text:
How can I most effectivly secure and anonymize my specfic Android device?
I would like to setup my phone to be able to browse/use apps as anonymously as possible. I realize that will require Tor/VPNs, and I am working on getting that information elsewhere. Here I am focusing on the phone itself.
It will be a new Samsung Galaxy S8 on Verizon (I realize not many people will have hands on with this model yet, so just reference what you would do on the S7 if need be). I would like to anonymize and secure it as much as possible. For example, I know that Verizon and Google are shipping new phones with spyware and other tagging features. I am not very tech saavy (I cant code), but I am a fast learners.
I will be trying to avoid using Google products at all costs (No Play Store, GMail, etc) - except for Android system updates (I assume this is a necessity?). I am willing to do anything, except: Replace the OS - it has to be regular Android (Unless someone can show me an add-on/alternative that wont require constant maintenance/detailed knowledge of how a phone OS works), or compromise the basic software so that it become unstable or wont work with basic apps.
I assume rooting is a must - but I will need some direction as to how this can be done safely, and what I will then need to do to keep the phone updated and stable.
Specifically I am looking for:

How to remove all native spyware/malware/unnecessary apps (without accidentally deleting something critical).
Remove any features that could ID my device over the internet
What kind of software/app I need to set up to protect against future malicious software (some kind of anti-virus/malware scanner?).
How to most securely encrypt the phone and any data on it (so that if someone was able to get control of it, accessing it's contents without the pass key would be as difficult as possible).
Any general tips that might help with this.

Thank you.

The chances this device will be rootable (and thus modifiable) in the next 6 months is slim, a root method for the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S7 just became available in the last month and it has been out about a year. Android allows a VPN to be used natively on WiFi, but when on mobile data some information "slips" through regardless of what you do. You need root access to prevent Google and Verizon services from seeing any data. TBH, the chance of being truly anonymous on this specific Verizon variant device is near zero until aftermarket ROMs become available, if they ever do.

Hi the best place you are probably best off looking is the XDA forums for advice on the routing part.
Also have a look at microG, a project that is attempting to replace google play services and make android truly open source.  Heres a link to an article that covers MicroG
Geolocation would be difficult to anonomise I'm guessing due to  triangulation techniques that could be used to track the device location through the mobile network.
Good antivirus and malware software is a must
Alternative app stores such as F-droid, XDA, ect would be a good option - remember that apps can contain trackers ect which can send your data to the developer. Maby try and find an app that shows these permissions?
Signal - good private messaging replacement
Remember, to be most secure you will need to update regularly and also rooting your phone can mean the latest security patches are not rolled out as fast, if at all.
Edit: I forgot to add that if you do add a custom ROM, makesure that you encript your device :)

G955FXXU1AQCC Galaxy S8 Plus SM-G955F Firmware
link : http://www.gizrom.com/g955fxxu1aqcc-galaxy-s8-plus-sm-g955f-firmware/


text:
Huawei EVA-L09 removes short songs from music player
I have noticed that there are some songs not displaying in my music player on my android phone.
What is interesting, is that these files are no different from ones I do see in my player. And I can still find them and play them using ES File Explorer. But they do not show up in my music library.
What all these songs have in common, is that they are short. Filler tracks, if you will. Tracks no more than 1 minute.
They are the only ones that consistently don't show up in my library, no matter how many times I try to put them on my phone (through dropbox). Like I said though, they exist on my phone and I can find and play them, the problem is that they don't show up in my library.
I just want to have my albums complete! Is there some setting I am missing here?
Thanks,
-slightly annoyed Android user

I just figured it out. On the main page of the music library there is a gear at the top left where you can modify the filter settings for how short a track has to be to stop appearing in your library. Moving the slider to 0 seconds solved my issue.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


text:
How to accept SSL certificate using selenium on an emulated Android
I'm using selenium (with python) to test a website on an emulated android device (Android version 6 and Android version 5.1) on Sauce Labs.
Selenium tries to access a website using the native browser. Unfortunately the SSL certificate pops up when I try to access the website which stops the test. I want selenium to automatically click accept. The box that pops up looks like this:

Simply creating a certificate for the site isn't an option. I want Selenium to automatically click on the accept button. This is possible for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, IE, and mobile Safari (i.e. iOS), so it must also be possible for Android. Please let me know if you have any ideas! Thanks :)

I found that it is indeed possible to get selenium to automatically accept the SSL certificate for the native Android browser.
The code normally looks like:
from selenium import webdriver

caps = {'browserName': 'Android Browser'}
caps['platform'] = 'Linux'
caps['version'] = '6'
caps['deviceName'] = 'Android Emulator'
caps['deviceOrientation'] = 'portrait'
sauce_settings = 'http://{0}:{1}@ondemand.saucelabs.com:80/wd/hub'.format(
    SAUCE_USER, SAUCE_KEY,
)
driver = webdriver.Remote(
    command_executor=sauce_settings,
    desired_capabilities=caps,
)

The missing option, that needs to be added to automatically accept the ssl certificate, is this:
caps['acceptSslCerts'] = True

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


text:
How does Google app interact with WhatsApp?
There is an option in OK Google voice commands in which Google app can send Whatsapp messages to any person. How does it manage to do this?

To understand this, you will need to know the workings in the code. Anyway, I'll try to explain it in layman terms.
Basically, apps can have a window (sort of) by which they can be given data to initiate the task. These windows are called intents in android. When an app is given some data, say a person's name and a message, through the intent it can decide what to do with this data. In the case of Whatsapp, it sends the given message to the given contact/person.

Can you provide some information regarding the exact intent?

Try this maybe it's helpful. Send text to specific contact programmatically (whatsapp)


text:
Unlocking bootloader LG G6 Verizon

I'm not able to get fastboot to respond to any commands
There is no OEM Unlock Option visible in the Developer Options Screen
LG's tool does not support the LG G6

Are there other options I should be exploring?

Once again: your own fault for buying anything Verizon. LG is also partly to blame here as they themselves won't unlock anything not from europe or T-Mobile either. This is just policy.


text:
Will this charger damage my phone?
I have a 3 port USB-C charger from Aukey that for the past weeks worked well with my Nexus 5X when used with an old ATX power supply as power source.
I found critical reviews on Amazon (link to US website, but same type of issues on DE and IT as well) where the product stops working or even fries the phones after some time.
I am using exclusively the USB-C port, the other ones cannot charge the Nexux 5X as fast. I am using the original Nexus 5X USB-C cable, not the one provided by AUKEY (it is said to be low quality).
I decided to take it apart and I measured the voltage on the power pins of USB-C while charging and while the charger is powered by 12.2 V from a DC-DC power supply. The source is therefore cleaner than a car electric circuit would be.
I measured with this conditions on the output port 5.10-5.38 V. The tester gives me 5.01 on a LM7805 used as calibration.
Nexus 5X is not Quick charge 3 compatible, therefore it does not negotiate voltages continuously variable above 5 V, in theory it should only jump to 9 V but I haven't seen it, even if the charger could provide it.
Will the 5.4 V damage my Nexus 5X, as it happened to (other) smartphones from the reviews? After all, USB tolerates up to 5.25 V only.

How to select a Non OEM USB Type C charger or cable for my device? may help - please go through the blogs of sources mentioned especially as your device is said to have a non standard charger. My 2C, it won't hurt since  cable resistance, and port resistance will come in play to create a drop. Even before fast charging, there were 5.3 V chargers that didn't hurt


text:
Send Airdrop from Android
Is there any way to send files from an Android phone via Apple's Airdrop to an iPhone? I'm not looking for an alternative system, just want to mess with some colleagues who have iPhones. Currently running CM14.1 with root/xposed.
Thanks in advance.


text:
How to have an individual notification for every message?
Similar to the iPhone, is there any way I can get a separate, individual notification for every SMS, update, (any sort of notification)?
This is not specific to SMS, but rather to any app.
Currently, my phone will chunk notifications by the app and once I get 5+ notifications from an individual app, my phone will chunk the notifications together and I can no longer see the notifications unless I deliberately click on the notifications.

That's probably going to depend largely on what version of the OS you're running.

I too want an answer to this. I just switched from iOS to the Samsung S8, running Android 7, and this is one of the most annoying things about my phone. If I receive a bunch of important notifications, it tells me about a few of them and hides the rest - the only way to know that there are more is some tiny number. I also have 3 email accounts setup, and the notifications are grouped per account, so I only see one or two emails per account, with another tiny number indicating that there are more. Grouping notifications is good in theory, but can be horrible in practice.

Is this specific to sound notifications or status bar notifications? I believe few third-party applications are capable of doing this, @Tal

The notifications on the lock screen. Mine doesn't look exactly like that, but same idea - instead of showing every message individually, it shows that one email account has 2 messages, another has 6 messages, and that tiny +2 at the bottom seems to indicate that there's 2 more notifications hidden.

Customising android to mimic ios notification style
While android os is still lagging behind ios in terms of personalisation and notfications there are a dozen of applications
that come close to mimicking this behaviour, in my research I managed to grab just a few:

Defumblr Smart Lock

Key Features:

Defumblr highlights your important messages in a unified messaging interface
Launch your most used apps with Quick App Launcher
Sync the Lock screen Calendar and Alarm with your Android system.
Organize critical to-do items right on your lock screen with a customized To-Do List widget
Get glanceable forecasts with the Weather widget
Organize all your important notifications and messages in one place
Personalized configuration options including layout, color schemes and backgrounds
Secure your phone with password or PIN protection
Customize which apps to feature on your lock screen

AcDisplay

AcDisplay
 is a good example that completely replicates Apple’s functionality.

It uses the sensors on your device to know when to wake up, saving you
  from hitting the home button or power button on your device.  It’s
  also customisable, so you can adjust which notifications you want to
  show up, plus use some power saving settings and dynamic backgrounds.

Screenshots:

SlideLock

is a simple and clean locker with powerful notification features.

