Is there any truth behind this? What is the difference between the ports and can I charge any device using either of the ports? I've also seen tablet and phone specific charging ports. Do they simply differ by maximum output current?

Here's an article you may find useful: http://lifehacker.com/does-it-matter-which-charger-i-use-922783980.  The short answer is yes. Using a charger made to deliver a different power than your phone is designed to take can be damaging (in the long run) to your phone and battery. It depends on the charger really.

Thanks for the link. However that article seems to imply that the only thing that matters is amperage. Of course voltage is important too but won't that always be 5V for USB chargers?

I looked at that lifehacker article, and was surprised that it was only one year old - it sounded like it was really old.  It was too simplistic and general.  It doesn't really address the real issues.

There are two USB charging standards; the official one and the Apple one. You can get a copy of the offical one from usb.org. How charging works depends on whether you are connected to a computer, USB hub or wall socket. For the sake of this discussion I'll just talk about wall sockets, what the USB spec refers to as a Dedicated Charging Port (DCP). Per the USB2.0 spec, a DCP shall short the D+ line to the D- line and supply 0.5 to 5.0A at 4.75V - 5.25V. However, a device being charged cannot draw more than 1.5A. (http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs/BCv1.2_070312.zip)
Apple tends to do things its own way and the charger identifies itself to the device by the voltage it applies to the D+ and D- lines. A little write up is here https://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/icharging. An anecdotal story; I used to work for Nokia so had Nokia phones. I had a car charger that wouldn't charge the phone very fast but it was iPhone compatible. I pulled it apart and shorted the D+ and D- pins so to matched the USB spec and it then charged the phone properly.
One more thing to point out; it is the battery charging circuit in the device being charged that determines how much current it draws, not the charger. Of course if your device can draw 1000mA and you only use a 800mA charger then it won't charge as fast as it could but plugging it into a 1200mA charger won't make it charge any faster.

USB chargers supply 5v and are capable of 500ma. That much is standard. These days we have chargers with higher current capabilities - that is, they are able to supply more current if the device tries to draw more. An Apple compatible USB charger connects to the USB data lines as well, in a way that tells an Apple device what the charger's current capability is; that device in turn, only tries to draw that much.
USB chargers don't "push" current. They are, up to their current limit, (more or less) constant-voltage power supplies. Using a charger with a capacity for supplying more current than the device needs does not mean that it will push any more current at the device than the device can handle; that is controlled by the device. Using a charger with a lower current capacity than the device needs will reduce the charging rate, or the charger's voltage will fall as it tries to keep up and the device will be unable to charge properly.

I've done a little research on this (well I read the Wikipedia article on USB) and it seems that for fast charging there are two standards: the Apple one, and the non-Apple one.
So yes, the two ports on your portable battery are different.
The real question is - does it matter?
My experience is that some devices don't care which socket they are plugged into, and others do care.
For example:
I just bought a no-brand wall-wart charger and it works great with my iPad (1.5A measured current), works slowly with my Android phone (0.5A) and works not at all with my Windows8 tablet. A bit of investigation with a multimeter showed that it is built to the Apple fast charge spec.
Another charger which is non-Apple spec works great with the Windows tablet (1A), the phone (0.8A), and also to my surprise, with the iPad (1.5A).

Yes they are. They may charge normally, charge slower, or not charge at all.

My experience is that it does matter, but it's not so simple, because not all Android devices are the same.  Some Android devices will charge just fine from an Apple charger, some will charge slowly (regardless of amperage), and some will not charge at all.  Plus, I've found that there is some variability among the Apple chargers.
For example, I have a couple of Scosche USBC202M Dual 10 Watt car chargers that are pretty nice; they are mainly designed for iphones, and they work fine on my wife's iphone, and on my LG G2 (at the full rate, as monitored by Android Tuner Pro), but my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 doesn't even register it as being connected, even using a charge-only cable or adapter.  Yet I have another car charger, also made mainly for iphone, that works on all 3 devices.
I suspect that many newer Android devices may now be compatible, where they were not in the past, although I have no evidence of this.
Traditionally, and perhaps currently to some degree, Android devices will not charge at currents above 500 ma (USB standard) unless you use a charge-only cable, which shorts together certain pins to force it into higher current mode.
So, the bottom line is, it may work fine, it may work at reduced current, or it may not work at all, depending on brand. Much of the time, when people say it works for their device, they don't have a clue whether it's working at full output.

