text:
Google Contacts. Does it sync avatars?
My family has me in their contacts app (the google one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.contacts). If they enter my email for that contact my google account avatar will be displayed for that contact. I will probably change that avatar from time to time. The question is:
Will the avatar will be updated in a automatic way and if so how long does it take to sync?
Or maybe the avatar is imported only during manual contact creation/editing?

It appears that after some time it will sync. It took few days.


text:
phone turned off and not turning back on
My phone Huawei P8 Lite was working totally fine but suddenly turned off and now it's not turning back on. the phone was not out of charge when it died and now, as I plug in the charger, after a while it gets warmer meaning (i think) battery is still charged but its neither turning on nor showing any screen.
Any help would highly be appreciated.

Try connecting to a PC. Do you see your PC make the sound for the USB connection? Also check if a new device appears in the device manager.

checked, nothing happened.

This sounds like a hardware failure. You should take it to a repair center as I think the motherboard is short-circuited (the power IC I guess)...

If it's a software problem, you can try holding the power button and volume down button down at the same time and keep holding for at least 10 seconds.
The phone should now boot up and give you a list of options. Use the volume up/down arrows to navigate and power button to select. Find the 'Reboot' option and select it to reboot your phone.
If that doesn't work, could be a hardware problem, which would mean you will need to take it in for repair

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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How can I download the zip file directly to sd-card?
How can I download the CM 12 zip file directly to sd-card?

You can Download the Cyanogenmod Zip file using any Web browser.
Locate the Downloaded file using File Manager App like (Ex File Explorer or  Fx Explorer)
Search for file using the search option in File Manager App.
If your File is in Internal Storage, Long Press and select the option Move/Cut/Copy to Paste into SD Card
If the File is already in SD Card then use the above steps to Copy/Move it to other folder.

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


text:
Google Play Movies & TV has stopped - but not even installed
Around 2-3 times a week I'm getting this popup error - but the app isn't even installed!
Any idea what's going on? Is it hiding in another Google app and that's why I don't find it?
I couldn't find any rule for when it happens - while scrolling Facebook, browser, while idle... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What can I do about it?
Popup error:

The app isn't installed: (It's the full list, including system apps)

Device details: LG G5; Android 7.0; stock ROM; no root.

This is just a theory; I'll make it an answer if you confirm this case. Under Apps>Default>Set as Default, you have the option enabled 'Open links in apps' even if they are not installed, and the dialog happens when you try to view a movie? It could be trying to satisfy this request using the non-present app.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any link that seems related, and the Movies app wasn't in the app links list. When you say "try to view a movie" - what do you mean? With what app? Also, the Movies & TV isn't available in my country yet if that changes anything (in play store - "This app is incompatible with your device.").

Movies is actually under store right? So maybe it tries to open something with my store app, that doesn't support it? If so, where this requests can come from?

I was thinking under the concept of 'Instant Apps' which allow non-installed apps to work as a proxy. Read here. Those requests could be yours, or, it seems, even pushed to you through others (in their case, a message).

Oh that, I only have Vimeo on there, and the option is enabled in general.


text:
Is Google Allo supposed to capable of being the default SMS app?
On a Moto G5 Plus with Android 7.0 (Nougat), Google Allo was installed from the Google Play Store.
Going into Settings > Apps > (gear icon) > SMS app the list shown does not include Allo.  Is this universally the case, or is this something 'wrong' with my situation?  Is it correctable?

Note: Google will stop supporting Allo in March 2019

It's not possible - it's universally the case:

First off, Allo isn't a Hangouts replacement. You can't set the messaging service as the default SMS client on your phone. It does offer the ability to message a contact that doesn't have Allo installed through Play Services, but that's about it. You can also talk to contacts over SMS, with the message itself routed through Google's servers, but Allo isn't an SMS service by design. In this regard, it has more similarities to WhatsApp than iMessage.

Emphasis added by me.
(source)
Note: It seems that Allo is going to be discontinued.

And Allo is being abandoned by Google anyway.  Just best to avoid it.

@SiXandSeven8ths I also heard about it - any source from Google themselves? Couldn't find one. If you have one, I'll add it to the answer as a recommendation.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/19/17253308/google-allo-texting-paused-android-messages  Has some quotes from a Googler.


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Transfer WhatsApp chat from iPhone to Android
I recently moved from iPhone to Android, now I want to transfer all my WhatsApp chats to my new Android phone from iPhone, but the problem is WhatsApp doesn't have any feature to transfer chats between different platforms, so I was looking for third-party apps which can make this possible, but no luck till now, please share your thoughts and experiences.


text:
Bricked Nexus 7, failed to mount cache, can't unlock or reflash
My Nexus 7 (2013, 2nd gen) worked fine in plain vanilla form for years. Suddenly the boot stuck at "Google". I tried booting into recovery mode and saw failed to mount /cache. Erasing cache from the recovery screen did not help. I tried WugFresh Nexus Root Toolkit v2.1.9, and it froze at the unlock step. I tried Fastboot and it also froze at the unlock step with the following response:
platform-tools>fastboot oem unlock
...
(bootloader) Unlocking bootloader...
(bootloader) erasing userdata...

I tried fastboot format cache and fastboot erase cache but they both just hung at erasing 'cache'...
It appears that I cannot reflash the Nexus 7 back to factory fresh because it is failing to unlock the tablet or possibly rewrite memory in any way.
Is there any stronger method I can use to wipe out this tablet and reload it back to any usable form?  Or fastboot commands I haven't tried yet? Or something completely different?
Failing recovery, is there anything useful I can do with a nearly new looking 7 inch tablet or its component parts?
edit:
Today I tried adb sideload of the latest fresh image. It looks like my tablet is mostly choking on:
E: failed to mount /cache (Invalid argument)
Is there a way to destroy and recreate the cache as opposed to erasing or reformatting an existing cache?

Sounds like either the flash hardware is broken or the partition table is corrupt. If the former, you can't do anything useful with it. The second might be fixable but I'm not sure how.


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How to restore files from a WhatsApp group deleted by administrator
A WhatsApp group was deleted by the administrator (first remove all participants, then remove the group). Can I restore files in the WhatsApp group that was removed by the administrator?

If you were a group participant, then the group should still be in your phone. Although it would show that you are not a member, you should start still be able to access the old chats and media.
If you cannot find the group, then:
If you have downloaded the files, then you should be in your WhatsApp folder:
Internal storage/WhatsApp/Media

WhatsApp organizes media in different folders based on the type i.e. Audio, Video, Images, Documents.
You should be able to find the group media in one of these folders. However, this is a combined collection of all the media and you'll have to dig your way through it to find what you're looking for. There's no way to filter this media by group name.


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Google Drive to Instagram File Location?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 with Android 7.0 that had about 29GB of 32GB memory full. I then tried to post a large video file (3+GB) from Google Drive over to my Instagram, but it got stuck on Instagram's "loading" screen for quite a while. I thought maybe the system was hanging, so I backed out and closed all my phone apps. Since then, my phone's file storage went to 100% full, and I can't find that video file anywhere on my system to delete it.
Is there a way to find where that file is to delete it? It's not showing in My Files, it's not showing as a hidden file, and it's not showing under any file management apps that I've tried on Google Play. I know that this is the file that's causing the error, but I can't find it to delete it. If you have any recommendations, let me know.
Thanks!

This is an outright guess, but the first thing to check is to clear the cache of both apps. Go to the Settings app, then Apps. Select the Instagram app from the list, then Storage and Clear cache. Do the same for the Google Drive app.


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Volume Panel Android 7.1.1
Ever since Android 7.1.1 I am unable to find the page (activity screen) to set, on one screen, the volume for the various audio outputs, such as notificatios, media, etc. Is there such a screen inherent in Android 7, or do I need to find an app for that.  Thanks for your help.

Yes this is found under Settings → Sound i.e

If for some reason you can't find it or is hidden, then just grab a third-party activity launcher application from playstore e.g Quick shortcut to access com.android.settings/com.android.settings.Settings$NotificationSettingsActivity

Install Quickshortcutmaker from Playstore
Select normal search - under input box type sound and click search

In search results it will show Settings click it,  and expand the list you will find "Sound & Notification"  then click try (or create shortcut by pressing create).

I had "Volume" under "Settings/Sounds", but it looked like a heading, so I never clicked it. Not smart I suppose, but now I can set the volumes for "Notifications", "Media", and "System".  Great answer. Thanks.

Please don't forget to accept the answer if it solved your issue :)

I had "Volume" under "Settings/Sounds", but it looked like a heading, so I never clicked it. Not smart I suppose, but now I can set the volumes for "Notifications", "Media", and "System".  Great answer from @xavier_fakerat. Thanks.


text:
Can't open Google Assistant settings
I cannot open the Google Assistant settings on my Huawei P10. Whenever I try, it shortly looks like it goes to a new window, but then immediately goes back to the previous window...
I have tried restarting the device. Google Assistant has been enabled on the device for a long time.
Any ideas?

I had the same problem on multiple Huawei phones. The only thing I have found to work is a factory reset. You can back up your phone first if you have anything you want to save, but I've only gotten it to work with a full reset of all data. When I restore the backup, sometimes it stops working again, sometimes it doesn't. I think it's a problem with the EMUI skin, because I have had no problems with it on custom ROM's on Huawei devices. Hope you get it working!

Thank you for your answer! I'll give that a shot and let you know. It's a shame though, I really like Huawei phones.

I love Huawei phones! I have the Mate SE at the moment, and it works great so far. Good luck, and don't forget to back up data you need!