Features :

Simple and clean android locker replacement
Swipe the screen to the right to unlock, swipe it to the left to access the camera
Actionable detailed notifications, double tap to open, swipe to dismiss
PIN and pattern security
Screen wakes up for a short time when receiving a notification, allowing you to perform a quick check without having to touch the device
Custom settings for each app (sound, vibration, ...)
Notification banners when your device is unlocked
Low battery usage

Screenshots:

Hope this helps


text:
Unlock OnePlus2 after reset and now in FRP
I have reset my Android Phone (OnePlus2) after it froze. Now it wants me to log in to my previously used Google account.
I know the PIN Code and the Code to Unlock the Screen and the fingerprint is also set to me.
Is there a way to bypass this protection ?
IMHO this does not make any sense if there is no way. Any reasonable thief, who knows all this information can simply unlock the phone and disable OEM lock.
My only problem is that i forgot the Googlemail.

FRP, or Factory Reset Protection, is a Google security protocol built into  modern Android devices, and it is incredibly tough to bypass... Most "reasonable thieves" just ignore these devices because it is so difficult to bypass, it is hardly simple although some devices have specific exploits to bypass it, but those are becoming less and less common as security updates are rolled out on a more consistent basis. To have any chance at assistance, you will need to edit your post and include your specific device and Android version. TBH, the chances are slim you can bypass this.

If you read my answer, you will realise, that it is in fact incredibly easy. Although i also am surprised by this fact.

I searched a few videos on youtube and found a comment, that i tried out of pure desperation:
"Use this code to unlock in emergency call *#812# "
... and it worked !!
After this code unlocks your phone, just go to settings and add a new google account.
Thanks a lot to Chris Rosario for the comment.

Just an FYI... this is NOT a universal way to bypass FRP, it just worked on your device (which you never told us what it is). Glad you got it working, but this method likely won't help others without knowing what device it is.
BTW, I tried this on a few devices on our test bench... Nexus 5, Moto G 2015, Moto X Pure 2015, and Axon 7 Mini. Didn't work on any of them, I could get to dialing an emergency call on all devices but could not get to settings at all from there.

Sorry for not mentioning ... i edited my question. I was sure i had already put it there. Thanks for the infos. You are probably right, the video i took this advice from was about a OnePlus3. Maybe its just a OnePlus thing. But the customer support there didnt know this trick.

TBH, I find it "unfortunate" that OnePlus made it this simple to bypass FRP... Kind defeats the whole purpose of it and lets you know that information and device is not safe at all.

I somehow agree. But the good news is, that google sure will find a way to fix this.

There are bypasses but it varies by phone. The best bet is to flash stock firmware. That's the only way I know to do it, because I've done it on my wife's Galaxy S5.

FYI... That doesn't work on most devices that released with Android 5.x or higher, the SGS5 released with KitKat. Android specifies that that FRP settings are stored in an encrypted, protected partition in all devices that shipped with Android 5 and above, flashing a factory image does not touch those partitions, similar to serial number, IMEI, and other device specific information.

I have seen online  where people  say you can't and you can I tried it and it did in fact remove the frp and was able to use the phone untill recently when the digitizer cracked when dropped

Then FRP on that device is flawed and useless, if it is so simple to bypass it is worthless.

Acejavelin please address the question that is the purpose of this site not discussing anwser to said qustion

And yes that wood make it useless I was extremely suprised it worked my self especially on a Samsung flagship

The point was your answer is not universal, it's actually an exception to the norm, and most likely does not apply to the OP unless they have the same model device. I didn't down vote it because of your low reputation, but it isn't a very good answer to the question as it was asked.

I appreciate you not down voting me and this was my  experience with frp at the time  the only real universial method is to know the info  but the op isn't as specific as it needs to be

@seanburk what is missing, to be as specific as you need it ? I contacted Google and they told me that i should send in the phone to OnePlus and they would put the OS back on and this should do the trick. She also added, that i could be able to do it myself, but only if i had some "computer knowledge" ...

What phone u have wood be a good start then and any and all things you have done to it root mods etc. I see oneplus  I am not familiar with those  at all never even seen one in person so  from here I'd say get the newwest EXACT FIRMWARE for your model of phone I've read that you can't downgrade stock firmware idk if it's true iv never tried but get the firmware and Google how to flash stock firmware for your phone and try it I wood stick to trusted site for info and all downloads I'm bias to this site and xda for this matter xda mite be a better place to look for what u need

@seanburk i called OnePlus and now have an appointment for a remote session for tomorrow evening. If it solves the problem i will report, and if it doesnt,  i will try it myself.

See my own answer for the solution.


text:
Root an LG Spirit with no closed source programs
I own an LG Spirit (Android 6.0) and I'm sick of the limitations that are put on my phone. I decided to attempt rooting, and possibly bootloader unlocking and flashing. But, for now, I'm stuck on rooting.
My problem is that I want to totally avoid execution of closed source software that requires and/or manages root access. I'm not a developer, but I put far more trust in open source software that I can read (even if I lack the skills, but it's a nice moment to learn something new) than in shady¹ applications that promise me to root a phone with one click. I'd like to learn something about the process that I'm doing on my phone, and I never trusted the easy ways when dealing with electronic devices.
Fact is, I don't know where to begin. I've found phh's project, superuser (git: https://github.com/phhusson/Superuser), but the documentation is so technical I really can't understand a thing, even if my phone is supported (or if I can create the necessary files, or else). When I look for newbie guides to rooting, all I can find are guides to the one click root apps (that can be summarized as "Download->Click Root"). So, I think I have to learn something along the way to proceed.
By the way, my computer skills: I just know a little of C (from an university course, absymal quality), I can handle Linux shell decently, I'm willing to learn.
My main question is:
Is anyone willing to share his/her experience about open source rooting? Can someone point me some reference for learning about what's needed to understand the procedures that he/she has done to root his/her phone in an open source way?
Or, if it is too broad:
Does anyone with experience with superuser know where I can read something, more newbie friendly, to begin understanding how that procedure works?
I thank you all for your attention.
¹No offense meant to the honest guys and gals that developed a closed source way to root! Unfortunately, closed source brings this kind of questions by nature.

Koush stopped development on Superuser a few years ago, it is not compatible with devices after KitKat. Look into SuperSU or Magisk. And what do you mean by "open source" methods? Just unlock the bootloader and flash recovery then SuperSU or Magisk... https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-spirit/help/lg-spirit-h440n-thread-t3108435

Every up-to-date rooting method seems to be closed source, unfortunately. If you absolutely want open source, you'll better relinquish the LG's stock firmware and flash a custom ROM such as LineageOS (which provides root as a separate flashable addon) or one of its derivates. Personally, I'm not too fond of the new systemless root, be it SuperSU or Magisk, since, as I seemed to understand, it breaks old apps. A last note of caution: stay away from any one-click-root. They are bundled with shady code and are prone to bricking devices.

acejavelin, I suppose a full reflashing would remove everything that a malignous rooting app would add, but I'd also like to understand something along the way. By the way, Koush stopped development, but there is an active branch (last commit in the beginning of April) mantained by phhusson.
Death Mask Salesman, thanks for your advice. Looks like my intuition was good, and I sniffed "evil" on the one click root apps. Unfortunately, LineageOS does not support my phone specifically. Also, bootloader unlocking instructions on XDA developers tell me to "root the phone", and that's my problem.


text:
What Android device manufacturers supply their devices with longer software update life cycles than Google supplies its Nexus and Pixel devices?
Google's software update life cycle policy for Nexus and Pixel devices is that:
1. They "get Android version updates for at least 2 years from when the device became available on the Google Store. After 2 years, we can't guarantee additional updates."
2. They "get security patches for at least 3 years from when the device first became available, or at least 18 months from when the Google Store last sold the device, whichever is longer."
Source: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705?hl=en
Are there any manufacturers that give their devices longer life cycles than Google gives Nexus and Pixel devices when it comes to Android version updates, security patches, or both?
In addition, if possible, please tell me how rapidly these manufacturers provide Android version updates and/or monthly security updates, in comparison to how rapidly Google provides them to Nexus and Pixel devices.

No... At least not with any consistency or guarantee. Pixel/Nexus devices have the longest manufacturer's update life cycle.

Flagging as too broad after last edit.

If you're just looking for as many Android version/security updates (minus "from manufacturers"), better off buying known developer-friendly phones that has active 3rd-party development. Custom ROMs will always last longer than any sort of manufacturer support.

@acejavelin the reason for my last edit--where I added the part asking about update speed--is because responses that include information about update speed would help me narrow my choices down further. If others agree that that edit makes my question too broad (even though it technically is not part of my question, because it is an addendum to it, at the end of the question's details section, and not in the title) then I will remove it.

Everyone worth their salt is 2 and 3 for Security Patches, manufacturers with fewer phones and a greater concern for security (Blackberry) might extend the life cycle for the security but Android Version upgrades won't come if the next version is far enough away to let it slide (depending upon Devices in service vs. the idea of buying a new phone).
Once you're off Contract you can Root and Update yourself (cost the Mfg. nothing too) so there's little reason for them to support older Models IF people aren't going to complain (or make it a purchase consideration).
As for the second question: http://www.androidauthority.com/android-oem-update-speed-743073/ .
For Nougat:
LG: 78 days
Motorola: 88 days
HTC: 95 days
Sony: 99 days
Xiaomi: 126 days
OnePlus: 131 days
Samsung: 143 days
Huawei: Might get Nougat Q2 2017

"If the next version is far enough away to let it slide" --> Android version upgrades come once per year, so it sounds like you're saying that even with security-focused manufacturers, after the normal two-years is over, will skip the next version upgrade if it is far enough away during the following 365 days, offering it only to devices less than three years old? Did I interpret your answer correctly?

"If people aren't going to complain (or make it a purchase consideration)." --> For me, the speed with which manufacturers will provide updates--especially security updates--is the primary factor in my purchase decision. I do wonder, however, whether I am worrying too much about vulnerabilities not getting patched by third-party manufacturers as quickly as Google patches them, because some third-party manufacturers' devices might otherwise appeal to me.