Thanks. I am a little surprised that not all Android devices would charge from any particular micro USB lead (I assumed in that case any device would charge given enough current).  I suppose my main confusion arises around Apple devices since I have no experience with them and from what I've read their devices require some kind of 'special' charging circuit. I may ask this again in the Apple stack exchange to see if people there can tell me more about this from the Apple side of things.

The problem arises because the standard USB (1 and 2, anyway) spec only allows for 500ma without special software (the driver) to determine when a device needs more.  Apple's software works differently than a PC's (no surprise), but any manufacturer can write drivers to do whatever they want. Then, the charger needs to simulate whatever the driver would do.

actually every apple device I saw, ONLY charges on apple's chargers and Macs, so I think the port is 'modified' to be used with apple devices, something to identify that the charger is from apple
But when we talk about android, anything with >4.5 volts will charge the phone, but it depends on the charging current, plus, I have a tablet that doesn't charge on PC because my PC gives around ~350, but that's for a tablet, the original charger is around 2A, the tablet puts a red " mark on the battery to tell you it isn't charging, but actually it's charging but the current is less then the usage.. Actually I notice it to charge some percents after hours, and if you turn the device off, it will charge but a bit slow

Conclusion

Android: will charge on >4.5 even if it says not charging
Apple:  need the charger to be verified that it's from apple before it can charge
NOTE: I'm not pretty sure about apple devices because I haven't used much, maybe someone will correct me or maybe help you better

Thanks. Yes -- I lack experience with Apple devices too. Perhaps I should ask this question again in the Apple stackexchange.

Be careful about using a single, or very limited number of devices, to make general conclusions.  Only a little of what you posted is true.  My wife's iphone will charge from my Samsung charger.  She's at work, so I pulled out my old iPod touch 1 and 2, and both charge from my HTC charger, my LG charger, and my Samsung tablet charger.  Also, the USB spec is 5 volts, at 500 ma; any less is a defective charger.  If the charger is not designed for the specific device, it may require a special "charge-only" cable to charge quicker, like from Mediabridge, etc.


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Internal storage still being used despite of sd card
I have a 4 GB micro sd card mounted in my Micromax Bolt A58. But, whenever I install some apps, it shows "not enough storage space". I went to the settings and set the default download location to micro sd card but in vain. It still shows the same result. What should I do?

Use the app management option to move programs to external storage.  While apps can be installed on the sdcard, they still need space on the internal storage for actually running.


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Install another language to Android keyboard
I have Lenovo a390 with goKeyboard by default, and I have tried installing Serbian Keyboard to it. I have downloaded it from Play store and nothing happens, but never mind.
Simple question is this: Is there a way to install new language to default Android keyboard? So I don't have this language in list of installed languages that I can choose from. I want to add a new language.
Is this possible? I would really like to avoid using third party keyboard, because this handset is very limited on resources.
Phone is rooted, so I can do lots of things.

I know that you don't want to install any third party apps but without which you cannot get the language you want.For Serbian try this app.
Visit this page to confirm the Language support.
" I would really like to avoid using third party keyboard, because this handset is very limited on resources." which according to me is due to the Less available memory on your device try to move your apps on the memory card(micro SD Card).

I have installed Touchpal x. It's almost the same

If you mean the Google Keyboard, yes. Go to Settings > Language and input > Google Keyboard settings > Add-on dictionaries.
Refresh if you haven't done it for a while (or at all). Then just check the languages that you want. I don't know if Serbian is there though.