Resetting the phone did indeed work. I accepted your answer but I can't upvote it because I don't have enough rep. Thanks a lot!


text:
How to make sure that screen lock really locks and doesn't allow to do anything?
I've recently switched from Lenovo A328 (Android 4.4) to Samsung SM-A320F (Android 8.0, not rooted). On Lenovo I had screen lock set to "pattern", and that let me get rid of the misfeature of opening global menu dropdown (don't know what it's called) which allows to do almost anything.
After switch to Samsung I discovered that "pattern" locker no longer protects from this gesture. After pulling down the global menu I can, for instance, turn on WiFi, toggle flash light, change brightness settings, even change sound mode. There are some things I can't do from there, but this doesn't help much: I can even reboot the phone* trying to extract it from my pocket!
I've managed to remove the Phone and Camera shortcuts from the lower left&right corners, but I still can do any other harmful things while lock is on.
So, how can I make sure that screen lock really locks the screen and keys until I trigger its unlocking? Only emergency calls should be possible while locked.

* or whatever it was: holding volUp+volDown+power pressed for several seconds resulted in some sort of restart

The soft reset by key combination is an important requirement for modern smartphones. Most phones now ship with inbuilt batteries. So, the key combination which stimulate a battery pull is definitely needed. I don't see any reason for it to be disabled. Rather you should be more careful and not press those keys for too long.
As for the access to quick toggles from lockscreen, yes that's a problem for some. Android developers just went with a setup which works for most people. Most would want to turn on the flashlight, WiFi, change sound profile; etc without having to unlock the phone first. The flashlight toggle for example is very handy when you need it suddenly.
I don't know of any way to disable access to toggles. Also, so far I haven't had a wrong press on toggles because the phones come with a "Pocket mode" something which blocks the touch functionality when most part of the screen is covered. That said, I do wish that they bring in an option to disable access to all toggles and leave it to the will of the user. It can be useful for some.


text:
Gmail Recording in Chrome
For a couple days now, Gmail unexpectedly gets its red "using microphone" circle on the tab even if I wasn't using hangouts or my microphone. Any idea why this is happening? This is on a laptop running on Windows 10 (From what I found on the meta, this was the best place to ask questions about Gmail, so sorry if I asked on the wrong SE.)

Have you considered seeing if an extension has access to your microphone on Google Apps? If it's not a clean install of chrome and you've previously installed chrome extensions the microphone may be in use by one of these extensions.
The only other thing I could think of is if you have a Google Voice or Hangouts conversation open that you are unaware of... but I highly doubt this would be the case with your issue.

I looked through all of my extensions and none of them had access to my microphone in chrome://extensions/. However, it may have just been my bad and there was a Google Voice or Hangouts conversation open that I was not aware of. Thank you for your response!

Nevermind about that. I had Google Voice open. Sorry!


text:
How does Google know what apps I've installed if I login to gmail via browser?
I logged into gmail using Microsoft Edge and Google immediately sent an email saying that my device doesn't have the latest Google apps.
How did Google come to know which apps I have installed and if they are latest or an older version? It would make sense if i was using the gmail app. But in my case, I logged in using the browser.
Or is it just a generic notification because I am accessing gmail via browser and Google assumes that I don't have the latest apps?

Might be gmail on Edge versus using Chrome.  Google wants to make sure you use their products.

The login to Gmail is the very same you use for Play Store – so in fact Google knows it's you. The browser sends a user-agent string, by default identifying your device (brand and model). The history of your activities in Google Play Store tell which apps you've installed in what versions on this device.
So yes, that would be an easy thing to do for Google. I cannot say if that's really happening (or if your guess of not using the native app triggering such message is what's done) – but it's technically possible.

Seems most appropriate than the other answers I have received. I don't like Google spying so much even when I use a browser.

That's the problem with all their products using the very same account – and what's often called "super profiling". I use Gmail only for Playstore notifications (receipts of bought apps and the occasional "security mail" when I logged in with a new device), nothing more. If someone sends me a mail from his/her Gmail account to my personal address, my mail server sends an auto-reply telling to please use a "less spying" mail provider and that I might not answer for mentioned reasons (I don't want all my communication scanned there) …

You've most likely received the notification since you accessed a Google Service (Gmail) through a non-Google Service (Microsoft Edge).
They probably assumed you bought a new Microsoft Device and sent out a default notification to remind you to install Chrome instead of relying on their competitor's browser. This happens to me on occasion when I log in to a new device at work, usually when it's been set up out of the box and I try to sync my Google Account.


text:
Privacy of WhatsApp messages
My husband has taken over my Android since he's the account holder. I'm wondering can he get any call or text information from my WhatsApp off of the T-Mobile printout of my phone activity?

In what way has he "taken over" your phone? Please [edit] your question and give full details if you want accurate answers.

No, he shouldn't be able to, as far as I know WhatsApp encrypts the calls and messages that are sent through your carrier's data service.
Anyways usually if you ask a phone carrier to produce a call and message log for a line they'll show you the calls and messages you've made and received through actual SMS messaging and cellular calls. Since WhatsApp passes the encrypted data from your device as data calls there would be no way for T-Mobile to show the contents or recipients of the calls or messages.

If someone has full access to the device (as which I read "taken over my Android"), that does not matter. Yes, WA does E2E encryption – but that only means stuff is encrypted while in transit. On both ends, it is decrypted.


text:
Can I play PUBG on Remix OS?
Is there any special task needed to run PUBG on RemixOS Android 6.0? I've downloaded and installed PUBG on RemixOS but after Tencent logo, a just black screen is coming. I've also installed Google Play Games properly on RemixOS. Is something missing?

I think u can't play with remix os its dead now try phoneix os as i see few playing on Phoenix os and nox player as well.


text:
My own signed APK now warning of "unrecognised developer" when installing locally
This warning has started showing up literally in the last day or so, whereas previously my own APK (signed with a keystore/password that I have successfully used on currently released software) would just install locally without fuss.
I'm now being told that the play store doesn't recognise my account and requires me to click "continue to install anyway" in order to install it.
What has changed over the last few days?
EDIT: I suspect it is something that's changed in the play store, instead of something I've done, because I went back and tried installing from some previous APKs I built and deployed without incident a few days ago, and they are also showing the same error.

Signing involves a certificate - could your certificate have timed out?

No the certificate expires in 2038

May be this is a message from Google Play Protect - it also checks side-loaded apps.

Weirdly, it's gone away now. I think perhaps my account wasn't being recognised as active or something. I've since logged in and a day later my installs are fine again.


text:
How to remove screen lock?
I don't know why, but the swipe, and none options have been greyed out.
How to enable them (without factory reset)?
Note: I have unchecked all device administrators (google find my phone, microsoft authenticator etc.), cleared all certificates and restarted my phone. The issue still persists. I don't use any VPN service either.

The "Device Administrators", for example (depending on Android version, somewhere along the lines of Settings › Security › Device Administrators or similar). DAs are the most likely candidates to restrict screen lock variants. And VPNs as well as Exchange are usually enforcing some lock mechanism for protection, to prevent "unauthorized access". And I vaguely remember having heard manually installed certificates could lead to that as well, as Joshua mentions in his answer (so that would be the other place: checking "user certificates", also somewhere in security settings).

OK, then I'm out of ideas and someone else needs to take over. I hope you're OK with me integrating the information collected into your question text, so it's easier to find?

As far as my knowledge goes, this will happen when you have security credentials or certificates installed, or when another app has administrator access and is preventing you from removing the lock. You can try going into your certificate settings to check if there are any certificates installed and make sure you don't have any apps requiring that you have a lock screen. If I recall correctly, there is a way to see a list of apps using administrator privileges as well. Good luck!


text:
How to prevent S7 edge from connecting to open WiFi networks?
I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge running Android 8.0.
Is there a way to prevent the phone from connecting to open wifi networks? If wifi is on, the phone will always connect to any open network within reach, even new networks I had never connected to (so "forgetting" them does nothing).
It's annoying, not to mention a privacy/security risk, because most of these networks require some kind of login via a browser, so connecting to them effectively means disabling internet access.
E.g. I may be walking down the street or in a bus, the phone picks up the network from a cafe, a hotel, a taxi, and whatever I was doing that required a data connection (eg streaming music) stops.
I seem to remember there used to be an option to prevent connections to open wifi network in earlier Android versions, but I can't find it - don't know if it was removed in Android 8 or by Samsung. All the solutions I have found online refer to older versions of Android.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

Could it be you have your device configured to automatically connect to any open wifi? That article is for the Nexus devices, so I'm not sure whether or where Samsung devices might have that setting. But here's an article on that topic for the S7 specifically which you might wish to check.

The thing for the Nexus doesn't apply to the S7 (no such option). The suggestions in the other link are a start but not a real solution: you can forget networks you have connected to, but you still get connected to new networks you have not encountered. The same applies to restricting networks. I don't understand who on Earth is the genius who decided to remove this feature. Goes to show that, in IT, new versions can often be worse!

"New" doesn't necessarily mean "better" – but that's not restricted to IT :) I don't know what Samsung did there. For all my devices, I have to explicitly connect to a network once before they auto-connect to it. But then, I neither have a Samsung device nor Android 8…


text:
What will happen if I delete the Google Play Services?
What will happen if I delete and re-install the Google Play Services?
Will all my game data be deleted too?

First, to restrict the conjunctive: is your device rooted? If not, it's a very theoretical question as you won't be able to delete the Play Services app.

Google Play services is required to access features from Google, such as downloading apps from Google Play and accessing Google Play Games for achievements. If you are reinstalling Google Play Services, your game data will not be harmed as they are either synced onto cloud or is stored locally and separate from Google. However, reinstalling does not really help. Is battery drain the issue? You can try deleting app data, which is similar to reinstalling. Freezing it with Lucky Patcher may also solve some of your problems.


text:
The current version of Firefox is not available from Google Play
I use Lineage OS on a Motorola G4 plus phone. I have Google Play installed and I can install and update all kind of applications (like Stack Exchange for instance).
I can also install Firefox but only the version 59.0.2. According to the Mozilla website the current version is 60. Until I updated Firefox manually (using side loading) the Firefox website warned me that my Firefox version was outdated (which it was).
Again Google Play does not show any issue on my phone. Other applications are installed normally and updated on a regular basis, even after finding the issue with Firefox. I tried to delete the data of the Google Play application on my phone, it did not change anything.
Do you have any idea why Google Play is offering me an older version of Firefox? Does anyone have the same issue? Could this issue be linked to regional or device restrictions?