1.) It is usual to discontinue updates in this order: Version, UI, and finally Security. Version is the first to go because it's the most work (not just testing everything but each Carrier has to sign-off). UI will be kept 'the same' because they know what is best BUT if the UI gets an Upgrade that is not Hardware focused then it gets pushed to older Devices to keep the whole lineup amalgamated (and no involvement with either Android or Carriers) with security updates last to go so their Rep. is not tarnished. -- 2.) With Google Hardware and Software just one place. Buy from Carrier and Root.


text:
LineageOS: run custom script (start service) at boot
Seems like a simple thing. How can I run custom script on my (rooted) android with LineageOS at boot?
Neither creating it as /data/local/userinit.d/99sshd nor /data/local/userinit.sh did not help.
The LineageOS actually states in /etc/init.d/20userinit that it will run /data/local/userinit.sh if exists, but according to logcat it does not.
The script (in my case) runs SSH daemon, which runs fine when I execute the script manually.

AFAIK init.d support still has to enabled externally. It was once pre-enabled, but somewhere along the timeline they cancelled it. There are apps on Play that would do this.


text:
What buttons are required on android device?
Typically there are three buttons on the device a back button home button and an overview button.
Which of these buttons are required by the standard or de facto standard?

Home, maybe? Lots of Chinese devices (with non-standard UX) here employ a single touch-and-press home key to achieve various functions.

@AndyYan I would agree with you accept according to this video it is tap for back press for home https://www.forbes.com/sites/bensin/2016/08/06/this-chinese-company-changed-how-one-navigates-within-android-and-i-think-its-the-future/2/#4bf15c7b2eda

Precisely. Meizu's mBack and ZUK's U-Touch are 2 wider-known examples. I don't really know how Google views those implementations, though. I'm a supporter of onscreen nav keys myself.

There are 4 if you don't include Hardware Reset, three are mandatory: Home, Menu and Back.
See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3524758/are-the-4-android-buttons-standard-ex-back-button-menu-button - almost the same question, same answer.

That question is dated since they got rid of the menu button a while ago.  I think the overview button might be optional.


text:
Locating ARP cache on an android device
If you are familiar with the command prompt in windows, there is an command that can used to see the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Cache in the command prompt i.e. arp -a. It is supposedly a table where static/dynamic  MAC-to-IP address associations are stored.
In android 5.1 is there a similar ARP cache also? If there is, how can I view the current list of Mac-IP address associations lets say using a Samsung Galaxy phone for example?

I can't test this now, but the file /proc/net/arp should contain the information you look for. You can read it with any proper file manager or Terminal Emulator (use cat for reading the file). You don't need root to read that one file.

I can't find /proc/net/arp in my phone. How do I access it?

Another possibility is the command ip neighbor. It lists all IPs and MAC addresses in the neighborhood.

How do I run "ip neighbor" command using Java code on Android App?


text:
How to disable integrated Avast antivirus inside EMUI 5.0 (Android 7.0)?
I have the following phone:
Honor 8; FRD-L09

Official website
Information about integrated Avast antivirus inside EMUI 5.0
Picture with basic information:

Picture with integrated Antivirus from Phone Manager (Virus scan):

Once I click on the Virus scan, I get a very quick scan with the Avast logo at the bottom:

Important note:
As this device is new and under warranty, I cannot root it.
Intention:
I have my own trusted antivirus solution, it does not matter which one at this point.
I want to use it instead of the integrated Avast solution.
Question:
How to disable integrated Avast antivirus inside EMUI 5.0 (Android 7.0) ?
I called various local support lines, but to no avail.
In settings there is no available option as far as I can see.

I don't think it is possible , given the fact that it is integrated into the phone manager application, and is also a system application.
I also have a Huawei tablet (EMUI 1.6)  which also has a tablet manager (package name com.huawei.systemmanager) but has a storage cleaning option which is said to be powered by Du Speed Booster. However I did several scans to try and find the app to no avail.
So I think it is not possible to separate the antivirus functionality from the phone manager app, so you either remove the whole phone manager package (if rooted that is) or stay with it. Otherwise I doubt if you cant explicitly find the avast as a package in your system.
You can still install another AV solution of your choice - (it really unnecessarily strains the phone resources) besides  I don't see the use of Antiviruses in android, if you obtain your applications from official trustworthy sources.

Huawei tablet manager (Storage cleaning functionality powered by Du Speed booster)


text:
what is 10147 in Android, it drain battery power 54% in 6 hours
I have Motog5 plus,and since 2 days battery drain too fast,
when I see battery information I could not find which app is this so that I can uninstall it.

malware probably

I do not know the reason.

Still unsolved?

@esQmo I restarted phone, I have disabled background data for all apps which shows advertisements, till now I have not see same issue again.

You just need to click on 10147 to find the next screen i.e. Use details screen. Under this screen you'll find an information button on the right hand side beside the title (in your case it will be 10147). And if it is a third party application you'll get the option to Uninstall it else if it is a system app you may find the option to disable it.
Hope this helps.
Thank you!

Take a Nandroid backup before you do this if you can.

I have checked that too, both options were disabled, I could not click on any one of them.


text:
Why does my browser think that it's Chrome?
While browsing the web from my phone, I currently use the stock browser. However, I've encountered a curious problem.
If I go to a page, and then switch to another tab, it will often take the tab that I was on and turn it into this:

It puts data:text/html,chromewebdata into the URL, so it shows a page with chromewebdata.
In addition, for a while, every time I Googled something, it would show me 'We've detected that you're using an older version of Chrome' blah blah blah. It also switched itself to the desktop view. (When going to get a screenshot for this question, however, that magically fixed itself, so...)
Why was this happening?

The core of older versions of AOSP browser is still Chromium. That's not why the problem is happening, though.

@iBug - well then, SO has decided that spam is appropriate for R/A as well, so it all work out :)

As Andy commented, some Android stock browsers are based on chromium.
The issue you explained is kind of a bug where Android WebView built on chromium fails to loads the page in question due unmapped ssl error.
As explained here: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=395638;

Android Kit kat WebView component built on chromium is unable to open
  web page due to an unmapped ssl error! It is usually  occurring on
  secure login pages presented by captive portals.

Here is their extracted log entries
04-09 12:49:49.215: W/chromium(24516): [WARNING:ssl_client_socket_openssl.cc(182)] Unmapped error reason: 261
04-09 12:49:49.215: E/chromium(24516): [ERROR:ssl_client_socket_openssl.cc(870)] handshake failed; returned -1, SSL error code 1, net_error -2
04-09 12:49:49.245: E/WiFiWebLogin(24516): ExtWebViewClient - ExtWebBrowser-veiw-1 - onReceivedError: errorCode=-1, failingUrl=https://1.1.1.1/login.html?redirect=syslynxservices.com/ description=net::ERR_FAILED
04-09 12:49:49.265: I/chromium(24516): [INFO:CONSOLE(12)] "Not allowed to load local resource: file:///android_asset/webkit/android-weberror.png", source: data:text/html,chromewebdata (12)

Had the same issue, and what stuck me is that they sugested it usually occurs on secure login pages by captive portals which is right where I saw that funny message telling me "we have detected a you are using an older version of chrome".
Could'nt come up with a solution but had to switch browsers but like you noted the issue vanished away eventually.


text:
Removing verification scripts from a stock ROM
I'm not really familiar with Android development so I'm not sure how to go about this, sorry if those questions are basic.
I have successfully flashed a TWRP recovery on my MTK6797 phone (UMI Z Pro) and I can enter it but somehow managed to soft brick it (the ROM itself doesn't boot, - hangs on the boot screen).
So I'd like to install the stock ROM again but keep TWRP recovery since I was planning to tweak the ROM or even perhaps build a custom ROM for this phone since there are none available and probably won't be any in the future.
The problem is that the stock ROM contains some verification scripts, here's a quote from their official forum:

You need the original boot, recovery and system image on your phone
  since the update script checks their integrity before running. As a
  conclusion, if you have a custom recovery on your phone and/or ever
  rooted it, you cannot update it via FOTA but the only way is flashing
  with SPFT.

How would I go about removing those scripts from the stock ROM? Or does anyone know of another solution to this - TWRP recovery + stock ROM on this phone.
Thanks in advance.

I don't quite get it, you already know how to flash TWRP, why not just go ahead and flash that stock ROM the normal way, then flash TWRP again? Side note: next time you do this, after you flashed TWRP, make a backup of the stock ROM immediately.

@AndyYan I'll try repeating it but what could've caused the soft brick?

I can't really pinpoint it, since you know what you did better...

@AndyYan That's the thing, I can't come up with why that could've happened. I know that the recovery is on a seperate disk partition from the Android partition thus completely independent of the Android system.
I flashed TWRP 3.1.0 based on the UMI Z.V3.01_20170116 kernel version of the stock ROM using SP Flash Tool.
The ROM version was V3.01_20170408. I also only flashed the recovery.

One question first your phones a umiz pro and the twrp is based on umi z.V3.xxx.xxxxx  from Google it appears that there is a base and pro model am I correct
If so then I think from your post it sounds like u flashed the base model recovery on. A pro model I have done this on a homtom ht7 I really messed it up but I think that is your problum

They state that the recovery works for both UMI Z and UMI Z Pro although I did use a UMI Z scatter file, I'll try using the UMI Z Pro scatter file. The phones are actually identical except for a dual camera instead of a single one on the Pro.