On my phone it says "Android keyboard" and there is no such option. Google keyboard isn't available in Serbia


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How to Backup when Samsung G S3 not booting stuck at Samsung logo?
How to Backup when Samsung Galaxy S3 not booting stuck at Samsung text logo?

I can boot in the "Android System Recovery" Mode using "Volume Up"+"Home"+"Power".
I don't have ADB USB Debug set up.

When using ADB it can get the serial number:

adb devices -l
List of devices attached
881aa70c       recovery

When using ADB pull to get all SDCard (the built-in 16G memory) - It cannot see any file on /sdcard/

adb pull /sdcard/ C:\U_adt
pull: building file list...
0 files pulled. 0 files skipped.

When using ADB to pull the /sys/block/ where is the mmcblk0 which is mounted at boot as /SDCard/ it says skipping special file

adb pull /sys/block/ C:\U_adt
pull: building file list...
skipping special file 'ram0'
skipping special file 'ram15'
skipping special file 'loop0'
skipping special file 'loop7'
skipping special file 'mmcblk0'
skipping special file 'mmcblk0boot1'
skipping special file 'mmcblk0boot0'
0 files pulled. 0 files skipped.

When using ADB backup it says to confirm on the screen, but the phone can not boot to normal where may be the confirmation, and in "Recovery" there is no confirmation message.

adb backup -shared
Now unlock your device and confirm the backup operation.

I want to backup the DCIM/Camera and other personal data.
How can the backup of pictures on internal memory /sdcard/ can be done?
I read here How do I perform a full pre-rooting backup of an Android phone? that FACTORY RESET does not wipe the data from /sdcard/ internal memory.
But on my S3 in Android System Recovery the option is named "WIPE DATA/FACTORY RESET".
Will the option "WIPE DATA/FACTORY RESET" wipe /sdcard/ partition or not?

Can S3 be rooted when stuck on boot? How? Root in order to run Titanium Backup (which only backs up apps and their data) or root in order to flash ClockWork Recovery which lets you perform a Nandroid backup (full image backup of the entire device).

/sdcard (internal memory) is not wiped in a factory reset, only the system partitions. - Does this mean I can do a factory reset without any camera pictures loss?

That is true, @George.  If you do a factory reset, /sdcard and /sdcard-ext will not be wiped.  Why isn't your phone booting?  We should get to the root of that problem first.

I used my S3 in "Android System Recovery"
The option "WIPE DATA/FACTORY RESET" seems to npt wipe /sdcard/ partition.
in my case it resolved the isue, now the phone is not stuck, and all the apps that were deleted are re-installed from the cloud by Android because I had backup them on the cloud.
Just as a side note, before  I used the above option to get rid of boot stuck on samasung logo, I couldn't use ODIN to install an original firmware downloaded from here:
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/3/?download=14509

from recovery
`./adb pull /dev/block/mmcblk0 mmcblk0.img`

If your recovery won't support that you can use download mode (power  +volume up) to replace your recovery with TWRP which is what I used adb pull on (to recover some deleted files).

Have you verified that your answer works on stock Android recovery? They often run adb daemon in a very restrictive mode. Also, your answer ended up in VLQ queue.

good point @Firelord , answer updated.


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Is there a way to prevent a user from deleting apps on android?
Suppose I install app X for purpose A. I don't want to simply be able to uninstall the app. How do I prevent myself from uninstalling an app on android?

Related: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/13375/prevent-apps-being-uninstalled

I would suggest installing Smart AppLock (App Protector). You can password protect apps from being uninstalled using this app.

This can work, however, note that androidgy wants to prevent himself from uninstalling apps. That means you will have to get somebody else to create the password for the Applock app, otherwise you could just disable Applock at any time. Also, with this method you actually lock the Package Installer, which prevents you from uninstalling ALL apps.

Root that device and move that app to /system/app

Instructions please


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How can I recover my photos from the Vault app when the phone is lost?
I'm a Samsung Galaxy Grand user. I loaded photos to the Vault app without any problems. However, I  lost my phone.
What can I do to recover my photos?