They're probably doing staged rollouts, but you may only get a definitive answer if you ask Mozilla directly.

The current version of Firefox for Android (Firefox 60 at the time of writing) is now available from Google Play on my phone. So the issue is not linked to regional or device restrictions. One possible explanation is unpredictable replication delays between the Google mirrors. Another possible explanation is staged roll-outs as suggested by eldarerathis.


text:
Huawei Mate SE no update option
I got a Huawei Mate SE and have been using it for a few weeks. I've noticed on the internet that it should have the Oreo (8.0) Android update, but I don't see the update option on my phone. Usually, it should be the bottom option in the settings or an app icon on my launcher but it's not there.
My phone was rooted and I had the bootloader unlocked, but I un-rooted it and relocked the bootloader and still can't update. The themes app is back, which goes away when it's unlocked, but I would like to get the latest EMUI version on my phone. Any ideas to get this functionality back? I have also tried factory reset after I relocked it and un-rooted it but no luck.

Updates are pushed out in batches with respect to regions and device variants. If you are so eager, use TeamMT's Firmware Finder to manually install an update.

I knew that, but it can't get the update without the update system. The option is actually missing on the device. It should be at the bottom of the settings screen, but it isn't.


text:
Why does my storage page say I have 34 GB of Audio files when there are only 2 audio files stored, totaling 2.1 MB?
I've been trying to free up space on my Pixel 2XL, and the Storage menu in Settings says I have 34 GB of audio files stored, but when I go in to the files to try to erase things, I only have two audio files taking up a total of ~2.1 MB. I don't even know where to find what else might be taking up the space, there's nothing else there... Any ideas?
Storage Menu:

After pressing Audio

After pressing Unknown

After pressing VoiceRecorder

Apps may not store files with music file extensions, this is why they cannot be seen as audio files. You should try clearing app data of Apple music or something similar or check in its directory to see what you want to keep. Sometimes android also recognizes file extensions wrong and interprets them as audio files, such as incomplete downloads. You may use apps such as Files Go from Google to optimize your device storage space.


text:
How to show fps counter in Android 8?
In Oreo, is there a native way (preferred) or a 3rd party app that can show current screen refresh rate (fps counter), in the form of an overlay, in all situation (system UI, apps and 2D/3D games)?

You can try FPS meter or GameBench (FPS counter without root). I am not sure but they both supports non-rooted phones.

Thank for the tips! I'll look into them. So, maybe there's no a native way to do it?

FPS meter doesn't seem to work with Android 6+, as mentioned it its app description page.

GameBench work on Android 7.1.1. Thanks.


text:
How to enable the radio transmitter on yureka
So just a couple of hours ago, I unlocked the device's boot loader and after boot up, I noticed a strange app in the app drawer which was called radio transmitter. I excitedly opened the app. But, the thing is that, right after boot up, the everything was kind of super laggy and amidst the lag I killed the radio transmitter. Now, its gone from the app drawer. How can I get it back?


text:
Restore Notifications Sound Volume without Factory Reset?
My HTC Desire 728 (Android 5.1) suddenly stopped emitting any notification sounds for Messages (SMS aka "text") and WhatsApp incoming messages.
First thing I did was to check the "global quick setting" for the speaker: It's on Normal (i.e. not silent or vibrate).
Then, I checked Settings > Sound & notification > Notification sound. Sound is selected as should be but when I click it (or press the volume up mechanical button), its volume is extremely low, practically silent. Repeatedly clicking it (or pressing the volume up button) increases volume until it sounds just fine. But as soon as stop clicking it, within 2-3 seconds it returns to the problematic silent volume setting.
This is not how it used to be and it appears that there is something (app? service? daemon?) that forces the volume back to silent.
I wiped the cache partition as well but that did not help.
Any idea how to solve this without needing to go through the hassle of entire factory reset?
Note: All other sounds (ring, media, in-call are fine). It's only the Messages/WhatsApp notification sound that misbehave.
UPDATE: Groping in the dark, I continued to troubleshoot and I found that the problem is in essence Notifications volume turning itself down. One can learn from that thread a factory reset does not help anyway. I will study that thread and report back.


text:
Can't change MAC address on Rooted Android Nextbook Ares 8
I rooted my Nextbook Ares 8" tablet, model NXA8QC116, so I could change the MAC address and host name, as I hate personal data mining and user behavior monitoring.
Device specifics: Model NXA8QC116S, Android Version : 5.1.1, Build # : V3.0.?
Rooted with the binary "Nextbook Ares 8 Stock 5.1.1 Rom modified boot.img" from forum.xda-developers.com
Commands (terminal app):
u0_xxx@NXA8QC116:/ $: su
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox iplink show wlan0
[reports the MAC address]
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox ifconfig wlan0 hw ether fa:8e:f0:f2:14:27
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox iplink show wlan0
[reports the original, unchanged MAC address]

I tried this with the WiFi both on and off.  I also tried leaving "busybox" out of the commands.
Any help is appreciated.

Have you also tried ip link set wlan0 fa:8e:f0:f2:14:27?

I tried that.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I'm trying to locate a thread I saw somewhere where you find the right file, change the MAC with a hex editor, and reboot the device.  This apparently worked on a couple of other devices, maybe it will work on this one.

I don't see any nvram files in the data, etc, or wifi directories on this device, so I'm out of ideas.  I used Total Commander to look at the directories, after setting it so "show hidden files" and enabling "root functions everywhere."

There are no /nvram/ files on this device, so that method is not applicable.  I searched for files with Total Commander, after setting it so "show hidden files" and enabling "root functions everywhere."  I'm out of ideas.

nvram is usually not a file but a partition/data section in your flash chip.

There's a file called mac.txt in /config/wifi, which contains the MAC address, which is the only thing in the file.
Changing this value, and then enabling the wifi adapter results in a new MAC address.  (Confirmed by logging into a router it connected to.) This change survives a reboot.
Now to research how to write a script to randomly pick a manufacturer prefix number and the rest of the digits at every restart, along with setting a temporary randomized hostname (setprop net.hostname xxxxxx).
I found the MAC text file by searching the device for files with Total Commander.


text:
How to hide hotspot icon in the drop down after lock
Sir , I use android marshmallow and My brother always enables the hotspot also after I lock the Phone with Password
Because "hotspot setting is shown in drop down menu "  I wanted to ask how to remove it ?
From dropdown menu after lock?

See https://android.stackexchange.com/q/112455/96277

For Android Marshmallow devices, you need to activate SystemUI Tuner which is hidden by default.
To enable the SystemUI Tuner:

Swipe down the notification shade from top. Long-press the Settings(gear) icon.
After about few seconds of holding, it spins and release when it displays a message saying Congrats! System UI Tuner has been added to Settings.
To access it, go to Settings->System UI Tuner(scroll down to the bottom of the screen). Tap it.
On the System UI Tuner device shows a warning message. Tap Got It to continue.
Tap Quick Settings option to customize your tiles.
a. Press and drag to rearrange
b. Drag to the trash can to remove tiles you don’t want to see.
c. Click "Add Tile" button to add any unused tiles you want to include.
d. If you want to go back to the default layout, tap the menu button and choose “Reset”.

Note:
Choose option 5b to Remove the Hotspot tile. After that, you can activate Hotspot only from Settings App, because, icon is no longer displayed under notification shade, until you add hotspot tile using add tile option.

please specify your device and model, because above settings are available mostly in stock android devices.(for device given in imgur screen shot, I think these settings are available. for any other devices there may be or may not  )

On my Android-6-devices, the QuickSettings have a special tile to modify what elements should be shown at all and in which order. But that might be ROM specific (here: LineageOS/CyanogenOS).


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Can I safely power on my Moto G2 LTE without the camera hw module?
I have recently dropped my phone and the flashlight and camera suddenly stopped to work. I suppose this is an hw failure, so I have ordered a new module.
Meanwhile I noticed a huge battery drain (-25%) in the night (normally is 1-2%). I would like to remove the module before the package arrives.


text:
How can I see if my boyfriend has added a listening, tracking app on my zte?/
I believe that my boyfriend has put a hidden app on my phone that enables him to read all my text messages, phone calls and know my location. How can I see if he has done this ?

First off, put a pin on your phone that he doesn't know. And don't leave it alone with him. And get a new boyfriend - obviously you don't trust this one.

PC World had an article on the topic a little while back and recommended Anti Spy Mobile Free and Anti Spy.
Be careful when using them - judging by their descriptions, they appear to be using heuristics that might be fooled by legit apps in some cases. Of course, if they show an app that's deliberately hiding itself and can read your text messages, it's probably spyware.


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does ART use dalvik bytecode?
I know dalvik vm use dalvik bytecode. does ART use dalvik bytecode or something else ?

Yes to both – DEX (Dalvik) and "something else" (native ELF). For additional details, see e.g. the Wikipedia article on ART.

ART is simply just Dalvik 2.x (and up) if you check the Dalvik version. It has to be able to run any valid *.apk files so obviously it must support all Dalvik VM's instructions. The instruction format is still the same like before, and so are the instructions

Android runtime (ART) is the managed runtime used by applications and some system services on Android. ART and its predecessor Dalvik were originally created specifically for the Android project. ART as the runtime executes the Dalvik Executable format and Dex bytecode specification.
ART and Dalvik are compatible runtimes running Dex bytecode, so apps developed for Dalvik should work when running with ART. However, some techniques that work on Dalvik do not work on ART. For information about the most important issues, see Verifying App Behavior on the Android Runtime (ART).
...
At install time, ART compiles apps using the on-device dex2oat tool. This utility accepts DEX files as input and generates a compiled app executable for the target device. The utility should be able to compile all valid DEX files without difficulty.
https://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/

ART uses Dalvik bytecode but unlike Dalvik which would only create an optimized version of its bytecode before all of it is interpreted by the VM, ART can compile some Dalvik bytecode to native code while other code gets interpreted.
Regardless Android APKs still contain DEX files which is Dalvik bytecode.