I try to stay away from mtkxxxx had bad luck with all of the ones I had just have to be really carefully with the scatter file when I messed up my ht7 I made a hard brick of it but threw a guide and I have no idea what it was called or where to find it now but it's basically a tear down of the phone and u have to sodder a wire from one point to a nother so the computer will recognize the phone and it does now for me just having trouble flashing it now  but that's all I got sir sorry couldn't be more help


text:
Automatically adjust ringtone volume Marshmallow
Some time ago (Android 4.1) I used to use Llama app to automatically adjust the ringer volume and dim the screen when my phone connected my work WiFi.
That was a fantastic functionality.
I've just got a Bluboo Picasso 4G (Android 6.0) and want the same.
Llama is not able to change the volume nor brightness anymore. I tried Automate app (newer solution from Llama's author), and it has the ability to choose one of the predefined profiles: silent, vibrate, normal, but it cannot switch to an user-defined profile (only the standard three are available; trying to use variables do not take any effect).
Now I'm testing PhoneProfilesPlus (3.5.0.6) and this seems not to work as well.
Does anyone know a working solution? All I need is: set some not-very-loud ringtone and dim the screen when connected to my office WiFi, and revert once disconnected.

Try out tasker app.

Standard Android does not support such "profiles", therefor Automate has no block for it. If you're referring to Do-Not-Disturb modes, use the Interruptions set block.

Question may be closed: Actually it seems to be a kind of a bug in my phone. Changing the volume value does not have any effect on the sound. I have tested (QPython+SL4A) that the Android's volume value is changed by the software mentioned in the question, but there is no difference in the sound volume...

It still possible with Automate to dim the screen and change the volume.

In the Connectivity section, select "Wi-Fi connected". Click on it, enter the Network Name (or click on Pick network to select a Network (the WiFi must be on, if not the list will be empty)). Click Done.
In the Settings section, select "Screen brightness set". Click on it, enter the Brightness level (expressed in percentage). Click Done.
In the Camera & Sound section, select "Audio volume set". Click on it, enter the Volume level (expressed in percentage), then in Audio Stream, select Ring (System is for system-wide sounds). Click Done.
Steps 2 and 3 parameters are for when the phone is connected to a selected Wifi network. Repeat steps 2 and 3, but change the parameter to reflect brightness and volume values when the phone is disconnected from the selected Wifi network.
Link the blocks as seen on the picture below. Save the flow and give it a name. Give the appropriate permissions (some maybe installed). Click Start.
Optional - If you want, the flow to run at boot, in the settings, select Run on system startup

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје

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


text:
How to autorun apk on android by plugging usb?
I have an APK file and i have a 4GB usb stick that could be plugged into an Android phone via USB-OTG  and a PC.  I've been wondering how could i plug the usb into the android phone and have the apk be auto installed without doing it manually. I'm asking for something like the autorun script we use on PC but I need one for android. I'm interested in having it work on Lollipop in particular, if that makes a difference.

It's not possible to install packages automatically, and there's no feature like AutoRun. AutoRun was a huge security problem on Windows systems, so it seems unlikely that a similar feature will be added to Android. You just have to put the APK file on the USB stick and install it by opening it with the package installer.
It would be possible to make an app that listens for USB connection events, scans for APK files, and asks the package installer to install any APK files it finds, but the app would have to be already installed on the phone, and the user would still have to click to accept the installation of the new apps.

I heard something about the manifest file that could be altered to add an autorun but im not sure about this

@MhmdJoudi It is not possible, Dan's answer is correct... Having that capability would a massive security hole in Android.


text:
Generic way to access Android protected filesystem (Not to be confused with rooting)
I'm trying to get full access to the Android file system on a device without actually rooting the device. Something that could get me into the file system at boot time for example. Looking for a generic way, not just working on single device.
The goal is to remove some protected apps. And because I don't trust KingoRoot.
Phones have a way of updating themselves and this means that the update package should have rights to do anything.
Half-answers are also welcome, as in pointing me in the right direction.

"Phones have a way of updating themselves" – yes, e.g. by means of flashing a signed "package". But as you don't have the "trusted key" (only the manufacturer/ROM "baker" have it, for security reasons), that way is not available to you: your "packages" would be rejected by the system ("invalid/unknown/untrusted signature").

In general, this isn't possible... Android is designed NOT to let you access this stuff without root. That said, there maybe some device specific methods if you updated your question with your device you might get an answer. There is also the issue of SELinux and DMverity which will just restore everything on the next boot anyway. And you are right not to trust King(o)root and other similar solutions. But to answer your question there is no "generic" way, if there was rooting wouldn't be an issue at all.

So that trusted key is probably not just sitting there in plain format for one to retrieve it either right? Well, true that would simplify things a lot for rooting. That's why I'd settle something more intermediate rather than a direct solution. Something that would drop me half way. Just want to be able to tinker with any device to gain root on my own, and (if successful) provide solution to others but in a transparent way rather than some magic.exe that you just have to trust to do it all without messing you up. @i

You and most if the Android enthusiast community... The proper way to root a device is to unlock the bootloader, use a custom recovery, and flash SuperSU or Magisk, any other method is pretty much a kludge that is device specific. Accessing system files is "privileged" and reserved for digitally signed packages, really if it worked any other way the security of Android would be compromised to a point the device would be unsafe to use in todays world. If you can't unlock the bootloader and perform these steps and want to, then you likely don't have the right device for your needs.

Well this particular device (LYF phone) actually has "OEM Unlocking - allow the bootloader to be unlocked" option under Dev options. If that's relevant/useful? @acejavelin

@Emil I am not familiar with this specific device, but this option doesn't unlock the bootloader but just allows that to occur if your manufacturer supports it (which Lyf seems to, at least on some devices). At this point you can load or boot a custom recovery and you can pretty much do anything.

It seems no custom recoveries are available for it though, it's a cheap device, can't blame the dev's. Full model name LYF Flame 7. The manufacturer is pretty rough with their practices too, the darn thing installs apps on its own (each of them with full set of permissions). Figured if I root it at least it would make it usable.


text:
Why does Media Storage consume so much memory and how to clear it for good?
Android is generaly horrible when it comes to managing or saving disk space. But recently, new problem appeared, which is the Media Storage system application which fills my internal memory (disk memory) with 350MB of data.
I deleted the data using Application manager, but the data reappears. Why does it happen and how to stop it? I saw no negative side effects of deleting Media storage data.

Memory (RAM) or storage space? Media Storage is the database of all your "media", meaning pictures, video, music, etc... The more files you have to index, the larger the storage space. Android will not work properly without this database.

I specifically mentioned disk space in the first sentence of my question. I do not even have 350 MB of media. I did not ask anyone for any media indexing.

Perhaps it is just semantics, but memory is synonymous with RAM in the US and storage is different, memory and storage are uniquely different. It is an essential service to the core of Android but your storage use is not normal... I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of pictures and songs on my device and Media Storage uses 3.41MB of storage space.  Regardless, have you just cleared the storage on the Media Storage and External Storage apps and rebooted (they are kind of linked in the OS)?

Yes, I cleared the data storage and rebooted the phone. But this is the third time I have to do this, so I came here for permanent solution.

If this has been an ongoing issue in a 4 year old device, I would suggest first that you perform a full factory reset, and if the problem continues it is likely an issue in the ROM. Due to it's age the chances of getting an update from Samsung are pretty much non-existent, so your "fix" might be to move to a custom ROM. The development community on for the SGS4 is (or was) quite robust.

Thanks for advice. I really miss the time when phones became old when they physically stopped working.

This file apparently controls/manages what apps and files are believed to be on the phone.  Here is why I think that.
1. The galaxy Prime (don't laugh) was constantly "full" where it couldn't update anything, couldnt accept texts, etc.. on and on.
Attempting to Uninstall Facebook? done daily, only to look again and see it still installed.
Try to delete or move Pictures?  nope - "Failed to move" "Failed to delete" file.  Pics and Videos remain no matter what you do.
Final attempt? "Clear data" on the Media Storage file and Boom!!
Finally, the pictures, videos, we had tried to move or delete, and Facebook uninstall FINALLY ARE REMOVED!!
And space is back, texts are flowing, no more complaining of space etc..
I am guessing this file gets to size and point where it cannot be efficiently managed by the phone/android.


text:
Is there a way to hide an app from the Play Store without uninstalling it?
Is it possible to remove an app from the Play Store's "installed" list but keep it installed? I can't seem to find a workup on this.

This sounds like an A-B question... what are you trying to accomplish?

Detach it from the market. See if the answer here helps. https://android.stackexchange.com/q/58021/96277

@Firelord It still comes back after being detached

@endolith you can setup an automation app to periodically detach it.

That is possible, but requires a rooted device. Some apps provide a feature to accomplish that, e.g.:

Hide Updates In Play Store
Titanium Backup

Note that, even once achieved, Playstore refreshes those "links" – usually within ~24h. The first app takes care for that itself, and with Titanium you can setup a corresponding schedule to repeat the action (hint: use a filter, store the filter definition, and use that for the "scheduled task").

yes you can but you just have to follow a simple step WARNING it will not show some other apps too... for example i want to hide a app that is for age group 12+ (this rating you can see after searching for that app and see the age recommendation)... so now you have to go in parental control in play store and then add a pin... now just select the age group below the one of 12 years and set it... now if you search for that app it would not show it
(but now you wont be able to see other apps that of category 12+) however if you have downloaded that app it would show in updates section

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


text:
Can a factory reset really fix proximity sensor problem?
The screen on my Alcatel Idol 3 goes black when making or answering a call. This suggests that the proximity sensor may be bad. The Phone Tester app indicates that the proximity sensor reports "near" all the time. A customer support rep had be do a reset (edit: wipe system cache) on my phone (not factory reset). This did not resolve the problem. He then suggested doing a factory reset and get back with him to submit a warranty claim if that didn't work. What are the chances that a factory reset will resolve this problem?

Next to zero... But if you are going to request an RMA for it, you should do it just in case. Proximity Sensor issues are generally a hardware problem, a factory reset will only correct it if somehow the stored thresholds for the sensor got corrupted which is highly unlikely since this is stored in a privileged system file. If you are rooted, you may be able to modify these thresholds manually, but this will void your warranty and only has a 50/50 chance of working at best. It is generally best to get the device repaired/replaced under warranty if that is an option.