Buy a new phone and keep backups in future.

@sachin berde was it a free or a premium (paid app) that you installed.

Nothing you can do.  Your phone is gone, and without a backup, you've unfortunately lost all your data.

The first and foremost thing of a Backup is that it's just a copy of your data which is stored separately away from your device on some storage(pen drive, laptop , Pc etc.)
In case you loose the phone, update your software, format the data by mistake or wanted(for updating etc.)  then you connect the device to a system, laptop and re-store the data back which you had stored earlier.
Depending on the device manufacturer you have various backup options available free of cost. In this case yours Is Samsung so you will be having Samsung Kies that helps you in doing the above tasks with ease and with .
There's a very bleak chance of you  getting back the valuable pictures that you have lost(1 out of 100).What I can suggest you is to get in contact with vault support team (email the support team given in the bottom of the app) and explain your situation to them if they possibly have a copy then they might give you.
In the future never forget to take backup and keep updating it (the old backup may not have much data compared to the present day backup).Most of us ignore it despite the fact that software/hardware is prone to glitches and the backup comes free of cost(in case you have huge data you backup like in 15 GB and above you may be charged for the storage in case of Drive,whereas Samsung Kies depends only on your System Limits)


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How do you answer a call with a physical keyboard?
My Nexus 5 (Android 4.4.4) touchscreen has stopped working, and the warranty replacement is still a few days away.  Since I don't have any other phone to put my SIM in, I still have to use this phone even though the touchscreen doesn't work.
I discovered I can plug in a physical USB keyboard with an OTG adapter, and this suffices to navigate around the phone for the most part.  However I can't work out how to answer an incoming call using the keyboard!
Does anyone know what, if any, key combination you can press on an external (USB/Bluetooth) keyboard that will answer an incoming call?
(I worked out that Ctrl+Esc closes the lockscreen if there is no PIN set, but this does nothing when an incoming call is waiting to be answered.)

I don't know about keyboard shortcuts for answering a call on Android.
What you can do is to connect a USB mouse and use mouse gestures that replicate touch input, it is cumbersome but it should work. I've been doing that on a tablet with a similar problem.


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How to detect if bootloader is unlocked when fastboot doesn't work?
I have this tablet that runs on RK3168 (Rockchip) SoC.  The problem is that fastboot doesn't recognize the device, but after so much toil, I managed to find Finless' flashing tool and flashed CM Recovery image unto the device.  The flashing worked because when I rebooted to recovery mode, it showed CM recovery screen instead of the stock recovery screen.
The flashing tool is a windows GUI.  It doesn't have an unlock bootloader function.  But since I was able to flash the recovery image successfully, my question is, does this mean that my device bootloader is already unlocked?

Edit: (more details)
Using Finless' flashing tool, I backed up all the NAND partitions and named them accordingly, e.g. backup.img, kernel.img, etc.  Then I reflashed them all back into the device but reflashed a different recovery.img.  I reflashed a generic CM that I got from this site instead: http://androtab.info/clockworkmod/rockchip/
I did all this with the assumption that the flashing tool actually works.  After all, I used it to make the backup as it was the only tool that detected the device in fastboot mode because fastboot just doesn't detect it.  (It could be that the bootloader interface driver doesn't work properly for fastboot on Win x64, but I don't have the luxury of setting up a 32-bit OS.)
When I rebooted the device, everything was fine.  Rebooted into recovery mode and CM recovery screen showed up.
I'm still new to all this android flashing stuff, I don't really know what an unlocked bootloader means, and I just read from other guides that in order to flash a custom recovery, I need an unlocked bootloader first.  So I'm presuming that if I was able to flash images, that my bootloader is already unlocked?  But I'm not sure, so that's why I'm asking (albeit a very naive question...)