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Phone not showing as USB Connected
Moto X4 running Android 8.1.0. Attempts to connect the phone to any of my Windows 10 PC fail. The phone begins to charge but under Settings, USB says Not Connected. The phone does not appear in Device Manager on the PC. A Moto E4 running Android 7.x works without issue, allowing me to see files on each internal and SD.

AFAIK The X4 has USB-C and the E4 uses Micro-USB, therefore you are using two different USB cables. Make sure you are using the original USB-C cable or if it is the one causing trouble try a different one.

@Robert I tried the original USB-C cable (Which did work once before with the same computer) as well as the same Micro-USB cable with a USB-C adapter. I have an additional USB-C cable on order as well.

There are reports that the update to 8.1 has disabled USB storage functionality but there is a fix on the way (time table unknown). The only work around right now is to disable your lock screen, reboot, then you can connect it. This worked for me but it will stop working again as soon as you re-enable your lock screen (which obviously everyone should).
Sorry, but long story short, the update broke it and you'll have to wait for a fix.
A Motorola agent confirmed the issue on the official Lenovo forum

The latest security patches released in June corrected this issue.


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Android x86: remounting /system : /dev/loop1 is read only
I try to remove google apps from android x86 dowloaded from here and I managed to make it run over virtualbox, afterwards in installed it to a virtual hard disk.
But I want on it to remove any google-based apps and run with free-software alternatives. So I installed via fdroid the /system/app mover but when I try to move any app I get the error:

Could not remount /system

So using the onboard terminal I followed the instructions provided.
I managed to become root and run the command:
mount -o rw,remount system

But I got the error:
'/dev/loop1' is read-only

How I can fix that.

My guess is that you installed the androidx86 using fast install from advanced options. Please reinstall the Android x84 and select the /system to get mounted as rw as you can see in the image bellow:

PS: Even if the image is rather old it still stays the same during installation.

I just had this, you just reinstall it on the same drive. Say do not format say skip to the GRUB question and then yes to making /system writable.
It will then reboot and everything will be as it was with a writable /system folder. I know the last guy said this but he/she didn't mention you won't lose your files :D
Posting here as I couldn't find this anywhere else.


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Device is showing in device manager but not in Android ADB Interface?
Hi I am Having some problems while using adb on my computer.
I connected tab to my laptop with a usb cable.
And This is the device manager.

Here you see that my lenovo tab is connected but not connected in android device.
I typed adb devices in cmd and too it showed "List of devices attached" and nothing else.
Please reply as fast as you can.

First make sure you have the latest USB drivers for your device installed on your computer. Also make sure that USB Debugging is enabled. If the problem persists, you may try reinstalling the drivers. May I know if you are using adb as sideload to flash roms or other usage?

Isn't there any way to enable USB Debugging without going to settings. There there is a method by using TWRP but to install TWRP you will also need USB Debugging for ADB to work.


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Problems connecting to WhatsApp from desktop
I always have problems connecting to WhatsApp desktop/web (I usually use desktop, but it's the same concept) - it says it can't reach the phone.
Now, the thing is that it has problems connecting even when WhatsApp is open on my phone and I'm using it (not in the background, actually open).
The internet is working well both on the phone and computer, since I use it at the moment - but it still can't connect or will take significant time and multiple tries until succeeded.
Ideas? Something I can check?

Device details: LG G5, Android 7.0, stock, no root

try this: https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/web/28080002/?category=5245260
it might be a bug or something. You may try to use another web browers and see if it works.

Thanks, but it's not really the case since I'm eventually able to connect but it takes forever and loses the connection all the time (and I'm using the desktop app usually, not web)


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Does Whatsapp notifies if my security code has changed to people I don't have in my list of contacts?
I know Whatsapp gives you a notification when someone change their security code (eg: when they change their smartphone) I am wondering if this is also the case when that person doesn't have you in their list of contacts.
To make it clear, for example, if I am in a group and I have only some of the members added to my contact list, and then I changed my phone, will they all be notified or only those I have added?

If you're in a group and your security code is changed then every member of that group would be able to see that notification. I'd observed this many times even though neither me nor them knew each other or had each other's number saved. They would see your number in the notification (not technically a notification), not the name.


text:
How long will battery last, assuming no usage
Short question:
How do I find how long my battery will last, taking into account the current settings (Airplane mode, Battery saver, etc) I have enabled, and assuming I do not use it?
Detailed question:
When I open the Battery usage app (?), I am given 3 numbers...

Usage on battery
Estimated time remaining
Last 3 h of usage

I understand what #3 means.
What does #1 mean?
The time given by #2 does not make sense. I currently have 2% remaining, with Airplane mode and Battery saver mode turned ON, and it tells me I have 14 minutes remaining. But it has said that for the past 30 minutes. (Note: I have only used my phone a couple times to quickly check on the battery in the past 30 minutes.)
I did some searches, and the closest questions I was able to find was here and here. But neither answers my question.
Phone is a LG Tribute HD with Android version 6.0.1

You should be careful when running your phone with such a low battery level. The easiest way to destroy a Lio battery is to let it run into a Deep Discharge. Usually Android and the battery itself are trying to protect the Lio cells so that this should not happen, however if you enforce using an nearly empty phone there is chance that it will happen.

Thanks @Robert. I should have stated the reason for my Q... I want to make an app which will send the longitude and latitude of the phone every 1hr. I plan on getting a small Android phone and hiding it under my bicycle seat. It will function as a cheap location tracker, in case the bike is stolen. But in order for it be useful, I would want the phone battery to last ~1 week. So I really just want to get a general idea of how long a battery will last when not being used.

That usually refers to the impact on battery given by a single app.
If you expand you are supposed to get a list of your apps running, ordered from the most costing ones in terms of battery usage.


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How does Samsung's WiFi Sharing work on a low level?
Samsung have had a feature called WiFi Sharing in their Android devices for some time.
This extends the tethering or hotspot function to be able to share another access point via its own SSID (with the same configuration that'd normally be used for sharing LTE).
How does this work on a low level? Could this function theoretically be added to other Android devices or even AOSP? What features of a WiFi chipset allow this to work?
I see What is the functionality concept behind Wi-Fi sharing (aka Wi-Fi Profile share)? but it only talks about the Android side, not the kernel or hardware side. It's also pretty incorrect as WiFi Sharing (at least on the S8+) doesn't use WiFi Direct at all.

Those phones have 2 sets of WiFi hardware AFAIK, and that alone would prevent the feature from being available elsewhere.

@Adam post you linked in your question  doesn't explain how wi-fi sharing for Samsung works, hence the question it explains another workaround of how the same concept was used on non Samsung phones, to give the same result, so it is pretty much correct an also uses Wi-fi direct over VPN, read the post again you will understand, even the illustrations doesn't include a Samsung device FYI I don't even use a Samsung device, so there is no way I can go claim incorrect stuff

Also I am suspecting you didn't read the remarks on the bottom of that  post, please do if you care.


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Is there a way to bypass the PIN on Galaxy Tab a without deleting anything on it?
I've had a Galaxy Tab a for about a year now, and I recently went out of town. When I came home and entered the security PIN, it wasn't working and then I realized that I changed it. I tried entering what I remember changing it to, but none worked. Is there a way to bypass the PIN without deleting anything on the tablet?

Did you try locking it from android.com/find? That might give u a way to change the pin depending on how old your device is

This can be done by installing a custom recovery then  manually deleting the files that hold locks data

There should be a way to reset the PIN by using your email. If your device is rooted, there are quite a lot of flashable zips for you to bypass the lockscreen on XDA.


text:
Completely disable audio jack as a media output
I bought 3.5 mm. dust plug jack and I'm using its buttons, but Android is considering it as a headphone and always routing the audio to it not the phone speakers nor the Bluetooth. I need to completely disable it as a media output. Please advise or guide where to ask. Stackoverflow, Super User, XDA, Android Central or Reddit. My phone is rooted and ready for any solution.

Welcome to Android Enthusiasts! A related question you might wish to look at: Is it possible to direct all audio output, including music output, to a Bluetooth headset? Faizan's answer with SoundAbout should apply to your use-case (see these posts for some additional examples).

Thank you, but Soundabout crash on my phone. Note 8 running Oreo.

Sad to hear. The app was last updated about 2 years ago (i.e. before Oreo), so it indeed could be a compatibility issue.

https://plus.google.com/100255718384858554176/posts/Bqp8GtkQY9x Mr Ian Grody had posted a solution to be done by tasker and Lesser audio manager.
Edit for in case the link was changed.
You need to send Lesser AudioSwitch intents and it'll switch between headphones and speaker..
By Tasker.
LAIH (232)
    A1: Send Intent [ Action:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch.HEADPHONES Cat:None Mime Type: Data: Extra: Extra: Extra: Package:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch Class:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch.SoundBroadcastReceiver Target:Broadcast Receiver ]
LAIS (233)
    A1: Send Intent [ Action:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch.SPEAKER Cat:None Mime Type: Data: Extra: Extra: Extra: Package:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch Class:com.nordskog.LesserAudioSwitch.SoundBroadcastReceiver Target:Broadcast Receiver ]
Edited for

In android oreo, users can choose where to output the audio on the notification bar. Another way to do this is to destroy your phone audio jack by opening up your phone and unplugging the wires from the motherboard. There might be also root methods like xposed framework or something similar to map the audio output.
Hope it helps :)

Thank you, I just need to swap the default audio output when that smart button "headphone jack similar to Pressy" is plugged in to the phone speakers not the headset or headphone. Sure there's a such options in mixerpath or mixergain files but I'm not a programmer :( if only a shell script, command or even to edit those related system files I'll do it.