There is 50/50 chance that it will work. You can perform factory reset if it doesn't "fix" sensor than it's hardware problem and need to be repaired/replaced

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
how do I add hebrew to a bluetooth keyboard?
I have an external bluetooth keyboard for my android and I want to add Hebrew. I searched online for help but cannot find any. No manual came with the keyboard.

Adding language is very easy (just Go to: Settings -> Language & Input -> Physical Keyboard and dig there), but there is a problem with changing the language with a keyboard shortcut:
cannot change languange on external keyboard


text:
Can I flash same model but different operator firmware
If I flash Telus SM-G920W8 firmware on my Bell SM-G920W8 device would there be any incompatibility issues?

The frequencies are the same from what I just looked up I have put v410 att firmware on my uk410 and it work but I never had mobile data on it so I'm not sure about data but I'm going to say your good to do it just proceed with caution have the correct firmware that's  supposed to be on the phone and if u have a custom recovery make a back up and give it a try I'm not saying it will work but it's a possibility and if other dont work try a custom ROM for the firmware you want to use I tried downloading and installing the stock AT&T firmware online UK 410 and it wouldn't work but cyanogen14 for the v410 flashed just fine to my uk410

In stack exchange's infinite wisdom, I can post answers, but not comments. So what follows should be a comment, but blame stack exchange, not me:
You won't run into incompatibility issues with Android. The phone will function, since that's the exact hardware that ROM is supposed to run on. It's been a long time since I've ran a carrier's ROM or had a locked phone, but you should be able to add the APN for your carrier in the data settings and it'll work on that end too.


text:
I was setting up Android device manager service
It show me to ring ur phone when I select allowed it automatically locked my device and now it is not getting my password it is showing wrong password how can I turn it off .. Even I signed in into that account by my another device please help me out

I wood log in to you Google account and reset ur password and then shut the locked phone off and leave it off for a good 5 minutes and I'd pull the battery if possible but that's your call and then turn it back on and try the new password if not try the support page for adm which u should have done by now  i was taught if all else fales go to the source
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/3265955?visit_id=1-636282398145671585-3604311919&p=device_manager_location&rd=1


text:
The phone locks it self while it lays with the screen down
It's a very weird issue, after i hold my phone with the screen down it suddenly  locks it self and the screen goes off without any reason. And no i did not pressed the power button while im holding it.

The only documented example of this I could find was in Sony phones. Turning off Stamina fixed it for this person. They also recommend clearing the cache for Stamina

Turn off Stamina mode from Power management.
Go to Settings -> Apps -> All -> Stamina mode -> Force stop, Clear data and restart your phone.

Yes  had Sony phone too.. And stamina turned on. Maybe this is a battery saving mechanism, usually when you put your phone down you don't use it.. Thanks.


text:
Hangouts is using obscene amounts of background data
248 Mb this last week of background data compared to 41 Mb foreground. Last month was 400/100. How do I go about seeing what's the cause? I don't send/receive many pictures, when I do it's usually a Hangouts message, not MMS, but usually on wifi too. My brother is 441 foreground, 85 background fore comparison, so about opposite. But as frequently as we're on wifi, I wouldn't think it should use that much cellular data.
Anyone have any tips or a way to start investigating what's going on?
Edit: doesn't fix the root cause, but disabling background cellular data usage doesn't stop you from getting notifications through the magic of GCM push notifications.

It used 1.5GB in less than a day for me a couple of weeks ago, so I've turned off background data for the app. Makes it pretty crippled, but only option. I can't find any answer to this problem anywhere.

Just noticed your comment regarding push, great to know. Initially I uninstalled Hangouts, but yesterday thought I'd try again and the last hour 250MB disappeared, do I turned off background data instead of deleting the app again. I also turned off the feedback option, which obviously didn't help.

I just got off chat with Project Fi support.  Here's the workaround they gave me to this bug.

Project Fi Support:  Please follow the below steps.

Open your device's Settings app .
Tap Network & Internet and then Data usage.
Tap Mobile data usage.
To find the app, scroll down.
**Please select Hangouts over there.
To see more details and options, tap the app's name.
Change background mobile data usage.
To restrict background data usage for this app, turn off Background data.

User:  Done. What functionality have I lost by turning off Background
  data?

Project Fi Support:  You have not lost any thing. It will just make sure that the data is not used when you are not using Hangouts.
For reference, you can go through this link: https://support.google.com/fi/answer/2819524?hl=en

User:  So new text messages will still notify me right away when they
  come in?
Project Fi Support:  Yes, you'll be getting the messages if the data
  is on.


text:
My Android Phone Keeps Telling me that it is on Silent
Ever since I updated my mobile to Android Version 6.01 I get notifications regarding my phone being on silent... This only happens when I plug it onto charge.
Its rather annoying that it keeps telling me this for two reasons:
A: The phone is on Vibrate not Silent
B:I chose to put it on vibrate I don't understand why it needs to keep telling me this.
The same applies for when I leave battery saver mode on, it tells me its on and that the performance is effected. I leave it on battery saver for a reason...
Is there any way to disable these "Helpful" Messages in the settings as I cannot for the life of me find a setting that references this, even in the developer mode. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini if that provides any assistance...

Not on stock... You would need a custom ROM, although root and Xposed may work as well but I'm not familiar with a module that has these specific features.

Does this mean its a feature of the OS itself?

Somewhat, yes, the battery saver portion I think, but AOSP is not as intrusive... But Samsung adds their own pieces to Android that are in the OS itself, these "features" are part of that.

ah see... I have little to no experience with making changes to the OS. I am interested to know how I would go about modifying this on my phone mind.

https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5-mini

I went into Samsung+ app, went to Settings and turned off Diagnostic Notifications.  Have not seen the notification since.

I do not have a Samsung Plus App, does this go by a different name?

Samsung Galaxy. Following Rick's tip that it was a Samsung app, I disabled the app in the app manager. That worked for me.


text:
Termux give user write access to usb pen
I have a android box that has termux and I would like to add permission for my user to write to a plugged in usb pen drive.
For what I believe I only have to add that user to sdcard_r group, I'm not really sure if this is the way.
How can I achieve this? I can't find useradd command.
I also have tried using the termux-setup-storage command but this command doesn't seem to create a folder for my usb pen drive.
My android version is 5.1.1

I have followed the tutorial in http://www.cnx-software.com/2012/08/26/how-to-allow-apps-to-write-files-to-usb-mass-storage-devices-in-android/ and now I can write to my usb :)


text:
What is lk partition
I have a LG phone (K350nds) which bootloader can be unlocked but no recovery can be flashed or kernel because of some signature or whatever, on similar model (K10) that can be bypassed by modifying aboot partition to make some function always return true but that is qualcomm device on same place on my phone (MTK mt6735) there is partition called lk. So what is that partition and what is her purpose?

What's its size? Could you dump it with dd?

@Death Mask Salesman I found that is called little kernel partition and can be found on mediatek devices but I don't know it's purpose. I have .bin file from stock rom it's size is 512 kb, I can't dd because I'm not rooted.

It handles driver configurations for the LCM ( Display Driver ) and other configurations, i flash it to fix GPU errors on ported roms

authors: Једноруки Крстивоје


text:
What's with all the "unnecessary" data in Android 6?
So I just finished updating my phone from Android 6 to 7.
Before downloading the update, I had two point something GB of free internal storage space.
The update was one point something GB of size, and I expected to get about as much back after the update was concluded.
Except, I have now - even after updating all my apps - five point something GB of internal storage available ... and no, I don't think I'm missing any apps (nor personal files, since I'm in the habit of storing as much as possible [read: everything] on my external SD card).
I'm certainly not complaining, but I'm curious. What's the (most likely) data that's been deleted? Is it really possible that Android 7 is that much more efficient?

Runtime environment is different... Marshmallow pre-compiled applications and stored them for use, Nougat compiles on the fly as needed. Seeing a gain of a few GB is not unusual after upgrading to Nougat.

Thank you. That's a neat feature. Want to make an answer out of it?

It's not really a feature, it's just different than how Marshmallow and Lollipop did it, it does have drawbacks particularly on lower end hardware. And yes, I will add an answer.

Runtime environment is different... Marshmallow pre-compiled applications and stored them for use, Nougat compiles on the fly as needed using a JIT (Just In Time) method. Seeing a gain of a few GB is not unusual after upgrading to Nougat.


text:
Synchronized video playback across multiple Devices (Samsung Gear VR)
Synchronized video playback across multiple Devices (Samsung Gear VR)
Specs:
Samsung Gear VR (SM-323)
Samsung Galaxy S6 (SM-G920F)
OS: Android 6.0.1
The Problem:
I’m searching for a possibility to control one or multiple Gears via a single external device. The key feature I’m looking for is to start/pause/resume a video, while someone else is wearing the gear. (like in a representation) It’s not necessary to be able to start the app from externally, even if being able to do so could become handy. A different player which can be controlled in this way would be satisfying too.
The optimal solution would be to have one external device which acts as controller for multiple Gears at the same time. At least some kind of external controller for each single device would be a step in the right direction.
Here are the solutions I’m currently working on and tried so far:
1)    MilkVR / Samsung VR Apps
https://samsungvr.com/portal/content/gear_vr_synchronization
According to this official website from Samsung this would be the ideal solution to the problem. However, I found some information’s that Samsung renamed this app into “Samsung VR”.
So far, I couldn’t find much information’s about the “Samsung VR” app, like exact functionalities, hardware requirements or at least some official statement from Samsung whether or not this app is supposed to be the successor of MilkVR.
Besides all of this, it seems like MilkVR is only available within the USA. So even if MilkVR is still developed and can therefore be run on the named system, I’d first need to find a method to bypass the region lock.
2)    Controlling via Bluetooth
Another possible solution I’m researching at the moment, is using some kind of Bluetooth controller with build-in multimedia keys, since the official player is supposed to support those. The question in this case would be, whether or not it’s possible to link one of those controllers to multiple devices at the same time.
The first test with one generic Bluetooth-based controller (Hi-Shock PG-9033) was disappointing so far, since I was only able to control the volume, seek and going back and forth in the menus. But I wasn’t able to start/pause/stop the playback independent of the built-in menus.
Of course, the Bluetooth remote could be replaced with a computer or smartphone generated Bluetooth signal for example.
3)    Controlling via other transfer methods
Another thought I had was to send the commands via WLAN or USB, but since I couldn’t find any implementation of that within the built-in appstore I don’t expect this to be a possible solution.
Closing words
If someone has some information’s or experiences whether or not some of these ideas could possible work I would be glad to hear them. Even if there’s another entirely different approach to this problem I would like to hear that too since I’m starting to run out of ideas.
Thanks, in advance

One Bluetooth peripheral can't connect to multiple hosts at once, so your option 2 is a non-starter.