Unfortunately no, the bootloader is a separate entity that will need to be unlocked on it's own. Flashing a custom recovery doesn't automatically unlock it. What is the model of the tablet?

It's a Starmobile Engage7+ tablet.  It's one of those cheap >$100 tablets.  The problem with these devices is that there's hardly any "official" technical support.  Took me days to get adb to detect the device, and I just gave up on fastboot.

I gotcha.  I can't find any information in the modding community for that tablet.  I think you're out of luck with unlocking the bootloader.  Towelroot should work for rooting, and other than that, I think you're stuck on the stock ROM.

But I'm wondering, if I was able to flash NAND partitions while the device was in fastboot mode, not just the recovery partition, doesn't that mean the bootloader's already unlocked?  Edited question to add details.

Close.  The bootloader runs before the OS is loaded and makes sure that the installed system is "approved."  So, for example, on Samsung devices, the bootloader checks to make sure the system is written by Samsung.  (Almost) every Android device has access to fastboot to help recover the device in case of damage to the OS.  By flashing the stock backups, the bootloader still sees the OS as the original factory OS (which, well, it is).  Does that make sense?  My apologies if I'm talking confusingly!

I see what you mean.  So it doesn't necessarily mean the bootloader's unlocked.  It could just be that the bootloader allowed a CM recovery to run but it's still unlocked.  Anyhow, I'll keep on reading and searching for other means to figure out how to detect bootloader lock status without using fastboot.  Or maybe even write some script and run from within the device if it needs that stretch.  I hope not!

Correct!  The recovery is separate from the bootloader.  For example, on my Samsung Galaxy S4, I had custom ROMs and recoveries, but by bootloader was locked (I was still technically running the original Samsung kernel).  I did some looking around and can't find any surefire way of detecting lock status... I'll keep researching and report back if I find anything!

Give Koush's Universal ADB Driver a try.  It's worth a shot.  https://github.com/koush/UniversalAdbDriver  Then from fastboot you can run fastboot oem unlock and see if that works.

Thanks, I downloaded Koush's universal driver and tried every bootloader interface entry in the list, but fastboot still doesn't work. It just stops at the  message. =(

Sounds like you'd need Starmobile's drivers. :/

Hehe, I don't expect anything from Starmobile. But the flashing tool I'm using works, so I'm not worried. I can always reflash the stock images if anything goes wrong.

Gosh, I almost bricked my device. I got curious and used the images I extracted from the backup.img partition, but those images don't work at all! So I re-flashed using the original boot/kernel/misc images I made earlier, and it's working again! Rockchip definitely has its own flash tool in place of fastboot.


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Can i read the RAM and CPU usage of other applications-Android
I want to know whether is it possible to monitor the CPU, RAM, Network and Battery usage of each and every application installed in my device through my application dynamically? Does Android's security policy allow this to be done?

Probably you are looking for something like this app.

Yes. To get such elaborate details, does the phone needs to be rooted?

Yes. This requires root.


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Fastboot doesn't recognize Nexus 5 on L
I recently flashed the dev preview of android L on my Nexus 5, however, I did what is called a "dirty flash" - I just used TWRP and flashed the image as if it was a normal ROM. The result is that it's pretty bugged right now - many apps just crash or don't work correctly.
I'd like to do a proper install now, but the problem is that fastboot doesn't see my device, though adb does. Typing any fastboot commands just result in a "waiting for device" message. On 4.4.4 I didn't have any issues with fastboot. What might be the reason?

Are you actually in fastboot mode? Turn the device off and then hold vol up, vol down and power as you turn it on.

adb reboot bootloader

then
fastboot flash <whatever-it-is-you-want-to-flash>

If you see  at any point when executing fastboot command, the PC is not configured to use fastboot properly. Most typically, this is because you are not running fastboot with elevated privileges. It may also be that you do not have the drivers correctly installed, which may happen under Windows 8 because of its insistence on signed drivers. - Source

I tried using sudo fastboot devices like psygik said and everything worked perfectly. Maybe give this a try.