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certain apps won't download
the google play store won't open or download certain apps.  most apps open fine and have no problem downloading updates, but a few are giving me trouble and not even letting me open their page on google play, giving an error that there's no internet connection, even while other apps are actively downloading updates.
i've tried clearing cache and data from the apps several times, cleared the phones cache, ensured the accuracy of the date and time on the phone, removed and re-entered my google account, made sure gmail was updated, uninstalled google play updates, and even reset the phone to factory settings and reinstalled everything... and still have the same trouble with certain apps.
the best i've been able to manage was after uninstalling updates to google play i was able to view the apps pages on the old version of google play and install them, but after google play updated i couldn't update the apps, and the versions installed were not the current versions for some reason.
the apps affected include google play games, google play books, google calendar, facebook, and a game i'm trying to get back into summoners war.  i'm sure there are others that wouldn't work either that i didn't check.  every time i try to go to these apps pages on google play or update them in my apps i get the same error about no internet connection, even while other apps are currently downloading updates.
why would this happen only for certain apps and how can i fix it?

What networks have you tried it on?


text:
Deleting a picture being sent by whatsapp
How do delete a picture that has started sending on whats app  but hasn't completed

When sending whatsapp image there will be cancel symbol only till file is not uploaded to Whatsapp servers, Here is the cancel symbol for reference.
If Image gets uploaded you have to use Delete for everyone feature for removing the Image.


text:
Running Android on a PC as a nondeveloper, just to run apps
I am an Android user running Android 7.0 (Nougat) on a Wiko Sunny 2 Plus device with 4GB internal storage, most of which is taken up by pictures and WhatsApp data. I have purchased this device because I was tired of mobile phones breaking down at home due to carelessness and am now stuck with this cheap model meaning that I now cannot run several nifty apps I had purchased.
However my home computer has about 300GB internal hard drive and I was thinking that even though I cannot carry my computer around the same way as a mobile phone or use touch screen since touch is missing from the screen not use GPS or a back camera nor use the cellular network for phone and messages as it does not have a sim card, I could still download some apps such as edutainment and dictionary apps and use them there.
So, I was wondering, as a nondeveloper, what is the easiest way to download the latest Android OS to your computer, in my case Windows 7 64-bit, and run an Android emulator or full screen tablet app on my computer, so that I can still make use of my purchased apps and what not?
Also, will I be able to use the same Google account name on the emulator without running into problems of conflict with my main smartphone?
Is there an easy emulator setup for nondevelopers, app testers for instance, that does not require a download of all the tools involved?
Thanks.

Yes, Bluestacks is the best option for your needs. Particularly suitable for game players, you can run any app on it. No need to download any extra; after downloading Bluestacks on your PC, just log in with your Play Store account and you'll find all of your apps listed.

For non-commercial uses Genymotion is a great candidate. It is free for personal usage. It supports GApps (Google apps i.e Playstore, Gmail etc). It is also quite faster than the Google's stock emulator which comes with Android studio. For genymotion you need to

Make a Genymotion account
Download Genymotion for Windows
Sign in
Download an android OS image
Configure the device if you want else run it directly after downloading

You may also wish to try MEmu - Android emulator
It is highly customizable, yet lightweight with elegant features:
Rich Features:

Full Android experience with an elegant desktop
Flexible customization (CPU, memory, resolution, device model, root mode, etc.)

Mapping the keyboard/joystick to screen touch for much better game experience
Passing through sensor data (e.g. accelerator) to Android, like Microsoft Surface.
GPS location simulation, show up wherever you want
File sharing between Windows and Android
One click to create/clone Android instances

You can setup your Google account just like any other device.
System Requirements:

Windows Vista/Windows 7 SP1/Windows 8.1/Windows 10
Intel or AMD CPU (with Virtualization Technology support preferred)
GPU with OpenGL 2.0+ support
At least 1 GB free system memory
At least 2 GB of free disk space under installation path

...and by the way it's absolutely FREE


text:
How often does Android 8.1 ask for a password instead of a fingerprint?
I use fingerprint to unlock my phone (Nokia 6 TA1033, upgraded to Oreo 8.1, not rooted). Sometimes it doesn't let me use fingerprint and asks for a password instead "for better security". I can't predict when this happens. Is there a way to prevent this? Like maybe unlock with a password on every nth wake-up so that I don't have to type the password in an uncomfortable situation?
Sometimes it is just really inconvenient to type the password, especially when your password is long. Also I believe in public places it is better to unlock with a fingerprint because then no one can see what you type.

Probably a Nokia-specific behaviour - never had that on LineageOS 15.1 (which supposedly has the AOSP behaviour).

It happens on my Pixel XL and has since day 1.  Its random, and I recall reading about others having the issue and that it was a bug of some sort.  Running P now and it still does it.  :shrug:

On stock Android, a backup authentication method is required after 5 failed attempts, or 48 hours since the last time that backup authentication method is used.
Using a screen off app will trigger this immediately, as that's how they trigger the screen off.

I am sure it happens on my Nokia 6 after 5 failed attempts. I don't know if 48 hours. I wanted to consistently test it but I keep forgetting. Please state the source of information. If this is what you observed on a particular phone please state model and android version. Thanks.

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/6285273?hl=en while this specifically targets the Pixel, my understanding is that Google doesn't change that behavior brought in from AOSP, so if Nokia didn't change it, it will also behave this way.

Thanks. I think that is the case because part of HMD's marketing strategy is about pure android.

In Android 8.1, password input in required when the phone is rebooted or is locked by administrator (e.g. a screen locker app). You may use a pin-code instead to ease the unlock process. Face recognition is also a good way to unlock your phone.

I know it happens after reboot but it also seems to happen randomly. It is probably phone specific behaviour. Thanks

@Puzzledstudent Today I got an idea what might have triggered the "randomly": on my device, it seems that whenever whatever "touches" the FP sensor, the device wakes up and expects a fingerprint. I was wondering today why the device (being in airplane mode) vibrated that often in my breast pocket. Later I found the FP unlock icon was gone. Only now (about 12h later) it suddenly became available (and working) again. Transferred the device to a belt pocket now which is hard enough not to reach the sensor. Will see if this does the trick long-term :)


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How to remove duplicate phone numbers within one Android contact
Under many of the contacts on my phone I have pages full of the same phone number and/or email address.  Is there an automated method to remove them?
Please note, I'm not talking about duplicate contact records.  I'm talking about one contact record having multiple phone number entries with the same number filling multiple pages.   I could press the "-" button dozens of times to remove them, but this issue is happening on many of my contacts.
Googling this issue only returns results regarding "duplicate contacts" with suggestions of merging.  I'm not looking to merge contacts.  I'm looking to remove duplicate numbers that are listed under a single named contact.
When I went to Gmail's website to look up the contact for the person in the image I attached, Gmail only lists their email address (once) with no phone number.  I'm not sure where the other numbers are coming from or if there is a way to organize the contacts outside of my phone.  I'm interested in hearing options you may suggest.  I'm a developer and not afraid of an export/cleanup/import scenario if that is viable.

I have a Galaxy S7 with Android 7.0.

You may use apps like Contacts Optimizer (available on google play) to link contacts with same phone numbers into one. There should also a similar feature built-in in the contacts app on your phone.

How does this apply to a single contact with a single phone number listed multiple times?

@gordon0525 Thanks for your input but this answer is not useful.  The duplicate numbers already exist under one contact.

Contacts Optimizer should be able to identify this matter. You should give it a try.

I tried Contacts Optimizer.  In the first pass it only addressed duplicate contact records.  I wrote to the authors and was told that the free version should support removing duplicate numbers within one contact so I ran it a second time.  After that the duplicate phone numbers were gone.   This solved my issue.  http://www.mobiledit.com/contacts-optimizer

It is highly recommended to use the ''Google Contacts App'' on your browser instead of the third party apps.
You can find the Google Contacts within your Gmail account as well. Else, you can just search Google contacts.
The feature allows to remove the duplicate entries of the contacts in your Google Contacts. Also, it prompts you to merge the contacts with the same name.

Please note that this issue isn't about duplicate contact records.  As far as I could tell the "Google Contacts App" would not remove duplicate phone numbers within one contact.  As noted in my original question, the duplicate numbers didn't even show up in the website view of the contact. They only appeared on my phone.
Thanks for your suggestion.  At first glance it's easily misunderstood that this issue is distinctly different from the common "I have duplicate contacts" issue.

I tried Contacts Optimizer. In the first pass it only addressed duplicate contact records. I wrote to the authors and was told that the free version should support removing duplicate numbers within one contact so I ran it a second time. After that the duplicate phone numbers were gone. This solved my issue.

I downloaded the free version of Contacts Optimizer, but it didnt have the ability to remove duplicate phone numbers (not duplicate contacts, which it does). There are some options in the tool that look like it might address the duplicate number issue, but they require purchasing the app to explore them. What options did you select to get it to remove duplicate phone numbers? Thanks.

I don't recall setting any specific options.  It was odd to me that running it a second time had a different effect.  Sorry I can't be more help.


text:
Auto-reconnect Bluetooth (BT) or USB tethering
When on vacation I use my smartphone (Android 7.1.1 Nougat) as a modem for my laptop (Windows 10 Home) and tablet (Android 6.0 Marshmallow), tethering to the laptop with USB and the tablet with Bluetooth. This works fine and the speed is acceptable, but every time I disconnect/go out of BT range I have to re-establish the connection. With WiFi tethering this problem does not occur, but WiFi uses a lot more battery power.
Is there any way to make USB and/or BT re-connection automatic?
@Ce4's answer to this question (jun 2013) mentions an app for permanent BT tethering but the link is broken.

Under what conditions do you want to re-enable usb tethering? an automation tool like tasker could do the job?

There are several apps available which can do this (even without root), for example Hot Spot Starter or Hotspot Automatik.