Ok, the Samsung support answered me and the Samsung VR app is indeed the successor of the MilkVR app. It has all the functionality, described in the official SamsungVR website I’ve linked in the question above.  The
presentation mode with one device controlling them all works fine so far.
All though the app is indeed official  only available in the US and Canada, I found out, changing the country within the google account settings is already enough to download the app over the google playstore and oculus appstore.

Our company worked with the VRSync solution. Bit hard to find but a great solution for this problem. You can play content to unlimited devices from your desktop.


text:
Flashing Stock Android ROM from another country
I purchased my SM-A520F from UAE. I am currently using the phone in India.
All Samsung Mobiles sold in UAE have VOLTE disabled by default, and hence my phone do not have it. However, majority of the 4G carriers in India use VOLTE and this causes problems that are not minor.
Rooting the phone will probably void warranty. I was told that I can flash stock firmware for this device released for India without having to root.

Will this void warranty?
I contacted customer support of Samsung UAE and they told me it would. But I dont believe them since sources on the internet say otherwise and I won't be rooting the phone.
If I were to go ahead with this, where can I get the official firmware? Is there any option to download this from Samsung website?
What is knox counter? Will I be able to do this without "tripping" knox?
Once I download and install stock firmware from a different country from a  website like Sammobile.com can I still receive OTA updates?
After flashing a firmware downloaded from a third party website, how safely can I use applications that use sensitive data like S Pay and mobile banking applications?

Thanks a ton in advance.

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-legal-to-flash-stock-ROM-of-another-country-on-Samsung-devices

Yes, it will void the warranty; 2. Hard to say, some Samsung firmwares are available "officially", some are leaked, and some are not available at all. XDA forums for you device are the best place to look; 3. KNOX counter is a way of checking if you phone is or has been modified, in theory flashing a stock ROM will NOT trip the Knox counter; 4. Probably; 5. If you are stock, you are stock, the source of the image isn't relevant since the image will be digitally signed.... The real issue here is the hardware/radio differences that cannot be edited or flashed, it likely will not function right

@acejavelin, post this as answer

@acejavelin I would like to know how it will void the warranty. If I were to flash the UAE version of the firmware back before sending it to the service center, is there any way of knowing whether I flashed a different firmware in the first place? Especially when flashing won't trip knox?

@RanaPrathap You are modifying the device... No different than if I took my US device and tried to get a warranty replacement when it had Indian firmware, it immediately red flags the device as modified.

My question is if I flash the original UAE firmware on it before sending it to the service center, will they be able to know whether I modified it?

Would they know? Maybe, there are other methods available to the manufacturer to check if the device has been modified besides Knox if they chose to do so. Remember the average modern Android device has 25+ partitions, of which we can only access about 6, the rest is proprietary or encrypted information, the question is would they? There is also no guarantee that the bootloader or ODIN will even let you flash a different ROM because the variant or product code may not match.

And BTW, the chances India's VoLTE radio firmware will work on your device and carrier is near zero... the firmware for India that supports Jio is proprietary to that carrier, it is not "generic" VoLTE like US and European carriers use.

Yes, it will void the warranty;
Hard to say, some Samsung firmwares are available "officially", some are leaked, and some are not available at all. XDA forums for you device are the best place to look;
KNOX counter is a way of checking if you phone is or has been modified, in theory flashing a stock ROM will NOT trip the Knox counter;
Probably;
If you are stock, you are stock, the source of the image isn't relevant since the image will be digitally signed....

The real issue here is the hardware/radio differences that cannot be edited or flashed, it likely will not function right, that information is protected and tied to the device, flashing a ROM does not change bands or network connectivity of the hardware, but it does change the radio firmware which can cause a mismatch of hardware capability to radio firmware preventing connectivity.


text:
TeamWin “No OS Installed” Android Nexus 5
I lost my phone in Peru and had to downgrade to my old Nexus 5. It was rooted so I couldn't update the OS. In trying to unroot it, I [somehow] deleted the OS, and now the phone won't boot. I get to the TeamWin recovery options and it will say "No OS Installed, are you sure you want to..." How can I fix this?
Note: nexus 5 does not allow for external SDs to transfer files, etc.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! No complete instructions (I have no N5), but the basic answer is: download a ROM for it, and flash that ROM. To get you started on the topic, please check with our rom-flashing tag-wiki.

You need to reflash the stock Google Factory Firmware image for your device with fastboot.
Instructions and images are available here. Make sure to use a quality USB cable... we have had several bricking issues flashing firmware on Nexus 5 devices because of defective or poor quality USB cables.


text:
Editing hosts file to restrict website on wifi and mobile data
I have a rooted Samsung Note4 that is running cyanogenmod. I have gone in and edited my hosts file to restrict access to certain websites. However, I have noticed that the restrictions only works when I'm connected to wifi, not when I'm connected to mobile data (lte, 4g, etc). How can I remedy this situation as to block access to a website no matter how I'm connected?


text:
Flashing Lineage OS 14.1 Nexus 5 hammerhead
I am flashing my Lineage OS 14.1 on my Nexus 5 (hammerhead). It went without error, and I am now booting. However, the curved line with a circle cycling from right to left has been looping for >10 minutes. Is it still "working"? Has it frozen? Should I do a hard reset (hold power and volume down)?
Thanks.

Too much info missing. What's the base before you flashed anything? TWRP version? Have you clean wiped before flashing?

If it is a clean flash, it takes more time. Also, you haven't told anything that Andy Yan mentioned.

@AndyYan TWRP verision 2.8.7.1.. it is a clean flash, all processes wiped.. I repeated it last night and let it cycle over night, it still did not finish by the AM.. I am flashing 14.1 nightly 20170418, with Gapps arm 7.1 pico

Sounds curious, if I had the phone in my hand, I'd flash a factory image and see if it boots well. Better see if it's a problem of the phone itself, since I've been seeing a bunch of (presumably) hardware failing Nexus 5 on this site recently.


text:
How to I find and kill a DnD?
On my Nexus 6P, Android 7.1.2, I once entered a Do Not Disturb setting which started at 0450 local time. I deleted that, but since the 7.1.2 upgrade, it has returned. It even occurs in Safe mode. How do I find it, and kill it, dead, with a stake through its ID?

DND is not a cron job... It's "embedded" in the OS databases. Unless someone knows exactly what file and where, assuming it's ASCII editable file, a factory reset might be your only option.

If you rooted great if not that's okay.
Download terminal emulator and type top you will see a list of of processes find the one you are looking for and follow the on screen instructions on how to kill it.

-1: as specified by @acejavelin, the abovementioned setting is stored in a database. While your answer might fit a GNU/Linux system, it's not targeted to Android.

Android is based off of Linux it does apply

Android merely has a modified Linux kernel. Since each app has its own context, databases and code, the Linux-like binaries are rarely called.


text:
moto g5 plus - male to female usb cable
I am in the process of planning out the 3d print of a custom phone stand for my MG5+.  I am planning that the phone, in its protective case, will slide down onto the stand and plug into the usb port, to charge and access my wifi.
Examination of the phone vs what is on the Internet suggests that the usb port is a micro standard type B.
Ideally the phone will slide onto the male plug.  That is corrected out the back of the phone stand to a female plug.   My normal MG5% charger will plug into that.
So far Google-fu hasn't turned up any cables like this.  I see lots with the correct gender that carry power, but no data.  There are lots of OTG type cables that are power only.
So apparently no one sells a micro usb type b male to micro usb type b female cable that carries power and data.  I am not keen on making one.  The last time, I soldered two fingers together :(
What other options are available?

Ideally such docks are supposed to contain a small piece of circuit board inside where the power/data lines are wired on, plus some minor protection circuits.

Also, on our local site Taobao, lots of such cables are available, and many claim to do data too (e.g. this one - Chinese page). Too bad it's near impossible for people outside of China to take the benefit of Taobao, though.

Most Moto devices come with a separate charger base and cable... Why wouldn't you just use a normal microUSB to USB cable and connected it to the Moto charger, or just get a QC charger online and carry your stock charger for travel/work?

My google fu improved today.
micro usb standard type b data cable extender  yields multiple options.

Hehe, if there's something reasonable you want, Chinese would make it and Google will find it for ya :)


text:
How to prevent Android from automatically downloading System Updates from the cellular network?
I've had Verizon's Samsung Note 5 for about 1.5 years. I don't have (and don't really want to pay for) an unlimited data plan so I use cellular data sparingly and use my home WiFi when downloading apps, updates, etc.
This morning I discovered my phone had, on its own, downloaded the Android 7 system update using my Verizon cellular data. Previously, the phone would only check for system updates and then notify me that an update was available for download (at which point I would use my WiFi to download the update)
How can one prevent Android from using the cellular network to download system (Android) updates without permission?
(I tagged this as Marshmallow since that was the version that had the auto-download bug in it, but I want to know how to prevent auto-downloading of system updates in Android 7.0 also)

On the settings of the system update, there is the option for the ability to automatically download or not, and there is a check for download mode (WiFi or data).


text:
No MTP with BLU Studio C
Unable to transfer files as notification status has no MTP when connected to my Dell PC. I have changed USB cables and ports. Also the device is not listed in my device manager nor is any ABD listed in device manager.  I have also done a hard reset on the android per BLU customer service without any change.

Just on your Dell PC, or have you tried it on other computers as well?

You should install USB drivers for BLU devices that will make your computer recognise the phone.
Download here


text:
What app is this? Looks to be related to Google Navigation?
My wife and I got ourselves a couple of Pixel XL phones last week.
I noticed an icon on her phone that wasn't in mine named 'Driving' and it looks like this. Opening the app takes me straight to Google Navigation - screenshot here.

icon and screenshot (click image for larger variant)
So what app is this? It looks to be a legit Google app but poking around in the Play Store didn't help much.

Its a quick access widget, these were implemented in android 7.1 and a lot of google apps have them. just long press a google app in the Pixel Launcher or Google Now Launcher.

It's a Google Maps widget to go straight into the driving activity. You can see it when adding widgets to the home screen.


text:
How to connect soft bricked tablet to pc without USB debugging enabled
I tried rooting my Galaxy tab a 9.7 using Odin and soft bricked it. I went into system recovery mode and clicked wipe data/factory reset thinking it would reset back to stock. My tablet is still bricked and usb debugging got turned off so now I can't connect to pc to install the original firmware. Is there anything I can do to connect my tablet to my PC so I can reset my device? Can I use ADB to turn USB debugging back on? I can still get to Odin mode and recovery mode on my tablet. My main problem is connecting my tablet to my PC. Thank you.

"My tablet is still bricked and usb debugging got turned off so now I can't connect to pc to install the original firmware" - Odin is what you should use to flash the factory firmware.

I can't connect to Odin because USB debugging is disabled :(

Odin connectivity should by no means be related to USB debugging. Just boot to download mode with the key combo and start doing the job.

These firmwares are for the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Wifi and are mirrored for faster download speeds. This is also an pit file collection incase of any person who has messed up their partitions.
What Do These UnBrick Firmwares Do?
Basically, if you ever have an soft-brick or any sort, these firmwares will help get out of that. What makes these different from the rest for say like sammobile or samsung-updates is that these are separated into different tars which the SamFirm Tool provides an option to include binary nature aka PIT and separate tars like Bootloader, AP, CSC and so on. These should help you unbrick your Tab A in most cases and even somewhat worst ones. IF you are in an minor bootloop and just need to get back to stock, use sammobile and download the firmwares from there. Those are the regular ones. You can still use these if your doing the same also but these can help in desperate situations.
How To Use/Flash These Firmwares?!
Simply just download the one for your Tab A model and in the zip it contains different tars. Place the tars in the appropriate sections in odin. Example: Put the AP bla bla bla Tar in the AP Tab Of Odin and the BL tar in the BL tab in odin.
In most cases for say like you flashed a bad rom or in a bootloop, you will only need to flash the AP and BL Tars Only. Most times you dont need to flash CSC. Flash the CSC Tar if your Tab A is not booting up after flashing BL and AP Tars. Make SURE YOU GIVE IT 30 Minutes after flashing in odin if it doesnt seem to boot.
Firmware Downloads (Fast Servers):
SM-T550 Tab A 9.7 Inch
Version: T550XXU1AOF5/T550XAR1AOF5/T550XXU1AOF5/T550XXU1AOF5
Region: XAR [USA]
Download: https://mega.nz/#!usxzTJTI!r9vhUbTO_...dhqSanCI00sZOU
ODIN DOWNLOAD:
Odin 3.09 Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/028kidvc9q...v3.09.zip?dl=0
Source: xda-developers.com

I can't connect to Odin because USB debugging is disabled.

No you cannot use adb but most phones do have a com port open where you can push factory OTA images through.

-1: please avoid generic answers. Since the phone model was provided, you should be able to offer more in-depth guidance.

Okay will do from now on

You may find a bunch of critiques on your answers. I look forward to your improved answers, and have faith you'll wisely use those critiques to write said answers. Welcome to Android SE, by the way.

I have a tablet and haven't noticed any com ports. Maybe they have one inside the tablet but my GF and I had a hard time opening the tablet last night.

Com port will be routed through USB


text:
How can I save a web page offline?
I have this url : http://prepaid-data-sim-card.wikia.com/wiki/China and wish to download as an offline document. How do I do that ?.
I am taking that there is no wifi access in the place I intend to visit in China and hence this article would be useful to refer to as a 'offline document'.
I hope the question is clear enough for someone to assist me. Thank you

I've seen your edit and voted for reopening. Crucial documents like this, however, are better served printed physically, the way I see it.

Agreed with Andy, if I really wanted it digital I would probably print it to PDF and use that file.

Chrome has a download as offline feature in the side menu, for downloading sites as offline sites.

Screenshot (click image for larger variant)

I think this is also another good workaround as long cache is not deleted, and definitely worth a try.

I had another workaround; since you want to convert this url to pdf, you could make use of the UrlToPdf application from playstore.
It converts a webpage to a pdf document document (similar functionality to Adobe Acrobat pdf extension for chrome) and stores it offline
.


text:
Apps don't ask for root permission
I rooted my Lineage OS 14.1 but none of my apps ask for root permissions.
I followed the instructions of this link and the root access option in my phone is "apps and adb". Do I miss something?
I have a Moto G4 Plus and I've already tested Sixaxis and ES File Manager, none of them ask for root permissions.

Check SuperSU list, maybe your apps are already there.

I didn't installed SuperSu. I didn't find a binary that works with Lineage, just their su pack. The option Manage root access is disable.

I had this issue on a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 cause it's a 64 Bit phone with 64 Bit LineageOs installed. But by mistake I installed the 32 Bit su installed. When doing this, you can enable root in the developer options, but no app can ask for root permission.

I am having the same problem. Could you fix it? Did re-flash help?

No turururu... I gave up the Lineage and installed the Ressurection Remix (that proved a fast and stable ROM in my case) in my Moto G4 plus. If you solve your case, please comment in this thread for future acknowledge. Thanks!

Make sure you have the latest version of LineageOS.
If you do, go to Settings > Developer Options, and make sure Root Access is on Apps and ADB. Then go to "Manage Root Accesses." There you can control which apps are given root access. It's weird that you don't get promted though, maybe re-flash the OS?
Edit: I just saw a response from you that "manage root accesses" was disabled. Maybe re-flash LineageOS?

You have to install the su-arm.zip package from "Extras" in the downloads page, then install it from the recovery, then enable Developer Options and set "Root Access" to Apps and Adb.

-1: "the root access option in my phone is "apps and adb"" - this indicates OP already has the addon pack installed.

i thought it might not be installed currectly. you might need to update lineage os to the current update, or install SuperSU or just any other root manager.

Installing the latest SuperSU will uninstall the 32 bit version and replace it with a correct version for the device, provided you can flash zip files in your recovery.


text:
Nougat - Remove Google Account
My Galaxy S7 recently updated to Android 7.0.
I've got two Google accounts on my phone, personal and work.
I recently left my job and my work Google account has had its password reset.
Since then I'm getting the "Account Action Required" notification to sign back into the account.
This isn't possible as the account will be deleted soon.
For the life of me I can't find where to remove the account from my phone.
This used to be very straightforward. There's a strong possibility that I'm being blind. Can someone please point me in the right direction?
Thanks!

Thanks for the reply. I tried those instructions before but there is no Personal option. I did find it though. For anyone interested, it's Settings > Cloud and Accounts > Accounts > Google > Tap Account > [Menu] > Remove Account. For some reason it wouldn't open up the option to remove the account without having to "cancel sync" first in my case.

Yes, this should be simple. Select Settings -> (Personal) Accounts -> Google -> [Account to remove]
Then select the menu (hamburger) and select "Remove account".
The trouble is that the menus sometimes vary with each manufacturer's OS customizations.


text:
How to see the list of uninstalled applications?
Is there a way to see the list of uninstalled applications (which are also removed from the list provided by Google Play) or the history of app installations? Does adb support any operations like this?

No, I don't think Play provide such info. Maybe it is possible to obtain it from phone...

Yes, so far I could not find a way. But I think there should be some log regarding app installation/uninstallation. @Suncatcher


text:
SD Card not working after partition
I was falling short of memory on my Samsung Galaxy S5 16 GB running on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 rooted and TWRP recovery so I bought a new 32 GB Micro SD Card and made partition with this Command a month ago :-
adb shell
sm partition disk:179,64 mixed 50

and the partition completed successfully. Now from past few days it is not working. when I open settings it says Checking. when I checked adb shell sm list-volumes it outputs this
shell@klte:/ $ sm list-volumes
private:179,67 checking 9d457504-6aea-4eaf-8514-3d25c9ed5846
private mounted null
public:179,65 HiddenMount D27B-3E68
emulated mounted null
privatemode unmounted null

I dont know what went wrong. please help me to resolve this.

It was a mistake to do partitioning by yourself. Android don't very like third-party partitioning tools.
I recommend you to format SD-card via standard Android menu. If it fails then use PC card-reader or even specialized software recovery tools.

The Partition was successful and also worked for a month or so but now I dont have any idea whats gone wrong

Since your  on android m you can go to setting amd set the sd card as internal ternal storage if that helps you any

And how will it help?


text:
How to setup 6in4 tunnel?
Say my Android device is on an IPv4-only network and I have a 6in4 tunnel (e.g. from HE/tunnelbroker.net) - how can I configure my device such that IPv6 traffic goes through that tunnel?
Background: on a stock Linux system you can connect to the 6in4 tunnel via issuing 5 iproute2 commands or so.

For that, I suggest you look at this application,isatapd (requires root).
It seems to match your description;

ISATAP is a IPv6 in IPv4 tunnel mechanism that allows clients to get a
  global routeable IPv6 address over an IPv4 only network. The isatapd
  tool for Linux helps with the automatic configuration of the tunnel
  and the client endpoint and is shipped in this app and run as root.