This topic shows an answer using Automate app. Note that, according to that topic, it requires root access.


text:
Are there codecs or codec packs?
I have a video without any problem in Windows (with K-Lite Codec Pack, but probably it is not important).
I copied it into my smartphone with OS Adroid 5.0.2, and I indeed need some codec/codecs for playing it back, because I got a message that is not possible to
playing it back.
I know that there are media players with embedded codecs but it is not a solution for me - I want playing it back with my favorite media player.
Converting it to another (supported) format is not acceptable, too.
Is there a codec for it? Here is MediaInfo output for it:
General
Complete name                : C:\Videos\Woods.avi
Format                       : AVI
Format/Info                  : Audio Video Interleave
File size                    : 43.2 MiB
Duration                     : 2 min 59 s
Overall bit rate             : 2 050 kb/s
Writing library              : VirtualDub build 24469/release

Video
ID                           : 0
Format                       : MPEG-4 Visual
Format settings              : BVOP1
Format settings, BVOP        : 1
Format settings, QPel        : No
Format settings, GMC         : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix      : Default (H.263)
Muxing mode                  : Packed bitstream
Codec ID                     : DX50
Codec ID/Hint                : DivX 5
Duration                     : 3 min 15 s
Bit rate                     : 1 977 kb/s
Nominal bit rate             : 3 695 kb/s
Width                        : 640 pixels
Height                       : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio         : 4:3
Frame rate                   : 25.000 FPS
Color space                  : YUV
Chroma subsampling           : 4:2:0
Bit depth                    : 8 bits
Scan type                    : Progressive
Compression mode             : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)           : 0.257
Stream size                  : 41.6 MiB (96%)
Writing library              : DivX 5.2.1 Beta (UTC 2004-09-08)

Audio
ID                           : 1
Format                       : MPEG Audio
Format version               : Version 2
Format profile               : Layer 3
Format settings              : Joint stereo / Intensity Stereo + MS Stereo
Codec ID                     : 55
Codec ID/Hint                : MP3
Duration                     : 2 min 59 s
Bit rate mode                : Constant
Bit rate                     : 64.0 kb/s
Channel(s)                   : 2 channels
Sampling rate                : 22.05 kHz
Compression mode             : Lossy
Stream size                  : 1.32 MiB (3%)
Alignment                    : Split accross interleaves
Interleave, duration         : 40  ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration : 502  ms

Which video player do you use? Try VLC, it contains a large number of decoders in the app.

If you use an Android device with Google Play Services, Google has a document which requires what the device MUST have:
Current Android Compatibility Definition Document - 5.3 Video Decoding
As you have an Android 5.0 device this document would apply:
Android 5.0 CDD - 5.1.3 Video Codecs
Note that your video file is an AVI container format which isn't listed so it would be up to the manufacturer to support that format or any additional codecs.
As to why can't you just add a codec see this StackOverflow post:
Adding video codec to Android
The short version is that codecs are in ROM and you can't write to ROM unless you are creating your own Custom ROM.
TL;DR: No, you can't add codecs. Use a third party player which supports your format or convert your video to a supported format (both of which you've rejected).


text:
Is there any solution to the lack of manual focus?
The Huawei P20 pro, and possibly other Huawei devices, seems to lack a manual focus (or perhaps even a good autofocus) in the front camera app. This can be an issue for close-up photos.
Is there any way around this? Installing other apps, rooting the phone, installing a different ROM...?

Not all front cameras are capable of adjusting focus by hardware?


text:
moto g4 plus booting back to twrp on installing supersu or magisk
I have a moto g4 plus android 7.0 for which I have unlocked the bootloader and I have flashed twrp and ran root.bat. After installing supersu, I have wiped the cache and dalvik and tried rebooting the system but it takes the phone back to the twrp main page. I have tried to start through the bootloader menu too but the same thing happens there too. I have also tried echo systemless and magisk. how do I boot back into android 7 with root privileges?

Clearly your changes have broken your Android system partition. You need to re-flash the stock Android system image for your phone.

This is likely the best answer, the reason is pretty common actually... The command to flash TWRP on this (and many other) devices is 'fastboot flash recovery twrp.img' but it is not unheard of to forget "recovery" parameter in the command, placing TWRP in the boot partition, which results in exactly the behavior described

@acejavelin It would be good to write that as an answer. It's a good explanation and more specific than what I wrote.

it's more an explanation of the cause, but not an answer to the problem.


text:
How can I see the number WhatsApp is dialing instead of the name?
How can I see the number WhatsApp is dialing instead of the name?
My friend Erwin has two mobile phones, one in Switzerland and a new one in Vietnam. Yesterday he called me from Vietnam by WhatsApp. Simple-minded as I am, I added this number under the same contact "Erwin". Today I wanted to call him back by replying his last WhatsApp call from yesterday (I selected his WhatsApp call from the call protocol). However, WhatsApp obviously connected to his Swiss number (as he's registered there as WhatsApp user), and nobody picked up, of course, because it was switched off. In such cases it would be very helpful to see the number WhatsApp is using. How can I make this number visible?

You can't make the number visible, as the developers of the Whatsapp hasn't add that functionality.
You can however check after the call

Go to CALLS tab -> Select the Contact -> click on Message icon ->
  Select the View Contact from Menu -> About and Phone Number will show
  the Contact number


text:
Deleting files on SD card does not free up space on SD card
I'm facing this issue:
When I delete a big folder, it's not deleted, but moved in "system data" instead, I remove the card, I plug it in my pc and my pc says that the device has to be checked for errors, it runs the check and then creates a folder named found.000, if I delete this, the free space is regained! I've already formatted my SD card, same issue happened!
The strange thing is that this happens only with large/huge files and folders, if I delete some megabytes, not a byte is added in system data! so I think I need to think why could this be happening with large data
I've got a similar 1 gb of data in internal too but this should be the mi cloud backup?
is it stored locally?
how can I delete it?
(I'm root)

device is redmi note 5a, but you didn't understand, pc says device has to be checked when I connect the sd card to the pc using a card reader, I tried deletions both with es file explorer pro, solid explorer and rom's default explorer, best result I got is big files get deleted after reboot, till then they are moved to system data

Before removing the sdcard from the phone and your pc you need to eject/unmount it otherwise file-system errors may occur.

errors occur (lost chains) because of the inability to actually delete the big files and not from removing the sd card I think

Deleting a file works interdependent of it's size. Only if the app you use for deleting tries to emulator some sort of trash where the files are copied to it can make problems -> use a program that does not use such a strange implementation of the delete command.

For anyone using ES File Explorer, when you 'delete' from the SD Card the data doesn't delete, it gets moved into a folder called .estrongs (you have put the sd card into PC and in Windows File Explorer under View Tab check the box for 'show hidden files')...checking the box for showing 'hidden files' in ES Explorer is not reliable.....Then in just delete the files from .estrongs in Windows File Explorer to free up space

Connect your SD card to PC/laptop and perform a chkdsk repair

I did that twice and lately I formatted my sd card from inside the phone, another strange thing is that no matter how I format it, the phone detects it with a serial number, like C42B-1819, any way I can make phone detect it as sd card1 or something?

I noticed the same thing happens when I delete a large file from the internal storage,
is this a nougat feature or a miui one?
any way I can force android to delete these files instantly instead of moving them to system data
and maybe deleting after reboot?

I think a Cold Restart (Turning the device completely off and then back on.) Should fix this issue.
In some rare cases you may need to remove the card when the device is off and put it back before restarting.
Then when you start back up you should see your actual available space on the SD card/Micro SD card.

To add to @river 's answer - on Mac OS, you can press 'Shift' + 'Command' + '.' on the keyboard to enable hidden files view, and from there you can check the SD card to determine if there's a hidden folder or trash folder where the deleted files gets moved to. In my case for a SANDISK Extreme pro it was moved to a hidden Trash folder. HTH.


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What does the setting option mean entitled "allow multi-thread downloads" in Es file explorer?
What does the setting option mean entitled "allow multi-thread downloads" in Es file explorer' under download manager settings?!

It will divide your Download file into Multiple parts and Start Downloading those parts in parallel. After Downloading all the files it will merge all the downloading parts.
The Toggle is for changing the behavior to multi thread or Sequential Download.


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Why does VoLTE deployment only take a "Carrier Update" on iOS for all iPhones to have it enabled, but only a select few Android handsets get it?
I am guessing carriers need to adjust the software, but why isn't this negotiated by Android by default so that no modifications would be necessary? Why is there no equivalent of "carrier updates"?

Because for a carrier it is easier to update 2 or 3 iPhones types compared to 20-100 Android device types (only considering the most common types). Anyway Android has also "carrier updates" - a branded firmware allows the carrier to adapt the software as well. However only a few carrier world-wide really do so, they usually just add apps and themes or disable certain features.

Because the carrier needs iPhone more than it needs Android. Part of the deal with Android is that there's no one real bargaining unit for the overarching ecosystem. With iPhone, one company is solely responsible for the hardware and the software.


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What app sends these push notifications?
Hope you can see the images. Need to know what app these notifications belong to please.

Screenshots (click images for larger variants)

To know which notification belongs to which app what you need to do is just long press that notification (after opening notification panel) and it'll reveal the app name or at least it will give you the option to see "App info" which essentially will take you to that app's settings.

It's an google voice assistant daily jokes. See the notification icon in the first screenshot, and compare it with the icon next to the full notification in the second:

Note that the mouth shape (the smile) is different.


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Apps are randomly opening up after unlocking my Redmi Note 4 through fingerprint sensor?
I am experiencing this for about 2-3 weeks.
When I unlock my phone a random app(which are on home screen, I think) opens up automatically.
The apps which I mainly noticed are WhatsApp and themes.
Is this a result of malware or anything else? How to fix?
I did a bit of research on it sites like quora, android central, etc.
But none of them seems to work for me.

How you have installed apps? From play store or downloaded apk. Check these steps, Goto Settings->Installed Applications->SystemLauncher. Clear its cache and data. Check whether it is solved or not.

I always install from play store only

I can't tell it is solved or not because it doesn't happen after every unlock instead happens at any random time.

Could you please tell how it is gonna fix by clearing cache and data?

By clearing cache and data of system launcher your home screen will reset to default. That means your present arrangement of apps and widgets are lost and reset to which you have seen on first boot.  If the issue is with launcher, then it may be get solved.

Sure. No apps get uninstalled. Only changes home screen arrangement.

One last thing, is it a known issue in Xiaomi phones?

No. I have used Xiaomi phone last three years, and  I haven't had this issue. Else you can try installing another launcher(Nova) from Play Store. Launcher is the Application that loads apps and defines user interface of device. Nova launcher(stock android like UI) is different from current MIUI arrangement.

@Rahul Gopi Unfortunately it doesn't resolved the issue:-(

Have you tried with Nova launcher?

I didn't tried Nova

If still happens the same after Nova, then try by reset, and again it still happens, then the issue is with touch screen.

Okay I will try my luck with launchers


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Tasker service still want to start after uninstalling it
Here is a warning from my Logcat

07:04:44.099 ActivityManager( 1143)  Unable to start service Intent {
  act=android.service.notification.NotificationListenerService
  cmp=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm/.NotificationListenerService } U=0:
  not found

I unistalled Tasker a few months ago.
Why is there still a call to start a service?

I incidentally downloaded "Settings Database Editor" (by4a.setedit22) and found in "Secure Table" a reference to Tasker notification. So I deleted it. I also found a lot of ES file browser (+ Baidu) references (also uninstalled some months ago), deleted them too.


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Edits hosts file ignored by chrome
I'm trying to cut down on procrastination in a fun way (read hacking) by rooting my phone (moto g2) and editing the /system/etc/hosts file like this
127.0.0.1     localhost
::1           ip6-localhost
127.0.0.1     youtube.com
(trailing newline)

I tried the following fixes:

Turning off Data Saver
Clear all data in Settings->Storage->Apps
Clear cache from chrome://net-internals/#dns and clear
Reboot

Still I'm perfectly able to access www.youtube.com, no problemo. Any thoughts?

If you want to redirect www.youtube.com to 127.0.0.1 you have to add it exactly that way to your hosts files.
However you only redirected the main domain youtube.com to 127.0.0.1. not the subdomain www.youtube.com. Note that this does not affect subdomains. If you want to cut of Youtube completely you have to add every subdomain to your hosts file.

Chrome is still ignoring the hosts file while other browsers abide by it (eg Opera).


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Updating S7 Edge using Odin: stuck in Download Mode's "Downloading..."
I have done the following steps (in this order) to update my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge using Odin:
- Downloaded and installed the Samsung USB driver on my Windows PC
- Enabled USB Debugging on my phone
- Booted my phone into Download Mode
- Opened Odin (v3.12) on my PC
- Connected my phone to my PC (confirmed connected by Odin)
- In Odin, selected the BL, AP, CP and CSC (intentionally instead of the HOME_CSC, as I wanted a reset as well)
- Clicked Start
It has now been 1.5 hours, and the phone's Download Mode screen is still showing "Downloading...".
Did I do something wrong? It's not meant to take this long, is it? (I read that it's meant to take no more than 20-30 minutes)
EDIT: after over 2 hours with no change, I force reboot my phone, after which I was greeted with the following error:

"Device storage corrupt. the data partition has been corrupted. you
  need to reset your device to factory default settings. this will erase
  all your data"

I am now downloading the latest UK Oreo ROM, which just came out yesterday, in hopes I can manage to flash it successfully and that I haven't bricked my phone beyond repair...

Okay so I eventually managed to both unbrick my phone and install Oreo. Here is how I did it.
Unbricking the phone:

When the phone is off, press Power + Home + Volume Up (yes, up)
Don't worry about the weird messages, just wait a minute
A menu will appear with several options, one of which will be to factory reset the phone. Use the volume keys to go to this option, and then the power key to select it
As if by magic, your phone will reset and then be unbricked, and the OS will load normally

Installing Oreo - what I missed was:

Enabling OEM Unlock in Developer Options in the phone's settings
Using the latest version of Odin - v3.13.1 - it appears that anything older won't work
(possibly) Running Odin as administrator on the PC

I recommend this video tutorial to install Oreo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSIyk7lkd8
Good luck!

Odin v3.13.1 flash tool - https://odin3download.com/


text:
is it impossible to know a Wifi mac address of an android phone via a link?
There is someone that I doubt that he uses my stolen phone so I want to make sure that the phone that he uses is mine or not by knowing the Wifi mac address of phone – to see if it's mine or not.
I have used iplogger before but all what it shows is ip address- Android  version - browser - phone model-etc. I just wanna make sure before telling telling the police about this person.
I have already done tracking report, but they did nothing.
What can I do ?? The phone uses Android 5.

An IP logger captures the IP address and the browser user agent string, the browser user agent only contains information like phone model and browser, no uniquely identifying information like MAC addresses.
So no, this iplogger (or any other that uses similar techniques) cannot determine if the phone is actually your's, only if it is the same model, but thousands of that model are sold so that is not considered evidence.

is there anything can capture a mac address similar to IP logger ?

@minanageh No, the only way to obtain someone's mac address is to either be on the same network, or looking it up in their phone's info tab in the settings.

OK thanks .. I will try my lucky at IP logger ..

What you'd need for that is something that also supports ARP. You could try a tool like Fing, which does that:

Fing (source: Google Play; click images for larger variants)
As you can see in the second screenshot, Fing is able to tell the MAC address (at least of nearby devices). Some alternative apps can be found in my corresponding list.

this not what i mean ... he is not in the same network as me

Then you are very much out of look – see How to get MAC address via IP at our security sister-site.

didn't help .. that's ok


text:
Cisco Webex app on Android 6.0.1 phone
My android phone spec says:
1) Dimensions are 3.00x5.96x0.32 inches
2) Display Resolution - Horizontal and vertical resolution of the primary display - 1080x1920

Installed Cisco webex app from Playstore. Phone connected with WIFI access point.

But, the Cisco webex meetings guide says:
Your tablet must meet one of the following requirements:

Screen size 7.1 inches or larger and Android 3.0 or later
Screen width 6000 dp or larger and Android 3.2 or later

I could not test the webex link that will be used for my interview, next week, until the host is available.

Does this phone spec support Cisco webex audio/video call?Dimensions are 3.00x5.96x0.32 inches

Only one device fits the dimensions you've shared, and that's the Huawei GR5, which is a phablet with screen size of 5.5 inches, which doesn't fit any of the requirements. But even if it's not that specific model, it's not physically possible to have a bigger screen fit in those dimensions. So even if you're not talking about the Huawei GR5, your device still doesn't meet Cisco's requirements.

Then how come, users use phone for webex meetings? I don't think average dimension of a phone is bigger than the given in query? Why does my phone not fit the requirement?

@overexchange First requirement: Screen size 7.1 inches or lager - your phone has a screen size of 5.5 inches. 5.5 < 7.1, therefor, the phone doesn't meet the first requirement. Second requirement: Screen width 6000 dp or larger - your phone width is 360dp (1080x1920 in 5.5 inches is xxhdpi, whch means your width in dp is (1080 / (0.00625 * 480 )) = 360dp). 360 < 6000. This is why your phone does not fit the requirements :)

Whatever, I am selected


text:
How to type "Control" on Termux?
There is a good app "Termux" which can provide a powerful shell environment without gaining root permission. However, the touch-screen keyboard doesn't include the "Control" and "Alt" buttons. But some interactive programs (for example, nano, emacs) require these buttons.
Is there any way to add this button or use some other way to replace this button?

You will want to use Hackers Keyboard (available on Play Store as well as on F-Droid) for that, which was explicitly written for such purpose:

Hacker's Keyboard (source: Google Play; click image for larger variant)
That would be the most convenient approach – though the app hasn't been updated lately. But if you don't want that, just take a look at the corresponding Termux help page (or the matching Termux Wiki page): Termux utilizes the volume keys for "special combos". You can also have the most common keys shown on the screen to be "tap ready":

The docu writes: To enable the extra keys view you have to long tap on the keyboard button in the left drawer menu. You can also press Volume Up+Q.
Or, as Death Mask Salesman stated in a now deleted comment: "Volume Down equals Control, while Volume Up is the same as Alt."

@Izzy I'm afraid I don't have a means to contact the dev, though.

Why not? But, as pointed out, my blindness, so no need. So I will now integrate the facts from our comments, and then clean up, OK? (if-not-OK, X-M-P-P :)

No. Vol-Up is closer to Fn than Alt.

When you slide on the left-hand side of the screen, you get two options:

Keyboard
New session

Click and hold on the keyboard and all the essential keys will appear on your keyboard. That's all you have to do.

Not sure why you were downvoted.  This option gives access to all the needs keys on the standard keyboard.

Press VOLUME UP+Q to enable and VOLUME UP+K to disable extra keys in termux.
To edit extra keys and shortcuts in termux
nano ~/.termux/termux.properties

and add save
extra-keys = [['ESC','/','-','HOME','UP','END','PGUP'],['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT','PGDN']]

You can include shortcuts you like by changing termux.properties.
Reference link

You can use Volume Down + C to get the same job.


text:
cant do factory reset or hard reset on mi 5x
I tried to factory reset my mi 5x phone through settings but after clicking reset device, it just turn off the phone and restart it without changing anything on the phone.
And when I try to do a hard reset, after holding Vol down + power button, this screen shows up:

And after a few seconds the phone turn off again.
How can I fix this problem?

Well, first a hard reset would not imply any key presses, but taking the battery out :) As the key combo you've used led you into fastboot mode, try the other volume key instead (i.e. volUp+Power). Does that bring you to the recovery menu and lets you factory-reset?

@Izzy No It just turn on the phone when i use Vol up + power button.

@MiladHeydari have you messed up with recovery partition ?

@AbdelhafidMadoui no. what i described is all i could do. it never gave me the chance to mess up anything :D

Broken volume up button or something?

@Izzy What if the device has an internal battery ? ;)

@esQmo_ in that case you press and hold the power button until it reboots (that's also supposed to cut power after 10..30s).