Alternatively the same developer has a similar app IPv6Config (root required). From description;

IPv6Config allows to configure some of the IPv6 kernel settings.
  Currently, it allows to automatically enable the "Privacy Extensions
  for Stateless Address Autoconfiguration in IPv6" as specified in IETF
  RFC4941 and implemented by the standard Linux kernel and to establish
  6to4 tunnels for IPv6 connectivity with providers that only provide
  IPv4 addresses so far.

Hope this helps

I was hoping for something that doesn't require root. I mean - since there are similar apps for other tunnel types that don't require root - e.g. the OpenVpn app and IPv6Droid (doesn't support 6in4).

I think for that setup you  pneed to pass ipv6 traffic through ssh tunnel e.g a combo of open vpn and ssh tunnel


text:
Android 4.0.4 Where to Download su or sudo Binary?
I have a Huawei Android 4.0.4 phone and I've recently downloaded a Terminal Emulator app. This app allows me to run a Linux shell from inside Android; it runs /system/bin/sh. I started to navigate around the OS and I've found that /system/xbin only has DisableLoopTest, EnableLoopTest, dexdump, and hciutils_test in it. /system/bin has many files; I believe that all of the installed commands are in it. However, I noticed that su and sudo where not in /system/bin or /system/xbin. Where can I download this file or some other file to root my Android device?

You need to search for a specific guide to root your device, just adding the binaries won't help (you can't add them anyways, because /system is write protected).

As it was correctly stated by the GiantTree, adding su binaries won't help you much as you do not have root. After rooting they more than likely will be added by default.
What concerns adding missing commands to Andorid shell, then you'd better not to do that one by one, bur rather install Busybox. It contains a big set of predefined commands.


text:
Sony Xperia M4: is the Sony bloatware installed on the system partition or the data partition?
As detailed in my previous question (How to upgrade a phone with only 8Gb. internal memory), a relative of mine has a Sony Xperia M4 with Android 5.0 and only 8 Gb. of internal memory; after installing the few apps he uses, he has now only 320 Mb. of internal memory left.
Of course, the phone comes by default with all the Google bloatware AND all the Sony bloatware, and they can't be uninstalled by default. I'm considering rooting the phone to delete the unwanted apps, but this lead me to think: and what if all of the Sony bloatware is installed in /system, and deleting them doesn't free space in /data, which is where the space is needed?
So... does anyone know where are the Sony apps installed by default?

"can't be uninstalled by default" is a very obvious indicator that they're in /system.
You are correct about that deleting them won't free space for /data - unless you somehow find a way to repartition the storage and allocate more space for it, which is beyond normal users.

If you are comfortable enough to root a phone in order to remove bloatware then you should have no problem installing your relatives main apps as system apps, thus freeing up some data for other uses.

@arana Installing main apps to /system doesn't help when their updates still get installed to /data. Well, unless you are willing to manually keep the APKs in /system up-to-date.


text:
Playing music over Bluetooth in Android car unit that only accepts Bluetooth phone call
I have Android car unit on Peugeot 307 SW (2007). It has Bluetooth, but it's only for making calls. I want to play music on it, and I don't want to buy any adapters.
Google Maps can tell the directions over the car's Bluetooth as Bluetooth phone call, so it should be possible for other apps to do so.

Is there a way to play music over Bluetooth as Bluetooth phone call? Alternatively, are there music apps that can play music as Bluetooth phone call?

Really, the best method is to just get a Bluetooth adapter from Amazon or something.
More apps can be integrated with regular Bluetooth and you will still be able to use the Bluetooth thing built into the car for calls. On Android, there is an option to choose what a certain bluetooth device is used for.
This would also be better than any hack or workaround because it will always be in a 'call' and will probably drain more battery. Also, an app cannot intercept all audio (which would be needed to send everything to the speakers) unless your phone is rooted.


text:
lollipop how to get music & photos on sd
I have Note 3 running android lollipop 5.0
How do I get my music and photos on to the 32Gb sd card?
Note I do not want to move the apps just the data.

I haven't used the Note 3 but all the Galaxys I have used had the My files app preinstalled. So:

go to that Files app
navigate to your music
longpress on one of your songs, then click the menu in the corner
select "move file" or select all then "move files"
navigate to your sd card and hit "paste" from the menu or diplayed botton that says "paste".

If you do not have the My files app then download a file manager app. I would recommended Root explorer – but if you don't have that either, check with the list of file managers by Izzy and you should find it (and additional candidates) relatively easy.
//thanks to Izzy for making your list of file managers//

Thanks for recommending my lists, Sean! I was so free to give your post a little polish in return (formatting, spelling) and then countered the downvote it received. Please avoid txtspk on behalf of our non native speakers ;)


text:
Can't download from Play Store - need new ideas to try
I've had this Moto X (1st ed) for a few years. For the last 3 weeks or so I've been unable to use the Play Store to update any of my apps or to download any new ones. The store otherwise works just fine: I get notification of updates, I can browse the store...
Problem is, once I hit Update or Accept to update or install, the status shown is stuck at Downloading... indefinitely with no progress; even if I let it sit for hours, there is never any error message.  Here's what I've already tried:

Made sure there is enough space to install/update apps
Cleared the cache for Play Store and Play Services apps, and restarted the phone.
Uninstalled Play Store updates Settings >> Apps >> Google Play Store >> Uninstall Updates and restarted the phone. Even the old version of the store wouldn't download anything.
Used a mirror site to download and update Google App, Google Play Store, and Google Play Services to the most recent version (more recent than what I had before #3). I think these APKs were genuine since the signatures must have matched what was already installed or the update would have been blocked
Switched from WiFi to Cell data.

I've gone through the similar questions from the troubleshooting FAQ but didn't come across something else to try.  Any help would be welcome.

Moto X on Android 5.1
Google Play Services 10.5.53
Google Play Store 7.7.09.N-all

This sounds like a problem with the download manager (com.android.providers.downloads). Please check if this package is frozen/disabled. You need  to enable it then restart your device. You can be able to download again.

@xavier_fakerat This app was not frozen/disabled but you were on the right track!  After I cleared CACHE and DATA for the native Download Manager, then rebooted the phone, downloads began working again.  Please write up a solution to this effect if you want me to select it.

Glad you resolved this issue yourself :)

The issue is usually caused by some kind of corruption in the download manager (com.android.providers.downloads).
Sometimes the issue also occurs when download manager was previously frozen. ( I have experienced this issue due to this)
However as OP suggested the issue was fixed by clearing  the cache and data of the download manager and rebooting the device

Don't know whether this mattered but I rebooted after clearing cache/data. Thanks for your help

Thanks I edited it, sometimes its important to ensure full functionality of the playstore.

Reboot your device and open it again
If above steps fails,  please do clear data and cache in applications settings , and open it again for Google play store and play services
Or go for *Third party store for android * like Mobogenie

EDIT :
This step will stop the Play Store and clear data stored in a temporary area of device memory. This gives the app a fresh start and can help payments process properly. It won't delete any permanent files.
First, Force the Play Store to stop:

Open your device's Settings Settings. Scroll down and tap Apps or
Application manager (depending on your device, this may be
different).
Tap the Google Play Store Play Store. Tap Force stop.

Second, clear the cache and data for the Play Store:

Open your
device's Settings Settings.
Tap Apps or Application manager.
Tap Google Play Store Play Store. Tap Storage. Tap Clear cache. Tap Clear
data.

Next, reopen the Play Store:

Open the Google Play Store app Play Store.Try your download again.

I have found these steps from this link , i hope it will help you Click here

Thanks for your help. I had already rebooted the phone, and cleared CACHE for Play Store and Play Services. I didn't want to clear DATA because I don't want to lose credits for the apps I've purchased and I don't know whether clearing data would have that effect.

Please see my edited answer @BeetleJuice hope it helps you : )

+1 for trying to help me. My problem wasn't with the Play Store as I thought. It was with Download Manager app. Once I cleared its cache and restarted, the issue was resolved.


text:
Stuck at Erasing
I tried doing a factory reset on my Nexus 6 and the device got stuck in "Erasing". All I am able to do now is enter fastboot flash mode but none of the options work as the boot loader is locked.
Tried flashing with a factory image from here but that too failed because the device is locked.
--------------------------------------------
Bootloader Version...: moto-apq8084-72.01
Baseband Version.....: D4.01-9625-05.42+FSG-9625-02.113
Serial Number........: ZX1G524DKM
--------------------------------------------
checking product...
OKAY [  0.002s]
checking version-bootloader...
OKAY [  0.002s]
checking version-baseband...
OKAY [  0.003s]
sending 'boot' (8485 KB)...
OKAY [  0.268s]
writing 'boot'...
(bootloader) Not allowed in LOCKED state!
FAILED (remote failure)
finished. total time: 0.287s

Screwed device with locked bootloader basically means sending for repair.

Try unlocking the bootloader if your rooted

I left it out on charge overnight and it resolved itself. When I did the initial reset, the battery was on full charge so it never occurred to me that it could be a problem.


text:
GT-I9082 - Unable to enter download mode through ADB
I have a really old Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos from 5 years back.
I want to boot into download mode using ADB. I am using the following command
adb -s <deviceid> reboot download

What this does is just reboot my phone and does not take me to recovery. I can boot into recovery though using
adb reboot recovery

I have tried the commands
adb reboot bootloader

also has no effect other than booting my phone.
I can enter into recovery the manual way using volume down + power + home button, but why can't I enter it using ADB ?
What am I doing wrong ?
My phone is running Jellybean Samsung Stock ROM and does not have the fastboot/bootloader mode.

Luckily I have Grand Duos too and I can confirm it is perfectly bootable into Odin Mode (aka Download) by
adb reboot download

Tried it just now.
What I can propose to you:

Try to get rid of all other emulated/physical devices by restarting ADB-server and/or ejecting non-necessary ones.
adb kill-server

I can guess you have them as you use -s clause.

Learn the difference between Odin Mode, recovery mode and bootloader mode. Maybe you are confusing them?

I have custom recovery but this doesn't prevent me from booting into all this modes.

Does not work just reboots device