Reading the comments above, I can think  your volume up button may be broken? But remember, you can perform  a factory reset from the Fastboot mode too, simply connect your phone to the computer, install Minimal ADB & Fastboot (Windows), run it then type fastboot -w[press enter] the phone should be reset.
Also ADB lets you do many things on your phone including factory reset:

Enable ADB (USB Debugging) from the Developer's menu
Connect the phone to the computer
Run Minimal ADB & Fastboot
Type adb shell [press enter]
Type wipe data [press enter]

You're done.
ADB can let you boot in recovery mode and perform factory reset manually:

Type adb reboot recovery [press enter]

PS: Don't forget to install drivers to let your phone be detected by the computer.
Not on Windows ? Check this question related to a minimal installation of ADB for all operating systems.
Check also our ADB tag-wiki

+1 :) And even if not Windows, our adb tag-wiki mentions a post named Is there a minimal installation of ADB? (<- shameless self-promotion :)


text:
Accessibility of router password entering via scanning for blind, old people, and ease of use
This post is about accessibility by older people and people forgetting their glasses and shop and warehouse personnel wanting to make use of a QR code and some blind people as a quick input method.
I'm running Android 7.0 Nougat.
This post is not about an app but about the Android system proper and asks about whether any more advanced versions of Android actually support the feature described in this post: camera to text input (as a core, integrated Android feature (in this post using QR codes)).
Currently, gboard, the current default Android keyboard on Google systems, allows you to to perform input operations on various Android apps and system widgets that take text input, by typing text, inserting an image, or using voice to enter text as voice to text translation is performed on Google's servers. However, it would be nice if one could long press on the microphone icon to temporarily change input method to QR-code, (or perhaps even more generally bar code), input mode. This would allow the text corresponding to the given bar code to be included. I am searching for this keyboard on gboard as it is the default Android system on Google keyboards even though having it on Swype would be nice too.
The reason this feature is good is that people like older people and lazy people with the sight problems might need to quickly access WiFi, perhaps even in an emergency situation where someone comes back home and the data network is not working and needs to quickly place an outgoing call over WhatsApp. Here, the router providing WiFi, would have a QR code in place of the default password, and many people I have seen use the standard default password on the router and have guests which may have forgotten their glasses or have a back acke or memory problems and have trouble inputting the long number.
If routers provided a bar code representing the password next to the password on the stickers at their back these sort of people could quickly connect to WiFi when there was trouble.
Another category of people who could make use of this input system are shop assistants and warehouse personnel, etc, who need to copy and send UPC codes of products allowing managers, clients, and what not, to quickly send these codes reliably without copying.g mistakes, even with the keyboard.
The number of applications of including a barcode reader in a keyboard could be virtually unlimited. The alternative would be having a small button to activate a barcode reader on apps and system widgets such as the one where the Wi-Fi password is entered, but this would mean having to place them everywhere it made sense where cm as the keyboard would be a standard catchall place for this.
The feature could even be available as a plugin if the keyboard supported some sort of generic modular plugin system for extending its functionality.
This feature may also help independent blind users connect to routers that found they had to use a separate app to scan the label at the back of the router, extract the password, and read it out loud before the text could be input.
So, my question is, whether newer versions of Android support what I describe.
Thanks.
(as a note, I am able to scan my credit card when making online purchases or donations via some web input boxes in chrome, and this is by scanning the front of the card where the numbers appear, and although the number of digits on the front of the credit card are fixed, the clicking the camera from the drop-down on the web widget when I click on the credit card number input field also fills in the expiry date and year, so theoretically it should be possible to input a router password, which as a technical complication is variable length, in general, using scanning techniques. It would also be nice, if, in absence of based codes, Talk back could work here, allowing the blind user to read the back label of the router in scanned portions and tap on the one corresponding to the password (perhaps after hearing the contents of an adjacent label the user got to with the finger in TalkBack navigation here that read out "password".)
Thanks again for your care, feedback, and support for blind people, people with geriatric problems, and for making Android a more and more user-friendly platform with each Android version.
And above all, thank you for your feedback and support.

It seems like you have us confused with a site for reporting feature requests. We're not affiliated with Google, and this site is just for fellow users of Android to answer each other's questions. Your essay about why this feature should exist doesn't really help with the question of whether it does exist now.

No, Gboard doesn't support this feature at the moment, though a quick search on Google Play shows a few third-party keyboards that support scanning bar codes for text input.
Being able to install a third-party keyboard to add the functionality you want to use is pretty much the whole point of having the input method be an app instead of a built-in part of Android. There's really no reason to push this functionality into Android itself.


text:
App installing takes a long time in a Work Profile
Having MIUI optimization enabled on a MIUI device (for me: Mi Max 2) makes it to take a long time (exactly 10 minutes) for each new app to be installed. Although I have not seen such behavior in the main profile/user, in a Work Profile (i.e. managed profile) with MIUI optimization enabled, each installing process takes exactly 10 minutes.
However after turning off the MIUI optimization (under Developer options), this behavior does not happen. Has anyone notified of this behavior? What is wrong with the MIUI optimization? Can I get rid of this optimization without getting into trouble in other parts of system?

There won't be any real damage when you  turn off MIUI optimisation.
This post describes the effects of having MIUI optimisation turned on/off as reported by MIUIers.
The optimisation offers some MIUI based settings & optimizations set by developers with aim of giving a fast user experience but of late has offered more disadvantages especially in new ROMs.
It has been reported to cause some some incompatibility issues with Google based apps and sync services and also non functionality of Greenify hibernate feature in non-root mode (MIUI 9.xx) althought it doesn't affect MIUI 8.
Therefore, you can safely turn it off, if it is causing lag issues With work Profile, as much as it is recommended to be off when using Greenify (MIUI 9). Besides the changes described in the linked post (as a MIUI user) I don't see any detrimental effects when you disable it.


text:
How can I remove com.android.service, launcher3, Medias and Shell?
I own a cheap Chinese android phone which I use for my everyday tasks and I am having issues with what I understand is malware.
Frequently, Google Play informs me to

Disable harmful app "com.android.service" can damage your device

which I proceed to do but to no avail; this happens around 5 to 10 times in a single day and I suspect it has to do with how often I enable my Wi-Fi and/or restart the device but I could be wrong.
I have installed Malwarebytes, AVGAntivirus and CCleaner. Occasionally, Malwarebytes and AVGAntivirus will identify some malware which will then go on to remove successfully.
I have had these applications occasionally flag something (app?) on my phone entitled launcher3 and Medias which I have unsuccessfully tried uninstalling.
Recently I found out I could restrict "launcher3"'s permissions which I went on and did.
I'm not sure if this is the case but since then, I have been experiencing pop-ups from something (app?) entitled "Shell" with ads and usually when firing Firefox (I don't use Chrome) and/or when I enable my Wi-Fi and/or when I restart my device, Firefox opens a some random add-like tab.
I don't know if it's for the better or for the worse but in the majority of cases whatever ad content I'm being served doesn't display correctly, only partially.
My question is pretty straightforward:
What do I have to do to get rid of all these nuisances and be able to use my phone as intended?


text:
How to mark reminders as "Done" without going via Google Calendar?
I set reminders using Google / Google Now / Google Assistant (or whatever it's called these days). These reminders also appear (automatically) on my Google Calendar. All good.
However, when I receive a notification of this reminder I only get the options to "edit" or "delete" (even when clicking through to the reminder in the Google App). I don't want to "delete" it, as I want to keep a note of reminders I've "done" and besides I have several "recurring" reminders" that cannot simply be deleted. And I certainly don't want to edit it. I want to simply "Mark as Done", but how?
The only way to "Mark as Done" that I can see is to view the reminder in Google Calendar, when I get the single option to "Mark as Done". But going via "Google Calendar" requires additional (unnecessary) steps. Consequently, reminders often only get "Marked as Done" some days later then I see the entry is still showing in my Google Calendar.
So, in there a better/quicker way to mark reminders as "done" - preferably from the "notification" - without having to go via Calendar?

I have recently discovered you can "Mark as Done" a reminder in the Google app by swiping right on the reminder itself:

Note that this is only in the app, not on the notification.
HOWEVER, if you swipe a "recurring" reminder to "Mark as Done", it will mark all future reminders as done also! This is certainly a problem for me, as I have several recurring reminders and I only want to mark the "current" one as done.


text:
Android x86 > error: SysRq: Emergency remount R/0
I have a PC with Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04, but would like to add more Android x86(lineageOS 14.1). The ISO file works perfectly in Live USB. After installing with USB (by selecting "Run LineageOS"), the android launches without problems. But after the restart (added lineageOS 14.1 via /etc/grub.d/40_custom), it does start with the following message:
Detecting Android-x86... found at /dev/sda7
[     3.697517] sysrq: SysRq: Emergency remount R/0

Then it reboots to the GRUB2 menu.
How do I fix this, and boot lineageOS 14.1?
My PC with an CPU Intel Celeron 2.6 GHz 1 core, 1GB ram, and I am trying to start lineageOS 14.1 on a 8GB partition (without SDcard).
My boot code is:
    recordfail=1
    if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi
set quiet=1
insmod ext2
set root=(hd0,7)
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 033e8fc7-4cfe-9454-bc59-df7329ca862d
linux /cm-x86-14.1-r2/kernel root=UUID=033e8fc7-4cfe-9454-bc59-df7329ca862d ro quiet splash
initrd /cm-x86-14.1-r2/initrd.img

I solved this problem!
This code for the GRUB2 loader helped me.

Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference. Otherwise, your answer becomes useless in case the link dies. For further hints, please see: How do I write a good answer.


text:
What are these icons on an Android?
Could someone please tell what these apps are?

Device is a Samsung s8 edge. Not sure about operating system.

Icon on the left is the notification by the app Musical.ly.

musical.ly is a global video community with editing tools and share video with the world.

Icon on the right is the notification by the app Smart Manager in Samsung.

This app is used to manage battery, storage, RAM, Device Security etc